Examination is a kind of judiciary proceeding in which a man keepeth priuate Sessions at home passing sentence of all his workes and actions as Gods Law doth require This the Apostle implyeth wheÌ„ hauing first said (a) 1 Cor. 11.28 Let a man examine himselfe so let him eate c. he addeth by way of confirmation to proue the necessity or profitablenes of this work (b) vers 31. For if we would iudge our selues we should not be iudged that is if wee would censure and passe sentence on our selues by a diligent performance of this worke of Examination God would spare vs or he would not censure vs the second time after we had done it our selues already To this purpose (c) Exposit in Psal 4. S. Chrysostom calleth it an erecting of a Tribunall for the conscience and S. Gregorie (d) Nec deest in hoc Iudicio mente concepto omne ministerium quod punire reoâ— suos pleniùs debeat Nam Conscientia accusat Ratio iudicat Tiraor ligat Dolor excruciat Greg. Moral l. 25. cap. 6. that in this priuate iudgèment there wanteth no Officer that is vsuall for punishing of guilty persons for the Conscience saith he is the Accuser Reason is the Iudge Feareus the Gaeler and Sorrâ—â— is the Executioner And therefore looke what the proceeding is and what actions are vsuall in publike Iudgements where men are questioned and sentenced according to Law and the like course is heere to bee held and the same actions are to be performed in the examination of a mans soule conscience For as in those legall proceedings there is first an enquirie into the facts what hath beene done which by the Law deserueth censure Secondly there is sentence pronounced according to the nature of the crimes and the proofe made of them Thirdly there is punishment inflicted either for the amendment of the offender or for example and terror to others that they offend not in like sort Or if the partie accused be cleared by the Iurie hee is acquitted and set free by the Iudge So in this Court of priuate Sessions first there is an enquirie or search to finde out the transgressions or offences of the soule Secondly there is sentence to bee pronounced according as the nature of the facts doth require Thirdly if the sentence bee condemnatory punishment is to be inflicted by the offenders conscience vpon himselfe that by taking a holy reuenge vpon his owne folly hee may be made more carefull of offending afterward Or if a man shall be so happy as after enquirie to find nothing by himselfe he may cheere his soule with an Euge serue bone c. (a) Mat. 25.21 Well done thou good and faithfull seruant And heereby the sincere Christian may bee encouraged in Gods seruice and animated to proceede in those holy courses in which hee hath found so much comfort already And because there is no man that doth faithfully performe this seruice of examining his soule but he shall be sure to finde something wherein hee hath sinned and something wherein he hath serued God aright therefore he shall neuer want matter either to condemne or in some part to absolue himselfe more or lesse according as his life hath beene in times past and according as he hath made vse of this and such other exercises of Religion And consequently in euery Examination if it be throughly performed a man will lightly gaine two helps toward Heauen First by condemning of himselfe he will conceiue feare of relapsing into sinne and secondly by acquitting himselfe hee will gaine more comfort to proceede in well-doing By this it may appeare in part what the nature of this worke is and wherein it doth consist but for the more distinct knowledge of this point it may further be noted that there be two sorts of acts which are implyed in this word Examination and in some sort included in it some are essentiall and contained in the nature of it and some are accidentall and to be conioyned with it and indeed are presupposed to accompany it when it is rightly vndertaken Of the former sort are these three 1 Discussion 2 Application and 3 Censure Discussion is a sifting of our life and dealings by which we pull things out of the heape where before they lay confused and vnseene and by which we set euery fact of ours in the open view that they may be scanned and seene by themselues what they are Application is a laying of these acts thus searched and found out to the rule of Gods Law which is the touchstone of all our doings and according to which God will iudge vs at the last day that so it may appeare how and wherein we haue swarned from Gods Law or haue obserued it Lastly Censure is the iudgement that our mindes and consciences doe giue vpon our deeds according to the rule of the Law both for the quality of them whether they bee righteous or sinfull and for the quantity of the offence whether it be great or small whether a sinne of ignorance or a sinne against conscience and whether of humane frailety or of obdurate contumacie The first act serueth to shew what wee haue done the