child!" He desires to divest himself of all his pride; to empty himself; to feel as nothing, and be as nothing and vanity.

In the more immediate presence of God, the humble Christian remembers that he is a redeemed sinner. When approaching the mercy-seat, he takes the place of a brokenhearted beggar. He goes to the God of all grace like a man who knows that he deserves to sink into hell. He is ready to bow low before Christ; to wash His feet with his tears, and to wipe them with the hair of his head. Like the woman of Canaan, he begs for the crumbs of divine mercy. He does not desire to plead his own merit, but with bosom bleeding for sin, and an eye cast down to the earth, makes mention of the name of Jesus. Though at times he is ashamed to approach the throne; though he hardly dare approach; yet like the publican, "standing afar off, he does not so much as lift up his eyes to heaven, but smites upon his breast, saying, God be merciful to me a sinner." His most favored moments are those in which he is enabled to lie low before a Holy God, and in which he has increasing desires to be kept humble to the end of his days.

This humble temper of mind also naturally flows forth in his intercourse with his fellow men. It is true, that some good men have vastly more native haughtiness, vastly more of the over-bearing spirit of the carnal man to struggle with, than others. Not

withstanding this, real Christians are humble; and their humility will necessarily express itself in the modesty and meekness of their habitual deportment. Let nothing, says the Apostle, be done through strife or vain-` glory, but in lowliness of mind let each esteem other better than themselves. The spirit of Christianity is congenial with its precepts, though it is not in the present life perfectly couformed to them. There is such a thing as in honor preferring one another, though we may sometimes be led to imagine that there is not much of it visible. There is such a spirit, and however those who indulge the hope of their good estate may be disposed to shrink from the test, such is the spirit of all Christians.

Charity, saith the Apostle, vaunteth not of itself. is not puffed up, doth not behave itself unseemly With a humble frame of mind, a man will set a due value upon his own attainments. He will not be apt to think highly of his own virtues, nor consider himself injured if he is not highly esteemed by others. It is difficult for an unhumbled, self-righteous man not to betray his hypocrisy by being proud of his supposed self-abasement. He has much to say of his frames and experiences; much to boast of the abasing views which he has had of himself, and the wonderful discoveries in divine things with which he has been favored. But the truly humbled soul desires more to be humble, than to appear humble. It is no part of his

character to make great pretences to bu-mility. There are indeed seasons when he is favored with unusual manifestations of the divine glory, and abasing views of his own vileness. And he sometimes speaks of them. With modesty he may speak of them. He is not freed from the duty, nor deprived of the privilege of telling what the Lord has done for his soul, merely because the world may brand him with the name of Pharisee. But when he does it, it is that he may strengthen the weak, refresh the weary, cheer the desponding, and give honor to di vine grace. He does it, not boastingly, not with the language, God, I thank Thee that I am not as other men! but with the spirit that esteems others better than himself. He knows that he has nothing to be proud of; and that if he is made to differ from others, it becomes him to adopt the language of the Psalmist, rather than that of the Pharisee, "Not unto me, O Lord, not unto me, but unto thy name give glory, for thy mercy and thy truth's sake!"

Something like this is the spirit of the gospel. A sense of dependence, of unworthiness, and of ill-desert, manifesting itself both toward God and toward man, is the spirit of humility. When the Christian, as the elect of God, puts on bowels of mercies, kindness, humbleness of mind, meekness, longsuffering, then he exhibits the power and sweetness of vital religion. Seated in the lowest place, and clothed with humility, he

exhibits some degree of the amiableness of his Divine Master. Well may we call humility a Heaven-born grace. She is indeed the daughter of the skies, the "meek-eyed child of Jesus," and dwells only with him, who, like herself, is born from above.

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Here then you have a rule of trial. spirit of humility is conclusive evidence of vital godliness. It enters into the essence of religion. Here the new nature eminently discovers itself. The humble spirit is that child-like, Christ-like temper, which is exclusively the effect of the Almighty power of God upon the heart.

Can the reader lay his hand upon his heart, and say, that he is conscious of this heavenly temper of mind? Can he in the sincerity of his soul, say, that he is con scious of this spirit of voluntary self-abasement? Did he ever, and does he still, take a just view of his own character, and does he possess the disposition voluntarily to abase himself, as low as the vileness of his charac-~ ter requires him to lie?

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Do you cherish a conviction of your dependence? Or do you live without God in the world? Do you live from day to day, and from year to year, realizing the relation which you bear to the great First Cause? Do you delight to feel that God sees you, and upholds you, and governs you? Or do you banish a sense of your perfect dependence upon Him, and feel and act, as

though God had no concern with you, and you had no concern with Him?

Do you cherish a sense of your great unworthiness and ill-desert? Do you feel your self to be a vile and hateful sinner? What if others should esteem you according to the vileness of your character; would you not view yourself injured? If God should esteem you, and treat you according to the vileness of your character; would you not think it hard and unjust? Should you not murmur and complain?

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Is the humble temper of the Gospel interwoven with your religious experience? A savor of humility is diffused throughout all the Christian graces. "Christian affections," says the immortal Edwards, "Christian affections are like Mary's precious ointment, that she poured on Christ's head, that filled the whole house with a sweet odour. It was poured out of a broken box; till the box was broken, the ointment could not flow. So gracious affections flow out of a broken heart. Gracious affections are also like those of Mary Magdalene, who also pours precious ointment on Christ out of a broken alabaster box, anointing therewith the feet of Jesus, when she had washed them with her tears, and wiped them with the hair of her head. All gracious affections that are a sweet odour to Christ, and that fill the soul of a Christian with an heavenly sweetness and fragrancy, are broken-hearted affections. A truly Christian love, either to God