and abstain from all such things as make provision for the Flesh let him give himself up to Fasting and Prayer and use such wholsome Mortifications as may bring his Appetites into Subjection to the reasonable Powers of his Soul If Drunkenness is his darling Vice let him not look upon the wine when it is red when it gives its colour in the Cup when it moveth it self aright but consider that at last it biteth like a Serpent Prov. 23.31 32. and stingeth like an Adder Let him put a knife to his throat in Solomons phrase when he is in pleasant and agreeable Company i. e. consider the Danger he is in of abusing those Blessings of God to Intemperance and Luxury which were design'd for his Comfort and Support and let him as much as possibly he can avoid all such Places and Company as are likely to promote Excess and Riot Thus we find that Joseph being sollicited by his Lascivious Mistress to defile his Master's Bed would not so much as hearken unto her Gen. 39.10 or tarry with her in the house The Nazarenes being forbid the use of Wine would not eat the husk and kernel of the Grape nay so careful were they to avoid all the Temptations to Sin that they would not so much as pass through a Vineyard lest they should covet the forbidden Fruit. Very remarkable is the Example of that excellent Emperour Theodosius who being betray'd to some rash and sinful Actions by the sudden transports of his Passion oblig'd himself never to execute any matter of moment till he had first repeated the Lord's Prayer that by giving himself time for second and more sober Thoughts he might calmly deliberate what he ought to do Many more Instances might be added were it needful this being a Rule of daily use and practis'd by Heathens as well as Christians And now having endeavour'd to state this Question how we ought to abstain from all appearance of Evil in matters Practical in Relation to our selves I shall proceed to shew Secondly How we ought to abstain from all appearance of Evil with Relation to others for the doing good to others is as absolutely necessary as the being good our selves and our great Business in this World next to the Salvation of our own Souls is the being beneficial to our Neighbour and the endeavouring by all ways possible to promote his Spiritual and Temporal welfare whereby we shall not only please God and glorifie him but pursue our own true Interest also For since every Man has a share in the good of that Society in which he lives whatsoever benefit accrues to the Community must in the end redound upon every particular Member of it and therefore the best way to secure to our selves the Help and Assistance of others when we have occasion for it is to be as useful and helpful as possibly we can be to those who are embark'd with us in the same common Interest Rom. 5.9 For a good Man one would even dare to die says the Apostle Goodness or a Charitable disposition towards our Neighbour i. e. an Inclination to do all the Good we are able to all Men is a Temper of Mind which carries such endearing Charms along with it that a Man would rather venture his own Life than such a Benefactor to Mankind should be depriv'd of his And therefore 't is both our Duty and Interest to employ all those Talents God has entrusted us with for the common Good and to lay out our Time and Thoughts in being beneficial to those amongst whom we live in instructing the Ignorant reproving the faulty making Peace amongst such as are at Variance and administring to all the Necessities of our Brother and expending in works of Charity whatsoever we have more than will make a comfortable Provision for our selves and Families according to that Station and Condition in which God has plac'd us in the World This is a Duty laid down negatively in the Text. We must abstain from all appearance of Evil. i.e. We must set so strict a Watch over all our Words and Actions that we neither speak nor Act any thing which may be to the Prejudice or Offence of our Brother we must not only take Care that we be not openly injurious to him or do him wrong in his Person Estate or Good Name but we must avoid speaking any word that looks like an Injury or has tho' but an oblique Tendency to his Disparagement and Disgrace or which has any Probability of being mis-interpreted for an Affront if we foresee it may draw any ill Consequence after it or give him any Cause of just Offence we ought to restrain our selves and by no means to utter it And if so then herein is imply'd that we do to our Neighbour all the good Turns which lie in our Power that we love him as our selves and make our own self-Self-love the rule and measure of our Words and Actions towards him and in all things dealing with him as we our selves if we were in the same Circumstances Matth. 7.12 would desire to be dealt withal All these positive Duties are contain'd in the words of the Text and as strictly enjoyn'd us and as Emphatically express'd as they could be by any positive Command This is a Duty dictated to us by the Light of Nature enjoyn'd us almost in every Page of the New Testament and enforc'd by the most powerful Inducements our unquestionable Interest both here and hereafter A Duty which God seems so concern'd for that he has declar'd he had rather dispence with his own immediate Service than it should be omitted Matth. 