for

management of his affairs, that is so necessary the despatch of business; and prevent many disappointments and troubles which arise from the unsuccessful execution of immature or ill judged projects.

In short, most of the troubles which men meet with in the world may be traced up to this source, and resolved into self ignorance. We may complain of Providence, and complain of men; but the fault, if we examine it, will commonly be found to be our own. Our imprudence, which arises from self ignorance, either brings our trou. bles upon us, or increases them. Want of temper and conduct will make any affliction double.

What a long train of difficulties do sometimes proceed from one wrong step in our conduct, into which self ignorance or inconsideration betrayed us? And every evil that befals us in conse. quence of that, we are to charge upon ourselves.

CHAPTER III.

Humility the effect of self knowledge.

III. TRUE self knowledge always produces humility.

Pride is ever the offspring of self ignorance. The reason men are vain and self sufficient is, because they do not know their own failings; and the reason they are not better acquainted with them is, because they hate self inspection. Let

a man but turn his eyes within, scrutinize himself, and study his own heart, and he will soon see enough to make him humble. Behold I am vile, is the language only of self knowledge. + Whence is it that young people are generally so vain, self sufficient, and assured, but because they have taken no time nor pains to cultivate a self acquaintance? And why does pride and stiffness appear so often in advanced age, but because men grow old in self ignorance? A moderate degree of self knowledge would cure an inordinate degree of self complacency. +

Humility is not more necessary to salvation, than self knowledge is to humility.§

It would effectually prevent that bad disposition which is too apt to steal upon, and infect some of the best human minds, especially those who aim at singular and exalted degrees of piety, viz. a religious vanity or spiritual pride; which, without a good deal of self knowledge and self attention, will gradually insinuate into the heart,

* Job xi. 4.

He who is well acquainted with himself, thinks humbly of himself, and is not delighted with human applause.

Thomas a Kempis. The less any one knows himself, the less is he displeased

with himself.

Gregory.

I know that no one is saved without the knowledge of himself; for from this knowledge arises the fear of the LORD, and humility, the mother of safety. Bernard.

Knowledge both of God and thyself is necessary to salvation; because as from knowledge of thyself arises the fear of GOD, and from knowledge of GOD, love; so on the contrary from ignorance of thyself arises pride, and from ignorance of GOD despair.

Bernard,

1

taint the mind, and sophisticate our virtues before we are aware; and in proportion to its prevalence make the christian temper degrade into the pharisaical.

"Might I be allowed to choose my own lot, I should think it much more eligible to want my spiritual comforts, than to abound in these at the expense of my humility. No; let a penitent, a contrite spirit be always my portion; and may I ever so be the favourite of Heaven, as never to forget that I am the chief of sinners. Knowledge in the sublime and glorious mysteries of the christian faith, and ravishing contemplations of God and a future state, are most desirable advantages; but still I prefer charity which edifieth before the highest intellectual perfections of that knowledge which puffeth up.* Those spiritual advantages are certainly best for us, which increase our modesty and awaken our - caution, and dispose us to suspect and deny ourselves. The highest in GoD's esteem, are meanest in their own. And their excellency consists in the meekness and truth, not in the pomp and ostentation of piety, which affects to be seen and admired of men." +

* 1 Cor. viii. 1.

Stanhope's Tho. a Kemp. B. 2. ch. 11.

[CHRIST.] "My son, when thou feelest thy soul warmed with devotion and holy zeal for my service, it will be - adviseable to decline all those methods of publishing it to the world, which vain men are so industrious to take, and content thyself with its being known to GOD and thine own conscience. Rather endeavour to moderate and suppress those pompous expressions of it, in which some place the

CHAPTER IV.

Charity another effect of self knowledge.

IV. SELF knowledge greatly promotes a spirit of meekness and charity.

The more a man is acquainted with his own failings, the more he is disposed to make allow

very perfection of zeal. Think meanly of thine own virtues. Some men, of a bold, ungoverned zeal, aspire at things beyond their strength, and express more vehemence than conduct in their actions. They are perfectly carried out of themselves with eagerness; forget that they are still poor insects upon earth, and think of nothing less than building their nest in heaven. Now these are often left to themselves and taught by sad experience, that the faint flutterings of men are weak and ineffectual, and that none soars to heaven except I assist. his flight, and mount him on my own wings. Virtue does not consist in abundance of illumination and knowledge; but in lowliness of mind, in meekness and charity; in a mind entirely resigned to Go D, and sincerely disposed to serve and please him; in a just sense of every man's vileness; and not only thinking very meanly of one's self, but being well content to be so thought of by others. Id. book. 3. chap. 8.

It is a dangerous drunkenness I confess that of wine; but there is another more dangerous. How many souls do I see in the world, drunk with vanity, and a high opinion of themselves? This drunkenness causes them to make a thousand false steps, and a thousand stumbles. Their ways are all oblique and crooked. Like men in drink, they have always a great opinion of their own wisdom, their power and their prudence: all which often fail them. Examine well thy self my soul; see if thou art not tainted with this evil. Álas if thou deniest it, thou provest it. It is great pride to think one has no pride; for it is to think you are as good indeed, as you esteem yourself. But there is

ances for those of others. The knowledge he hath of himself, will incline him to be as severe in his animadversions on his own conduct, as he is on that of others: and as candid to their faults as he is to his own.*

There is an uncommon beauty, force, and propriety in that caution which our Saviour gives us, And why beholdest thou the mote that is in thy brother's eye, but considerest not the beam that is in thine own eye? Or how wilt thou say to thy brother, let me pull out the mote out of thine eye, and behold the beam is in thine own eye? Thou hypocrite, first cast the beam out of thine own eye, and then shalt thou see clearly to cast out the mote out of thy brother's eye. + In which words these four things are plainly inti. mated; 1. That some are much more quick sighted to discern the faults and blemishes of others, than their own; can spy amote in another's eye, sooner than a beam in their own. 2. That they are often the most forward to correct and cure the foibles of others, who are most unqual

no man in the world but esteems himself better than he truly is.

"Thou wilt say, it may be, thou hast a very ill opinion of thyself. But be assured, my soul, thou dost not despise thyself so much as thou art truly despicable. If thou dost despise thyself indeed, thou makest a merit of that very thing; so that pride is attached to this very contempt of thyself." Jurieu's Method of Devotion, p. 1. ch. 10.

* "The great GoD seems to have given that commandment (know thyself) to those men more especially, who are apt to make remarks on other men's actions, and forget themselves." Plutarch's Mor. vol. i. p. 273.

Matt. vii. 3--5.