Obrazy na stronie
PDF
ePub

it seem fine while it hangs or lies by, it appears far better when it is put on.

The rules the Apoftle is to give, he prefaces thus, For I fay, through the grace given to me, I speak as the Meffenger or Apoftle of Chrift, according to that knowledge and experience that he hath given me of these things; and fo take it, as from one that hath fome interest in, and fhare of, these graces I recommend to you: And this, indeed, makes recommendations carry home. Oh! that we could truly fay this. Alas! it is an uncomfortable, and commonly an unprofitable, thing to speak of Chrift, and the graces of his Spirit, only as having heard of them, or read of them, as men that travel, in their studies, do of foreign countries.

Aia тns xagitos. The Apoftle reprefents this, to add the more authority, and gain the more acceptance, to what he had to fay; and for this end, fome care is to be had of the good opinion of people, fo far as their interest is concerned, that the meffage we bring be not prejudged; otherwise, this truly fet afide, it were little matter how we were mistaken or despised; yea, it were a thing fome way defirable; only provided nothing be done on purpose, that may justly, yea, or that may probably, procure it; for that both piety and charity forbids.

To every man.] This is more preffing than if he had faid fimply, to you, or generally, to you all; for in men's talking of things, it proves often too true, quod omnibus, nemini; but to every one, that each one fuppose it spoke to him, as an ingenious picture looking to each in the room. Thus we ought to speak, and thus ye ought to hear. We to speak, not as telling fome unconcerning ftories, but as having bufinefs with you; and you to hear, not each for another, as you often do, "Oh! such a paffage touched such an "one," but each for ourfelves.

The first particular the Apostle recommends, is, that gracing grace of humility, the ornament and the

fafety

fafety of all other graces, and which is fo peculiarly Chriftian. Somewhat philofophers fpeak of temperance, juftice, and other like virtues, but these rather to blow up and fwell the mind with big conceit and confidence of itself, than to dwell together with self-abasement and humility: But in the school of Christ, the first leffon of all is, felf-denial and humility; yea, it is written above the door, as the rule of entry or admiffion, Learn of me, for I am meek and lowly of heart, Matth. xi. 29. And, out of all queftion, that is truly the humbleft heart that hath most of Chrift in it.

Not to think highly.] Not afpiring and intending in things too high: And a great point of humility is fubjection to God in the point of knowledge: in this was our first climbing that proved our fall; and yet ftill, amidst all our ignorance and darkness, we are catching and gaping after the deadly fruit of unallowed knowledge.

This, withal, hath in it the attempering of our thoughts and practices to our measure and station; to know ourselves truly and thoroughly; for that will certainly beget a very low efteem of ourselves, to judge ourselves the unworthieft and meanest of all.

And having truly this estimate of ourselves, we shall not vainly attempt any thing above our reach, nor difdainfully neglect any thing that is within the compafs of our calling and duty, which are the two evils so common among men, yea, even amongst Christians, and in the church of God, and are the cause of most of the enormities and diforders that fall out in it; it is a ftrange blindness, that they that do grofsly miscarry in the duties of their own ftation, yet fo readily fancy themselves capable of fomewhat higher, and think themselves wronged, if it be refused them.

The self-knowing Chriftian would rather descend, and find himself very difproportioned to his present station, be it never so mean; he can fay with David, Lord, my heart is not haughty, nor mine eyes lofty;

neither

1

[ocr errors]

neither do I exercise myself in great matters, or in things too high for me, Pfal. cxxxi. I. But vain minds would ftill be tampering with the greatest affairs, and dwell not with themselves. Oh! my brethren, be entreated to ftudy your own hearts better; be lefs abroad in things that concern you not; there is work enough within you; heaps of bafe lufts, and felf-deseits, and follies, that you fee not yet; and many advantages of good things you feem to fee in yourselves, that indeed are not there: Self-love is a flattering glass, which represents us to ourselves much fairer than we are; therefore, turn from it, if you defire a true account of yourselves, and look into the pure and faithful mirror of God's law. Oh! what deformities will that discover, that you never faw nor thought of before, and will make you the lowest of all perfons in your own eyes.

