humbly accepting His terms and willingly submitting, in the sincerity of their hearts, to His revealed will and word; seeing this, what remains for us but to pray fervently for this holy frame of soul, and to labour diligently for its attainment in the strength and spirit of the Lord? By our own strength and our own will the attainment is impossible; it is contrary to our very nature, and always must be hindered by the spirit of the evil one working within us; pray we, therefore, if we would be saved, for a spirit mightier than his, and a strength greater than our own. Let each morning and evening witness our prayers for an increase of humility; that there may be an increase of faith and love and every virtue.

Come thou haughty and obstinate sinner; be assured, that as thou art, nothing can move thee, not even the choice between life and death; come and bow thyself down, and desire that thou mayest be humbled under the "mighty hand of God;" that the mercy and love of

Jesus may make an impression upon thee, and thou mayest be persuaded to live and not die." And thou, sincere and holy believer, who hast been willing to cast away thy pride, and hast thankfully stooped to enter in at the door of mercy, and art "walking humbly with thy God,"

pray without ceasing," that thou mayest be further delivered from every vain and lofty thought, and surrender thy heart to the operation of the Spirit of the Lord; for the lower thou canst bring thyself in thine own esteem, the greater things the Lord will do for thee; and the higher thou shalt rise in the mansions of glory. True are the wise man's words in every sense: “Before honour is humility;"* even upon earth, humility paves the way to honour: God gives that grace to the humble and meek spirited man, which obtains for him the admiration and respect of his fellowcreatures: but if we would know the true value of humility, we must seek it in the other world; here the seed is sown, and * Prov. xv. 33.

there the fruit is ripened. The grace given to the humble never fades nor dies; it adorns the believer as a beautiful raiment through life; it is lovely and hopeful in death; and then it is transformed into the garment and diadem of glory. O my brethren, followers of the lowly Jesus, let us all "be clothed with humility."

SERMON XII.

THE CHRISTIAN KNOWN BY HIS FRUIT.

MATT. vii. 20.

Wherefore, by their fruits ye shall know them.

IN this Sermon on the Mount, our Lord is delivering to His disciples a variety of most important instruction upon many fundamental points of the christian character: and in this part of the sermon, beginning at the 15th verse, He is guarding them against the pretence and presumption of certain false prophets, or false teachers, who assumed the office of religious guides to others, when they had no principle, either of faith or righteousness,

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by which to guide themselves. But as they were very specious in their profession, full of enticing words, loud and confident in their own praise, as well as in the disparagement of others, there was great need of the disciples being cautioned against their crafty designs, and being furnished with a plain rule, by which they might be detected. The rule was this,

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By their fruits ye shall know them:"

they come to you in sheep's clothing," as God's ministers and stewards, with an appearance of sanctity and truth; look at their characters and lives, see whether these correspond with the holy law of God, of which they have set themselves up as the expounders; if not, let them be at once rejected, as persons who have some worldly purpose to serve, promoting their own honour or emolument at the expence of their deluded followers; "ravening wolves," who will destroy the flock, instead of feeding and saving it.

It was with peculiar force and propriety, that our Lord made this appeal,