Imágenes de página
PDF
ePub

good Event and Iffue in both, than Humility and Lowliness of Mind; therefore

The Epiftle for this Day cautions us against the one, and earnestly exhorts to the other. To which end, it begins, First, With a general Exhortation to mutual Subjection and Condefcenfion to each other, in these words, All of you be fubject one to another. There is a more particular Subjection due from Inferiours to Superiours, which confifts in honouring their Perfons, and obeying their Laws: and this is frequently requir'd in Holy Scripture; Let every Soul be fubject to the Higher Powers, faith St. Paul, Rom. 13. I. And put them in mind (faith he to Titus) to be fubject to Principalities and Powers, and to obey Magiftrates; Tit. 2. 1. Wherefore ye must needs be fubject, not only for Wrath, but for Confcience fake; Rom. 13. 8. with many other places to the fame purpofe. This Subjection is to be paid only to Princes, and other Magiftrates commiffion'd by them, whom God hath invested with his own Power to rule and govern thofe committed to their charge.

But there is another and more general kind of Subjection, that concerns all Men, Superiours, Inferiours, and Equals; who are all requir'd in fome fenfe to be fubject one to another: The younger are to fubmit to the elder, and the elder are to direct, counfel, and affift the younger; and Men of all Ranks and Stations are to condefcend to good Offices, and be helpful one to another: there is none fo high, but may and ought to ftoop for the good of thofe beneath him; and there is none fo low, but may be ferviceable to those above them. There is that mutual Dependence of each of these upon the other, that neither of them can fay, I have no need of thee; for they all stand in continual need of Help and Affiftance from one another : and therefore all of them ought to be fo far fubject, as to be ready to all good Offices for one another. Of this Chrift himself hath given us an Example; for tho he were Lord of all, yet he took upon him the Form of a Servant, and stoop'd fo low as to wash his Difciples Feet, merely to teach us to do likewife. There are fome, and those many times of very mean Rife and Rank, that affect more Power, and affume to themselves more Honour than belongs to them; they would fain be feen and thought to be fomebody, which makes them oftimes Bufy-bodies in other Mens matters, and Medlers in things which they neither understand, nor appertain to them: as if they had all Wisdom, Vol. IV. Part 2.

K

and

and none had Wit enough to do their own business without their Advice. Such as thefe are fo far from being fubject, that they would top their Superiours, thinking themselves wifer than their Teachers or Governours; and fo take upon them to nofe and controul their Betters. To these efpecially the Apostle gives this Caution, All of you be subject one to another: that is, inftead of afpiring or ufurping Power over others, let each of you efteem others better than your felves, and rather put your felves under, than lift your felves above them. Our Bleffed Saviour finding fome of his Difciples contending for Preheminence, and ftriving who amongst them fhould be greateft, fharply rebuk'd their Va nity, faying, He that would be greatest among you, let him be as the younger; and he that is chief, as he that doth ferves adding, that he himself was among them, as one that ferveth. Luke 22. 26, 27. Now,

This Subjection of one to another, is by St. Peter here explain'd and exprefs'd by Humility; All of you be subject one to another, and be clothed with Humility. Where 'twill be requifite to fhew, what this Humility is, what it is to be cloth'd with Humility, and likewife what Influence it hath in making Men fubject one to another.

For the firft, Humility is a Vertue, that confifts not in wearing old Clothes, or in any affected Garbs of Austerity or Mortification; for a Beggar may be prouder in his Rags, than a good Chriftian in finer and more fashionable Attire: but Humility lies in the Heart, and confifts in fuch a low and mean Opinion of our felves, as keeps us from overvaluing of our felves, or undervaluing of others.

There is indeed a Branch of Humility, that refpects our Carriage towards God; and that confifts in fuch a deep Senfe of our own Vileness, compar'd with the infinite Greatness of God, as makes us to abhor our felves, and adore our Maker.

But the Humility we are here exhorted to, refpects our Carriage towards Men, and lies in fubduing all thofe vain and high Thoughts of our felves, as caufe us to overlook and neglect our Duty to others: And fo 'tis oppos'd to Pride, or fuch an overweening Conceit of our felves, as is apt to lift Men up, and makes them to defpife others, tho many times better than themfelves. Whereas Humility confilts in having low and mean Thoughts of our felves, and being content that others fhould have the fame of us; not arrogantly affuming Honour to our felves, but in honour Preferring one another.

But

But what is it to be clothed with Humility? The word in the Original is youßerade, which fignifies the putting on of a Coat or Garment peculiar to Servants, by wearing whereof, as by a Livery, they were diftinguifh'd from others, and known to whom they belong'd: The Expreffion gives us to understand, that Humility is the Badg or Cognizance of a good Chriftian; and to be cloth'd with it, is to wear Chrift's Livery, and to be known to be his Difciples: for he himself was meek and lowly in Heart, Mat. 11. 28. and would have the fame Mind to be in us, as was in him, to stoop even to the Form of a Servant; Phil. 2. In to ken whereof, we are to put on Humility as a Mark of Chrift's Followers, and that too not as a loofe Garment, that may be put off again, and laid afide at pleasure; but fo to be cloth'd with it, as never to change, or be uncloth'd again for Humility is a Garment, which tho it may look bare or coarfe, yet will never wear out, or be out of fafhion; for no Garb is fo becoming, or renders us more amiable in the fight of God or Man. 'Tis indeed the best of all Garments, for 'twill keep us warm in all Times and Conditions; 'tis not only Clothing, to guard us from Cold and Nakedness, but like a Coat of Mail defends us from all Affaults of our Enemies. In a word,

Humility is a Garment that anfwers all the Neceffities, and fecures from all the Dangers of the Soul: 'tis an Ornament in fair Weather, and a Safeguard in foul; for it adorns Profperity, and fuccours in Adverfity. It enamels other Vertues, and like Charity covers a multitude of Sins. And therefore above all things we fhould be clothed with Humility; or, as the word fignifies, be fo girt about with it, as never to part with, or depart from it.

