from Nothing; that there is nothing Real or Pofitive in any Creature, but what is from God; and that, though a Creature be Something as of God, yet he is nothing as of himfelf, nor can exert any pofitive Act or Operation from himself, as a distinct Principle of Action; being ftill, as to that, as much a Nothing as before. If this be true, (and he that fhall confider, and well understand, what is alledged by M. Poiret, in Defence of this Notion, will fearce find it in his Power to think other wife) certainly Man has infinite Reason to be poor in Spirit, and to defcend into the loweft Abyss of Humility and Self-Abdication, as becomes a Being that not only was once, but is ftill,a mere Nothing. Lib. 4. Cogi- tat. Ration.de Man therefore, as a Creature, has fufficient Reason to be humble, and poor in Spirit. But, if we confider him 2ly, as a Sinner; he has Caufe, not only to be humble, but to lie down flat upon his Face, and look upon himself to be more base and vile than the very Duft whereof he was form'd, and whereon he treads. To be a Sinner is much more vile, than to be the meanest Creature; and the Non-Entity of Sin is more difhonourable than that of Nature. This latter, tho' it cannot actually conform, yet it is not difobedient to the Will of God: But the former Nothing contradicts and refifts his Will. This 2 is,as I think one ofthe Fathers calls it, Nihil Rebelle,& in Deum ar matum,an Armed Nothing.Indeed, to be a Creature, involves Weakness and Imperfection in it; but then it alfo involves Good, becaufe nothing can be, but by partaking of the Perfection of God. But now, to be a Sinner involves nothing but. pure and unmixt Evil; and is withal, a farther Remove from Good than to be nothing, ince it is, not only negatively, but contrarily oppofed to it. 'Tis indeed the greatest Monftrofity and Deformity in the World, the greateft Contradiction to Order and Harmony, to Reason and Proportion, to Wellbeing and Happiness: In one Word, 'Tis the only Thing which God hates. What great Reafon then has Man to be humble, and poor in Spirit; poor even to Emptiness, and Self-Annihilation, who is not only a Creature, but a finful Creature! Having now fhewn the Duty and Reasonableness of Poverty of Spirit, in the full Latitude of the Word; I proceed to fhew, in. the Third Place, the Happiness of those who are fo difpofed. Bleffed are the poor in fpirit, fays our Saviour, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. That's the only Bleffedness which is here exprefly mentioned: But they are happy alfo in other Regards: For, in the first place, What an happy Difpofition of Soul muft it be, always to carry about one fuch a a ftrong and lively Conviction of the Vanity of all created Good, as not to run out into vehement Defires after it? For, Defire it felf, 4. p. to go no farther, is always a great Torment : 'Tis the fame to the Soul, that Thirst is to 133. the Body; and Hope deferr'd (as the Wife Man tells us) makes the heart fick, Prov. 13. But that is not all; for here will come in the Trouble of Difappointment, as well as of Defire: Not that which the World generally, understands by Difappointment,the not compaffing what you defigned, (tho' that alfo will often happen) but the not enjoying what p.39. you have compaffed, the Disappointment of Fruition. But now, to be poor in Spirit, is the Way to avoid all this. Such a Perfon expects no Happiness from the Creature; and confequently, not to find it there, will be to him no Disappointment. He does not lean upon any created Good with any Strefs; and therefore, though it fhould fail under him, his Fall will be but flight and eafie. And, indeed, it is not to be imagined what a deal of Anxiety, Care, Reftlefnefs, Difappointment, Sorrow, fruitless Labour and Endeavour, are faved by this Poverty of Spirit. And I think this is no fmall Degree of Happiness. Again, Is it not a great Happiness, to be fo moderately and indifferently affected towards the World, as to be contented with ེ་ any Condition in it? To be of a quiet, fedate, refigned and dif-intereffed Difpofition? He that is thus difpofed, is above, or rather below, the Reach of calamitous Accidents. The Storm flies over his Head, he has nothing for Fortune to take hold of: Nor will he be under the Hazard of parting with his Religion, to fecure his Worldly Intereft. No; he can do his Duty, tho' at the Expence of Martyrdom; and tho' highly deferving of the best Times, may yet be trufted in the worst. Then as to the Happinefs attending upon Poverty of Spirit, as it ftands for Humility; there is no one Vertue that is more her own Reward than this: Pride is the moft uneafie thing in the World; and withal, the most odious; uneafie to the Patient, and odious to the Obferver.And,as it is, uneafie in it felf, fo is it the Parent of many troublefom and uneafie Paffions; fuch as Anger, Contention, Revenge, Envy, Impatience, &c. So that it is hard to determin whether the proud Man be more ridiculous or miferable. But now, to be humble, is to be wife, to understand the true Proportion and Measure of a Creature; to be ferene, to be contented, to be thankful, to be pleafant and chearful, to be calm and untroubled, to be difpaffionate and unconcerned. In fhort, No Man enjoys what he really is, fo much as he that does not fanfie himfelf what he is not. And be befides, The humble Man is fure to get that very Honour which he declines, and because he declines it. I end this with the Obfervation of Plato, That a Man that does not rightly know himself, can neither be prudent, good, nor happy; which is all that goes to the Perfection of Man: And he that does, is fure to be all this. Thus far of the Happiness belonging to the two Kinds of Poverty of Spirit, feverally. There remains yet one more, belonging to them both in common; and that is, the Kingdom of Heaven; which I suppose to comprehend both Grace and Glory. As to Grace, we are told by the Apoftle, that God has chofen the poor in this world to be rich in faith. And in the fame place where God is faid to refift the Proud, he is faid alfo to give Grace to the Humble, Jam. 4. 6. Indeed, Humility is the proper Foundation of Grace, and the Theatre of all Divine Operations. This State of Nothingness, and Self-emptiness, is as much a Preparation to the New, as the Void and Inform Space was to the Old Creation: 'Tis the true and proper firft Matter in the Spiritual World, into which the Form of the New Creature will be introduced: And if Man does but contain himself in this Nothing, God will not fail to work all, and to be all in him; having promised his Special Prefence to the Man of an humble Spirit, Ifa. 57.15. C 4 Then, |