Gospel Holiness, Part 1 · Sermon 6
SERMON 6.
Iſaiah 6. 5. For mine eyes have ſeen the King, the Lord of Hoſts.
YOu remember the laſt doctrine which we had from theſe words, which we have ſomthing more to ſay to, was this, that
A true and ſaving ſight of God in Jeſus Chriſt, is the way to true ſaving humiliation.
The principall meanes to ſaving Goſpell humiliation, is to have a ſaving, ſupernaturall ſight of God in Jeſus Chriſt. Mine Eyes have ſeen the King, the Lord of Hoſts: Therefore woe is me I am undone.
This I opened to you as farre as God revealed it to me; and we had ſome uſes, and leſſons thence for our ſoules.
The laſt uſe of all was of tryall, as we call it, that you may hence ſee, and know whether ever you have ſeen God aright, to wit by your humiliation. If you have ſeen God aright then you have cried out with Iſaiah, Woe is me I am undone; and as Job, I have ſeene the Lord, therefore I abhor my ſelfe; in duſt and aſhes.
Now the queſtion was, how ſhall I know whether I be truly humbled or no?
I told you, you might know it in generall, two wayes.
Firſt by your carriage and deportment towards God.
Secondly by your carriage towards men.
Concerning your carriage towards God, I have ſpoken of three things.
Firſt your carriage towards God in reſpect of his righteouſneſſe, or of your juſtification.
Secondly, to examine your carriage towards God, in reſpect of his truths that he hath revealed.
Thirdly, (and there I left:) your carriage towards God in reſpect of the commands he layes upon you.
Now to goe forward a little. The Fourth 4. A humble heart knowne by its carriage to God in affliction.thing is this, that you ſhall know how farre God hath humbled you, and beſtowed this Goſpell grace upon you; by your carriage to God when he corrects you: by your carriage under Gods corrections, and your afflictions, whatſoever they are. For I ſhall not name them; every one can beſt put his finger upon his owne face, whether they be on ſoule, or bodie, whatſoever they are. I ſay thou mayeſt know whether thy ſoule be a humbled ſoule by thy carriage in ſuch times as theſe are. It hath been a common rule among the godly that as a man is in afflictions, ſo he is indeed. Truely that rule hath much truth in it, though it be not alwayes true: for a man may looſe himſelfe ſometimes in afflictions more then in another condition. As Jonah, he was a godly man, yet very unlike himſelfe when God corrected him, and had taken away his Gourd: but ordinarily, ſuch as the man is, ſo he will be in affliction. The Lord in the Prophet Ezekiel compares affliction to a boyling, ſeething pot, you know if you put meat into a pot, and though it be not ſo cleane waſhed, if you put no fire under it, the water will be cleare: but if you put fire under, then you ſhall ſee the ſcum and Afflictions as fire.filth come up. Afflictions are called Gods fire, becauſe uſually the ſcum and the droſs that is in us which otherwiſe lies hid, is then ſeen: and afflictions are called trialls; they trie what is in us. And truely of all corruptions there is none, there is no froth in the ſoule of man that will appeare ſooner, or more in afflictions, then the pride of his ſoule, the loftineſſe of his ſoule. This was the reaſon why Satan would have God to give him leave to Why Satan deſired to tempt Job.tempt Job: becauſe I know ſayth he, that Job is a devout man, but he Serves not God for nought. I warrant you if you put him in the fire of affliction you ſhall ſee a great deale of droſſe in Job; he will ſtorme, and rage, and fume, you would quickly ſee the pride of his heart. Saith God thou ſhalt have him, doe what thou wilt with him, trie him if he be ſo: and doubtleſſe though it be ſaid a good while, In all this Job ſinned not, yet Job ſinned before the end: and there is a great deale of Jobs pride to be ſeen from the beginning of the Book to the end. Well then I ſay in afflictions thou mayeſt know thy owne, and I mine. Therefore let us not ſpeake of things we know not, but ſpeake of our owne afflictions, the afflictions and corrections that thou art wont to fall into, and that are thine, whether it be ſickneſſe, or weakneſſe, or a bad Huſband, or a wanton Wife, or an ill Neighbour, thou knoweſt them beſt; now by thy carriage under thoſe, thou ſhalt finde how far God hath beſtowed on thee this grace of humiliation.
But you will ſay, how ſhall I know that, whether Queſt. my heart be humbled by my carriage in my afflictions?
