It is the character of a dissolute mind, to be entirely insensible to all that the world says of

world, viz. that we be circumspect and wary in every thing we speak or do, as if our enemy always stood at our elbow, and overlooked our actions.

Those persons whom that wisdom hath brought to live soberly, which the fear and awe of enemies hath infused, are by degrees drawn into a habit of living so, and are composed and fixed in their obedience to virtue, by custom and use.

When one asked Diogenes how he might be avenged of his enemies, he replied, To be yourself a good and honest

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Antisthenes spake incomparably well; "that if a man would live a safe and unblameable life, it was necessary that he should have very ingenuous and faithful friends, or very bad enemies; because the first, by their kind admonitions, would keep him from sinning, the latter by their invectives." He that hath no friend to give him advice, or reprove him when he does amiss, must bear patiently the rebukes of his enemies, and thereby learn to mend the errors of his ways; considering seriously the object which these severe censures aim at, and not what he is who makes them. For he who designed the death of Prometheus the Thessalian, instead of giving him a fatal blow, only opened a swelling which he had, which did really save his life. Just so may the harsh reprehensions of enemies cure some distempers of the mind, which were before either not known, or neglected; though their angry speeches do originally proceed from malice or ill will.

If any man with opprobrious language objects to you crimes you know nothing of, you ought to inquire into the causes or reasons of such false accusations; whereby you may learn to take heed for the future, lest you should unwarily commit those offences which are unjustly imputed to you.

Whenever any thing is spoken against you that is not true, do not pass by, or despise it because it is false; but forthwith examine yourself, and consider what you have said or done that may administer a just occasion of reproof. Nothing can be a greater instance of wisdom and humanity, than for a man to bear silently and quietly the follies and revilings of an enemy taking as much care not to

us; and shews such a confidence of self knowledge, as is usually a sure sign of self ignorance. The most knowing minds are ever least presumptuous. And true self knowledge is a science of so much depth and difficulty, that a wise man would not choose to be over confident that all his notions of himself are right, in opposition to the judgment of all mankind; some of whom perhaps have better opportunities and advantages of knowing him, at some seasons especially, than he has of knowing himself. Because here. in they never look through the same false medi. um of self flattery.

CHAPTER IV.

Frequent converse with superiors, a help to self knowledge.

IV. ANOTHER proper means of self knowledge, is to converse as much as you can with those who are your superiors in real excellence.

provoke him, as he would to sail safely by a dangerous rock.

It is an eminent piece of humanity, and a manifest token of a nature truly generous, to put up the affronts of an enemy, at a time when you have a fair opportunity to revenge them

Let us carefully observe those good qualities wherein our enemies excell us, and endeavour to excell them, by avoiding what is faulty, and imitating what is excellent in them. Plut. Mor. Vol. I. page 265. et seq.

He that walketh with wise men shall be wise.* Their example will not only be your motive to laudable pursuits, but a mirror to your mind; by which you may possibly discern some fail ings or deficiencies, or neglects in yourself, which before escaped you. You will see the unreasonablenes of your vanity and self sufficiency, when you observe how much you are surpassed by others in knowledge and goodness. Their proficiency will make your defects the more obvious to yourself; and by the lustre of their virtues you will better see the deformity of your vices; your negligence by their diligence; your pride by their humility; your passion by their meekness; and your folly by their wisdom.

Examples not only move, but teach and direct, much more effectually than precepts; and shew us not only that such virtues may be prac. tised, but how; and how lovely they appear when they are. And therefore, if we cannot have them always before our eyes, we should endeavour to have them always in our mind; and especially that of our great head and pattern, who hath set us a perfect example of the most innocent conduct under the worst and most disadvantageous circumstances of human life. +

* Prov. xiii. 20.

He, who desires to have a thorough knowledge of him" self, ought carefully to notice his superiors; so that in the character of the good he may perceive his own deformity.

Gregory.

CHAPTER V.

Of cultivating such a temper as will be the best disposition to self knowledge.

V. IF a man would know himself he must with great care cultivate that temper which will best dispose him to receive this knowledge.

Now as there are no greater hindrances to self knowledge than pride and obstinacy; so there is nothing more helpful to it than humility and an openness to conviction.

1. One who is in quest of self knowledge, must above all things seek humility. And how near an affinity there is between these two, appears from hence, that they are both acquired the same way. The very means of attaining humility are the properest means for attaining self acquaintance. By keeping an eye every day upon our faults and wants we become more humble, and by the same means we become more self intelligent. By considering how far we fall short of our rule and our duty, and how vastly others exceed us, and especially by a daily and diligent study of the word of God, we come to have meaner thoughts of ourselves; and by the very same means we come to have a better acquaintance with ourselves.

A proud man cannot know himself. Pride is that beam in the eye of his mind, which ren.

ders him quite blind to any blemishes there. Hence nothing is a surer sign of self ignorance than vanity and ostentation.

Indeed true self knowledge and humility are so necessarily connected, that they depend upon, and mutually beget each other. A man that knows himself, knows the worst of himself, and therefore cannot but be humble; and a humble mind is frequently contemplating its own faults and weaknesses, which greatly improves it in self knowledge: so that self acquaintance makes a man humble, and humility gives him still a better acquaintance with himself.

2. An openness to conviction is no less necessary to self knowledge than humility.

As nothing is a greater bar to true knowl. edge than an obstinate stiffness in opinion, and a fear to depart from old notions, which, before we were capable of judging, perhaps, we had long taken up for the truth; so nothing is a greater bar to self knowledge, than a strong aversion to part with those sentiments of our. selves which we have been blindly accustomed to, and to think worse of ourselves than we are wont to do.

And such an unwillingness to retract our sentiments in both cases proceeds from the same cause, viz. a reluctance to self condemnation. For he that takes up a new way of thinking, contrary to that which he hath long received, therein condemns himself of having lived in an error; and he that begins to see faults in himself he never saw before, condemns himself of hav

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