The Great Duty of Self-Resignation to the Divine Will, Section 2 · Chapter 7
CHAP. VII. That Humility is a powerful means to the attaining of Self-Resignation, where it is particularly shewn, how it is effectual thereunto both as it implieth obedience to God's Commands, and as it implies patient submission to his disposals.
VII. SEventhly, Endeavour after the deepest humility, and sink thy self into the greatest Self-nothingness, if thou wouldst be truly resigned to the Will of God. Humility is a most powerful and excellent means to the attaining of Self-Resignation, both as it implies obedience to God's Commands, and submission to his disposals.
First, As it implies Obedience to the Commands of God. The humble Christian cannot think much of doing any thing God requires of him, or forbearing any thing he forbids him: for,
First, He considers that there is an unconceiveable infinite distance between God and him. That God is infinite in Essence and all Perfections, in Glory and Majesty: That he is the Lord of all things, the Soveraign of Men and Angels, and therefore 'tis most fit that he should have the preheminence in all things; and most disbecoming him to oppose his Will when he commands things never so ungrateful to flesh and bloud.
And he considers also that himself is a limited, dependent, indigent Being, that he is nothing but what he is by God, and can have nothing but what comes from him; and consequently, that 'tis the most unreasonable thing in the world, that his Will should ever take place of the Will of God. The infinite Superiority of God's Being must justly and plainly infers the precedency and superiority of his Will.
He considers that God is the inexhaustible Fountain of Life, the great Ocean of Being, whence all the Rivers of particular Beings flow, and whither they return again; whereas man is a poor, feeble Creature, altogether vanity, and that at his best estate, Psal. 39. 5.(as the Psalmist speaks) even all the nations of the earth are counted but as a drop of the bucket, or small dust of the ballance, Chap. xl. 15.(as Isaiah speaks) nay, they are all as nothing before God, and are counted to him less than nothing. Ver. 17.What then shall we think of each particular man, he being so inconsiderable a part of that drop, that dust, that nothing, and less than nothing. The humble Christian, I say, hath a due sense of his unconceiveably vast and infinite disproportion and disparity to God; and thence concludes, that nothing can be so unreasonable as to expect his will should be humoured, or to take it ill to have it crost by the Will of God.
He is deeply sensible that nothing is so intolerable, as for the will and pleasure of a creature in any thing to controul and overrule the Lord of Life and Glory, the Father of the Universe, the great Maker and Preserver of all things, and therefore that it is much more, the greatest petulancy, the vilest sauciness, and most horrible presumption for such a Creature as himself to dispute and quarrel with the Divine Commands.
Secondly, The humble Christian considers also, that God, being Self-happy and Self-sufficient, cannot design his own advantage in laying his Commands upon us; that we are not able to gratifie him by any service, but, being infinitely good, he aims at our benefit in so doing: That God in the business of Religion, and the precepts he requires our observance of, seeks not his own, but meerly our interest and welfare; in that, I say, he needs not, nor is capable of receiving any additions of happiness, much less from without himself, and therefore he gratifieth, and means kindness to, us in all his Commands; and his Laws are to be numbred among his Favours, even his most endearing and obliging ones. And he who is thus assured must needs be strongly excited to perform a most hearty, ingenuous and chearful obedience to all the declarations of the Divine Will.
Secondly, Humility fits and enables us for Resignation, as it also imports patient Submission to all God's Disposals: And that,
First, VponUpon the same account that we now said it disposeth to active Obedience: Namely, because it makes us sensible of the infinite disproportion that is between God and us; the consideration of which will necessarily convince us, that it becomes such despicable Creatures as we are, to humble our selves under his mighty hand, to lay our selves down in the dust before him, instead of fretting and repining at his Providence.
Secondly, Humility disposeth to Patience, as it will make us sensible of our moral defects and imperfections, our sins and transgressions, whereby we are become obnoxious to God's displeasure. The sense whereof will force us to acknowledge that he is most righteous whensoever he punisheth, and therefore we should accept of the punishment of our iniquity.
Murmuring and complaining thoughts arise from Pride, and a too good opinion of our selves: 'Tis Self-conceit that makes us misconstrue any of God's dealings as over-rigorous and harsh towards us. but to the humble man, who is sensible of his manifold miscarriages, they appear most just, right and equal, nay, very gentle too, in comparison of his deserts.
He having a deep sense of the Evil of Sin, how unreasonable, unjust, and disingenuous, and therefore how unspeakably hainous a thing it is to oppose the Will of the most High God, the Supream Governour of the World, and Judge of all the Earth, to offend infinite Goodness, and to return evil to him from whom we have always received good, and to whom our Engagements are inexpressibly many and great; I say, the humble Christian having a great sense of this, and being conscious to himself that he hath been this unreasonable, unrighteous, and disingenuous Creature, will under the sharpest afflictions he can suffer in this world, say with Ezra: Thou hast punished me less than mine iniquities do deserve.
Thirdly, Humility disposeth to Submissive bearing afflictions, as it will make us sensible of the exceeding shortness of our understandings, our great folly and utter disability to fathom God's Counsels, and the reasons of his Providences. The Humble Christian will cry out with the blessed Apostle, O the depth of the riches both of the wisdom and knowledge of God, how unsearchable are his judgments, and his ways past finding out! He knows that infinite and unsearchable Wisdom must needs administer the affairs of the world in general, and of every person in particular, in the best and wisest way, and therefore that there is very great reason for whatsoever sufferings he undergoes, although they may seem to his shallow capacity to be never so unreasonable.
