appears to have been the chief ingredient in the firft fin of man; and in general, the leading part of a finful character. Before there can be any faving change; before there can be any esteem or relifh of the gospel of the grace of God, there must be a deep humility of mind, and thorough conviction of guilt and wretchednefs. This muft ftill con tinue, and have a conftant and vifible effect upon the believer's temper and carriage. The truth is the way in which a finner's peace is made with God, the ground on which his hope and comfort is founded, and the means of his improvement in the fpiritual life, all confpire in making him humble. "Where is boafting? It is excluded. "No flesh is permitted to glory" in the divine prefence. Every fincere penitent, every real believer, every profiting difciple of Chrift, learns the emptinefs of the creature, the fulness, fovereignty, power, wifdom, and grace of the Creator and Redeemer, from all that he hears, and from all that he feels.

In his former ftate, either his ignorance of God, or his wrong views of God and of himself, made him fet a high value upon his own intereft, and think he had a high claim to happinefs, and fuccefs of every kind. This made him repine at the courfe of Providence, and very hardly allow that juftice was done him when his attempts were defeated, or his defires difappointed. What fullen impatience do many fhew under the hand of God? What corroding envy poffeffes their minds when they take a view of the (perhaps mistaken) happiness of others? But he that is born again is deeply fenfible, that he deferves nothing at the hand of God. His habitual fentiments and language, are the fame with what we find in fcripture fo frequent with the faints: "I am not worthy of the leaft of "all the mercies, and of all the truth which thou haft fhew"ed unto thy fervant*.-It is of the Lord's mercies that "we are not confumed, becaufe his compafiens fail nct.† Unto me, who am lefs than the leaft of all faints, is this grace given." Whereas formerly he was apt to view his own character with much complacence, and to have

Gen. xxxii. 10. † Lam. iii. 2 4 Fiplef. iii. 8.

high thoughts of the dignity of human virtue, now he hath changed the ftern pride of philofophy, for the felf-denial and meeknefs of the gofpel. He has fuch views of the glory and majefty of God, of the purity of his law, and of the holiness of his nature, that he finks, as it were, into nothing in his own fight, and knows not how to throw himself into a low enough pofture in the divine prefence, Agrecably to this we have a striking picture, drawn by our Saviour in the parable of the Pharifee and publican, of true penitence, particularly as standing in oppofition to fell-fufficiency and pride: "The Pharifee flood and pray ́ed thus with himfelf, God, I thank thee, that I am not as "other men are, extortioners, unjuft, adulterers, or even "as this publican. I faft twice in the week, I give tithes "of all that I poffefs. And the publican ftanding afar "off, would not lift up fo much as his eyes unto heaven, "but fmote upon his breaft, faying, God be merciful to me "a finner."*

Further, true religion makes a man humble toward his fellow creatures, as well as toward God. The one, indeed, is the certain and neceffary effect of the other. Every thing which one man can enjoy in preference to another, and which ordinarily becomes the fuel of pride, is the gift of God, and therefore there is no room left to glory. What diftin&tion can any man enjoy above another, but it must be of one of thefe two kinds, worldly advantages, or fpiritual gifts? Now worldly advantages are of no fuch value, in the eye of a real Chriftian, as to be matter of boafting. All fwelling on this account is effectually reftrained by true religion: that which brings eternity in view, makes all temporal things of wonderfully little value to have or to lofe. And even fill lefs will a good man glory in his advantages over others of a fpiritual kind. Pride can never be fo greatly mifplaced, as when it shows itfelf here. The Chriftian will fay to himfelf, in the words of the apofile Paul," For who maketh thee to differ from "another? And what halt thou, that thou didft not re"ceive? Now if thou didft receive it, why doft thou glory, "as if thou had!t not received it?"

I cannot help alfo obferving here, that every true convert is naturally led to confider himself as the chief of finners, and every real Chriftian to reckon that others are preferable to him in holiness and fpiritual attainments. This is often taken notice of by religious writers, in a perfect confiftency both with fcripture and experience. We fee this was the cafe with the apostle Paul, that eminently holy, faithful, and active minifter of Jefus Chrift. He exprefsly ftiles himself the "chief of finners;" and fays, "Howbeit, for this caufe I obtained mercy, that in me first," or in me as a capital and leading inftance, "Jefus "Chrift might fhew forth all long-fuffering, for a pattern "to them which fhould hereafter believe on him to life everlasting."* And elsewhere to the fame purpofe, with a view to his minifterial labors: "For I am the leaft of "the apofties, that am not meet to be called an apofile,

because I perfecuted the church of God; but by the grace "of God, I am what I am, and his grace which was be"ftowed upon me was not in vain, but I labored more "abundantly than they all: yet not I, but the grace of "God which was with me." This is eafy to be accounted for. Every man inuft have a far more clear difcovery and conviction of his own fins, in their heinous nature and aggravating circumftances, than of thofe of any other, as well as a greater infight into the remaining corruption of his own heart. Hence it is natural for him to conclude, that none have been fo deeply indebted as himself to the riches of divine grace, for pardon and recovery.

