A proud cardinal, in Luther's time, said, Lideed, a reformation is needful, and to be desired, but that Luther, a rascally friar, should be the man should do it, is intolerable.^ Pride is like certain flies, called cantharides, who light especially upon the fairest wheat and the most blown roses. ^
Though Licinius, who was joined with Galerius in the empire, was so ignorant that he could not write his own name, yet as Eusebius re- j)orts, he called the liberal arts a public poison.*
This age is full of such monsters that envy every light that outshines their own, and that throw dirt upon the graces and excellencies of others, that themselves may only shine. Pride is notable both at subtraction and at multiplication. A proud heart always prizes himself above the market ; he reckons his own pence for pounds, and others' pounds for pence ; he looks upon his own counters as gold, and upon others' gold as counters. All pearls are counterfeit but what he wears.
' iv ixiyu Kai it -roXyu : & little and a great way. The ancient church had her diptychs, or public tables, wherein the persona most noted for piety were recorded. Plato called Aristotle the intelligent reader, and Aristotle set up an altar in honour of Plato.
* Attributed to Cardinal Cajetan. Cf. Sibbes, vol. vii. p. 404 —Ci.
* Caesar Borgias, emulating and imitating Julius C'fcsnr, did use to say, Aut Ccesar, out niillvg ; but not long after ho was slain iu the kingdom of Navarro.
* As before : see Index, sub novdne. — (j.
EpH. III. 8.J RICHES OF CHRIST. 23
[15.] The fifteenth property of an humble soul ,is, he will rather hear wrongs than revenge wrongs offered. The humble soul knows that vengeance is the Lord's, and that he will repay, &c., Ps. xciv. 1 . The humble soul loves not to take the sword in his own hand, Eom. xii. 19 ; he knows the day is a-coming, wherein the Lord will give his enemies two blows for one, and here he rests. An humble soul, when wrongs are offered, is like a man with a sword in one hand and a salve in the other; could wound but will heal :' Ps. xxxv. 11-lG, 'False wit- nesses did rise up : they laid to my charge things that I knew not. They rewarded me evil for good, to the spoiling of my souL But as for me, when they were sick, my clothing was sackcloth : I humbled my soul with fasting ; and my prayer returned into my own bosom. I be- haved myself as though he had been my friend or brother : I bowed down heavily, as one that mourneth for his mother,' &c. The Scripture abounds in instances of this nature.
Dionysius having not very well used Plato at the court, when he was gone, fearing lest he should write against him, he sent after him to bid him not to write against him. Says he, ' Tell Dionysius that I have not so much leisure as to think of him.' So humble wronged souls are not at leisure to think of the wrongs and injuries that others do them.^
Mr Foxe, that wrote the Book of Martyrs, would be sure to do him a kindness that had done him an injury : so that it used to be a pro- verb, ' If a man would have Mr Foxe do him a kindness, let him do him an injury.' An humble soul is often in looking over the wrongs and injuries that he has done to God, and the sweet and tender carriage of God towards him notwithstanding those wrongs and injuries ; and this wins him, and works him to be more willing and ready to bear wrongs, and forgive wrongs, than to revenge any offered wrongs.
[l(j.] The sixteenth property of an humble soul is this, An humble soul, though he be of never so rare abilities, yet he tvill not disdain to be taught what he knoivs not, by the meanest ijersons, Isa. xi. 6. A child shall lead the humble soul in the way that is good ; he cares not how mean and contemptible the person is, if a guide or an instructor to him.
Apollos, ' an eloquent man, and mighty in the Scripture,' a master in Israel, and yet sits by an Aquila, a tent-maker, and Priscilla his wife, to be instructed by them. Acts xviii. 24-26.^ Sometimes the poorest and the meanest Christian may, for counsel and comfort, be a god to an- other, as Moses was to Aaron. As an humble soul knows that the stars have their situation in heaven, though sometimes he sees them by their reflection in a puddle, in the bottom of a well, or in a stinking ditch ; so he knows that godly souls, though never so poor, low, and contempt- ible, as to the things of this world, are fixed in heaven, in the region above ; and therefore their poverty and meanness is no bar to hinder liim from learnmg of them, Eph. ii. 6.
1 I may truly say of the humble soul what Tully said of CaDsar, Nihil oUivisci soles, nisi injtirias, that he forgot nothing but injuries. Augustus Caesar, in whose time Christ was born, bid Catullus, the railing poet, to supper, to shew that he had forgiven him. [Uather Julius Caesar : Suetonius, Jul. 73. — G.]
■ Cf. Tyzetzes, Chil. v. 182-185.— G.
* Vide Beza on the words. [Annol., as before. — G.]
24 THE UNSEARCHABLE [EPH. III. 8.
Tlioiigh John was poor in the world, yet many humble souls did not disdain, but rejoice in his ministry. Christ lived poor and died poor, Mat. viii. 20. As he was born in another man's house, so he was buried in another man's tomb. Austin observes, when Christ died he made no will ; he had no crown-lands, only his coat was left, and that the sol- diers parted among them ; and j^et those that were meek and lowly in heart counted it their heaven, their happiness, to be taught and instructed by him.'