not puffed up: That is to fay, It alloweth not people to be proud and arrogant, to be haughty and fupercilious, to have an immodeft, lofty, and over high conceit of a man's own felf; or to behave himself with contempt and fcorn towards thofe, whom he looks down upon at a distance as his inferiors.

There is hardly another vice that is more foolish, more hateful, than pride is; none that is fo like to the devil's temper; none that stands in more direct oppofition to all the laws of charity.

An humble mind ftoops to all, tho' the meanest and loweft offices; nor is there any act of love, which it is not willing to reach out a kind hand unto, tho' it be (as it was in the case of our Saviour) to the washing of one anothers feet. And the reafon is, because a truly humble man hath so modeft an opinion of himself, and fo high an esteem of others, that he is apt to reckon all good offices to be a kind of debt to them, and a very neceffary, tho' a poor tribute of honour, to the meek and lowly Jefus.

But pride fets men fo far remote from their neighbours, that to defire their friendVOL. III.

X

fhip,

ship, looks like incroachment; and for themselves to offer it, feems to them a transgreffing the rules of greatnefs. And fo, in that distance and interval between state on the one hand, and meannefs on the other, many acts of true charity are wanting, many bleffed opportunities of doing good drop to the ground, and are quite loft, and perhaps too, when the neceffities of poor wretches are most preffing.

Seldom do proud men think of God himfelf. They care not for God (faith the psalmift), neither is God in all their thoughts. They think not of him as their maker and benefactor, by whom they live; or as their lawgiver and judge, by whom they must be sentenced to eternity; at leaft they think not with that gratitude, reverence, and depth of thought, which fhould fwallow

up all their vain imaginations. And if God be not in their minds, it is no wonder if men be not there, and if they be full of nothing but themselves.

But this is not all. The cafe would be better, tho' they did no good, if they did no hurt neither. But pride is fuch an injurious and imperious vice, that where it

ruleth,

ruleth, it admits of no bound but those of its own fetting, and thofe are as uncertain as can be imagined. Pride commonly hath covetousness for its factor, to toil and drudge for its maintenance; and when thofe vices go hand in hand, nothing is fafe that is within reach, as was the cafe of Abab with regard to Naboth's vineyard. Ahab was fick at heart for it, and to recover his content, the poor man's blood was fought for too, as the speediest remedy.

Men of fuch tempers are fo bloated with an opinion of their own deferts, that they fancy themselves to have a kind of right to every thing, especially if it be judged neceffary and convenient. And how then can we hope for charity, when there is no room for justice? Fraud, rapine, and oppreffion, are the ufual defigns of an haughty mind; and it is the harder to ftop them, because proud people are ever apt to overlook their actions; think it a diminution to obey such a thing as conscience; are too big to be taken to account; too high to afk themselves, is there not iniquity in my right hand?

Indeed people who are thus puffed up, have not always power to hurt others much

in their fortunes; but then they feldom fail to oppress them in their fame; which is another thing utterly inconfiftent with that candor and goodness, which evermore attends a charitable temper.

Pride is always very cenforious; tho' many times there is no other reason for the hard character it gives, but this only, that it may have a foil to fet off it felf. The greatest innocence is often reproached, because proud people care not what others deferve, but would have us to know how fingular their own merits are; by exposing a neighbour, they hope we fhall think the better and the more highly of them; by throwing dirt upon others faces, they think their own will appear the more beautiful; like the haughty Pharifee in the gofpel, who thought to recommend himself to God, by making reflections; I am not as other men are, extortioners, unjuft, adulterers, nor even as this publican.

By this injurious and uncharitable practice, many mifchiefs befal mankind; as ftrife, railings, animofities, violence, and all manner of outrage. So that Solomon faith, Only by pride cometh contention. It

is the only natural parent of contention: There are accidental causes of it, as drunkennefs, paffion, revenge, and the like, which bring forth ftrife upon preceding heats and provocations; but pride is the only vice that hath a conftant, natural inclination that way, a principle that tends to strife, whether there be just provocations or no; the vice that loves it, and delights in it; and indeed that fignalizeth it felf chiefly by it; for, had we not reafon to beware of quarrels, and to be afraid of them, for the mifchievous nature and consequence of them, very little notice would be taken of proud people; they would be the most flighted and scorned, as now they are the moft hated creatures in the world.

Therefore that we may beget in us a right fpirit of charity, and be able duly to exprefs it, we should learn of our great lawgiver and mafter, to be very lowly in heart. We should first lay our felves low, under an awful apprehenfion of God's greatnefs, and under a juft sense of our own vileness and unworthiness, to be fure in comparison of him; of whofe perfections and glory, there is no end.