magnanimity, thinkest thou, was it a token, to despise the kingly palace and table? since kings among the Egyptians are honored as gods, and enjoy wealth and treasure inexhaustible. But nevertheless, letting go all these, and throwing away the very sceptres of Egypt, he hastened to join himself unto captives, and men worn down with toil, whose strength was spent in the clay and the making of bricks, men whom his own slaves abhorred, for saith he, The Egyptians abhorred them; unto these he ran, and preferred them before their masters. From whence it is plain, that whoso is lowly, the same is high and great of soul. For, as pride cometh of an ordinary mind and an ignoble spirit, so moderation, of a temper meet for high purposes and high thoughts.

And if you please, let us try both by certain examples. For tell me, what was there ever more exalted than Abraham? And yet it was he that said, I am but dust and ashes; it was he who said, Let there be no strife between me and thee. But this man, so humble, despised Persian spoils, and regarded not Barbaric trophies; and this he did of much high-mindedness, and of a spirit nobly nurtured. For he is indeed exalted who is truly humble-not the flatterer nor the dissembler-for true greatness is one thing, and arrogance another. And this is plain from hence if one man esteem clay to be clay, and despise it, and another admire the clay as gold, and account it a great thing; which I ask is the man of exalted mind? Is it not he who refuses to admire the clay? And which, abject and mean? Is it not he who admires it and sets much store by it? Just so do thou esteem of this case also; that he who calls himself but dust and ashes is exalted, although he may say it out of humility; but that he who does not consider himself dust and ashes, but treats himself lovingly and has high thoughts, this man for his part must be counted mean, esteeming little things to be great. Whence it is clear that out of great loftiness of thought the patriarch spoke that saying, I am but dust and ashes: from loftiness of thought, not from arrogance.

For as in bodies it is one thing to be healthy and plump, and another thing to be swoln, although both are betokened by a full habit of flesh, but in this case of the unsound, in that of healthful flesh-so also here it is one thing to be arrogant, which is, as it were, to be swoln, and another thing to be high-souled,

which is to be in a healthy state. And again, one man is tall from the stature of his person; another, being short, by adding buskins becomes taller; now tell me which of the two should we call tall and large? Is it not quite plain, him whose height is from himself? For the other has it as something not his own; and stepping upon things low in themselves, turns out a tall person. Such is the case with many men, who mount themselves upon wealth and glory; which is not exaltation, for he is exalted who wants none of these things, but despises them and has his greatness from himself. Let us, therefore, become humble that we may become exalted; for he that humbleth himself shall be exalted. Now the self-willed man is not such as this; rather he is of all characters the most ordinary. For the bubble, too, is inflated, but the inflation is not sound: wherefore we call these persons "puffed up." Whereas the sober-minded man has no high thoughts, not even in high fortunes, knowing his own low. estate; but the vulgar even in his trifling concerns indulges a proud fancy.

Let us then acquire that height which comes by humility. Let us look into the nature of human things, that we may kindle with the longing desire of the things to come; for in no other way is it possible to become humble, except by the love of what is divine, and the contempt of what is present. For just as a man on the point of obtaining a kingdom, if instead of that purple robe one offer him some trivial compliment, will count it to be nothing; so shall we also laugh to scorn all things present, if we desire that other sort of honor. Do ye not see the children, when in their play they make a band of soldiers, and heralds precede them and lictors, and a boy marches in the midst in the general's place, how childish it all is? Just such are all human affairs, yea and more worthless than these: to-day they are, and to-morrow they are not. Let us therefore be above these things; and let us not only not desire them, but even be ashamed if any one hold them forth to us. For thus, casting out the love of these things, we shall possess that other love which is divine, and shall enjoy immortal glory. Which may God grant us all to obtain, through the grace and loving-kindness of our Lord Jesus Christ; to whom together with the Father and the Holy Spirit be glory, power, honor, now and for evermore, even unto everlasting. Amen.

The glorious gospel of the blessed God.-1 Tim. i. 11.

THE gospel is, indeed, glorious on many accounts. But let us here consider the glory which is stamped upon the gospel, as having God for its author.

Many things of small worth, have yet grown famous by the authors of them, and, like the unprofitable children of renowned progenitors, hold their estimation and nobility from their parents. And yet from men who are themselves impure, there will ever descend some impurity upon the works which they do. But the gospel is therefore indeed a glorious gospel, because it is the gospel of the blessed God.

