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of the body, cannot be well cured till they are fearched to the bottom; and they cannot be fearched without pain. A man that is engaged in the ftudy of himself, must be content to know the worst of himself *.

Do not therefore fhut your eyes against your darling fin, or be averfe to find it out. Why should you ftudy to conceal or excufe it, and fondly cherish that viper in your bofom?" Some men deal by "their fins, as fome ladies do by their

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perfons. When their beauty is decay"ed, they feek to hide it from themselves "by falfe glaffes, and from others by

paint. So many feek to hide their fins "from themfelves by falfe gloffes, and "from others by excufes or false co"lours." But the greateft cheat they

put

O nimis gravis anguftia! Si me infpicio, non tolero meipfum: fi non infpicio, nefcio meipfum. Si me confidero, terret me facies mea: fi me non confidero, fallit me damnatio mea. Si me video, horror eft intolerabilis: fi non video, mors eft inevitabilis."O grievous ftrait! If I look into myself, I can"not endure myfelf: if I look not into myself, I can"not know myfelf. If I confider myself, my own "face affrights me: if I confider not myself, my "damnation deceives me. If I fee myself, my hor¬ "ror is intolerable: if I fee not myself, death is un◄ avoidable." Anfelme.

+ Baxter.

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put upon themselves. "They that cover their fins fhall not profper," Prov. xxviii. 13. It is dangerous felf-flattery to give foft and fmoothing names to fins, in order to disguise their nature. Rather lay your hand upon your heart, and thrust it into your bofom, though it come out (as Mofes's did) leprous as fnow, Exod. iv. 6*.

And to find out our most beloved fin, let us confider what are those worldly objects or amusements which give us the highest delight: this, it is probable, will lead us directly to fome one of our darling iniquities, if it be a fin of commiffion;

Initium eft falutis, notitia peccati: nam qui peccare se nefcit, corrigi non vult. Deprehendas te oportet, antequam emendes. Quidam vitiis gloriantur. Tu exiftimas aliquid de remedio cogitare, qui mala fua virtutum loco numerant? Ideo quantum potes teipfum coargue: Inquire in te: Accufatoris primum partibus fungere, deinde judicis, noviffime deprecatoris. Aliquando te offende. Sen. Epift. 28.-" The "knowledge of fin is the first step towards amend"ment; for he that does not know he hath offended " is not willing to be reproved. You must therefore "find out yourfelf, before you can amend yourself. "Some glory in their vices. And do you imagine "they have any thoughts about reforming, who "place their very vices in the room of virtues? "Therefore reprove thyfelf: fearch thyfelf very nar"rowly. First, turn accufer to thyself, then a judge, " and then a fuppliant: And dare for once to dif. "please thyfelf."

fion; and what are those duties which we read or hear of from the word of God, to which we find ourselves moft difinclined: and this, in all likelihood, will help us to detect fome of our peculiar fins of omiffion, which, without fuch previous examination, we may not be fenfible of. And thus may we make a proficiency in one confiderable branch of felf-knowledge*. CHAP.

Et hoc ipfum argumentum eft in melius tranflati animi, quod vitia fua, quæ adhuc ignorabat, videt. Sen. Epift. 6." It is a good argument of a reformed "mind, that it fees thofe vices in itself which it was before ignorant of."

A man's predominant fin ufually arifes out of his predominant paffion; which, therefore, he should diligently obferve. The nature and force of which is beautifully described by a late great master of English verfe.

On different fenfes different objects strike.
Hence different paffions more or less inflame,
As ftrong or weak the organs of the frame:
And hence one master-paffion in the breast,
Like Aaron's ferpent, fwallows up the rest.
Nature its mother; habit is its nurfe;
Wit, fpirit, faculties, but make it worse;
Reafon itself but gives it edge and pow'r,
As Heaven's bleft beam turns vinegar more four.
Ah! if the lend not arms as well as rules,
What can fhe more than tell us we are fools?
Teach us to mourn our nature, not to mend,

A fharp accufer, but a helplefs friend!
Pope. Efay on Man.

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CHAP. VIII.

The Knowledge of our most dangerous Temptations neceffary to Self-knowledge.

VII. "A MAN that rightly knows him

"felf is acquainted with his

"peculiar temptations; and knows when, "and in what circumftances, he is in the "greatest danger of tranfgreffing."

Reader, if ever you would know yourfelf, you must examine this point thoroughly. And if you have never yet done it, make a paufe when you have read this chapter, and do it now. Confider in what company you are moft apt to lose the poffeffion and government of yourself; on what occafions you are apt to be most vain and unguarded, moft warm and precipitant. Flee that company, avoid those occafions, if you would keep your confcience 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 prefervation of the other, you will regret fuch a loss, and fhun the occafions of it, as carefully as you would a road beset with robbers.

But efpecially must you attend to the occafions

occafions which most usually betray you into your favourite vices; and confider the fpring from whence they arife, and the circumstances which moft favour them. They arife, doubtlefs, from your natural temper, which ftrongly difpofes and inclines you to them. That temper then, or particular turn of defire, must be carefully watched over as a moft dangerous quarter. And the opportunities and circumftances which favour thofe inclinations must be refolutely avoided, as the ftrongest temptations. For the way to fubdue a criminal inclination is, firft, to avoid the known occafions that excite it, and then to curb the first motions of it *, And thus having no opportunity of being indulged, it will of itself in time lofe its force, and fail of its wonted victory.

The fureft way to conquer, is sometimes to decline a battle; to weary out the enemy, by keeping him at bay. Fabius Maximus did not ufe this ftratagem. more fuccefsfully against Hannibal, than a Christian may against his peculiar vice, if he be but watchful of his advantages. It is dangerous to provoke an unequal enemy

Principiis obfta: fero medicina paratur Cum mala per longas invaluere moras.

Ovid.

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