should most strive, for such a sight of your sinfulness and nothingness, as will teach you highly to esteem of Christ, and to loathe yourselves, and take yourselves to be as vile and sinful as you are, and will make you humbly beg for mercy, and stoop to any means to obtain it; and will make you patient under the rebukes and chastisements of God, and under the contempts and injuries of men: this is the humility which you must labour for. But in order to this, external exercises of humiliation must be used: especially studying the holy law of God, and searching yourselves, and confession of sin, and moderate, seasonable fastings, and taming of the flesh. And indeed the exercises of humiliation do most become those that are most prone to pride: and the doctrine of those men who cry down true humiliation, doth come from pride, and is made to cherish pride in others. A humble soul cannot receive it; but is more prone here to run into excess.

Direct. VI. There is no more powerful means to take down pride, than to look seriously to God, and set yourselves before his eyes, and consider how he loveth the humble, and abhorreth the proud.' One sight of God by a lively faith, would make you know with whom you have to do, and teach you to abhor yourselves as vile. A glowworm is not discerned in the sunshine, though it glister in the dark. A glimpse of the majesty of God would make thee with Isaiah cry out, "Woe is me, for I am undone, a man of unclean lips1," &c.; and with the Israelites desire that Moses, and not God might speak unto you, lest you die. Men are proud because they know not God, and look not to him, but to fellow-sinners, with whom they think they may be bold to compare themselves.

Remember also that God is as it were engaged against the proud, both in the holiness of his nature, and in honour : for a proud man sets up himself against him, and is such an idol as God will either take down by grace, or spurn into the fire of destruction. And if he do appear before God among others, in days and external exercises of humiliation, you may judge how much an abhorred person will be accepted. It is not to all that are clothed in sackcloth, but to the humble soul that God hath respect even to the

Isa. vi. 5.

self-abhorring person, who judgeth himself unworthy to come among the people of God, or to be door-keepers in his house, or to eat of the crumbs of the children's bread; that subject themselves to one another, and think no office of love and service too low for them to perform to the least believer; that in charitable meekness instruct opposers, and bear contradiction and contempt from men ; that patiently suffer the injuries of enemies and friends, and heartily forgive and love them; that bear the most sharp and plain reproofs with gentleness and thanks; that think the lowest place in men's esteem, affections, and respects, the fittest for them; that are much more solicitous how they love others, than how others love them, and how they discharge their duties to others, than how others do what they ought for them; that will take up with smaller evidence to think well of the hearts or actions of others, than of their own; that reprove themselves oftener and more sharply than other men reprove them; and are more ready to censure themselves than others, or than most others are to censure them; that have a low esteem of their own understandings, and parts, and doings, and therefore are more ready to learn than teach, and to hear than speak; that highly value every bit and drop of mercy, especially Christ, and grace, and glory. These are the humble that God accepṭeth, and this is the fast that he requireth. These are they that pray effectually, and that must save the land. These only are sensible what sin is; when others feel it not, or are proud in the midst of their largest confessions and tears. These only do from their hearts acknowledge their desert of God's severest judgments, and justify God when he afflicteth them. Others rather marvel at the greatness and continuance of judgments, and expostulate with God as dealing hardly and unkindly with them. and tell him how good a people he afflicteth. These only understand the sinfulness of their very humiliations and prayers, through the weakness of that good which should be in them, and the mixture of much evil; when the proud are marvelling if God hear them not at the first word. These only wait in patience for God's answer, and accept of mercy in his time and measure; when the proud are shortwinded, and if God come not just when they expected, they do with Saul make haste, or murmur at

his providence, and say it is in vain to serve the Lord, and begin to think of forsaking him and taking some better way. These proud ones that have joined in outward humiliations, and have lift up themselves in heart, while they cast down their bodies, are they that have turned the heart of God so much against us, to break us in pieces, because he hath found among us so many of the proud, whom he taketh for his enemies. We have had those humbling themselves in our assemblies, that were wise in their own eyes; despising, and scorning, and reviling their teachers: such as undervalued and censured others, that were not for their opinions and interest; that overloved the respect and honour that is from men; and could not endure to be disesteemed or little set by; that could not bear an injury or a foul word, but were prone to anger, if not revenge; that could not seek peace, nor stoop to others; nor bear plaindealing in reproof; nor forgive a wrong without much submission; that had high expectations from others; and loved those best that most esteemed them; that counted it baseness to stoop to the meanest places or services, for other's good; yea, that quarrelled with God, his Word and providences, and valued no other mercies. but those that exalted themselves or pleased their flesh (which proved judgments). And yet, while they thus, by pride, excommunicated themselves from the face of God, and made themselves abhorred by him, they separated from the holiest assemblies and servants of God in the land, as unworthy of communion with such as they, unless they would first become of their opinion or sect. We little consider how great a hand this pride hath had in our desolations. God hath been scattering the proud of all sorts in the imaginations of their own hearts.