I will give you ten inſtances of the carriage of Anſw. Ten inſtances of the carriage of a humble heart in afflictions. 1. A humble heart ſeeth God in the affliction.a humble heart in any affliction that ſhall be laid upon him. as,
Firſt of all, if thy heart be humbled, whatſoever thy affliction is, or whatſoever is the Inſtrument that afflicts thee, thou wilt preſently and clearly ſee God in it. That is one thing; thou wilt ſee that inſtrument whatſoever he is, in the hand of God: a proud heart doth uſually looke upon the creature, he looks upon the man, upon the troubleſome Neighbour, upon the graceleſſe Child, upon the unreaſonable Huſband, &c. but a humble heart preſently ſees God. As in Iſa. …0. We ſee thoſe that corrected the Saints there, the King of Aſſiria, he is ſaid to be the Axe in Gods hand; he is ſaid to be the rod, and the ſtaffe, and the Axe, An Axe cannot cut without ſome hew with it, and a ſtaffe cannot beat without ſome hold it; and a rod cannot whip unleſſe ſome take it in their hand. A humble heart, let the affliction be what it will, and the Inſtrument be what it will; it ſees all as a rod, or as a ſtaffe that is a little heavier, or as an Axe that is heavier, and ſorer then that; but all in the hand of God. I will give you a common knowne inſtance, 2 Sam. 16. 5. There was a man whoſe name was Shimei he comes againſt David and caſts ſtones at him, and Shimei curſed David, and ſaid come out, come out thou bloudy man of Beliall. Tuvir Belial, Thou ſon of Belial. The proper deſcription of a wicked man, a man that doth not grow in goodneſſe: it is ordinarily read, thou ſon of Beliall. This man curſed David in Verſ. 9. Then ſaid Abiſhai the ſon of Zerviah unto the King, why ſhould this dead dog curſe my Lord the King? Let me goe over I pray thee, and take off his head. He beeing of a proud ſpirit, calls him dog; and did not ſee God ordering the tongue of Shimei. But what ſaith David? What have I to doe with you ye ſons of Zerviah? ſo let him curſe, becauſe the Lord hath ſaid unto him curſe David, who ſhall then ſay wherefore haſt thou done ſo? It had been an eaſie thing for a King to take off the head of a ſingle man that curſed him: but he reaſoned with himſelfe and ſaw that the Lord had commanded Shimei to curſe David, and therefore ſaith he, why ſhould I meddle with him? Shimei calls him bloudy man, becauſe he had taken the Kingdome, and ſucceeded Saul: but David calls to minde the bloud of Uriah, that the other thought not of; It is true thought he, I tooke away the life of Uriah, that thou mindſt not, and God hath ſent yonder man to call my ſin to remembrance therefore you ſons of Zerviah I will not meddle with you, nor doe you meddle with him, let him alone. So if thou be a humbled man, whatſoever the Inſtrument be, if the ſpirit of God hath humbled thy heart, preſently thou wilt looke upon God, God hath made yonder Neighbour vex me; and when thou commeſt home perhaps thy Husband raves, and railes, God hath ſtirred up the paſſion of my Husband, and made him doe thus againſt me.
This is one thing that I finde frequent in the Scriptures, to be an act, or an expreſſion of a humble heart in the time of afflictions. Nay I find carnall, and Heatheniſh people have ſtrange expreſſions, 2 Kings 17. 26. The people of Iſrael were carried captive, and there came lions and devoured the people of Aſsiria, that came to dwell there, and the people goe home and ſay, The God of the Land hath ſent Lions among us, becauſe we know not the manner of the God of the Land; how many of us that are called Chriſtians, when things fall out, we fall foule with the Inſtrument, with the rod, or the Axe, or the ſtaffe, this, or that man, did this, or that; when the very Heathen could ſay, the God of the Land hath ſent Lions, much more ſhould a Chriſtian, whoſe heart God hath humbled. That is one inſtance.
A Second thing is this, you ſhall diſcerne, and 2. He hath high thoughts of God.ſee a humble heart in afflictions, by the high and reverend; and pretious thoughts, that he hath then of God. A humble heart hath glorious thoughts of God in the loweſt condition. As for inſtance, he ſees there glorious things in God, in his affliction, that makes him thinke reverently, and honourably, and dearely, (as David ſayth,) of him.
