The Arraignment of Pride, Chapter 15
CHAP. 15. Of Pride in the Will.
VVIll-Pride is demonſtrated two waies.
1. When mans Will is ſet up againſt Gods Will. It is Gods prerogative Royal, that his Will is a Law to himſelf, and to all Creatures; it is his prerogative to do what ſeemeth good in his own eyes: I ſay unto you, ſaith Bernard, that every proud man exalts himſelf above God; for God will have his Will to be done, and the proud man will have his own Will to be done. Now God approveth things that are reaſonable; but the proud man goes without reaſon, and againſt reaſon. Bern. flor. cap. 1.now here is the pride of man, that he ſetteth up his own Will to himſelf as his Law, and that he careth not to be guided and ruled by the Will and commands of God: every proud perſon ſeeks to do what ſeemeth good in his own eyes. God commanded the Jews, ſaying, obey my voice, and I will be your God, and you ſhall be my people, and walk in all the waies that I have commanded you, that it may be well unto you; but they hearkned not, nor enclined their ear, but walked in the counſels and imaginations of their evil heart, and went backward, and not forward, Jer. 7.23, 24. and ver. 27. Therefore thou ſhalt ſpeak all theſe words unto them, but they will not hearken to thee, thou ſhalt alſo call unto them, but they will not anſwer thee. Auſtin, when he confeſſeth that ſin of his in his youth, robbing his neighbours Ort-yards, he aggravateth that ſin by many circumſtances, and among others, becauſe he would ſatisfie himſelf; and therefore ſaith, that all ſinners do what is good in their own eyes, not what God would have them.
The Will of God revealed may be divided into two branches.
1. Obedientia niſi humilium eſſe non poteſt. Auguſt.The particular Will of God revealed to ſome particular perſons, upon particular occaſions, to the performance of ſome particular duties; and this many times diſpenceth with a general precept: as we may ſee, Gen. 22. when Abraham is commanded to go to mount Moriah, and there offer up his own ſon in ſacrifice to the Lord, contrary to the ſixth commandment, that ſaith, Exod. 20.13. Non occides, thou ſhalt not kill. Item, Exod. 11.2. Exod. 3.22. where the Iſraelites are commanded to rob and ſpoil the Egyptians, of jewels of ſilver, and jewels of gold, and raiment, contrary to the eighth commandment, which ſaith, non furaberis, thou ſhalt not ſteal. So where Saul is commanded to ſlay the Amalekites, with all that appertained to them, 1 Sam. 15.3.and ſpare nothing. Now herein appeared Abrahams and the Iſraelites humility in ſetting about what God commanded, and Sauls pride, Proud men wiſh in their hearts, though they dare not ſpeak it with their tongues, for fiat voluntas tua, fiat voluntas mea; the wicked through the pride of his countenance will not ſeek after God, Pſal. 10.4.in doing no more of Gods command then what ſeemed good to him; therefore he is reproved by Samuel, and rejected, by the Lord, 1 Sam. 19.28. But theſe inſtances are no precedents to us, unleſs we have the like charge that they had, and then we muſt yeild abſolute and ſimple obedience, without reaſoning or diſputing the caſe: For however Gods Will be ſometimes occulta, yet it is never injuſta, ſaith Auſtin: he doth not as men ſhould do, viz. bid things becauſe they be lawful, and forbid them becauſe unlawful; but whatſoever they were before, his Will alters the nature of them; for whatſoever he biddeth is lawful; Ipſo facto, virtute mandati aut intera dicti.and whatſoever he forbiddeth is unlawful, ipſo facto, by vertue of the command or interdiction; of this we have ſeldom any examples nowadaies.
2. The other branch of his revealed Will which is more ordinary, is his general Will concerning all eſtates and conditions of people, contained in his general precepts: and this hath divers branches.
1. The firſt whereof is the converſion of a ſinner. As I live ſaith the Lord, I have no pleaſure in the death of the wicked, but that the wicked turn from his way and live. And Chriſt ſaith, This is the Will of him that ſent me, John 6.40.that every one that ſeeth the Son and believeth in him, ſhould have everlaſting life. And Paul ſaith, that it is the Will of God, that ſome of all ſorts of people ſhould be ſaved, 1 Tim. 2.4.and come to the knowledge of the truth.
2. A ſecond branch of Gods revealed Will to us, is our Sanctification, 1 Theſ. 4.3. and Peter tells us, that it is the Will of God, that by well-doing we put to ſilence the ignorance of fooliſh men.1 Pet. 2.15
Now when men do not endeavour to effect their own converſion, when they will not come to Chriſt, Joh. 5.40.that they may have life, nor labour after ſanctification, they ſet their wills againſt the Will of God.
