heart Eyes more then God Now the behavior of an humble heart towards God is especially in these Particulars 1. An Humble Heart doth acknowledg the infinite distance that there is between God and it self and from this infinite distance that he sees between God and himself he comes to be more and more vile no man or woman in the world is humble except they have a knowledg of God they cannot be vile in their own Eyes in a Christian way except God hath made himself known to them but when the Lord doth acquaint the Soul with himself and the Soul comes to see and acknowledg the infinite distance between God and it and upon that comes to have high thoughts of God and low thoughts of it self this is the first work of an humble Spirit in respect of God You know that in Job 42. 4 5. I have heard of thee by the hearing of the eare but now mine Eye seeth thee therefore do I abhor my self in dust and ashes Here was Jobs Humility Oh Lord I have a sight of thee I see an infinite distance between thee and me and it is this that makes me have such high thoughts of thee and low thoughts of my self and therefore I abhor my self and repent in dust and ashes It may be many of you when you are put into an affliction perhaps God takes away your estate that makes you dejected God laies an affliction upon your body your Wife or Husband and that dejects you Oh but the right dejection of the Spirit is this I see an infinite distance between God and me and that is it that lowens my spirit more then any thing in the world I appeal unto you hath God beaten this upon your spirits the infinit distance between God and you and upon that you have layen low There is a notable Scripture in Prov. 30. and the beginning The words of Agur the Son of Jakeh even the Prophecy the man spake unto Ithiell even unto Ithiell and Ucal Surely I am more brutish then any man and have not the understanding of a man he spake to Ithiell even unto Ithiell and Ucal Now there is a great variety of interpretations of this place but I find the most carry it Ithiel and Vcal being two Names of Christ that Agur makes use of and so he speaks unto Christ as God for so Ithiel is God with me and it is suitable to that name of Christ that you have in the first of Matthew the 23. Christ is there called Emmanuel God with us and here his name is Ithiel God with me that is the difference between those two Names of Christ Ithiel and Emmanuel Immanuel is to signifie Christ being God and Man in generall for the good of mankind God with us but Ithiel is that name of Christ whereby a Beleever applies Christ to himself particularly not only is the Savior of the Elect the Savior of all Beleevers is God with all Beleevers but Ithiel he is God with me my Soul I apply him particularly to my own Soul he is God with me I look upon Christ as God to all Beleevers and to all Beleevers for their good but looking upon Christ as applying him to my own Soul So I look upon Christ as Ithiel God with me and therefore he repeats this twice The man spake unto Ithiel even unto Ithiel Oh! he loves to look upon Jesus Christ as God with him particularly with him And then Vcal Vcal signifies I shall be able to prevail and so it is the name of Christ noting that the confidence of a Gracious heart is to prevail in the strength of Christ against temptation against sin against corruption against all trouble whatsoever though I look upon my self as weak vile yet I look upon Christ as one in whom I shall prevail and so I call him Vcal I shall be able in him I shal prevail in him that is the meaning of these two words Ithiel and Vcal The man spake unto Ithiel even unto Ithiel and Vcal that is spake to Jesus Christ God in me and God in whom I shall prevail though I be weak in my self and now mark how he came to be low in his own eyes upon this Surely I am more brutish than any man and have not the understanding of a man in me I neither learned wisdom nor have the knowledg of the Holy and so he goes on he is hereupon very vile in his own eyes and yet mark before he doth express himself so vile he can look upon Christ as his Christ and he in whom he hath confidence to prevail so that Faith and Humility may go both together and the truth is one furthers the other the more faith and confidence we have in God the more we come to be vile in our own Eyes that is the first thing Secondly Upon this follows That an humble heart in behavior towards God hath a trembling heart walkes with God in a trembling way fears this great God that he hath such high thoughts of reverenceth before him In Isai 66. 4. There those two are put together The poor Contrite Spirit and one that trembles at his Word Herein the Soul shews it self to be a poor contrite low Spirit in that it trembles at any thing of God at any manifestation of God not in a slavish way but in a reverentiall way having this fear struck into him because of the greatness of that God that I see so infinitely above me and I see my self so low under this God and this makes me fear before him especially when he coâ—es into the presence of God this makes him fear before him throâ—gh the apprehension of his own meanness So Abraham when he speaks to God Gen. 16. 27 28. Dust and ashes hath begun to speak to thee O Lord This is the Reason of the reverentiall behavior of the Saints of God in the presence of God because of the fear of God Whereas a proud heart is bold before the Lord and presumptuous before the Lord and stands it out against God stands ouâ— against what is manifested in the Word that might make him tremble but the least word makes the humble heart to tremble As we go along we may examin our Humility whether your behavior be the behavior of an humble heart before God Do you find this That as heretofore your hearts were bold in the presence of God you could walk in a daring way before God now you can tremble at Gods word tremble in his peresence in a reverentiall way Thirdly An humble heart in the presence of God hath a relenting spirit humility of spirit manifests it self in walking towards God in this disposition that it relents and melts in Gods presence at any manifestation of Gods displeasure against him And this is likewise cleer in Scripture that Famous Example of Josiab in 2 Kings 22. 19. Because thine heart was tender or because it did Melt for so some Books hath it And thou didest humble thy self
than another you have more honor and esteem than another What great difference makes this between man and man But now Grace makes a great difference between man man one hath Grace another hath not this makes a mighty difference one hath Humility another not this makes a very great difference there is not so much difference between the natural excellency of an Angell of Heaven and a Worm upon the earth as between an humble Soul and the greatest Prince in the world that hath not the Grace of Humility Were we but throughly principled in this one thing we may hear it and confes it I suppose but none of you when you go away will say this is true that Grace makes the great difference except you be principled in this thing that it is not the having much and little that makes any great difference between man and man Thirdly Seriously work upon your hearts the meditation of the vanity of all these things how quickly all the beauty and excellency of these things will be gone what is become of all the great pomp and excellency of the world when death comes what is the difference between one that was poor and contemptible and one that was rich and honorable Death makes all even The Glory of the world passeth away and the lustre of of it every thing here is but as flesh and grass that withereth by looking upon all these things that puff up the heart to be but as wind is the main thing to make the soul humble But the main thing is the setting God before us and Christ before us and the right understanding of our selves these are the three principall things that are helps for the Lowliness of the heart 3. The knowledg of God and the setting God before us is a principal thing to make us humble you know how it was with him in Prov. 30. and the beginning The man spake unto Ithiel and Ucal I have opened the meaning of this to you at another time he spake to Ithiel God with me Surely I am more brutish than any man and have not the understanding of a man Oh! how low was he in his own eyes when he had to deal with God the sight of God is that that humbles one more than any thing in the world And so that of Job that famous place in Job 42. after God had made himself known to Job at verse 3 4. I have heard of thee by the hearing of the ear saith he but now mine eye seeth thee wherefore I abhor my self and repent in dust and ashes What an humble heart and a broken heart had he I set alwaies God before me And so Isay when he had the vision of God and the Seraphims cry Holy Holy Holy the whol earth is full of thy Glory wo to me saith he I am undone because he had seen God Thus al the Servants of God that did converse much with God were very humble Jesus Christ himself that had a lowly heart he conversing much with God and knowing so much of the divine nature having such interest in him therefore there was never such an example of a Lowly Spirit as Christs example was whenas we come to know God the infinite distance that is between God and us then what is all the excellencies in the world when thou comest to know the infinite excellency of God What is the glimerings of a Glo-worm when we come to see all the Glory of Heaven And then also we come to see the infinite dependance we have upon God I wonder not to see men in the world that do not know God to have bold and presumptuous Spirits and see men that have knowledg that they are humble though the others have their spirits lifted up in vanity But for the soul that ever had any sight of God it is a wonder that such a Soul should have any rising of Spirit that any sinfull height of Spirit should be in that Soul that knows what an infinite God it hath to deal with Oh converse much with God and then you will have humble Souls that Soul that never goes from Duty but hath much converse with God that Soul is very humble As Bernard said Lord I never go from thee without thee I carry thee out in my heart when I am in thy presence Now an Hypocrite converseth not with God you that converse with men you would be higher than your Neighbors and live better than your Neighbors O! this is the fruit of converse with men but now true Humility comes from converse with God nothing hath that excellency in it as that which comes from conversing with God and upon the sight of his excellency May be God laies affliction upon you takes away a Child or some of your Estate and this may be may humble you but true humility comes from conversing with God and the sight of his excellency 4. Another is from the right knowledg of Jesus Christ saith he Learn of me for I am meek and lowly in heart There is no such means of Humility as conversing much with Christ for there was never such an example of Humility as Christ and it was one of Gods ends to send his Son for an example into the world to honor this Grace of Humility and therefore they that know Christ much and the way of Salvation cannot but have empty hearts It is a speech of Austin saith he It may be thou wilt be ashamed to imitate an humble man such a one as is humble to make him thy pattern thou thinkest thou hast more excellency in thee than him I but be not ashamed to imitate an humble God Do but consider how willing Christ was to have that Glory and excellency of his to be eclipsed and darkned for so many yeers though he was one that the Angels adored and he might have let out that Glory to have filled all the whol world and have made the world astonished with his Lustre yet he was content for thirty two or thirty three yeers together to go up and down in the world as a man without form and comeliness to be despised contemned and spit upon If you have a little excellency you shew it presently in Cloaths in Speeches and the like Christ shewes you by this what vanity this is what an excellency and Glory was upon him and yet he was up and down in the world without form and comliness And when we look upon Christ Consider that he was not only humble but humble for us to fatisfie for thy sin without which thou must have gone to Hell eternally to be humble for thy sin there lies the power and efficacy of Christs example in Christs example thou seest what a mean thing any outward excellency of the world is What did he care for any outward excellency When they would have made him a King he cared not for it look up higher God hath made mankind for higher things than these below I that had
the Lesson that Christ would have us indeed learn Come if you would be my Disciples you must deny your self and take up my Cross The word in the Greek is more than deny your selves you must throughly deny your self deny your self to purpose indeed if you will be the Disciples of Christ and indeed this Humility is the proper Christian Humility Your Heathens they were altogether for men to know their own excellencies and to seek themselves altogether but for such a Lesson as this to deny themselves you never read of any such thing in Heathen Authors never such a Lesson that they would teach them that they would deny themselves 8. An humble heart keeps down it self that is he would be no higher except he be worthier one that hath a vain proud Spirit stil would fain be higher and higher and is not so solicitous to be worthier of a higher place but one that is humble thinks thus I am unworthy of what place I am in and I would not be higher except I be worthier I would not be in a higher condition except God give me a heart to improve that condition that he shall put me into and though God keep me in a low condition in respect of outwards yet the truth is I have as much as I have Grace to manage and therefore when there is any rising thoughts within it about a higher condition an humble heart is willing to beat down it self and is ready to speak to it self as Jeremy to Baruch in Jerem. 45. Dost thou seek great things for thy self Seek them not So saith an humble Spirit to it self What! art thou rising in thy Spirit and seekest great things for thy self Seek them not it is well thou hast thy life for a prey it is well thy Soul may be saved in the day of Jesus Christ And so David it is said of him in Psal 131. As a weaned Child he quieted himself and behaved himself restraining himself and keeping down himself whereas his Spirit would have been froward against God he did keep down his Spirit that was ready even to rise against God One that hath a lowly heart yet whilst it remains in this world hath much to do to keep dovvn it self 9. An humble lovvly Spirit hides it self is vvilling to hide it self and doth much hide it self it doth therefore good in secret more than in publique though such a one vvhen God cals him to publique service is vvilling to serve God publiquely yet especially is vvilling to do good in secret vvhere none knows vvhat it doth and vvhere none is conscious to it self but it self and God The ful ears of Corn hang down vvhereas the blasted ears vvil stand bolt upright So it is vvith a heart that is humble the more excellency it hath the more it hangs dovvn it self and is lovv vvhereas the blasted Spirits of Men and women that have a little in them they stand bolt upright Or rather as the Violet the Violet doth hide it self with its own Leaves So the Fig Tree and the Violet grows low in the ground you can hardly perceive it but only it discovers it self by its sweet smel you may many times smel it before you can see it it grows so low and the discovery of it is from the sweet savor of it and so it is with an humble heart the discovery of the excellency that is in an humble heart is from the sweet savor it hath rather than from any comendations of it self by speaking of it self No it is that which is abhorred by a lowly humble heart to be speaking high things of it self and it doth not love to hear others commending of it and doth not deny them in a modesty because they would have them to confirm it the more strongly as many others will do but unfeignedly is willing to have them hidden any futher than God is pleased to draw them forth It doth a great deal of good when no body can know it as it was the similitude of an Antient saith he An humble heart in this is like to the Lightening that may work strong effects on a suddain and goes away and no body takes notice of it somtimes it may be melts the Sword in the Scabbard and is gone and no body knows who did it So it is with an humble heart it wil not make a noise in what it doth whereas a proud heart wil be brought to no good exercise except every one take notice of what it doth an humble Spirit is willing to hide it self when God may nay have Glory by an action though I may have disgrace yet I am content 10. An humble Spirit goes out of it self being conscious of its own weakness I say it goes out of it self for a principle to act by and for strength for assistance for help it goes out of it self and empties it self we may put both together it is unbottomed of it self is one that is willing to live upon Alms upon Gods Alms continually upon a continued influence of the Grace of God being sensible of its own weakness iâ— goes out to catch hold of strength without it self Like the Vine though a fruitful Creature yet a weak Creature therefore God in nature hath made it ful of little strings to catch hold of any thing that is next it to support it self So it is with an humble Spirit though very fruitfull yet weak and therefore is catching hold of strength without it self supports it self upon God and therefore it dares not go forth in its own strength â—n any business that God sets it about but is unbotomed of it self depends upon a strength beyond its self and looks for assistance in all actions that it doth from another it lives upon a principle that is without it self continually whereas a proud heart lives altogether upon its own principles But there is nothing more discovers our humilty than this than to live upon nothing in our selves but to go out to strength without our selves 11 This is the true behavior of an humble Spirit in respect of it self a lowly and humble Spirit is often bemoaning it self alone for its own wretchedness and vileness in Jerem. 31. 13. I have heard of Ephraim bemoaning himself before the Lord I have heard him bemoaning himself Is not Ephraim my dear Child saith God Oh! how frequently doth the Lord hear lowly hearts bemoaning of themselves before the Lord. It may be it doth not pine so much before others in complaints but gets into the presence of the Lord and there it is often bemoaning it self and pouring forth it self before the Lord. 12. The last is this an humble heart doth afflict it self is willing to afflict it self you know that the Lord requires in the day of a Fast especially that there should be an afflicting of our selves In Levit. 23. 26. The Text saith That every Soul should afflict it self and that Soul that doth not afflict it self in the day of a fast shouldbe cut
