Defensive Armor Against Four of Satans Most Fiery Darts, Chapter 5
CHAP. V.
A Second Direction to prevent Temptations of this Nature. The Mortification of Pride. The Influence which Pride hath upon the Soul, in order to the raiſing or promoving ſuch thoughts in us; as it is the great Mother of Diſcontent, upon Gods altering our External Circumſtances. Conſiderations to be digeſted, in order to the keeping of our Souls in a mean opinion of our Selves.
2. IN the Second place, Take heed of Pride, live in the Mortification of that Luſt. Solomon hath three Wiſe Sentences in his Book of Proverbs, which we ſhould have at all times ingraven in our hearts. Prov. 11. 2. When Pride cometh, then cometh Shame. Prov. 16. 18. Pride goeth before deſtruction: and an haughty ſpirit before a fall. The laſt is, Prov. 29. 23. A mans pride ſhall bring him low: I do not think that there are three other pieces of the revealed Will of God, that are more verified in daily experience than theſe are. I do not know any Soul that is more expoſed to Temptations to Sin, nor oftner falleth into them, nor that is more expoſed to Temptations for Sin, than the Proud Soul. Pride is a corruption that ſwelleth a man in the opinion of a mans own merit, worth, and excellency, and conſequently breedeth in him an impatience of any thing that ſhould leſſen his eſtimation in the ſight of others. Ahithophel was a proud Man, and not able to bear his diſgrace at Court, but chuſeth rather to hang himſelf. Whenſoever any preſent ſhame, or fear of future ſhame, any degradation, or loſs of honour and repute in the World, gives a riſe to ſuch motions as theſe in our hearts, to deſtroy our ſelves; or gives the Devil any advantage to enforce ſuch impreſſions upon us, Pride is the bottom of it. It is therefore highly adviſable for Chriſtians, To be cloathed with Humility, to put on Humbleneſs of Mind, as the Apoſtle exhorteth. An humble Soul is hardly taken in this Snare of the Devil. Two or three things will much contribute to this humbleneſs of Mind. 1: The conſideration of what we are, what we brought with us into the World, and from whom we had it. 2. The Conſideration of what we deſerve. 3. The Conſideration, how little a thing it is to be great in the World. I ſay, 1. The Conſideration of what we are, what we brought with us into the world; and from whom we had our all that we have. Lord what is Man, that he ſhould be lifted up? He is made up of two eſſential parts, The Soul and the Body. Our Philoſophy teacheth us, That all reaſonable Souls are equal, nor indeed is there any pretence in reaſon for any inequality originally in them. And are not our Bodies ſo alſo; are they not all Duſt, and ſuch as muſt return to Duſt? Are they not all made of Clay? Have ſome Bodies a more beautiful colour, more ſymmetrical and proportionable parts than others? Do ſome Souls diſcover more excellent Parts and Endowments, through the better Conſtitution and Complexion of Bodies? Have ſome of us more Credit and Reputation in the World, more Riches, and a greater portion of this Worlds Goods than others? Is any thing of this from our ſelves? Have we then built our own Bodies? Have we given them their Beauty or Symmetry? Have we ſo much as made one Hair of our Heads White or Black? Or added ſo much as one Cubit to our Stature in the World, in reſpect of Honour, Riches, and Reputation? Did we bring any of theſe things into the World with us? Can we carry them out of the World with us? If we have received them, why do we glory, why are we proud of them, as if we had not received them? Let others honour and admire us for them, we have no reaſon to admire our ſelves, nor to think highly of our ſelves; let us look to the Rock from which we were hewen, and to the hole of the Pit out of which we were digged. 2. But then (Secondly) let us conſider what we have deſerved. The things upon which we value our ſelves, as thinking they make us to ſtand upon the higher ground, were neither hereditary to us, nor have they been purchaſed by us, by any Merit, of him who hath been our Benefactor as to them. The Apoſtle putteth them together, Proud, knowing nothing; 1 Tim. 6. 