:

XI.

only? Joh. v. 44. And, have any of the SER M. Rulers, or of the Pharifees believed on him? ch. vii. 48. That it makes men difdain to leave their pleafing Vanities, and think much to condefcend to the mean Restraints and Confinements of Religion;

9,

C

Should

Judges ix.
The Olive-tree faid,-
I leave my Fatnefs?
And the Fig-tree
faid, Should I forfake my Sweetness, and
my good Fruit? And the Vine faid,

-Should I leave my Wine which cheereth
God and Men, and go to be promoted over
the Trees? ver. 13. That it causes men
to take Offence at the Plainnefs and Sim-
plicity of the Gofpel, and thereby hin-
ders it from making due impreffions up-
on them; The Wisdom of God,-which
none of the Princes of This World knew,
I Cor. ii. 8
Where is the Wife? Where
is the Scribe? Where is the Difputer of
this World? For ye fee your calling,
Brethren, how that not many Wife men
after the Flesh, not many mighty, not ma-
ny noble are called, ch. i. 20, 26. There-
fore let no man glory in men: If any
man among you feemeth to be wife in This
World, let him become a Fool, that he may

be

SER M. be wife; i. e. let him lay afide the Wildom XI. of Self-conceit, in order to become capable of Inftruction in the true Wisdom, ch. iii. 21, 18. That it hinders men from performing the Duty of Chriftian Charity, one towards another; Diotrephes, who loveth to bave the preeminence among them, receiveth us not, 3 Joh. 9. Laftly, that in the execution of the Offices of Christian Authority, it turns men from a due regard of the Intent of their Office, to temporal and worldly confiderations, and this leads them into a Snare, and brings them to deftruction: A Bishop (fays the Apostle) must not be a Novice, left being lifted up with Pride, be fall into the Condemnation of the Devil, 1 Tim. iii. 6. These are the natural ill confequences of Pride, which the Scripture lays before us; and which confequently difcover to us the Advantages arifing from true Humility, even in the natural courfe and order of things.

2dly, THE next Argument the Scripture makes use of, to perfwade men to the Practife of Humility, is This; that Pride, as 'tis ufually of natural ill confe

quence,

quence, fo 'tis

moreover particularly SER M. bateful to God; who reprefents himself XI. as taking delight, to bring down the lofty, and to exalt the humble. "Tis the obfervation of Eliphaz in the book of Job, ch. xxii. 29, When men are caft down, then thou shalt Jay, There is lifting up; and he shall fave the Humble perfon : And ch. xxxiii. 14, 17, God speaketh once, yea twice, yet man perceiveth it not ;—that be may withdraw man from his purpose, and hid Pride from man. God himself, by the Prophet Isaiah, declares, ch. ii. 11, The lofty looks of man shall be humbled, and the haughtiness of men fhall be bowed down, and the Lord alone fhall be exalted in that Day; For the day of the Lord of bofts shall be upon every one that is proud and lofty, and upon every one that is lifted up; and he shall be brought low. Wife man in like manner, Prov. iii. 34, Surely (fays he) he fcorneth the corners, but giveth grace unto the lowly. Which paffage is, almoft in the very fame words, quoted by St Peter, 1 Pet. v. 5, Be clothed with bumility; For God refifteth the Proud, and giveth Grace unto the humble.

The

The

Bleffed

-who

ŞER M. Bleffed Virgin, after the Angel's annun XI. ciating to her the Conception of our Lord, inferts into her hymn the fame general Obfervation: He hath showed frength with bis Arm, he has scattered the proud in the imagination of their Hearts; He hath put down the mighty from their Seats, aad has exalted the humble and meek, St Luk. i. 51. Our Saviour himself, taking a little Child, and fetting it before his Difciples, when they were contending for preeminence; Verily (fays he ) I fay unto you ; —— foever shall humble himself as this little Child, the fame is greatest in the Kingdom of Heaven; But whosoever shall offend one of thefe little ones that believe in me, i. e. whofoever shall by proud and contemptuous treatment difcourage the meaneft Chriftian, or drive him into any Sin; it were better for him that a milftone were banged about his neck, and that he were drowned in the Depth of the Sea, St Mat. xviii. 4, 6. And again, in the words of the Text, upon another not unlike occafion; Whosoever (faith he) exalteth himSelf fhall be abafed; and he that humbleth bimfelf, fall be exalted. The Reason why

Pride

Pride is always reprefented in Scripture, SER M. as being thus particularly hateful to God; XI. is because it ufually fignifies, and always includes, fomething of that Prefumptuoufness, that prefuming to tranfgrefs infolently and with a high Hand, which is the greatest Aggravation of Sin, and the most directly oppofite to that meek and humble Spirit, which trembleth at God's Word, which ftudies his Will, and is al ways fearful of difobeying it. Wo unto them, faith the Prophet, that call evil good, and good evil; that put darkness for light, and light for darkness, II. v. 20; i. e. who are so infolent as prefumptuoufly to deny, either in their Words or Actions, the most evident moral Differences of Right and Wrong: For fo it is explained in the Words immediately following; Wo IC. v. 21. unto them, (not, who mistake, or are guilty of any Error or falfe opinion in this matter, but) unto them that are wife in their own eyes, and prudent in their own. fight; who fay, We will walk after our own devices, and we will every one do the Jer. xviii imagination of his evil Heart: Who Say unto God, Depart from us, for we defire VOL. III.

-R

not

12.