161 that the most learned know, in comparison of that which yet they are ignorant of? And to know that things are past your reach, and to know how ignorant you are, one would think should be no great cause of pride! However, do not the devils know more than you? And will you be proud of that which the devils do excel you in? Yea, to some I may say, as Salvian, lib. 4. de Gubern. p. 98. "Quid tibi blandiris, O homo quisquis es, Credulitate, quæ sine timore atque obsequio Dei nulla est? aliquid plus Dæmones habent. Tu enim unam rem habes tantummodo; illi duas. Tu credulitatem habes; non habes timorem: illi et credulitatem habent pariter et timorem." Our very business is to teach the great lesson of self-denial and humility to our people, and how unfit is it then that we should be proud ourselves! We must study humility, and preach humility, and must we not possess and practise it? A proud preacher of humility, is

at least a self-condemning man.

What a sad case is it, that so vile a sin is no more easily discerned by us! But But many that are most proud, can blame it in others, and take no notice of it in themselves. The world takes notice of some among us that they have aspiring minds, and seek for the highest rooms, and must be Rulers, and bear the sway wherever they come, or else there is no standing before them. No man must contradict them that will not partake of the fruits of their indignation. In any consultations, they come not to search after truth, but to dictate to others that perhaps are fit to teach them. In a word, they have such arrogant, domineering spirits, that the world rings of it; and yet they will not see it in themselves.

Brethren, I desire to deal closely with my own heart and yours. I beseech you consider, whether it will save us to speak well of the grace that we are without; or to speak against the sin that we live in? Have not many of us cause to inquire once and again, whether sincerity can consist with such a measure of pride? When we are telling the drunkard that he cannot be saved unless he become temperate; and the fornicator, that he cannot be saved unless he become chaste (an undoubted truth): have we not as great reason if we are proud, to say of ourselves, that we cannot be saved unless we become humble? Certainly, pride is a greater sin

than whoredom, or drunkenness; and humility is as necessary as chastity and sobriety. Truly, brethren, a man may as certainly, and more slily and dangerously make haste to hell in a way of profession, and earnest preaching of the Gospel, and seeming zeal for a holy life, as in a way of drunkenness and filthiness; for what is true holiness but a devotedness to God, and a living to him? And what is a wicked and damnable state, but a devotedness to our carnal selves, and a living to ourselves? And doth any man live more to himself, or less to God, than the proud? And may not pride make a preacher study for himself, and pray, and preach, and live for himself, even when he seemeth to outgo others in the work, if he therefore outgo them, that he may have the glory of it from men? It is not the work without the principle and end that will prove us upright: the work may be God's, and yet we do it, not for God, but for ourselves. I confess I feel such continual danger in this point, that if I do not watch against it, lest I should study for myself, and preach for myself, and write for myself, rather than for Christ, I should soon miscarry; and after all, I justify not myself, when I must condemn the sin. Consider, I beseech you, brethren, what baits there are in the work of the Ministry, to entice a man to be selfish; that is, to be carnal and impious, even in the highest work of piety! The fame of a godly man is as great a snare as the fame of a learned man: and woe to him that takes up with the fame of godliness instead of godliness. Verily I say unto you, they have their reward. When the times were all for learning and empty formalities, then the temptation of the proud did lie that way; but now through the unspeakable mercy of God, the most lively, practical preaching is in credit, and godliness itself is in credit: and now the temptation to proud men is here, even to pretend to be zealous preachers and godly men. O what a fine thing doth it seem to have the people crowd to hear us, and to be affected with what we say, and that we command their judgments and affections! What a taking thing is it to be cried up as the ablest and godliest man in the country! And to be famed through the land for the highest spiritual excellencies. Alas, brethren, a little grace will serve turn to make you to join yourselves with the forwardest of those men, that have these induce

163 ments or encouragements. To have the people plead for you as their felicity, and call you the pillars of the church of God; and their fathers, the chariots and horsemen of Israel, and no lower language than excellent men, and able divines, and to have them depend upon you, and be ruled by you; though this may be no more than their duty; yet I must again tell you, that a little grace may serve to make you seem zealous men for this. Nay, pride may do it without any special grace. O therefore be jealous of yourselves, and in all your studies, be sure to study humility. "He that exalteth himself shall be brought low, and he that humbleth himself shall be exalted." I observe commonly, that almost all men good and bad do loathe the proud, and love the humble: so far doth pride contradict itself, unless it be where it purposely hideth itself, and, as conscious of its own deformity, doth borrow the homely dress of humility. And we have cause to be the more jealous, because it is the most radicated vice, and as hardly as any extirpated from the soul. "Nam sæpe sibi de se mens ipsa mentitur, et fingit se de bono opere amare quod non amat: de mundi autem gloria, non amare quod amat ;" inquit Gregor. M. de cura Pastor. p. 1. c. 9. When it was a disgrace to a man to be a godly, zealous preacher, then had not pride such a bait as now. As the same Gregory saith, ibid. p. 21. c. 8. "Eo tempore quo quisquis plebibus præerat primus ad Martyris tormenta ducebatur; Tunc laudabile fuit Episcopatum quærere, quando per hunc quemque dubium non erat ad supplicia majora pervenire.'

