hell, when they must leave the earth, whether they will or no, they think that they are heavenly-minded, and lay up their treasure there, and take it for their portion. Because conscience sometimes troubleth them for their sin, they think they renew a sincere repentance; and think all is pardoned, because they daily ask for pardon. Their forced submission to the hand of God, they take for patience and a Lord have mercy on us, and forgive us, and save us,' they take for a true preparation for death. Thus pride deceiveth sinners, by making them believe that they have what they have not, and do what they do not, and are something when they are nothing; and by multiplying and magnifying the little common good that is in them.

Sign 111. A proud heart hath very little sense of the necessity of a Saviour, to die for his sins, and satisfy God's justice, and reconcile him to God: notionally he is sick of sin; and notionally he thinks he needeth a physician: but practically, at the heart he feeleth little of his disease; and therefore little sets by Christ. He feeleth not that which should throughly acquaint him with the reasons of this blessed work of our redemption: and therefore indeed is a stranger to the mystery, and an unbeliever at the heart; and would turn apostate if the trial were strong enough. He never felt himself a condemned man, under the curse and wrath of God, and liable to hell: and therefore never lay in tears with Mary at his Saviour's feet, nor melted over his bleeding Lord; nor feelingly said with Paul," He came to save sinners, of whom I am chief;" nor "esteemed all things as loss and dung for the knowledge of Christ, that he might be found in him.' He is a Christian but as a Turk is a Mahometan; because it is the religion of the king, and the country in which he was bred.

Sign IV. A proud heart perceiveth not his own necessity of so great a change as a new birth, and of the Holy Ghost to give him a new nature, and plant the image of God upon him. He findeth, perhaps, some breaches in his soul; but he thinks there needs no breaking of the heart for them; nor pulling all down, and building up his hopes anew. Amending his heart, he thinks may serve the turn, without making it and all things new. The new creature he taketh Phil. iii. 7, 8.

to be but baptism, or some patching up of the former state, and amending some grosser things that were amiss. He will confess, that without Christ and grace we can do nothing; but he thinketh this grace an ordinary help. Whereas a humble soul is so emptied of itself, and perceiveth its deadness and insufficiency to good, that it magnifieth grace, and is wondrous thankful for it, as for a new and spiritual life.

Sign v. A proud heart hath so little experimental sense of the great accusations which Scripture bringeth against the corrupted heart of man, that it is easily drawn into any heresy which denieth them: as about our original sin and misery, and need of a Saviour: about the desperate wickedness of the heart, and man's insufficiency and impotency to good, yea, averseness from it: whereas humble men are better acquainted with the sin within them, that beareth witness to all these truths.

Sign VI. The proud are insensible of the need and reason of all that diligence to mortify the flesh, and subdue corruptions, and watch the heart, and walk with God in holiness of life, which God requireth. He saith, what need all this ado? He feeleth not the need of it, and therefore thinks it is more ado than needs. But the humble soul is sensible of that within him that requireth it, and justifieth the strictest ways of God. The rich think they have no need to labour; but labour is a poor man's life and maintenance: if he miss it a day, he feeleth the want of it the next.

Sign v11. Proud men are much insensible of the want of frequent and fervent prayer unto God. Begging is the poor man's trade: the humble soul perceives the need of it: he finds as constant need of God, as of air, or bread, or life itself. And he knoweth that the exercise of our desires and faith, and the expression, by prayer, of our dependance upon God, is the way appointed for our supply. But the proud are full-stomached, and think this earnest, frequent praying is but hypocritical needless work; for they cannot make a trade of begging, and therefore they are sent empty away.

Sign VIII. A proud man is a great undervaluer of all mercies, and unthankful for them; but especially for spiritual mercy. He receiveth it customarily, as if it were his due; and customarily gives God thanks. But though he may rejoice in the prosperity of his flesh, yet he is a stranger to

holy thankfulness to God; and thinks diminutively of mercy: yea, he is discontent, and murmureth if God give him not as much as he desireth. Whereas the humble confess themselves unworthy of the least'. Hezekiah's lifting up and unthankfulness go together. A poor man will be very thankful for a penny or a piece of bread, which the rich would reject as a great indignity.

Sign Ix. Proud men are always impatient in their afflictions. If they have a stoutness or stupidity, yet they have not Christian patience. They take it as if God used them hardly, or did them wrong. But the humble know that they deserve much worse, and that the mercy that is left them is contrary to their desert: and therefore say with the humbled church, "I will bear the indignation of the Lord, because I have sinned against him"." "It is because his compassions fail not, that we are not consumed "."

