Two Treatises 2, Tract 1 · Chapter 8
CHAP. VIII. Of reall Humiliation.
THe expreſſing of our Humiliation in Deede 2. In deed.followes: And it conſiſts in three ſorts of actions.
1. Such as reſpect our ſelues.
2. Such as reſpect God.
3. Such as reſpect our brethren.
1. For our ſelues. And that is, the reſtraint of 1. In regard of our ſelues.our ſelues in the vſe of the comforts and pleaſures of this life: as meats, mirth, marriage, muſicke, apparell, company, &c. This reſtraint muſt be ſomtimes Ioel 2 15 16. 17. Exod. 33 4.in action, when in more ſpeciall ſort we humble our ſelues in faſting, but alwayes in affection, ſo that we bee not deuoured, and eaten vp of any earthly pleaſure, but may reioyce as though we reioyced 1. Corinth. 7.not. In wearing of ſumptuous apparell bee no more puffed vp, nor make any more reckoning of it, then if it were ſack-cloath, in faring more dantily be no more prouoked to exceſſe in gluttony, or to ſatisfying of our appetite, then if we ſate at a poore leane table. Repentance is the ſobriety of minde, but wordly pleaſures make the minde drunken. This is the heauineſſe ſpoken of Luc. 21. 34. Take heede leſt your hearts bee oppreſſed with ſurfetting and drunkenneſſe. It is a drunken heauineſſe, not the heauineſſe of godly ſorrow. And indeed this is the reaſon that many are ſo eager in the purſuits of their pleaſures, becauſe they would make Gods Sergeant, their owne conſcience, that purſues them drunken with theſe pleaſures: iuſt as many men vſe to doe, getting the Sergeant that comes to arreſt them into the Tauerne, and there making him drunke, that ſo they may eſcape. This exceſſe that is in pleaſures ſhewes how little men hauehave taſted of true humiliation. If they did bathe themſelues in ſalt teares could they bathe themſelues in this ſweet milke? If they did conſider what Chriſt ſuffred for their ſinnes, his want of all theſe outward comforts, euen of an houſe to hide his head in, his hunger, thirſt, nakedneſſe, his vineger on the croſſe. Could they ſo fill and glut themſelues euen to ſatiety and ſurfet with the pleaſures of this life, and ſpend their whole precious time in them? would they not rather ſteepe their owne dainties in this vineger of godly ſorrow, and delay this ſtrong wine with this water, and eate their meats, as the Iewes their Paſſeouer, with ſowre hearbs? If Exod. 12.their ſpirituall ioy in that Sacrament, where Chriſt was giuen to the Beleeuer, was to be ſeaſoned with this ſorrow, how much more ſhould this outward temporall ioy? Thus did Dauid notably expreſſe his humiliation: I cauſe my bed eueryevery night to ſwimme, Pſal. 6. 6.and water my couch with my teares: His bedde is the place of his eaſe. Now look how he qualefied that one eaſe, and comfort, ſo by proportion did he all the reſt. Not our beds onelyonly, but our boords, our gardens, our fine buildings, all our delights muſt be waſhed with this water, as good Bradford vſually at his dinner vſed to ſhed teares on his trencher. So the woman Luc. 7. ſate weeping and wiping, while they were eating at table. Ioſeph of Arimathea makes his garden or place of pleaſure, to be a place of Humiliation, by building a ſepulcher therein. Thus alſo doth Ieremie, bring in the repenting ſinner teſtifying his humiliation: He ſits Lam. 3. 28.alone, retyring himſelfe into his cloſet from his vain and delightfull company, he ſhuts him vp himſelfe cloſe, and layes his mouth in the duſt, what then ſhall we ſay to our Epicures, to our good fellowes, and the reſt of that crue, but that of Amos 6. Woe bee to them that are at eaſe in Zion, not ſitting alone, not waſhing their beds with their teares, but with their quaffings and carowſings, They lie ſtretching themſelues on iuory beds, eating the lambs of the flocke, and the calues out of the ſtall, and ſing to the ſound of th violl. &c. For as they forget Ioſephs affliction, ſo they forget their owne ſinnes: were they remembred, they would be ſowre ſawce to their ſweete meate, and would be as gall and wormewood to imbitter vntounto them all their vaine delights.
