3. Humility does not confift in making a wrong judgment of ourselves or others, or in thinking lefs or worfe of ourselves than we deferve; but in making a right and juft judgment of ourfelves and others on comparifon; and if we do fo, we fhall have little reafon for pride, arrogance. or felf-conceit. Nor,

4. Does humility confift (as many have fuppofed) in mean clothes, dejected looks, and a complaifant cringing behavior to our fellow creatures: All thefe may confift with the most insufferable pride and ambition, and are often only cloaks to conceal it. Yet the world makes humility to confift wholly in these things, and will not allow aman to have any pride, who is negligent or flovenly in hisdrefs,or affable in converfation.

5. The humble foul fees that he is nothing before GOD, or in comparison with him; that he is but a creature of a day, fprung from the duft, whose breath is in his noftrils, wholly depending on GOD for his foul, its faculties, his body and its fen fes; forevery moment of his existence, every fupport and comfort of the prefent life, and every hope of future life; and therefore, he walks exceeding humbly with his GOD.

6. The humble foul fees that it is not only a dependent creature, but a sinful, guilty, helpless, perishing, lost, miserable creature, who has deftroyed itself; who deserves hell, and no kind of mercy or favor

from GOD at all: Therefore, he is contented in all states without murmuring; bears afflictions with patience; is thankful for every, even the fmalleft favor; rejoices in the glad tidings of a Saviour and falvation; gladly difclaims and renounces his own righteousness and merit, and joyfully embraces and pleads the righteousness and merit of Chrift; comes to GOD poor and empty, wretched and miserable, humble and penitent, and falls down before the throne of his mercy, willing to accept the free falvation with the utmoft gratitude, on GOD's own terms; on any terms.

7. The humble foul, knowing its own natural weaknefs, blindriefs, ignorance and fallibility; how prone it is to errors, mif takes and prejudices; readily renounces and difclaims its own weak, corrupt, fallible judgment in religious matters; fubmits its reafon and understanding wholly to the dictates of GOD's word and the guidance of bis Spirit, and is willing humbly and glad ly to learn from GOD and his blessed Son, the truths and duties of religion. He is not wife in his own conceit, or wife above: what is written, but wholly fubmits his understanding to revealed truth.

8. The humble foul thinks meanly of its own knowledge and goodnefs, compared with that of other men of nobler powers, and higher attainments and advantages; efteeming others betterothans himself, and

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in honor preferring them. He is fo far from envying fuch, that he honors and respects them as better and more useful than himfelf; thanks GOD for his grace in them and his gifts to them is ready to learn from and imitate them; fpeaks honorably and refpectfully of them to others, and thereby endeavors to promote their useful nefs in the world: Nay, he is not angry or offended, nor is his pride piqued, if they are honored more than him, and at his own expence. To bear this patiently, fhews true humblenefs of mind.

9. The humble foul, fenfible, that all its knowledge and goodness is borrowed and derived; is the fruit of God's gifts and grace, and of the opportunities and advan tages which he has conferred upon it; and how very limited and imperfect its knowledge is at the beft; how very little it knows of what may be known, and how imperfect its knowledge is of the things which it knows, how many degrees of grace and goodnefs there are between it and the perfection of holinefs of which our nature is capable: The humble foul, I fay, knowing and being convinced of all this, can never despise those who have lefs knowledge and goodness than himfelf; because, he hath nothing which he hath not received, and it is GOD who hath made him to differ, and he is still but a poor, imperfect creature, full of ignorance and corruption. This there.

fore keeps him from spiritual pride; from self-righteousness and self-conceit; from being puffed up, and from glorying in a state which is fo very far fhort of perfection. He is humble,and pities the infirmities ofothers. 10. Pride was the firft fin of men and angels, and is ftill the predominant vice of finners, and the laft fin which is totally fubdued and rooted out of the human heart by renewing grace.

11. Pride towards GOD, fhews itself by the following fymptoms. Men who will believe their own vaimimaginations, fooner than GOD's word; who fet up their darkned reafon, above the word of GOD, and their own corrupt wills, above the will and law of GOD; who oppofe GOD, and murmur against him, and will not accept of his Son and his righteoufnefs, but believe they have righteoufnefs and merit enough for their juftification, are exceffively proud: And this is the moft hellifh and provoking of all pride; yet, it is the pride of every unconverted: finner."

12. Pride towards men, fhews itself in undervaluing and defpifing others, and preferring ourselves before them; in contradicting and oppofing others upon all occafions; in looking down upon others as beneath our notice, and undervaluing all their good qualities and accomplishments; in fpeaking much of ourfelves, praifing ourfelves, and boafting and glorying in our actions and difpofitions.

13. Gaiety and fondness of drefs, is a kind of childish, womanish vanity, which hardly deferves the name of pride. It is a kind of childith folly which deferves to be laughed at, and which no finner of good common fense was ever guilty of. What? Proud of that which covers our nakedness and fhame! -14. The devil affords the highest example of pride; and the bleffed Jefus of humility. 15. Pride is the most shameful and ab. surd vice of a man; and humility the most amiable and ornamental virtue ofa chriftian.

1.

ESSAY XXXIV.

SOBRIETY, and the contrary VICES. SOBRI OBRIETY is a very extensive virtue, which is not only oppofed to drunkenness and intemperance (as it is commonly understood); but to all levity of mind and irregularity of the passions, appetites and affections.Indeed, to be sober, is to perform the third part of our chriftian duty. We must deny all ungodlinefs and every worldly luft, and live godly, righteously, and foberly in this world."*

2. There is an intoxication or drunkennefs of the mind, as well as of the body; nd the scripture, or gospel sobriety is par 'cularly, if not chiefly oppofed to this vice. Al temperate and abftemious men, are not #Psal. xxxviii. 6. Matth. v. 4.-xviii. 4. Ifa. lvii. 15. Luke xviii. 9,13. Pet. vis. James iv. 6. *Tit. ii. 12.