ó. HUMILITY REPRESENTED. of the holy Jesus ? Even meanness and poverfy'should lose their disgraceful appearances, and seem almost an amiable sort of apparel to us, when we remember they were worn by the Son of God. " Think with thyself, O my soul, what if thou art not seated among the glittering idols of this world, the men of figure and quality and exalted station ? Remember the blessed Jesus was thy fore-runner in a low and humble rank of life ; Jesus, who went through the deeps of abasement to the temple of the highest honour ; and divine wisdom assures thee, that before honour ishumility; Prov. xv. 33. What if thou hast not the favour of the rich and the society ,of thegreet ones ofthe earth ? post thou not hear the promise of the Godof heaven and feel the divine encouragement with surprising delight ? Thus saith the high and lofty one that inhabiteth eternity, whose nine is holy, I dwell in the high and holy place: ¡Pith hint also that is of ra contrite and humble spirit will I dwell ; Is. lvii. 15. I will be his life and his support. The soul that is truly humble upon religi- ous principles, when he is cast out of the company ofthe great and the wealthy with scorn, is a partner of the sufferings of the holy Jesus, is an imitator of his virtues, and he shall share in his sacred honours: he shall have the great and blessed God come down and dwell with him here on earth, to enrich him with grace, and he shall be raised to dwell for ever in the courts of heaven with God and with his Son Jesus, who is the Lordofglory. Think yet further, Omy soul, what if thy station and place in the visible church should be low and mean, as a door-keeper in the house ofthy God, this will not give thy heart anysensible . disquietude, while thou canst assume St. Paul's motto in my text, Less than the least ofall the saints. Jesus and his disciples were even cast out ofthe synagogue ; John ix. 22. Luke iv. 28. Yet he was the first beloved Son of God and the chief of all the saints both in the lower and in the, tipper worlds. Look up, my eyes, and behold him now on the throne of heaven, and there also the humblest among the holy ones sits nearest to his majesty; for that scat is prepared for those who are most like himself. ". Labour hourly to subdue thy pride and fulness of self, O my soul, pursue the grace of humility here below in the deepest degrees of it, and this shall prepare thee for someexalted station on high. I am verily persuaded the man who called himself the least of saints in this world has a Place of honour provided for him among the highest in the world above ; and perhaps he sits next to the right -hand of Jesus who is enthroned in glory at the right-hand of God. " Farewell then vanity and pride ! Farewell. ye scenes of
RkJQdWJsaXNoZXIy OTcyMjk=