Exposition of the Sermon on the Mount, Chapter 5 · Verse 3
Vers. 3.
Blessed are the poore in spirit, for theirs is the kingdome of heauen.
Here is Christs first Rule concerning happinesse; wherein obserue1. Rule of happinesse. two points: first, the parties blessed, the poore in spirit: secondly, wherein this blessednesse consists, for theirs is the kingdome of heauen. Before we come to these parts seuerally, note in a word, the forme of speech here vsed, they that are ledde by humane reason will rather say, blessed are the rich, for theirs are the kingdoms of the world: But Christ here speaks the flat contrary; saying, blessed are the poore, for theirs is the kingdom of heauen, which is infinitely better then all the kingdoms of the world: whereby we may see that the wisdome of this world is foolishues with God, and the ordinarie conceit of man, flat opposite to the sauing doctrine taught by Christ.
Blessed are the poore in spirit. The word translated poore, doth properly1. Part. foreign signifie a begger, one that hath no outward necessaries, but by gift from others: but here it is more largely taken, not onelyonly betokening those that want outward riches, (for sLuk. 6. …0▪ …4.S. Luke opposeth these poore to the rich in this world) but also those that are any way miserable, wanting inward or outward comfort: and such an one was Lazarus, tLuk. 2… ▪ …, 21.that lay begging at Dives gates. What is meant by poore in spirit, is plainely expounded Isa. 66. 2. where the Lord saith, I will looke to him that is poore, and of a contrite spirit, and that trembleth at my words. Christs meaning then is this, that those poore are blessed, who by meanes of their distresse, through want of outward comforts, are brought to see their sinnes, and their miserie thereby; so as finding no goodnesse in their hearts, they despaire in themselues, and flie wholly to the merciemercy of God in Christ, for grace and comfort, as Lazarus did to Diues gates for outward reliefe.
Seeing Christ doth thus set out the person that is truly blessed, let vsusVse. 1. T…ll of our pouertie. see whether we be in the number of these poore ones. Indeed we hauehave many poore among vsus, some that by excesse and ryot hauehave spent their substance, and others that through idlenesse increase their want; as the wandring beggars, a sinnefull and disordered people, who ioyne themselues to no Church: but none of these can by their pouertie make iust claime to true felicitie. The blessed poore, are poore in spirit, and this pouertie we must finde in our hearts, if we would knowe our selues to be truely happie; but after triall, this will be found much wanting: for first, if men liue outwardly ciuill, and keepe themselues from grosse sinnes, this thought of pride takes place in their hearts, that they are righteous; and they perswade themselues with the uMat. 19. 20young man in the Gospel, that they can keepe Gods commandements. Secondly, let worldly wants befall men, in body, goods, or name, and they are grieued; yea, their soules are full of sorrow: but for spiritual wants, as blindnesse of minde, hardnesse of heart, vnbeliefe, and disobedience, their hearts are neuer touched. Now whence comes this, but from that pride of heart, whereby they blesse themselues in their estate, and thinke all is well with them in respect of their soules? so that true it is, pouertie of spirit is hard to be found. We therefore must search our selues, and labour to feele our spirituall wants; and looke how Lazarus lay for his bodie, at Diues gates; so must wee lie at Gods merciemercy gate in Christ, for our soules, abandoning this pride of heart, and acknowledging that there is no goodnesse in vsus of our selues; for the straite gate of heauen cannot receiue a swelling heart that is puffed vp with pride. And to induce vsus vntounto this good dutie, let vsus consider the gratious promises made to them that be poore in spirit; *Psal. 72. 2.they are called Gods poore: yPsal. 40. 17.hee thinketh on them: though heauen be Gods throne, and the earth his footstoole, yet will hee zIsay 66. 2.looke to him that is poore and of a contrite spirit: yea, the Lord will aIsay 57. 1….dwell with him that is of a contrite and broken heart: bLuk. 4. 18.Christ came to preach the glad tidings of the Gospel to the poore: yea, cLuk. 1. 53.the Lord filleth the hungrie (that is, the poore and hungrie soule) with good things, but the rich he sends emptie away. Let these and many such fauours with God, which they enioy, prouoke vsus to become poore in spirit.
