themselves It seems to be a Sickness and Squeamishness of Soul much like unto that of the Stomach which ariseth from a disorderly Diet whereby it is come to pass that it naâ—seateth every thing but only that which is most hurtful and serveth only to feed the distemper Or as men in some diseases long for many things but relish nothing that 's offer'd them taste greedily but spit it out again with a loathing Some men having disordered their heads by poring into some of the profoundest Doctrines which are too deep for them and having confounded their Brains with at least to them unintelligible Notions are come at last to think every plainest thing mysterious and dispute like Skepticks about it Some have so baffled themselves with wandring through a Wood of Opinions that they can find no way out again but presently flie out of every Path that they enter into tho for no other reason but a phant'sie only that it may not be the right Some have been so nicely educated and taught to be so curious that they dare hardly taste of any thing that another hath made ready for them for fear of poyson or at least fluttishness every Ceremony is to some Antichristian and Idolatry and to others a very Idol and Christ himself shall rather want his Worship then it shall be indured by some or not be worshipped too by others All this is far from the healthful temper of the sound and serious Christian who whilst he can have the Daily Bread of his Soul which may feed him to Eternal Life sits down contentedly with the rest of the Family feeds heartily and gives God thanks asking no question for Conscience sake either who first invented the fashion of the Dishes or to what uses they have been sometimes put all his care is to see it be the Food his Father hath provided for him and that all things are observed about it that he hath commanded and for other things he leaves them to their ordering to whose care the Government of the Family is intrusted In others again this seems to come from an angry and waspish nature Some mens Souls seem to be all Fire or else as Tinder the least spark presently sets them all on fire They cannot hear so much as a word with any Patience or Calmness that sounds not just as they would have it and it is all one to anger them and not in every little thing to humour them And be sure of this that an angry man stirreth up strife Prov. 29. 22. A wrathful man stirreth up strife but he that is slow to anger appeaseth strife Prov. 15. 18. And as Coals are to burning Coals so is a contentions man to kindle strife Prov. 26. 21. How far this is from the Meek and Lamblike temper of a good Christian I need not now stay to shew In another sort of men this may spring from a preconceived prejudice against the persons of men and then as he that hath been taught before hand to have an ill opinion of his Physician is apt to disgust every thing that he prescribeth without so much as once examining what it is or how likely to conduce unto his health and by this means often deprives himself of the readiest means of cure by a most unreasonable jealousie of being poysoned so when men are once possessed with a prejudice against the persons of others especially of their Teachers and Governors they grow jealous of their instructions and commands and dispute where they should learn or obey and quarrel with their duty not because they think it is not so but because they know by whom it is injoyn'd and imagine they can never enough oppose what comes from those whom they have learn'd to suspect or hate Others are it may be not well pleased with their Lot and Station in the Church and cannot be pleased with any thing whilst they are displeased with that but will think themselves concern'd to dispute against every thing that comes from such as are advanced above them Envy is a very restless and quarrelsome thing and in whatever Breast it once gets entertainment that man shall never want an evil tongue if he have not wit enough to dispute he shall never want Malice enough to rail or slander Strife can never be a stranger to the Envious they are often Companions and go hand in hand in Scripture as Rom. 13. 13 c. We must not here pass by without any Notice that which is called the Root of all Evil the love of Money Where the love of this World is there is not the love of the Father and then be sure there will be too little love among the Brethren What a Multitude of Strifes and Contentions hence daily grow up in the World every one seeking who shall get most of it no man can be ignorant And as little can it be doubted that this is the cause too of some disturbance in the Church Where shall a man hope to find a Church that is Sanctuary enough against Covetousness and where Covetousness finds room it will be no news to see Altar set up against Altar If every Party in Religion have a Craft of its own to get Wealth by every Party will cry up its own Diana and no Diana shall want an Army to fight for her It hath sometimes been accounted a piece of good policy to reconcile the Factions to the Government of the Church by giving them a share in it