to God as any circumftances in which we could have been placed.-The ftory of Dives and Lazarus will illuftrate all I have faid. Lazarus, who had nothing, but a good difpofition, was received into Abraham's bofom; while Dives, who poffeffed every thing, but that, was condemned to a place of tor

ment.

God grant us all grace thus to lay up our treafure in heaven, and by making every action of our lives, as far as we can, agreeable to him, may we finally obtain the bleffed reward of those, who do God's will, through Jefus Chrift, our Lord!

SERMON IX.

MAT. V. 4•

BLESSED ARE THE POOR IN SPIRIT, FOR THEIRS IS THE KINGDOM OF HEAVEN.

THE kingdom of heaven is here promised, you find, to poorness of spirit.

In the following discourse I fhall, first, endeavour to explain to you in what this holy temper confifts -I fhall, fecondly, fhew you, that it is both a reafonable, and a Christian temper-and, thirdly, I fhall point out the happiness of those who have attained it.

With regard to the meaning of the expreffion, poorness of fpirit, (which may be better tranflated bumility of fpirit*,) it hath but an ill name in the

• See Parkhurft's Lexion on the word wx.

world.

world. In the ears of few people it founds like a virtue, but rather gives the idea of a low cowardly temper, that will fubmit to any man's humour, and bear any indignity without feeling it. I know not how interpreters come at this fenfe of the expreffion. In no part of fcripture, that I recollect, are we forbidden to feel an injury, or to fhew a proper refentment *. What is enjoined in fcripture on that head is, to pafs over many little mate ters, which the world is apt to confider as injuries. So that before we allow ourselves to refent, we must be well affured the matter is worth refenting. It is not every trifling offence that fhould come under the head of an injury. We muft, in most cases, turn the other cheek-we must expose ourselves again to fuch little injuries, rather than refent them. And even with regard to the greatest injuries, we are forbidden to return evil for evil; we are enjoined to be open to the firft tender of reconciliation, and to be ready, on the repentance of an adverfary, to forgive the greatest injuries.

Again, this humbled spirit hath no neceffary connection with a low condition of life. A rich man may poffefs it, and a poor man want it. Their

See John, xviii. 23.-Acts, xxiii. 3.-Acts, xvi. 37, &c. condition

condition in life makes no difference. Only indeed this virtue, as many others, is not fo eafily attained by a rich man.

This gentle virtue, therefore, naturally con-. nected with no state of life, is a holy difpofition of mind: it is of Christian origin, unknown in any class of mere moral duties; and is oppofed chiefly to the two great vices of worldly-mindedness and pride, both which are often dressed up in the garb of virtues.:

When we confider poornefs of Spirit as opposed to worldly-mindedness, it fignifies our fitting loofe to the things of this world-it fignifies our being fo little folicitous about them, that if it fhould please God to take them from us, we could be well-contented without them-or if we have them, that we are ready to refign them, either when God thinks fit to deprive us of them, or when we cannot keep them with a good conscience. Poorness of fpirit, when thus opposed to worldly-mindedness, is neither more nor less than that ftate fo defirable by all Christians, which the apostle Paul calls being abfent from the body, and prefent with the Lord: or, as we have it from the fame high authority, it is fetting our affections on things above, not on things of the earth.

Again, when it is oppofed to pride, it fignifies a low opinion of ourselves-of our understanding-of our acquirements-and religious attainments. The poor in fpirit is always ready to prefer others to himself, because he knows more of himself, than he does of others. Nor does he take offence when he fees a preference given to them. And indeed this is fo much the cafe, that it is a kind of proof, whether he poffeffes this Chriftian spirit. If on feeing any one preferred to him, or more refpected, he feels any refentment, he may depend upon it, his refentment is founded in pride. And though he may be fo much mafter of himself as to conceal the proud looks, of which David fpeaks; yet he certainly cannot apply to himself the remaining part of the defcription, in refraining his foul, and keeping it low, even as a weaned child. The poor in fpirit hath none of this pride either in his behaviour, or in his opinions. His own deficiencies always come forward in his thoughts, and stifle every rifing sentiment of his own importance. He laments them, inftead of wishing to see them exalted; and humbly hopes, that by admiring the virtues of others, instead of degrading them, he may improve his own heart, by copying the good which he fees in them.

Such