Firſt, he ſees the juſtice of God; the equallneſſe Of his juſtice.of Gods dealing with his ſoule, or with his body, let the Lord doe with him what he will, he will not ſay as the people of Iſrael proverbially ſaid. Ezek. 18. The wayes of the Lord are not equall. A proud heart will ſay ſo; it will think ſo at leaſt: for the Scripture ſpeaks the language of mens hearts. The heart of a proud man thinks that God deales unjuſtly, and unequally, that he layes ſo great an affliction on him, and then another affliction upon that; that firſt takes away one mercy, and then another; firſt one Child, and then another, and then a third; the heart, out of pride, thinkes God deales unjuſtly; but if the heart were rightly humbled, it would ſee that all that God doth, is very juſt, and equall. I, not onelyonly (obſerve it) juſt according to Law, for ſo a man may doe by legall humiliation, that Ahab, and Judas had. Judas ſaw that it was juſt with God to deſtroy him; and ſo did Ahab, and Saul, and Pharoah: it is not onelyonly According to the Goſpel.ſo, but according to the Goſpell, there he ſees that the wayes of God are very equall, and that it is a righteous thing with God to afflict him, I meane thus, a man I ſay under the Goſpell that ſees himſelfe the ſon of God, and that God is his Father, and that he is united to Chriſt, and that his ſoule is juſtifyed perfectly by the bloud of Jeſus Chriſt; yet when God ſhall lay ſome ſore affliction upon him. A man would thinke now, how can God juſtly doe this? As ſome proud or inconſiderate people ſay: Will God be paid twice? hath he not beene paid in his ſon? Now a humble heart will ſay, though God be ſatiſfyed, and the Law be fullfilled, and he is my Father; yet I am ſuch a graceles wretched ſon, ſuch a provoking ſon, I doe ſo often vex, and ſlight, and neglect my Father, that even according to the law of love: and according to the bleſſed Goſpell, it is equall that God ſhould deale ſo with me.
Nay he can ſay at all times that God layes on me (according to the Goſpell it ſelfe) leſſe then I deſerve, as they ſaid, Lament. 3. 22. It is the Lords merciemercy that we are not conſumed. Indeed it is an affliction that I am whipped, but it is a great deale of mercy that I am not utterly deſtroyed; Looke to thy heart in this thing, when afflictions come upon thee, canſt thou juſtifie God, and ſay his wayes are equall, and juſt, and right, as they ſay in Nehem. 9. 33. Howbeit thou art juſt and right in all this. In all what? you ſhall ſee in the Verſe before, Lord let it not ſeeme little before thee, the trouble that hath come upon us, &c. And it was not little, for they ſuffered ſore, and long, and yet notwithſtanding all that, thou art righteous, and juſt in all this, that we have ſuffered. That is one thing.
Another thing that he hath reverend thoughts 2. Of his Love.of God for, it is his love, a humble heart wil be able to ſee a ſun through a cloud; he will be able to ſee the heart of a Father, and the love of a Father, when he frownes moſt, or ſhakes his rod moſt over him, God cannot ſhake his rod ſo much over a Saint that is a humbled Saint, but he will be able to eſpie ſome Smiles of love: Therefore I ſay he hath honourable thoughts of God, Why? Becauſe he thinks though this be ſo, yet it is juſt, and equall. It is true ſayth he, I am a ſon, but of my conſcience God hath not ſuch another ſon, on the face of the Earth: I vex him more in one week, then all the other doe in a yeare: therefore for all this, I ſee him move his eies, and yearne his heart for my good; ſo that ſtill he hath honourable thoughts of God.
Now a proud heart, ſuch a one as Judas, may ſay it is juſt: but here he comes ſhort, he cannot ſay it is love.
