perfection of it If one poore sparke of vertue be to bee loued for it selfe much more is that infinite Rocke of Orient and most shining vertue to be loued in God and it is a most reasonable purpose and resolution to loue the Higher Excellence more then the lower and to loue the lower the better if it leade to the Higher When wee find gold Oare in the top of the Earth we value it highly but wee value it the more because it leades vs to the Gold Mine it selfe Therefore the Philosophers were children in this that hauing found a Myne-stone they played with it and sought no farther but the Christians are truly wise who hauing found it follow the Veine vntill they come to enioy the very Roote and Treasurie thereof Another spot which is cast on Diuinitie by the odious comparison or preferment of Philosophie is this That the vertue of Diuines is more vulgar and that of Philosophy more rare Heere I cannot but stand still and wonder how this man came to vse speeches so flatly contrary to the speeches of Christ and hauing spoken them to propose them to Christians Eyther he thinkes himselfe herein wiser then Christ or that wee are no Christians and therefore apt to beleeue him before Christ the Author and Finisher of our Faith But it is an ancient truth The narurall man is blinde in the things of God Christ hath said The way to Heauen is narrow and few there bee that finde it and I take it that is rare which but a few doe find Israel was but a drop to the Ocean of Mankinde and Israel only had for a long time the Statutes and Iudgements of God Againe at this time when Religion is let out into the World how is it beyonded by Turcisme Atheisme Gentilisme Heresies and Epicurisme Surely a true Christian is a rare thing and if it were not so this man could not well haue hoped to bee generally beleeued that they are common And if hee meanes by vulgar besides the commonnesse to intimate that Christianitie is incident to meanenesse and so is fit for the common people as well in that they are base as in that they are many I vtterly gainsay him For if Diuinitie bee truly examined it requireth the highest vnderstandings to search it the mightiest and noblest indeauours to performe it for in Diuinitie they are Mysteries which are taught and excellent things which are commanded Therfore Christ telles things hidden and vnsearchable to the very wise of the world and enioyneth vertues excelling the ambitious holinesse of the very Scribes and Pharises Yea he wyteth his hearers that contented themselues with ordinarie vertues saying What great or excellent thing doe yee yet the truth is that to sundrie of the meane ones God imparteth the light and grace of Christianitie but not because meannesse is fitter to apprehend it but because by meannesse God best expresseth his owne excellence and shewes his power chiefly in infirmitie and his light in darknesse Therefore for his owne glorie hee chuseth them and not for their abilitie toward Religion but rather for their not-abilitie in some respect For whereas by their natural vnablenes they were altogether vncapable of Diuine Mysteries God is sure to get glorie to his Spirit which entring into men so full of darknesse and meannesse makes them lightsome wise able and truely noble For from henceforth being regenerate They vnderstand secrets performe difficult vertues aspire vnto eternitie and despise tēporall though glorious vanity Thus meane men receiu grace not by their meannesse but for their meannes receiuing it are no lōger mean but are made excellent and noble This is it which Dauid sayes Psalm 19. That God by his Word giues vnderstanding to the simple And Psal. 119. That by the feare of God hee became wiser then his Teachers And if wee looke for examples to omit those ancient Fisher-men a profession commonly most ignorant whose words and writings cannot bee matched by the world in spirituall that is in the best wisdome I wil speake of our times that in them I haue seene Men admirable in Simplicity for worldly things but miraculous in Diuine knowledge so that their speeches in the one kind haue bin contemptible and in the other haue sounded like Oracles So that a great knowledge beeing found in a great simplicitie it may not bee thought That simplicitie is the cause of Knowledge but wee must looke a higher cause euen that the Creator is the cause of a new Creation And the fountaine of Wisdome is the cause of these droppes of new and supernaturall wisedome powred into naturall simplicitie And this hits right with Christs speach vnto Peter Flesh and bloud hath not reuealed it to thee but my Father in Heauen And that Diuinitie is not a shallow knowledge fit to be waded through by dwarfish ignorance the experience of the Fathers may confirme For the