Signs of Pride. them or angred them if you have told them of their faults : If they love to hear a Preacher deal plainly with others, they hate him when he dealeth fo with them: Her.d will give awayJohnJ head, when he bath firfi imprifoned him for telling him of his Sin, though before he reverenced him and heard him gladly. They CJ.n eafily endure to be evil, and do evil, but not to htar of It. As if a man that had the ~eprofie loved the difcafe, and yet hatad him that telleth him that he hath it, or wQuld cure him of it. This pride is the thing that hath made fr\C:n fo unprofitable to each other, by driving faithful reproof and admonition almoll out of the wor.Id, becaufe men arc fo proud that they will not bear it. Hence it is that or~c:rs hear oftner of ~ens faulr~,than they do thernfelves, an_d that backbiting is grown the common f<ifluon, becaufe pr.oud fmners duvc away repro.v~rs, by thc1r in1parien~c; and difpleafure. Husbands and Wives, yea, Servants with their Mallers :are fo far out of love with ju!l reproof, that they cm hardly bear it. He mufi be exceeding•kilful in\fmoothing and oyling ev.ery word, and making it more like eo a commendation or flancry, than a reproof, that will dCape their indignation. _ _ _ _ §. 73• Sign zz, When a proud man is Ju!lly reproved, he fludiCth prefently to deny or extenuate Szgn 22. h~s fault; to (hew you that he is more tender of his homzet, than of his_bomfty. It is a hard thing to bting hiiil to a fm .<mfef!ion, and· to thank you for your love and fa1thfulnufs, ·and.lo refolve upon more wa:~chfulnefs tQt the rime to come : When the humble foul is readier to believe that he is faulty, th~n that he is innocent, and to fay more again!\ himfclf than youthall fay (if truly). This one Jign may tell you how commonly pride reigneth in the world. ~ow few are they among many ' that are bwtily thankful for a jufi and necelfary reproof? Mark thctq whether the firfl word they • {peak in anfwt:r to you, be not either. a dc:nyal or an e:x:.cu(e, or an upbraiding you with fome .. thing that they think you faulty in, or elfc a paffionate proud repulfe, bidding you, q1<ddle •with your felves? §. 74· Sign23. Pride maketh men talkative; and more defirous to ffieak than to hear, and to teach Sign 23. than to be taught; becaufe fuch think highly of their own underfiandings; and think others have lnmBen('&; more n~ed. of thei~ infiruCl:ions, than they of other mens•. Not ·tha~ ~lumility is any enemy to ~ilt:ti: ~i~ cJmnuuucauve Cha!zty,or to zealous endeavours for the ctmverttng and ed1fymg of fouls : Bur a teach· r('gula) eA: ir,-,c;, talking difpohtion, where there is no need, and beyond the meafurc ot your cailing and abili· Ut p:mca ' ties, when you have more need ro learn your felves, . is the fruit or Pride. When you take lefs heed vc~b2 ~tiarri . what another faith to you, than you expect he filol41g take of what you fay 'to him : when your rauonJ!u. lo·, talk"'isnot fo much by way of quefiion as becomes :l)cairter, but in the difcourfcs and diCtates of a i~acu{a no;c : Teacher: when you are fo full of any thing that is your own, and fo cQntempmous of what is faid T~~~n~~s · by others, that you have not the patience to heilr them filently till tbe-y come to the end, but un.. ufque ad in– mannerly interrupt them, and fet in your {elves) which i6 as much aS'lo fay, Hold your tongue, and tcrro~atio· let me_fpeak that am more wife and worthy: wheh you flrive to have the moft words, and to be ~em· fc~ h~c fpeaking ; as Horfes in a race _llrive who !hall gO _forem?fi : This is ~ecaufe pride puffs you up, and 1i;:~fu~~ moves your tongues as a leaf ts!haken by the wmd : 1t fills your falls; and makes you like Bag 4 falvo amore pipes that arelowdeft when they arc full of wind and !preffed. Eccl. 10. 14. A fool it fu!J ofr:votdt• ve~itatis, & Prov. 10. 19. In the multitude of wordt tbeve wanteth hot fin : but he that refraimth bit lips it wife. ammlrum. 9· 75· Sign 24. Pride makerh men ' exceffivc!y loth to be btholden to others; fo that fome will . fiarve or perifh before they will fioop fo far as to feek or be ob!iged•to thankfulncfs by any; efpeci- S•g• 24• cial!y if they be fuch as they have any quancll with. And this they take for manlike gallantry, and a fcqrning to be bafe. I confefs that as Paul faith to fervants, if we can be free, we jhould ralher <l>oof• it; and that no man fhould unnecelfarily_make himfelf a debtor to another, by being beholding to h1m : cfptc1ally Mm1fiers, who {hould av01d all Temptations of dependance upon man ; and therefore ~ould neither hang 011 Great one1, left they he tempted to unfaithful filcnce or Aattcry, nor needlefiy l1ve on the p•oplu charity, !ell th~y be hindred from the free exercife of their Minifiry : ThereforePaul labourt.d with hU hands where he thought it would hinder his work to be chargeable 2 Co·.u. 9 : to the Church~s, ~r give ~ccafion to the envious to reproach him : And he would ratber dye tban-any t Tben: t. 9· jhoHld ma~e tbu hu glorJ•mg void. I c_o~. 9• 15· Innocency and Independency, as Mr. Bolton was Wont 2. Tadl )· 8. to fay, do flee! the face, and help a _Mm1fier to be bold and faithful. AsCamerari11< fa id whe!l he was invited to the Court, Almius m fit , qui fuuJ effe poteft, But yet man is a fociable creature ; and we arc made to be helpful to each dther ! we are like the wheels of aWatch, that can none of them do their work alone, without the concurrence of the refi : And therefore a proud,man that would live wholly on himfelf, and fcorneth to be beholden, would break hrmfelf offfrom the place that God hath fer him in, and feparate himfelf from humane fomty, and be erther a world of himfelf or a God to others. But God hath caufed all the members pmpofcly tQ fiand in need of one another, that none might be defpifed, and tbat all might Hill ex– erc!fe Love ~n commun_Jcatmg, andHumility in accepting of each others help• . 9·76. Szgn 25· Pndemaketh people deforous to equal!. their Superiours, and exceed theirequals, Sign 25· m A_ppartl, or IJan{ome dwcUmg1, andprovifions, and enttttamments, and all appearances that tend to Hnmilitas ell: fubdere. fe'mljori, & non .P!zf~rrcfe zquali. ~- ~bund:tns: fulxlerc fe :tquali, nee pr.rferrc fe minori: ;. Pirfctb: fubdere fe1~~~~i~ri';. Gll)ff. f~P- M4ft1J. >· Humilita!1S 7: gradu5 r~.:-undum Anfclmum funt •. Opinion: : I. s'" contempubile-m CO?,nofcer(' 2.. Hoc non dokf:. 2..<Man1f~fhuone : I. Hoc con~rcu : : ., ~oc perfuadcre. 3· P.nieatcr fuflinere h:ec dici, j.Vohmtate,. 1. Pati cQmcm'ptibiliter fe traft:ari. ~. Hoc tdem :~mare. Anftlm. ~~~. dt jilfftiJ!, fef
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