Abrahams Humble Intercession for Sodom, Commentary on Genesis 18 · Verse 27
Verſe 27. —Which am but duſt and aſhes.
Doct. XIII. THat it becomes believing Suppliants to be very humble, and conſcious of their own vileneſs, when they pray before the Lord.
So does Abraham here abaſe himſelf, and lay himſelf low before the Lord in praying to him.
Thus the woman of Canaan did, ſhe fell at his feet, Mark 7.25. Thus Solomon did, he kneeled upon his knees, 1 Kin. 8.54. Thus humble was David, in offering to the building of the Temple, 1 Chro. 29.14, 16. Who am I, and what is my people, that we ſhould be able to offer ſo willingly after this ſort? See alſo 2 Sam. 7.18, 19. how humble he is in praying, after God had promiſed that Solomon ſhould build him an houſe, with many other promiſes that by Nathan he made to him and his people; Who am I, O Lord God? and what is my houſe, that thou haſt brought me hitherto? And this was yet a ſmall thing in thy ſight, O Lord God: but thou haſt ſpoken alſo of thy ſervants houſe for a great while to come, and is this the manner of man, O Lord God? Humility, as it becomes us at all times, and therefore we are commanded to be clothed with it, 1 Pet. 5.5. ſo then more eſpecially it becomes us, when we are to pray to him.
For opening of which Point, let me ſhew, 1. Wherein we are to expreſs Humility in Prayer to him. 2. Why. 3. The Ʋſes.
Queſt. 1. Wherein are we to expreſs humility?
Anſ. 1. In coming with awful reverence before him, thinking reverendly of his Reverend Name, Pſal. 111.9. and behaving our ſelves reverendly in his preſence, Pſal. 89.7. Men reverence the Thrones of Princes, and behave themſelves with great reverence before them when they ſue to them: ſo are we to do when we are to ſue to the Lord.
2. In humble ſpeeches to him of our own vileneſs. So Abraham did here; ſo Job did, Job 40.4. Behold, (ſayes he) I am vile. So Jacob did, Gen. 32.10. I am leſs then the leaſt of all the mercies, and of all the truth that thou haſt ſhewn to thy ſervant, &c. Humble ſpeeches to great men do become us; how much more do they when we come before the great God?
3. In taking ſhame to our ſelves: Thus did Ezra, Ezr. 9.6. I am aſhamed, and bluſh to lift up my face to thee my God. Thus did Daniel, Dan. 9.7, 8. O Lord, Righteouſneſs belongeth unto thee, but unto us confuſion of faces, &c. So they in Jer. 3.25. We lye down in our ſhame, and our confuſion covereth us, becauſe we have ſinned againſt thee. If ever an holy bluſh becomes us, then much more when we pray to him.
4. In humble geſtures, kneeling upon our knees as Subjects to our Prince: thus did Solomon, 1 King. 8.54. or ſtanding, as Servants to our Maſter, Luke 11.25. or ſmiting upon our breaſts, and caſting down our eyes, Luke 18.13. or falling upon our faces, or any bodily geſture expreſſing the humility of our ſpirits. We would count our ſelves unworthy to come into the Preſence of a King on earth, if we did not uſe humble geſtures before him: Oh how much more then ſhould we, when we uſe them not when we come before the Lord?
5. In humble behaviour in our Petitions to him in a beſeeching way: The Evangeliſt ſayes, that the woman of Canaan beſought Chriſt that he would caſt the devil out of her daughter: Thus Abraham beſought the Lord for Sodom: So the Text. Thus Jacob humbly prayed for deliverance from Eſau in a beſeeching way, Gen. 32.11, 12. So Daniel, Dan. 9.19. O Lord hear, O Lord forgive, O Lord conſider and do; defer not for thine own ſake, O my God. They that ſue to Princes are full of intreaties, much more ſhould we, when we come before the Lord.
6. In being afraid that we ſhould then provoke him to anger when we pray to him. Gen. 18.30, 32. Let not the Lord be angry, and I will ſpeak: ſo Gideon uſeth the ſame expreſſion, Judg. 6.39. [But of this I ſhall inlarge, when I come to ſpeak of thoſe words of Abraham.]