they shal trust in the name of the Lord it is spoke of the times of Captivity and great misery that People should be in times of trouble Yea All outward needfull things is promised to the humble in Prov. 22. 4. By Humility and the fear of the Lord is Riches and Honor and Life You wil say Humble people may be are poor but they have more assurance of Riches than any in the world have they have Gods bond for Riches but still ever to be understood with the condition of the Cross ever understood so as may be usefull for the enriching of their Souls God hath promised to enrich their outward estates You think by the pride of your hearts and your busseling in the world you may get much but by walking humbly with God you may expect more blessing upon your estate than from any thing in the world But now that which is the main Promise of all is that in the Text Learn of me for I am Meek and Lowly in heart and you shall find rest for your Souls and there are no People in the world that have so much rest in their hearts such satisfaction in their Souls as those that are of humble hearts there is a great deal of disquiet in the world and men complain that they cannot live at quiet and they have no rest at all in their Spirits know that is from that proud Spirit of thine that there is no rest in thy bones and Spirit but if God come once to work this Grace of humility in thy Soul thou wilt find rest unto thy Soul in all thy waies thou wilt walk with such a quiet and contented Spirit that none in the world walks with Would not any of you have this Promise fulfiâ—led in such troublesome times as this when there is no rest in any thing in the world Here is that Scripture that will shew that though you cannot have rest in any thing in the world yet you shall have rest in your Souls it was in the former verse when Christ did invite poor laden Sinners to come to him I will give you rest there is the rest of the Gospel that comes to the soul by Jesus Christ I do not intend to look back to those things all that I intend in this Promise is to shew you how Humility brings rest unto the Soul I have shewed before how Meekness brings rest unto the Soul and then we shall come to the words following the easiness of the Yoke of Jesus Christ to those that are thus lowly as Christ would have them to be Thirteenthly Humility is an excellent Grace next unto that Grace that the Scripture makes to be the condition of the new Covenant Faith it is that Grace that is most useful and necessary to give God the Glory of the new Covenant and that upon this ground For God though he did intend Salvation to some wretched and unworthy Creatures yet he hath so wrought in his Wisdom that he will save them in such a way as he shall have all the Glory and the Creature shall be debased as much as can be We cannot think how an infinite Wisdome could find out a way to save mankind and that in a way of Covenant too to save lost man in a way of a Covenant wherein man that is saved should be debased and the name of God so much honored as that way is that God hath done in the Covenant of Grace for it is this God will save them in the way of a Covenant a Covenant you wil say that is somwhat it is true God will require somwhat of man in the Covenant I but yet in that manner as man is as much debased as possibly can be for the condition is so as man must be emptied of al be nothing in himself he must go wholly out of himself for a principle of life yea and when he hath it he must live upon that that is out of himself for so a Christian must do not only go first in Jesus Christ for a principle of life there but this principle of life must depend upon Christ it cannot be with man now as it was with Adam God gave Adam Grace and he was to live upon that stock but now we have grace from Christ and we cannot live upon that stock but we must still live upon him still upon the life that is in him So that man is the most emptied and debased in that way that God hath appointed to save him by he must deny himself in the greatest manner that a Creature can be put to We think this is a great deal of self deniall for a man to be willing to be mean in the world and to suffer much in the world for Christ it is a great deal of self deniall I confess but when the Soul goes to Christ in the way of Faith in the Covenant of Grace there is the greatest self deniall of all for there a man doth not only deny his outward comforts here for the present but he denies his own Righteousness his own abilities his own gifts yea and afterwards when he comes to have Graces he denies them too and wholly goes out of himself for justification and reconciliation with God and all those things that are excellent in their own nature he doth look upon as Dross and Dung in comparison of what he finds in Jesus Christ so that Faith is that that carries with it as great a self denial as we can conceive a Creature is capable of in this world Faith makes one like Christ in that respect Christ though he was glorious yet he did empty himself Faith makes one empty ones self of all that is good and therefore of all Graces humility is the most subservient and helpful to Faith and pride is the greatest enemy to Faith and especially pride in those things that a man counts his greatest excellency some men indeed have a pride in their Cloaths and others in their Estates these are but poor things but when a man comes to have pride in his Duties and graces this is the pride of heart that is an enemy to Faith And therefore that place is very obseruable in the Prophecy of Habakkuck How living by Faith and pride are opposed to one Another In Habakkuck 2. 4. Behold his Soul which is lifted up is not upright in him but the just shall live by his Faith This Text will serve both for this I now bring it for and to confirme another thing that I spake of even now that is how humility preserves Grace and keeps men and women from being Apostates It is apparent here saith he Behold his Soul which is lifted up is not upright in time of trouble He will fal off But the just shal live by his Faith It is all one where there is no pride there is humility where the heart is emptyed of pride there the heart is fit to beleeve and that is the Reason why many poor Souls are
that God should be glorified in his own way this is hard now let this and the other fal out I but yet saith a Lowly heart it is fit God should have his Glory which way he pleaseth and therefore he is not troubled Fifthly Humility brings a great deal of quiet because it freeth us from opposition or if it come it makes us yeild to the opposition it freeth us from opposition of men for so I told you in the opening of it an humble heart is afraid to give any offence and so it is not likely that others will offend him but if opposition do come a Lowly heart yeilds to it and when there is a yeilding in time of opposition when a blustring wind comes yet if there be a yeilding to it it doth no great hurt and so the heart that yeilds to opposition it hath quiet and Rest Sixthly Humility brings a great deal of quiet because it makes us rejoyce in the prosperity of others the great trouble and disquiet of the spirits of men in the world is that others are above them now an humble heart blesseth God that any are above it Seventhly An humble heart is under a great many of promises and there must needs be Rest and quiet to that Soul Eightly All crosses are smal to an humble Soul because he is smal in his own Eyes according to what proportion a man bears to his own Eye so his crosses are if his Crosses be great in his own eye then they are great crosses to him and therefore you account your afflictions great if you account your affliction in your own Eye I but now if you were smal in your own Eyes you would count your afflictions smaller But we cannot open the particulars of these except we go further in the opening of the Grace of humility and therefore as ever you would have Rest and quiet in these troublesome and restless times labor for humble and quiet spirits CHAP. CXXXI Exhortation to humility with five several means to get it 1. Labor to see the Excellency of it 2. Convince the Soul of its emptiness 3. Get the knowledg of God 4. Of Christ 5. Of our selves NOw then we come to the Use and Application some time might be spent in speaking about Examination to shew whether we are humble or not and then to shew the difference between being humble and humbled many are humbled by affliction brought low or by Terror Tormented but their hearts are not humble there is a great deal of difference between Humiliation and Humility but I shal refer that as a seasonable point to be handled at another time Certainly God hath made many people to be humbled and yet not humble in their Spirits And then another use may be to humble our Souls for the want of humility and indeed that is a good Humiliation to be humble for the want of humility to be humbled for our pride is an argument of the truth of humility as much as any thing whatsoever and certainly if I should go back and open the Particulars of the behavior of an humble Soul towards God its self and others Certainly never a Man and Woman but may lay his hand upon his Mouth and say Lord have mercy upon me how have I failed in the behavior of my spirit towards God my self and others Lord my heart hath not answered to that that hath been spoken in the word the truth is the best of us all have cause to be humbled before God because they are not humble as they ought To be proud of heart one compares it to an Onion that if you pill off one part of it there is another pil afterwards pill off that and there is another still and another and another til you come to the end so when there is some pride take off one and under that pride there lies more take off that and under it there lies more and take off that and under it lies more continually more and more pride there lies in the heart of Men and Women and that man and woman that thinks they have not proud hearts I dare challenge them in the Name of God that they have proud hearts As John saith 1 John 1. and last vers If we say we have not sin we Lie so if we say we have not pride it is an evident Argument we Lie and it is an evident Argument we have pride Pride is like the Garment the first that is put on and the last that is put off and it is that that the heart sticks more in then any thing else and therefore Christ saith of his Disciples that were humbled they denyed al for Christ and yet mark what Christ saith concerning them In Matth. 18. There they inquired who should be greatest in the Kingdom of Heaven Jesus takes a little Child and sets him in the midst of them and saith Verily Verily I say unto you except ye be converted and become as little Children ye shal not enter into the Kingdom of Heaven Now were not they become as little Children Had not they humility They were gracious and godly I but this is true of one that is gracious and humble he hath a great deal of pride stil and he had need be converted and become as little Children to be humbled more and more It is an excellent frame of Spirit that we read of in Hezekiah he had an humble Spirit and yet lifted up in Pride yet mark what the Text saith in 2 Chron. 32. 25. 26. Notwithstanding Hezekiah humbled himself for the Pride of his heart it is said in ver 25. But Hezekiah rendred not according to the benefit done to him for his heart was lifted up Notwithstanding Hezekiah humbled himself for the Pride of his heart It is true the best of all have Pride in their hearts But can you say I have humbled my self for the Pride of my heart that you are jealous of your own hearts You are afraid of the Pride of your hearts and you watch over your hearts that upon the first stirring of your heart you labor to keep it down that you find your heart humbled for your Pride if you have this you have that that an Hypocrite hath not the least of either to be jealous over his heart or to keep down his heart or to watch over his heart or to observe the stirrings of his heart An Hypocrite hath not the least of this Now if you find this perhaps you find temptation prevails with you to commit a great sin for that you are humble and to neglect your Duty for that you are humble I but are you humbled for the Pride of your own hearts when you can charge your Souls for the Pride of your hearts between God and your Soul when you can search your heart and find it out and go lament it in the bitterness of your heart this is a good sign Perhaps when the pride of your heart breaks out and shames you before
the divine nature hypostatically joyned to the humane nature I that was one that God intended to make use of for the greatest purposes that ever he did in the world I did not enjoy the world I had no honor in the world I had no honor nor esteem among men I had no riches no hole to hide my head and yet I have that that hath more excellency than all the things in the world and therefore Children of men you may see by this that God intends humane nature for higher things than these below and therefore it should humble thee that the Son of God should be so low and thou so lifted up And for this example take this one thing that is of great use to help us to lowliness of heart Do but consider the way of God towards Jesus Christ and how Jesus Christ submitted himself unto the way of God towards him as in this one thing especially when God manifested himself in the fullest way to him yet Jesus Christ presently comes into a low condition as in that famous example in Math. 3. 4. when God manifested so much of his Glory then presently Jesus Christ was content to be low to come down And I will give you another thaâ— is as famous as this and that is in the transfiguration that you heard lately opened to you in Math. 17. there his Glory was let forth His face did shine like the Sun and it came through his rayment a great deal of Glory appeared but now observe presently upon this Jesus Christ is not lifted up but begins to talk of his Sufferings and Death that he must die and suffer and fall into the hands of men of sinners see twice this Moses and Elias talked with him and his Disciples being afraid he comes to them at the 7. verse and said arise and be not afraid and when they had liftâ—d up their Eyes they saw no man but Jesus only and as he came down from the Mountain Jesus charged them saying tel the Vision to no man til the Son of man be risen again from the dead and his Disciples asked him saying why then say the Scribes that Elias must first come He speaks of his Death and they wondred why Elias must first come Jesus Answered at the 11. verse And said unto them Elias truly shall first come and restore all things But I say unto you that Elias is come already and they knew him not but have done unto him whatsoever they listed likewise shal also the Son of man suffer of of them as they did to Elias so the Son of man shall suffer of them They wil deal with me as they did with him presently he talks with his disciples of his sufferings The Son of man must suffer And further at verse 22. And while they abode in Galilee Jesus said unto them the Son of man shall be betrayed into the hands of men and they shal kill him Presently you find the discourse of Christ was about his low condition after any glory put upon him you when you have any glory put upon you and God hath lifted you up more then your brethren you talk of that and live upon that but Christ when he had been transfigured he talked of his sufferings and if we did but know what Christ is and his sufferings that such a one being so high yet was brought so low it would make us to be humble But now compare this with that you have in Mark 14. And there you shall find that when Christ was in an Agony and when he was in trouble of Spirit then in his Agony in the Garden when the hand of his Father was upon his spirit who did Christ take with him into the Garden Only these three Peter James and John at verse 33. And he taketh with him Peter and James and John and began to be sore amazed and to be very heavy and saith unto them my Soul is exceeding sorrowful unto Death Now the thing I would note from hence is this the Reason why Christ would take only those three that had seen him in his glory to see him in his Agony it was because they were the fittest of all those that saw Christ in his Glory to see him in his Agony they would make the best use of this more then any If the other disciples had seen him only in his Agony and not in his Glory they might have been offended to have seen their master so when he came to die to be so amazed they might say Lord is this he we have trusted so long unto that now when he comes to die he sweats blood I but these that saw him in his Glory they would rather think Oh How willing should we be to suffer for Jesus Christ that he that is so glorious as we saw him but the other day now we see him in such a case if God should alter our condition and bring us never so low we have cause to humble our selves because he was so Low And that he might prepare their hearts also to suffer for James was the first of the Apostles that suffered for him Steven indeed suffered before but of the Apostles James was the first and Peter you know what he was to suffer and John he was the beloved disciple and one of an humble Spirit and of a loving spirit therefore he was taken in now the sight of these two together was a special means to help the humility of the spirits of these three Disciples that they saw him in his glory and Agony And so for us to meditate first on his Glory and then of his condition in his Agony it is a mighty means to humble our spirits 5. But now the last thing is The right knowledg of our selves this is another Means to make us humble now the right knowledg of our selves is that which should bring our hearts low it was that that the Heathen did admire Sotrates was accounted the famous man for this sentence I know nothing because I know my self you may conclude it a man or woman that is lifted up in pride it is a sign thou dost not know thy self if thou knewest all the Mysteries in nature the nature of the Sun Moon and Stars and Arts and Sciences all is nothing to the knowing of thine own heart Dost thou know thine own heart prize this as a choice thing it is such a thing thou shouldest spend much time to read many of you perhaps cannot read in a book I but you must be learned in the books of your own heart read that well and you will know enough there Further For the knowledg of our selves take pains in frequent examining and observing of thy heart and examin it by the holiness and justice of God set Gods infinite holiness and justice even with thine own heart and that wil make thee know thy heart And if you would know your selves you must not judg of your selves by what you are in a fit at a
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
doth order the heart according to this knovvledg therefore the Scripture speaks of humbleness of mind in Collos 3. 12. To be low in our mind First the mind must be lovv before the Heart be lovv in the judging of our selves vve must judg of our selves right before the heart can lie lovv vve must judg of our selves by the right rule by no false rule but by examining of our selves according unto the vvord according to vvhat the vvord of God doth reveal concerning us after Serious Faithfull and strict examination of our selves then follovvs the vvork of Humiliation a right judging of our selves first A Heathen Phylosopher being ask'd What is the hardest thing in the World He ansvvers Noscere teipsum to knovv thy self the bravest thing in the World for a man to knovv himself and indeed vve that profess our selves to be Christians vve may find it by experience to be so the hardest thing in the World to know our selves The heart of man is deceitfull above all things and who can know it The heart of man is Grande profundum a very great depth there 's not one of ten thousand that knovvs himself there is a great Art and Skil in being able to know ones self and that is the reason that there is so little Humility in the World because we do not knovv our selves every proud man is a Fool a Fool in this Because he knovvs not himself he doth not give a right judgment of himself Now for the way of knowing our selves and what the word of God doth help us to know our selves in that we shal not speak of in this place but only to shew the ground of Humility it is the knowledg of our own vileness and the judging of our selves according to what we know of our selves not according to what others think of us A humble man doth not much go according to what any body else knows of him or esteems of him but according to what he knows and esteems of himself It was a Speech of another Heathen Do not beleeve others of thy self more than thy self of thy self It is a Foolish thing for any man to go by the esteem that others have of him and not by the esteem that he hath of himself upon right examination it may be other men may in Charity judg that thou hast this and this such and such Graces and such excellencies while in the mean time thou mai'st know thy self to be a vile mean wretched base Creature Novv a proud heart will rather go according to what others think of him than indeed according to what he knovvs of himself it may be other men that live vvith thee that see but the outside they give a good report of thee But vvhat report doth thy ovvn Conscience give of thee What dost thou knovv of thy self That thou should'st look most after While our friends do rejoyce in those excellencies they esteem us to have in the mean time thou mai'st see the cause to be confounded in thine ovvn thoughts and to be ashamed before the Lord and to have such thoughts of thy self that if the Lord should discover unto thy friends that now esteem highly of thee what thou knowest of thy self thou would'st think that they would kick and spurn thee out of their Company and be ready to spit in thy face I make no question but those that look into their own hearts and observe the workings of their own spirit those that know what is within and are acquainted with themselves many times when others have high esteems of them they see cause to look upon themselves with such shame as to beleeve that if others should but see the inside if God should turn their insides outward all their friends that have such esteems of them now would be ready to abhor them and be ready to loath them if they did but know what they are of themselves And indeed it is a great Argument for to make those that have any acquaintance with their own hearts to be humble to suffer any outward meanness to be willing to suffer any thing that might make them low outwardly Why Because of the great mercy of God to conceal from men what evill is in them Thou art loth to suffer some outward affliction but if God should discover to all the world all that evill that is in thee and that thou art conscious to thy self of Yea take the best Man and Woman that is if all the evill that they themselves are conscious to themselves of were discovered it would make them more vile than any mean condition that ever God put them into Yea than any outward affliction can possibly put them into God rather doth esteem of us wil rather judg us according to what we esteem of our selves than according to what others think of us And therefore in 1 John 3. 20. that place that is well known If our Consciences condemn us God is greater than our Consciences and knoweth all things It is no matter what others say others may justifie us others may think we have excellent Gifts and exccellent Graces and we perform duties in an excellent manner but in the mean time our own Consciences may condemn us Now the behavior of a proud heart is rather according at what others think of him then what he thinks of himself though he knows never such vileness in his own heart as now in Duty he joyns with us in Prayer perhaps he hath excellent expressions in Duty in Prayer that the hearts of those that are with him are taken with him and bless God for the Gift of God in him and what Graces he exerciseth in Prayer and so others are blessing God for him and highly esteeming of him and themselves happy that they joyn with him now upon that he hath a proud heart and blesseth himself in that and rejoyceth in that while in the mean time his Conscience tels him that he hath a base heart a proud spirit an empty heart and a dead heart and that all this while there hath been a mighty unsutableness between his heart and the expressions Now if his heart be humble he will not look what others speak of him in this kind but be ashamed and confounded in his ovvn spirit because of vvhat he knovvs of himself Certainly vve may see some ground vvhy others should think vvell of us and yeâ— vve may be most vvretched and abominable and loathsome in the eyes of God at that present vvhen other Godly people have high thoughts of us Do not rest in that not only others but vvise men and Godly men have high thoughts of us and yet in the mean time we may be wretched abominable in the sight of God and our ovvn Consciences may condemn us We read of the spirit of Man in Prov. 20. 27. it is said of the spirit of Man That it is the Candle of the Lord searching all the the inward parts of the Belly Now you know that
