Commentary on the Epistles and Revelation of John, Part 8
Arrogancy.
DANIEL 4.30.
The King ſpake and ſaid; Is not this great Babylon that I have built for the houſe of the Kingdome, by the might of my power, and for the honour of may majesty?
HIc plura abſurda quàm verba. Here are not ſo many words as abſurdities,Car…w. hiſt. Chriſt. as one well obſerved of Peters ſpeech to our Saviour in the transfiguration, Maſter, It is good for us to be here: Let us build, &c. Luk. 9.33. So here. The King spake and ſaid: He for whom God had done ſo much, giving him ſo large an Empire, and adding to him the Kingdome of Aegypt, as his pay for his pains at Tyre. He, who in the year of his triumph had this viſion of his downfall, and had heard from heaven, Hew down the tree, yet leave the ſtump. He had left the poor captive Jews a ſtump, a kingly ſeed; and hath therefore a ſtump left him, and is reſerved for a kingly ſtate again. He that had heard, that he ſhould ſhortly be bound with a band of iron and braſſe, as a mad man, and turned a grazing among beaſts for ſeven years together, till he ſhould know that the heavens do rule,Ste… inter gramina, tanquam vinctus catenis Lyra. and not (as the Poet hath it) Ludit in humanis divina potentia rebus. He that had ſuch ſweet and ſavoury counſell given him by Daniel, (who was a fair deal worſe troubled for him then He was for himſelf, verſ. 19.) Break off thy ſins by righteouſneſſe. &c. Be as abrupt in thy repentance as thou haſt been corrupt in thy courſes, If it may be a lengthening of thy tranquillity. That [If] imports not ſo much a doubt as a difficulty, in regard of the greatneſſe of his ſin. Notwithſtanding which, God, of his goodneſſe, gave him time to repent. Now that He (a full twelve monethmonth after all this) ſhould walk in his palace, and thus talk to himſelf, who can but wonder? Is not this great Babylon that I have built? Herod. l. 1.A great City it was indeed, and built four ſquare (as Herodotus deſcribeth it) but Nimrod and Ninus built it: Nebuchadnezzar only enlarged it,Ʋideſis Ioſeph Antiq Iud. l. 16 c. 11. and built the palace entirely. Yet ſuch is this mans arrogancy, he knows no other founder. Wherein he firſt robs God: for it is he that builds the houſe, and without whom they labour in vain that build it, Pſal. 127.1. Next he wrongs his Anceſtours the firſt founders. Thirdly, he conſiders not, how he had waſted and wearied the bodies and goods of his poor ſubjects: This made the people in Rehoboams time cry to him, Allevajugum, Allevajugum, Eaſe thou the yoke put upon us, by thy father Solomon, when he built his own houſe, and the houſe of God. Fourthly, he proclaims his pride in oppoſing his City to Gods city, and making it his heaven, as it were: ſaying in effect, what God can caſt me out of it? Whereas that City was afterwards taken by Cyrus, Alexander, and others. As likewiſe Rome (that myſticall Babylon) which,Heyl. Geog. ſince it became the neſt of Antichriſt, was never beſieged by any but it was ſurprized; yet,Great means breed great mindes, 2 Chro. 38.31. Dio in Tiberio. Euripides. Whatev…r God gives to any, his glory he will not give, When Satan came once to look after divine honour, Chriſt puts him off with a ſhort anſwer, Avoid Satan. M. Pemble of Perſ Monar. 63. ſaith ſhe in her heart, I ſit a Queen, and ſhall ſee no ſorrow, Revel. 18.7. Laſtly, As he arrogates to himſelf the kingdome (till he had licked of the whip, and learned better language, verſ. 37.) ſo now, the power and the glory too, by the might of my power, and for the honour of my majesty. God is not in all his thoughts. He ſacrificeth to himſelf, as Sejanus did; and (Polyphemus-like) ſets up himſelf for the ſole doer. Whereas God, as he is the firſt authour and owner of all; ſo, to him, as to the utmoſt end of all, they ought all to return, Quaſi circulo quodam confecto, and as the rivers doe to the ſea whence they had their beginning, See Rom. 11.36. Sith of him, and through him, and to him are all things, to him alone be glory for ever. His glory he will not give to any other, Iſa. 42.8. what ever he part with, none ſhall ſhare with him in that. It is his jewell, his darling, his own eye, his wife (with reverence to his Majeſty be it ſpoken) And as Abner might not ſee Davids face unleſſe he brought him his wife Michal, ſo neither may any ſtand before God, that bereave him of his glory. He comes down from heaven (as it were) and fights hand to hand with a proud perſon in ſingle combate, the whole world beholding.1 Pet. 5.5. Surely God reſiſteth the proud, ſaith Peter. He ſets himſelf in battle-array againſt them (as the originall hath it) as he did againſt Pharaoh, Herod, and this Nebuchadnezzar, foreignwhoſe minde was hardened in pride (that hate of heaven, and gate to hell) as the Prophet tels his ſon, Dan. 5.20. therefore, beſides the brutiſh change of his minde; his body was much changed in ſeeding and living among wilde beaſts: It was not only a phrenſie (as Ericus King of Swethland, being expeld his Kingdom, for grief,Willet on Dan. Turk h…ſt. fell mad: or as Bajazet taken by Tamberlane, and Boniface the 8th by Charles of Burbon, bit and tare themſelves for grief and vexation) but he was baniſhed from the ſociety of men, by the juſt judgement of God. And ſo lying in the wet and cold among beaſts, his garments rotted, his hair grew hard, his nails long, &c. his mans ſhape remaining, his humane ſoul was changed to be brutiſh: his body alſo miſ-ſhapen and deformed, not transformed, as Dr Willet hath it in his Hexapha upon Daniel, Willet on Daniel. fol. 137.where you may read of divers like examples. Surely the Lord of hoſts hath purpoſed it, to ſtain the pride of all glory, and to bring into contempt all the honourable of the earth, Iſa. 23.8.Iſa. 2.11, 1…. Eraſ. Apopht…. Herod affecting to be a louſie god, was eaten up of worms. Pemble. Don Mendoza, printed a lying poem in France of a triumph before the victory. Camd Elizab. fol. …71. The Spaniards in the pride of their Monarchy are grown alſo now to ſwear by the life of their King. Sands Relat. 