The Cure of Church Divisions, Directions · Direction 2
DIRECT. II.
Observe well the secret and subtil workings of spiritual pride, and how deep-rooted and dangerous a sin it is, and what special temptations to this odious sin, the younger and empty…headed Christians have; that the resistance of them may be your daily care.
PRide is the self-idolizing sin: the great rebel against God: the chief part of the Devils image: that one sin which breaketh every commandment: the Heart of the old man: the root and Parent and summary of all other sin: the Antichristian vice, which is most directly contrary to the life of Christ: the principal object of Gods hatred and disdain, and the mark of those whom he delighteth to tread down; and the certain Prognostick of dejection and abasement, either by humbling repentance, or damnation.
It is called [Spiritual Pride] from the Object, when men are proud of spiritual excellencies, real or supposed. And this is so much worse than Pride of Beauty, apparel, riches, high places, or high birth, as the abuse of great and excellent things, is worse than the abuse of vanities and tri…les: and as things spiritual are in themselves more contrary to the nature of pride, and therefore the sin hath the greater enormity.
The common exercise of this Religious or spiritual Pride is first about our Knowledge, and secondly about our Godliness or Goodness.
1 Pride of our understandings, worketh thus: First, a man that was formerly in darkness, is much affected with the new-come light, and perceiveth that he knoweth much more than he did before: And then he groweth to a carnal and corrupt estimation of it, valuing it more as Nature is pleased with it, than as it is sanctified by it: Delighting in knowledge for it self, more than for the purity, Love and heavenliness which it should effect. Then he looketh about him on the ignorant sort of people, who know not what he knoweth, and seeth how far they are below him: And he thinketh with himself, what a difference hath God made between Me and Them: And because Thankfulness is a duty, he observeth not how Pride doth twist it self with it, and creep in under the protection of its name: And how Thankfulness and Pride have the same expressions, and both of them say, I thank thee O Father that thou h…st hid these things from the wise and prudent, and hast revealed them to babes: I thank thee O God that I am not as other men are, extortioners, unjust, adulterers, or even as this Publican, Luk. 18. 11. And then he is so taken up with the things which he knoweth, that he perceiveth not what knowledge yet he wanteth. And the deep affection which his knowledge worketh in him, or the tickling pleasure which he hath in knowing, joyned with this ignorance of his ignorance in other things, doth make him over-confident of all his apprehensions, as if every thing which he imagineth were an absolute certainty: And so he wanteth that humble suspicion of his own understanding, which a true acquaintance with his ignorance would have caused in him: And thus he groweth to over-value all his own conceivings; and to under-value all the opinions and reasonings of others, which are contrary to his own: And thence he proceeds to corrupt his Religion with such mis-apprehensions; and his rash unsuspected understanding entertains one errour first, and then that lets in many more; till he have espoused a self-chosen frame of doctrine, instead of the sacred truths of God, and method of the Gospel: And from hence he proceedeth to choose his Religious exercises also, according to these mis-apprehensions: These make him Duties which are no Duties, and sins which are no sins: And thus he calleth evil, good, and good, evil; and putteth darkness for light, and light for darkness; bitter for sweet, and sweet for bitter. And having made him a Religion of his own, he confidently thinketh that it is of God: And next he valueth all men that he hath to do with according as they are nearer or farther off, from this which he accounteth the way of God: He chooseth his Church or party whom he will joyn with, by the test of this Religion which his pride hath chosen: He zealously declaimeth against the opposers of his way, as against the adversaries of truth and Godliness, and consequently of God himself. He prayeth up his opinions, and preacheth them up, and contendeth for them; and prayeth and preacheth and disp…teth down all that …s against them. He laboureth to strengthen the party that is for them, and to weaken that which is against them: And thus he divideth the kingdom and family of Christ; He destroyeth first, the Love of his brother and neighbour in himself, and then laboureth to destroy it in all others, by speaking against those that are not of his way, with contempt and obloquy to represent them as an …lovely sort of men: And if the interest of his cause and party do require it, perhaps he will next destroy their persons: And yet all this is done in zeal of God, and as an acceptable service to him: And they think all are Ne…ters and Lukewarm, who prosecute not the Schism as fervently as they, and fight not against Love with as much vehemency: Yea and in all this, they are still con…ident, that they L…ve the Brethren with a special Love, and make it the mark that they are Christs disciples, and that they are passed from de…th to life, because they love the party and persons, who are of their own opinion and way. And thus PRIDE insensibly, while they perceive it not at all, doth choke their Opinions, their Religions, their Parties, and make their Duties and their sins, and rule their judgments, affections and their actions; which is all but the same thing, which the Scripture in one word calleth HERESY. And all that I have said, you may find said in other words in the third Chapter of Iames.
