The Mischiefs of Self-Ignorance, Part 20 – Part 23
Dir. 3. IT will therefore be a great help to the Knowledge of your ſelves, if you will converſe with thoſe that bear the Holy Image of their Creator, (Col. 3.10.) and whoſe lives will tell you what it is to live by faith, and what it is to walke in the ſpirit, to mortifie the fleſh, and to live above all the alluring vanities of the world. We can more ſenſibly perceive the nature of holineſs, when we ſee it in action before our eyes, than when we only read a deſcription of it. Who could have known what Life is, or what Reaſon is, by bare reading or hearing their deſcriptions, if he knew them not in himſelf and others, by another kind of demonſtration! Many thouſands can honour the name of a Saint and the Scripture deſcription of a Saint, that hate the life of holineſs, when it appeareth to them in practice, and cannot endure a Saint indeed. It will moſt convincingly tell you what you want, when you ſee what others have. To ſee how naturally they breath after heaven, will moſt convincingly ſhew you the dulneſs and earthlineſs of your minds: To ſee how eaſily they can love an enemy, and forgive a wrong, will acquaint you moſt ſenſibly with the ulcers of your paſſionate revenge…ul minds. Do but lay by your prejudice and partiality, and ſee whether there be not in ſerious Chriſtians another ſpirit then in the world? and whether they live not upon the things above, which your belief and love did never reach? Look upon believers, and conſider why they pray, and watch and ſtudy to pleaſe God, and then bethink your ſelves whether you have not …s much cauſe to do ſo as they: and ſo you may perceive your negligence by their diligence, your ſenſeleſneſs by their tenderneſs of heart and conſcience; your fleſhlineſs by their ſpirituality, and the reſt of your ſins by the luſter of their graces. Saith Gregory [Qui pleniſſime intelligere appetit qualis ſit, tales debet aſpicere qualis non eſt; …t in bonorum forma metiatur quantur ipſe deformis eſt.] that is [He that would fully underſtand what he is, muſt look on ſuch as are better then himſelf: that in the comelineſs of the good he may take the meaſure of his own deformity.] As Iſidore ſaith [Minus homo ſeipſum ex ſeipſo conſiderat] Men know not themſeves by themſelves alone.
Hence therefore the ſervants of God may ſee how exactly they ſhould live, and of what conſequence it is that they be eminently holy! when it is they that by their heavenly excellency muſt convince the world of their ſinfulneſs and miſery. O Chriſtians, do you live ſuch exemplary and convincing lives? Is there indeed that excellency of Holineſs appearing in you, which may ſhew men, to the glory of your Redeemer, how the heirs of heaven do differ from the world? Alas, our common careleſs living doth wrong to multitudes as well as to ourſelves; and is a cruelty to the ſouls whoſe ſalvation we are bound by our examples to promote. What then do thoſe men that by their vicious ſcandalous converſation, do harden the ungodly, and cauſe them to think contemptuouſly, and to ſpeak ſcornfully of the holy way! O woe to them, if they repent not, by whom ſuch offence cometh.
Eſpecially Miniſters ſhould ſee that their lives be a continual Lecture; As Hierome ſaith [Epiſcopi domus & converſatio quaſi in ſpeculo poſita, Magiſtra eſt publicae diſciplina: quicquid f…cerit, id ſibi omnes faciendum putant.] That is, [The houſe and converſation of a Biſhop, is ſet as in a glaſs (or to be beheld) as the teacher of publike diſcipline: All think they ſhould do whatever he doth.] And therefore Chryſoſtome concludeth [that a Prieſt that is bad, doth acquire by his prieſt-hood, not dignity but diſgrace: For (ſaith he) thou fitteſt in judgement on thy ſelf: If thou live well and preach well, thou inſtructeſt the people: If thou preach well and live ill, thou condemneſt thy ſelf. For by living well and preaching well, thou inſtructeſt the people how to live: But by preaching well and living ill, thou inſtructeſt God as it were how to condemn thee.]
