Chapter 11: Means whereby Christians may exercise themselves to Godliness; Frequent Meditation of t…, The works of George Swinnock, M.A by George Swinnock (1665) | AskReformation

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Eighthly, If thou wouldst exercise thy self to Godliness; Call thy self often to account. This is a special help to holiness; I considered my ways, and turned my feet to thy testimonies, saith David, Psa. 119.5. A man that goeth out of his way, will continue wandering, if his mind be occupied about other things, and he consider not what he is doing, and whither he is going. The Christian that is careless of his carriage, and seldom compareth his heart and life with the divine commands, to observe how they agree or disagree, will never order his conversation aright; When a clock is out of order, we take it to peices, and search where the fault lyeth, knowing that one wheel amiss may hinder the going of the whole Clock. Our hearts are every day out of order, our work must be to take them to peices by Examination, and to see where the great fault is. Seneca's sober young man, Ita laborat, ita ludit, ita caenat, ita potat, ita loquitur, ita vivit, ut qui ephemerides Patri est approbatur••• so labours, so playeth, so eateth, so drinketh, so speak•, and so lives, as one ⟨p. 781⟩that is daily to be accountable for all to his Father. He that would keep his spiritual estate, must keep his Account-books well; The neglect of this, hath been the breaking of many Tradesmen. When Shop-keepers live high, far above their incomes, and for want of searching into their Books, are ignorant whether their gains will allow such large expences, it is no wonder if they prove worse then naught. They who expect the coming of great and severe strangers, who will observe narrowly how their house lyeth, and how their vessels are kept, and publish it either to their credit, or discredit, according as they find; will keep their houses in order, sweep them clean, have their pewter bright and clear, and all things exactly in their places. When the Christian looks every night for the coming of Gods Deputy, his conscience, to spy and search into his heart and life; how clean and holy both have been kept all the day, it will be a special means to make him watchful over his ways, and exact in his carriage and conversation. Bee-Masters tell us, that they are the best hives which make the greatest noise; So that conscience is the best, which makes the greatest noise in daily reasonings and debates before its own bar.

:1151p. 784–785

Examination every day, is like purging the body at the beginning of a distemper, which takes it before it hath habituated it self, and so is much the more easily repelled. An enemy may much sooner be forced out of his holds, when he hath newly taken possession, then when he hath continued so long as to cast up his banks, make his ditches, placed his Guns, and fortified them. After we have been foiled by our spiritual enemies, and by examination find out the cause, it will make us more watchful at that gate at which they entered, and careful of that particular wherein they got the advantage of us. As when David had received intelligence, that the Ammonites had given his Army some small defeat, he sends Joab word of the reason, they went too near the City, and wisheth him to make the battle more strong against the place, 2 Sam. 11. So examination ⟨p. 785⟩finds out the reason of a Christians defeat by Satan, either it was through self-confidence, or want of spiritual watchfulness, or love to some known sin, and helpeth the Saint to bewail the cause of his defeat, and directeth him how to provide better against the next onset:

Examination every day, is like purging the body at the beginning of a distemper, which takes it before it hath habituated it self, and so is much the more easily repelled. An enemy may much sooner be forced out of his holds, when he hath newly taken possession, then when he hath continued so long as to cast up his banks, make his ditches, placed his Guns, and fortified them. After we have been foiled by our spiritual enemies, and by examination find out the cause, it will make us more watchful at that gate at which they enter'd, and careful of that particular wherein they got the advantage of us. As when David had received intelligence, that the Amonites had given his Army some small defeat, he sends Ioab word of the reason, they went too near the City, and wisheth him to make the battel more strong against the place, 2 Sam. 11. So examination ⟨p. 785⟩finds out the reason of a Christians defeat by Satan, either it was through self-confidence, or want of spiritual watchfulness, or love to some known sin, and helpeth the Saint to bewail the cause of his defeat, and directe•h him how to provide better against the next onset: