therefore he makes himself such a Visard as prevents all Blushes and defends him from all visible signs of Concern at Reproof And from seeing the pride of his Looks let 's hear the haughtiness of his Words Which proceeding from the abundance of his heart discover more of his high Mind And truly a proud Man's Language does usually run in a very high and lofty stile His Tongue is his own and none is Lord over it His Tongue is double and that makes him take himself for somewhat more than one Man at least it makes him personate that Creature with the forked Tongue which in the very infancy of the World when it had yet scarce spoke one word disdained to talk of ought else but an Equality with the most High And truly its Viperous brood has ever since retained the poison of Asps under its Lips and its big swelling Words represent the largeness of the throat they come from an open Sepulchre they represent the abundance of that Heart that 's like the troubled Sea swell'd to a prodigious greatness Take but an instance or two of it and you 'll all be quickly masters of it if you are yet to learn it If a proud Saul have ought to say to David he presently calls for the Son of Jesse and scorns to call him by his own Name And Potiphar's Wife says of Joseph This Hebrew Servant and the Sodomites of Lot This one fellow that came in to sojourn and Christ's own Countrymen say of him Is not this the Carpenters Son as if none of all three had been so much as once worth the Naming But alas these are but mean instances to what follow and nothing in comparison to what a Proud Pharaoh or a Blasphemous Rabshekah can belch forth upon occasion For says the one Who is the Lord that I should obey his voice to let Israel go I know not the Lord neither will I let Israel go And the other says Hath any of the gods of the Nation delivered his Land out of the hand of the King of Assyria Where are the gods of Hamath and Arpad Where are the gods of Sepharvaim Hena and Iva Have they delivered Samaria out of my hand Who are they among all the gods of the Countrys that have delivered their Country out of mine hand that the Lord should deliver Jerusalem out of mine hand And thus I have given you a word or two of the proud Man's Language And from hence let 's take one step more and view him in the general Course of his Life which will give us some farther discovery of his high Mind And here we shall find that he cares not what becomes of all others he cares not what difficulties they grapple with what Poverty they are reduced to and what hard shifts they are forced to make so he may have but his humor and huff and hector it without control which is a certain sign that he is so proud that he never thinks other Men to be flesh of his flesh or bone of his bone or else he would be as tender of and as respectful to them as he is to himself And that 's the first part of the Proud Man's Character he is high-minded and has a proud look And the Second's this He does exercise himself in great matters that are two high for him And this is done when a Man lives above his Ability Condition or Calling and is usually seen by the excess of Diet the excess of Building the keeping too great a Retinue the coveting of great Men's Company and the excess of Apparel But alas these are not the only instances wherein a Proud Man does exercise himself in such matters as are too high for him No 't were well if they 'd keep themselves within this compass 'T were well if they stretched not themselves much further beyond their Line and beyond their measure He 's no Man now a-days that cannot order State Affairs new model Churches control the Priest despise Dominion speak evil of Dignities and judge of what is and what is not judge of those things that he never knew nor saw nor heard nor scarce dream'd of For what so common as to have an ordinary Man discuss such things as Eye hath not seen nor Ear heard nor have entred into his heart to conceive What so common as to have the same Man discourse of Mysteries dive into Abysses and fathom the unsearchable depths of God's eternal Decrees and pity the ignorance of all such as are not exactly of his Perswasion What so common as to have most Men accuse God's Providence quarrel at his unequal Distribution of things deny Him the disposal of earthly Kingdoms and force him to be an idle spectator of humane Affairs And what 's this but to snatch the Scepter out of his hands to de-throne Omnipotence to prefer their own Wisdom before God's and to pretend to govern the World better than Omniscience And if this be not to exercise ones self in great matters that are too high for him If this be not the heigth of Pride I am sure it is not to refrain his Soul and to keep it low like a weaned Child Which is the Third part of the Proud Man's Character For a Child does wholly resign himself to his Father's Care casts all his Care upon him and cares neither for Meat nor for Drink nor for Cloathing cares for nothing but to please him A Child does never call his Father's will into question never disputes his Commands never contradicts his pleasure but comes and goes and does all things as he would have him A Child knows no difference betwixt himself and his Servant has nothing in his Looks but a pretty innocent smile and if any thing ails him he creeps as fast as he can into his Mother's Bosom And how unlike a Proud Man is to a Child in these and all things else but Understanding needs no farther Proof And thus I have endeavoured to shew the Proud Man to himself as through a Glass darkly and I do heartily pray to God that now he has beheld himself