second what wee should haue done and the third what the doome is that wee haue deserued either by well or ill doing And these three laid together doe as I take it make vp the nature of this worke of Examination so that we may not vnfitly describe it out of its owne principles in some such maner as this Examination is a discussion of a mans life that his workes may be seene and censured according to the rule of Gods Law Secondly for the second sort of acts which are implyed in this word and ought to be ioyned with this worke they are two especially the one going before the proper acts of Examination and that is a purpose to better a mans spirituall estate by correcting what is amisse and confirming what is sound and vpright And the other is an act that followeth after Examination that is an effectuall practice or execution of such rules and orders as may back our examination and make it more effectual vsefull For which purpose these rules following may perhaps be not impertinent nor vnfit euery wise Christian may as his experience shall giue him further occasion adde and vse more of his owne or other mens obseruation 1. Rule Rule 1 That after wee haue examined our soule 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Basil de Abdicatione rerum in fine p. 246. we doe then compare our present with our precedent state and consider whether we haue amended indeed what we blamed our selues for in our former examinations and how wee haue either increased or decreased in grace and goodnesse that if we haue been slothfull and vnprofitable seruants we may snubbe and shame our selues for it before God and our owne consciences in some such manner as our Lord snubbed the euill seruant in the Gospell
tedious to our vntoward nature I haue thought it necessary in the very entrance and as it were by way of Preface to consider what Inducements a reasonable man may haue to bestow his paines both in learning and in practising of this duty And for the inducements beside the speciall vses and benefits that may be reaped by it whereof I shall haue fitter occasion to speake hereafter when the nature and conditions of it be first laid downe and declared it will be sufficient I suppose for this place to consider of some generall motiues and they be these two especially first Precept and secondly Practice By Precept I meane such commands as God hath imposed vpon vs in Scripture for the doing of this worke and by Practice I meane the examples of wise men who haue gone before vs in the vse of it together with the exhortations and encouragements by which they animate and prouoke themselues and others to the practice of it By the one of which it is commanded as a necessary duty and by the other it is commended as a profitable worke that may stead vs in the wel-ordering of our life and by both these any reasonable man but especially euery wise Christian may bee induced to vndergoe this worke not doubting but that he is in a good way in which so many wise and good men haue gone before him and assuring himselfe of comfort and successe in that businesse which God hath enioyned him To come then to the Point I. The first inducement to this worke is Gods Precept or Commandement such as that is (a) 1 Cor. 11.28 Let a man examine himselfe and so let him eate of this bread and drinke of this cup. And that of the same Apostle (b) 2 Cor. 13.5 Examine your selues whether ye be in the faith proue your own selues And that againe (c) Gal. 6.4 Let euery man saith hee proue his owne worke or examine his own worke for the d 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 same word is vsed in this place and the former And such also is that rule of Dauid (e) Psal 4.4 Commune with your owne heart vpon your bed and be still Vpon which words Saint Chrysostom commenteth to this purpose What is this that he saith Commune with your owne heart c Why Dauid saith he speaketh to this effect After supper when ye are going to sleepe f 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 c. set vp the iudgement seate of the conscience and of it require an account and what euill counsell ye haue taken in the day time either deuising deceit or circumuenting your neighbour or entertaining of any corrupt lusts those when ye haue produced and broughs them forth and haue set your conscience as the Iudge to these wicked thoughts strike them thorow and g 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Chrysost Exp. in Ps 4. pag. 26 C. take reuenge vpon them II. The second inducement is the practice of good men mingled with their exhortations and encouragements to this worke In which kinde and for which purpose 1. We first reade in Scriptures of Dauid that he practised himselfe what he preached to others He that said vnto others Commune with your own heart c. saith of himselfe (h) Psal 77.6 I call to remembrance my song in the night I commune with mine owne heart and my spirit made diligent search And