Exposition of Romans 8-11, Chapter 11 · Verse 20 – Verse 20
VERSE. 20.—Be not high minded but feare.
Here Paul anſweres to the conſequence of the Gentiles obiection: becauſe the Iew is broken off that they may be receiued in; therefore they thought they might boaſt: it followes not ſaith Paul, ſhewing in theſe words, both what ſhould not follow: viz. High-mindedneſſe: and what ſhould: namely feare.
Be not high-minded: the word is ſignificant: thinke not, conceiue not highly of your ſelfe. He ſaid before boaſt not: here he vſeth an other word of purpoſe, by which he ſtrikes at the roote of pride, poynting at the padde, where the miſtery of this iniquitie is couched.
doctrine Faith ſhuts out boaſting. Rom. 3.27. Eph: 4.1.2. Ioh. 5.44 Phil. 2.3. Hab 2.4,5.
At eueryevery turne remember this ſaying. Be not high minded. Hath God giuen thee a liberall portion of riches, wit, beautie &c? Let this ſentence alway ſound in thine eares: haſt thou knowledge, and vtterance? Heareſt thou any ſay; few hauehave the knowledge you hauehave, or can ſpeak as you do? Let this ſentence ſtand ſentinell to keepe thee from pride. Let no grace puffe thee vp: God loues we ſhould acknowledge his guifts, and giuegive him the praiſe.
God reſiſts the proud. Iam. 4.6.All other ſinners fly from God. The proud man, as though he were of the race of the old Gyants, reſiſts him. God giues grace to the lowly: Pſal. 25 9.The rayne ſtayes not on the tops of the mountaines, but the vallies are watred and made fruitfull.
God teacheth the humble. The proud man is empty, theres little grace in him. Height weakens a thing: Altitudo noneſt valida Chriſoſt. hom. 20. in epiſt. ad Rom.and an emptie veſſell, makes the lowdeſt ſound. They which brag moſt, hauehave leaſt in them. In the fanne, the good corne goes to the boſom, and bottom; the flighty, to the mouth and is vppermoſt. The chaffe is aboue the corne, not becauſe it is beſt, but becauſe it is lighteſt. Theres nothing in a proud man, or if any good, it is marred by pride, as the Prophets pottage was by the bitter herb, or the pretious oyntment by a dead fly. The grace of our graces is humilitie. Theres no difference betweene a mad man and a proud man, but this: we pitty him that is mad, we hate, (nay God hateth) him that is proud. If thou wouldſt hauehave comfort of thy guifts be humble.
Vſe. 2.Obſerue. Firſt. The ſignes. Secondly. the remedy of high mindedneſſe.
1. The ſignes of pride are many: Eſay notes the daughters of Ieruſalem for pride, becauſe of their fantaſticall apparell, but we are to enquire the ſignes of ſpirituall pride; which are ſpecially foure.
1. Impatience of admonition; to be deafe on that eare is a plaine token of pride. Ioh. 9.39.40.The phariſes who were proud, take it in great ſcorne, that Chriſt reproueth them of blindneſſe, when indeed they were beetle blind. Proud Zidkiah cannot endure Micaiah his admonition. 2. chron. 18.23He that ſwelleth when he is told of his fault, hath a proud heart.
2. Diſgracing and diminiſhing the guifts of others with boaſting of our owne, declares a high mind. The proud phariſee abaſed the publican and exalted himſelfe, Doeſt thou impute vntounto others that they are cold, couetous &c. ſaying, thou wouldeſt be aſhamed if thou wert no better then they, neuer looking at thine owne infidelity, pride, hypocriſie, &c. Verily thou haſt a proud heart.
3. Medling with things aboue our vnderſtanding or meaſure, notes pride alſo: many preſently vponupon their ſuppoſed conuerſion, enter into controuerſies, cenſure particular men, yea whole Churches, as if they were ignorant of nothing, when indeed they know nothing, as they ought to know: they ruſh into matters beyond the age of their Chriſtianity. Dauid approued his humility, Pſal. 131.by not medling with things which were too high for him.
