Four Books on Matthew 11, Book 3 · Chapter 119
CHAP. CXIX.
Lowlineſs what, Negatively in Five Particulars. 1. Not in Poverty. 2. Nor in Words only. 3. Nor Carriage. 4. Nor Habit. 5. Nor Baſeneſs of Spirit.
WE have Finiſhed that great and excellent Doctrine of Meekneſs, we are now to come to the next leſſon that we are to Learn of Chriſt, Lowlineſs of Heart, and this of a lowly Heart, is of very near affinity unto a meek heart yea the truth is, a lowly Heart is the Mother of Meekneſs, though Meekneſs is ſet before in my Text, yet in ſome other Scriptures, where we have Meekneſs and Humility joyned together, we have Meekneſs ſet after, and Humility, and Lowlineſs ſet before, as in Coloſſ. 3. 12. Put on therefore as the Elect of God, Holy and beloved, Bowels of Mercy, Kindneſs, Humbleneſs of mind, Meekneſs, Humbleneſs of mind, Meekneſs, there Humbleneſs is ſet before, and that is indeed the true Chriſtian Meekneſs, that doth come from Lowlineſs, Lowly in heart, The word here Lowly (in the Greek foreign) it ſignifies one even lying upon the ground ready to be Trodden on, as ſome Learned obſerve, Lowly in Heart. In 2 Cor. 7. 6. There you have this word here Tranſlated Lowly, Caſt down, one Caſt down. Nevertheleſs God that comforteth thoſe that are Caſt down, foreign the ſame word that is here Tranſlated in my Text Lowly, is there Caſt down, ſuch whoſe Heart is Caſt down. And in 2 Cor. 10. and the firſt. Now I Paul my ſelf beſeech you, by the meekneſs and gentleneſs of Chriſt, who in preſence am Baſe among you, Who am Lowly or Baſe, ſo you have the ſignification of the word, and what it is, in other Scriptures, Lowly.
But Lowly in Heart, Learn of me, for I am Lowly in Heart.
Firſt, Not in a low condition, I do not require of you that you ſhould be in the low condition of Poverty, and the like, as I am, ſome falſly would imitate Chriſt to be in ſuch a low condition, becauſe that he had poſſeſt nothing in the world, therefore they would not, and ſo ground their ſuperſtitious vows of a voluntary poverty. Indeed, the word Tranſlated, in Heart, ſignifies ſomtimes the low condition of a man. As in 1 James, 9. Let the Brother of Low degree, Rejoyce in that he is Exalted, That is, in a Low condition. But many men are in a low condition, and yet far from being Lowly in Heart, There may be a very low condition, and yet a very high, proud Heart; there may be Humiliation where there is no Humility, Humiliation, and Humility are two ſeveral things, a man or Woman may be Humbled, and yet not at all Humble; Many people, that are very low in their condition, Yet, Oh! the pride of their Heart in their low condition, what vexing and fretting of Heart is there againſt the waies of Gods providence towards them, and diſpoſing of them? Now thou art in a low condition, and thy Heart vexing and froward, thy heart is not a whit low by thy condition. Many men that heretofore have been in a high condition, and God hath brought their eſtates lower, but not their hearts a whit, Oh, Happy, happy were it for thoſe Men and Women if he had brought their hearts low; this is the way to make Gods bringing them low in condition to be a great bleſſing to them. You that are marriners, when you meet with ſtorms and tempeſts, you would think it a very abſurd and fooliſh thing to have your top Gallent, and top ſailes ſpreading to the ful all open in a ſtorme, No, now you narrow your Sailes, and take them all in, and take them down when the ſtorm is up. Now this is a fooliſh condition of many that God pleaſeth to bring into a low condition, that when God cauſeth ſtorms and tempeſts to be upon a Soul, they keep up their ſailes ſtil, it is juſt indeed that they ſhould be drowned that will not pul down their Sails when the Lord cauſeth a grievous ſtorm to come upon them, how many that are in very low eſtate, and yet have extreame ſtubborn hearts, and ſtout Spirits, as ſtout and ſtubborn as ever before they were, they have envious Spirits at thoſe that are above them, becauſe others are not as low as themſelves, and have ſullen Spirits, and ſinking Spirits, and froward Spirits in their low condition, all theſe argues a great deal of pride, that though their condition is low, yet their hearts are not low, the Devils themſelves, they are low enough, they are caſt down to Hell it ſelf, and yet the proudeſt creatures that are, none ſo proude as the Devils are, and their pride appears much in their diſcontentedneſs, they are proude and diſcontented, and the moſt diſcontented ſpirit is the proudeſt Spirit; ſo that a man may be of a low condition, and yet not lowly in Heart, Learn of me, for I am Lowly in Heart, it is the Lowlineſs of Heart that Chriſt would have us Learn of him.