But it is not so now, as he saith in another place, Cap. 1. initio, "Sed quia authore Deo ad Religionis reverentiam omne jam præsentis seculi culmen inclinatur, sunt nonnulli qui intra sanctam Ecclesiam per speciem regiminis gloriam affectant honoris; Videri Doctores appetunt, transcendere cæteros concupiscunt, atque attestante veritate, primas salutationes in foro, primos recubitus in cœnis, primas cathedras in conventibus quærunt, qui susceptum curæ Pastoralis officium ministrare digne tanto magis nequeunt, quanto ad hujus humilitatis magisterium ex sola elatione pervenerunt; ipsa quippe in Magisterio lingua confunditur, quando aliud discitur, et aliud docetur." Hactenus Gregorius, et ipse' nimis magnus.

But I have stood longer upon this sin than is proportion

able to the rest of my work; I shall be the shorter in the confession of some of the rest.

2. Another sin of the Ministers of England, and much more of many other Churches, are sadly guilty of, is undervaluing the unity and peace of the whole Church. Though I scarcely ever met with any that will not speak for unity and peace, or at least, that will expressly speak against it; yet is it not common to meet with those that are addicted to promote it; but too commonly do we find men averse to it, and jealous of it, if not themselves the instruments of division. The Papists have so long abused the name of the Catholic Church, that in opposition to them, many do either put it out of their creeds, or only fill up room with the name, while they understand not, or consider not the nature of the thing; or think it enough to believe that there is such a body, though they behave not themselves as sensible members of it. If the Papists will idolize the Church, shall we therefore deny it, disregard it, or divide? It is a great and common sin through the Christian world, to take up Religion in a way of faction; and instead of a love and tender care of the Universal Church, to confine that love and respect to a party. Not but that we must prefer in our estimation and communion the purer parts before the impure, and refuse to participate with any in their sins; but the most infirm and diseased part should be compassionated and assisted to the utmost of our power; and communion must be held as far as is lawful, and no where avoided but upon the urgency of necessity. As we must love those of our neighbourhood that have the plague or leprosy, and afford them all the relief we can, and acknowledge all our just relations to them, and communicate to them, though we may not have local communion with them: and in other diseases which are not so infectious, we may be the more with them for their help, by how much the more they need it. Of the multitude that say, they are of the Catholic Church, it is too rare to meet with men of a Catholic spirit; men have not a universal consideration of, and respect to the whole church; but look upon their own party as if it were the whole. If there be some called Lutherans, some Calvinists, some, among these, of subordinate divisions, and so of other parties among us, most of them will pray hard for the prosperity of their party, and rejoice and give thanks

accordingly, when it goes well with them; but if any party suffer, they little regard it, as if it were no loss at all to the church. If it be the smallest parcel that possesseth not many nations, no, nor cities on earth, they are ready to carry it, as if they were the whole church, and as if it went well with the church in the Romish pale, and no doubt but this is an abominable schism: but, alas, how many do imitate them too far while we reprove them! And as they foist the word Roman into their creed, and turn the Catholic Church into the Roman Catholic Church: as if there were no other Catholics, and the Church were of no larger extent; so it is with many others, as to their several parties. Some will have it to be the Lutheran Catholic Church, as if it were all reformed, some the Anabaptist Catholic Church, and so of some others. And if they differ not among themselves, they are little troubled at differing from others, though it be from almost all the Christian world. The peace of their party, they take for the peace of the Church: no wonder therefore if they carry it no further.

How rare is it to meet with a man that smarteth or bleedeth with the Church's wounds, or sensibly taketh them to heart as his own; or that ever had solicitous thoughts of a cure? No, but almost every party thinks that the happiness of the rest consisteth only in turning to them; and because they be not of their mind, they cry, Down with them;' and are glad to hear of their fall, as thinking that is the way to the Church's rising; that is, their own. How few are there that understand the true state of Controversies between the several parties; or that ever well discerned how many of them are but verbal, and how many are real! And if those that understand it do, in order to right information and accommodation, disclose it to others, it is taken as an extenuation of their error, and a carnal compliance with them in their sin. Few men grow zealous of peace, till they grow old, or have much experience of men's spirits and principles, and see better the true state of the Church, and several differences, than they did before. And then they begin to write their Irenicons, and many such are extant at this day. Pareus, Junius, and many more, have done their parts; as our Davenant, Morton, Hall, whose excellent treatise called The Peace-maker, and his Pax Terris, deserve to be transcribed upon all our hearts, Hattonus, Amyraldus