Thirdly and laſtly, he hath honourable, and pretious, 3. Of his wiſedome.and reverend thoughts of God: becauſe in his affliction he diſcerns the infinite wiſdome of God. Truly Beloved, there are but two great wiſedomes that are great indeed, that are before the eye of a Chriſtian in this World: that is, the wiſedome Two wiſedomes great in the eyes of Saints.that is hid in the Goſpell, that the Angells deſire to prie into: and the wiſedome of God, in his carriage to his Saints in affliction. Now when things ſeem croſſe and thwart; when a proud heart ſayth, I am undone, I am broken, and ſpoyled; I ſhall never ſet up again, I ſhall never eat my bread chearfully againe; a humble heart can ſay, though I know not what God will doe, yet he hath a wiſe deſigne in it; it is love, whatſoever it is, and it is wiſedome too. Therefore the Lord doth with us in afflictions, as he did with Peter, when he waſhed his feet, ſaith Peter, what doeſt thou meane? What I meane thou ſhalt know hereafter. So a poore Saint when God ſtrikes him; he takes away, it may be two or three of his Children: thinks he, Lord, what doeſt thou meane? Sayth God, thou ſhalt know hereafter, I have a wiſe deſigne thou ſhalt ſee it, but now I muſt keepe it from thee, thou ſhalt not know it. And truly ordinarily when the affliction is over, God comes and takes his childe a ſide, and opens the deſigne to him, and tells him thou didſt wonder at me many times, and hadſt hard thoughts of me for a great while when it was under ground; come now, I will read thee a leſſon, I will tell thee the ſtory; and ſo takes him by the hand, and ſayth, doeſt not thou remember before I tooke thee in hand, what a froward creature thou wert? what a proud creature thou wert? thou mighteſt have been damned, if I had not taken thee in hand; and I gave thee firſt ſuch a gentle affliction, and then added another. God ſhews him the whole plot, and then he ſayth, Lord pardon all my hard thoughts of thee; glorious God, I ſee now that all was love, and wiſedome. And God ſo inures his people to ſhew them the deſigne when the affliction is over, that moſt Saints, though they underſtand, and ſee nothing of God in their affliction, yet they know it is a glorious deſigne of wiſdome that God hath upon them: therefore they will not cenſure God, becauſe they ſee it not; it is but their owne ignorance that they doe not comprehend it. As if you ſhould ſee a Plow-man, or a countrie man come to a Mathematician, that were at his Globe, and his compaſſes, and were drawing lines from one to another; the Countrie man knowes nothing of this: but he would not therefore ſay the other is a foole, and doth he knoweth not what. He would rather ſay, I warrant you he is a Scholler, and hath had good breeding: but allas what ſimple people are we in the Countrie, we know not what belongs to the Globe, and compaſſes. So a Chriſtian when he is in affliction, he doth not ſay, God doth he knows not what, and he plagueth me: but ſayth he, God hath wiſdome, and love, in all this; only I am a ſimple poore creature that know not this. So now there are two things I would have you to obſerve. Firſt if you have humbled hearts, you will ſee God in the affliction. And then you will have reverent and high thoughts of God, in reſpect of his juſtice and his love, and wiſdome towards you.
In the third place, a ſoule that is humbled (I meane all this while, as far as it is humbled) it 3. A humble ſoule quietly ſubmits in affliction.doth quyetly, and ſilently ſubmit unto the Lord in all his afflictions; that the Lord may doe with him what he will, and truly he hath reaſon enough and it cannot be otherwiſe; if he ſee God in the Inſtruments, and ſee ſuch thoughts of juſtice, and love, and wiſdome in God, he cannot but quyetly ſubmit; this will follow. As you know in 1 Sam. 3. When God told Ely that he was comming to cut off his houſe▪ and his Prieſthood, and his Sonnes. Sayth he, It is the Lord, let him doe what ſemeeth good in his eyes. It is the Lord, I will not ſuffer my heart to grumble, but it is the Lord, and I will ſubmit. A man would have thought he had not offended, he did chide his Sonnes, and told them, Ye doe not well; but he ſhould have corrected them: they were wicked men, and becauſe he was too Indulgent to them, God ſent him word that he would cut them off, both him, and his Sonnes, yet ſaith he, It is the Lord, let him doe what ſeemeth good in his eyes.
Nay, let a man be never ſo ſtout otherwiſe in The ſtouteſt heart humbled, will ſubmit to God.his naturall conſtitution, let him be of never ſo ſtrong, and ſturdie a ſpirit; yet i… he have this grace, if he have the ſpirit of humiliation, he ſhall notwithſtanding ſubmit like a Lambe when the Lord laies his hand on him. I will give you one place to prove this, Iſa. 29. 1. 2. Woe to Ariel, to Ariel the City where David dwelt, let them kill, ſacrifice, yet I wil diſtreſſe Ariel. What is that? That is, the Lion of God. God calls Jeruſalem the Lion, and the Lion of God, you know the Lion is a ſtout creature. It is ſaid of Saul and his Servants that they had hearts like Lions hearts. And the Lion of God, that adds ſomthing to it, yet when the Lord coms upon this Lion of God; Thou ſhalt (ſayth the Lord) be brought downe: mark that expreſſion in Verſ 4. Thy ſpeech ſhall be low to the duſt, and thy voyce as one that hath a familiar ſpirit, and thy ſpeech ſhall whiſper out of the duſt. Though thou be like a Lion that roares, thou ſhalt goe and whiſper in the duſt, and thy voyce ſhall be as one that hath a familiar ſpirit. Thou ſhalt peepe or chirp, as it is in the Originall. The Lord will make a Lion, to chirp, and make a Lyon lye low in the duſt, and whiſper. And if you compare Lam. 3. 28. There is an expreſſion that doth a little more cleare it. It is good for a man to beare the yoak in his youth. He ſhall ſit alone, and keep ſilence, becauſe he hath borne it; he ſhall put his mouth in the duſt if there may be hope. When it is a man that is humbled, he will put his mouth in the duſt, he will ſubmit, and lie downe if there may be hope; though he know not whether there be or no, this is plentifull in Scripture in every place; the people of God, though they were afflicted never ſo ſoare, and did abide it never ſo long, yea thoſe that had humble hearts they uſed to ſubmit patiently, and quietly to it. I held my peace and was dumb, becauſe it was thy doing, ſayth David.Pſal. 39.