in another place (i) Psal 119.59 I thought on my waies saith hee and turned my feete vnto thy testimonies In which words we may by the way note two things First the acts that Dauid did doe and they were hee thought on or considered his waies and hee turned his feete vnto Gods Commandements .i. he did goe on in the way of Gods Commandements doing what God did command him Secondly we may note the order that Dauid obserued in the doing of these acts and that was hee first thought on his own waies and then he walked on in Gods Lawes that is first hee examined and then he reformed his life And heerein he hath left vs a paterne for our practice that if we meane to amend our liues wee also must first begin with the examination of our waies And the like both practice and paterne wee haue in the afflicted Church in the Lamentations of Ieremie For there the Church taught by the Prophet thus encourageth each other (a) Lam. 3.40 Let vs search say they and try our waies and turne againe to the Lord implying that examination is the ready way to conuersion and amendment 2. We reade in the writings of the Ancients that religious people haue beene accustomed to keepe a day-booke of their actions and out of that to take an account of their life b Ad cuius latus quum appensum cingulo breuem libellum conspicerem didic◠eum quotidie cogitationes suas in eo notare basque omnes nuntiare Pastori solitum Climac Gradu 4. extat tom 6. part 2. Biblioth Patr. pag. 251. Climacus telleth that in a religious house whereinto he came he found one who had a little booke tyed at his girdle in which he wrote all his thoughts that keeping a memoriall of them he might besides his owne care shew them to his spirituall Father c Non solum autem illum sed et alios quà m plures id facere ibidem prospexi Clima ibid. Nor was it this man alone that did vse this course but I found saith he very many others to doe the like And in the processe of the same discourse he aduiseth men who are carefull of their saluation to obserue the like order telling vs a Optimus ille Trapczita est qui quotidie vespere lucrum ac detrimentum omnino cōputat Qund scire manifestius non potest nisi horis singuli◠in tabulis omnia denotet Clima ibid. pa. 255. B. that he is the best Banker or Tradesman that euery day in the euening taketha perfect account of his gaines and his losses Which a man can no way know better then if euery houre he note all things downe in his tables And to like purpose (b) Chr. in Ps 4. pa. 26. in Mat. Hom. 43. pag. 397 398. prope finem S. Chrysostom (c) Serm. Commonitor de Abdicatione rerum in fine pag. 246. B. de Instit Mon. in fine pa. 396. C. S. Basil (d) Moral lib. 25. cap. 6. S. Gregorie (e) De vita solitar ad fratres de Monte Dei. pag 1026 1029. S. Bernard and others moe of those ancient Worthies doe aduise and encourage religious Christians of their time to a daily examination of their consciences that in the morning they should thinke how they haue passed the night and in the euening how they haue spent the day And this daily care and continuall accounting with their soules was as wee may well suppose one chiefe reason why those times did so farre out-goe and exceede ours in zeale and deuotion But
Lord when as God censured it for vniust shedding of blood (d) Hos 1.4 Yet a little while saith God and I will auenge the blood of Iezreel vpon the house of Iehu And so wee are too apt to ouerweene our selues and our owne workes and thinke that we are zealous for God when we are enuious against men or ambitious for our selues And for discerning of this corruption examination is necessary to bee vsed about those workes which wee esteeme to bee righteous and holy lest wee deceiue our selues by ouer-partiall iudgement 2. Because in the very workes which are truly good wee doe many times intermingle corruptions of our owne As sometimes there are ill ends in our good deedes as (a) 1 King 21.9 Iezebel proclaimed a fast to cloke her murder withall and (b) Mat. 6.2 5 16. the Pharises fasted and prayed and gaue almes for gaining of vaine praises And sometimes our good duties are performed in an euill manner as the (c) Exod. 1.17 19. Midwiues saued the childrens liues by telling of a lye and (d) Exod. 4.25 Zipporah circumcised her sonne in a pettish humour and (e) 1 Chron. 