Book Description:
Purchase of this book includes free trial access to www.million books.com where you can read more than a million books for free. This is an OCR edition with typos. Excerpt from book: CHEISTIAN MOKALS. PART I. 1. Tread softly and circumspectly in this funam bulatory1 track and narrow path of goodness : pursue virtue virtuously : leaven not good actions, r1or render virtues disputable. Stain not fair acts with foul intentions: maim not uprightness by halting concomitances, nor circumstantially deprave substantial goodness. Consider whereabout thou art in Cebes's table,2 or that old philosophical pinax3 of the life of man : whether thou art yet in the road of uncertainties ; whether thou hast yet entered the narrow gate, got up the hill and asperous way, which leadeth unto the house of sanity ; or taken that purifying potion from the hand of sincere erudition, which may send thee clear and pure away unto a virtuous and happy life. In this virtuous voyage of thy life hull not about like the ark, without the use of rudder, mast, or sail, and bound for no port. Let not disappointment cause despondency, nor difficulty despair. Think not that you 1 Narrow, like the walk of a rope dancer. 2 The table or picture of Cebes, an allegorical representation of the characters and conditions of mankind; which ia translated by Mr. Collier, and added to the meditations of Antoninus. 3 Picture. arc sailing from Lima4 to Manilla, when you may fasten up the rudder, and sleep before the wind; but expect rough seas, flaws,5 and contrary blasts : and it is well if by many cross tacks and veerings you arrive at the port; for we sleep in lions' skins6 in our progress unto virtue, and we slide not but climb unto it. Sit not down in the popular forms and common level of virtues. Offer not only peace offerings, but holocausts unto God; where all is due make no reserve, and cut not a cummin seed with the Almighty: to serve him singly to serve ourselves were too ...
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