CHA P. II.

Of the immediate foundation of Humility, the knowledge of our felves.

I.

ΤΗ

HE great and ultimate foundation of Humility, as of every other good thing that is in us, is no doubt the Grace of God, who is that Father of Lights from whom every good and perfect Gift defcends, that living Spring and Fountain, who like the Sun, fends forth the Rays of his Goodness and Perfection upon us, but without Setting and without Changing. He is our Light and our Life, and every thing that is in us (except Sin) we derive from him there being nothing in Nature, Grace or Glory, but what is a Participation of God, from whofe fullnefs we all receive. But yet as in matters of Theory and Science, one Truth is connected with another, and one Conclufion depends upon another as its immediate ground, tho' they all ultimately depend upon their first Principles; fo alfo in things of a Moral and Practical Nature, one Vertue in us depends immediately upon another, with which in the Order and Nature of things it has a Connexion, though the Grace of God be the Jaft Ground and Foundation of all.

2. I make a difference here between the Foundation of Humility,and the Reasons which we have to be Humble. By the Reasons, I mean fuch Confiderations or Arguments drawn from the Nature of Man and the Circumstances of our own Condition, as may ferve to fhew how reasonable Humility is, and how well it becomes us. For though whatever may be said to the advantage of Humility, or to recommend the practice of it (as fuppofe that it gives rest to the Soul) may in a large fense be said to be a Reason of it 3 yet Humility confifting in a low Opinion of our felves, nothing I fuppofe can be strictly faid to be a Reason why we should be Humble but that which fhews it to be reasonable that we should have that low Opinion,which must be fome Confideration or other taken from our felves. By the Foundation of Humility, I mean some Principle or Habit in our felves, upon which our Humility is immediately Founded, and upon which it actually refts, as upon its Bafis. The difference between which two, may be illuftrated by the difference that is between the Line given, upon which an Equilateral Triangle is erected, and the Reason which he that erects it has to erect it. The Reafon is fome Confideration or other which moves him to do it; it may be the use he may make of it in measu ring an inacceffible Line. But the Line given,

is

is the very Basis of the Triangle it self, upon which the Figure is raised and stands. Now this Foundation of Humility that carries the like proportion to it, that the Line given does to the Figure, I take to be the Knowledge of our felves. For the Reafons that we have to be Humble, are not the very foundation upon which our Humility immediately refts, but the intimate Sense and Perception which we have of those Reasons, wherein the knowledge of our felves is neceffarily involved, thofe Reasons being taken from our felves.

Sermo. de Obedientiâ.

3. Not that I would exclude the Knowledge of God. For as the fum of all that which deferves the name of true Wisdom in us, consists in these two things, the Knowledge of God and our felves, according to that of St. Bernard, Deus noverim me, noverim te, and as there is also a mutual Connexion between these two,the Knowledge of our felves, leading us to the Knowledge of God in whom we Live, Move, and have our Being, and the Knowledge of God giving us a right point of View wherein we may behold our felves in a true Light, fo as to make a right Judgment of our felves; fo alfo, and as a confequence of this, it is readily allowed, that the Knowledge of God tends exceedingly to the Humiliation of the Creature, who cannot

but

but look upon himself with Contempt, nay, even the greatest Displacency and Abhorrence (as Job did) when he Contemplates a Being of fuch tremendous Glory and Majesty. But then when we speak of the Knowledge of God, we must mean, either the Knowledge of God as he is in himself, or the Knowledge of God as he stands in relation to us. If as he is in himself, 'tis true indeed as was faid before, that this ferves very much to make us Humble, but then it is First, Comparatively, as all other excellent things do (though in a greater degree) by Eclipfing and Outshining. And Secondly, Mediately, as it ferves to bring us to a right understanding of our felves. So that the Knowledge of our felves is still the immediate Ground, even of that Humility which the Contemplation and Knowledge of God works in us. But if by the Knowledge of God, we mean the Knowledge of him as he stands in relation to us, then this will be included in the other; it being impoffible we should have a right Knowledge of our felves, unless we also understand, and have a full fense of our dependence upon God, which is the fame as to know him as he is in rela

tion to us. So that upon the whole, I think it most proper to confider the knowledge of our felves as the Foundation of our Humility.

4. This

4. This is that Knowledge, which was fo recommended of Old in the Schools of Wifdom, as of the greatest Excellence and Importance for all the Votaries of it. For which Reason, that well known Sentence which exhorted to it (Know thy felf) was Ingraven in Letters of Gold over the Porch of the Temple of Apollo, intimating, that he who would have Access to that Divinity, whofe Character was Wifdom, or entrance into his Temple, must first enter into himfelf, and endeavour rightly to know and understand himself. And indeed, what has he to do with Wisdom, that has not Learnt the first Elements of it, or what need will he think he has of any, that does not know his own Ignorance? Antiquity therefore might be Excufed, for the fondness it had for this saying, as a sentence of a Celestial Extraction; as alfo for placing it upon Apollo's Temple, fince 'twas a much Diviner Oracle than was ever delivered thence.

5. There is an Excellency in all Knowledge, and accordingly, that Being which is abfolutely perfect, has all. But there are two ways, whereby any one Knowledge becomes more Excellent than another. One is the Dignity and Excellency of the Object, and the other is the Relation it has to us, or the Concern we have in it. Now upon both these Accounts, the Knowledge of our selves is