A Pastors Legacy to His Beloved People, Sermon 4
SERMON IV. To the Proud and Contentious.
ARe not many of us very guilty in this matter? Let us look into our families; Is there not great contention? Look to our neighbours, have we not heart-burnings and contempt for them? Are we not of envious, revengeful, unpardonable spirits? Do not our tongues break forth on small occasions? Are we not incroaching, and injurious to others rights?
And for pride, do we not over-wean our selves, and scorn those whom God hath preferred before us: Can we bear the least affront or contradiction, do not our aspiring minds, in Cloaths, Houses, Seats, shew the height of our spirits; our own consciences must needs tell us, thus it is with us.
1. First, Have we any real cause of height of spirit?
Thou that art proud, look into thy life, and heart, into thy eternal state; see what cause of pride thou hast? Is there excellency and security belongs to thee?
Is there not more cause of sackcloath and ashes? Should the condemned man, the beggar, the leppar, be proud?
Art thou sure not to be a damned wretch, a wretched malefactor, at the Bar of Divine Judgment? If thou art not secured from this, canst thou be high and proud? How well would humility become the most of us?
When henceforth thou art high-spirited, remember I pray thee to say, What cause for this?
2. Secondly, There's nothing brings a spirit of Hell nearer, and sends the Spirit of Heaven farther off, then pride and contention.
Sensual lusts make thee a beast, and wrathfull lusts make thee a Devil; Would'st thou have Satan and thy self nearly conjoyn'd? Then be furious, proud, and malicious.
The Devil was condemned for pride, 1 Tim. 3.6.
Over and over this is in Scripture; God resisteth the proud, and giveth grace to the humble, as Jam. 4.6, 7.
And where pride is, there the Devil is; resist it.
But he gives all his people more grace then to allow themselves in pride; the heart of the proud, keeps out the grace of God; it's so full of Self and Hell, there's no room for God o… Heaven.
When thou swellest with pride, say now, I am full of that poyson of Hell, that threw down Satan, and made him of a glorious Angel, a most contemptible Devil; full of that filth that has besmeared the whole world with baseness.
And of the same excellency is wrath, it's hard to know which is worse; in one thou risest up against good, and in the other thou hissest for evil; they are ever sisters; pride spits against Heaven, wrath spits the filth of Hell.
Ephes. 4.13, 31. Wrath and bitterness, sends the spirit far away.
Wrath and malice, is so contrary to the Spirit of God, that there can be no praying where it is, 1 Tim. 2.8.
Every contentious man, is to know, he's full of the Devil, Jam. 13.14, 15, 16. He's Devilish, and in him every evil work.
When the fire of contention sparkles in thee, consider how the fire of Hell will sparkle about thee.
Consider on whose back thou ridest, when flying in passion, thy horse hath horns and cloven feet.
3. Thirdly, If ever thou tastest of eternal life, thou must have a broken spirit.
Remember the War between God and thee, is, Who shall have their will; and God will tear a thousand creations in sunder, and (if 'twere possible) must die in the fight, rather than thou shalt have thy will of him, for his Will is best.
The first time thou carriest thy will from God, know, all the world will drop to nothing; therefore how vain is all our pride, murmuring, and wrath?
There's nothing God more abhors, then contention: Heaven shall be an everlasting Rest, and Order, therefore no contention there, and that there may be no contention, there shall be no will but one. If any will be my disciple, he must deny himself, take up his Cross and follow me? If any man will save his life, shall lose it? Matth. 16.
Therefore, God constantly breaks all his peoples wills; Abraham must offer Isaac, David must be hunted like a Partridg in the wilderness; the Iron must enter into Josephs soul, Aaron must hold his peace, Ezekiel must have no mourning; yea,, the Christian must love his enemies, bless them that curse him, do good to the unjust and froward, hope all things, bear all things, endure all things, because there must be but one will 'twixt God and a Christian.
Have a spirit that spurns not against God or man; if thou resistest mens evil, let it be from Divine command, not thine own will.
So much self-will, so much distance from Heaven.
A broken heart on earth, is the forerunner of a satisfied heart in Heaven. Remember, Luk. 19.27. If God shall not rule, thou must perish; but if thou partest with a cup of cold water for God, thou shalt not lose thy reward, Mat. 10.42.