chiefest of them were men of admirable wisedome great learning and vnwearied studie and yet they found in Diuinitie Wisedome beyond their Vnderstanding Learning aboue their Learning and Worke beyond their Time Therefore it shall remaine a certaine Truth That Religion ordinarily requires Wisedome and therefore though it often lights on them that lacke it yet then it brings Wisedome with it And indeed Religion brings with it the best Wisedome For that is the best Wisedome which teacheth vs the most perfect vertues and leades vs to the most perfect absolute and eternall Happinesse Lastly though God doe shew most often his strength in weakenesse yet that Grace of God is no common worke neither among the common people But surely I thinke this man deceiued himselfe thus Hee saw in the blind Religion of his Countrie the common people led with Ignorance and Superstition and out of that superstitious Ignorance to doe many seeming workes of Charitie and Pietie and on these he bestowth the title of the vertue of Diuines But it is a great errour to make Superstition the Roote and Mother of Theologicall vertue for Superstition is a Bastard begotten by an informed and ignorant feare of the Deitie Such people are as farre from true Diuinity as he is from the true commendation of it And himselfe in his chapter of Pietie hath truly shewed pietie to be of so high a Nature vniting Man to his Root the Godhead that I wonder he could here make the superstitious dotage of the ignorant vulgar to bee the high and transcendent vertue of the Diuines For let him confesse ingeniously how many of the vulgar hath hee knowne truly to returne to their originall and to knit themselues vnto it Surely it seemes he forgate at last what he had written at first or knew not at first what he would write at last But say what hee list Theologicall vertue is of no base stampe it containeth in it an vnion with God and from hence issueth an Image of God and from this Image the Loue of God Charitie to our Neighbour and Sobrietie in our selues And in
words and the out-side of speaking with a neglect of the inside such a one is a Pharisie in words as the ancient ones were in deeds Against these especially doe the Reasons of the first oppose for these goe about to intice men and to slacke their affections with Eloquence not to turne them not to conquer them with power These draw men to themselues rather then to Christ for their hearers if they bee not of the wisest as most are not commend the Sermon much and the Preacher more and Christ least of all And indeed they leaue their audience commonly as they found them for profit but somewhat better for pleasure Their mishap is this that the eare is not the soule for if it had beene so then so many soules by them had beene gained as hearers were pleased Surely this eare-teaching or eare-scratching pierceth not home but it is like an Arrow without an head It hath indeed the woodden head of the flesh but it wanteth the mettall and steele of the spirit by which it should enter into the heart and diuide betweene the soule and the Spirit Let these men therefore remember that the Kindome of God though it may be aduanced by words that make power euident yet it consisteth not in words but in power The spirit speaking though in course and plaine words may saue a soule but the top of humane Eloquence not edged with the spirit will neuer enter in deepe enough to saue the hearers The third sort affect a language of ends and such a stile as is all of inlayings They are full of short breathes and if they perswade you not on a sudden they haue done Againe they darken the sence by not allowing it room enough Surely it hath beene a misery of these latter times to affect both in Latine and English such a speech of parcels that hurts the memory trauailes the vnderstanding doth both nibble and sting the will not gripe it not lift it not weld or manage it When the memory would claspe it it is all one as if you did claspe a handfull of sand the harder you squeese it the more it flits When the vnderstanding beholds it eyther it is payned in opening the fast and hide-bound shels of it or if it haue some ease in that kind it spyes but a short glimpse of Light and but a Gloworme of Reason and bee the way neuer so darke it must be content with that flash of Lightning When the wil and affectons meete it they rather finde in it the taste of an Epigram then of a doctrine of sawce then of meate And if there bee any strength in it yet it is so bound in by breuity that it giues but a plucke to the will and drawes it not by a continued might so if the mind will not be moued with the pange of a sentence it may scape well enough from this kinde of teaching Surely these minutes of stile and littlenesses