By this standard then we should try ourselves —
[It is of use to all persons, and under all circumstances. From the king on the throne to the beggar on the dunghill, all may find it suitable to their condition. To it therefore we should refer the whole of our conduct, and by it " every one should prove his own work." Every particular work should be tried by it. Whatever the work be, we should ex- amine what the written word required of us, and see how far our work fell short of the true standard. We should bring it to the test, and inquire into the principle from which it flowed, the manner in which it was executed, and the end for which it was performed; and then form our judgment, after a candid and impartial survey of its defects.
But it is not our actions only that should be so proved : we should examine also the entire state and habit of our minds : for it is this, and this only, that will determine our real cha- racter before God. And who that does this will think highly of his own attainments? Who that considers what is that love which is due to the Supreme God ; what is that gratitude which the Lord Jesus Christ calls for at our hands ; what is that affiance which we should place in him ; and what is that zeal which we should put forth in his service ; who, I say, will then vaunt himself as somebody, and swell with self- preference and self-conceit? The remedy once brought into daily and habitual use, will soon cure the evil complained of in our text.]
What the Apostle thought of this remedy, appears from,
III. The prescription eulogized —
A more valuable prescription could not be given either,
1. As it respects our present happiness —
[To what purpose is it to be applauded by others, even though we were held forth as patterns of all that is great and excellent? It might please our vanity; but it would afford us no solid satisfaction, whilst we are afraid to bring our con- duct to the only true test. What comfort would a merchant feel to hear that he was reputed rich, if his affairs were so embarrassed that he dared not examine his accounts, and knew not but that he was on the very verge of bankruptcy ? So is the man, who, whilst he is extolled by his fellow- creatures, is averse to learn what is said of him by his God. On the contrary, the man who tries himself by the standard of God's word, and finds that, amidst innumerable defects, he