man be overtaken in a fault, ye which are fpiritual (the more SERM. fpiritual, whether in truth, or in our own efteem, the XLV. more especially are we obliged hereto) restore such an one in the Spirit of meekness, confidering thyself, left thou may be alfo tempted: ExoTV σeauтov, looking upon, or fpying into thyself; fuch confidering ourselves, taking notice of our own infirmity within, perceiving how fubject we are to the impreffions of temptation, and that hence it may be our own cafe to fall and falter, if occafion concur with our weakness; difcerning this, I fay, as it will be a reafon Marc. Ant. obliging, fo it may be an inftrument conducing to a miti, xi. 18. gation of spirit toward those, whom we fee overtaken with mistake, or overborne by frailty. Why doft thou fee a Matt. vii. 2. mote in thy brother's eye, but doft not confider the beam in thine own eye? is our Saviour's queftion. Why a man fhould do fo, there cannot, as he implies, any good reason be affigned; it is a very unreasonable and inexcufable mifcarriage: but whence a man doeth fo, is obvious and plain; it is, because he curiously pries into other men's doings, and carelessly neglecteth the obfervation of his own heart. Did we reflect our fight inwards, we should be more apt to mark our own faults, and less ready to discover thofe of others; or, however, we fhould be more gently affected in regard to them: for he that knows himfelf a beggarly wretch, will he reproach poverty to another? he that confulting the glass doth find himself illfavoured, will he upbraid another for want of grace or beauty? he that perceives that the dart will rebound, and thereby wound himself, will be not be careful of flinging it? will a man be forward in pronouncing a heavy fentence against another, who confiders himself by plain confequence involved in the condemnation thereof? Should a man do fo, he doth at least render himself uncapable of apology or excufe: fo we are told by St. Paul: Every cenfurer (näs ỏ xpivwv) is, faith he, inexcufable; for Rom. ii. 1. that in arraigning another he condemns himself: guilty he is of inexcufable folly, or impudence; of folly and blindness, if he fee not; of extreme impudence, if, seeing his own obnoxiousness, he will not abftain from judging others for that, of which himself is guilty in the fame kind, or equi

SERM. valently in fome other. You know how David was caught XLV. by Nathan, and unwarily adjudged himself to death: Sam. xii, and fo may every man expofe himself, that is rigorous in

cenfure toward others, without reflecting upon himself, and confidering his own heart; wherein he fhall find fo much ground and matter of being angry with, and judg ing himself. If we will be fierce and keen, it is reafon we should be fo firft, and chiefly there, where our greatest enemies do abide, whence most mischief arifeth to us; where there is fitteft matter, and jufteft cause of paffion: thus is this practice a moft proper and effectual remedy for those baneful vices of pride and peevishnefs in ourselves, of malignity and fury toward others. But farther,

6. The observation of our heart yieldeth great advantage, in being very conducible to render men truly wife and prudent, in those things especially, which most nearly concern them; giving them to fee before them, and to understand what they do; and to proceed without fecurity; as contrarily the neglect thereof rendereth men unadvised and uncertain in their doings. A main point of prudence confifteth in fuiting a man's undertakings to his powers and capacities; in not attempting things furpaffing his ability, or fitnefs; and in not declining fuch useful or beneficial attempts as he may well compass. Some are overbold and rafh in setting upon things beyond their ftrength to accomplish, or skill to manage; whence commonly with flame and forrow they are defeated in their enterprifes; others are overbackward and diffident, fo as not to adventure upon what they may with good advantage, or perhaps ought to perform; thence depriving themselves of the benefits they might obtain, or omitting the duties which they are obliged to; both which inconveniences ufually do proceed from the not looking into and studying the heart; for the most and greatest impediments of action do lie there; being grounded upon inward indifpofitions, or difagreeableness of men's temper,

* Si volumus æqui rerum omnium judices effe, hoc primum nobis fuadeamus, neminem effe noftrum fine culpa. Sen. de Ir.

Συγγνώμην ἔφη διδόναι πᾶσι τοῖς ἁμαρτάνεσι, πλὴν ἑαυτῶ, Cato Maj. Plut. p. 624.