18 Breerw. Enqui. p 50. Heyl Geog p. 30 Iren. l. 1. c. 24. For the day of the Lord of hoſts ſhall be every one that is proud and lofty, and upon every one that is lifted up, and he ſhall be brought low. The lofty looks of man ſhall be humbled, and the Lord alone ſhall be exalted in that day. So ſaith Iſaiah: nay, ſo ſaith Eſop; who being asked, what God did in heaven? He pulleth down the proud, ſaid he, and lifteth up the lowly: this is his work and buſineſſe. He bears an aking tooth, a ſpeciall ſpleen (as I may ſay ſo) to this ſin of Arrogancy. His heart hates it, Prov. 6.16, 17. His mouth curſeth it, Pſal. 119.21. and his hand plagueth it, as he did Herod among others. The people had fly-blown him with their flatteries. This ſwels him; and, for his pride, God turns thoſe worms upon him to devour him: as he did the lice, upon that proud King of Spain, that ſet forth the invincible Armado (as they vainly called it) againſt England. The Spaniards are generally noted for an inſolent people; and their ambition hath been, to ſettle their Catholike Monarchy over all Chriſtendome; but God hath hitherto croſſed it, and, we truſt, will doe. Their language they call Romance (as if it were pure latine) and themſelves the right Hidalgoes, as if they were the only Gentlemen. So the Turks will needs be thought the only Muſulmans or true believers, as Papiſts the only Catholiks (the Donatists affected the ſame title) Gnosticks the only knowing men, Anabaptists the only ſpirituall perſons, Jeſuites the only ſcholars,Imperium literarum eſt penes Ieſuitas, Caſau. ex Apologiſta. Relat. of Weſt. Relig. Polititians and Oratours of the world. They vaunt that the Church, is the ſoul of the world, the Clergy of the Church and they of the Clergy: that a Jeſuite cannot poſſibly be an heretike; but that as the devil ſet up Luther (that Arch-heretike) ſo God ſent forth them to oppoſe him. The Chineſes would perſwade us, That they only ſee with two eyes, & all other Nations but with one. Theſe proud Jeſuites would have us believe the like of them.Heyl Geog 662 And as it is reported of the great Cham of Tartary, that he reputes himſelf the Monarch of the whole world, and that therefore every day, as ſoon as he hath dined, he cauſeth his trumpets to be ſounded, by that ſign giving leave to other Princes of the earth to go to dinner: So would theſe Jeſuites be held the only Worthies, their main endeavour being to ſubject all to the Pope, and the Pope to themſelves.Code of the Church, p. 114. Their faction (ſaith one) is a most agile ſharp ſword, whoſe blade is ſheathed at pleaſure, in the bowels of every Commonwealth, but the handle reacheth to Rome and Spain. So that the very life, death and fortunes of all Kings and Common-wealths hang upon the horoſcopes of the Jeſuites pleaſure. If the Jeſuites be as lucky ſtars in the aſcendent and culminant, they may live, continue and flouriſh: if malevolent, they periſh, but that Deus dominabitur astris. Now may it not well be ſaid to theſe croaking frogs and encroaching locuſts of Rome, Ye take too much upon you, ye ſons of Levi? They teach, That the ſtate eccleſiaſticall is ſo far more excellent then the civil, as the Sun then the Moon, even in temporall pomp and power: and that therefore the chief of their Clergy is as far above the mightieſt Emperour, as the Sun above the Moon. And as the Sun borrows her light of the Moon, ſo doth the Emperour, his State and power from the Pope. Is not this that Man of ſinne, foreign.that exalts himſelf above all that is called Auguſtus, or above all Kings and Emperours? trampling upon their necks,2 Theſſ. 2.4. forcing them to hold his ſtirrop, to dance attendance at his gate, &c. kicking off their crowns, and crowning them again with his feet,Act. and Mon. as Pandulphus the Popes Legat did King John of England? As for King Henry the ſecond of this land, he was forced by the Pope to kneel and pray to Beckets ſhrine, whom he had diſgraced in his perſon, and having had him above his will (ſaith the Chronicler) whiles he lived, hath him now over his faith, being dead. Going to Canterbury to viſit the ſepulchre of his own Martyr,Dan hiſt. fol. 99, 10…. he went three miles on his bare feet, which with hard ſtones were forced to yeeld bloudy tokens of his devotion on the way. And which was moſt ſhamefull of all, though he proteſted to the very laſt, That he neither commanded nor willed, nor by any ſleight ſought the death of Becket, yet by the Legat he was compelled to undergo the diſcipline of rods upon his bare fleſh, and to receive of every Prieſt there preſent (and there were not a few) three or four laſhes upon the bare: one of the Embaſſadours ſaying the while, Domine noli minari. Sir, you may ſpare your threats,Revius de vitis Pontif. Rom p 140. Gabriel Powell of the unlawfulneſſe of Toleration p 92. for we fear them not; as being of ſuch a Court, as is wont to bear rule over Kings and Emperours. In like ſort the Pope, within the memory of many yet alive, laſhed Henry the fourth of France (in the perſon of his Embaſſadour at Rome) after the ſinging of every verſe of Miſerere the 51. Pſalme, untill the whole Pſalm was ſung out. Clemens the fifth would not abſolve the Venetians of their Excommunication, till Francis Dandalus their Embaſſadour had lain,Revius p. 198. like a dog at his feet under his table, with a chain of iron about his neck. Neither would Pope Martin the fourth abſolve the Sicilians, till they came & proſtrated themſelves before him, with theſe words of the Letany,Ibid. 187. O lamb of God that takeſt away the ſins of the world, Grant us thy peace. The Pope anſwereth, My peace I give you, my peace I leave unto you. Prodigious blaſphemy! Sed exorto Evangelij jubare, ſagaciores (ut ſpero) principes, ad nutum vestri Orbilij non ſolvent ſubligacula, ſaith a reverend Divine of our Church. They tell us,D. Pri leaux contra Eudaem. Ioh. p. 75. That not their Popes only, but their whole Clergy is a ſtate ſo diſtinct and abſolute, as not any way ſubject to the temporall Magistrate, though their crimes be never ſo many or monſtrous. Theſe be the Locuſts that have no King, Prov. 30.27. they will have none, but that Angel of the bottomleſſe pit, Abaddon the Pope,Revel. 