riment, and he will find that a little resolution will make the greatest part of the difficulty vanish.

2. Self-knowledge will be a good ballast to the mind under any accidental hurry or disorder of the passions. It curbs their impetuosity, puts the reins into the hands of reason, quells the rising storm ere it make shipwreck of the conscience, and teaches a man to leave off contention before it be meddled with,' Prov. xvii. 14; it being much safer to keep the lion chained, than to encounter it in its full strength and fury. And thus will a wise man, for his own peace, deal with the passions of others, as well as his own.

Self-knowledge, as it acquaints a man with his weaknesses and worst qualities, will be his guard against them, and a happy counterbalance to the faults and excesses of his natural temper.

3. It will keep the mind sedate and calm under the surprise of bad news, or afflicting providences.

'For, am I not a creature of God? and my life and my comforts, are they not wholly at his dispose, from whom I have received them, and by whose favour I have so long enjoyed them, and by whose mercy and goodness I have still so many left me?

"A heathen can teach me, under such losses of friends, or estate, or any comfort, to direct my eyes to the hand of God, by whom it was lent me, and is now recalled, that I ought not to say, it is lost, but restored; and though I be injuriously deprived of it, still the hand of God is to be acknowledged; for, what is it to me by what means he that gave me that blessing takes it from me again?'-Epict. Enchirid. cap. 15.

He that rightly knows himself will live every

day dependent on the divine Author of his mer cies for the continuance and enjoyment of them; and will learn, from a higher authority than that of a heathen moralist, that he hath nothing that he can properly call his own, or ought to depend upon as such; that he is but a steward employed to dispense the good things he possesses, according to the direction of his Lord, at whose pleasure he holds them, and to whom he should be ready, at any time, cheerfully to resign them. Luke xvi. 1.

4. Self-knowledge will help a man to preserve an equanimity and self-possession under all the various scenes of adversity and prosperity.

Both have their temptations. To some, the temptations of prosperity are the greatest; to others, those of adversity. Self-knowledge shews a man which of these are greatest to him; and, at the apprehension of them, teaches him to arm himself accordingly, that nothing may deprive him of his constancy and self-possession, or lead him to act unbecoming the man or the Christian.

We commonly say, 'No one knows what he can bear till he is tried.' And many persons verify the observation, by bearing evils much better than they feared they should. Nay, the apprehension of an approaching evil often gives a man a greater pain than the evil itself. This is owing to inexperience and self-ignorance.

A man, that knows himself his own strength and weakness, is not so subject as others to the melancholy presages of the imagination; and, whenever they intrude, he makes no other use of them than to take the warning, collect himself, and prepare for the coming evil, leaving the degree, duration, and the issue of it, with him who is the sovereign

Disposer of all events, in a quiet dependence on his power, wisdom, and goodness.

Such self-possession is one great effect and advantage of self-knowledge.

CHAP. II.

Self-Knowledge leads to a wise and steady Conduct.

II. As self-knowledge will keep a man calm and equal in his temper, so it will make him wise and cautious in his conduct.'

A precipitant and rash conduct is ever the effect of a confused and irregular hurry of the thoughts. So that, when, by the influence of self-knowledge, the thoughts become cool, sedate, and rational, the conduct will be so too. It will give a man that even, steady, uniform behaviour in the management of his affairs, that is so necessary for the dispatch of business, and prevent many disappointments and troubles, which arise from the unsuccessful execution of immature or ill-judged projects.

In short, most of the troubles which men meet with in the world may be traced up to this source, and resolved into self-ignorance. We may complain of Providence, and complain of men; but the fault, if we examine it, will commonly be found to be our own. Our imprudence, which arises from self-ignorance, either brings our troubles upon us or increases them. Want of temper and conduct will make any affliction double.

What a long train of difficulties do sometimes proceed from one wrong step in our conduct, which self-ignorance, or inconsideration, betrayed us into! And every evil that befals us, in consequence of that, we are to charge upon ourselves.

CHAP. III.

Humility, the Effect of Self-Knowledge.

III. TRUE self-knowledge always produces humility.'

Pride is ever the offspring of self-ignorance. The reason men are vain and self-sufficient is, because they do not know their own failings; and the reason they are not better acquainted with them is, because they hate self-inspection. Let a man but turn his eyes within, scrutinize himself, and study his own heart, and he will soon see enough to make him humble. 'Behold I am vile,' (Job xl. 4.) is the language only of self-knowledge.

Whence is it that young people are generally so vain, self-sufficient, and assured, but because they have taken no time or pains to cultivate a self-acquaintance? And why does pride and stiffness appear so often in advanced age, but because men grow old in self-ignorance? A moderate degree of self-knowledge would cure an inordinate degree of self-complacency.

Humility is not more necessary to salvation, than self-knowledge is to humility.

And especially would it prevent that bad disposition which is too apt to steal upon and infect some of the best human minds, especially those who aim at singular and exalted degrees of piety, viz. a religious vanity, or spiritual pride; which,' without a great deal of self-knowledge and selfattention, will gradually insinuate into the heart, taint the mind, and sophisticate our virtues, before we are aware; and, in proportion to its pre

valence, make the Christian temper degenerate into the Pharisaical.

• Might I be allowed to choose my own lot, I should think it much more eligible to want my spiritual comforts, than to abound in these, at the expense of my humility. No; let a penitent and contrite spirit be always my portion; and may I ever so be the favourite of Heaven, as never to forget that I am chief of sinners. Knowledge in the sublime and glorious mysteries of the Christian faith, and ravishing contemplations of God and a future state, are most desirable advantages; but still I prefer charity, which edifieth, before the highest intellectual perfections of that knowledge which puffeth up; 1 Cor. viii. 1. Those spiritual}} advantages are certainly best for us, which increase our modesty, and awaken our caution, and dispose us to suspect and deny ourselves. The highest in God's esteem are meanest in their own; and their excellency consists in the meekness and truth, not in the pomp and ostentation of piety, which affects to be seen and admired of men.'-Stanhope's Tho. à Kempis, book ii. ch.11.

CHAP. IV.

Charity, another effect of Self-Knowledge.

IV. SELF-KNOWLEDGE greatly promotes a spirit of meekness and charity.'

The more a man is acquainted with his own failings, the more is he disposed to make allowances for those of others. The knowledge he hath of himself will incline him to be as severe in his animadversions on his own conduct as he is on that of