4. Contention alſo argues pride, as Salomon ſaith: Prou. 13.10.What is the cauſe that in our Church many put quarrels, and vrge with much violence their owne conceits, as if they were vndoubted Articles of the Faith? Surely it is our pride that makes our good Rebecca complaine of our ſtriuing.
2. The ſecond part of this vſe is for remedie, where wee hauehave three things: Firſt the place to which the remedy is to be applied: Secondly, the remedy it ſelfe: Thirdly the perſons that need it.
1. The place is the heart as Peter aduiſeth, Decke your ſelues inwardly with lowlineſſe of minde. There may be an abatement of pride outwardly, and yet neuertheleſſe within: according to our ſaying: There may bee as much pride vnderunder a leather Iacket as vnderunder a veluet gowne: who ſeemed more humble then Diogenes in his tubbe? and yet there was ſcarce any thing more proud, as wiſe Plato could obſerue. A man would think that nothing could be more lowly and meeke then a Monke or Frier, in his Cell, and vnderunder his Cowle, but the leſſe p…ide is in their habite, the more is in their heart: Their Maſters Title is a very lowly one, Seruus ſeruorum; but if a man ſhould ſay that he were proud, hee need neuer to come vnderunder confeſſion for it.
2. The remedy conſiſts of many particulars (wee cannot hauehave too much againſt this foule euil) which vſed with praier will be of force to keepe our hearts from ſwelling.
1. The firſt thing I commend to be vſed: is a continuall remembrance of theſe and the like Scriptures: Be not high minded: God reſiſts the proud, &c. Draw forth theſe as a ſword to take downe this Peacocke.
2. Remember the example and monition of Chriſt: Learne of me, (not to walke vponupon the ſea, or to make a world) but to be humble and lowly in ſpirit: Is Chriſt humble, then be thou aſhamed to be proud?
3. Conſider how God hath iudged the proud. Pride thruſt Angels out of heauen; our firſt Parents out of Paradiſe; hanged vp Haman vponupon his owne gallowes, made Nebuchadnezzar a beaſt, &c. Take heed by theſe examples.
4. Conſider, that if thou haſt any excellencie, it is the gift of God: 1. Cor. 4.6.7.What haſt thou which thou haſt not receiued? It is an Aſſe that will be proud of a Lions skin, which is not his owne. And God can take away thy knowledge, and make thee an Ideot, or ſtrike thee with madneſſe; and if thou beeſt rich, in the turning of an hand, hee can make thee as poore as Lazarus.
5. Doth thy heart tickle thee, becauſe of thy knowledge, faith, patience, &c? Sit downe and caſt thy account, thou ſhalt finde vponupon thy reckoning that thy wants are more then thy receipts: for one thing thou knoweſt thou art ignorant of ten: If thou haſt one good thought, thou haſt a thouſand ill ones, which ariſe out of thy heart, as the ſmoke out of the bottomleſſe pit. As Goliah is bigger then Dauid, ſo for the terme of this life, corruption is more then grace. Looke vponupon thy dulneſſe in prayer, thy wandering thoughts, thy hypocriſie, &c. Hold thy ſelfe to this taske, and thou ſhalt finde more cauſe of mourning then of Pride. As ballaſt is to the ſhip, ſo will this meditation be to thee, that thou ſhalt not be turned about with the waues of ſelfe-conceit. Pliny records a ſecret of the Bee, Plin. Nat. hiſt. lib. 11. cap. 10.that in a ſtorme, it getteth vp a little ſtone, by the weight of it to flye the more ſteadily, and to get home in ſafety. If thou bee in danger to be blowne away with pride, let the thoughts of thy wants be to thee as this little ſtone.