Secondly, A man may be Lowly in words, ſubmiſſive in words, and yet far from Lowlineſs in Heart, in Iſai. 29. 4. There you may ſee what ſome afflictions may work to make us Lowly in words, in expreſſions, And thou ſhalt be brought down; and ſhall ſpeak out of the ground, and thy ſpeech ſhall be low out of the Duſt, and thy voice ſhal be as of one that hath a Familiar Spirit, out of the ground, and thy ſpeech ſhall Whiſper out of the duſt, I will bring thee down ſaith God. Whereas in the time of mens proſperity, they ſpeak ſwelling words, as the Apoſtle Jude, 16. Speaks, Great words, high Words, when they are in the ruffe of their pride, and the height of their proſperitty, but you ſhal have many of theſe brave ſpirits, that have ſuch ſwelling words when they are in their jollity and proſperity, yet when God brings them down upon their ſick Beds, Oh, then they Whiſper and ſpeak low, as one out of the duſt, and then Oh! their words are very ſubmiſſive and yeilding, and will hearken to any thing that you ſay, I but yet for al this, their hearts are not brought down, their Hearts remaine as ſtiff as before, which appears by this that aſſoon as ever the hand of God is off from them, they are as ſtout and ſtubborn as ever before. So that there may be Lowlineſs in expreſſions, where there is not Lowlineſs in heart.
And again, many may be Low in Expreſſions of words in diſcommending themſelves, and yet be proud in heart, either in accuſing themſelves of ſuch things, as they hope others will not beleeve them, or denying ſuch things as they hope others wil contradict them in, you ſhal have many people that wil have a ſeeming kind of humility, and be ready to ſpeak very hard things of themſelves, and ſay, they are very poor weak people, and have but little ſtrength in them, and not fit for ſuch and ſuch imployments, and it is fit that others ſhould be choſen in thoſe imployments rather than themſelves, and they have wretched, and vile hearts, and when they come amongſt others they ſpeak of their vile wretched heart, and they cannot do thus and thus, and very large they will be in ſpeaking very ill of themſelves, and deny that they have any excellency as others have; and yet their hearts extreamly proud, which appears in this, becauſe if any body elſe ſhould be of their mind, they would be extreamly diſcontented, if any others ſhould ſay, O! God hath given you great Gifts, this pleaſeth them, whereas if others that are in Company and hear them charge themſelves to have ſuch vile and wretched hearts, and to ſay, they cannot do thus & thus. Suppoſe they ſhould be of the ſame mind, and they ſhould ſay, I thinke it is ſo, that you are a poor ſilly Creature, an ignorant Creature, and you have a very hard heart, and a proud and ſtubborn heart, now if any ſhould be of their mind, they would be angry with them and be diſpleaſed. Doth not this argue a great deal of pride of heart? I remember Bernard hath ſuch an expreſſion in his Books, ſaith he, if another ſhould accuſe me as I accuſe my ſelf, I were not able to bear it, he confeſſed this pride of his heart, though he did accuſe himſelf, yet if another ſhould ſay the ſame thing of him he were not able to bear it, and I am confident it would be fo with abundance of people, when they come in company and ſpeak thus of themſelves, it is but to fetch out commendations from them, that others might commend them, and they would be mightily diſpleaſed if others ſhould ſay of them that which they ſay of themſelves, in Prov. 17. 7. Excellent ſpeech becometh not a Fool, much leſs do lying lips a Prince. Now the words that are thus read in your Books, you may in another way read them, they ſeem to carry another expreſſion than is carried here, the word ſignifies Dignity; So Arius Montanus, The lips of Dignity becomes not a Fool, that is, it is not fit for one that is a Fool to ſpeak of excellent things, as if he had any excellent things in him, much leſs do lying lips a Prince, it is here, but the word doth not only ſignifie a Prince, but an Ingenious Man, a man that hath an excellency, and worth, ſo you may turn it, as a Lip of Dignity becomes not a Fool, ſo neither do lying Lips become one that hath an Excellency in him, one that is of an ingenious ſpirit, it is not for him to diſſemble, it is a very unſeemly thing for one that God hath given an excellency unto to diſſemble. In Job 13. 7. It is ſaid there, What wil you lie for God? wil you ſpeak that which is falſe even for God himſelf? will you ſpeak wickedly for God, and talk deceitfully for him? We are not to walk deceitfully, no, not for God, not for the Glory of God, though we ſhould think there might come the greateſt good from it, yet we muſt not do it, and therefore certainly not for our own praiſe, to fiſh out praiſe for our ſelves, this is to be lowly in words, but not in heart.