in discoursing doe not well expresse Maiesty and Power And that should they striue to expresse who are the mouthes and pens of the highest Maiesty and the highest Power Againe in regard of the hearers or readers that which should enter with power should issue with power that which should goe to the heart should issue from the heart and not bee only a flash or fire-worke of the braine And now that I may the better free my Reader and my selfe from mistaking and being mistaken I am ready to tel him what I intend not and what I intend First I intend not to lessen their deserued estimation and so their edification whose naturall gift is a cleere and concise expression I know there are of this sort that merit good Readers and haue many of them and I wish them prosperitie in the Name of the Lord. Such men are themselues when they write and not others and if they should bee forced from this kind they should like Diamonds bee lessened by new fashioning and I thinke verily that wherin a man strength lyes therein should he glorifie his Creator and not by going out of his strength seeke to serue and glorifie God by his disability And this doe they commonly who leaue that Character whereunto they were fashioned and reach after another but reach not to it To such the Apostles counsell is good Physick Let euery man vnderstand according to sobriety and his owne measure But secondly I intend to shew and proue that a continuall Discourse or Treatise made all of parcels though it may haue good things in it yet it is not the best kind of Language for edification And besides the reasons shewed before that it often darkens the matter that it hurts the memory that it wants the power and maiesty which the Word of God both requireth and deserueth to make vp an absolute proofe I will adde a most absolute example and the reason of the example The example is Saint Paul that strong Writer of Epistles as the very malice of his Enemies did confesse who knew the best kind of deliuering Diuinity 1. Cor. 2. and both told it vs in writing that spirituall things must be fitted with spirituall words and as there he saith in writing practised that which he told vs. If you will see his practice search his Epistles and among them that to the Romanes which indeed is a Master-piece There you shall see that his manner of teaching is deepe in knowledge strong in reasoning pregnant in expression powerfull in perswasion Hee doth not trusse vp his words too close neyther doth hee thin them so much that they can scarce be discerned but to a full and substantiall matter he giueth the fulnes of speech and expression Yea where hee seemes most to excell hee sometimes doubles and makes returnes and giues two or three sights or countenances of the same matter that our knowledge and memory may bee assured and that hee may not bee thought to grudge vs his matter by grudging vs words And yet Epistles I thinke may best pleade breuity Besides in his perswasions and exhortations he expresseth vehemence of affection and ferour of spirit which small ends doe smally and weakly performe And secondly if wee will search into the reason of this Example by searching what is spirituall we shall find that the Spirit worketh mans conuersion especially by light and power as hauing to doe with a darke and impotent Mankind and therefore it expresseth it selfe best makes it selfe most euident by a lightsome and powerfull speech euen words of brightnesse and feruour So both by Pauls example and the reason of that Example I haue fetched the patterne of most profitable Language If yet you would haue more proofe behold also noble Esay the very primate of the Prophets and the Ambassadour of God whose tongue was touched with the fire of Heauen This great Prophet doth not vsually skip and leape in the short steps of broken Sentences but he walketh with Maiesty in the full paces of an expressiue iust
very character is Cholericke for it is a Locust that hath the tayle of a Scorpion and a sting in his tayle c. Reu. 9. But for Phlegmatickes there are no patternes like the Monkes whose Life in generall is paine by ease and labour in eating And in this payne and labor they expresse a wonderfull patience This is the man whom that excellent pensill of the Spirit Saint Paul describes weeping whose end is damnation whose god is their belly and whose glory is their shame And if you will see the face of Melancholy behold your Anchorite or Stillite who often by a fullen humour falls out with the world and falls into a corner and at best vndertakes voluntary temptations that hee may escape necessary ones This man also Saint Paul describes when hee calls his Religion a shewe of wisdome in wil-worship and humilitie and punishing the body And these differences