Secondly, are they blessed that be poore in spirit? then here all poore2. Poore mens dutie.and wretched persons in the world, may learne to make good vse of their wants and distresses; they must consider them as the hand of God vponupon them, and thereby be ledde to the viewe of their sinnes: and by the consideration of their sinnes, be brought to see their miserie in thē selues, the true ground of this spirituall pouertie. Now, when they are once poore in spirit, they are in a blessed state in the iudgement of Christ. If a man bleed dangerously at the nose, the best way to saue his life, is to let him blood else-where, and so turne the course of the blood another way: euen so, when a man is oppressed with worldly calamities, hee cannot finde any comfort in them, for in themselues they are Gods curses; yet if thereby he can bee brought to see his spirituall pouertie, then of curses they become blessings vntounto him: and therefore when we are in any distresse, wee must not onelyonly fixe our eies vponupon the outward crosse, but by meanes of that, labour to see the pouertie of our soules; and so will the crosse lead vsus to happinesse.
Thirdly, they that abound with worldly wealth, must hereby learne3. Rich mens dutie.to become poore, if they would be saued: Poore I say, not in goods, but in soule and spirit: this indeed is hard to flesh and blood, for naturally eueryevery rich man blesseth himselfe in his outward estate, and perswades himselfe that God loues him, because he giues him wealth: but such conceits must he striue against, and learne of God to reioyce in this, that he is made lowe: Iam ….
Fourthly, on this saying of Christ, that the poore are blessed, the Popish4. Against the vow of pouertie. Bellar. cont. Gen. 5. lib. 2. cap. 20.teachers (obseruing the word translated poore, to be…oken outward pouertie) goe about to builde their vowe of voluntarie pouertie, whereby men renouncing their wealth and possessions of this world, doe be take themselues to some Monasterie, there to liue a poore and solitarie life. But their voluntarie pouertie will not agree with this text; son Christs poor… here pronounced blessed, are such, as by reason of their pouerty, are miserable and wretched, wanting outward comforts, as we shewed o…t of Luke▪ dLuk. 6. 20. with 24.where Christ opposeth them to the rich, who abound with all worldly delights: but to vndergoe the Popish vow of voluntarie pouertie, is no estate of miserie or distresse▪ for who doe liue in greater …ase, or enioy more freedome from the crosses and vexations of this life, then their begging Friers? Againe, if their vowed pouertie had any ground in this text, then Christ should pronounce such poore blessed, as made themselues poore; but that he doth not, for then in the next verse he should pronounce such mourners blessed, as voluntarily cause themselues to mourne: for that verse dependeth on this, as a more full explanation of this first rule: But no man will say that they that mourne without a cause, are there called blessed; and therefore Popish vowed pouertie hath no ground on this place. And thus much of the persons.
