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have known it, to turn from the holy commandment delivered unto us.'

We ought to consider, that this is not a covenant contrary to our nature, and imposed on us by another, for his own good, and not ours; but that its conditions are absolutely necessary to purify our nature, and prepare us for happiness; that as such, we freely choose to make them the foundation of peace with God; that they are therefore laws of our own enacting, although God first drew them up, and proposed them; that they are to us truly a law of liberty, because we gave them the force of laws in respect to ourselves, by our own voluntary ratification; and that, on all these accounts, it would be foolish, preposterous, and impious to the highest degree, in us, to slight them, by a cool or partial observation of them, since God hath put it in our power to treat them with a more suitable respect.

To conclude therefore; let us make the articles of this most interesting covenant the subject of deep and continual meditations. Let us reflect, that our eternal happiness absolutely depends on the observation, and our eternal misery infallibly pursues the transgression of it. Let us consider, what it cost to procure this contract; no less than the blood of Christ, the eternal, the only-begotten Son of God. Let us consider, that it is with the awful God we have exchanged promises in this important treaty of peace. With our thoughts intensely stretched on these reflections, let us fear and tremble exceedingly before God, on the review of all our past transgressions; and, in the strength of this fear, deepened by a truly penitential sorrow, improved by an ingenuous shame, and lifted above despair by an ardent love of God, let us now at length, like true champions for God, for religion, for heaven, resolutely address ourselves to the performance of our vows.

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And, in order to a successful accomplishment of this arduous warfare, may the gracious captain of our salvation be pleased to bestow on us the whole armour of God, and the powerful aids of his Holy Spirit; that we, being delivered out of the hands of our enemies, and more than conquerors, through him that loved us, may serve him henceforth without fear, in holiness and righteousness before him all the days of our life. And now, to the blessed and only Poten

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tate, the King of kings, and Lord of lords, who only hath immortality, dwelling in the light which no man can approach unto, whom no man hath seen, or can see, be honour and power everlasting.' Amen.

DISCOURSE XXII.

THE COVENANT OF PEACE RENEWED AND
CONTINUED.

1 COR. XI. 28.

Let a man examine himself, and so let him eat of that bread, and drink of that cup.

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AMONG all the wise sayings of the ancient philosophers, none is so much, or so justly, admired, as this, Know thyself.' Real knowledge, in all its branches, is the most useful and ornamental possession we can possibly attain to. Without necessary knowledge, a man is but a brute or idiot; without some knowledge of civility, of the arts and sciences, he is but a clown. But necessary knowledge is first to be acquired; then that which is useful; and afterward that which is ornamental. Of the first, some articles are more necessary than others; for instance, the knowledge of God, and ourselves. Yet in a very numerous class of men, curiosity and pride have advanced the last kind of knowledge into the place of the first, and preferred parade to necessity. They know all manner of persons and things, but God: they know what passes every where, but in themselves: their minds are dieted on the frothy part of learning; but are strangers to man's meat, or solid food; and often even to milk, the nourishment of babes.

Few men have time to lay out on the pursuit of much knowledge and of those that have, the greater part are rendered unhappy, or ridiculous, by always hunting for deep or remote refinements; and so continue, through their whole

lives, shamefully ignorant of themselves. Their minds are always at the windows, looking out this way for impertinent speculations, and that way for the follies and vices of their neighbours; while all within the house is in disorder and confusion. These ramblers in knowledge spend their lives in inquiries made at a vast distance from themselves, and come at last to be wonderfully knowing in every thing, but that which it concerns them most to know, the necessary means of their own present quiet, and future happiness, that is, the knowledge of God and his will, as set forth in the Christian covenant; and the knowledge of themselves, of their capacities, and dispositions. Knowledge, however, like charity, should begin at home. A man ought first to know himself, and his duty, together with all the helps necessary to the performance of his duty; and then it will be time enough for him to go a sporting with his curiosity.

