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HUVIILITY
REPRESENTED
1NITHE
CHARACTER OF
ST.
PAUL,
&c.
arx.
iii:
8.---
Less'than the
least of
all
Saints.
INTRODUCTION.
HOW
meanly 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
think
of
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
thousand
of
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
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