9.11. Pareus in Apoc 13.3. In concillo Lateranen…i ultimo 15…6. uno anno antequam Lutherus e…erſit plenaria poteſtas in totam Eccleſiam Papae conceſsa eſt, que in nullo priùs concilio fuit confirmata. Par, hiſt. eccleſ p. …81. who ſtiles himſelf A ſervant of ſervants, yet ſtamps on his coyn, That Nation and countrey that will not ſerve thee ſhall be rooted out. The Lateran Councel blaſphemouſly aſcribed that to the Pope, All power is given to thee both in heaven and in earth: thou art all, and over all. And now was the Pope in the heighth of his pride, and ruff of his jollity, when ſuddenly (the ſame or the next year after) God, who reſiſteth the proud, raiſed up Luther to cut his comb, and to call him Antichrist. Ever ſince which, there hath been a ſenſible decay of the Papacy thorowout the Chriſtian world, as Bellarmine with grief acknowledgeth.Ab eo tempore quo per vos Papa Antichriſtus eſſe coepit, non modo, non crevit ejus imperium, ſed magis ac magis decrevit, l. 3. de Papa, cap 21. … Theſſ. …, Iac. R. v p …9. It was but time God ſhould take him down, that exalted himſelf not only above Angels, whom (ſaith John the 23. in extravag.) he hath power to excommunicate, but alſo above all that is called God. Our Lord God the Pope, ſaith one of his Paraſites. Tu meritò in terris diceris eſſe Deus, ſaith another. Nicolas the firſt ſaid, That he was not to be called to an account by any one, becauſe Conſtantine had called the Pope by the name of God. For the which groſſe fiction, the very Gloſſe there derideth him. And who can hold laughing at that ridiculous gloſſe of a Popiſh Poſtiller upon that text, Exod. 30.31? Where, becauſe it is ſaid of the holy oil, Ʋpon mans fleſh it ſhall not be poured, Riſum teneatis amici? Horat.Thou ſhalt anoint Aaron and his ſonnes, &c. therehence He infers in an hyperbolicall ſenſe, That Priests are Angels, not having humane fleſh. It is not for nothing (I trow) that they ſend, for the moſt part, all their Clergy immediately to heaven without let.Rom. 2.20 foreign. C…tero… homines pro inſantibus …a…ebat B…on Anna …o… …. foreign oppellare … tus e…b. Epiſt. 10. & ep. 1. Whereas all the temporalty (except Martyrs) muſt paſſe by purgatory. Theſe they look aloof on; as the proud Phariſee did on the Publican, as Caiaphas did on the Councel, Ye know nothing at all, ſaith he, Joh. 11.49. Ye are all but babies to me, &c. or as thoſe Bragadochio's in Iſaiah looked on their betters, with Stand by thy ſelf, for I am holier then thou. Odi faſtum illius eccleſiae, I hate the pride of that Church of Rome (ſaith Baſil) that Weſtern brow (as he was wont to call it, and) whereof he maketh great complain to his friend Evagrius. The other four Patriaches (and with them the whole Eaſtern Church) ſeparated themſelves from the Biſhop of Rome for his intolerable inſolency: and, at their parting, uſed theſe or the like words,D. Field of the Church, Gerſon, Carleton, &c. Thy haughtineſſe we know, thy covetouſneſſe we cannot ſatisfie, thy encroaching we can no longer abide, live to thy ſelf, &c. This proud Biſhop had ſtretcht himſelf beyond his line, prized himſelf above the market, ſet up his counter for a thouſand pound;foreign ſignificat Aemulum ſeu vicarium Chriſti… Significat etiam Chriſto contrarium. Iac. Revius de vitis …ntif. p 186. affecting not a primacy only, as ſucceſſour to Peter, but a ſupremacy, as Vicar to Chriſt: indeed an Antichriſt or counter-Chriſt, pretending to be in ſtead of Chriſt, but fighting againſt Chriſt, denying and oppoſing him in all his offices. Pope Leo the firſt blaſphemouſly boaſted (and Nicolas the third feared not to affirm the ſame: That Peter was taken into fellowſhip with the bleſſed Trinity, therefore Peters ſucceſſour muſt be Ʋniverſall Biſhop. This the Patriarch of Conſtantinople ſtomacked, and could as little bear a ſuperiour, as the Pope an equall: And therefore the former ſtrives to bring all the Eaſt under him, the later, Eaſt and Weſt too. His claw-back Canoniſts tell him (and he believes it) that he is King of Kings, and Lord of Lords: that he hath the power of both ſwords thorowout the whole world, and rule over all reaſonable creatures: that he can doe whatſoever Chriſt can doe, &c. Now,Moſcon de majeſt. militant Eccleſ l. … c. 1. Hoſtienſ. cap. 4. Fran. Zabar. as every little winde raiſeth a bubble, ſo doth the Pope value himſelf ſo much the more, as he ſees himſelf higher in the rate of others opinions. Philip the Fair (King of France) dealt plainly with him (which few others durſt doe) Anno 1294. For, when Pope Boniface wrote thus to him, in an imperious manner, We would have thee to know, that thou art ſubject to us in temporals and ſpirituals, &c. He ſtoutly denied it, beginning his letter, with, Sciat tua maxima Fatuitas. Be it known to your Fooliſhneſſe (in ſtead of Holineſſe) and appealed to the See Apoſtolike, then (as he ſaid) vacant, and to the future Councel.Volumus te ſcire &c. Alſted. Chronolog p. 355. Self-love makes men unreaſonable, and teacheth them to turn the glaſſe to ſee themſelves bigger, others leſſer then they are. I am, and there is none beſides me, ſaith Niniveh. I will aſcend into heaven, and ſet my nest above the ſtars, ſaith Babylon.Zeph. 2.15. Iſa. 14 13.
My roof receives me not, 'tis air I tread:
At every ſtep I feel my advanced head
Knock out a ſtar in heaven—ſaith Sejanus.
