§ 6. (5.) Take heed of a proud and lofty spirit. There is such an antipathy between this sin and God, that thou wilt never get thy heart near him, nor get him near thy heart, as long as this prevaileth in it. If it cast the angels out of heaven, it must needs keep thy heart from heaven. If it cast our first parents out of paradise, and separated between the Lord and us, and brought his curse on all the creatures here below; it will certainly keep our hearts from paradise, and increase the cursed separation from our God. Intercourse with God will keep men low, and that lowliness will promote their intercourse. When a man is used to be much with God, and taken up in the study of his glorious attributes, he _abhors himself in dust and ashes_; and that self-abhorrence is his best preparative to obtain admittance to God again. Therefore after a soul-humbling day, or in times of trouble, when the soul is lowest, it useth to have free access to God, and savor most of the life above. The delight of God is in _him that is poor, and of a contrite spirit, and trembleth at his word_;[322] and the delight of such a soul is in God; and where there is mutual delight, there will be freest admittance, heartiest welcome, and most frequent converse. But God is so far from dwelling in the soul that is proud, that he will not admit it to any near access; _the proud he knoweth afar off_;[323] _God resisteth the proud and giveth grace to the humble_.[324] A proud mind is high in conceit, self-esteem, and carnal aspiring; a humble mind is high, indeed, in God's esteem, and in holy aspiring. These two sorts of high-mindedness are most of all opposite to each other, as we see most wars are between princes and princes, not between a prince and a ploughman. Well then, art thou a man of worth in thine own eyes? Art thou delighted when thou hearest of thy esteem with men, and much dejected when thou hearest that they slight thee? Dost thou love those best that honor thee, and think meanly of them that do not, though they be otherwise men of godliness and honesty? Must thou have thy humors fulfilled, and thy judgment be a rule, and thy word a law to all about thee? Are thy passions kindled, if thy word or will be crossed? Art thou ready to judge humility to be sordid baseness, and knowest not how to submit to humble confession, when thou hast sinned against God; or injured thy brother? Art thou one that lookest strange at the godly poor, and art almost ashamed to be their companion? Canst thou not serve God in a low place, as well as a high? Are thy boastings restrained more by prudence or artifice than humility? Dost thou desire to have all men's eyes upon thee, and to hear them say, "_This is he?_" Art thou unacquainted with the deceitfulness and wickedness of thy heart? Art thou more ready to defend thy innocence, than accuse thyself, or confess thy fault? Canst thou hardly bear a close reproof, or digest plain dealing? If these symptoms be undeniably in thy heart, thou art a proud person. There is too much of hell abiding in thee, to have any acquaintance with heaven; thy soul is too like the Devil, to have any familiarity with God. A proud man makes himself his God, and sets up himself as his idol; how then can his affections be set on God? How can he possibly have his heart in heaven? Invention and memory may possibly furnish his tongue with humble and heavenly expressions, but in his spirit there is no more heaven than there is humility. I speak the more of it, because it is the most common and dangerous sin in morality, and most promotes the great sin of infidelity. O Christian! if thou wouldst live continually in the presence of thy Lord, lie in the dust, and he will thence take thee up. _Learn of him to be meek and lowly, and thou shalt find rest unto thy soul._[325] Otherwise thy soul will be _like the troubled sea, when it cannot rest, whose waters cast up mire and dirt_;[326] and instead of these sweet delights in God, thy pride will fill thee with perpetual disquiet. As he _that humbleth himself as a little child_, shall hereafter _be greatest in the kingdom of heaven_;[327] so shall he now be greatest in the foretastes of that kingdom. God _dwells with a contrite and humble spirit, to revive the spirit of the humble, and to revive the heart of the contrite ones_.[328] Therefore _humble yourselves in the sight of the Lord, and he shall lift you up_.[329] And _when others are cast down, then thou shalt say, there is lifting up, and he shall save the humble person_.[330]
[Footnote 322] Isaiah lxvi, 2.
[Footnote 323] Psalm cxxxviii, 6.
[Footnote 324] 1 Peter v, 5.
[Footnote 325] Matthew xi, 29.
[Footnote 326] Isaiah lvii, 20.
[Footnote 327] Matthew xviii, 4.
[Footnote 328] Isaiah lvii, 15.
[Footnote 329] James iv, 10.
[Footnote 330] Job xvii, 29.