haue also bred oppositions among them The Popes turning Religion to be a Pander for pride lusts and pleasures is condemned by diuers as Barnard Cassander Mantuan c. The Iesuite is condemned by the Priest yea by the founder Romanists for being too pragmaticall and the whole world cryes out on the Monckes and the Poets make songs on them But the Melancoly Christian seemes most reuerent as hee doth among vs yet they haue beene censured by men of Iudgement as Cornelius Agrippa de vanit sci cap. 62. and Barnard in Cant. sermo 35. and others who condemn that life which liues to it selfe profiteth not others and runnes into Salomons Vaesoli And no doubt by the lawes of flesh and bloud the Pope in his glory cannot but laugh at their Penury and he that reioyceth in his gayne by Fabula de Christo which was the blasphemous speedy of an impious Pope must needs thinke them mad that loose thereby eyther pleasure or profit No doubt as fitly by the Pope may be giuen to these men of penance that saying which was bestowed on the common people that sought a fatherly benediction Quando populus hic decipi vult decipiatur Againe the Philosophers had Sects agreeable to different Complexions The Epicure fitted eyther the Sanguine or Phlegmaticke the Stoicke and Cynicke the Cholericke and Melancolicke So much in all men that are meerly naturall doth the Body worke on the Soule and the Soule by the same blindnesse which it suffers from the Body hath this defect that it sees not that it is blind and therefore beleeuing that it sees it calls that an opinion which is indeed but a preiudice Now the Remedie of this Disease as of others is by contraries Surely as these Complexions of the Flesh in their extremities fight with the Spirit so doth the Spirit with them and therefore the Remedie of the Flesh is the Spirit and wee shall bee safe from the extremities and superfluities of the Flesh if wee keep our selues in the vprightnesse vnpartialnesse and indifferency of the Spirit Now this shall wee performe if wee be guided by certaine rules whereof it may be truly sayd that hee that keepeth these rules keepeth his way and he that keepeth his way keepeth himselfe in the Spirit and hee that keepeth himselfe in the Spirit keepeth his Life And most true it is that they that walke by these rules peace shall bee vpon them for they are the very Israel of God The First of these is this That euery man truely iudge himselfe his Complexion and Constitution in the outward glasse of the eye and the inward glasse of the soule so to find out the exuberant abounding and reigning Complexion and that being found to bee farre from fauouring and defending it in the things of God which is the vsuall manner of flesh and bloud But rather on the contrary let him suspect and stoppe himselfe in that way to which his inclination ouer-hurries him and condemne his errour when he goes astray and hauing condemned it returne backe to his true way Surely in this we must imitate the Nauigators The Nauigators know the right Line that leades to their intended Hauen and to that Line by the Compasse they set the course of the Shippe But if contrary windes ouer-rule them turne them from this right proposed Line to any one side then they reckon how farre they haue gone on the one side and by another returne they requite it and so bring themselues againe into their right intended way Doubtlesse our Life is a Voyage our Hauen is the Citie of God the Line of our course is Sanctification and the Spirit is our Compasse This Spirit pointeth vs our way and our Soules must resolue to run in that way But it so falls out that the tempests of the Flesh of Complexion of exorbitant Constitution carries vs aside what remaynes but that wee find out this Errour and finding it allow a returne as long and as large as our wandring But farre be from vs that foolish and dangerous Custome of those blind Soules who being hood wincked by Humour and Complexion doe make their Humors and Complexions the Guids of their Soules and not their Soules guided by the Spirit the Guide of their Humours Yea they thinke that Humor is the Spirit and so they erre by authority and are therefore farre more incurable This is to make the winde the Guide of the Shippe and not the Compasse and surely such men shal be sure neuer to come to their pretended Hauen For the end of the Flesh is Death and the fruit of the Spirit onely is Life Neyther is it hard for each man to finde out the superfluities of his flesh and to correct them if hee follow the Second Rule which is this Man must not compare himselfe with himselfe nor measure himselfe by himselfe for euery man is as tall as his own measure and he cannot thereby finde out his shortnesse or tallnesse But Man must seeke out for his