Attilas King of Hunnes, arrogantly vaunted,Neand. Chronic. That the ſtars fell before him, the earth trembled at his preſence, &c. Who hath not heard of the ſwelling titles of the great Cham, of the great Turk, of divers Roman Emperours?Eutrop. & alij. As Diocletian who firſt commanded divine honours to be done unto him, and held forth his feet to be kiſſed: Caligula, who by certain Engines thundered and lightned, as another Jupiter, Dio in vita.caſting up ſtones for thunder-bolts, and repeating that hemistich in Homer—foreign Commodus would needs have the twelve moneths of the year called or counted by his twelve names or titles; Amazonius, Invictus, Faelix, Pius, &c.Idem in vita Commodi. And the time of his raign to be held the golden age,Roderic. Santij hiſt Hiſpan p 4. … 5. and ſo ſtiled in all dates and writings. And Alphonſo the Wiſe (the fool rather) King of Spain blaſphemouſly ſaid, That if he had been of the councel at the Creation, he could have made and ordered ſome thing better then they were. I will aſcend above the heighth of the clouds, and will be like the most high, ſaith the King of Babel, Iſa. 14.14. It may ſeem ſtrange that ſuch proud thoughts ſhould enter into any mans heart. But by nature thre's never a better of us. As in water face anſwers to face, ſo doth the heart of a man to a man. The naturall heart is nothing elſe but a lump of proud fleſh. That old leven of corruption hath ſoured and ſwelled the whole lump, 1 Cor. 5.7. The Greek word for pride ſignifies ſwelth. foreign.For pride is like a great ſwelling in the body, which unfits it for any good ſervice, and is apt to putrifie, break and run, with loathſome and foul matter: So doth pride diſable the ſoul from doing duty, and at laſt breaks into odious words and deeds, abominable to God and men. Now if this be not thy caſe, bleſſe God for his reſtraining and ſanctifying ſpirit; lift up many an humble, joyfull and thankfull heart to him who made thee to differ.Greevinchovius. Seſoſtri… in terris à ſe devictis columnis inſcripſit foreign, Herod. l 2.1 Tim 3. Sed velut imm…mor qua via inde exciderit, illu… poſtea redire non potuit. Say not as that arrogant Arminian did in anſwer to the Apoſtles queſtion, Who made thee to differ? Ego meipſum diſcerno, I my ſelf have made the difference. Or as that proud heretike ſaid to God, Non habeo Domine quodignoſcas, I have done nothing wherefore to crave pardon. If we had no more ſins to anſwer for, then this one of pride, we could not eſcape the damnation of hell. St Paul adviſeth young Students in Divinity, not to be high-minded, leſt they fall into the condemnation of the devil. It was pride that turned him out of heaven. Pride (ſaith Hugo) was born in heaven: but forgetting by what way ſhe fell thence, ſhe could never finde her way thither again. Only ever ſince, it looks and aims at the higheſt. The firſt man would know as God; the Babel-builders would dwell as God. And as our firſt parents in the beginning did learn that proud leſſon of the devil,M. Perkins. Ye ſhall be as gods, ſo we, being in their loins when they ſinned (ſaith a reverend Divine) and deſcending from them by ordinary generation, do, together with our nature, receive that corruption from them, whereby we think thus proudly of our ſelves, that we farre excell others, and are as little gods on earth, in reſpect of others. Mans heart is a palace of ſatanicall pride.Sic Seſoſtris Aegyp… Rex, tempore Samſonis foreign, Deus cognominatus, Phar… …urru… regum cervicibus egit L. Paul Aemyllus ſtatuae aureae Perſei Delphis dedicatae ſuam i…p…i curavit, inquiens Victoribus victos loco decedere par eſse. Plut. in Aemylio. Cuſſes dicter. of ages. It is like unto that table of Adonibezek, at which he ſate in a chair of State, and made others, even Kings, to eat meat like dogs under his feet with their thumbs cut off. Loe ſuch an one is every man by nature: He lifteth up himſelf, ſaying, I am the man, and treadeth his brother under foot, as no body to him. The Emperour Commodus would needs be ſtiled foreign or the Surpaſſer, as if there were None ſuch. The Emperour Adrian oppreſſed ſome and ſlew others that excelled in any art or faculty; that he might be held the only skilfull. Aristotle is ſaid to have burnt and aboliſhed the books of many ancient Philoſophers whom he excerped, that he might be the more admired. The worlds eternity, and ſome other paradoxes he taught, as rather affecting ſingularity (ſaith one) then for any ſoundneſſe of the matter,foreign. ins.—pu…chrum eſt digit… monſtrari, & dicier, hic eſt. foreign Xenophon. In hunc ita quidam lu…i…: nunc poſtquam mane…, defunctu… Valla petivit: Non audet Pluto verba latina loqui. Iupiter hunc coeli dignatus honore fuiſſet, Cenſorem linguae ſed ti…et ipſe ſuae. …rithem. Joh. Manl. lo…. com. p. 480. or ſtrength of argument. Such an itch there is in mans corrupt nature after the applauſe and admiration of others. This is that Demoſthenes, was a ſweet hearing. Themistocles liſtened to nothing ſo willingly as to his own commendation. If others will not commend a man, he'll commend himſelf. Hoc ego primus vidi, ſaith Zabarell, I was the firſt that found out this truth. Patres ſic judicant, ego vero ſic, ſaith another Singularitan. This is the Fathers opinion of this point, but I am of another judgement. Laurentius Valla contemned and carped at Tully, Ariſtotle, Virgil, and moſt of the beſt Authours, except Quintilian only. And whereas he had found out ſome things in Logick, more then the maſters of thoſe times, he ſaid openly, Nullam eſſe logicam praeter Laurentinam, That his was the only Logick. Yea he doubted not to affirm, That he found ſome flaws in the fundamentall points of our faith. It will eaſily be judged, that this man wanted neighbours. And ſo, before him, did thoſe proud boaſters, Palaemon, who gave out,Sueton. That learning was born with him, and would die with him: Epicurus, who would needs ſeem firſt to have found out the truth: whereas in many points he was more blinde then a beetle, Aratus and Eudoxus the Aſtrologers,Aug de cl…. Dei, l. 16. who boaſt that they had deſcried and deſcribed the whole number of the ſtars: Archimedes the Mathematician, who bragged, that he could number the ſand in all the world, habitable and inhabitable: and that if he had but a place to ſtand in, off the earth, he could remove the whole body of the earth.Parei hiſt. eccleſ. pag. 344. foreign. Richardus de Sancto Victore (a Monke of Paris) prefer'd himſelf for skill in divinity, above the Prophets and Apoſtles. This he had learned of his lord Lucifer, who teacheth his ſchollars, that which they call depths in divinity, indeed depths of Satan, whereof to be ignorant is no ſmall commendation, Revel. 