of himself as we may speak after the manner of men Secondly If he would undertake to be Mediator then God â—els him he must become a man and take Human Nature upon him and that in a personal union that Christ the infinite glorious Son of God should be content to be made a Man that it should be said of him this person is a man this is a mighty lowening of himself In Hebrews 2. 16. He did not take the Nature of Angels But the Nature of Man The Seed of Abraham It had not been so much Lowening of himself if he had taken upon him the Nature of Angels No saith God if you wil be Mediator for man you must take the Nature of Man This Poor Wretched Creature saith Christ I will do it rather then man should Perish Thirdly When he takes the Nature of Man one would think he would be Born of the greatest Queen upon the Earth if Christ must come and take the Nature of man and be Born in the Womb it would be of the greatest Empress No of a poor Woman a Poor Virgin a Poor Maid and therefore she saith in Luke 1. 48. For he hath regarded the Low Estate of his Hand-Maiden It is not there Lowliness as noting Humility but the Low condition of his Hand-Maid The Lord regarded the Lew condition of his Hand-Maid Of purpose to that end to incourage those that are in a Low condition that Christ should pass by al the Princesses and Emperesses in the World and be willing to be born of a poor Maid for she was not a Rich Maid nor had great things that appears by the offering that she made for Her Purification in Luke 2. 22. and the 24. verses When the daies of her Purification according to the Law of Moses were accomplished they brought him to Jerusalem to present him to the Lord and to offer a Sacrifice according to that which is said in the Law of the Lord a pair of Turtle Doves or two young Pidgeons Her Sacrifice was a pair of Turtle Doves or two young Pidgeons but mark it is said according to the Law of the Lord do but compare this Text with the Law of God that required an Offering of every Male that openeth the Womb in Levit. 12. 6. When the daies of Her purifying are fulfilled for a Son or for a Daughter she shall bring a Lamb of the first year for a Burnt offering and a young Pidgeon or a Turtle Dove for a sin offering unto the Door of the Tabernacle of the congregation she shall bring a Lamb here is no Lamb brought for so indeed the Law did so far indulge that if they were poor the Lamb might be spared as in another Law so that in this her offering that she did not bring the Lamb the Lamb that the Law did appoint it was meerly from the indulgence of her Poverty because she was a poor Maid Noting that if there be a poverty and we do what we can the Lord will not stand so much for great offerings when we do what we are able so the Virgin Mary she had not Money to buy a Lamb but she brings a pair of Turtle Doves or two Pidgeons And this is that which is accepted And then his Low condition was not only in being born of her but in being born in one of the meanest Villages and places not in the Metropolis Jerusalem but in BETHELEM And then it was in an Inn you know he had no stately House or Country House or brave place for to be in but it was in an Inn and it was in her Journy Great Women when they are with Child will not be travelling in Journies but will take state â—pon them and will not go forth a long while but she was in her Journey I and when she was in an Inn she could have never a Room Surely she must be in a Low condition If a begger Woman should be ready to cry out if there were a poor Room that had but a Chimney in it they would grant it to her but she was in a stable to be brought to Bed in a stable your Vagrants and Rogues that go up and down cannot be worse then this and she had no provision it seems but was fain to lay her Child in the Manger this infinite God and Lord of Heaven and Earth behold him lie in a Stable and a Manger And besides he was willing to be in this condition he chose this condition surely he had a Lowly Heart Fourthly And further Observe It may be said but if he doth come as a man and come into the world in a Low condition yet he may be some body in time Nay but he must be a Servant in the world he might have had possession of the world and might have had the honor to have been a King but he must live as a Servant So the Scripture saith in Philip. 2. In the Form of a Servant Nay he was not only in the Form of a Servant but in the Form of an evil Servant a Servant to be beaten that is a Low condition to be in the state of a Servant but to be in the state of an Evil Servant to be beaten that is a Low condition indeed so was Christ Fifthly Yea not only to be a Servant that was beaten but to be made a curse so in Galath 3. 13. not only Cursed but a Curse in the abstract Yea more then this not only to be a Servant and to be beaten and made a curse but to be made Sin that that is lower So in 2 Corinth 5. 