by a Candle if you bring a Candle into a Room you may search in corners secret corners under every bench hole and see filâ—h in many places that perhaps the light of the Sun may not come to the light of the Sun may not come into some secret places in a House where is a great deal of filth but a Candle may discover it Now the Spirit of man is the Candle of the Lord That is a man by the help of his own Spirit may be able to search into the secret corners of his own Heart but no other light can discover it we are to labor to look into our selves and to make use of our own Spirits as a Candle to be searching into every corner of our own hearts that we may know our own meanness our own wretchedness a man that hath a proud spirit is satisfied that others have a high esteem of him though he knows himself to be vile As mark the difference between an humble Spirit and a proud spirit in this one that â—s a proud man he is dejected if others think ill of him whereas an humble heart takes advantage from the vile thoughts that others have of him to make himself more vile thinks thus Lord do I thus thus to make others think vilely of me Oh! What a deal of filth do I see more then they see and so likewise takes an advantage the more he finds that others honor him and respect him to be the more low in his own Eyes because he sees such a difference between what he knows of himself and what others know of him Yea And further because a proud heart rather cares for the credit he hath by what others think of him then takes care to make gâ—od what others think of him but an humble heart rather ingageth himself to make good what others think of him then look after the credit he hath by what others think of him Oh! Let me labor to attain unto it that they may not be deceived in the esteem they have of me this is the work of an humble heart not to rest in it but according to what esteem he hath of himself a right esteem he hath of his own meanness and sence of his own vileness but that must be added too not only Esteem but sence of his own vileness There must be such a cleer light as must convince him what a wretched creature he is in himselfe notwithstanding al the excellencies that God bestowes upon him and al gifts and parts yet still he keeps a right esteem of what he is in himselfe and he hath the sence of al he doth feel the Load burden and weight of this and his Heart is willing to acknowledg this for so it comes beyond the understanding it comes to the Heart that the Heart is willing to owne it as I am convinced that my Heart is vile and mean so Lord I am willing to acknowledg this in whâ—t ever way thou wouldest have it discovered It is true I am not bound to discover my own vileness and wretchedness to every one except in such a way as God may have glory and others may receive good but stil an humble Heart keeps this principle that though God doth not yet cal me forth to discover my own vileness yet I have this in my heart I am willing to do it when God calls me to it if God may have glory and good may be done to others I am willing to have all opened before men as wel as opened before God Many are willing to open all their vileness before God in Prayer what abundance can they speak in the presence of God of their own vileness but to be willing as wel that it should be opened before men so as it should be for the glory of God the heart to be willing to this I judg my self to be thus and I am willing to be dealt with as a Creature that thus judgeth it self to be though few come to have a right judgment of their own vileness but for a man to lie under this judgment and that willingly not to oppose it but let the truth of God that discovers my vileness let that have rule and câ—mmand and shine more and more I will not turne away mine Eyes from it but I will look to it and take it and apply it to my self in what I can and I will be content to be dealt withal according to what vileness I see in my self here is a sence of his own vileness For there are many that know much evil of themselves and yet have proud hearts Why Because they have not the sence of their own vileness that they are conscious to themselves of it may be said to them in this case as Daniel spake to Belshazar in Dan. 5. 22. And thou Oh Belshazar hast not humbled thy Heart though thou knewest all this These words may be very well applied to many men and Women God knows and thy conscience knows a great deal of vileness in thy self that that might make thee Low and humble thy Heart before the Lord but this may be said of thee That thou hast not humbled thy self before the Lord though thou knowest all this though thou knowest all this wretchedness and vileness of thy self that might have abased thee to the very dust yet thou hast not humbled thy self before the Lord therefore there must be those two CHAP. CXXIII Of the behavior of humility before God in ten Particulars 1. It acknowledgeth the infinite distance between God and a sinner 2. It hath a trembling Heart before God 3. A Relenting Spirit 4. It makes Gods will its Rule 5. It is willing God should choose its condition 6. It is willing God should be advanced in all his waies 7. It admires the least mercy 8. It is willing to be put in a mean and bard imployment 9. It is willing to waite upon God 10. It is willing to do what it can to honor God NOw these two being laid as the ground of Humility the proportion upon which an humble Soul goes Let us come to the Particulars It is that vertue whereby the Heart behaves it self towards God and it self and others according to the right low esteem that it hath of it self and the sence of its own vileness Having laid that first as the ground The right low esteem of it self and sence of its own vileness Now let us come to open the behavior of this humble Heart You will say it is a behavior answerable to this It is First in respect of God Secondly It self Thirdly Others First I should shew you what is in an humble Heart in this respect and then come to shew the great excellencies of a Lowly Heart First In regard of God as God hath a special Eye to a Lovvly Heart so a Lovvly Heart hath a special Eye to God there is no object that God Eyes more then an humble heart and there is no object that an humble
stand upon thy tearms But know that thou art infinitly bound to God and God is not at all bound to thee and therefore if thy heart be brought humble before the Lord thou wilt resolve whatever God doth with thee yet thou wilt do what thou Canst to Honor Him And these are the principal things of the behavior of an humble heart towards God and indeed the special work of Humility it is the work of the heart towards God which people little look upon People look upon pride in respect of others habit in their carriage towards others in their vanity of Cloaths and outward demeanors but the main work of Pride is in the behavior of the heart towards God and then we Sanctifie the name of God when we Sanctifie our hearts in an humble manner and the Reason why the hearts of sinners are not lowly before the Lord it is because they know not this God they know not that infinite distance that there is between the Lord and their Souls and here is the Reason why the Spirit of bondage lies so long many times upon sinners Why the Lord doth terrifie their Consciences It is that he might bring their hearts to be low before him that there might be the right behavior of a lowly Spirit before God himself CHAP. CXXIIII Twelve Properties of a Lowly heart in respect of it self 1. It is very suspicious of it self 2. It is willing to know the worst of it self 3. It is willing to look to his beginning 4. It is ashamed of it self 5. It loaths it self 6. It judgeth it self unworthy 7. It denies it self 8. It keeps down it self 9. It hides it self 10. Goes out of it self 11. Bemoans it self 12. Afflicts it self BUt now the second thing that hath been propounded is The behavior of a Lowly Humble heart in respect of it self and there are many things in this and they are of very great use for us for the ordering of our conversations before the Lord and the ordering of the behavior of our spirits in respect of our selves As 1. An Humble heart is very suspicious of it self I speak of that Humility that may concern our present condition here it is afraid lest there should be some secret evill in it self that yet it doth not know it is very fearful of the deceitfulness of its own heart though it doth not know for the present much evil by it self yet stil fears there is much lies hid that is not yet discovered It is a good thing for us to be jealous of our selves knowing how deceitful our hearts are the proud heart is ready to run away vvith all is content and thinks it self better than it is vvhereas the humble heart fears the worst of it self if it sees an evil in another Man or Woman it begins to reflect upon it self and is not this my heart too I am afraid that this evill is in my heart It is reported of Plato that vvhen he saw other men doing evil he vvould say to himself Nonne ego talis And am not I such a one have not I that evil in my heart So it is reporâ—ed of Bradford that vvhen he saw others commit sin he vvould fal a vveeping and a lamenting because he was afraid that there vvas that evil in himself that he saw in others though it did not break forth An humble heart vvhen it hears the threatnings of the vvord against any sin it begins to think thus And doth not this belong to me I am afraid that it may belong to me as vvel as to any others very suspicious and jealous of it self That is the first 2. An humble heart is unfeignedly vvilling to know the vvorst of it self and therefore it makes much of any truth that comes the nearest to its heart and that discovers it self unto it self it is glad of those truths vvhen there is a truth comes home to it to discover any evil that it did not see before it is glad of those truths and blesseth God that it comes to know any thing of it self more than formerly whereas a proud heart vvil rather vex vvhen any truth comes to discover any evil that it did not see before As some being deformed are not vvilling to have a Glass to present their true Image to them but an humble heart cries to God Lord try me Lord discover to me vvhat evil is in my heart And an humble heart loves that Company that vvil help it to see vvhat evil there is in it self or any vvay may discover vvhat evil there is in it and it vvil be meditating upon those things that may further discover it self unfeignedly vvaiting to know the vvorst of it self for vvant of this many a Soul goes on in an unsound false vvay and miscarries to all eternity because it is not willing to know the vvorst of it self That is the second 3. An humble Spirit doth often look back to its poor beginnings it loves to do it one that is lowly in heart doth love to be often looking back to its poor beginnings what once he was If God hath made an alteration in my condition let me consider what once I was what a vile wretch once I was loves to be often meditating upon that and so to be working upon it self to humble its own heart with such thoughts as those are Oh! what a poor condition was I not long since in both in regard of my outward condition and my inward spirituall condition An humble heart is not unwilling to be put in mind of both If God hath raised him from the Dunghil to a higher condition he puts himself in mind of what he was once is not willing to have the record of his own Parentage to be razed out but is willing to have it known what he was what poor breeding he had my Father a poor Man and my Mother a poor Woman and how poorly they lived notwithstanding God hath raised my estate he is willing to put himself in mind of it that he may get his proud heart to be humbled Agathacles that was raised to be a Prince he would be served in Earthen Vessels to put him in mind of his low condition that once he was in And that is very famous that we have of Jacob in Gen. 32. 10. I am not worthy of the least of all the Mercies and of all the truth which thou hast shewed unto thy Servant for with my staff have I passed over this Jordan and now I am become two bands I had nothing but even the poor Staff to pass over this Jordan withall but now I am become two bands so for men that perhaps came up to the City and that are come to live wel they were poor Boyes and had little at first and God hath blest their Estates and they are not unwilling to look back to what they were it may be some of you were poor ship Boyes and God hath in some Voyages raised you up to what you are
off Now an humble Soul is an afflicted soul is willing to afflict it self before the Lord it is not so much sollicitous of comfort and is altogether for comfort would fain have comfort and comfort no but is willing to afflict it self and to burden it self with its own sin and to beat down it self as we read of Paul 1 Cor. 9. 27. the Text saith He beat down his body least after he had Preached unto others he himself should be a Reprobate Not to afflict our selves as Papists to be whipping our selves and to do those things that God never aequired at our hands but so far as any way God shal require it such a one is willing to afflict it self before the Lord the main work of the heart in this thing is that it is not sollicitous so much for comfort as to be willing to be afflicted before the Lord so far as God would have it afflicted So now put all these together and you may see the behavior of a lowly heart in respect of it self 1. It is suspicious of it self jealous least theâ—e should be some secret evil in the heart that it doth nor know of 2. It is willing to know the worst of it self 3. It looks often to its poor beginnings 4. It is ashamed of it self and thâ—t in the midst of its own excellencies 5. It loaths and abhors it self before the Lord. 6. It judgeth it self 7. It denies it self 8. It keeps down it self 9. It hidâ—â— it self 10. It goes out of it self and empties it self 11. It bemoans it self And lastly it afflicts it self so that your hearts now having these workings in them in reference to your selves you may by this examine whether you have humble and lowly hearts yea or no. CHAP. CXXV Three Consequences from the former Point ANd from all these things there are these three Consequences Consequence 1. First Here you may see how to examine your own hearts in respect of Humility whether you find these workings of an humble spirit in respect of your selves lay these and your hearts Level examine and call your hearts to an account when you get alone By these twelve foregoing Particulars Ask thy self as in the presence of God Is my heart thus Have I this lowly heart Christ would have me of a lowly heart Thus if you cannot find these charge your selves with the want of them and take an advantage even from the want of them to humble your hearts before the Lord because you have not these things that are the genuine and naturall workings of an humble Spirit for so they are if you can find your hearts coming off in in these Particulars in a natural way from a renewed nature you may have abundance of comfort that this Grace of Humility of Lowliness that Christ would have you learn is wrought in your Souls you have been a Proficient in Christs School but many may have cause upon the hearing of this to charge themselves with this that they scarce have begun to learn in the School of Christ to learn Humility Consequence 2. Secondly Another Consequence is this upon the consideration of these several workings of Humility in respect of our selves we may see That the work of a Christian is very much inward it is a work of reflection upon our selves if there were nothing to do in a Christians life but that that is external to perform some outward Duties to come and hear the word and speak good things and pray and make an outward profession The Life of a Christian were a great deal more easie but from this that you hear from the working of this one Grace of Humility you may see that the work of a Christian lies much within doors that Christians should be very busie within their hearts there are many workings within rather then without and therefore if you would profess your selves to be Christians and would indeed have the power of Godliness in your Hearts you must work â—uch inwardly there must be much reflection upon your own Hearts Consequence 3. Thirdly And Lastly Another Consequence is this by this that you have heard what the working of an humble Heart in respect of it self is we may take notice of the great power of Jesus Christ in the heart of a Christian wheresoever Grace is wrought Jesus Christ is very powerful and very strong in that Heart Certainly these things could never be in the Heart of a poor wretched sinner Yea in a heart that is Naturally very proud for so we are all and were not the Grace of Christ very powerful in the heart of a Christian these things could never be wherefore when you hear that these things are in a heart working thus we may conclude surely the power of Jesus Christ is very mighty and very strong Well thus you have the Grace of Humility presented to you towards God and your selves let us Learn to be of Lowly Hearts and be not at rest until you find these kinds of workings in your Spirits CHAP. CXXVI The First Property of Humility in respect of â—thers is that it thinks better of others then it self Which is laid open in divers Particular answers unto several doubts and Objections THere is yet one of these three things to be spoken unto in this Grace of Humility which is the third Particular what the behavior of an humble heart is in reference unto others For Humility much appears in that though the principal work in humility is in the carriage of the Soul in reference unto God and in reference unto it self yet there is very much in this grace of humility in the carriage of the Soul in reference unto our Brethren Now then the First thing wherein the behavior of an humble heart is in reference unto others and a principal thing it is of very great concernment and that is this First It thinks better of others then it self this great work of humility that hath very much in it as I shal shew in opening of it is held forth unto you in 2 of Phillipians 3 verse Let Nothing be done through strife or Vain Glory but in Lowliness of mind let each esteem others better then themselves Mark This is the Work of a Lowly mind Learn of me for I am Lowly in Heart You must be of lowly Hearts of Lowly minds what is that Saith the Apostle Let each esteem others better then themselves You wil say this indeed upon the very hearing of it doth make us judg it to be a great work of the Grace of God in the heart to esteem others better then themselves and â—ow that should be that I shall speak unto by and by in the opening of it but I shall first shew some Examples of it of esteeming others better then themselves That which Paul did Exhort the Phillipians to he did himself he did not preach to others that they should esteem others better then themselves and yet he would lift up himself above others No see
