clieat, cozen, oppress ; and what mean they ? Oh, it is to get an estate to main- tain their pride. Otliers fawn and flatter, lie, dissemble, and for what? to help pride up some mount of honour. Again, it maketh use of that which is good ; it can work with God's own tools, his ordinances, by which the Holy Spirit advanced his kingdom of grace in the hearts of his saints. These often are prostituted to pride. A man may be very zealous in prayer, and painstaking in preaching, and all the while pi'ide is the master whom he serves, though in God's livery. It can take sanctuary in the holiest actions, and hide itself under the skirt of virtue itself. Thus, while a man is exercising his charity, pride may be the idol in secret for which he lavished out his gold so freely. It is hard starving this sin ; there is nothing almost but it can live on ; nothing so base that a proud heart will not be lifted up with, and nothing so sacred but it will profane — even dare to drink in the bowls of the sanctuary ; nay, rather than starve, it will feed on the carcases of other sins ; Difficile valde vitiatur peccatiim, quod ex victoria vitionim naseitur. This minion pride will stir up the soul to resist, yea, in a manner kill some sins, that she may boastingly show the head of them, and blow the creature up with the conceit of himself above others ; as the Pharisee, who through pride boasted that he was not as the Publican ; so that pride, if not looked to, will have to do everywhere, and hath a large sphere it moves in. Nothing, indeed, without Divine assistance, the creature hath or doth, but will soon become a prey to this devourer ; but I am not to handle it in its latitude. Pride is either conversant about carnal objects, as pride of beauty, strength, riches, and such like ; or about spiritual : the latter we shall speak a little to. I confess for the former, possibly a saint may be caught in them ; no sin to be slighted, yet not so commonly, for ordinarily pride is of those perfections which are suitable, if not proper to the state and calling we are in : thus the musician is proud of the skill he hath in his art, by which he excels others of his rank. The scholar, though he can play perhaps as well, yet is not proud of that, but looks on it as beneath him ; no, he is proud of his learn- ing and choice notions ; and so of othei-s. Now the life of a Christian, as a Christian, is superior to the life of man as a man ; and therefore doth not value himself by these which are beneath him, but in higher and more raised perfec- tions, which suit a Christian's calling. As a natiu'al man is proiwl of perfections suitable to his natural estate, as honour, beauty ; so the Christian is prone chiefly to be puffed up with perfections suitable to his life ; I shall name three : pride of gifts, pride of grace, pride of privileges ; these are the things which Satan chiefly labours to entangle him in.
Section I. — First, Pride of gifts. By gifts I mean those supernatural abilities, with which the Spirit of God doth enrich and endow the minds of men, for edification of the body of Christ ; of which gifts the apostle tells us there is great diversity, and all from the same Spirit, 1 Cor. xii. 4. There is not greater variety of colours and qualities in plants and flowers, with which the earth like a carpet of needlework is variegated for the delight and service of man, than there is of gifts in the minds of men, natm-al and spiritual, to render them useful to one another, both in civil societies and Christian fellowship. The Christian, as well as man, is intended to be a sociable creature ; and for the better managing of this spiritual commonwealth among Christians, God doth wisely and graciously provide and impart gifts suitable to the place every one stands in to his brethren, as the vessels are larger or less in the body natural, according to their j)lace therein. Now Satan labours what he can to taint these gifts, and fly-blow them with pride in the Christian, that so he may spoil the Christian's trade and commerce, which is nuitually maintained by the gifts and graces of one another. Pride of gifts hinders the Christian's trade, at least his thriving by their commerce, two ways.
First, Pride of gifts is the cause why we do so little good with them to others. ,
Secondly, Why we receive so little good from the gifts of others.
First, Pride of gifts hinders the doing of good by Ihem to others, and that upon a threefold account.
First, Pride diverts a man from aiming at that end ; so far as pride prevails, the man prays, preaches, &c., rather to be thought good by others ; rather to
AGAINST SPIRITUAL WICKEDNESS. 137