^ There are some that are poor in estate, and otliers tliat are poor in spirit ; and there are some that are poor-spirited in the cause of God, Christ, the gospel, and their own souls ; and there are others that are poor in spirit. There are some tliat are spiritually poor, as all are that are destitute of grace, and others tiiat are poor in spirit ; tliere are some that are evangelically poor, and others that are superstitiously poor ; as those papists ■who renounce their estates, and vow a voluntary poverty. The poverty that hath blessed- ness annexed to it is only an evangelical poverty.
Chap. I.] a cabinet of jewels. 209
that see their need of more heavenly wisdom to counsel them ; that see their need of more of the power of God to support them, and of the goodness of God to supply them, and of the mercy of God to comfort them, and of the presence of God to refresh them, and of the patience of God to bear with them, &c. ; that see their need of greater measures of faith to conquer their fears, and of greater measures of wisdom to walk holily, harmlessly, blamelessly, and exemplarily in the midst of temp- tations, snares, and dangers ; and that see their need of greater mea- sures of patience to bear their burdens without fretting or fainting ; and that see their need of greater measures of zeal and courage to bear up bravely against all sorts of opposition, both from within and from without ; and that see their need of greater measures of love to cleave to the Lamb, and to follow the Lamb whither ever he goes ; and that see their need of living in a continual dependence upon God and Christ, for fresh influences, incomes, and supplies of grace, of comfort, of strength, whereby they may be enabled to act for God, and walk with God, and glorify God, and bring forth fruit to God, and withstand all temptations that tend to lead the heart from God ; and that see nothing in themselves upon which they dare venture their everlasting estates, and therefore fly to the free, rich, sovereign, and glorious grace of God in Christ, as to their sure and only sanctuary : Luke xviii. 13, Philip. iii. 9, 'Blessed are the poor in spirit ;' that is, blessed are they that are truly ai^prehensive and sensible of their spiritual poverty, that see themselves fallen in the first Adam from all their primitive purity, ex- cellency, and glory. There are five things we lost in our fall : 1, our holy image, and became vile ; 2, our sonship, and became slaves ; 3, our friendship, and became enemies ; 4, our communion, and became strangers ; 5, our glory, and became miserable. And that see an utter inability and insuflSciency in themselves, and in all other creatures, to deliver them out of their fallen estate. But I am poor in spirit, there- fore the kingdom of heaven belongs to me.
[10.] Tenthly, A godly man may argue thus. Such as are true mourn- ers are blessed, and shall be comforted, Mat. v. 4 ; that is, such as mourn for sin with an exceeding great mourning ; that mourn for sin with a funeral sorrow, as the word miykyvng signifies ; that mourn for sin as a man mourneth for the loss of his only son, Zech. xii. 10, or as Jacob mourned for Joseph, or as David mourned for Absalom, or as the people mourned for the loss of good Josiah, 2 Chron. xxxv. 24, 25 ;^ that mourn for secret sins as well as open, for sins against grace as well as for sins against the law ; that mourn for sin as the greatest evil in the world, that mourn for his own sins, Ezek. vii. 16 ; as David did, Ps. li. ; or as Ephraim did, Jer. xxxi. 18, 19 ; or as Peter did. Mat. xxvi. 75; or as Mary Magdalene did, Luke vii. 38 ; and that mourns for the sins of others as well as for his own, as David did, Ps. cxix. 136, 158 ; or as Jeremiah did, Jer. xiii. 17 ; or as Lot did, 2 Peter ii. 7, 8 ; or as they did in that Ezek. ix. 4 ; that mourns under the sense of his spiritual wants ; that mourns under the sense of his spiritual losses, as loss of communion with God, loss of the favour of God, loss of the presence of
' Maxa^iii a! ^it^ovvrif, heoti lugentes, blessed are they that mourn. The way to para- dise is through the valley of tears. Some report of Mary Magdalene, that she spent thirty years in Galba, weeping for her sins.
270 A CABINET OF JEWELS. [ChAP. I.
God, loss of the exercise of grace, loss of the joys of the Spirit, loss of inward peace, &c. ; or that mourn not only for their own afflictions and miseries, but also for the afflictions and miseries of Joseph, as Nehe- miah did, Neh. i. 2-4 ; or as Jeremiah did, Jer. ix. 1, 2 ; or as Christ did when he wept over Jerusalem, Luke xix. 41, 42 ; or that mourns because he cannot mourn for these things, or that mourns because he can mourn no more, or that mourns because God has so little honour in his heart, in his house, in his life, in the world, in the churches. But I am a true mourner, therefore I am blessed, and shall be com- forted.