it in himself In 1 Corin. 15. 9 For I am the least of the Apostles that am not meet to be called an Apostle because I persecuted the the Church of God I am the least of the Apostles Saith Paul and yet as somtimes I have said upon other occasions there was no man since the begining of the world that ever did God more Service then Paul We may safely say it no man upon the Face of the Earth that was a meer man that ever did God more service then this man did and yet he was the least of the Apostles Well But though he may be the least of the Apostles yet he may have high thoughts of himself enough Mark then the 1 of Tim. 1. 15. This is a Faithful saying and worthy of all acceptation that Jesus Christ came into the world to save Sinners of whom I am chief The least of the Apostles but chief of Sinners he looks upon himself as Chief of Sinners Yea yet one diminution to be the chiefest of sinners it shewes he was low in his own Eyes and that is in Ephes 3. 8. Vnto me who am less then the least of all Saints Mark to be the least of the Apostles was somwhat but to be the Least of Saints is more but to be less then the least of al Saints here Paul would Teach Gramarians a new Grammar Lesson Gramarians know but three degrees of Comparison but Paul had a fourth here he had one beyond the superlative the least Minimus it is the superlative you know to be the least of al but here beyond the superlative less then the least or I am the worst So it is in the Greek Now 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 that is the superlative in the Greek Tongue but here is a comparison beyond the superlative less then the least less then the least of all Saints thus you see it was with Paul one that did God more Service then thousands and ten thousands of the best that we know and never are like to do God that Service as this Paul and yet he is the least of all Saints in his own Eyes here is a lowly heart In Judges 8. 2. We have Gideon likewise an example of Lowliness of Spirit in his own Eyes we might name a great many others when some were provoked and Angry with him he said unto them what have I done now in comparison of you is not the gleaning of the Grapes of Ephraim better then the vintage of Abiezer By this means he pacified his angry Brethren saith he we account our selves but as the Gleanings of the Grapes of Ephraim to the vintage of Abiezer And by that means he quieted his Brethren that were provoked Well but for the opening of this the Lowly heart doth judg others better then himself First If so be that there appear any evil in others if the evil be not apparent in other men a Lowly heart wil be ready to judg the best of any one and think there is more good secretly If there appear but a little good yet it will be ready to think that others have more good in secret then he hath himself I know how little good I have in secret in mine own heart saith a lowly Soul Well but I do not know but such and such may have a great deal more good in secret then I have their thoughts may be more holy more spiritual then mine not so wandring in Duties as mine are I have no Reason to think any in the world have so many wandring thoughts and such uncleanness and filthiness in their thoughts as I have It is ready to think that the affections of others are a great deal more cleane then his and more Heavenly and spiritual and prepared more for holy duties and that their hearts are in a better temper in holy Duties then his is And if so be that there be any good done by others he is ready to think that surely there is in them better principles that acts better in their minds then there is in me they do such and such good things I and their hearts are more sincere and are carried on by divine principles in what they do I am conscious to my self of a great many of base and vile principles that act in me I know no such evil in others and therefore I am to hope that there is not the like in them as there is in me If he sees any good in another a lowly heart is ready to think that there are other things correspondent to the good that doth appear unto him as there appears such a good thing so there is all other things answerable unto that good that doth appeare but as for it self it saies I find though I do somthing that is good Yet I am conscious to my self that there is a great deal of non-correspondency in me that though there be such and such particular good things yet other things are not answerable unto that that doth appear Thus because one that is lowly knows much evil of it self and knows more evil of it self then it doth of any other therefore it sees cause to judg of others better then it self I do not know that such have such secret evils as my self I do not know that they have such base principles that act them as in my self that there is such a non-correspondency to good as in my self upon this ground because it knows more evil of it self then others know therefore it is ready to think better of others then of it self Object I but you wil say Suppose I see a great deal of Evil in others that I know and am conscious to my self that I am not guilty of shall I think better of others then of my self then Answ I Answer stil for all this I am to think of others better then my self First Because though I see others outwardly evil yet I do not know whether there be such inward evil in them as in my self it is true they do break into outward evils more then I do I but there may be swarmes of evils within me that I know I am guilty of now because I know more evil inwardly in my self then I can know in any in the world therefore I am bound to judg of others better then of my self Secondly And further Though I see some evil in others that I am not guilty of yet how do I know what temptations they have and how can I tel but that if I had as great temptations as they I might commit as great evils and greater then they and therefore though they do commit greater evils then I do yet I am bound to judg of them better then my self because I do not know but if I had as strong temptations as they I might commit greater evils Yea Thirdly Though they do commit evils greater then I do yet I know that it is the restraining hand of God upon me and that if God should but leave me to my self a
little as he leaves such a one I should be as vile as such a one and it may be viler so that though the Saints of God must not wrong the grace of God must not if they see one live in notorious wickedness think that his condition is better then mine but yet he may be better then I considering my self meerly in my self I have no cause to lift up my self above him if I be better it is no thanks to me it is not because I am better in my self for I have that evil in my self that if God should take off his hand and leave me to my self as he leaves such and such I should be as bad as they you are to look upon your selves that there is not any vile wretch in the Town or Family where you live though they be the worst of men that are more vile and wretched then you are Yea And for ought you know viler that is if you should be left to your self you may be viler then they are and so an humble heart is willing thus to judg of others better then it self Object I But you will say For those that are notoriously prophane and ungodly for us to judg them better then our selves how can we do this without being false And doth not the Scripture say The Righteouss is better then his Neighbor Answ I Answer Yet we are to look upon others better then our selves in these respects First They had not such education as you had they had not such droppings in of God as I had when I was young they lived in a wicked Family and had wicked Parents but I had Godly Parents had they had such Godly Parents and good education as I they might have been better and done better it may be they have been cast among those that have given them wicked examples to provoke to sin but I have had Gracious examples it may be they never lived under such means as I have had such precious truths such heart melting truths been presented before others as hath been presented before me they might have wrought upon the heart of the vilest in the world more than they have upon my heart it may be they have not had the awakings of Conscience God never darted that light into their Consciences as into mine they never had the terrors in their Spirits as I have had God never made them know what sin meant as he hath done me had God inlightened them as he hath done me and awakened their Consciences and terrified them as he hath done me Surely there would not have remained such evil in them as is in me they never had such drawings of Gods spirit it may be as I have had O! the allurements of Gods Spirit that I have had to have drawn me away from sin and to have drawn me to that that is good and yet how did I keep back Do I wonder to see them drawn by vain and wicked Company What great wonder is it when they have nothing else to draw them back But had they the drawings of the Holy Ghost and those words of love and those stirrings of the Spirit of God in them as I have had and as I have daily how would they be as ready to be drawn to good as they are to evil I wonder that they are not moved more by the word I but my heart is not moved by the drawings of Gods Spirit had they but tasted how sweet God is they never tasted the sweetness of the word nor the sweetness that there is in the waies of God as I have done had they tasted what I have tasted and felt what I have felt it would have been better with them than it is with me And so many such Considerations being put into the ballance though others be very vile and wicked yet we have good reason to look upon others better than our selves at least to look upon our selves as vile as any in the world yea viler because I say we cannot know what helps others have had nor what inward good is in others as we may of our selves Secondly And further We have cause to judg of others better than our selves though prophane and wicked for their siâ—s do not do so much hurt as our sins do though theâ— be wicked outwardly yet all the sins of all the prophane people in a Town do not do a quarter so much hurt as the sins of a few professors of Religion thy Lightness thy Wantonness thy Pride and Covetousness doth more hurt than the open sins of others the Covetousness of a Profesior of Religion doth more hurt than the theft of another if another should rob steal it doth not dishonor God and pollute Gods name so much as the Covetousness of a Professor of Religion the Swearings of other men do not dishonor God so much as thy passion doth You think those notorious wretches that take Gods name in vain and swear but I say thou pollutest Gods name more by thy Passion and it may be puttest off many from Religion more by thy froward carriage than Swearing doth in another man for it is true they sin against God but what hurt dâ—th it do there is nothing expected from them but this thing is expected from thee it may be thou maist be a means to convert thy Husband or Wife and thou hardenest them by this means now what reason hast thou to judg others worse than thy self when thou dost God as much dishonor as others Now such considerations and many others that might be named shews ground enough why we should judg of others better than our selves And by the way therefore let this Consideration teach those that are wicked let it inform them likewise in a mistake of theirs They think those that profess religion do judg of others worse than themselves now by this that you hear you may know that it is quite otherwise had you but a Window opened into their bosome into their heart you would find that they look upon none living so vile as themselves Object I but you wil say They think others are wicked and that others shall go to Hell and that they shall go to Heaven Answ This must be granted indeed and this would wrong the Grace of God if they should not think their condition better than others if they should think that they were in as dangerous a condition as the wicked and ungodly No they bless God for the condition that they are in that God hath opened their Eyes and shewed them the evilness of their hearts and lives and they would not for a thousand worlds venture their condition with theirs Certainly one that knows the difference between a converted estate and an unconverted would not for a thousand worlds venture for a quarter of an hour to be in their condition yet this doth not hinder but that they look upon themselves as in themselves as vile and as wretched as any for one time that thou dost
condemn thy self before God they do it a hundred times it may be a thousand times and God knows they judg of themselves worse than thou dost of thy self thou goest on merrily and thinkest thy self in a good condition but they are daily judging of themselves and humbling themselves before God and admiring Gods goodness that they are out of Hell but thou dost not so and therefore they may look upon themselves as more vile and so be more humble Object But you wil say If the best should judg of others better than themselves this may be well then for others for they may say then our condition is not so bad if the best of all may be as bad as we Now to that I answer Though they are to judg of themselves worse than others yet if thou wouldst look into thine own heart thou mai'st see a great deal more evil in thy heart than is in theirs it may be they may judg themselves to be worse than thee so far as they see into themselves but thou maist see more evil in thy heart than is in theirs Object But then may not this make wicked men secure and say Well we may find mercy and be saved as well as the best for the best may know so much evill of themselves that they may judg themselves worse than others To that I answer For Mercy I grant you it is possible thou maist have as much mercy as they it is possible thou maist come into as good a condition as they and therefore thou maist make this use of it and much good it may do thee that is to say well it is then possible that my Soul may be saved and find mercy as well as the best of them all I but do not say it may be so and thou remainest as bad as thou art there must be then that change in thee that is in them Well but then this may not be abused that we speak of Know this that Gods Grace is free God may let them be saved and yet damn thee And yet Lastly I would have thee raise thy meditations upon this What! Are they as vile as I of themselves and yet do I continue in an unconverted estate Oh! How fearfull is my condition then that God hath manifested that he hath chosen some as vile as I and hath left me hath taken others that are as vile as I and may be worse than I and leaves me to go in the common road of death and destruction Oh! the sad condition that that man is in the truth is it is a very daunting consideration for a man to think thus there are such and such that are as bad as I and have as bad hearts as I and yet God for the present hath left me unchosen and hath chose them this should daunt the heart of any man Hast thou not known some wicked Companion of thine own some wicked Woman or Sister that God hath been pleased to dart light into them and humbled and converted them and hath left thee that art not so vile Oh! thou shouldst tremble and fear at the thoughts of this What am I though I lived more civilly than they did yet shal God choose them and leave me What a dangerous sign is this that I am not one that God will choose though I do not know what God may do hereafter but for the present I say thou hast cause to be humbled and not to rest in this condition Wel That is the first thing The behavior of an humble Spirit in respect of others is To judg of others better than themselves Oh! what a great deal of mischief would 〈◊〉 hinder in the world What a great deal of hurt is there in the world for want of this humble heart What quiet lives might Men and Women live amongst themselves How would they enjoy this Promise in the Text Learn of me for I am meek and lowly in heart and you shall find rest unto your Souls It would keep us from censoriousness which makes a great deal of disturbance in the world Oh the disturbance that censoriousness makes in the world the giving rigid censures of others keeps many from professing Religion and makes them complain of those that profess Religion you complain that when you profess Religion you are so hated of others and you think it is only because the world loves only their own therefore because you are of the world therefore the world hates you Nay it may be it is because of the Pride of your hearts and censoriousness of others had you an humble heart to look upon your own Spirits and judg of others better than your selves you might live more quiet lives and have more respects from others that you converse withall and sooner convince them and draw them to the love of Godliness for one that hath an humble Spirit will be willing to take notice of any good in others now because there is not so much good in others as in you therefore you take no notice of others but an humble Spirit takes notice of any good in others and if his judgment fails in any thing it shall be in this that he wil judg others better than himself that is the first CHAP. CXXVII A second Property of Humility in respect of others is To be fearfull of giving Offence SEcondly Another thing in the behavior of an humble Spirit in respect of others is this It is very fearful of giving offence to others and not very ready to take offence from others I will put both together It will not give offence to others and that you have very frequently in Scripture in Rom. 14. 10. But why dost thou judg thy Brother or why dost thou set at naught thy Brother We shall all stand before the judgment seat of Christ Now this is in case of giving offence to others that is the plain scope of this place the Argument that is driven at in this 14. of the Romans it is the Argument of giving offence to our Brethren and here you may perceive in this place the Reason why men do not care what offence they give unto others why they set at naught their Brethren and judg them Why dost thou set at naught thy Brother Why dost thou make thy Brother as no body to thee so the Greek one that hath a proud heart if he think he hath liberty himself for such and such things what cares he for others Others are offended and grieved but what cares he for others they are no body to him he maketh nothing of them For that is the word Why dost thou set at naught thy Brother in being careless in giving offence unto thy Brother Oh this is the pride of thy heart a gracious heart is loath to grieve any body in the world so in the 15. verse of this Chap. But if thy brother be grieved with thy meat now walkest thou not Charitably destroy not him with thy meat for whom Christ dyed There the
thou maiest go like a Fool or a mad man I remember one Albertus Magnus who was one of the greatest scorners in the world yet was many years before he died a very Fool the parts of a man are very poor things to lift up any man considering how they depend upon a little temper of the brain and a little sickness may make thee as mad a man as any in Bedlam therefore there is no Reason to look upon thy self above others in that respect Fourthly Another thing in an humble Spirit in reference unto others is this which is somewhat more then the other he not only gives respect but rejoyceth in the good of others in whatever excellency God hath bestowed upon others in what success God gives to others what esteem God hath of others an humble heart will rejoyce in all you know Paul he rejoyced that the Gospel was Preached though he was nothing There are two Cases in which we are to rejoyce in respect of others to be glad that others are above us As first If God raiseth any in spirituall Grace Doth God give any spirituall Grace more than to thee I say thou art bound not only to be content but to rejoyce in it and it is a wickedness in the hearts of Men and Women that because their Glory shall be somewhat eclipsed by the Graces of others they could even almost wish that they did somewhat to darken their Graces because then they should not shine so bright and they should be some body as well as they if there be this wickedness in thy heart know that this is as cursed a wickedness as the heart of man is capable of in the world next to the sin against the Holy Ghost there is as cursed an evil in this distemper of thine as can almost be imagined to be in the heart of a man or woman What! shal thy eye be evil because thy Brothers is good because thy name must suffer a little what is thy name or thy Glory in comparison of the Glory that God may have by the Grace of thy Brother And so for the gifts of others not only the Graces but the gifts of others the Scripture saith When the wicked are exalted the People mourn and may not we mourn because the wicked are lifted up Therefore that is the second case when God gives any gifts so as to make another more instrumentall for good than he doth our selves we are to rejoyce in that though it be not true Grace yet if he give any gifts whereby they come to be more instrumental for God and his Glory than our selves we are bound to rejoyce in this and to bless God for it this many times comes very neer the hearts of men yet there is infinite reason for what is my name my credit my estate in comparison of the work that is done for God If I be sincere for God certainly if the work do go on though not by me I may rejoyce if my heart be upright and be not damnable proud I am bound to rejoyce in it and bless God though I can do but little for God yet blessed be God that there be any can do more than I can this indeed would be a great deal of comfort in your hearts you complain of your own weakness O! you say you cannot pray when you go to prayer you have a dead heart I but can you say though I have a strait heart and cannot pray Oh I bless God that others have a heart enlarged in prayer you are not I hope wishing that others had as straitned hearts as you And so thou hast a weak memory and canst not remember good things I but blessed be God that hath given gifts to others that they can remember and that God hath a great deal of Glory by them and thus when I am in secret in my Closet to be blessing of God that he hath given gifts to others whereby he hath more Glory than by my self And so I might name many particulars that are to be objects of an envious heart but humility rejoyceth in other respects and if there be any lifted up above me God sees that he is like to do him more service than I if I should be lifted up as they are God sees that I am not able to bear it It is the speech of old Mr. Dod he wished himself to be the worst Preacher in al the world I would to God saith he that I were the worst Preacher in all the Kingdom not that he thought himself worse than he was but this that he would have all in the Kingdom better than he You know Moses when they told him of Eldad and Medad that prophesied in the Camp he answered Why dost thou envy them for my sake I would to God all the Lords People were so An humble heart never is troubled that any credit is gotten from him so God may have Gloty When as God chose Moses to go to the People of Israel he would have Aaron to be â—he mouth but Moses should be the chief Exod. 4. 14. Behold Aaron he cometh forth to meet thee and when he seeth thee he will be glad in his heart no question but God made known to Aaron what his work should be that made him glad at the heart and though Aaron knew Moses should be above him and Aaron was the elder brother yet when he met with Moses he was glad at the heart As if he should say blessed be God though he be my younger Brother yet I am willing to further the service that God hath called my younger Brother to So though thou maiest think thou hast other gifts than other men have and act above other men yet if Gods Glory goes on thou shouldest bless God that his Glory comes about by any others I remember Plutarch tels of one Philertus that was in election for a place and it was a place that three hundred were in nomination and were chosen before him he should have been but one of them and he goes away rejoycing and was glad with this expression I am glad that there is three hundred in this City better deserving than my self not fretting and fuming but was glad that there was three hundred better than himself fit for such a place So should we knowing how God casts things in providence rejoyce upon this that others are found better than our selves Fifthly An humble Spirit in reference unto others is willing to receive good from the meanest iâ— there be any one though never so mean yet he is willing to receive good from him he doth not scorn it because it comes from a mean man but on the contrary saith Hath God bestowed any Grace upon others though not so much as upon me yet I may get some good by them it may be they have not so great gifts as I I but I may get some good by the meanest and the weakest as I have said sometimes little Chips will kindle great
