47S THE ADVANTAGES OF HUMILITY LSECT. ISr acceptable honour to the gospel which he professes, and makes it appear in its own proper and divine light. SECTION III. The Advantages of Humility in Regard ofMen. As humility towards God is a necessary qualification of every christian, so humble thoughts of ourselves in regard of our fellow - creatures belong to the profession and character of this gospel : For what have I to boast of above my brother, when we are all under the sen- tence of common condemnation before God, all guilty and miserable in his sight, and are all entirely indebted to his free and rich mercy for every degree of excellency or advantage that we possess ? " What hast thou, O my soul, that thou hast not received ? Why dost thou then glory and look big upon thy fellows as though thou hast not received it ? Who is it that has made thee differ from another ?" 1 Cor. iv. 7. Oh 1 what a dishonour does it bring upon the gospel of Christ, when one, who takes upon him the christian name, exalts himself into conceit and vanity, and swells in his own opinion of himself, when he sets himself on high above his brethren, . and looks down upon them with haughtiness and scorn ? Can such a wretch be a christian, while he is a reproach to the christian name, and has not the first principle of christianity, has nothing of the temper or spirit of the gospel in him ? But some of these thoughts lead me to the second rank of advantages which may be derived from low and humble thoughts of ourselves, and these are such as re- gard our neighbours or fellow-creatures. And the first of them is this, I. If we have a mean opinion of self, we shall pay due esteem and honour to every thing that is valuable in other men, and not scorn and despise every body around us, as though they were not worthy to be named the same day with ourselves: Nor shall we be so imperious and haughty in our behaviour even where God has given some degrees of superiority. Perhaps we plume ourselves with the honours of our ancestors, and look down with disdain upon those whose family is of a lower rank than ours. But a grain of wis-
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