day without feeking of God in prayer, God hear's but little of them, they are growne high and rich; As a company of the wantons of our age,that fcone and contemne duty,and thinke that they are growne fo rich, and have fo much comfort, and fo much Affurance and Grace, that they have no fuch need as others have; Well, but when they are fo fluth and high, bleffed are the poore, thofe that are needy, and fee themfelves thus: fo as to be begging at the Throne of Grace, thofe that God heares much from at his Throne of Grace, thefe are the bleffed ones.

Fifthly, The poore, they are the admirers of Free Grace, and the great extollers of Free Grace; what ever they have they looke upon it as Free Grace, and over-looke themselves, over-looke their duties when they have done; they are as much in duties as any, but when they have done they overlooke all, they ftand not upon any thing, but it is Free Grace onely that's admired by them; Certainly thefe are the honourers of Free Grace.

And from hence in the fixth place, The poore in fpirit, this is his behaviour, he is emptyed of himselfe, whatfoever he hath in himselfe, or whatfoever he doth, he dares not reft upon it, not for his fpirituall and eternall good, but is delivered as it were from himfelfe, looking upon himfelfe as undone, urterly undone in refpect of what he is, of what he hath, or of what he can doe. One that is emptyed (I fay) of himselfe, and of every creature, and is in a preparation now for to trust onely In the Grace that is without him, In the Grace of God that is tendered In the Gofpel: he dares not lay the weight of his eternall eftate upon any thing that is In himselfe, or what comes from himfelfe, but meerely upon the Grace of God revealed in Chrift in the Gofpel: This is the poore firited man that is thus bleffed. One that Commits himfelfe to God, and trufts in God; fo doe the poore. Thus you have It in the 10 Pfal. 14. The poore committeth himselfe unto thee; he is emptyed of himfelfe, and Commits himfelfe to God; Commits his foule to him, and all his wayes; he dares not trust to his own wifdome for the guiding of him, not in any of his af

faires,but especially for the guiding of him. In the great affairs that Concerne his eternall good. And in the 3 Zeph. 12. the Scripture faith; That the Lord would leave in the midft of them, an afflicted and a poore people, and they should truft in the Name of the Lord. It is the poore that Commit themfelves to God, and that truit in the Name of the Lord. Now blefled are there poore, that is, fuch poore as from a fight of their own emptynefle, vilenetfe, wickedneffe and inability to helpe themselves, thall give up themselves to the Grace of Cod revealed in the Golpel, and Commit themselves and all their wayes to be guided by God, and are willing to live upon Almes for his prefent and for his eternall eftate. It is in the nature of man ever to be feeking to have fome Righteoufnefle of his owne; And that's the Reason that men can have no Comfort; Thofe that have their Confciences awakened, can have no Comfort till they be able to doe thus and thus, and be able to performe duties after fuch a manner, and overcome Corruptions thus and thus: Thou wilt not come as it were, a meere beggar to God, as one that hath nothing, but thou wouldeft faine bring fomething to God; But the Lord will have thee come as a meere beggar, as one that hath nothing at all, and to lie downe flat before him, ftript of all, even of thy raggs; For you know many poore people, they are proud of their very raggs: And fo it is with the hearts of Men, though they have nothing but their civill Righteoulneffe, yet that they will be proud of; Now the Lord will ftrip thee of all, and make thee come naked before him, and be willing to live upon Almes for eternity; Now it's hard for a man to live up on Almes for a little time, but to live upon Almes all the dayes of ones life, is harder: but now to live up on Almes for eternity; and yet this poore fpirit is fuch an one, as is fo fencible of his own poverty,as can Commit it felfe to God in fuch a way, as to be Content to live upon Almes, even for Eternity; and bleffed are these poore.

Seventhly, A Foore fpirited man is one that is willing that God fhould choofe his condition: We ufe to say that beggars must be no choosers, but now I am speaking of one whofe fpiric

is futable to his fpirituall poverty, now if thou be fo spiritually poor, then doe not think that thou must be a choofer; No,thou muft not choose what thy comforts thall be, or thy ability fhall be, or what thy worth thall be, or any wages thall be, or at what time or means God fhall come in unto thee, thus or thus: No, thou must leave that wholly to God; onely this; Thou muft looke up to God for mercy, ô Lord let me have mercy, but how? and when? or at what time, and what degree and measure? that I leave wholly to God, onely my foules defire is, that the Lord would have mercy uponme; miny doe difco ver that there is not poverty of fpirit in them by this thing, for when they feeke to God for mercy, if they have not comfort coming in as they would, their fpirits are froward, even with God himselfe fuch a fpirit is not downe, but bletfed is the poor in fpirit, that is, thofe that fhall lye downe flat before the Lord, and be willing to be at Gods finding, here I am, and let God doe with me whattoever he will, I lye abolely at his mercy, and I do not expect to have my felfe to be choofer of any thing that I doe defire.

