[17.] The seventeenth property of an humble soul is this : an humble soul luill bless God, and be thankful to God, as vjell under misery as under mercy ; as tuell when God froiuns as when he smiles ; as well when God takes as when he gives; as ivell under crosses and losses, as under blessings and mercies:^ Job i. 21, ' The Lord gives and the Lord takes, blessed be the name of the Lord.' He doth not cry out upon the Sabeans and the Chaldeans, but he looks through all second- ary causes, and sees the hand of God ; and then he lays his hand upon his own heart, and sweetly sings it out, ' The Lord gives, and the Lord takes, blessed be the name of the Lord.' An humble soul, in every condition, blesses God, as the apostle commands, in the 1 Thes. v. 18, ' In every thing give thanks to God.' So 1 Cor. iv. 12, ' Being reviled, we bless ; being persecuted, we suffer.' The language of an humble soul is. If it be thy will, saith an humble soul, I should be in darkness, I will bless thee ; and if it be thy will I should be again in light, I will bless thee ; if thou wilt comfort me, I will bless thee ; and if thou wilt afflict me, I will bless thee ; if thou wilt make me poor, I will bless thee ; if thou wilt make me rich, I will bless thee ; if thou wilt give me the least mercy, I will bless thee ; if thou wilt give me no mercy, I M'ill bless thee. An humble soul is quick-sighted ; he sees the rod in a Father's hand; he sees honey upon the top of every twig, and so can bless God ; he sees sugar at the bottom of the bitterest cup that God doth put into his hand ; he knows that God's house of correction is a school of instruction ; and so he can sit down and bless wlien the rod is upon his back. An humble soul knows that the design of God in all is his instruction, his reformation, and his salvation.^
It was a sweet saying of holy Bradford, If the queen will give me my life, I will thank her ; if she will banish me, I will thank her ; if she will burn me, 1 will thank her ; if she will condemn me to perpe- tual imprisonment, I will thank her.* Ay, this is the temper of an humble heart. An humble soul knows, that to bless God in prosperity is the way to increase it ; and to bless God in adversity is the way to remove it. An humble soul knows, that if he blesses God under mer- cies, he hath paid his debt ; but if he blesses God under crosses, he
' On John xiv. 27.— G.
* TuUy calls gratitude Maximnm, imo matrem, omnium virlntum rcliqitarnm, the greatest, yea, the inofher of all virtues.
' The Jews liave a proverh, that we must leap up to mount Ocrizim, which was a mount of hleesings ; but creep into mount Ebal, which was a mount of curses : to shew that we must be ready to bless, but backward to curse. An humble soul can extract one contrary out of another, honey out of the rock, gold out of iron, &c. A mictions to humble souls are the Lord's jilougli, the Lord's harrow, the Lord's flail, the Lord's drawing-plas- ter, the Lord's pruning knife, the Lord's j)otion, the Lord's soap ; and therefore they can eit down and bless the Lord, and ki.ss the rod.
* Foxe, tub nomine, and his own Letters, — G.
EpH. III. 8.] RICHES OF CHRIST. 25
hatli made God a debtor. But oh the pride of men's hearts, when the rod is upon their backs ! You have many professors that are seemingly humble, while the sun shines, while God gives, and smiles, and strokes ; but when his smiles are turned into frowns, when he strikes and lays on, oh the murmurings ! the disputings ! the frettings ! and wranglings of proud souls ! they always kick when God strikes.
[18.] The last property of an humble soul is this : an humble soul will ivisely and patiently bear reproof : Prov. xxv. 12, 'As an ear- ring of gold, and an ornament of fine gold, so is a wise reprover upon an obedient ear.' A seasonable reproof falling upon an humble soul hath a redoubled grace with it. It is an ear-ring of gold, and as an ornament of fine gold, or as a diamond in a diadem.
An humble David can say, ' Let the righteous smite me, it shall be a kindness, and let him reprove me, it shall be an excellent oil, which shall not break my head,' Ps. cxli. 5. David compares the faithful reproof of the righteous, to the excellent oil that they used about their heads. Some translate it, ' Let it never cease from my head.' That is, let me never want it, and so the original will bear too, I would never want reproofs, whatsoever I want : ' But yet my prayer shall be in their calamities.' I will requite their reproofs with my best prayers in the day of their calamity, saith David. Whereas a proud heart will neither pray for such nor with such as reprove them, but in their calamities will most insult over them.'
Some translate it more emphatically : ' The more they do, the more I shall think myself bound unto them.' And this was Gerson's dispo- sition,^ of whom it is recorded, that he rejoiced in nothing more than if he were freely and friendly reproved by an}- : Prov. ix. 8, 9, ' Rebuke a wise man, and he will love thee ; give instruction to a wise man, and he will be yet wiser.' Prov. xix. 25, ' Reprove one that hath under- standing, and he will understand knowledge.' You know how sweetly David carries it towards Abigail, 1 Sam. xxv. 32, 33 ; she wisely meets him, and puts him in mind of what he was going about, and he falls a-blessing of her presently : ' Blessed be the Lord God of Israel, which sent thee this day to meet me, and blessed be thy advice, and blessed be thou which hast kept me this day from coming to shed blood.' I was resolved in my passion, and in the heat of my spirit, that I would not leave a man alive, but blessed be God, and blessed be thy counsel ! An humble soul can sit down and bless God under reproofs. An humble soul is like the Scythian king, that went naked in the snow, and when Alexander wondered how he could endure it, he answered, ' I am not ashamed, for I am all forehead.' An humble soul is all forehead, able to bear reproofs with much wisdom and patience. Oh ! but a proud heart cannot bear reproofs, he scorns the reprover and his reproofs too.^
I iiyan ''3''"7N, Oil is here metaphorically taken for words of reproof, which may he said figuratively to hreak the head. Vide Job x. 2.
^ In vit. Jo. Gerson. So Alypius loved Austin for reproving him [Confessions, b. vi., vii. 12. — G.] So did David Nathan, 1 Kings i. ; 2 Sam. xii. 12, 13, and xxiv. 13, 14, That is a choice and tender spirit that can meekly and humbly embrace reproofs, and bless God for reproofs.
3 Manasseh, king of Judah, being reproved by the aged princely prophet Isaiah, caused bim, near to the fountain. of Siloa, to be sawn in sunder with a wooden saw, iu the eightieth year of his age ; for which cruel act, amongst other of liis sins, lie was sorely
26 THE UNSEAECHABLE [EPH. III. 8.