The apostle goeth on inculcating and pressing the same duty
upon them; and lest they should rest in external exercises, he useth a word
which more properly implieth the inward acts of the soul. Observe, from the
context: -
Obs. It is not the outward expressions that God looketh after in
mourning, but the humble heart. God, that is a spirit, doth not reckon so much
of bodily exercise. Tears, and cries, and beating of the body may all be
counterfeit, or else done without a principle of grace; and many times there
may be inward humiliation where a dry brain doth not yield tears. Godly sorrow
doth not always keep the road, and vent itself by the eyes. Papists place much
in tears and afflicting the body. The spirit-work is the more difficult; old
wine and old bottles may well agree together, but not new wine and old bottles.
Duties that require much spirit and soul-acts are too strong for weak men. I
allude to Christ's expression concerning spiritual fasting, Mat ix. 15, 16. Old
carnal hearts cannot endure the rigour of such spiritual duties. Well, then, in
your first duties see that ye do not only mourn and weep, but humble your
souls. When ye confess sins, it is not words and tears that God looketh after,
but a deep shame and feeling of the evil of your natures, iniquities of life,
and defects in obedience. When you pray, look not so much at the outward heat
and vehemency: the bodily spirits being agitated, there will be much contention
and earnestness of speech; but see that the soul do reach forth after God by
the tendency of holy ardours and desires. In the confessing of public sins, it
is not the exact enumeration, apt language, but zeal for God's glory,
compassion for others' good, holy desires of promoting righteousness, which the
Lord looketh after. Ashes and sackcloth are nothing to the work of the soul:
Isa. lviii. 5, 'Will you call this a fast, or an acceptable day to God?'
&c.
In the sight of the Lord. - The like passage is in 1 Peter v.
6; but there it is 'Humble yourselves under the mighty hand of God,' &c.
That expression implieth a motive or consideration to enforce the duty, but
this in our apostle the sincerity of it. Observe hence: -
Obs. 1. That
duties are then truly done when they are done as in God's sight. The dread and
reverence of God maketh the heart more sincere; so James i. 27, 'Pure religion
and undefiled before God,' &c.; so 1 Peter iii. 21, 'The answer of a good
conscience towards God,' &c. In the presence of God would you make such an
answer? So Ps. cxix. 168, 'I have kept thy testimonies, for all my ways are
before thee;' there was David's motive. Well, then, in all duties of worship
remember that you are before God; there is a broad and pure eye of glory fixed
upon you. You have to do with God, that 'telleth man his thought,' that
discerneth your spirits better than you do yourselves. That is a right address
which is described, Acts x. 33, 'We are all here present before God, to hear
all things that are commanded thee of God.' Here we come to pray, to hear, to
humble ourselves before God. The soul will have a double advantage by such
thoughts; the work will be more spiritual, and more pure and upright. More
spiritual: I am not to be humbled before man, but before God. 'Man looketh on
the outward appearance, but God on the frame of the heart,' 1 Sam. xvi. 7. Will
this satisfy God? 'Is it such a fast as he hath chosen?' Isa. lviii. 5. So also
more pure and upright. Whatever a man doth to God, he will do it for God's
sake: religious duties will be performed upon reasons of religion, not for
custom and company, but for God, to God.
Obs. 2. The sight of God is an
especial help to humiliation. The soul becometh humble by the true knowledge of
God and ourselves: Job xlii. 6, 'Mine eye seeth thee, therefore I abhor myself
in dust and ashes.' When he had a glorious apparition of God he vanished into
nothing in his own thoughts. The stars vanish when the sun ariseth; and our
poor candle is slighted into a disappearance when the glory of God ariseth in
our thoughts. We see our wants in God's fulness; the ocean maketh us ashamed of
our own drop; and we see our vileness in God's majesty. What is the balance
dust to a mountain, and our wickedness in comparison of God's holiness? Elijah
wrapt his face in a mantle when God's glory passed before him, 1 Kings xix. 13.
So Isaiah crieth out, 'I am undone, I am undone, a man of polluted lips,' when
God showed him his glory, Isa. vi. 5. Upon any apparition of God to the
faithful they were filled with a fear because of their own weakness and
corruption. Well, then, it directeth us how to be humble in our addresses to
God; get as large and comprehensive thoughts of him as you can; see his glory,
if you would know your own baseness. Men are slight in duties, because they
have low thoughts of God. They offered the Lord 'a corrupt thing,' because they
did not consider he was 'a great king,' Mal. i. 14. The elders that saw God in
his glory, 'fell down upon their faces,' Rev. vi.
And he shall lift you
up. - What doth this promise imply? I answer - It is meant of any kind of
happiness and felicity; either deliverance out of trouble: 'The Lord heareth
the desires of the humble,' Ps. x. 17; advancement in the world to honour, or
any outward dignity: Prov. xxix. 23, 'A man's pride shall bring him low, but
honour shall uphold the humble in spirit.' Though places of advancement be
slippery, yet the humble shall be continued and upheld. So for advancement in
grace or glory: Mat xviii. 4, 'Whosoever shall humble himself as a little
child, the same shall be greatest in the kingdom of heaven;' that is, have most
grace and glory. Learn hence: -
Obs. That submission and humility is the
true way to exaltation. It is often repeated in the gospel: 'He that humbleth
himself shall be exalted, and he that exalteth himself shall be abased;' see
Luke xiv. 11; Mat xxiii. 12. We are all by nature proud, and would be exalted;
the way to rise is to fall. God gave us a pattern of it in Jesus Christ. First,
'He emptied himself, and humbled himself to the death of the cross; wherefore
God hath highly exalted him, and given him a name above all names,' Phil. ii.
5-9. Well, then, would you have deliverance? humble yourselves. The lion
spareth the prostrate prey. Omnipotence will not be your terror, but
protection. Would you have grace? see more of God. He that is in the low pits
seeth stars in the daytime. Would you have your outward station firm? the Lord
will uphold the humble. Would you have the comforts of the Spirit and the
preferment of grace? the Lord will 'revive the spirit of the humble, Isa. lvii.
15. You are God's second heaven: 'I will dwell with the contrite spirit' The
world looketh upon humility as the way to make us contemptible; when we stoop,
we think every one will tread upon us. You see in the vote and sentence of the
promises it is the way to be exalted either in the favour of God or men.
Lastly, out of all we may be encouraged to wait upon God with a holy humility
and confidence in our low estate: Job xxii. 29, 'When men are cast down thou
shalt say, There is a lifting up; and he shall save the humble person.' When
all thy affairs go to decay, thou mayest bear up on these hopes. In Peter it
is, 1 Peter v. 6, 'He shall lift thee up in due time.' Wait God's leisure, and
the promise shall surely be fulfilled; only be humble, not only morally, but
graciously. Gracious humiliation is a deep sense of our misery and vileness,
with a desire to be reconciled to God upon any terms.
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