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"must have confirmed the accufation, "and forced me to plead guilty. Had "he charged me with bigotry, felf-opi"nion, and cenforiousness, I fhould have "thought it proceeded from the fame "temper in himself, having rarely obferv"ed any thing like it in my own. But

"had he charged me with covetousness, "I should have taken it for downright "calumny, and defpifed the cenfure with "indignation and triumph. And yet af❝ter all, I find it had been but too true "a charge.-O! how hard a thing is it "to know myself!-This, like all other "knowledge, the more I have of it, the 66 more fenfible I am of my want of it."

The difficulty of felf-government and felf-poffeffion arifes from the difficulty of a thorough felf-acquaintance, which is neceffary to it; I fay, a thorough self-acquaintance, fuch as has been already fet forth in its several branches (Part I.). For as felf-government is fimply impoffible (I mean confidered as a virtue) where felfignorance prevails, fo the difficulty of it will decrease in proportion to the degree in which self-acquaintance increases.

Many, perhaps, may be ready to think this a paradox, and imagine that they know their predominant paffions and foiU 2 bles

bles very well, but ftill find it extremely difficult to correct them. But let them examine this point again, and perhaps they may find, that that difficulty arifes either from their defect of felf-knowledge, (for it is in this as in other kinds of knowledge, wherein fome are very ready to think themfelves much greater proficients than they are), or elfe from their negled to put in practice that degree of felf-knowledge they have. They know their particular failings, yet will not guard against the immediate temptations to them. And they are often betrayed into the immediate temptations which overcome them, because they are ignorant of, or do not guard against the more remote temptations which lead, them into those which are more immediate and dangerous, which may not improperly be called the tempta tions to temptations; in obferving and guarding against which, confifts a very neceffary part of felf-knowledge, and the great art of keeping clear of danger, which, in our prefent ftate of frailty, is the best means of keeping clear of fin.

To correct what is amifs, and to improve what is good in us, is fuppofed to be our hearty defire, and the great end of all our felf-refearch. But if we do not

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endeavour after this, all our labour after felf-knowledge will be in vain; nay, if we do not endeavour it, we cannot be faid, heartily to defire it: "For there is most "of the heart, where there is most of the "will; and there is most of the will, "where there is most endeavour; and "where there is most endeavour, there is "generally moft fuccefs. So that endea66 vour muft prove the truth of our defire, "and fuccefs will generally prove the fin"cerity of our endeavour *" This, I think, we may safely fay without attributing too much to the power of the human will, confidering that we are rational and free agents, and confidering what effectual affiftance is offered to them who feek it, to render their endeavours fuccefsful if they are fincere. Which introduces the subject of the following chapter.

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CHAP.

* Baxter.

CHAP. X.

Fervent and frequent Prayer, the most offectual Means for attaining true SelfKnowledge.

"LASTLY: The laft means to felfknowledge which I fhall mention

is, frequent and devout applications to "the Fountain of light, and the Father "of our fpirits, to affift us in this im"portant study, and give us the true know"ledge of ourfelves.'

This I mention laft, not as the leaft, but, on the contrary, as the greatest and beft means of all to attain a right and thorough knowledge of ourselves, and the way to render all the reft effectual. And therefore, though it be the laft means mentioned, it is the firft that should be ufed.

Would we know ourselves, we must often converse not only with ourselves in meditation, but with God in prayer. In the lowlieft proftration of foul, befeeching the Father of our fpirits to discover them to us; in whofe light we may fee light, where before there was nothing but darkness; to make known to us the depth and de

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vices of our heart. For without the grace and influence of his divine illuminations' and inftructions, our hearts will, after all our care and pains to know them, most certainly deceive us. And felf-love will fo prejudice the understanding, as to keep us itill in felf-ignorance.

The firft thing we are to do in order to felf-knowledge is, to affure ourselves that our hearts are deceitful above all things. And the next is, to remember that the Lord fearcheth the hearts, and trieth the reins, Jer. xvii. 9. i. e. that He, the (Kagdioyvasns) fearcher of all hearts (1 Chron. xxviii. 9.) hath a perfect knowledge of them, deceitful as they are. Which confideration, as it fuggefteth to us the strongest motive to induce us to labour after a true knowledge of them ourselves, fo it directs us at the fame time how we may attain this knowledge; viz. by a humble and importunate application to him, to whom alone they are known, to make them known to us. And this, by the free and near accefs. which his Holy Spirit hath to our fpirits, he can effectually do various ways; viz. by fixing our attentions; by quickening our apprehenfions; removing our prejudices, (which, like a falfe medium before the eye of the mind, prevent its feeing things

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