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objects are feveral, fo in refpect of them feverally, confid.

er thus.

1. For gifts; confider, these gifts are not thy own, but God's, and not for thyfelf, but for others edifying, and one day thou must make a reckoning for them all: And what, art thou proud of another's bounty given on these terms? Suppofe a man fhould leave a cheft of money in thy hands, to be diftributed to others, what folly were it to put it into thy own inventory? Bernard was much troubled with this temptation when even in preaching, pride would be whifpering in his ear, Bene fecifti Bernarde, Owell done Bernard. But he was humbled for this in the midst of his fermon, being interrupted by Satan he turned to him, and fpake these words, Non propter te hot opus cæptum eft, non propter te, nec in te finietur: This fermon was not begun for thee, nor fhall it end in thee. Pride is a worm bred in the rose, and the more parts men have, the more doth this disease increase. But Oh confider that of the apostle's; What haft thou that thou haft not received? Now if thou didit receive it, why doft thou glory as if thou hadst not received it?' 1 Cor. iv. 7. Matthew Paris relates of a great scholar, much admired for his learning, that in his lectures once in the fchools, proving the divine and human nature of Chrift with ap plaufe, he most arrogantly faid, That Chrift was beholden to him for that difpute, and that he owed, as it were, his divine nature to his learning; upon which blafphemy he was immediately ftricken with ignorance, and fuch fottishness, that he was afterwards taught the Lord's prayer by a little child. Oh that men fhould ever pride themfelves about notions and apprehenfions! Oh that men should forget the account they must give and make of every ta lent! It may be thou haft a great meafure of gifts, Oh take heed! for if thou doeft unprofitably bury them, or abuse them unto fin, the greater and more fearful fhall thy condemnation be; The fervant that knoweth his master's will, and doth it not, fhall be beaten with many 'ftripes,' Luke xii. 47.

2. For graces; confider they will not juftify, they cannot fave, why then art thou proud of thy own righteouf

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nefs? Those who have had more to fhew than thyself, have thrown away all, and gone a begging to Jesus Christ. -Read Paul's inventory, Tho' I might have confidence in the flesh, if any man thinketh that he hath whereof he might trust in the flesh, I more, circumcifed the eight day, of the flock of Ifarel, of the tribe of Benjamin, an Hebrew of the Hebrews, as touching the law a Pharifee, concerning zeal, perfecuting the church, touching the righteoufnefs which is in the law blameless; and what of all this? Why, all this was nothing, • What things were gain to me, thofe I counted lofs for Chrift, yea doubtless, and I count all things but lofs, for the excellency of the knowlege of Christ Jefus my Lord, for whom I have fuffered the loss of all things, and do count them as dung ⚫ that I may win Christ, and be found in him, not having my own righteoufnefs, which is of the law, but that which is thro' the faith of Chrift, the righteousness which, is of God by faith' Phil. iii. 49. I am not against graces, and gracious actings, but I am against pride in them, or trusting to them: Certainly grace will never thrive this way. Gurnal obferves, That fome have been a long time profeffors, and yet come but to a little growth in love to God, humility, heavenly mindedness, mortification; and 'tis worth the digging, to fee what lies at the root of their profeffion, whether there be not a legal principle that hath too much acted them; did they not think to carry all with God from their duties, fervices, graces, or gracious actings? Alas! this is as fo much dead earth, which must be thrown out, and gospel principles be laid in the room thereof. Methinks I am in this taken with the author, and therefore hearken to his advice, try but this courfe, and fee whether the fpring of thy grace will not come on apace. David gives an account how he came to stand and flourish, when some that were rich and mighty, on a fudden withered, and came to nothing; 'Lo "this is the man that made not God his strength, but trusted in the abundance of his riches, but I am like a green 'olive tree in the houfe of God, I trust in the mercy of 'God for ever and ever,' Pfal. lii. 7, 8. Whilft others truft in the riches of their righteousness and services, and

make

make not Chrift thicir ftrength, do thou renounce all, and truft only in the mercy of God in Christ, and then thou fhalt be like a green olive tree, in the house of God.

3. For privileges, fuch as fpiritual comforts, fenfe of pardon, manifeftations of God's love, &c. confider, these were given (if ever they were given) to humble thee and not to make thee proud. It is true, that in the best of faints, there remains fuch dregs of corruption unpurged, that the devil often makes thefe privileges an occafion of pride; and indeed, the Lord let us fee our proneness to this fin, by the short stay he ufually makes, when he comes in with any fuch discoveries. A fhort interview of heaven now and then chears up a Chriftian, who, had he but a conftant fine, he would forget himself, and grow too wanton. Was not Paul in danger of pride from his fhort rapture? but therefore it was but short, and God gave him a prick in the flesh to keep him down. If ever comfort a bounds, and God dandles thee on the knee of his love; take heed then of this fin of pride: It is God's meaning by this to cheer thee a little, but then to humble thee, and not to puff thee up: As when he gave manna to Ifrael in the wilderness, it was not to fwell them, but to humble them, who fed thee in the wilderness with manna which thy fathers knew not, that he might humble thee, Deut. viii. 16. So when God gives us his fpiritual comforts, his end is, and his meaning is to humble thee: How can that be? why, if not in the gift, yet in the manner of his giving it, thou mayeft fee it. If the Ifraelites could not fee any thing in the manna to humble them, for it was not mean food, but delicious food, called angels food, Pfal. Ixxviii. 23. yet in the manner of dispensing it from hand to mouth, in giving them every day their portion, and no more, in keeping the key of their cup board (as one fpeaks) and making them to ftand to his immediate allowance, in this they might know that his purpose was to humble them; thy privileges are precious and rare things; it may be thou art weak in grace, or thou art in the beginning of a Chrif tian course, and left thou faint in the way, the Lord is pleafed fometimes to take thee up in his arms, and to give thee the kiffes of his mouth, but prefently he lets thee down