2. The ſecond note of Will-pride is impatience.
1. When men are impatient of reproof: better is the patient in ſpirit than the proud in ſpirit, ſaith Solomon. Eccleſ. 7.8. Superbi amant veritatem lucentem, oderunt redarguentem. Aug. confeſ. lib. 10. cap 23.Reverend Muſculus found this ſpirit in the Anabaptiſts in his time; when he had deſerted the Romiſh Church, he was compelled through poverty, to hire himſelf with a Taylor, and to work with him at his trade; this man he found to be an Anabaptiſt, one that pretended to much holineſs, but was nothing ſo, though a great talker. Muſculus therefore reproveth him; and among other things finding that he was idle, and neglected his calling, urged him, with that of the Apoſtle, He that will not work, let him not eat. Melch. Adam. in vit. Muſcult. p. 735.But the Anabaptiſt was too proud to receive a reproof, and poor Muſculus was preſently thruſt out of his doors. Pride ſtops the ear againſt reproof. Reprove a ſcorner, ſaith Solomon, and he will hate thee: this ſhews ſuch men to have Atheiſtical hearts; did they believe holy reproofs and threatnings taken out of the Word of God, they would not ſcorn them, but tremble at them: when the Word of God cometh ſo cloſe, that it toucheth mens boſome ſins, and croſſeth them in their evil ways, but they will not hearken, but find out ſhifts to evade the force of the Word, this cometh from Pride in the Wills of men. When Jeremiah had made an end of ſpeaking to all the people all the Words of the Lord, for which the Lord their God had ſent him to them: Jerem. 43.1, 2.Then ſpake Azariah the ſon of Hoſhajah, and Johanan the ſon of Kareah, and all the proud men, ſaying to Jeremiah, Thou ſpeakeſt falſly; The Lord God hath not ſent thee to ſay, Go not into Egypt to ſojourn there; but Baruch the ſon of Neriah, ſetteth thee on againſt us. Now as a proud man hateth a juſt reproof, ſo being guilty, he eaſily applyeth to himſelf any thing that he heareth, though not ſpoken to him, Sueton. in vit. Tiber. Neron.as Suetonius recordeth of Tiberius Nero, that hearing Zeno the Philoſopher diſputing, and not underſtanding ſome harſh ſentences he uſed, he asked in what Dialect he ſpake? who anſwering truly, in the Dorick, it was taken ſo ill, as the poor man was condemned to perpetual baniſhment for it, as if he had cloſly taxed Tiberius his looſe and laſcivious life he led among the Rhodians who ſpake that Dialect. They who have high thoughts of themſelves, think meanly of what others ſay to them: were men poor in ſpirit, they would embrace every advice that hath truth and holineſs in it. Therefore when the Prophet would faſten a reproof on the Jews, Jerem. 13.15.he ſaith to them, Hear, and give ear, and be not proud. As in the matter of private reproofs, ſo, the proud man cannot endure Church cenſures. Hiſt. Magdeb. Centur. 2.Aquila the antient Greek tranſlator of the Bible, left Chriſtianity, and turned to Judaiſm, being angry at a ſentence of excommunication againſt him: ſo Santangelus the great Lawyer of Burdeaux was much enraged againſt the famous Camero, Cameron. Stellit. in Epiſt.and other Miniſters of the Proteſtant Church, becauſe he was convented before their Synod for ſome delinquency.
