The Arraignment of Pride, Chapter 22 – Chapter 23
CHAP. 22. Of Pride of inward ſtrength.
WHen Chriſt tells Peter, that all of them ſhould be offended becauſe of him, Matth. 26.31. Peter being over-confident of his own ſtrength, anſwered him, Luk. 22.33though all men ſhall be offended becauſe of thee, yet will I never be offended, ver. 33. and Luke tells us, that he ſaid, Lord, I am ready to go with thee, both into priſon, and to death. Chriſt had not only ſaid, that All that very night ſhould be offended becauſe of him, but he produceth a Text out of the Old Teſtament for proof of it, ſaying, for it is written, I will ſmite the ſhepheard, and the ſheep of the flock ſhall be ſcattered abroad, Zech. 13.7. Here was a plain prediction out of a Prophet expounded by the Lord of the Prophets; yet Peter one of the great Prophets children and ſcholars will not admit it, but oppoſeth it, and not once nor coldly, faintly, and fearfully, but twice, and that boldly and confidently, yea impudently, …Mark. 14.29, 31. Now that this was a great fault in Petr, Chryſoſtome aſſureth us, ſaying, that it was a note of great pride to gainsay ſuch a Maſter; and our ſelves cannot but confeſs as much: Tully tells us, that Pythagoras his ſcholars would jurare in verba Magi…, ſwear whaſoever their Maſter had ſaid, for foreign went far with them, Cicero. lib. 1. de nat. deor.yea even pro oraculo & ſolidiſſimo argumento: and Plato ſaith, it was a received poſition in his time, that their worthies, whom they thought deſcended of the gods, Filiis deorum abſque ulla demonſtratione credendum. Plato. Humana omnia dicta argumentis & teſtibus indigent; at ſermo Dei ipſe ſibi teſtis ſufficiens eſt: nam neceſſe eſt ut quicquid incorrupta veritas loquatur, incorruptum veritatis teſtimonium ſit. Salvian.muſt be put to prove nothing, but their word went for a ſufficient warrant: it was ſurely then a great fault in Peter not to believe his Maſter, who was the eternal truth, yea even the eternal Son of the eternal God. Now Peters pride and arrogancy, and over-weening conceit he had of himſelf, cauſed him to think himſelf Chriſts Colledge-Phaenix, and prefer himſelf before all his fellows; Though all men ſhould be offended becauſe of thee, yet will not I; yea I will die with thee, rather then deny thee. What difference, I pray, for the preſent, while this proud fit holds him, between him and the Phariſee? Luke 18.9, 10. who makes a ſtrange prayer, beginning not with begging, but boaſting, God, I thank thee, I am not as other men are, extortioners, unjuſt, adulterers, or as this Publican: and wherein was Peter behind? for he makes ever as fair a flouriſh; for ſaith he, though all forſake thee, I will ſtill follow thee; though all nen flinch from thee, though all men deny thee, I will rather die with thee: Here were big words, but they proved but wind, as the event declared; for his vain confidence proved but pain cowardice, and he that promiſed moſt performed leaſt: for the reſt that ſaid little or nothing (at leaſt not till they were provoked by his example) did not act recorded contrary to their promiſe, but he denies his Maſter, ſwaggers and ſwears that he knew him not: therefore it is great preſumption to arrogate or attribute, or aſſume too much to our ſelves, or rely too much upon our own ſtrength; for if we be left never ſo little while to ſtand upon our own feet, we ſlip and ſlide and fall preſently: men of this humour be like a company of drunken ſouldiers, who ſeem very valorous, while the wine hath overcome their wits, but when they have ſlept out their ſurfeit, and be come to themſelves, do oft betake them to flight, and think one pair of heels worth two pair of hands: The Scripture tells us, that the way of man is not in himſelf: and Chriſt tells us, Heu nihil invitis fat quenquam fidere divis. Virg. AEneid. Opem mihi feras Domine ne ſcandalizer. Chryſoſt.that without him we can do nothing, Joh. 15.5. We muſt not therefore promiſe any thing of our ſelves, but rather pray that God would direct us in our promiſes, and enable us to perform them: It was