Chapter VIII

Of Humility

Our  savior has so often pronounced the humblest, the greatest in the kingdom of heaven. He has so often promised the greatest exaltation to the lowest  condescensions.  He was Himself so illustrious an example of lowliness of heart, of poverty of spirit and the apostle has so expressly affected his Joy and crown to be the reward of his humility, that I can never think. Man can never rise to a more eminent height than that to which the imitation of this virtue of Christ  will advance him.

 The more perfect therefore man is, the more humble must he be too: The more he knows God, the nearer he is admitted into communion with Him, the more plainly will he discern at how infinite distance he stands from the divine majesty and purity and will prostrate himself even into dust and ashes before Him.  The perfect man admires, adores, obeys, loves, relies, trusts and resigns up himself and all  that is dear to him to God.  He is nothing in his own eyes; he pretends to nothing, he lays claim to nothing or any other title, than that of the goodness and bounty of  God.  Whatever virtues he has, he ascribes them to the grace of God and the glory and immortality he expects, he expects only as the gift of God through Jesus Christ our Lord.   And whatever he be in himself, he compares not himself with others, but he proves his own work,“ that he may have rejoicing in himself alone and not in another. Nothing but zeal for God, or charity for man can put him upon the asserting his own service but when he glories, it is like St.. Paul in his infirmities that the power of Christ may rest upon him.

 Need I here insiston the fruit of humility? Surely it is conspicuous to every one that thinks at all. Great is the peace and rest of the humble soul here and great will be his glory hereafter. He who loves not the world nor the things ofit, the lust  of the flesh,  the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life enjoys a perpetual calm and serenity of mind. There is nothing that can breed in him uneasy desires and fears. He is fixed on an immutable and perfect good and he that now quits all for God shall one day participate of the fullness of God and that for ever.

Need I invite and exhort man to humility? Need I guard him against spiritual pride? One would think it were altogether useless to attempt it.  Is it possible that the creature should think himself so independent of his creator, that he should be able to pay Him more service than were due to Him? Is it possible that man should set such a rate upon his own righteousness, as to think it capable of deserving the utmost rewards that an infinite God can bestow upon him?  Is it possible in a word, that man, poor, frail, sinful man that can do nothing that is good, but by the assistance of divine grace, man, depraved and corrupted in his nature and, but a very ill husband of grace; is it possible, I say, that man should be proud towards God, towards that glorious and incomprehensible being, who is the creator and Lord,  the Monarch and Patron, the God and father of heaven and earth? But as absurd as this is, universal experience teaches us that humility, true humility is a hard lesson and that veryexcellent persons are not out of the danger of falling into elation of mind. In order therefore to promote the one, and secure us against the other, I will propose two or three considerations.

 1.  There never was mere man yet that  did  not fall short of his duty.

 2.   Man is the creature of God, depends upon Him and has received all from him and therefore let him do the    

       utmost he can, he does no more than his duty.

3.    God stands in no need of our service; and it is our own, not his interest we promote by it

1.  There  never was mere man yet, that did not fall short of his duty. For Proof of this, Iwill not try to original corruption, or sins of infirmity.  Alas, I need not:  The Apostle Rom. i, ii and iii lays the foundations of justification by faith in the universal defection and depravation of mankind.  They are altogether gone out of the way, there is none that doth good, no not one.  And what sins he there charges the world with, the catalogue he gives us of them will inform us.   But are we no better than they?  I answer, the light of the gospel and the preventing grace of God has undoubtedly given a great check to the progress of sin in the world.  But since no man can be justified but through faith in the blood of Jesus, it is plain that we too must be concluded under sin.   And though our sins may not in number equal theirs, yet we ought to remember too, that every sin is the more provoking, the greater the grace is which it resists and despises.

But what need I compare ourselves with the Jew or gentile?   What need I prove by argument and authority that no man ever yet lived without sin?   Whoever yet looked back diligently into his past life and did not meet with stains and deformities enough?  When I consider what legions of sins are ranged wide those two banners of the devil, the filthiness of the flesh and of the spirit, when I call to mind envy, discontent, murmuring, distrust, pride, covetousness, ambition, willfulness, contention, forwardness, passion, dissimulation, falsehood, flattery and a thousand other sins and when I reflect upon the propensions of nature, and the almost innumerable temptations to which we are exposed, I must confess.  I am not at all surprised to think that no flesh can be justified in the sight of God by a covenant of works.  And whenever I find any upon a death bed, as I do some, acquitting themselves from the guilt of any deliberate wickedness, I rather admire their ignorance and partiality, than their innocence.  And yet, after all, a good man is not to examine himself only concerning the evil that he has done, but also concerning the good which he has omitted. He must enquire how far he has fallen short of that purity of heart, which he ought to have come up to: And how far he has been wanting in those duties which a thorough zeal would have pushed him on to. And when be has done this, let him be proud if he can.