in it he does not play the Natural go his way and presently forget what manner of man he is Jam. i. 24 And now the Proud Man sees his Disease what remains but that I prescribe him two or three short Rules how to Cure it And First of all Let him consider the Punishment that attends it for says Solomon Pride goeth before destruction and an haughty spirit before a fall Prov. xvi 8 And again Every one that is proud in heart is an abomination to the Lord though hand join in hand yet shall they not be unpunished Prov. xvi 5 The Decree it seems is unalterable all the Wit and Art and Strength of the whole World cannot save him he shall not go unpunished For if the Angels themselves could not escape Hell for their Pride how then can Man expect to fare any better Secondly Let him often reflect upon the Question that wicked men put to themselves Wisdom v. 8 9. What hath pride profited us or what good hath Riches with our vaunting brought us All those things are passed away like a shadow and as a post that hasted by For vers 14. The hope of the Vngodly is like dust that is blown away with the wind like a thin froth that is driven away with the storm like as the smoak that is dispersed here and there with a tempest and passeth away as the remembrance of a guest that tarrieth but for a day Lastly Let him consider from what he was at first taken and into what he must at last be reduced his Primitive Dust and Ashes and then he will have no need to brag of his Extraction Let him consider that the best of men can claim nought else but Corruption for their Mother and then again let him see what cause he has to boast of his Blood and his Ancestors and I know not what Sure I am he 'll find no difference betwixt himself and the poorest Beggar that comes to his Door But he 'll find his Skin to be as good as his own though his Coat be worse He 'll find his Breath as sweet as his own though his Fare be Courser And he 'll find his Sleep to be as sweet and as easie as his own though his Bed be much harder Both their Makes are the same and the same essential Ingredients conspire in both their Constitutions and they differ in nothing from each other but in some few little trifling Accidents of Time Place Colour Stature Fortune and the like in which they differ as much from themselves in the several Periods of their Age. And though indeed there be some little difference betwixt the Rich and Poor in this World and though God hath said unto some Ye are Gods yet he presently tells them in the next verse But ye shall die like Men Psal lxxxij 6 7. And then the difference will be seen and felt and smarted for to the Proud Man's eternal Sorrow when all his proud Looks and his haughty Words shall be turn'd into howling and wailing and weeping and gnashing of Teeth Then the difference betwixt a Dives and a Lazarus shall be openly proclaim'd when Devils shall drag the one into Hell and Angels shall convey the other into Abraham's Bosom And now Go to thou Rich and Proud be as high-minded as thou wilt But know thou that for all these things God will certainly bring thee to judgment and thou shalt feel a judgment worthy of God Wisdom xij 26 Consider seriously of what I have said without all prejudice and partiality and the Lord of his infinite Mercy grant that both you and I may so lay it to Heart as to live accordingly Amen Lord Jesus Amen and Amen! Blessing and Honour and Thanksgiving and Praise more than we can utter more than we conceive be unto thee O most adorable Trinity Father Son and Holy Ghost by all Angels all Men all Creatures and by us the Vilest of all thy Creatures Amen and Amen! FINIS ERRATA PAge 6. l. 16. read brings me p. 9. l. 9. r. that is before the foregoing words p. 16. l. 6. r. Agur's p. 23. l. 13. r. and then p. 30. l. 5. dele as
not theirs Certainly these men never think of an after reckoning for if they did they would shew their Love to Christ by feeding his Lambs and his Sheep and they would never think it below them to instruct those men in their own Persons for whom Christ did in his own Person vouchsafe to die And yet the worst on 't is still behind those men have commonly most Pluralities that are least able to supply the least Cure Again What means their non-Residence and their Abode at Court and in Great Mens Houses Does it not argue they are more careful for the things of this World than for those of the next Does it not argue them to be none of the Apostles Successors who thought it unreasonable to leave the Word of God and serve Tables Does it not argue them to be quite of another mind than David was who thought that one Day in God's Courts was better than a Thousand elsewhere Yea who had rather be a door-keeper in one of those Churches which they exchange for great Mens Houses than to dwell even in the Tents of Ungodliness Certainly these Clergy-men who are so much taken up with State Affairs and Secular Employments are none of Christ's Disciples who would not so much as be judge between two Brethren in the Division of their Inheritance Luke xij 14 Certainly these Clergy-men who would be taken for Great Ones and for Pillars of the Church don't think how far they degrade the Royal Priesthood when they thus aspire and ascend downwards to Temporal Judicatures when they preferr Earth before Heaven preferr Men before God and the Things of this World before those of the other And therefore St. Paul being very sensible how much it would be beneath the Royalty of the Priesthood to judge in Temporal Affairs he does thus express himself at large in the 1 Cor. vi Dare any of you having a matter against another go