The Arraignment of Pride, Chapter 16
CHAP. 16. Of Pride in the affections.
PRide in the affections is diſcovered by a kind of a ſinful and fantaſtical affectation to be like unto God: there is a likeneſs to God in holineſs, in grace, in humility, this is commendable; and this is the Image of God wherein man was created; but Pride is a ſinful affecting to be like unto God. There are two things wherein a proud perſon doth affect to be like unto God.
1. It is Gods prerogative royal, that whatever excellency he hath, he hath them in and of himſelf; he is not beholden to any creature, It is written of one Timotheus an Athenian, that after he had proudly ſaid in a great aſſembly, Haec ego feci, non fortuna, he never after proſpered in any thing. Deut. 8.14, 15, 16, 17, 18.and the whole glory of all that he hath belongeth to him: Now a proud man doth aſſume to himſelf the glory of all the excellency that he hath. Therefore God gives a caveat to his people, Beware when thy herds and flocks multiply, and thy ſilver and thy gold is multiplied, &c. that then thy heart be not lifted up, and thou forget the Lord thy God which brought thee forth out of the land of Egypt, from the houſe of bondage, &c. Beware leſt thou ſay in thy heart, My power, and the might of my hand hath gotten me all this wealth: But thou ſhalt remember the Lord thy God, for it is he that giveth thee power to get wealth, &c. and Deut. 9. ſaith he, when thou ſhalt paſs over Jordan, and poſſeſs Nations greater and mightier than thy ſelf, Cities great and fenced up to heaven, ver. 4. speak not thou in thine heart, after that the Lord thy God hath caſt them out from before thee, ſaying, Deut. 9.1, 4.For my righteouſneſs the Lord hath brought me in to poſſeſs this land; but for the wickedneſs of theſe Nations the Lord doth drive them out before thee: Perhaps in word, the proud man may make ſome kind of acknowledgement of God, as the proud Phariſee; Lord, I thank thee, I am not as other men are, nor even as this Publican: yet he aſſumeth all the glory to himſelf, though in word he ſeem to honour God. PariſienſisPariſienſis ſaith, that a proud man is both an idolater, and ſets up himſelf as his own idol, and ſo robs God of his glory. The proud man makes himſelf his own Alpha, thanks himſelf for all; makes himſelf his own Omega, ſeeks himſelf in all, begins, and ends at himſelf. Humble Paul cries out, In me, that is, Rom. 7.in my fleſh, there dwells no good thing, and when he ſpeaks of his own labours, he ſaith, 1 Cor. 15.10. Rhem. annot. in Heb. 5.by the Grace of God I am that I am. The Papiſts here are to be taxed, who (as the Rhemiſts do confeſs) affirm Gods election to be becauſe of faith or good works foreſeen in us. But this is contrary to Scripture and reaſon: for that which is the effect, cannot be the cauſe; but good works and faith be the fruits of election; as Auſtin ſpeaks thus on Eph. 1.4. He choſe us not becauſe we were holy, but that we might be holy; he choſe none being worthy, Elegit nos non quia ſancti eramus, ſed ut ſancti eſſemus. Neminem elegit dignum, ſed eligendo effecit dignum. Aug. cont. Julian. Pelag. lib. 5. cap. 3.but by chuſing made him worthy; you have not choſen me, but I have choſen you, ſaith Chriſt to his Diſciples: whereas if God ſhould elect for faith and good works foreſeen, men ſhould firſt chuſe God, by believing in him, and doing ſuch good works as were acceptable to him. It was the errour of the Elders of the Jews, when they came to Chriſt in the behalf of the Centurion, to plead his worthineſs to him, why he ſhould heal his ſervant. Here was their Pride to think, that by outward ſervice of God men might merit his favour: He loveth our Nation (ſay they) and hath built us a Synagogue: Luk. 7.2, 3, 4.wherein they reſemble our Papiſts and divers orders of Monks and Friars, who will not ſtick to promiſe men heaven, if they will be but bountiful Benefactors to their Fraternities, and Monaſteries, Cells and Cloyſters: But however he could challenge nothing for himſelf, Omnes peregrini ritus, & externae religiones, Senatus conſulto damnatae erant. Tertul. in apologet. cont. gentes.nor they for him at Gods hand, for theſe his good deeds; yet he was a worthy man, and a good Chriſtian, as appeareth by his love to Religion, and care to build a place for the people to aſſemble themſelves to Gods worſhip. No difficulty detaineth him from doing his duty: Its like enough that this fact being complained of, might procure him Tiberius the Emperours diſpleaſure, and coſt him the loſs of his office; for all forreign and ſtrange Religions were hated, and might not be admitted by the Romans, as Tertullian tells us.
