Need I invite and exhort man to bumility? Need I guard him against spiritual pride? One would think 'twere altogether useless to attempt it. Is it poffible, that the creature fhould think himself fo independent of his Creator, that he should be able to pay him more fervice than were due to him? Is it poffible, that man fhould fet fuch a rate upon his own righteoufnefs, as to think it capable of deferving the utmost rewards that an infinite God can bestow upon him? Is it poffible, in a word, that man, poor, frail, finful man; man, that can do nothing that is good, but by the affiftance of divine grace; man, depraved and corrupted in his nature, and but a very ill husband of grace; is it poffible, I fay, that man fhould be proud towards God, towards that glorious and incomprehenfible Being, who is the Creator and Lord, the Monarch and Patron, the God and Father of heaven and earth? But as abfurd as this is, univerfal experience teaches us, that humility, true humility is a hard leffon; and that very excellent perfons are not out of the danger of falling into vicious elations of mind. In order therefore to promote the one, and fecure us against the other, I will propose these two or three confiderations.

1. There never was mere man yet, that did not fall short of his duty.

2. Man is the creature of God, depends upon him, and has received all from him; and therefore let him do the utmoft he can, he does no more than his duty.

3. God ftands in no need of our service; and 'tis our own, not his interest we promote by it.

1. There never was mere man yet, &c. For proof of this, I will not fly to original corruption, or fins of infirmity. Alas! I need not. The apoftle, Rom. i. and ii. and iii. ch. lays the foundation of juftification by faith, in the univerfal defection and depravation of mankind. They are altoge ther gone out of the way, there is none that doth good, no not one. And what fins he there charges the world with, the catalogue he gives us of them will inform us. But are we no better than they? I answer, the light of the gofpel, and the preventing grace of God has undoubtedly given a great check to the progrefs of fin in the world but fince no man can be juftified, but through faith in the blood of Jefus, 'tis plain that we too muft be concluded under fin. And tho' our fins may not in the number or fcandal equal theirs; yet

we

we ought to remember too, that every fin is the more provoking, the more voluntary it is; and the greater the grace is which it refifts and defpifes. But what need I compare our felves with the Jew or Gentile? What need I prove by argument and authority, that no man ever yet lived, or will live, without fin? I mean mortal fin. Who ever yet looked back diligently into his paft life, and did not meet with ftains and deformities enough? When I confider what legions of fins are ranged under those two banners of the devil, the filthiness of the flesh, and of the fpirit; when I call to mind envy, difcontent, murmuring, diftruft, pride, covetoufness, ambition, wilfulness, contention, frowardness, paffion, diffimulation, falfhood, flattery, and a thousand other fins; and when I reflect upon the weaknesses and propenfions of nature, and the almost innumerable temptations to which we are expofed, I must confefs I am not at all furprised to think, that no flesh can be justified in the fight of God by a covenant of works: and when ever I find any upon a death-bed, as I do fome, acquitting themselves from the guilt of any deliberate wickedness, I rather admire their ignorance and partiality, than their innocence. And yet, after all, a good man is not to examine himfelf only concerning Ff2

the