Works, Part 4 · Religious instruction · Chapter 37
CHAP. XXXVII. Of Humilitie and pride.
WE cannot obtaine God mercies in speciall measure, vnlesse wee vse to humble ourselues in speciall meanes.
2 Other mens faults must humble vsus, and drawe vsus to prayer: other mens graces must incourage vsus, and cause vsus also both to pray and to be thankfull for them.
3 The greater gifts wee hauehave, the flesh is the prouder, and SathanGreat graces the readier to assault vsus, were it not that the Lord did humble vsus, sometime to preuent Sathans worke.
4 Aaron was the elder, yet he giueth place to Moses the yonger, reuerencing Gods graces where he found them, and contenting himselfe with that measure of grace which God had giuen him.
5 Moses comming out of the Kings court could not hauehave suffered such tumults and rebellions of the people as happened, therefore fortie yeeres was hee humbled, and so trained vp that he might hauehave compassion on Gods people, and be more fit for gouernment. So Ioseph and Dauid were first humbled, then were they made rulers of the people. When we be truly humbled, God makes vsus more fit for some waightie calling: for as a greene peece of wood put in a building will shrinke, but being well seasoned it holdeth vp theSimile. building: So it is in man before he be humbled, &c.
6 Ordinarily when God most comforteth, he most humbleth before.
7 Pride is in foure things: first, when we thinke we hauehave a thing, and God wot it is not1. Pride. so. This commeth of selfe-louelove, as when we are delighted with our owne conceits, doings and saying, as a foolish father thinketh his owne bird to bee fairest. Secondly, when wee make our accoūt our gifts are more worth than they are, looking on them through a false spectacle, as when one hauing some little obedience or small grace, thinketh himselfe able to resist any thing, presuming on the grace bestowed on him. Thirdly, when we know we3 hauehave such a thing, but we acknowledge not from whence: Yes, I wis (say such) I know that God gaue them me, euen the father of lights: Oh, but the idle spending of them, our wresting of them to our pleasure (for which if we be rebuked, then we say; what, is it not mine owne, may not I doe with it what I will?) shewe plainely how wee stand herein affected. Fourthly, when we glorie in the gifte, but not in the giuer, Luk. 18. The Pharisie thankes4 God, yet Christ cals him proude: Nothing more vsuall, than in wordes to reioyce in God. Wherefore let vsus striue to beate downe this pride which so dwelleth in vsus: O this is the worke of God to humble vsus: and let vsus remember, that till we be truly humbled, we hauehave no part in Iesus Christ.
8 The neerer Pharaoh was to destruction, the more fiercely he dealt with Gods people, where we may learne, that when the wickednesse of the wicked is at the ripest, and they inRipenes in sin Gen. 5. their most flourishing estate, then is their destruction neerest at hand. Examples are Belshashar. Herod and others, who in their greatest pompe perished. Let vsus learne then, when we waxe proude, to feare destruction, for the Lord resisteth such. And that we may auoide euill, let vsus prepare our selues in humilitie to serue the Lord: for hee giueth grace to the humble and meeke, and filleth the hungry with good things, whereas he sendeth the swelling proude, and rich in their owne blind conceites, emptie away.
9 When the Lord gaue Manna to his people, hee gaue them rules to vse it, teaching vsus that all the creatures and gifts of God, are giuen man with rules to vse them, that all mayRules for the right vsage of the creatures and of Gods blessings and graces receiued. serue to his glorie that gaue them: contrarie to those which say; it is our owne, wee may vse it as wee will. One rule was this, that all should labour in common, that one should helpe another, where wee see that all the giftes of God are common (as Paul speaketh, 2. Corinth. 8▪) what gifts then soeuer wee hauehave receiued, wee may not seeke our owne glorie by them, but the profit of our brethren, and Gods glorie: wee may not bee proude of Gods graces, for God is not indebted vntounto vsus, but wee must remember wee hauehave receiued them for our brethrens sake, to whom wee be debters: for God hath so prouided that they which hauehave lesse, by them which hauehave more, may not want the things they hauehave. This holdeth in riches, in learning, in godlinesse, and this will pull downe all pride in our selues, and contempt of our brethrē: for the more a man hath, the more he is a debter, and therefore if a man learne not to wash his brethrens feete, he hath learned nothing. Wherefore though all men would hauehave duties done to them, but themselues would doe fewe to others; yet let vsus consider this, and then shall we vse that strength we hauehave, to make our brethren strong with vsus; not that I should hauehave lesse, and hee more, but the Lord giueth me now, that I may doe him good, that at another time he may doe the like to me. Whatsoeuer good gift then I hauehave, I must not by it take occasion of pride, and contemning of others which want the same, but rather I must so applie the same to others, as that they may become rich in our riches, learned in our learning, strong in our strength, and alwaies find helpe in our abundance.
