[2.] I shall show you how hard a matter it is to draw men off from
220 A TREATISE OF SELF-DENIAL. [BoOK I.
dependence upon their own wisdom. It is natural to us all, but especiall}' it is incident to young christians, who are hugely given to dog- matise, because their notions, being hasty and fervorous, are accompanied •with more confidence, though with less reason. They are peevish and obstinate in their sense, and none so humorously conceited of what ihey hold as they. It is incident also to men of great parts. Simple inen that are not able to raise doubts and objections are more credu- lous— ' The simple believeth every word ; ' but these, that have sucli iin high claim and title to the exercise of reason, are wont to scoff at matters of faith, to lose the reverence and respects of religion, at least ^ire not so soon won to close with the simplicity of the gospel. But I say it is naturally incident to us all, and truly, hardly cured, for several reasons. Partly, because the evil is so close and s])iritual. Christians <lo not easily fall to open idolatry, to worship a stock and a stone, but Ihey easily idolise their own miderstanding, and so their respects to iQod are intercepted, or but coldly rendered. We are not so sensible xtf the defects and weakness in the understanding as we are of dis- tempers in the will. Distempers of the will are always cum luctd, ■accompanied with some combat and strife, by which they are exposed to the view and notice of conscience ; but the distempers of the under- standing are more silent, and when we are convinced of them, they .seem more pardonable, because they do not work such disturbance as other sins do ; it is a secret and sly evil. And partly, because a natural -wit befriends carnal desires. There is a league and a conspiracy between the soul and the spirit, between the understanding and the carnal desires : Heb. iv. 12, ' The word of God is quick and powerful, .jmd sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing even to the dividing asunder of the soul and the spiiit ; ' it can dissolve the cui\sed league nnd conspiracy between a carnal understanding and a carnal heart. It is an easy matter to deceive him that will be deceived. We love our understanding, for there bad counsel hath more credit than the best and most sacred suggestions of the Holy Ghost. Our wit is fore- ■Ktalled by affection, so that we are willingly directed by the dictates of our own hearts, and it is troublesome to us so much as to suspect them. j\nd partly through pride. Natural wit is very confident. It is no •easy tiling for a man to pluck the eyes out of his own head, and to i;ive his hand to another to lead him which way he pleaseth. Man is loath to have the leading part of his soul to be debased. By our understandings we are distinguished from the beasts, and therefore we cannot endure to cease from resting in our own understanding and |)arts. Tliat man is extremely proud of his understanding, appears by (WO sensible experiences or observations.
(1.) We rather would be accounted wicked than w^eak ; sooner own a wickedness in morals than a weakness in intellectuals. In wickedness there seems to be somewhat of bravery and choice ; we all afiect the repute of wisdom : Job xi. 12, 'Vain man would be accounted wise, though he be born as the wild ass's colt.' Though man be foolish and gross of conceit, yet he would fain be accounted wise : Gen. iii. 5, * Ye shall be as gods, knowing good and evil.' Ever since the fall we catch at knowledge. The pharisees were mighty angry with our isaviour when he char2:ed them with blindness : John ix. 40, ' Are we
Book I.] a treatise of self-denial. 221
blind also ? ' Will you say we are ignorant that are the great rabbis, and doctors of the people ?
(2.) Another observation is, that errors are more touchy than vices. Men do with greater patience bear with declamations against sin than convictions of error, which may arise partly from this, because erroneou.s persons usually take up their errors out of interest, and men caunoJ^ endure the voice of a hated truth. But chiefly, and the most universal reason, is our natural pride ; men are conceited of the sufficiency of their understanding, and so become impatient when they are convinced of their mistake.
[3.] The signs whereby leaning to our own understanding is dis- covered.
(1.) When men are puffed up with a conceit of their knowledge, it is a sign they lean upon it. Why ? For esteem and admiration is au inseparable evidence of trust. Therefore the scriptures that do dis- suade us from leaning upon our own understanding, dissuade us also from being wise in our own eyes, or conceit : Kom. xii. 6, ' Be not wise iii thy own conceit ; ' and Prov. iii. 7, ' Be not wise in thy own eyes ; fear the Lord, and depart from evil.' These two always go together, self- conceit and self-dependence : 1 Cor. viii. 2, '' Knowledge puffeth up ; "' and, ' If any man thinks he knows anything, he knows nothing as hc' ought to know.' Our ignorance is never cured till we come to heaven, and it is a good progress in grace to be sensible of it. When men think they are above ordinances, they know as much as men can teach them v for substance, tliey know nothing. It is a sign they have never waded- into the depth of the scripture. Menedemus was wont to say of thenis that went to Athens to study the first year, he thought they were wise men ; the second year, philosophers ; the third year, oi-ators that could talk of wisdom ; the next year that they were plebeians, that they understood nothing but their own ignorance. Usually thus it is in growtii in scriptural knowledge. Young christians are very opinion- ated, but when they look into the breadth of the commandment, then they see their own ignorance — that ' they know nothing.' This is the reason why the children of God have such a low opinion of their understandings. A man would wonder at their expressions : Prov. xxx.. 2. 3, ' Surely I am more brutish than any man, I have not the under- standing of a man ; I neither learned wisdom, nor have the knowledge of the holy.' The more he saw, the more he was acquainted with his ignorance ; so that he durst not attribute any wisdom to himself. None are so sensible of their ignorance as those that abound iiS' knowledge. Look, as when the sun appears, the light of the candle seemeth nothing ; so when God comes and enlightens their mind, oh^. what a brutish creature was I ! But now, self-admiring argues grea^ confidence.