derate displeasure occafionable by men's hard opinions, or SERM. harfh cenfures paffed on us: for he that by inquiry into XLV. himself perceives fo many defects in himself, will not fo cafily nor fo greatly be offended, if fome of them (or fome like to them) be objected to him; fince he finds himself truly liable to many more, and greater. Epictetus's advice is, when you are told, that any man speaks ill of you, that you should not apologize, but anfwer only, that he was ignorant of many other faults of yours, or he would not only have mentioned thofe. To be disposed, without diffembling or affection, to follow his counsel, would argue a man very intelligent of himself, and well prepared to endure happily and handsomely encounters of this kind, which every man shall be sure to meet with. None indeed can so contentedly brook reproach, or blame, as he that by intimate acquaintance with his own heart doth know the cenfure paffed on him to be in effect mild and favourable; as finding himself a witness of more faults, than any adversary can accuse him of; as being a stricter examiner and severer judge of himself, than the most envious eye or difaffected mind can be. It is alfo fome comfort, that if cenfures be very outrageous, a man by knowledge of himself (by knowing his own difpofitions, if his perfon be disfigured by a very ill character; by knowing his own purposes, if his actions be grievously aspersed) is certain they are fuch; that he can be as well a faithful witness, and juft judge for himself, as against himself. 4. Likewife this practice will defend us, as from the - difcomforts of harsh cenfure, fo from the mistakes and mifcarriages, to which the more favourable opinions of men, or their flattering expreffions, (those luscious poifons,) may expose us a. -Nihil eft quod credere de fe Non poffit, cum laudatur. It is not only true of great men, but even of all men: the common nature of men disposeth them to be credulous, Index ipfe fui fe totum explorat ad unguem, Quid proceres, vanique ferat quid opinio vulgi, SERM. when they are commended, or receive any fignification of XLV. esteem from others: every ear is tickled with this v axeapa, this fweet music of applause: but we are not to rely upon others' imperfect and ill-grounded judgment, so much as upon our own more certain knowledge concerning ourselves: ne cui de te plus quam tibi credas. Take no man's word before thine own fenfe, in what concerns thine own cafe and character, is an advice deferving our regard and practice: for that a man in questions of this kind is able to be a skilful and indifferent umpire between himself and others; that he is neither elevated nor depreffed in mind by external weights, but keepeth himself equally poised in a juft confiftence by his own well-informed confcience; that neither his heart is exasperated with the bittereft gall of reproach, nor his head intoxicated with the sweetest wine of flattery, is an invaluable convenience of life; or rather, it is a virtue arguing a moft ftrong and healthful conftitution of foul. How great a levity of mind, how great a vanity is it, faith a good Father, fetting afde a man's own confcience, to follow other men's opinion, (and even that feigned and forged,) to be fnatched away by the wind of falfe praife, to rejoice in being eircumvented, and to receive being mocked for a benefit b? From being thus abused, this practice alone can fecure us: if we know ourfelves well, we cannot fo easily be deluded by the miftakes of others concerning us, on either hand. 5. Likewise, farther upon the fame, this practice will conduce to qualify our opinions, and moderate our paffions toward others; fo that without intemperate anger, or bitternefs, we may bear the faults, errors, and infirmities of our brethren; that we shall be benign in our carriage, and gentle in our cenfures even toward them, who do not behave themselves fo well and wifely as they should do. Gal. vi. 1. St. Paul thus admonisheth the Galatians: Brethren, if a n b Quæ hæc tanta levitas eft animi, quæ tanta vanitas relicta propria confcientia alienam opinionem fequi, et quidem fictam atque fimulatam; rapi vento falfæ laudationis, gaudere ad circumventionem fuam, et illufionem pro beneficio accipere? Hier. (vel Paulinus) ad Celant. man be overtaken in a fault, ye which are fpiritual (the more SERM. spiritual, whether in truth, or in our own esteem, the XLV. more especially are we obliged hereto) reftore fuch an one in the Spirit of meekness, confidering thyself, left thou may be alfo tempted: σxoжν σEQUтov, looking upon, or spying into thyself; such confidering ourselves, taking notice of our own infirmity within, perceiving how fubject we are to the impreffions of temptation, and that hence it may be our own cafe to fall and falter, if occafion concur with our weakness; discerning this, I say, as it will be a reason Marc. Ant. obliging, so it may be an inftrument conducing to a miti- xi. 18. gation of spirit toward those, whom we fee overtaken with mistake, or overborne by frailty. Why doft thou fee a Matt. vii. 2. mote in thy brother's eye, but doft not confider the beam in thine own eye? is our Saviour's queftion. Why a man fhould do fo, there cannot, as he implies, any good reason be affigned; it is a very unreasonable and inexcufable mifcarriage: but whence a man doeth fo, is obvious and plain; it is, because he curiously pries into other men's doings, and carelessly neglecteth the observation of his own heart. Did we reflect our fight inwards, we should be more apt to mark our own faults, and