The exercises of the mind, influenced by the Holy Spirit, are the evidences of true religion in man. The state of the mind is known only by its exercises; and spiritual exercises indicate the operations of the Spirit of Christ: "to be spiritually minded is life." I describe, as the means of assurance, those works of the Spirit which are most obvious; which are common to all believers; which are always present with every Christian who undertakes the duty of self-examination; and of which each one, being proof of spiritual mindedness, is of course conclusive evidence of our union to the Saviour in the covenant of grace. Self-abasement-Dependence on Jesus Christ-Submission to the Saviour's will-Joy in his sal

vation.

This is the most simple arrangement of the gracious exercises of the heart; for it exhibits evidence sufficient to warrant our assurance, and not peculiar to any one period of the Christian's new life, but accessible to every regenerate man from the earliest days of his piety to the close of his career on earth. Let us examine and apply each in order.

I. Self-abasement is a certain evidence of true religion. It is a gracious exercise, the effect of a saving work of the Spirit in the soul. I shall describe it; examine what it implies; and prove my assertion.

1. Abasement is depression; and self-abasement is that exercise of mind, by which, convinced of sin, we humble ourselves for mercy before God our Saviour. It is not an undervaluing; but a proper estimate of one's self. It is not contempt poured upon a fictitious character which we imagine to be our own; but knowing what we really are, in a religious point of view, as distinct from every other being, we humble ourselves before God. We humble ourselves, not merely for the sins of yesterday; not merely for what we have been in time past; but as we are now, with all our present attainments, we humble ourselves before our God. In self-abasement, you do not compare yourselves with yourselves, and feel depression for a part of your conduct compared with another part. You do not compare yourselves with other men; and feel mortified at your inferiority. You present yourselves before the Lord, sensible of your unworthiness. It is before "the Lord our God" we come in this exercise; not to the god of the heathen, or the god of the infidel, which are no gods; but to the God of Abraham, to the God of the Scriptures, to God in Christ glorifying himself in the redemption of sinners. In self-abasement, the creature humbles himself before the Creator; the subject gives reverence to the sovereign; a being, of little power, bows before one who is omnipotent; one of little wisdom, does homage to infinite intellect; a creature of imperfect morals is ashamed in the presence of him who is moral excellence itself, who is glorious in holiness. But this is not all; this is not, by any means, the principle of self-abasement. It is, that man, under the light of the gospel, humble himself for his sins before his God-the God whom the gospel reveals; God in Christ reconciling the world unto himself. It is, that the Christian humble himself before the Father, and the Son, and the Holy Ghost, in whose name we are baptized. This is self-abasement, the work of the Spirit, whereby we know that he dwelleth in us and we in him.

You have heard a man glory in his strength, in the form of his body, in his wealth, in his talents, in his literature, in his power of drinking wine, in his artfulness and success in deception; you have heard many glorying in their shame. These were proud of their distinction, however obtained. You have heard men boast of their religious knowledge, of their religious delight, of their supposed attainments in piety, nay of their humility, while they, in accommodation to the prevailing modes of speech, ascribed their excellence to the grace of God. These, too, were proud of their distinction. Natural genius is a benefit, and it cometh from God. Literature is valuable, and it is obtained through his providence. Rank, and wealth, and power, have their advantages; and are owing to the same goodness. They are the gifts of heaven. It is lawful to esteem and to desire such benefits: and for the possession of them, it is our duty to be grateful to the Giver of all good. The evil of pride, does not lie in the esteem of great and good qualities; nor does humility consist in referring these qualities to their proper source. The sin of pride, is an undue self-complacency, on whatever account. Its exercises may be occasioned by any quality which is supposed to confer distinction; but the cause of such exercises, the principle of pride, lies in the corrupt nature of man. There was a man who appeared to take great complacency in speaking of God's distinguishing goodness, and greater still in setting forth his own actual goodness, by comparing himself with others; he gloried in his own pious exercises, as he supposed them to be, and he professed gratitude to God, as the one who made him to differ. This is the description of a high professor. It is the kind of character which passes with most respect, among those who acknowledge the importance of experimental religion without understanding the nature of true godliness. It is an imposing character, believing himself a saint and despising others. The Searcher of all hearts describes the man of self-complacency, in contrast with the man who practises self-abasement. Luke xviii. 10-14. "Two men went up into the temple to pray; the one a Pharisee, and the other a Publican. The Pharisee stood and prayed thus with himself, God, I thank thee, that I am not as other men are, extortioners, unjust, adulterers, or even as this Publican. I fast twice in the week, I give tithes of all that I posAnd the Publican, standing afar off, would not lift up so much as his eyes unto heaven, but smote upon his breast, saying, God be merciful to me a sinner."

sess.