2. He that knew no Sin was made Sin for us we wil not stand to open these Particulars only so far is expressed the Low condition that Christ was in how Lowly in Heart Christ was And all the way as we go you cannot but see that there will be a great many Arguments to work Lowliness of Heart in al that profess Christ After he came into the World and was put into such a condition he was fain to flie for his Life to flie into Egypt to save his Life and being delivered then he lives Thirty years in a Low Poor Mean condition He is reputed Low in his parentage his Father a Poor Carpenter and his Mother a poor Woman not able to live in the world and yet he lives Thirty years together in subjection to this poor Father and Mother to live in obedâ—ence to them and seeks to live upon his Trade to live as a Carpenter Hewing of Timber for this is the Reason they cal him the Carpenters Son he lived not Idly And when he came to be manifested the Redeemer of the World even then the Devil himself had some power over him he was in some kind under him as you may Read in Matth. 4. He was carried by the Devil and Set upon the Pinacle of the Temple It is a great matter for the Devil to carry any of our Bodies up and down for Christ
to things that are in Heaven and Earth Observe the Phrase I beseech you it is Gods humbling himself if it be but to behold the things that are in Heaven God is so high that if he doth but vouchsafe to look upon the things in Heaven he doth humble himself he bâ—ings himself Lovv to behold them much more upon the things in Earth Oh! Hovv doth God humble himself then to regard the things on Earth as he hath done And so Christ that vvas from all eternity infinitly blessed vvith the Father yet for the Salvation of mankind vvas vvilling to bring himself into a Lovv condition and so Lovvliness belongs to the Father and Jesus Christ But the lowlines that is most proper unto us that we may yet learn of Christ that we may gather from Christs Example arguments to further it in our own hearts I would describe it thus It is that grace whereby the Soul doth behave it selfe towards God and towards it selfe and towards others according or answerable unto that right esteem and sence that he hath of his own vileness and meanness Formally this was not in Christ but only thus far Christ being once willing to take upon him that low condition of being a Mediator for mankind so there was a meanness that was in Jesus Christ and Christs demeanour of himselfe walking answerably unto God and to others suitable unto that mean condition that he knew himself was in through his willingness to be a Mediator for mankind that was Christs lowliness though Christ as the second person in the Trinity cannot have the Rule of his Low liness to be the esteem of his own meanness and so of God and therefore I gave you such a description of Lowliness that may belong to the Father and the Son but now this only belongs to Christ as Mediator and that Lowliness that should be in our hearts that vve may gather abundance of Arguments from Christs low condition to further it in our own Soul The measure of our humility it doth consist in the right esteem of our own meanness when a man or Woman hath a right esteem that is come to know themselves in that mean condition that they are in and to be truly sensible of that mean condition that they are in and accordingly come to behave themselves towards God and towards themselves and towards others these are such as indeed have lowly hearts Now in this description that I have made of Lowliness or of humility you wil find when we come to open it and to shew the workings of an humble heart that ought to be in Christians there will be very much discovered that nearly concerns us but all that I shal do now is to shew how Jesus Christ was lowly in heart himself And then what Arguments may be drawn from the Lowliness of Christ for the furtherance of Lowliness in our hearts There is one thing in the Point that I am spared from speaking off to handle this Lowliness of Chirst as Christ is a Teacher that we have spoken of Learn of me for I am Meek and Lowly That is be willing to Learn of me for I am a Meek Teacher and a Lowly Teacher and therefore be willing to be my Schollers Now that I have already spoke of when I spake of being taught by Jesus Christ and shewed you what a fit Teacher he was and I think this hath reference unto him that he is not scornful but he will Teach the meanest and suite himself to all but now we are to speak of what Lowliness was in Christ and how we should Learn to be Lowly as he was Now for the Lowliness of Christ that you have in divers Scriptures in Psalm 22. is a Prophetical Scripture concerning Christ and mark what is said of Christ there verse 6. But I am a Worm and no man a Reproach of Men and despised of the people But I am a Worm They are even the speeches of Christ concerning himself it is apparent it is a prophetical Psalme concerning Christ In the beginning of the Psalme you have the very same words that Christ spake upon the Cross My God My God why hast thou forsaken me And here I am a Worm and no Man Oh! How Lowly was Christ that was God blessed for ever it were lowly enough one would think to be a Man but to be a Worm and no Man in his own apprehension Oh what Lowliness was this And then in Isai 53. 