Trie your hearts by theſe things, how you are in afflictions: doe you ſee God in the Inſtruments? What kind of thoughts have you of God? (for as the mind is, ſo is the man) have you high, reverent, pretious, thoughts of God? And doe you ſubmit? can you ſtoop, and quench the boylings of your hearts, and the ſtirringe of your ſpirits? Can you ſay as Eli did. It is the Lord, let him doe as he will. He hath taken one child, let him take the reſt if he pleaſe; he hath taken one of my Familie, let him take more if he will. He hath taken away ſome of my Trading, let him take all if he will. This is the frame of heart, of a humble man.
In the Fourth place, a humble ſoule that is ſavingly 4. A humble heart envies not the proſperity of others.humbled in his afflictions (for of ſuch I ſpeak all this while) in the greateſt afflictions that befall him, he doth not uſe to envie the proſperity of others: that frame of a humble heart I find in Jam. 4. 5. Pride, and envie, are as it were Synonomies, they ſeem as it were the ſame thing. The Scripture ſaith not in vaine, the ſpirit that is in us luſteth after envy. But he giveth more grace; wherefore he ſaith, God reſiſteth the proud, but giveth grace unto the humble, He makes pride, and envie one, and the ſame. And indeed ſo it is, you ſhall never ſee them ſevered, you ſhall never ſee a proud heart, but it is envious. Now one that is humbled is not ſo, as you ſhall ſee, Pſal. 37. David indeed was tempted to it, but the Lord delivered him from it. And in Pſal, 73. He ſpeaks of the proſperity of the ungodly, they flouriſhed in the World; and increaſed in riches, and ſayth he, Verily I have cleanſed my heart in vaine: for all the day long I am plagued, and whipped, and chaſtned every morning. It is a ſtrange thing ſayth he, ſee how yonder wicked man flouriſheth, and proſpers; and for my part I am as ſure to be whipped every morning, as I am of my break-faſt (as they ſay) But if I ſhould ſay ſo (ſayth he) I ſhould offend againſt the Generation of thy Children. I thought ſo, till I went into the Sanctuary of God; and then he underſtood their end, and his owne folly: indeed it was Davids weakneſſe: and it was that which his heart was not throughly humbled for, as it ſhould. Therefore you ſee proud people in the Propheſie of Malachi. Chap. 3. He more plainly deſcribes them, Verſ. 13. Your words have been ſtout againſt me, ſayth the Lord. They had ſtout words, and ſtouter hearts: for alway the heart is worſe then the words. You have ſaid it is in vaine to ſerve God, and what profit is it that we have kept his Ordinances, and that we have walked mournfully before the Lord of hoſts. Mark, what doe we get by walking mournfully, and by obeying the Commandements of God? And now we call the proud happy, yea they that Worke wickedneſſe are ſet up, yea they that tempt God are even delivered. Here is the temper of proud ſpirits, and hearts of wicked men, they are all for Honour, and wealth; what profit ſhall we have by humbling our ſoules, and keeping Gods Ordinances. O! theſe were ſtout words, and ſtout hearts, and ſpirits, to envy the proſperity of other people while they were corrected. And in Job 2…. You ſhall read that Job did almoſt fall in that poynt alſo; but it was becauſe he was not throughly humbled, as in the end he was: for then he abhorred himſelfe.
The Fift thing is this, that a ſoul that is truely 5. Humble hearts repent not of receiving Chriſt.humbled in his afflictions, as he doth not envie the proſperity of others the while; ſo he doth not repent of his bargaine that he hath made in receiving of Jeſus Chriſt: though all his afflictions, and miſeries it may be fall on him for his ſake, or the moſt of them; he never repents that he hath been ſo holy, but that he is not more holy.