2. When men are impatient under afflictions: A proud man cannot endure to be croſt in any thing, nor bear the leaſt affront: ſuch men are like the Devil, who is the proudeſt and the moſt diſcontented creature of all other: Pride fils men with murmuring & diſcontentedneſs againſt Gods Providences; if things go not according to a proud mans will, then he fumeth and is impatient. Thus it was with the Iſraelites; God had brought them out of Egypt, brought them through the wilderneſs, and to the border of the land of Canaan; but when they hear there are Giants, and fenced Cities, Num. 14.2, 3, 4.then they fall a murmuring againſt Moſes and Aaron, and ſaid unto them: would God that we had dyed in the land of Egypt, or in this wilderneſs: and in their mad mood, they ſay one to another, Let us make a Captain, and let us return into Egypt. So in like manner thoſe diſcontented rebels, Numb. 16. call Egypt a land flowing with milk and hony, ver. 13. whereas it was a land where their infants were murdered, and themſelves cruelly enſlaved; they had forgotten thoſe evils and miſeries out of which God had delivered them, but now they talk as if God and Moſes had done nothing for them, but deprived them of many comforts which there they poſſeſſed. He that ruleth over his own ſpirit, ſaith the wiſe man, Latius regnes domando ſpiritum, quam ſi Lybiam remotis Gadibus jungas. Horat. lib. 2. od. 2. ad Saluſt.is greater than he that overcometh Cities, Prov. 16.32. Therefore ſelf-denyal is a Grace enjoyned by our Saviour to accompany the bearing of the Croſs, Luk: 9.23. A man muſt not only abnegare ſua, deny and forſake his goods and lands for Chriſts ſake, if neceſſity require; nor alſo abnegare ſuos, forſake his friends if they labour to withdraw him from his beſt friend; Amandus eſt genitor, ſed praepoamdus eſt Creator. Arabr.but alſo abnegareſe, he muſt deny himſelf, yea to hold himſelf as it were an excommunicate perſon (as one ſaith in another caſe) if he will bring his will to ſubmit to Gods Will, and quietly bear the yoke of Chriſt. How patiently doth our Saviour carry himſelf in this reſpect; when a bitter cup was put into his hand to drink. Thus he praies to his Father: Father, if thou be willing, Luk. 22.42 Matth. 26.39.remove this cup from me, as Luke hath it: Father, if it be poſſible, let this cup paſs from me, as Matthew hath it: nevertheleſs, not my will, but thine be done. Calvin ſaith, theſe latter words be a correction of his former petition, Videmus ut pia ſint vota, quae in ſpeciem à dei voluntate diſcrepant: quia non exactè ſemper, vel ſcrupuloſe à nobis inquiri vult deus, quid ſtatuerit ipſe, ſed quod pro ſenſus noſtri captu optabile eſt, flagitari à ſe permittit. Calv. in Harm. Evang.which he ſaith, he let fall on the ſuddain, by reaſon of the greatneſs of his grief, without conſidering what his Father had decreed: he was ſo earneſtly bent on what he naturally deſired, without recalling himſelf: yet he freeth him from fault, though he asked what was not agreeable to his Fathers will. Its lawful ſaith he, to pray for the peaceable and flouriſhing eſtate of the Church, the ſuppreſſing of ſuperſtition, and the repreſſing of the enemies of Gods truth, though perhaps he purpoſe not to grant theſe things, but will have his Son reign in the midſt of his enemies, and his Church as the Lilly among thorns, and the wicked to remain, to exerciſe the faith and patience of his Saints.
But in my conceit Beza ſaith better on Mat. Quod additur, non ſignificat repugnantiam voluntatum quae peccato non caruiſſet, ſed diverſitatem, quae per ſe vitioſa non eſt, ne in hominibus quidem, ſi modo hominis voluntas cognitae dei voluntati libens acquieſcat. Beza in Matthew 26.26.39. that it was not a correction, but an explication of his former Petition, and a Declaration with what condition he ſhould ask it: nor doth it ſignifie a repugnancy of wills, which could not have wanted ſin, but a diverſity, which per ſe is not vitious, no not in men, if ſo be the will of man doth willingly aſſent to, and reſt in the known Will of God.
The meaning then briefly, may be this: Father, if it may ſtand with thy good pleaſure, Chriſt was willing to die, voluntate rationali, though not naturali, for our redemption, to be obedient to his Father. Lumb. ſent. lib. 3. diſtin. 17.and mans redemption may otherwiſe be wrought, let this bitter potion of my paſſion paſs by me; but rather then diſobey thy decree, and not do what I came for, I yeeld to any thing, ſubmitting my ſelf to thee, and my will to thine.
This confutes the Monothelites, a Sect of Hereticks of old, that thought and taught Chriſt to have but one pure Will, as Calvin noteth: but properly it condemneth ſuch as deſire the fulfilling of their own perverſe, crooked and corrupt wills, whatſoever became of the Will of God: but if Chriſt in whom reaſon never loſt his regiment, Perdidit vitam, ne perderet obedientiam. Bern.nor was ever either non reſident or non regent, yet ſubmitted himſelf and his Will to his Fathers Will, what ever it coſt him (for as Bernard ſaith, he loſt his life, that he might not loſe his obedience) then what arrogancy and Pride were it in us, to deſire our wills ſimply to be done? no, all our prayers, petitions, deprecations, and ſupplications, muſt be with condition and ſubmiſſion to the Will of God; Oramus, non ut deus quod vult faciat, ſed ut nos quod vult faciamus. Cyprian.when we pray that petition, Thy Will be done, we pray not that God may do what he Will, but that we may do what he willeth, ſaith Cyprian.