2. There you may see the Lowliness of Christ that likewise is prophetical concerning Christ that he should grow up before him as a tender plant and as a Root out of a dry ground he hath no form nor comliness and when we shall see him there is no Beauty that we should desire him he is despised and rejected of men a man of sorrows and acquainted with grief and we hid as it were our Faces from hi … he was despised and we esteemed him not I y … will say this shews the Lowness of his condition but how doth this argue the Lowliness of his Heart For you told us even now that a man may be in a low condition that is not Lowly in Heart For Answer Christ was not compelled to it but freely took upon him to be in this condition for the Glory of his Father and the good of Poor Sâ—uls surely it is a lowly heart that was willing to be put into such a condition as this was But above all Scriptures that is remarkable to this purpose in Phillip 2. 5. Let this mind be in you which also was in Jesus Christ What mind was that There is not only the condition of Christ but the mind of Christ a lowly Heart and let that Lowly heart be in you What was that verse 6. Who being in the form of God thought it no robbery to be equal with God but made himself of no Reputation He made himself he did eâ—pty himself as the word hath it in the original empty himself of the Excellency that was in him And took upon him the form of a Servant and made himself in the likeness of men and being found in fashion as a man he humbled himself and became obedient unto Death even the Death of the Cross Here is the Lowliness of the Heart of Christ set out unto us and that as a pattern unto al Christians to have the same mind that was in Christ Now to stand upon things largely to open the Lovvliness of Christ that vvil not be needful but to speak generally of it for that is necessary forvve cannot bring it home vvith povver to our Point if we do not open it in general for it vvould ask many exercises to open the Lovvliness of Heart that vvas in Jesus Christ You knovv in opening his Meekness vve shevved you vvhat Meekness vvas in him And novv for Lovvliness As thus First There was Lowliness in him to undertake to be Mediator between God and mankind it was a great Lowening
time but what you are in a constant way those that are the vilest of all yet they have some good moods and fits sometimes stirred by the word and when they are above some good motions and yet be vile and abominable for all this but you must judg what the frame of your Spirits are in reference to God and especially what you are in time of temptation how you find your hearts work ordinarily in times of temptation when you are put to it There is many a man when there is no temptation he seems to be as fair and as humble a man as lowly a man as can be but when temptation comes then he flies out And so many men and women think they trust in God and have Faith in God but when temptation comes then they find such distrust and such shifting unto unlawfull means to help themselves Thus you must see what you are in an ordinary way I do not say that a man should judg his condition or his heart for any particular but what he is in an ordinary way as thus you may know you have a froward Spirit if you are froward in an ordinary way When a temptation comes you may know you are unclean and sensuall though you are not unclean and drunk every week but when a temptation comes in an ordinary way and when a temptation comes you fal upon that which is evil and it is not the trouble of your spirit but you say it is the strength of temptation and we are all sinners and you can pass it over so Take these two Considerations with you First If that in an ordinary way when temptation comes you find your heart taken And Secondly If that you can pass over a sin without any trouble in Spirit I say then what you are in your temptation that you are in the sight of God and not what you are in some good mood and some good fit but there is the guise and the frame of your heart that that doth appear then were you otherwise in your temptation then you would complain of your heart and you would say O! here is a temptation that makes me see that corruption I never saw before and Oh! how doth this trouble you but if you vent your corruption in a temptation then you are to judg of your selves according to what you find your selves in a temptation and God will so judg you if there be not an alteration and if men must come to judg of themselves this way Oh! what abundance of filth and vileness and matter is there that men may come to know themselves by that they may loath themselves in their own eyes for ever Oh! it is a wonder that we should have any high thoughts of our selves at all when we consider what we are in our selves CHAP. CXXXII The knowledg of our selves further prosecuted with Six Means to get it 1. Consider what once we were 2. What we might have been 3. What it cost God to bring us out of that condition 4. What we are 5. What we would be if God should leave us a little to our selves 6. In what case we shall certainly be in one day FIrst Consider what ye were once I speak to those that are best of all of the Disciples of Christ consider what once you were Secondly What you might have been Thirdly What great cost God was at in bringing you out of that condition Fourthly What now you are Fifthly What you would be if God should but leave you a little to your selves Sixthly In what case ye all one day