2. It bewrayeth itself in the members and gestures of the body ; therefore he saith, ' Mine eyes are not lofty.'
3. It showeth forth itself in some unwarrantable actions besides our calling or beyond our power ; therefore he saith, ' I do not exercise myself in things too high for me.' He that would be a complete humble man must sliow it in his heart, gesture, and behaviour.
Secondly, The truth and sincerity of it ; for a doubt may arise how he could wliolly acquit himself of pride, since it is called ' pride of life,' 1 John ii. 16, because it sticketh by us as long as we live ; and the best of God's children have been troubled with it to the last. Therefore one compareth it to the shirt, the garment which we last put off. The apostle Paul, who was an elect vessel, one rapt into the third heaven, found some seeds of pride in his heart, which would have sprung forth, but that God repressed them by a sharp correction : 2 Cor. xii. 7, 'Lest I should be lifted up above measure, by the abundance of revela- tion, there was given me a thorn in the flesh, the messenger of Satan, to bufiet me/ I answer —
1. Not absolute perfection is here asserted, but gospel sincerity. He endeavoured to keep pride and ambition out of his heart, and did in a great measure prevail against it. Till we get rid of the flesh we shall never wholly get rid of pride ; but if we watch and strive against it, and overcome it in any considerable measure, we are accounted and accepted as humble.
2. As to David's instance ; we have great evidences of his humility, though also some few signs of remaining pride.
Instances of his humility are these —
[1.] That he continued in his mean vocation as a shepherd, following the ewes great with young, till God called him to an higher course of life. He never affected the royal diadem, neither would it have been any grief of heart to him if God, passing him by, had made another king. When for his merit Saul called him to court, and he was to be the king's son-in-law, he thought himself unworthy of that honour : 1 Sam. xviii. 22, ' Seemeth it a light thing to be a king's son-in-law, seeing that I am a poor man, and lightly esteemed ? ' When Saul was in his power, who chased him, and pursued him to the death, he was tender of ravishing the blessing, and therefore said, 1 Sam. xxiv. 7, ' The Lord forbid that I should do this thing to my master, the Lord's anointed ; ' so 1 Sam. x.xvi. 8, 9, ' God hath delivered thine enemy into thy hand this day.' ' Who can stretch forth his hand against the Lord's anointed and be innocent ? ' These are not words of a man affecting the crown.
[2.] That he bore insulTerable injuries and contempts with so much patience : 2 Sam. xvi. 10, ' Let him curse, because the Lord hath said, Curse David.'
408 SERMONS UPON PSALM CXXXI, [SeR. I.
[3.] That he could love them that reproved hira for his sins : Ps. cxli. 5, ' Let the riojhteous smite me, and it shall he a kindness ; let him reprove me, and it shall be an excellent oil, which shall not break mine head.' Far meaner people would not take it so kindly.
[4.] That he wag so submissively ready to take' what portion God would carve out for him, when God began to chastise hira for his sins : 2 Sam. XV. 25, 26, ' And the kint^ said unto Zadok, Carry back the ark of God into the city : if I shall find favour in the eyes of the Lord, he will bring me again, and show me both it and his habitation. But if he thus say, I have no delight in thee ; behold, here I am, let him do to me as it seemeth good to him.'
[5.] That in all his heroical acts he did not seek his own honour, but the glory of God : Ps. cxv. 1, ' Not unto us, 0 Lord, not unto us, but unto thy name give the glory.'
[6.] That in his whole dealing with God he durst not trust in his own righteousness, but wholly took sanctuary in the new covenant ; Ps. cxxx. 3, 4, ' If thou, Lord, shouldst mark iniquities, 0 Lord, who should stand ? But there is forgiveness with thee, that thou mayest be feared;' Ps. cxliii. 2, 'Enter not into judgment with thy servant, for in thy sight shall no man living be justified.' Now judge you whether a man that found all this in himself could not say, ' ]k)rd, my heart is not haughty ' ?
Yet, notwithstanding this, David was not wholly divested of this evil habit of pride, but something of it remained in his heart ; some strings of this evil root were found there. Why else doth he beg of the Lord to be kept back from presumptuous sins ? Ps. xix. 14; in the Hebrew, from prides. He found some inclination, else why should he pray they had dominion over him ? So when the people all about were subdued by him, he began to be drunk with worldly prosperity : Ps. XXX. 6, ' In my prosperity I said, I shall never be moved.' Again, no man can deny but that his heart was lifted up with pride when he caused the people to be numbered from Dan to Beersheba, that he miglit know what a mighty king he was, 2 Sam. xxiv. 2 , which vain- glory of his cost him and the people dear. Yet, notwithstanding all these remnants of pride, he doth and might say, ' Lord, my heart is not haughty.'