9.13 he is better pleas'd with Mercy i. e. doing good to our Neighbour than with Sacrifice A Duty which even the worst of Men those who seem to have cast off all Fear of God and Sense of Religion think themselves obliged to perform For a Sense and Principle of Honour is sufficient to engage Men to bear a sincere Affection to their Countrey and their Friend to be just and faithful in their Dealings and punctual observers of their Word We may find Examples enough amongst the Heathens of those who have been Patriots to their Country and have given the world the most generous Instances of an inviolable Friendship and therefore I shall urge no more Arguments for the performance of so plain and necessary a Duty but proceed to lay down some Rules to direct us in the Practice of it And since our Actions are either Good or Evil or Indifferent I shall lay down three general Rules in Relation to every one of these And I. We must not be so desirous of doing good to our Neighbour as to do any Action in its own Nature or by necessary Consequence Evil tho' we are assur'd some great good might be effected thereby II. We must sometimes omit even good Actions when they may probably be the Occasion of some Evil or a reasonable Offence may be taken at the
twenty thousand or else whilst the other is yet a great way off he sendeth an Embassage and desireth Conditions of Peace So likewise whosoever he be of you that forsaketh not all that he has he cannot be my Disciple The meaning of both these Parables is this That every one who intends to be Christ's Disciple must first sit down and consider with himself what 't is to be a Christian what Difficulties he is like to meet with in his Christian Race what Temptations he must encounter withal And if he doth not sincerely Purpose to forego every thing which stands in Competition with Christ and his Gospel if he doth not resolve to part with all that he has rather than deny his Saviour he can never be Christ's true Disciple And as we ought to make such Reflections as these before we enter on a Christian Course of Life so when we have made some Progress in it it will be necessary to examine and try our selves how well we have put these good Resolutions into Execution Whether we have acquitted our selves like Christ's faithful Souldiers and Servants or else cowardly left the Field and deserted his Colours And therefore we are so often commanded to examine our selves whether we be in the Faith 1 Cor. 3.13 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Gal. 6.4 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 and to prove our own selves And St. Paul advises the Galatians Let every man prove his own work The word us'd in both places in the Original signifies so to prove or to try as that a Man's Actions may be throughly known and approved fifted and made evident And that such an Examination as this will be of great use to promote our spiritual Well-being is evident 2. From Reason Common Sense and Reason will inform us that if we design to direct our Lives by the word of God we must frequently compare them with this Rule We must reflect upon our Actions and consider when we have done our Duty and acted as becomes us and when we have transgress'd the Commands of God For in the first place the best Men in the world are subject to many sinful Passions and tho' they make never so strong Resolutions tho' they could set the Faculties of their Souls in the most exact Order yet when they go abroad into the World they will meet with something or other which will ruffle and discompose them and betray them into disorderly Affections and sinful Practices There is no Man in the world so good and perfect but he has his Failings his Weaknesses and Infirmities And the Devil will be sure to assault him on that side where he lies most open to Temptation and will sometimes prevail against him And therefore the wisest Course a good Man can take is frequently to recollect himself to consider when and where he has done amiss what was the occasion of it what betray'd him into that sinful and foolish Action and having discover'd this heartily to repent of his Sin to fence and guard himself against it for the time to come and to resolve stedfastly never to suffer himself to be impos'd on and deluded again in the like manner In the next place there are many Actions which at first sight appear to us good and Praise-worthy which when more narrowly consider'd and try'd by the Rule of God's word are found to be crooked and deform'd such as we have just cause to repent of We place them at first in a wrong Light we behold them thro' a false Medium Our Kindness and Affection toward them makes them seem of a different Complexion than they are really of But when we come to consider them without Passion or Prejudice to weigh every Circumstance Then 't is plainly evident that we admire our selves for Qualities which are not in us and applaud our selves for Actions which are nothing worth We perform'd them either out of a wrong End or they proceeded from a false Principle or we were deficient in the Manner of transacting them So necessary is it to consider our Ways and to bring our Actions to the Touch-stone of God's word even those Actions which we esteem most Holy and Perfect For our