Why is it, I would ask, that some very sensible men pass a long life without knowing themselves? It will be said, self-esteem blinds them. I admit this may have an influence. But, Sir, the chief reason in my opinion is, the subject is difficult, and very few have ability to master it. It requires also much perseverance, and most men tire before they have acquired the rudiments of the science. It is also mortifying and disgusting to find there should be so little good combined with so much evil; and men sicken at it, and relieve themselves by turning to the gaudy outside of every-day life as professed by the thoughtless multitude; and call it charity. A few only possess the courage to pursue the study while it is developing the mortifying facts which a knowledge of human nature brings to light. INNES, I believe, is one of that number, and cannot fail to be read with interest by the candid and discerning. The late ANDREW FULLER will be allowed to have known something of man, and of books. I remember he called at my house one evening about thirty years ago, to be ready for the Mail-stage next morning. While sitting together, he said, "I have been reading a new book the last week, which has much interested me." I inquired what it was. He added, "It is Sketches of Human Life, by Innes. It is a good thing. In going round among his friends, he observed their prevailing dispositions, sentiments, and habits, and went home and wrote them down, warm from nature, with his own remarks upon them. You must send, and get the book." I did so, and read it with interest. If this paper should induce any one to do the same, he will not complain that he was betrayed into a useless expenditure of money, by Your humble servant, Haverhill, March, 1833, GEORGE KEELY. INDEX OF SUBJECTS. Churches called to judge only on evidence, Christians ought to guard against too easily taking offence, To remove offences, mutual concession is generally necessary, 34 The spirit with which discipline ought to be administered, The effects of a tattling disposition, Professedly lamenting over the imperfections of others, one way of indulging a tattling disposition, The extent of the Christian precepts respecting evil speaking, Evil-speaking compatible, in a certain degree, with speaking Some cases in which men are apt to judge rashly and inac- The necessity of caution in receiving information respecting Of the importance of personal religion in the work of the The pastoral relation entirely a confidential one, Of the support of pastors, The danger arising from that knowledge which puffeth up, 110 118 125 129 The necessity of preachers guarding against tale-bearers, The evil of public teachers forming rash and improper connexions in life, 131 133 On different modes of preaching, 139 The importance of pastors guarding against partiality, 141 145 On the proper state of mind under ministerial success or discouragements, 147 Hints to public teachers, in remarks on Isaiah 9:16, 153 PART IV. REMARKS ON MISCELLANEOUS SUBJECTS. The duty of embracing every opportunity of doing good, A test for ascertaining the existence of Christian charity, 175 The offence of the cross often increased by men's own folly, 177 Hints to preachers, founded on the preceding chapter, The necessity of forbearance, from the variety of character to be expected in Christian churches, Want of concern for the salvation of others, a proof that a system is materially defective, The evil of party spirit, 198 On the importance of friendly intercourse between neighbouring churches, and what seems necessary to maintain it, 202 The importance of distinguishing between incidental evils, and those with which a system is chargeable, 213 Some of the extremes into which Christians are apt to fall, Unnecessary delays in admitting members into churches ought to be avoided, 216 219 The evil of being swayed by family connexions in matters of religion, The importance of order and regularity in conducting the business of a church, 221 223 Hints to Christian servants, 226 Human nature to be studied, in administering reproof, 232 234 On indulging men's prejudices, 235 Some violations of Christian principle in conducting business, 239 Sympathy with the distressed, calculated to remove prejudices against our Christian profession, 245 A few questions, fitted to promote among Christians a spirit of mutual forbearance, 247 Admonitions to members of evangelical churches, 251 AUTHOR'S Ir is here proper to inform the reader, that by the word churches, which will be found frequently to occur in this work, is to be understood those societies of professing Christians in which the members, acknowledging one another as disciples of Christ, voluntarily associate together for the purpose of observing his ordinances. Such I conceive to be the description of those societies which, in the apostolic age, received this appellation. It is hoped the remarks will be found to convey useful hints to Christians of all denominations, and who may be found in very different situations. I recollect, when conversing some time ago with a friend, on the effects of mutual watchfulness, and of the observance of scriptural discipline, he remarked: "One thing, at least, appears very obvious, that, where these are attended to in churches, Christians will find the corruption that is in human nature made much more manifest than in other situations. Now, it has been with me a question, Is this a recommendation of such churches? Those occurrences, it must be allowed, in the history of individuals, which bring the evil that exists in their hearts to light, often form an important source of improvement, as they tend to inspire humility and watchfulness: May not this, then, be the way in which the great Head of the church designed that Christians, in their associated capacity, should promote the improvement of one another?" Whatever has been the issue of this inquiry, in the case of the individual referred to, the fact on which it is founded is unquestionable. Where Christians acknowledge no authority, and have no bond of union but the word of God, restraints of a merely external kind are in a great measure removed; and as, in the discipline which the Scriptures require to be observed in a Christian church, many things sufficiently disagreeable to human nature must inevitably occur, the observance of that discipline certainly does tend to bring to light much secret depravity, which, in less trying situations, might never have been discovered. The cases to which the following hints relate are such as frequently occur in real life. To such as are accustomed to observe what is in man, it will be apparent, that the evils mentioned in the following pages, in general, exhibit traces of the workings of our common nature, of that original depravity that is inherent in all, and which, though it is the design and tendency of the Gospel to overcome, is not completely destroyed so long as the Christian tabernacles in his cottage of clay. Medical men have a method of suggesting useful hints in the healing art, by publishing cases in which the symptoms of the patients are particularly described, along with the treatment they adopted, and the success with which their prescriptions were accompanied. There is not a greater similarity in the bodily constitutions of men than in the complexions of their minds. Something, therefore, of a similar method may perhaps be usefully employed in pointing out the maladies to which Christians in a collective body are subject. Between these two cases, indeed, there is a material difference. In the former, while the physician marks the symptoms of a disease, his own ingenuity must be set to work to discover a remedy. In the latter, we have an infallible remedy at hand and our only business is to point out the proper application of this remedy, while we persuade men to have recourse to it, by reminding them both of its absolute infallibility, and that nothing else will suit the disorder. ; The chief design of the following hints is, that while the reader, under the influence of that impartiality with which we are disposed to judge of a general statement, sees the principles on which men, in certain situations, should act, he may be the better prepared to reduce these principles to practice, when placed in a similar situation himself. I am aware, indeed, there is one powerful obstacle to our making a proper use of any general statement that can be described. This is that perverting influence of selflove, which, wherever we are personally concerned, leads us to view things with a jaundiced eye, and prevents us from judging with that justness and impartiality which we would otherwise discover. It must often have occurred to those accustomed to observe human nature, that in most instances where one man has received a personal offence from another, he is apt to suppose there are some very peculiar circumstances of provocation,— some uncommonly great aggravation, which renders his case very different from almost any other that can be mentioned; and he is surprised if others cannot see every circumstance in the same strong point of view with himself. Now, whence does this supposed peculiarity in general arise? From nothing but his feelings being roused where he is personally interested; while in other cases he is neutral, and, of course, judges dispassionately. No hint of greater importance can be suggested than the necessity of guarding against this very self-love, which is so extremely apt to mislead us, wherever, from our personal feelings or interest being involved, it has an opportunity of operating. Some persons may consider many of the remarks in the following pages so obvious, that it was in a great measure unnecessary, in such a publication as this, to bring them forward. But it ought to be recollected, that there are babes in Christ, as well as young men and fathers, and that such hints as may seem quite unnecessary to some, may be both necessary and useful to others. The different articles are to be considered as so detached, that each of them may be read separately, without any disadvantage. |