shall certainly be in These are the Heads to meditate upon to know your own vileness and so to humble your selves before God these are the meditations that may serve to prick the bladders of Pride and beat down the heart when it is lifted up As First Meditate what once you were consider that there is never a one of you whatever your condition is now but you were a Child of wrath and that as wel as others as well as the vilest basest wretch in the world as you were by nature you you were such as lost God had departed from him were deprived of the Image of God your excellency was departed from you you were under the curse of the Law you were enemies unto God your life was a continuall enmity unto God all your daies you did nothing else but fight against him you were guilty condemned Creatures you were ful of sin of the Seeds of all kinds of sin there is no sin in Hell it self but the Seeds of it were in your hearts your hearts and lives were full of sin all the faculties of your Souls were full of sin and all the members of your bodies instruments of sin all the good things you had was defiled Soul and Body was polluted and al loathsome you were even cast out in your blood and even lived in filthiness for al the time of your natural condition al the Creatures that you had use of you defiled with sin and all Ordinances were polluted all things were unclean to you Now these are some certain Heads to meditate upon to work upon us the knowledg of our selves what we were in that naturall state Besides add to this you were succorless helpless shiftless in your selves you could never deliver your selves you were wandring from God and would have wandred eternally if God had not looked upon you in mercy you were in such a condition that all the Angels in Heaven and all the Creatures in the world could not have helped you there was such a dreadfull breach between God and your Souls that if all the Angels in Heaven and men on earth would have been content to have died to have made up our breach it could not have been this is your condition Is there not cause then you should be low in your own eyes look back to this condition you see many vile Creatures going on in waies of wickedness provoking the infinite wrath of God against them and hanging over the pit of Hell by a twined Thred and every moment are ready to be plunged into the bottomless Gulf you were once thus you were in as vile a condition as they And consider further What you might have been you that are now in such a condition that have perhaps excellent parts I have spoken now only of our condition in regard of our spirituall Estate you may consider of your condition in your rise and beginning that what you find your selves made of was but Dust what poor matter you were made of at first and so many of you have great estates that now you are proud of but you were low enough look back to what you were So the Holy Ghost in Ezek. 16. when he would humble the People he bids them look back to what they were Your Father an Amorite and your Mother an Hitite and you were cast out into the Streets These things if we intended to speak of them
the other two The waies of God indeed and Religion and walking in the waies of God we must needs acknowledg to be easie but there is two other things as the Discipline of Jesus Christ and the sufferings that Jesus cals us unto How will that be made out to be easie to us Now I verily beleeve that Jesus Christ had an aim at these two as well as to any other to let them know what Discipline and Goverment he would have his people come under in the times of the Gospel and indeed we cannot be the Disciples of Jesus Christ as we ought except we be willing to put our necks under the yoke of the Discipline of Jesus Christ the Goverment of Christ as it is in his Church we must not think it sufficient meerly that we profess Religion and profess Godâ—â—ness that we keep from the sins of the world that we walk close with God in our Families but Christ requires likewise that we should come and subâ—it our selves to what Goverment he appoints in his Church and that is a part of the Kingdom of Jesus Christ as wel as his ruling in our hearts indeed that is the principall work of Christ in ruling in our hearts but Christ hath a Kingly power in ruling in his Church the main yoke is inward but there is an outward yoke too for Christ would not have men live as they list in a disorderly way but it is the mind of Jesus Christ that all his Saints though some in one place and some in another should joyn together in exercising such Ordinances as he hath appointed in the externall governing of his Church and yet so that all these are very easie to a spiritual heart though it may seem very difficult to a carnal heart for I should wrong the Text and not be faithfull if I should not give you what I verily beleeve is the scope of the Text I say this yoke is the order of Christ in his Church if it be neglected by people it is a great dishonor unto Jesus Christ and hinders them exceedingly in the waies of Religion and though it be very hard to carnal hearts it is very easie to spiritual hearts I am verily perswaded that one of the greatest things that causeth so much malignity in this Kingdome at