that prays extempore, on that account; and let not him that prays extempore, defpife him who ufes a form.

"The Pharifee ftood, and prayed thus by himself." Which may fignify alfo praying inwardly in his heart; for there is a way (and that an excellent one too) of praying when we cannot speak; thus Anna prayed, when she spoke not aloud, only her lips moved. Thus GOD fays to Mofes, "Why crieft thou?” when, it is plain, he did not speak a word. This is what the apostle means by the " fpirit making interceffion (for believers) with greanings which cannot be uttered." For there are times when the foul is too big to fpeak; when God fills it as it were, and overfhadows it with his prefence, fo that it can only fall down, worfhip, adore, and lye in the dust before the LORD. Again, there is a time when the foul is benumbed, barren and dry, and the believer has not a word to fay to his heavenly Father; and then the heart only can fpeak. And I mention this for the encouragement of weak chriftians, who think they never are accepted but when they have a flow of words, and fancy they do not please GOD at the bottom, for no other reason but because they do not please themfelves. Such would do well to confider, that God knows the language of the heart, and the mind of the fpirit; and that we make use of words, not to inform GOD, but to affect our felves. Whenever therefore any of you find yourselves in fuch a frame, be not difcouraged offer yourselves up in filence before GOD, as clay in the hands of the potter, for him to write and stamp his own divine image upon your fouls. But I believe the Pharifee knew nothing of this way of prayer: he was felf-righteous, a ftranger to the divine life; and therefore either of the former explanations may be beft put upon these words.

"He ftood, and prayed thus with himfelf; Gop, I thank thee that I am not as other men are, extortioner, unjust, adulterer, or even as this Publican." Here is fome appearance of devotion, but it is only in appearance. To thank God that we are not extortioners, unjuft, adulterers, and as wicked in our practices as other men are, is certainly meet, right, and our bounden duty: for whatever degrees of goodness there may be in us, more than in others, it is owing to God's restraining, preventing, and affifting grace. We are all equally conceived and born in fin; all are fallen fhort of the glory of God, and

liable to all the curfes and maledictions of the law; fo that " he who glorieth, muft glory only in the LORD." For none of us have any thing which we did not receive; and whatever we have received, we did not in the least merit it, nor could we lay the leaft claim to it on any account whatever we are wholly indebted to free grace for all. Had the Pharifee thought thus, when he faid, "GOD, I thank thee that I am not as other men are," it would have been an excellent introduction to his prayer: but he was a free-willer, as well as felf-righteous' (for he that is one must be the other) and thought by his own power and ftrength, he had kept himself from thefe vices. And yet I do not fee what reafon he had to truft in himself that he was righteous, merely because he was not an extortioner, unjuft, adulterer; for all this while he might be, as he certainly was (as is alfo every felf-righteous perfon) as proud as the devil. But he not only boasts, but lies before GOD (as all' felf-jufticiaries will be found liars here or hereafter.) He thanks GOD that he was not unjust: but is it not an act of the highest injuftice to rob GoD of his prerogative? is it not an act of injustice to judge our neighbour? and yet of both these crimes this felf-righteous vaunter is guilty. Even as this Publican!" He feems to fpeak with the utmost difdain; this Publican! Perhaps he pointed at the poor man, that others might treat him with the like contempt. Thou proud, confident boaster, what hadst thou to do with that poor Publican? fuppofing other Publicans were unjust, and extortioners, did it therefore follow that he must be fo? or, if he had been fuch a finner, how knoweft thou but he has repented of those fins? His coming up to the temple to pray, is one good fign of a reformation at leaft. Thou art therefore inexcufable, O Pharifee, who thus judgeft the Publican: for thou that judgest him to be unjust, art, in the very act of judging, unjust thyfelf: thy facrifice is only the facrifice of a fool,

We have feen what the Pharifee's negative goodness comes to; I think, nothing at all. Let us fee how far his positive goodness extends; for, if we are truly religious, we fhall not only eschew evil, but also do good: "I faft twice in the week, I give tithes of all that I poffefs."

The Pharifee is not here condemned for his fafting, for fafting is a chriftian duty; "when you faft," fays our LORD,

thereby

thereby taking it for granted that his difciples would faft. And "when the bridegroom fhall be taken away, then fhall they faft in those days." "In fafting often," says the apostle. And all that would not be cast-aways, will take care, as their privilege, without legal conftraint, to "keep their bodies under, and bring them into fubjection." The Pharifee is only condemned for making a righteousness of his fafting, and thinking that GOD would accept him, or that he was any better than his neighbours, merely on account of his fasting: this is what he was blamed for. The Pharifee was not to be difcommended for fafting twice in a week; I wifh fome christians would imitate him more in this: but to depend on fasting in the least, for his juftification in the fight of GOD, was really abominable. "I give tithes of all that I poffefs." He might as well have said, I pay tithes. But felf-righteous people (whatever they may fay to the contrary) think they give fomething to GOD. "I give tithes of all that I poffefs:" I make confcience of giving tithes, not only of all that the law requires, but of my mint, annise, and cummin, of all things whatsoever I poffefs; this was well; but to boast of such things, or of fafting, is pharifaical and devilish. Now then let us fum up all the righteousness of this boafting Pharifee, and fee what little reafon he had to trust in himself, that he was righteous, or to defpife others. He is not unjust (but we have only his bare word for that, I think I have proved the contrary;) he is no adulterer, no extortioner; he fafts twice in the week, and gives tithes of all that he poffeffes; and all this he might do, and a great deal more, and yet be a child of the devil: for here is no mention made of his loving the LORD his GOD with all his heart, which was the "first and great commandment of the law;" here is not a fingle fyllable of inward religion; and he was not a true Jew, who was only one outwardly. It is only an outside piety at the beft; inwardly he is full of pride, felf-juftification, free-will and great uncharitableness.

