care "Not to neglect, but to stir up the " gift of God which is in him," 1 Tim. iv. 14. 2 Tim. i. 6. Because it was given him to be improved; and not only the abuse, but the neglect of it must be hereafter accounted for. Witness the doom of that unprofitable servant " who laid

up his fingle pound in a napkin," Luke xix. 20, 24. And of him who went and "hid his talent in the earth," Mat. xxv. 25,-30.

It is certainly a fign of great felf-ignorance, for a man to venture out of his depth, or attempt any thing he wants opportunity or capacity to accomplish. And therefore a wife man will confider with himfelf before he undertakes any thing of consequence, whether he hath abilities to carry him through it, and whether the iffue of it is like to be for his credit; left he fink under the weight he lays upon himfelf, and incur the just censure of rashness, presumption, and folly. See Luke xiv. 28,-32 *.

*

It is no uncommon thing for fome who excel

Nofcenda eft menfura tuæ, spectandaque rebus
In fummis, minimis,

Juv. Sat. 11.

- verfate

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 affect to be a poet? Why must a celebrated divine fet up for a politician? or a statesman affect the philosopher? or a mechanic, the scholar? or a wife man labour to be thought a wit? This is a weakness that flows from felfignorance, and is incident to the greatest men. Nature seldom forms an univerfal genius, but deals out her favours in the present state with a parsimonious hand.Many a man by this foible hath weakened a well-established reputation *.

versate diu quid ferre recufant

Quid valeant humeri.

CHAP.

Hor. de Art. Poet.

"He that takes up a burden that is too heavy for " him, is in a fair way to break his back." Ανθρωπε, πρώτον επισκέψαι, όποιον έσι τα πραγμα" είπες και την σέαυξε φυσιν.καλαμαθε, δυνασαι βασασαι. Ερίδι. Enchir, cap. 36.

In every business, consider, first, what it is you are about; and then, your own ability, whether it " be fufficient to carry you through it."

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 de"ficiences; that we may know where our " weakness, as well as our ftrength lies." -Otherwise, like Samson, we may run ourselves into infinite temptations and troubles.

Every man hath a weak fide. Every wife man knows where it is, and will be fure to keep a double guard there.

There is fome wisdom in concealing a weaknefs.

Sublime (which is censured by Longinus in the be ginning of his), was a man of a hasty and enterprifing spirit, and very apt to overshoot himself on all occafions; and, particularly, ventured far out of his depth in his Comparison of Demofthenes and Cicero. Whereupon Plutarch makes this sage and candid remark: "If (faith he) it was a thing obvious and ea "sy for every man to know himself, poffibly that “ saying, γνωθι σεαυτον, had not passed for a divine " oracle." Plut. Liv. Vol. vii. pag. 347.

weakness. This cannot be done, till it be first known; nor can it be known with. out a good degree of self-acquaintance.

It is strange to observe what pains fome men are at to expose themselves; to fignalize 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; fome men seem to be ashamed of those things which should be their glory, whilft others "glory in their shame," Phil. iii, 19.

The greatest weakness in a man is to publish his weaknesses, 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 very common) to be less ashamed of a want of temper, than understanding. For it is no real difhonour or fault in a man to have but a small ability of mand, provided he hath not the vanity to fet up for a genius, (which E would would be as ridiculous, as for a man of small strength and stature of body to fet up for a champion), because this is what he 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 paffion, 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 matter of, gives him a great advantage for the government of his paffions; and therefore his fuffering himself notwithstanding to be governed by them shows, that he hath too much neglected or misapplied his natural talent, and willingly submited to the tyranny of those lufts and paffions, over which nature had furnished him with abilities to have secured an easy conquest.

A wife 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,