7. In ſelf-loathing, and ſelf-abhorrency, Ezek. 36.31. Job 42.6. This argues an humble heart, when we can loath our ſelves, and abhorre our ſelves by provoking of him.
Queſt. 2. Why are we thus to be humble in our addreſſes to him?
Anſ. 1. From the Lord. 2. From our ſelves. 3. From the Petitions we make to him.
Firſt, From the Lord. 1. He is a great God, and a great King above all gods, Pſa. 47.2. & 95.3. Mal. 1.14. I am a great King, ſaith the Lord of Hoſts: and does not humility then well become them, that come before ſuch a great One as he is?
2. He is our Maker, Pſal. 95.6, 7. and ſhould we not be humble before our Maker? He made us at firſt, and hath made us again, when we had defaced his firſt workmanſhip, 2 Cor. 5.15. and the ſecond gift is greater then the firſt. In prim… opere me mihi dedit, in ſecundo ſe: ſayes Bernard; and ſuch a Makers love is to be humbly adored.
3. He humbleth Himſelf exceedingly to us, Pſal. 113.5-9. and ſhould not we learn humility of him? Should the King be humble, and the Subjects proud?
4. He is ſo glorious, that the Angels cover their faces and feet before him, Iſa. 6.2. and if thoſe mighty ones, thoſe great Courtiers be ſo humble; how humble ſhould we be, that are vile duſt and aſhes?
5. He delights in humble ones, looks with an eye of favour to ſuch, Iſa. 66.2. and ſhould not this humble us in his ſight? Humble ſuiters with men are moſt in favor, much more with the Lord.
6. He hears the deſires of the humble, Pſa. 10.17. and therefore we may well think it behoves us to be humble.
7. He dwells with ſuch, Iſa. 57.15. he is familiar with them; and will not leave them, as men forſake not their dwellings.
8. He will ſave ſuch, Job 22.29. with a temporal and eternal ſalvation.
Secondly, From our ſelves. 1. We are low in our Original, Gen. 3.19. & 2.7. and it's good to think of that to abaſe us, and lay us low before him.
2. We are low in our condition whither we are to go, Eccleſ. 12.7. Job 25.6. and can we look at proud duſt without bluſhing?
3. We are viler then the vileſt of the creatures by reaſon of ſin, Job 40.4.
4. We are beggars, and humility well becomes ſuch, 1 Chron. 29.14, 16. Mat. 5.3.
5. We are his ſuppliants, Zeph. 3.10. and humility well becomes ſuch.
6. We are debtors, and they ſue humbly: ſo ſhould we, Mat. 6.11.
Thirdly, From the Petitions themſelves: 1. They are for great things, and therefore it becomes us to be humble in ſuing for ſuch great things. A portion in Chriſt, Inheritance in Heaven, Pardon of ſin, Peace of Conſcience, Fellowſhip with God, &c. theſe are great things.
2. They are for good things, Mat. 7.11. and we ſhould be humble in asking ſuch things. How good is the Favour of God, and Aſſurance of his Love, Juſtification? &c.
3. They are for rare things, that but a few partake of: we pray for Salvation, and that's a rare thing, there are few ſaved, Mat. 7.14.
4. They are wonderful things that we ask, Jer. 33.3. and ſuch things are to be humbly prayed for.
5. They are precious things that we ask; Chriſt, the holy Spirit, Grace, Glory: theſe are very precious things, and therefore we are to ask them humbly.
6. They are whatſoever we will that we may have a grant of; Matth. 21.22. Joh. 15.7. and therefore it well becomes us to ask ſuch things in an humble manner.
Ʋſe 1. for Information. 1. We ſee that they that are of a proud ſpirit when they come to pray before the Lord, cannot expect that their Prayers ſhould be accepted; for humility is that that God looks for, and that which well becomes us when we pray to him. Cloth of Gold does not better become a Prince, then humility does a Petitioner before the Lord. Humble ſuiters are the ſpeeders, Luke 18.13, 14. Pride is a Rag of the old man, and it is not comely to be ſeen in rags before ſuch a King as the Lord is.