And there are two things which greatly promote this sin: The one is a conceit that all their apprehensions are the Spirits dictat…s, or the effect of its illumination. And the works and teachings of the spirit, are not to be contradicted, or suspected, but to be honoured. Therefore they think that it is a resisting of the spirit, to resist their judgment: And they are perswaded that their apprehensions are caused by the spirit, partly because they had no such thing whilest they lived in wickedness, but it came in either with their change or shortly after: And therefore they think that the same light which shewed them their sinful state, doth shew them also all these principles: And partly because they find themselves as deeply …ffected with these misapprehensions, as with other which are sound and right; therefore they are confident that they come from the same spirit: And specially when these thoughts come in upon the reading of the Scripture, or in meditation, or after earnest prayer to God, to teach them by his spirit and lead them into the truth, and not to suffer them to err; and when they find that they have good ends and meanings, and a desire to know the truth; all th…s perswadeth them that it is the spirit from whom their thoughts proceed; when yet it may be no such thing.
And another much greater and commoner cause of this self-conceitedness is this: All mens understandings are naturally imperfect: Our knowledge about Natural things is small and dark, much more about things supernatural: The wisest must say, We know but in part: And the variety of mens degrees of knowledge, joyned with the difference of their educations, and advantages and fore-going thoughts, doth make as great a diversity of understandings as of complexions: And yet it is very hard to any man, to have a sufficient diffidence and suspicion of his mistaking mind. For what a man knoweth, he knoweth that he knoweth. But no man that erreth doth know that he erreth: For that is a contradiction. If I knew that I erred in judgment, I must know that the thing is otherwise than I judged it to be: which is impossible to the same understanding at the same time: For then judging were no judging as being contrary to knowledge: When I see such a difficulty about a point, as to pass no judgment at all, but remain in meer suspence, then I can easily perceive that I am ignorant of it: But when I pass any judgment, I cannot perceive that my judgment is false, except it be in the cure of it, and by the same light which changeth it: when I err, I can never know that I err, but in sensu diviso, when I cease my error: when I know that I erred, I so err no longer. And because every thing which appeareth to us, doth appear in some kind of light or other, and appeareth in some form, and as clothed with some qualities, the understanding therefore presently hath some thought or other of it: If we take any notice of it, we shall have some kind of conception and opinion of it: And few things in the world do appear to us in such equal diverse shapes, as to leave the understanding wholly dubious, whether it be this or that. Though of that which hath no appearance at all, I am wholly ignorant, and have no conception. And when one part of a thing is seen, and many other parts of it are unseen, we are all apt to conceive of the whole according to the part which we see, and not allow a just suspension or suspicion for all the parts which are unseen. That which I see, affecteth me as a thing seen: But that which I see not, is nothing to me, and therefore affecteth me not at all. That part which I know, I know that it is, & so far, what it is: It is in my mind & memory: But that part which I know not, I know not that it is, or know not what it is: so that seeing one part of things, and not seeing another, (yea perhaps many others,) doth not only cause our error in judging of them, but also maketh it very hard, to question or distrust our judgments: For we must not be Scepticks and doubt of all things: Nor must we deny belief to so much as is revealed to us: And therefore however at the present we apprehend things, just such we are usually confident that they are. And in this difficulty all error and the lamentable consequences of it do come in.
But what shall a man do in so hard a streight? Why this every humble man must do. He must tread safely, and proceed warily, and try the spirits, and try the doctrines offered him throughly, and this by all the means which God hath appointed him for that use. He must not strive against the light; but he must take heed of taking darkness for light, or hearkening to the deceiver, when he transformeth himself into an angel of light: (which is not unusual) what cometh with evidence of truth must be received as truth, and held fast, and not again let go; however sometimes it may have a second and third tryal. And when you see any truth, remember that it is still with a defective sight, and that you see but in part: And therefore allow a freedome in your understandings, to receive the rest. You are certain that you see not all that is to be seen, of any Doctrine or Science, any more than of any creature: And you are uncertain what influence the unknown parts, would have upon that part which you know, or what alteration it would make upon your apprehension, if you saw them altogether in their connexion. Therefore be sure that in your most confident apprehensions, you never forget that there is still much more unknown to you than you yet know. And this will preserve a humility and modesty in your understandings and a capacity and fitness to receive more knowledge: When the forgetting of this, will make you proud and arrogant and presumptuous, and like the fool that rageth and is confident, even in your ignorance and shame; and will shut up your minds against that knowledg which you want.
