HUVIILITY REPRESENTED 1NITHE CHARACTER OF ST. PAUL, &c. arx. iii: 8.---Less'than the least of all Saints. INTRODUCTION. HOWmeanly does this great and holy man, this chiefest of the apostles speak of, himself ? To how low a degree does he sink himself and his exalted virtues? To how narrow a compass does he reduce all his own natural talents, his acquired excellencies and even his divine qua- lifications ? Less than the least, AZXIsoTFpOS : It is a Greek word made on purpose to signify the exceeding diminu- tive idea he had of himself, and it is very happily ren- dered by our English translators. How different is our common behaviour from that of holy Paul ? When we thinkof self we are ready to raise our thoughts beyond all measure and aggrandize our ideas to a vast and shameful degree, as though we stood as fair and as large and as high in the eyes of our, fellow-worms as we do in our own eyes. Vain imagination ! Wretched self- flattery and foolish pride ! We take the least of words, the least of syllables, the least of letters, I, and ,swell and amplify it, if I tnay so speak, to fill a page, or to spread over a whole leaf, and we scarce leave a scanty ,margin for all other:names to stand in : Notbing less than a volume will contain, or display our characters and our due praises. We set so many flourishes round our own names and fill our own eyes with them, than we can see nothing else. All other names lie concealed and disap- pear, while our own ingrosses our sight and admiration. We make every thing else look so little, as though it were .fit only to lie neglected and forgotten, while self, or I, should be alone beheld and alone regarded. But the great apostle who had more excellencies and real honours . than a thousandof us put together, gives .his thoughts a different turn; what am I ? says he, a little mean worth- less thing, to be intrusted with this glorious gospel, and to have such divine favours conferred on me ? " I am 2
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