because mankind are naturally divesu stand and misrepresent it. Mr. vine "that humility ought to be stret to say, he catalogue of Virtues, and placed on the rasenstad This must have been owing to ally Vices." norance, or extreme malignity. The most char supposition is, that he really mistook a mere selfish and painful sense of natural inferiority for true humility. This leads me to observe, that a man's humbling himself is something very different from his having a mistaken and reluctant sense of his own inferiority in respect to his fellow-mortals. Though men generally think too highly of themselves in regard to their inferiors, yet they as generally think too meanly of themselves in comparison with their superiors. The truth is, mankind are much more upon a level, in point of natural excellences and imperfections, than many are willing to acknowledge. The depressing sense, which some entertain of their natural inferiority, is greatly owing to their ignorance. But knowledge, and not ignorance is the mother of both humility and devotion. Those who know the most of God, of themselves, and of their fellow men, may be the most humble and devout persons in the world. There is a meanness and criminality in that voluntary humility, which the apostle mentions and condemns. Humility is likewise different from submission, which seems to resemble it. Submission is the respect, which an inferior justly owes to a superior. The child owes submission to the parent, the subject to the prince, and the creature to the great Creator. But inferiors manifest no humility in submitting to their superiors. They only take their proper place, with se howe thing ets der ading themselves in the least mility is something different from which is the part of a superior, and conping to an inferior. Thus the Creator may oll descend to a creature, the prince to a subject, the rich to the poor, and the aged to the young. But though condescension is stooping, yet it is by no means degrading. Real condescension always displays a noble and amiable spirit. I may now safely say, that humility essentially consists in self-abasement, which is self-degradation, or a voluntary sinking not only below others, but below ourselves. It is therefore, wholly founded in guilt. None but guilty creatures have any cause or reason for abasing themselves. But every guilty creature ought to abase himself, whether he is willing or unwilling to perform the mortifying duty. For sin is of a degrading nature, and always sinks the sinner below himself. Sin degraded Satan from the highest to the lowest creature in the universe. The moment he rebelled against his Maker, he lost his original rank in creation, and sunk below himself and all the holy angels. Sin degraded Adam, and his first offence sunk him below the lowest creature on earth. Sin has had the same effect upon all his posterity, and made them more vile and abominable than the beasts that perish. The higher and nobler any intelligent creatures are by nature, the lower and meaner they become by sin. Hence the humility, which sinners ought to exercise, consists altogether in self-abasement. They ought voluntarily to sink down to that place, which their sins deserve, or to be willing to lie as much below themselves and others, as their guilt can sink them. This is totally different from mere abasement. They may be abased, and abased as lives t is no humility in such constrained and s And now, if we look into Scripture, we shall find humility there represented as founded in guilt, and consisting in self-abasement. In the twenty sixth chapter of Leviticus, God said concerning Israel in case they should prove disobedient and forfeit his fa vour, "If then their uncircumcised hearts be humbled, and they accept the punishment of their iniquity: then will I remember my covenant with Jacob, and also my covenant with Isaac, and also my covenant Hoe howe oy thing et den th tio remember; and I will remember I 3 from this divine declaration, ccasioned by guilt, and consists in or the voluntary accepting of the pundue to sin. To such a spirit God always ngs sinners, when he renews their hearts and prepares them for mercy. The prophet speaking of a time of general reformation says, "The lofty looks of man shall be humbled, and the haughtiness of men shall be bowed down, and the Lord alone shall be exalted in that day." These representations of humility may be illustrated, by various examples recorded in the Old and New Testament, Jacob felt that humility, which consists in self-abasement, when he said unto God, "I am not worthy of the least of all the mercies, and of all the truth, which thou hast shewed unto thy servant." David exercised that humility, which consists in self-abasement, under a sense of what he had deserved at the hand of God for numbering the people. When he saw the angel of the Lord brandishing his sword over Jerusalem, he humbly said unto God, "Is it not I that commanded the people to be numbered? even I it is that have sinned; but as for these sheep what have they done? Let thine hand, I pray thee, O Lord my God, be on me, and on my father's house." This was real and deep humiliation for sin. It was voluntary sinking down as low as God should please to abase him. Job felt and expressed the same self-abasing spirit under the chastizing hand of God. In the depth of his complicated afflictions he said, "Naked came I out of my mother's womb, and naked shall I return thither. The Lord gave, and the Lord hath taken away: blessed be the name of the Lord." And when he was reproached for such self-abasement, he pertinently replied, "Shall we receivesu that his humiliation flowed from a sent |