10 First; it is a good argument to make vsus humble, when we knowe that all things are1 Arguments for humiliation. giuen vsus, and therefore Paul vseth this as a reason, to take away all glorying in our selues, saying: What hast thou which thou hast not receiued? &c. The gifts of God of themselues doe not puffe vsus vp, for they are good: but the corruption of our nature taketh occasion thereby to bee proude, eyther when wee thinke wee hauehave greater gifts than wee hauehave, or when we thinke ours to bee greater than other mens: and so lift vp our selues ouer them, and thinke that they should bee in subiection vnderunder vsus. Againe, the greater and better the gifts are, the more doe they puffe vsus vp. For what is better than the knowledge of the word, and yet it puffeth vsus vp? Seeing then that pride doth euer follow the giftes of God, which yet are good, and giuen to a good ende: and againe, seeing that eueryevery man hath receiued something of God, all men ought to take heede to themselues least this pride do not ouerwhelme them. But those more especially are to take heede, which hauehave receiued greater gifts, because more easily they may fall. And this sinne of pride must especially be taken heede vntounto. For euen in good things this will be readie to assaile vsus: but other sinnes are commonly in the doing of other things. Secondly, although Gods children be euer2 assailed with this sinne, and albeit it doth commonly come with the gifts of God, yet is it not such a sinne but that it may be ouercome, and therefore when we see our selues assaulted with it, we must not quaile, although it were not possible to hauehave the vpper hand of it: for we see that the children of God by grace hauehave from time to time ouercome it, as euen Paul himselfe, we see a man hauing receiued rare gifts, and yet confefleth of himselfe, that2. Cor 11. he is not worthie to be called an Apostle: and in another places nameth himselfe a seruant and helper, which because he spake vnfainedly, therfore it is true that this sinne ruled not ouer him. Again, Moses brought vp in the Kings court, guiding the people of Israel to the promised land, seeing God face to face, yet was a very meeke man, yea, the very meekest manNumb. 12. 1. that liued vponupon the earth: and so was Dauid, with others, which hauing receiued singular gifts, yet remained meeke and humbled, because the grace of God ouercame their corruption: and all these examples doe take away all excuse from vsus, if we doe yeeld and be ouercome with the same. Thirdlie, the meanes which God vseth to cure this Pride in his, is generally the knowledge of their owne corruption and miserie: for if wee rightly know3 Meanes to cure pride. that, it will minister matter enough to humble vsus: yea, if wee looke vntounto our first estate, euen there we may be humbled: first, because we were made of dust. Secondly, seeing our state was subiect to falling and chaunge: Nay, if we looke to the state in which wee are by grace, we may learne humilitie: First, because we stand by grace and fauour: secondly, because manie infirmities are in vsus: but most of all, if wee beholde our state by Nature; for there we see nothing but destruction, because we be the children of wrath. Thus Paul wasRom. 7. humbled by beholding his naturall corruption: but it was no light consideration which hee had of it, but a deepe meditation, as is manifest in that hee calleth it the Minister of Sathan, a pricke, &c. Paul when hee saw his corruption rebell, hee therein did beholde2. Cor. 12. Sathan as our Sauiour Christ did, when Peter tempted him, because as Peter saith, hee goeth about continually, seeking sometime by our corruption, sometime by other meanes to destroy vsus; and therefore he did more diligently watch and arme himselfe against him, as it behooued him, being besieged of so mightie an enemie. This therefore is the cause why we are ouercome with our afflictions, because we make but a light matter of them, and doe not watch and arme our selues against them. And in that Paul saith, the Minister of Sathan was sent to buffet him, he sheweth what power the diuell hath, and that hee can doe nothing, but as hee hath licence graunted from God, as appeared in the storie of Iob, and other places; and yet Sathan buffeted him, that is, after a most contemptuous manner vsed him: where againe we see what account Paul maketh of corruption, when hee compareth it to this spightfull dealing. Againe, when hee calleth it a pricke or stubbe, heeSimile. sheweth how it grieued him: for as a man that hath a long iourney to goe among stubbes, will soone be wearie; So Paul, considering his continuall iourney which hee had to goe, wherein his corruption did still pricke him, did shewe by this speech that it was grieuous vntounto him.
