cases, unreasonably exalting the heads of their own party, and taking great pains to vilify and disparage those whom they did not choose to follow. This grieved the soul of our apostle. He knew that truth was in danger of being lost in the contention, that they would all be hurt by it, and that it would bring great scandal upon the Christian name and profession; and therefore, with tender concern for his dear converts, and becoming zeal for the purity of the Gospel, he writes, this epistle to them to remedy those disorders, and exerts all his authority to put a stop to the growing evil. The aspersions which were thrown upon him, he did not regard on his own account; but as he knew that the doctrine he had delivered was likely to stand or fall by the good or bad opinion they entertained of him, he found it necessary, in order to preserve them from error, and prevent their being led away by his opposers, to stand up in his own vindication. "Let a man," says he, 66 so account of us, as of the ministers of Christ, and stewards of the mysteries of God." He could not be deceived in his call to the ministry; he had received his commission and instructions immediately from the Lord Jesus Christ; and, appealing to his conscience for his fidelity to him, he could say, in the words of the text, "I know nothing by myself." But lest the Corinthians should take occasion from hence to suppose that he gloried in himself, and was confident of his perfection in the sight of God, he would not suffer them to continue under this mistake for a moment, but immediately corrects it by saying, "yet am I not hereby justified, but he that judgeth me is the Lord." In one part of this declaration we have the duty, in the other the faith of a Christian. And these I shall make the two heads of my discourse; beseeching God to assist me in it, and open what is said to your hearts.

I. Every Christian should know in his own conscience, that he faithfully and sincerely purposes to be guided by the rule of God's commandments, so as neither to live in the neglect of any known duty, or in the commission of any wilful sin.

II. This knowledge of our sincerity is not a sufficient ground of our justification, or to be depended on as what will entitle us to the divine favour at the day of judgment.

I. It should be our aim, sincere desire, and constant endeavour to have such a conscience, as that we may say with the apostle, "I know nothing by myself." It is true, all are ready enough to say this from the good opinion they have of themselves in the darkness of a natural state, having never seen either what sin is, or what a strength and being it has in them: but if ever we say it upon good grounds, we must first know ourselves better, and how vainly we pretend to this character, if we never were laid low in our own eyes, and, in the want of it, cried to God for mercy. It is the glory and great design of Scripture to cure us of this blindness, to discover us to ourselves, to bring us in repentance and humility to God for the remission of our sins by Jesus Christ, and to convince us of the necessity of becoming new creatures, in the sincerity of a pure obedience, by the power of the Holy Ghost. the first in the order of our

And the first of these is conversion. The Spirit and then brings us to

opens our eyes to see our sin, Christ for healing in his blood and all his benefits. Every man is hidden from himself, stands before God in the confidence of a falsehood, and is incapable of mercy, let him be what he will in the eye of the world or his own opinion, so long as he denies or excuses his sin.

Do you know nothing by yourself? Do you live in no known sin? Are you watching, striving, and pray

ing against all sin in the fear of God? Do you set the commandments before you, to guide you into all duty, and be the law of your inward parts? Have you always done this? And if not, can you remember the time when you were made sensible of the danger of your condition, and took up a resolution of turning to God in repentance? I may say of some, I fear many, who hear me, it has been your way, ever since you could discern between good and evil, to put the law of God from you, and harden yourself in a course of impenitence, by flying to vain excuses-as that God is merciful that the flesh is weak-that none live without sin- that you hope and intend to grow better some time or other, you know not when ; or if you are not one of those fools that make a mock at sin, and go on desperately in an evil way; if you generally refrain from scandalous vices, and have a decent life to plead for yourself, yet you will not be persuaded of the necessity of making deep search into your conscience, of laying the rule of God's word to your heart, and looking for sin in yourself where he does. You will not be convinced of the great and general corruption which cleaves to our nature; and if you never had the grace given you to see and lament it, and bring it before God in repentance, he has damning sin to lay to your charge for your numberless transgressions in thought, word, and deed.

The example of St. Paul himself will help you to understand what I am saying. Before his conversion he was circumspect in his behaviour, made a conscience of his obedience according to the strict sect of the Pharisees, and was so persuaded of the value and merit of his righteousness, that he persecuted the Christians to death for calling it in question, for declaring boldly to all the world, that, in God's sight, no man living could

be justified, and for preaching Jesus Christ as the only Saviour of sinners. You know how he was stopped in his mad career with a high hand, and plucked as a brand out of the fire. And when the scales fell from his eyes, and the light of heaven shined into his soul, what did he then say? Not, as he does in the text, when the faith of Christ had changed him into another man, "I know nothing by myself;" but, "when the commandment came, sin revived, and I died." When the law was laid open to him in its whole length and breadth, not only as putting a restraint upon his outward actions, but as reaching the heart and all its motions, he found he had taken a false measure of himself by it; sin was chargeable upon him, and strong in him, and he saw clearly that death was its desert.

See, therefore, how we may, and certainly do, deceive ourselves, till we are thoroughly searched by the law. If we have something of a decent appearance, and generally avoid gross sins, we shall be extravagantly puffed up with it, when all the while we are vile and abominable in the sight of God, and utter strangers to the truth and purity of an universal, inward obedience. Would you then be able to say as he did, and could say truly in his new state under Christ, you must take the same method. You must give up the pride and deceitfulness of your hearts. You must no longer stand with God upon a little difference of behaviour, natural good temper, or civility of manners, which you may have more than some others. You must first know what sin is, and that the guilt of it is upon you. And when, by faith, you "behold the Lamb of God which taketh away the sin of the world," and fly to Christ as your only refuge from condemnation, you will then be in God's way of forsaking all sin, keep the mark here set before

you continually in your eye, and have an earnest desire to say, "I know nothing by myself."

This every disciple of our Lord must wish and endeavour to say; for we are not to look upon it as the peculiar attainment only of an apostle, or too high a matter for ordinary Christians. It is true, that, among the faithful followers of Christ, there may be, and are, different degrees of holiness, according to men's different capacities and opportunities, and for reasons best known to God; but if there is not a sincere purpose of heart, with suitable endeavour to do the whole will of God, there is no holiness at all. If there is a reserve for a darling lust, any such halting with Christ as to say, with respect to any allowed sin, "The Lord pardon me in this thing," there is no obedience in the case, even though it could be supposed in all other points to be perfect and entire. So you would think and judge yourselves of a child or servant, who was bent upon having his own will, in opposition to his known duty and your just commands, in any one instance. Consider, I beseech you, what would the state of mankind be, if every one was at liberty to have his beloved vice with supposed allowance from God? At this rate every commandment might be broken; every sin would be carried to its utmost height; every man would choose for himself, and plead an exemption for the foulest crimes, fraud and injustice, lewdness and intemperance, robbery, and even murder. You see, at once, there would be no living in such a world as this.

Again; what is the state of a soul under this persuasion, that the law of God may be altered or dispensed with, but that of rebellion and contempt of his authority? Where is its duty and submission? What is its integrity and love of holiness, if it can entertain a desire, or be