And where this is practiced the Covetous will sure have so much policy too as rather to be Factious then to be poor There is no danger of disturbance from the moderate and peaceable let him therefore dwell poor in a corner feasting by himself on a good Conscience 't is pity to prejudice his expectation of a greater reward in Heaven by giving him preferment here on earth But the importunate man is troublesome and must be preferred lest he weary us and the turbulent and seditious man is dangerous and must be bribed to be quiet And shall we now think the worldling a fool to be either modest or peaceable when he fears to be poor by being so Again Contention keeps up a Party and a Party keeps and maintains us If we stir it not the fire will go out the Zeal and Charity of the Faction will cool together we have over-heated our opposites and made the Church too hot for us and if we keep not our friends warm they will not keep us from starving Thus 't is well if whilst God and Religion is the word and fairly writ in the Banner Mammon be not set up in the heart and the Battels that are fought be not all his Lastly I shall name but one thing more and that is Pride And perhaps it might have been enough to have named this one for all seeing we are told Prov. 13. 10. that only by Pride cometh Contention Whilst one will brook no superiour and another no equal what 's become
of Peace One is angry because he thinks his Merit above his Fortune and another as angry because he thinks anothers Fortune above his Merits One is vexed to think his own Glory eclipsed by anothers shining too bright and another is in a Fume that any man should dare to take notice of his Spots One strives to keep himself up at the hight and thinks he grows lower as he sees any other grow higher and they must all either be kept so much below him as to look like almost nothing or he can hardly think himself any thing Another thinks himself hot advanced at all so long as he sees but one step more by which he may ascend and will never leave justling 'till he get up to the highest It is a fine thing to march in the Head of a Party and if this honour may not be bad yet is it something to follow such a Leader especially in braving Authority to its Face and it is no little glory to be thought wiser then the most and especially then our Teachers and Governors or to be thought sufficient to set up for our selves And it is an odious thing to be told of our Errors and Faults and more odious yet to tell our selves and our followers of them to call our selves Fools and confess we have befooled others And if we contend not to uphold what we have done we shall seem to destroy what we have built or to suffer tamely that to be built which we have destroy'd and how intolerable a thing is this to a proud Spirit He that is of a proud heart stirreth up strife Prov. 28. 25. But cast out the scorner and contention shall go out yea strife and reproach shall cease Prov. 22. 10. From whichsoever of these roots strife ariseth or whatever else it may be that gives being to it be sure we may it is very evil 2. In the next place to shew how altogether inconsistent this contentious humour is with the right Gospel temper a very few words may suffice The peaceable State of the Gospel was in the Prophets foretold in such expressions as these They shall beat their Swords into Plough-shares and their Spears into Pruning Hooks Isai. 2. 4. The Woolf also shall dwell with the Lamb and the Leopard shall lie down with the Kid and the Calf and the young Lyon and the Fatling together and a little Child shall lead them They shall not hurt nor destroy in my holy Mountain Isai. 11. 6. 9. Accordingly we meet with nothing in the Gospel of Christ but the sweet breathings of Love and Peace At the first revealing of our Blessed Saviours Nativity those Heralds of Heaven the Holy Angels are sent down into the World to proclaim Glory to God in the Highest on Earth Peace good Will towards men Luk. 2. 14. He that then was born into the World was the Prince of Peace the work he had to do was to make Peace and Reconciliation his Commands were Peace and Love his blessing was to the Peace-maker and his Legacy at his death was Peace He came to reconcile us unto God and he came also to reconcile us one unto another and to make of twain one new man Eph. 2. 15. He himself was the great Exemplar of Love and Mercy of Condescention and Meekness of whom it was said by the Prophet Isaiah He shall not strive nor cry neither shall any man hear his voice in the streets A bruised Reed shall he not break and smoaking Flax shall he not quench Mat. 12. 19. He lived in all due obedience to the Powers and in conformity to the Customs that then were and commanded all to render unto Caesar the things that were Caesars as well as unto God the things that are Gods Mar. 12. 17. He smartly rebuked the two Sons of Thunder Iames and Iohn when they would in imitation of Elias have called down fire from Heaven on the Samaritan Village that had affronted him telling them they understood not the true Gospel Spirit Luk. 9. 