But especially if you know that your advantages for knowledge have been less than other mens: that you are young, or that it is but a few years since you entred upon the study of the Scriptures, or that you have not any stronger natural parts than other men; or that you have not had that measure of Learning which might further your knowledge of the holy Scriptures; but that others that differ from you have had much more of all these helps and means than you; common reason here commandeth you to be modest, and not over-confident in your own opinion, nor too much to slight the judgements of such others.
Especially if those that differ from you, be not only more Learned, but as truly conscionable as you, and as like to be unfeigned lovers of truth, and have prayed more, and meditated more, and have had more religious experiences than your selves: And yet more, if they are the greater number of the godly that differ from you, and you are singular in your conceits; in this case rash confidence in your own opinions, is too palpable a sign of a religious pride.
Obj. But the Learnedst men are not always the wisest, in the matters of Religion. Answ. Many men are Learned in the Languages and Sciences, who are not Learned in the Scriptures; because they applyed not their stud…es that way. And many men are Learned in the Scriptures, and the Sacred tongues, who yet live in sin, though they are able to teach the truth for others. But those that well understand the Scriptures, without Learning the Languages which they are written in, and the Customs of those times and Countreys, or without much reading and long study both of the Scriptures themselves, and the writings of them that better understand them, are so few, so very few, if any at all, that if you will pretend to be one of them, you had need of some miracle or something like a miracle, to make your selves or others bebelieve that you are not deceived. See what I have said of this at large, in my Unreasonableness of Infidelity.
Obj. The greater number are not always in the right; therefore why should my singularity discourage me? Answ. The greater number through the world are not in the right about Christiany, for they are not Christians. And the greater number of vulgar Christians be not in the right perhaps in many points of Learning, and Scholastick controversies, because they are not Learned in such controversies. But all Godly men and Christians are in the right in all points essential to Godliness and Christianity: And therefore they are in the certain way of life. And if in any integral or accidental point, you think that you are wiser than the greater part, of men as Learned and as Godly as your self, you must give very good proof of it to your self and others, before it is to be believed. I know that in all ages, God giveth some few men more excellent natural parts, than others: and he engageth some in deeper and more laborious studies than others: and he blesseth some mens studies more than others: and therefore there are still some few who know more, than the rest of the Countrey or of mankind: and it were well for the rest if they knew these and would learn of them: But these are such as come to their knowledge by hard and laborious studies and meditation, though also by the spirit blessing their endeavours: And they are such as give proof of the knowledge which they pretend to: And they are such as employ their knowledge to preserve the peace and concord of believers, and do not proudly make a stir with it, to set up their own names, though thereby they set the world on fire.
Make therefore no more of these vain defences of your Pride: Let no man think of himself and his own understanding above what is meet. I perswade you not to deny any truth which indeed you know, nor to doubt of any thing which is made truly certain to you. But value not your understandings above their worth, and fix not too rashly upon your first apprehensions; and go not away with a passionate confidence, in your poor, raw, untryed and defective conceptions. But remember that you know but little, and must have time and labour to grow up to the rest. Be not wise in your own conceits. Rom. 12. 16. & 11. 25. Prov. 26. 5. & 28. 11. And this is commonly the sin of the slothful, that never were at that pains for knowledge, by which it must be attained. The sluggard is wiser in his own conceit, than seven men that can render a reason, Prov. 26. 16. You little think when you are conceited of your knowledge, that you are further from wisdom than a fool. Prov. 26. 12. Seest thou a man wise in his own conceit? There is more hope of a fool, than of him. Be not wise in thy own eyes, Prov. 3. 3. Wo to them that are wise in their own eyes, and prudent in their own sight. Isa. 5. 21. Be not righteous overmuch, neither make thy self over-wise: why shouldst thou destroy thy self? The self-conceited must become fools in their own esteem, if ever they will be wise, as the worldly wise must own that which is folly in the judgment of the world, if ever they will be wise: 1 Cor. 3. 18.
