sions to the wilful neglect of duty are opposed and conquered, the seldomer will they return, or the weaker will they grow: till at last, by divine grace, they will be wholly overcome; and in the room of them will succeed an habitual readiness to every good work1, and a very sensible delight therein: a much happier effect than can be expected from the severest exercises of self-denial, in the instances before mentioned. (2.) A man that knows himself will see an equal necessity for self-denial, in order to check and control his inclinations to sinful actions; to subdue the rebel within; to resist the solicitations of sense and appetite; to summon all his wisdom to avoid the occasions and temptations to sin, and all his strength to oppose it. All this (especially if it be a favourite constitutional iniquity) will cost a man pains and mortification enough. For instance, the subduing a violent passion, or taming a sensual inclination, or forgiving an apparent injury and affront. It is evident, such a self-conquest can never be attained without much self-knowledge and self-denial. And that self-denial that is exercised this way, as it will be a better evidence of our sincerity, so it will be more helpful and ornamental to the interests of religion than the greatest zeal in those particular duties which are most suitable to our natural tempers, or than the greatest austerities in some particular instances of mortification, which are not so necessary, and perhaps not so difficult or disagreeable to us as this. To what amazing heights of piety may some 1 Tit. iii. 1. be thought to mount (raised on the wings of a flaming zeal, and distinguished by uncommon preciseness and severity about little things) who all the while, perhaps, cannot govern one passion, and appear yet ignorant of and slaves to their darling iniquity! Through an ignorance of themselves, they misapply their zeal, and misplace their self-denial; and by that means blemish their characters with a visible inconsistency 2. CHAP. VIII. SELF-KNOWLEDGE PROMOTES OUR USEFULNESS IN THE WORLD. 8. THE more we know of ourselves, the more useful we are like to be in those stations of life in which Providence has fixed us. When we know our proper talents and capacities, we know in what manner we are capable of being useful; and the consideration of our characters and relations in life will direct us to 2 A pious zeal may be active and yet not pernicious, and shine without burning. Intemperate zeal is like Sirius in Homer. Δαμπρότατος μὲν ὅγ' εςι, κακον δέ τε σῆμα τέτυκται Pious zeal is like the gentle flame in Virgil. Il. x. 30. Ecce levis subito de vertice visus Iuli the proper application of those talents; show us to what ends they were given us, and to what purposes they ought to be improved. 66 Many of those who set up for wits, and pretend to a more than ordinary sagacity and delicacy of sense, do, notwithstanding, spend their time unaccountably; and live away whole days, weeks, and sometimes months together, to as little purpose (though it may be not so innocently) as if they had been asleep all the while. -But if their parts be so good as they would have others believe, sure they are worth improving; if not, they have the more need of it.Greatness of parts is so far from being a discharge from industry, that I find men of the most exquisite sense in all ages were always most curious of their time. And therefore I very much suspect the excellency of those men's parts, who are dissolute and careless misspenders of it 1." It is a sad thing to observe, how miserably some men debase and prostitute their capacities. Those gifts and indulgencies of nature, by which they outshine many others, and by which they are capable of doing real service to the cause of virtue and religion, and of being eminently useful to mankind, they either entirely neglect, or shamefully abuse, to the dishonour of God, and the prejudice of their fellow creatures, by encouraging and emboldening them in the ways of vice and vanity; for the false glare of a profane wit will sometimes make such strong impressions on a weak, unsettled mind, as to overbear the princi1 Norris's Misc. p. 120. ples of reason and wisdom, and give it too favourable sentiments of what it before abhorred: whereas the same force and sprightliness of genius would have been very happily and usefully employed in putting sin out of countenance, and in rallying the follies, and exposing the inconsistencies of a vicious and profligate character. The more talents and abilities men are blessed with, the more pains they ought to take.-This is Chrysostom's observation. And the reason is obvious; because they have more to answer for than other men; which I take to be a better reason than what is assigned by this father, viz. because they have more to lose 2. When a man once knows where his strength lies, wherein he excels, or is capable of excelling, how far his influence extends, and in what station of life Providence hath fixed him, and the duties of that station, he then knows what talents he ought to cultivate, in what manner, and to what objects they are to be chiefly directed and applied, in order to shine in that station, and be useful in it. This will keep him even and steady in his pursuits and views; consistent with himself, uniform in his conduct, and useful to mankind; and will prevent his shooting at a wrong mark, or missing the right one he aims at: as thousands do, for want of this necessary branch of self-knowledge.-See Part I. Chap. V. μαλλον ἢ τοῖς ἁμαθετέροις, 2 Ὣςε τοῖς σοφοτέροις μέιζων ὁ πόνος ουδὲ γάρ ὑπέρ τῶν αὐτῶν ἡ ζημια, aμελovoι ToÚтog KάKεivos. De Sacerd. l. v. c. 5. CHAP. IX. SELF-KNOWLEDGE LEADS TO A DECORUM AND CONSISTENCY OF CHARACTER. 9. A MAN that knows himself, knows how to act with discretion and dignity in every station and character. Almost all the ridicule we see in the world takes its rise from self-ignorance; and to this mankind, by common assent, ascribe it, when they say of a person that acts out of character, he does not know himself. Affectation is the spring of all ridicule, and self-ignorance the true source of affectation. A man that does not know his proper character, nor what becomes it, cannot act suitably to it. He will often affect a character that does not belong to him, and will either act above or beneath himself; which will make him equally contemptible in the eyes of them that know him 1. A man of superior rank and character, that knows himself, knows that he is but a man; subject to the same sicknesses, frailties, disappointments, pains, passions, and sorrows, as other men; that true honour lies in those things, in which it is possible for the meanest peasant to excel him; and therefore he will not be vainly arrogant. He knows that they are only transi 1 Omnique in re posse quod deceat facere, artis et naturæ est; scire, quid, quandoque deceat, prudentiæ. Cic. de Orat. 1. 3. §. 55. |