55. When he was led like a Lamb before the Shearers as one that is dumb so opened he not his mouth Act. 8. 32. When he was reviled he reviled not again when he suffered he threatned not but committed himself to him that judgeth righteously 1 Pet. 2. 23. So little of contention was there to be seen in him And he hath given in charge to all that follow him that is to all Christians to deny themselves and take up his Cross and to learn of him to be meek and lowly of heart who disdained not to stoop so low as to wash the Feet of his Disciples and lower yet to converse with Publicans and Sinners Now most certain it is that if any man have not the Spirit of Christ he is none of his Rom. 8. 9. And his Spirit is the Spirit of Love and Meekness and Patience and Peace and Unity and teacheth all that have it not to hate but to love their Enemies not to curse but to bless them not to render evil for evil but to overcome evil with good Rom. 12. 21. And to pray for them that despitefully use and persecute us Matt. 5. 44. And. The Servant of God saith St. Paul must not strive but be gentle unto all men apt to teach patient in meekness instructing such as oppose themselves 2 Tim. 2. 24. And if this be spoken more especially unto the Governors and Teachers of the Church yet is it not only that they may know their own duties but that they should teach others also to walk so as they had them for an example Phil. 3. 17. And as much as in them lieth live peaceably with all men Rom. 12. 18. The Apostle ranketh strifes among the works of the Flesh which they that do shall not inherit the Kingdom of God Gal. 5. 20. They therefore that indulge this humour must lay aside not only all pretence of being Spiritual but all claim to the Kingdom of God Whereas there is among you envying and strife and divisions are ye not carnal and walk as men For while one saith I am of Paul and another I am of Apollos are ye not carnal 1 Cor. 3. 3. Where there is strife and envying there is confusion and every evil work Jam. 3. 16. And who seeth not that this is utterly inconsistent with the Gospel of Purity and Peace 3. And therefore lastly must it needs be destructive to the happiness of the Church unless any man can be so unreasonable as to think that Confusions and Heresies and Schismes can consist with its happiness which evils the Apostle joyns with strife as the effects with their cause or at least as those close Companions which are very rarely separated Gal. 5. 20. c. Sure it is that an house divided againâ—t it self cannot stand Matt. 12. 25. The strength of the Church which is the house of God lieth in the Unity of Faith and Love Strife is the very cutting asunder of that Bond
as great as can be Here exercise all our wrath and revenge Let us be very bitter against it have no pity on it resolve never on any terms to be reconciled unto it or be satisfied with any thing less then its death Let us strive to subdue it and mortifie it in our selves and to correct it as we have opportunity in others It is a much better work this than making sins of those things which are none of indifferent things or casting aspersions of Sin upon others for those very things whereby they labour all they can to shun all appearance of it in obeying their Superiors 7. Lastly let us strive who shall outgo others in love and meekness and tenderness of affection long-suffering and forbearing one another in love Eph. 4. 2. Putting always the best and most favourable construction upon all one anothers words and actions and exercising all our severity upon our selves our sinful flesh and lusts Seeking how we may become all things to all men that we may by all means gain some 1 Cor. 9. 20. Not to a Party or Faction of our own but to Christ. Let this suffice to have been said of the former of these two things which we are to remove out of the way in order to the introducing of Peace and Unity 2. The second thing which we are to remove and put far from us is Vain-glory. And till this be put away strife will abide the Vain-glorious man will ever be contending thinking it the likeliest way to be taken notice of for somebody This indeed is more usually the Vice of Teachers then of Learners Yet is there no rank of men which is not troubled with some spice of it In speaking whereof we must shew 1. What it is 2. Why to be avoided 3. How to be cast out 1. This Vain-glory is a Disease of Mind whereby a man swells himself up to what bigness he can in the sight of the World Either he hath a very high conceit of his own Excellencies and Perfections and is concerned that they are not as much taken notice of by others as they are admired by himself and that all the World should not be as proud and fond of him as he is of himself or else it may be he is conscious enough of his own emptiness and would make up what he wants of real worth at home by the Estimation of others Praise is the thing he thirsts for and so he can get it he cares not much what there is in him to deserve it So he may but have a Name and Reputation of Wife and Learned and Pious and other ways gifted and qualified above others and