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I. THAT IT IS A DISPOSITION NOT UNBEFITTING KINGS TO HUMBLE THEMSELVES BEFORE GOD.

II. THAT THE ACTIONS OF GRACE ARE REFLECTED ACTIONS. They begin from a man's self, and end in a man's self. Yet we must not exclude the Spirit. For the further expression of this humbling of ourselves before God, we will consider —

1. The kinds and degrees of it.

(1) Inward.

(a)  Humiliation in the mind in regard of judgment and knowledge, when our understandings are convinced, that we are as we are.

(b)  Affections of humiliation, shame, sorrow, fear.

(2) Outward. As manifested in words and in outward behaviour and carriage.

2. Some directions how we may humble ourselves,

(1) Get poor spirits, that is spirits to see the wants in ourselves and in the creature; the emptiness of all earthly things without God's favour; the insufficiency of ourselves and of the creature at the day of judgment.

(2) Let us bring ourselves into the presence of the Great God and consider His attributes, His works of justice abroad in the world, and upon ourselves in particular (Job 42:6; John 1:27; 1 Corinthians 15:9; Matthew 8:8; Genesis 32:10).

(3) Let us be content to hear of our sins and baseness by others.

(4) Look to the time to come, what we shall be ere long, earth and dust; and at the day of judgment we must be stripped of all.

(5) Let us set before us the example of our blessed Saviour.

(6) Let us work upon our own souls by reasoning, discoursing, and speaking to our own hearts.

3. The motives to move us to get this humiliation.

(1) Consider the promises that are made to this disposition (Isaiah 57:15; James 4:10). As examples we have Peter, David, Manasseh, Josiah. Every branch of humiliation hath a promise. A humble heart is a vessel of all graces. Humility emptieth the heart for God to fill it. God hath but two heavens to dwell in; the heaven of heavens and the heart of a poor humble man. When a man is humbled he is fit for all good. As all the water that is upon the hills runs into the valleys, so all grace goes to the humble.

(2) All outward actions benefit other men; but this inward action of humbling a man's self makes the soul itself good.

(3) A humble soul is a secure and safe soul.

4. The notes whereby it may be known.

(1) Holy humiliation is voluntary.

(2) It is ever joined with reformation.

(3) Sin must appear bitter to the soul. There is in every renewed soul a secret loathing and hatred of evil, and is expressed —

(a)  In a serious purpose and resolution not to offend God in the least kind.

(b)  There must be a constant endeavour to avoid the occasions and allurements of sin.

(c)  There must be a hatred and loathing of sin in our confessions (Psalm 51:4).

(4) True humiliation proceeds from faith. It quakes, at the foresight of judgment, but the wicked never humble themselves but when judgment is upon them.

(5) With true humiliation is joined hope.

(6) Hypocrites are sorrowful for the judgment that is upon them, but not for that which is the cause of judgment, but the child of God is humbled for sin.

(7) True humiliation is a thorough humiliation. It is not like Ephraim's morning dew, quickly gone.

( R. Sibbes..)

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KJV: Because thine heart was tender, and thou didst humble thyself before God, when thou heardest his words against this place, and against the inhabitants thereof, and humbledst thyself before me, and didst rend thy clothes, and weep before me; I have even heard thee also, saith the LORD.

WEB: because your heart was tender, and you humbled yourself before God, when you heard his words against this place, and against its inhabitants, and have humbled yourself before me, and have torn your clothes, and wept before me; I also have heard you," says Yahweh.