§. IX. But perfonal pride ends not in nobility of blood; it leads folks to a fond value of their perfons, be they noble or ignoble; efpecially if they have any pretence to fhape or beauty. It is admirable to fee, how much it is poffible for fome to be taken with themfelves, as if nothing else deserved their regard, or the good opinion of others. It would abate their folly, if they could find in their hearts to fpare but half the time to think of God, and their latter end, which they most prodigally spend in washing, perfuming, painting, patching, attiring and dreffing. In these things they are precise, and very artificial; and for cost they spare not. But that which aggravates the evil is, the pride of one might comfortably fupply the need of ten. Grofs impiety that it is, that a nation's pride should not be spared to a nation's poor!' But what is this for at laft? only to be admired, to have reverence, draw love, and command the eyes and affections of beholders. And fo fantastick are they in it, as hardly to be pleased too. Nothing is good, or fine, or fashionable enough for them: the fun itself, the bleffing of heaven and comfort of the earth, muft not fhine upon them, left it tan them; nor the wind blow, for fear it fhould diforder them. O impious nicety! yet while they value themselves above all elfe, they make themfelves the vaffals of their own pride: worshipping their fhape, feature, or complexion, which foever is their excellency. The end of all which is, but too often, to excite unlawful love, which I call luft, and draw one another into as miferable as evil circumftances. In fingle perfons it is of ill confequence; for if it does not awaken unchafte defires, it lays no foundation for folid and lafting union want of which helps to make fo many unhappy marriages in the world: but in married people, the fin is aggravated; for they have none of right to please, but one another; and to affect the gaiety and vanity of youth, is an ill fign of loving and living well at home: it looks rather like dreffing for a market. It has fad effects in families; difcontents, partings, duels, poifonings, and other infamous murders. No age can

14

better

better tell us the fad effects of this fort of pride, than this we live in; as, how exceffive wanton, fo how fatal it has been to the fobriety, virtue, peace, and health of families in this kingdom.

§. X. But I must needs fay, that of all creatures this fort of pride does least become the old and homely, if I may call the ill-favoured and deformed fo; for the old are proud only of what they had; which fhews to their reproach, their pride has out-lived their beauty, and when they should be a repenting, they are making work for repentance. But the homely are yet worse, they are proud of what they never had, nor ever can have. Nay, their perfons feem as if they were given for a perpetual humiliation to their minds; and to be proud of them, is loving pride for pride's fake, and to be proud without a temptation to be proud. And yet in my whole life I have obferved nothing more doating on itself: a strange infatuation and inchantment of pride! what! not to fee right with their eyes, because of the partiality of their minds? This felf-love is blind indeed. But to add expence to the vanity, and to be coftly upon that which cannot be mended, one would think they fhould be downright mad; efpecially if they confider that they look the homelier for the things that are thought handfome, and do but thereby draw their deformity more into notice, by that which does fo little become them.

But in fuch perfons follies we have a fpecimen of man; what a creature he is in his lapfe from his primitive image. All this (as Jefus faid of fin of old) comes from within'; that is, the difregard that man and woman have to the Word of their Creator in their hearts, which fhews pride, and teaches humility and self-abasement, and directs the mind to the true object of honour and worship; and that with an awe and reverence fuitable to his fovereignty and majesty. Poor mortals! but living dirt; made of what they tread on; who, with all their pride, cannot fecure themselves from the spoil of fick

Mat. xv. 11, 18, 19, 20.

nefs,

nefs, much lefs from the ftroke of death.

O! did

people confider the inconftancy of all visible things, the cross and adverfe occurrences of man's life, the certainty of his departure, and eternal judgment, it is to be hoped, they would bring their deeds to Chrift's light in their hearts, and they would fee if they were wrought in God or no, as the beloved difciple tells us from his dear Master's mouth'. Art thou fhapely, comely, beautiful; the exact draught of an human creature? admire that power that made thee fo. Live an harmonious life to the curious make and frame of thy creation; and let the beauty of thy body teach thee to beautify thy mind with holiness, the ornament of the beloved of God. Art thou homely or deformed? magnify that goodness which did not make thee a beaft; and with the grace that is given unto thee, (for it has appeared unto all) learn to adorn thy foul with enduring beauty. Remember, the king of heaven's daughter, the church, (of which true Chriftians are members) is all glorious within: and if thy foul excel, thy body will only fet off the luftre of thy mind. Nothing is homely in God's fight but fin; and that man and woman, that commune with their own hearts, and fin not; who in the light of holy Jefus, watch over the movings and inclinations of their own fouls, and that suppress every evil in its conception, they love the yoke and cross of Christ, and are daily by it crucified to the world, but live to God in that life which outlives the fading fatiffactions of it.

