But that we may come more closely to the point, we will call your attention to,
II. The particular duties he inculcates —
In order to adorn our Christian profession, we must especially keep in view,
I. The cultivation of holy tempers in ourselves —
[Without this, nothing can ever prosper in our souls. "Lowliness and meekness" are unostentatious virtues; but they are of pre-eminent value in the sight of Godm. They constitute the brightest ornament of " the hidden man of the heart," which alone engages the regards of the heart-searching God. In the very first place, therefore, get your souls deeply impressed with a sense of your own unworthiness, and of your total destitution of wisdom, or righteousness, or strength, or any thing that is good. No man is so truly rich as he who is " poor in spirit ;" no man so estimable in God's eyes, as he who is most abased in his own. With humility must be asso- ciated meekness. These two cpualities particularly charac- terized our blessed Lord" : of whom we are on that account encouraged to learn0; and whom in these respects we are bound to imitate, " having the same mind as was in himp." Let these dispositions then be cultivated with peculiar care, according as St. James has exhorted us; " Who is a wise man and endued with knowledge amongst you? let him shew out of a good conversation his works with meekness of wisdom q."
And whilst we maintain in exercise these graces, let us also be long-suffering, forbearing one another in love. However meek and lowly we are in ourselves, it cannot fail but that we must occasionally meet with things painful from others. The very graces which we manifest will often call forth the enmity of others, and cause them to act an injurious part towards us. But, if this should be the case, we must be long-suffering towards them, not retaliating the injury, nor harbouring re- sentment in our hearts, but patiently submitting to it, as to a dispensation ordered by Infinite Wisdom for our good. But, where this is not the case, there will still be occasions of vexation, arising from the conduct of those around us : the ignorance of some, the misapprehensions and mistakes of others, the perverseness of others, the want of judgment in others, sometimes also pure accident, will place us in circum- stances of difficulty and embarrassment. But from whatever
m 1 Pet. iii. 4. "2 Cor. x. 1. ° Matt xi. 29.
p Phil. ii. 5. i Jam. iii. 13.