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
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
Do you look back to what you were and that in the presence of God and to that end that your hearts may be humble and low Do you make that use of what your poor condition was Or rather do not you forget your poor condition and now your mind is puft up this is an evil sight And another example for this you have likewife in David David was exceeding willing to be put in mind of the mean condition in which he was as that in 2 Sam. 2. when Nathan came to him when he would have built an House to God in 2 Sam. 7. the Lord bids Nathan go to him and say to him I have taken thee from the Sheep-fold verse 8. Thus saith the Lord of hosts I took thee from the Sheep-cote from following the sheep to be Ruler over my People over Israel Now David was not offended at this but he blessed God at verse 18. He went in and sate before the Lord and he said Who am I O Lord God and what is my House that thou hast brought me hitherto stands a wondring at Gods mercy that God had brought him so far as he had done unto such a comfortable condition as indeed the Lord had brought him to And so Paul in 1 Tim. 1. 13. he looks back to what he once was saith he who was before a Blasphemer and a Persecutor and injurious but I obtained mercy because I did it ignorantly in unbelief and the Grace of our Lord was exceeding abundant with Faith and Love which is in Christ Jesus who was before a Blaspemer and a Persecutor And so he saith of himself that he was the least of all which afterwards we shal further make use of the least of the Saints Thus one that is lowly in heart is willing to rip up his former life and consider what a poor wretch once I was what an Ignorant sottish Creature I was knew nothing of God nor Christ nor the things of eternity I vvas not able to open my heart to God in Prayer any further than I had learned it and could look upon a Book What a mercy of God is it in that God hath shewed himself further to me and so the heart vvorks upon the low condition that once it was in And so in Ezek. 16. vvhen the Lord vvould humble his People there the greatest part of the Chapter is spent in shewing vvhat they vvere Thy Father was an Amorite and thy Mother an Hitite shewing thereby that the Lord vvould have us look back to vvhat once we vvere that thereby our hearts may be kept low And indeed by this means an humble heart sees hovv strange the vvorkings of God vvas tovvards it and vvhat it might have been at present had it not been for the meer mercy of God This is the thing vvherein the frame of an humble heart consists in respect to it self it looks back to the poor mean condition that once it vvas in 4. In the midst of al the excellencies that God doth give unto an humble heart yet he is ashamed of himself or rather thus An humble heart is ashamed of it self yea even vvhen God bestovvs the greatest excellencies of all upon him In Ezra 9. vvhen Ezra vvas humbling himself before the Lord together with the Church he saith thus We are ashamed of our selves and confounded because of this And in Jerem. 31. 19. Ephraim humbles himself and smiting upon his Thigh he confesseth that he vvas ashamed And so the Church speaks in Jerem. 3. 25. We lie down in our shame An humble spirit is ashamed of himself vvhatever others think of him yet such a one is conscious of so much evill in himself that he is humbled vvhen he looks upon his black Legs though others may think O! such a one hath excellent abilities and the like yet an humble spirit hath such thoughts of it self as makes it ashamed of it self And so in Ezra 9. it was the time when God began to bring them from Captivity and yet that was the time when they were ashamed of themselves and were shaming themselves 5. One that is of a lowly heart the behavior of it self is to loath and abhor it self in Ezek. 6. 9. there saith the Prophet And they that escape of you shall remember me among the Nations whither they shal be carried Captives because I am broken with their whorish heart which hath departed from me and with their Eyes which go a whoring after their Idols and they shal loath themselves for the evils which they have committed in all their abominations It is an excellent Scripture this I am broken with your whorish heart and they shall see this how their sins they have broken the very heart of God we have not such an expression that I know in Scripture that might humble the heart of a sinner more than this What! have I by my sins broken the heart of God what cause is there that my heart should be broken and when they shall see this they shall loath themselves An humble heart when it sees what it hath done towards God doth loath it self looks upon it self with abhorring So you have it likewise in Ezek. 20. 4. And there you shal remember your waies and all your doings wherein ye have been defiled and you shall loath your selves in your own sight for all your evil that you have committed And the like expression you have in Ezek. 36. 31. Then shall ye remember your own evil waies and your doings that were not good and shall loath your selves in your own sight for your iniquity and for your abominations and this was in a time of mercy that is observable it was in a time when the Lord promised mercy and did shew mercy to them even then they shall loath themselves Many men they may be brought down so low upon their sick beds with some loathsome Disease that may be upon them that may force them to loath themselves but here is the property of an humble Spirit when the Lord shews the greatest mercy when it is in the greatest prosperity then an humble heart loaths it self before the Lord. And that is a notable Scripture that we have likewise in Job for this purpose in Job 9. 21. Though I were perfect yet would I not know my Soul I would despise my life though I were perfect I would even despise and loath my self that is though he were not so polluted as others charge him withall yea though he were not able to see nothing in himself yet because of â—he infinite distance between God and him and because of his mean condition that he was in as a Creature because of what he had been or what he might be without the Grace of God if God should withdraw his Grace from him therefore saith he though I were perfect yet would I not know my Soul I would despise my life How much more Cause have we to despise and loath our selves when we are conscious to our selves of so
