one eye, we look at our own deformed picture, and with the other at the infinite perfection of beauty that is in Christ! we cannot but abhor ourselves. Never any man saw Christ's beauty, but he looked upon himself as a monster, and sank into nothing in his own conceit. O then, sirs, seek a sight of the glory of Christ.

The third antidote against self-conceit, is, " To com66 pare ourselves with those that are before us, and not "behind us." A blockhead is but a blockhead still, though he hath more learning still than a ploughman : though, perhaps, comparing himself with a clown, he thinks himself to be a learned man; but compare him with a learned man, and then, notwithstanding his high opinion of himself, he will appear but half an idiot. So it is here; the civil honest man when he compares himself with the swinish drunkard, the foul adulterer, the prodigious swearer, he begins, in a manner, poor man, to saint himself, as if he was the only man that should be saved. And thus the proud conceited Pharisee raises himself on his tip-toes, by comparing himself with the Publican; "God, I thank thee, that I am not as other men; nor as this Publican:" so saith the civil man; I am not such a drunkard, such a swearer, as such a man is; and so, because they are not so bad as others that are worse, hence they conceive themselves to be wonderfully good. But now, the way to measure yourselves, is, not to look backward, but to look forward: not to consider how much you are behind drunkards and swearers; but to look forward, and see how far short you are of them who are truly zealous and religious, truly godly and gracious. Compare yourselves with them; have you that measure of knowledge, faith, experience, mortification, zeal, and obedience, which they have? Are you as conscientious in secret devotion, and other parts of religion? Alas! how far short do you come of them! and yet the best of them are far short of what they should be: and if you be short of them, who are but short-comers themselves; how far short do you come! What grounds have you to think well of yourselves, who are beyond a drunkard, when, in the mean time, you are far short of a good Christian? Therefore, to keep down this spiritual

pride, look not at publicans, but gracious persons. And if you find yourselves like to swell with this conceit, "I am not as this publican;" then, on the other hand, humble yourselves with this meditation, I am not as

this gracious person."

But some will think, that even gracious persons have their blemishes; and so they compare themselves, and their sins, with the gross sins of Lot, Noah, David, Peter, and other godly men; and so still they conceive a good opinion of themselves, and think all is well. But you would consider, that the falls of the godly did serve for their own humility, and for our warning. God knoweth how to chastise his own who offend, giving repentance unto life and salvation: but he will justly condemin those who wittingly stumble at their falls, and wilfully ly in their sins, being fallen. We are not to follow the best of men in all their actions. As the cloud that guided the Israelites, had two sides, the one bright and shining, the other black and dark; such is the cloud of the examples of godly men: those that will be directed by the light side thereof, shall, with the children of Israel, pass safely toward the heavenly Canaan: but those that will follow the dark side of it, shall perish, with the Egyptians, in the Red-sea of destruction.

The fourth antidote against self-conceit, is, "To think "upon that exact and strict judgment and estimate, that "must be taken of you at the great day of judgment." Then must you be judged, not by what you judge yourselves to be, but by what you are indeed. Meditate with yourselves; "Now, I am pure in mine own eyes; I "think I may be content with the purity I have but "am I now, and will I then be pure in God's sight, whose

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eyes are as a flame of fire, to penetrate through and try "all the most retired wickedness, and hidden dross and "corruption which lies in my heart and nature, thoughts "and affections, as well as in my life and actions ?" Will you be able to stand that exquisite trial of the impartial Judge? No, by no means. The faith and meditation of this would mortify the elevated conceit you have of yourselves. Remember you must come to judgment. In a word, if you would not die of this disease, then.

trust not your own judgment in your own case. He that would be wise, in the scripture-sense, must becomea fool, that he may be wise, 1 Cor. iii. 18. He must deny himself, and not lean to his own understanding, Prov. iii. 5. There is pride of understanding that takes place, both in humbled sinners, who dare not come to Christ; and in hardened sinners, who will not come to Christ.