2. Such as reſpect God. And thoſe actions are 2. Such as reſpect God are twofold.twofold.
1. Feare, trembling, ſilence at his rebukes and 1. Feare.threatnings, Iſ. 66. 2. I looke to him that is of an humble and contrite heart, but who that is, he ſhewes by the words following, and trembles at my word. A man whoſe courage is cooled, and naturall ſpirits waſted, and his very heart broken with croſſes in this world is ſoone taken downe. A little thing daunts ſuch a poore ſoule, whereas a man of ſpirit and courage will not be terrified with ones threatnings. Before our Repentance, oh the ſtoutneſſe and ſtiffeneſſe of our hearts againſt God! Though the Lyon roared neuer ſo much, wee would not tremble: but when with the hammer of the Law, and happily of ſome afflictions beſides, God hath broken theſe ſtout hearts of ours, then alas what a little thing will make vsus ſtoope? An angry word, or an angry looke will more humble vsus then, then angry ſtroakes and ſtripes could do before. Thus was it with broken heartd Ioſiah: he heard the book 2. Kin. 22. 10. 11.of the Law onelyonly read in a priuate place, by a layman, and yet his heart melted. Alas we heare the ſame threatnings not read onelyonly but preached at large, with an edge ſet on them, in the open Church by Gods Miniſters, and yet wee tremble and relent no more then the ſeates wee ſit on, and the ſtones we tread on. So contrite Hezekiah, when Iſ. 39. 8.Iſaiah threatned him, he bowed, hee tooke not the boldneſſe and foole-hardineſſe of Ahab againſt Micaiah, and which many now take, to kicke againſt the Miniſter and his doctrine, and to ſay, It is not good which thou ſayeſt, as Ahab ſayd, but the word of the Lord, ſaies hee, is good. Thus was it with Dauid, and ſo is it with all tender hearted Chriſtiſtians, that when God hides his face, and looks but a little awry on them, then are they ſore troubled. So was it with humbled Iob, Behold (ſayes he) I am Iob 39. 37. 38.vile, what ſhall I anſwer thee, I will lay mine hand vponupon my mouth, Once hauehave I ſpoken, but I will anſwer no more, yea twice, but I will proceed no further. So Ionah teſtifies his repentance, by cloſing his Prophecy with Ion 4.his ſilence. But many are like thoſe impudent caſtawayes at the laſt day, that will not ſticke to giuegive God the lie when hee rebukes them by his Miniſters, Matth. 25.Lord (ſay they) when ſaw we thee an hungry, and ſed thee not? as if they had ſaid, why doeſt thou challenge vsus of that wherof we were neuer guilty; and ſo they charge God to charge them falſely.
2. Humble patience in all our afflictions: I ſay 2. Humble Patience.humble patience; for there is a threefold patience. 1. Conſtrained and perforce, when a man beares that which he would faine be rid, of, as the damned in hell. 2. Voluntary and cheerefull. But now one may ſuffer cheerefully when hee that afflicts deales vniuſtly. And this patience argues a vertue rather in the ſufferer, then any iuſtice in the inflicter of the puniſhment. 3. There is therefore an humble patience, when a man acknowledges the righteouſnes of his afflictions in regard of his ſins: when a man frees and iuſtifies God, and blames himſelfe altogether. So Lam. 3. Wherefore is the Lam. 3. 39. 33. 34.liuing man ſorrowfull? Man ſuffereth for his ſinnes, for God doth not puniſh willingly, nor afflict the children of men: In ſtamping vnderunder his feete all the priſoners of the earth. This is that which is called in Scripture, Humbling our ſelues vnderunder the hand of God. When we take Gods part againſt our ſelues in our croſſes, and not our owne parts againſt God, as the humbled ſinner ſits alone, and keepes ſilence, and puts his mouth in the duſt, and giues his cheekes to ſmiters. So the Repenting Lam. 3. 28. 29. 30.theefe, wee are indeede heere righteouſly. So the poore woman acknowledged the name of a Luc. 23. 41.dogge at Chriſts hand, Truth Lord, yet the dogs eat the crummes that fall vnderunder the table. So the Lord Matth. 15.ſayes of the Iſraelites, that their vncircumciſed harts Leuit. 26. 41.ſhould bee humbled, and they ſhould willingly beare the puniſhments of their iniquities. When then we murmure, and like the angry horſe ſtamp, and champ the bit in our croſſes, and doe not with the Prophet ſay, I will beare the wrath of the Lord, becauſe I hauehave ſinned againſt him, wee know not as yet what true humilation is.Mic 7. 9.
