will think himself fitter to rule than they, and whatever they do, he imagineth that he could do it better. And hence comes suspicions and murmurings against them, and Corah's censures, "Ye take too much upon you: are not all the people holy?" Were men acquainted with themselves, their weaknesses, their concernments, and their duties, they would rather inquire whether they obey well, than whether their superiors rule well; and would think the lowest place to be most suitable to them; and would quiet themselves in the discharge of their own duty, "making supplications, prayers, intercessions, and thanksgiving for all men; for kings, and for all that are in authority, that we may lead a quiet and peaceable life, in all godliness and honesty; for this is good and, acceptable in the sight of God our Saviour." (1 Tim. ii. 1-3.) It would quiet all the seditions and tumults of the world, if men were well acquainted with themselves. I confess, seditions seem to rise from a too great knowledge and regard of ourselves, and of our own commodity. Aliquid commune tuum facere, est seditionis et discordia principium to appropriate common benefits to ourselves, is the spring of discord and sedition. But here, as in other things, self-seeking cometh from self-ignorance, and tendeth to self-deceit and disappointment. The end of contendings answer not the promises that selfishness and passion make men in the beginnings. And then, Si æterna semper odia mortales agant -En quo discordia cives SENECA. Perduxit miseros, en queis consevimus agros. 15. Self-acquaintance would end abundance of controversies, and very much help men to discern the truth. In the controversy of freewill or human power; to know ourselves as we are men, would be to know that we have the natural power and freedom consisting in the self-determining faculty and principle. To know ourselves as sinful, would certify us how much we want of the moral power which consisteth in right inclinations, and the moral liberty, from vi cious dispositions and habits. Would time permit, I might shew it in the instances of original corruption, of the nature of grace, of merit, the cause of sin, and many other controversies, how much error is promoted by the ignorance of ourselves. 16. Self-acquaintance maketh men both just and merci ful. One cannot be so much as a good neighbour without it, nor yet a faithful friend. It will teach you to put up injuries, and to forgive; as remembering that you are likely to be injurious to others, and certainly are daily so to God; and that it is no great fault that is done against such poor, unworthy persons as ourselves (if it had no higher a respect than to us). It is such only that "with all lowliness, and meekness, and long-suffering, forbear one another in love," (Ephes. iv. 2,) and "recompense to no man evil for evil," and "be not overcome of evil, but overcome evil with good." (Ver. 21.) He that is drawn to passion and revenge, is overcome when he seems to overcome by that revenge. It teacheth us to forgive, to know that much is forgiven us by Christ, or at least, what need we have of such forgiveness. (Ephes. iv. 31, 32.) "Let all bitterness, and wrath, and ananger, and clamour, and evil speaking, be put away from you, with all malice: and be ye kind one to another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, even as God for Christ's sake hath forgiven you." O that this lesson were well learned! 17. Self-acquaintance will teach us the right estimate of all our mercies: when we know how unworthy we are of the least, and what it is we principally need, it will teach us thankfulness for all; and teach us which of our mercies to prefer. Men know not themselves and their own necessities, and therefore they slight their chief mercies, accounting them burdens, and are unthankful for the rest. 18. Self-acquaintance is necessary to the solid peace and comfort of the soul. Security and stupidity may quiet the ungodly for a while, and self-flattery may deceive the hypocrite into a dream of heaven; but he that will have a durable joy, must find some matter of joy within him, as the effects and evidence of the love of God, and the prognostics of his endless love. To know what Christ hath suffered, and done, and merited, and promised, is to know the general and principal ground of our rejoicing: but something is wanting to make it peace and joy to us, till we find the fruits of his Spirit within us, without which no man can be his, (Rom. viii. 9; Gal. v. 16, 17. 22. 24, 25.) "If a man think himself to be something when he is nothing, he deceiveth himself. But let every man prove his own work, and then shall he have rejoicing in himself alone, and not in another." (Gal. vi. 3, 4.) The seal, and witness, and beginnings of life, must be within you, if you will know that you are the heirs of life. 19. Self-ignorance causeth men to misinterpret and repine at the providence of God, and to be froward under his most righteous judgments. Because men know not what they have deserved, or what they are, and what is good for them, therefore they know not the reason and intent of Providence; and therefore they quarrel with their Maker, and murmur as if he did them wrong: when self-acquaintance would teach them to justify God in all his dealings, and resolve the blame of all into themselves. The nature of man doth teach all the world, when any hurt is done to societies or persons, to inquire by whose will, as well as by whose hands, it was perpetrated; and to resolve all the crimes that are committed in the world unto the will of man, and there to leave the guilt and blame, and not excuse the malefactors upon any pretence of the concourse or predetermination of the first or any superior cause: and to