we should be the more careful and diligent to keep our felves clear of the great Tranfgref fion, as the Pfalmift fpeaks in Pfalm 18. (which St. Auftin interprets to be Pride) that our Enemy, who is for learn of me as well as Christ, may not rejoyce over us.

19. St. Paul gives this as a reason why we fhould take unto us, and put on the whole Armour of God; arm our felves with all thofe Graces and Vertues, Means and Inftruments which God has provided and appointed for our Spiritual defence, because we wrestle not against Flesh and Blood,mere Human Enemies, fuch as our felves, (which would be an equal match) but against Principalities, against Powers, against the Rulers of the darkness of this world, against fpiritual wickedness in high places. And indeed, the Confideration that we have to do with an Enemy so every way fuperiour to our felves, whose spiritual Nature, Number, Power, Malice and Subtilty, give him fo great an advantage against us, is a fufficient reason why we should look to our felves, and be wanting in no Provisions that may serve for our defence, that so we may make up in Armour what we want in Strength. But the Argument for this military Caution and Provifion, holds yet more strongly here, where we have not only Principalities and Powers, &c. to wrestle with, but Flesh and

Blood

Blood too, having the bent and inclination of our own corrupt Nature to contend with, as well as the Temptations of the Devil. And indeed the very Vice which he tempts us to, as well as himself, may very emphatically be faid to be a Spiritual Wickedness in high places. And therefore here, if any where, we are eminently concern'd to take unto us the whole Armour of God, that we may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all to ftand. Which indeed it is hard to do upon fuch flippery ground; but then the more flippery the ground is, the more circumspectly fhould we walk. And the rather, because we have here Custom to contend against as well as Nature, not only evil Habits and vicious Customs of our own, but the great Custom of the World, even that Pride of Life which St. John makes a third part in his Inventory of it.

20. We are to confider then, the great danger of the Vice we have to guard our felves against, and the great difficulty of the Vertue that we have to practice. That Humility is not at all Natural to us as Pride is, but fomething that is to be acquired, fomething that is to be put on, fomething that is to be ingraffed upon the ftock of our Nature, fomething that we are to be form'd to, and disciplin'd in, contrary to our natural In

clination.

clination. All which our Saviour fuppofes in bidding us to learn it. We need not learn Pride, for that we are but too much dispofed to by Nature, though by the general practice of the World (which feems a kind of School of it) one would think that that were to be learnt too. But Humility is a thing

purely to be learnt, there being not the leaft ground or rudiment of that in our Nature. And a very hard Leffon too it is to learn, which our Saviour alfo fuppofes in fending us to learn it of no less a Mafter than him

felf. Learn of me. No other than himself; neither the Wife Men of Greece, nor the Doctors of the Synagogue, neither Angel, nor Saint, neither Apostle, nor Primitive Christian,nor Father of the Chriftian Church, no other but himself was fit to teach it. Nor were we capable of learning it of any other Mafter but himself, who befides the outward instruction of his Doctrin and great Example, might also inwardly difpofe us by his Grace, to the practice of a Vertue fo contrary to our Nature.

21. But then because the Leffon is fo hard, as well as so very neceffary to be learnt, it concerns us to gird up the loins of our Mind, to shake off all Sloth and Negligence, and apply our felves with the greater study and diligence to the learning of it. And let us

not

not depend upon the greatness of our Mafter. For though he be the greatest in the World, yet he teaches none but those who are teachable and willing to learn; and though he teaches never fo excellently, yet we must do our own part too, and bring our endeavours as well as our felves to his School, or else we fhall never be taught. And the more, because the Leffon is fo hard. Eafie things are taught and learnt with cafe; and as there needs not then much study or pains, fo there is no reafon why we fhould bestow more pains when lefs will ferve. But when things are hard, whether in fpeculation or in pratice, there must be a great deal of Applica tion ufed by the Scholar, as well as by the Mafter, or elfe we may be always learning, and yet never be Mafters of what we learn. A Confideration which we may apply to the Truths of Religion, but which holds moe eminently in the Duties of it, and in none more than in learning this hard Leffon of Humility.

22. But then again, fince it is fo hard a Leffon, (perhaps the very hardeft that is to be learnt in the School of Chrift) we should alfo take fpecial care not to make it harder, by putting our felves under any difadvantage or indifpofition for the learning of it. And therefore first of all, we fhould not (as is

commonly done in difficult things) put off the learning of it as an ungrateful Task, from time to time, till it be late in the day with us, but begin early to fet our felves to the learning of this great Leffon,not only because of the peculiar advantage that the Morning of Life, as well as the Morning of the Day, has for the Learning any thing, but also that we may have the more time to learn it in. Humility is not a Leffon to be learnt upon a Death-Bed, no, nor is the declining part of Life, when the Day is far fpent and the Night is at hand, that Night wherein no Man can work, a proper time for the learning of it. Nor do many Men then learn it. I do not deny but that it may, by the special Grace of God, be then learnt; but though a Man were never so secure of his Life, I fhould not think it a convenient season, when Pride has been a long time growing, and has taken deep rooting in his heart, and he is fully fetled and confirmed in the habit of it, then to begin to learn Humility. This is to make a hard work much harder, by our ill timing of it. Besides, that then we fhall have a great deal less time to do it in, which again adds to the difficulty. And indeed to the uncertainty too; there being then a great deal of danger that the Night will come upon us before this our Christian Leffon be learnt, and that though we learn never fo diligently.

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