SERMON VI. LUKE XVIII. 14. 1ft part. I tell you, this man went down to his house, juftified rather than the other. T HESE words are the judgment which Our SAVIOUR has left upon the behaviour and different degrees of merit in the two men, the pharifee and publican, whom he reprefents, in the foregoing parable, as going up into the temple to pray. In what manner they discharged this great and folemn duty, will best be seen from a confideration of the prayer which each is faid to have addressed to GOD upon the occafion. The pharifee, instead of an act of humiliation in that awful prefence before which he ftood,-with an air of triumph and self-fufficiency, thanks God that he had not made him like others-extortioners, adulterers, unjuft, or even as this publican-The publican is represented as ftanding afar off, and with a heart touched with humility, from a just sense of his own unworthiness, is faid only to have fmote upon his breast, saying-God be merciful to me a finner. I tell you, adds our SAVIOUR, this man went down to his house juftified rather than the other. Tho' the juftice of this determination strikes every one at firft fight, it may not be amifs to enter into a more particular examination of the evidence and reafons upon which it might be founded, not only becaufe it may place the equity of this decifion in favour of the publican in a ftronger light, but that the fubject feems likely to lead me to a train of reflections not unfuitable to the folemnity of the season The pharifee was one of that fect, who, in our SAVIOUR's time, what by the aufterity of their lives-their public alms-deeds, and greater pretences to piety than other men, had gradually wrought themfelves into much credit and reputation with the people: and indeed, as the bulk of thefe are easily caught with appearances, * Preached in Lent. pearances, their character feems to have been admirably well fuited to fuch a purpose.-If you looked no farther than the outward part of it, you would think it made up of all goodnefs and perfection; an uncommon fanctity of life, guarded by great decorum and feverity of manners,-profufe and frequent charities to the poor, many acts of religion, much obfervance of the law-much abftinence-much prayer. It is painful to fufpect the appearance of fo much good-and would have been fo here, had not our bleffed SAVIOUR left us their real character upon record, and drawn up by himself in one word—that the fect were like whitened fepulchres, all fair and beautiful without, and enriched there with whatever could attract the eye of the beholder; but, when fearched withinfide, were full of corruption, and of whatever could shock and difguft the fearcher. So that with all their affectation of piety, and more extraordinary ftrictnefs and regularity in their outward.deportment, all was irregular and uncultivated within-and all these fair pretences, how promifing foever, blafted by the indulgence of the worst of human paffions;F 4 pride pride-spiritual pride, the worst of all pridehypocrify, felf-love, covetoufnefs, extortion, cruelty and revenge. What pity it is that the facred name of religion should ever have been borrowed, and employed in fo bad a work, as in covering over fuch a black catalogue of vices, - -or that the fair form of virtue fhould have been thus difgraced, and for ever drawn into fufpicion, from the unworthy uses of this kind, to which the artful and abandoned have often put her. The pharifee seems to have had not many fcruples of this kind, and the prayer he makes use of in the temple is a true picture of the man's heart, and fhews with what a difpofition and frame of mind he came to worship. GOD! I thank thee that thou haft formed me of different materials from the rest of my fpecies, whom thou haft created frail and vain by nature, but by choice and difpofition utterly corrupt and wicked. Me, thou haft fashioned in a different mould, and haft infufed fo large a portion of thy fpirit into me, lo! I am raised above the temptations and defires to which flesh and blood are fubject-I thank thee that thou haft made me thus -not |