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139 will a wife man, for his own peace, deal with the paffions of others, as with his

own.

Self-Knowledge, as it acquaints a man with his weakness and worst qualities, will be his guard against them: and a happy counterbalance to the faults and exceffes of his natural temper.

(3.) It will keep the mind fedate and calm under the furprize of bad news, or afflicting providences.

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For am I not a creature of GOD? And my life and comforts, are they not wholly at his difpofal, from whom I • received them; by whofe favour I have fo long enjoyed them; and by whose mercy and goodness I have ftill fo many • left ?

A Heathen can teach me, under fuch • loffes of friends or eftates, 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 loft, but restored. And tho' I be injurioufly deprived of it, ftill the hand of GOD is to be acknowledged; for what is it to me, by what means, he that ⚫ gave

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gave me that bleffing, taketh it from me ⚫ again (h).'

He that rightly knows himself will live every day dependent on the Divine Author of his mercies, for the continuance and enjoyment of them; and will learn from a higher authority than that of a Heathen moralift, that he hath nothing he can properly call his own, or ought to depend upon as fuch that he is but a feward employed to dispense the good things he poffeffes, according to the direction of his Lord, at whofe pleasure he holds them; and to whom he should be ready at any time cheerfully to refign them, Luke xvi. 1.

(4.) Self-knowledge will help a man to preserve an equanimity and self-poffeffion under all the various changes of adverfity and profperity.

Both have their temptations: to some the temptations of profperity are the greatest ; to others, thofe of adverfity. Self-knowledge fhews a man which of these are greateft to him; and, at the apprehenfion of them, teaches him to arm himself accordingly; that nothing may deprive him of his conftancy and felf-poffeffion, or lead him to act unbecoming the man or the Christian.

(h) Epillet. Enchirid. cap. 15.

We

We commonly fay, no one knows what he can bear, till he is tried; and many perfons verify the obfervation, by bearing evils much better than they feared. Nay, the apprehenfion of an approaching evil often gives a man a greater pain than the evil itself; this is owing to inexperience and felf-ignorance,

A man that knows himself, his own ftrength and weakness, is not fo fubject as others, to the melancholy prefages 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 iffue of it with Him, who is the fovereign difpofer of all events, in a quiet dependence on his Power, Wisdom and Goodness.

Such felf-poffeffion is one great effect and advantage of Self-knowledge.

•СНА Р.

СНА Р.

II.

Self-Knowledge leads to a wife and steady

II.

A

conduct.

S Self-Knowledge will preferve a man calm and equal in his temper, fo it will make him wife and cautious in his

conduct.

A precipitate conduct is always the effect of an irregular hurry of thought; whereas the conduct will become fedate and rational by the influence of Self-Knowledge. It will give a man that fteady and uniform behaviour in the management of his affairs, that is fo neceffary for the dispatch of businefs; and prevent many disappointments which arife from the unfuccefsful execution of immature or ill-judged projects.

Moft of the afflictions which men meet with in the world may be traced up to this fource, and refolved 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 arifes from Selfignorance, either brings our troubles upon

us,

us, or increases them. Want of temper and conduct will make any affliction double. What a long train of difficulties do fometimes proceed from one wrong step in our conduct, into which felf-ignorance or inconfideration betrayed us ? And every evil us? that befals us in confequence of that, we are to charge upon ourselves.

CHA P. III.

Humility the Effect of Self-Knowledge.

III.RUE Self-knowledge always produces

IIITRI

humility.

› Pride is ever the offspring of felf-ignorance. Men are vain and felf-fufficient because they do not know their own failings; and the reafon they are not better acquainted with them is, because they hate self-inspection. Let a man but turn his eyes within, scrutinize himself, and ftudy his own heart, and he will foon fee enough to make him humble. Behold, I am vile*, is the language only of Self-knowledge (i).

* Job xl. 4.

Young

(i) Qui bene feipfum cognofcit fibi ipfi vilefcit, nec laudibus dilectatur humanis. Tho, à Kemp de Imit, Chr, lib, 1, cap. 2..

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