Righteousnesses the most regular Acts of our Lives our most Affectionate and fervent Devotions are stain'd with Sin and want that Purity and Integrity which God requires in them they are deriv'd either from Self-love or Pride or desire of Honour or love of Gain from fear of Damage or discredit in the World rather than out of Love and Reverence and Gratitude towards God Charity and Good-will towards our Neighbour or a sober regard to our own true Welfare and Happiness And though God has Promised to pardon those Sins and to pass by that Obliquity of our Actions which proceeds from the frailty and infirmity of our Natures yet he expects that we should repent of them i. e. That we should confess and forsake them express our Sorrow for what we have done and resolve to Act better for the future which can never be perform'd without a severe Examination of our Hearts and calling our selves to a particular Account how and wherein we have offended But farther the absolute necessity of Examining our selves will appear from this Consideration That the greatest part of our time is spent amidst the noise and hurry of the World our Thoughts are taken up chiefly in the business of our Callings in providing for our Families which is so far from being a Fault that 't is highly commendable and Praise-worthy for God is better pleas'd with a Man who is diligent and industrious in that Calling and Station he has plac'd him in than he would be if he were continually upon his knees performing one uninterrupted Act of Devotion and this I am induc'd to believe for this one plain Reason because all the Devotional parts of our Religion were chiefly intended to help and assist us in the Practice of those Duties which God requires of us in our several Relations But yet seeing so much of our time is spent in the business of this Life so many of our thoughts taken up with our worldly Affairs we must needs judge it highly reasonable that we should set apart some time to retire into the Closet of our Breast and frequently consider what State and Condition our better and more Spiritual part is in what Sins we have been guilty of and whether we go forward or backward in the Ways of Vertue and Religion Every prudent Man and good Husband doth this in his secular Concerns he that designs either to keep or encrease his Estate makes it his first and chiefest Care to be exact in keeping his Accounts to Balance them often and to inform himself what proportion his Incomes bear with his Expences And thus careful and diligent we should be in our spiritual Affairs if we had but the same Value for our immortal Souls which we have for the fading Goods of this World this would supersede my
Labour of proving to you the absolute and indispensable necessity which lies upon every one to continue in the Practice of this Duty And in truth this has been the usage of good and vertuous Men in all Ages of the world not only of those whose Examples are recommended to our Imitation in the Holy Scripture but also of those Heathens who have been eminent for Vertue and Morality The Psalmist tells us Psal 77.6 That he us'd constantly to call himself to an Account I call to remembrance my song in the night I commune with my own heart and my spirit made diligent search Amongst the Fathers of the Primitive Church we find all those who wrote upon practical Subjects pressing this Duty of Self-examination The time would fail me should I instance in the Precepts of St. Chrysostom Basil Gregory and the rest Neither were the Heathen Moralists wanting in the recommendation of it both by Precept and their own Examples That Precept of Pythagoras in his golden Verses is generally known 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Ask thy self says he every Night What Sin have I committed this day What Good have I done What Good have I left undone which I ought to have done Seneca tells us Quotidie apud me causam dico I every day pass Judgment upon my own Actions when I am in Bed and the Light is taken away I run over all my Words and Deeds I consider how I have spent that day I omit nothing which I can recollect for why should I be afraid to reflect on my own Failings when I can say to my self this was not well done but do so no more He also tells us of his Friend Sixtus the Philosopher who duly thus examin'd himself before he went to rest What Disease of thy Soul or what Vice hast thou cur'd this day What Sin hast thou subdu'd Art thou a better Man to day than thou wast yesterday If so thou hast liv'd to some Purpose but if not thou hast but consum'd and lost thy time And to name no more the Divine Plato when he saw any Man do a wicked or unbecoming Action us'd to ask himself this Question 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 have I never been guilty of this Crime If this Sin looks so ill in that Man is it not worse in me If I have never been guilty of it let me be sure to avoid it for the time to come I might easily heap up many like Instances for this has been the Practice of good and vertuous Men in all Ages and in truth 't is hardly possible for a Man to be good and vertuous who omits or neglects the Performance of it And therefore I shall take this for granted And proceed Secondly To lay down some Directions how we may perform this Duty to the best advantage