3. Such as reſpect our brethren: and theſe actions Such as reſpect our brethren. 3. 1. In quiet bearing of iniuries.are threefold.
1. In meeke and quiet bearing all iniuries, vnkindneſſes, and diſgraces whatſoeuer. An vnhumbled wretch cannot ſuſpect the leaſt wrong, but hee ſwells preſently. Whereas if a man bee truely humbled, his humility will tell him; thou deſerueſt thus to bee vſed, thou art worthy of theſe wrongs. Loe then true humiliation will make vsus not only to take Gods part, but euen our wicked enemies part againſt our ſelues, as Dauid tooke Shemeis againſt himſelfe, Let him alone. Dauid beeing humbled 2. Sam. 16.thought there could come no diſgrace to him which his ſinnes deſerued not. So Hezekiah; and his people held their peace when Rabſakeh rayled on them. For none can thinke or ſpeake ſo vilely of 2. King. 18. 36.an humbled repentant, as he himſelf thinks of himſelfe. Who could hauehave ſaid more of Paul then hee himſelfe did, when he ſaid hee was the chiefe of ſinners. 1. Tim. 1. 15.The wicked call Gods children hypocrites, proud, couetous, wordly. Why alas! they call themſelues ſo, and accuſe themſelues with heauy hearts of all theſe ſinnes vntounto the Lord. And wheras they vſe to bee humbled with the ſenſe of theſe ſinnes, they will be ſo farre from being moued with theſe clamours of the world, that they will reioyce rather that there is matter, & occaſion giuen them to ſhew and expreſſe their humiliation. It is an ill ſigne when a man can put vp no iniury. Moſes being a meeke man humbled with the ſence of his owne vnworthineſſe, with ſilence paſſed by the grudgings of Aaron and Miriam. And Dauid when he was reuiled was as a deafe man that heard not, and Numb. 12. Pſ. 38. 12. 13.as a dumbe man, in whoſe mouth was no anſwer.
2 In not preferring and aduancing our ſelues aboue our brethren, but in making our ſelues equall 2. In not aduancing our ſelues aboue our brethren.with thoſe of the lower ſort, and in giuing honour going one before another, accounting the loweſt place good enough for vsus, chooſing the loweſt place at the Rom. 12. Luke. 14.feaſt. And ſo indeed an humbled ſinner will thus abaſe himſelfe. Firſt of all conſidering that euen his beſt part, his ſoule, is made of nothing. This excellent creature that thus reaſons and diſcourſes, not long ſince was nothing. Now nothing is leſſe then a Feather, then a ſtone, then a moate in the ayre. But then when hee lookes to his ſinnes, hee ſees himſelfe worſe then nothing. That ambition then which raignes in men whereby they aſpire to the higheſt places, and iudge themſelues worthier then others, ſhewes plainely that they were neuer yet truely humbled for their ſinnes.
3 In not daring Maſterly and Iudge-like to cenſure: 3. In not cenſuring.for the humbled ſinner finds ſo much matter at home within himſelfe, that he hath no leyſure to looke ſo much into others. And therfore though ſeuere to himſelfe, yet more milde to others, in meekeneſſe of minde eſteeming eueryevery man better then Phil 2. 3.himſelfe. And thoſe faults he ſees in others he takes notice of happily in himſelfe, or elſe of others as bad, at leaſt of the ſeedes and inclinations to thoſe ſinnes. Therefore Iames after he had commanded vsus to humble our ſelues, hee addes, ſpeake not euill Aut ſumus, aut fuimus, aut poſſumus eſſe quod hic eſt. Iam. 4. 10 11.one of another: For how doth hee humble and caſt downe himſelfe, that goes about to caſt downe others, and trample them vnderunder his feete.
4 In abaſing and ſubmitting our ſelues to the loweſt and meaneſt offices of louelove to our brethren. 4. In ſubmitting to loweſt offices.Thus the humbled ſinner will make himſelfe a ſeruant vntounto all, and according to the Apoſtles commandement, will ſerue others by louelove; and bearing other 1. Cor 9. 19. Gal. 5. 13. Gal. 6 2.mens burdens ſo fulfills the law of Chriſt.