as few are and be pointed at by the Vulgar as he goeth for a few-such he is well enough pleased with himself whatever he be in truth he can fall out with himself for nothing but his obscurity and too little care to make himself known abroad or rather to deceive all men into a good opinion of him by seeming something that he is not And therefore all his Studies and Endeavours are bent upon this one thing how to be known and yet unknown to have his person had in esteem and admiration and his real worth unknown lest the knowledge thereof should abate any thing of that reputation and fame which he so insatiably thirsteth after So he may be had in honour and advanced to some hight he is well enough content what tho the Statue be but of common Wood or Stone and have nothing in it of the life of vertue or any thing else that 's good yet it stands in a publick place and is finely painted and guilt and all that pass by look upon it and call it a fine thing and fools admire it and that 's enough This is the thing in short 2. Now why we must avoid this Vice of Vain-glory we shall see cause enough if we may but be brought to see 1. How odious it is to men 2. How dishonourable to God 3. How contrary to the Gospel-spirit 4. How destructive to our endeavours and hopes and 5. What a Plague it is to the Church and the Peace thereof 1. It is certainly odious to men of what sort or complexion soever they be It is a thing which no man can indure in any man but himself and for which more then for any one thing beside good men are apt to fall out with themselves The proud man tho he can freely indulge himself in it yet can least of any man see it with any patience in another nor can he look upon him as any better then as a covetous man doth upon a Thief or Robber because all praise and honour he accounts his own due and thinks whoever gets it robbeth him of what is his He therefore is sure to condemn it in all men if for no other reason yet for this that it stands as Alexander did betwixt the Sun and the Proud Cynick too much in his light and will not let him look so shiningly as he would do And the humble hates it because he is humble and hates every thing that is sinful So that all the Vain-glorious man can get by his foolish ambition is only that which above all things he abhorreth and most studiously endeavoureth to prevent that is when ever he is discovered to be despised of all But this is little 2. Vain-glory is a thing most odious to God How should any man think otherwise that knoweth what God is and what is due to him from his Creature All Honour and Glory and Praise because all Goodness is so are his and only his and hence the Vain-glorious man is the most sacrilegious man in the World and a greater Robber of God then they that rob him of Tithes and Offerings taking to himself the honour and glory due unto God's name whereof he hath declared himself to be very jealous The Vain-glorious man may be called an Idolater without a figure making an Idol of himself and desirous that all the World should worship him This we are plainly told and that 's enough God resisteth the Proud but giveth grace to the humble 1 Pet. 5. 5. 3. How contrary Vain-glory is to the Spirit of the Gospel is so visible as nothing can be more Our holy Iesus hath more particularly commended his own example to our imitation herein Learn of me saith he for I am meek and lowly of heart Matt. 11. 29. He sought not his own glory but the glory of him that sent him Joh. 8. 50. 7. 18. He took especial care to prick this Bladder in his Disciples as soon as he espied it beginning to rise in any of them as in the Sons of Zebedee Matt. 20. 25 26. Self-denial was one of the principal Lessons he taught them and he hath left it upon record for our instruction that one great reason why no more believed on him and became true Christians was this that they received honour one of another and sought not
and think himself with the Apostle the chief of Sinners 3. We will yet go farther and suppose that other mens Vices and failings may be much more visible to us then our own and their apparent vertues by much fewer then our own yet the humble man when he comes to lay the one against the other is always ready to cast in all the advantage and make all the allowances to others that can be imagined He can partly know and as far as he can know them he is sure to take into consideration all the numerous aggravations of his own sins and is very apt sometimes to lay on too much weight even till he press down his Soul almost into despair But as he knows he cannot see into all the aggravations of another mans sins being unable to see into the heart so doth Charity restrain him alway from making any narrow search into them And hence it is that though other mens sins may be as visible to him as his own so far as they lie open and obvious to the view of all men yet shall his own be made always to out-weigh theirs in the aggravating circumstances which others cannot see And again on the other hand the humble man considereth all the opportunities advantages and incouragements himself