2.24. The Gnoſticks, great ſtudents in theſe depths of the devil, counted and called themſelves, The only knowing men. The Manich…s beſotted with an opinion of themſelves, derived their name of Manna; becauſe they held, That whatſover they tanght was to be received as food from heaven. Novatus called himſelf Moſes, and a brother that he had, Aaron. Montanus ſaid he was the Comforter, and his Pepuza and Tymium (two pelting Pariſhes in Phrygia) he called Jeruſalem, Euſeb l. 5 … 17. At ſi ex Salvatore eſſet Ortundas Bez.as if they had been the only Churches in the world. Elymas the ſorcerer had called himſelf Barieſus, as if he had been near of kin to Chriſt, Act. 13.6. And John O-Neal, Camd. Eliz.father to the Earl of Tyrone, inſcribed himſelf in all places, I great John O-Neal, Couſin to Chriſt, friend to the Queen of England, and foe to all the world. But though we had known Chriſt after the fleſh (ſaith Paul) yet hence forth know we him no more. 2 Cor. 5.16. Coloſſ 4.Yea, though we had touched him in bloud, and been fleſh of his fleſh, and bone of his bone, yet without faith, all that were nothing. It was an honour to Mark, that he was Barnabas his ſiſters ſon: But it is a blemiſh to Chriſts brethren, that neither did they believe in him,Joh. 5.40. Joh. 7.5. Indeed how could they, when they ſought their own praiſe only, according to that, How can ye believe in me, when ye receive honour one of another? Go up, ſay they to him, into Judea, that thy diſciples alſo may ſee thy works that thou doest. For there is no man, &c. Joh. 7 3 4. Thus they inſulted over him, or ſought at leaſt to get credit by him. But he would not gratifie them ſo far. For he might well have ſaid to them,1 Sam. 17.…8. as once Eliab did ill to his brother David, I know your pride, and the naughtineſſe of your hearts, but it ſhall not be ſo. As for the beſt of his kindred, He preferred Peter, that lively ſpark, and James and John, thoſe ſons of thunder, before his own brother James, and before Judas, Simon, and others of them that were his near kinſmen. For who is my mother? and who are my brethren, &c? Surely,Mark 3.33. he that doth the will of God, he is my brother and ſiſter and mother. Chriſt cals his Church his ſister, his ſpouſe, Cant. 5.2. The neareſt affinity is Spouſe, and the neareſt conſanguinity, Siſter. And no leſſe good tearms he gives her alſo after her fall, when once truly humbled, he caſs her his Love, his Dove, his undefiled one, Chap 5.9 For to him will I ſpeak (with ſpeciall intimations of my love) even to him that is poor in ſpirit, and contrite in heart, and trembleth at my word, Iſa. 66.2. Though the Lord be high, yet he reſpecteth the lowly: but the proud he knoweth afar off: their breath is offenſive to his ſharp ſent,Aug de temp. Humil…a de preximo resp… cit ut attollati; ſuperba de l…rge cognoſcit ut deprimat. Ibid. Humilis eſt janua Chriſtus Domin… Qui intrat per hanc januam humiliet ſe oportet, ut ſano capite intrare conti…gat. Aug in Iohan. they may not come near him. Whereupon excellently St Auſtin, Videt… magnum miraculum, ſaith he. See here a great wonder. God is on high: thou lifteſt up thy ſelf, and he fleeth from thee: thou humbleſt thy ſelf, and he deſcendeth to thee. Low things he looks cloſe upon, that he may exalt them: proud things he knows afar off, that he may depreſſe them. The proud Phariſee preſſed as near God as he could: the poor Publican, not daring to do ſo, ſtood aloof off. Yet was God far from the Phariſee, near to the Publican. Hugo de Sancto Victore, brings in God and the devil thus debating it. Juſſit Dominus funiculos afferri in partitionem, &c. God commanded the lines to be brought, and diviſion to be made. The fat and ſweet of the earth he found in the low valleys, theſe he bade be ſet on the one ſide. The deſerts and dry places he found upon ſteep rocks and high mountains, larger in compaſſe leſſe in worth. Theſe he made be ſet on the other ſide: and calling for the devil, bad him take his choice. The devil, who looks aloft, and cares not for low things, choſe the later, and brag'd he had got the better. But what ſaid God? Thou art beneath, and therefore lookeſt only after high things: I am above, and ſee from thence the ſweetnes of low things. The violet is the loweſt, but ſweeteſt of flowers, ſo is humility of graces. A broken heart that lies low, and hears all that God ſaith, Oh it is a ſacrifice that God is much delighted in! For it ſends for God (as Joab did for David) to take the glory of all its atchievements. It cries out,Act. 3.12, 16. Non nobis Domine. And, Not we, but his name, through faith in his name, hath made this man ſtrong, &c. why look ye ſo earneſtly upon us? It caſteth down its crown at Chriſts feet, as the 24 Elders, Revel. 4. and ſets the crown on Chriſts head, as Bathſheba did upon Solomons, Cant. 2. arrogance on the other ſide ſeeks, ſerves, and ſets up it ſelf only; ſhuts out God, and is therefore worthily abhorred by him. It is in the power of my hand to doe you hurt, ſaith proud Laban. Gen. 31.20. Ioh. 19.10. foreign Artianus. Herod, 12.Knoweſt thou not that I have power to crucifie thee, and power to looſe thee? ſaid Pilate. Cyrus cauſed this to be graven upon his ſepulchre, I could doe all things: not conſidering that it was God that held his right hand, to ſubdue Nations before him, and gave him the hidden riches of ſecret places, Iſa, 45.1, 2, 3. Apryes King of Aegypt (the ſame is that Pharaoh Hophrah that Ieremy prophecied againſt, chap. 47.) was ſo puft up with pride, that he perſwaded himſelf, and boaſted, That his Kingdome was more ſurely ſetled, then that it could be taken from him by any, foreign. Aelian, var. hiſt. l. 2.whether God or man. Not long after he was taken in battle by Amaſts one of his own ſubjects, and hanged up. Dionyſius tyrant of Sicily, thought and laid, That his