modest ejaculation as so many words of course, such as hardened sinners might at times be willing to throw out; for then our Lord would not have said what he has said in his favour: neither, on the other hand, do I see reason sufficient in the text to persuade us, that the Publican had yet changed his sinful course of life; for what great matter were it to say, that a reformed Publican is a better man than an unreformed Pharisee, a proud, censorious Pharisee? But the truth of the case, and the true purport of the parable, appears to be, (as I have before hinted,) that an humble Publican, disposed towards repentance, is, with all his vices, more acceptable to God, than a proud, censorious Pharisee, with all his strictness, sobriety, and regularity. And the reason of the preference here given resolves into this; that the one was penitent in part, or in some degree, and was in a fair way to a thorough change of heart and life; while the other remained altogether impenitent; so far from correcting or amending his life, that he had not so much as a sense of his being a sinner, or of his needing any repentance.

God has such regard to humility of spirit, even in persons otherwise vicious, that he looks the more favourably upon them on that score; which appeared in the case of King Ahab. "Seest thou" (said God to Elijah the prophet) "how Ahab humbleth himself before me? because "he humbleth himself before me, I will not bring the "evil in his days," &c. Ahab's humiliation was real and sincere, for the time; but it amounted not to a full and perfect repentance. He continued a very bad man in many respects, notwithstanding such his sincere humiliation for the time being: yet, because he did not behave proudly, as some before him had done, after divine sentence passed upon him, but humbled himself before God and the world; therefore God remitted part of the punishment otherwise due unto him. Such regard was had to humility in that instance, shewing itself only in some transient acts, which were far short of a full and perfect repentance.

c 1 Kings xxi. 29.

These things considered, we may from thence learn to judge the more favourably of some kind of persons, whom we may sometimes see led away by the vehemence and impetuosity of their vices or passions; but condemning themselves all the time, and humbly suing to God for mercy and pardon. For though God will not pardon them till they change their sinful course of life, and thoroughly amend their ways; yet their present humiliation and self-abasement is a promising symptom, which may have its use, and will not want its reward. God will, on that account, be the more inclined to give them grace to perfect their repentance. It is a Scripture maxim, laid down in the Psalms, repeated in the Proverbs, inculcated also by St. James, and again by St. Peters, that "God resisteth the proud, but giveth grace to the hum"ble." An humble sinner is in a way to forsake his sins. His self-abasement is one degree of penitence; and according as he becomes more and more humble, so God will supply more and more grace, to work in him a thorough change both of heart and life. The proud Pharisee, though he had made great advances in outside virtue and godliness, yet, by indulging his pride and self-flattery, he not only checked his further progress, but really went backward and lost ground: while the humble Publican, though hitherto unpractised in virtue and piety, was however entering upon it, and was upon the improving hand: and therefore it was, that this man went down to his house justified rather than the other. But,

3. The use which we are to make of the two cases taken together is, to reject what was bad in both; and to adopt what was praiseworthy in either. The Pharisee was a person of a strict and sober life, but he was proud: the Publican was humble, but withal he was a person of loose morals. Both were blameable in their several ways, while, in other respects, both deserved commendation; the Pub

Psalm cxxxviii. 6. 1 Pet. v. 5.

Prov. iii. 34.

f James iv. 6.

lican especially, to whom our Lord gave the preference. What then are we to learn from all? Reject the Pharisee's pride and censoriousness; and reject also the Publican's loose morals. Put on the Pharisee's strict kind of life, together with the Publican's humility, and then all will be right. To make the advice the clearer, I shall now severally treat of both parts.

1. First, I say, let it be our care to follow what was really good and commendable in the Pharisee. He was no extortioner; he wronged no man in his property; he was no adulterer, or the like: our Lord does not charge him with saying any thing false of himself: his report, probably, was true: but he was blameable for boasting even of what was fact. Besides his negative accomplishments, that he was no extortioner, no unjust dealer, and no adulterer; he had something further to plead: he made up his weekly accounts with God; he "fasted twice in the "week ;" and with his fasting, we may presume, he joined serious and solemn devotions: and, to show his further respect for God, he paid what the Law had ordered to God's authorized ministers; he paid tithes of all that he possessed, in a punctual manner, and in a way altogether blameless; excepting that he was proud of doing it.

