The souls humiliationThe soules humiliation

Name: The souls humiliation
Author: Thomas Hooker

Thomas Hooker 1586–1647London: printed by I. Legat for Andrew Crooke, 1637

[2], 224 p. · 67k words · STC 13728 · ESTC S117849

Title page typeset from the transcription.

Title page

Modern spelling is a reading aid: the words are the author’s, only the spelling is modernized. Original shows the page as printed, with the transcription marks.

Beginning of the work:0–12 of 325

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THE SOULS HUMILIATION.

THE SOVLES HVMILIATION.

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Job 22. vers. 29. And he shall save the humble Person.

Iob 22. vers. 29. And he shall save the humble Person.

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LONDON, Printed by I. L. for Andrew Crook, at the sign of the Bear in Pauls Church-yard. 1637.

LONDON, Printed by I. L. for Andrew Crooke, at the signe of the Beare in Pauls Church-yard. 1637.

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THE SOULS HUMILIATION.

THE SOVLES HVMILIATION.

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Later passages ]

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There are two things considerable. First, a fitting and enabling of the soul for Christ. Secondly, an implantation ⟨p. 2⟩of the Soul into Christ. For howsoever it is true there is abundance of mercy, and infinite merit in Christ: yet unless the Soul be fitted and enabled by the hand of faith, to lay hold upon Christ; he shall never receive comfort from him, be his necessities never so many, and his misery never so grievous. Therefore John Baptist was sent to prepare the way, that all those mountains of pride might be laid low, and all the ditches filled up, and all the crooked things might be made straight and all rough things might be made smooth, that there might be a way for Christ. The meaning is this: The heart of a man is the high way wherein Christ comes. Now there are mountains of pride and untoward stoutness of heart, and many windings and turnings, and devices which the heart hath, by reason of many lusts that are in it. This fitting and preparing, is nothing else but the taking away of that knotty knarlinesse of the heart, and that pride, and all such cursed corruptions, that the door may be set open, and the heart made ready that the King of glory may come in.

There are two things considerable. First, a fitting and enabling of the soule for Christ. Secondly, an inplantation ⟨p. 2⟩of the Soule into Christ. For howsoever it is true there is aboundance of mercy, and infinite merit in Christ: yet unlesse the Soule be fitted and enabled by the hand of faith, to lay hold upon Christ; he shall never receive comfort from him, be his necessities never so many, and his misery never so grievous. Therefore Iohn Baptist was sent to prepare the way, that all those mountaines of pride might be laid low, and all the ditches filled up, and all the crooked things might be made strieght and all rough things might be made smooth, that there might be a way for Christ. The meaning is this: The heart of a man is the high way wherein Christ comes. Now there are mountaines of pride and untoward stoutnesse of heart, and many windings and turnings, and devices which the heart hath, by reason of many lusts that are in it. This fitting and preparing, is nothing else but the taking away of that knotty knarlinesse of the heart, and that pride, and all such cursed corruptions, that the doore may be set open, and the heart made ready that the King of glory may come in.

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First, it is necessary that the soul should be thus humbled; for humiliation pares away all self-sufficiency from the soul by compunction: the Lord breaks the heart, and wearies it with sin, and then the soul will be no more drunk, nor loose, nor vain, no more foolish, nor dissembling, nor hating of Gods servants, nor use no more false weights; by humiliation the Lord plucks away the confidence in a mans privileges, and all his good performances, and all his duties, by which he is ready to shelter himself, and by which he thinks to get some succour and comfort to his own soul. Now as sin shall not rule in the heart, so the Lord will make the sinner see, that whatsoever he hath and doth, can never help him, except the Lord Jesus come down from heaven by his mighty power. For the further opening of these, you must know that there are these two main lets, which hinder the coming of faith into the soul, and which keep a man from believing in Christ, that Christ may have possession of him.

First, it is necessary that the soule should be thus humbled; for humiliation pares away all selfe-sufficiency from the soule by compunction: the Lord breakes the heart, and wearies it with sinne, and then the soule will be no more drunke, nor loose, nor vaine, no more foolish, nor dissembling, nor hating of Gods servants, nor use no more false weights; by humiliation the Lord plucks away the confidence in a mans priviledges, and all his good performances, and all his duties, by which he is ready to shelter himselfe, and by which he thinks to get some succour and comfort to his owne soule. Now as sinne shall not rule in the heart, so the Lord will make the sinner see, that whatsoever he hath and doth, can never helpe him, except the Lord Iesus come downe from heaven by his mightie power. For the further opening of these, you must know that there are these two maine lets, which hinder the comming of faith into the soule, and which keepe a man from beleeving in Christ, that Christ may have possession of him.

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First,¹ when the soul is taken up with a secure course, and rests it self well apaid in his own practises, and therefore it never seeth any need of a change, nor never goes out for a change: now while he lives thus, and blesseth himself in his sin, it is impossible that ever the soul should receive faith, or ever by the power of faith repair to Christ upon these terms: for ever where faith comes it works a change, all the old things are done away, and become new, he is new in heart and life; now the secure sinner that seeth no need of a change, will ⟨p. 4⟩never see need of faith, nor labour for it; and if the Ministers of God bid such a man to leave his sin, and to pray in his family, and forsake his sinful practises, and to sanctify the Lords day, and take up new courses, he thinks they bid him to his loss: now by that time the Lord hath taken away this let, and burdened the soul marvellous extremely, and saith, is it well that you live in drunkenness, and in covetousness, in cheating, in lying and the like, then take your sins and get you down to hell with them; thus the Lord is forced to break the heart: then a poor sinner begins to see where he is, and now he saith, and is this true, then I am the most miserable creature under heaven, and except I be otherwise, it had been good for me if I had never been borne; by this time the soul sees need of a change: Therefore as they said, Men and brethren what shall we do, ²we have been thus and thus, but if we rest here it will be our ruin for ever, oh what shall we do. Thus the soul comes to a restless dislike of it self, and saith, I must either be otherwise or else I am but a damned man for ever.