11. Hee saide, howsoeuer hee would not denie duties to any inferiour, superiour, or equall;Humilitie. yet none euer went to his heart with inestimate louelove, (so as hee made an inward account of him) but such as had some feeling of sinne, and some griefe for inward corruption:See 1. p. counsels. For hee could not see how otherwise men had anie thing but in Knowledge. Nay, hee thought where profession of the Gospell was seuered from practise and conuersation, that their knowledge might bee more perillous then profitable. And among other giftes of GOD, hee thought Humilitie to bee a vertue, most beseeming the Gospell and Christianitie, which did appeare in this, in that hypocrisie did often shelterHypocrisie. it selfe vnderunder it, which it would doubtlesse neuer doe, were it not a vertue most commendable.Of two sorts of pride.
12 There are two sorts of pride, the one of opinion, the other of action: the one is mother of heresies, the other is the worme of riches. Of the first sort are they, who say notMater heraeseôn, Vermis diuitiarum. with Moses, Lord what am I? but they say in their owne pride, Lord what am not I? They doe not make daintie with Ieremiah to groane, and to say, Oh I am but young, &c. but they are bolde as the brier, when all others, and their betters refuse; they crie, I will rule ouer all: of the other sort are they, who once being conceited, lash out all their riches in excesse of diet, in vanitie of apparell, and such like, and then they will be proud as the Italian, newfangled as the Spaniard, drunken with the Grecian, gluttons with the Muscouite, cruell as the Tartarian. Our Fathers by Gods appointment are said to weare skins, and are commanded to go in garments of Camels haire, we, as though we would correct the LordPride in apparell and strange attire for some insufficiency in his worke, deuise strange attire. Of one beast we hauehave the skin, of the other we hauehave the furre: of one bird we hauehave one feather, of another another feather. We carrie a pearle to shine on our finger, and a burthen of silke to glister on our backes, yea, wee were the very excrements of some beasts, and then we thinke all this is of our selues. And that which is more, we giuegive not rest to the dead, but we borrow of them to set on liuing bodies; as though the Lord had not perfected his worke in it, vnlesse we our selues make the worke more beautifull. And yet more monstrous is that, which maketh me maruell what our proude dames meane to set vp signes in their forheads TauernersPride of women which set vp signes in their foreheads. indeed hauehave signes to call in all that goe by, freely to come in, and there to hauehave entertainment; and what can be thought of our signes on womens heads, but that they meane to make tauernes of their bodies, to entertaine whosoeuer will come to them? Well, if neither the Prophets can preuaile, nor Preachers can profit to the taking away of this pride, I will say, that as the Lord will not let his spirit alwaies to striue with man, so will he not let his word alwaies striue with man; but they shall die in their sinnes, in which now they lie in peace, and without all reclaime they shall goe to the Hels, with which they hauehave made a couenant.
