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once all the tender impreffions in favour of fo old a friend, which disable us from thinking of him, as he is, and feeing him in the light, may be, in which every one elfe fees him.

So that, however eafy this knowledge of one's-felf may appear at first fight, it is otherwife when we come to examine fince not only in practice but even in fpeculation and theory, we find it one of the hardest and most painful leffons. Some of the earliest inftructors of mankind, no doubt, found it fo too, and for that reafon, foon faw the neceffity of. laying such a stress upon this great precept of felf knowledge, which for its excellent wisdom and usefulness, many of them fuppofed to be a divine direc tion, that it came down from Heaven, and comprehended the whole circle both

of

of knowledge and the duty of man. And indeed their zeal might eafily be allowed in fo high an encomium upon the attainment of a virtue, the want of which so often baffled their inftructions, and rendered their endeavours of reforming the heart vain and useless. For who could think of a reformation of the faults within him, who knew not where they lay, or could fet about correcting, till he had first come to a fenfe of the defects which required it.

But this was a point always much eafier recommended by public inftructors than fhewn how to be put in practice, and therefore others, who equally fought the reformation of mankind, obferving that this direct road which led to it was guarded on all fides by felf-love, and confequently very difficult of G3

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cefs, foon found out that a different and more artful courfe was requifite; as they had not ftrength to remove this flattering paffion which stood in their way and blocked up all the paffages to the heart, they endeavoured by stratagem to get beyond it, and by a skilful address, if poffible, to deceive it. This gave rife to the early manner of conveying their inftructions in parables, fables, and fuch fort of indirect applications, which, tho' they could not conquer this principle of felf-love, yet often laid it afleep, or at leaft over-reached it for a few moments, till a juft judgment could be procured.

The prophet Nathan feems to have been a great mafter in this way of addrefs. David had greatly difpleafed GOD by two grievous fins which he had committed, and the prophet's commiffion

was

was to go and bring him to a conviction of them, and touch his heart with a fenfe of guilt for what he had done against the honour and life of Uriah..

The holy man knew, that was it any one's cafe but David's own, no man would have been fo quick-fighted in difcerning the nature of the injury, more ready to have redreffed it, or who would have felt more compaffion for the party who had fuffered it, than he himfelf.

Instead therefore of declaring the real intention of his errand, by a direct accufation and reproof for the crimes he had committed; he comes to him with a fictitious complaint of a cruel act of injustice done by another, and accordingly he frames a cafe, not fo parallel. G 4

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to David's as he supposed would awaken his fufpicion, and prevent a patient and candid hearing, and yet not so void of refemblance in the main circumftances, as to fail of striking him, when shewn in a proper light.

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And Nathan came and faid unto him, "There were two men in one city, the one rich and the other poor the rich. man had exceeding many flocks and herds, but the poor man had nothing, "fave one little ewe lamb which he had bought and nourished up-and it grew up together with him and with his "children it did eat of his own meat, "and drank of his own cup, and lay " in his bofom, and was unto him as a

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daughter and there came a traveller "unto the rich man, and he fpared to.. "take of his own flock and of his own

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