The low felf-efteem doth not wholly take away the fimple knowledge of what gifts and graces God hath bestowed on a man; for that were to make him both unthankful and unufeful. He that doth not know what God hath freely given him, cannot return praise to God, nor make ufe of himself for God in his ftation * ; yea, the Apostle's caution intimates a fober, humble reflection on the meafure God hath given a man, which he not only allows but requires: and himself gives example of it in his own prefent expreffion, declaring, that he speaks these things through the grace that is given to him.

But this knowledge of a man's own gifts and graces, that it may not prejudge him of more, but help him to more, in the humble acknowledgment and use of what he hath, would have these two qualifications: 1. That he beware of over-weening, rather that he take his measure much below, than any whit beyond, what he truly hath. 2. That whatsoever it is, that he always look on 'it not as his own, but as God's, having his fuperfcription on it, and all the VOL. II. 3 G

[blocks in formation]
[ocr errors]

glory

glory of it being his peculiar tribute; nothing of that to be interrupted or retained: Not unto us, Lord; not unto us, but unto thy name give glory, Pfal. cxv. I. ftill all the glory entirely fent up to him: Thus, here, the Apostle fets all grace in that view, as God bath difpenfed the meafure; and fo fpeaks of his own, through the grace given to me; ftill fo to be looked on, not as that we have, but that he hath given; that is, the gospel ftyle, grace, free gifts, xagis, xagiouara; whereas philofophy speaks of all as habits, or havings, or poffeffions.

Now, in that relative dependent notion of freely given, a man fhall never be puffed up by any endowments, though he fee and know them; yea, the more he knows them thus, will be the more humble still, as being the more obliged. The more he hath received, the greater they are; the lower he bows, preffed down under the weight of his engagements to God; as Abraham, Gen. xvii. 3. fell on his face, when God talked with him, and made fo rich promifes to him. See David's ftrain, 1 Chron. xxix. 14. But who am I, and what is my people, that we should be able to offer fo willingly after this fort? for all things come of thee, and of thine own have we given thee. Thus, the Apoftle gives, as the fovereign preventative against the swelling poison of felf-conceit, What baft thou that thou didst not receive? 1 Cor. iv. 7.

He that is thus regulated in his own esteem, will by this certainly be moderated in his defire of esteem from others, and cannot well meet with any thing that way, that will either puff him up, or caft him down; if over-prized by others, he takes that as their miftake; if undervalued, he rejoices in that, having fet himself fo low in himself, that others cannot well fet him lower: So when men account meanly of him, they are really of his own opinion; and you know that offends none, but pleases them rather, to have others agree with their opinions, and be of their mind.

They

They that are busy after reputation, and would be efteemed, are but begging voices; would have others think with them, and confirm the conclufion they have already resolved on, in favours of themselves; and this is a moft foolish thing; for, disappointed in this, men are difcontented, and fo their peace hangs on others fàncies; and, if fatisfied with it, they furfeit and undo themselves with the delight of it. Bees fometimes kill themfelves with their own honey; and there is such a word to this purpose, Prov. xxv. 27. It is not good to eat much honey; fo for men to fearch their own glory, is not glory.

Ver. 4, 5. For as we have many members in one body, and all members have not the fame office; fo we, being many, are. one body in Chrift, and every one members one of another.

In this confideration we have God's wifdom manifested, and are inftructed what is our wifdom. He, in the great world, made all in weight, number and measure; fo in the leffer world, man, and in the new world, his Church, he proportions all to the use he hath defigned them for. He could give more to them that have leaft than the very greatest have, but he thought this unfit; it might be fome advantage to them, yet to the whole body not fo; and therefore not truly fo to them neither, being parts of it, and having their good involved in the good of the body.

1

This resemblance is often ufed in Scripture, and holds excellently well, but is little learned. Our temper and carriage correfpond not to it. Who is there almost that finds it, the Spirit of Christ in them, knitting them to him as the common head, and one to another, as one in him, each bufy to advance him, and to feek his glory, and to promote the good of one another? But alas! rather each for felf, accurfed felf, as of an independent divided fubftance; yea worse, hating and tearing one another; a monftrous fight, as if one limb of the fame body should be pulling

another 1

[ocr errors]
« PoprzedniaDalej »