counted for. Witness the doom of that unprofitable servant, who laid up his single pound in a napkin ;* and of him who went and hid his talent in the earth.

It is certainly a sign of great self ignorance, for a man to venture out of his depth, or attempt any thing he wants opportunity or capacity to accomplish. And therefore a wise man will consider with himself, before he undertakes any thing of consequence, whether he hath abilities to carry him through it, and whether the issue of it is like to be for his credit; lest he sink under the weight he lays upon himself, and incur the just censure of rashness, presumption and folly. See Luke xiv. 28-32.

It is no uncommon thing for some who excel in one thing, to imagine they may excel in every thing. And not content with that share of merit which every one allows them, are still catching at that which doth not belong to them, Why should a good orator wish to be thought a poet? Why must a celebrated divine set up for a politician? Or a statesman affect the philosopher? Or a mechanic the scholar? Or a wise man labour to be thought a wit? This is a weakness that flows from self ignorance, and is incident to the greatest men. Nature seldom, forms a universal genius; but deals out her favours in the present state with a parsimonious hand.-Many a man by his foible hath weakened a well established reputation. + Matte xxv. 25, 30,

* Luke xix. 20, 24,

CHAP VI.

We must be well acquainted with our Inabilities, and those Things in which we are naturally deficient, as well as those in which we excel.

V. WE must,in order to a thorough self acquaintance, not only consider our talents and proper abilities, but have an eye to our frailties and deficiencies, that we may know where our weakness, as well as our strength lies. Otherwise, like Samson, we may run ourselves into infinite temptations and troubles. Every man hath a weak side. knows where it is, and will be sure to keep a double guard there. There is some wisdom in concealing a weakness. This cannot be done, till it be first known; nor can it be known, without a good degree of self acquaintance.

Every wise manTM

It is strange to observe what pains some men are at to expose themselves; to signalize their own folly; and to set out to the most public view those things which they ought to be ashamed to think should ever enter into their character. But so it is; some men seem to be ashamed of those things which would be their glory, whilst others glory in their shame.*

The greatest weakness in man is, to publish his follies and to appear fond to have them known. But vanity will often prompt a man to this; who, unacquainted with the measure of his capacities, attempts things out of his power and beyond his reach; whereby he makes the world acquainted with two things to his disadvantage, which they were ignorant of before, viz. his deficiency, and his self ignorance in appearing so blind to it,

It is ill judged (though yery common) to be less * Phil. ii. 19.

ashamed of a want of temper than understanding. For it is no real dishonour or fault in a man to have but a small ability of mind, provided he have not the vanity to set up for a genius, (which would be as ridiculous, as for a man of small strength and stature of body, to set up for a champion) because this is what we cannot help. But a man may in a good measure correct the fault of his natural temper, if he be well acquainted with it, and duly watchful over it. And therefore to betray a prevailing weakness of temper, or an ungoverned passion, diminishes a man's reputation much more than to discover a weakness of judgment or understanding. But what is most dishonourable of all is, for a man at once to discover a great genius and an ungoverned mind; because that strength of reason and understanding he is master of, gives him a great advantage for the government of his passions. And therefore his suffering himself notwithstanding to be governed by them, shews, that he hath too much neglected or misapplied his natural talent; and willingly submitted to the tyranny of those lusts and passions, over which nature hath furnished him with abilities to have secured an easy conquest.

A wise man hath his foibles as well as a fool. But the difference between them is, that the foibles of the one are known to himself, and concealed from the world; the foibles of the other are known to the world, and concealed from himself. The wise man sees those frailties in himself, which others cannot; but the fool is blind to those blemishes in his character, which are conspicuous to every body else. Whence it appears, that self knowledge is that which makes the main difference between a wise man and a fool, in the moral sense of that word.

CHAP. VII.

Concerning the Knowledge of our Constitutional Sins.

VI. SELF acquaintance shows a man the particular sins he is exposed and addicted to; and discovers not only what is ridiculous, but what is criminal, in his conduct and temper.

A man's outward actions are generally the plainest index of his inward dispositions.—And by the allowed sins of his life, you may know the reigning vices of his mind. Is he addicted to luxury or debauch? Sensuality then appears to be his prevailing taste. Is he given to revenge and cruelty? Choler and malice then reign in his heart. Is he confident, bold, and enterprising? Ambition appears to be the secret spring. Is he sly and designing, given to intrigue and artifice? You may conclude there is a natural subtilty of temper that prompts him to this; and this secret disposition is criminal, in proportion to the degree in which these outward actions, which spring from it, transgress the bounds of reason and virtue.

Every man hath something peculiar in the turn or cast of his mind, which distinguishes him as much as the particular constitution of his body. And both these, viz. his particular turn of mind, and constitution of body, not only incline and dispose him to some kind of sins, more than to others, but render the practice of certain virtues much more easy.

Now these sins to which men are commonly most inclined, and the temptations which they have the least power to resist, are, and not improperly, called their constitutional sins; their

peculiar frailties; and in scripture, their own iniquities, and the sins which do most easily beset us.t

"As in the humours of the body, so in the vices of the mind, there is one predominant; which has an ascendant over us, and leads and governs us. It is in the body of sin,what the heart is in the body of our nature; it begins to live first, and dies last. And whilst it lives, it communicates life and spirit to the whole body of sin; and when it dies, the body of sin expires with it. It is the sin to which our constitution leads, our circumstances betray, and custom enslaves us; the sin to which not our virtues only, but vices too, lower their topsail, and submit; the sin, which when we would impose upon God and our consciences, we excuse and disguise with all imaginable artifice and sophistry; but, when we are sincere with both, we oppose first, and conquer last. It is, in a word, the sin which reigns and rules in the unregenerate, and too often alarms and disturbs (ah! that I could say no more) the regenerate."

Some are more inclined to the sins of the flesh; sensuality, intemperance, uncleanness, sloth, self indulgence, and excess in animal gratifications. Others to the sins of the spirit; pride, malice, covetousness, ambition, wrath, revenge, envy, &c. And I am persuaded there are few, but, upon a thorough search into themselves, may find that some one of these sins hath ordinarily a greater power over them than the rest. Others often observe it in them, if they themselves do not, for a man not to know his predominant iniquity is great self ignorance indeed; and a sign that he has all his life lived far from home; because he is not acquainted with that relating to himself, *Psalm xviii. 32. + Heb. xii. 1.

And