There is a pride of understanding, I say, and a pride of wisdom that takes place in humbled sinners, who dare not come to Christ? Why do they not come to Christ? Truly they judge themselves so vile, that they think they should not come: what pride is here? O! if I was pure, then I would come! What is the language of this? If I were pure and holy, then, you think, Christ would love me. Indeed, it were well, poor humbled soul, if there be any such here; it were well if you were pure and holy; but to imagine that he will not save you, because you have no goodness, or worth in you, to induce him to love you, is an evidence of the greatest pride: is it not pride, that you would be at something in yourself, for which Christ should cast his love upon you? But know, that Christ will save you, not because you are good; but that he may make you good: not because · you are pure: but that he may make you pure. And therefore, if the sense of your impurity keep you back from coming to him, it is but stinking pride. Though, perhaps, you did not think it was pride; yet it is so: for though you be vile in your own eyes; yet, the thing you would be at, in this matter, is, you would be pure in your own eyes; and then you think you would be pure in his eyes too. Come to Christ, though you have nothing of your own to bring with you to him; for, you must come to him empty, and stript of all your own proper good; that you may get all in him, and from him.

Again, There is a pride of understanding and opinion, that takes place in hardened sinners, who will not come to Christ. They trust their own judgment in their own case: they are both judge and party; and their judgment is not according to truth: for they judge themselves not to be so bad as they are. Yea, they are pure in their own eyes; and therefore they will not come to

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Christ, to be purified, justified, or sanctified; and so, no wonder that they are not washed from their filthiness. Therefore, I say, do not trust your own judgment, in your own case. Let the word of God judge you: and judge yourselves, not by your own understanding, but by that word of God that will judge you at the last day.-Examine yourselves by the word; self-examination would bring down your self-conceit. And pray that God would search and try you, saying, with the psalmist, Psalm cxxxix. 23, 24. "Search me, O God, and know my heart; try me, and know my reins and see if there be any wicked way in me, and lead me in the way everlasting."

SERMON XVII.

NON-CONFORMITY to the World Enjoined; or, the Evil and Danger of SYMBOLIZING with the Wicked, opened.*

ROM. xii. 2.-Be not conformed to this world.

Ir is the character of the children of God, that they have received not the spirit of the world, but the spirit which is of God, I Cor. ii. 12. They are not of the world, even as Christ is not of the world. But it is the character of the wicked, that they are the men of the world who have their portion in this life, Psal. xvii. 14. Conformity to Christ is the great mark and character of saints; "Whom he did foreknow, them he did predestinate to be conformed to the image of his Son," Rom. viii. 20. But conformity to the world is the great characteristic of atheists and wicked persons; and therefore the apostle here dissuades all the children of God from such conformity; "Be not conformed to this world." The apostle having at large treated the fundamental

* This Sermon was preached by our Author, in his own church at Dunfermline, in the year 1723. And from the beginning of the Sermon itself, as well as from the place it has in the note-book, we learn, that it was delivered immediately after these on Prov. xxx. 12.

doctrines of Christianity, in the preceding chapters, he comes now in this to press home, upon the conscience, the principal duties thereof. True religion is not only designed to inform the judgment; but also to transform the heart, and reform the life. But the foundation of Christian practice must be laid in Christian knowledge: and hence the apostle, having discoursed at large, of justification by faith, through the imputed righteousness of Christ, and of the riches of free grace, carnal wisdom might be apt to infer, Therefore we may live as we list, and walk in the way of our own heart: No, that doth not follow; the faith that justifies is a faith that worketh by love; having understanding how to receive Christ Jesus the Lord, we come to understand how to walk in him. Hence this chapter is joined to the foregoing discourse by the word therefore; "I beseech you, THEREFORE, brethren:" intimating, that the practical application of doctrinal truths is the life of preaching.

The first verse of the chapter is a general direction ; and that urged with the strongest motives and arguments and in the most affectionate and pathetic manner: "I beseech you, brethren, by the mercies of God, that ye present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable to God, which is your reasonable service." It might be useful to offer some explication hereof; but it is not what I propose at the time; and therefore I go forward.

The apostle proceeds to give more particular directions and that which the text bears is set down both negatively and positively. The positive direction is last set down, though first in the order of nature and operation, before the former; "Be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, that ye may prove [or understand] what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect will of God." Concerning this renovation of mind, I propose not at present to treat; especially as it is much the same, in other words with that holiness and purity, or being washed from our filthiness, which I insisted so much upon from the last text of scripture we prosecuted in your hearing. Now the negative direction is, "Be not

*Alluding to the preceding Sermons, from Prov. xxx, 12.