enemy to the fight, or to run into fuch a situation, where we cannot expect to escape without a disadvantageous encoun ter. It is of unspeakable importance, in order to self-knowledge and felf-government, to be acquainted with all the accesses and avenues to fin, and to observe which way it is that we are oftenest led to it; and to fet reason and confcience 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 ne" cessary, is chiefly so when the first af" faults are made; for then the enemy is. " most easily repulsed, if we never fuffer " 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. The first thing that " presents itself to the mind, is a plain, 66 fingle thought; this straight is improv" ed into a strong imagination; that again " enforced by a sensible delight; then fol" low evil motions; and when these are " once stirred, there wants nothing but "the affent of the will, and then the " work is finished. Now the first steps " of this are seldom thought worth our "care, fometimes 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 fins, which do most easily befet them, so they have their particular temptations, which do most eafily 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 stranger indeed to the business of felf-employment. As the fubtle enemy of mankind takes care to draw men gradually into fin, so he ufually draws them by degrees into temptation. As he disguises the fin, so he conceals the temptation to it; well knowing, that, were they but once sensible of their danger of fin, they would be ready to be upon Stanhope's Thomas a Kempis, pag. 22. upon their guard against it. Would we know ourselves thoroughly then, we must get acquainted not only with our most ufual temptations, that we be not unawares drawn into fin, but with the previous steps and preparatory circumstances which make way for those temptations, that we be not drawn unawares into the occafions of fin; for those things which lead us into temptations are to be confidered as temptations, as well as those which immediately lead us into fin. And a man that knows himself will be aware of his remote temptations, as well as the more immediate ones; e. g. If he find the company of a paffionate man is a temptation (as Solomon tells us it is, Prov. xxii. 24, 25.), he will not only avoid it, but those occasions that may lead him into it. And the petition in the Lord's prayer makes it as much a man's duty to be upon his guard against temptation as under it. Nor can a man pray from his heart that God would not lead him into temptation, if he take no care himself to avoid it. CHAP. IX. Self-knowledge discovers the fecret Prejudices of the heart. VIII. ANOTHER important branch of self-knowledge is, for a man to be acquainted with his own prejudices, or those secret prepossessions of his heart, which, though so deep and latent that he may not be sensible of them, are often fo trong and prevalent, as to give a mighty, but imperceptible bias to the mind. And in this the great art of felf-knowledge confifts, more than in any one thing again. It being therefore a matter of fuch mighty consequence, and at the fame time a point to which men in general are too inattentive, it deserves a more particular discussion. These prejudices of the human mind may be confidered with regard to opinions, perfons, and things. (1.) With regard to opinions. It is a common observation, but well expressed by a late celebrated writer, "that " we fet out in life with fuch poor begin"nings of knowledge, and grow up un" der such remains of fuperftition and ig"norance, " norance, such influences of company " and fashion, such infinuations of plea" fure, &c. that it is no wonder if men " get habits of thinking only in one way, " that these habits in time grow rigid and " confirmed, and so their minds come to " be overcast with thick prejudices, scarce " penetrable by any ray of truth, or light " of reason *" There is no man but is more fond of one particular set or scheme of opinions in philosophy, politics, and religion, than he is of another, if he hath employed his thoughts at all about them. The question we should examine then is, How come we by these attachments? whence are we so fond of these particular notions ? did we come fairly by them? or were they imposed upon us, and dictated to our easy belief, before we were able to judge of them? This is most likely. For the impressions we early receive generally grow up with us, and are those we leaft care to part with. However, which way foever we came by them, they must be re-examined, and brought to the touch-ftone of found sense, solid reason, and plain scripture. If they will not bear this after hard rubbing, F3 See Religion of Nature Delin. pag. 129. |