And 1. When we design to perform this Duty of Self-examination let us first free our Minds from all the Cares and Business of Life from every thing which will take up our Thoughts and apply our selves to this Task with seriousness and attention For since the Interests of this World and the next are widely different it will be impossible to attend on the one whilst our Thoughts are taken up about the other And we may as well fix our Eye upon two opposite Objects at the same time as keep our apprehensive Faculty intent both on Things temporal and Things spiritual When we have cleans'd and purg'd our Souls from all carnal and worldly Thoughts and Affections let us beseech God from whom are the Preparations of the heart that he will enable us impartially to examin and search into our own Souls enlighten our Understandings assist our Memories and discover to us those Sins which lie hid in our Consciences and teach us those things we know not which either we never took notice of or which we have forgot That we may have the same apprehensions of them at present we shall hereafter be affected with when we come to lie upon a Sick-bed and to have a Prospect of the other World Having thus fitted and prepared our selves let us consider how and after what manner we must Examine our selves And I. The time when we ought to employ our selves about this Duty II. What ought to be the Subject of our Examination And 1. As to the time when this Duty will be most seasonably perform'd I have already made it appear That it has been the Practice of good Men in all Ages to examine themselves daily and this with very good Reason For since Confession of Sin is one Condition which God requires of us before he will Seal the pardon of our Sins 't is impossible we should make a full and particular Confession of them unless we examine our selves daily The number of our Sins is so great that should we defer it till a farther time many of them would slip out of our Memories and then God has reveal'd to us no other Condition of Pardon but that general Confession of them Psal 19.12 cleanse thou me from my secret Sins and how can we call those Sins secret which are conceal'd from us only because we will not take the Pains to discover them What time of the day is most proper for this Employment every Man's Prudence must determine this must be directed by the Exigency of his Affairs but for the most part it will be requisite even in this Case Eccles 11.6 to follow the Advice of the wise Man In the morning sow thy seed and in the evening with-hold not thy hand To consider in the Morning what Temptations we are like to meet with that day what opportunities of doing good and making the most strong and firm Resolutions that we will resist the one and embrace the other And to call our selves to account in the Evening how well we have put these Resolutions into Execution whether we have perform'd our vows unto God or else shamefully given up his Cause and yielded to the importunity of a prevailing Temptation But besides this daily Examination of our selves there are other times when we ought to call our selves to an Account 'T is the great Duty of the Lord's Day A Day set apart on purpose that those Persons who all the week long are cumber'd with the Cares of this world employ'd in the Business of their Callings and in making provision for their Bodies might have some time to recollect themselves and to secure the eternal Welfare of their Souls And how can Men employ this day better I mean that part of it when they are not call'd upon to joyn in the publick Offices of Religion than in recollecting themselves how they have spent the week past what Sins they have been guilty of what good Actions they have perform'd what Progress they have made in a holy and vertuous Life and in considering what Temptations they are like to be expos'd to the following Week and in taking up Resolutions of walking more strictly and more
The Heart of Man is deceitful and desperately wicked Jer. 17.9 who can know it Which Text though primarily intended to denote the Difficulty of knowing what other Men think or what Opinion we shall have of things hereafter as appears by the coherence of the Words with those which went before yet they may well serve to intimate to us the Difficulty of giving an impartial Judgment of the present Sentiments of our Minds and what the true bent and Tendency of our Desires and Affections are for we are so fond of our Bosom sins and those darling Delights which either Custom or Inclination has endear'd to us that we think we can never sufficiently caress them and though our Affections are drawn out after the most extravagant manner after them yet we cloath them with such plausible and specious Pretences as make the most criminal Enjoyment of them appear at least to us harmless and lawful Who is there that will not readily acknowledge that we ought to Love God with the most intense and zealous Affection With all our Soul and with all our Strength and the good things of this World in a lower and subordinate Degree and yet how difficult a Task would it be to persuade the most sordid and miserable Worlding That his Affections are not plac'd on things above but on things below and though he is notoriously guilty of this Vice of Covetousness and sees