say or do nothing, before you have repeated the four-and-twenty letters of the alphabet to yourself.' Whereupon Cæsar, catching him by the hand, I have need,' says he, of your presence still;' and kept him a year longer. This is celebrated by the ancients as a rule of excellent wisdom. But a Christian may prescribe to himself a much wiser, viz. When you are angry, answer not till you have repeated the fifth petition of the Lord's prayer, Forgive us our trespasses, as we forgive them that trespass against us ;' and our Saviour's comment upon it, For if ye forgive men their trespasses, your heavenly Father will also forgive you; but if ye forgive not men their trespasses, neither will your Father forgive your trespasses.' -Matth. vi. 14, 15.

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It is a just and seasonable thought that of Marcus Antoninus, upon such occasions. A man misbehaves himself towards me-what is that to me? The action is his; and the will that sets him upon it is his; and, therefore let him look to it. The fault and injury is his, not mine. As for me, I am in the condition Providence would have me, and am doing what becomes me.'-Meditations, book v. § 25.

But still this amounts only to a philosophical contempt of injuries, and falls much beneath a Christian forgiveness of them; which, as Christians, we are bound to, and which, if we know ourselves, we shall be disposed to. And therefore, in order to a true self-knowledge, we must always take care to examine and observe in what manner we are affected in such circumstances.

(2.). How do you behave under a severe and un expected affliction from the hand of Providence? which is another circumstance, which, when rightly improved, will help us very much to know our selves.

If there be any habitual discontent or impa tience lurking within us, this will draw it forth, especially if the affliction be attended with any of

those aggravating circumstances, with which Job's

was.

Afflictions are often sent with this intent, to teach us to know ourselves; and, therefore, ought to be carefully improved to this purpose.

And much of the wisdom and goodness of our heavenly Father is seen by a serious and attentive mind, not only in proportioning the degrees of his corrections to his children's strength, but in adapting the kinds of them to their tempers; afflicting one in one way, another in another, according as he knows they are most easily wrought upon, and as will be most for their advantage; by which means a slight affliction of one kind may as deeply affect us, and procure as great an advantage to us, as a much greater of another kind.

It is a trite but true observation, that a wise man receives more benefit from his enemies than from his friends, from his afflictions than from his inercies; by which means he makes his enemies in effect his best friends, and his afflictions his greatest mercies. Certain it is, that a man never has an opportunity of taking a more fair and undisguised view of himself than in these circumstances: and therefore, by diligently observing in what manner he is affected at such times, he may make an improvement in the true knowledge of himself, very much to his future advantage, though perhaps not a little to his present mortification; for a sudden provocation from man, or severe affliction from God, may detect something which lay latent and undiscovered so long at the bottom of his heart, that he never once suspected it to have had any place there. Thus the one excited wrath in the meekest man, Psal. cvi. 33. and the other passion in the most patient. Job, iii. 3.

By considering, then, in what manner we bear the particular afflictions God is pleased to allot us, and what benefit we receive from them, we may come

to a very considerable acquaintance with ourselves.

(3.) In a time of peace, prosperity, and pleasure, when the soul is generally most unguarded, what is its temper and disposition then?

This is the warm season that nourishes and impregnates the seeds of vanity, self-confidence, and a supercilious contempt of others. If there be such a root of bitterness in the heart, it will be very apt to shoot forth in the sunshine of uninterrupted prosperity, even after the frost of adversity had nipped it, and, as we thought, killed it.

Prosperity is a trial, as well as adversity, and is commonly attended with more dangerous temptations. And were the mind but as seriously disposed to self-reflection, it would have a greater advantage of attaining a true knowledge of itself under the former than under the latter. But the unhappiness of it is, the mind is seldom rightly turned for such an employment under those circumstances. It has something else to do; has the concerns of the world to mind; and is too much engaged by the things without it, to advert to those within it; and is more disposed to enjoy than examine itself. However, it is a very necessary season for self-examination, and a very proper time to acquire a good degree of self-knowledge, if rightly improved.

(Lastly,) How do we behave in bad company?

And that is to be reckoned bad company, in which there is no probability of our doing or getting any good, but apparent danger of our doing or getting much harm; I mean, our giving offence to others, by an indiscreet zeal, or incurring guilt to ourselves, by a criminal compliance.

Are we carried down by the torrent of vanity and vice? Will a flash of wit, or a brilliant fancy, make us excuse a profane expression? If so, we shall soon come to relish it, when thus seasoned,

and use it ourselves. This is a time when our zeal and wisdom, our fortitude and firmness, are ge nerally put to the most delicate proof, and when we may too often take notice of the unsuspected escapes of folly, fickleness, and indiscretion."

At such seasons as these, then, we may often discern what lies at the bottom of our hearts, better than we can in the more even and customary scenes of life, when the passions are all calm and still: and therefore, would we know ourselves, we should be very attentive to our frame, temper, disposition, and conduct, upon such occasions.

CHAPTER VIII.

To know ourselves, we must wholly abstract from external appearances.

VIII. WOULD you know yourself, you must, as far as possible, get above the influence of external appearances and circumstances." A man is what his heart is. The knowledge of himself is the knowledge of his heart, which is entirely an inward thing; to the knowledge of which, then, outward things (such as a man's condi tion and circumstances in the world) can contribute nothing; but, on the other hand, if taken into any consideration, will be a great bar and hinderance to him in his pursuit of self-knowledge.

(1.) Are your circumstances in the world easy and prosperous, take care you do not judge of yourself too favourably on that account.

These things are without you, and therefore can never be the measure of what is within you; and however the world may respect you for them, they

do not in the least make you either a wiser or more valuable man.

In forming a true judgment of yourself, then, you must entirely set aside the consideration of your estate and family, your wit, beauty, genius, health, &c. which are all but the appendages or trappings of a man, or a smooth and shining varnish, which may lacquer over the basest metal.

A man may be a good and happy man without these things, and a bad and wretched one with them. Nay, he may have all these, and be the worse for them. They are so far from being good and excellent in themselves, that we often see Providence bestows them upon the vilest of men, and, in kindness, denies them to some of the best. They often are the greatest temptations that can put a man's faith and firmness to the proof. Or,

(2.) Is your condition in life mean and afflicted? Do not judge the worse of yourself for not having those external advantages which others have.

None will think the worse of you for not having them, but those who think the better of themselves for having them: in both which they show a very depraved and perverted judgment. These are (τὰ οὐκ ἐφ' ἡμῖν) things entirely without us, and out of our power; for which a man is neither the better nor the worse, but according as he uses them and therefore you ought to be as indifferent to them as they are to you. A good man shines amiably through all the obscurity of his low fortune, and a wicked man is a poor little wretch in the midst of all his grandeur.

Were we to follow the judgment of the world, we should think otherwise of these things, and by that mistake be led into a mistaken notion of our selves. But we have a better rule to follow, to which, if we adhere, the consideration of our external condition in life, be it what it will, will have no undue influence on the mind in its search after selfknowledge.