lefs ready to difcover those of others; or, however, we should be more gently affected in regard to them: for he that knows himfelf a beggarly wretch, will he reproach poverty to another? he that confulting the glass doth find himself illfavoured, will he upbraid another for want of grace or beauty? he that perceives that the dart will rebound, and thereby wound himself, will he not be careful of flinging it? will a man be forward in pronouncing a heavy sentence against another, who confiders himself by plain confequence involved in the condemnation thereof? Should a man do so, he doth at least render himself uncapable of apology or excufe: fo we are told by St. Paul: Every cenfurer (nãs ỏ xpívwv) is, faith he, inexcufable; for Rom. ii. 1. that in arraigning another he condemns himself: guilty he is of inexcufable folly, or impudence; of folly and blindnefs, if he fee not; of extreme impudence, if, feeing his own obnoxiousness, he will not abstain from judging others for that, of which himself is guilty in the fame kind, or equi SETM. valently in fome other. You know how David was caught XLV. by Nathan, and unwarily adjudged himself to death: 2 Sam. xii. and fo may every man expofe himself, that is rigorous in cenfure toward others, without reflecting upon himself, and confidering his own heart; wherein he fhall find fo much ground and matter of being angry with, and judging himfelfe. If we will be fierce and keen, it is reafon we fhould be fo firft, and chiefly there, where our greatest enemies do abide, whence moft mifchief arifeth to us; where there is fittest matter, and juftest cause of paffion: thus is this practice a most proper and effectual remedy for those baneful vices of pride and peevifhnefs in ourselves, of malignity and fury toward others. But farther, 6. The obfervation of our heart yieldeth great advantage, in being very conducible to render men truly wise and prudent, in those things especially, which most nearly concern them; giving them to fee before them, and to understand what they do; and to proceed without fecurity; as contrarily the neglect thereof rendereth men unadvised and uncertain in their doings. A main point of prudence confifteth in fuiting a man's undertakings to his powers and capacities; in not attempting things furpaffing his ability, or fitnefs; and in not declining fuch useful or beneficial attempts as he may well compafs. Some are overbold and rath in setting upon things beyond their strength to accomplish, or skill to manage; whence commonly with flame and forrow they are defeated in their enterprises; others are overbackward and diffident, fo as not to adventure upon what they may with good advantage, or perhaps ought to perform; thence depriving themselves of the benefits they might obtain, or omitting the duties which they are obliged to; both which inconveniences ufually do proceed from the not looking into and studying the heart; for the most and greatest impediments of action do lie there; being grounded upon inward indifpofitions, or difagreeableness of men's temper, Si volumus æqui rerum omnium judices effe, hoc primum nobis fuadeamus, neminem effe noftrum fine culpa. Sen. de Ir. Συγγνώμην ἔφη διδόναι πᾶσι τοῖς ἁμαρτάνεσι, πλὴν ἑαυτῶ. Cato Maj. Plut. p. 624, capacity, inclination to the matters, to which they apply. SERM. themselves. A tender foot will be galled and lamed, if you XLV. fet it going in rugged paths; a weak head will turn, if you' place it high, or upon the brink of a precipice; a soft spirit cannot well comport with boisterous employment; he that naturally affects calm and quiet, muft not hope to come off well, if he engage himfelf upon affairs expofed to abundance of care and tumult; nor will he, if he be well ftudied this way, and rightly understand himself, adventure thereupon. It was as well according to wisdom as modefty, that David could fay, My heart is not haughty, nor Pf. cxiii 1. mine eyes lofty, neither do I exercise myself in great matters, or in things too high for me. In every undertaking two things occur to be confidered: what of difficulty is found therein, and what of temptation; whether it can be done, and whether it should be done. It is a folly to spend our care and pains upon that, which is too hard for us to effect; and it is worse than fo to adventure upon that, which most probably will bring us into fin, and hurt our fouls; only the study of ourselves, weighing our power, and trying our temper, will prevent both: he that doeth this may commay.commonly foresee what, the cafe being put, he fhall do; that if fuch a temptation doth affault him in fuch circumstances, his inclinations will be apt to comply therewith, and he fhall scarce be able to refift; that, for inftance, he shall wax haughty in a ftate of dignity, become luxurious in abundance of wealth, be diftracted with care in a bufy employment; and therefore he will not be fo forward to engage himself upon fuch occafions, danger and mifchief being fo vividly pre-represented to his fight. But he that pondereth not his own heart is ready to prefume, that, be the business what it will, he fhall come off well; and so unadvisedly rusheth into the fnare: he affumes unwieldy burdens upon his shoulders, which he foon feeleth forely to oppress and pain him; which he can neither bear with ease, nor put off with convenience. When, for inftance, the Prophet told Hazael what cruelties and rapines should, when he got power and opportunity, be committed by him; you fee how he was ftartled at the report: Am I a dog? faith he; 2 Kings xii. |