§ 5. You are now in the Pursuit of that Learning, and those Ingenuous and Mollifying Arts, which which may distinguish you from the more Uncultivated Part of Mankind, and may accomplish you to claim a Place among them, who are the Blessings and Beauties of their Generation. Concerning This, what I do in the First Place Advise you to, is, To fix the END of all your Studies, and let This be what it ought to be. Let Vives's Motto, Oculus ad Scopum, have its Influence upon you in your whole Course of all your Studies. If you Aim no Higher nor Better, than to render yourself Considerable, and make a Figure among your Fellow-Mortals, or, perhaps, to gain a comfortable Subsistence in the World, All you do is Wrong and Mean, and Vile, and the Holy GOD looks down with Abhorrence upon you. A Bernard is not the only Christian, who has had a ⟨p. 25⟩true Sight of the Vanity, with which the Studies of the most that seek after Knowledge, are carried on, and pronounced those the only Right Students, Qui ad hoc volunt Intelligere ut Benefaciant. I hope it would not be unintelligible unto you, if I should recommend unto your Emulation, a Flight of One, who tho' I find him in the Cursed City, herein spoke like One of ours; Lord, I had rather, could it be without Sin, that all should hate me, than that they should Love me for myself: If all the World hate me, I should have but what is mine; if they should Love me for myself, they would usurp what is Thine. But thus much I cannot but wish for; That you may betimes be inspired with Sentiments, by which the Idol that has more Votaries than that on the Plain of Dura, that is to say, SELF, may be dethroned with you. Be aware of it, that the most of People who shall Honour you, and Admire you, and Applaud you, will Terminate in you, and look no further than the Worm they look next upon: GOD will not have His Praises in what is done for you, and by you. GOD, without whom, and Before whom, you are as nothing, will not be Remembered; And all will be as nothing, in Remembrances of none but Ashes. A Sacrilegious Idolatry will be committed! But a true Servant of GOD, will even deprecate it, as an Infelicity, to be made the Object of this Idolatry: And wish, Lord, Let those that Fear thee, [and will see Thee through' me,] be those that shall turn unto me.
§ 5. You are now in the Pursuit of that Learning, and those Ingenuous and Mollifying Arts, which which may distinguish you from the more Uncultivated Part of Mankind, and may accomplish you to claim a Place among them, who are the Blessings and Beauties of their Generation. Concerning This, what I do in the First Place Advise you to, is, To fix the END of all your Studies, and let This be what it ought to be. Let Vives's Motto, Oculus ad Scopum, have its Influence upon you in your whole Course of all your Studies. If you Aim no Higher nor Better, than to render yourself Considerable, and make a Figure among your Fellow-Mortals, or, perhaps, to gain a comfortable Subsistence in the World, All you do is Wrong and Mean, and Vile, and the Holy GOD looks down with Abhorrence upon you. A Bernard is not the only Christian, who has had a ⟨p. 25⟩true Sight of the Vanity, with which the Studies of the most that seek after Knowledge, are carried on, and pronounced those the only Right Students, Qui ad hoc volunt Intelligere ut Benefaciant. I hope it would not be unintelligible unto you, if I should recommend unto your Emulation, a Flight of One, who tho' I find him in the Cursed City, herein spoke like One of ours; Lord, I had rather, could it be without Sin, that all should hate me, than that they should Love me for myself: If all the World hate me, I should have but what is mine; if they should Love me for myself, they would usurp what is Thine. But thus much I cannot but wish for; That you may betimes be inspired with Sentiments, by which the Idol that has more Votaries than that on the Plain of Dura, that is to say, SELF, may be dethroned with you. Be aware of it, that the most of People who shall Honour you, and Admire you, and Applaud you, will Terminate in you, and look no further than the Worm they look next upon: GOD will not have His Praises in what is done for you, and by you. GOD, without whom, and Before whom, you are as nothing, will not be Remembred; And all will be as nothing, in Remembrances of none but Ashes. A Sacrilegious Idolatry will be committed! But a true Servant of GOD, will even deprecate it, as an Infelicity, to be made the Object of this Idolatry: And wish, Lord, Let those that Fear thee, [and will see Thee thro' me,] be those that shall turn unto me.
