him; he easily yields to be taught, and does not claim much to his understanding and judgment; he is not over nice or humorsome, and has his spirit subdued to hard things; he is not assuming, nor apt to take much upon him; but it is natural for him to be subject to others. Thus it is with the humble Christian. Humility is (as the great Mastricht expresses it) a kind of holy pusillanimity.

A man that is very poor is a beggar; so is he that is poor in spirit. There is a great difference between those affections that are gracious, and those that are false: under the former, the person continues still a poor beggar at God's gates, exceeding empty and needy; but the latter make men appear to themselves rich, and increased with goods, and not very necessitous; they have a great stock in their own imagination for their subsistence.*

"This spirit ever keeps a man poor and vile in his own eyes, and empty. When the man hath got some knowledge, and can discourse pretty well, and hath some taste of the heavenly gift, some sweet illapses of grace, and so his conscience is pretty well quieted: and if he hath got some answer to his prayers, and hath sweet affections, he grows full: and having ease to his conscience, casts off sense, and daily groaning under sin. And hence the spirit of prayer dies: he loses his esteem of God's ordinances; feels not such need of them; or gets no good, feels no life or power by them. This is the woeful condition of some; but yet they know it not. But now he that is filled with the Spirit, the Lord empties him; and the more the longer he lives. So that though others think he needs not much grace, yet he accounts himself the poorest."-Shepard's Parable of the Ten Virgins, Part IL. p. 132.

"After all fillings, be ever empty, hungry, and feeling need, and praying for more."-Ibid. p. 151.

"Truly brethren, when I see the curse of God upon many Christians, that are now grown full of their parts, gifts, peace, comforts, abilities, duties, I stand adoring the riches of the Lord's mercy, to a little handful of poor believers; not only in making them empty, but in keeping them so all their days."-Shepard's Sound Believer, the late edition in Boston, pp. 158, 159.

A poor man is modest in his speech and behaviour; so, and much more, and more certainly and universally, is one that is poor in spirit; he is humble and modest in his behaviour amongst men. It is in vain for any to pretend that they are humble, and as little children before God, when they are haughty, assuming, and impudent in their behaviour amongst men. The apostle informs us, that the design of the gospel is to cut off all glorying, not only before God, but also before men, Rom. iv. 1, 2. Some pretend to great humiliation that are very haughty, audacious, and assuming in their external appearance and behaviour: but they ought to consider those scriptures, "Lord, my heart is not haughty, nor mine eyes lofty; neither do I exercise myself in great matters, or in things too high for me." "These six things doth the Lord hate; yea, seven are an abomination unto him a proud look," &c. "A high look and a proud heart are sin." "Thou wilt bring down high looks.” "Him that hath a high look and a proud heart I will not suffer." "Charity vaunteth not itself, doth not behave itself unseemly.”—There is a certain amiable modesty and fear that belongs to a Christian behaviour among men, arising from humility, that the Scripture often speaks of: "Be ready to give an answer to every man that asketh you, with meekness and fear." "Fear, to whom fear." "Whilst he remembereth the obedience of you all, how with fear and trembling you received him." "Servants, be obedient to them that are your masters according to the flesh, with fear and trembling." "Servants, be subject to your masters with all fear." "While they behold your chaste con

versation coupled with fear." "That women adorn themselves with modest apparel, with shamefacedness and sobriety." In this respect, a Christian is like a little child; a little child is modest before men, and his heart is apt to be possessed with fear and awe amongst them.

The same spirit will dispose a Christian to "honour all men." An humble Christian is not only disposed to honour the saints in his behaviour; but others also, in all those ways that do not imply a visible approbation of their sins. Thus Abraham, the great pattern of believers, honoured the children of Heth: "Abraham stood up, and bowed himself to the people of the land.” This was a remarkable instance of humble behaviour towards them that were out of Christ, and that Abraham knew to be accursed; and therefore would by no means suffer his servant to take a wife to his son from among them: and Esau's wives being of these children of Heth, were a grief of mind to Isaac and Rebekah. So Paul honoured Festus: "I am not mad, most noble Festus." Not only will Christian humility dispose us to honour those wicked men that are out of the visible church, but also false brethren and persecutors. As Jacob, when he was in an excellent frame, having just been wrestling all night with God, and received the blessing, honoured Esau, his false and persecuting brother: "Jacob bowed himself to the ground seven times, until he came near to his brother Esau.” So he called him lord; and commanded all his family to honour him in like manner.

Thus I have endeavoured to describe the heart

and behaviour of one that is governed by a truly gracious humility, as exactly agreeable to the Scriptures as I am able.

Now, it is out of such a heart as this that all truly holy affections flow. Christian affections are like Mary's precious ointment, which she poured on Christ's head, that filled the whole house with a sweet odour. That was poured out of an alabaster box; so gracious affections flow out to Christ out of a pure heart. That was poured out of a broken box; until the box was broken, the ointment could not flow, nor diffuse its odour: so gracious affections flow out of a broken heart. Gracious affections are also like those of Mary Magdalene, who also pours precious ointment on Christ, out of an alabaster broken box, anointing the feet of Jesus, when she had washed them with her tears, and wiped them with the hair of her head. All gracious affections, that are a sweet odour to Christ, and that fill the soul of a Christian with a heavenly sweetness and fragrancy, are broken-hearted affections. A truly Christian love, either to God or men, is an humble brokenhearted love. The desires of the saints, however earnest, are humble desires: their hope is an humble hope; and their joy, even when it is unspeakable and full of glory, is an humbled, broken-hearted joy, and leaves the Christian more poor in spirit, and more like a little child, and more disposed to a universal lowliness of behaviour.

CHAPTER VII.

Another thing wherein gracious Affections are distinguished from others, is that they are attended with a change of nature.

ALL gracious affections, as was shown before, arise from a spiritual understanding, in which the soul has the excellency and glory of divine things discovered to it. But all spiritual discoveries are transforming; and not only make an alteration of the present exercise, sensation, and frame of the soul; but have such power and efficacy, that they make an alteration in the very nature of the soul: But we all, with open face beholding as in a glass the glory of the Lord, are changed into the same image, from glory to glory, even as by the Spirit of the Lord." Such power as this is properly divine power, and is peculiar to the Spirit of the Lord: other powers may make a great alteration in men's present frames and feelings: but it is the power of a Creator only that can change the nature, or give a new nature. And no discoveries or illuminations, but those that are divine and supernatural, will have this supernatural effect. But this effect all those discoveries have that are truly divine. The soul is deeply affected by these discoveries, and so affected as to be transformed.

Thus it is with those affections of which the soul is the subject in its conversion. The Scripture representations of conversion strongly imply and sig