A proud heart repents of what it hath done for God. O, ſaith a proud heart, If I had not heard Puritans, and followed their Sermons, and gone their wayes, and lived in their Conventicles, I had not been noted, and hated, and afflicted. It is a proud heart that repents of any jot of good it hath done for God, or that repents of his receiving of Chriſt for any affliction, or miſery that may befall him, it is a ſigne of a baſe heart.
There is a bleſſed expreſſion, Pſal, 44. 9. Of David and the people of God, I have oft thought of the great ſufferings of the Saints there ſpoken of, Thou haſt caſt us off, and put us to ſhame, and goeſt not forth with our Armies. Thou makeſt us to turne back from the Enemy: and thoſe that hate us, ſpoyle for themſelves. Thou haſt given us like Sheepe appointed for meat: and haſt ſcattered us among the Heathen. Thou ſelleſt thy people for nought, and doeſt not increaſe thy wealth by their price. A ſtrange thing, thou ſelleſt them, and takeſt no money for them. Thou makeſt us a reproach to our Neighbours, a ſcorne and deriſion to them that are round about us, &c. Here is as it were an inventorie of all the troubles of the Church; and wherefore doth he ſpeake all this? you ſhall ſee after. For all this is come upon us, yet have we not forgotten thee, neyther have we dealt falſely in thy Covenant. Our heart is not turned back neyther have our ſteps declined from thy way. Though thou haſt ſore broken us in the place of Dragons, yet we have not ſtretched forth our hands to a ſtrange God. He reckons up all theſe troubles, and yet ſayth he, notwithſtanding all this, though God have brought all theſe miſeries upon us, yet We have not been falſe in the Covenant, nor ſtretched out our hands to a ſtrange God; we doe not repent that we have received thee, and are married to thee, and have choſen thee for our God.
I remember the practice of a godly Miniſter many yeares agoe, who ſpeaking of the manner how God uſeth to bring in ſinners to Chriſt; (though there were a great deale of curioſitie in thoſe dayes, more (if I may ſpeak with reverence to the worthy men that then lived) then ſhould have been) as if a man ſhould go about to deſcribe the forming of a child in the wombe, which it were better leave to God, then ſtudie too much how it is framed. But I remember his expreſſion; ſayth he, God takes a ſinner the firſt time, and ſhewes him his miſerie, and ſhuts him up that he ſees no way of deliverance at all: and then after a little while he opens a little crevice that he may ſee deliverance, and Salvation but he gives him not the leaſt occaſion of hope that he ſhall have deliverance: but in the meane while what doth the ſinner? He leaves his ſins as faſt as he can, and turnes them off, and throwes them away. He ſees Salvation, and he ſayth, yonder is Salvation, but I have no reaſon to hope to have it: but whether I have it or no, I will never goe back to ſin. I am reſolved whether Chriſt will give me pardon, and Salvation or not, I will not take ſin any more. I applie it to this; when afflictions and miſeries come in ſtormes on a poore ſoule, ſhower after ſhower, that there is no end; the ſoule ſayth. I know not how I ſhall be delivered from theſe troubles, here is death, and miſery, and ſickneſſe upon me, and I know not what the iſſue will be, but be the end what it will, by the helpe of God I will not goe back to ſin, I will not repent that I have received Chriſt, but will keepe cloſe to the Lord. This is the meaning of that phraſe, Mat. 13. Where Chriſt ſaith when the ſun is up upon the corne it ſcorcheth it, that is, when there is Perſecution; (for every Perſecution is an affliction, though every affliction be not a Perſecution; now when the ſun of Perſecution is up) men are offended. What is the meaning of that? Men repent of their bargaine, they begin to be ſorrie, that ever they were Profeſſors of Religion. Therefore the Lord Chriſt would have a man caſt up the coſt. For when a man enters into Religion, it is as if he were to fight a Field, there will be loſſe, and trouble, and danger, there will be tribulation, and hot Perſecution; conſider if thou be able to goe through it: thou muſt have the ſhell as well as the kernell, it is a decree of Heaven. Therefore conſider before hand that thou mayeſt not repent when troubles come. There may be baſe times, worſe then yet, if worſe may be; and if when tribulations come thou ſhalt repent that thou haſt gone ſo farr in Religion, and that thou haſt been acquainted with the Saints, and that thou haſt been ſo oft in their companie, thou haſt (to ſpeake the leaſt, and the beſt of thee) an unhumbled heart.
