to make him forswear his Lord and Master. If, then, so good a man as St. Peter could so mistake and misjudge himself, how watchful should we be against religious presumption and security!

14. Let us be content to live an humble and obscure life, if such be the will of God; and if he has so placed us in this world, let us bear our daily crosses and vexations with an even temper and a quiet mind: they are (no doubt) good for us, and we have need of them; they are the merciful exercises of God to our souls. One great point is, to think humbly of ourselves, and to be content that the world should despise us, if it so pleases God. We cannot live unto righteousness, but by dying continually unto the world and unto sin.

15. We should make it a rule frequently to look into ourselves, and to

examine our conscience, with a heart disengaged from the flatteries, and free from the prejudices of self-love, that we may learn to know ourselves, and faithfully to call upon God for his grace to correct our sins. And when God, by his grace, enables us to perceive our faults, and to become acquainted with our imperfections, it is then more especially our duty to amend them to the utmost of our power. We must resign every sinful pleasure, and even the excess of every tender affection, (whatever we may suffer in so doing,) and conform ourselves wholly to the laws and rules of the Gospel.

When we thus, in earnest, open our hearts to the grace of God, we shall discover, even in our best works, a thousand sinful imperfections and infirmities, which continually call for the inexhaustible goodness of God.

16. We are truly humble when we allow others to discover faults in us, which we

are not willing to own to ourselves, and when we receive their rebukes and corrections with patience and a sincere desire to profit by them. Self-love conceals from our view many of our frailties; and while we indulge this passion, we cannot but be surprised that they should be discovered in us by our fellow-creatures: but true humility will make us distrust and think lowly of ourselves: it will also make us turn to God for his grace to conquer our evil dispositions; and then, even the corrections of our fellow-creatures (however severe) will appear no more than we deserve.

17. Self-love prevents us from knowing ourselves; indeed we could not bear to see the real state of our souls, tainted as they are with the corruptions of the world. Our shame would be too great, and despair would take possession of our hearts, were it not that a resting-place is afforded us by the infinite mercy of God,

through faith and trust in the all-suffi cient merits and mediation of our blessed Redeemer Jesus Christ. Let us endeavour, therefore, by degrees to root up our self-love. In its stead let us place the love of God in our hearts, we shall then have courage to look into ourselves, and whatever imperfections we there may find, we shall not despair; we shall only pray more earnestly for the grace of God, that we may be enabled to work out our salvation, and humbly look forward to that blessed state in which our souls shall be purified through the merits of our Saviour, and our sinful bodies shall be washed with his most precious blood; when we shall dwell in him, and he in us, in the presence of the Creator, and exist in the adoration of his perfections to all eternity.

18. Let us consider, for a moment, how different are the lives of the generality of christians, (even the best of

them,) from that of our blessed Lord. At his birth he was laid in a manger; he passed thirty years in the labours of common life; he suffered hunger, and thirst, and fatigue; he was poor and bumble; he preached the way of life, and taught the doctrine of peace and salvation; yet he was despised and rejected: the rich and great men of his nation persecuted him; they not only condemned him to a most painful and shameful death, (although he was innocent,) but basely scourged him, and, in derision, crowned him with thorns. He was mocked and despitefully used, and at last was put to death between two malefactors. Such was the life that Jesus Christ, the Son of God, led on earth, and such the pains he endured for us; and shall we not humble ourselves before God, and take our necks from the yoke of sin? Let us compare our lives with that of Jesus, and let us remember that he is our Master, and we his servants, that he is the