And hence it is alſo that the ſervants of God ſhould have a care of their fame, as well as of their converſation, becauſe the reputation of religion dependeth much on the reputation of the religious: and reputation doth much to the encouraging or diſcouraging of the ungodly that are ſtrangers to the things themſelves. Saith Auguſtine, [Conſcientia neceſſaria eſt tibi, fama proximo tuo: Qui famam ancupans negligit conſcientiam, hypocrita eſt: Qui confi…ens conſcientiae negligit famam, crudelis eſt] that is, [Conſcience is neceſſary for thy ſelf: and thy good name is neceſſary for thy neighbour.] He that hunteth after fame and neglecteth conſcience, is an hypocrite: And he that ſo truſteth to a good conſcience as to neglect his good name, is cruel (to others) When we mind our fame for the good of others, and the ſervice of God, and not to pleaſe a proud vainglorios mind, and when we do it without immoderate care, ſeeking it only by righteous means, and referring the iſſue to the will of God, as being prepared for evil report as well as good, this is but to improve our talent to our maſters uſe.
II. I Come next to the Internal impediments to ſelf acquaintance, eſpecially in the worſer ſort of men.
1. The firſt that I ſhall acquaint you with, is, that Natural deep rooted ſin of Pride, which ſtrongly inclineth men to think well of themſelves, and to deſire that all others do ſo too. So that where Pride is not diſcovered and ſubdued by grace, men will ſcarce endure to be cloſely queſtioned by Miniſters or other friends about their ſin, and the condition of their ſouls: what, queſtion them whether they are ungodly, unſanctified, the ſervants of ſin and Satan; in a ſtate of death, and condemnation? Their hearts will riſe with indignation againſt him that will put ſuch queſtions to them. What! queſtion them whether they have any ſaving grace! whether they are regenerate, pardoned, and have any grounded hopes of heaven! They love not the ſearching word of God; they love not the diſtinguiſhing paſſages of Scripture, they love not a faithful ſearching Miniſter, becauſe they would diſhonour and trouble them with ſuch doubts as theſe. A Proud man judgeth not of himſelf as he is, but as his tumified diſtempered fancie repreſenteth him to himſelf to be. To think himſelf ſomething when he is nothing, and ſo to be wilfully his own deceiver, is his diſeaſe, Gal. 6.3. And as Pride is one of the deep…ſt-rooted ſins in man, and of greateſt ſtrength, and hardlieſt extirpated and overcome; ſo true ſelf-acquaintance muſt be accordingly difficult, it being carryed on but by ſuch degrees as we get ground and victory againſt our pride. As Melancholy men that are wiſe in all other things, may be far from the right uſe of reaſon in ſome one point, where the fantaſie is crazed and the diſtemper lyeth; ſo a Proud man, how wiſe ſoever in any other matters, as to the right knowledge of himſelf, is like one that is crackt brained, and hath not indeed the uſe of reaſon; Pride was his firſt Tutor, and taught him what to believe of himſelf: ſo that Chriſt who comes after with a humbling doctrine, cannot be believed, nor ſcarce with any patience heard: O what a diſeaſe is to be cured, before a Proud perſon will well know himſelf! What labour do we loſe in all our ſermons! Yea how oft doth the medicine irritate the diſeaſe! So that a poor wretch that is under the wrath of God, and knoweth not when he is gone out of the aſſembly, whether the juſtice of heaven will not take vengeance on him before he come hither again, yet cannot abide to hear of this, but with Ahab, hateth the Preacher that propheſieth evil of him, be it never ſo true. It is pride that leadeth up that armie of corruptions, that here ſtrive againſt the light of truth, that is ſent to convince and convert the guilty. And is a man like to be ſaved by the word, while he hateth it, and bends his thoughts and paſſions all againſt it?
