A Christian Directory, Part 1: Christian Ethics

by Richard Baxter

(3.) Pride bringeth sufferings, and then maketh them seem intolerable. It makes the sinner more vex and gall his mind, with striving and impatient aggravating his afflictions, than the suffering of itself would ever do.

4. Pride is a deep-rooted and a self-preserving sin; and therefore harder to be killed and rooted up than other sins. It hindereth the discovery of itself. It driveth away the light. It hateth reproof. It will not give the sinner leave to see his pride when it is reproved; nor to confess it if he see it; nor to be humbled for it if he do confess it; nor to loathe himself and forsake it, though conviction and terror seem to humble him. Even while he heareth all the signs of pride, he will not see it in himself. When he feeleth his hatred of reproof, and knoweth that this is a sign of pride in others, yet he will not know it in himself. If you would go about to cure him of this or any other fault, you shall feel that you are handling a wasp or an adder; yet when he is spitting the venom of pride against the reprover, he perceiveth not that he is proud; this venom is his nature, and therefore is not felt nor troublesome. If all the town or congregation should note him as notoriously proud, yet he himself, that should best know himself, will not observe it. It is a wonder to see how this sin keepeth strength, in persons that have long taken pains for their souls, and seem to be in all other respects the most serious, mortified christians! Yet, let them but be touched in their interest or reputation, or seem to be slighted, or see another preferred before them, while they are neglected, and they boil with envy, malice, or discontent, and show you that the heart of sin, even selfishness and pride, is yet alive, unbroken, and too strong. Especially if they are not persons of a natural gentleness and mildness, but of a more passionate temper; then pride hath more oil and fuel to kindle it into these discernible flames. He is a christian indeed that hath conquered pride.

5. Pride is the defence not only of itself, but of every other sin in the heart or life. For it hateth reproof and keepeth off the remedy; it hideth, and extenuateth, and excuseth the sin, and thinketh well of that which should be hated.

6. Pride hindereth every means and duty from doing you good; and ofttimes corrupteth them, and turneth them into sin. Sometimes it keepeth men from the duty, and sometimes it keepeth them from the benefit of the duty. It makes men think that they are so whole and well as to have little need of all this physic, yea, or of their daily necessary food. They think all this is more ado than needs: what need of all this preaching, and praying, and reading, and holy conference, and meditation, and heavenly-mindedness? One is ashamed of it, and another wants it not, and another is above it, and they ask you, Where are we commanded to pray in our family, and to pray so oft, and to hear so oft, and read any book but the holy Scriptures, &c.; for they feel no obligation from general commands, (as to "pray continually," and "always," and "not wax faint," nor be "weary of well doing," to "redeem the time," and "do all to edification," and be "fervent in spirit, serving the Lord," &c. 1 Thess. v. 17; Luke xviii. 1; Gal. vi. 9; Eph. v. 16; 1 Cor. xiv. 26; Rom. xii. 11,) because they feel not that need or sweetness which should help them to perceive, that frequency is good or necessary for them. If the physician bid two men "eat often," and one of them hath a strong appetite, and the other hath none; he that is hungry will interpret the word "often," to signify thrice a day, at least, and he that hath no appetite will think that once a day is "often." Healthful men do not use to ask, How prove you that I am bound to eat twice or thrice a day? Feeling the need and benefit, they will be satisfied with an allowance without a command. They will rather ask, How prove you that I may not do it? for they feel reason in themselves to move them to it, if God restrain them not. So it is with a humble soul, about the means of his edification and salvation: it feeleth a need of preaching, and prayer, and holy spending the Lord's day, and family duties, &c. Yea, it feeleth the need and benefit of frequency in duties, and is glad of leave to draw near to God, and feels the bond of love constrain. Whereas, the proud are full and senseless, and could easily be content with little in religion, if the laws of God or man constrained them not, and will do no more than needs they must. Yea, some of late have been advanced by pride above all ordinances, that is, above obedience to God, in the use of his appointed means, but not above the need of means, nor above the plagues prepared for the proud and disobedient. Humility secureth men from many such pernicious opinions.

Direct. IV. To the conquering of pride, it is necessary that you perceive that indeed it is in yourselves, and is the radical sin, and the very poison of your hearts; and that you set yourselves watchfully to mark its motions; and make it a principal part of your religion and business of your lives to overcome it, and to walk in humility with God and man. For if you see not that it is your sin, you will let it alone, and little trouble yourselves about it. Pride liveth in men that seem religious, because they perceive it not, or think they have but some small degree, which is not dangerous. And they see it not in themselves, because they mark not its operations and appearances: the life in the root must be perceived in the branches, in the leaves, and fruit. If you saw more evil in this, than in many more disgraceful sins, and set yourselves as heartily and diligently to conquer it, as you do to cast out the sins which would make you be judged by men to be utterly ungodly, no doubt but the work would more happily go on, and you would see more excellent fruits of your labour, in the work of mortification, than most christians see.