patternes both the words and persons of men truly sanctified or rather the words and deeds of the Spirit speaking and liuing in them euen such whose vnpartiall vprightnesse hath wholly giuen them vp from the Flesh to the Spirit The chiefest is Christ himselfe whose vpright temper rectified and guided by an vnmeasured Spirit setleth him in a perpetuall equilibriousnesse apt vpon occasion to the effects of any Complexion yet vnapt without to be led by any of them Next to Christ are his Apostles And among them most conspicuous and most knowne in S. Paul In him shall yee see the reasonable vse of each Complexion while he chideth the Galathians and Corinthians while he reioyceth for the Romanes while he expresseth a feruent loue to Timothy and many other Saints yea to his owne Nation wishing with his owne perill that they might bee saued while he speakes weeping of those whose end is Damnation and being still one and the same man he is full of anger when Elimas resisted him and full of patience when the Iewes afflicted him And euen at this day are there paternes
8.14 c. I will summe all vp in the words of Saint Peter 1.1.1 We are elect by God the Father through the sanctification of the Spirit and the sprinkling of the bloud of Iesus Christ. But this thou wilt say thou doubtest not but confessest that the Trinitie by Christs humanity saueth vs but thou sayst that this Saluation is imparted to vs by the Ministery and the defect of the Preacher may stop the benefit of the hearer I confesse indeed if his defect be in preaching then there is an abatement of the benefit of hearing but if his preaching be sound and sufficient Gods Word soundly vttered by him is able to saue vs without the Preachers Goodnesse or Sanctification The Preacher is Vehiculum verbi verbum is vehiculum Christi Christus est fons vitae The Preacher brings the Word and the Word brings Christ and Christ brings Saluation If now the heart of man doe but open that the King of Glorie may enter in saluation is come into his house And surely if the spirit within open when the Word without knockes or Christ in the Word there is an entrance of Life eternall So is it brought to this narrow poynt That when the Spirit meets the Word in the heart and opens to it Christ enters in the Word and there is but this left to say That the Spirit hath so tyed himselfe to the goodnesse of the Minister that he will not open the heart of the hearer except he heare a holy Teacher But this is a fearfull saying and worthie of detestation This is to tye the free Spirit of God vnto Man whose libertie Christ hath taught saying The Spirit bloweth where it listeth This were to make the Spirit to stand in need of his owne graces and to bee beholding to the grace of the speaker to giue grace to the hearer This were to bring Christians not to receiue their saluation from the fulnesse of Christ but partly from the fulnesse of the Minister Then it might be truly sayd that Paul were something and Apollo something whereas St Paul sayth they were nothing but God onely that gaue the increase Then might we be baptized into the name of Paul for from whom wee receiue the grace of Baptisme in his Name may wee receiue Baptisme This were to ouerthrow St Pauls Assertion and to breake his golden chayne in pieces who sayth that Faith commeth by hearing and hearing by preaching for by this noueltie hearing doth not saue vs except the Preacher bee also saued so where Paul tyeth Faith to hearing these haue vntyed Faith from hearing except the Preachers goodnesse tye it vp againe But what did our Sauiour Christ meane to cause his Disciples to heare the Scribes and Pharises in Moses chayre whom he termed Hypocrites and on whom he heaped his woes Either Christ commanded them to doe that which was vnprofitable or these men vainly condemne that which Christ commanded And Paul reioyceth that Christ was preched by enuious and persecuting Preachers and I hope persecutors are not likely to be sanctified Surely it is the beauty of Christ Iesus that rauisheth a soule touched and warmed by the Spirit It is not essentiall to the moouing of Loue that the Painter himselfe be handsome so his picture bee euident and liuely and the comlinesse of the person represented admirable If the Painter be vnlike his owne picture the beauty of the picture disgraceth his vglinesse but remaynes louely it selfe Who is there that if he were condemned to death as wee are all naturally to death eternall but would gladly receiue a pardon from the king by the hands of a condemned man Surely the eye of a man touched by the Spirit doth looke more stedily on the happinesse of the message then the miserie of the Messenger For God sends sometimes a message of happinesse by a Messenger that is miserable