capacity, inclination to the matters, to which they apply SERM. themselves. A tender foot will be galled and lamed, if you XLV. fet it going in rugged paths; a weak head will turn, if you' place it high, or upon the brink of a precipice; a soft spirit cannot well comport with boisterous employment; he that naturally affects calm and quiet, must not hope to come off well, if he engage himfelf upon affairs exposed to abundance of care and tumult; nor will he, if he be well ftudied this way, and rightly understand himself, adventure thereupon. It was as well according to wisdom as modefty, that David could fay, My heart is not haughty, nor Pl. cxiii 1. mine eyes lofty, neither do I exercise myself in great matters, or in things too high for me. In every undertaking two things occur to be confidered: what of difficulty is found therein, and what of temptation; whether it can be done, and whether it fhould be done. It is a folly to spend our care and pains upon that, which is too hard for us to effect; and it is worse than fo to adventure upon that, which moft probably will bring us into fin, and hurt our fouls; only the study of ourselves, weighing our power, and trying our temper, will prevent both: he that doeth this may commonly foresee what, the cafe being put, he shall do; that if fuch a temptation doth affault him in fuch circumstances, his inclinations will be apt to comply therewith, and he fhall scarce be able to refift; that, for inftance, he fhall wax haughty in a ftate of dignity, become luxurious in abundance of wealth, be distracted with care in a bufy employment; and therefore he will not be fo forward to engage himself upon fuch occafions, danger and mifchief being fo vividly pre-reprefented to his fight. But he that pondereth not his own heart is ready to prefume, that, be the business what it will, he fhall come off well; and fo unadvisedly rufheth into the fnare: he affumes unwieldy burdens upon his fhoulders, which he foon feeleth forely to opprefs and pain him; which he can neither bear with eafe, nor put off with convenience. When, for inftance, the Prophet told Hazael what cruelties and rapines should, when he got power and opportunity, be committed by him; you fee how he was ftartled at the report: A

faith he; Kings xii.

8.

8.

SERM. that is, can I be fo vile and bafe? Yes, he might himself XLV. have perceived that he fhould in likelihood be fo; the pro

bability of his doing as the Prophet said, had been no great news to him, if he had obferved his own inclinations. Good Agur on the other fide did better understand him` Prov. xxx. self, when he prayed, Give me neither poverty nor riches, but feed me with food convenient for me. He was conscious of natural infirmity, and therefore afraid of being in a condition that might prevail upon it; of great wealth, left it fhould tempt him to forgetfulness and neglect of God; (left faith he, I be full and deny thee, and fay, Who is the Lord?) of extreme want, left it should put him upon unjust, dishoneft, and impious courfes to maintain his life, (left, adds he, I be poor and fteal, and take the name of my God in vain.) He saw, by looking into himself, that felf-love (the root of pride and injuftice) was potent in him, and formidable, when occafion fhould favour it, and therefore, by imploring divine aid, he ftrove to decline the advantages and occafions of it. It was good counfel which Xenophon tells us the Oracle gave Crœfus, confulting about the success of De Cyri In-his attempt againft Cyrus, Σαυτὸν γινώσκων εὐδαίμων Κροῖσε Tephoes Knowing thyself, thou shalt pafs on happily, (in the courfe of thy life and undertakings.) Had he, confidering his own ability, in relation to the dubious event of things, (that as he could not promise himself good fortune, fo he did not know how he fhould comport with bad; being not fure that he fhould overcome either his enemies or himself)—thus, I fay, had he complied with the Oracle's advice, he might have efcaped the lofs and forrow which befel him. So is it with us: if we know not the burden of our veffel, we fhall either put more fail to it than it can bear, or less than will fuffice to carry it on; it will be overladen, or want fit ballaft. If we are ignorant of our capacities, we fhall either foar too high with a dangerous confidence, or grovel below in a fluggish liftleffness: ftudying ourfelves will help to preferve us in a middle pitch, will direct us in a moderate courfe, wherein we may proceed with fufficient courage and alacrity; with a prudent forefight, or at least with a comfortable hope of good fuccefs.

ftit. 7.

7. Near to that lies another confiderable benefit, attend- SERM. ing this practice, which is, that it will help to render us XLV. expedite in our refolutions, and conftant to them; confistent with ourselves, and uniform in our proceedings; whence will arife both great convenience to ourselves and fatisfaction to others with whom we deal or converfe: as on the contrary fide, from the neglect thereof, we shall become flow in deliberation, doubtful in refolution, and unstable in performance. When any occafion of acting is prefented, we fhall be ready to close with what is agreeable to our inclination, and not repugnant to our judgment, if by due ftudy and experience we are acquainted with them: that acquaintance is a certain preparation to a speedy choice; and we fhall upon the fame grounds conftantly adhere to our choice, standing upon so firm a base; and fo fhall neither difcompose ourselves, nor disappoint others by our irrefolution and inconftancy. But he that skills not his own heart, firft will dwell long upon confultation, (not feeling perfectly whither his inward bias doth draw him ;) and when he seems, upon some fuperficial reason, to have determined on one fide, some discordance to his own inclination, or some latent prejudice foon discovering itself, he wavers, and at length falls off; finding that he hath promised to himself, or others, what he is unable or unwilling to perform; fo, like St. James's two-fouled man, he is Jam. į, s. unsteady in all his ways. The hard student of himself is like a man that hath his eftate in numerato, in ready cash, all in his hand, or at his command; he can prefently tell what he can do, and fatisfy those he hath to do with. Go to him, you may know where to have him, even just where you left him, or where he uses to be; you may expect a sudden dispatch, and you may rely upon his word; for he knows beforehand what he doeth, and fhall continue to like; why he determines fo or fo; and cannot be removed from his well-grounded purpose, (that which is by the philofopher termed ratio nec diffidens, nec hæfitans, a Sen. de Vit. reason that doth not ftrive, nor stick, he is master of.) But he that neglects this practice, what he hath any title to, lieth difperfed, and laid up in corners unknown to him

B. 8.