PREFACE. THAT any man who knows that he possesses a rational and immortal spirit, should be capable of occupying his thoughts exclusively with a number of exterior objects, from which he is sure he shall soon be separated for ever; and of neglecting to make his soul, which is more to him than all other created beings can be, the object of his regards, seems strange and unnatural. To converse with others, and not to converse with ourselves; to form a judgment of the character of many around us, and never to attempt to form any correct estimate of our own; to visit our neighbours, and to observe with interest the circumstances of their condition, and not to avail ourselves of the power of self-inspection, to examine with accuracy the interior of our own minds, is indeed very foolish; and were it not so common, would be very surprising. If a If The fact, however, is easily accounted for. man is not comfortable at home, it is natural that he should seek to be as much abroad as possible. his own dwelling is very ill furnished-if it is gloomy and dark-if, when he enters it alone, disquieting apprehensions get hold of him, and recollections, or anticipations of real or imaginary evils seldom cease to appal him, it is not wonderful that he should wish to be elsewhere; unless, when he retreats for a while to his own mansion, to arrange some selfish schemes, or, perhaps, to perform some deeds of shame or guilt, from which his avarice or his conscience would wish to exclude every outward observer. In other words, from ignorance of themselves from a suspicion, that were they to examine very closely their moral condition, they might find little that is satisfactory, and very much adapted to unsettle their tranquillity-from the remorse for what is past, and the anxiety or terror for what is to come, which this inquiry would awaken-from secular habits, which they find too strong to be broken, disinclining and disqualifying them for intellectual exercises, how numerous are those who will never attempt, who will never dare, to commune with their own hearts." This voluntary alienation from themselves is extremely unwise, for the time will come when they can go abroad no longer; and when the external objects in which they now delight will cease to visit them; when they must be confined amidst the solitude, the pollution, and the alarms of their own wretched habitation; and unless that heavenly Comforter, whom they now exclude, shall deign to visit them, they shall find themselves more miserable than the man confined by disease in some dark and lonely hovel, amidst the hissing of serpents, or the progress of flames. How much wiser to invite the Spirit of God now, to enlighten it with his truth, to place within it the unsearchable riches of the Saviour, to shed abroad in it the love of God, and to convert it into a holy temple for himself, the chosen scene of his perpetual residence. It does not seem possible to reconcile an entire neglect of self-examination with the existence of the Christian character. A true Christian justly attaches so much importance to the question of his acceptance with God, and of his condition through eternity-all earthly interests are so trivial in his estimation, in comparison of this spiritual and eternal interest, that were he capable of attending exclusively to the former, and neglecting the latter, he would, in this single part of his character, find decisive evidence against himself. He will approach the question, indeed, with deep solemnity; his inquiries may often conduct him to no satisfactory result; and when his conclusions are favourable on the whole, they will always be formed with modesty, and fear will often be found mingling itself with hope. But, unless, where some unnatural languor, some temporary insensibility, has invaded his better nature, he will be unable to avoid a frequent and anxious examination of the foundation of his eternal hopes-some earnest attempts to comply with these sacred injunctions, "examine yourselves whether ye be in the faith"-" give diligence to make your calling and election sure." But besides the evidence of his acceptance with God, which a Christian desires to possess, he is taught to attach so much importance to deliverance from the power of sin, and to the acquisition of true holiness, on their own account, that he cannot avoid looking within himself, to observe how these processes are going forward. He knows how his soul has been occupied and defiled with sin; how it has been the abode of false judgments respecting God |