2. It is Gods prerogative royal to act all for himſelf, he hath no higher end than his own honour and glory. The Lord made all things for himſelf, for his own glory, Dionyſius junior alebat Sophiſtas, non quod magni faceret, ſed ut propter eosin admirationem eſſet. Plut. mor. 11 p. 400.Prov. 16.4. Now a proud man doth not mind the glory of God in his own thoughts, but his own glory, his own praiſe, credit and eſteem. The Phariſees when they gave alms, blew a trumper, that people might take notice what merciful men they were, that they might have the glory of men; and when they prayed, they often did it in the corners of the ſtreets, that they might be ſeen of men. Humane applauſe was all they ſought for; approbation from God and acceptance with him they look not after, and this they have as their reward. Therefore ſaith Chriſt to his hearers, Mat. 6.1, 2, 4, 5, 6.Take heed that you do not your alms before men to be ſeen of them, &c. Mat. 6.1.
Object. But it may be ſaid that our Saviour, Mat. 5.16. commends and commands, what he forbids and condemneth here; for there he ſaith, Let your light ſo ſhine before men, that they may ſee your good works: and here, See that you do them not before men to be ſeen of them.
Anſw. If we compare the places, we ſhall ſee its no ſuch matter; for in the former place we are bidden to do good works before men, that they may ſee them, and glorifie God for them, and be occaſioned to imitate and follow them, as 1 Pet. 2.12. And here we are forbidden to do them before men: About one hundred and odd years agone; ſome of the Princes, Noble-men, and Gentlemen of Germvny in a vain glorious way, cauſed theſe five letters V.D.M.I.Ae. the firſt letters of verbum dei manet in aeternum, to be wrought or embroydered, or ſet in plate upon their cloaks, or ſleeves of their garments, to declare to the world, that forſaking Popiſh traditions, they were profeſſors of the pure Word of God: but many of theſe men had not the Word written upon their hearts. Joh. Wolf. lect. membr. Tom. 2. ad ann. 1549.not ſimply, but eo animo, to be extolled, praiſed and magnified for doing of them: we may bona opera oſtendere, ſhew our good works; but not oſtentare, not make an oſtentation of them; we muſt aym at Gods glory, not our own: if it follow, it muſt be upon the by, and more then we expect or reſpect in doing our duties. It muſt, as one ſaith, be but a conſequent, no cauſe moving us. But praiſe will follow vertuous and pious actions, as the ſhadow the body. The Romans made the image of vain glory in the form of a vagrant woman, writing over her head, This is the Image of vain-glory: This Image had a Crown on her head, a Scepter in her left hand, a Peacock in the other, her eyes vailed and blinded, ſitting on a Chariot drawn by four Lions; the reaſon of all this was, becauſe the lovers of vain honour and glory, are as inconſtant as a vagrant woman; the Crown on her head ſhewing, that they ever deſire to be honoured and admired in this world like Kings; the Scepter betokening thier deſire to rule; the Peacock ſhewing, that as the Peacock decks his former part with his tail, and ſo leaves his hinder parts naked, ſo vainglorious men deck themſelves in the eye of this world, and deprive themſelves of eternal glory; the vail that is before her, denoteth how blind the vain-glorious man is, that he cannot ſee his own folly and arrogancy; the four Lions intimate, that the vain honour of this world is ever drawn with four cruel ſins, as fierce as Lions, Pride, Avarice, Luxury, and Envy: A proud man can bear reproach of none, and ſeeks to be adored and praiſed by all. Calviſius Sabinus got ſervants skilled in all arts, and ſpeaking all languages, arrogating all that they knew to himſelf. Seneca ad Lucil. Epiſt. 27.