justify the judge and executioner that takes away men's lives, or their estates, as long as themselves are proved to deserve it. And surely the knowledge of the nature and pravity of man should teach us to deal as equally with God, and finally resolve all guilt and blame into the free and vitiated will of man. Humbling self-knowledge maketh us say with Job, (chap. xl. 4,) "Behold, I am vile, what shall I answer thee? I will lay my hand upon my mouth:" and when God is glorifying himself on our relations, or ourselves by his judgments, it teacheth us with Aaron to hold our peace, (Lev. x. 3,) and to say with Eli, "It is the Lord, let him do what seemeth him good." (1 Sam. iii. 18.) And with David, (2 Sam. xv. 25,) "If I shall find favour in the eyes of the Lord he will bring me again, and show me it, and his habitation: But if he thus say, I have no delight in thee; behold here am I, let him. do to me as seemeth good to him." And as the afflicted church, (Mic. vii. 9,) " I will bear the indignation of the Lord, because I have sinned against him." Even a Pharaoh, when affliction hath taught him a little to know himself, will say, "The Lord is righteous, and I and my people are wicked." (Exod. ix. 27.) When Rehoboam and his princes are humbled, they say, "The Lord is righteous." (2 Chron. xii. 6.) See Ezra ix. 15. 20. Lastly, it is for want of the knowledge of ourselves, that precious time is so much lost, and hastening death no more prepared for. Did we carry still about us the sensible knowledge of our necessity, our mortality, and the inconceivable change that is made by death, we should then live as men that are continually waiting for the coming of their Lord; and as if we still beheld our graves. For we carry about us that sin and frailty, such corruptible flesh, as may tell us of death as plainly as a grave or skeleton. So great, so unspeakably necessary a work as the seriously diligent preparation for our end, could not be so sottishly neglected by the ungodly, did they thoroughly and feelingly know what it is to be a mortal man, and what to have an immortal soul; what it is to be a sinner, and what to pass into an endless life of joy or misery. And thus I have shewed you some of the fruits, both of the knowledge and ignorance of ourselves; even in our natural, and moral, and political capacities (though it be the second that is directly intended in the text); which may help you in the application. USE. And now I may suppose that the best of you all, the most honourable, the most learned, the most religious (of them I dare affirm it), will acknowledge, that I want not sufficient reason to urge you, with the question in my text "Know ye not your own selves?" Judge by the forementioned effects, whether self-acquaintance, even in the most weighty and necessary respects, be common among professed Christians. Doth he duly know himself as he is a man, that doubteth of a Deity whose image is his very essence, though not the moral image that must be produced by renewing grace? Or he that doubteth of a particular providence, of which he hath daily and hourly experience? Or he that doubteth of the immortality of his soul, or of the life to come, which is the end of his creation and endowments, and is legibly engraven on the nature and faculties of his soul? Do they morally know themselves, that make a jest of sin; and make it their delight? That bear it as the lightest burden, and are not so much humbled by all the distempers and miseries of their souls, as they would be by a leprosy, an imprisonment, or disgrace? That have as cold, unthankful thoughts of Christ, and of his grace and benefits, as a sick stomach of a feast? That compliment with him at the door, but will not be persuaded to let him in, unless he will come upon their terms, and dwell with their unmortified sin, and be a servant to their flesh, and leave them their worldly prosperity and delights, and save them for these compliments and leavings of the flesh, when sin and the world shall cast them off? Do those men truly know themselves, that think they need not the Spirit of Christ for regeneration, conversion, and sanctification, nor need a diligent, holy life, nor to be half so careful and serious for their salvation, as they are for a shadow of happiness in the world? That would without entreaty bestir themselves, if their houses were on fire; or they were drowning in the water, or were assaulted by a thief or enemy, and yet think he is too troublesome and precise, that entreateth them to bestir themselves for heaven, and to quit themselves like men for their salvation, and to look about them, and spare no pains for the escaping everlasting misery; when this is the time, the only time, when all this must be done, or they are utterly undone for ever. Do they know themselves, and what they want, and what indeed would do them good, that itch after sensual delights, and glut their flesh, and please their appetites and lusts, and waste their time in needless sports, and long for honour and greatness in the world, and study for preferment more than for salvation, and think they can never stand too high nor have too much: as if it were so desirable to fall from the highest pinnacle, or to die forsaken by that, for which they forsook the Lord. Do our feathered, powdered, gawdy gallants, or our frizzled, spotted, wanton dames, understand what it is that they are so proud of, or do so carefully trim up and adorn? Do they know what flesh is, as they would do, if they saw the comeliest of their companions, when he hath lain a month or twelvemonths in the grave? Do they know what sin is, as a sight of hell would make them know, or the true belief of such a state? If they did, they would think that another |