that I may not be reproached, abused, slighted, neglected? That which will break a proud man's heart, will not so much as break an humble man's sleep. In the midst of a storm, an humble soul is still in a calm. When proud hearts are at their wit's ends, stamping, swearing, and swaggering at God, and man, and providence, an humble soul is quiet and still, like a ship in a harbour. Shimei, 2 Sam. xvi. 6, 13, comes railing and cursing of David, and calls him a bloody man, and a man of Belial, that is, a runnagado, one who being desperately wicked had shaken off the yoke of government, and would be under no law. So the Hebrew word Jagnat, signifies men without yoke, or lawless. Therefore the Septuagint commonly translate it 'xa^dvofiog, altogether irregular. It signifies most flagitious men, and notorious and des- perately wicked, stigmatized villains, even incarnate devils ; and 3^et David holds his peace, though provoked by his mighty men to revenge himself Oh ! how would this cursing and railing have madded and broken many a proud man's heart ; and yet it stirs not David.
Fulgentius, after he was extremely persecuted, he had an advantage to seek revenge, but he would not; for, saith he, plura pro Chi'isto toleranda, we must suffer more for Christ than so. What though I am thus and thus wronged? What though I have an opportunity for revenge ? yet I must suffer more than so for Christ, says the humble soul. An humble soul, when wrongs are offered him, is like a man with a sword in one hand and salve in another ; he could kill but will cure.
One wondering at the patience and humble carriage of Socrates, towards one that reviled him, Socrates said. If we should meet one whose body were more unsound than ours, should we be angry with him, and not rather pity him ? Why then should we not do the like to him whose soul is more diseased than ours ? An humble soul, when he meets with this and that wrong from men, he knows that their souls are diseased, and that rather moves him to pity than to revenge wrongs offered. A proud heart swells and grows big, when in the least wronged, and is ready to call for fire from heaven, and to take any opportunity for revenge of wrongs offered. No man so abused as I, no man thus styled as I, says the proud soul. Oh, but an humble soul in patience po.ssesses himself in all trials and storms.
Gallasius observes upon Exod. xxii. 28, the patience and humble car- riage of those three emperors, Theodosius,Honorius, and Arcadius, towards those that spake evil of them ; they would have them subject to no pun- ishment ; for they said, If it come from lightness of spirit, it is to be con- temned ; if from madness, it is worthy of pity; if from injury, it is to be forgiven ; for injuries and wrongs are to be pardoned.' And this is the true temper of an humble soul, and by this he enjoys peace and quiet in the midst of all earthquakes and heartquakes.
(7.) The seventh consideration is this, consider humility exalfeth.
He that is most hum.ble, is and shall be most exalted and most honoured. No way to be high, like this of being low. Moses was the meekest man (m earth, and God made him the honourablost, calling of him up unto himself into the mount, making known his glory to him, and making of him the leader of his people Israel. Gideon was very » Willet on Exodus xxviii, Qu. 51. [1618, folic— G.]
EpH. III. 8.] RICHES OF CHRIST. 35
little in his own eyes ; he was the least of his father's house in his own apprehension, and God exalts him, making him the deliverer of his Israel.
It was a good saying of one, Wilt thou be great ? begin from below. As the roots of the tree descend, so the branches ascend. The lower any man is in this sense, the higher shall that man be raised. Mat. xxiii. 12, 'And whosoever shall exalt himself shall be abased ; and he that shall humble himself shall be exalted.' God, that is wisdom itself, hath said it, and he will make it good, though thou seest no ways how it should be made good. The lowest valleys have the blessing of fruitfulness, while the high mountains are barren ; Prov. xviii. 12, ' Before destruction, the heart of man is lofty, and before honour is humility.'
David came not to the kingdom till he could truly say, ' Lord, my heart is not haughty, nor mine eyes lifted up.' Ps. cxxxi. ], 2. Abigail was not made David's wife till she thought it honour enough to wash the feet of the meanest of David's servants, 1 Sam. xxv. Moses must be forty years a stranger in Midian, before he became king in Jeshurun ; he must be struck sick to death in the inn, before he goes to Pharaoh on that noble embassage.
It was a sweet observation of Luther, ' That for the most part when God set him upon any special service for the good of the church, he was brought low by some fit of sickness or other.'^ Surely, as the lower the ebb, the higher the tide; so the lower any descend in humility, the higher they shall ascend in honour and glory. The lower this founda- tion of humility is laid, the higher shall the roof of honour be overlaid. If you would turn spiritual purchasers of honour, or of whatsoever else is good, no way like this of humility. We live in times wherein men labour to purchase honour ; some by their money, others by their friends ; others by making themselves slaves to the lusts of men ; others by being prodigal of their blood, and many by giving themselves up to all manner of baseness and wickedness, whereby their carnal ends may be attained, and themselves exalted ; but these men and their honour vnW quickly be laid in the dust. Oh ! but the readiest, the surest, the safest, the sweetest way to attain to true honour, is to be humble, to Ue low. Humility makes a man precious in the eye of God. He that is little in his own account, is great in God's esteem.^
(8.) The eighth and last consideration that I shall propound is this, consider humility keeps the soul free from m,any darts of Satan's casting, and snares of his spreading.
As you may see in the three children in Daniel, and in those worthies in the 11th of the Hebrews, ' of whom this world was not worthy.' As the lowest shrubs are freed from many violent gusts and blasts of wind, which shake and rend the tallest cedars ; so the humble soul is free from a world of temptations, that proud and lofty souls are shaken and torn in pieces with. The devil hath least power to fasten a temp- tation upon an humble soul. He that hath a gracious measure of humility, is neither affected with Satan's proffers, nor terrified with
' In ' Table Talk,' as before, often.— G.
' Qui parvus est in reputatione propria, magnus est in reputaiione divina. — Gregory [of Nyssa. — G.]
36 THE UNSEARCHABLE [EPH. III. 8.
Satan's tbreatenings. The golden chain does not aUure him, nor the iron chain does not daunt him.