hath had to be vertuous and then all the good he doth how much soever others value it and see great cause to bless God and love him for it shall yet seem little and even nothing to himself compared with what he thinks both might and ought to have been done by him And as much doth his Charity prompt him to excuse the little he seeth done by others by a supposition of the want in them of all those helps which he hath had Thus therefore is he always saying to himself What tho my Neighbours faults seem more than mine What tho the good that he hath done seem much below what I have done His knowledge it may be is much less then mine his opportunities of learning much fewer then I have had his natural faculties which is not his fault may be much weaker he wanted it may be the wise Instructors and faithful Monitors which I have never lacked he met with many and strong temptations and lay under many difficulties which I have been in good measure free from Were I under such Circumstances I should it may be sin much more then he and do less good then he and were he in my Circumstances had he the same means and motives and opportunities of doing vertuously and lay under the same restraints from sin it is probable he would do and live much better than I have done Thus the humble man is very apt to blame himself but any thing rather then his Brother Yea rather then not esteem him better then himself he will charge much of his evil upon himself and say if he be wicked it is much my fault who have not done what I ought to make him good 4. If the humble man be put to compare his own Vertues with other mens Vertues and his own Vices with other mens Vices which it is hard to bring him to he will set Vertue against Vertue and Vice against Vice so long that if it be possible by any means to bring it to pass the Scales of Vertues shall ascend and that of Vices descend on his own side And thus will he argue for his Brother against himself I excel him it may be in one thing but for ought I know he excelleth me in many I may possibly be free from some sins whereof he is guilty but it is not unlikely he is free from many more that I find my self guilty of If I be more sober yet may he be more Charitable and liberal and I by my sobriety do good to my self but he by his liberality doth good to many I may be less prodigal but he is less covetous I may be less careful for the World but he is more serviceable to the World I may pray oftener and longer but he prayeth more heartily I may be more zealous but he is less censorious I may be more chaste but he may be more peaceable I may be more active but he may be more meek and humble I may be more wise but still he is the better man 5. If he can none of these ways give his Neighbour the advantage of himself yet hath he not done nor can he have done till if possible he do it What saith he tho I see little good in him may there not be much that I cannot see He talketh not so much of Religion as I do it is his modesty he is afraid of Hypocrisy he is afraid it may become too vile by being made a common talk His Humility is too great to let him shew himself too openly he is afraid to deceive the World into too good an opinion of him or give occasion to any man to over-value him or lest by admiring his vertues they should be tempted to imitate his vices I dare not judge him as bad as he seems except I could see as far into his heart as I can into his outward behaviour Tho this be bad enough yet there may be some spark of Grace within that lying yet raked up in corruption and by an easiness of nature to comply with the customs of men and an immoderate bashfulness to resist the temptations of company or a timorousness of nature to venture on the cross and the like hinderances or for want of good means and helps is kept from acting and warming the Soul with true Devotion and Piety yet it may in due time get life and strength and shew it self And as I see not what good there is within him so neither do I see half that evil that is within my self the heart is deceitful above all things who can know it Yea every man is apt to be too favourable to himself and too severe a censurer of others and it is safest for me to judge my self and leave others to stand or fall to their own Master There is nothing I have more cause to fear then a spiritual Pride Publicanes and Sinners are justified sooner than a proud Pharisee that despiseth and croweth over them Humility stands more in the way of the sinner then of the conceited Iusticiary It will be seen at the last day who is best he or I. Now 't is enough that God knows it who will then judge righteously Be he better be he worse I am content he should take place of me in my own esteem It is my duty to set Strangers above me in mine own house I may lose something on earth by my Humility but Pride will certainly keep me out of Heaven I may safely esteem others better then my self till I can know both them and my self better then yet I do Thus will Humility teach us to strive who shall give place to the other and if the humble man can really think others better