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But thus to judge of God, and deal with him, is really to dishonour him, as much as thou pretendest by this means to honour him. It is plainly called in Scripture a flattering of God. They remembered God their Rock, and the high God their Redeemer: nevertheless, they did flatter him with their mouth, and they lied unto him with their tongues."

It was a good maxim of the Pythagoreans; Τιμήσεις τὸν Θεὸν ἄριστα, ἐὰν τῷ Θεῷ τὴν διάνοιαν ὁμοιώσῃς. Thou shalt then in the most excellent and becoming way glorify and honour God, when in thy mind thou art like God.' When in thine inward man thou art conformed to God's image and likeness, when thou art affected as He is affected, when thou willest as He willeth, when thou art willing to have that destroyed in thee which is contrary to the divine nature; then most of all dost thou honour and glorify God.

That which the Chaldee Paraphrast doth gloss on those words, "Whoso offereth praise, glorifieth me," is very pertinent; viz. Whoso subdues and destroys No 7 the principle of inordinate affection in him, it shall be accounted to him as 1 a sacrifice of praise.' The mortifying of earthly members, the slaying undue desires, corrupt interests, and uncurbed affections, is more, infinitely more, pleasing, than all those costly and pompous services under the law, than the utmost that the lip-service and tongue-devotion can make show of.

That great bulk of rites and ceremonies, those burdensome services under the law, those multi

a Psal. lxxviii. 35, 36.

b Ibid. 1. 23.

tudes of sacrifices of bulls, goats, lambs, &c. they did not, they could not avail, were but mean inconsiderable things, and vain cost, without the inward sacrifice of a heart sweetly, sincerely, kindly, and ingenuously affected towards God. This, this heart, such a temper of spirit, did" please the Lord better than a bullock that hath horns and hoofs." Behold, to obey is better than sacrifice; and to hearken, than the fat of rams,' "d the best of the

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sacrifice.

"Will the Lord be pleased with thousands of rams, and ten thousands of rivers of oil;" with multitudes of outward services and bodily austerities, with long fastings, prayings, and prophesyings in his name; with large discourses, glorious expressions, vehement disputings, or the like, these he shall have any thing shall be given, rather than "the sin of the soul," the corrupt will, should be destroyed. But it is the walking with God in humility and resignation, which is that "good thing which God hath showed thee, O man; and which the Lord thy God requireth of thee."

"The sacrifice of the wicked," those whose wills were opposite to the will of God, was "an abomination unto the Lord," in the time of the law. And now under the gospel state, wherein those legal and carnal ordinances are ceased, our more seemingly spiritual exercises of religion, our prayings, our fastings, our saying Lord, Lord, and naming the name of Christ, our great profession of Christianity, and all other religious outward observances, are but fruitless empty things, of no account

c Psal. lxix. 31.
f Ibid. vi. S.

d 1 Sam. xv, 22.

e Micah. vi. 7. Prov. xv. 8. and xxi. 27.

with God, utterly unavailable, except there be at the bottom of all a resigned heart.

As St. James saith, "if any man seemeth to be religious, and bridleth not his tongue;" so is it most true, if any man seemeth to be religious, and bridleth not his will, which is more hard, "this man's religion is vain."a

CHAP. IV.

That self-resignation is the way to light, even in the greatest difficulties and perplexities; whether they be in reference to our duty, or in reference to our condition and state.

SELF-RESIGNATION is the way to light; and that in the greatest difficulties, and darkest perplexities.

There is a kind of divine oracle within the selfresigning soul, which speaks clearly and plainly; not darkly and ambiguously, as that oracle in Greece. There is a spiritual priesthood, which hath the Urim and Thummim (not upon the breast, as Aaron had; but) within the breast: light and integrity go together.

"The secret of the Lord is with them that fear him; and he will show them his covenant:" or, as it is better in the margin," and his covenant to make them know it:" that is, it is part of God's gracious covenant not to conceal from them, but to make them know his will. That which concerns them to know and practise, God will not hide from

a James i. 26.

Exod. xxviii. 30.

Psal. xxv. 14.

d

the sincerely obedient. God makes such "to know wisdom in the hidden part;" or in "the hidden man of the heart," to use St. Peter's phrase.

That may safely be understood, and is most true of the self-resigning soul, which the son of Sirach doth affirm; "Let the counsel of thine own heart stand, for there is no man more faithful unto thee than it for a man's mind is sometimes wont to tell him more than seven watchmen, that sit above in a high tower."

But to speak more particularly: where this inward principle of self-resignation is, there are the fewest doubts and perplexities; or in case of such doubts, there are the speediest and surest resolutions.

Now the doubts and solicitudes, that perplex and disquiet Christians, may be chiefly ranked under these two heads; they are either about their duty, or about their state: and in both, self-resignation is the way to light, and affords the greatest advantages of knowing aright.

First. Be the doubts and perplexities about our duty; what we are to do: The self-resigning soul is in the best disposition to give a right judgment in this case; as also the best prepared to receive divine light, and the guidance of God's counsel.

1. This soul is best prepared to receive divine light, &c. Such a soul is wholly made for obedience and quiet submission to the will of God. It is brought up at the feet of Christ; sits there, with Mary, in the posture and spirit, and all the becoming qualities of a willing and obedient disciple: and the teacher of souls will not neglect "to show" unto d Psal. li. 6. 1 Pet. iii. 4. f Ecclus. xxxvii. 13, 14. Luke x. 39.

C

D

such "the path of life.""

God will write his law

in the humble and obedient heart; the laws and rules of life and obedience shall be written within it by the Spirit of the living God." The meek shall he guide in judgment, the meek shall he teach his way."The eternal characters of goodness and righteousness which are in the mind of God, are copied out and transcribed in the soul of a resigned Christian: "we have the mind of Christ,?? saith the apostle; and these letters are not dead letters, like those written with ink and paper; but they are living characters, as they are in God, and writ on living tables: they are "the law of the Spirit of life," an inward living principle in such souls.

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Again, the self-resigning soul is still and silent before the Lord: lusts and corrupt interests, which make a continual noise and clamour in the unregenerate and unresigned, by their importunate solici tations, and fill them with din and tumult, are here quieted and silenced; and therefore such a soul is better prepared to hear God coming to it in the "still small voice," as once he did to Elias. Those soft and gentle whispers of the Spirit, venæ Divini murmuris, as Prudentius calls them, those inward manifestations of himself, are best discerned and attended to, in this solemn silence. When the wind is high, and beats upon the windows and doors of the house, it is hard to hear what is said within. All tumultuous and boisterous passions must be calmed, and the soul be in a state of due stillness and tranquillity, to hear what God speaks to it.

a Psal. xvi. 11.

d Rom. viii. 2.

b Ibid. xxv. 9.

1 Cor. ii. 16. Kings xix. 12.