2 Cor. xii. behind the very chiefeft Apoftles. And yet at the fame time, he profeffes a low Opinion

II.

10.

of himself for all this, yet I am nothing. I 1 Cor. xv. labour'd, faith he, more abundantly than they all; he feems to boaft in his Labours, and to glory in the Good he had done the Church; and yet he arrogates nothing to himself, but afcribes the Fruit of all his Labours to God; Yet not I, but the Grace of God which was with me. I am become, faith he, a Fool in glorying, ye have compelled me; I take Pleafure in Reproaches, in Neceffities, in Per2 Cor. x. fecutions, in Diftreffes for Chrift's fake; he

& xi.

affures the Corinthians, that in whatever the false Apostles could glory, he could glory alfo. Are they Hebrews of the Jewish Religion? So am I. Are they Ifraelites, defcended from Jacob? So am I. Are they the Seed of Abraham, and not Profelytes? So am I. Are they Minifters of Chrift? I fpeak as a Fool, I am fo more than they; in Labours more abundant, in Stripes above Measure, in Prifons more frequent, in Deaths oft. We see how the Apostle here Glories in himself, and how copiously he enlarges in his own Commendations; and yet we fee him at other Times Ephef. iii. fo humble and meek, as to reckon himself the leaft of all Saints, and the greatest of Sinners. Tho' the Word of God doth no where

8.

advise

advise us to commend ourselves, or to boast in the good Works we do, yet there may be a Time, when it may not only be lawful, but neceffary for us to do fo. Tho' we are to avoid all Vanity and Oftentation, yet it is needful that we speak out, and commend the good Services we have done, when the Interest of God and Religion requires it. The Word of God no where commands us, to conceal the Grace that God hath wrought in us, or the Good that we have done by his Grace, when a proper Occafion calls on us to publish it, and we then publish it with fuch a fincere Defign, that God, and not ourselves may have the Glory. Our bleffed Saviour doth indeed injoyn us, when we give Alms, to do it with the greatest Secrecy and Privacy poffible; with fo much Secrecy, that our left Hand should not know, what our Matth. vi. right Hand doth. And this is the Way to 3. shew our Sincerity to God, and to our own Confciences; we fhould hide our Works of Mercy and Charity from the Eyes of Men, from our nearest Friends and Relations, and * even from ourfelves too, by not allowing ourfelves the vain Pleasure of indulging Self-love, and of fecretly applauding and thinking highly of ourfelves, upon Account

* Ει δυνατόν, και σεαυτὸν λάνθανε. Theophyl. in loc.

Matt. v. 16.

of our good Works. We are to conceal our good Works, as much as we can, and in doing them, are to feek for no Approbation but that of God. This is the Doctrine of the Gofpel; and yet notwithstanding this, it may be neceffary for us fometimes, to * give Alms publickly, thereby to bring Credit to our Religion, and to fet a good Example of Charity to others. Nothing hinders, but that we may do good Works in publick, as long as in doing them we have an Eye to the Advancement of God's Glory. And therefore he who hath commanded us to take heed, that we do our Works of Mercy in Secret, hath alfo commanded us to let our Light Shine before Men, not to the End, that we may thereby gain Applause and Reputation to ourselves, but that God may be glorify'd in us. All † vainglorious fhew of Religion is forbidden us; yet we are to let our Light fhine forth, not that we ourselves

હા

* Καν ἔμπροθεν ἢ 7 ανθρώπων ἐλεῖς, ο ποιεῖς ἢ τότο προς το θεαθήναι, ο κατακείνη· ἐὰν ἢ σκοπὸν ἔχης κενοδοξίας, εἰ καὶ ἐν το ταμείο σε ποιήσης, κατακείνη. Η γνώμην γ ἢ κολάζει, ἢ σεφανδς ὁ Θεός. Theophylact. Ματθ. κεφ. ς'. Ὅταν μὴ πρός επιδειξιν ανθρώπων ποιῆς, κἂν ἡ οικεμένη οἳ δεν, ἀδεὶς ο δερ ἐπειδὴ ἐχ ουτως ἐπόιησας. Chryf. ὑπομνη. εἰς “ Ἰωάν. ὁμιλ. δ'.

† Ουκ εἶπεν ὅτι, ὑμεῖς ἔπιδεικνύεε τὴν ἀρετὴν, τ8το δ καλὸν, ἀλλ' ἐκείνη μόνη λαμψάτω, ὥστε καὶ τοῦ ἐχθρὸς ὑμῶν θαυμάζειν καὶ δοξάζειν ἐχ ὑμᾶς, ἀλλὰ ἢ πατέρα ὑμῶν, &c. Theophylact. eis Mald. xep. É.

may

may appear more glorious, but that fo appearing, others may be guided by our Light, and encourag'd by our Example, to the Practice of the fame Virtues, and fo give Glory to God. We are not to do good * Works publickly to be feen of Men, and to be commended by Men; but we are to do them. publickly, that Men may fee our good Works, and glorify our Father which is in Heaven.

Neither am I to be understood, as if because we are exhorted to efteem others better than ourselves, we are therefore oblig'd to think ourselves the Refufe and Offscouring of the World, the meaneft of Men, and the worft of Sinners. No, the Apoftle's Exhortation can never be taken in fuch a Senfe as this. For, if every Man be oblig'd to think himself the worst of all Men, 'tis impoffible that any Man living fhould ever have a good Confcience. If notwithstanding all the Good I do, and all the Care I take, to apply my Mind to a faithful Difcharge of my Duty towards God, and towards Man; if notwithftanding all my Labour to keep myself free from Guilt and Sin, either by Innocence, or Repentance, I muft ftill think myself the

Ου γ' εἶπε, μὴ ποιεῖτε ἁπλῶς ἔμπροπιν 7 ανθρώπων, ἀλλὰ προσέθηκε, πρὸς τὸ θεαθαι αὐτοῖς. Chryf. ὑπομν. εἰς * Ιωάν. ὁμιλ. δ'.

3

greatest

12.

greatest Sinner in the World, and the most 2 Cor. i. wicked of all Men, what becomes of that Teftimony of Confcience which was such a rejoycing to St. Paul? What becomes of that 1 Pet. iii. Answer of a good Confcience towards God, which St. Peter speaks of? Which is nothing elfe but the joyful Sentence of Approbation,

21.

15.

I.

Acts ix. I.

which a Man entertains in his own Breaft for doing well.

ners.

Nor is it much to the Purpose to object, 1 Tim. i. that St. Paul calls himself the * chief of SinWhen St. Paul was confidering with himself, how that before his Converfion, he had been an implacable Enemy to Chrift and his holy Religion; how that he had been Acts viii. confenting to the Death of that glorious Martyr St. Stephen, and had breathed out nothing but Threatnings and Slaughters against all that profefs'd the Chriftian Faith, without any respect either to Age, or Sex; Acts viii. dragging the old and young, the Men and Women to Prisons, and procuring Letters of Inquifition against them from the High Prieft: I fay, when he was seriously pondering in his Mind, the great Havock he had made in the

3.

*Le vray humble fe croit toujours le plus grand de tous les Pecheurs, parce qu'il ne fe compare avec aucun. L'humilité n' a des yeux que pour voir fes propres défauts; la Charité n'en a que pour voir le bien dans les autres. Quesnel in loc.

Church