Sixtly, a Saint that hath a humbled heart, you 6. He is more carefull to carry himſelfe aright, then to be delivered.may know it by his carriage in afflictions by this, he is more carefull by far of his right carriage in it, then of deliverance out of it. That is alway in a humble heart, he ſtudies more how to behave himſelfe like a Saint under the rod, then how to get away, and be delivered from it. You may read in Acts 4. There was very hot perſecution, and great affliction upon the Saints; and yet there they are bleſsing God notwithſtanding all their Perſecution, to ſee the Scripture fullfilled; that which was ſpoken in Pſal. 2. The Kings of the Earth ſtand up, and the Rulers take counſell together, againſt the Lord, and againſt his anoynted; they rejoyced to ſee that fullfilled, as if they had ſaid, they killed Chriſt the other day, and now they Perſecute us. Now what would you, and I have asked had we been in their condition? O that God would deliver us, that he would ſhew us an Iland where we might never be troubled more; many of us would have done this out of weakneſſe; but what doe they doe? Verſ. 29. And now Lord behold their threatnings. And what then? They doe not ſay Lord deliver us from their threatnings, But grant unto thy ſervants that with all boldneſſe they may ſpeak thy word; By ſtretching forth thine hand to heale: and that ſignes, and wonders may be done, by the name of the holy child Jeſus. Lord ſay they, thou heareſt their threatnings, and we feare that our baſe hearts will be fearfull, and ſo we ſhall be loath to Preach the Goſpell of Chriſt, and to doe ſignes and wonders as thou haſt commanded, therefore good Lord give us boldneſſe. This is the carriage of an honeſt holy heart.
So you have it of Paul ordinarily in Phil. 1. 13. There he was in bonds. And in Verſ. 19. He doth implicitly deſire the Prayers of the People for him: VVhat to doe? For I know (ſayth he) that this ſhall turne to my Salvation through your prayers, and the ſupply of the ſpirit of Jeſus Chriſt: according to my earneſt expectation, and my hope, that in nothing I ſhall be aſhamed, but that with all holdneſſe, as alwayes, ſo now alſo, Chriſt ſhall be magnified in my body, whether it be by life or by death. I doe not pray you Phillippians that you would pray that God would bind the hands of Nero that he may not put me to death; or that he would open the Priſon gates to let me out; but I pray that in nothing I may be aſhamed, but that with all boldneſſe, as alway, ſo now, Chriſt may be magnified in my body. I care not whether it be by life or by death, ſo God may be glorified, that if I live I may doe good there, and if I die I may die as a Saint, and a duplicate page duplicate page Chriſtian. So in Epheſ. 6. 18. I beſeech you ſayth he, give your ſelves much to prayer above all things; and pray for me; VVhat to doe? That utterance may be given me that I may open my mouth boldly to make knowne the Myſteries of the Goſpell: for which I am an Ambaſſador in bonds, that therein I may ſpeak boldly as I ought to ſpeak, He was in bonds, and he deſires them not once to pray that God would break his bonds; O, but pray that I may open my mouth boldly. I find feare comes upon me many times; feare of Ceſar, and feare of the Sword, and feare of putting me to death: therefore Pray that I may open my mouth boldly. This is the carriage of a heart that is truly humbled.
Another, a Seaventh thing is this, a humble 7. A humble heart more carefull of benefit then comfort in afflictions.heart he is alway more carefull to reape benefit from afflictions then to fetch comfort to himſelfe in afflictions. A proud heart is altogether for comfort, he will doe any thing for comfort. As Saul, he will goe to the VVitch if need be for to fetch comfort. but he ſtudies not how to pertake of Gods holineſſe by his afflictions.
Eightly, (to draw to a concluſion) a humble 8. He neglects not Gods commands in afflictions.heart doth not remit one jot of his obedience to the commands of God notwithſtanding all his afflictions. Proud dogged ſpirits, I have oft obſerved it in my ſelfe, and others; there are ſome hearts that will not ſerve God, and take paines for him, otherwiſe then when the Lord dandleth them, and cockers them, and feeds them with white bread, and if he doe not they will give over their callings, and ſit mopeing in their Cloſets: there are diverſe VVomen, and other Profeſſors, that will ſit mopeing in their Chambers a whole week together, and why? Becauſe God hath laid ſuch afflictions upon their ſpirits, they will doe nothing for God, all the buſineſſe of their generall and particular callings muſt lie at ſix and ſeavens: they will doe nothing for God when his hand is on them. Now a humble heart as Job ſaid in another caſe. Though he kill me yet will I truſt in him. So ſayth a humble heart, let him kill me yet I will obey him. I believe that he loves me, there is a deſigne of a great reach in it, there is the glory of God, and the wiſdome of God, and the greatneſſe of God in it. Let him doe his work, let him doe what he will, and by Gods helpe I will doe my work in my generall, and particular calling notwithſtanding all the task that he layes on me, I will not abate any thing of the obedience I am to bring in.
