and -wantonness : Prov. vii. 10, ' There met the young man a woman in the attire of an harlot.' The Hebrew word signifies a habit or or- nament finely set- and fitted to the body ; and saith the text, * She was subtle of heart,' or trussed up about the breasts, with her upper parts naked ; so Levi-Ben-Gersom reads the words, ' She met him with her naked breasts,' at this day too commonly used by such as would not be held harlots. Oh what a horrid shame and reproach is it to religion, the ways of God, and the people of God, that professors should go so ! One saith ' that superfluous apparel is worse than whoredom, because whoredom only corrupts chastity, but this corrupts nature.' Another saith, ' If women adorn themselves so as to provoke men to lust after them, though no ill follow upon it, yet those women shall suffer eternal damnation, because they offered poison to others, though none should drink of it.''
[2] Persons sin in their apparel whenas they exceed their degree and rank in costly apparel, which is that which is condemned by the apostle, 1 Tim. ii. 9, 1 Pet. iii. 3. The apostle doth not simply condemn the weariusf of gold, but he condemns it in those that q;o above their degree and rank. The words are rather an admonition than a pro- hibition.
[8.] It is sinful when it is so expensive as that it hinders works of mercy and charity. Oh how many proud souls be there in these days that lay so much upon their backs, that they can spare nothing to fill the poor's bellies. ' Silk doth quench the fire of the kitchen,' saith the French proverb. The meaning is, that it doth hinder works of charity and mercy. Surely those that put on such costly ornaments upon their backs as close up the hand of charity, will at last share with Dives in his misery.
[4.] When persons habit themselves in strange and foreign fashions, which is the sin, shame, and reproach of many among us in these days. Now that is strange apparel which is not peculiar to the nations where men live. The Lord threatens to punish such, Zeph. i. 8, that are clothed with strange apparel. There are too many women and men in our days that are like the Egyptian temples, very gypsies, painted with- out and spotted within; varnish without and vermin within.
Mercury being to make a garment for the moon, as one saith, could never fit her, but either the garment would be too big or too little, by reason she was always increasing or decreasing. May not this be ap- plied to the vain curiosity of too too many professors in these days, whose curiosity about their clothes can never be satisfied ?
I shall conclude this head with this counsel : Clothe yourselves with the silk of piety, with the satin of sanctity, and with the purple of mo- desty, and God hmiself will be a suitor to you. Let not the ornaments upon your backs speak out the vanity of your hearts.
Fourthly, Sometimes pride shews itself by the gesture and carriage of the body. Isa. iii. IG, The daughters of Sion 'were haughty, and walked with stretched out necks and wanton eyes, walking and mincing as they go, making a tinkling witii their feet.' Oh earth ! earth ! dost thou not groan to bear such monsters as these?
' These and even more vehement rebukes will be found in Thomas Hull's ' Loathe- Bomeucsa of Long Hair,' &o. 1654. — (i.
EpH. III. 8.] RICHES OF CHRIST. 45
Fifthly, And sometimes pride shews itself in contemptuous challenges of God ; as Pharoah, ' Who is the God of the Hebrews, that I should obey him V
Sixthly, Sometimes pride shews itself by bragging promises, ' I will arise, I will pursue, I will overtake, I will divide the spoil, and ray lusts shall be sati-sfied,' Exod. xv. 9.
[4.] The fourth proposition that I shall lay down is this :
PHde is a sin that of all sins makes a man or woman most like to Satan.
Pride is morbus Satanicus, Satan's disease. Pride is so base a dis- ease, that God had rather see his dearest children to be buffeted by Satan, than that in pride they should be like to Satan. When Paul, 2 Cor. xii. 7, under the abundance of revelations, Avas in danger of being puffed up, the Lord, rather than he would have him proud like to Satan, suffers him to be buffeted by Satan. Humility makes a man like to angels, and pride makes an angel a devil. Pride is worse than the devil, for the devil cannot hurt thee till pride hath posses.sed thee. If thou would see the devil limned to the life, look upon a proud soul ; for as face answers to face, so doth a proud soul answer to Satan. Proud souls are Satan's apes, and none imitate him to the life like these. And oh that they were sensible of it, before it be too late, before the door of darkness be shut upon them !
[5.] A tiftli proposition is this :
Pncle cannot climb so high, hut justice will sit above her.
One asked a philosopher what God was a-doing ? He answered. That his whole work was to exalt the humble and pull down the proud. It was pride that turned angels into devils ; they would be above others in heaven, and therefore God cast them down to hell. Pride, saith Hugo, was born in heaven, but forgetting by what way she fell from thence, she could never find the way thither again. The first man would know as God, and the Babel-builders would dwell as God, but justice set above them all. This truth you see verified in the justice of God upon Pharaoh, Haman, Herod, Belshazzar, and Nebuchadnezzar ; all these would be very high, but justice takes the right hand of them all, and brings them down to the dust. Yea, pride cannot climb so high in the hearts of saints, but divine justice will be above it. Uzziah his heart was lifted up, 2 Chron. xxvi. 16, but justice smites him with a leprosy, and so he died, out of grief and sorrow, saith Josephus.' David glories in his own gi-eatness, 2 Sam. xxiv. 1, seq., and for this seventy thou.sand fall by the hand of justice. Hezekiah's heart was lifted up, but wrath was upon him, and upon all Judah and Jerusalem for it, 2 Chron. xxxii. 25, seq. Pride sets itself against the honour, being, and sovereignty of God, and therefore justice will in spite of all sit above her. Other sins strike at the word of God, the people of God, and the creatures of God, but pride strikes directly at the very being of God, and therefore justice will be above her.
Nebuchadnezzar was proud, and God smites his reason, and turns him
into a beast. Oh ! how many young professors are there in our days,
who have been proud of their notions, and proud of their parts and gifts,
and justice hath so smitten them, that they have lost that life, that
' Antiq., ix. lO, sec- 4. — G.
46 THE UNSEARCHABLE [EPH. III. 8.