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SERM. doings, fo as to find any perfect comfort in himself, or in XLIV. them, who doth not by studying himself discover whence

and why he acts: one may be a flatterer, but cannot be a true friend to himself, who doth not thoroughly acquaint himself with his own inward ftate, who doth not frequently confult and converfe with himself: a friend to himself, I faid; and to be fo is one of the greatest benefits that human life can enjoy; that which will moft sweeten and folace our life to us: friendship with others (with perfons honeft and intelligent) is a great accommodation, helping much to allay the troubles, and ease the burdens of life; but friendship with ourselves is much more neceffary to our well being; for we have continual opportunities and obligations to converfe with ourselves; we do ever need affiftance, advice, and comfort at homes: and as commonly it is long acquaintance and familiar intercourse together, which doth conciliate one man to another, begetting mutual dearness and confidence, fo it is toward one's felf: as no man can be a friend to a mere stranger, or to one whofe temper, whofe humour, whofe defigns he is ignorant of; fo cannot he be a friend to himself, if he be unacquainted with his own difpofition and meaning d; he cannot in fuch a cafe rely upon his own advice or aid when need is, but will fufpect and diftruft himself; he cannot be pleasant company to himself, but shall be ready to crofs and fall out with himself; he cannot administer confolation to his own griefs and diftreffes; his privacy will become a desertion, his retirement a mere folitude. paffing over this general advantage, I fhall with fome more minutenefs of diftinction confider divers particular advantages accruing from the practice of this duty, together with the oppofite inconveniences, which are confequent upon the neglect thereof, in the following difcourfe.

C -patriæ quis exul fe quoque fugit?

Αὐτὸς σεαυτῷ χρῷ συμβάλῳ, καὶ τῷ θεῷ. Νaz. Ερίβ. 60.

But

ὁ Ἔνιοι τὸν ἴδιον βίον ὡς ἀτερπέσατον θέμα προσιδεῖν ἐχ ὑπομένεσιν, ἐδ' ἀνακλάσαι τὸν λογισμὸν ὡς φῶς ἐφ' ἑαυτὸς καὶ περιαγαγεῖν· ἀλλ' ἡ ψυχὴ γίμησα κακών τει τοδαπῶν, καὶ φρίτισσα, καὶ φοβεμένη τὰ ἔνδον, ἐκπηδε θύραζε, Θε. Plut. de Curiof. p. 916.

SERMON XLV.

KEEP THY HEART WITH ALL DILIGENCE, &c.

PROV. iv. 23.

Keep thy heart with all diligence, &c.

I PROCEED to the particular advantages of the practice S ERM. of this duty, and the inconveniences of the neglect of it.

XLV.

1. The conftant and careful observation of our hearts will ferve to prevent immoderate felf-love and felf-conceit; to render us fober and modeft in our opinions concerning, and in our affections toward ourfelves; qualifying us to comply with the apoftolical precept, μὴ φρονεῖν ὑπὲρ ὃ δεῖ φρο- Rom. xii. 3. VEV, that is, not to overween, or overvalue ourselves, and our own things: for he that, by serious inspection upon his own heart, fhall difcern how many fond, impure, and ugly thoughts do fwarm within him; how averfe his inclinations are from good, and how prone to evil; how much his affections are misplaced and diftempered, (while he vehemently delights in the poffeffion, and impotently frets for the want of trifles, having small content in the fruition, and but flender difpleasure for the abfence of the greatest goods; while empty hopes exalt him, and idle fears deject him; while other various paffions, like fo many tempefts, drive and tofs him all about;) who fhall obferve, how clouds of darkness, error, and doubt do hover upon the face of his foul; fo that he quickly taketh up opinions, and foon layeth them down, and often turneth from one mistake unto another; how unfettled his refolutions are, especially in the purfuance of the best goods, and

SERM. what corrupt mixtures cleave to his best purposes; who XLV. taketh notice how backward he is unto, and how cold in,

Leniter ex

merito

rendum eft.

devotions toward God; how little fenfible of his goodness, or fearful of his displeasure, or zealous for his honour, or careful of performing his duty toward him; how little alfo it is that he defireth or delighteth in the good, that he pitieth and grieveth at the evil of his neighbour; how fluggish alfo and remifs he is in the pursuance of his own best affairs, and highest concernments; he that doth, I fay, frequently with heedfulnefs regard thefe imperfections and obliquities in his own heart, how can he be ravished with felf-love? How can he be much taken with himself? Can any man dote upon fuch deformity, admire fuch weakness and naughtinefs? No furely that men are fo amorous of themselves, fo haughty and arrogant in their conceits, doth conftantly arife from not reflecting on their own hearts; not beholding themfelves wiftly enough in that mirror; not confidering, according to just representation there, how little lovely or worthy they are: if they did practise that, they would fee reason, and thence become inclinable, rather to defpife, to loathe, to pity themfelves.

