8. Some humble men are naturally of a warm and earnest manner of discourse; and their natural heat and eagerness of speech is frequently misjudged to come from pride, till fuller acquaintance with their humble lives do rectify the mistake.[200] It is written of Bishop Hooper the martyr, that "those that visited him once, condemned him of over-austerity; they that repaired to him twice, only suspected him of the same; those that conversed with him constantly, not only acquitted him of all morosity, but commended him for sweetness of manners: so that his ill nature consisted in other men's little acquaintance with him." Tho. Fuller's Church Hist. lib. 7, p. 402, and Godwin in Glocest. Bishops. The same is true of very many worthy men.[201]
9. If we zealously contend for the faith or the peace of the church against heretical or dividing persons, and their dangerous ways, they will call us proud, though God command it us; Jude 3, especially if we "avoid them, and bid them not God speed," Tit. iii. 10; 2 John 10.
10. When a man of understanding openeth the ignorance of another, and speaketh words of pity concerning him, though it be no more than truth and charity command, they will be taken to be the words of supercilious pride.
11. That plain dealing in reproof which God commandeth, especially to his ministers, towards high and low, great and small, and which the prophets and servants of God have used, will be misjudged as arrogancy and pride, Amos vii. 12, 13; 2 Chron. xxv. 16; Acts xxiii. 4. As if it were pride to be true to God, and to pity souls, and seek to save them, and tell them in time of that which conscience will more closely and terribly tell them of, when it is too late.
12. Self-idolizing papists accuse their inferiors for pride, if they do but modestly exercise a judgment of discretion about the matters that their salvation is concerned in, and do not implicitly believe as they believe, and forbear to prove or try their sayings, and swallow not all without any chewing, and offer to object the commands of God against any unlawful commands of men.[202] As if God were contented to suspend his laws, whenever man's commands do contradict them; or humility required us to please and obey men at the price of the loss of our salvation.[203] They think that we should not busy ourselves to inquire into such matters, but trust them with our souls, and that the Scriptures are not for the laity to read, but they must wholly rely upon the clergy: and if a layman inquire into their doctrines or commands, they say as David's brother to him, 1 Sam. xvii. 28, "With whom hast thou left the sheep in the wilderness? I know thy pride, and the naughtiness of thy heart."
13. If a zealous, humble preacher of the gospel, that preacheth not himself but Christ, be highly esteemed and honoured for his work's sake, 1 Thess. v. 12, 13, and crowded after, and greatly followed by those that are edified by him, it is ordinary for the envious, and the enemies of godliness, to say that he is proud, and preacheth to draw disciples after him, and to be admired by men; for they judge of the hearts of others by their own: as if they knew not that Christ and his most excellent servants have been crowded after without being thereby lifted up, or chargeable with pride. As the sun is not accusable for being beheld and admired by all the world; nor fire and water, earth and air, food and rest, for being valued by all. Little do they know how deep a sense of their own unworthiness is renewed in the hearts of the most applauded preachers, by the occasion of men's estimation and applause, and how much they desire that none may overvalue them, and turn their eye from the doctrine upon the person: and how oft they cry out with the laborious apostle, "Who is sufficient for these things?" And how oft they are tempted to cast off all through fear and sense of their unfitness, when the envious dullards fearlessly utter a dry discourse, and think that they are wronged because they are not commended and followed as much as others. They think the common sense of all the faithful, and the love of truth, and care of their salvation, must be called pride, because it carrieth men to prefer the means which is fitted best to their edification and salvation.
14. If an humble christian have, after much temptation and a holy life, attained to well-grounded persuasions of his salvation, and be thankful to God for sanctifying him, and numbering him with his little flock, when the world lieth in wickedness, he will be taken for proud by ungodly men, that cannot endure to hear beforehand of the difference which the judgment of God will declare between the righteous and the wicked: as if it were pride to be happy or to be thankful.