4. and truly ſo it is, the Man or Woman that is proud, is one that knoweth nothing. Knoweth nothing? How can that be, when ordinarily a Mans Knowledge is that which puffeth him up (it being indeed of any common and indiſtinguiſhing mercy, the nobleſt thing wherein a Man or Woman can differ from another) the Apoſtle in another place expoundeth this, when he telleth us, That he who thinketh that he knoweth any thing, knoweth nothing yet as he ought to know it; 1 Cor. 8. 2. But this is certainly true, that the Proud Man or Woman knoweth nothing in things that are Spiritual. Or if he or ſhe have ſome Notions of Spiritual Things, they know nothing of them, as they ought to know them; they have not digeſted that knowledge by any ſerious Meditations, they do not believe it. Is it poſſible that any one ſhould be lifted up in an Opinion of himſelf above others, who looks to the Rock from which he is hewed, and to the hole of the pit out of which he is digged, that he is the ſame Clay, the ſame Duſt with another; though it hath pleaſed the Potter to order him to be a Veſſel of more External Honour, and his Neighbour a Veſſel of more Diſhonour in the World: Or that any one ſhould exalt himſelf above what is the Will of God concerning him, thinking that God doth not deal by him as he hath deſerved; who knoweth, That he was a Child of wrath by Nature: That he hath made himſelf much more ſo, by his actual Diſobediences: That he is puniſhed ſeven times leſs than he hath deſerved. 3. Then conſider, How little a thing it is to be great in the World. It ſignifieth nothing as to our better part, but miſchief for the moſt part. The Soul of Man is not bettered by Riches or Honour, or any of thoſe good things which affect us, as to our outward Man. It ſignifieth nothing, as to the Eternal State, either of Soul or Body, and as to the outward Man in this Life, which alone hath any concern in theſe things. They are ſo incertain, we are ſet in ſuch ſlippery places, while we ſtand upon theſe Mountains of Ice and Glaſs, that no conſiderate Soul can juſtly value himſelf upon them; but pray, O pray for an humble low Spirit. There is indeed a natural lowneſs and demiſſion of Mind, and that is a great happineſs, where God doth give it unto any. A naturally high and haughty Spirit is expoſed to greater Temptations than another that is naturally of a low and mean Spirit; as the tall Cedar and Oak is more expoſed to boiſterous Winds than the poor Shrub. There is alſo a Moral Humility, a lowneſs of Mind and Spirit cauſed from Education, and the due Digeſtion of Moral Principles, and this alſo doth ſomething. But there is alſo an Habit of Humility, into which the Soul is wrought by the Holy Spirit of God; making the Word of God to take hold of the Heart: when the Will of God is that which maketh the Heart to ſtoop, and brings it to a ſubmiſſion to its portion. This is of all other the more excellent, the moſt Divine, the moſt Effectual. Now there is nothing more effectual to arm a Soul againſt this Temptation than this lowlineſs of Mind; nothing more expoſing the Soul to this Temptation than that habit which is contrary to it. Pride and height of Spirit, is the great Mother of Diſcontent, when it ceaſeth to be with us, as it formerly was. Hence it is that Men and Women conclude, they had better not be, than be poor and in miſery; it is better for them to put an end to their own days, than to be expoſed to ſhame, contempt, and obloquy. It is therefore of very high concernment to all of us that would be out of the danger of theſe Fiery Darts, to ſtudy humility, while we are in health, while we are in the higheſt circumſtances of proſperity, to be thinking of a lower ſtate and condition, and meditating of the vanity of the high things of the World, the incertainty and ſlipperineſs of them, the littleneſs of them under their greateſt appearances; to be thinking what poor Creatures we are, how little we brought into this world with us, how little any of us have deſerved at the hands of God, to feed our ſelves continually with Meditation… which may keep us in a low opinion of our ſelves.