We see how much pains they, who govern kingdoms, are at, in reading the histories of various countries, more especially their own; how they study the talents and tempers of men; how they labour to find out what in human nature requires restraint; what, encouragement; what, direction; what, amendment; what, total suppression. And does any man think he shall be able to govern himself, without making himself his study? Is he so stupid an idiot, as not to have perceived, that this, which is really a great and mysterious branch of knowledge, requires some application? Surely he cannot hope to govern himself rightly for the future, if he knows not what sort of a man he hath hitherto been, is now, or may be hereafter. It is of all things, most necessary he should be well skilled in the history of himself, of his passions, his weakness, his defects of understanding, his depravity of will, his corruption of heart, which have hitherto betrayed him into all the sins and miseries of his life. If he retained a feeling sense of his former miscarriages, he would not be so ready to throw himself in the way of those snares, in which he hath already smarted. A bird once. caught, preserves a useful memory of the gin: in vain is the same net, at least, spread in the sight of the same bird. But the man who knows not himself, is not so cautious. He derives no advantage from his years. While his back bends,

and his head whitens with age, he is still young and green in point of prudence, because after a thousand experiments, he hath laid up no stock of experience, is still unacquainted with himself.

Whosoever knows not the principles of those he trusts, or deals with, hath nothing, but his good fortune, to thank for it, if he knows them not at last to his cost.

Whosoever knows not the state of his own accounts and affairs, can never regulate his expenses; may starve in plenty, or riot in want; and, when necessity at length forces him to look into his circumstances, how must he be shocked to find his whole conduct utterly unconformable to the state of his affairs!

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But whosoever knows not himself, is the most despicable and miserable sort of fool, because he is ignorant of one with whom he is to consult and transact every thing, and on whom he must of necessity rely. How he is grieved to find his judgment imposed on, his measures baffled, his resolutions broken, and all his schemes defeated, not by another, not by an enemy, but by himself; may he not say, on such occasions, Had mine enemy done this, I could have borne it?' Nay, he may go farther than the psalmist; for he may justly say, 'Had my familiar friend betrayed me, and magnified himself against me,' I might have taken care to guard against his treachery for the future, and hid myself from him. But it was thou,' my inseparable companion, my guide, with whom I took sweet counsel' (sweet indeed but destructive), with whom I walked to the house of God,' who prescribed all my desires and designs, who dictated even my devotions to me, it was thou, my own heart, that hast undone me. · Thou art deceitful above all things, and desperately wicked; how shall I know thee?' When the conduct, necessary to my happiness, requires courage in thee, thou art fearful and irresolute; when it requires caution, thou art rash and giddy; when perseverance, thou art fickle and unsteady; when change and reformation, thou art obstinate and hardened. With what light shall I search into thy dark corners? Or with what armour shall I defend myself against an enemy, that lurks within the shield of faith, the helmet of salvation,' and 'the breast-plate of righteous

ness?' Thus grievously hath he reason to exclaim against himself, who knows not himself, whose heart is a stranger to his head.

It is far otherwise with him who knows himself, because he can oblige his faculties and passions to act in concert; or if there are some that will dissent, and grow refractory, he knows how to be on his guard against them. He knows how far he can safely trust to the strength of his understanding, and where instruction becomes necessary. He knows where his inward traitors are wont to hold a dangerous correspondence, and how to keep a watchful eye on their motions. He can see the faithful friend through the frowns of conscience, and can even court its admonitions. He can see the treacherous enemy through the smiles of desire and pleasure; and, armed with a lively remembrance of past lapses, past corrections, past remorses, can shun the ruinous delusion.

But it may now be asked, how the necessary knowledge of ourselves is to be acquired? Phylosophy only bids us know ourselves, as supposing every man acquainted with the methods whereby this may be effected; such, in particular, as attention to what passes within him, and reflection on what he thought, spoke, or did, under such or such circumstances. But the Scriptures go farther. They advise us to search and try our own ways, and to examine ourselves. They also propose to us the articles of our covenant as the rules by which this examination is to be managed. And lest care and diligence should be wanting in creatures so averse to the severities of a religious self-examination, likely as often as made, to end in repentance and mortification, they tell us, every one of us shall give an account of himself to God;' which we know cannot be done, as becomes reasonable beings under covenant, if we do not often call ourselves to a fair and strict account before our consciences for the performance or non-performance of what we vowed when we made peace with God. But that a matter of so much consequence as self-examination may be enforced with something more than precept, our Lord hath appointed a solemn and sacred commemoration of his death in the holy eucharist; which we are, as often as we possibly can, to celebrate, from the time we come to the

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