by any methods, seek, and partially effect, the
elevation of humanity. But I should be untrue to my own deepest
convictions, and unfaithful to the message which God's providence has
given it to me as my life's task to proclaim, if I did not declare
that nothing will truly _re-form_ humanity, society, the nation, the
city, except that which re-creates the individual: 'the grace of our
Lord Jesus Christ' entering into their midst.

II. And so, secondly, and very briefly, notice the lesson we get here
as to how we should think of our own attainments.

I have already pointed out that there are two beautiful touches in my
text. The Apostle traces everything that he is, in his character and
in his Christian standing and in his Apostolic work and success, to
that grace that has come down upon him, and clothed his nakedness
with so glorious a garment. And then, in addition to that, he
modestly, and with a fine sense of dignity, refrains from parading
his attainments or his achievements, and says, 'It is not for me to
estimate what I am; it is for you to do it.' True, indeed, in the
next verse he does set forth, in very lofty language, his claims to
be in nothing behind the very chiefest of the Apostles, and 'to have
laboured more abundantly than they all.' But still the spirit of that
humble and yet dignified silence runs through the whole context. 'By
the grace of God I am--what I am.'

Well, then, it is not necessary for a man to be ignorant, or to
pretend that he is ignorant, of what he can do. We hear a great deal
about the unconsciousness of genius. There is a partial truth in it;
and possibly the highest examples of power and success, in any
department of mental or intellectual effort, are unaware of their
achievements and stature. But if a man can do a certain kind of
service there is no harm whatever in his recognising the fact that he
can do it. The only harm is in his thinking that because he can, he is
a very fine fellow, and that the work itself is a great work; and
so setting himself up above his brethren. There is a vast deal of
hypocrisy in what is called unconsciousness of power. Most men who
have been chosen and empowered to do a great work for God or for men,
in any department, have been aware that they could do it. But the
less we think about ourselves, in any way, the better. The more
entire our recognition of the influx of grace on which we depend for
keeping our reservoir full, the less likelihood ther