The True Christians T est, Part 1 · Meditation 65 – Meditation 68
MEDITAT. LXV. Of Pride in Beauty.
THat Pride in Beauty does denominate a Lover of the World, I ſuppoſe no Body will deny: But the great Inquiry will be, Who they are that are proud of it?
I will venture to anſwer Negatively:
Not they that pray for perfect, healthful, comely Children.
Nor they that eſteem a comely proportion, and juſt ſymmetry of parts, an ornament, and a bleſſing of God.
Nor they that endeavour moderately and juſtly to rectifie Deformities, to preſerve Beauty, or to improve it.
But to ſpeak Affirmatively: All that prefer Beauty before Vertue, Modeſty, Chaſtity, and eſteem it higher than theſe, either in themſelves or others, are Lovers of the World.
Thoſe that prefer it in themſelves, are ſuch as ſeek the beautifying, adorning, and recommending of the Body, more than the adorning of the mind with vertue, or the life with good manners.
Such as uſe undue means to recommend Beauty, either too coſtly, or too gariſh, or ſpend exceſſive time in ſetting it off, more than in dreſſing the inward man.
Such as ſet off Beauty for ſinful and carna… Ends, to dazle unwary eyes, and captivate wanton minds, as Tradeſmen keep a gloſs upon their Goods, the better to expoſe them to Sale. And what do many fair Ladies do, but play the Whores with themſelves, and commit Uncleanneſs with their own Faces; who ſtand gazing from hour to hour in their Glaſſes, and cannot be got from them, no more than Ovid's Narciſſus from the Fountain.
Thoſe that prefer it in others, are ſuch as eſteem a fair Woman, before a diſcreet; an handſom, before an honeſt.
The faireſt Souls do not always inhabit the fineſt Bodies: Ingenium Galbae male habitabat. The beſt Gueſts are not always lodg'd in the beſt Rooms. What a deform'd, luſtful, murderous, ambitious, rebellious Soul dwelt in that Body (of Abſalom) in which there was no blemiſh!
Beauty is very dangerous, and a great ſnare; Rara est concordia formae, atque pudicitiae; It's hard to be fair and chaſte.
Be ſure it is fading: it needs nothing, but its very Being, to deſtroy it. D…m contemplamur, corrumpimus; whil'…t we dote upon it, we deſtroy it. Vain Mortal: Would'ſt thou contemplate thy Beauty to the beſt advantage? Go then, look thy face in the next fair Roſe, or Tulep, or Lilly, that thou meeteſt with; Thoſe will beſt repreſent thee▪
Such Flowers, which in the morning g… and fine, Riſe with the Sun, and … Heads,
But N… …nce past, … upon their Beds, And tow'… …he Earth their Grave, with him at Night decline.
And oh! Where is that beautiful Woman to be found, that values her ſelf more by her Faith, than by her Face; by her good Manners, more than by her good Features; who ſometimes views her ſelf in her Glaſs, but always in God, who is unſpotted Beauty; who ſtands in awe of every thing that may defile her Soul, more than of the Small Pox, or a Leproſie; who, although this Body in its complexion and features, be more lovely than her Neighbors, yet deſpiſes it, in compariſon of the more glorious Body; and deſires to put off this, to put on that? Poor Lucretia abhor'd her own Beauty, and Life too, when her Chaſtity was violated: But how many Ladies have we, that therefore eſpecially prize their Beauty, becauſe it qualifies them the more to be unchaſte▪
MEDITAT. LXVI. Of Pride in Apparel.
FRom the body I deſcend to the cloths: By which to value ones ſelf, is the meaneſt and moſt paltry ſort of Pride that can be. He that values himſelf by his Body, values himſelf by ſomething that is part of himſelf; but he that values himſelf by his Cloths, values himſelf by a mean thing, that is perfectly extrinſick to him and nothing at all a kin to him:
But the enquiry is, What is this Pride in Apparrel?
Negatively, It is not to wear good Cloths, nor handſome ones, nor faſhionable ones, nor coſtly ones, ſuitable to ones quality and eſtate.
