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Now humility in this view, would teach us,

Not, indeed, upon that account to surrender ourselves to the absolute conduct and government of other men, who are fallible as well as we. To this the church of Rome would lead us, but on pretence of infallibility, to rest ourselves upon; though they neither are agreed among themselves where to place it, nor give us any proof from scripture of their own If conduct, that such a glorious gift is lodged with them. any others would lead us to such an implicit faith in their dictates, while they disdain infallibility, their claim is still more absurd. If our judgments be not so good, or our capacities not so enlarged, as our neighbours; yet we are obliged to make the best of them, and to judge for ourselves. Christ blames the body of the Jewish people for "not judging of themselves what was right," Luke xii. 57. We must answer for ourselves to God in the great day: and, therefore, it can neither be a laudable, nor a safe humility, to take our religion from the dietates of any fallible man, or number of men.

But a just apprehension of our liableness to mistake, should induce us, in all our searches after divine truth, to be very desirous of divine illumination and guidance; that God, by his Spirit of truth, would "shew us his ways, teach us his paths, and lead us in his truth," Psal. xxv. 4, 5. It should keep us ever open to farther light, willing to learn; we should never behave as if we had made our last understanding, but be willing on any proper occasion to review our sentiments, and to allow a cool and unprejudiced consideration of what may be said against them. And though we should not see reason to change our own thoughts upon such inquiries, but be more confirmed in them; yet we should be tender in our censures of others, whom we apprehend to be mistaken, as long as they give credible evidence in other respects, that they are

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(3.) A moderate apprehension of our own attainments in knowledge, when we compare them with the attainments of other men. Every good man indeed judgeth himself to be in the right in every particular sentiment which he maintains; for if he were convinced that it was an error, he would give it up and it must necessarily follow from hence, that he cannot but think those of a contrary judgment to be mistaken as long as he judges himself in the right. Is he

therefore, to be puffed up above others; No, by no means. But it is a becoming humility in most cases, even where we think ourselves in the right; yet to believe it possible, however, that those who differ from us may be in the right; and, therefore, to be willing to hear what they have to offer for their judgment. If we judge our knowledge superior to others with whom we compare ourselves; yet we should still remember, that in this life "we" all "know but in part," I Cor. xiii. 9. If some know less, others knów more, than we: if we are better acquainted with some particulars, they may exceed us in other parts of knowledge: we may have made less improvement. in proportion to our greater advantages, than they have made of fewer opportunities: and especially that, after all, we owe it more to the providence, or the grace, of God, than to ourselves, that we are distinguished from the most stupid and ignorant in the world. Humility, therefore, will keep us from despising any, and incline us to learn all we can, even from the meanest : for it will possess us with this truth, 1 Cor. viii. 2. "If any man think that he knoweth any thing," and as the context shews the apostle to mean, because of that knowledge despiseth others, "he knoweth nothing yet as he ought to know."

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(4.) A persuasion of the small value of the most exalted knowledge, without a suitable practical influence. Knowledge, even of divine things, is of little valuable use, but in subservience to practice: "If ye know these things, happy are ye if do them," John xiii. 7. It will not render us more acceptable to God, but more inexcusable, and liable to "be beaten with many stripes," if we rest in the most extensive knowledge, Luke xiii. 47, 48. A man comparatively of low attainments in knowledge, if his heart is right with God, is truly acceptable; while a resolved sinner, though he understood all mysteries, will be eternally disowned by him: and no wonder, since exalted knowledge may leave a man of no better a temper than a devil.

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2. Humble thoughts of our own goodness, is another branch of humbleness of mind. Not that we are required to be insensible of any thing that is truly good and valuable in us. But Christian humility includes,

A sense of the undeservingness of our own goodness at the hands of God, even if it were perfect. Whatever the pride of

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nature may suggest, this is the lesson which Christ teaches his disciples, Luke xvii. 10. "When ye shall have done all those things which are commanded you, say, We are unprofitable servants, we have done that which was our duty to do,' and no more. It could not properly deserve divine favour : how much less capable are we of merit by any thing we do in our lapsed state?

An apprehension of the great disparity there is between the goodness of God, and the goodness of any creature. From which our Saviour teaches us, to conclude, that "none is good save one, that is God," Luke xviii. 19. None is originally, absolutely, necessarily, and unchangeably good, but God only. Created goodness is derived from God; compared with his, it is incomplete, and capable of addition and in its own nature it is changeable; as we find the goodness of angels, and of innocent man, was in fact.