There is glory in all the works of God, because they are his; for it is impossible that so great a workman should ever put his hand to an ignoble work. And, therefore, the prophet David uses his "glory" and his "handy-work," promiscuously for the same thing; "The heavens declare the glory of God, and the firmament showeth his handy-work ;"-to note that there is an evidence of glory in any thing which he puts his hands unto. And yet the prophet there shows, that there is more glory in the law of his mouth, than in the works of his hands: "The Lord is better known by Sion, and his name greater in Israel,” than in all the world besides: the more God doth communicate himself unto any of his works, the more glorious it is. Now there is nothing wherein God has so much put himself, wherein he may be so fully known, communicated with, depended upon, and praised—as in his gospel. This is a glass, in which the blessed angels do see and admire the unsearchable riches of mercy to the church, which they had not, by their own observation, found out by the immediate view of his glorious presence. In the creatures, we have him a God of power and wisdom,—working all things in number, weight, and measure, by the secret vigor of his providence,-upholding that being which he gave them, and ordering them to those glorious ends for which he gave it. In the law, we have him a God of vengeance and recompense,-in the publication thereof threatening, and in the execution thereof inflicting, wrath upon those that transgress it. But, in the gospel, we have him a God of bounty and endless compassion;

humbling himself, that he might be merciful to his enemies,that he might himself bear the punishments of those injuries which had been done unto himself,-that he might not offer only but beseech his own prisoners to be pardoned and reconciled again. In the creature he is a God above us; in the law he is a God against us; only in the gospel he is Emmanuel, a God with us, a God like us, a God for us.

There is nothing doth declare God so much to be God, as his mercy in the gospel. He is invisible in himself; we can not see him but in his Son. He is unapproachable in himself; we can not come unto him but by the Son. Therefore when he makes himself known in his glory to Moses, he sends him not to the creation, nor to Mount Sinai, but puts him "into a rock” (being a resemblance of Christ) and then makes a proclamation of the gospel unto him. Moses' prayer was, "I beseech thee, show me thy glory." How doth the Lord grant this prayer? "I will make all my goodness to pass before thee;" and then reveals himself to him almost all by mercy :-" The Lord, the Lord God, merciful and gracious, long-suffering, and abundant in goodness. and truth, keeping mercy for thousands, forgiving iniquity, transgression, and sin; to note unto us, that the glory of God is in nothing so much revealed, as in his goodness. "Who is a God like unto thee, that pardoneth iniquity, and passeth by the transgression of the remnant of his people?"

While, then, we admire God in his works, and stand in awe of him in the law, let us humbly and lovingly confide in him in his gospel. Let us seek by faith in Christ, to have his glory as it beams in its mild and sweet radiance from the gospel, imprinted upon our souls, that we may be changed into the same image from glory to glory, as by the Spirit of the Lord; so shall we be partakers of the happiness of the blessed God.

Also I heard the voice of the Lord, saying, Whom shall I send, and who will go for us? Then said I, Here am I; send me.-Is. vi. 8.

THIS inquiry imports not a doubtful deliberation in God, but a purpose to send. He is represented as a king, advising with himself or his council. And this is by some conceived as an in

timation of the mystery of the Trinity, as Gen. i. 22, And God said, Let us make man in our own image.- Whom shall I send, and who will go for us? But were they not ready, millions of these winged messengers? What need, then, of such a word? True; angels were ready, but a man was sought. God, vouchsafing to send an embassy to men, will send one that might speak their language to them, and might stay and treat with them, in a familiar, friendly way, an ambassador in ordinary, to lie still and treat with them. And in this condescension much wisdom and love appear. He will take men subject to the like infirmities and pollutions with the people, as the prophet here acknowledges, but one, purged from these pollutions, made holy; though not perfectly, yet eminently holy. This is very suitable; were not men invincibly obstinate, more suitable than that God should send by angels, that one of themselves should come and deal with men for God, and bear witness of his graciousness and readiness to forgive, so as to give himself for an instance of it, and have found him so." And they being changed and sanctified, show really that the thing may be done; that it is feasible to sanctify a sinner; and so, sinful men appear to be fitter for this service than embodied angels.

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I said, Here am I, send me. What a blessed change was wrought on Paul, when cast to the ground! His own will was broken all to pieces, and now he is only for his service, whose name he so hated, and whose servants he persecuted. Lord, what wilt thou have me to do? These are the very words and characters of a true convert. And thus a soul turned to Christ may in some cases doubt what is his will, but that once resolved, there is no deliberation whether to do it or not. He says not, if the service be honorable or profitable, that is, carrying worldly credit or profit in it, then will I do it; no, but whatever it is, if it be thine, and thou appoint me to it, Here am I. And this makes the meanest work of his station excellent.

Then said I, Here am I. A strange change in the prophet, even but now an undone man, and here presently a ready messenger, and so turned to an angel. Something of this, most find who are truly called to his high work of delivering messages from God: sometimes a sense of pollution benumbs and strikes them dead, and anon again they feel the flame of love kindled by that coal, quickening them to such a readiness and such free offers