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"and my life and comforts, are they not "wholly at his difpofe, from whom I "have received them, and by whofe fa"vour I have fo long enjoyed them, and "by whofe mercy and goodness I have "still so many left me?

"A heathen can teach me, under fuch " loffes of friends, or estate, or any com"fort, to direct my eyes to the hand of "God, by whom it was lent me, and is "now recalled, that I ought not to fay, "it is loft, but reftored; and though I be "injuriously deprived of it, ftill the hand "of God is to be acknowledged; for, "what is it to me by what means he that 66 gave me that bleffing takes it from me "again?"

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 that he can properly call his own, or ought to depend upon as fuch; that he is but a steward employed to difpenfe the good things he poffeffes, according to the direction of his Lord, at whofe pleasure he holds them,

Epit. Enchirid. cap. 15.

and

and to whom he fhould be ready at any time cheerfully to refign them, Luke xvi. 1.

(4.) Self-knowledge will help a man to preferve an equanimity and felf-poffeffion under all the various fcenes of adverfity and profperity.

Both have their temptations: To fome, the temptations of profperity are the greateft; to others, thofe of adverfity. Selfknowledge fhows a man which of these are greatest 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 Chriftian.

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 they fhould. Nay, the apprehenfion of an approaching evil often gives a man a greater pain than the evil itfelf. This is owing to inexperience and felf-ignorance.

A man that knows himself his own ftrength and weaknefs, 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

and prepare for the coming evil, leaving the degree, duration, and the iffue of it, with him who is the fovereign disposer of all events, in a quiet dependence on his power, wisdom, and goodness.

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

CHAP. II.

Self-knowledge leads to a wife and fready

II. "

Conduct.

AS S felf-knowledge will keep a

man calm and equal in his temper, fo it will make him wife 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 felf-knowledge the thoughts become cool, fedate, and rational, the conduct will be fo too. It will give a man that even, fteady, uniform behaviour in the management of his affairs, that is fo neceflary for the dispatch of business, and prevent many difappointments and troubles, which arife from the unfuccefsful execution of immature or ill-judged projects.

In short, moft of the troubles which men meet with in the world may be traced up to this fource, and refolved into felf-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 felf-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 fometimes proceed from one wrong step in our conduct, which felf-ignorance or inconfideration betrayed us into? And every evil that befals us in confequence of that, we are to charge upon ourselves.

CHAP. III.

Humility, the Effect of Self-Knowledge.

III. "TRUE felf-knowledge always "produces humility.'

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Pride is ever the offspring of felf-ignorance. The reafon men are vain and felffufficient is, because they do not know their own failings; and the reafon they are not better acquainted with them is, because they hate self-infpection. Let a

man

man but turn his eyes within, fcrutinize himself, and ftudy his own heart, and he will foon fee enough to make him humble.

"Behold I am vile," (Job xl. 4.) is the language only of felf-knowledge *.

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

Humility is not more neceffary to falvation, than felf-knowledge is to humility . And efpecially would it prevent that bad difpofition which is too apt to steal upon and infect fome of the best human minds,

N

Qui bene feipfum cognoscit sibi ipfi vilescit, nec laudibus dilectatur humanis. Tho, à Kemp. de Imit. Chr. Lib. 1. cap. 2.

f Quanto quis minus fe videt, tanto minus fe difplicet. Greg.

Scio neminem abfque fui cognitione falvari, de qua nimirum mater falutis, humilitas oritur, et timor Domini. Bernard.-Utraque cognitio Dei, fcilicet et tui, tibi neceffaria eft ad falutem; quia ficut ex noti tiâ tui venit in te timor Dei, atque ex Dei notitiâ iti dem amor; fic è contra, ex ignorantiâ tui, fuperbia, ac de Dei ignorantia venit defperatio. Idem in Cantic.

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