guilty of all thefe, had he been left to follow the devices and defires of his own heart; and therefore, with a broken and contrite fpirit, he cries out, "God *be merciful to me a finner."

This man came up to the temple to pray, and he prayed indeed. And a broken and contrite heart God will not defpife. I tell you, fays our Lord, I who lay in the bofom of the Father from all eternity; I who am God, and therefore know all things; I who can neither deceive, nor be deceived, whofe judgment is according to right; I tell you, whatever you may think of it, or of me for telling you fo, this man, this Publican, this defpifed, finful, but broken-hearted man, went down to his houfe juftified (acquitted, and looked upon as righteous in the fight of God) rather than the other.

Let Pharifees take heed that they do not pervert this text for when it is faid, "this man went "down to his house justified rather than the other," our Lord does not mean that both were juftified, and that the Publican had rather more juftification than the Pharifee: but it implies, either that the Publican was actually juftified, but the Pharifee was not; or, that the Publican was in a better way to receive juftification, than the Pharifee; according to our Lord's faying, "the Publicans and harlots enter in"to the kingdom of heaven before you." That the Pharifee was not justified is certain, for God refifteth the proud; and that the Publican was at this time actually juftified (and perhaps went home with a fenfe of it in his heart) we have great reafon to infer from the latter part of the text, "For every one that exalteth "himfelf fhall be abafed, and he that humbleth "himself, fhall be exalted.

The Parable therefore now fpeaks to all who hear me this day for that our Lord intended it for our learning, is evident, from his making fuch a general application;" for every one that exalteth himfelf

"shall be abafed, and he that humbleth himself shall "be exalted."

The Parable of the Publican and Pharisee, is but as t were a glafs, wherein we may fee the different difpofition of all mankind; for all mankind may be divided into two general claffes. Either they truft wholly in themselves, or in part, that they are righteous, and then they are Pharifees; or they have no confidence in the flesh, are felf-condemned finners, and then they come under the character of the Publican just now described. And we may add alfo, that the different reception these men met with, points out to us in lively colours, the different treatment the felf-jufticiary and felf-condemned criminal will meet with at the terrible day of judgment: "Every one "that exalts himself fhall be abafed, but he that "humbleth himself shall be exalted."

Every one, without exception, young or old, high or low, rich or poor (for God is no refpecter of perfons) every one, whofoever he be, that exalteth him. felf, and not free grace; every one that trufteth in himself that he is righteous, that refts in his duties; or thinks to join them with the righ· teoufnefs of Jefus Chrift, for juftification in the fight of God, though he be no adulterer, no extortioner, though he be not outwardly unjuft; nay, though he faft twice in the week, and gives tithes of all that he poffeffes; yet fhall he be abafed in the fight of all good men who know him here, and be fore men and angels, and God himfelf, when Jefus Chrift comes to appear in judgment hereafter. How low, none but the Almighty God can tell. He thall be abafed to live with devils, and make his abode in the lowest hell for evermore.

Hear this, all ye felf-jufticiaries, trembie, and be hold your doom! a dreadful doom, more dreadful than words can exprefs, or thought conceive! If you refuse to humble yourselves, after hearing this para

ble, I call heaven and earth to witness against you this day that God fhall vifit you with all his ftorms, and all the vials of his wrath upon your pour rebellious heads; you exalted yourselves here, and God fhall abafe you hereafter; you are as proud as the devil, and with devils you fhall dwell to all eternity. Be not deceived, God is not mocked; he fees your hearts, he knows all things. And notwithstanding you may come up to the temple to pray, your prayers are turned into fin, and you go down to your houses unjustified, if you are felf-jufticiaries; and do you know what it is to be unjuftified? Why, if you are unjustified, the wrath of God abideth upon you; you are in your blood; all the curfes of the law belong to you: Curfed are you when you go out, curfed are you when you come in; curfed are your thoughts, curfed are your words, curfed are your deeds; every thing you do, fay, or think from morning to night, is only one continued feries of fin. However highly you may be efteemed in the fight of men, however you may be honoured with the uppermoft feats in the fynagogues in the church militant, you will have no place in the church triumphant. Humble yourselves therefore under the mighty hand of God: Pull down every felf-righteous thought, and every proud imagination, that now exalteth itself against the perfect, perfonal, imputed righteousness of the dear Lord Jefus: For he (and he alone) that humbleth himself fhall be exalted.

