each "to-day" brings forth a new "to-morrow," and each "now" a new "by and by."
Nor are there wanting those who, believing that a change of life consists in certain devotions, spend all the day in reciting "Our Father," &c., without ever setting to work to mortify their disorderly passions, which cause them to cleave to creatures.
Others give themselves to exercises of virtue, but build without having laid their foundation, for every virtue has its proper foundation. Thus, humility has its foundation in the desire to be but little or nothing accounted of, to be despised by others, and to be vile in its own sight; therefore he who first lays this foundation, afterwards gladly accepts the stones of the building of humility. Then, increasing in the desire to be despised, and willingly receiving slights from others, he goes on acquiring humility; above all, often seeking it from God by virtue of the Humiliation of His Son.
And yet all this may be done by some, without either love of the virtue, or desire to please God. Here arises a want of consistency in the exhibition of this virtue; such persons to some are humble, to others are proud; humble to some, but proud to those whose esteem is of no importance to their designs.
There are others who desire Christian perfec-