Kingdome was bound to him with chains of Adamant. But time ſoon confuted him: for he was driven out, and forced to teach ſchool at Corinth for a poor living. Xerxes (the ſame is thought to be that Abaſhueroſh. Eſth. 1.) was ſo liſted up, that he was angry with the mountains, winds, rivers, elements, as if they had been men under his pay; and demanded of them reverence and obedience.Heyl. Geog. 421 at Helleſpont he cauſed to be waſted over two millions of men for the conqueſt of Greene: where when a ſudden tempeſt had ſhrewdly battered his bridge of boats, he cauſed the ſea to be beaten with 300 ſtripes, and caſt a pair of ſetters into it, to make it know to whom it was ſubject. Not long after he was forc'd to ſhe back in a poor fiſhers boat, which, being over burdened, had ſunk all, had not the Perſians by caſting away themſelves, ſaved the life of their King. And the like befell Sigiſmund the young King of Hungary, Turk hiſt. fol. 106.of whom it is ſtoried, that beholding the greatnes of his Army, in his great jollity, hearing of the coming of the Truks, he ſhould proudly ſay, What need we to fear the Truks, Who need not at all to fear the falling of the heavens? Which if they ſhould fall, yet were we able with our ſpears and balberts to hold them up for falling upon us. He, thortly after this, received a notable overthrow, many of his Army being ſlain, many taken, and himſelf had undoubtedly fallen into his enemies hands, had he not in a little boat got over Danubius. It is juſt with God, that proud enterpiſes ſeldome proſper: whereas thoſe things that are fearfully and modeſtly undertaken commonly ſucceed.D. … cont. Ahab was lewd, but Benhadad inſolent. If therefore Ahab ſhall be ſcourged with the rod of Benhadads fear, Benhadad ſhall be ſmitten with the ſword of Ahabs revenge. Of all things God will not endure a preſumptuous and ſelf-confident vaunter. The ſtones in the wall of Aphek ſhall ſooner turn executioners, then an arrogant Aramite ſhall ſcape unrevenged. How much leſſe then an Iſraelite? Who hath not read that proud ſpeech of Rehoboam? My little ſinger ſhall be thicker then my fathers loins. This,1 King. 14.27. how truly he ſpake, that one thing ſufficiently ſheweth, that Solomons ſhields of gold, were in Rehoboams daies turned to braſſe. Yea,D Halls cont. it is well obſerved, That God dealt more ſeverely with his ſervant David, for numbring the people, then for the matter of Ʋriah. He is more angry with a ſpiritual and immediate affront offered to his Majeſty, in our pride and ſelf-confidence in earthly things, then with a fleſhly crime, though hainouſly ſeconded. Yea St Auſtin doubts not to ſay, That the pride of Virginity is as hatefull a ſin as impurity. Every one that is proud in heart is abomination to the Lord, Prov. 1.5. Tamberlane told the Tamberlane told the Baſſa of Natolia, Turk, hiſt. 217.whom he had taken in his firſt encounter, That he was ſent from heaven to puniſh his maſter Bajazets raſhneſſe; and to teach him, that the proud are hated of God, whoſe promiſe is to pluck down the mighty, and to raiſe up the lowly. And when he had taken Bajazet in battle, after he had once ſpoken with him, and found him to be, amidſt all his miſery, intolerably proud, he carried him about in an iron Cage to be ſeen and derided of all. And, to his further diſgrace, upon feſtival daies, uſed him for a foot-ſtool, and at other times ſcornfully fed him like a dog with crums fallen from his table. All which Tamberlane did,Ibid. 120. not ſo much for hatred to the man, as to manifeſt the juſt judgement of God againſt the arrogant folly of the proud. It is reported that Tamberlane being requeſted by one of his Noble-men (that might be bold to ſpeak to him) to remit ſome part of his ſeverity againſt the perſon of ſo great a Prince, anſwered, That he did not uſe that rigour againſt him as a King, but rather did puniſh him as a proud ambitious tyrant. What woulst thou have done with me, ſaid Tamerlane to Bajazet, if it had been my fortune to have fallen into thine hands? I would, Ibidem.ſaid Bajazet, have encloſed thee in a cage of iron, and ſo in triumph have carried thee up and down my Kingdome. Even ſo ſaid Tamberlane, ſhalt thou be ſerved. He further asked him, Whether ever he had given God thanks for making him ſo great an Emperour? who confeſſed ingenuouſly, He never thought of it. To whom Tamberlane replied, That it was no wonder, ſo ungratefull a man ſhould be made a ſpectacle of miſery. For you, ſaith he, being blinde of one eye, Lunelavius in Annal. Turcar.and I lame of a leg, was there any worth in us, Why God ſhould ſet us over two great Empires of Turks and Tartars, to command many more worthy then our ſelves? It was therefore an excellent ſpeech of the laſt French King, When I was born, there were a thouſand other ſouls more born, What have I done to God more then they? In the hiſtory of his life and death p. 93. Antidotes againſt arrogancyIt is his meer grace and mercy, which doth often binde me more unto his juſtice: For the faults of great men are never ſmall.
Here then, for a counterpoiſon againſt pride and ſelf-conceitedneſſe, firſt, Dwell a while, and take ſome time to demur upon that piercing paſſage of the Apoſtle, Who (in Gods name) made thee to differ? 1 Cor. 4.7.or, What haſt thou man, that thou haſt not received? If then thou haſt received it, why doſt thou glory, as if thou hadſt not received it? If thou excell others in any giſt or good part, thou muſt needly ſay of it, as once the poor Prophet did of his hatchet, Alas master, it is but borrowed. To be proud of it therefore is as great a folly,2 King 6 5. as for a vain Stage-plaier to be proud of his borrowed robes: or a ſilly groom of his Maſters horſe: it is as if the mudwall ſhould be proud of the Sun-ſhine. That face is hatcht with impudency, that dare arrogate any good thing to it ſelf, that ſacrificeth to his own net,Deut. 8.17. that ſaith but in his heart, My power and the might of mine hand hath gotten me this wealth. This is to pay the rent to a wrong landlord, and ſo to forfeit all, as they did, Hoſ. 2.9. And as that proud King of Aegypt did, Ezek. 29 3 9. Iſa. 19.5, 6. Becauſe Pharaoh ſaith, The river (Nilus) is mine own, therefore ſaith God, I will dry up the river, and ſo, ſtarve Aegypt.
