How to Humble Ourselves (3)

(6) That we may humble ourselves, let us work upon our own souls by reasoning, discoursing, and speaking to our own hearts. For the soul has a faculty to work upon itself. So, discourse thus: If a prince should but frown upon me when I have offended his law, in what case should I be! Yet, when the great God of heaven threatens, what an atheistic unbelieving heart have I, that can be moved at the warnings of a mortal man, that is but dust and ashes, and yet cannot be moved with the warnings of the great God! Consider also, if a man had been so kind and bountiful to me, if I should reward his kindness with unkindness, I should have been ashamed, and covered my face with shame; and yet how unkind have I been unto God, who has been so kind to me, and yet I never a whit ashamed! If a friend should have come to me, and I have given him no hospitality, what a shame were this! But yet how often has the Holy Spirit knocked at the door of my heart, and suggested many holy motions into me of mortification, repentance, and newness of life, yet notwithstanding I have given him the repulse, opposed the outward means of grace, and have thought myself unworthy of it; what a shame is this! Thus, if we compare our interest in earthly things with our interest in heavenly, this will be a means to work upon our hearts, inwardly to humble ourselves. Let us labour to work our hearts to humility, into true sorrow, shame, true fear, that so we may have God to pity and consider us, who only does regard a humble soul.
There is an order, method, and agreement in these actions. We must examine ourselves strictly, and then bring ourselves before God, judge and condemn ourselves; for humiliation is a kind of execution.

Devotional Readings taken from Puritan Richard Sibbes 'Refreshment for the Soul.'
Josiah's Reformation, pp. 58-60 [46-47]
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