God is a gracious rewarder of a broken, as a dreadful rewarder of an unbroken will.
4. Fourth, Consider the unreasonable folly of pride and wrath.
Both destroy their own ends, viz. Honour and rest; both which, nothing hinders so much, as pride and wrath.
It makes Gods of worms, dust and ashmes.
It buffles, and disturbs it self in the world to no purpose; it can't make a hair white or black; it's nothing but the unreasonable roaring of children, which makes every one weary of them.
As thou swellest in pride, so thou spreadest thy means before the world. As thou buslest in wrath, so thou makest thy self the butt of the vengeance, both of Heaven and Earth. Sad is the misery, that men can'c see themselves sweld, when they are, and deserve to be the testation of all they live among; they wonder at it, and see no reason for it; esteem themselves the most vertuous and righteous; like distracted brains, they can't reflect upon their own misery, but think themselves the most wise, when they are the most mad.
Contend not, but where every understanding person will justifie thy cause.
The more thou exaltest thy self in pride and wrath, the more thou makest thy self the fool and vermin of the world, both base and hateful.
Mat. 5.5. The meek inherit the earth, which the proud and angry would, but cannot.
Prov. 29.23. A mans pride shall bring him low, but honour shall uphold the humble in heart.
Meddle not with such unreasonable folly, as pride and wrath.
5. Fifthly, Converse with the spirit of God.
If thou wouldst learn humility and love, keep with the Dove; that's the Halcion, that asswages the disturbed waters.
Unless the spirit of Christ be in us, we are none of his, and unless we have a lowly neck, and a smiling cheek, the Spirit of Christ is not in us. Love is the very mould of Heaven, none but he that loveth, can enter that Gate. Now all company assimulates, but especially the Dove, hatches spirits into its own likeness.
Purity, liveliness, kindness, humility and joy, are the proper fruits, hatcht by the spirit in the soul.
Walk in the spirit, and ye shall not fulfil the works of the Devil; as not of the flesh; therefore live with the spirit in constant Communion, and Solemn Ordinances. A Gospel Chapter, Prayer, Sermon, Meditation, Conference, will much fill thy spirit and sweeten thy soul.
Remember, if thou wilt be truly heavenly, thou wilt learn low thoughts of thy self and thy wrongs; loving thoughts to all the world, but especially thy enemies; the spirit of Christ will descend into thee, which will make the ambitious and triumphing, to do good for evil.
Dwell with the light-giving, peacemaking spirit.
6. Sixthly, Consider, before thou believest, speakest, avengest. Every thing hastily done, is ill done, and repentingly done; now, acts of wrath are usually done hastily.
The Devil ever stands ready, to give fire in the heart upon the smallest occasion; upon his fire, the flame and smoak clouds the eye; then the man is mad and knows not what he doth.
The Ancient Councel, to tell the twenty four Letters, before thou speakest in anger, was excellent good, onelyonly the lesson was something too short.
Every passion is a short frenzy, stay but while the mist falls a little, and thou wilt be a man again.
Either rule thy wild horses, or into Hell they will carry thee.
If thou canst not order thy passions in some good measure, farewel till I see thee doleful at the left hand.
When thou meetest a provoking act, word, or report, before thou lettest flie thine arrow, even bitter words; Consider, 1. What truth is in the act. 2. What desert. 3. What temptation. 4. What person 'tis. 5. To what end thou wilt speak. 6. In what measure.
Either learn to consider before anger, or go to an eternal Bedlam, as thou well deservest.
He that soon believes, is not wise; he that soon speaks, is not strong; and he that soon avenges, is no Christian.
7. Lastly, Make thy self lowly, or be sure God will lay thee low.
Oh, lets remember, Prov. 18.12. Pride is the harbenger of destruction, humility of blessedness.
Prov. 16.5. There's no escaping for a proud heart, which is an abomination to the Lord.
I would fain you may flourish in soul and body; but let the proud man know, if I come some years hence, and see him, it's likely I shall find him low.
Chuse whither thou wilt make thy self humble, or God shall make the miserable.
Dost thou know what diseases God has for thy body, moths for thy estate, disgrace for thy name?
Know thy swoln heart, is a full womb of sorrows.
Thou wilt remember my words, when thou art fallen; Oh, remember them that thou mayest not fall.