Spiritual refining

5. Another stupefying and benumbing principle, is the total neglect of that ¹necessary duty, self-reflection and self-examination; Whereby a man liveth forty or threescore years, and is a mere stranger to his own self. Hence are those duties so frequently pressed, to commune with our own hearts, to sweep them, as some translate, to dig into them, as others; and this duty is to be done with much stillness and quietness of spirit, and at those times when we are most free from disturbances, according to that rule, anima sedendo, & quiescendo fit sapiens. In other Texts, it is called searching our hearts, and trying our reins; which duties imply, that our hearts are not presently what they outwardly appear: Gold may be in the surface, and iron or stone in the bottom; you know how impossible Hazael thought that should be in his heart, and done by him, which the Prophet foretold. Man in that he is rational, can only reflect upon himself, beasts cannot, and it is a great obstruction to salvation, that men use this no more, no man saith according to the Prophet, What have I done? Therefore deal with your selves as an enemy would do. The Hebrew word for an enemy is an Observer, because he watcheth and lieth at the catch to see what haltings and failings there be; Do thou thus become an enemy to thy self, and that is to be a friend to thy self; Say, O Lord I arraign my self at thy bar, I would be winnowed that my chaff may appear, ⟨p. 146⟩I would be filed, that my rust come off. It is strange to consider what sins men may live in, and yet not attend to the consideration of such. The making of a practical Syllogism would be very introductory to our full conversion unto God, in this manner: The Scripture in several places speaketh terrible threatenings to such and such sins. But I live in such and such sins. Therefore all those threatenings belong to me: oh how can the soul put off this conviction? how can it extinguish this light shining upon it? what have I to do but to repent and turn to God! There is no other course can be taken by me.

5. Another stupifying and benumming principle, is the totall neglect of that ¹necessary duty, self-reflection and self-examination; Whereby a man liveth fourty or threescore years, and is a meer stranger to his own self. Hence are those duties so frequently pressed, to commune with our own hearts, to sweep them, as some translate, to dig into them, as others; and this duty is to be done with much stillnesse and quietnesse of spirit, and at those times when we are most free from disturbances, according to that rule, anima sedendo, & quiescendo fit sapiens. In other Texts, it is called searching our hearts, and trying our reins; which duties imply, that our hearts are not presently what they outwardly appear: Gold may be in the surface, and iron or stone in the bottom; you know how impossible Hazael thought that should be in his heart, and done by him, which the Prophet foretold. Man in that he is rationall, can only reflect upon himself, beasts cannot, and it is a great obstruction to salvation, that men use this no more, no man saith according to the Prophet, What have I done? Therefore deal with your selves as an enemy would do. The Hebrew word for an enemy is an Observer, because he watcheth and lyeth at the carch to see what haltings and failings there be; Do thou thus become an enemy to thy self, and that is to be a friend to thy self; Say, O Lord I arraign my self at thy barre, I would be winnowed that my chaff may appear,