which should further it. When they should instruct the ignorant, exhort the obstinate, confirm the weak, or comfort the afflicted, they are complaining of their own ignorance, obstinacy, weakness, or affliction; and help not others, because they feel such need of help themselves; as if they were like beggars, that had nothing to give, but must live by asking and receiving. They understand not that it is one of the mysteries of godliness, that teaching others doth inform themselves, and the light which they bring in for others, will serve themselves to work by; and that reproving others doth correct themselves; and exhorting others doth prevail with themselves; and persuading the obstinate wills of others, doth tend to bend and resolve their own; and that comforting others doth tend to revive and raise themselves: their own spirits may be a little revived, by the very smell of the cordials they prepare for others. In this case, giving is both begging and receiving. Doing good is not the least effectual kind of prayer; and that we may be so employed, is not the smallest mercy. Many a one hath thus grown rich by giving many a one hath convinced himself, by confuting his own objections from another: and many a one hath raised and comforted himself, by offering comfort to others that have the same infirmities; and have banished their own excessive doubts and fears, by frequent compassionate answering the same in others, whose sincerity they have less suspected than their own.

None thrive more than they that grow in the sunshine of God's blessing: and God blesseth those most that are the most faithful in his work: and the work of love is the work of God. To do good, is to be most like him and they that are most like him, do best please him: In subordination to Christ, in whom we are accepted, we must, by his Spirit, be made thus acceptable in ourselves: we must be amiable if we will be loved. And those that God loveth best, and is most pleased with, are like to receive most plenteously from his love. It is necessary therefore to our own safety, and holiness, and consolation, that we look much abroad at the necessities of others, and study our brethren and the church of God, as well as ourselves: that we "look not every man on his own things, but every man also on the things of others," (Phil. ii. 4.)

There may be somewhat of inordinate selfishness even

about our souls; and sinful selfishness is always a losing course. As he that will be a self-saver, in point of estate, or honour, or life, taketh the ready way to lose them, (Matt. xvi. 15,) so he that for the saying of his soul, will confine all his care and charity to his own soul, taketh not the way indeed to save it. We keep not ourselves; we quicken not, we comfort not, we save not ourselves; but only as agents under Christ, manuring the land, and sowing the seed, to which he alone can give the blessing: it is not therefore our inordinate self-studying that will do it: With all our, care, without his blessing, we cannot add one cubit to the stature of our graces: therefore it must needs be our safest course, to be as careful and faithful as we can in duty, and lay out most of our study to please him; and then if we come not to assurance of his love, or discern not his image and grace upon us, yet, we must trust him with our souls, and leave the rest to his care and goodness, that hath undertaken that none shall be losers by him, nor be ashamed or frustate of their hopes, that wait upon him: "Let us commit the keeping of our souls to him in well doing, as unto a faithful Creator." (1 Peter iv. 19.) " As the eyes of servants look to the hand of their masters- —so our eyes (in a way of duty) must wait upon the Lord our God, till he have mercy upon us." (Psal. cxxiii. 1, 2.) And though we "grow weary of crying, and our throat be dried, and our eyes fail while we wait for God," (Psal. lxix. 3,) yet" our hope is only in him, and therefore we must continue to wait upon him." (Psal. xxxix. 7.). "And they that wait for him shall not be ashamed." (Isa. xlix. 23.)

It is not the pretended necessity of one work, that will excuse him that hath many as necessary to do; especially when they are conjunct in nature and necessity, and must go together, to attain their end. Concerning God, as we may well say that we must love and serve him only, and none but him, because we must love nothing but for his sake, and as a means to him the end of all; and so while it is God in all things that we love, we are more properly said to love God than the creature by that act, because he is the ultimate first intended end, and principal object of that love; and as the means, as a means, hath its essence in its relation to the end; so the love of the means, as such, is accordingly

specified: and so we may say of our study and knowledge of God, that nothing but God is to be studied or known; because it is God in the creature that must be studied: It is a defective similitude (as all are) to say, 'As it is the face that we behold the glass for:' for God is more in the creature than the face in the glass. But though all the means be united in the end, yet are they various among themselves. And therefore though we must study, know, and love nothing but God, yet we must study, know, and love many things besides ourselves: the means that are many, must all be thought on. More strings must be touched than one (how near soever) if we will have any music. More letters must be learned than I, or we shall never learn to read.

All men will confess, that to confine our charity to ourselves, and to do good to no others, is unlike a Christian. To deny to feed and clothe our brother in his need, is to deny it unto Christ: and it will be no excuse, if we were able, to say, 'I laid it out upon myself.' And the objects of our charity must be the objects of our thoughts and care: and it will not suffice for our excuse to say, ⚫ I was taken up at home, I had a miserable soul of my own to think on.'

