Third, Art thou humble under the assistance and strength God hath given thee ? pride stops the conduit. If the heart begins to swell, it is time for God to hold his hand, and turn the cock; for all that is poured on such a soul, rims over into self-applauding, and so is as water spilt in regard of any good it doth the creature, or any glory it bi-ings to God. A proud heart and a lofty mountain are never fruitful. Now, beside the common ways that pride discovers itself, as by undervaluing others, and overvaluing itself, and such like, you shall observe two other symptoms of it. First, It ajjpears in bold adventures, when a person runs into the mouth of temptation, bearing himself on the con- fidence of his grace received. This was Peter's sin, by which he was drawn to engage further than became an humble faith, running into the devil's quarters, and so became his prisoner for awhile. The good man, when in his right temper, had thoughts low enough of himself; as when he asked his Master, ' Is it I V But he that feared at one time, lest he might be the traitor, at another cannot think so ill of himself, as to suspect he shoidd be the denier of his Master. What he ? No, though all the rest forsake him, yet he would stand to his colours. Is this thy case, Christian ? Possibly God hath given thee much of his mind, thou art skilful in the word of life, and therefore thou darest venture to breathe in corrupt air, as if only the weak spirits of less knowing Christians exposed them to be infected with the contagion of en-or and heresy. Thou hast a large portion of grace, or at least thou thinkest so, and venturest to go where an humble-minded Christian would fear his heels should slip under him. Truly now thou temptest God to suffer thy locks to be cut, when thou art so bold to lay thy head in the lap of a temptation. Secondly, Pride appears in the neglect of those means, whereby the saints' graces and comforts are to be fed when strongest. May be. Christian, when thou art under fears and doubts, then God hath thy company, thou art oft with thy pitcher at his door ; but when thou hast got any measure of peace, there goes presently some strangeness between God and thee ; thy pitcher walks not as it waSi wont to these wells of salvation. No wonder if thou (though rich in grace and comfoi-t) goest behind-hand, seeing thou spendest on the old stock, and di'ivest no trade at present to bring in more : or if thou dost not thus neglect duty, yet may be thou dost not perform it with that humility which formerly beautified the same ; then thou prayedst in the sense of thy weakness to get ■ strength, now thou prayest to shew thy strength, that others may admire thee. And if once (like Hezekiah) we call in spectators to see our treasure and applaud us for our gifts and comfort, then it is high time for God, if he indeed love us, to send some messengers to carry these away from us, which carry our hearts from him.
Fourthly, If thy heart doth not smite thee from what hath been said, but thou hast sincerely waited on God, and yet hast not received the strength thou desirest, yet let it be thy resolution to live and die waiting on him. God doth not tell us his time of coming, and it were boldness to set one of our own heads. Go, saith Christ to his disciples, Luke xxiv. 49, ' Stay ye in Jerusalem, until ye be endued with power from on high.' Thus he saith to thee ; stay at Jeru- salem, wait on him in the means he hath appointed, till thou art endued with further power to mortify thy corruptions, &c. And for thy comfort know,
First, Thy thus persevering to wait on God, will be an evidence of strong grace in thee : the less encouragement thou hast to duty, the more thy faith and obedience to bear thee up in duty. He that can trade when times are so dead, that all his ware lies upon his hand, and yet draws not in his hand, but rather trades more and more, sure his stock is great. What, no comfort in hearing, no ease to thy spirit in praying, and yet more greedy to hear, and more frequent in prayer ? O sold, great is thy faith and patience !
2. Assure thyself, when thou art at the greatest ])inch, strength shall come : ' Tliey that wait on the Lord shall renew their strength :* when the last ' hand- ful of meal was dressing,' then is the prophet sent to keep the widow's house ; when temptation is strong, thy little strength even spent, and thou ready to
Og PUT ON THE WHOLE ARMOUR OF GOD.