Murmuring at any of the Divine Providences is a tacit charging of God, as with unrighteousness, so with folly, and a setting up our Wisdom above God's.
Fourthly, The Humble Christian is likewise sensible of the great need he hath of afflictions. That he needs them as Medicines to cure his spiritual Maladies, that they are needful as they are preventions of Sin, and secure against many temptations, and as they are very instructive; much of God and himself being to be learnt in the School of the Cross.
This man knoweth, that not to be corrected in order to his amendment is the greatest of punishments; and that no judgment is so dreadful as sin it self, and to be given up to an hard heart and seared conscience; and therefore he accounts those straits, troubles and difficulties, he ever and anon meets with, as expressions of God's unwillingness he should undo himself.
It is most certain that the Holy, Wise and Good God doth not directly and primarily will punishment, (as neither doth any good and wise Law-giver) to do thus is not justice but cruelty: Nor doth he desire the occasions of inflicting punishments, viz. the transgression of his Laws. Justice is wise and good, it hath ever the best of ends, namely the discountenancing and preventing of sin and evil, and the cherishing and encouragement of goodness, and securing the authority of righteous Laws. And the humble person considering that God's design in afflicting him is to cure the greater evil of sin, by the lesser of suffering, and that afflictions are so necessary, as that he is seldom long well without them, by this means is he the better enabled quietly to submit when he suffers under them.
Lastly, Humility enables a Christian both to Obedience and Patience, as it makes him capable of more grace: And the more grace the more power he hath both to do and suffer the Will of God. Surely (saith the Wise man) he scorneth the scorners, but he giveth grace to the lowly, Prov. iii. 34. And St. Peter 1 Epistle v. 5. God resisteth the proud, but giveth grace to the humble. And again St. Iames, Chap. iv. 5, 6. The Spirit that dwelleth in us lusteth to envy, but he giveth more grace, wherefore he saith, God resisteth the proud, but giveth grace unto the humble.
The high mountains are barren, but the low valleys are covered over with Corn, and the showers of God's grace fall into lowly hearts and humble souls. The more poor in spirit, the more self-empty, the more earnestly desirous of spiritual things, and such shall be filled, according to Christ's promise, Matth. v. 6. Blessed are they that hunger and thirst after righteousness, for they shall be filled.
You know the story in 2 Kings 4 chap. So long as the Widdow had an empty Vessel the Oyl flowed, but when there was not another to be gotten, it immediately stayed. And fo long as God seeth an empty soul that is ready to receive and desirous of his grace, he is ready to communicate of his fulness to it.
A Soul that is poor in its own eyes, void of self-glorying and acknowledging its own indigence, and withall its utter unworthiness to receive any the least favour from the Divine Bounty is such a one as God looks for, to communicate more and more of his Grace and Spirit to. To this man will I look, Isaiah lxvi. 2.(saith God) even to him that is poor and of a contrite spirit, &c. And thus saith the high and lofty one that inhabiteth eternity, whose name is Holy, I dwell in the high and holy place; with him also that is of a contrite and humble spirit, to revive the spirit of the humble, and to revive the spirit of the contrite ones, Isaiah lvii. 15.
Humility disposeth to gratitude, and gratitude fits us to receive more from God; for a grateful Soul will set a high value upon his blessings, and most gladly give him the glory of his grace. The humble Christian thinks himself, with Iacob, less than the least of all God's mercies, and consequently he will be heartily thankful for the least; and by being thus affected, he becomes meet for the greatest, and therefore cannot fail of it.
It is to be observed, that when Iacob was in this humble and self-abasing temper, it was that he saw God face to face at Peniel: Then it was that he was honoured with the name Israel, and as a Prince had power with God and men, and prevailed.
But on the contrary, Pride and Self-fulness, which is ever accompanied with unthankfulness, makes men uncapable of receiving the Divine Grace: And therefore the Pharisees, who gloried in themselves that they were righteous, and despised others, that were not sick but whole and healthy in their own conceit, died of their diseases, notwithstanding the great Physician of Souls was so long among them.
Now there are two graces that Humility gives a peculiar fitness for, two of the first magnitude and greatest influence, of the greatest use and consequence in a Christians life, viz. The Love of God, and Faith or Trust in him.
'Tis evident that Humility hath a peculiar fitness to cherish and increase the grace of Love, for the more sensible any one is of his great unworthiness and ill-deservings, the more he must needs love God for having so gracious a regard to him, the more will he admire and adore the riches of his Grace.
And 'tis as evident that Humility affordeth the like advantage for the Grace of Faith, or trust in God; for the more sensible a Christian is of his own impotence, the more will he rely upon the Divine Power and Goodness for the supply of his wants, having so many promises to encourage him. The sense of our own weakness will make us distrust our selves, the more we distrust our selves, the more shall we stay our Souls on God, and confide in his Wisdom, Power, and Grace.
Now we have particularly shewn, of how great efficacy both these Vertues are to enable us to this Duty of Self-Resignation.