2 Chron. xi. 14. So it was pride in Nebuchadnezzar to command all men to bow before his image, Dan. iii. 15, 16. God's prerogative must not be incroached upon ; there is a superior sovereign. Partly in vexing, molesting, and oppressing them at their pleasure ; the formal Christian hateth the spiritual, Gal. iv. 29. Now this cometh from their pride : Ps. x. 2, ' The wicked in his pride doth persecute the poor;' would not have their lazy course upbraided and disgraced by the seriousness and strictness of others : they malign what they cannot imitate. And it is carried on by their pride or abuse of power. God counteth it pride : Ps. xii. 5, ' For the oppression of the poor, for the sighing of the needy ; the Lord will arise to deliver him ; and set him in safety from him that pufifeth at him.' It is the pride of the oppressor which God taketh notice of, his puffing, scoffing, and mocking at the hopes of God's despised ones ; he never dreameth of any checks from any, but despiseth and contemneth all. And partly because of the insulting over their misery and low estate : Zeph. ii. 10, ' This shall they have for their pride, because they have reproached and magnified themselves against the people of the Lord of hosts.' But God taketh notice of it, and will call them to an account in due time : Prov. iii. 34, ' He scorneth the scorners, but giveth grace unto the lowly ; ' Ps. xiv. 6, ' You have shamed the counsel of the poor, because the Lord is his refuge;' i.e., mocked at a man because he is resolved to trust in the Lord, laughed at those that made conscience of their duty, that consulted whether lawful or unlawful, not whether danger and profit, not whether safe or unsafe, but whether pleasing to God or not. They trust in the Lord that, in conscience of their duty, venture upon hazards, expecting their security from heaven ; these thoughts seemed foolish
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to worldly wisdom ; you shamed his counsel, scoff at it : Isa. li. 7, 8, * Fear ye not the reproach of men, nor their revi lings : for the moth shall eat them up like a garment, and the worm shall eat them like wool.' Those that make reckoning of the ways of God need not be discouraged with their spiteful vaunts.
Use. Let us take heed of pride. The Lord, that hated the pride of Moab, doth also hate the pride of Jacob, Amos vi. 8.
1. Take heed of wittingly and willingly opposing any command of God : Ps. cxix. 21, ' Thou hast rebuked the proud, that are cursed, which do err from thy commandments : Neh. ix. 16, ' But our fathers dealt proudly, and hardened their necks, and hearkened not to his commandments ;' so ver. 29. These proclaim a war with the Lord of hosts, especially when not reclaimed by grievous judgments : Isa. xxvi. 19, ' I will break the pride of your power.' And this is that we should lay to heart at this day : Jer. xiii. 17, ' Bnt if j'e will not hear, my soul shall weep in secret places for your pride.' When a people will not be brought to any serious consideration of God's judgments, nor abate their haughty minds, he would bewail their foolish arrogancy, and. the miseries ensuing thereupon. This standing out against God is the greatest pride.
2. Take heed of murmuring against his providence. Entertaining crosses with anger and blessings with disdain are sure notes of un- mortified pride ; when God's dispensations still displease, and the heart swelleth against his sovereignty.
[1.] To entertain crosses with anger : 2 Kings vi. 33, ' This evil is from the Lord : why should I wait any longer upon the Lord ?' Words of desperate distrust and murmuring.
[2.] Blessings with disdain : Mai. i. 2, ' I hath loved you, saith the Lord ; and they said, Wherein hast thou loved us ? ' as if God owed them more than others, and were a kind of debtor to them : Hab. ii. 4, ' Behold, his soul, which is lifted up, is not upright in him ; but the just shall live by his faith.' The lofty and unsound are dis- tinguished from the just, who can tarry God's leisure ; those men's souls are lifted up who cannot acquiesce in their lot and portion assigned by God, but censure his way of proceeding, and are loath he should have the disposing of them at his pleasure.
3. Take heed of despising any of Christ's little ones, and scorning and mocking at those that fear the Lord: Ps. cxix. 51, ' The proud have had me greatly in derision.' To make a mock of others upon any account is a sign of pride, though they be meaner in gifts, though differing in judgment, though walking in a lower dispensation ; but especially to scorn at them because more godly : 2 Tim. iii. 3, d(j)tXdya6oc, ' Despisers of those that are good.' This is to reflect upon God himself, whose image in his saints is made a byword, and a strict obedience to his will matter of scorn and derision. If a slave should mock a child because ho is like his father, would this be well taken ? So the jealous God will not long endure this horrible indignity, that his image should be scorned in his children : Isa. Ixiii. 9, ' In all reproaches he is reproached.' But they will say. It is not their holi- ness, but their demure hypocrisy and affected preciseness, which they reproach and scorn. But God seeth the heart : it is as if a leper did