“An humble soul doth highly prize the least of Christ. The least smile, the least good word, the least good look, the least truth, the least mercy, is highly valued by a humble soul.
The Canaanitish woman in the fifteenth of Matthew sets a high price upon a crumb of mercy.1 Ah, Lord, says the humble soul, if I may not have a loaf of mercy, give me a piece of mercy; if not a piece of mercy, give me a crumb of mercy. If I may not have sun-light, let me have moon-light; if not moon-light, let me have star-light; if not star-light, let me have candle-light; and for that I will bless thee.
In the time of the law, the meanest things that were consecrated were very highly prized, as leather or wood, that was in the tabernacle. A humble soul looks upon all the things of God as consecrated things. Every truth of God is a consecrated truth; it is consecrated to holy use, and this causes the soul highly to prize it; and so every smile of God, and every discovery of God, and every drop of mercy from God, is very highly prized by a soul that walks humbly with God. The name of Christ, the voice of Christ, the footsteps of Christ, the least touch of the garment of Christ, the least-regarded truth of Christ, the meanest and least-regarded among the flock of Christ, is highly prized by humble souls that are interested in Christ, Song 1:3; John 10:4, 5; Ps. 27:4; Mat. 9:20, 21; Acts 24:14; 1 Cor. 9:22. A humble soul cannot, a humble soul dares not, call anything little that has Christ in it; neither can a humble soul call or count anything great wherein he sees not Christ, wherein he enjoys not Christ.2 A humble soul highly prizes the least nod, the least love-token, the least courtesy from Christ; but proud hearts count great mercies small mercies, and small mercies no mercies; yea, pride does so unman them, that they often call mercy misery, &c.”[1]
1 Ver. 27. Faith will pick an argument out of a repulse, and turn discouragements into encouragements. Luther would not take all the world for one leaf of the Bible; such a price he set upon it, from the sweet that he found in it.
2 Austin loved Tully before his conversion, but not so much after, quia nomen Jesu non erat ibi, because the name of Christ was not there. [Confessions, b. iii., iv. 7.—G.]
[1] Thomas Brooks, The Complete Works of Thomas Brooks, Volume 3, ed. Alexander Balloch Grosart (Edinburgh; London; Dublin: James Nichol; James Nisbet and Co.; G. Herbert, 1866), 16.
This was a real treat to read. It makes me hungry for more Thomas Boston. Does anyone know if this has been released as a Puritan paperback? If so, I can afford to get a copy.
Wow.
Another fine example of the “irrelevant, antiquated, hard-to-read” Puritans -, blessed with the ability to convey more soul-stirring, heart-warming gospel truth in two paragraphs than the entire “Spiritual” section of the local Barnes and Noble combined…