instead of being puffed up, I should tremble at my situation. In truth, there is nothing either in the fortune, persons, or minds of the sons of men, that ought to make them proud. We need never be proud of riches; for, besides the disquieting nature of them, we can never be possessed of so vast a sum, but we may die beggars; nor of honour, for our gloiy may turn into disgrace, and our character into reproach; nor of offspring, for death, like a lion, waits only the permissive nod to devour every one of them; nor of strength, health, or beauty, for disease lies dormant in every part, ready to break out into the canker of corruption; nor of any faculty of the mind, seeing our brightest wisdom is but folly to God, yea, to angels; and sickness can deprive us of the boasted possession, and render us objects of pity unto all. I see, then, that pride springs from blindness and inconsideration; but how surprizing is this, that one who has his eyes open to the things of God should be guilty herein! Now, as spiritual things are more noble and more excellent than carnal things, so spiritual pride is more abominable than carnal: for the saint, of all men, should be most humble. Whence, then, these risings of heart? whence this self-conceit, and high opinion of myself? Is God good, and must I turn the grace of God into wantonness? Surely, if ever I have cause to fear the sincerity of my graces, it is when I grow proud of them. Grace is an humble thing; it thinks meanly of all but Christ; it keeps an eye ever open to its own failings; and though believingly bold, yet being conscious of its imperfection, it wears a blush before the throne. The reasons of my mental elevation are merely imaginary, but I have a thousand real causes of the profoundest humility. Where are all my carnal thoughts, even in my solemn devotion? Where are all my ambitious lustings, my unbelieving circumscribings of the power of God? my misimprovement of judgments and of mercies ? my attachment to the things of time, and stupidity about the things of eternity? my ignorance of God, and of things spiritual, heavenly, and divine? Yea, besides all these, the daily iniquity of my heels may always keep me humble. Pride may advance for its ill-supported plea, that one is useful in his day and generation, for the support of religion, and suppression of vice, and that he has exerted his brightest talents that way, perhaps suffered persecution, or been in danger of martyrdom. But say, my soul, if a king shall send a nobleman as his ambassador abroad, maintaining him according to his dignity, will he think himself obliged to that honourary servant? No; he will rather think him obliged to give his sovereign an account of the trust committed to him, and answerable at his peril if any thing is done against the honour of his crown. How, then, are the saints of God ignorant, that to whom God is pleased to give much, of them he will require the more? Surely the saint in a private capacity, who knows only Christ and him crucified, and is neither qualified for, nor called to public work, but lives a life of faith upon the unseen Son of God, is in a more happy state than many apprehend. For when the King Eternal comes from a far country, he will call for, and count with those to whom he entrusted talents; and though he is pleased with four from him who got but two, yet he will expect ten from him who re ceived five. This may be a balancing thought to the learned rabbies, with their shining talents; to the minister of justice, and minister of the gospel, in their secular and spiritual trusts, that they have their account to make, both as private Christians and as public persons. But, my soul, thy very situation (for thou art yet on enchanted ground) may keep thee humble. Though thou wert spotless as a seraph, yet that flood of iniquity that swells around thee may keep thee humble; but though thou wert in the midst of a paradise of innocence, yet there is such a world of wickedness within thee, as might banish every spark of pride for ever. And when these considerations fail, and pride again begins to appear, the very appearance may plunge thee into the profoundest abyss of humility and self-loathing, out of which thou shouldst never rise, till raised to the perfection of the sons of God. MEDITATION LXXXIV. HARMONY IN GOD'S PROCEDURE WITH THE CHURCH, BOTH OF THE OLD AND NEW TESTAMENT. Leghorn, March 31, 1759. WON ONDERFUL art thou, O Lord! and stupendous are thy ways. The harmony that prevails, and the glory that shines in all thy government, fill every pious soul with adoration and wonder. All thy subjects approve of whatever the King does, and are surprised and pleased at once. Let me cast together the first and last ages of the world, and compare his conduct with the church under the law, and under the gospel, and I shall find a beautiful correspondence and agreement in all his ways. When God would have a church to himself, he calls Abraham, and blesses him: so our Saviour, when he founded the New Testament church, called whom he chose, and blessed them with spiritual gifts and heavenly graces. When God made promise to Abraham, that Messiah should spring from his posterity, circumcision was instituted: and when the promised SEED came into the world, baptism was brought into its place. At one great occurrence, when Israel was delivered from tyrannical Egypt, the passover was appointed : and at another greater event, when Jesus, to deliver the true Israel from the bondage of sin, was to suffer, the supper was instituted. The Old Testament church had an Egypt to leave, a land of bitter bondage: and we have the kingdom of darkness to come out of, a land of cruel slavery.The church of old was composed of twelve tribes : the Christian church is founded on the twelve apostles of the Lamb. The one, though few at their beginning, grew into a great nation: the other, though small at their commencement, spread through many nations. By miracles that was delivered, fed, and defended by miracles the doctrines of this were disseminated and confirmed. That had a sea to pass through at its first escape: this had a flood of afflictions at its first appearance. The former was guided by the cloud and pillar of his presence: the latter by his word and Spirit. The one had to go through a vast and howling desert: the other, to struggle through a world of sin, vanity, and vexation. That tabernacled in the wilderness forty years, and lacked nothing this has a place given her in the wilderness, : where she is fed for many days. Manna was the badily or natural food of the first: the true manna is the spiritual food of the last. A refreshful river out of the rock followed them all the way: and to us, "that rock is Christ." To them the typical serpent was suspended on a pole, that whosoever was bitten by the fiery serpents might look and live and we have the glorious anti-type lifted up on the loftier pole of the gospel, that we may behold and be healed of all the wounds given by satan, the old serpent.→ They had their feasts and solemnities: we have ours. The Jews, after all their toils and pilgrimages, subdued the heathen nations: the first founders of Christianity, after all their trials and persecutions, subdued Paganism itself, and made idolatrous nations submit to the truths of the gospel. When the Jews were settled, and in a flourishing condition, Jeshurun waxed fat, and kicked, yea, did worse than the heathen that were around them: so, after the Christian church enjoyed rest and tranquillity, they turned to do worse than the unconverted nations around them. When Israel fell from the worship of the true God into idolatry, Babylon was the scourge that brought the church into captivity and bondage: so, when idolatry sprang up in the church of Christ, an apostatising Rome, bloody Babylon, that great city, which reigneth over the kings of the earth, became the cruel oppressor of the church of the faithful. And as the destruction of ancient Babylon preceded the church's delivery so the destruction of spiritual or mystical Babylon (for the time approaches when she shall be cast as a mill-stone into the sea, to arise no more) shall precede and promote the church's enlargement. As the Jewish deliverance was by a temporal Mes |