We have here, to all appearance, a very fair and very exemplary character drawn to the life, and allowed also to be true. Follow him therefore so far, namely, in his sobriety, his temperance, and his chastity; in his honest and upright dealings between man and man; and likewise in his weekly care to settle his accounts with God. Fasting may properly be added to devotions, in order to raise them higher, or to fix them yet stronger upon the heart: but this must be understood with allowances, according as health, or leisure, or opportunities, or other circumstances favour. The Pharisee found leisure, or he made leisure, sufficient for it; and he did well in it, if he could but have been content not to boast of it, nor to value himself too much upon it, nor to pass hard censures upon others, as falling far short of him, in those respects.

Take we care then, to distinguish the good part from the evil part, and to set it before us for our approbation and imitation. Follow not the Publican in his loose life, in his irregular or careless ways; but rather follow the Pharisee in his strict course of life, and in his circumspect conduct, whereby he hoped to please God; and wherein he could not have failed, if he had but been as humble and candid in heart, as he was strict and exemplary in life.

2. Therefore, secondly, after taking care to live the sober and exemplary life of the Pharisee, make we it our chief endeavour to superadd thereto the humility and candour of the Publican; that so we "may be perfect and "entire, thoroughly furnished unto every good work."

But this, perhaps, may be thought a very hard lesson. I could be content, says one, to live a pious, sober, exemplary life; but surely, after taking so much pains, I have a right to value myself upon it, and to think much better of myself than of my less considering neighbours. I could be content, says another, to entertain very low opinions of myself, and to become vile in my own eyes, and often to cry out, " God be merciful to me a sinner," provided only that I may but be permitted to indulge my own heart's lusts, and continue in my darling sins.

But neither of these ways will answer the purpose. We must be holy in all conversation and godliness, and yet as humble as if we had no virtues at all: we must every one of us do our utmost to serve and please Almighty God; and when we have done all, be content at length to smite our breasts, and say, "God be merciful "to me a sinner." The reason is, because our very best services are imperfect; and " if we say that we have no "sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us." Now, when we come to make our addresses before God, he does not want to be told how holy, or how religious, or how perfect we are: he is a better judge of that than we can pretend to be; and he knows our failings. and deficiencies. Neither can it be of any use to us,

237 to look only on the brighter side, and to hide the rest, lest we be tempted to stop there, and to conceive that we need nothing further. Our business is to be always advancing and pressing forwards, and not so much to consider what we have already gained, as what we still want. Look we therefore upon our failings, and lay them before God: not because he does not know them, but because he alone can supply them, either with new succours of his grace, or with repeated acts of pardon. This is the reason why confession of sins (which the Pharisee omitted) ought always to make a principal part of our prayers: and another as essential a part is, to throw ourselves entirely upon the all-sufficient merits and mediation of Christ Jesus our Lord. Innocence of our own we have none to appear in before God: broken innocence, made up in some measure by true repentance, is the utmost perfection that fallen man can pretend to: and all that would be too little and too impure for God's acceptance, were it not further recommended, and made worthy, by the all-prevailing atonement and intercession of Christ.

Enough has been said to take away all pretence.or colour for spiritual pride. It was not pardonable in the angels; because, though they had very great perfections, yet they owed them all to God: but it is monstrous in man, because man has no perfection in comparison to the other; and even that little which he has is all owing to the grace of God.

I would not be understood, by any thing I have here said, to lessen the real and solid satisfaction of a wellspent life. The most profound humility is perfectly consistent with full peace of mind, and will rather add to it, than take any thing from it. A man may be very sensible of his having faithfully discharged his duty, without over-valuing himself upon it. And though he knows that his best services are imperfect, and that his infirmities are great, and his failings many, and that he can have no strict claim to a pardon, much less to a reward; yet he knows withal, that such his sincere, though imperfect ser