He had rather perfevere in a mistake than retract it, left his judgment fhould fuffer; not confidering that his ingenuity and good fenfe fuffer much more by fuch obftinacy. The fulness of his felf fufficiency makes him blind to thofe imperfections which every one can fee in him but himself. So that, however wife, fincere and friendly, however gentle and feafonable your remonftrance may be, he takes it immediately to proceed from ill nature or ignorance in you, but from no fault in him.

Seneca, I remember, tells us a remarkable ftory, which very well illuftrates this matter.

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-Writ

ing to his friend Lucilius, My wife (fays he) keeps Harpaftes in her houfe ftill, who, you know, 'is a fort of family-fool, and no fmall incumbrance ' upon us. For my part, I am far from taking any pleasure in fuch prodigies. If I have a mind to divert myself with a fool, I have not far to go 'for one; I can laugh at myself. This filly girl, 'all on a fudden, loft her eye-fight; and (which 'perhaps may feem incredible, but it is very true) ihe does not know fhe is blind; but is every now and then defiring her governe fs to lead her abroad, faying the houfe is dark.-Now what we laugh at in this poor creature, you may obferve happens to 'us all. No man knows that he is covetous, or infatiable. Yet with this difference; the blind feek fomebody to lead them, but we are content to 'wander without a guide. But why do we thus deceive ourselves? The difeafe is not without us, 'but fixed deep within. And therefore is the cure fo 'difficult, because we do not know that we are. 'fick (g).

(g) Sen. Epift. 51.
F 2

CAA P. X.
АР.

The Neceffity and Means of knowing our natural

IX.

A

Temper.

NOTHER very important branch of felf knowledge is, the knowledge of thofe governing paffions or difpofitions of the mind, which generally form what we call a man's natural temper..

The difference natural of tempers feems to be chiefly owing to the different degrees of influence the feveral paffions have upon the mind. e. g. If the paffions are eager and foon raifed, we fay the man is of a warm temper; if more fluggish and flowly raised, he is of a cool temper; according as anger, malice, ambition prevail, he is of a fierce, churlish, or haughty, temper; the influence of the fofter paffions of love, pity, and benevolence forms. a fweet fympathifing and courteous temper; and. when all the paffions are duly poised, and the milder and pleafing ones prevail, they make what is commonly called a quite good natured man.

So that it is the prevalence or predominance of any particular paffion which gives the turn or tinc. ture to a man's temper, by which he is diftin. guished, and for which he is loved or esteemed, or fhunned and defpifed by others.

Now what this is, thofe we converfe with are foon fenfible of. They prefently fee the fault of our temper, and order their behaviour accordingly. If they are wife and well mannered, they will avoid ftriking the string which they know will jar and raise a difcord within us. If they are our enemies, they will do it on purpose to fet us on tormenting our

felves. And our friends we muft fuffer fometimes with a gentle hand to touch it, either by way of pleasant raillery or faithful advice.

But a man must be greatly unacquainted with himself, if he is ignorant of his predominant paflion, or diftinguishing temper, when every one else obferves it. And yet how common is this piece of felf ignorance? The two apoftles Peter and John difcovered it in that very action, wherein they meant to exprefs nothing but a hearty zeal for their Malter's honour; which made him tell them, that they knew not what manner of spirit they were of, Luke ix. 5. that is, Instead of a principle of love and genuine zeal for him, they were at that time governed by a spirit of pride, revenge, and cruelty, and yet knew it not. And that the apostle John fhould be liable to this cenfure, whofe temper feemed to be all love and fweetnefs, is a memorable instance how difficult a thing it is for a man at all times to know his own fpirit; and that that paffion, which feems, to have the least power over his mind, may on fome occafions infenfibly gain a criminal afcendant there.

The neceffity of a perfect knowledge of our reigning paffions appears further from hence; that they not only give a tincture to the temper, but to the understanding alfo; and throw a ftrong bias on the judgment. They have much the fame effect upon the eye of the mind, as fome diftempers have upon. that of the body. If they do not put it out, they weaken it; or throw falfe colours before it, and make it form a wrong judgment of things. And, in fhort, are the fource of thofe forementioned prejudices, which so often abuse the human understand

ing.

Whatever the different paffions themselves that reign in the mind may be owing to, whether to the

different texture of the bodily organs, or the dif-· ferent quantity or motion of the animal fpirits, or to the native turn and caft of the foul itself; yet certain it is, that mens different ways of thinking are much according to the predominance of their different paffions; and especially with regard to religion. Thus, e. g. we fee melancholy people are apt to throw too much gloom upon their religion, and reprefent it in a very uninviting and unlovely view, as all aufterity and mortification: whilst they who are governed by the more gay and cheerful paffions, are apt to run into the other extreme, and too much to mingle the pleafures of fenfe with thofe of religion; and are as much too lax as the other too fevere. And thus by the prejudice or bias of their respective paffions, or the force of their natu ral temper, they are led into different mistakes.

'So that would a man know himself, he must stu'dy his natural temper; his conftitutional inclinations and favourite paffions; for by these a man's judgment is eafily perverted, and a wrong bias hung ' upon his mind: Thefe are the inlets of prejudice; 'the unguarded avenues of the mind, by which a 'thoufand errors and fecret faults find admiffion, without being obferved or taken notice of (b).

And that we may more eafily come at the knowledge of our predominant affections, let us confider what outward events do most imprefs and move us, and in what manner. What is it that ufually creates the greatest pain or pleasure in the mind?

As for pain; a ftoic indeed may tell us, that we • must keep things at a distance: let nothing that is outward come within us; let externals be externals ftill.'

But the human make will scarce bear

(b) Spectat. vol. vi. No. 889.

the rigour of that philofophy. Outward things, after all, will imprefs and affect us: and there is no harm in this, provided they do not get the poffeffion of us, overfet our reason, or lead us to act unbecoming a man or a chriftian. And one advantage we may reap from hence is, the manner or degree in which outward things imprefs us, may lead us in to a better acquaintance with ourselves, difcover to us our weak fide, and the paffions which most predominate in us.

Our pleasures will likewife difcover our reigning paffions, and the true temper and difpofition of the loul. If it be captivated by the pleafures of fin, it is a fign its prevailing tafte is very vicious and corrupt; if with the pleafures of fenfe, very low and fordid; if imaginary pleasures, and the painted fcenes of fancy and romance do moft entertain it, the foul hath then a trifling turn; if the pleasures of fcience or intellectual improvements are thofe it is most fond of, it has then a noble and refined taste; but if its chieí fatisfactions derive from religion and divine contemplation, it has then its true and proper tafte; its temper is as it should be, pure, divine, and heavenly; provided thefe fatisfactions fpring from a true religious principle, free from that fuperftition, bigotry, and enthusiaẩm, under which it is often difguifed.

And thus by carefully obferving what it is that gives the mind the greatest pain and torment, or the greatest pleasure and entertainment, we come at the knowledge of its reigning paffions, and prevailing temper and difpofition.

Include thyfelf then, O my foul, within the compafs of thine own heart; if it be not large, it is deep; and thou wilt there find exercife enough. Thou wilt never be able to found it; it cannot be