the Folly of it in other Men yet is he not able to turn his Eyes inward and to discover it in himself so great Diligence and Industry doth it require to range over all the turnings and windings of our Hearts and to be acquainted with all those crooked Paths which Sin and Error have made in our Souls And if there is so much Diligence requir'd to know the thoughts of our Hearts it must needs call for our utmost Care to manage them aright and keep them in due Order And therefore there will be the more need to consider III. The Motive made use of in the Text to engage us to the Performance of this Duty For out of them are the Issues of Life i. e. our Happiness both in this Life and the next doth depend upon a diligent and conscientious Discharge of this Duty 1. Our Happiness in this World depends upon it For 1. By keeping our Hearts we shall learn to manage our Affairs with Prudence and Discretion For the greatest part of those extravagant Actions which Men commit proceed either from the want of a due Deliberation before they enter upon Action Or a discreet executing what their Reason tells them is fit and ought to be done Either they are hurried on by the Violence of their sensual Appetites and head-strong Passions or byass'd by some inordinate Lust and corrupt Affection and these betray them into indiscreet absurd and sinful Words and Actions Now he that is accustom'd to keep his Heart considers well and deliberately every Circumstance of an Action before he puts his Thoughts into Excution he weighs first his own Power and Ability and then enquires both into the Lawfulness and Expediency of the thing he undertakes by which means he avoids those Rocks upon which so many split i. e. Rashness in setting upon those things he has neither Power nor Skill to perform on the one hand and a too great Diffidency and distrust of his own Abilities on the other The first of these produces Shame and Disappointment when a Man finds himself not able to compass the End he aim'd at and falls short of his too bold and daring Designs the second deprives him of many valuable Benefits and Advantages which lie in his way and require only the Pains of seeking after them and possessing himself of them And in truth since all our Words and Actions are the Streams which flow from the Fountain of our Hearts therefore it must needs follow that he who governs his Heart wisely and prudently cannot go far astray in his Words and Actions all our vital Operations will savour of that Root and Principle from whence they proceed and a Holy Life must needs be the necessary Effect of a sanctified Heart 2. A due Government of our Hearts will produce Peace and quiet of Mind by freeing us from those raging Passions and sensual Affections from proud malicious and envious Thoughts which disturb our Peace and Quiet and render our Lives uneasie and burthensome to us For it has been an old and a very true Observation that Content and Satisfaction and by consequence Happiness in this Life doth not proceed from the abundance of the Goods of this World or the indulging our selves in sensual Pleasure but from the Temper and Constitution of our Minds in a contentedness and satisfaction with that Condition the wise Providence of God has allott'd us and a discreet Enjoyment of those good things he has made our Portion in this World A sound Mind in a sound Body was the wise Wish of a Heathen Poet for that Man whose Heart is full of Envy or Malice or sollicitous Care or Pride would be uneasie on a Throne and miserable amidst the most plentiful affluence of worldly Enjoyments but he who has obtain'd the Art of Governing his Thoughts by the Laws of Reason and Religion will enjoy the Pleasure of a quiet and compos'd Mind amidst all the noise and hurry of this World and remain contented and satisfy'd with his Condition without casting either an envious Eye on the Possessions of those who are above him or a disdainful Look on those who are in a meaner Condition than himself From hence will flow 3. Peace of Conscience 1 Joh. 3.21 for if our Hearts condemn us not then have we confidence towards God that Man who has been so careful as to set a strict and diligent Watch over his Thoughts will be from thence assur'd that his Heart is upright towards God and has good grounds to believe that he is in his Favour and under his Protection and this will produce the greatest Joy and Satisfaction imaginable and therefore 't was good Advice which the Oracle gave Craesus 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 the way to be Happy is to know thy Self for a through Knowledge of our own Hearts and the Government of our Thoughts according to the Rule of God's Word is a chief Ingredient as well as the principal Cause of a happy Life in this World These are the blessed Effects of Keeping our Hearts as to the Concerns of this Life but if we consider 2. It s influence on our eternal Happiness we must needs judge it highly reasonable to use our utmost Care and Diligence in the Performance of this Duty For 1. God has made the Keeping our Hearts one part of our Duty The words of the Text are not only a prudential Councel containing Matter of Advice but a Positive Command God expects we should comply with it and yield our Obedience to it 'T is true the Jews of old did imagine that