Nor is it to be careful of them, to preſerve them from ſpoyl.
Nor is it to expreſs the extraordinary feſtivity of our minds by extraordinary Apparel.
But it is Pride in Apparel, To prefer Apparel before Health and Modeſty, as naked necks and breaſts do: Though indeed I k… not well whether to call this, Pride in Apparrel▪ …r in the want of it.
To prefer Apparrel before Charity, and the clothing of th… …ked, is an undue valuation of it.
To va… our ſelves by our Appa… ▪ to fancy our ſelves the better man for it, or … deſign that others ſhould to reckon of us, as it … Herod did, and Haman did, is groſs Pride in Ap…el; Thus ſhall it be done to the man whom the King …ghteth to honour. A proud …ool; Is …here ſo much honour in a …it of fine Cloths? He might have tho…ght of twenty more regardable pieces of honour than that.
But there may be as great a piece of pride as any of theſe, in an affected plainneſs and meanneſs, and unfaſhionableneſs of Apparel. To deſign that men ſhould eſtimate our humility by this, is as proud a part, as the Phariſees deſiring to recommend their worth and learning by their long robes: To put on plain cloth inſtead of humility is deceitful, a bad exchange, ſomewhat like an image with a pillow of goats hair inſtead of David.
Men may go in Sheeps clothing, plain and homely; and yet be inwardly as proud as Peacocks. This ſeems to be a worſe pride than the former, becauſe it adds hypocriſy. What wiſe or good man, can value himſelf by that, wherein many Rogues, and Whores, yea and Heathen, yea and Birds and Beaſts, and Flowers, do match and excel him?
To make gay Apparel ſtand inſtead of true nobleneſs, and braveneſs of mind, or homely Apparel inſtead of true humility of mind, is a proud ſuperſtition, only beſeeming worldly minds: A deceitful kind of Metonymy in manners, putting the ſign for the thing ſignifi'd.
To affect bravery in Apparel, for the recommendation of beauty, or oſtentation of riches, is a mean, and oftentimes a deceitful policy. Plain beauties are the lovelieſt to uncorrupted eyes: and exceſſive finery ſerves rather to make people poor, than to prove them rich.
Lord what a wicked thing is man; to make his ſhame his glory; to make that his pride, which ought to ſerve for his humilitation; to make that fewel for his luſt, which was at firſt a punniſhment for his luſting▪
MEDITAT. LXVII. Of Pride in Children.
TO glory in Children, or prefer them before God, before the Image of God in them, or the Will of God in removing them, is worldly.
To glory in their Perſons▪ Parts, or Number, more than in their Vertuous qualifications, or Dutiful behaviour. What a wicked woman was that, who was content her Son ſhould be a Murderer, ſo he might be an Emperor; oc…dat modo imperet: To glory in the propagation and perpetuation of our Names by Children, is fooliſh and unreaſonable: Vertue gives a better Name, than Poſterity; and to the Vertuous, God will give a Name, better than of Sons and of Daughters; Iſa. 56. 5.
To depend upon the Proviſion that by them is made for Old-age, more than upon the Providence and Promiſes of God is carnal and prophane. This comfort is very uncertain. True indeed, Children are accounted the Staff of Old-age; but ſometimes God beats men with theſe ſtaves, inſtead of ſupporting them thereby; as he did Eli, Samuel, and David.
I know that multitudes of Children was promis'd under the Law, and valu'd it as a great bleſſing; a bleſſing wonderfully coveted by men, and more by women. Abraham ſeems to have an mind of an heir▪ what wilt thou give me ſeeing I go childleſs? Gen 15. 2. But his Gandaughter Rachel was too too paſſionate; I think ſhe long'd as much for a child, as any woman with-child can long for any thing elſe, Give me Children or I die. The women accounted it a great reproach …o be barren; that is very plain: And it is conjectur'd that they ſtill hoped that the Meſſiah might ſpring of their line. Whether that be true or no I know not; but I think it was no ſuch great matter; if he did, as ſome would make it. For I obſerve that Chriſt after the fleſh ſprung from ſome of the moſt infamous families; as of Pharez a child of inceſt, and of Rahab an harlot.