Direct. V. Be much in humbling exercises; but so as to take heed of mistaking the nature of them, or running into extremes. I have told you the true nature of humility before. Abundance of christians are tempted by Satan to think it consisteth, much more than it doth, in passionate grief, and tears, and bodily exercises, of long and frequent fastings, and confessions, and penance, or such like: and thus Satan diverteth them from true endeavours for true humiliation, by keeping them employed all their days, in striving for tears, or in these external exercises! Whereas, you should most strive for such a sight of your sinfulness and nothingness, as will teach you highly to esteem of Christ, and to loathe yourselves, and take yourselves to be as vile and sinful as you are, and will make you humbly beg for mercy, and stoop to any means to obtain it; and will make you patient under the rebukes and chastisements of God, and under the contempts and injuries of men: this is the humility which you must labour for. But in order to this, external exercises of humiliation must be used: especially studying the holy law of God, and searching yourselves, and confession of sin, and moderate, seasonable fastings, and taming of the flesh. And indeed the exercises of humiliation do most become those that are most prone to pride: and the doctrine of those men who cry down true humiliation, doth come from pride, and is made to cherish pride in others. A humble soul cannot receive it; but is proner here to run into excess.

Direct. VI. There is no more powerful means to take down pride, than to look seriously to God, and set yourselves before his eyes, and consider how he loveth the humble, and abhorreth the proud. One sight of God by a lively faith, would make you know with whom you have to do, and teach you to abhor yourselves as vile. A glowworm is not discerned in the sunshine, though it glister in the dark. A glimpse of the majesty of God would make thee, with Isaiah, cry out, "Woe is me, for I am undone, a man of unclean lips," &c.; and, chap. vi. 5, with the Israelites, desire that Moses, and not God, might speak unto you, lest you die. Men are proud because they know not God, and look not to him, but to fellow-sinners, with whom they think they may be bold to compare themselves.

A summary of the signs of humility.

Signs of pride.

Remember also that God is as it were engaged against the proud, both in the holiness of his nature, and in honour; for a proud man sets up himself against him, and is such an idol as God will either take down by grace, or spurn into the fire of destruction. And if he do appear before God among others in days and external exercises of humiliation, you may judge how much an abhorred person will be accepted. It is not to all that are clothed in sackcloth, but to the humble soul that God hath respect; even to the self-abhorring person, who judgeth himself unworthy to come among the people of God, or to be door-keepers in his house, or to eat of the crumbs of the children's bread; that subject themselves to one another, and think no office of love and service too low for them to perform to the least believer; that in charitable meekness instruct opposers, and bear contradiction and contempt from men; that patiently suffer the injuries of enemies and friends, and heartily forgive and love them; that bear the most sharp and plain reproofs with gentleness and thanks; that think the lowest place in men's esteem, affections, and respects, the fittest for them; that are much more solicitous how they love others, than how others love them, and how they discharge their duties to others, than how others do what they ought for them; that will take up with smaller evidence to think well of the hearts or actions of others, than of their own; that reprove themselves ofter and sharplier than other men reprove them, and are readier to censure themselves than others, or than most others are to censure them; that have a low esteem of their own understandings, and parts, and doings, and therefore are readier to learn than teach, and to hear than speak; that highly value every bit and drop of mercy, especially Christ, and grace, and glory. These are the humble that God accepteth, and this is the fast that he requireth. These are they that pray effectually, and that must save the land. These only are sensible what sin is; when others feel it not, or are proud in the midst of their largest confessions and tears. These only do from their hearts acknowledge their desert of God's severest judgments, and justify God when he afflicteth them. Others rather marvel at the greatness and continuance of judgments, and expostulate with God as dealing hardly and unkindly with them, and tell him how good a people he afflicteth. These only understand the sinfulness of their very humiliations and prayers, through the weakness of that good which should be in them, and the mixture of much evil; when the proud are marvelling if God hear them not at the first word. These only wait in patience for God's answer, and accept of mercy in his time and measure; when the proud are short-winded, and if God come not just when they expected, they do, with Saul, 1 Sam. xiii. 9-12, make haste, or murmur at his providence, and say it is in vain to serve the Lord, and begin to think of forsaking him, and taking some better way. These proud ones that have joined in outward humiliations, and have lift up themselves in heart, while they cast down their bodies, are they that have turned the heart of God so much against us, to break us in pieces, because he hath found among us so many of the proud whom he taketh for his enemies. We have had those humbling themselves in our assemblies, that were wise in their own eyes, despising, and scorning, and reviling their teachers; such as undervalued and censured others, that were not for their opinions and interest; that over-loved the respect and honour that is from men, and could not endure to be disesteemed or little set by; that could not bear an injury or a foul word, but were prone to anger, if not revenge; that could not seek peace, nor stoop to others, nor bear plain-dealing in reproof, nor forgive a wrong without much submission; that had high expectations from others, and loved those best that most esteemed them; that counted it baseness to stoop to the meanest places or services for others' good; yea, that quarrelled with God, his word, and providences, and valued no other mercies but those that exalted themselves or pleased their flesh (which proved judgments). And yet while they thus by pride excommunicated themselves from the face of God, and made themselves abhorred by him, they separated from the holiest assemblies and servants of God in the land, as unworthy of communion with such as they, unless they would first become of their opinion and sect. We little consider how great a hand this pride hath had in our desolations. God hath been scattering the proud of all sorts in the imaginations of their own hearts, Luke i. 51.