as hee sent blessings to Israel by the mouth of cursed Balaam This is true though it bee obiected that vnsanctified men are not called and not being called are not sent For Iudas a worse then Balaam had the calling of an Apostle was ordayned to preach and to cast out deuils Mark 3.14 and obtayned part of the Ministerie Act. 1.17 God giueth not his gifts in vaine but they are for the edification of the Church So is the gift of Prophecie 1. Cor. 14.4 Eph. 4.12 yet many that haue this gift of edification shall be commanded to a So it seemes the promise of shining like the stars for conuersion of soules Dan. 12.3 hath an implicite condition of godlinesse which hath the promises of this life and that to come 1. Tim 4.8 depart for want of Sanctification Though they loose the priuate benefit of the gift of God yet God will not loose the fruit of his owne gift which hee gaue for the publike Wherfore let not the Preacher looke into the soule of his Hearer to find his saluation in his Hearers conuersion for hee shall not find it there but in his owne Soule if there he find Sanctification Neither let the Hearer looke into the soule of the Preacher in his Sanctification to finde his owne Saluation for hee shall not find it there but in his owne Soule if therein he can find Faith and Holinesse Surely the dayes of persecution had not this wantonnesse of Hearing but they reioyced as the Spouse in the Canticles by any meanes to heare newes of him whom their Soule loued But whereto doth all this tend To giue encouragement to a wicked Ministery God forbid I wish verily that all the gatherers of Saints were Saints and that those who expresse a scandalous b Tit. 1.7 S. Gregor de past cura lib. 1.2 Hooker lib. 5. see 81. contrariety to Sanctification were remoued if incorrigible For no doubt though such may quicken some by their doctrine yet they kill others by their example and a man-killer is not fit to be a Minister whose very Trade is Saluation Besides though a Ministers goodnesse giue not the esse of Saluation yet no doubt it giues the melius esse For a Minister that liues well is a double Preacher hee preacheth both by words and workes so he preacheth with a witnesse and his life is a witnessing or Martyrdome of his doctrine But the good Preacher and euill Liuer is but a single Preacher yea he labors by his Life to confute his Doctrine Now where the Spirit speaketh twice by Illumination and Sanctification he is more heard then where he speaketh but once Surely the liues of Saints and especially of Ministers are the liuely bookes of the Ignorant and in them should they reade the Characters of Vertue and Holinesse But my purpose is this First that God alone may haue the glory of our Saluation and that with the Virgin our spirits may reioyce in God our Sauiour It is the singer of the Spirit issuing from Christ Iesus that giues life to the Letter and brings the aduantage of the New Couenant
aboue the Old by writing Gods Word in our hearts which the old Law could not performe Secondly I desire that the Ministers would turne away the eyes of the people from their goodnesse as the cause of their Saluation saying with the Apostles Why gaze ye on vs as if we by our owne power or vertu had made you whole The God of Abraham Isaac and Iacob hath glorified his Sonne Christ Iesus and his power not our goodnes doth giue this perfect soundnesse Thirdly I desire that Hearers would not refuse Christ Iesus liuely offered and described vnto them though they know not the holinesse of the Preacher Let not any turne the Church into a Iudgement seat and censure their Ministers Life while they should heare his Doctrine This is to bee Iudges and not Hearers I wonder what such Hearers would doe if they had beene in Israel when Salomon preached after his many scandalous sinnes which made his Sanctification doubtfull to many But let the same Salomon aduise thee Bee not rash with thy mouth but bee more neere to heare then to offer the sacrifice of fooles Say with Samuel Speake Lord for thy seruant heareth and not Heare Lord for thy seruant speaketh and what speakes hee damnation of the Preacher Let vs rather looke on our own miseries and defects then on the Ministers and then we shall haue more mind to seeke our own cure from the Word then to examine whether hee bee sicke that would cure vs. Let vs not doubt but if the seed be good and the ground bee good it will bring forth much fruit whatsoeuer becom of the Sower CHAP. XII Spirituall Wickednesse in high places and the Remedie of it IT hath beene a great cause of the miserie of the Church in generall and of the members of the same Church in particular that spirituall exaltations haue begotten carnall gloriations and that the Flesh hath lifted it selfe