SECTION L 23 in order to exalt our own. Thus while pride on the one side brightens and aggrandizes our own image, and on the other side envy detracts from the image of our neighbour, sullies his virtues and darkens his honours, we act our relative parts in the world in a very irregular manner, under the influence of these errone- eous sentiments and ideas. The mean opinion of self therefore, that by the pattern of the apostle, I would recommend to my own heart and to all my friends, is this, that in taking a just estimate of every thing that relates to ourselves or to our fellow-creatures, we should keep a strict watch against the dangers of these selfish passions and pre- judices ; and we should always make large allowances for those false and glaring colours, wherewith our vanity paints and adorns our own image, and for those deceitful weights which pride is ever flinging into our own scale, to make our virtues appear solid and weighty ; and we should make the same al- lowances for those dark and disgraceful shades of vice and folly which envy spreads over our neighbours' character, and for those reproaches wherewith she loads the opposite scale while we are weighing the virtues of our neighbours, in order to make them seem lighter. The built of mankind are so generally given to err on this hand, that is, to over -value themselves and depreciate their neighbours ; and the number of those who make a mistake on the other side is so exceeding small, that in proposing general direc- tions for our conduct there is scarce any need of a caution or guard against the humble and self-denying kinds of mistake. Then is our opinion concerning ourselves and our neighbours agreeable to the rule and temper of christianity, and generally nearer the truth, when we sink our idea of self rather belowwhat seems to us to be our due, and when we raise the idea of our neighbours a little above what appears to belong to them, for they doubtless have some virtues and good qualities unknown to us, and it is certain wehave somesecret failings which do not usually come within our own notice. But I shall touch upon this subject perhaps once again, and thereforeI proceed to the general heads of my discourse. IIere I shall enquire first, Whence comes it to pass that St. Paul forms so diminutive an idea of himself, and calls himself less than the least of all thesaints ? And secondly, What blessed advantages may we obtain by this lessening view of ourselves in imitation of such an example. SECT. I.The Springs of St. Paul's Humility, The first thing to be enquired is, whence comes it to pass that St. Paul, forms such diminutive ideas of himself? I answer, I. From a constant sense of his own former iniquities
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