again, and makes thee feel thy feet in the ordinary way of duties, and his very cherishing thee, is to humble thee. Doft thou not fee thy weakness, by his carrying of thee in his arms? Weak children are oftner in the mother's lap than those that are strong, and it is but a while, a very little while, that he thus deals with thee. Oh then take heed of pride! left he fend thee a prick in the flesh to let thee blood, or a devil out of hell to buffet thee foundly for thy pride; if he thus dealt with Paul, how much more may be thus deal with thee? Oh confider of this! SECT. XII.

Of our Wrestling with Satan in general, to overcome this

BUT

Sin.

UT as thus I have dealt with fome particulars, fo I would propound fome general rules, which may differently ferve for every latitude, meridian, or elevation of pride. As,

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1. Prefs into God's prefence. Confider of God's greatnefs, purity, holinefs, perfection, majefty. A fight of his glory were enough to humble thee, and caft thee down into a depth of dragons. To this purpose we are called on to humble ourselves, in the fight of God, Lam. iii. 10. A fight of God is it that makes the creature fhrink into nothing. Now mine eye feeth thee, faith Job, where*fore I abhor myself, and repent in duft and afhes,' Job xlii. 6. This made Elisha to wrap his face in his mantle, 1 Kings xix. 13. This made the angels cover their faces and feet; this made the twenty four elders to caft their crowns before the throne of the Lamb, Rev. iv. 10. Nothing will more pluck thy plumes of pride than a ferious view of the glory of God; as the ftars vanish when the fun appeareth, fo will our poor candle, when the glory cf God arifeth in our thoughts. Come then, look on him, and be humbled, that a creature fo vile (as thou wilt then appear) fhould ever be proud: Then faid I, Woe is me, 'for I am undone, because I am a man of unclean lips, and I dwell in the midft of a people of unclean lips, for 'mine eyes have seen the King, the Lord of hofts,' Ifa.

vi. 5.

2. Note that fin especially, which all thy life long hath

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been of most infamy, and dwell upon it. David once fell foul into adultery, and therefore he cried, My fin is ever before me, Pfal. li. 3. It kept him very low, Lord, my heart is not haughty, nor mine eyes lofty, neither do I ex'ercise myself in great matters, nor things too high for 'me. I am even as a child that is weaned of his mother, my foul is even as a weaned child,' Pfal. cxxxi. 1, 2. Paul was once a perfecutor, injurious, and and therefore he cries, O I am the leaft of faints, and the greatest of finners! This is a faithful saying, and worthy of all accep *tation, that Jefus Chrift came into the world to fave finners, of whom I am chief,' 1 Tim. i. 15. Men are proud because they know not themselves; when Agur had but studied himself, he cries, Surely I am more brutish than any man, I have not the understanding of a man,' Prov. Xxx. 2. If we would but examine ourselves, and call to mind our fouleft fins, and moft irregular practices, these would be as the peacock's feet to pull down our plumes. O who could be proud, whilft he were taking in the filth of his most noisome lufts?

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3. Obferve God's judgments on pride, either on thyfelf or others. Nebuchadnezzar's pride made his heart like the wild beafts, fo that his dwelling was with the wild affes, they fed him with grafs like oxen, and his body was wet with the dew of heaven. And as on him, fo God's judgments fell on his fon, for it so follows, And thou his fon, O Belshazzar, hast not humbled thine heart though thou knowest all this, but haft lifted up thyfelf against 'the Lord of heaven, and therefore God fent the writing, 'MENE, MENE, TEKEL UPHARSIN,' Dan. v. 21, 22, 23, 25. Are not these terrible examples? With God is terrible majefty, faith Job, chap. xxxvii. 22. He shall cut off the fpirit of princes, faith David, he is terrible to the kings of the earth, Pfal lxxvi. 12. He cuts off their fpirits which are proud, in Hebrew, he flips them off, as one would flip off a flower between his fingers, and thus he dealt with Pharaoh, Antiochus, Herod, and other proud tyrants. Attilas king of the Hunns proudly gave out, that the stars fell before him, and the earth trembled at his prefence, and that he would be the fcourge of all

nations,

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