From every view we can take of the matter, therefore, it is plain that the regenerate perfon muft be, according to the ftrong and beautiful language of the Holy Scripture, "clothed with humility." He must be very humble; he must be humble in every refpect; he must be inwardly, habitually, conftantly, univerfally humble. I know no difpofition better fitted either to determine our character in general, or to decide when the Chriftian is discharging any duty in a proper manner. It is alfo a good touchflone by which to try a profeffion, or apparent zeal for rc

* Tim. i. 16. ti Cor. xv. 9, 10.

ligion. I am fenfible it is a duty openly to profefs Chrift before men, and that he has pronounced a dreadful threatning against those who fhall meanly deny him: "Whofo"ever fhall be afhamed of me, or of my words, in this "adulterous and finful generation, of him alfo fhall the "Son of Man be ashamed, when he cometh in the glory "of his Father with the holy angels."* There are many of the duties of a Chriftian which require a firm refolution, a boldness and fortitude of mind; yet even this fhould be accompanied with humility. Unneceffary oftentation is always a fufpicious fign. A Chriftian fhould be conftrained, in all fuch cafes, by a fenfe of duty, and enter upon his work with a diffidence of himself, and reliance on divine ftrength.

Let not the reader think this part of the fubject tedious, or extended beyond its due bounds; let him rather enter on a deep and careful fearch into his own heart, and fee how it ftands with himself in this particular. There is often a counterfeit humility. A proud and vain glorious carriage is odious to man as well as to God. Pride in one man, is always in open hoftility againft pride in another; nay pride, when discovered, effectually defeats its own purpose. Not only is a man who is vain of nothing, juftly and univerfally contemptible, but in all cafes, as Solomon fays, "for a man to fearch his own glory, is not glory." Even the most eminent abilities, the most amiable qualifications, and the moft laudable actions, are greatly fullied by an ap perent vanity and thirft of praife. It is hardly poffible to bring others to acknowledge that man's worth who afferts it with his own tongue, and abfolves the world by paying tribute to himfelf. Hence there is a remarkable obfervation of a foreign writer of eminent piety and learning, to this parpole, That a worldly principle, when it is attended with found judgment, and in its higheft perfection, does homage to religion, by imitating its effects. And, indeed, what is all politene's of carriage, but a fort of hypocritical Lumility, and an empty profeffion of that deference to the judgment and kindness to the perfons of others, which a true Chriftian hath implanted in his heart?

Mark viii. 38.

How felf-deceiving is pride? How many are there even of those who have a form of godlinefs, who are wrapt up in themselves, who would have all men to esteem them, who would have their opinions to prevail, and their measures to take place, in every matter of the smallest confequence, and are never fatisfied but when this is the cafe? Of this they are often quite infenfible themselves, when every one about them perceives it without the leaft difficulty or uncertainty. Ñay, is it not very furprifing and very lamentable, that there is ftill fo much pride to be found even in good men, which betrays itfelf by many evidences, impatience of contradiction in their fentiments, exceflive grief, or immoderate refentment, when their characters are attacked by unjuft and malicious flander? It is lawful to be fure, in fuch a case, to embrace every opportunity of vindication; but, as it is not wonderful that it fhould happen, fo the real Chriftian should study to bear it with meeknefs, and to forgive it fincerely, as he afks forgiveness of God.

From all this it is easy to fee, that the regenerate perfon must be humble. Believe it, O Chriftian, fo much as you have of humility, fo much you have of true religion. So much as your fentiments are altered in this refpect, fo much you have ground to think the change to be real; and fo much as you take root downwards in true humility, in the fame proportion you will bear fruit upwards, in all the duties of a regular, exemplary, and ufeful conversation.

2. Another excellent and ufeful evidence of regeneration, is the fanctification of natural and lawful affections. There are, perhaps, few either more fure or more plaisa evidences of real religion than this. Regeneration does not confift in giving us new fouls, new faculties, or new affections, but in giving a new tendency and effect to those we had before. There are many perfons to whom we bear -naturally an affection, and it is far from being the delign of religion to deftroy this affection, but to regulate it in its meafure, to keep it in its proper chaunel, and direct it to its proper end. This is a part of the fubject which I have always thought of great moment and importance, on more accounts than one. It hath pleafed God, by joining us