An affecting conviction of our own sinfulness, and of the guilt contracted by it. Evangelical humility implies a sense of our lost and miserable state by the apostacy; so that we cannot lay claim of ourselves to the divine mercy, and yet can have no hope without mercy that we are not only less than the least of his mercies, but have forfeited them all, and deserve ill, deserve wrath at his hands; and could not hope to stand, if he should mark iniquity: that, from a lively sense of this, we are heartily willing to be beholden to the gospel-way of relief, by the atonement and righteousness of the Lord Jesus Christ, and rely upon that alone for our pardon and acceptance with God, as conscious we have nothing in ourselves to rely upon. This is one principal part of gospel-humility, that we see ourselves "sick," and, therefore, to "need the physician ;" and "sinners," who "need repentance,' Luke v. 31, 32. That we humbly call to remembrance our particular offences, and penitently confess them before God, suing for his pardoning mercy in Christ, with the temper of the publican, "God be merciful to me a sinner," Luke xviii. 13. And that, from a sense of our desert of worse, we cheerfully submit to his present corrections. We must proudly forget our own case, when we repine at his mild discipline.

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A sense of the imperfection of our goodness at the best, in this world, is another branch of humility, to which the

gospel leads us. If we are recovered from the dominion of sin, yet, without insufferable pride, we shall see reason to confess, that we sin daily, and come short of the glory of God; that we "cannot understand" all "our errors," and need to be "cleansed from our secret faults," Psal. xix. 12. that no grace or holy disposition is complete in us, but ever needs improvement, and is subject to interruption in its exercise, and to great decays.

An acknowledgment, that we are principally indebted to God for whatever is good in us, is also to be comprehended; that we principally owe to him the beginning of any good work in us; and must expect from him the perfecting of it, Phil. i. 6. If we are better than others, we owe it to the grace of God, who hath "made us to differ," 1 Cor. iv. 7. Either we were as bad as any, till we were "washed, and justified, and sanctified, in the name of the Lord Jesus, and by the Spirit of our God," 1 Cor. vi. 11. or we might have been as bad, was it not for the restraints of his providence, or grace. In a word, the humble soul, whatever goodness he is conscious of, has this for the abiding and thankful sense of his soul, " By the grace of God, I am what I am," 1 Cor.

XV. 10.

And, lastly, a modest apprehension of our own goodness, compared with that of other men, must enter into the Christian temper. I say not, that Christian humility will oblige us to condemn ourselves as worse than all others; though, as we know ourselves best, it is ordinarily true, that we know more amiss in ourselves, as to the number, if not the kinds of sin, than we can do in any other particular person: but it will dispose us to esteem as well, at least, of other people's goodness as of our own, as far as there are credible evidences of it in which sense the apostle exhorts, Phil. ii. 3. "In lowliness of mind, let each esteem others better than themselves." We should not admit uncharitable jealousies, and evil surmisings, of them, where we have no just foundation, but think the best of them we can; and observe their excellencies, as well as their defects; the excellencies in which they may shine above us, though we should exceed them in some others. Humility will incline us to make all charitable allowances for their failings and defects, when we are conscious of so many of our own; to censure them with gentleness, Rom. ii. 1. to

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"restore them in the spirit of meekness," Gal. vi. 1. and not vauntingly to say to any, "Stand by thyself, come not near to me, for I am holier than thou," Isa. lxv. 5. A lowly mind will consider even the worst of men as such with whom we partake in the same nature, the same sinful nature; who are bought with the same price as we; who have an offer of the same spiritual and eternal blessings; and are at least capable, by the same grace which hath made us to differ from them, of the same everlasting happiness.

3. A humble sense of our dependence and wants.

And here, first, and principally, we are concerned to have a humble sense of our dependence on God, and our need of him; that, in the sphere of nature, we cannot subsist of ourselves, but “live, and move, and have our beings in him," Acts xvii. 28. that "our times are in his hands," the time of our continuance in life, the circumstances of our lot and condition, and all the particular events that can any way concern us. If "he takes away our breath, we die, and return to our dust," and cannot recall it for a moment longer. Our understandings and reasonable powers continually depend on him. A slight touch of the brain may soon raze out all the traces of wisdom and knowledge, and change a wise man into a fool, or a mad man, unless God protect our powers in their regular course. If he will speak peace, who can speak trouble? and if he will exercise us with rebukes, we are never out of his reach, but he can easily "make a way to his anger." We hold no comforts by any tenure but at pleasure. He has an unlimited, uncontrolable power over us, and an indisputable right to do with us as seems good in his sight. If our souls are under the power of these apprehensions, humility will teach us to live in daily dependance on him for every thing we need; to expect our supplies from his favor and blessing, more than from the kindness of our friends, or from the wisest measures we can take ourselves; to maintain a constant thankfulness for the bounties of Providence; not to be much lifted up for the sake of any of those loseable comforts; and to suppress every fruitful and impatient murmur at any of the events that befal us.

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And, in the sphere of grace, we should have an equal sense of our constant need of his influences that we need his mercy to pardon our sins, and help our infirmities every

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