our eyes to see things as they really are, and give us hearts to judge righteous judgment.]
But for this evil there is in our text,
II. A remedy prescribed —
God has given to us an unerring standard of right and wrong —
[In the Holy Scriptures, he has revealed to us his mind and will, and shewn us what is that state which becomes us, as creatures, and as sinners. As creatures, we ought to love him with all our heart and mind and soul and strength, and to love our neighbour as ourselves. As sinners, we ought to humble ourselves before him in dust and ashes; to lay hold on the covenant which he has made with us in the Son of his love ; to seek for mercy solely through the atoning sacrifice of Christ ; to live by faith on Christ, receiving out of his fulness as branches from the vine ; and by the influences of his Spirit to bring forth fruit to his glory. And, to form a right estimate of our character, we must try ourselves by this standard : we must see how far we are observant of his law, and how far we are obedient to his Gospel.
But besides this written standard, we have a copy of all perfection set before us in the example of Christ. We see how ardent and uniform was his zeal for God, and how active and self-denying his love for man. We see him in all situa- tions of difficulty ; we behold all his tempers and dispositions tried to the uttermost by the perverseness and cruelty of men ; and we see in every thing how to conduct ourselves towards God and man. In his example, we have a touchstone whereby to try our supposed virtues : and, whereinsoever we differ from him, or come short of him, (unless in those things which arose out of his mediatorial character,) we may assuredly conclude that we are wrong.
Further, though the word of God, and the example of Christ, are the only unerring standards of truth, we have yet further, — what is of great advantage to us, — the examples of men who were of like passions with ourselves. We see Patriarchs, Prophets, and Apostles, all walking, as it were, before our eyes ; and we learn from them how we ought to walk and to please God. If we take the life of Abraham, of Daniel, of the Apostle Paul ; if we contemplate their unshaken faith, and unreserved obedience ; and then inquire how we have demeaned ourselves under any circumstances which have borne an affinity with theirs ; we may certainly attain a pretty correct knowledge of our state and character before God.]