13 Man seemeth to be great, he is foreign they call him foreign, hee is naturae miraculum, mensurarerum omnium: but better things about man than these, Augustine reduceth to foure letters of his name, the 4. parts of the world, foreign, A. foreign A. foreign whereby hee would signifie that it was either a Compendium of the whole world, or that he had dominion of eueryevery part of the earth. Besides, Adam is said to be the sonne of God, euen by adoption. I confesse it to be a great dignitie, but then we must know that it is rather in the great goodnesse of God, than in the worthinesse of man: and all these titles which he giueth to man, as that he calleth Magistrates Gods, and Ministers Angels, and the Apostle saith, Ye are a kingly Priesthood: these doe not so much declare the excellencie of man in himselfe, as the great goodnesse of God, that he should vouchsafe to communicate some part of his excellencie with man: yet man must not so suffer himselfe to be flattered of Sathan, that he thinke better of himselfe than he should, or lesse reuerently of God than he ought. The diuel feeling the fruite of his former pride, when he would needs trie how well Gods seate would become him, hee would faine hauehave brought man also to the same presumption, that hee, whose felicitie hee now did enuie, being found in the same fault, might hauehave tasted of the like punishmēt with him. And without doubt al men should hauehave done, had not God of his great goodnesse otherwise prouided for man. But what is man, that God should so wonderfully prouide for him, leauing his owne Angels vnprouided for, I meane those that were his Angels, before they fell? Surely if we consider man not as he is in Christ, but in his owne nature, we shall see what he is, not a God as hee would hauehave bin, nor as an Angell as he shall be, but such a thing as may …eare any foreign, or extenuation that can be deuised; yet our corrupt nature is readie to dispute with God, and wee will not feare to say vntounto God as Iob said vnaduisedly, chapt. 13. Who is hee that will pleade with mee? then speake thou, and I will answere thee, or let me speake, & answere thou me: Thus Iob challenging God to disputation, was readie either to answere him, or to replie vponupon him. But what art thou O man, that disputest with GOD? And indeede when God being prouoked to disputation, had disputed with Iob a while, & had vrged him very sore, Iob couldIob. 39. 37. 38. answere him nothing, but this, Behold, I am vile, what shall I answere thee? I will lay my hand vponupon my mouth. Once hauehave I spoken, but I will answere no more. Alas then, what is man, either in wisedome or in worth? In wisedome (though as Zophar▪ said, Man would be wise, though he be but a young Asses colte) what is hee to GOD? In strength, nothing: for though the Lord had neede, as hee hath not, what could man helpe him? Man is not great in viewe, nor a rocke in his flesh, a little paine doth trouble him, a small disease doth cast him down▪ a little affection carrieth him hither and thither, and though he ouercome all these, yet he is weake to resist death: and if we could doe the Lord good, I thinke he would not vse vsus, because we are by natare readie to take part and to ioyne hands with the enemie against God himselfe. Againe, mans time cannot be great, being but a spanne long, and yet a little Emot will be long in creeping the space of a spanne, this time is the time of a post, bird, arrow, or thought; a post hath but a small time, a bird in her flight hath lesser, and an arrow lesse than that, but a thought hath almost no time at all. And in my iudgement, besides all this, there is great reason why God should not make any account of man, if it please him to vse lege talionis, because that man doth not make any account of God: and seeing we esteeme not God, I see no reason why he should esteeme vsus; and that we doe not esteeme him, this shewes that we preferre before him our profit, our pleasure, and all. Our parents left him for an apple: Ahab had rather hauehave Naboths vineyard than hauehave him: we all like our pleasures better than him generally: we will not sticke to sell bodies and soules for a little thing, and indeed for lesse than Esau sold his birthright. But of all places to shew the mercy of God in chusing vsus, and our vilenesse being chosen, the Apostle (…. Cor. 1. 27.)1. ta mora tò… …osmou. 2. tà as ther è 3. tà ag… …. 4▪ tà exouth…m…a. 5. tà mè …ta bringeth in fiue notable tokens of them whom God hath chosen, whereof foure are very base, and the fift is lesse than nothing: 1. The foolish things of the world▪ 2. the weake things of the world, 3. the vile things of the world, 4. things that are despised, 5▪ things that are no….