First,¹ when the soule is taken up with a secure course, and rests it selfe well apaide in his owne practises, and therefore it never seeth any need of a change, nor never goes out for a change: now while he lives thus, and blesseth himselfe in his sinne, it is impossible that ever the soule should receive faith, or ever by the power of faith repaire to Christ upon these termes: for ever where faith comes it works a change, all the old things are done away, and become new, he is new in heart and life; now the secure sinner that seeth no need of a change, will ⟨p. 4⟩never see need of faith, nor labour for it; and if the Ministers of God bid such a man to leave his sinne, and to pray in his family, and forsake his sinfull practises, and to sanctifie the Lords day, and take up new courses, he thinkes they bid him to his losse: now by that time the Lord hath taken away this let, and burthened the soule marvellous extreamely, and saith, is it well that you live in drunkennesse, and in covetousnesse, in cheating, in lying and the like, then take your sinnes and get you downe to hell with them; thus the Lord is forced to breake the heart: then a poore sinner begins to see where he is, and now he saith, and is this true, then I am the most miserable creature under heaven, and except I be otherwise, it had beene good for mee if I had never beene borne; by this time the soule sees need of a change: Therefore as they said, Men and brethren what shall we doe, ²we have beene thus and thus, but if we rest here it will be our ruine for ever, oh what shall we doe. Thus the soule comes to a restlesse dislike of it selfe, and saith, I must either be otherwise or else I am but a damned man for ever.

11. Let of Faith.
2Acts 2.37.

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When the soul is thus resolved that it must of necessity change, and there is no dallying with the Lord nor with himself, and this heart must be altered, and this course must be amended. When it sees that it must change, it begins to improve all means to see if he can possibly do it by his own strength, and by his means using, as if the soul did say, good Lord cannot my wit compass it, and cannot my prayers work it, and though I am a sinful wretched man, yet I will be no more drunk, nor ⟨p. 5⟩unclean, nor the like: but by prayer, and hearing, and fasting, I will labour to mend all in this kind; will not these duties do the deed? this very resting in a mans self-sufficiency doth marvellously cross and hinder the work of Faith, for this is the nature of Faith; It goes out of it self, and fetcheth a principle of life, grace, and power from another. The soul apprehends it self miserable, and it falls upon the arm of Gods mercy, and merely goes out to God for succour. Now for a man to fetch all from without, and yet to seek for sufficiency from himself, these two cannot stand together, they are professedly cross one to another; and therefore after the Lord hath made the soul see an absolute necessity of a change, and now the soul seeth an utter impossibility in himself, to change or alter himself, then he is content to go to Christ for grace and power. Thus Humiliation pares away all a mans privileges and all his hearing and praying &c. not, that a man must use these no more, but he must not rest upon them for strength to help and succour himself withal. as it is with the graft. 1. it must be cut of from the old stock 2. it must be pared and made fit for the implantation into an other. Soe the Soul being cut of from sin: then humiliation pares it, and makes it for the ingrafting into Christ.¹ thus you see this work is absolutely necessary.

When the soule is thus resolved that it must of necessitie change, and there is no dallying with the Lord nor with himselfe, and this heart must be altered, and this course must be amended. When it sees that it must change, it begins to improve all meanes to see if he can possibly doe it by his owne strength, and by his meanes using, as if the soule did say, good Lord cannot my wit compasse it, and cannot my prayers worke it, and though I am a sinfull wretched man, yet I will be no more drunke, nor ⟨p. 5⟩uncleane, nor the like: but by prayer, and hearing, and fasting, I will labour to mend all in this kinde; will not these duties doe the deed? this very resting in a mans selfe-sufficiency doth marveilously crosse and hinder the worke of Faith, for this is the nature of Faith; It goes out of it selfe, and fetcheth a principle of life, grace, and power from another. The soule apprehends it selfe miserable, and it falls upon the arme of Gods mercy, and meerely goes out to God for succour. Now for a man to fetch all from without, and yet to seeke for sufficiency from himselfe, these two cannot stand together, they are professely crosse one to another; and therefore after the Lord hath made the soule see an absolute necessitie of a change, and now the soule seeth an utter impossibilitie in himselfe, to change or alter himselfe, then he is content to goe to Christ for grace and power. Thus Humiliation pares away all a mans priviledges and all his hearing and praying &c. not, that a man must use these noe more, but he must not rest upon them for strength to help and succour himselfe withall. as it is with the graft. 1. it must be cut of from the old stocke 2. it must be pared and made fit for the implantation into an other. Soe the Soule being cut of from sinne: then humiliation pares it, and makes it for the ingrafting into Christ.¹ thus you see this worke is absolutely necessary.

1What humiliation is.

Reformers309

Puritans1,782

Westminster Assembly24

Evangelicals36

THE SOULS HUMILIATION.

THE SOVLES HVMILIATION.