The Marrow of the Oracles of God, Chapter 6
CHAP. VI.
Shewing how true humiliation may be attained.
THus of Faith. In the next place, he must labour for true and sound humiliation for his sins; and to this end he must distinctly striue to get formed in him two things: 1. pouerty of spirit; 2. godly sorrow: for to these two belong all the branches of true humiliation.
For the attaining of spirituall pouerty, these rules are of great vse.
First, make a Catalogue of thy 1 Gather a Catalogue of thy sins, either by memory.sinnes, which thou m…yest …o, either by memory or by booke. By memory thus: Goe aside, set thy soule before the Lord, as if thou werest presently to be iudged of him; call to minde particularly whatsoeuer thou canst remember by thy selfe: consider thy want, thy omissions, and commissions of euill, in youth or riper age, in heart or life, in things that concorne God, or man, or thy owne soule, and disposition, thoughts, affections, words or deeds. Thou mayest then see an armie of rebellious euils thou hast beene guilty of. By booke thus: Procure thee the labour of Or by booke.some reuerend Diuine, that hath briefly gathered the sins of eueryevery commandement; & from thence gather out so many sins as thou knowest by thy selfe that thou hast beene guilty of: lay those sins daily before thy conscience, and consider how many wayes thou hast made thy selfe guilty.
Secondly, consider then the 2. Consider Gods iustice.iustice of God, how he hateth all sinne; which thou maiest be assured of, if thou remember how he plagued our first parents, the old world, Sodom and Gomorrha; how fearefully he neglected the Gentiles, cast off the Iewes; yea how he spared not his owne Sonne Iesus Christ, when he became a surety for other mens sinnes.
Thirdly, thinke of the terrible 3 Think of his threatnings.woes, and threatnings, and curses which are denounced eueryevery where in Scripture against such offences as thou art guilty of.
Fourthly, force vponupon thy selfe 4 Remember thy latter end.the remembrance of thy latter end, and thy appearance before the tribunall seat of Christ, to receiue according to all that thou hast done in thy flesh.
Fifthly, obserue with what iudgement the Lord eueryevery day 5. Obserue Gods iudg ments vponupon the wickedfights against wicked men in all parts of the world, sometimes by common plagues, sometimes by speciall & particular calamities.
Sixtly, aboue all things, marke 6. Especially Gods goodnesse to thee.with all thy heart Gods goodnesse to thee in particular, in enduring all this at thy hands, his blessings, of all sorts daily bestowed vponupon thee, chiefely his mercy offered to thee in Iesus Christ, that can be content to forgiue thee all thy debts, so thou bee sorry and weary of offending. Nothing can more breake thy heart, then to obserue how God dealeth with thee, euen with thee in particular, that hast deserued so much euill at his hands.
Seuenthly, Try thy selfe by a 7. Try thy selfe by the signes.particular examination of thine owne estate, by eueryevery particular of the signes of Gods children, and then thou mayest see, what a poore creature thou art, what shew soeuer thou makest in the world, and what naturall gifts or prayses soeuer thou hast: for then thou shalt find how exceeding emptie thy heart is of solid gifts and the best graces, and that many a poore creature, that maketh little shew in the world, hath an heart better graced by farre then thine.
Eightly, thou must beg hartily 8. Beg an humble heart of God.an humble heart of God, and a greater discerning of thine owne vilenesse. The Lord wil be sought vntounto, and he is ready to be found if thou seeke him constantly and diligently. It is not a small worke to breake the pride and stoninesse of thy heart: it needs power from aboue.
Ninthly, Pruoide to liue, if it 9. Liue vnderunder … searching ministery.may bee, vnderunder a forceable ministery, where thou mayest heare such doctrine daily as will search thy heart, and ransacke thy life, where thou maist feele the Word of God go downe into thy heart and reynes.
Tenthly, Marke what things 10. W…tch against the things …hou art naturally proud ofthey are, which by nature thou art proud of, and labour seriously both by arguments and restraint, to alienate thy affection from them: In particular, take heed of the snare that is in gay Clothes, delicious fare, worldly titles, and the like.
Eleuenthly, Shun and auoide 11 Auoide the flatterer.with detestation the flatterer, and seeke vntounto thee a righteous companion, that may smite thee for thy fallings, and reproue thee, and not hate thee in his heart.
Twelfthly, Labour to keepe in thy memory and thoughts, 12 Thinke still of some of thy worst fruits.six, or eight, or more, or fewer of thy faults, that thou wouldest be more ashamed of, and hast more offended in, and compell thy selfe daily to remember them: this will wonderfully doe thee good, and tame thy pride, & make thee more meeke, and more tractable, and mercifull all the day after thou hast duly thought of them.