But what Influence hath this Vertue in making Men fubject one to another? Why, much every way: for as Pride lifts Men up in their Thoughts above others, and fo they come to defpife and look down with Contempt upon thofe they think beneath them, by which it occafions great Dif order and Disturbance in the World; fo Humility, on the other hand, makes Men low in their own eyes, by which they become yielding and condescending to another, and fo hush up many Quarrels and Contentions. Solomon tells us, that 'tis the proud Heart that firreth up Strife, and only by Pride cometh Contention: whereas Humility leads to Peace, and puts Men upon the ftudy of Quiet, by doing their own Business, without meddling or interpofing in the Af

K 2

fairs

[ocr errors]

fairs of others. It keeps down the Swelling and Impofthu mation of the Mind, whereby Men become troublesom to themselves and others: it will not fuffer Men to think more highly of themfelves than they ought to think, but to think foberly, according as God hath given to every one the meafure of Faith: which tends mightily to the Quiet, Safety, and Order of the World. In fhort, this Grace will render Men true Lovers, Friends, and Servants of Mankind; and inftead of being lifted up, will make them fubject one to another. Which fhould teach us to wear this Badge, and above all other Garments to be cloth'd with Humility. And that becaufe, as St. Peter adds in the next words,

God refifteth the Proud, and giveth Grace to the Humble. The proud Heart refifteth God, and like Lucifer fets it felf against the Moft High: The Ungodly is fo proud (faith the Pfalmift) that he careth not for God; yea, that he defpifeth him, and faith, Who is the Lord? And this makes God the proud Man's profefs'd Enemy, he hates and refifts him, and how can any bear up against fo mighty an Adversary? Well might the Wifeman declare, that Pride goeth before Deftruction, and a haughty Spirit before a Fall Prov. 16. 18. And ver. 5. Every one that is proud in Heart, is an Abomination to the Lord, and the hand join in hand, yet hall they not go unpunish'd. An Inftance hereof we have in Pharaoh, whofe Pride God Almighty refifted and chaftiz'd with fundry forts of Judgments. Nebuchadnezzar too, for exalting himfelf above God, was degraded below the Dignity of Men, and was turn'd a grazing among the Beafts of the Field. Herod, for affuming to himself the Honour that was due to God only, was eaten up of Worms: and none ever refifted God, but forely fiarted for it. And this may fhew us both the Folly and Danger of Pride; for if they who refift earthly Powers fall receive to themselves Damnation, what dreadful Punishments must attend them, who proudly refift the Powers of Heaven? But tho God refifteth the Proud, yet

He giveth Grace to the Humble, he fets himself against the one, and always appears for the other. He delights to fhew Mercy and Favour to the Humble, and none rife higher in the Opinion of God and Man, than they that are loweft in their own; for God is pleas'd to dwell with the Meek and Lowly, and to take up his abode with the humble and contrite Spirit: and fure they can want no Grace or

Favour,

Favour, or any good thing, where God himfelf vouchsafes to refide with his Holy Spirit,

Humble your felves therefore (faith our Apoftle) under the mighty Hand of God, that he may exalt you in due time. Submit your felves unto God, and thofe he hath fet over you; and likewife be fubject to one another in all Humility, that ye may efcape the Refiftance of the mighty Hand of his Power and Juftice, and receive the Affiftance that will be reach'd out to you by the Hands of his Mercy. Mind not high things, but condefcend to Men of low Eftate, and then God in his due time will exalt and reward your Humility; for Pride is ever attended with a Fall, and Humility with Rifing: this being the first Step that mounts to Honour, 'tis the Root and Foundation of all other Graces, and upon that alone may we fafely build our Hopes of Glory.

But because you may meet with fome Difficulties and Difcouragements in the lower Ground of Humility; for where the Stile is low (we fay) every one is apt to go over; therefore the Apoftle, in the next words, wills you not to be difmay'd, but to caft all your Care upon God, who careth for you. Some indeed may interpret your Humi lity to be only a Pufillanimity or Bafenefs of Mind, and mifcall a humble Perfon, by the odious Name of one of a low, mean, and abject Spirit; and fo he may be apt to be infulted, abus'd, and affronted by infolent and haughty Men: but St. Peter here directs them not to be anxiously careful or concern'd about fuch Matters, but to refer all to the Guidance and Goodness of God, who will take a particular care of them, and not fuffer any thing to befal them, but what may in the end tend to their Welfare. Chrift himfelf endur'd the Reproaches and Contradiction of Sinners; the Apostles went thro good Report and bad Report, through Honour and Difhonour, and have told us of Scoffers in the latter days, walking after their own Lusts: and therefore we should not be troubled or difcourag'd at thofe things, that have befallen the Son of God, and the beft of Men; efpecially confidering, that all things fhall work together for good to them that love God, and live by his Laws.

Furthermore, becaufe the Devil, who fell by Pride, is ftill tempting and drawing us into the fame Condemnation, therefore St. Peter, in the next Verfe, advifes us to be fober and vigilant, because our Adverfary the Devil, as a roaring

K 3

Lion

« AnteriorContinuar »