The Pharisee was a high professor; a professor of a high degree of piety. 1. Exemplary in his attention to public ordinances, he went up to the temple. 2. He practised, as one personally interested in the true religion, he prayed within himself. 3. He was of a good moral character, chaste, just, conscientious, and punetual in all the forms of religion, and in the support of it by his worldly substance. 4. He was quite orthodox in his opinions, and no legalist in his own eye: He acknowledged that his goodness was from God, and accordingly, with great devotion, he gave God thanks, as the God of grace, by whom he was made to differ from other men He prayed, God, I thank thee that I am not as other men. What more would you have in a professor? What more than this is inculcated or expected by those ministers of religion who are themselves novices? What more than this, is necessary to give celebrity and eclat to what usually passes with superficial minds for the "work of God?" What fault would you find with the profession of the Pharisee? He gave God thanks for the holiness of which he boasted. Was he not then evangelical? No, brethren, he was not of an evangelical disposition. Behold, another standing afar off, with modest mien and downcast eye, so full of reverence and godly fear, that he thinks himself too unworthy to take pleasure in his own exercises. He smites upon his breast, sensible that it contains a deceitful heart. Listen to his prayer, "God be merciful to me a sinner." He is the man of an evangelical disposition. He, by the Spirit, practises selfabasement. Publican as he is, and of course despised by the high professor, "I tell you," said the Judge of the world, "this man went down to his house justified rather than the other: for he that humbleth himself shall be exalted."

The religion of the Pharisee was essentially defective, because he rested upon his personal attainments. It did not alter the case that he ascribed those attainments to supernatural influence.* The proud man will rarely deny, that the qualities for which he esteems himself, are derived, either immediately or ultimately, from the Creator of the world. The body, and the mind, and the wealth, and the talents of all men, are from the Lord; and, whether the gifts, on account of which we overrate our personal excellencies, be said to have come down from the God of nature or from the God of grace, the disposition of self-complacency in the sinner before his God is essentially the same. It is necessarily sinful. True religion causes man to rejoice only in the Lord, always in the Lord, and never in any exercise or disposition of his own faculties towards the Lord. The reason is obvious. Every exercise of the heart, yea, the whole disposition of the soul, whatever may be his attainments in this life, comes short of the perfection which the law of God demands. Those very affections, which are certain signs of a state of grace, are nevertheless so far from perfection, that we need mercy and pardon even on their account; and, consequently, they can never warrant the complacency which is opposed to self-abasement. O my soul, thou hast said unto the Lord, Thou art my Lord: my goodness extendeth not to thee. For all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God.t

2. Having now, brethren, described self-abasement, as that exercise of the regenerate heart, wherein, a man under a sense of his own personal nal unworthiness before the Lord, presents himself for mercy, I proceed to specify distinctly what is implied in this spiritual exercise.

It implies, first, conviction of sin: Father, I have sinned against heaven, and before thee, and am no more worthy to be called thy son-Then shall ye remember your own evil ways, and your doings that were not good, and shall loathe yourselves in your own sight for your iniquities.

* "The person who is apt to think that he is a very eminent saint, distinguished in Christian experience, is certainly mistaken: he is no eminent saint; but under the great prevailings of a self-righteous spirit. And if this be habitual with the man, he is no saint at all: he has not the least degree of any true Christian experience, so surely as the word of God is true."-Edwards on the Affections.

+ Psalm xvi. 2. Rom. iii. 23. § Ezek. xxxvi. 31.

+ Luke xv. 18. &c.

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It implies, in the second place, self-abhorence in the sight of God on account of our iniquity. Lord, now mine eye seeth thee; wherefore I abhor myself, and repent in dust and ashes. It implies, thirdly, a sentiment of dejection, as it regards all our own personal qualities and attainments, both of nature and of grace. This is described in Scripture, as being poor in spirit, lowly in mind, having a broken heart, humbleness of mind, &c. It implies, fourthly, fear of God's displeasure, and anxiety to escape his holy indignation. wretched man that I am! who shall deliver me from the body of this death? It implies, fifthly, approbation of that constitution of mercy, whereby all God's attributes are displayed. Out of the depths have I cried unto thee: if thou, Lord, shouldest mark iniquities, O Lord, who shall stand? But there is forgiveness with thee, that thou mayest be feared. For with the Lord there is mercy, and with him is plenteous redemption.‡ It implies, in the sixth place, an acceptance of the mercy offered to us by the Lord, and application plication for it by prayer unto him. The publican standing afar off, would not so much as lift up his eyes to heaven, but smote upon his breast, saying, God be merciful to me a sinner. And behold, a woman in the city which was a sinner, when she knew that Jesus sat at meat in the Pharisee's house, brought an alabaster box of ointment, and stood at his feet behind him weeping, and began to wash his feet with tears, and did wipe them with the hair of her head. Have mercy on me, O Lord, thou Son of David. Then Jesus answered and said unto her, O woman, great is thy faith; be it unto thee even as thou wilt.§

It is generally admitted by all, who have any idea of the necessity of conversion to God, that in the origin of vital religion, there is such a thing as conviction for sin. The language is indeed become technical, that such a one is under conviction, when it would be represented that he is becoming religious. I readily admit, that pungent conviction is necessary to piety even in an incipient state; but I am deeply concerned, lest self-abasement should, in theory, be limited to that state. I know that this cannot be the case in the practice or experience of true godliness. Many imagine that conversion consists, in a few fits of anguish, accompanied with visible effects, such as tears, and sobs, and trembling, followed speedily with gladness: hence the use of the terms, "he is under concern," " he has received comfort," as the certain descrip