Were not the Pharifees, do you think, highly offended at this character? for they might eafily know it was spoken against them. And though, perhaps, fome of you may be offended at me, yet, out of love, I must tell you, I fear this parable is fpoken against many of you: for are there not many

of

of you, who go up to the temple to pray, with no better fpirit than this Pharifee did? And because you faft, it may be in the Lent, or every Friday, and because you do no body any harm, receive the facrament, pay tithes, and give an alms now and then; you think that you are safe, and truft in yourselves that you are righteous, and inwardly despise those, who do not come up to you in these outward duties? this, I am perfuaded, is the case of many of you, though, alas! it is a defperate one, as I fhall endeavour to fhew at the close of this discourse.

Let us now take a view of the Publican, ver. 13. “And the Publican standing afar off, would not lift up fo much as his eyes. unto heaven, but smote upon his breaft, faying, GOD be merciful to me a finner."

"The Publican standing afar off:" Perhaps in the outward court of the temple, confcious to himself that he was not wor thy to approach the Holy of holies; so conscious and so weighed down with a sense of his own unworthinefs, that he would not so much as lift up his eyes unto heaven, which he knew was GOD's throne. Poor heart! what did he feel at this time! none but returning Publicans, like himself, can tell. Methinks I see him standing afar off, penfive, oppreffed, and even overwhelmed with forrow; fometimes he attempts to look up; but then, thinks he, the heavens are unclean in God's fight, and the very angels are charged with folly; how then shall fuch a wretch as I dare to lift up my guilty head! And to fhew that his heart was full of holy felf-refentment, and that he forrowed after a godly fort, he fmote upon his breaft; the word in the original implies, that he ftruck hard upon his breaft: he will lay the blame upon none but his own wicked heart. He will not, like unhumbled Adam, tacitly lay the fault of his vileness upon GOD, and fay, The paffions which thou gavest me, they deceived me, and I finned: he is too penitent thus to reproach his Maker; he fmites upon his breast, his treacherous, ungrateful, desperately wicked breast; a breast now ready to burst: and at length, out of the abundance of his heart, I doubt not, with many tears, he at last cries out, "GOD be merciful to me a finner." Not, God be merciful to yonder proud Pharifee: he found enough in him, felf to vent his refentment againft, without looking abroad upon others. Not, Gob be merciful to me a faint; for he

knew

knew all his righteoufneffes were but filthy rags." Not, GOD be merciful to fuch or such a one; but, GOD be merciful to me, even to me a finner, a finner by birth, a finner in thought, word, and deed; a finner as to my perfon, a finner as to all my performances; a finner in whom is no health, in whom dwelleth no good thing; a finner, poor, miferable, blind and naked, from the crown of the head to the fole of the feet, full of wounds, and bruises, and putrifying fores; a selfaccused, felf-condemned finner. What think you? would this Publican have been offended if any minifter had told him that he deferved to be damned? would he have been angry, if any one had told him, that by nature he was half a devil and half a beaft? No: he would have confessed a thousand hells to have been his due, and that he was an earthly, devilifh finner. He felt now what a dreadful thing it was to depart from the living GOD: he felt that he was inexcufable every way; that he could in nowife, upon account of any thing in himself, be juftified in the fight of GOD; and therefore lays himself at the feet of fovereign mercy, "GoD be merciful to me a finner." Here is no confidence in the flesh, no plea fetched from fafting, paying tithes, or the performance of any other duty; here is no boasting that he was not an extortioner, unjust, or an adulterer. Perhaps he had been guilty of all these crimes, at leaft he knew he would have been guilty of all these, had he been left to follow the devices and defires of his own heart; and therefore, with a broken and contrite fpirit, he cries out, "GOD be merciful to me a finner."

This man came up to the temple to pray, and he prayed indeed. And a broken and contrite heart GOD will not defpife. I tell you," fays our LORD, I who lay in the bosom of the Father from all eternity; I who am GOD, and therefore know all things; I who can neither deceive, nor be deceived, whofe judgment is according to right; I tell you, whatever you may think of it, or think of me for telling you fo," this man," this Publican, this defpifed, finful, but broken-hearted man, "went down to his houfe juftified (acquit ted, and looked upon as righteous in the fight of GOD) rather than the other."

Let Pharifees take heed that they do not pervert this text: for when it is faid, "This man went down to his houfe juf