And yet if these self-studying souls, that confine almost all their thoughts unto themselves, would but seek after God in themselves, and see his grace and benefits, it were the better but, poor souls, in the darkness of temptation, they overlook their God; and most of their study of themselves, is to see Satan and his workings in themselves: to find as much of his image as they can, in the deformities or infirmities of their souls; but the image of God they overlook, and hardly will acknowledge. And so, as noble objects raise the soul, and amiable objects kindle love, and comfortable objects fill it with delight; and God, who is all in one perfection, doth elevate and perfect it, and make it happy; so inferior objects do depress it; and ugly, loathsome objects fill it with distaste and loathing; and sad and mournful objects turn it into grief: and therefore to be still looking on our miseries and deformities, must needs turn calamity and woe into the temperament and complexion of the soul.

This much I thought needful to be spoken here, to prevent misunderstanding and misapplication; that while I am

pressing you to study and know yourselves, I may not en-. courage any in extremes, nor tempt them to make an ill use of so great and necessary a doctrine. And indeed the observation of the sad calamity of many poor, drooping, afflicted souls, that are still poring excessively on their own hearts, commanded me not to overpass this caution. And yet when I have done it, I am afraid lest those in the contrary extreme, will take encouragement to neglect themselves, by my reprehensions of those that are so unlike them.

And therefore I must add, to save them from deceit; 1. That it is but a very few that are faulty in over-studying themselves, in comparison of the many thousands that err on the other hand, in the careless neglecting of themselves. 2. And that it is symptomatically and effectively far more dangerous to study yourselves too little than too much, Though it be a fault here to exceed, yet it is for the most part a sign of an honest heart to be much at home, and a sign of an hypocrite to be little at home and much abroad. Sincerity maketh men censurers of themselves; for it maketh them more impartial, and willing to know the truth of their condition: it cureth them of that folly, that before made them think that presumption shall deliver them, and that they shall be justified by believing promises of their own, though contrary to the word of God; yea, by believing the promises of the devil, and calling this a faith in Christ: They are awakened from that sleep in which they dreamed, that winking would save them from the stroke of justice, and that a strong conceit that they shall not be damned, will deliver them from damnation; and that they are safe from hell if they can but believe that there is no hell, or can but forget it, or escape the fears of it. These are the pernicious conclusions of the ungodly; discernible in their lives, and intimated in their presumptuous reasonings, though too gross to be openly and expressly owned: and therefore they are indisposed to any impartial acquaintance with them

selves.

But grace recovereth men from this distraction, and makes them know that the judgment of God will not follow the conceits of men; and that the knowledge of their disease is necessary to their cure, and the knowledge of their danger is necessary to the prevention; and that it is the

greatest madness to go on to hell, for fear of knowing that we are in the way; and to refuse to know it, for fear of being troubled at the news.

And an upright soul is so far fallen out with sin, that he taketh it seriously for his enemy, and therefore is willing to discover it, in order to its destruction, and willing to search after it in order to a discovery.

And he hath in him some measure of the heavenly illumination, which maketh him a child of light, and disposeth him to love the light, and therefore cometh to it," that his deeds may be made manifest." (John iii. 21.) Hypocrites" are quick-sighted in discovering the infirmities of others; but at home they shut the windows, and draw the curtains, that they may not be disturbed or frightened in their sin: Thieves and sleepers choose not light; darkness suits the works of darkness. It is a good sign when a man dare see his own face in the glass of God's word; and when he dare. hear his conscience speak. I have ever observed it in the most sincere-hearted Christians, that their eye is more upon their own hearts and lives, than upon others and I have still observed the most unsound professors to be least censorious and regardful of themselves, and hardly drawn to converse at home, and to pass an impartial judgment on themselves.

Hence therefore you may be informed of the reason of many other differences between sincere believers and the un-godly. As, 1. Why is it that the sincere are so ready to discourse about matters of the heart; and that they so much relish such discourse; and that they have so much to say when you come to such a subject. It is because they know themselves in some good measure. They have studied, and are acquainted with the heart, and therefore can talk the more sensibly of what is contained in a book which they have so often read, and are so conversant in. Talk with them about the matters of the world, and perhaps you may find them more simple and ignorant than many of their neighbours but when you talk about the corruptions of the heart, and the secret workings of them; the matter, and order, and government of the thoughts, and affections, and passions; the wants and weaknesses of believers; the nature and workings of inward temptations; the ways of grace,