this day it is the fearing of the yoke of Christ men are afraid of the goverment of Christ in his Church they are afraid they shall not have that liberty for their lusts and wickedness as formerly but that there shall be yokes to restrain and keep them from those loose waies that formerly they lived in and you may see plainly it is so who are they that joyn with the malignant party that have such spirits but such as have loose spirits they are those that live very loosly others that have meer civility and know little of the power of Godliness they are afraid of this and Oh how is it said by most we will not have this man reign over us they even said they will break his bonds asunder and cast away his cords that is the controversie that it is come to at this very day and that Prophecy in Psalm 2. seems to be fulfilled at this day at verse 2. The Kings of the earth set themselves and the Rulers take counsel together against the Lord and against his anointed saying Let us break their bonds asunder and cast away their cords from us he that sitteth in the Heavens shall laugh the Lord shall have them in derision Then shall he speak to them in his wrath and vex them in his sore displeasure yet have I set my King upon my holy hill of Zion for al this I wil set my King upon my holy hil Certainly Christ is not set up as King as he ought to be whatever profession we make except we be willing to come in put our necks under the yoke of Christ and Oh what a heavy burden and yoke it is For instance That Men and Women should not make a meer verbal profession and say I beleeve and I hope to be saved by Christ but should give an account of their Faith and give an account of some work of God upon their hearts that God hath called them out of the world certainly that is one thing that Christ doth require in his peoples joyning together to set up the Ordinances as they ought to be that they should have some knowledg one of another knowledg of some work of the Holy Ghost upon their hearts You will say that is secret I but though the Holy Ghost worketh in secret yet certainly this may some way or other appear we cannot know it certainly for there may be many Hypocrites no question in the Church of God and it is a very vain cavil for men to say can the Church of God be without Hypocrites that is taken indeed for granted and no body in the world denies it I but there must be that in the judgment of Charity so as by the judgment of Charity we may see so far as we are able to see that the Holy Ghost hath been working upon the Soul of this Man and Woman and hath called them out of the world this is the first thing in coming under the yoke of Christ in his Church Now how hard is this to carnal hearts the very mentioning of it is enough to make a mutiny in many places What! have we lived al this while and must we now come to give account of our faith But now it is an easy thing to a gracious heart what is more easy to a Gracious Heart then to speak of the work of God upon his Heart to give Glory to Jesus Christ in manifesting the work of God in calling him out of the world and bringing him out of the Kingdom of darkness and translating him into the Kingdom of his dear Son the manifestation of this is exceeding delightful to a gracious Heart And whereas many think that some wil lay a greater yoke upon them by coming in and submitting to the gouerment of Christ in his Church they say they wil make them to enter into a solemn Covenant before they wil admit them I confess were it so that this were urged as a thing necessary that they should not come in and joyn in the ordinances of Christ without an explicit solemn Covenant then I cannot but acknowledg it were a yoke that I think Christ never laid upon his Church not an explicit solemn Covenant to urge it as necessary that they cannot come and joyn in the ordinances without it and as for my part I know not any that urge it as necessary though it is used it is true because it is the way of manifesting themselves one way or another and some way they would have for the manifestation of the grace of God and of their willingness to joyn with them in all the Ordinances of Christ so far as is revealed to them and I
of his Coat And so when Diogenes came to Plato and he had a rich Bed and Diogenes in his Cinickness and pride tramples upon Platoes rich Bed saying I tread and trample upon the pride of Plato I saith Plato but it is with thy pride it is pride that tramples upon this pride it was the pride of his heart that did so disdain that another should have that he had not himself There may be much vanity and pride and height of spirit in lowliness of Garb and outward habit But yet stil we shall come further to open the nature of Humility and the evil of pride that is contrary to it and we shall come to discover the pride in Habits and speech and the like but only now to make way to what we shall come to now to get in a little into the point that we may not mistake what Christ would have us learn of him when he saith he would have us learn to be lowly in heart Fifthly There may be a kind of lowliness of spirit which Christ disavows and which Christ would not have us learn of him not only a lowliness of words habit but a lowliness