Somtimes we do not only diſcommend our ſelves in a feigned manner to others, but even to God alſo. How do we in prayer tel God how wretched & vile we are? and deſerve to be caſt into the nether moſt Hell, and what a wonderfull mercy it is, that we have the leaſt crumb of bread, and unworthy of the leaſt crumb of bread and drop of water, thus we ſpeak very lowly before God; and yet in the mean time have very proud, and ſtubborn hearts, this is not to be lowly in heart. Learn of me, not lowly words, not lowly ſpeeches ſo much, but learn of me to be lowly in heart.
Thirdly: There may be a lowly carriage where there is not a lowly heart, many that have very proud and haughty ſpirits, yet will in their carriages ſeem to be very affable, and courteous, and very ſweet, and very ſubmiſſive, and very yeilding: ſo that thoſe that are of weak ſpirits, they conclude, Oh, ſurely this man is a very humble man, he muſt needs be a very lowly man, mighty lowly, how ſweet, and affable, and courteous, and ſubmiſſive is his carriage? It is true, for to have lowlineſs in words and carriage is good, and where there is a lowly heart, there will be theſe in ſome meaſure or other, but yet theſe may be much without a lowly heart, there may ſeem to be an excellency in theſe, and yet no lowlineſs in heart: there may be a complementing to the ground, a man may be ready to put his hands upon your feet, and yet have a very haughty ſpirit. I will give you theſe Sriptures for it. In 2 Sam. 15. It is the example there of Abſolom, Abſolom we know, was a moſt deſperate proud ſpirited man, and he aſpired to the Kingdom, and was ſo ſet upon pride, that he did plot the very death of his own Father, of David, that he might get up to the Kingdom, and yet mark this Abſolom at verſe 5. And it was ſo, ſaith the Text, that when any man came nigh to him, to do him obeiſance, he put forth his hand, and took him, and kiſſed him, any man, the meaneſt man that came nigh to him to do him obeyſance, he would put forth his hand, and take him, and kiſs him, ſo at verſe 6. So Abſolom ſtole away the hearts of the men of Iſrael. A man by his deceitfulneſs this way, may ſteal away the hearts of ſimple people. Certainly, the men of Iſrael thought Abſolom a very humble and lowly man, and thought: O! might we but have this man Abſolom to be our King, how happy ſhould we be? and yet at this very time, the very heart of a Devill in him for pride. And another Scripture is that in Pſalm. 10. 10. He croucheth, and humbleth himſelf, that the poor may fall by his ſtrong ones. Who is that He? mark, it is the ſame that is ſpake of in verſe 2. The wicked in his pride perſecutes the poor. And again at verſe 4. The wicked through the pride of his countenance will not ſeek after God. And ye… at ver. 10. He croucheth and humbleth himſelf. He wil ſeek for his own Glory, and that his own ends may be brought about, he will crouch ſo low as you will have him, ſubmit to any thing though never ſo baſe and vile, rhat he may accompliſh his own ends. And therefore all thoſe that will ſubmit to very low things, you muſt not think preſently they a…e lowly in heart, a man may ſeem to be very lowly in words, and ſubmit to very low things for his own ends, but then he will be proud enough when once he hath got into the ſaddle, he will rule you then, he will tell you, he will do any thing in the w…rld you would have him to do, till once he gets power over you, and then is the time for the manifeſtation of the pride of his heart. But there may be lowly carriage, and not lowlineſs in heart.
