1) ireC!:ions a:z;ainft Pride. its motion!; and mak._e-it a principal part of ;•ot~r ReligioH attd bufi!'tfs ofyour /iva to ~vercom_e it, and ~~walk.. in Humility with God and man. For if you ice not that Jt iS yo~r pn,~ you Will let 1t alo~e, and linle trouble your feJves about ir. Pride livcth in _me~ that fcern RelJg10us, becaufe the~ percer~re it not, or think rhc:y have but fom~ fmall d:&rce, wh1ch JS not da11gero~1S •. And they fee 1t not m themielves, becaufe they mark not Jts operations and appearances : Th.c l1.fe 10 ~he root,, mufi be per– ceived in the branches, in the leaves and fruit. If you faw more cv1l m th1s than m many more difgraceful fins, and {(:r your [elves as heartily and diligently to conquer it, as you do tO eaU out the fins which would make you be judged by men to be utter_ly ungodly, no dou~t but the work wou~~ m~re happily go on, aod you would fee more excellent frmts of your labour, m the work of,moruhcatJOn 247 than moH Chrif\:ians fee. , , 9· 86. DireCt. 5· Bt mucb iu bumbling exercifeJ; brtt fo ar to tak,.t ?~ed ofmiftak}ttg the nature of the~, Direli· 5• or runin;. imo cxtrearnJ. 1 havt: told you the t;ue nature of Hum!\uy before•. Abundall:ce of Chn· {Hans are tempted by Satan to think it conhfl:cth much muc~ more than It doth , m paffionate grief, and tcarJ, and bodily .exercifes, of long and frequent fajlmgi, at1d c?nfeiJ!onJ, and p~nance or tuch like: And thus Satan d1verteth them from true endeavqrs for true Hurn1hanon, by keepmg them imployed all their days, in {hiving for tears, or in thcfc extern~ I cxercifes ! ..r~t:reas you lbould mofi firive, for fuch a fight of your jinfitUurfi and Jtothingnrfl,_ as w11l teach you 91y to t"]lumof Cbrift, and to loatiJ your ftlvtJ, and take your fdves to be 2s. v1~e and finf~l as you are, a!ld wiV make you humbly beg tor mercy, and fioop to any means to obtam It ; an~ .w1}L ~ake you pauent under the re ... bukes and challifements of God, and underthe.contcmpts and '?~une~ of ~~~n: 1his iJ the Humility which you muLl labour for. But in order eo this, e:cternal exer~1ies ofHum1hauon mull be ufed: Efpecially Oudying the holy Law of God, and featchmg your fc\ves, and confdfion of fin and moderate fcafonablc fatlings and taming of the flefh. And indeed the cxercifes of Humiliation do moll become thofe, that ne'moll prone ro Pride: And the doCtrine of thofe men who cry down rrucHu.. miliarion, doth ne from Pride, and is made to cherifh Pride in others. A humble foul cannoc rC· ceive it ; b\lt is here to run into excefs. 9· ~7· DireCt lure iJ 110 more porrerfttl meanJ to tak.! down Pride than tolook,. ferWujly toGod, and Virdl. 6. fit your frlvu kr o ·J l'Jl'!, and con(lder IJow he liJvtth the humble, and abborretb the Proud. One (ight of God by a h hith, would make you \mow with whom you have to do, and reach you to abhor your fclves as vile. A · not difcerned in the: funfhine, though it glifter in the dark. A glimpfe of the make thee with lfaia!J 6. cry out, w•. e is me, for I am ttndone, a man of :mcl~an the I{ra~li1rs defire that Mofes and not God might {peak unto you lefi. you die. becaufe they know not God, and look not to h1m, but to fellow (inners with whom they think they may be bold to compare themfelves. Remember alfo that God is as it were engaged 2gainfi the proudboth in the holinefs of his nature, 2nd in honour : for 'a prou!i man fets up him[elf againft him, and is fuch an Idol as God will either take down by grace>' er fpurn into the tire of defiru8ion : And if he do appear before God among orhers in days and external excrcifi?s of humiliation, you may judge how much an abhorred perfon will be accepted. Iris not to all that are clothed i11 fackcloath, but to the humble foul rhat God hath refped : Even to the (elf. abhorring perfon, wh"o judgeth himfelf unworthy to come among the people of God, or to be door-keeP.ers in his houfe, o_r to eat of the erurns of the childrens bread; that ',o fub jefr thcmfelves to one another, and think no office of love and fervice too low for them to perform A(ummary of to tbc leafi beli(vcr, that in charitable meeknefs inHrud- oppofers, and bear contradiCtion and con- th~ fi~1~s o£ tempt from men; that patiently fuffer the i_n)uries of en~mics and frien.ds, and hartily forgive 2nd. Humtbty. love them; that bear the molt tharp and plam reproofs wtth gentlenefs and thanks; that think the lowefi place. in mens eHeein, affections and refpeCt:s the tittelt for rhem ; that are muc.:h more follicitous how they love others, than how others love them, and how they difchuge their duties to orhers, than how others do what they Qught for them; that will take up with fmaller evidence to t~ink well of the hearts or actions of others, than of their own; that reprove thelnfelves ofccr -and fharplier thari other men nprove them ; and are rcidier to cenfure themfdvcs than others, or than moO: others are to ccufure thlm; that have a loW c!leem"of their own under!landings, and parrs, and doings, and therc:fore are readier to leam than teach, and to hear than fpeak; that highly value every bit and dropof mercy, cfpecially Chrifi, and Grace, and Glory--- Thefe are the humble that God accepteth, and this is the fa(\ that.hc rcquireth. There arc they that pray effeClua\ly, and that mutj fave the land : Thefe only are fcnfiblc what fin is; when others feel it not, ~or are proud in.the mid{\: of their largefi confeflions ard tears : Thefe only do from their hearts acknowleO.ge their defert o{ Gods feveretl judgements, and jullifie God when lle affiiCleth them : Others rather marvel at the greamcfs and continuance of judgements, and expoflulate with t::iod as dealing hardly and unkindl)!- with them, and tell him how good a .people he affiilleth : Thefe only underHand the fiufullne!s of their very humiliations and prayers, through the weaknefs of that good which thou\d be in them and the mixture of much (Vil; when the prolld arc marvelling if Gud hear them not ~t the tirli word; Thefe only wait in patience for Gods-anfwer, and accept ot mercy in his rime and p1eafurc wheq the proud are 01ort-winded, and if God come n_ot juf\ when they expelled, they do with Sd;i mak~ s , 3 9 hafi~, _or m.urmure at ~lis providence, and fay it j~ iu vain to fervc the L?rd, and be~_;in to thjnk of : 0)3~: u. ' forfakmg lurn and rak1t~g fom~better way. )hcfc proud on~s that have JO)'I"l:Cd in ourward HtJtnili~ ations, ~nd have lift up thcmfc:lves in he~rt, ·~vh\lc they caf\: down their bodies, are theY that have .. turned the heart of God fo mucJ1 agaml\ us, t? brea~ us in pieces,, bc~aufc hc.harh found ~mong us, fo many of the proud whom he taketh for 1115 enem•cs: We have had thofc humbling tbemfih>rs 11. k . ill
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