Dir. 1. HE therefore that will ever know himſelf, muſt firſt let in ſo much of the light, as may take down his arrogancy, and bring him as a little child to the ſchool of Chriſt. Firſt know what thou art as Man; and then know what thou art as a ſinner, and ſentenced by God; that ſo thou mayſt come to know what thou art as one that is under the hopes and duties of the Redeemed. When thy proud heart rebelleth againſt conviction, remember with whom thou haſt to do. Will God speak ſubmiſſively to thee for fear of offending thee? will he cry thee mercy for handling thee ſo roughly as to tell thee thou art yet the child of wrath? Is he afraid to talke to thee of death or of damnation? Will he recall his threatnings, and repent him of the ſeverity of his laws, becauſe ſuch worms are angry with them, or will not believe them? Perhaps thou mayſt make a falſe hearted, frightful, man-pleaſing Miniſter, to change his ſtrain of plainer dealing, and become thy flatterer, or be ſilent: But will God be ſilenced? will he ſtoop to thee, and bend or ſtretch his word to humor thee? O no▪ he will one day tell thee what thou ar… with another voice then this of a mortal and deſpiſed man, and in another manner then preachers tell it thee. If thou canſt frown the Preacher out of the pulpit, or out of his fidelity to God and thee, yet canſt thou not frown God out of heaven. He will ſpeak to thee more terribly, then the terribleſt preacher that ever thou heardſt: And if thy Pride ſhall riſe up, and tell him that he doth thee wrong, how quickly will thy mouth be ſtopped, and thou be forced to confeſs thy guilt! Rom. 3.5, 6, 19. O ſtoop man to the humbling word of grace; or God will make thee ſtoop to the words and ſtrokes of wrath. Fear him that will make the proudeſt fear, before he hath done with them. Judged thou muſt be; by thy ſelf, to ſelf-abaſing and converſion, or by God to deſolation and confuſion: And canſt thou eaſier bear Gods judgement then thy own! Stoop fooliſh ſelf-deluding duſt! Stoop ſinful wretch, and know thy miſery! If thou ſtand it out a little longer, an undiſcerned blow will bring thee down; and thou ſhalt not ſee the hand that ſtrikes thee, till thou art humbled to the grave and hell. O how abſurd, yet pittiful a ſight is it, to ſee poor ſinners brave it out againſt the humbling meſſage of the Lord! as if they could make good their cauſe againg him! and ſcorn to know that they are going to Hell, till they are there! And then, will Pride preſerve them from the knowledge of it? It is ſhameful folly to be Proud and obſtinate, where a man knoweth beforehand that he muſt ſubmit at laſt, and is not able to ſtand it out.
2. THE ſecond Intrinſecal Impediment to ſelf-acquaintance is an unreſonable tenderneſs of our ſelves; when an inordinate Love of eaſe and quietneſs of mind doth prevail with us to hold faſt all that thus quieteth us at the preſent, without regard of due proviſion for the time to come; In this there is a mixture of unreaſonableneſs and ſelf-love: It is indeed the very brutiſh diſpoſition. A beaſt will not willingly be dieted for his future health: Let him have at preſent what he loveth and you pleaſe him, though you feed him for the ſlaughter! for he hath not reaſon to foreſee what followeth: An ox muſt be bound and caſt and held down by force, if you will ſhooe him, though it be to the keeping of his feet from hurt; or if you will pull out a thorn, or do any thing for his good that hurteth him at the preſent: you pleaſe not your horſe by letting him blood, though you ſave his life by it. Fleſhly-minded men have thus bruitified themſelves, ſo that they judge of things by preſent feeling, and have not Reaſon and Faith to look before them, and judge of things by what they tend to; even by the good or hurt that will follow in the end. It is a very terrible troubleſome thing, for a man that is unregerate, unjuſtified, and unreconciled to God, to know it; For a man that hath any feeling left, to find himſelf in a ſtate of condemnation: This is to ſtir up all the terrors of his ſoul, and caſt him into perplexing fears and diſquietments of mind; ſo that he cannot eat, or drink, or ſleep in quietneſs, but the troubleſome thoughts of ſin and everlaſting wrath torment him: And the inconſiderable man that judgeth of things by preſent feeling, will not endure this; and therefore muſt needs have the windows ſhut, and the light removed that ſheweth him theſe perplexing ſights: As moſt men hate thoſe that ſpeak againſt them, be the matter never ſo true; ſo they cannot endure thoſe thoughts that do accuſe them, nor to have a reprover ſo neer them, even in their own breaſts: A Conſcience within them, to preach to them night and day; not one hour in a week, but whereever they go, and whatever they are doing; to be ſo neer, ſo conſtant, ſo preciſe, and ſo ſ…vere and terrible a Preacher, as uſually a newly enlightened and awakened conſcience is; this ſeemeth intolerable to them; And whatever come of it, this Preacher muſt be ſilenced, as turbulent and vexatious, and one that would make them Melancholy or mad. And this is the condemnation of theſe miſerable ſouls, that light is come into the world, and they loved darkneſs rather than light, becauſe their deeds were evil: For every one that doth evil, hateth the light, neither cometh to the light, leſt his deeds ſhould be reproved, Joh. 3.19, 20. And thus while men are ſo tender of themſelves, that they will do nothing that troubleth or hurteth them at the preſent, they venture upon all the miſeries that they are forewarned of.