The Cure of Pride. made of the earth, to whid~t mull return ? A Stone is durable and clean; but my fklh is cor.. tuptible, and mull tum to lothcfome filth and rottennefs: AMuble Pillar will lland tirm and beau– tiful from age to age, but I mull perifh and confume in darknefs. The Seats we fir upon, the Pil– lars we lean to, the Srones we tread upon, will be here, when we are turned to dufi. The houfe that I build, may fiand when 1 am r.otttn in _rhe GrolV~: A Tree will live, when he that planted it is dead. Our bodies arc of no better rnarenals than the Brutes : Our fubllancc is in a continualflux or wafie, and lofeth fomething every day; and if it were nOt repaired and patched up by daily air and nourift1ment, it would foon be fpent, and our Oyle confurncd. If·you were chained to a dtad car– k<ifs, which you muft fiill carry about witlt you, it wue not.a. matter fo tit to h.Ltmble you, as ro be united fo nearly tO fo vile a body of your own. We carry a dunghill continually within us: Alas, !1ow filly a piece is the greareft, the Hrongefi: and the comelidt of you all ? What is th;lt fleU1 which you fo t.1lKh pan·. per, but a skin iull of corruption? a bag of filth, of ftegm or choll~r or fllch like cxcremems? l1 the curioufeH Dames had bur a fight of the ftegrn in their h~.ads and bowds, the cho\1r>r about their liver and galls, the worms or filth in other pans, they would go near lt) vo– mit at ii.teh a fight: TheSwine or Beafl hath as cltan an in(ide: A11d what if this h!th he covued with a whiter 5kin, or ckarcr colour than your neighbours have, is 1herc any eau((: of pride :n that? W!iCO ficknefs hath altered and confmned you, .then where is that which .you calJed ReJztty l h but the Leprdic or the Small Pox deform it, or a Feavtr, Confumption or Droplie wafie it, or the Stone, or Gowt, or any fuch torment feizc upon thee, thc,u wilt feel or fee that which may fhamc thy pride. Should fuch a worm be proud, that c.am1ot, though he be a Herod, keep the worms from e2ting him alive ? that in a flux cannot retain his occrements? that cannot bear tafily the aking of a c ,oth ? If thou be tit for Pride, forbid difca(ls to touch thy tl.lh) or fl:ain thy be1uty : Dn nor be fick, nor weak, nor pained: Let not the Wunr. and corrupoon be thy gm·Its: Or ii thou be fo poor a thing, as cannot hinder any of thefe, then know 1hy fLit and be J!ham~.d ol Pdde. And when thou art in ficknefs, thou wilt he burd~rfome to l.lhu~: lcs hkc!y thou mull have their helps, even to feed thee, to drefs thee, to {Urn th~e, and kflP thee ell an: And when all is done thou mull dye, and be laid in duknefs in a grave! Theremull rhou lye rotting night and day, till thy flefh be turned into earth. The grafs doth fl.lither when it is cut dt wn, but yet it is fwett: The Tree that is cut down, will rot in time; but not with iuch a lothefomc: Hink as WL : He that had teen what the late doleful Wlrs did oltcn {hew us, when the tldca. were thawed with the carkaffes of men, and when they lay by heaps among the rubbifh of the Ditch of Towns and Cai\les that had been affaulced, would think fuch lothe{on,e lumps of fltfh, iliould newr have bet.:n proud. When once death hath deprived thy body of it-. foul, thy bdt friends will quickly be w<.::ary ot the remain· der, and glad to rid thee out of fi5hr and fmell: Go to the Church-yard, and look on the dufi and hones that are there caH up and fcatrcn::d, and be-think 1hce wherhc:r thofc that muH come ro this, have reafon to be proud ? See whethu there be any differing mark of honour upon the dult of the rich, or firong, or beautiful? and whether the bones thLre firive for principality and dominion? Th(rdore the dcfire of adorned Monuments upon mens Graves, is ont: of the mofi odious forts of pride.: whtn the ndghbourhood of rottcnnefs and dl'tfi doth lhamc it : As our fcrious Poet Hcr– bert faith, TYhm th' bair grows fweet with Pride and luft, 'The powder d01b forget the dujl. And though thy foul be far nobler than thy body, yet here hew ignorant, and weak, and dificm– pered is it? How full of lalfe Idea's are mens minds > How little know they of that which they might know, or arc confident they do know J How d:1•k &re we about all the works of God, and about his word : much more about himfelf? The greatefi Doctors are firongly tonprcd to be Scepticks; and the ignorant that this year are confident to a contempt and ccnforioufnefs of all that difiCr from them, perhaps the next year do change their judgements, .md recant thernfdves. And are our Hearts and lives any happier than our underjfanr.i gs l While we arc imprifoned in flefh, and its interell is ours 1 and its appetites and paffions hav,; fo much advantage, to corrupt, (educe or diOurb the foul ? Know thy felf, and Pride will dye. §· 97• Direct. 16. If thou have any thing to be pro,ud of, remember wlJ;t it is, and that it i1 not thine own, but givM or lent tbee by that qod wh:J Chiefly IJ.unh _Pride.. 1. Art thou tempred to be proud of Kiche1? Remember that they arc m themfdves bu[ dr1Jls, whtch will leave t'hee at the grave as poor as any: And as to their Vftfulnefs, t~ey are but thy MJflers talents; and the more thou hafi, the greater will be thine account: And vr.ry tew rich men fcape the fnue, and come to Hea– ven: Thy charge and danger therefore fhould rather humbla thee, and make thee exceedingly to fear. Read Jam. 5· 1, 2, 3, 4• and Luke 12· 19, 20. 2. Is it Greatneji, and dominion, or /mmant applau[e, or honour that you are proud of? Remember, that this alfo is in it felf a dream, that rnaktlh thee really neither better nor car er than other men. Thou fiandefi upon higher ground, where thou hall more than others of the fiorms and dangers; and fhalt be levelled with the lowel\ in thy fall: And as to the Vfe of thy Powrr and Greatncjj , it is for God, and not thy fdf J And fo great will be thy reckoning, according to the trull repofcd in thee, as would affright a contidcratc believer to forefee. 3· Is it yuuthful jlrength that you arc proud of > How little can it do for thee, of that which thou motl needefi ? And how foon will it be turned to weakncfs ? How many are cut off in yoJtt/,,_ ami
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