the Humility towards God, I have already spoken and fhewed the Neceffity of it. I am now to speak of Humility, as it concerns our felves, which will be found no less neceffary than the former. 3. This Humility is of two Sorts; the firft is, the having a mean and low Opinion of our selves; the fecond is, the being content that others should have fo of us. The first of thefe is contrary to Pride, the other to Vain-Glory. And that both thefe are abfolutely neceffary to Chriftians, I am now to fhew you; which will, I conceive, beft be done by laying before you, Firft, The Sin; Secondly, The Danger; Thirdly, The Folly of the contrary Vice. The great Sin of Pride. 4. And, Firft, for Pride; the Sin of it is fo great, that it caft the Angels out of Heaven; and therefore if we may judge of Sin by the Punishment, it was not only the firft, but, the greatest Sin that ever the Devil himself hath been guilty of: But we need no better Proof of the Heinoufnefs of it, than the extreme Hatefulnefs of it to God; which, befides that Inftance of his punishing the Devil, we may frequently find in the Scriptures, Prov. xvi. 5. Every one that is proud in Heart is an Abomination to the Lord. And again, Chap. vi. 17. where there is mention of feveral Things the Lord hates; a proud Look is fet as the first of them. So James iv. 6. God refifteth the Proud; and diverfe other Texts there are to the fame Purpofe; which fhews the great Hatred God bears to this Sin of Pride. Now, fince it is certain, God, who is all Goodnefs, hates nothing but as it is Evil, it must needs follow, that where God hates in fo great a Degree, there must be a great Degree of Evil. The Danger of drawing into other Sins. 5. But, Secondly, Pride is not only very finful, but very dangerous; and that, firft, in respect of drawing us to other Sins; fecondly, of betraying us to Punishments. First, Pride draws us to other Sins, wherein it fhews it felf indeed to be direct contrary to Humility for as that is the Root of all Virtue, fo is this of all Vice. For he that is proud fets. himself up as his own God, and fo can never fubmit himself to any other Rules or Laws than what he makes to himself. The Ungodly, fays the Pfalmift, is fo proud that he careth not for God. Pfal. x. 4. where you fee it is his Pride that makes him defpife God. And when a Man is once come to that, he is prepared for the Commiffion of all Sins. I might inftance in a Multitude of particular Sins, that naturally flow from this of Pride; as firft, Anger, which the Wife Man fets as the Effect of Pride, Prov. xxi. 24. calling it proud Wrath; Secondly, Strife and Contention, which he again notes to be the Off-fpring of Pride, Prov. xiii. 10. Only by Pride cometh Contention. And both these are indeed most natural Effects of Pride: For he that thinks very highly of himfelf, expects much Submiffion and Obfervance from others, and therefore cannot but rage and quarrel whenever he thinks it not fufficiently paid. It would be infinite to mention all the Fruits of this bitter Root: I fhall name but one more, and that is, that Pride not only betrays us to many Sins, but also makes them incurable in us; for it hinders the working of all Remedies. 6. Those Remedies muft either come from God or Man; if from God, they must be either in the G 2 Fruftrating of way way of Meeknefs and Gentleness, or elfe of Sharp nefs and Punishment. Now if God by his Goodnefs effay to lead a proud Man to Repentance, he quite miftakes God's Meaning, and thinks all the Mercies he receives are but the Reward of his own Defert: and fo long, 'tis fure, he will never think he needs Repentance. But if, on the other fide, God ufe him more fharply, and lay. Afflictions and Punishments upon him, thofe in a proud Heart work nothing but Murmurings and hating of God, as if he did him injury in those Punishments. As for the Remedies that can be ufed by Man, they again must be either by way of Correction or Exhortation. Corrections from Man will fure never Work more on a proud Heart, than thofe from God; for he that can think God unjust in them, will much rather believe it of Man. And Exhortations will do as little; for let a proud Man be admonished, though never fo mildly and lovingly, he looks on it as a Difgrace. And therefore, inftead of confeffing or amending the fault, he Falls to reproaching his Reprover, as an over-bufy and cenforious Perfon; and for that greatest and most precious Act of Kindness, looks on him as his Enemy. And now one that thus ftubbornly refifts all Means of Cure, must be concluded in a most dangerous Eftate. 7. But befides this Danger of Betraying to Sin, I told you there was another, Punishment. that of Punishment; and of this there will need little Proof, when it is confidered, that God is the proud Man's profeffed Enemy, that he hates and refifts him, as appeared in the Texts fore-cited; and then there can be little Doubt, that he which hath so mighty an D an Adverfary, fhall be fure to fmart for it. Yet befides this general Ground of Conclufion, it may not be amifs to mention some of those Texts, which particularly threaten this Sin, as Prov. xvi. 18. Pride goeth before Destruction, and a haughty Spirit before a Fall: Again, Prov. xvi. 5. Every one that is proud in Heart is an Abomination to the Lord: Though Hand join in Hand, yet he shall not be unpunished. The Decree, it feems, is unalterable, and whatever Endeavours are used to preferve the proud Man, they are but vain, for he shall not go unpunished. And this is very remarkable in the Story of Nebuchadnezzar, Dan. iv. who though a King, the greatest in the World, yet for his Pride was driven from among Men to dwell and feed with Beafts. And it is moft frequently feen, that this Sin meets with very extraordinary Judgments, even in this Life: But if it fhould not, let not the proud Man think that he hath efcaped God's Vengeance, for it is fure there will be a most fad Reckoning in the next; for if God spared not the Angels for this Sin, but caft them into Hell, let no Man hope to speed better. 8. In the third Place I am to fhew you the great Folly of this Sin: and to do that, it will be neceffary to confider The Folly. the feveral Things whereof Men ufe to be proud : They are of three Sorts, either those which we call the Goods of Nature, or the Goods of Fortune, or the Goods of Grace. In Refpect of the Goods of Nature. 9. By the Goods of Nature, I mean Beauty, Strength, Wit, and the like; and the being proud of any of these, is a huge Folly. For first, we are very apt to mistake and think ourselves handfome and witty, when we are not; and then there cannot be a more ridiculous Folly than to be proud of what we have not; and fuch every one esteems it in another Man, though he never fuppofes it his own Cafe, and fo never difcerns it in himself. And therefore there is nothing more despicable amongst all Men, than a proud Fool: Yet no Man that entertains high Opinions of his own Wit, but is in danger to be thus deceived; a Man's own Judgment of himself being, of all others, the leaft to be trufted. But, Secondly, Suppofe we be not out in judging, yet what is there in any of these natural Endowments, which is worth the being proud of, there being scarce any of them whichfone Creature or other hath not in a greater Degree than Man? How much does the Whiteness of the Lilly, and the Redness of the Rofe, exceed the White and Red of the faireft Face? What a Multitude of Creatures is there, that far furpafs a Man in Strength and Swiftnefs? And diverfe others there are, which, as far as concerns any ufeful End of theirs, act much more wifely than moft of us; and are therefore oftentimes in Scripture propofed to us by way of Example. It is therefore furely great Unreasonableness for us to think highly of our felves for fuch Things as are common to us with Beafts and Plants. But, Thirdly, if they were as excellent as we fancy them, yet they are not at all durable, they are impaired and loft by fundry Means: A Phrenzy will deftroy the rareft Wit; a Sickness decay the fresheft Beauty; the greatest Strength; or however, old Age will be fure to do all: And therefore to be proud of them, is again a Folly in this Refpect. But, Laftly, whatever they are, we gave them not to ourfelves. No Man can think he |