d me in some things, how do these evanish out
of sight in the view of my own guiltiness before God, and of the
abominations of my own heart, known to his holiness and to my conscience?
Sure I cannot see so much evil in my brother as I find in myself. I see
but his outside. But I know my own heart; and whenever I retire within
this, I find the sea of corruption so great, that I wonder not at the
streams which break forth in others. But all my wonder is that God hath
set bounds to it in me or in any. Whenever I find my spirit rising against
the infirmities of others, and my mind swelling over them, I repress
myself with this thought, "I myself also am a man," as Peter said to
Cornelius when he would have worshipped him. As he restrained another's
idolizing of him, I may cure my own self idolizing heart. Is it any thing
strange that weak men fail, and sinful men fall? Is not all flesh grass,
and all the perfection and goodliness of it as the flower of the field?
Isa. xl. 6. Is not every man at his best estate altogether vanity? Psal.
xxxix. 5. Is not man's breath in his nostrils? Isa. ii. 22. And am not I
myself a man? Therefore I will not be high minded but fear, Rom. xi. 20. I
will not be moved to indignation, but provoked to compassion, knowing that
I myself am compassed with infirmities, Heb. v. 2.

_Secondly_, As a man may persuade himself to charity by the examination of
his own heart and ways, so he may enforce upon his spirit a meek and
compassionate stamp, by the consideration of his own frailty, what he may
fall into. This is the Apostle's rule, Gal. vi. 1. "Brethren, if a man be
overtaken in a fault, ye that are spiritual," and pretend to it, "restore
such an one in the spirit of meekness." Do not please yourselves with a
false notion of zeal, thinking to cover your impertinent rigidity by it.
Do as you would do if your own arm were disjointed. Set it in, restore it
tenderly and meekly, considering yourselves that ye also may be tempted.
Some are more given to reproaching and insulting than mindful of
restoring. Therefore their reproofs are not tempered with oil that they
may not break the head, but mixed with gall and vinegar to set on edge the
teeth. But whenever thou lookest upon the infirmities of others, then
consider thyself first, before you pronounce sentence on them, and thou
shalt be constrained to bestow that charity to others which thou hast need
of thyself. _Veniam petimusque damusque vicissim._(415)