PART III. of gracious Ajet5ions. 209 natural to them to fpeak with a bold, masterly Air ; but Humility difpofes 'em rather to fpeak trembling. Hofea 13. T. j'k"henEphraim fpake trembling, he exalted himfelf in Ifrael ; but when he offended in Baal,be died. They are not apt to affumeAuthority,and to take upon 'em to be chief Managers and Mailers ; but rather to be fubjedt to others ; Jam. 3. t, 2. Be not many Mailers. t Pet. 5. 5. Ills of you be fubjeti one to another, and be cloathed with Humility. Eph. 5. 21, Submitting your felves one to another, in the Pear of God. There are fome Perfon's Experiences that naturally work thatWay, to make them think highly of their Experiences ; and they do often themfelves fpeak of theirExperiences as very great and extraordinary ; they freely fpeak of the great Things they have met with. 'Phis may be fpoken, and meant in a good Senfe. In one Senfe, every Degree of laving Mercy is a great Thing: It is indeed a Thing great, yea,. infinitely great, for God to bellow the leaf{ Crumb of Childrens Bread on fuch Dogs as we are in our felves ; and the more humble a Per- fon is that hopes that God has bellowed filch Mercy on him, the more apt will he be to call it a great Thing that he has met with, in this Senfe. But if bygreat Things which they have experienced, they mean comparatively great fpiritual Experiences, or great compared with others Experiences, or beyond what is ordinary, which is evi- dently oftentimes the Cafe ; then for a Perfon to fay, Ihave met with great Things, is the very fameThing as to fay, I am an eminent Saint, and have more Grace than ordinary for to have great Experiences,,. if the Experiences be true and worth the telling of, is the fameThing as to have great Grace : there is no true Experience, but the Exer- life of Grace ; and exactly according to the Degree of true Expe- rience, is the Degree of Grace and Holinefs. The Perfons that talk thus about their Experiences, when they give an Account of them, expe6t that others should admire 'em. Indeed they don't call it Boafting to talk after this Manner about their Experiences, nor do they look upon it as any Sign of Pride; becaufe they fay, they know that it was not they that did it, it was free Grace, they are thegreatThings that God has donefor them, they would acknowledge the great Mercy God hasfhown them, and not make light of it. But fo it was with the Pba- rifee that Chrift tells us of, Luke 18. He in Words gave God the Glory of making him to differ from other Men ; God I thank thee, lays he, that I am not as other Men -i-. Their verbally afcribing it to -- Calvin, in his Inftitutions, B. 3. Chap. 12. § 7. fpeaking of this Pharifee, obferves, << That in his outward Confefiîon he 44 acknowledges that the Righteoufnefs that he has is the Gift 64 of God : But (lays he) becaufe he truth that he is Righteous, « he goes away out of the Prefence of God, unacceptable and. odious ", P the
RkJQdWJsaXNoZXIy OTcyMjk=