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void the occafions and temptations to fin, and all his ftrength to oppose it.

All this (efpecially if it be a favourite or a conftitutional inquiry) will coft a man pains and mortification enough; for inftance, the fubduing a violent paffion, or taming a fenfual inclination, or forgiving an apparent injury and affront. It is evident fuch a felf-conqueft can never be attained without much felf-knowledge and felf-denial.

And that felf-denial that is exercised this way, as it will be a better evidence of our fincerity, fo it will be more helpful and ornamental to the interefts of religion, than the greateft zeal in those particular duties which are more fuitable to our natural tempers, or than the greatest aufterities in fome particular inftances of mortification, which are not so neceffary, and perhaps not fo difficult or disagreeable to us as this.

To what amazing heights of piety may fome be thought to mount, (raifed on the wings of a flaming zeal, and diftinguished by uncommon precifenefs and feverity about little things), who all the while, perhaps, cannot govern one paffion, and ́appear yet ignorant of, and flaves to, their darling iniquity! Through an ignorance

of themselves, they mifapply their zeal, and mifplace their felf-denial, and by that means blemish their characters with a vifible inconfiftency.

CHAP. VIII.

Self-Knowledge promotes our Usefulness in the World.

VIII. "THE

HE more we know of our"felves, the more useful we

are like to be in those stations of life in " which Providence hath fixed us."

When we know our proper talents and capacities, we know in what manner we are capable of being ufeful; and the confideration of our characters and relations in life will direct us to the proper application of those talents; show us to what ends they were given us, and to what purpofes they ought to be cultivated and improved.

It is a fad thing to obferve, how miserably fome men debafe and prostitute their capacities. Those gifts and indulgencies of nature, by which they outfhine many others, and by which they are capable of doing real fervice to the cause of virtue and religion, and of being eminently ufe

ful

ful to mankind, they either entirely neglect, or shamefully abufe, to the dishonour of God, and the prejudice of their fellow-creatures, by encouraging and emboldening them in the ways of vice and vanity. For the falfe glare of a profane wit will sometimes make fuch ftrong impreffions on a weak unfettled mind, as to overbear the principles of reafon and wifdom, and give it too favourable fentiments of what it before abhorred, whereas, the fame force and fprightlinefs of genius would have been very happily and usefully employed in putting fin out of countenance, and in rallying the follies, and expofing the inconfiftences of a vicious and profligate character.

When a man once knows where his ftrength lies, wherein he excels, or is capable of excelling, how far his influence extends, and in what station of life providence hath fixed him, and the duties of that station, he then knows what talents he ought to cultivate, in what manner, and to what objects they are to be particularly directed and applied, in order to shine in that station, and be useful in it. This will keep him even and steady in his purfuits and views, confiftent with himself, uniform in his conduct, and ufeful to mankind;

mankind; and will prevent his shooting at a wrong mark, or miffing the right mark he aims at, as thousands do for want of this neceffary branch of felf-knowledge. See Part I. Chap. V.

CHAP. IX.

Self-Knowledge leads to a Decorum and Confiftency of Character.

IX, "A MAN that knows himself,

"knows how to act with dif"cretion and dignity in every ftation and "character."

Almost all the ridicule we fee in the world takes its rife from felf-ignorance. And to this, mankind by common affent afcribe it, when they fay of a perfon that acts out of character, he does not know himfelf Affectation is the fpring of all ridicule, and felf-ignorance the true fource of affectation. A man that does not know his proper character, nor what becomes it, cannot act fuitably to it. He will often affect a character which does not belong to him; and will either act above or beneath himself, which will make him equally contemptible in the eyes of them that know bim.

A man

A man of fuperior rank and character that knows himself, knows that he is but a man; fubject to the fame fickneffes, frailties, disappointments, pains, paffions, and forrows, as other men; that true honour lies in those things in which it is poffible for the meanest peasant to exceed him, and therefore he will not be vainly arrogant. He knows that they are only tranfitory and accidental things that fet him above the rest of mankind; that he will foon be upon a level with them; and therefore learns to condescend: and there is a dignity in this condefcenfion, it does not fink, but exalts his reputation and character.

A man of inferior rank that knows himfelf, knows how to be content, quiet, and thankful in his lower sphere. As he has not an extravagant veneration and esteem for those external things which raise one man's circumstances so much above another's, fo he does not look upon himself as the worse or the lefs valuable man for not having them; much lefs does he envy them that have them. As he has not their advantages, fo neither has he their temptations; he is in that state of life, which the great arbiter and difpofer of all things hath allotted him, and he is fa

tisfred:

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