The Governance of Virtue, Part 2 · Section 18
Against pride or vayne glory.
IF thou be tempted vntounto pride or vayne glory of the deuill that old enemy of mankind: defend thy selfe with these scriptures.
Sentences out of the olde Testament.
Thou shalt saue (O Lorde) the peoplePsal. 18. that are humble, meke and lowlye: but the hygh looke of the proude thou shalt bring downe.
The Lord will saue suche as be of anPsal. 33. humble spirite.
The Lord hateth a proud countenaunce
Disoain pride▪ a wicked way, & a mouthPro. 8 that is double tonged, I vtterly abhorre, sayth the Lord.
The Lord abhorreth all such as be of aPro. 16 proude harte, hys hande, is agaynst theyr hand, & they shal not escape vnpunyshed.
Better it is to be of humble mind with the lowly, then to deuide the spoyle wyth the proud.
Presumptuousnes goeth before destruc tion, and after a proud stomacke there fol loweth a fall.
Why art thou proude, thou earth andEccle. 10 … ashes? Pride is hated before God and man Pride is the beginning of all sinne, and …e that maynteined that shalbe cursed, and at the last he vtterlye destroyed.
God hath destroyed the seates of proud Princes, and set vp meeke in theyr steade.
Wo be vntounto you that are wise in yourEsay. 5 owne eyes.
I hate the pride of Iacob, and I abhoreAmos. … his pallaces, …ayth the Lord.
Let neuer pride hauehave rule in thy mindTob. 4 nor in thy word: for in pride began all destruction▪
Examples out of the olde Testament
LUcifer for his pride fell down from theEsay. 14. glory of heauen into the paines of hel.
Pharao for his pride was plagued, andExo. 14 at last drowned.
Sennacherib for all his boasting, pride,…Reg. 19. and proud crakes, cowardly fled away and afterward was slaine of his own sonne.
Nabuchodonozor was so punished for…an. 4 his pride, that he was made of man a beast til he had geuen ouer his pride, confessed him self to be but a man, & that God alone is the Lorde, worthye all glorye and honoure.
Proud Aman was hanged on those ga…est, 13 lowes, whiche he had set vp for good Mardocheus.
Sentences out of the new Testament.
LEarne of mee saieth Christe, for I amIath. 11 meeke and humble in hart.
He that eralteth him selfe shalbe made…ath. 15. lowe, and he that lowely meketh and submitteth him self, shalbe exalted.
Be not hie minded, but make your selues…om. 12. equall to them of the lower sorte. Be not wise in your owne opinions.
What hast thou, that thou hast not receiued.1. Cor. 4. If thou hauehave receiued it, why reioy sest thou, as though yu hast not receiued it.
Humble your selues in the sight of theIa. 4 Lord, and he shall lift you vp.
Submit your selues euerye man one1. Pet. 5. to another, knit youre selues together in lowlines of minde.
For God resisteth the proude, and geueth1. Pet. 5. grace to the humble. Submit youre selues therfore vnderunder the mighty hand of God that he may exalt you, when the time is come.
Examples out of the new Testament.
MAry that blessed virgen being mekeLuk. 1. humble, and lowly, was made the mother of oure Lorde and Sauioure Iesu Christ.
Peter, Iames, Andrew, Iohn & the otherMath. 4 disciples of Christe, were humble and low ly in their owne eyes, and estraunged frō all pride and arrogancy. Christe therefore chosed them to be his Apostles.
Our Sauiour Christe disdained not toIohn. 13. washe his disciples fete, to geue vsus an example of humilitie and of brotherly louelove, The proud Pharisy was reiected and cast away as vnrighteous because hee bosted him self of his good dedes, and dispised the poore Publicane.Act. 1….
King Herod vponupon a daye appointed, a rayed himselfe in royall, apparell, set him in his seate, and made an oration vntounto the people.
The people gaue a shoute, saying, it is the voyce of a god and not of a man. And immediatly the angel of the lord smot him, because he gaue not god the honour, and he was eaten of the wormes and gaue by the ghost.