prize of our high calling.

LIV.

_HUMILITY._

17th Sunday after Trinity.

S. Luke, xiv. 2.

"Whosoever exalteth himself shall be abased; and he that humbleth
himself shall be exalted."

INTRODUCTION.--Both Isaiah, Ezekiel, and the apostle John saw in vision
the glory of Heaven and the throne of God, and near it four beasts,
"full of eyes, within and without." That is to say the beasts saw all
that was within them as well as all that was outside them. Most of us
here on earth are very different. We are full of eyes without, we see
everything that is going on among our neighbours, and a great deal
which is not there also, but we have no eyes for seeing anything
within, and we know nothing of ourselves, our own faults, and our own
errors.

We see every wrong thing done by a neighbour, we have eyes for this,
but we see no wrong done by ourselves, we have no eyes for that. We
see all the weakness of others, we have eyes for this, but we see none
of our own weakness, we have no eyes for that. We see all the folly of
others, we have eyes for this, but for our own stupid acts and words we
are blind, we have no eyes for that. It would be better if we were
well supplied with eyes within, instead of so many eyes without. It
would be better for our neighbours, and it would be better for
ourselves. In to-day's Gospel we hear of the chief Pharisees watching
Christ. They had eyes for that. They watched Him to find occasion
against Him. But that they were hypocrites and perverters of the law,
they knew not. They had no eyes for this.

SUBJECT.--The first shall be last, and the last first, says our Lord.
That is, those who have eyes without only, for the rest of the world,
who see themselves as perfect, and have no eyes for their own defects,
shall find themselves hereafter at the foot of the ladder, and those
who have eyes within, seeing their own weakness, shortcomings, falls,
who have therefore been humble, and esteemed others more highly than
themselves, these will be exalted to the top of the ladder.

I. Most men value themselves more highly than they have any right, and
value themselves very often for those things which are not their own,
they take the honour paid to their possessions, as though due to
themselves.

This fable is related by an ancient writer. An ass once had the golden
image of the Goddess Isis set on his back, and he was led through the
streets of a city in Egypt. Then the Eg