sion, diminishes a man's reputation much more than to discover a weakness of judgment or understanding. But what is most dishonourable of all is, for a man at once to discover a great genius and an ungoverned mind; because, that strength of reason and understanding he is master of, gives him a great advantage for the government of his passions; and, therefore, his suffering himself, notwithstanding, to be governed by them, shows, that he hath too much neglected or misapplied his natural talent, and willingly submitted to the tyranny of those lusts and passions, over which nature had furnished him with abilities to have secured an easy conquest.

A wise man hath his foibles, as well as a fool. But the difference between them is, that the foibles of the one are known to himself, and concealed from the world; the foíbles of the other are known to the world, and concealed from himself. The wise man sees those frailties in himself, which others cannot; but the fool is blind to those blemishes in his character, which are conspicuous to every body else. Whence it appears, that self-knowledge is that which makes the main difference between a wise man and a fool, in the moral sense of that word.

CHAPTER VII.

Concerning the knowledge of our constitutional

sins.

VI. SELF ACQUAINTANCE shows a man the particular sins he is most exposed and addicted to; and discovers not only what is ridiculous, but what is criminal, in his conduct and temper.'

The outward actions of a man are generally the plainest index of his inward dispositions; and, by the allowed sins of his life, you may know the reigning vices of his mind. Is he addicted to luxury and debauch? sensuality then appears to be his prevailing taste. Is he given to revenge and cruelty? choler and malice, then, reign in his heart. Is he confident, bold, and enterprising? ambition appears to be the secret spring. Is he sly and designing, given to intrigue and artificé? you may conclude, there is a natural subtlety of temper that prompts him to this. And this secret disposition is criminal, in proportion to the degree in which these outward actions, which spring from it, transgress the bounds of reason and virtue.

Every man hath something peculiar in the turn or cast of his mind, which distinguishes him as much as the particular constitution of his body. And both these, viz. his particular turn of mind, and particular constitution of body, incline and dispose him to some kind of sins, much more than to others. And the same it is, that renders the practice of certain virtues so much more easy to some, than it is to others.

Now, these sins which men generally are most strongly inclined to, and the temptations which they find they have least power to resist, are usually and properly called their constitutional sins, their peculiar frailties, and, in Scripture, their own iniquities, Psal. xviii. 23. and the sins which ⚫ do most easily beset them,' Heb. xii. 1.

As in the humours of the body, so in the vices of the mind, there is one predominant, which has an ascendant over us, and leads and governs us. It is in the body of sin what the heart is in the body of our nature; it begins to live first, and dies last; and, whilst it lives, it communicates life and spirit to the whole body of sin; and, when it dies, the body of sin expires with it. It is the sin to which our constitution leads, our circumstances

betray, and custom enslaves us; the sin, to which not our virtues only, but vices too, lower their topsail and submit; the sin, which, when we would impose upon God and our consciences, we excuse and disguise with all imaginable artifice and sophistry; but, when we are sincere with both, we oppose first, and conquer last. It is, in a word, the sin, which reigns and rules in the unregenerate, and too often alarms and disturbs (ah! that I could say no more) the regenerate.' Lucas's Sermons, vol. i. p. 151.

Some are more inclined to the sins of the flesh; sensuality, intemperance, uncleanness, sloth, selfindulgence, and excess in animal gratifications. Others more inclined to the sins of the spirit; pride, malice, covetousness, ambition, wrath, revenge, envy, &c. And I am persuaded there are few, but, upon a thorough search into themselves, may find that some one of these sins hath ordinarily a greater power over them than the rest. Others often observe it in them, if they themselves do not. And for a man not to know his predominant iniquity, is great self-ignorance indeed, and a sign that he has all his life lived far from home; because he is not acquainted with that in himself, which every one, who is but half an hour in his company perhaps, may be able to inform him of. Hence proceeds that extreme weakness which some discover, in censuring others for the very same faults they are guilty of themselves, and perhaps in a much higher degree; on which the apostle Paul animadverts, Rom. ii. 1.

It must be owned, it is an irksome and disagree. able business for a man to turn his own accuser; to search after his own faults, and keep his eye upon that which it gives him shame and pain to see. It is like tearing open an old wound. But it is better to do this, than to let it mortify. The wounds of the conscience, like those of the body, cannot be well cured till they are searched to the

bottom; and they cannot be searched without pain. A man, that is engaged in the study of himself, must be content to know the worst of himself.

Do not, therefore, shut your eyes against your darling sin, or be averse to find it out. Why should you study to conceal or excuse it, and fondly cherish that viper in your bosom? Some men deal by their sins, as some ladies do by their persons; when their beauty is decayed, they seek to hide it from themselves by false glasses, and from others by paint. So, many seek to hide their sins from themselves by false glosses, and from others by excuses, or false colours.'-Baxter. But the greatest cheat they put upon themselves. They that cover their sins shall not prosper,' Prov. xxviii. 13. It is dangerous self-flattery, to give soft and smoothing names to sins, in order to disguise their nature. Rather lay your hand upon your heart, and thrust it into your bosom, though it come out (as Moses's did) leprous as snow, Exod. iv. 6.

And to find out our most beloved sin, let us consider what are those worldly objects or amusements which give us the highest delight; this, it is proba ble, will lead us directly to some one of our darling iniquities, if it be a sin of commission: and what are those duties which we read or hear of from the word of God, to which we find ourselves most disinclined; and this, in all likelihood, will help us to detect some of our peculiar sins of omission, which, without such previous examination, we may not be sensible of. And thus may we make a proficiency in one considerable branch of self-knowledge.

CHAPTER VIII.

The knowledge of our most dangerous temptations necessary to Self-Knowledge.

VII. A MAN that rightly knows himself, is ac

quainted with his peculiar temptations; and knows when, and in what circumstances, he is in the greatest danger of transgressing.'

Reader, if ever you would know yourself, you must examine this point thoroughly; and if you have never yet done it, make a pause when you have read this chapter, and do it now. Consider in what company you are most apt to lose the posses. sion and government of yourself; on what occasions you are apt to be most vain and unguarded, most warm and precipitant. Flee that company, avoid those occasions, if you would keep your conscience clear. What is it that robs you most of your time and your temper? If you have a due regard to the improvement of the one, and the preservation of the other, you will regret such a loss, and shun the occasions of it, as carefully as you would a road beset with robbers.

But especially must you attend to the occasions which most usually betray you into your favourite vices, and consider the spring from whence they arise, and the circumstances which most favour them. They arise, doubtless, from your natural temper, which strongly disposes and inclines you to them. That temper, then, or particular turn of desire, must be carefully watched over as a most dangerous quarter; and the opportunities and circum. stances which favour those inclinations must be re.

solutely avoided, as the strongest temptations. For the way to subdue a criminal inclination is, first, to avoid the known occasions that excite it, and then to curb the first motions of it; and thus,