hands of God, and stamped with the divine image: here is nothing but the mere outward shape and figure, shadow and appearance of him, divested of his original dignities, bereft of his inward and superior glories." If such a saint as Paul, of the first degree, could call himself the chief of sinners and less than the least of all the saints, and would frame a new word for it because there was none ready made in all the copious language of the Greeks, which was sufficiently diminutive to express his humble thoughts of himself, what new lessening names, what unknown words of abasement must we form to give ourselves our own true character, who fall so far beneath this apostle?

II. While the apostle depresses himself so much below his fellow-saints, he not only remembers his own failings, but he seems to look upon others without their blemishes: and this is one way whereby he comes to sink the idea of his own character in comparison of theirs. His goodness and his love cover all their follies and keep them as it were out of sight, while he compares himself with them : "Charity covers a multitude of sins." He practises that great duty in his epistle to the Ephesians when he calls himself less than the least of the saints, which he recommends in his letter to the christians at Rome; Rom. xii. 10. Be kindly affectioned one to another with brotherly love, in honour preferring one another. Oh when shall we arrive at this spirit and learn this holy lesson of love? When shall we think of our fellow-christians and leave their faults out of our ideas of them? How ready are we to spy out their blemishes, and fix our eye first upon their little spots and the abatements of their virtue? And then we exalt ourselves while we forget our own failings, and imagine that we are higher and better than all around us. Dost thou not know, O my soul, more of the vices of thy nature and of the sins of thy life, than thou knowest of any of thy fellow-christians? Why then should thy vanity tempt thee to think so much better of thyself than thou dost of them i One would think thy own guilt and follies, which are so well known to thee, should do more to abase thee in thy own eyes, than all thy suspicious of the folly and guilt of thy neighbours should do, to sink their character in thy esteem. Remember this, that for the most part it is but a rumour and suspicion of the sins of thy brethren that lessens thy esteem of them; but thou hast an inward consciousness and assurance of thy own frailties and thy own vileness, which might more powerfully abase thy pride and teach thee to cry out with the apostle, less than the least of all the saints.

III. I might add in the third place, another spring of his humility was an abiding sense of the infinite greatness and holi-ness of God, and the unsearchable excellencies and glories of his Son Jesus. This is a sight which stains the glory of all flesh,

and brings the haughtiness of man down to the dust. This I confess does not so directly tend to this comparative humility, this abasing himself below his fellows, but it has a mighty influence on this virtue absolutely considered, and therefore I name it. The apostle maintains upon his spirit grand ideas of the great God, the blessed and only Potentate, the King of kings, and Lord of lords, who only hath immortality, dwelling in the light which no man can approach, whom no man hath seen nor can see, to whom belongs honour and power everlasting; 1 Tim. vi. 15, 16. What an atom, what a dust of being, what a dark and diminutive thing is man under the lively apprehension of a present God, a God of such majesty and brightness? And in the words following my text he is surveying the grandeurs of Christ, by whom God created all things, and the unsearchable riches of his grace; Eph. iii. 8, 9. And how mean and little must every son of Adam appear in the presence of this Son of God? looks upon himself as poor and contemptible in the view of such unsearchable riches and glory. A sinful and fallen man, who has been favoured with some attainments above his neighbours, when he stands in the midst of sinful and fallen men, may perhaps appear something great and honourable; but when he sets himself before a holy God and before Christ the Son of his love, and the express image of his glories, he must then think himself despicably little, and covered with meanesses and dishonours. So a worm or an emmet that is a little larger than his brethren may lift up itself among fellow-emmets or fellow-worms; but the foot of a man treads it to the dust, and it appears a worthless and unregarded thing.

