The Holy Arbor, Chapter 5 · Section 1 · Commandment 1 · Section 3
§. 3. Of Humility.
HUmiliation is the fruit of Faith, and the firſt effect whereby Faith, which lies hid in the heart, doth appear: And in the very inſtant, when a ſinner begins truly in heart and conſcience to humble himſelf before God, he is then entred into the ſtate of Salvation. Now if a man finde himſelf hard-hearted, and of a dead Spirit, ſo as he cannot humble himſelf as he ought or as he would, ſuch perſons, if they humble themſelves, muſt be content with that Grace which they have received; for if thou be truly and unfainedly grieved for this, That thou canſt not be grieved, thy Humiliation will be accepted: And though it may be thou art more humbled, and haſt a greater grief for an earthly loſs then for thy committed ſins, yet mayeſt thou even then be truly humbled and grieved for thy ſins too; becauſe the one is a bodily, natural and ſenſible loſs, and the other a ſupernatural, inſenſible and ſpiritual: Now ſenſible things do more affect and urge the minde then the other. The heart of man cannot be lifted up in Aſſurance of Gods favor, to the apprehenſion of heavenly things, unleſs it be firſt abaſed by true Humiliation, brought to nothing in it ſelf. To this muſt be added Faith; for in the practice of a Chriſtian life, the duties of Humiliation and Faith cannot be ſevered: Till the heart be throughly by Humiliation prepared, by being broken with the ſight of ſins and Gods wrath, Chriſt and the Goſpel is preached to it in vain; and though ſome drink in the Truth of the Goſpel with their Education, yet ſuch uſually hold not out without alſo ſound Humiliation. Thus by the Spirit of Elias, is meant a ſharp Miniſtery, to ſhew men their ſins, that they may be throughly humbled and prepared; elſe they will never take Chriſt ſo as to keep cloſe to him, for without ſound Humiliation, ſin is not accounted the greateſt evil, nor Chriſt the greateſt good: We cannot love Chriſt, till upon the conſideration of our ſins, we are humbled for them, and are become poor in Spirit, and then the Lord regards us highly, and will raiſe us up; but the want of ſorrow for ſin, is a greater Argument of the want of love to Chriſt, then the ſin it ſelf.
Now Humiliation is not required as a Qualification, antecedent and precedent to the pardon of our ſins, for no Tears of ours can give Satisfaction; beſide, Judas the Reprobate had it: but it is required as that, without which we will not come to Chriſt. Now the taking of Chriſt, is nothing elſe but what we call Faith, and Faith is nothing elſe, but when theſe two things concur, That God the Father will give his Son, and freely offers Righteouſneſs, and we receive this Righteouſneſs, taking Chriſt for our Husband, our King and our Lord. And when we are truly entred into the ſtate of this Humiliation, we ſhall not fail of that Humility required in this Commandment; for we ſhall then acknowledge all thoſe good things which are in us, and done by us, not to come from any worthineſs or ability of our own, but from the free goodneſs of God: we ſhall then by the acknowledging of Gods Divine Majeſty, and our infirmity and unworthineſs, ſubject and ſubmit our ſelves unto God, to give the glory of all good things, which are in us, to him alone: We ſhall then truly fear God, We ſhall then acknowledge and bewail our own defects and vices: we ſhall not then covet any higher place or condition: we ſhall not then truſt in our own gifts, but in the help and aſſiſtance of God: we ſhall then hold our ſelves contented with our own Vocation and Calling: we ſhall not then deſpiſe others in compariſon of our ſelves, neither let or hinder them in the diſcharging of their duty, but acknowledge that others alſo are and may be made profitable Inſtruments of Gods glory, and therefore give place and honor to them: we ſhall not then attribute to our ſelves things above our force and power: we ſhall not then affect any one excellency above others: neither ſhall we then murmure againſt God, if we fail of our hope, or if we be deſpiſed, but in all things aſcribe the praiſe of Wiſdom and Juſtice unto God. Let no man therefore preſume above that which is written: For who hath ſeparated thee? or what haſt thou that thou haſt not received? 1 Cor. 4.6. God reſiſteth the proud, but giveth grace to the humble, 1 Pet. 5.5. Whoſoever ſhall humble himſelf as this little childe, the ſame is the greateſt in the kingdom of Heaven, Mat. 18.4. And this is that Humility required in this Commandment, and him in whom it is, the Lord will exalt in due time, 1 Pet. 5.5.
The Vices repagnant to Humility; viz.
1. Pride and Arrogancy, which is, to aſcribe our gifts not unto God, but to our own ability, and therefore to ſtand in admiration of our ſelves and gifts; not to acknowledge our wants or bewail our defects; to be ever aſpiring to ſome higher place or calling; to attribute to our ſelves thoſe things which we have not; to overlook our poor Brethren; to be guilty indeed of all thoſe Vices from which the humble man was even now ſaid to be free.
2. A feigned Modeſty or Humility, which is a double Pride; and it is, to hunt after the praiſe and commendation of Humility, by denying of thoſe things outwardly, which yet a man doth in his minde attribute unto himſelf, either truly or falſely, and by refuſing of that honor which he deſireth above the peace of a good Conſcience, and covertly laboreth to compaſs.
Going to take a Survey of my Sins,
I heard a voyce which ſadly ſaid Who brings
Help to my wounded Soul? And having cry'd
At leaſt a heart-full of Tears, Faith apply'd
A precious Soveraign Salve: but ſaid,
It came from far, coſt dear, and therefore praid
He would eſteem it highly: Then me thought
He ſomewhat elſe in duſt and aſhes ſought,
What it ſhould be, I ask'd Hope who ſtood by,
And Love reply'd it was Humility.