Eightly, thofe that are truly poor in fpirit, They look upon others that God hath bletfed with eminency of grace,and blefs them in their foules; they think their condition high; ô fuch and fuch doe I tee excellency of grace in,ô how happy is their condition faith a poor fpirited man or woman. As thole people that are poor, when they come by thofe that have great houfes, and great comings in; fayes they are happy men indeed: So thofe that are poor infpirit, when they fee others that have eminency of grace, they looke upon thofe as fuch as have obtained excellency indeed: they looke not upon the rich and honourable in the world, as the most excellent, but those that have the greatest eminency of grace,they looke upon them, and blasfe them; ô how happy were it if I could walke fo with God as fuch doe, if I could overcome my corruptions as fuch, if I could prize, and p oft by the word, as fuch: ô how happy thould I think my felfe to be: This is a good poverty of fpirit indeed.

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Ninthly, And further, Bleffed are the poor: The poore fpirit are fuch as are willing to waite: Though God doth not come according to their defires, ye: ftill they are content to waite upon God: God thall choole what the thing is that thall be given them, and they are willing to waite; So you have it in the 11 Zeb. 11. Thofe two are put together: And it was broken in that day that is the itaffe of beauty and of bands was broken: and the poor of the flock that waited upon me, knew that it was the word of the Lord: Men that are men of estates, and rich men, when they come to a door for bufinelle, if fo be that they cannot have prefently what they defire,away they will go,they will not ftand waiting, why because they are rich,and fo proud in a furable way to their riches: But now, one that is poor, and comes for an almes is content to waite, especially if he knows that there's no other door for him to go to at that time; if indeed he thinkes he may have it at fome other doore, he will ovait, but if he comes for an almes, and he must have it here or no where, he is content then to wait fo thofe that are truly poor in fpirit, they are content to waite at Gods gates, knowing that there's no other door, that they can have their almes at but only at the gates of God: Thou hast been feeking God it may be a month or longer, halfe a year or a year, and yet can't find nothing, ô but if thou can't have mere cy at laft, thy condition is happy: Thus a poor fpirited crea ture will fay, and fo will be content to be waiting all the dayes of his life.

Tenthly, One that is poore hath an awful respect to God and his word: he is one that is ftruck with an awfull reverence of the greatneffe of God, and the authority of his word: This you have in the 66. of Ifa: beginning, To this man will I looke, even to him that is poor, and of a contrite fpirit, and that trembleth at my word: You have thofe put together,the contrite,and poore, and that trembles at Gods word, when he comes to the word, and heares it opened, he lookes upon it as having a dreadful authority in it; he lookes upon the word as a thing to be above him, and his heart trembles leaft he should not give that due respect to the word that he ought to do: and when a

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promise is revealed he trembles for fear that he should not belong to him: and the divine luftre that he fees in the word to be to much above him, caufes his heart to feare and tremble before the Lord; this is a poor fpirited man; It's oppolite to that boldneffe of spirit that is in man,which is from hence, that he thinks he hath fomething to bear him out:But now one that as poo, in spirit lookes upon nothing in himfelfe that can bear him out against any thing that is in the word:No, it's the word that muft prevaile, whattoever becomes of me either for my prefent or eternall eftate: It's the word that must prevaile,and therefore he gives an awfull reverentiall refpect to the word when he heares it.

Eleventhly, One that is poore in fpirit, is fuch an one that hath a melting heart likewife at the word. A little thing in Gods word ftrikes him prefently and will caufe his heart to melt; As you shall fee men and women that are truly poor indeed (not your ordinary Vagrants and Rogues that will make themfelves to in idlenelle) but thofe that are truly poore, you fhall finde if you do but fpeake to them, a melting fpirit preSently in them, any thing you fay almoft,will make their hearts to melt within them; to one that is poore in fpirit, hath a melting ffirit at the word,a little thing from God works upon him, and he doth not ftand out against the word fo as others doe,he hath not a heart to give the word a rebound fo as others have, but when the word comes,there's a yeelding of 1pirit unto th word: Now all thefe put together that have been named, will plainly demonftrare, who that man or woman is that is pronounced thus bleffed here by our Saviour Chrift.

Now if you would aske and demand, why it is that God hath fuch a refpect and regard to fuch as are thus poore in fpirit, onely a word or two.

The great realon why the Lord hath fuch regard unto fuch, it is because this difpofition doth beft ferve the great defigne that God hath of glorifying himselfe in the world, namely, the lifting up of his free-grace: God would have his glory from the children of men; but what glory? the lifting up of free-grace, that's the glory that God would have above all other; God

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