----------------· ----------------~---------------- Sign of felf,idoli:<;jng Pride. ~--§-:-;8. Sigu8. Pride makes men pretend to he mureJufi than God: and ro think that~· more jullly Govern the world ; and eo ccnfme Gods threatnings, and the fulftrings of the good, and the profperity of the wicked,as thingsfo unjufl:, as that they ther~by incline to atheifm. So James and Jolm would be more jufi than Chrill, and call down lire on the rejecters of the Gofpel: And the Prodigals Brorher, Luk.f 1 5· repined at his Fathers lenity. Sign 9 . 9· 19. Sign 9· Pride maketh men fleight the authority and commands of God, and defpifc his J,r. 1;.15 1 7 • meffengers, and choofe to be ruled by their own conceits, and lulls, and interefis; when the .humble & 4l· '• l· tremble at his Word, and readily obey it. lfa. 57• 15· Neh. 9· 16. 29· ·r[a. 9·9· Sign 10 , 9· 20. Sign IO· A proud man in power will expeCt that his wiU be obeyed before the will of God; and that the fubjetl:sol God difpleafe their Mafier rather than him: He will think it a crime for a man to enquire tirfi what God would have him do; or to plead confcience and the commands of the God ofHeaven, agaio11 the obeying of his uujufi commands. If he offer you prefermenr, as Balack did B.;/aam, he lookerh you fhould be more taken wi1h it, than with Gods offer ofeternal life: If he threaten.you, as Nebuchadnezzar did the three Witneffes, he looks that you fhould be more afraid of him than ofGod, who threatm:th ym1r damnation; and is angry if you be not. Sitil ! I· Y· 2 I· Sig1t I I· A proud man is more offended with one that would quettion IJM authority, or fpeak diminurively of bU power, or difpleafe hU will, or crofs hU intereft, than with one that finnerh againti the authority, and wiU, an,d interejtof God. He is much more zealoJU for himfelfand his own bono-, than for Gods: and grieved more for his own dijhoHour ; and hateth his own enemies more thail~ Gods; and can tread down the intereH ofGod and fouls, if it feem but neceifary to his honor or re– venge : He is much more pleafed and delighted with his own applaufe, and honor, and gn.atnefs, than ~th the glory ofGod, or the fulhlling of his will. Sig11 12. 6 9· 22. Sign 12. Proud mm would fain fical from~od himfelf the honor of many of his mofi ex– Q!!icq~id .oo- cell~n~ workJ. _If the:y areRuler;, they arc more dehrous t~at the thanks for the order and peace of mcgms, m Soc1etJes, be gtven by the people to tbem, than unto God: lf they arc Preachers, they would tain have d:o~ ~cf~r. t more than their due, of the honour of mens Converiion and Edification: H they are Pajfors, they u:rs m ao • would encroach upon Chri'fis part of the Government of his Church. If they be boulltilul to the poor, and do any good works, they would have more of the praife than be\ongeth tO a Steward, or .Mdftnger that delivcrcth the gifts of God. If they be Phyficions, they would have the real honol' of the Curr, and have God to have but a barren complemem. Like the AtheiHical Phyficion that reviled and beat his Patient for tha1tkjng God that he was well, when, faith he, it waJ I that curtdyou, and do you thank.. God for it ? Sign I3• 9· 23. Sigtt I3· A proud man will give more to bit Honour than to God: His eftate is more at the command of his Pride, than ofGod. He giveth more in the view ox knowledge of orhers, than he could pexfwadc hirnfelf to do in fecret. He is more bountiful in gifts that tend to knp up the cre– dit of his liberality, than he is to truly indigtnt perfons : It is ftOt the good chat is donr, bun he honor which he expe6teth by it, which is his principal motive. He had rather be fcant in works of greatefi ftcret charity, than in app11rel, and a comely port, and the eocercaining of friends, or any thing that is for ofientation, and for hirnfeJl. 9· 24. Sign .14· A proud man would have as great a depend.mce of others upon him as he can. He Sign 14· would have the efiatcs, and lives, and welfare of all others at his will and power: That he might br: much feared, and loved, and thanked, and that many may be beholden to him as the God or grtat Be– nefaCtor of the world : He is not contented that good is done, and mens wants fupplyed, unlefs be have the doing of it, that fo he may have the praife. If he rave his enemy, it is but to make him be– holden to him, and be faid to have given him his life. Fain he would be taken to be as rhe Sun w the world, which mankind cannot be without. Sign I 5• 9· 25· Sigu 5· A proud man is very patient when men afcribe to him rhat which he knoweth to be above his due, though it be to the injury of God. He can e:alily tOrgivt: thole that value :md ]ove him more than he de:ferveth, thm1gh they fin in doing it. He.: is lddom offended with any for over·praifing him ; nor for reverencing or honouring him roo much; nor for {t:rring him roo high, or for giving or afcribing too much power to him, nor for obeying him before God himfd f: He careth not how much love, and honour, and praifes, and thanks he hath: when a humble lOul faith as Pfal. I I 5· I. Not unto m, 0 Lord, not UJtto ur, but wzto tb)' Nllme give tlu glor)l: And as tht: Pfll. ~z.. 6 , Angel to John that would have wor01ipped him, See thozt do it not,for I am thy fclhnv ferv:.~nt. ThLy know God will not give bU glory to anotbcr, Ifa. 42. 8. In bM 7'emple every oite fpeake•h of hi! g!o,y, l)fal. 29. 9· But of themfelves they fay, I am a rvorm and no num : I am lefi tb.m tbe ltil)f uf aU thy merciu; left than the leaf/ of aU Sainll : tbe chiefej! of finners: How unlit am I for fo much love, and praife, and honour ? Gtn.p.. to. ~rh<f. 3 . a. l TJm. I. lS· Sign 16. 9· 26. Sign 16. A proud man would have hif Reafim to be the R•le of aU the world, or at leatl, of all that he hath to do with. If there were Laws or Canons to be made, he would luve the making of them : He would have all men take his counfe1, as an Oracle : He would have all th.: world oi his opinion 1 and fets more by thofe that thus efieem him and are of his opinion, and yit!d ro all rhar he fJith and dorh, than by thofc that moH earntfily defire to conform thtir minds to the \\>'ord of God, and differ from him in the underfianding of any part of it. He loveth them better chat enquire of him and take his word, than them that enquire of the \oVord of God: Though he cannot deny bur it is Gods Prerogative to be infallible, and the Rule of the world. Sigtt 17• 9· 27· Sign I7· A proud man aff,cteth the reputation of Gods Immmability as well as his l,zfaL'ibility : He will fiand to an error when once he hath vented ir, and relil\ the Truth whm once he harh appeared
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