Sign x. Proud men are fearless of temptations, and confident of their strength and the goodness of their hearts: they dare live among snares, in pomp and pleasure, faring deliciously every day; among plays, and gaming, and lascivious company and discourse, and fear no hurt; their pride making them insensible of their danger, and what tinder and gunpowder is in their natures, for every spark of temptations to catch fire in. But the humble are always suspicious of themselves, and know their danger, and avoid the snare. "A wise man feareth and departeth from evil: but the fool rageth, and is confident"." " A prudent man foreseeth the evil, and hideth himself: but the simple pass on, and are punished P."

Sign x1. Pride maketh men murmur, if the work of God be never so well done, if they had not the doing of it; and sometimes, by contending to have the honour of doing it, they destroy the work. If they are officers of Christ, they look more at the power than their obligation; at the dignity than at the duty; and at what the people owe to them, than what they owe to God and to the people. They are like dogs that snarl at any other that would partake with them, or come into the house. They say not as Moses, “Would all

Gen. xxx. 10. 2 Chron. xxxii. 24-26. » Lam. iii. 22.

m Mich. vii. 9.

Prov. xiv. 16,

? Prov. xxii. 3.

the Lord's people were prophets." Yea, the peace and unity of church and state are often sacrificed to this cursed pride.

Sign x11. Pride makes men ashamed of the service of God, in a time and place where it is disgraced by the world; and if it have dominion, Christ and holiness shall be denied or forsaken by them, rather than their honour with men shall be forsaken. If they come to Jesus, it is as Nicodemus did, by night: they are ashamed to own a reproached truth, or scorned cause, or servant of Christ: if men will but mock them with the nick-names or calumnies hatched in hell, they will do as others, or forbear their duty. A scorn will do more to make them forbear praying in their families to God, than the lions' den would do with Daniel, or the fiery furnace with the three confessors: especially if they be persons of honour and greatness in the world, then God must be merciful to them while they bow down in the house of Rimmon. As the rich man, when he heard Christ's terms, was very sorrowful, for he was very rich;" so these, because their honours and dignities are so great, do think them too good to let go for the sake of Christ. Had they but the proportion of the obscure vulgar to lay down, they could forsake it; but they cannot forsake so fair a portion, nor endure the reproach of so honourable a name. But O, what contemptible things are these to a humble soul! He marvelleth what dreaming worldlings find, in the doting thoughts and breath of fools, which men call honour, that they should prefer it before the honour of God, and their real honour; when Christ hath told them, that "whosoever shall be ashamed of him and his words, in an adulterous and sinful generation, of him also shall the Son of man be ashamed, when he cometh in the glory of his Father with his holy angels'." I now proceed to the signs of pride in particular duties.

The Signs of Pride in and about Religious Duties.

Sign 1. A proud person is most solicitous in and about that part of duty which is visible to man, and tendeth to advance him in men's esteem: and therefore he is more regardful of the outside, than of the inside; of the words,

than of the heart'. He taketh much pains, if he be a preacher, to cast his sermon into such a form as tendeth to set forth his parts, according to the quality of them that he would please. If he live where wit is valued above grace, or pedantic gingling above a solid, clear, judicious, masculine discourse, he bends himself to the humour of his auditors, and acts his part as a stage-player, for applause. If he live where serious, earnest exhortations are in more request, he studieth to put an affected fervency into his style, which may make the hearers believe that he believes himself, and to seem to be what indeed he is not, and to feel what he feeleth not: but all this while, about his heart he is little solicitous; and takes small pains to affect it with the reverence of God, and with a due estimation of his truth, and a due compassion of men's souls; and indeed, to believe and feel what he would seem to believe and feel. So also in prayer and discourse, his chief study is to speak so as may best procure applause: and it is seldom that he is so cunning as to hide this his design from the observation of judicious men that know him. They may usually perceive that he is the image of a preacher or Christian, by affectation forcing himself to that which he is not truly serious in. He is sounding brass; a tinkling cymbal; a bladder full of wind; a skin full of words; wise and devout in public on the stage; but at home and with his companions, in his ordinary converse, he is but common, if not unclean. He is the admiration of fools, and the compassion of the wise. An oracle at the first congress, to those that know him not; and the pity of those that have seen him at home, and without his mask. He is like proud gentlewomen that bestow a great part of the morning in mundifying and adorning themselves, when they are to be seen, and go abroad; but at home are very homely. And usually, the proud being hypocrites, are secret haters of the most serious and judicious Christians; because these are more quick-sighted than others, to see through the cloak of their hypocrisy : unless as their charity constraining them to conceal their fears and jealousies, may reconcile the hypocrite to them.

His ergo qui loquendi arte ceteris hominibus excellere videntur, sedulo monendi sunt ut humilitate induti Christianâ discant non contemnere quos cognoverint morum vitia quam verborum amplius devitare. Aug. de Cat. rudib. c. 9.