Secondly, Get thine heart well ſeaſoned with the fear of God. For the fear of the Lord is to hate evil, as pride, arrogancy, &c. Prov. 8.13. Joſeph truly feared God, and therefore hated not only groſſe evils (as that of adultery) but cloſe evils, as this of arrogancy. It is not in me: God ſhall give Pharaoh an anſwer, Gen 41.16. As he inſinuates himſelf by this dutifull comprecation, ſo he extenuates his gifts, that he may give the glory to God, And he loſt nothing by it. For he that ſaid, Without me God ſhall anſwer Pharaoh, heard from Pharaoh, without thee ſhall no man lift up his hand in the land of Aegypt, ver. 44. So Iohn Baptiſt was full of the ſear of God, and thereby of humility: for theſe two go coupled, Prov. 22.4. and ſo cloſe, that there is no copulative in the original: thus it runs, By humility the fear of the Lord (the one is as it were predicated of the other) are riches, and honour, and life. What riches Iohn Baptiſt had, I know not: but for honour, that hand of his that he thought not worthy to unlooſe Chriſts latchet of his ſhoe, Chriſt thought worthy to be laid upon his head in baptiſme. Iohn modeſtly withſtood the motion at firſt: be forbad him, yea he earneſtly forbad him, as the Greek word ſignifies:foreign obnixe prob…buit. foreign in compoſ. intendit ſignification…as. for I have need, ſaith he, to be baptized of thee, and comeſt thou to me? But when he heard better reaſon, he ſoon ſubmitted (an humble man will never be an heretike, never be opinionate, at leaſt obſtinate.) Then be ſuffered him, Mat. 3.14, 15. There are that ſay, That for his humility here on earth, he is dignified with that place in heaven, from which Lucifer fell. Who told them that, I know not: but this I know, that he that humbleth himſelf ſhall be exalted.
Thirdly, Learn and labour to know more of God and his will, of thy ſelf, and thy duty. The more any one ſeeth of God, the leſſe he ſeeth by himſelf. As he that hath looked a while upon the body of the Sun, when he looks down again ſeeth nothing,Gen 18.27. Ephar vegnaphar foreign Ioh foreign Diſce hominis foreign, & at … diſam, … Rol. in …um. All nations are but as a drop of a bu…. … before God. Quantil…igitur es tu … particula? Ʋnde ſuperbit home … conceptio culpa, naſci poera, labor vita, neceſſe mort? Revel. 3.17. Phariſaeus non vuln…ra, ſed munera oſ…e… tat but is dazelled. Abraham when he ſtood before God, and conſidered the infinite diſtance and diſproportion, confeſſeth himſelf to be duſt and aſhes. Iob abborres himſelf in duſt and aſhes, who till then thought himſelf ſome-body: Iſaiah cries out, W…e is me, for I am undone, Iſa. 6.5. Yea that proud Nebuchadnezzar (when once tamed and taken down, and had ſeen but ſome ſmall portion of Gods might and majeſty) acknowledgeth, That all the inhabitants of the earth are nothing, &c. Dan. 4 35. See thy ſelf next, what thou art by nature, what by practice: See this in the clear cryſtall of Gods pure law, that perfect law of liberty, as St Iames cals it; becauſe it freely and fully ſhews a man the blemiſhes of his ſoul, the errours of his life. The ſight whereof (if any thing) will ſay a man low in his own eyes, and make him as much abaſed and abaſhed before God, as Mephiboſheth would have been before David, if he had been as fully guilty of treaſon, as Ziba falſly accuſed him. But therefore did Laodicea ſo admire her ſelf, becauſe ſhe knew not that ſhe was wretched and miſerable, &c. This if ſhe had ſeen, ſhe would ſoon have laid down her plumes. And ſo would that blinde Phariſee that bragg'd as faſt of his righteouſneſſe, as once Zenxis the Painter did of Atalanta's picture; which when he had finiſhed, he wrote under it,foreign Sooner may painters envy, then imitate this work: yea he ſo pleaſed himſelf with the conceit of what he had done, that he died with laughing at it.
Fourthly, Conſider ſeriouſly the many woes God hath denounced againſt proud perſons, all which will be as ſurely executed upon thee (if thou repent not) as the coat is on thy back, or the heart in thy body. Nebuchadnezzar for inſtance; and, after him, Belſhazzar; Dan 5.22. foreign Herod Diſette juſtitiam moniti, &c. …irg.becauſe he would not to be warned: as before him Senacherib, whoſe ſtatue is yet to be ſeen (ſaith Herodotus) in Vulcans Temple, with this inſcription, Look upon me, and learn to fear God. No ſin ſo directly offends God as pride, and his judgements are moſt direct againſt it above all ſins. When a wall ſwels, it is nearer breaking: when the heart is puft up, it is nearer deſtruction.
