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children, which is meet and needful to their good, it is usually misjudged to be their pride.

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2. When a sinner is convinced of the necessity of holiness in a time and place where it is rare; and infidelity, or profaneness and ungodliness is the common road, the necessary singularity of such a one in giving up himself to the will of God, is commonly charged on him as his pride: as if he were proud that cannot be contented to be damned in hell for company with the most; or to despise salvation if most despise it, and to forsake his God when most forsake him, and to serve the devil when most men serve him. If you will not swear, and be drunk, and game, and spend your time, even the Lord's day, in vanity and sensuality, as if you were afraid of being saved, and as if it were your business to work out your damnation, the world will call you proud and singular, and "think it strange that you run not with them to excess of riot, speaking evil of youd." - You shall quickly hear them say, ' What! will you be wiser than all the town? What a saint! What a holy precision is this!" When Lot was grieved for the filthiness of Sodom, they scorn him as a proud controller: "This one fellow came in to sojourn, and he will needs be a judge." And what thought they of Noah, that walked with God in so great singularity, when the world was drowned in (and for) their wickedness? When David "humbled his soul with fasting," they turned it to "his reproach." Especially when any of the servants of Christ do press towards the highest degree of holiness, they shall be sure to be accounted proud and hypocrites. And yet they accuse not that child or servant of pride who excelleth all the rest in pleasing them, and doing their work. Nor do they take a sick man to be proud, if he be more careful than others to recover his health. But he that will do most for heaven, and most carefully avoideth sin and hell, and is most serious in his religion, and most industrious to please his God, this man shall be accounted proud.

3. He that will not forsake his God and betray the truth,

d 1 Pet. iv. 4. See Plutarch Tract. How a man may praise himself without incurring blame. He that is blamed and suffereth reproach for well-doing, is justifiable if he praise himself, &c. p. 304.

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and wound his conscience by wilful sin; but will do as Daniel and the three confessors did, and answer as they answered, will be accounted proud. But it is no pride to prefer God before men, and to fear damnation more than imprisonment or death. The army of martyrs did not in pride prefer their own judgments before their superiors that condemned them; but they did it in obedience to God and truth, when that was revealed to babes, which was hid from the wise, and prudent, and great, and noble of the world.

4. When those that are faithful to the honour of Christ's sovereignty, dare not approve of papal usurpations, against his laws, and over his church, and the consciences of his subjects, they shall, by the popish usurpers, be called proud, and despisers of government: as if an usurper of the kingly power should call us proud because we dare not consent to his pride; or call us traitors, for not being traitors as he is himself.

5. When a man that hath the sense of the matters of God and men's salvation upon his heart, is zealous and diligent to teach them to others, and, if he be a minister, be fervent and laborious in his ministry, he is called proud, as one that must needs have all men of his mind; though compassion to souls, and aptness to teach, and preaching instantly in season and out of season, be his necessary duty required of God. And what is the ministry for, but to change men's minds, and bring them to the full obedience of the truth?

6. If a man understand the truth in any point of divinity better than most others, and hold any truth which is there in credit, or commonly received, he shall be accounted proud, for presuming to be so singular, and seeming wiser than those, that think they are wiser than he. But humility teacheth us not to err for company, nor to grow no wiser when once we arrive at the common stature; nor to forsake the truth which others understand not, nor to forbear to teach it because it is not known already. If some of the pastors in Abassia, Syria, Armenia, Russia, Greece, or Italy, or Spain, were as wise as the ministers in England are, it were no evidence of their pride.

7. If a man that understandeth any thing contrary to the

Dan. vi. iii.

judgment of another, cannot forsake it, and think or say as another would have him, especially if you contradict him in disputation, he will take it to be your pride, and overvaluing your own understanding, and being too tenacious of your own conceits". Erroneous men that in their pride are over eager to have others of their mind, will call you proud because you yield not to their pride. They think that the evidence is so clear on their side, that if you were not proud, you could not choose but think as they do.

8. Some humble men are naturally of a warm and earnest manner of discourse; and their natural heat and eagerness of speech are frequently misjudged to come from pride, till fuller acquaintance with their humble lives do rectify the mistake. It is written of Bishop Hooper the martyr, that those that visited him once, condemned him of over-austerity; they that repaired to him twice, only suspected him of the same; those that conversed with him constantly, not only acquitted him of all morosity, but commended him for sweetness of manners. So that his ill-nature consisted in other men's little acquaintance with him.' Tho. Fuller's Church Hist. lib. vii. p. 402. and Godwin in Glocest. Bishops. The same is true of very many worthy men*.