Another thing is this, a humble heart alway 9. Hee ſticks cloſe to the Covenant in afflictions.ſticks cloſer to the Covenant of God in affliction then otherwiſe: and the more the Lord will afflict him, the more he will ſtir up his ſoul as Iſaiah ſayth, to lay hold upon the Covenant. As a loving child, the more you whipp him, the more he will endeavour in love to cloſe with you, and cling to you, and catch the rod in a reverent manner, in a loving way; ſo a humble heart will get to God in affliction, and lay hold upon him. And this was the fault as Iſay ſayth of that people, Iſa. 64. VVhen the Lord had layd his hand on them, and ſuffered others to be Lords over them. Sayth he, V. 7. There is none that calleth upon thy name, that ſtirreth up himſelfe to take hold of thee: for thou haſt hid thy face from us, and haſt conſumed us becauſe of our iniquities. Here was a great affliction on them, they were conſumed, and God had hid his face, yet there was none that did ſtir up himſelfe to lay hold on God, out of the pride of their owne hearts. A proud heart alwayes goes from God in affliction. As we ſee Judas, he went not to God, but to the halter; and Caine, he went to the Land of Nod, when God was angrie he went to buyld Townes, he did not goe to God, and lay hold upon the Covenant: ſo Saul he goes to Endor, to the VVitch in ſtead of going to God, and laying better hold of the Covenant. So a proud heart departs from God, and growes further off, and looſer from God, whereas alway in afflictions a humble heart ſticks cloſer to God and gets better hold of his bleſſed covenant.
Another thing is this, that in afflictions a humble 10. A humble heart apt to pray in afflictions.heart deſires in nothing to be troubled, but in every thing to make his requeſts knowne with thankſgiving, and that implies two things.
Firſt, he doth not reſtrayne prayer, as Job… 1. To make requeſts.friends ſayd to him, Thou art a wicked man: for thou reſtrayneſt prayer before God in thy afflictions. And indeed if they had ſayd true of Job, he had been ſo, he had been proud at the leaſt; proud people they will not call upon God ordinarily in afflictions and troubles.
Secondly, it implies thankfullneſſe, In Phil. 4. 2. To give thankes.Make your requeſts known with thankfullneſſe. A humble heart will alwayes pray; and it will in the greateſt affliction be prayſing God; why ſo? Becauſe a humble heart in the greateſt affliction can ſpie ſomthing to prayſe God for, as well as to … for that he wants. Therefore ſayth James, If any be afflicted let him pray. Sometimes a Saint is ſo afflicted that he can doe nothing elſe but pray, and he is never better fitted to pray then when he is moſt afflicted,
Then laſtly, you ſhall diſcerne it by this, that 11. Hee is not weary of waiting on God.in his afflictions he will never be wearie of waiting upon the Lord till he have remooved it. It is the pride of our hearts that makes us that we doe not wait on the Lord, as the Prophet Habakkuk ſayth, His heart that is lifted up is not right in him: but the juſt ſhall live by his faith. In 2 Kings 6. 33. This evill is from the Lord (ſayth that wicked man) VVhat ſhould I wait on the Lord any longer? A proud heart, God muſt come in at his time, and when he calls, or elſe he will ſtay no longer, but will be wearie. As a godly man ſayth, what art thou that thou wilt not wait for God? VVhy doeſt thou take ſuch ſtate upon thee? Who ſhall waite, God or thou? Should the King waite upon the Subject, or the Subject upon the King, ſhould the Maſter waite upon the Servant. or the Servant upon the Maſter? ſhould the Judg wait on the Traytor, or the Traytor on the Judg? Such a one a humble heart ſees himſelfe to be, he is a Servant, and a Traytor if God ſhould take him at the worſt. Therefore he bleſſeth God that he may waite for merciemercy. O ſayth he, there are many thouſands in Hell that ſhall waite for ever, expecting more wrath, and more flames of fire, World without end; and may not I bleſſe God that I have a little mercy though I have many ſorrowes, and that I may waite on the God of mercy for more mercies? I will waite upon the Lord.
Thus breifly I have poynted out the carriage of a ſoule that God hath humbled by a ſaving ſight of himſelfe in Jeſus Chriſt, I ſay his carriage in afflictions.
There is another word to ſhew you, his carriage under the mercies of God, but I cannot ſpeake of it now, without paſſing my owne ſtrength and yours.