2. Upon that advantage is confequent, that this practice will difpofe us with equanimity and patience to bear all quicquid patiare fe- croffes and grievances befalling us; fo producing not only Ovid. Eps, an excellent virtue, but a confiderable folace to us; for the being conscious of fo much unworthinefs, which obfervation of our heart will neceffarily difcover, will not only juftify the providence, (fo removing all just cause of complaint,) but will commend the benignity of God unto us, (fo adminiftering good matter of thanks.) It will prompt Ezra ix. 13. us heartily to confefs with thofe in Ezra, that our punishments are less than our defervings; to join in acknowledg Pf. ciii. 10. ment with the Pfalmift, that God hath not dealt with us

after our fins, nor rewarded us according to our iniquities; Lam. iii. 22. to fay with Jeremy, It is of the Lord's mercy that we are not confumed, becaufe his compaffions fail not; with Jacob,

Gen. xxxii. I am less than any of thy mercies.

10.

3. Particularly this practice will fence us against immo

derate displeasure occafionable by men's hard opinions, or SERM. harth cenfures paffed on us: for he that by inquiry into XLV. himself perceives fo many defects in himself, will not fo eafily nor fo greatly be offended, if fome of them (or fome like to them) be objected to him; fince he finds himself truly liable to many more, and greater. Epictetus's advice is, when you are told, that any man fpeaks ill of you, that you should not apologize, but answer only, that he was ignorant of many other faults of yours, or he would not only have mentioned thofe. To be difpofed, without diffembling or affection, to follow his counsel, would argue a man very intelligent of himself, and well prepared to endure happily and handsomely encounters of this kind, which every man fhall be fure to meet with. None indeed can fo contentedly brook reproach, or blame, as he that by intimate acquaintance with his own heart doth know the cenfure paffed on him to be in effect mild and favourable; as finding himself a witness of more faults, than any adversary can accuse him of; as being a stricter examiner and feverer judge of himself, than the most envious eye or difaffected mind can be. It is alfo fome comfort, that if cenfures be very outrageous, a man by knowledge of himfelf (by knowing his own difpofitions, if his perfon be disfigured by a very ill character; by knowing his own purposes, if his actions be grievously aspersed) is certain they are fuch; that he can be as well a faithful witness, and just judge for himself, as against himself.

4. Likewife this practice will defend us, as from the difcomforts of harfh cenfure, fo from the mistakes and mifcarriages, to which the more favourable opinions of men, or their flattering expreffions, (thofe luscious poifons,) may expose us a.

-Nihil eft quod credere de fe

Non poffit, cum laudatur.—

It is not only true of great men, but even of all men: the common nature of men difpofeth them to be credulous,

• Index ipfe fui fe totum explorat ad unguem, Quid proceres, vanique ferat quid opinio vulgi,

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SERM. when they are commended, or receive any fignification of XLV. esteem from others: every ear is tickled with this

axerua, this fweet music of applause: but we are not to rely upon others' imperfect and ill-grounded judgment, fo much as upon our own more certain knowledge concerning ourselves:

-ne cui de te plus quam tibi credas.

. Take no man's word before thine own sense, in what concerns thine own cafe and character, is an advice deferving our regard and practice: for that a man in queftions of this kind is able to be a skilful and indifferent umpire between himself and others; that he is neither elevated nor depreffed in mind by external weights, but keepeth himself equally poifed in a juft confiftence by his own well-informed confcience; that neither his heart is exafperated with the bittereft gall of reproach, nor his head intoxicated with the sweetest wine of flattery, is an invaluable convenience of life; or rather, it is a virtue arguing a moft ftrong and healthful conflitution of foul. How great a levity of mind, how great a vanity is it, faith a good Father, setting afide a man's own confcience, to follow other men's opinion, (and even that feigned and forged,) to be fnatched away by the wind of falfe praife, to rejoice in being circumvented, and to receive being mocked for a benefit b? From being thus abufed, this practice alone can fecure us: if we know ourfelves well, we cannot fo cafily be deluded by the miftakes of others concerning us, on either hand.

5. Likewife, farther upon the fame, this practice will conduce to qualify our opinions, and moderate our paffions toward others; fo that without intemperate anger, or bitternefs, we may bear the faults, errors, and infirmities of our brethren; that we fhall be benign in our carriage, and gentle in our cenfures even toward them, who do not behave themfelves fo well and wifely as they fhould do. Gal. vi. 1. St. Paul thus admonisheth the Galatians: Brethren, if a

b Quæ hæc tanta levitas eft animi, quæ tanta vanitas reliéta propria confcientia alienam opinionem fequi, et quidem fiétam atque fimulatam; rapi vento falfæ laudationis, gaudere ad circumventionem fuam, et illufionem pro beneficio accipere? Hier. (vel Paulinus) ad Celant,

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