men deal by their sins, as some ladies do by their persons. When their beauty is decayed, they seek to hide it from themselves by false glasses, and from others by paint. So, many seek to hide their sins from themselves by false glasses, and from others by excuses, or false colours."* But the greatest cheat they put upon themselves. +They that cover their sins shall not prosper. It is dangerous self flattery to give soft and smoothing names to sins, 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' did, leprous as snow.§

And to find out our most beloved sin, let us consider 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 sin of commission 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 some of our pe

* Baxter. † Prov. xxviii. 13. † Exod. iv. 6.

The knowledge of sin is the first step towards amendment; for he that does not know he hath offended, is not willing to be reproved. You must therefore find out yourself, before you can amend yourself. Some glory in their vices. And do you imagine they have any thought about reforming who place their very vices in the room of virtues? Therefore reprove thyself; search thyself very narrowly. First turn accuser to thyself, then a judge, and then a suppliant. And dare for once to displease thyself.

Sen. Epis. 28.

culiar sins of omission; which without such previous examination we may not be sensible of. And thus we may make a proficiency in one consider able branch of self knowledge.*

CHAPTER VIII.

The knowledge of our most dangerous temptations, necessary to self knowledge.

VII. A MAN that rightly knows himself, is acquainted with his peculiar temptations; and knows when, and in what circumstances he is in the greatest danger of transgressing.

*It is a good argument of a reformed mind, that it sees those vices in itself, which it was before ignorant of

Sen. Epis. 6.

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

On diff'rent senses diff'rent objects strike :
Hence diff'rent passions more or less inflame,
As strong or weak, the organs of the frame;
And hence one master passion in the breast,
Like Aaron's serpent swallows up the rest.
Nature its mother, habit is its nurse;
Wit, spirit, faculties, but make it worse;
Reason itself but gives its edge and pow'r,
As heav'n's blest beam turns vinegar more sour.
Ah! if she 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 sharp accuser, but a helpless friend!

Pope's Essay on Man.

Reader, if ever you would know yourself, 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. Consider in what company you are most apt to lose the possession and government of yourself; on what occasions you are apt to be most vain and unguarded, most warm and precipitant. Flee that company, avoid those occasions, 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 occasions 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 favour. ite vices; and consider the spring from whence they arise, and the circumstances which most favour them. They arise doubtless from your natural temper, which strongly disposes and inclines you to them. That temper then, or particular turn of desire, must be carefully watched over as a most dangerous quarter. Aud 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 which excite it; and then, to curb the first motions of it.* And thus

*Resist the first incitements to sin. Medicine is prepared too late, when a disease has become obstinate through delay.

Ovid.

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 successfully against Hunnibal than a christian may against his peculiar vice, if he be but watchful of his advantages. It is dangerous to provoke an unequal enemy to the fight, or run into such a situation, where we cannot expect to escape without a disadvantageous encounter.

It is of unspeakable importance, in order to self knowledge and self government, to be acquainted with all the accesses and avenues to sin, and to observe which way it is that we ourselves too often approach it; and to set reason and conscience to guard those passes, those usual inlets to vice, which if a man once enters, he will find a retreat extremely difficult.*

"Watchfulness, which is always necessary, is chiefly so when the first assaults are made. For then the enemy is most easily repulsed; if we never suffer him to get within us, but upon the very first approach draw up our forces, and fight him without the gate. And this will be more manifest, if we observe by what methods and degrees temptations grow upon us.

All the footsteps leading towards you, but none returning terrify me.

Horace. The descent to hell is easy; but to recall your footsteps, and to ascend to heaven, this is difficulty, this is labour. Virg.

The first thing that presents itself to the mind is a plain single thought; this strait is improved into a strong imagination; that again enforced by a sensible delight; then follow evil motions; and when these are once stirred there wants nothing but the assent of the will, and then the work is finished. Now the first steps to this are seldom thought worth our care; sometimes not taken notice of; so that the enemy is frequently got close up to us, and even within our trenches, before we observe him."*

As men have their particular sins, which do most easily beset them; so they have their particular temptations, which do most easily overcome them. That may be a very great temptation to one, which is none at all to another. And if a man does not know what are his greatest temptations, he must have been a great stran.. ger indeed to the business of self employment.

As the subtle enemy of mankind takes care to draw men gradually into sin, so he usually draws them by degrees into temptation. As he disguises the sin, so he conceals the temptation to it; well knowing, that were they but once sensible of their danger of sin, they would be. ready to be on their guard against it. Would we know ourselves thoroughly then, we must get acquainted not only with our most usual temptations, that we be not unawares drawn into sin, but with the previous steps and preparatory circumstances, which make way for

Stanhope's Thomas a Kempis, page 22.

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