I obſerve alſo that ſome of the greateſt favourites of Heaven wanted this …eſſing of numerous Off-ſpring Abraham the friend of God left behind him but one. (Iſaack) of the promiſed Seed: Moſes the man of God had a Family indeed; but I think if we conſult the Genealogies, it was one of the leaſt of the Families of Iſrael And as for the Goſpel, to ſay no more, I am ſure it is very ſparing of this kind.
To be proud of Children, is very ſilly and unreaſonable upon many accounts. More grief and vexation is uſually brought to people by their children, than by any other. Beſides, the… are begorten and born at a venture; who knows, what waſe man knows whether he ſhall be a wiſe man or a foot that ſucceeds him? It ſeems by Rehoboam the Son of Solomon, that wiſdom does always run in a Blood; and I am apt to think Solomon himſelf did allude to this Son of his, Eccleſ. 2. 18, 19.
But ſuppoſe they do prove good and wiſe, and virtuous, How can the Virtues of Children any way redound to their Parents, more than the Parents Virtue can redound to the Honour of the Children? A Tutor may more reaſonably glory than a Parent.
If thou be good, thou wilt glory in God, and not in thy good Children; if thou be wicked, thy good Children are a ſhame to thee, and not a glory.
Lord, What an unreaſonable thing is it, that Children who were given to draw the minds of men to thee, in whom they may read thy Image, ſhould be ſo abuſed, as to draw away their hearts from thee, whil'ſt men uſe them onelyonly as Looking-glaſſes, to reflect their own image!
MEDITAT. LXVIII. Of Pride in Wit and Learning.
UNderſtanding and knowledge may juſtly (I think) challenge to it ſelf the place of the higheſt natural Perfection.
But to glory in Knowledge and Learning, more than in God that gives them, and more than in the end for which they ſerve, will denominate a Lover of the World.
They are proud of their Wit and Learning, who aſcribe their Wit to themſelves, their Learning to their own ſtudy, ingenuity and induſtry, and not to the bleſſing of God. If Herod had in a ſober ſenſe ſaid of his eloquent Oration, It is the Eloquence of God, and not of man, he had ſaid true; but to ſuffer the People to ſay ſo, in a baſe flattery, and to make himſelf the God, was proud and atheiſtical.
They that will not ſubmit their wiſdom to the Wiſdom of God, that will believe nothing, but what their reaſons can fathom; the wiſe Greeks, the Scribes, and Diſputers of this World.
They that uſe their Wit and Learning to maintain Error, to juſtifie Falſhood; eſpecially they that are learned to diſpute againſt God, and wiſe to prate againſt Wiſdom it ſelf.
It is very much to the diſparagement of Learning, and may ſerve for the humbling of the Learned, that oftentimes the beſt Artiſts are the worſt men, and ſo ſometimes are the greateſt Clerks.
However, It is certain that Wiſdom and Learning are as dear to the Animal Life, as the Divine; yea, and that the Devil himſelf is as good a Scholar as the beſt of us all.
To this Head may be reduc'd a Generation of Fools, who although they do not excel; nor indeed match their Neighbors in Art or Learning, do yet glory in their ſtanding, and in the advantage that they have had to know more than others, though they know not ſo much. Theſe think to conciliate Authority to their Diſcourſe, not by its ſtrength, but their own ſtanding; not by their being wiſer, but ſenior than other men. Cieero jeers his Son Mark, that he was of a Years ſtanding under Cratippus, and that at Athens, and yet was not a good Philoſopher: How much more ſhameful is it for them who are of 20 or 40 Years ſtanding in the Univerſity, to be inferior in Learning to many that were never there. To think to make our ſelves or our Diſcourſes ſeem wiſer or weightier, meerly by reaſon of our Age or Education, is a moſt pedant piece of Pride. As old Age is no otherwiſe honourable, than as it is found in a way of righteouſneſs; ſo neither is ſtanding, otherwiſe than in conjunction with a proportionable underſtanding.