Fifthly, Look upon the beſt that ever breathed, and you ſhall finde them moſt modeſtly conceited of themſelves. Iacob is leſſe then the leaſt of Gods loving kindeneſſes: David a worme and no man:foreign Luk. 5.8. Agur more brutiſh then any man: Great Paul the leaſt of Saints, the greateſt of ſinners: Peter, a man a ſinner, a very mixture of dirt and ſinne. Bradford in his own judgement, A very painted hypocrite. Mr Bartlet Green Martyr, was of ſuch a modeſt nature, ſo humbly thinking of himſelf, as in ſew is to be found (ſaith Mr Fox) ever dejecting himſelf under that was in him, and ever ſeeming to be leſſe then he was; as well declareth not only his letter to Mr Philpot, wherein he doth earneſtly expoſtulate with him, for ſlandering him with praiſe of his wit and learning, and other excellent vertues: but alſo by his own ſpeech and anſwers in his examination, &c. When he was beaten and ſcourged with rods by Bonner (which ſcarce any man would believe, nor I neither, ſaith the ſame Mr Fox, but that I heard it of him) and he greatly rejoyced in the ſame, yet his ſhame-fac'd modeſty was ſuch, that neither he would expreſſe any mention thereof, leſt he ſhould ſeem to glory too much in himſelf, ſave that only he opened the ſame to one Mr Cotton of the Temple, a friend of his,Act and Mon. fol. 1684. a little before his death. A gracious heart is not a blab of his tongue, but reſts and rejoyceth ſilently in the conſcience of a ſecret goodneſſe. Chriſtian modeſty teacheth a wiſe man not to expoſe himſelf to the faireſt ſhew, and to live at the utmoſt pitch of his ſtrength. Chriſt (beſide the vail of his humanity) ſates, See you tell no man: hid himſelf that they might not make him a King, rode upon an Aſſe-colt, waſht his Diſciples feet, ſought not his own, but his Fathers glory, humbled himſelf to the death of the croſſe, emptied himſelf of all his excellencies,foreign. Phil. 2.7. ſuffered the contradiction of ſinners, who took him for a demoniack and a mad man: whereas in him were hid all the treaſures of wiſdome. In him they were, but hid they were: ſhall we fret when we are obſcured? Is it not enough that we ſhall one day appear with him in glory? Moſes hides his glorified face, and ſaith, Who am I? when God was ſending him to Pharaoh. Many a man ſaies, Who am I not? and rather ſeems to be good, then ſeeks to be ſo. All his care is to be ſeen with Ichu, and to dazle mens eyes with admiration,Tantùm … vanam ſama… caplet. Mercer. not caring for unknown riches. A fool both no delight in underanding but only for this, that his heart may diſcover it ſelf, Prov. 18.2. that he may have the name and the note of a wiſe man. But ſuch an one paſſeth commonly for a proud fool. For, When pride cometh, then cometh ſhame: Occulti modeſti, ſumuniſſi, qui pre vericund…a ſeſe abdunt, quos pude… quicquam perarrogamer facere. Abon E…a. luò qui vet in pub i…o appar…re verecundan. ur. Mercer.but with the ſhame fac'd is wiſdome, Prov. 11.2. The originall word there ſignifies ſuch as hide themſelves through modeſty, who bluſh at mens praiſes (ſaith Aben Ezra) and are aſhamed to arrogate or own any commendation, though never ſo well deſerved. When Charls the fift was royally entertained by the French King at Paris, one of the Councellours made an elegant ſpeech to him, rehearſing all his brave acts, he bri…ſly and modeſtly replied,ldcò ſibi gratum effe' orationem, quodeum …, quod talis eſſe deberet. Ioh, Maul. loc. com. 595. Ibid. p. 175. Our King Henry the fifth after his victory at Agincourt, gave ſtraight order, that no balled or ſong ſhould be made or ſung more then of thankſgiving to the Lord, &c. Truſſels continuation. of …antels hiſtory of: England fol. 101. That be accepted of the ration, becauſe it admoniſhed him, not ſo much what be had been, as what be ought to be. And when to Citizens of Antwerp preſented him with a rich Arras, wherein was curiouſly ſet forth his victory over the King of France, together with the names of that King, and the other Princes that were overthrown by him in the bat…e, he refuſed to receive it. But when they that preſented it, had taken out thoſe names, he received it, and took great content in it. The ſtars are not ſeen by day: the Sun it ſelf is not ſeen by night. As it is no ſmall art to hide art, ſo no ſmall glory to conceal glory. Not I but the grace of God that is in me, ſaith Paul. Not I, but thy talent hath gained other talents, ſaith the good ſervant. The more direct the Sun is over us, and in us, the leſſe is our ſhadow of pride and ſelf-love. Boughes, the more laden with fruit, the more lowly: but in a fan, the chaffe is above the corn: not becauſe it is better, but becauſe it is lighter.Hebreo…um provethium eſt, Stater in lagena ſonitum ſonitum edet K…m… & R. Salomon. Prov 14.33. Holo…antes di…itur qui omn…ao, lendat. Corn. Nepos. Act. and Mon. fol. 1620. Empty casks ſound loudeſt, ſay we: Empty purſes gingle moſt, ſay the Hebrews, That which is in the midst of fools is ſoon made known, ſaith Solomon: they are laviſh of that little wiſdome they have, and will laugh on purpoſe (with Egnatius) to ſhew their white teeth. They ſet the beſt ſide …utward with Alcibiades, and have a trick, as Stephen Gardner had, with boldneſſe and ſtoutneſſe to make their gifts to appear much greater; as butchers uſe to blow up their fleſh, to make it better liked of. But what ſaith our Saviour, Let your light ſhine, not your lightneſſe: and let your end be that the light may be ſeen, not that your ſelves may be ſeen.Eò praeſulgebant quod non viſchan…ur …, Ham. it us ſtu…niae. Sotades, The wiſe Hiſtorian obſerved, that the ſtatues of Brutus and Caſſius did therefore ſhine, becauſe they were not ſeen, and were the more glorious and illuſtrious, becauſe they were not brought forth with other images, in a ſolemn proceſſion at the funerall of Germanicus. The engine that doth all in great works, is oft inward, hidden, not taken notice of: ſo they that beſt deſerve, do leaſt deſire to be noticed or applauded. They have low conceits of themſelves, and love not the loud praiſes of others. Moſes ſhone and knew not of it. David flies from honour, and it follows him: Saul follows it, and it flies from him. Thinke of this, and it will prick the bladder of pride: make it fall ſlat, and ſhrivell to nothing, it will cure us of arrogancy, which is nothing elſe, ſaith one, but the neighing of folly.
Laſtly, Pray to God to pull down thine heart, as he did Nebuchadnezzars, but eſpecially Pauls, & to hide pride from thee. The key of mans heart he keeps under his own girdle, and orders it at his pleaſure. Ply the throne of grace therefore with unceſſant ſuites, to ſubdue thy ſtout heart, to cripple thine it on ſinews, to make and keep thee ſupple and ſoluble, tender and tractable, pliant and obedient; that ſo the Nilus of his grace may overflow the low valley of thy minde, and fill thee with all orient and fragrant flowers of knowledge and vertue. This was the courſe S. Paul took when the devil (that King of all the children of pride. as Leviathan is called, Job 41.34) ſought to puff him up with the abundance of his revelations. In danger he was to have been carried higher in conceitedneſſe, then he was before in his extaſie. But he complained betimes, as ſoon as ever the devil aſſaied to blow up ſuch a blab in his ſoul, he ran to God,2 Cor. 12. and praid thrice, and prevaild that Gods grace was ſufficient for him. How eaſie is it for the beſt man to dote upon himſelf, and to be lifted up ſo high, as to loſe the ſight both of the ground whence he riſes, and of the hand that advanced him? How hard was it for Ʋzziah, that had invented ſtrange engines for the battering of his enemies, to finde out any means to beat down his own proud thoughts I Praier would have done it. Pray therefore, and God ſhall humble thy heart, pray, I ſay, to the Lord. He hath promiſed a heart of fleſh: and to pray, is to put in ſuit the promiſes, &c.