Observe, 1. Modesty is the badge of wisdom. He that is truly wise hides
his treasure, so as not to boast of it (Matt. xiii. 44), though he does
not hide his talent, so as not to trade with it. His wisdom rests in
his heart; he digests what he knows, and has it ready to him, but does
not unseasonably talk of it and make a noise with it. The heart is the
seat of the affections, and there wisdom must rest in the practical
love of it, and not swim in the head. 2. Openness and ostentation are a
mark of folly. If fools have a little smattering of knowledge, they
take all occasions, though very foreign, to produce it, and bring it in
by head and shoulders. Or the folly that is in the midst of fools is
made known by their forwardness to talk. Many a foolish man takes more
pains to show his folly than a wise man thinks it worth his while to
take to show his wisdom.