3. The parties that ſtand in need of theſe remedies, are all men, ſpecially thoſe which are extraordinarily graced by God, euen ſuch as are truely ſanctified: all other ſinnes are in euill, this is in that which is good, and therefore the harder to be auoided. Themiſtocles.We are all of his minde, who being asked what ſong he delighted moſt to heare, ſaid, that wherein his praiſes were ſet forth: when wee paſſe the ſtreetes, how doth it pleaſe to heare the people ſay, There he goes, a very worthy man; it is incredible, how this ſteales vponupon Gods beſt and moſt ſanctified children. Euen Paul hauing receiued extraordinarie reuelations, muſt be taken downe with the buffettings of Satan, leſt hee bee proud. Hierom that liued a retired and mortified life, ſaid, that he could hardlier be brought to want arrogance, then gold or ſiluer. Study and pray for Humility, the honor of a Chriſtian. It is the firſt, ſecond and third thing to bee ſought for of a Chriſtian, as pronuntiation is of Demoſthenes his Orator. Moſes face ſhone when he had talked with God, Exod. 34.19.and he wiſt not. And excellent degree of grace is it, to be excellent, and not to take notice of it. As boughes the more laden with fruit, are the more lowly, and as when the Sunne is at the higheſt, our ſhadowes are at the ſhorteſt; ſo the more grace would be adorned with the more humility.
The Diuell will tempt thee to all vitiouſneſſe; if he cannot preuaile that way, he will tempt thee to be proud of thy goodneſſe; yea to be proud, becauſe thou art not proud. In the middeſt of grace, pray for an humble heart.
VERSE 20.—But feare.
THere is a worldly feare, and a feare that hath reſpect to God, which is Seruile, or Filiall: this, Initiall or more perfect. The filiall feare is heere meant, which makes vsus carefull not to diſpleaſe God our Father.
Feare: that is, looke to thy ſtanding: for feare bringeth forth care: and they that feare not, are careleſſe.
doctrine He that beleeueth feareth God, 1. Pet. 1.17. If you call him Father (there is faith) then, as it followes, paſſe your time in feare, 1. Cor. 10.12 He that thinketh he ſtandeth (there is faith) let him take heed he fall not (there is feare) Phil. 2.12.
The Papiſts from this and the like places teach, that we are vncertaine, and muſt doubt of our ſaluation. He that feareth doubteth (ſay they) but he that beleeueth, feareth. Ergo. We deny the Maior, being vnderſtood of filiall feare, as it muſt be in this place, for filiall feare cauſeth not doubting, but more ſure ſtanding.
Bleſſed is the man that alway feareth, ſaith the Spirit, Prou. 28.14.but alwayes to doubt were no bleſſing, but a rack to the conſcience. I will put my feare in their hearts, ſaith God, Ier. 32.39.that they ſhall neuer depart from me. So then there is a feare of aſſurance, (this is filiall:) as well as a feare of doubting, (this is ſlauiſh:) He that is in the toppe of a tree, if he feare to fall, will claſpe the better hold. He that is careleſſe hath no firme ſecuritie, but he that feareth may be ſecure.
Vſe. 2.This feare manifeſteth faith; for where there is faith, there is a grace whereby we are afraid to doe any thing which may offend God, and weaken our faith. Art not afraid of drunkenneſſe, whoredome, blaſphemie &c. then haſt thou no faith?
He that hath a charge of money vponupon the way, how carefull is he? how often is his hand vponupon his ſword? his eye is buſie at eueryevery corner and croſſe way, to diſcerne dangers: and when he comes home, is carefull to locke it vp, and the more his treaſure is the more is his care: but a man that hath no treaſure in his houſe, leaues open his doores, and feares nothing. So the want of feare argues the want of faith. Remember the pretiouſneſſe of Gods fauour, and of the bloud of Chriſt, whereby thou art redeemed, and be aſhamed of thy careleſſeneſſe, whereby thou ſquandreſt away that which is ſo dearely bought.