Cklap.. . Of Humility andPride, °c. . Com;ì 129 felf down; and be content with whadoever it falll plcafe God tolay upon him, and fuch a deje&ion of our felves is the effect of Fear. And this as it humbleth us towards God. My f c,fh trembleth for Fear of thee, and I am afraid of thy judge- meats ; fo the like effettt it produced towards man, even fromgood men, when they pfaj uÿ.r ìgl were in fear of men. 7acob bowed himfelf fcven times before he came to his Brother.Gen. 33.3. The like we read of the wicked. Benhadad King of Syria, and his Nobles; be- ing ftricken with the fear of Ahab, girded Sackcloth on their Loins, and put Ropes s Reg. an.3i; about their Necks,and came to him, and faid, thy Servant Benhadad faith, I pray thee, let thy fervantlive. And if the fear of mans wrath work fo upon us, much more ought the terrour of Gods juflice, that by it we fhould beprefently caft down un-. til we can fay with the Prophet, Adhefit anima mea pavimento rr pulveri, my Soul Pfala 1,1944'; cleaveth to the ground, yea to the duff. We fee alto that the Patriarchsand Prophets have Ihewed his Humiliation by putting on Sackcloth, as judging themfelves not worthy to bebetter cloathed, and in throwing Duft and Afhes upon their Heads, thereby profeffing themfelves fitter andworthier to be caft under the Earth, thanto treadon the ground any longer. We mull have that in truth, Which they fignified Plafn by thofeTypes and Emblems ; we muff be even with the ground, and as the Pfalmift 7. S, fpeaks lay all our honour in the Duft. When we are thus humbled, and have given all glory to God, and noneto our felves, then follows our exaltation ; for when God hath brought us to the nether- molt pit, and as it were to Deaths and Hells door, when weare at the "very bottom of Humility, and can go no lower, then are we fit to begin a foundation to build upon. We muff firít fet our felves in the loweft Room, and the Malta of the Fcaft will bid us fit up higher. And this fhould be the true Myrrour of every Chri- Luke ftian, the true ,io$ , or felf knowledge which is to be commended,. not in the fenfe the Heathen took it to know and fee the excellency of himfelf, and fo be puffed up , but to fee the imperfeftions of our Souls and know our wants. Pride never gets footing of us , but either for want of knowledge . or upon a falle knowledge. And therefore the Heathen confidering the excellency and nobility of man, and having afalfe apprehenfion of Gods Juftice, it was that which made them fall into that proud conceit, that the preaching of Chrift was fooliihnefs, and for the fame reafon it became offence alto to the pews, infomuch as when Chrift came to exalt and heal them, they werehigh and found enough already. - And there- foreSt. Auguflinefaith, Superbis Pherifeis viluit Chrifius, Chrift feems vile to the proud Pharifees. their Pride made themhave abate efteemof him. Not that we deny, but tha t the nature of man ismoft excellent, yet withal remembring, that the more excellent a thing is, the worfeit is if it degenerates. And therefore fecing our eftate is fo vile, and that it hath pleafed God tö which. cafe usChrifians a better way, we are to follow it. And this is by the true know. ledge of a manhimfelf, wherein there muff be. r. Humilir ee mends, Humilily in themind or underftanding, which is when the mind apprehends the infinite excel- lency of God and our ownbafenefs; and this belief of the mind will raife a fuitable difpofition in theHeart, for from hence follows the fecond. z. Hurnilitás cordis, voluti eatis,& affeïtum,thchumbling of the the Heart and Will, &c. Whereby a man thinks himfelf not worthy of Food, Apparel, orany comforts of this Life, but is abafed in his own_fight. This-reftrains the appetite of Pride, which is tobe meafured by that mini, 3iä r; which is inevery man, and makes him not to exalt himfeif,feeing there is no excellen- cy in him, and to fay with the Pfalmilt; OLord, I am not high minded, I have no proud looks, &c. We fee then that the end and ufe of Humility is to bring aman out of conceit with himfelf, and to caute him to refign all his alts to the glory of God, and upon this the foundation of the building is tobe laid. For as the Heathen man faid well; Superbus mifer et& indignui mifericordia, a proud wretchdeferves nopity. And in the Prophet, God faith,I have brought down the high Treeand exalted the low,I have Eeek. 57. a4: dried up the greenTree,and have made thedry Tree toflourifh.And for this caùfeitisMauit, that our Saviourfaith, Except men be humble and havenomore Pride in them than Babes, there will beno entrance for them into Heaven.. Though Godcan afford the things tomen, yetglariaro meamalteri non dribs, hewill not give his glory to any, Hay B. therefore
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