vp by the increases of the Spirit as the Froth mounts by the flowing of the Water And how can it chuse but draw Misery when it procures an Almightie Wrath which Wrath is attended with an equall Vengeance And if any would doubt how it should procure so terrible a Wrath let him but behold the mis-shapen vglinesse and absurd inconsequence of this Sinne and it cannot but anger his eyes and much more the pure eyes of a most holy God who cannot abide to sowe good seed and to reape Tares to plant the noblest Vines and to gather the sowrest grapes But first let vs consider this sin how it growes and then how vgly it is when it is growne This Sin comes to his growth thus When God out of the riches of his Grace powreth on man the gifts of his Spirit by which he riseth vnto a spirituall excellence and perchance thereby to some outward dignitie then the Flesh mounts vp straight to mannage and enioy the fruits and issues of the Spirit So what hath beene gotten by the Spirit hath beene eaten and digested by the Flesh and so Grace haue beene brought to nourish her whom she should chiefly haue slayne This is the infirmitie of wretched Mankind Sinne is so fast wouen into our Flesh and among sinnes especially Pride that the Flesh most vnsensibly will bee proud when her Foe the Spirit prospers though indeed the prosperitie of the Spirit by the kindly operation of it should bee the destruction of the flesh Occidat modo imperet sayth the Flesh I will aduenture my life so there may bee that excellence by which I may aduance my Pride And as this is strong in the Roote so it hath beene generall in the Fruit it hath spred his effects from the Cedar of Lebanon to the Hisfop on the wal frō him that ascends aboue the clouds and will be like vnto the most High to the lowly shrub that growes in the humble Vale. For this very Sinne hath puft vp the Man of sinne vnto his monstrous hugenesse that he is growne to hee the king of the children of Pride and this infirmitie indangered the most humble St Paul who gloried in distresses so that hee had need of buffetting In the one the Hornes of the Lambe defend and maintaine the mouth of the Dragon and in the other the transcendence and abundance of Reuelations which were aboue the vtterance of Man might haue lifted vp his conceit to haue thought himselfe to bee more then a man And as I can hardly thinke any prouder then the king of Pride so I can scarse thinke any humbler then St Paul and therefore I thinke all men haue a degree of this Corruption and that more or lesse as they approch i◠likenesse to the pride of the man of sin or as they com neer to the humilitie of blessed St Paul And let not men altogether look vpward or outward to find this sinne either aboue or without them but let them looke into themselues and they may find as much Geometricall Pride in themselues as they doe Arithmeticall Pride in others as much Pride proportionably to their Low places and Graces as others haue to their Higher gifts and Dignities Yea it was not true only in the Time of Diogenes but it is true now also That sometimes a greater Pride below goes about to pull downe a lesser Pride aboue Yet I must needs confesse that a little Pride aboue is in this more offensiue because more conspicuous and there an example of Pride doth most harme where a patterne of Humility would haue done most good But now let vs goe aside to behold the vglinesse of it and perchance the very sight of it may serue for a Remedie What is more monstrous then that which is most vnreasonable and what is more vnreasonable then on Christ to build Antichrist on the Spirit to graffe the Flesh and vpon Grace to mount the corruption of Nature What agreement hath a carnall tumour with Spirituall excellence what interest hath Corruption in Sanctity the Old Man in the New Wherefore let the house of Israel bee the Flesh and the house of Dauid the Spirit and then Israel may truly say What portion haue wee in DAVID and what inheritance in the Sonne of ISHAI Neyther let any thinke that the height of the Flesh can be any grace or preseruatiue to the eminences and dignities of the Spirit For Pride cannot procure safety or prosperity since it drawes the resistance of God and the hatred of men But there is a Spirituall vigour and authoritie which agrees both with humilitie and eminence and this keepes men in a true state of minde free from that Pride which makes a man the enemie of God and free from that basenesse which makes a man the scorne of men For wee may not thinke of an humilitie which is opposite to the dignitie of the Spirit yee true Nobilitie of the Soule nor to dispensatiue vigor for vertues are not contrary but on that which is contrarie to a carnall Tumour a needlesse swelling a weed of the Flesh. And