2. And there is a Religious Pride of Goodness, as well as of Knowledge, which must yet more carefully be avoided, as being yet worse than the former, as the thing abused is much better. And this worketh as subtilly and secretly as the former. It may not only consist with many complaints and confessions of sinfulness, weakness and unworthyness, but even with doubts of sincerity and so much dejectedness as seemeth to draw near to desparation. It is an ordinary thing to hear the same persons talk in a complaining, doubting and almost despairing manner of speech, and yet to have high expectations of respect from others, and to be most proudly impatient of the least undervaluing or neglect. Yea Pride will make an advantage to it self, of all these humble confessions and complaints: And it is an old observation, that many are proud of their humility: For though it be true that Austin saith, that Grace is a thing which no man can use amiss; the meaning is only, that Grace efficiently can do nothing ami…s: (For if it do amiss so far it is not grace:) Yet objectively all Grace may be abused, that is, a man may make it the object of his Pride, and the occasion of many other sins.
And this Religious Pride of Goodness, doth ordinarily work under the pretext of Thankfullness to God for his grace, and Zeal for Holyness: But it may be known by this, that it always tendeth to lift us up, and to the diminishing of Love to oothers, and to the contempt of the weak, and the censuring of our brethren, and the division and disturbance of the Church of God. They are lamentable effects which this Pride produceth, in the Church and all Societies where it cometh. It maketh all mens Goodness seem little, except our own: It causeth the people to undervalue their Pastors, and turneth compassion of me…s weaknesses into a sowr contempt: It setteth a man in his own conceit, so near to God, that he looketh down on other men, as earthly animals in comparison of himself. It maketh new terms of Church-Communion, and teacheth men to make narrower the door of the Church, than God hath made it: It causeth men to deny and v…li…ie Gods grace, in those that answer not their expectations: And to think that the Church is not worthy of their Communion: And to think that none are so fit as they, to be the Reformers of the Church and of the world.
I intreat those who are in danger of this pernicious sin, to think with themselves. 1. What a heynous crime and folly it is for one that but lately was a child of the Devil, and a sink of sin, to be proud so quickly of their goodness: And for one that so lately was groaning and weeping with a broken heart for a sinful life, to be already puffed up with the conceits of godlyness. And for one who daily maketh confession to God, of a sinful heart, and a faulty life, and of great unworthyness, to contradict all this by an over-valuing of his own piety; And how incongruous it is for one, who professeth to hope for justification by free grace & mercy only, & to have nothing of his own but what's defiled, and who abhorreth the Doctrine of merit, and talketh so much of our emptyness and insufficiency, to be yet puffed up with the conceit of his spirituality and worth. And what an odious self-con…radiction it is, to make your self like the Devil in pride, because you think you are like God in holiness.
2. And consider, that the more you are proud of your Goodness, the less you have to be proud of: If this sin be predominant, it is certain that you have no saving grace at all: And what an odious thing and miserable case is it, to be proud of Holyness, when you are unholy; and to be damned both for want of it, and for being proud of it: That a man should be proud of that, for want of which he must suffer the fire of Hell! But if your pride be not predominant, yet it is certain that in what measure soever you have that vice, in that measure you are destitute of grace: For true grace and pride are as contrary as life and death.
3. And study well the meaning of all these Scriptures (For you shall not say that I mis-interpret them to you.) Why was it that Christ mentioneth the Parable of the Pha…see, and the Publican? one thanking God that he was not so bad as others, and the other thinking himself unworthy to look up to heaven. Luke 18. 10, 11. &c. Why did he give us the parable of the prodigal who confesseth that he was unworthy to be called a Son; and of his elder brother who swelled with envy at his entertainment? Why was it that Christ seemed not strict enough to the Pharisees, in keeping the Sabbath, nor in his Diet, nor in his Company, but they called him a gluttonous person and a wine-bibber, and a friend of Publicans and sinners? Was it not because their Pride and superstition made them think too highly of their own religiousness? and to make sins and duties which God never made, and then to condemn the innocent for want of this humane religiousness? What was the sin condemned in Isa. 65. 5. [Which say, stand by thy self; come not near to me; for I am holier than thou.] What meaneth that command in Phil. 2. 3. Let nothing be done through strife or vain glory; but in lowliness of mind, let each esteem others better than themselves] Read this verse over upon your knees, and beg of God …o write it on your hearts: And I would wish all Assemblies of dividers and unwarrantable Separatists, to write it over the doors of their meeting places. And joyn with it Rom. 12. 10. Be kindly affectioned one to another with brotherly love, in honour preferring one another (that is, before your selves.) But specially read and study, Iam. 3.
In a word, if God would cure the Church of Religious pride, the pride of wisdom, and the pride of Piety and Goodness, the Church would have fewer Heresies and contentions, and have much more peace, and much more true wisdom and Goodness it self.