Thus of the way how to get thy spirit to bee truly poore and humble.
The next question is, What a man should do to get a soft heart Quest.and true godly sorrow, that hee might be able to mourne for his sinnes before God.
1 Hee must first consider of Answ. 1 Consider Gods promise about a soft heartGods promises, who hath bound himselfe by couenant to take away the stony heart, and giuegive an heart of flesh vntounto them that seeke vntounto him for it, Ezech. 36. 16.
2 Hee must daily in the best 2 Daily confesse thy sinnes to God, and beg sorrow.words hee can, keepe a constant course in the confession of his sinnes before God, begging of God with all importunitie this merciemercy, that hee would melt and soften his heart; and resolue, that hee would neuer stand before the Lord, but hee would remember this petition alwayes iudging himselfe, giuing glory to God. It may bee the Lord will heare at the first or second time of prayer: but if he doe not, thou must resolue to watch and pray still, without limiting God to the time of effecting thy desire, as knowing that it ought not to seeme grieuous vntounto thee, that the Lord doth not presently worke what thou prayest for, considering how long the Lord hath called vponupon thee, and thou didst not answere; and withall, the Lord is well pleased with these preparations in thy heart, and excepts thy endeauour to mourne, because thou canst not mourne.
3 Hee must obserue how the 3 Bee thankefull for eueryevery merciemercy in prayer.Lord deales with him in prayer, and be sure with all thankfulnesse to acknowledge any mercy God shewes him in prayer; as if hee make him willing to pray, or giuegive him words in prayer, or let him feele any ioy in the time of prayer, or that hee find his heart in any degree to melt: he should be wonderfull thankfull, if he can get but one teare in prayer, or that hee find his heart in any degree to melt; and this obseruation of Gods goodnesse letting him know, that hee regards his particular requests, will melt his heart indeed further, and perhap… set him all on a flame in desires to praise God, and to abase himselfe euen to the dust before th… Lord, Hos. 14. 3. 1. Thes. 5. 18.
4. That rule of the Apostle 4 Acknowledge thy faults to othe….Iames is sometimes of singular vse in this case of breeding softnesse of heart, and that is, acknowledging your sinnes one to another: when in secret wee make our moanes to wise and mercifull Christians, and shame ourselues for our speciall offences, it many times hath melting of heart ioyned with it: so as that heart, that before seemed hardned and dry, now easily dissolues into teares, Iam. 5. 16.
5. To goe into the house of 5 Go into the house of mourning.mourning, may bee in this case profitable; resort to such as be in sorrow for the hand of God vponupon them, especialy such as mourn through the affliction of their spirits: conuerse with humble & tender-hearted Christians. Ecc. 7 2.
6. …n all the seruices of God be 6 …e heed of distraction in God… seruice.sure to draw neare to God, and keepe thy mind from distraction and hypocrisie: The Sun cannot hauehave such force to melt the waxe, as the beames of Gods presence hauehave to melt the heart, Iames 4. 6, 7, 3.
7. The Apostle Paul being a 7 Study the tenth commanment.sturdy Pharisee, had his heart beaten to power with the feare of the tenth Commandement, that told him, Hee must not lust. The knowledge and consideration of the abundance of sinneguiltinesse he hath drawne vponupon himselfe by the inward fruits of his euill nature, kil'd him outright, brake his pride, and mortified him, as hee at large repeates, Rom. 7.
8 Remember the passion of thy 8 Remember the sorrowes of Christ for thy sinne.Sauiour, the pouerty, banishmēt, ignominie, temptations; the apprehension, forsaking, arraignment, condemning, and cruell death which hee suffered for thy sinnes: Looke vponupon him that was pierced for thy sake, Zach. 12. 10.
9. If of thy selfe thou canst not 9. Get others to pray for thee.yet attaine vntounto sorrow for thy sins, get some godly Christian, that is endued with the gift of prayer, to ioyne with thee in priuate, that so the Lord may bee pleased to grant in Heauen, what we of him doe aske on earth.
10. Lastly, If all other meanes faile, then set a day a part by fasting; 10. Vse fasting.for the day of a fast was called the day of afflicting or humbling the soule, Leu. 16. 29. both because it was the maine duty to bee driuen after on that day, and besides, because the Lord vsually did blesse his owne ordinance so, as hee gaue an humbled heart to those that sought it of him.