CHAP. XII.

§. 1. The character of a proud man: a glutton upon himfelf. Is proud of his pedigree. §. 2. He is infolent and quarrelfome, but cowardly, yet cruel. §. 3. An ill child, fubject and fervant. §. 4. Unhofpitable. §. 5. No friend to any. §. 6. Dangerous and miff John iii. 20, 21.

Deut. xxx. 14. Rom. x. 8.

chievous

chievous in power. §. 7. Of all things pride bad in minifters. §. 8. They claim prerogative above all others. §. 9. And call themselves the clergy: their lordliness and avarice. §. 10. Death fwallows all. §. 11. The way to escape these evils.

T%

§. I. O conclude this great head of pride, let us briefly fee upon the whole matter, what is the character of a proud man in himself, and in divers relations and capacities. A proud man then is a kind of glutton upon himself; for he is never fatisfied with loving and admiring himself; whilft nothing else with him is worthy either of love or care: if good enough to be the fervant of his will, it is as much as he can find in his heart to allow; as if he had been only made for himself, or rather that he had made himself. For as he despises man, because he cannot abide an equal, fo he does not love God, because he would not have a fuperior: he cannot bear to owe his being to another, left he should thereby acknowledge one above himself. He is one that is mighty big with the honour of his ancestors, but not of the virtue that brought them to it; much less will he trouble himself to imitate them. He can tell you of his pedigree, his antiquity, what eftate, what matches; but forgets that they are gone, and that he muft die too.

For

§. II. But how troublefome a companion is proud man! ever pofitive and controuling; and if you yield not, infolent and quarrelfome: yet at the upshot of the matter, cowardly: but if ftrongeft, cruel. He has no bowels of adverfity, as if it were below him to be senfible: he feels no more of other mens miferies, than if he was not a man, or it was a fin to be fenfible. not feeling himself interested, he looks no farther: he will not difquiet his thoughts with other mens infelicities it fhall content him to believe they are juft: and he had rather churlifhly upbraid them as the caufe, than be ready to commiferate or relieve them. So that compaffion and charity are with him as ufelefs, as humility and meeknefs are hateful,

§. III. A

§. III. A proud man makes an ill child, fervant, and fubject: he contemns his parents, mafter, and prince: he will not be fubject. He thinks himself too wife, or too old, to be directed; as if it were a flavish thing to obey; and that none were free, that may not do what they please; which turns duty out of doors, and degrades authority. On the other hand, if it be an hufband, or father, or master, there is scarcely any enduring. He is fo infufferably curious and tefty, that it is an affliction to live with him: for hardly can any hand carry it even enough to please him. Some peccadillo 'about his cloaths, his diet, his lodging, or attendance, quite disorders him: but efpecially if he fancies any want in the state and respect he looks for. Thus pride defstroys the nature of relations: on the one fide, it learns to contemn duty; and on the other fide, it turns love into fear, and makes the wife a fervant, and the children and fervants, flaves.

§. IV. But the proud man makes an ill neighbour too; for he is an enemy to hofpitality: he defpifes to receive kindness, because he would not fhew any, nor be thought to need it. Besides, it looks too equal and familiar for his haughty humour. Emulation and detraction are his element; for he is jealous of attributing any praise to others, where juft, left that fhould cloud and leffen him, to whom it never could be due: he is the man that, fears what he fhould wifh, to wit, that others fhould do well. But that is not all; he maliciously mifcalls their acts of virtue, which his corruptions will not let him imitate, that they may get no credit by them. If he wants any occafion of doing mischief, he can make one; either, they ufe him ill, or have fome design upon him; the other day they paid him not the cap and knee; the distance and refpect he thinks his quality, parts, or merits do require. A fmall thing ferves a proud man to pick a quarrel; of all creatures. the most jealous, fullen, fpiteful, and revengeful: he can no more forgive an injury, than forbear to do one. S. V. Nor is all; a proud man can never be a end to any be For befides that his ambition may

always