to Law before the Vnjust and not before the Saints Do ye not know that the Saints shall judge the World and if the World shall be judged by you are ye unworthy to judge the smallest matters Know ye not that we shall judge Angels how much more things that pertain to this life If then ye have judgments of things pertaining to this life set them to judge who are least esteemed in the Church Where you see that the meanest Christians are good enough to discharge those wordly Employments which some great Prelates forsake their Flocks to obtain And I do assure you yea God himself assures you by my mouth That till the Axe be thus deeply laid to the Root of the Tree till these things be throughly reformed yea till God's own House be reformed first no Reformation can be expected elsewhere but the Sacrifice and the Worship of God will be base and vile and despicable in the Peoples Eyes No Man can scarce believe one word of that Religion which the Ministers that ought to observe it most do in many and indeed most things least observe And thus I have given you my Second Observation which is That all Ministers are bound in Conscience to Preach most against those Sins that their Hearers are most guilty of And I have also without any fear of great Names recommended it to their Practices by my own And so I come to my Third Observation which is this That the Riches of this World are apt to make men high-minded For First of all 't is plain That the Apostle Commands Timothy to charge them that are rich in this World that they be not high-minded which charge had been to no purpose if wordly Riches had not usually produced that effect Again 'T is Agar's Prayer to God Give me not Richer lest I be fall and deny thee and say who is the Lord Prov. xxx 9 10. Where you see that Riches are not only apt to make men Proud but that they are also apt to make them so Proud as Pharaoh was so proud as to own neither Man nor God above them Nor does this only happen in one or two particular Instances but it 's become so universal as to be made a matter of Prayer to be delivered from this Evil of Riches And therefore Holy David makes this to be the Prayer and Complaint of the whole Church together Have mercy upon us O Lord have mercy upon us for we are exceedingly filled with contempt Our Soul is exceedingly filled with the scorning of those that are at ease and with the contempt of the proud Psal cxxiij 3 4. Where you see that the whole Church of God does alledge that Pride and Scorn and Contempt and exceeding great Contempt are the usual effects of those that are at ease And who are those that are at ease think you Are they not the Rich and great ones of the World Are they not such as are inclosed in their own Fat and have eyes swell'd with fatness Such as have their Portion in this Life Such as have their Bellies filled with hid Treasures And such as say to their Souls Soul take thy ease thou hast Goods laid up for many years eat drink and be merry Yea verily these Rich men are those that are at Ease and those that are at Ease are those that the Psalmist says are exceeding Proud Scornful and Contemptuous And therefore also Riches are apt to make men high-minded Again Aristotle tells us in his Rhetorick That Riches makes Men haughty and insolent And a greater than he having described the Prosperity of the Wicked concludes This is the cause that they are so holden with pride and overwhelmed with cruelty Psal lxxiij 6. And then he adds They speak of wicked blasphemy they speak loftily v. 8. and loftily indeed for they set their mouth against the Heavens and their tongue walketh through all the Earth v. 9. They speak well of all that is Evil they speak well of the Covetous whom God abhorreth and they speak ill of God and all that is Good They are boasters proud and despisers of them that are good 2 Tim. iij. 3. Nay they are so Proud that they despise and undervalue the best of Men at so great a rate as to value the Lord of Life and the King of Glory at no more than Thirty pieces of Silver Nay the Pride of Rich men goes so far that if Jesurun wax fat he will not only forget the Lord that made him but He will also treat him with the greatest Scorn and Contempt imaginable he will not so much as vouchsafe to look big upon Him and to speak proudly of Him but he will use Him in the vilest manner he will lift up his heels against Him he will kick at Him and trample with his Feet upon the Lord that bought him All which are the most Opprobrious Signs that Scorn and Contempt can be possibly expressed by And yet all of them are nothing else but the usual Effects of earthly Riches And therefore also Riches are apt to make men
spoke to Herod of all his other Sins he pitch'd upon that which he lov'd most his Incestuous Marriage And when his Fore-runner Elijah spoke to Ahab of all his other Sins he pitch'd upon that which he lov'd most Naboth's Vineyard and of all David's Transgressions Nathan tells him of none but of his Murder and Adultery And therefore if there be in Damascus or Moab or Ammon or Tyrus or Judah or Israel three or four Transgressions more notorious than the rest they are all to be told of those more than of all the rest as you have it at large in the Prophet Amos. For when Sins do once begin to grow to an Head and to become in Fashion they are to be roughly and severely dealt withal An ordinary concern in such a Case is no better than Silence and Silence in such a Case is no better than downright Flattery And to hold our Peace in such a Case is all one as to cry aloud Peace Peace To let Herod go unreprov'd for his blasphemous Oration