He that humbleth himself, whatever he be; if, inftead of fafting twice in the week, he has been drunk twice in the week; if, instead of giving tithes of all that he poffeffes, he has cheated the minifter of his tithes, and king of his taxes; notwithstanding he be unjuft, an extortioner, an adulterer, nay, notwithftanding the fins of all mankind center and unite in him; yet, if through grace, like the Publican, he is

but

enabled to humble himself, he fhall be exalted; not in a temporal manner; for Chriftians muft rather expect to be abafed, and to have their names caft out as evil, and to lay down their lives for Chrift Jefus in this world: But he fhall be exalted in a fpititual fenfe; he shall be freely juftified from all his fins by the blood of Jefus; he fhall have peace with God, a peace which paffeth all understanding; not only peace, joy in believing; he fhall be tranflated from the king. dom of Satan, to the kingdom of God's dear Son. He thall dwell in Chrift, and Chrift in him: He shall be one with Chrift, and Chrift one with him: He fhall drink of divine pleafures as out of a river: He fball be fanctified throughout in fpirit, foul, and body; in one word, he fhall be filled with all the fulness of God. Thus fhall the man who humbleth himself be exalted here; but, O how high fhall he be exalted hereafter! as high as the higheft heavens, even to the righthand of God: There he fhall fit, happy both in foul and body, and judge angels; high, out of the reach of all fin and trouble, eternally fecure from all danger of falling. O finners, did you but know how highly God intends to exalt thofe who humble themfelves and believe in Jefus, furely you would humble yourselves, at leaft beg of God to humble you; for it is he that muft ftrike e rock of your hearts, and cause floods of contrite tears to flow therefrom. 0 that God would give this fermon fuch a commiffion, as he once gave to the rod of Mofes! I would strike you through and through with the rod of his Word, until each of you was brought to cry out with the poor Publican, "God be merciful to me a finner." What pleasant language would this be in the ears of the Lord of Sabaoth!

Are there no poor finners among you? What, are you all Pharifees? Surely, you can not bear the thoughts of returning home unjuftified; can you?

may

what if a fit of the apoplexy fhould feize you, and your fouls be hurried away before the awful Judge of quick and dead? What will you do without Chrift's righteoufnefs? If you go out of the world unjustified, you must remain fo for ever. O that you would humble yourselves! then would the Lord exalt you; it may be, that, whilft I am speaking, the Lord might juftify you freely by his grace. I obferved, that perhaps the Publican had a fense of his juftification before he went from the temple, and knew that his pardon was fealed in heaven: And who knows but you. be thus exalted before you go home, if you humble yourselves? O what peace, love, and joy, would you then feel in your hearts! You would have a heaven upon earth. O that I could hear any of you fay (as I once heard a poor finner, under my preaching cry out) "He is come, he is come!" How would you then, like him, extol a precious, a free-hearted Chrift! How would you magnify him for being fuch a friend to Publicans and finners? Greater love can no man fhew, than to lay down his life for a friend; but Chrift laid down his life for his enemies, even for you, if you are enabled to humble yourselves, as the Publican did. Sinners, I know not how to leave off talking with you; I would fill my mouth with arguments, I would plead with you. Come, let us reafon together; though your fins be as fcarlet, yet if you humble yourfelves, they fhall be as white as fnow. One act of true faith in Chrift juftifies you for ever and ever; he has not promised you what he cannot perform; he is able to exalt you: For God hath exalted, and given him a name above every name, that at the name of Jefus every knee fhall bow; nay, God hath exalted him to be not only a Prince, but a Saviour. May he be a Saviour to you! and then I shall have reafon to rejoice in the day of judgment, that I have not preached in vain, nor laboured in vain.