Logs so an humble heart will get somthing from the meanest he will go away blessing God for the comfort he hath by the company of those that are meaner than himself Mark Paul saith he in Jesus Christ that you would strive together with God for me What! this Apostle that was so much above them for them to strive together with God for him Yes thus it is with a true gracious heart I remember I have read of a German Divine when he lay sick and some of his friends came to him and would be speaking to him and they thought it would be grievous to him because he was so weak Oh saith he though they were but those that you cal Lay-people if so be that when I die I shall learn any thing of any body I should account my departure more sweet to me And so it was the Speech of Oecolampadius If a truth come though by a Child by the meanest we must not refuse But know sometimes that God may speak by a poor body when he doth deny to speak by those of greater abilities and therefore we do not know what we lose by contemning those that are under us for God I say many times may speak that to our hearts by those that are beneath us when he denies to speak it by those that are above us Now an humble Spirit is willing to learn of every body of the meanest Oh if there were such a temper in the hearts of Men Women what abundance of sweetness and peace might we have Now by that we have said you may see how the promise may be fulfilled if we had but an humble heart there would be abundance of rest that we should have in this Oh the abundance of peaceableness that there would be in the world were it not for this pride of heart it is Pride of heart that makes all this ado and combustion in the world and were we thus carrying our selves lowly in heart one towards another Oh! the rest that there would be in the world and in our own Spirits Sixthly Another is this An humble heart is a tender heart towards others a lowly heart is a melting heart In Colos 3. 12. you have those two put together Put on therefore as the elect of God Holy and beloved bowels of mercies and kindness humbleness of mind Bowels of mercies and humbleness of mind are put together an humble Spirit is merciful towards others is of a tender heart either to forgive others or to give unto others he readily passeth by the offences done by others he forgives others he reasons with himself What am I that I should think it so great a matter for me to be offended that hath sinned so much against God as I have done Who am I to take so much upon me against my Brother that hath offended when I deserve to be roaring and yelling in Hell I that have so many talents forgiven me Why should not I forgive to others And then for giving unto others he considers Who hath made the difference between me and others Why is it that I should be able to give and not to have need of others Why should my Brother be in such a poor condition and I have such accomodations An humble hearâ— loves such reasoning hath his bowels yern towards the necessities of his Brethren whereas a proud Spirâ—t thinks all is for himself Shall I give my bread and my flesh and my Beer that I have provided for my Servants saith Nabal but an humble heart thinks all that he hath is mercy and therefore gives to others That which makes men and women stand so much upon it that they will not forgive wrongs and makes them so merciless towards others in misery it is from the pide of their Spirits an humble heart is a heart tender and melting towards others Seventhly And then the last that I shall name is this That an humble heart is not needlessly singular from others abundance of pride appears in singularity there is a singularity that is of necessity that is we must do our Duty what Conscience requires in Duty towards God though none in the world should do the like So we should be singular What singular thing do you but I say an humble heart is not needlesly singular from others and that you have in Rom. 12. 16. it is a notable Scripture for this Be of the same mind one towards another mind not high things but condescend to men of low estate Now the words I confess as they are in your Books do not seem to hold forth that I bring it for yet if it be examined as the learned know in the originall it is thus 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 So it is translated Go the same way with those that are of a low estate go on in the same way together with them Do not go in a singular way by your selves there is the danger of Pride for men to go in the way of those that are not mean they will go on in the way of those that have credit and esteem in the world they will not be singular from them here is the Pride of singularity for men to be singular from poor Godly Gracious People thou Professest thy self to be a Christian and thou canst comply with men that are full of Pomp and Glory of the world and wilt not be singular from them but thou wilt be singular from those that are mean Godly and gracious souls that is Pride we must go on in the way with those that are most Godly and most Holy and most Gracious Now there is a great deal of Pride in singularity in going in waies from them that are Holy Godly in matter of things that are indifferent and you your selves acknowledg it and yet you must have a peculiar Garb by your selves as some have a singular tone of speech and an affected gate and strange kind of fashion and a sullen kind of way of keeping what they have had heretofore many yeers though there be no body else have the same thing yet they think it is humility when indeed there is a sullenness of Spirit and a proud singularity in it and wilfulness when they wil go in a different way even from the way of Godly Holy and Gracious Christians and would have somwhat peculiar to themselves For any man to affect singularity in things wherein he may lawfully suit himself with others this is Pride wherever it is and especially those that are Godly they should suit themselves with others wherein they can because there is something wherein their Conscience will not give them leave to suit with others being bound in Conscience they have not that liberty that other men have to do this or that to go this way or that way that other men can do or go in for their own ends that which they apprehend to be according to the Rule they must go on to the utmost in every thing whatever men do that they
live amongst but now because in some things thou art bound up having a tender Conscience that you must go according to the Rule therefore it should be thy wisdom in all things wherein thou canst condescend and suit thy self with other men lawfully to do it because hereby thou shalt convince the world that when thou dost differ from them it is not out of proud singularity but out of Conscience they will think that if thou couldest in thy Conscience suit with them thou wouldest because in all things wherein thou canst thou suitest with them and indeed those that are Christians should in as much as they can be Servants to every one that is yeild to every one and suit themselves with every one upon this ground that they may by this convince al the world that where they are different from other men it is not out of honor and pride but meerly out of obedience to Jesus Christ Thus you have seen the behavior of an humble Spirit in reference to God in reference to himself and in reference to other men CHAP. CXXIX The excellency of Humility in thirteen particulars 1. God prizeth it 2. It is a convincing Grace 3. By it we walk worthy of the Gospel 4. It is an Evidence of election 5. Better than Sacrifices 6. It serveth for the prevailing of Prayer 7. It is a tryed heart 8. It is fit for great Services 9. It is the ornament of all Graces 10. It preseves all Graces 11. It makes all Duties and Crosses easie 12. It makes the life comfortable 13. It is most usefull to give God the Glory of the new Covenant THe excellency of this Grace of Humilty Learn of me for I am meek and Lowly in heart This Grace is above all Graces next to Faith it self and mightily extolled in Scripture and it is proper indeed to Christianity if you read in Phylosophers that speak of moral vertues you shall find high commendations of Justice Vertue and the like and little or nothing said of Humility No it is the Christian that counts Humility to have an Excellency in it it is Christ that is come from the Bosom of his father into the world to be an example and a pattern to hold forth the excellency and glory of this Grace before the world and that was one Reason why Christ came into the world Namely to hold forth the Glory and excellency of his Grace Humility may say but little of its own praise God takes care for the Glory of it it will discover it self by the fragrancy of it self as violets discover themselves by the sweetness of them though they be covered with Leaves so the excellency of humility will discover it self by its sweetness and no man or Woman needs to take care for the discovery of its excellency and therefore it is abundant folly for a man or woman to be proud of their humility or to shew themselves humble that others may take notice of it and so commend them for it but true humility shews forth it self and it must not be forced but let it alone and let it appear in it self in a genuine way and its excellency of its self wil be best discovered Let us see theâ— wherein the true excellency of a Lowly heart appears that we may be in Love with this Grace First There is no grace in Scripture that God speaks more honorably of that the Lord hath a more honorable esteem of In Prov. 16. 19. See what the Testimony of God is of an humble spirit Better it is to be of an humble spirit with the lowly than to divide the Spoile with the proude .. Here is Gods Testimony here is two sortes of people compared one with another the humble spirit and he that divides the Spoile with the proude there is no time wherein the heart of man is more lifted up than when a man hath overcome his enemy and is triumphing and dividing the spoil Oh Now his spirit is above Now saith God you poor creatures when you can get victory and make a prey of your enemies then your hearts are lifted up and you think such a man hath a brave conquest over his enemy and now he is triumphing Well saith God there is a poor humble contrite heart that the world takes no notice of and I count it better for one to be of an Humble Spirit with the Lowly than to divide the Spoil with the proud Take men in their greatest jollity and height and glory and lustre that ever men were in the world yet the poor humble Lowly spirited men are more glorious in mine Eyes I count a poor Sâ—ul a Child a Servant that hath gotten into a hole humbling their Souls before me I look upon these as a more glorious object for me to behold than great Alexander and Caesar and the greatest conqueror in the world We cal the proud happy but the Lord cals the humble happy And so in Isa 66. That Famous place The Lord that dwels on high be looks on him that iâ— of an humble and contrite spirit As if there were no object for the Eye of God to feed upon to be pleased withal but the humble spirit whereas the proud he looks afar off upon them Psalm 138. 6. Though the Lord be high yet he hath respect unto the Lowly but the proud he knoweth afar off The humble he looks upon as if God should say there is nothing in all the world that is worth my looking upon but an humble spirit yea and God loves to be neer to them in Psal 34. 18. The Lord is nigh unto them that are of a broken heart and saveth such as be of a contrite Spirit He loves to be neer one that is of an humble spirit Yea and he loves to dwel with them In Isai 57. 15. Thus saith the high and lofty one that inhabiteth eternity whose name is holy I dwel in the high and holy place with him also that is of a contrite and an humble spirit God lifts up himself and saith twice first that he is high and lofty in himself and then that he dwels in the high and lofty place and yet faith he I dwel in an humble spirit it may be an humble spirit is such a one as proud men scorn their company cannot indure their company Well but God loves to dwel in the House where thou art let it be never so poor a cottage he loves to dwel there God hath but two Houses he hath the highest Heavens and the lowest heart those are the two Houses God dwels in the Heavens above and the heart that is low and the lower the heart is the more the Lord loves to dwel there Secondly The excellency of an humble spirit appears in this that it is a grace that most convinceth men even a proud man sees a lustre of humility in others one proud man hates another proud man whereas one humble man loves another humble man humility is that that glaires in
further sence in it God gives a Grace to that God puts a Beauty and Ornament upon the Humble for Humility doth so beautifie a Christian that whatever they do they do it with a Grace there is no Christian that doth things with such a Grace as the Humble and it is that that doth adorn all Graces Humility Graceth all Graces whatsoever Tenthly And then it is that that preserves all Graces too and so some take the word there to come from a word that signifies a knot because it ties all Graces as it were with fast knots together as I find some Interpreters carry the word it unites and knits and strengthens all Graces Paul walked humbly with God walked constantly with him whatever fell out it did not hinder them from serving God As in Acts 20 the place I named before when he called together the Elders of Ephesus at verse 19. when they were come he speaks to them thus Serving the Lord with all Humility of mind and with many tears and temptations which befell me by the lying in wait of the Jews whatever temptations did befall Paul yet he was able to go through them for he served the Lord with all Humility it is the proud swollen heart that is the backsliding heart but the humble heart is the heart that keeps constant with God it preserves all the Graces of the Spirit of God in vigor and in strength uniting of them together and uniting the Soul to the Fountain of all Grace it is the preservative of all Grace Eleventhly And again Humility it is that that makes all Duties and all Afflictions to be easie therefore this follows that I shall speak to afterwards Learn of me and be lowly in heart and then My Yoak is easie and my Burden is light it is an easie thing for a man to do any thing that God sets him about if he be once humble there is no difficulty that a man finds in the service of God but it is through pride of heart And so there is an ease in all Afflictions in being humble that that yeilds you know can bear opposition without any great noise indeed the tall Cedars are broken with winds but the poor shrubs below they do not suffer so much but these two will fall more seasonably in when we come to shew how humility gives quiet and rest unto the Soul Twelfthly Again There is nothing that makes the life of a man and woman more joyful and more comfortable than Humility You think the proud have the jolly lives and the comfortable lives No but the humble have most comfortableness because it makes them to prize the least mercy Chrisostome upon Acts 7. hath this expression None saith he live so comfortably as the humble and he gives the reason for it Because the least thing he enjoyes he sets such a price upon the mercy and therefore rejoyceth in it you shall observe it come to a poor Godly Family and you hear nothing but blessing and praising of Gods mercy and wondring at Gods mercy you that have great Houses and great Tables furnished you are wrangling and snarling at this and the other thing but an humble heart is praising and blessing God for his mercy and enjoy more of the mercies of Gods that they have than you do in all your abundance If a man have his flesh swollen he will not be able to bear it but it will be mighty toublesome to him So when the heart is swollen it will bring trouble to thee but this likewise will come more fully in when we come to speak of the Promise I will give you rest But now there is only one thing more for opening the excellency of this Grace and that is the many gracious Promises in Scripture that are made to humble hearts as now to name a few That God will guide the humble in their way Psal 25. 9. I confess your Books have it Meek and so I made use of it in opening Meekness but the word in the Hebrew is Humble and you may take it both waies and therefore in Prov. 11. 2. you have an excellent Scripture there With the Lowly there is Wisdom No man or woman hath that Wisdom for the guiding and governing of their waies as the Lowly Proud men will run on upon their own heads rashly because they be conceited of their own waies but the Lowly will examin and wait and suspect themselves they wil try and examin their waies and go in an humble way With the Lowly there is Wisdom Oh! into what Labyrinths straits aed extremities do proud people hurry themselves but now the Lowly they have the guidance of the Spirit of God carrying them on in their way and therefore they can quiet their hearts and listen to know what the mind of God is And another Promise is That God will revive the Humble the humble is ready to be trod under foot but in Isay 57. 15. The Lord saith he will revive the humble And another is that in Peter He will give Grace to the Humble And that same Promise that you have in Prov. 3. That he will give Grace to the Lowly Thou wouldest have more Grace it is taken for the Graces of Gods Spirit you would fain have more Grace to subdue your corruptions Are you thankful for what you have An humble heart will take notice of every little it hath wait upon God for more Make use of this Promise true Lord I have not such Grace as I would have but I have my heart subdued to this condition then here is the Promise The Lord will give Grace to the Humble And then there is the Promise of Exaltation in Prov. 15. 33. and Math. 23. 12. Those that do most abase themselves shall be most exalted by God It was an Answer that a Phylosopher gave to one that asked him What God did in Heaven he gives this Answer He is beating down the Proud and lifting up the Humble that is the thing that he is doing in Heaven and therefore those in Scripture that have been lowest you see how afterwards God hath exalted them Humble your selves under the mighty hand of God and he shall exalt you in due time in 1 Pet. 5. 6. speaking there of Humility there is but one word in the Greek there for due time 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 the opportunity of time God will exalt you when a fit opportunity comes And then there is the Promise of safety also to the humble in Job 22. 29. God makes a Promise there to keep those that are humble in a safe condition whatever danger is abroad the Lord will preserve them When men are cast down then thou shalt say there is a lifting up and he shall save the humble Person the Lord wil save the humble Person in time of trouble He shall find mercy frrom God in troublesom times And so in Zeph. 3. 12. I will also leave in the midst of thee an afflicted and poor People and