is to Flatter him and to Flatter him is to say This is the Voice of God and not of Man and that makes work for nothing less than a Destroying Angel And here now if any one should say Alas poor Man These Times will never be in it To such a one I answer These Times will and must and shall bear it but these Men these Men will never do it There is such a Man's Friendship to be lost and such a Man's Hatred to be incurr'd and such a great Place to be deprived of and these Prudential in plain English that is these selfish vile Motives do hinder Men from the Right and conscientious Discharge of their Duties And therefore the Apostle being well aware of all this and knowing that men would be very loath to displease their Superiors by telling them impartially of their Faults the Apostle I say being sensible that men would be unwilling to meddle or to make with the rich Ones of the World and especially after so severe a manner he does therefore in the Verses before my Text command Timothy and Us in Him in these words I give thee charge in the sight of God who quickeneth all things and before Christ Jesus who before Pontius Pilate witnessed a good confession That thou charge them that are rich in this world that they be not high-minded And then because he knew men are apt to fear Princes and Lords he there tells them of the blessed and onely Potentate the King of Kings and Lord of Lords And because he knew Men are apt to be dazled with the glittering Pageantry of their outward Pomp he there tells them of Him who dwells in the Light that no man can approach unto And because he knew Men are apt to fear Power and Authority though they last for ne'er so short a time he there tells them of Him whose Honour and Power is everlasting and then follow the words of my Text as if he should have said I know thou art afraid to tell great Men of their Faults and therefore I charge thee in God's Name that thou the rather do so and that thou fear no Man's Person I charge thee to fear God rather than Man and to incurr the Anger and the Hatred of all the World rather than displease Almighty God And here now can any Minister hear this dreadful Charge that runs in such rigorous and peremptory Terms and yet be afraid to charge the Rich Men of the World and to press it Home upon their Consciences for fear of their Displeasure And can any Man find fault with such a conscientious Minister as does without all fear or favour courageously discharge this his indispensible Duty Can any Man do him any harm that does him most good Can any Man become his Enemy for telling him the truth and endeavouring to deliver him from Hell and Damnation O pity us pity us a little for Christ's sake Yea for your own sake pity us For if we do not tell you of your Faults and represent them to you in the liveliest Colours we commit the greatest of all Faults against God and you and our selves We Dishonour God and highly provoke his Vengeance by fearing your displeasure more than His We undo you by letting you go on in your Sins without telling you of them and we undo our selves too by not doing our Duty From all which you see that every Minister is bound in Conscience to Preach against those Sins that his Hearers are most guilty of and if he knows of none of their particular Faults he is then to tell them of those Faults that their particular Calling does most expose them to He 's to Preach before Magistrates against Injustice and Partiality before Lawyers against Collusion and unnecessary Law Suits before Merchants against Lying and Deceit before Courtiers against Ambition and Dissimulation before Great Ones against Pride and Oppression before Gentlemen against Riot and Prodigality before Officers against Bribery and Extortion before Country-men against Envy and Discontent and before Servants against Tale-bearing and Purloyning which are the usual Faults that all those States of Life are most liable to and therefore are to be most of all minded of And here now if any one should ask me And have the Clergy no Faults that they ought to be told of as well as others To which I answer That I could heartily wish they had none But alas Charity it self that covers a multitude of Sins does not cannot hide theirs from the Eye of the World Charity it self cannot chuse but raise my Indignation against them above all others For what an insufferable Scandal is it that there is scarce one Minister of a Parish that goes to his own Church either upon the Week Days or Holy Days or â—even upon Sundays unless it be just before Sermon as if it were not worth their while to be ever at Prayers Again what does their frequent removal from a poor to a rich Benefice argue Does it not argue either Covetousness or Ambition or Lightness or all or any thing else but a sincere and a hearty desire to do good for God's sake And therefore several Councils and Fathers have decreed it unlawful for a Bishop to change his Bishoprick and that 's one of the Reasons that our Writers alledge against the Papists why St. Peter was never Bishop of Rome because they themselves acknowledge him to have been first Bishop of Antioch Again What do their Pluralities mean Don't they argue that they take more upon them than they are able to perform with a safe Conscience And that they care not what becomes of their Flocks so that they may have but their Rents And are not these Excellent Overseers who scarce ever see their Parishes above once a Year and perhaps not so often neither Certainly these men are none of St. Paul's Successors who made it his Business to seek the Souls and not the Riches of men to seek them