of heart that they must take heed of a base fordid spirit that is as uncomely for a Christian as any thing in the world A Christian though he must have the lowliness of the heart of Christ yet there is the lowliness of a base fordid spirit that is infinitly unbecoming the excellency of a Christian What is that base drossy low spirit of many people First thus It is a base fordid spirit to imploy themselves in things beneath their Condition in which God hath set them As for instance suppose a Magistrate or a Minister should fill a Dung-cart and he should plead thus it is true others are so proud they will not do it but I am content to do the meanest thing Is this a lowly heart No it is a base fordid heart for men that are of any quality to mingle themselves with poor mean things to be in the Ditches in places that are beneath them to imploy themselves in things that are beneath the condition that God hath set them in this is not Humility but fordid and base spiritedness And then when men likewise shall seek low and mean things and bless themselves in things that are very low and mean and allow themselves in them as if so be they were enough to make them happy when they shall feed upon others as the Scripture speaks of that Idolatry And so wicked men when they shall feed upon ashes this is a base thing for a man to have his belly cleave to the earth to seek to scrape for a little of the world and bless himself in this and think himself a happy man if he can get a little money and if he have a little applause in the world this is that he placeth his happiness in and seeks after no higher good and this he would be content should be his portion if he can get a little money together and have House and Lands this is a low spirit for one that professeth himself a Child of God for him to seek after the things of the world and satisfie himselfe in them it is as if a Prince should leave the Throne of his Father and go and scrape in the Kennels Wil you say it is the Humility of a Prince Were it the Humility of a Prince to leave the Court and all the Glory there and those excellent imployments about State affairs and scrape in the Kennels Were this the lowliness of a Prince No it were a base spirit As I have heard of some great Heirs when they have been yong and stolen by Beggars afterwards when they have been taken away from Beggars and put into good Cloaths yet they have got such a base spirit that they would leave off all to put on Rags again and go a begging Thus the greatest men that seem to be lofty in their aims and designs they have low spirits for they do but scrape Kennels in this world and with the Prodigall feed upon Husks and Swil whereas the People of God though they are to be lowly in heart yet do aim at high things to seek after eternity of Glory to seek after a Crown after Heaven to seek after God himself to live for ever with God in Glory and though they are to acknowledg themselves unworthy of the least crumb of Bread yet they are not to be satisfied with all the world for their portion they are to have such high Spirits as not to satisfie themselves with all the world for their portion You will say here is a high Spirit indeed thus it is nothing will satisfie him except he have the infinite God to be his portion Your proud men that are esteemed to be the highest spirited they will be satisfied with a little Muck in the world but the Child of God hath such a generous Spirit that if God should offer him the possession of Heaven and Earth for his portion he wouâ—d count a little pittance and he would say Lord there are higher things that I look for to be my portion and God is very well pleased that his people should have such high Spirits in that sence to seek after a Kingdome to seek after Glory and to think themselves too good for a Lust for sin to rule over them to think themselves in a higher Condition than that these poor mean things should be enough to be their portion and their happiness Thus I have only shewed you the Negative what it is that Christ doth not mean when he saith Learn of me for I am Meek and lowly in heart he means none of these five things CHAP. CXX Lowliness of heart what it is positively and what it is in Christ in six particulars 1. He became Mediator 2. Man 3. Born of a poor Virgin 4. A Servant 5. A Curse Yea Sin 6. He was lowly in his carriage to men QUEST YOU will say What is the lowliness of heart that Christ would have us learn of him Answ It is to be considered two waies The first is this That disposition of spirit whereby one that is in a high and excellent condition yet is content to become low for God and for the good of his Brethren though he be in an excellent estate yet is content to be in a Lovv condition so it be for God and the good of others and this is that Lovvliness that belongs only to Christ himself he vvas thus Lovvly And also God the Father is lovvly that God is of a Lovvly Spirit thus to be content to be lovv for his ovvn Glory and for the good of others Ye have it in Psalm 113. 5. and 6. Who is like unto thee Lord our God who dwelleth on high who humbleth himself to behold the things that are in Heaven and in the Earth God is on high and yet God humbleth himself to behold to have regard