 2. Man is the creature of God, depends upon Him, and has received all from Him,  and therefore let him do the utmost he can, he does no more than his duty:- And strictly speaking cannot merit of Him. He that will pretend to merit, must be his own master, he must have a right over his own actions; he must be free to dispose of his affections and services as he pleases. For if he be antecedently bound, if he have no right to dispose of himself, or anything he is possessed of, it is plain such an one cannot merit. And this is the, direct case between God and man.   God is the great Lord, the proprietor of heaven and earth. He that gives alms, does but restore part of what GOD lent him: He that takes patiently the loss of goods, or health, or friends, does but give back what he had no right to retain: He was but tenant at will and had no right to anything longer than God thought fit to continue it. And in all other instances of duty the case will be still plainer. If he worship God there is infinite reason that he should; for he depends upon Him for his being and preservation. If he love God never so much, God has deserved much more than he can pay Him: Not only the enjoyments of life, but even life itself, being derived from Him. From this argument it will follow that it is impossible for a creature to merit of its creator.   Angles themselves never could.  For might it not be said with as much truth concerning them, as concerning man, who made thee to differ?  Or what hast though which thou didst not receive?  And if thou hast received it, why dost thou boast as if thou  hadst not received it?  1 Cor. iv 7.

And the same may be concluded concerning Adam in paradise.  For I demand, had he kept the covenant of God,  had he done this by divine grace, or by his own strength?   If by the grace of God, as divines generally hold, then may we apply the expression of St. Augustine to Adam, as well as to any one now under the dispensation of the gospel.   That when God rewards the works of man, he does only crown in him his own gifts.   But suppose he had done this by his own natural strength, were not the endowments of nature as much the gifts of God, as the endowments of Grace?  The one were natural, the other supernatural gifts.  Both gifts still though of a different kind.   If it be here objected, if this be so, how comes St. Paul to affirm, to him that worketh as the reward due, not of grace, but of debt?  Rom iv 4.

Answer.  First, God seems, when he enters into covenant with man, to suspend the natural right which he has over him as his creature and to transact with him as free and master of himself:  But this is all infinite condescension.  Secondly, It seems unsuitable to the infinite goodness of God, to bereave man of the life and happiness he has once conferred upon him, unless he forfeits it by some demerit.  The gifts and calling of God are without repentance, nor can I think how death which has so much evil in it, could have entered the world, if sin had not entered in it first. In this sense, unsinning obedience gives a kind of right to the continuance of those good things, which are at first the mere effects of divine bounty.

Lastly, a covenant of works being once established, it is plain, that as sin forfeits life, so obedience must give a right to it: And as the penitent could not be restored, but by an act of grace, so he that commits no sin, would need no pardon. But then life itself, and an ability to work righteousness, must be owing to grace antecedent to the covenant: And so such an one would have whereof to boast comparatively, with respect to others who fell; but not before God. The sum of all is, man has nothing to render to God, but  he has received from Him: And therefore can offer Him nothing but his own which is no good foundation for merit. But suppose him absolute master of himself; suppose him holding all things independent of God: Can the service of a few days merit immortality, angelical perfection and a crown? He must be made up of vanity and presumption, that dares affirm this.

 3.  God stands in no need of our service and it is our own, not his interest we promote by it. The foundation of merit amongst men is impotence and want. The prince wants the service and tribute of the subject;  the subject,  the protection of the prince. The rich needs the ministry and the labor of the poor; the poor support and maintenance from the rich. And it is thus in imaginary, as well as real wants. The Luxury and pleasure of one must be provided for and supported by the care and vigilance of others: And the pomp and the pride of one part of the world, cannot subsist, but on the servitude of the other.  In these cases therefore, mutual wants create mutual rights and mutual merit.

But this is not the case between God and man.    God is not subject to any wants or necessities nor is his glory or happiness capable of diminution or increase. He is a Monarch, that needs no tribute to support his grandeur, nor any strength but his own, to guard his throne.  If we revolt, or rebel, we cannot injure Him: If we be loyal and obedient, we cannot profit him. He has all fullness, all perfection in Himself.  He is an almighty and all sufficient God. But on the quite contrary, though God have no wants, we have many:  And though his majesty and felicity be subject to no vicissitude, we are subject to many. Our service to God therefore is, our own interest and our obedience is designed to procure our own advantage. We need, we daily need his support and protection; we depend entirely on his favor and patronage. In Him we live, and move, and have our being, and from Him, as from an inexhaustible fountain, we derive all the streams of good, by which we are refreshed and improved. To know, and love Him is our wisdom; to depend upon Him, our happiness and security; to serve and worship Him, our perfection and liberty; to enjoy Him will be our heaven and those glimpses of his presence, which we are vouchsafed through the spirit in this life are the pledges and foretaste of it. This is the constant voice of scripture.   Every good gift, and every perfect gift is from above and cometh down from the father of lights.  Jam. 1. 17.    If I were hungry, I would not tell thee, for the world is mine, and the fullness thereof.  Will I eat the flesh of the bulls, or drink the blood of goats?  Offer unto God thanks giving and pay thy vows unto the most high.  And call upon me in the day of trouble, I will deliver thee and thou shalt glorify me.  Psalm 1. 12, 13.