Trembling; to lament daily before Almighty God the Wounds of our Souls, and have Recourfe to him with Confidence indeed, but a Confidence wholly grounded on his infinite Goodness, and the Merits of Jefus Chrift.

But this prefumptuous Opinion they had of their own Holiness and Merits, gave Birth to a fecond criminal Difpofition, no lefs odious in the Sight of God than the former; viz. their Contempt of others: This appears in the proud Prayer of the Pharifee, related in the 18th Chapter of St. Luke; where, inftead of making an humble Confeffion of his Sins, he recites a long Catalogue of his own good Works, and thanks God for that he was not fo bad as other Men, particularly the Publican, whom he faw praying at the fame Time in the Temple: Nay, this contemptible Opinion of others, and vain Conceit of themselves, was carried to fuch a Height, that they feparated themfelves from noted Sinners, as from Perfons unworthy of their Converfation, or even to touch any Part of them For it was upon this Account, that they were so highly scandalized at our bleffed Saviour, who refufed not to eat and drink, and converfe with Sinners, and permitted a notorious Sinner to wash and kifs his Feet.

Finally, as they had a great Opinion of themselves, and Contempt of others, fo had they also an infatiable Ambition of being honoured and esteemed by all the World: They challenged to themselves the first Place in all Affemblies, and required a particular Respect to be paid them as they paffed through the Streets: They took upon them a certain Air of Authority, and affected to be called Maf ter: But, above all, they had a fingular Ambition to reign in the Hearts and Efteem of the People; for which End it was their Practice to go from House to Houfe, and infinuate themfelves into the Favour of certain bigotted Women, as being the moft proper Subjects to pass their Cheats upon.

Our Saviour taxes them with all these Things in the 24th Chapter of St. Matthew; where he difcovers to us a fecond effential Defect, which ran univerfally thro' all their Actions, and tainted them in the very Root; viz. a Defire of Vain-glory in the Performance of them: For they did every Thing (as Chrift teftifies) to be feen and efteemed by Men: When they fafted, they put on an Air of Sadness, disfigured their Faces, and affected to look pale, that the World might have an Opinion of the Rigour of their Fafts: They chofe certain Thorough

Thorough-fairs of the Town to pray in, that People paffing by might take Notice of them; and when they diftributed Alms, they caufed a Trumpet to found before them, that the whole Town might know of it.

Thus we fee the two principal Defects of the Pharifees were Pride and Vain-glory: Let us now confider how we must avoid thefe two dangerous Rocks: Their firft Defect, as I have obferved, was occafioned by their great Exactnefs in performing outward Duties: Muft we then omit them, or perform them carelessly, for fear of be ing proud, as the Pharifees were? By no Means; becaufe a faithful Performance of exterior Duties, whether relating to Christianity in general, or any one's particular Calling, is not only commendable, but of Obligation: We must therefore be faithful in performing all the Duties of the Religion we profefs: Sundays and Holidays, commanded by the Church, must be reli giously observed; our Morning and Evening Devotions must never be omitted; we muft faft and pray, frequent the Sacraments, and be prefent at the facred Myfteries of the Altar, and other publick Devotions, both with an inward Attention, and fuch an outward Decency, as may give Edification to all that fee us; finally, no exterior Duty is to be neglected. B 5

But

But we must not stop here, nor flatter ourselves that this alone fuffices to Salvation For a Chriftian may be condemned, as the Pharifees were, with all this gawdy Pageantry of Piety and Virtue; becaufe all this is but the Shell and Outfide of Devotion: And therefore farther Care must be taken that our outward Actions be fo accompanied with folid Humility of the Heart, and fincere Charity to our Neighbour, that we may be as truly virtuous in the Sight of God as we appear to the Eyes of Men: So that it is a dangerous Error to imagine the bare Performance of outward Duties is fufficient to Salvation; because Salvation is not to be attained without true Virtue, and all true Virtue, tho' it manifefts itself by outward Works, is feated in the Heart alone. Whoever is most humble, meek, and patient; most charitable, mortify'd, and refigned, in all Things to the Will of God, is doubtlefs the most truly virtuous; and, by confequence, whoever is neither bumble, nor meek, nor patient, nor charitable to his Neighbour, nor mortified in his Inclinations, nor refigned to the Will of God, is not at all virtuous, tho' he be never fo devout in Appearance. Pride, Ambition, Prefumption of ourselves, or a Contempt of others, are all great Sins in the Sight of God, and perhaps more

hateful

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hateful to him, than Sins that are counted infamous amongst Men. Lucifer, and the other Apoftate Angels, are a frightful Inftance of this Truth; for they were only guilty of Pride, and yet that Sin alone transformed them into Devils, and threw them into everlafting Flames.

The Confideration of this Truth may ferve as a moft effectual Preservative both against an over-weaning Confidence in our own Virtue, and Contempt of others for Faults, of which we are not confcious to ourselves: For how well foever our outward Comportment may be regulated, it being certain on the one Hand, that we are all more or less guilty of Pride, and wholly uncertain on the other, to what Degree we are infected with it, it follows, that we can never form a positive Judgment, that we are more virtuous than our Neighbour, tho' we see him fall into Sins, of which our Conscience is wholly clear; because, for ought we know, our Souls may be for tainted with Pride, or other fpiritual Sins, as to be more criminal in the unerring Judgment of Almighty God, than thofe whom we defpife for Sins of a groffer Nature, whereof we know ourselves not guilty.

But befides the proud Opinion of them-' felves, which the Pharifees were guilty of,

they