13.9 compared with cap. 15.12 13. Vzzah stayed the Arke from falling without sufficient warrant for such a worke But most times there are distractions and worldly or perhaps wicked thoughts in the midst of our best deuotions and alwayes there are defects and imperfections and failings when we are most feruent and best affected And for discerning of these our best workes deserue a strict account that we may learne to separate the precious from the vile and neither be too highly conceited of our weake performances nor too little affected with our corruptions and infirmities 3. Our good workes are to bee considered in our ExaminatioÌ„s that by those things which are able to abide the touchstone we may gaine courage against oppositions of men and comfort against the tentations of Satan and a settled resolution to proceede and goe on in a daily practice of good workes alwaies praising God for these mercies because it is hee that worketh in vs both the will and the deede And in these respects the consideration of our good workes is not without good vse And this may suffice for the adequate obiect or the matter of Examination in generall and in the largenesse of it II. Secondly for the principall Obiect or the speciall matter which is to come into Examination it is euery such sinne as is likely to breede vs some especiall danger For if a Citie be besieged wise Gouernours will take care of euery posterne doore and of euery part of the Walls to repaire what is decayed and to keepe all safe from the Enemie but if one Gate be more likely to bee entred than other or if any part of the Wall be weaker or more easily to be broken downe men will there set the watch the surest where the danger is the greatest And if a man be distempered with sundry diseases a wise Physician will take care of all to ease the Patient as much as may be of euery one of them but if some speciall disease be more dangerous to the sicke man than others are the Physician will bend his cure that way especially where the life of his Patient is most endangered And so it is or should be with vs in respect of our soules Wee haue heere a Fort to keepe which is euery day assaulted by our Enemies and we haue a diseased foule of our owne distempered with many spirituall maladies but some maladies are worse then other and some parts of this Fort are weaker or more in danger then others are I meane there are some sinnes by which the Diuell may more easily surprize and captiuate our soules And therefore as wee should keepe diligent watch against them all so wee should especially bend our forces against those that doe or may more especially breede vs harme and hinder our saluation And consequently Examination being an approued means for grubbing vp of sinne wee should apply this exercise against all sinnes in generall but more especially against those from which wee may in reason feare the greatest danger And these are either such sinnes as are easily contracted or such as are hardly recouered For into the one sort men fall often and out of other they doe seldomer recouer if they once fall into them and so the one sort will endanger vs by the frequencie of our falls and the other by the difficultie of our rising after wee bee downe But for better and more distinct vnderstanding of this point wee may in a more particular manner consider the seuerall sorts of sinne which in either of these two respects may breede some especiall danger And of this kinde I take these sinnes following to bee 1. Those that be great and reigning sins such as the Apostle saith doe exclude a man out of Gods Kingdome And in this kind he reckoneth (a) 1 Cor. 6.9 Galat. 5.19 20 21. fornication idolatrie adultery effeminatenesse sodomie theft couetousnes drunkennes reuilings extortion Of which sinnes and such like he saith that they that are guilty of them shall not inherit the Kingdome of God And he meaneth that while they are such or till by repentance and forsaking of them they haue obtained pardon they shall neuer come into Gods Kingdome Against these Dauid prayeth (a) Psal 19.13 Keepe backe thy seruant from presumptuous sins let them not haue dominion ouer me then shall I be vpright and I shall bee innocent from the great transgression And against these wee should watch and pray that we may auoyd them or if we haue falne into them wee should by examination learne to conceiue the danger that by repentance we may gaine pardon For whereas lesser sinnes such as Dauid calleth (b) Psal 19.12 errors and secret faults .i. sinnes which in regard of their finenesse and our frailety doe escape vs through ignorance vnwarines or common and humane infirmitie 1 Ioh. 1.8 whereas I say these sins are in the best of Gods children for euen they say If we say that we haue no sinne we deceiue our selues and the truth is not in vs one of these other grosse sinnes being such as cannot be committed but with conscience and purpose of sinne in the offender doth bereaue men for the present of grace and all title and interest to the Kingdome of Heauen And therefore we should haue an especiall care to examine our soules concerning these grosser sinnes that we doe not suffer our selues to liue and lye in any of them 2. Sinnes of recidiâ—ation and relapse when we fall backe into the former sinne after our repentance and vowes of a better life For relapses into sicknesse are dangerous for the body and relapses into sinne are no lesse dangerous for the soule And therefore our Sauiour said to the man whom hee had cured of his lamenesse Ioh. 5.14 Sinne no more lest a worse thing come vnto thee