PART II.

Showing the great Excellency and Advantage of this Kind of Science.

HAVING in the former part of the subject laid open some of the main branches of self knowledge, or pointed out the principal things which a man ought to be acquainted with, relating to himself; I am now, reader, to lay before you the excellency and usefulness of this kind of knowledge, as an inducement to labour after it by a detail of the several great advantages attending it, which shall be recounted in the following chapters.

CHAP. I.

Self Knowledge the Spring of Self Possession. I. ONE great advantage of self knowledge is, that it gives a man the truest and most constant self possession.

A man that is endowed with this excellent knowledge is calm and easy.

1. Under affronts and defamation. For he thinks thus: "I am sure I know myself better than any man can pretend to know me. This calumniator hath, indeed, at this time missed his mark, and shot his arrows at random; and it is my comfort, that my conscience acquits me of his angry imputation. However, there are worse crimes which he might more justly accuse me of; which, though hid from him, are known to myself. Let me set about reforming them; lest, if they come to his notice, he should attack me in a more defenceless part, find something to fasten his obloquy, and fix a lasting reproach upon my character.

There is a great deal of truth and good sense in that common saying and doctrine of the Stoics, though they might carry it too far, that it is not things but thoughts that disturb and hurt us. Now as self acquaintance teaches a man the right government of the thoughts (as is shown above, Part I. Chap. XIV.) it will help him to expel all anxious, tormenting and fruitless thoughts, and retain the most quieting and useful ones; and so keep all easy within. Let a man but try the experiment, and he will find, that a little resolution will make the greatest part of the difficulty vanish.

2. Self knowledge will be a good ballast to the mind under any accidental hurry or disorder of the passions. It curbs their impetuosity; puts the reins into the hands of reason; quells the rising storm,ere it makes shipwreck of the conscience; and teaches a man to leave off contention before it be meddled with,* it being much safer to keep the lion chained than to encounter it in its full strength and fury. And thus will a wise man, for his own peace, deal with the passions of others, as well as his own.

Self knowledge, as it acquaints a man with his weaknesses and worst qualities, will be his guard against them; and a happy counterbalance to the faults and excesses of his natural temper.

3. It will keep the mind sedate and calm under the surprise of bad news or afflicting providences. "For, am I not a creature of GOD? and my life and comforts, are they not wholly at his disposal, from whom I have received them; and by whose favour I have so long enjoyed them; and by whose mercy and goodness I have still so many left?

66 A heathen can teach me, under such losses of * Prov. xvii. 14.

friends, or estate, or any comfort, to direct my eyes to the hand of God, by whom it was lent me, and is now recalled; that I ought not to say, it is lost, but restored. And though I be injuriously deprived of it, still the hand of God is to be acknowledged for what is it to me, by what means, he that gave me that blessing, takes it from me again." He that rightly knows himself, will live every day dependent on the divine Author of his mercies, for the continuance and enjoyment of them. And will learn from a higher authority than that of a heathen moralist, that he hath nothing he can properly call his own, or ought to depend upon as such. That he is but a steward employed to dispense the good things he possesses, according to the direction of his Lord, at whose pleasure he holds them; and to whom he should be ready at any time cheerfully to resign them.-Luke xvi. 1.

4. Self knowledge will help a man to preserve an equanimity and self possession under all the various scenes of adversity and prosperity.

Both have their temptations: to some the temptations of prosperity are the greatest; to others, those of adversity. Self knowledge shows a man which of these are the greatest to him: and, at the apprehension of them, teaches him to arm himself accordingly, that nothing may deprive him of his constancy and self possession, or lead him to act unbecoming the man or the Christian.

We commonly say, no one knows what he can bear till he is tried. And many persons verify the observation, by bearing evils much better than they feared. Nay, the apprehension of an approaching evil often gives a man a greater pain than the evil itself. This is owing to inexperience and self ignorance.

A man that knows himself, his own strength and weakness, is not so subject as others to the melancholy presages of the imagination; and whenever they intrude, he makes no other use of them than to take the warning, collect himself, and prepare for the coming evil; leaving the degree, duration, and the issue of it with him, who is the sovereign Disposer of all events, in a quiet dependence on his power, wisdom and goodness. Such self possession is one great effect and advantage of self knowledge.

CHAP. II.

Self Knowledge leads to a wise and steady Conduct. II. AS self knowledge will keep a man calm and equal in his temper, so it will make him wise and cautious in his conduct.

A precipitant and rash conduct is ever the effect of a confused and irregular hurry of thought. So that when, by the influence of self knowledge, the thoughts become cool, sedate and rational, the conduct will be so too. It will give a man that even, steady and uniform behaviour in the management of his affairs, that is so necessary for the dispatch of business; and prevent many disappoint ments 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

I

arises from self ignorance, either brings our troubles 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 consequence of that, we are to charge upon ourselves.

CHAP. 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 had disposition which is too apt to steal upon, and infect some of

* Job xi. 4.