II. Point. Wherein the blessednes of these poore consists; namely, in hauing a right to the kingdome of heauen, For theirs is the kingdome of heauen. By kingdome of heauen (for the better conceiuing of thisKingdome of heauen. blessednes) we must vnderstand a state or condition of man, whereby he is in Gods fauour, and hath fellowship with God. The truth of this description is euident by the tenour of the new Testament. Now this estate of man is called a Kingdome, because herein God rules as king, and man obeies as Gods subiect: for no man can be in Gods fauour, nor enioy his fellowship, vnlesse God be his King, ruling in his heart by his word and spirit, and he Gods subiect resigning himselfe to be ruled by him: for this happie estate consists in Gods gracious ruling of man, and mans holy subiection vntounto God. Indeede, fewe doe see any great happines in this estate, but the truth is, mans whole felicity stands herein: Rom. 14. 17. The kingdome of God is not meate and drinke, but righteousnes, peace, and ioy in the holy Ghost. Here the Apostle teacheth vsus three things: namely, that when Gods spirit rules in a mans heart, then first, he is iustified, there is righteousnes: secondly, he hath peace with God, euen that peace of conscience which passeth all vnderstanding: thirdly, the ioy of the holy Ghost, which is all vnspeakable comfort, passing all worldly ioy whatsoeuer. And these three doe notably set out the state of an happie man: which will yet more plainly appeare by their contraries in Iudas, who beeing a wretched sinner, vnrighteously betraied his master, and thereupon fell into the miserie of a guiltie accusing conscience, which was the cause of his desperate death, and also that his bodie burst asunder, and his bowells gushed out: now if an euill conscience be so fearefull, then …ow blessed an estate is the peace and ioy of a good conscience? which a man then hath when God by his word and spirit ruleth in his heart. Againe, this estate is called the kingdome of heauen, because that man in whom Christ … by his word and spirit, is alreadie himselfe in heauen, though i… bodie he be yet on earth: for heauen is like a citie with two gates, thorough both of which a man must passe, before he obtaine the full …oyes thereof: now so soone as God by his word and spirit, rules in any mans heart, he is alreadie entred the …te of grace, which is the first gate: the other remaines to be passed thorough at the time of death, which is the gate of glorie, and then he is in full possession.
Doth true happines consist in this estate, where Christ ruleth andThe vse. 1. man obeies? then here behold the errour of all Philosophers and wiseThe error of the world touching happines. men of this world touching happines: for some hauehave placed it in pleasure, some in wealth, and others in ciuill vertue, and some in all these. But the truth is, it stands in none of these. A naturall man may hauehave all these, and yet be condemned: for the ciuill vertues of the heathen, were in them but glorious sinnes. Our Sauiour Christ hath here reuealed more vntounto vsus, then all the wise men of the world did euer know: and hereby we hauehave iust occasion to magnifie the bookes of Scripture, farre aboue all humane writings, because they doe fully set out vntounto vsus the nature and estate of true felicitie, which no humane workes could euer doe: we must therefore account of them, not as the word of man, but of the euerliuing God: yea, this must perswade vsus to maintaine the bookes of Scripture against all diuellish Atheists, that denie the same to be the word of God.
Secondly, hereby we are taught, from the bottome of our hearts, to2 make that petition for our selues, which Christ teacheth in his holyPray for Gods kingdome. prayer; namely, that he would let his kingdome come: that is, not suffer sinne, Sathan, or the world to raigne in vsus, but by his word and spirit to rule in our hearts, giuing vsus grace to be guided thereby in all our waies. We affect nothing more then happines, and therefore we must oftentimes most seriously make this request to God, preferring this estate with God, before all pleasures and happines in this world, and vse all good meanes to feele in our hearts the power of Christs kingdome.
Thirdly, this should mooue vsus to heare Gods word with all feare3 Heare Gods word.and reuerence; for by this meanes, the kingdome of Christ is erected in vsus: when the word of Christ takes place in our hearts by faith, and brings forth in our liues the fruits of righteousnesse, and true repentance, then may we truely say, the kingdome of heauen is in vsus.
Lastly, Christ ascribing this happie title of his heauenly kingdom to4 them that be poore, and of a contrite heart, doth herein minister a soueraigneConsolation to the poor. remedie against all temptations, from outward pouertie and distresse: Doubtlesse pouerty is a grieuous crosse, not onelyonly in regard of the want of bodily comforts; but especially because of that contempt and reproach, which in this world doth hang vponupon it: wherevpon many doe esteeme their pouertie, as a signe of Gods wrath against them, and thereby take occasion to despaire, thinking the kingdome of darkenes belongeth vntounto them. But here consider you poore, this sentence of Christ, where he plainely teacheth, that if a man in outward distresse, can be brought to feele his spirituall pouertie, and the wretchednesse of his soule, by reason of his sinnes; then he is so farre from hauing iust cause to despaire of Gods fauour, by reason of his pouertie, that on the contrary, he may gather to his soule a most comfortable assurance, from the mouth of him that cannot lie, that the kingdome of heauen belongs vntounto him.