so long under the Spirit of bondage because God would be weakening the pride of their hearts You think that a poor Soul that hath horror and trouble of conscience hath little pride in him one that is ready to despair and to conclude of it self that it shall go to Hell is that Soul proude Certainly there is a great deal of pride in it then you will say how will that appear that it is pride Because it would fain find somwhat in it self to present unto God for its mercy though it do not think to merit yet it would present somthing to God for its mercy and here is pride the heart hath not denied it self thus as to venture it self upon Christ though it have nothing to present to God it is not brought to this to go to Jesus Christ as a meer beggar that hath nothing to live upon now because the Soul is not brought to this therefore it is that the Soul is many months and years without comfort the Lord hath not humbled and emptied the Soul yet but now when the Lord comes to empty the Soul perhaps by the work of his Spirit though not by Gods Sanctifying Grace though there is not a Sanctifying principle put into the Soul yet it is that that is very like it and it is that whereby the Soul doth act by as it doth when a principle of Sanctification is put into it but this Grace is very useful for that is one special aime that God hath in the Covenant of grace though he wil glorifie his creature yet he wil debase it in such a way that the Creature shal have nothing to boast of what should we Boast of Saith Paul if it were of works then we might boast but because it is of Faith we have nothing to boast of Thus much for the Excellency of the grace of Humility CHAP. CXXX Humility brings Rest unto the Soul in Eight Particulars 1. It ventures upon nothing before it sees Gods call 2. The Head of such is lower then their condition 3. He is never disappointed in the World 4. He would have God have his Glory 5. It freeth from opposition oâ— maketh the Heart yeild to it 6. It makes the Heart rejoyce in the property of others 7. It is under many promises 8. All Crosses are smal to an Humble Heart BUt now we come to open the promise and then we will apply altogether the promise here made to those that are lowly in Heart I will give you Rest Now I shal not need to open the Rest that a Christians heart hath that comes to Christ that hath been done at large in the former verse Come unto me all ye that are weary and heavy Laden and I will give you Rest Therefore here I shall only shew how Humility and Lowliness of heart gives Rest unto the Soul There is I confess a great correspondency between those two Graces and therefore I shal speak the less now of the Rest of the Soul in humility because there is a great affinity between this and Meekness now one that is Lowly in heart must needs live at Rest First Because such a one dares not venture upon any thing before he sees Gods cal a bold spirit will venture upon any thing when he hath not Gods cal and there he meets with trouble but now a Lowly Spirit thinks thus is this Gods way Have I a word for it And a cal for it If I have Let me go on whatever comes of it if he meet with trouble in such a business if he can say I undertook it thus I had Gods cal what abundance of Rest hath he What is the Reason that men are disquieted in the world and troubled It is because they rush upon things without Gods cal When the Soul can appeal to God Lord I would not undertake such a thing nor such a thing though I say there might be some preferment by it and somewhat got by it yet Lord thou seest the uprightness of my heart that I would not venture upon it without thy cal and then when I saw that I ventured upon it such a Soul must needs have a great deal of quiet Secondly One that is humble hath Rest because he can never be in so low a condition but his heart is lower then his condition This is an excellent frame of Spirit though my Estate is low yet my heart is lower if you be able to say so you that have low Estates your care is how you can raise your Estates if I could raise my Estate as high as others Then I should have a great deal of Peace and comfort No thy way must be to lowen thy Heart that is the way to raise thy Estate If a mans affliction be above his Heart and his heart beneath the affliction if the fire he under the fewel then the fire quickly catcheth the fewel but now if the Fire be above the fewel it will not so soon kinkle it so I say in a mans affliction if a mans heart be above his affliction I mean in a sinful way he hath lifted up his heart and he would have higher things then these things are and these things are beneath his spirit he hath a higher design and plot and aimes at greater things and these things are beneath what he would have Oh! Then the affliction troubles the Spirit but when a mans spirit is beneath his afflictions then a man hath a great deal of Rest and quiet he is lower then his afflictions and therefore he is quiet Thirdly Another thing in the Lowliness of heart that doth bring quietness and hath affinity with it is this One that is Lowly in heart hath never any disappointments in the world nothing is more troublesome and disquieting to a mans spirit then disappointment now one that is Lowly in Heart he expects no great matters in this world and therefore he cannot be much disappointed in any thing that befals and so he is quiet you that have great plots and designes in your heads and make account of great things in the world there will follow many Crosses that wil disappoint you and how do they disquiet you you may account of such a voyage and when it is lost how unquiet are you Whereas one that is Lowly in heart he is quiet and goes on in obedience to God and that is that he looks to most to go on in his calling in obedience to God and leaves the issue to God and therefore if there be any thing coming in he receives it thankfully because he is most unworthy if he be crossed he is not much disappointed because he looks for no high things Fourthly An humble heart must needs bring Rest because this is the guise and frame of it it would have God to have his glory his own way and this one principle Oh What abundance of quiet and Rest would it bring to a mans spirit That God should have his Glory we all yeild to that I but
very work that the Father set Christ upon Christ did count it to be a Gift from the Father and so the work that Christ sets us upon if we have the Spirit of Christ in us we wil count it a Gift from Jesus Christ Christ doth give it and this by the way would be a special Evidence of true Grace in the heart the soul that shall count Gods waies Priviledges as well as Duties surely hath true Grace truly they are easie then if they be Priviledges as wel as Duties that is the second Evidence 3 Thirdly And the third Evidence is this The Yoke of Christ is easie and his Burden is light for there is no gracious heart but would rather come under any Yoke any Burden in the world than willingly to cast off any Yoke and Burden of Jesus Christ name what Yoke you will what Burden you will rather than a gracious heart will be from under Christs Burden and Christs Yoke O! saith he let me come under that Yoke and that Burden Yea further If God doth put any Yoke any Burden of affliction upon one that is Gracious if that Yoke and Burden of affliction may but bring his neck more under the Yoke of Christ than before and bring him more under Christs Burden than before a gracious heart doth think it well worth the bearing thinks himself fully recompensed in the bearing of any Yoke if it may any way further him to come under the Yoke of Christ more as thus before I had a wanton Spirit and I could not get my self to put my neck under the Yoke of Christ to be quiet as I ought to have been Well but now the Lord Christ hath laid the Yoke of affliction upon me and that hath in some measure subdued my heart so that I can come and put the Yoke of Christ upon me better O! blessed be God that ever I had the Yoke of affliction upon me that now brings me under the yoke of Christ more Canst thou say so blessed be God for this affliction Surely then the Yoke of Christ is easie that a heart is willing to bear any Yoke that may but further it to the bearing of the Yoke of Christ that is the third Evidence 4. Fourthly It is an easie Yoke certainly for it is Christs Yoke it must needs be easie because it is Christs and that upon these two grounds First Christ himself is Gentle and Sweet and Lovely Christ himself hath no Rigidness no Sowrness in him towards People as you heard at large when we opened the Meekness and Lowliness of Christ now if Christ be meek and lowly he loves no bitterness and rigidness If I had to deal with a man that I were sure had all the Meekness and al the Love and all the Gentleness in him of all the men in the world that ever lived put all their Meekness and Gentleness and Sweetness together into one man and I were sure I should never have any Yoke upon me but what that man should lay upon me truly I would never fear any rigidness One man hath Meekness and Gentleness I but he hath Rigidness too and another man hath one drop and another another drop I but put all these into one and surely that man hath a great deal of Meekness now Jesus Christ hath all in him and if it be his Yoke then it must needs be easie And Secondly Consider what was the end of Christs coming into the world the end of Jesus Christs coming into the world was this he saw poor wretched man that he was under a Burden of sin and misery and he was content to come and take their natures upon him and deliver their souls from pain and trouble and misery he came not into the world to impose Iron Yokes but he came into the world to bring the mercy of the Father to bring the treasure of the riches of the Father into the world and was anointed by the Father to that end that he might open Prison doors to Captives and that he might powr oyle upon them to supple souls that was his end saith he I came not into the world to condemne it but to save it that I might bring the mercy of my father into the world that I might open the passages of the infinite mercy of my Father that by your sins was shut up though there was an infinite ocean of mercy in my Father yet not one drop could issue out from him therefore I came to open the sluces as it were and let them out upon you and if there be any other end it is rather by accident then that which Christ aymed at but that Christ aymed at was to open the sluces of the infinite mercy of God upon man Now if this were the end of Christs comming into the world then certainly those that are deare to him and that he was willing to lay down his life for they shal find nothing from him but gentleness he will lay no yoke or burden upon them but what is very easy and very light therefore it must needs be easy because it is Christs that is a fourth Evidence Evidence 5. Fiftly It must needs be easy and light for there was never any in the world that put his neck under this Yoke especially if you take it for the yoke of obedience never any put his neck under this yoke that would have his neck out again that would wish Christs yoke otherwise then it is for his active obedience and they would have the passive too but in the conclusion they would never repent them that ever they were under it but especially for the former there was never Godly Christians when they were themselves and did consider of things except it were in time of temptation but take them at that time when they are themselves I say there was never any that could wish their neck out of Christs yoke that could wish the yoke of Christ easier then it is they would be freed from nothing that Christ requires when they are themselves and understand things It is true Ignorantly and when they do not understand things and in time of temptation then they may do otherwise but take a Christian and let him be himself and let him consider and understand the thing and there was never any that could wish his neck out of the yoke or wish it easier then it is It is true a gracious heart may be weary of himself because he cannot beare the yoke of Christ as he would do but he is never weary of Christs yoke he may be weary of the corruptions of his heart that hinder him from bearing the yoke as he should do but he would not have the yoke less then it is Take one that is Godly though he be weak you will say it is true they that are strong wil not wish it less but those that are weak they may well consider it thus a gracious heart he would be glad to have more strength to
what is it that is in thee amiss What is it that thou wouldest fain have the word come close unto to help thee against What is the speciall corruption thou wouldest have the word to mortifie in thee If now you set your selves before you come to the word to examin your hearts and when you are there to attend to the word as that which is your life upon which your eternall estate depends and so to sanctifie the name of God in his word and not to dare to cast off any truth knowing that your Soul may lie upon that very truth and to drink in the word of God in every thing that is revealed according to Gods mind this will be a very hard thing you will complain of almost an intolerable Burden But now a gracious heart finds more ease when it Sanctifies God in the power of Godliness in hearing the word than in a formall Duty Alas when such a one comes in a formall way and goes away and gets nothing such a one is troubled at such a Sermon it brings more Burden and grief to such a heart to come to the word and not find profit by the word than any other thing can do almost nothing can be more difficult than this You find no difference you come to the word and you get nothing and you go away with as much comfort as at other times it is as easie to you but now a Gracious heart cannot find ease except he finds Christ in the Duty but you can find ease in holy Duties though you never find Jesus Christ in holy Duties I appeal to you if this thing God would be pleased to settle upon the hearts of Men and Women it might be a very great settlement to their hearts you perform holy Duties What is the ease in holy Duties meerly the performance of the Duty but now if your ease were that which is the ease of a true Gracious heart it comes from the meeting with Jesus Christ in holy Duties And so for the Sabboth how easie is it to keep the Sabboth to do as the most it is easie Why Because you do not now work in your calling as other daies you do and you put on your best Cloaths and come and meet with your Neighbors and so you come to Church and home again and have better fare at your Tables than other daies and somtimes walk up and down the Fields this is easie But now the Saints find the ease of the Sabboth to be this that whereas upon the week day I am busied about other things and so have not that immediate Communion with Jesus Christ as at other times now upon the Sabboth my Soul comes to enjoy more immediate communion with Jesus Christ when I awake I am put upon it more to mind spirituall things to prepare my heart for him And now this whol day is dedicated for my converse with Jesus Christ and it is no more to me but the very Type and forerunner of that eternall Sabboth that I hope to enjoy in the highest Heavens hereafter and so it is easie to me Now methinks whatever trouble I have in the week time in my business in my calling the Sabboth day that refresheth me again and makes me fit for my calling and my heart that was so perplexed with outward crosses and with the troubles of the world that did so dead and dul my Spirit the Sabboth quickens me again and adds new strength again for I have found Christ refreshing my Soul Now is there not a wide difference between the ease of a carnall heart and a Gracious heart in holy Duties The one meerly mistakes the Yoke of Christ And so for the Sacrament It is an easie thing for a man to come in his best Cloaths and take a piece of Bread and a cup of Wine but he knows not what is the power of Godliness in such a holy Duty he thinks that the outward coming to the Sacrament makes amends for all though he hath been a wicked carnall wretch the week before now if he comes to the Sacrament the meer performing the Duty that makes amends though there be no preparation before no spiritualness in the Sacrament no discerning of the Body of Jesus Christ and the Mysteries of Jesus Christ no closing of his heart with Jesus Christ in the Sacrament no engaging his Soul to God no renewing his Covenant with God as he comes to receive the Seal of Gods Covenant with him no such things But now a Gracious heart cannot find ease in taking the Sacrament except it find Christ the ease it hath in the Sacrament it is in preparing the Soul for communion with Jesus Christ it is in the exercise of Faith and repentance the more Faith is exercised and the more Repentance exercised the more the heart is broken in the Sacrament the more ease a man hath and the more he gets his heart engaged to God in the Sacrament and the more he hath renewed his Covenant the more ease he hath I when a man can go to the Sacrament and do this O! this is a good day indeed And indeed this I am speaking upon is as great a point of Religion for the helping of you to know the frame disposition of your hearts how things stand between God and your Souls as any thing I know What it is in holy Duties that brings most ease to your Souls whether it be the bare externall performance of them or the spirituall performance of them is the power of Godliness in them that holy Duties for the matter of them cannot satisfie your heart except you find your hearts sanctified by them and Gods name sanctified â—n them that is the second note of difference between the ease a carnall heart finds in the waies of God and the ease a gracious heart finds CHAP. CXXXVII Containeth a third and fourth Difierence between the ease of a Hypocrite and true Beleever in the waies of God For 1. They are easie even to the Corruptions of a Hypocrite 2. He takes up the waies God partially THirdly Another Difference is this The ease a carnall heart finds it may not only stand with the ease under the Yoke of sin to the Flesh but the truth is even the Duties of Religion are easie to their corruptions to their very corruptions not only may stand with their corrupt waies but are easie to the very corruption it self to the very sinfull distemper of their hearts this is a very evill and vile ease for to perform holy Duties so as to be easie to the very flesh to the fleshly part Indeed the Yoke of Christ is easie unto the Saints but it is not easie unto the flesh I mean to the corrupt part it is not easie to that I but the waies of Religion to carnall hearts is easie to their very corruption to their corrupt part For First There is agreement enough between any Duty they perform and their secret sins they can
God themselves complain that there is a great deal of difficulty in the waies of God and do they not oftentimes complain of the hardness of them Yea and what though some things may be easie yet some others are very hard As you will say to the Discipline of Christ in his Church Is that easie Is not that hard and what will you say to the sufferings that Christ requires of his people Doth it not seem very hard Answ Now to clear the point from all these difficulties either what Christ saith of the straitness of the way to Heaven or what the Saints of God find or what may be said in regard of the Discipline of Christ in his Church or what in regard of the suffering that Christ requires notwithstanding all these yet we hope we shall make it cleer that yet his yoke is easie and his burden is light and further we are to shew how it comes to be easie and light But first to cleer the Point from all these difficulties First That of Christ That the way to Heaven is a strait way a very strait way there must be crowding and taking a great deal of pains It is true It is strait it is a very strait way to men that are but naturall that are not his Disciples it must needs be a strait in their apprehensions in the esteem of the world the way that Christ doth propound to come to Heaven it must needs I say be very strait and a very difficult way in the esteem of the men of the world and that upon these grounds 1. They do not know wherein the true spirituall excellencâ—es of the waies of Christ dorh consist they do not understand what the excellency of Christs waies are 2. The things that are required are unsutiable to them they are not suitable to what there is in their spirits and to put a man upon a work that is no way suitable to his spirit must needs be difficult must needs be tedious it is not suitable to them Yea it is contrary to them contrary to the spirits of those that are natural cross unto the grain they go quite contrary to their own spirits when they venture upon doing what is required in the waies of God 3. They are weak and have not the strength that should carry them on in the waies of God indeed it must needs be difficult to think to do that which is supernatural have nothing but a natural strength it must needs be hard to nature that hath nothing but weakness it must needs be hard to the men of the world for they have a great many prejudices against the waies of Christ they must denie themselves in many things that are as dear to themselves as their very Souls and their lives and they have nothing to make up their comforts they must denie their comforts and have nothing to make up their comforts this must needs be difficult and hard and so many grounds might be shewn that the way to Heaven is hard to the men of the world a hard thing for them to enter upon the way to Heaven and so it is strait to them in their esteem Quest I but further Is it not strait unto the Saints even to the very Disciples of Christ Do not they find difficulties in the waies of God Answ Now for the answering of that to shew how the waies of God are easie notwithstanding what even those that are the people of God find in them and notwithstanding all their complaints those that are Godly they say they find much difficulty in the waies of Religion 1. It may be the difficulty thou speakest of it is but in opinion rather than reality it is but an imaginary difficulty when thou lookest upon a Duty a great way off Oh! thou thinkest it is very hard but when thou comest to it thou dost not find it so hard I appeal to those that are acâ—uainted with the waies of God Hath it not been so with you that things have seemed to be hard and difficult a great way off but when you have come unto them ventured upon them you have not found them so It is just in this case for all the world like as it was with the women that we read of in Mark 16. that went to the Sepulchre of Christ as they were going at verse 3. O! they were very solicitous about the Stone that was rouled upon the Sepulchre Who shall roâ—l away the Stone but now when they came to the Sepulchre the Stone was rouled away So it is here when there are many Duties to be done it may be you cry out Oh it is very hard and how shall we be able to do such a thing such a poor weak body as I am how shall I be able to do it but when you come to the Duty you do not find it so I suppose there are many that at first thought it a very difficult Duty to keep a watch over their heart and to pray in their Families and Closets and to keep close to God but when they have come to the thing somtimes when you have had no heart to pray when you have thoughts to go to prayer and you have thought it impossible for you to make any work of it but when you have come to it you have found it before you have done to be a very sweet and comfortable Duty you have found a stone hardness of heart and indisposition to the Duty before you have come to the Duty but when you have come to the work you have found the stone rouled away and the work not so hard As we read of Peter in Acts 12. 10. When he was coming out of the City and those with him When they came to the Iron Gate in was open It may be if they had known there had been such an Iron Gate to pass through they might have been troubled Oh how shal we get through but when they came there the Iron Gate was open so that the difficulty is before we come to make tryall rather than when we make tryal 2. But you will say It is reall not in opinion but reall I but it is so but at the entrance at the beginning and it may be the greatest difficulty is but to get the neck into the collar to get the yoke upon the neck there lies the great difficulty when once you are in the yoke then you will find it easie the greatest difficulty many find in the waies of Religion it is their first entrance because they have not been accustomed to such things You shall have many times some kinds of Bullocks that come into their yoke there is more stir to get their necks in to get their yokes upon their necks then there is for them to bear it afterwards So there is with many men and women a great deal of stir and a great deal of do to get their necks under Christs yoke to come under the burden of the
