2. This will better appear, if we distinguish of this poverty in spirit by the two degi'ces of it. There is a poverty of spirit before ive are in tlie state of grace, before we are in Christ ; and a poverty after.
The poverty before we are in the state of grace, is, when God by his Spirit, together with his word and work of correction, doth open the eyes of our souls to see what we are by natm-e, what we are in ourselves. It is a work of God's convincing Spirit, to give us a true view into our own con- dition, and with the sight to work a sense ; and from a sight and sense and thorough conviction, comes a wondrous abasement, and a desire to be otherwise than we are. There is some hope in spiritual poverty in God's children before their conversion, which stirs them up to look upon Christ, and to the mercy of God in Christ ; and this stirs them up to beg, and to use all means ; and at length God is gracious and answers all the desires of their souls. This is before they were in grace ; for before a Christian is a sound Christian, he must be driven out of himself. Naturally we are prone to cleave to something, either out of ourselves or in ourselves, and we must be fired out by a sight and sense of the misery we are in.
We see God hath taken this course alway in Scripture. This course he took with Adam. He cites him, arraigns him, condemns him. He lets him see what a miserable creature he was ; as no man on earth was ever so miserable, till he felt the sweetness of the promised seed. He that had been in so great happiness as he was, to have his conscience so galled as his was afterward, to feel such misery for the present as he did, he must needs be very miserable, as indeed he was the most misei-able man that ever was since his^time. It is the greatest unhappiness for a man to have been happy ; for his former happiness makes his present unhappiness more sensible.- "When God had prepared him thoroughly, then he raised him up with the promised seed. God deals as he dealt with Elijah ; first, he casts him down with earthquakes and storms, and then he comes in a stiller voice. It is for that end that John Baptist comes before Christ, to level all, to cast down the ' mountains and fill up the valleys ;' Luke iii. 6, for all must be laid flat to Christ. AVe must lay ourselves at his feet, and be content to be disposed of by him, before we know what belongs to being in Christ. There must be poverty of spirit antecedent therefore. We see this lively set out in the prodigal son, that while he had anything in the world to content him, he never looks homeward ; but when he saw such an * This idea is largely dwelt upon in Pascal's ' Thoughts.' — Ed.
THE POOE man's RICHES. 243
emptiness in all things he met with, that he could not be satisfied with husks, then he began to think of going home, and that there was some hope he had a father that would receive him. I will be short in this, because the other is mainly intended.
If we would know and discern by some evidences whether we have been poor in spirit, in this preparative poverty or no,
1. Let us consider what wc have jndf/ed of our condition bij nature ; whether ever we have been convinced of the ill condition we are in ; for if there be not conviction of sin, there will not be conviction of righteousness, as you have it, John xvi. 8. There are three works of the Spirit, ' to convince of sin, of righteousness, and of judgment,' of spiritual government. The Spirit, before it convinceth us that we have the righteousness of Christ, and convinceth us of the necessity of government and holy life in Christ, which is called there judgment, he convinceth of sin, which is an antecedent work. Let us examine ourselves whether the Spirit have had such a work or no.
2. Where this conviction and poverty is, a man sees an emptiness and vanity in all things in the world whatsoever, hut in Christ.
3. And there is a desire of the grace and favour of God above all things. Ask a poor man what he would have ; he would have that that may supply his poverty and want. Ask a man that is spiritually poor before he be in Christ ; what would you have ? Oh, mercy and pardon. Offer him any- thing else in the world, it contents him not. But that will content him, the sense and persuasion of God's love and mercy in Christ Jesus.
4. Where this poverty of spirit is, there will be a wondrous earnestness after pardon and mere}', and after grace. To be in another condition a man will labour, even as for life. If you come to a poor man that labours for his living, and ask him. Why do you labour so '? he will wonder at your idle question. I may starve else, he will say. A man that is spiritually poor, and sees what a state he is in, he labours in the use of means to have an inward sense of God's love, to find some beginnings of the new creature, to find a change, to be otherwise than he is ; he sees he must perish else. There is a prizing and estimation in him of mercy and pardon above all things in the world, and a making after it.