of the body, cannot be well cured till they are fearched to the bottom; and they cannot be searched without pain. A man that is engaged in the study of himself, must be content to know the worst of himself *.

Do not therefore shut your eyes against your darling fin, or be averse to find it out. Why should you study to conceal or excuse it, and fondly cherish that viper in your bofom?-" Some men deal by " their fins, as some ladies do by their " persons. When their beauty is decay"ed, they seek to hide it from themselves " by false glaffes, and from others by " paint. So many feek to hide their fins " from themselves by faise gloffes, and " from others by excuses or falfe co"lours †." But the greatest cheat they put put upon themselves. "They that co"ver their sins shall not profper," Prov. xxviii. 13. It is dangerous self-flattery to give soft and smoothing names to fins, in order to disguise their nature. Rather lay your hand upon your heart, and thrust it into your bosom, though it come out (as Moses's did) leprous as snow, Exod. iv. 6 *.

And to find out our most beloved fin, let us confider what are those worldly objects or amusements which give us the highest delight: this, it is probable, will lead us directly to some one of our darling iniquities, if it be a fin of commiffion;

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fion; and what are those duties which we read or hear of from the word of God, to which we find ourselves most disinclined: and this, in all likelihood, will help us to detect fome of our peculiar fins of omiffion, which, without such previous examination, we may not be sensible of. And thus may we make a proficiency in one confiderable branch of felf-knowledge*. CHAP.

* Et hoc ipsum argumentum est in melius translati animi, quod vitia fua, quæ adhuc ignorabat, videt. Sen. Epift. 6." It is a good argument of a reformed " mind, that it sees those vices in itself which it was "before ignorant of."

A man's predominant fin usually arises out of his predominant paffion; which, therefore, he should diligently observe. The nature and force of which is beautifully described by a late great master of English verse.

On different senses different objects strike.
Hence different passions more or less inflame,
As strong or weak the organs of the frame:
And hence one master-paffion in the breast,
Like Aaron's ferpent, swallows up the rest.
Nature its mother; habit is its nurse;
Wit, spirit, faculties, but make it worse;
Reason itself but gives it edge and pow'r,
As Heaven's blest beam turns vinegar more four.
Ah! if the lend not arms as well as rules,
What can she more than tell us we are fools?
Teach us to mourn our nature, not to mend,
A fharp accufer, but a helpless friend!

Pope. Effay on Man.

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CHAP. VIII.

The Knowledge of our most dangerous Temptations neceffary to Self-knowledge.

VII. "A MAN that rightly knows him

" felf is acquainted with his " peculiar temptations; and knows when, " and in what circumstances, he is in the " greatest danger of tranfgreffing."

Reader, if ever you would know yourfelf, you must examine this point thoroughly. And if you have never yet done it, make a pause when you have read this chapter, and do it now. Confider in what company you are most apt to lose the poffeffion and government of yourself; on what occafions you are apt to be most vain and unguarded, most warm and precipitant. Flee that company, avoid those occafions, if you would keep your conscience clear. What is it that robs you most of your time and your temper? If you have a due regard to the improvement of the one, and the preservation of the other, you will regret such a loss, and shun the occafions of it, as carefully as you would a road beset with robbers. But especially must you attend to the occasions which most usually betray you into your favourite vices; and confider the spring from whence they arise, and the circumstances which most favour them. They arife, doubtless, from your natural temper, which strongly disposes and inclines you to them. That temper then, or particular turn of defire, must be carefully watched over as a most dangerous quarter. And the opportunities and circumstances which favour those inclinations must be resolutely avoided, as the strongest temptations. For the way to subdue a criminal inclination is, first, to avoid the known occasions that excite it, and then to curb the first motions of it * And thus having no opportunity of being indulged, it will of itself in time lose its force, and fail of its wonted victory.

The surest way to conquer, is sometimes to decline a battle; to weary out the enemy, by keeping him at bay. Fabius Maximus did not use this stratagem more fuccessfully against Hannibal, than a Christian may against his peculiar vice, if he be but watchful of his advantages. It is dangerous to provoke an unequal