in a morning or if you do pray you do it sleightly now do not you find your hearts off the hooks al the day long after have not you more trouble all the day long when your conscience tells you that you should go and seek God and pray I but other things are more easy and that is a hard thing and therefore you neglect it now do not you find it more dificult to be with out prayer in a morning then is in all the labour of prayer compare one day with another and see which is the easyest The yoke of Christ that was upon David might be somwhat hard to the flesh but the casting off the yoke broke his bones therefore in Psal 51. He cries to God to restore to him the joy of his Salvation and to heale those Bones of his that were broken That the Bones that thou hast broken may rejoyce that expression the Prophet hath Psalm 51. vers 8. Make me to hear joy and Gladness that the Bones that thou hast broken may rejoyce so that it broke the very Bones of David the casting off the yoke of Christ the trouble that David felt in his heart it was such a burden to him as broke his bones now when did ever any duty that David performed break his bones though it might a little paine his flesh and be a little burdensom to his flesh yet it was not that which broke his bones the casting off the yoke of Christ is a greater burden and more troublesom to a gracious heart then to keep it on Sixthly Thou complainest of difficulty in duty in Christs yoke may be it is not the yoke of Christ that is upon thee that is so heavy upon thee if thou examinest it again perhaps thou shalt find it is not Christs yoke that is upon thee 1. May be it is a yoke that thou hast taken upon thy self perhaps somthing that thou hast put upon thy self that Christ never required of thee then it may be grievous to thee if we will put that upon our selves that Christ never required as Papists do that put that upon themselves that Christ never required who required these things at your hands It may be some men have put somthing upon you that Christ never required of thee it may be thou puttest upon thy self a duty at this time that is not the duty of this time but is the duty of some other time when thou wilt enjoyne thy self to do such a duty that is not the duty of this time but the duty of another time then it may be troublesom as many poor Christians are pestered this way when God would have them do such a duty conscience puts them upon another duty God calls them to a duty of their calling but conscience puts them upon prayer now that is not the duty it may be of this time and this is the way of Satan of the Devil to weary them and tire them by putting them upon duty unseasonably when he cannot by temptation hinder them from duty then he labors to weary and tire them by putting them unseasonably upon duty As I have known some they could not be at their work a quarter of an hour but suddenly they must leave all and go to prayer and they thought it was the motion of Gods Spirit and the dictates of conscience and they thought they must not neglect it and so made their lives uncomfortable upon that ground whereas the Spirit of God puts people upon duty seasonably every thing in its right order and right way and in its due time it will put you upon prayer in a fit time and put you upon duties of your calling in a fit time and when it comes unseasonably to disquiet you it is rather a suggestion of Satan to disquiet you then to make you to obey Christs yoke 2. May be it is not the yoke of Christ but meerly the yoke of the Law as thus though it may be the same thing that Christ would have you do yet you may have it laid upon you in a legal way to do it meerly out of fear of the wrath of God and damnation and so it may be as a scourge to force you to it and so to look upon every duty as if your eternal estate depended upon it as if you were to be cast or saved by the meer performance of your duty this is rather the yoke of the Law then the yoke of Jesus Christ to be put and hurryed upon duty as if your eternal estate did depend upon your duty and you were to be cast in your eternal estate by that rather then any thing here is the yoke of Moses not the yoke of Christ Christ puts you upon duty for the honor of God yet so as the hazard of your eternal estate is over and thou art not to be cast upon the performance of the duty this way or that way that if thou failest thou wert to be cast for ever to everlasting destruction upon thy failing he doth not bring you before God as before a severe and revenging judg but puts you upon service as a Child is put upon doing service by a Father now it is a great deale easyer for a child to do service to a father then for a slave to do service to one that hath him in bondage that will be continually lashing him and beating him black and blue so indeed the yoke of the Law which we are to speak of afterwards when we come to speak of the easiness of Christs yoke that is greivous and many Christians they do their duties meerly in a legal way and so it is rather Moses yoke then the yoke of Jesus Christ and so it comes to be hard whereas when thou comest to understand what the yoke of Christ is and what the duties are that are required by Jesus Christ and so to take them from him by a covenant of Grace for so they are required there is no duty in the Morral Law but is required of you in the Gospel and in a stronger bond then ever it was required upon the first Covenant but in another way coming unto it in another way in Christ and through the hand of the mediatour Jesus Christ so it comes to be a great deal more easy and when duties are taken up in an evangelical way then they are easy but so long as you take them up in a legal way then they come to be very grievous that is the Sixth Answer Seventhly Another answer is this that difficulty that you find it is not the Yoke of Christ if you consider That now Corruption is more Stirred then ever it was before the difficulty is in the discovery of corruption in the Stirring of your corruption more then before so that your Corruption through this by means of the yoke of Christ comes to be more stirred then formerly it was As thus now sometimes I think I have given you this Similitude if there be a few embers
with thee as thou art sorrowfull and lamentest over thy sin so they should have their hearts melt for thy sins and should endeavor to have their hearts sensible of thy sins as thou art and and they that are acquainted with the waies of Christ in his Church they have found it so they have found all the Congregation aswell to fall a lamenting and bursting ouâ— in tears aswel as thy self thou bursting out in peaâ—es for thy sins and they praying and seeking unto God that he would forgive thy sins and al the congregation doth thiâ— now is not this better then 〈…〉 should go on to rancle in his sin is in not better that he should come into a Congregation and give glory to God and lament it before him and all the Congregation lament and they all send up their sighes and groans for pardoning of this offender and restoring of him and for the lifting up the light of Gods countenance upon him if your heart were humble you would find it a great dâ—ale of ease for the truth is you cannot expect to have ease before you have done this those that have offended though they have gone in their closets and sought God yet have had no rest but upon this now God doth usually grant abundance of ease peace and joy in Christ that it is a thousand times more ease to their spirits then for them to go on in their sin and let their sin ranckle And further Christ in the goverment of his Church will not have any officer over you but whom he appoints indeed in a Civil State they may appoint taskmasters and what officers they please but now in a Church State Christ appoints every officer and therefore all that rabble of Commissaries Archdeacons Deans and Deanes and Chapters is gone away for there ought to be none such and it is a great ease unto the Church of God to bee rid of them And again you are to have none forced upon you but what you your selves shall yield unto they cannot in a domineering way say you shall have such a Minister It was enough before that if a wench in an Alehouse or an Hostler should have an uncle die and leave them to be his heire and an Advouson belonged to him this Wench that lives in an alehouse or an Hostler Should have power to send any fellow that he will if he can give account of his creed in Latin to send one a hundred miles or one that they never saw in all their lives and they to whom he was sent must take this man to have charge over their souls to depend upon this man for dispensation of all the ordinances of Jesus Christ as long as they live together here was a burden But now the way of Christ is that there should be none that should take the Charge of Souls to dispence the ordinances of Christ but such as the people themselves shall choose to themselves that they shal be satisfyed in before and that they are faithful and that they are fit by the gifts and graces of the spirit of God to take charge over their souls and to dispence the ordinances of Christ in a right way is not this now a great deal of ease And further what a great deal of ease is in the waies of Christ in his Church when the officer is such as Christ appoints and you approve And further when they are there they have no liberty to make any new law but just as Jesus Christ hath made they cannot obtrude any thing upon you to beleeve and do but they must shew that Jesus Christ would have you to beleeve and do the same Now in Civil states it is otherwise there you may be required to do things that you cannot find directly in the word if it be a thing that the officer thinks reasonable to be done if it be not contrary to the word it is enough if it be a thing rational that may suite with the publick good of a Country or Kingdom it is enough but now when it comes to the Church the Church officers it is not enough for them that there is nothing in the word against it but they must have it out of Gods word and this is a great ease that I shall have nothing imposed upon me but what Jesus Christ would have me to have and to do many other particulars might be shewed for the opening of the yoke of Christ differing from the yoke of the Civil State Yea And Christ requires nothing to be done in his Church but what he would have a Reason given for it but if a Prelate did but sit at his Table amongst his Cups and write but a line or two what a disturbance was there thereby unto many thousand Congregations he never came to them himself but meerly he commands and they must do it But now the commands of Christ are otherwise whatever is required of them from Christ they may require a Reason of it they are to be satisfied themselves in the Reason of the thing and how Christ requires it before they submit unto it Indeed I am not bound in a Civil State to satisfie my self in all they do but I may-think that they understand more of the Civil good than I do but it is not so in a Church state the meanest in a Congregation is not to say the Ministers and Officers they know more than I and therefore though I see no Reason to the contrary I will submit Now Christ hath such a tender care over every one of his members that whatever they do they must know it themselves they must do it in Faith they must know how this comes out of the word and they must do it then in Faith now what an ease is this and if men did know this how readily would they come under the government of Jesus Christ it is as great an Argument of the carnality of the hearts of men that they having been under the yoke of Antichrist and now they have some inkling of the yoke of Christ that they cry out of it and say they had rather be in the former way just as the Children of Israel they desired to go back into Egypt again and they liked not their deliverance but would fain have gone back to their bondage again and hath there not been the same murmurings in the hearts of men that they would willingly return to their former bondage Oh it were just with God that we should return back again to Egypt to our former condition and â—wo unto us if we should come to this to return unto our former condition again But for any of you that desire to fear the Lord and keep your Consciences cleer and that walk in the way of eternall life I appeal to your Consciences what is there that I have named to you that would not be easie in your spirits What difficulty would there be in the waies of Christ in the Church Truly I have told you
one duty lets in another and this is the difference between one that is truly acquainted with the waies of religion and an Hypocrite the one when he sets upon one duty that one duty so tires him that he hath no mind to another but now a godly heart one duty doth but let him in another by performing one duty he is fitted to another duty and this is a sign you performe duty in a right way when it is thus with you it is true the outward man may be tired but yet the heart is in a better frame to performe duty the next time one duty is an in let into another and helps on the other that is a Third Fourthly The waies of Christ they are easy because they bring strength with them and encreaseth strength certainly that work must needs be an easy work that a man gets strength by his work and the more he works the more strength he gets It is true great works come to be difficult because you do not only not get strength but you spend strength but now the waies of religion the more you work the more strength you have and the more work you do the more strength comes in It is true the natural strength may be spent I but there is inward strength comes in encreaseth and is supplied by Jesus Christ the Body that carries the Soul I but the Soul is no burden to the Body the Soul supports the Body and enables the body to move and makes it lighter if the Soul were gone the body would be a heavy lump heavier than when the soul lives in it so such a kind of burden is the waies of Religion to a gracious soul no other burden than the soul is to the body when the soul is there it is no burden but it rather helps the Body it makes the Body lighter and so when any work of Grace is added more than before the burden comes to be lighter and easier In Prov. 10. 29. The way of the Lord is strength to the upright their very way is strength surely then their way is easie that which is strength cannot be a hard way now the way of the Lord is strength to the upright an Hypocrite indeed if he wil meddle with the way of God he is tired as those in Malachi What a weariness is the waies of God to them I but it is to an Hypocrite but the way of the Lord is strength to the upright A man that hath a carnal heart he is tired presently you that complain for want of strength and you have no heart to set about Duties of Religion because you say you are weak the more ye set about these Duties the more strength you shall have There is many a Man and Woman that praies away their strength in prayer and strengthens their sin in prayer and I shewed you how to carnal hearts their very duties may be easie to their sins but now a gracious heart doth not pray away his strength but he shal have more strength in his Soul for the present and he shall see it afterwards You wil say How shall I know that for my body is weary and tired if you get but a litle time to refresh your body with sleep or the like when you come to prayer again you wil have more strength to the Duty there was more strength in your Spirit then when you were in the Duty only your natural strength did fail and therefore do as much as you can in holy Duties do not fear tiresomness in them you will do more than you did before That is the fourth thing that makes them to be easie because they beget strength Fifthly They must needs be easie because that in all the waies of Religion there is ever more good fuccess a gracious heart evermore finds success in the waies of Godliness now that way that a man alwaies hath success in is very easie to him you count that work very easie work that alwaies thrives in your hand and that you may certainly know that it wil succeed before you go about it If a man go about a work and he is uncertain in the success and he thinks I may take a great deal of pains but I know not how I shall speed Oh that is tedious I but now when he goes out to the work of the Lord where he knows he shal never fail of success this work is very easie to him In the first Psalm it is said that a Godly man prospers in every thing that be doth whatever he doth shall prosper it is true we may set upon outward things and not have success but there was never any gracious action since the beginning of the world but had success here is the difference between your outward imployment and your gracious imployment your earthly and your spiritual imployment in one though we work never so well according to the Rules of our Art yet there wil not be success in what we do alwaies but now let us perform any holy Duty we shal never lose any action though we may not see it yet we shal certainly prosper in it and therefore there is a great deal of ease Sixthly A great deal of ease must needs be in Gods waies because that a gracious heart is continually receiving his wages in all his work Now that is a very easie work ye shal not need be working all the day and receive no wages at night but a Godly man is receiving his wages continually while he is working In 1 Pet. 9. Receiving the end of your Faith the Salvation of your Souls Receiving the end of your Faith he doth not say that ye shal hereafter receive the end of your Faith but ye are now receiving every moment in every Duty ye perform you are receiving the end of your Faith there is no holy action but there is somwhat of the Glory of Heaven in it and the Soul doth receive somwhat of the Glory of Heaven in every holy action so that he shall not need to stay for Heaven hereafter that indeed were enough one would think to make any of the waies of God easie the beleeving the Glory we shal hereafter have in Heaven it were enough to make any journey easie that we shal have a Crown at the end of it but it is not so with the Saints they have not ease because they know that they shal have Glory hereafter but they have a Heaven while they are doing their holy Duties therefore are easie in regard of their end as many things may be easie in regard of that that comes afterwards and so may be good in regard of the good which is to come but the actions of Religion are part of the happiness and of the Glory of the Soul and if we were well principled in this it would be a great means to help us to go on with a great deal of ease in the duties of Religion That it is the happiness and Glory of