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Oh my soul, if thou wouldst lessen thyself, as a creature and a christian ought to do, live much in the sight of God as seeing him that is invisible. When God appears in the glory of his holiness, God in the person of his Son Jesus in his preexistent state, as St. John tells us in chapter xii. then the seraphs cover their faces and their feet with their wings in his presence, and the holy prophet cries out, Woe is me, for I am undone, I am a man of unclean lips; mine eyes have seen the King, the Lord of hosts; Is. vi. 2, 5. Once have I spoken of myself, saith Job, to maintain my own honours, yea twice, before I had seen God in his glory; but now mine eye has seen thee, behold I am vile, I will lay my hand upon my mouth, I lie down in profound silence, I abhor myself and repent in dust and ashes; Job xl. 4, 5. and xlii, 5, 6. Live much therefore, O my soul, in the views of God, the fairest, and the first, and the best of beings: Live much in the contemplation of Christ his Son, in whom dwells all the fulness of the godhead bodily, and who is the first and fairest image of the Father. Thou canst never dare to swell and exalt thyself, thy little worthless self, in the pre

sence of such majesty, in the eye of such adorable and divine excellencies.

The last thing I shall mention as a spring of St. Paul's humility, was his frequent view and meditation of the condescension, the lowliness, the meekness, and self-abasement of the blessed Jesus. As he charges the Philippian converts, that the same wind and temper should be in them which was in Christ Jesus; Phil. ii. 5. So by a continual contemplation of him in his humbled estate, he learned to imitate so divine an example, and he recommends his own conduct as a pattern for men, no farther than as he followed Christ. But this subject will fall in often by the way, while I am representing the grace of humility in its lovely appearances, and therefore I dismiss it now.

SECT. II.—The Advantages of IIumility in Regard of God.

It is time to proceed to the second general head of discourse, viz. what advantages are to be derived from an imitation of this apostle, this great example of humility, what unknown profit will arise from this holy diminution or lessening of self? Surely many and various will be the henefits of such a pious practice: Some with regard to God, some with regard to our neighbours, and others with regard to ourselves. The first set of advantages that we shall derive from this practice of humility are such as regard God and religion, and they may be thrown into the following particulars :

I. We shall be kept ever dependent on divine providence and grace for every thing, while we are deeply sensible of our own emptiness, and we lie more directly under the promises of divine supplies. While we feel that in and of ourselves we are nothing, we shall be continually waiting upon God for every blessing to be conveyed to us according to our wants: We shall never think ourselves sufficient for any work, duty, or difficulty without him, and we shall live upon him hourly for light and strength, for grace and comfort. We are not sufficient of ourselves, says the apostle, to think one thought as of ourselves, but our sufficiency is of God; 2 Cor. iii. 5. Humility and dependence go together: Those who have high thoughts of themselves are not so naturally inclined nor easily persuaded to trust in another. Psalm x. 4. The wicked through the pride of his heart will not seek after God. But David, as a type of Christ in his state of infirmity and flesh, cries out, I am a worm and no man; Ps. xxii. 6. And therefore his heart is ever trusting in the Lord: So St. Paul ever keeps his hold of the grace of God, and depends on the strength of Christ, under a constant and prevailing sense of his own weakness. 2 Cor. xii. 10. When I am weak then am I strong: When I feel my own weakness, I am strong by a dependence on the grace of Christ. A weak christian and an

almighty Saviour are a sufficient match for the most formidable enemy: My grace, O Paul, is sufficient for thee agaist the thorns of the flesh, and the buffets of Satan.

The rich gospel of grace was only made for the poor and the humble among the sons and daughters of Adam. For whom is all that fulness of righteousness and fulness of grace treasured up in Christ Jesus, but. for those who are deeply abased under a sense of their own guilt and sinfulness? It is for those who are dying and despairing in themselves that Jesus has brought in hope and life. We can never be christians till we are thus humbled and brought to the foot of God to receive all from his Son.