Now thoſe that carry themſelves courteouſſy and lowly in carriage, and yet have proud hearts, you may judg of them.
Firſt: Their lowly carriage is to them that are at ſome diſtance from them, ſuch as they have n…t very much to do withall, you ſhall have many, that when they come abroad, and come into company with ſuch as they have not very much to deal withall, they will be very lowly in their carriage to them, but may be in their Family they will be dogged enough, perverſe enough, haughty enough, ſullen and ſurly enough, though very courteous and yeildable to any thing, and very ſweet unto others that are at a diſtance from them.
Secondly: They are lowly to Servants, or to thoſe that have not had any occaſion to croſs them, Oh! how ſweet is their carriage there, to people that never croſt them: But now come to any that croſs them, you ſhall find them as haughty, ſurly, and proud towards them, as any man whatſoever, if once they be croſt, try but ſuch as ſeem to be many times ſo ſweet in their carriage to you. I do not mean to croſs them wilfully, but obſerve them when they are croſt, and ſee what a difference there is between the affableneſs and ſweetneſs of carriage that is in them when all things pleaſe them, and when they come to be croſſed.
Thirdly: Their carriage is to thoſe that they may accompliſh their own ends by ſomthing or other that they would accompliſh, but if they have to deal with ſuch as no way can further any ends of theirs, they ſhall have no ſuch carriage from them, this is but to ſhew the diſtemper of the heart, there may be lowlineſs in carriage and not in heart: But do not think that I ſeem in the leaſt manner to diſcommend lowlineſs in carriage, it is comely in Chriſtians to be gentle one towards another.
Fourthly: There may be lowlineſs in habit, and yet not in heart, ſome will pleaſe themſelves in this, in going very meanly clad, and in all their outward Garb are very mean, and they think they will not be ſo proud as others are, ſo high and brave as others. It is true, there is a great deal of pride to be ſeen in outward habits, but alſo there may be a great deal of pride ſeen in lowlineſs of habit, as well as in brave habits. As there is a great deal of pride in following every vain faſhion, ſo certainly there may be much pride in a ſullen reſolution, that they will never wear any thing but thus and thus, in a fantaſtical ſingularity from other kind of people of their own rank, though never ſo holy▪ yet they will have a ſingular Garb of their own; this is out of fullenneſs, as no queſtion there is in many a …ullenneſs of reſolution, or a fantaſticall ſingularity, a ridiculous conceitedneſs, and ſtubbornneſs of ſpirit, that they will not alter their minds, that others muſt do as they do, and if every one do not wear the ſame Garb as they do, then they are proud, and themſelves only are humble. Now there may be in the fullenneſs of others an extream vanity of ſpirit and pride, and many of theſe think to honor Chriſtianity, whereas they do…hſhonor it hereby, if thou beeſt ſo weak as thou doſt not know what liberty thou haſt in the uſe of the Creature; Wilt thou judg others that do know? You muſt take heed of Pride, and ſingularity in thoſe things which you think to deny your ſelves. It was a ſpeech that Socrates had concerning Antiſthenes, ſaith he, I ſee the arrogancy of Antiſthenes through the holes of his Coat, he would go ragged, and with holes in his Coat, but ſaith he, I ſee the very arrogancy and pride of Antiſthenes through the holes of his Coat. And ſo when Diogenes came to Plato and he had a rich Bed, and Diogenes in his Cinickneſs and pride, tramples upon Platoes rich Bed, ſaying, I tread and trample upon the pride of Plato, I ſaith Plato, but it is with thy pride, it is pride that tramples upon this pride, it was the pride of his heart that did ſo diſdain that another ſhould have that he had not himſelf. There may be much vanity, and pride, and height of ſpirit, in lowlineſs of Garb and outward habit. But yet ſtil we ſhall come further to open the nature of Humility and the evil of pride that is contrary to it, and we ſhall come to diſcover the pride in Habits, and ſpeech, and the like, but only now to make way to what we ſhall come to, now to get in a little into the point that we may not miſtake what Chriſt would have us learn of him, when he ſaith, he would have us learn to be lowly in heart.
