for fo our Saviour describes the pride of the Pharifees. Finally, it confists in ufing great gentleness even to those that have offended: Brethren, if a man be overtaken in a fault, ye, which are fpiritual, reftore fuch a one in the spirit of meeknefs; confidering thyfelf, left thou also be tempted.

Without practising it towards fuperiors, there can be no government; without exercifing it towards equals, Its neceffity, there can be no friendship and mutual charity.

And with regard to inferiors, there are proper arguments to deter us from pride, upon account of every particular advantage we may seem to have over others, whether in refpect of our civil stations in the world, or of our natural abilities, or of our religious improvements. Humility therefore Its usefulwill keep us from defpifing any, and incline us to ness. learn all we can; nor to fet any value upon knowledge not attended with a suitable practice; to regard all mankind as our fellow-creatures, and esteem them as God has appointed; and to acknowledge, that by the law of our creation we cannot comfortably fubfift independent of our fellows. Humility thus tempered will difpofe one to the chearful performance of the duties of humanity to all men: fo if they are above him, he will chearfully render them their duties; tribute to whom tribute is due, cuftom to whom cuftom, fear to whom fear, honour to whom honour; and if he stands in a fuperior rank, he will readily condescend to men of low estate. Thus it is as great a contradiction to say, any one is a proud Chriftian, as it would be to say, fuch a one is a wicked faint. All the gofpel, its precepts, its great examples, its glorious profpects, tend to humble the pride of man; and whoever will come after Chrift muft, in this refpect, deny himself. It is poffible that we may obtain the character of humble people with men, from a modeft outside, and negligence of garb, a condescending carriage, and lowly fpeeches; while God, who fearches the heart, may fee pride reigning there under these disguises, and that fuch plaufible appearances are intended to fupport a haughty and overbearing heart: therefore no fingle branch of goodness deserves more attention, to judge of the state of our fouls, than humility; for if we grow in knowledge, and are puffed up with pride, we lose

more

more in goodness, than we gain in profit; if we improve in other excellencies, and exceed in the conceit of ourselves, we make those things nothing in the fight of God, which would otherwise become valuable, offered up to him, by an humble, lowly, and meek fpirit. For

Knowledge puffeth up; and he never knew himself rightOf Self-con- ly, who never fufpected himself. We seldom have ceit. that charity which covers a multitude of faults in our neighbours; and we much feldomer want that felf-love which covers a multitude of faults in ourselves. Many would fooner bear a reflection upon their morals, than their morals, than upon their understanding the ferpent was early fenfible that this was man's weak fide, when he used that artifice to seduce our first parents: if they would follow his counsel, they fhould be as gods, knowing good and evil. The deceiver gained his point; man fell into difgrace with his God, and not only propagated fin and death to his pofterity, but, as a peculiar legacy, he feems to have filled them with a vain conceit, that they enjoy that knowledge which was, then promifed by the devil. Hence under this ftrong delufion no branch of pride more needs a curb, tho' none hath less to support it, than conceit of our own abilities. Confequently, to moderate the conceit of our own fufficiency, we muftendeavour to attain to a sense of the imperfection of our nature. It is true, there is a dignity in our nature in comparison of the lower creation: but the faculties given us are limited at the best ; and many things are above them which we cannot grasp, things too wonderful for us, and not to be attained by us. For To an humble mind God's word is a fufficient reafon of

Curbed.

By a juft esteem of God.

faith, which fhould teach us not to be wife above what is written in matters of pure revelation; not to venture to publish our own inventions to account how such things are, nor to be pofitive in them; becaufe fuch things of God knoweth no man but the Spirit of God, any farther than he has been pleased to make them known by his word. This will make us confefs our own liableness to mistake, even where we think we have formed a right judgment. In confidering the power of prejudice, or readiness to make hafty judgments, the plaufible colours that

may

may be put upon error, we have reason, in most judgments we form, to carry this cautionary thought, It is poffible we may be overseen. There is no perfon but must confefs, that he hath actually been mistaken in former judgments, even in fome where he was very pofitive and fure; which is a good reason why we should carry the thought of our fallibility about with us in other cafes.