what you do now and if they see that since you began to go to Sermons and to make more profession of Religion that your lives are more filled with discomfort and vexing and fretting and discouragement than before What will they say What waies are these Who would come into these waies they make theâ— mad and make them fools and unfit them for any business Oh this is a shame to he waies of Christ though it is true now thou seest more cause of humiliation than before but for all this know that this is not legal humiliation but evangelical humiliation and there is sweetness in that bitter of sin if thou understandest it in an evangelical way and though thou shouldest mourn for thy sin yet thou shouldest carry thy self with that gentleness and humility and meekness in thy spirit thou shouldst discover that sweetness of heart and cheerfulness and activeness in your callings going about your business better than ever before that they may say surely the way of Christ is easie and so others may be in love with them but if others shal see you to be more high and lofty in your spirits more proud more disdaining more neglective in your callings and more cross in your carriage than before then they will be kept off from those waies Consequence 5. Again if the waies of Christ be so easie certainly Jesus Christ will expect a great deal of service from you because he gives you much ease a man that walkes at liberty he may walk apace a Porter that hath a great burden upon him whilst that that burden is upon him he cannot go so fast if one should come and say to him Why do not you go faster he would answer if you had such a burden upon you as â— have you would go as softly as I do A cart that hath a great load upon it cannot go apace so here hath Jesus Christ laid no weight upon you in his waies then let us run the waies of Gods commandments Beleevers in the time of the Law they had Shackles they had a weight a burden upon them and therefore no marvel we do not read of so much holiness and spiritualness in the waies of the Godly in the times of the Law generally because I say their yoke was heavy and therefore they did drive very slowly on but now when Jesus Christ is come into the world and hath taken our yoke from us certainly Christ expects that we should now go on freely in his waies and abound in the work of the Lord and do more than they did in the times of the Law Read the Book of the Psalmes and see the sweetness of Davids spirit had David had the Epistles of Paul and had known all of Christ and heard so much of the Gospel opened to him How would he have said O! how sweet is thy Law and if his heart was enlarged he could run the waies of Gods commandments I but David he was under the burden of the ceremoniall Law for it is not that which is revealed in the Gospel certainly he had not the knowledg of the Gospel the things revealed there though he had a more then ordinary measure of knowledg and if he walked so freely and cheerfully in the waies of Christ certainly we should do much more Service for the Lord now the yoke is taken from us as the ceremonial Law in respect of charge we are freed from a great deal of charge that they were at therefore we should be more free when God requires it of us And they spent so much time in outward things in meer outward things then shall we grudge god our time in spiritual communion or grudg God time in our Families a quarter of an hour to Worship God in our Families morning and evening In the Lavv they spent abundance of time in the Service of God it may be you think it much to rise and come to hear the Word they vvere fain to go long journies to Worship at Jerusalem vvherever they lived in the country to go to Jerusalem to worship and yet their worship was but an external thing and in the greater part but bodily labor when they went thus to worship they had not the Mysteries of the Gospel opened to them as you have to recompence your labor therefore I say be more abundant in the service of God We have a notable Scripture for this in Acts 9. 31. of the state of the Church when once they had ease and rest marke what came of it Then had the Churches rest throughout all Judea and Galâ—lee and Samaria and were edified and walking in the fear of the Lord and in the comfort of the Holy Ghost weâ—e multiplied Here is the fruit of their rest The ease of a secure heart is that that makes it more barren in Gods waies but now the Church had rest through all Judea What then then they walked in the fear of the Lord and in the comfort of the Holy Ghost and were multiplied and doth God give rest unto your Soul and peace to you then walk in the fear of the Lord and be edified and built up more and more and multiply the service of God more and more there is a promise that the people of God should be fat and well-liking in the times of the Gospel and flourish in the Courts of the Lord. There is two things that causeth Fatness the one is much Feeding the other is a great deal of rest and ease when men feed much and then have a great deal of ease this causeth fatness if there be either want of food or if there be never so much food yet if a great deal of labor it keeps them from fatness but when there is ease and food that causeth bodily fatness Now Christ expects in the times of the Gospel that all Christians should be fat and well liking that they should not be lean in their souls Why for 1. They have as plentifull food as ever was since the world began never had they better diet and more ful diet and wholsome diet than now And 2. He hath revealed likewise the blessed ease of the Gospel there was never a time wherein the Mystery of the Gospel was so much revealed to make the waies of Christ so easie as now there is a revealing indeed of the waies of the Gospel to be easie sensually and loose but wo to those that are thus at ease but I say there is a revealing of the Gospel and the waies of Christ to be easie spiritually Certainly formerly many went to Heaven more hardlier than we not only in respect of suffering but in respect of horror of sin the spirit of bondage there were scarce any brought to Jesus Christ but were brought with abundance of horror and had much of the spirit of bondage upon them and God did recompence them afterwards abundantly and we find this that it is true that many true Christians never knew so much horror of
conscience and are very holy and spiritual and have ease in their coming to and living with Christ but we find many very loose and vain that never had the bondage of sin if God would humble them for their sins more and make them sensible of sin they would not be so frothy and carnal as they are Wel but though some do abuse the free Grace of God in Christ yet others do not now you that have so much ease in the waies of Christ and also have so much food surely Christ expects you should be fat and wel-liking and that you should do much service for him Consequence 6. And another Use is this If Christ accounts his waies easie let not men make them hard take heed how you make the waies of Christ harder than Christ makes them though it is true you cannot make them hard I but you do what you can to make them hard as thus you have an Apprentice or a Child or a Friend or a Kinsman that is looking after the waies of Christ Do not you do what you can to make the waies Christ hard to them you scorn at them and scoff at them and rail at them and smite them and take all advantage you can against them you do what you can to vex their spirits and to make Christs waies hard to them Saith Christ I came into the world to that end to bring souls to me to carry them on comfortably to Heaven but here is a Wretch so soon as any one looks towards Heaven he doth what he can to make his life uncomfortable a child that you respected before and lived sweetly with you before now you do what you can to make them live worse lives than formerly they lived and so the Wife of your bosom or your Husband and the like and thus you do what you can to draw them off from the waies of Christ and if they would come off from those waies then you would do what you can to make their lives more comfortable O! Wrerch Wretch that thou art to cross the waies of Christ thou dost in this thing but act the part of the Devil for what doth the Devil the Devil will make his waies as easie as he can and the waies of Christ to be as hard as he can and that is the reason that many young Christians are troubled with more temptations now than before because the Devil sees they are getting away from him and he doth what he can to make their getting away to be as troublesom as can be As a Jaylor when the Jaylor hath a Prisoner if he be in Prison he takes no notice but if he be a plotting how â—o get out of the Prison then he comes and laies fetters upon him So when men are in the Dungeon of the Devil and the Devil hath them fast then he is at quiet with them but when they come to enquire after the waies of Heaven and labor to get out of their bondage then the Devil comes with Darts and Suggestions to make their lives uncomfortable and as the Devil doth so do wicked men Consequence 7. But then another use from hence is this To exhort people to come in to the waies of God labor to get over the Stumbling Stone the Devil and the world hath deluded thee but now say God forbid that I should any longer stand it out Oh! now I come now I will put my neck under the yoke of Jesus Christ I will come and be the servant of Christ you that are servants you have been commended to live in such a service with such a master or mistris but there hath come another servant and told you that they are very hard and you will never live comfortably there But now if you have another that comes and tells you that it is meer envy that the other puts you off out of ill will and that certainly if you can be but one in such a family you will live a happy life you will find so much peace love and kindness and as fair dealing as ever any servant had in any family in the world Now upon this if you should be taken off would it not grieve you truly it is thus in the waies of Christ you have had perhaps good thoughts of the waies of Christ I but some it may be hath put it into your head that you will live but a melancholy and dumpish life in them but now you have heard out of the word that you shall live the most comfortable life in the world and therefore O! now resolve to give up your names to God before this night go into the presence of God and there profess your selves that you wil be his servants for ever and bind your selves unto him say Lord reveale what thou hast to enjoyne â—e and here I am professing to be thine Consequence 8. And again If the waies of Christ be so easy then we may see from hence what a cursed thing it is to be an Appostate for one to begin to put on inro the waies of Jesus Christ and then break off again O! thou bringest a disgrace and dishonor upon the waies of Jesus Christ as though they were such hard waies You shal have many say well I was a puritan once and I was wont to be praying and fasting with them but it was such a burden to me that it was impossible for me to bear it Oh! thou hadst a base carnal heart and dost thou leave the waies of Christ upon such grounds know that a time shal come that thou shalt be cast off with eternal abhorring and those that thou seekest to put off from the waies of God shall rise up in judgment against thee it is the usual manner of Apostates to put off others from the waies of God because they leave the waies of Christ themselves therefore they labor that others may leave them two As a wicked servant that hath behaved himself wickedly in a family and the Master and Mistris put him off then he railes and brings up an ill report all he can upon the Master and Mistris saying there is no living with them and if they heare of any inclining to live in the family they cry out against them why because they are put off so here Apostates behave themselves wickedly and Christ casts them off as unsavory Salt and Filth and when they are once out then they find their spirits filld with guilt in their consciences and then they raile against the waies of Christ what is the reason that the Devil doth so much labor to bring off men from God because he is cast off himself he was once an Angel and he being cast off from God himself it troubles him that any should be brought on to the waies of God but if there be any such here Oh that this text might convince them that they should returne againe and say I will returne unto the waies of Christ againe for then it was better with me
humbled for our sins in an evangelical way as wel as performe duty in an evangelical way Now evangelical humiliation it is a sorrow for sin not that we might purchase pâ—â—don for that sorrow as we must not perform a duty to think to purchase Heaven neither must we sorrow for sin to think to satisfie for sin and to purchase pardon for our sin but our very sorrow for sin must have a sweetness from Christ in it it must be out of love our very mourning must be a fruit of love and not come from the fear of being destroyed eternally for such sins that is legal sorrow I have sinned against God and therefore am afraid that God will destroy me eternally and therefore I am sorry No but I have sinned against the Lord a gracious and a merciful Father and the Lord yet hath made a Covenant with me that he will not take advantage of my sin that he will not destroy me and therefore my soul mourns and laments the rather for my sin that I have sinned so much against the grace of the Gospel as I have done Sorrow evangelically and then your sorrow wil have more sweetness in it then all the joy that the men of the world have when all their Corn and Wine and Oyl is encreased not only when God lifts up the light of his countenance but even the very sorrow of your heart for sin may have more sweetness in it then all the men of the world have when their Corn and Wine and Oyl encreaseth Many Christians have much bitterness in their sorrow but certainly Evangelical sorow the tears of it is Rose water that hath a great deal of sweetness it is sweet both unto God and sweet unto the soul even while the soul is sorrowing there is sweetness in the heart and this is the difference between legal terror and Evangelical sorrow the one hath nothing but bitterness and gal in it and the other nothing but sweetness That is the first thing Secondly Another way to facilitate and make easie that we do is this Labor to keep our hearts in a constant readiness and preparation to every duty Duties are very hard because we fall upon them unprepared we are not in a readiness continually unto every good work you know when you are set about any work and if you have many things to prepare and to look for when you should go about your work it will go off but heavily and it will be more troublesom but now when every thing is prepared in a readiness then how soon and how easie doth the work go on when you are going to Sea there is making a great deal of preparation aforehand now when the Ship is rigged and trimmed every thing ready then you are at an instant able to put off and set saii and go away when al things are ready you go off with ease If you would entertain Guests if they come upon you suddenly and you have nothing ready what a deal of stir is in the house what running up and down this way and that way but now if things be ready when they come they are entertained with a great deal of delight and all things in the house are in order and things go off very easily and there is no trouble in it Truly thus it should be with a Christian he should not only perform duties now and then but his life should be a constant walking with God so that he should be alwaies in readiness for every duty that God requires of him so it comes to be easie As now for the duty of Prayer you should keep your hearts in a praying frame continually and then prayer would be easie it would be an easie thing for you to pour forth your souls to God when you keep your hearts in a praying frame all the day long It may be when you go to prayer you find a great deal of trouble within you your thoughts wander and your affections are dead and dul and you rise up discouraged But what is the reason you do not keep your heart all the day long in a praying frame in a heavenly temper and frame in the day time and therefore when you come to pray at night there is no readiness in your hearts to the duty but you are altogether indisposed to it And so to come unto the Sacrament you find it a great labor and toyl to prepare for the Sacrament as you should I speak of those that make conscience of preparation many times they find it a mighty toyl a hard work I but Christians should keep themselves alwaies in a Sacramental disposition a Sacramental frame alwaies having their spirits savoring of the meditation of the death of Jesus Christ that nothing should be more familiar to a Christians Soul than the meditation of the death of Christ and of discerning the Lords Body and the Covenant of grace and giving it self likewise to God in a Covenant of grace this should be continually and then if you should receive the Sacrament every day you might be fit for it or every week you would be fit for it Now People think it a great matter and make a great deal of do about receiving of it often whereas the truth is the Saints of God they should be in as great a readiness to receive the Sacrament as to hear the word or to pray and that would be a mighty ease unto them therefore if things were as they should certainly it would be more convenient to have it more ordinary and constant every Lords day the Sacrament The Christians in the primitive times would receive it every day in the year and they kept their heart in readiness to such kind of duties let it be what work it wil be You should be patient in affliction if affliction come upon you and your heart is not in a readiness to alter your condition Oh! it wil be a grievous burden to exercise patience it wil be a hard thing for you now you should keep your hearts ready for every condition that is the true work of grace in the Soul to keep the soul in a constant bent Godward and that Soul wil do things very easily Somtimes you have much ado with your children when strangers come to keep them in good order the reason is you neglect them at other times and that is the reason that they trouble you when strangers come but keep them in a good order at all times and then you wil have them right at those times So it is with the heart keep the heart prepared and ready to every good work and then every work wil be easie Object But you wil say That is a great deal of toyl and labor to keep our hearts alwaies bent and ready to good works To that I answer at first it may be some labor and toyl but those that have once got their hearts into a readiness find it not so hard but have a great deal
Christ himself to look upon you as having a fulness of all strength in him and for Christ to come and assist you As now a man that hath a weak Child he may come with his hand and enable the Child to do that which he could not do but the strength that I speak of now is as when one that was a Child before is made a strong man and hath Marrow put into his Bones and Blood into his Veins so this strength is such a strength that is the Riches of his Glory according to the inward man Mark First Here is strength Secondly Here is strength in the inward man strength in the outward man is not so much as the inward man Thirdly Here is strengthened with might Fourthly This strength is by the Spirit now the Scripture useth that word Spirit to express strength by Their Horses are not Spirit but Flesh And then again It is by the Spirit of God And then it is according to the Riches of the Spirit of God such strength and such might and the Spirit of God in the inward man such as shall shew forth the riches of Gods Spirit and then Lastly The riches of his Glory So that the Saints may come to have in them such strength in the inward man with such might by the Spirit of God and according to the riches of God and the riches of his Glory you must not satisfie your selves til you find such a work of Gods grace in you as may manifest the riches of the glory of Gods power Now Christians Do you work so as by your strength in the waies of Religion you do manifest the riches of the Glory of Gods power If you do then certainly the waies of Religion wil be easie to you And then another Scripture which is to shew you that there is a great deal of strength to be had to enable you to go on is that in the 1. of the Collossians and ver 11. Strengthened with all might through his glorious power unto al patience and long-suffering with joyfulness here is strengthened with might strengthened with all might and this according to Gods power and according to his glorious power and unto all patience and long suffering with joyfulness mark when we come to have strength from God that is when we come to the hardest things to exercise patience then we have patience and all patience and and joyfulness and giving thanks to the Father and nothing but thankfulness and joyfulness though our condition be such as needs patience Now these rules being put together they may make the way of Christ easy you may run the waies of Gods commandements and go leaping to Heaven and certainly the more easy and the more sweet they be unto you the more sweet will they be to others and you will bring a better report upon the waies of religion and make the waies of God amiable and lovely unto others Wel consider what hath been sayed in this text Many truths you cannot but acknowledg that they nearly concerne you now know that God will require this text at our hands this invitation of Christ come to me al ye that are weary heavy laden I will give you rest take my yoke upon you and learn of me for I am meek and lowly in heart and you shall find rest unto your souls for my yoke is easy and my burden light The truth is the same and the very marrow of the Gospel is in this invitation of Christ and therefore I have laboured to shew you as fully as I could what the spirit of God doth intend in this invitation and to lay before you all those truths that are here and have laboured to work them upon your hearts hoping that the impression of divers things that have been delivered from this scripture in the invitation of Christ are upon your spirits and shall remaine in many of your souls even to the day of Christ so that Jesus Christ when he shall come again with another invitation and say come come ye blessed of my father inherit the kingdom prepared for you I say Christ will look upon you having the impression of this invitation upon your hearts And certainly Christ when he shal come to judgment when poor souls shall bring this impression upon their hearts he wil entertain them with a great deal of cheerfulness and he wil give them another invitation Christ saith now come come unto me all ye that are weary and heavy laden take my yoke upon you and learn of me for my yoke is easy and my burden light doth this invitation prevaile hath these arguments prevailed with your spirits and do you keep the impression of these upon your spirits can you if Jesus Christ were to come to judgment shew the impressions of these invitations upon your hearts and say Lord thou hast invited us and many arguments hath been used to draw us unto thee and our spirits are come to thee and behold now the impressions of those truths upon our hearts Oh! if you shal be able at the day of judgment to shew the impressions of these truths upon your hearts you will be happy and then you shal have the other invitation come ye blessed of my father that will come fully upon you the remembrance of the work of this invitation upon you Oh! how sweet will it be to you And for others that shall live wickedly when they shall come to that day when Christ shall invite others unto him come ye blessed of my father when they shall remember that there was a time when we heard a blessed sweet invitation of Christ opened to us in the Ministry of the word we heard Christ calling Come come and professing that his yoke was easy and his burden light and yet we followed after our lusts and wicked sinful lusts and wicked sinful waies and now we heare that the Saints that did come upon his invitation that they shal be blessed for ever but Christ will not cal us to him we would not have his yoke upon us then and therefore now we must be cast off and have the iron yoke of the wrath and vengeance and curse of eternal displeasure upon us Now the Lord perswade you to take those easy yokes of Christ upon you for the present rather then Gods eternal wrath and displeasure should come to be your portion hereafter FINIS