Peters fault that he did not; he ſhould rather have prayed as Chryſoſtome ſaith, Lord, enable me that I may not be offended, then raſhly have promiſed I will not be offended. We are here aſſaulted with many temptations, ſometimes at the right hand by proſperity, ſometimes at the left hand by adverſity, ſometimes privately, ſometimes publickly, ſometime in one ſort, ſometime in another; therefore we have need of ſtrength beyond our own, and to be ſtrengthned ſometimes in our underſtandings and judgements, that we may diſcern and diſtinguiſh between good and evil, truth and falſhood; ſometimes in our wills, that we may make a right choice, according to our underſtanding and knowledge; and ſometimes in our affections, to teach us to love, hate, fear, &c. what and how we ought, both for the matter, manner and meaſure: Gods children in Scripture are compared to good and fruitful trees; now to keep the compariſon; what is it for a tree to be of a good kind, fruitful and planted in a fertile ſoil, unleſs it be hardy and able to endure and bear out Summers heat, that it ſpill it not, and winters froſt and cold that it chill and kill it not? in like manner, unleſs we be ſtrengthned, ſupported and ſuſtained from above, we ſhall never be able to hold out, and bear about the many troubles and trials that will befal us; for as our natural life is ſtrengthned and preſerved by food and ſuch neceſſaries as be needful for our bodies; ſo our ſpiritual life muſt be maintained by the graces of Gods Spirit, as needful and neceſſary to our ſouls. Briefly, we need ſtrengthning that we may be able rightly to uſe our ſpiritual armour, both defenſive and offenſive, Paulus Jovius.as its beſt for us, and appointed to us: elſe, as Scanderbeg told one that beg'd his ſword, it would do him but little good, or ſtand him in ſmall ſtead, becauſe he had not his arm too: ſo we can make but poor uſe of Gods armour, unleſs we be ſtrengthned by his arm, Col. 1.11.with all might, according to his glorious power.
CHAP. 23. Of Pride of Grace and of Humility it ſelf.
Pride of Grace is when Chriſtians ſwell and grow big with conceit of their own perfection, and in compariſon of their grace, zeal, knowledge, conſcience and obedience, do not ſtick both to ſlight and condemn their brethren: others are carnal, they ſpiritual; others are weak, they ſtrong; others ignorant, they ſee the truth; others are luke-warm, themſelves zealous profeſſors: nay ſome there are that are proud of humility it ſelf, and proud that they are not proud. Pride begets diſeaſes out of pretious remedies, ſaith Chryſolgous. Mr. Foxe ſaid, As I get good by my ſins, by being made thereby to take the more heed to my waies, ſo I get hurt by my graces, Ex remediis generat morbos ſuperbia. Chryſolog. Serm. 7.by being proud of them. Bernard tells us of one who bewailing his own condition, ſaid, He ſaw thirty vertues in another, whereof he had not one in himſelf; and peradventure ſaith Bernard, of all his thirty, he had not one like this mans humility. A man truly humble indeed attributeth and arrogateth nothing to himſelf, but aſcribes all to God, Humilitas dum proditur, perditur.nor will he willingly loſe this jewel of humility by proclaiming he hath found it; for it is the greateſt pride that may be, to be proud of not being proud. Every one ſhould ſee that his heart be not pufft up with ſpiritual graces; for what haſt thou that thou haſt not received? ſaith the Apoſtle. 1 Cor. 4.7.Thou haſt not theſe graces, becauſe by nature thou art better then others, for thou art a childe of wrath as well as others. Hierome ſaith of the Lady Paula, She was leaſt that ſhe might be greateſt; by how much more ſhe humbled her ſelf, by ſo much the more by Chriſt ſhe was exalted; Epheſ. 2.3. Minima fuit ut eſſet maxima; quantò magis ſe dejociebat, tantò magis à Chriſto ſublevabatur; latebat & non latebat. Hieron. Caetera vitia in peccatis, ſuperbia bonis maximè timenda. Auguſt. ad Dioſcor. Epiſt. 56.ſhe lay hid, and yet ſhe lay not hid: other vices in ſins, but pride is moſt to be feared in Gods good gifts and graces.