The arraignment of pride, or, Pride set forth, with the causes, kinds, and several branches of it: the odiousness and greatness of the sin of pride: the prognosticks of it, together with the cure of it: as also a large description of the excellency and usefulness of the grace of humility: divided into chapters and sections. / By W. Gearing minister of the word at Lymington in Hantshire.

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 com∣mendable; 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 what∣ever excellency he hath, he hath them in and of himself; he is not beholden to any creature, 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 ex∣cellency 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 E∣gypt, 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, 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 Publi∣can: yet he assumeth all the glory to himself, though in word he seem to honour God. Parisiensis 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, in my flesh, there dwells no good thing, and when he speaks of his own labours, he saith, 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 con∣trary 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 wor∣thy, but by chusing made him wor∣thy; 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 fore∣seen, 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 Centu∣rion, 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 Syna∣gogue: 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 Frater∣nities, and Monasteries, Cells and Cloysters: But however he could challenge nothing for himself, 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 wor∣ship. 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 Re∣ligions 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, 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; ap∣probation from God and acceptance with him they look not after, and this they have as their reward. Therefore saith Christ to his hear∣ers, 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 Savi∣our, 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 for∣bidden to do them before men: 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 osten∣tare, 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 ex∣pect or respect in doing our duties. It must, as one saith, be but a conse∣quent, no cause moving us. But praise will follow vertuous and pi∣ous actions, as the shadow the body. The Romans made the image of vain glory in the form of a vagrant wo∣man, 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, be∣cause

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 vain∣glorious 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.

Notes

• 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.
• Deut. 9.1, 4.
• Parisiensis
• Rom. 7.
• 1 Cor. 15.10. Rhem. annot. in Heb. 5.
• Elegit nos non quia sancti eramus, sed ut sancti essemus. Neminem elegit dignum, sed eli∣gendo effecit dignum. Aug. cont. Julian. Pe∣lag. lib. 5. cap. 3.
• Luk. 7.2, 3, 4.
• Omnes per∣egrini ri∣tus, & ex∣ternae religiones, Senatus consulto damnatae erant. Tertul. in apologet. cont. gentes.
• Dionysius junior alebat Sophistas, non quod magni faceret, sed ut propter eosin admiratio∣nem esset. Plut. mor. 11 p. 400.
• Mat. 6.1, 2, 4, 5, 6.
• About one hundred and odd years agone; some of the Princes, Noble-men, and Gen∣tlemen of Germvny in a vain glorious way, caused these five letters V.D.M.I.Ae. the first letters of ver∣bum dei manet in aeter∣num, to be wrought or embroydered, or set in plate upon their cloaks, or sleeves of their garments, to de∣clare 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.