9. If we zealously contend for the faith or the peace of the church against heretical or dividing persons, and their dangerous ways, they will call us proud, though God command it us; especially if we avoid them, and bid them not God speed"."

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10. When a man of understanding openeth the ignorance of another, and speaketh words of pity concerning him, though it be no more than truth and charity command, they will be taken to be the words of supercilious pride.

11. That plain dealing in reproof which God commandeth, especially to his ministers, towards high and low, great and small, and which the prophets and servants of God have

Siquid agere instituis, lente id aggredere: cæterum in eo quod elegeris, firmiter persiste. Bias in Diog. Laert. lib. i. sect. 87. p. 54.

i Pertinacior tamen erat (Chrysanthius) nec de sententia facile discedebat: inquit Eunapius humilitatem ejus laudans.

* Bullingero ob eruditionem non contemnendam, morumque tam sanctitatem quam suavitatem, percharus fuit. p. 591.

1 Jud. ii. 2.

m Tit. iii. 10. 2 John x.

used, will be misjudged as arrogancy and pride". As if it were pride to be true to God, and to pity souls, and seek to save them, and tell them in time of that which conscience will more closely and terribly tell them of, when it is too late!

12. Self-idolizing Papists accuse their inferiors for pride, if they do but modestly exercise a judgment of discretion, about the matters that their salvation is concerned in, and do not implicitly believe as they believe, and forbear to prove or try their sayings, and swallow not all without any chewing, and offer to object the commands of God against any unlawful commands of men: as if God were contented to suspend his laws, whenever men's commands do contradict them; or humility required us to please and obey men at the price of the loss of our salvation. They think that we should not busy ourselves to inquire into such matters, but trust them with our souls, and that the Scriptures are not for the laity to read, but they must wholly rely upon the clergy: and if a layman inquire into their doctrine or commands, they say as David's brother to him, "With whom hast thou left the sheep in the wilderness? I know thy pride, and the naughtiness of thy heart"."

13. If a zealous, humble preacher of the Gospel, that preacheth not himself but Christ, be highly esteemed and honoured for his works' sake, and crowded after, and greatly followed by those that are edified by him, it is ordinary for the envious, and the enemies of godliness, to say that he is proud, and preacheth to draw disciples after him, and to be ́admired by men; for they judge of the hearts of others by their own as if they knew not that Christ and his most excellent servants have been crowded after, without being thereby lifted up, or chargeable with pride! As the sun is not accusable for being beheld and admired by all the world; nor fire and water, earth and air, food and rest, for being valued by all. Little do they know how deep a sense of their own unworthiness is renewed in the hearts of the most applauded preachers, by the occasion of men's estimation and applause, and how much they desire that none

n Amos vii. 12, 13. 2 Chron. xxv. 16. Acts xxiii. 4.

• Cum humilitatis causa mentiris, si non eras peccator antequam mentiris, mentiendo efficies quod evitaras. Augustin. de Verb. Apost.

P 1 Sam. xvii. 28.

may overvalue them, and turn their eye from the doctrine upon the person! And how oft they cry out with the laborious apostle, "Who is sufficient for these things?" And how oft they are tempted to cast off all through fear and sense of their unfitness, when the envious dullards fearlessly utter a dry discourse, and think that they are wronged because they are not commended and followed as much as others; they think the common sense of all the faithful, and the love of truth, and care of their salvation, must be called pride, because it carrieth men to prefer the means which are fitted best to their edification and salvation.

14. If a humble Christian have, after much temptation and a holy life, attained to well-grounded persuasions of his salvation, and be thankful to God for sanctifying him, and numbering him with his little flock, when the world lieth in wickedness, he will be taken for proud by ungodly men, that cannot endure to hear beforehand of the difference, which the judgment of God will declare between the righteous and the wicked: as if it were pride to be happy or to be thankful.

15. If a man that is falsely accused or slandered, shall modestly deny the charge, and use that lawful means which he oweth to his own vindication, he will be accused of pride because he contradicteth proud accusers, and consenteth not to belie himself; yea, though the dishonour of religion, and the hindrance of men's salvation be the consequent of his dishonour.

16. Many of the poor do mistake their superiors to be proud, if their apparel be not in fashion and value almost like their own, though it be sober and agreeable to their rank.

17. Some are of a more rustic or careless disposition, unfit for compliment; and some are taken up with serious studies and employments, so contrary to compliment, that they have neither time nor mind for the observance of the humours of complimental persons; who, because they expect it, and think they are neglected, do usually accuse such men of pride".

18. Some are of a silent temper, and are accused for

Attila incessu adeo gestuosus et compositus, ut vel exinde superbissimi animi contraxerit infamiam. Callimach. Exper. de Attil. p. 341.

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