Part 2

Now we come to the second general point here laid down: that is, whom must we search? The Prophet answers: yourselves, not other men, but yourselves. This search so urged and enforced by the Prophet, must not be of other men's hearts and lives, but of our own: our own are our charge, and not other men's: and therein is the saying true, which else is most false: Every man for himself: for as every soul must be saved by itself, so must it believe, repent, and search itself.

The duty therefore here commanded, is for every man that would have his soul to be saved, to search it, and reform it, and leave others to be searched by themselves. Here the Holy Ghost meets with the common corruption of this world, (and that is) that men are eagle-eyed, to see into the lives of other men, but to look into their own hearts, and lives, they are blinder than moles: they can see motes in other men's lives, but discern not beams in their own: whereby it comes to pass, that they stumble and fall foully: for the eyes of most men are set upon others, and not upon themselves: and thereupon it is, that an evil man, seeing other men, and not himself, thinks best of himself, and worst of other men: but contrariwise, a good man seeing himself, and not other men, thinks worst of himself, and better of other men: an evil man looks outward, and judges other men: but a good man looks homeward and judges himself: and in judging, condemns himself, far above other men: and that because by searching into his own heart and ways, he knows that by himself, which he knows not by any man in the world besides.

So then we must search, not other men, but ourselves: our own hearts and our own lives are our charge, and burden: the lives of other men concern us not, being private men, further than either to follow them being good, or take heed of them being evil: but to search, or be inquisitive into them, is no duty commanded us, but rather a foul and a base vice forbidden of God. Indeed magistrates in their people, pastors in their congregations, and householders in their families are to search: but they can search only for criminal causes, to open actual sins: but this searching must be of our hearts, which no man can search, but ourselves only. Few men have a calling to enquire into other men's lives, but every man has a calling to search into himself: but (alas) men do far otherwise, they suffer themselves to rot in their own sins, and erect an inquisition over other men's lives, and it is to be seen in daily experience, that those men, who are the great searchers and pryers into other men, are the neglecters and forgetters of themselves. And contrariwise, they who do narrowly search themselves and their own ways, and look into the corners of their own hearts, do find so much work to do with themselves, that they little busy themselves with other men.

And thus much may suffice for that point.