7. And lastly. Ho that is poor in spirit is- humbled in himself for spiritual u-aiits; not so much for outward things, but because ho hath not a large heart to God, because he finds impatience, because he finds not that heavenly-miudcdness and strength to go through the duties that God requires, that his flesh is so backward ; these things abase him and bring him on his knees, and not so much outward things ; and answerably ho looks for spiritual supply. When a man is humble and poor in spirit he is not abased with any outward thing, that that he would have is mercy and grace. The apostle, when he would pray for all happiness to the churches, he prays for grace, mercy, and peace ; for as they are more sensible of their spiritual wants, so they are carried in their desires after that that may give them satisfaction that way.
Use. Let us labour to bring our souls to this blessed temper, to be jwor in spirit ; the happy temper that our Saviour began his preaching withal. The first thing that he Ms upon is, ' Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven,' Mat. v. 3. But before I come to any directions for the getting this spiritual poverty, we must know and pre- mise this caution, that we must not be so ' poor in spirit,' as to deny the work of grace in our hearts. It is one thing to be ' poor in spiiit,' and to see our wants ; and it is another thing to be unthankful and unkind ; to deny the work of grace, and so to gratify Satan. We must not give false witness against ourselves, and so deny the work of God's Spirit in us. It is not poverty, but darkness of spirit. We are not acquainted with that grace that God hath enriched us with. Therefore where the soul is in a right temper, there is a double eye, one to sec the defects and the stains of those graces we have ; to see what we are wanting in of what we should be, and to see how our graces are stained, and that there is a mingling of our corruptions with them. The viewing with the one eye, that we laave any grace, that should make us cheerful, and thankful, and comfortably go on, considering that there are some beginnings that God will perfect ; for he never repents of his beginnings. And then a sight of the want, and of the stains of those graces that we mingle our corruptions with them; that works again this poverty of spirit to go on still out of ourselves, to desire grace, to purge and cleanse ourselves more and more. Therefore, I beseech you, let us remember that, that we do not unthankfully deny the work of grace, and think that to be poverty of spirit, as some do out of covetous- ncss, because they have not that they would have, they think thsy have nothing at all ; that is a spiritual covetousness. But let us be wise to discern what God hath wrought in our hearts, what he hath done for and in our souls. A holy man, you shall have him much in mourning and complaining, but it is of himself, not of God, as if God were wanting to him. You shall have a holy man in a perpetual kind of despair, but it is in himself; he hopes in God still. Remember this caution, tliat as we complain, so let us be sure it be of ourselves ; alway justify God in his
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mercy ; and if we despair, let us despair of ourselves, that we can do nothing of ourselves. But be sure to maintain, all we can, the hope of God's rich mercy in Christ.
Now, having premised this caution, the way to come to spiritual poverty among many others is : first, to bring ourselves into the presence of God, to the presence of greater lights than our own. Men that think themselves somebody when they are alone ; yet when they consider God sees them, whose eyes are a thousand times brighter than the sun, then they learn to abhor themselves in ' dust and ashes,' as we see Job did when God talked with him, when he saw God, Job xlii. 6 ; and Abraham when he talked with God, he accounts himself dust and ashes, Gen. xviii. 27. Let us bring ourselves into the presence of God ; consider his holiness, his justice. And withal let us bring ourselves to greater hghts than our own ; that is, oft come into the company of those that have greater grace than ourselves. The stars give no light when the sun is up. The stars are somebody in the night, but they are nothing in the day. And those that are conceited of their own excellencies, when they come into the pre- sence and company, and converse with those that are better than them- selves, their spirits fall down, they are abased. It is a good course therefore not to love alway to be best in the company, as is some men's vanity, because they will be conceited of their own worth, but to present ourselves before God in his ordinances, and present ourselves in communion and fellowship with others that are greater and richer in grace than ourselves, and so we may see our own wants. This is one direction to get spiritual poverty.