2. We ſee a reaſon why Prayer is called Incenſe, Pſal. 141.2. Mal. 1.11. The Incenſe was to be beaten ſmall, Exod. 30.36. and by the beating of it very ſmall, was ſhadowed out the humility and contrition of our hearts in Prayer.
3. We ſee that Confeſſion of ſin is one of the chief ingredients that Prayer is to conſiſt of, for therein we chiefly humble our ſelves in coming before the Lord in Prayer, Lev. 20.40, 41, 42. Solomon ſpeaks much of it in his Prayer, 1 Kin. 8. and we cannot be too ſerious in it.
4. We ſee that Popiſh Prayers according to the number of their Beads, which they do ſo glory in, are of no account with God, becauſe they truſt in them, and come not from the humility of their hearts; for He reſiſteth the proud, but gives grace to the humble, 1 Pet. 5.5. The more humble we be when we pray, the more acceptance we may expect from him, Pſal. 10.17.
5. We ſee that without faith there's no putting up an humble Prayer. Abrahams faith made him pray ſo humbly: So that woman of Canaans faith was that that humbled her heart in Prayer, that ſhe fell at Chriſts feet. It was the Centurions faith that made him confeſs that he was not worthy that Chriſt ſhould come under his Roof, and that he was not worthy to come to him, Luke 7.6, 7. Faith is an humbling grace, and the more of it we bring with us in Prayer, the more humility decks that Prayer.
6. We ſee a reaſon of that in Pſal. 51.17. The ſacrifices of God are a broken ſpirit, &c. and that in Pſal. 34.18. The Lord is nigh to them that are of a broken heart: It muſt needs be ſo, for they pray in humility of heart before him.
7. We ſee that they that are truly godly cannot but be humble in Prayer, it is their property, and they look at it as their duty ſo to be.
8. We ſee that they that flant it in their Prayers with quaint words, and curious expreſſions, they know not what faith and godlineſs mean: it's ill in Preaching ſo to do, 1 Cor. 2.1, 2, 4. but much worſe in Prayer. Eloquent Beggars are not regarded by men, much leſs flanting Beggars before the Lord.
Ʋſe 2. for Reproof: 1. Of thoſe that uſe ſuch geſtures in Prayer, as ſavour not of humility and reverence, ſitting, ſleeping, gazing upon vain objects; ſome have much to anſwer for the two latter: both which argue high contempt of God, and (being frequent) great profaneneſs of heart.
2. Againſt thoſe that confeſs not their own vileneſs and unworthineſs, nor ſo abaſe themſelves as humble Suppliants ought.
Ʋſe 3. for Exhortation, To pray in humility.
Motives.
1. Such are juſtified ones, and thereby exalted, Luke 18.13, 14.
2. Such gather upon God, and gain upon him, Gen. 18. from 24, to 33. as Abraham.
3. Such ſhall have difficult things done for them, Mark 9.24.-29.
4. Such ſhall be ſaved out of all their troubles, Pſal. 34.6.
5. Such are the friends of God, Jam. 2.23.
Helps.
1 Be apprehenſive of Gods greatneſs.
2 Grow in faith: nothing humbleth us more then it.
3 Look to the multitude of our debts.
4 Be poor in Spirit: ſuch pray humbly.
5 Be ſenſible of the Lords mercy: we are never more humble, then when moſt apprehenſive of that.
6 Gather what we can againſt our ſelves daily.
Ʋſe 4. for Examination, whether we pray in humility.
Marks.
1 Humility is free and full in confeſſing particular ſins, 1 Chron. 21.17.
2 It aggravates ſin, Ezra 9.6, 7, 13.
3 It changeth all ſorts with ſin, Dan. 9.7, 8, 10, 11.
4 It bears hard words (Matth. 15.27.) from others.
5 It layes load upon our ſelves, Pſal. 73.22.
6 It makes us ſilent before the Lord, Job 40.4, 5.
7 It makes us loath and abhorre our ſelves, Ezek. 36.31. Job 42.6.