to be the Cafe, we cannot conceive a fuller Measure of Iniquity. On this Suppofition we cannot charge the Publican himself with any groffer or more notorious Immoralities. And the Pharifee's monstrous Abuse of Religion, his making it a Cloak for his Wickednefs, his perverting the most excellent Thing to the worst of Purposes, is fuch an Aggravation as none can exceed.

But let us fet the Pharifee in the beft Light we can; let us admit his Addrefs to God to be true and real, and acquit him, as far as he has in Words difcharged himself. In this favourable View of him, he appears to trust in himself that he is righteous, and to defpife others. The Ground of this Truft is, his being not an Extortioner, unjust, or an Adulterer, and his Fafiing twice in the Week, Tithes of all that he had. thefe, or indeed can any

and giving

Now are

thing else

be,

be, a reasonable Ground for fo confident and presumptuous a Behaviour before God, in whofe Sight the Heavens are not clean; or even for fuch a Contempt of our Fellow-Creatures? Such is the present State of our Nature, and fo many are our Failings, Infirmities and Corruptions, that we continually come fhort of, and tranfgrefs our Duty. And he who has no Senfe of this in himself, and can make no Allowances for it in others, is ignorant of the most obvious and moft material Truth of all others, that Truth which is the Source of all right Difpofition, of all proper Behaviour in all Relations. If we fay that we have no Sin, we deceive ourfelves in the groffest and most extenfive manner, and the Truth is not in us, no Part or Share of Truth. It is hard to conceive that any Vice, any Degree of Irreligion, fhould work a worse Effect in us, fhould more ef

fectually defeat the Ends of true Religion, and place us more out of all Order and right Relation, than the very Virtues and religious Obfervances of the Pharifee in the Parable; which induced him only to trust in himself, that he was righteous, and to despise others.

And the Cafe of the Pharifee does not only imply all the beforemention'd Irregularity and Iniquity; but there is yet a more terrible Confideration behind, and that is, that he is still likely to perfevere in it, and there is fcarce any Probability of his ever being retrieved from it. When fuch a Trust is once erected, full of a SelfComplacency thus eftablish'd, whence can we hope to raise a fufficient Force to depofe it? His Iniquity is his Righteousness and his Glory, and every thing within himself applauds and ftrengthens it. Should any one undertake to advife fuch Men, what

other

other Treatment could he expect, but that which they gave the Man that was born blind, Thou waft altogether born in Sins, and doft thou teach us? *

If we add to this, the Pharifee's great Credit with the People, and Authority over them, he will appear to be as strongly fortify'd from without, as from within. How can a Person, who fo intirely approves his own Conduct, and is fo greatly admired and obferved by others, ever think of altering it himself, or fubmit to the Judgment of others, whose Character must be vaftly inferior to his, as well in the generality of other Men's Opinion, as his own?

The Publican, under all his Irregularities, has still preserved a true Sense of Virtue: His Sins are of fuch a Kind, that whilst he continues in them, he cannot approve them himself, nor

* John ix. 34.

find

find a general Countenance from the World. Grofs Immoralities are for the most part attended, not only with Uneafinefs of Mind and Self-Difapprobation, but with bodily Pains and worldly Inconveniencies; with Difeafes, Poverty and Shame; all which prefs him hard to alter his Conduct, and amend his Life. Upon all which Accounts it must be acknowledged, that the State of the Publican is a more hopeful, and confequently a better State, than that of the Pharisee; and in this View only, we need not wonder, that it fhould be faid, that he Shut up the Kingdom of Heaven against bimfelf, and that the Publican and Harlot enter in before him.

In Agreement with what has been faid, I may fubjoin these more general Confiderations: That one of our Lord's twelve Difciples was a Publican; that the Account we have of Zaccheus's Converfion, is perhaps the

most