Who shewed to thee thy sins? V/ho opened thine eyes? Who softened thy heart? Who disposed thee to condemn thyself, and to justify thy God? Is this thine own work, or the work of any enemy ? Does not the very nature of the work itself constrain thee to say, " He that hath wrought me to this self-same thing, is God?"]
It is also the earnest and foretaste of your eternal inheritance —
[Would God have done such things for thee, if he had designed ultimately to destroy thee "J? These are only as the first-fruits, which sanctified and assured the whole harvest. He has expressly told us, that the gift of his " Spirit is an earnest of our inheritance, until the redemption of the pur- chased possession ^" You are aware what an earnest is: it is not only a pledge of future blessings, but the actual com- mencement of them in the soul. And, if you will survey the heavenly hosts, you will find that this very abasement of their souls before God is a striking feature in their character, and a grand constituent of their bliss. They all, with lowliest self- abasement, fall on their faces before the throne of God, whilst, with devoutest acclamations, they ascribe salvation to God and to the Lamb^ Learn, then, to view all your feelings in their proper light; so shall you " from the eater bring forth meat, and from the strong shall bring forth sweet."]
Let me not, however, conclude without addressing a few words,
L To those in whom this spirit is not found — [You, alas! have no part or lot in the blessedness which is prepared for the broken in heart. Look at the Pharisee and the Publican: the one was filled with self-complacency, on account of his own faneied goodness; whilst the other dared not even to lift up his eyes to heaven, on account of his own conscious unworthiness. But it was the latter, and not the former, who found acceptance with God: and in all similar characters shall the same event be realized, as long as the world shall stand. Humble yourselves, therefore, whoever ye be ; for in that way only have ye any hope that God shall lift you up*.]
2. To those who are dejected by reason of it — [Forget not, I beseech you, for what end the Lord Jesus Christ came into the world : Was it not to bind up the broken
q Judges xiii. 23.
^ Eph. i. 13, 14. See the whole of these assertions confirmed, Ps. xci. 14 — 16. and cxlv. 18, 19.
s Rev. v. 8 — 10. t Jam. iv. 7, 8.