Remember, O my soul, it is this self-poverty, this emptiness and dependence makes thee a prepared vessel for the largest communications of divine influence and blessing. Jesus, the Son of God, came down from heaven furnished with all fulness of heavenly graces, to bestow only upon the poor and needy and the depending creature. He was sent to feed the hungry, to clothe the naked, to heal the sick, to give sight to the blind, to bestow wisdom upon the ignorant, to preach the gospel to the poor, and to call sinners to repentance and salvation; but the self-righteous and the wise, and the exalted haughty things of this world, he hath no blessings for them, for they are all full of themselves, they do not feel nor imagine that they have any need of his bounty. The doctrines and benefits of his gospel are hid from the wise, and the mighty, and the sons of pride; but they are revealed to babes and conferred on the poor. The humble soul dwells nearest to the rich treasures of grace, and the empty vessel is best prepared to receive the largest communications. What is it then, O my heart, that should tempt thee to maintain high thoughts of thyself, of thy own understanding, of thy own sufficiency, when it is the ready way to exclude thee from all the aids of divine grace? He hath filled the hungry with good things, but the rich he hath sent empty away; Luke i. 53. God resisteth the proud, but giveth more grace unto the humble; Jam. iv. 6.

II. When we have low thoughts of ourselves, our hearts and lips will be full of achnowledgments for the daily favours of grace and providence. We shall take notice of every favourable dispensation that attends us, every support and relief of divine mercy which is communicated to us, and shall ascribe all to the free and rich grace of God. Learn this language, O my soul, I was sinking and drowning, and God set my feet upon a rock, and established all my goings: I was wandering in foolish and per nicious ways, running down to destruction and death, but the blessed God sent his Son from heaven to seek and save me, and by the voice of his gospel and the secret whispers of his spirit he

has directed my feet into the paths of holiness and peace and life eternal: I was sick and God healed me: I was in trouble and the Lord relieved me: I was in darkness and he shed light upon my path I was in straights and his hand extricated me out of them, I was on the very borders of death and on the verge of hell, help-. less and hopeless in myself, but, glory be to his holy name, he has given me help, and hope, and salvation.

Such is the language of the blessed Paul; 1 Cor. xv. 10, 11. I am nothing in myself, and if I appear to be any thing, it is by the grace of God, I am what I am: Holy David in his devotions is full of the same humble acknowledgments: I was poor and needy, but thou hast been my helper and my strength, I was surrounded with enemies, but thou hast been my salvation: This is the sense of many of his divine songs. And who am I or what is my house that thou hast brought me hitherto? 1 Sam. vii. 18.

On the other hand the man who is full of self is ready to assume all the honour of his success and his peaceful circumstances to his own reason, to his own wisdom, to the diligence and strength of his own right hand, or at least to his own merit of these favours from heaven.. He gives himself the praise of the blessings that surround him: And if his table is spread plentifully from the earth or from the waters, he ascribes that plenty to his own skill, he sacrifices to his own net, and burns incense to his own drag, as the prophet expresses it in a noble metaphor; Hab. i. 16. And thus the God of heaven is robbed of his honours, and the praise is given to a creature which is due to the Creator only: Thus the proud man multiplies his iniquities and commits sacrilege and idolatry at once.

III. Another advantage of these humbling thoughts of ourselves is this, that we shall bear with more patience the afflicting hand of God upon us, and wait longer for the moment of deliverance without murmuring. These self-abasing sentiments under heavy sorrows will incline us to confess, "Lord, I have deserved them all," and will teach us to speak the language of the prophet Micah, chap. vii. ver. 9. I will bear the indignation of the Lord, because I have sinned against him, till he arise and plead my cause. When, O my soul, wilt thou learn this holy behaviour? When wilt thou learn this humble language? If the Lord bestow no temporal blessings upon me, I lie at his foot; he is not my debtor, I deserve no blessings from his han is: If he take away part of my substance and my wealth, I have deserved to be deprived of it all, for my unprofitableness, for my earthly mind, for my vanity and the pride of my heart. If I have food and raiment, I will therewith be content; it is much more than I have deserved. If I am sick and in pain, I would remember that I am guilty, and he punishes less than my iniquities deserve. If I am stripped naked of my earthly comforts, I resign them to his disposal, I