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
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
of fire that is covered under the ashes while no body medles with those embers the ashes lye Still but if you come to blow up these ashes the ashes fly up and down So it is with the Soul that hath Grace while corruption lies stil all is at quiet but when Grace comes and stirs corruption that makes a trouble you come now to see your sins more and to oppose them more As when a Physician comes to give Physick the stirring of the humor makes the Party more sick should the Patient complain of the Physician and say this Physick makes me more sick I wil take no more of his Physick if the Physick did not make thee more sick it would do thee no good And so when thou comest to the practice of Religion if Grace do not stir thy corruptions it wil not cure thy corruptions thou comest to be sensible of thy sin more than ever thou art ready to think that it is the yoke of Christ that troubles thee but it is the sight and the further sence of thy sin that makes thee thus and thou hast cause to bless God for this trouble there is nothing more ordinary than for Christians that are not wel experienced in the waies of God to think thus that they are worse than ever they never had such thoughts they never were troubled with such blasphemous thoughts in Prayer they never found such stirrings of corruption in their hearts as now they have and they think they are declined and they are further off from God and eternal life than before because they see more evil in themselves find more stirring of corruption than before be not discouraged by this it is the stirring of thy corruption though the thing in it self is evill yet it is a good sign it is a sign the word of God is working in thee and God stirreth in thee therefore do not complain of the word of Christ that it makes thee worse but it is a meer accidental cause of the stirring of thy corruption and it wil do thee good at the latter end Eighthly Another Answer is this The yoke of Christ is hard but to what It is hard to flesh and blood it is hard to the unregenerate part it is hard unto that that should endure hardness it is fit that flesh bood should endure hardship there is no cause to complain that it is hard to them to flesh blood wo to thee if so be the waies of God should prove easie to flesh and blood it is a sign that it is the true yoke of Christ because it is hard to flesh and blood it is hard to that we should beat down it is hard to that that is our enemy Is there any cause to complain that such a thing is very difficult hard and grievous unto our enemy unto one that we should beat down Now it should be the care of a Christian to beat down flesh and blood as long as we live and therefore that that is most hard unto flesh and blood that they should rejoyce in if they find it to be so Should any one complain if the City should have Rebels and Traitors that should rise in the City to have Bolts and Fetters cast upon them Is not this an ease to a City Doth a Kingdom or City suffer by this because Iron Bolts and Fetters are upon Traitors Rebels and Malefactors What greater Traitors Rebels and Malefactors are there against Jesus Christ our happiness and everlasting good that ariseth up in rebellion against Jesus Christ than flesh and blood and if Iron Bolts and Fetters be upon them which we should seek to subdue and crush why should we complain of hardness there Wouldst thou have ease to flesh and blood that is a cursed ease But now is not the yoke of Christ easie to the regenerate part in me In my flesh saith Paul there is no good but the regenerate part finds an ease in the waies of Christ and they are very sweet and very comfortable to the Soul Ninthly Thou complainest of difficulty it may be it is because thou hast not learned the former lessons Learn of me saith Christ for I am meek and lowly in heart and you shal find rest unto your Souls for my yoke is easie and my burden is light Art thou ure that thou hast learned of Jesus Christ these two lessons that you have heard so much of heretofore Meekness and Humility Have you meek spirits quiet spirits Have you humble spirits lowly spirits Angry flesh wil not endure any great burden if you touch angry flesh Oh it is a burden to it and so proud flesh a swoln Leg and swoln Arm and Shoulder and Neck if the Neck be swoln it cannot bear a yoke So the proud flesh in thee it is that that makes the yoke of Christ so grievous and burdensom to thee But now if thou hast learned throughly these two Lessons of Meekness of Spirit and Lowliness of heart Oh how easie is every thing that Jesus Christ requiâ—es to a meek and lowly spirit if once thou gettest thy heart down the bladder pricked to be low in thine own eyes and thy heart low then every thing wil be easie that Christ requires thou complainest that they are difficult but it is because of pride Lastly Another Answer is this Though there be some kind of difficulty in the waies of God and the Saints find it so yet there is more delight than there is trouble and more ease than pain and compare one with another and take all together and then it may be said to be rather easie than any way burdensome and light than any way heavy As I wil express it by this similitude a sick mans cloaths the cloaths that a sick man hath upon him may be they are somwhat burdensom a man that is weak to put on the cloaths that he was wont to weare he feels it a burden a paine I but he finds more good by his cloaths then the burden comes to his cloaths keep him from catching cold and keeps him warm from the air and so he finds the benefit of his cloaths more to him than the burden of his cloaths come to So though there may be some burden some kind of trouble in the waies of God to one that is sanctified being but in part sanctified here yet there is more delight and more ease and more good that he doth find in the waies of God than there is trouble and therefore put all together and then the yoke of Christ is easie and his burden light these severall considerations will satisfie against all the difficulties that any of the Saint s do find in Christs yoke CHAP. CXL Sheweth the Reasons of the Discipline and Goverment of Christ and Objections against the same are answered WEll this we cannot but be convinced of that the Duties of Religion and the waies of Godliness all things considered they are easie But what will you say to