Fifthly: There may be a kind of lowlineſs of ſpirit which Chriſt diſavows, and which Chriſt would not have us learn of him, not only a lowlineſs of words & habit, but a lowlineſs of heart, that they muſt take heed of a baſe fordid ſpirit, that is as uncomely for a Chriſtian as any thing in the world. A Chriſtian, though he muſt have the lowlineſs of the heart of Chriſt, yet there is the lowlineſs of a baſe fordid ſpirit that is infinitly unbecoming the excellency of a Chriſtian. What is that baſe droſſy, low ſpirit of many people?
Firſt thus: It is a baſe fordid ſpirit to imploy themſelves in things beneath their Condition in which God hath ſet them: As for inſtance, ſuppoſe a Magiſtrate, or a Miniſter, ſhould fill a Dung-cart, and he ſhould plead thus, it is true, others are ſo proud they will not do it, but I am content to do the meaneſt thing, Is this a lowly heart? No, it is a baſe fordid heart, for men that are of any quality to mingle themſelves with poor mean things, to be in the Ditches, in places that are beneath them, to imploy themſelves in things that are beneath the condition that God hath ſet them in, this is not Humility but fordid and baſe ſpiritedneſs.
And then, when men likewiſe, ſhall ſeek low and mean things, and bleſs themſelves in things that are very low, and mean, and allow themſelves in them, as if ſo be they were enough to make them happy, when they ſhall feed upon others, as the Scripture ſpeaks of that Idolatry: And ſo wicked men when they ſhall feed upon aſhes, this is a baſe thing, for a man to have his belly cleave to the earth, to ſeek to ſcrape for a little of the world, and bleſs himſelf in this, and think himſelf a happy man if he can get a little money, and if he have a little applauſe in the world, this is that he placeth his happineſs in, and ſeeks after no higher good, and this he would be content ſhould be his portion, if he can get a little money together, and have Houſe and Lands; this is a low ſpirit, for one that profeſſeth himſelf a Child of God, for him to ſeek after the things of the world, and ſatisfie himſelfe in them, it is as if a Prince ſhould leave the Throne of his Father, and go and ſcrape in the Kennels, Wil you ſay, it is the Humility of a Prince? Were it the Humility of a Prince, to leave the Court, and all the Glory there, and thoſe excellent imployments about State affairs, and ſcrape in the Kennels? Were this the lowlineſs of a Prince? No, it were a baſe ſpirit. As I have heard of ſome great Heirs, when they have been yong, and ſtolen by Beggars, afterwards when they have been taken away from Beggars and put into good Cloaths, yet they have got ſuch a baſe ſpirit, that they would leave off all to put on Rags again, and go a begging. Thus the greateſt men, that ſeem to be lofty in their aims and deſigns, they have low ſpirits, for they do but ſcrape Kennels in this world, and with the Prodigall feed upon Husks and Swil: whereas the People of God, though they are to be lowly in heart, yet do aim at high things, to ſeek after eternity of Glory, to ſeek after a Crown, after Heaven, to ſeek after God himſelf, to live for ever with God in Glory, and though they are to acknowledg themſelves unworthy of the leaſt crumb of Bread, yet they are not to be ſatisfied with all the world for their portion, they are to have ſuch high Spirits, as not to ſatisfie themſelves with all the world for their portion. You will ſay, here is a high Spirit indeed, thus it is, nothing will ſatisfie him except he have the infinite God to be his portion. Your proud men, that are eſteemed to be the higheſt ſpirited, they will be ſatisfied with a little Muck in the world, but the Child of God hath ſuch a generous Spirit; that if God ſhould offer him the poſſeſſion of Heaven and Earth for his portion, he wou…d count a little pittance, and he would ſay, Lord, there are higher things that I look for to be my portion; and God is very well pleaſed that his people ſhould have ſuch high Spirits in that ſence, to ſeek after a Kingdome, to ſeek after Glory, and to think themſelves too good for a Luſt, for ſin to rule over them to think themſelves in a higher Condition, than that theſe poor, mean things ſhould be enough to be their portion, and their happineſs.
Thus I have only ſhewed you the Negative, what it is that Chriſt doth not mean, when he ſaith, Learn of me, for I am Meek, and lowly in heart, he means none of theſe five things.