* soul is an humble abased soul alwa}' ; and the more humble and empty the soul is, the more thankful it is for every degree of grace and comfort. 4. Again, A soul that is thus disposed, that is poor in spirit, it is willing * Cf. Eph. i. 3, and 1 Peter i. 3.— G.
THE POOB man's RICHES. 249
to resiffn itself to Christ's fjovernment, with self-denial of anytliiufj it is nhle to do of itself . It is ready to say, ' Lord, I have neither witj- of mine own to govern myself, nor any strength and abihty of mine own ; therefore I put myself upon thy government, I desire to follow thy light and to go on in thy strength.' There is alway a resignation to Christ's government, and that in fear and trembling ; for whom we resign ourselves unto, surely we will have a care not to displease them. A dependent life is alway an awfulf life ; for when a man hath resigned himself to the government of another, and knows he must depend upon him, he will have a care not to displease such an one ; for he thinks, if I displease him he will withdraw his main- tenance and countenance from me, and then what am I '? So the soul that thinks it hath all from God, and from the Spirit of Christ, it resigns itself to the Spirit of Christ, and withal it is wondrous fearful not to grieve and displease the Spirit. For he thinks with himself, my life is but a depen- dent life, my graces are but dependent ; let God but withdraw the beams of his Spirit and I sink ; let him withdraw his comfort and his strength, what am I '? Nothing but darkness, and deadness, and confusion. Those therefore that give not themselves up to Christ's government, but are governed by rules of policy, by the example of others, and have base dependence upon others, they know not what spiritual poverty is. They see there is a sufficiency in themselves to rule and govern themselves, as if Christ's wisdom were not sufficient. They are not so disposed as the apostle requires ; they ' work not out their salvation with fear and trem- bling, because God gives the will and the deed,' Philip. ii.-12. The meaning is this, we should work out our salvation with a holy fear and trembling, a jealous fear, a son-like fear, lest we displease God. Why? 'He gives both the will and the deed,' Philip, ii. 13. He gives both the will to do good ; and when he hath done that, he gives the ability of the deed itself. We cannot do anything, therefore we had need to walk in an awful condi- tion, and not displease him in anything, lest he withdraw the assistance of his Spirit and leave us to ourselves ; and then we shall fall, to his dishonour, to the discredit of religion, to the wasting of our own comfort, and the advantage of Satan. This is the temper of a man that is poor in spirit. He gives himself up to Christ's government, and depends upon it ; and thereupon he is w^ondrous fearful to displease him in anything.
There are a company that know not what belong to this, that hope to be saved by Christ, and yet they will grieve the Spirit ; they will venture into any place, upon any sight, into any company : but if ever they had been acquainted with the government of Christ's Spirit, they would know what it was to grieve the Spirit, and the Spirit would grieve them too. It is a sign they have not the Spirit of God, because he doth not check them when they have done. Therefore 5'our adventurous careless persons, that are indifterent for all things, for all companies and places, that do not watch over themselves, and over their words and carriages, they have not this poverty of spirit. For then they would know what it were to displease God in anything, to walk and to speak loosely, because hereby they grieve the Spirit ; and w^ould presently find either want in grace or comfort. There is not one of many that are acquainted with the nature of this spiritual communion with God, and therefore they do not enjoy the happi- ness that those do, who are thus qualified, that are ' poor in spirit.'
5. Again, A man that is poor in spirit is ren/ tractable, as it is in Isaiah : * A child shall lead them.' ' The lamb and the lion shall feed together,' * That is, ' wisdom.' — G. f That is, 'a life full of awe.'— G.
250 THE RICH POVERTY ; OR,
&c., ' and a child shall lead them,' Isa. xi. G ; that is, such an one, yon shall lead him with any counsel, lot the person he never so mean ; having smarted for his sins, and his own counsel and ways, ' a child shall lead him,' that is, any man shall lead and move him to that which is good, ho stands not upon terms.
6. And ahvay he that is poor in spirit, he is no upbraider of other mens tcants. He is more sensible of his own than that he sees in other men. He is not prone to upbraid and object against them their wants and con- ditions, he is so taken up with the sense of his own.