We should retain a moderate apprehenfion of our knowledge, when we compare it with the attainments And of man. of others. It is true, every good man judges himfelf in the right in every fentiment he maintains: for if he was convinced it was an error, he would give it up: and it follows, that he thinks thofe of a contrary judgment mistaken, as long as he judges himself in the right; yet this should not puff him up above measure; he only judges his own knowledge fuperior to those with whom he compares his own; but at the fame time confeffes, that in this life we all know but in part: and fo, though fome know lefs, others know more than himself: though he may be better acquainted with fome particulars, yet he grants that others may exceed in other parts of learning; that he may have made less improvement of greater advantages than they have made of fewer opportunities; and that he owes it more to the providence or grace of God than to himself, that he is diftinguished from the most ftupid and ignorant. None are fo apt to run into It breeds grofs mistakes and infirmities, or fo hard to be mistakes. made fenfible of them, as he that over-values his own parts and wifdom: he, that hath no patience to examine any thing justly, counts it a difparagement to fufpend his judgment; hs understands all things at first fight, and by inftinct; and if he judges rightly, he hath good fortune; but if not, it is impoffible to convince or reclaim him; for he is im- Is impapatient of oppofition, difdains counsel, and cannot tient. bear the leaft contradiction, or endure to be gain faid; he fcorns all inftruction and rebuke, and takes it for an affront if you yield not to him in every thing he advances; and fofwelled with an overweening efteem of his own abilities, never fo much as once dreams that it is poffible he may be deceived and deluded. Seeft thou a man wife in his own conceit ? there

[Sund. 13. there is more hope of a fool than of him. Finally, this felfIt hardens conceit hardens a man in his fins, and makes him a finner. deaf to inftructions, whilft he thinks thus of himfelf, that even his defects are beauties, and he can excuse, if not commend, his own ugliness.

SUNDAY XIII. PART II.

III. Oppofite to humility is the fin of PRIDE, which is the thinking too highly of ourfelves. It is an overOf pride, and what weening conceit of our dignity, founded

#is.

upon fome real or imaginary fuperiority to our neighbours; of which fin men readily condemn others, and eafily excufe themselves, through felf-conceitor opinion of their ownwifdom. For, if we would examine the innermoft receffes of the mind, I doubt we should often find, that our own pride is the cause why we tax others with it. Men elate with the thoughts of their own fufficiency are ever imagining, that others are wanting in their regard to them, and therefore very apt to conclude, that pride muft be the caufe why they withhold from them that refpect, which in their own opinion they have an unquestioned right to. Hence it is, that their character feldom escapes the brand of vanity, who have the fortune to be poffeffed of thofe accomplishments, which would make their detractors vain. We cannot endure any one to lay down, ufurp, or force customs, humours, or manners, as if we had no judgment of our own to govern and order our own affairs. Pride fprings from a partial view of ourselves, a view of the bright fide of ourselves, without balancing against it our numerous imperfections and defects; how little good we can perform without the grace of God; and how little we actually do perform even with it. And yet many, who call this Its danger pride in another, prefume themselves wife enough and folly. to fet patterns or give laws to every body else. For pride makes men foolish, and void of caution; and this puts them upon doing things that bring them difhonour. It makes men negligent, and improvident for the future; and this often throws them into fudden calamities: it makes men rash and peevish, obftinate and infolent. Other men's follies and vices are always infupportable to thofe that are intirely de

voted

voted to their own. The fuller of imperfections any man is, the lefs able he is to bear with the imperfections of his fellowcreatures; and this feldom fails to bring down ruin upon them: it involves men perpetually in ftrifes and contentions; and these always multiply fin, and are inconfiftent with true happiness: it disobligesmen's best friends, and gives their enemies perpetual advantages against them; and this often draws great inconveniencies upon them: it makes men vain, and lovers of flattery; rejecting those about them who would do them most kindness, and liking those best who do them the greateft injury; and this caufes them to be infenfible of their own disease, till they fuddenly fall under contempt: it makes men impatient of good advice and inftruction; and that renders them incorrigible in their vices: it fills men full of vainglorious defigns, employing all their thoughts in felf-confident imaginations; and this makes men incapable of religious improvements, and to have no relish of true wisdom.

This makes men quarrel with God and his worship. Every objection against the being of a deity and provi- Opposes dence is raised by pride and an arrogant opinion of God. our own understanding; as if nothing could be true or reafonable, but what is within our fight and penetration. Pride is that ruling quality, which, of all others, seems to take the fafteft hold of us. Proud and haughty fcorner is his name, fays Solomon. A proud man is very hardly brought to digeft the humble duties of the cross, or to adinit a belief of the mysteries of christianity: the one is too low for him, and he cannot stoop to the practice of them; the other are too high for his understanding, and he defires to be excufed from entertaining any propofition as true, which he does not perfectly comprehend. If he cannot give himfelf a certain plain account, in what manner, and to what end, God dida thing; he wifely refolves that therefore he did it not at all. If he has not as clear an idea of every term in an article of faith, as he has of those in a mathematical propofition; it is prefently unphilofophical, abfurd, and foolish; invented by those whofe intereft it is to puzzle men's understandings, that they may have their wills and affections at their fervice. The proud man `pretends to fee that fome, who set up for greater purity and a demurer