T!:e Jeeming> of Pride and cormte1[eits of Hrtmility. 1i 1 telcheth us not to err for company , nor to grow no wifer when once we arrive at t~e common fla~ n?re 1 nor w forfake the truth which mhers underfiand not, nor to forbear to teach It becaufe it is l!Ot known allready. If Come of the Paftors in Abaffia, Syria, Arnitnia., Ruffia, Greece, or Italy, or SpJiJt~ were as wife as the Minifiers in E?gland are, it were:no evidence of their Pride. • 1 . If a man that underfiandcth any thmg contr-ary to the Judgement of another~ cannot forfak$ tt, Siquid agrre and think or fay as another would have him; efpecially if you comradilJ him in d1fputation; he will inftituis, Jcme take it to be your pnde, and overvaluing your own undetltanding, and being too tem.cious of )'Our progudere:in own couccits. Enoneou$ men that in thei~ Pride are over c~gcr to have ot.hers of_ their mind, wi.ll ~~~~;fs~fi;:~ call you Proud bt:caufe you yidd not to theu pride. They th~nk that the evidence IS Co clear on thcu re; perfifie. tide that if you were not Proud you t:ould net choofe but thmk as they do. B11u in La.rt. s'. Some humble men are naturally of a war'? and eanteft manner of ~ifcou~fe ;_ and their natural Peninacior heat and eagernc:Cs of fpecch is frequently miC-Judged to come from pnde, t!ll fuller acquaintance t<~men erat with their humble lives do rcd:ifie the mifiake. It is writte~ of Biiliop Hooper the Martyr, that (Chrylm<hi~ " [ thofc that vi fired him once, condemned him of over-aufienty, they that rep~ircd tO him twice, ~s J n:c de. u only furpcded him of the fame; t~10fe that converfed with him confiantly,. n~t only acquitted him d~f::d~b.l~~i~: H of all morofi1y, but commcndcd .h1m _for fweetnefs of manners:. So _that hts tll nature confilled in quit ~~napius H other mens little acquaintance wJth !urn J 1bJ. FuUerJ Church Hiji'. ltb·7· p.~g. 402. and Godwin in h_un11hutem Gloc!ft· Bijhopi. The fame is true of very many worthy men. fJus budans. erudirionem non contemnmd.am, morumqueoum fm:l:iutem quam fuavitatem, percharus fu~~!li~~~r~;~. 9· If we zealoufly contend for the faith or the Peace of the Church a~ainll Heretical or Dividing perfons, and their dangerous waies, they will call us Proud, though God command it us, Jud. 2·3• tfpecially if we avoid them, and bid tbewt not Good [peed, T!f. 3· 10. 2 Joh. 10· 10. 'when a man of undcrfianding openeth the ignorance of another, and fpeaketh words of pity concerning him, tl~ough it be no more than truth and chariij command, they will be taken to be the words of fuperciliom pride. 11. That plain dealing in reproof which God commandeth, efpecially to his Minifl-err, towards high and low, great and !mall, and which the P,rophets and Servants ofGod have ufed, wi!I be miCjudged as arrogancie and Pride. Amoi 7· 12, I3· 2 Chron. 25· r6. Al1t23. 4• As if it were Pride to . . be true to God, and to pity fouls, and feek to fave them, and tell them in time of that which Gen. 1 9· S, 9t confcience will more dolcly and terribly tell them of, when it is too late! 10 ' 12. Self-idolizing Paplfis acCufe their inferiors for Pride, if they do but modefily excrci[e a jrllitre~ Cum humili– mmt of di[cretion about the matters that their falv1tion is conceJncd in, and. do not implicitly belie,v/"as u 1 iscauf:a they believe, and forbear.to prove or try their fayings, and fwallow not all withou~ any chewing, and mentiris, fi . 'offer to object the commands of God againfi any unlawful commands of men: 1\s if God w~re con- non eras pec-: rented to fufpend his Laws, when ~vcr mens commands do cbn~radict them; ?r humility required us ~~~t~~a~~~ti~ ro pleafe and obey men at the pncc of the lofs of our falvauon. They thmk that we fhould not ris, mentien ... bufy our felves.to enquire into fuch matters, but trufi them with our fouls,. and. that the Scriptures do:effici~ns ate not for the !airy to read, but they mufi wholly relic upon the clergie: And if a lay man enquire quod ~vnar2s; into their Doctrine or Commands, t_hey fay as DavidJ brmher lO him, 1 Sam. 17· 28. [1Y.ith whom ~~r.;fl~~~-:e hajl tbouleft tbe jhup i11 the wildmtcfi 1 I ~now thy pride, and tbe naughrineji of thy heart J. er · po • '3· If a zealous humble preacher of the Gofpel, that prea.chcth not himfelf but Chrifi, be highly cfiecmed and hor1?ured f~r Ins works fak~, and crowded after, and greatly followed by thofe that are 1 Thef. 5 . ii, ed1fied by h1m, tt ts ordmary for the enviOus, and the enerrpes of Godhnefs, to fay that he is Proud, 13 . and preachetl1 to draw difciples after him, and to be admired 1 by men ; for they judge of the hearts of others by their own : As if they knew not that Chrifi and his moll excellenr fervants have been crowded after, without being thereby lifted up, or chargeable with pride? As the Sun is nOt accufa.. ble for being beheld and admired by all the world; nor tire and water, earth and air, food and ren, for being valued by all: Little do they know how deep a fenfe of their own unworthinefs is renewed in the hearts of the mofi applauded Preachers, by the occafion of mens efiimation and applaufe, and bow much they defirc that none may over-value them, and turn their eye from the doctrine upoh the · ·• t pcrfon! And how oft they cry out with the laborious Apoflle, n·bo if fujjicimt for the[< things .I And how o{t they are tempted to call olf all through fear and fenfe of their unfitnefs, when ihe envious dullards fearlefly utter a dry difcourfe, and think that they are wronged becaufe they are not conimended and followed as much as others; they think the common [en[e of aUthe faithful, and the love of trutb, and care of their falvation, mufi be called Pride, becau{e it aarrieth men to prefer themeans 1 ""': which is fitted befi to their edification and falvation.. r 14-. If a h\)tnble Chrifiian have after much temptation and a holy life, attainf.d to' weli-gro~nded . ' :\;..~t perfwafions of his falvation, and be thankful to God, for fanctifying him, and numbring him wltll his little flock, when the world lyeth in wickednds, he will be taken for. Proud by ungodly m<n, that cannot endure to hear before band, of the dJfferc.ncc whtch the Judgement of God will declare, between the righteous and the wicked: As if it were Pride to be happy or to be than/ifu!. ·· J 5· If a man that is falOy accufed or fiandcrcd a,.u modefily deny the charge, and ufe th:lt law– ful means which he: oweth to his own vindication, he will be accuG:d of Pride becaufe he contradict– eth proud accufm, and confmteth not to belie himfelf; yea though the di01o11our of Religion and the hinderance of mens falvation, be the confequent of his diilio11our. ' Hh t6. Many
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