Direct. VII. Look to a humbled Christ to humble you.' Can you be proud while you believe that your Saviour was clothed with flesh, and lived in meanness, and made himself of no reputation, and was despised, and scorned, and spit upon by sinners, and shamefully used and nailed as a malefactor to a cross? The very incarnation of Christ is a condescension and humiliation enough to pose both men and angels, transcending all belief, but such as God himself produceth, by his supernatural testimony and Spirit. And can pride look a crucified Christ in the face, or stand before

him? Did God take upon him the form of a servant, and must thou domineer and have the highest place? Had not Christ a place to lay his head on? and must thou needs have thy adorned, well-furnished rooms? Must thou needs brave it out in the most fantastic fashion, instead of thy Saviour's seemless coat? Doth he pray for his murderers? and must thou be revenged for a word or petty wrong? Is he patiently spit upon and buffeted? and art thou ready through proud impatiency, to spit upon or buffet others? Surely he that "condemned sin in the flesh," condemned no sin more than pride.

Direct. VIII. Look to the examples of the most eminent saints, and you will see they were all most eminent in humility.' The apostles, before the coming down of the Holy Ghost on them, contended which of them should be the greatest (which Christ permitted that he might most sharply rebuke it, and leave his warning to all his ministers and disciples to the end of the world, that they that would be greatest must be the servants of all, and that they must by conversion become as little children, or never enter into the kingdom of God). But afterward in what humility did these apostles labour, and live, and suffer in the world? Paul "made himself a servant unto all, that he might gain the more, though he was free from all men "." They submitted themselves to all the injuries and affronts of men; to be accounted the plagues and troublers of the world; and as the scorn and offscouring of all things; and a gazingstock to angels and to men. And are you better than they? If you are, you are more humble, and not more proud.

Direct. Ix. Look to the holy angels that condescend to minister for man; and think on the blessed souls with God, how far they are from being proud; and remember, if ever thou come to heaven, how far thou wilt be from pride thyself.' Such a sight as Isaiah's would take down pride: "I saw the Lord sitting upon a throne, high and lifted up, and his train filled the temple. Above it stood the seraphims : each one had six wings: with two he covered his face, and with two he covered his feet, and with two he did fly (signiing humility, purity, and obedience). And one cried unto another, and said, Holy, Holy, Holy is the Lord of Hosts

m 1 Cor. ix. 10.

:

his glory is the fulness of the whole earth"." So Rev. iv.: 8.10. "The elders fall down, and cast down their crowns before him that sitteth on the throne." Look up to heaven

and you will abhor your pride.

Direct. x. Look upon the great imperfection of thy grace and duties. Should that man be proud that hath so little of the Spirit and image of Jesus Christ? That believeth no more, and feareth God no more, and loveth him no more? And can no better trust in him, nor rest upon his Word and love? Nor any more delight in him, nor in his holy laws and service? One would think that the lamentable weakness of any one of all these graces, should take down pride and abase you in your own eyes. Is he a Christian that doth not even abhor himself, when he perceiveth how little he loveth his God, and how little all his meditations on the love and blood of Christ, and of the infinite goodness of God, and of the 'heavenly glory do kindle the fire, and warm his heart? Can we observe the darkness of our minds, and ignorance of God, and strangeness to the life to come, and the woeful weakness of our faith, and not be abased to a loathing of ourselves? Can we choose but even abhor those hearts that can love a friend, and love the toys and vanities of this life, and yet can love their God no more? That take no more pleasure in his name, and praise, and word, and service, when they can find pleasure in the accommodations of their flesh? Can we choose but loathe those hearts that are so averse to God, so loath to think of him, so loath to pray to him, so weary of prayer, or holy meditation, or any duty, and yet so forward to the business and recreations of the flesh? Can we feel how coldly and unbelievingly we pray, how ignorantly or carnally we discourse, how confusedly and vainly we think, and how slothfully we work, and how unprofitably we live, and yet be proud, and not be covered with shame? O! for a serious Christian to feel how little of God, of Christ, of heaven is upon his heart, and how little appeareth in any eminent holiness and fruitfulness and heavenliness of life, is so humbling a consideration, that we have much ado to own ourselves, and not lie down as utterly desolate. Should that soul admit a thought of pride, that hath so little grace as to be uncertain whether he have any at all in sincerity or

n Isa. vi. 1-3.