The fruits of Pride. 9· so. Thus I have been long in Chewing you the jigns of Pride, becaufe the di[crt~~try is a great pm of the cure: Not that eve'<Y proudpe•Jim hat~ aUthe[c figns: Por everyone bath not the fame ttmptations or occafion to £hew it : But every one hath fome and man' of thefe :. A~d he t?at hath any one of them, hath a fign of Pride. And again I fay, that for all thiS our Reputatton as. rt fub[trvtth tbt Honour of God and our Religitm, and our bretbrtns good, mufl: be carefully by all_Jufi means pre– ferved, :md by necefTary defences vindi~ated from calumniators: Though we muft qutetly bear what· tVe1· infamy or flander we are tryed With. 9· Sr. Direct. 3• Having underftood the Naturr •nd the fignsor effdJs of P R ID E ,_ confider next Dire<!. 3• of tht dreadful confequents atrd tendencie of it, botb M it leadeth to farther fin and unto mi[try. Wh!Ch I lball briefly open to you in fome particulars. . . 9· g2, r. At the prefint it is the Heart of the old man, and the root and ltft of all corruptiOn and v£uns 511 • of dreadfitl fiJ!.nification, if it be predommant. If any mans hrart he lifted up the ~ord wlil have no vi 1 u; 4 Bo.m. pleafure in him, or it i4 not upright in him:. Hab. 2· +· I had rather have my f?ul m the cafe of an ~· 65·. obfcure humble Chrillian that is taken not1ce of by tew or none but •od, and IS content to approve Sp~b~mfi. of f himfclf to him, than in the cafe of the highefi and m~fi eminent and honourable i~ Church or State, :~; ~~nkn~;thar looks for the obfervation and pr~ife of men : God Jud~eth not of.m~ by thet_r great parrs, and pHbirzus, faith, profdlion, and name; but juflifierh the humbled foul that t.s afhamed to hft up hts face to Heaven, fup~raverac fe– and thinketh himfelfunworthy to fpeak to God, .or to have c?mmunion with. hisC:hurch, or to come ~~:~:~~~~a.: among his fervants; but fianding a far off, fmtteth up?n ~~s brea{l, and fatrh (m true Repentance) ritiam, Jibidi·. 0 ·God be merciful to me a jinner. Luke 18. I3• Pnde IS as a plague-mark on the foul. ncm fubeg~· . ra:, gloriam comcmnerc non potuit: Nemo ell: um f:m8us qui dulcedine glori.r non c2piatur. F2cilius rrgna viri excellemes, quail) glOriam cont~~nun:. Int~r omnia vaia t11 fernper es primz, fernper es ultima; u;uu onme peccatum te acc~d~nte committitur, & te r~cedent~ d1• mitt 1 utr. lnrtm:!Jt, decwemp. mJadi.l. 2., c. 3 I. 9· 83. 2· Tfiere is fcarce a £in to be thought on that is not a fpawn in the bowels of Pride. To iri· fiance in fome few (befides all that are expreffed in the ligns), I• Ir maketh men Hypocritts, and feem what they are not, for the praife of,Jllen. 2 . It makes men Lyars: Moll of the. Lyes that are told in the world, are to avotd fome difl;rE~djhame, or to get men to thmk h•ghly of them. When a fin is committed againfi God er yofii fujx:riors infiead of humble confdfion, Pride would cover it with a lye. 3• It cauleth covetoufnefi, that they may not want provilion for their Pride. 4· It maketh men flatterers and time-Cervers, and man·pleafers, that they may win the good efteem of others. 5· It makes msn run into .profanenefs, and riotoufnefS", to do as others do to avoid the fhame of their reproach and fcorn, that elfe would account them fingular and precife. 6. It can take mrn offffom any dury ro God that the company is againft : They dare not pray, nor fpeak a ferious word of God, for fear of a jcar from a fcorners mouth. 7• It is fo contentious a fin, rhat it makes– men firebrands in the focieties where they live: There is no quiet living with dfem longer than they have their own faying, will and way: They mufi bear the fway, and not be croffed : And when all jg done, there is no pleafing them; for the miffi~g of a word, or a look, or a complement, wilJ catch on their hearts, as a lpark on gunpowder. 8. It tears in pieces Church and State: Where was ever civil War raifcd, or Kingdom endangered or ruined, or" Church divided, opprcfi'ed or perfecuted, hut Pride was the great and evident caufe? 9· It devoureth the mercies and good creatures of God, and facrificeth rhern1o the Devil! It is a chargeable tin! What a deal doth irconfume in cloaths, and ' buildings, and attendance, and entertainments, and unnecetfary things. 10. It is an odious thief and prodigal of precious tim~. How many hours that fl10uld be bctrer employed, and mull one day be accounted for, are call away upon the forefaid works of Pride> Efpecially in the needlefs comple– ments and vifits of Gallants, and the tdreffin&s of forne v_ain Jight-~caded women, ·in which they fpend allmofi half the day, and can fcarce hnd an hour m a morning for prayer, or meditation or reading the fcriptures, becaufe they cannot be ready ; Forgetting how they difgrace rhei; \tretched bodies, by telling men that they are lo filthy or' deformed , that they cannot be kept (wret and cleanly and fecmly without fo long and much ado. ll· It is odioully unjuj!: A proud man makes no bones of any falfhood, flander, deceit or cruelty, if it feem but neceffary to his great– nefs, or hono~r, or ~rcfermcnt, .or ambitious ends. He carerh not who he wrongeth or betrayerh 1 that he may r1fe to hts defired he1ght, or keep his greatnefs. Never truft a Proud man further rhan his own intertft bids you trufi him. 12. Pride is the pander of whoredom and uncleanenefs: I; is an inc~ntive to Jufi in themfelvcs, and draws the proud to adorn and fC:t forth themfelves in the molf ' \ (nticing manner.' as tends to provoke the lull of others. :Fain they would be thought comly that others may admuc: them, and be taken with their comlinefs; If they thought that none would {ee them; they would f~re t~ci~ ?rnaments.. And if a co~~on decencie were all that they atfcd-cd, they would Cparc theu ctmohues and faOuonable fuperfhut1es ·: Even they that would not be unclean' in grofs fornication with any~ yet would be efieemed beautiful and defirabte, .and db that which tend– tth to corrupt the minds of tools that fee them. Thefe, and indeed allmofi all tin are rhe natural progenie of Pride. · • , ;. 85. 3· As to the mi{lry which they bring on themfelves and others, r. The grearell is that they forjal;_e God and are in danger to be forfal:._en by him : For God abhorreth the Proud, and beholdeth :hem ~afar off. So far as you are Proud your are hated by him,and have no acceptance or communion wirh h•m. Pride is the highway to utter appollacie. It blindeth the mind: It makerh men coJtlldent iti their
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