Direct. XXIII. Look still unto that dismal end, which pride doth tend unto. It threateneth apostasy. If God forsake any one among you, and any of you forsake God, his truth, and your consciences, and be made as Lot's wife, a monument of his vengeance for a warning to others, it will be the proud and self-conceited person. It maketh all the mercies of God, your duties and parts, and objectively your very graces, to be its food and fuel. It is a sign you are near some dreadful fall, or heavy judgment: for God hath given you this prognostic, Luke xiv. 11; i. 51; Prov. xv. 25; xvi. 5; Isa. ii. 11, 12. An Ahab is safer when he humbleth himself; and a Hezekiah is falling when he is lifted up. They are the most hardened sinners, scorning reproof, and therefore ordinarily forsaken both by God and man, and left to their self-delusion, till they perish.

Direct. XXIV. Converse with humbled and afflicted persons, and not with proud, secure worldlings. Be much in the "house of mourning," where you may see "the end of all the living, and be made better by laying it to heart;" and let not your "hearts be in the house of mirth," Eccl. vii. 2-4. Delight not to converse with "men that be in honour, and understand not, but are like the beasts that perish; for though they think of perpetuating their houses, and call their lands after their own names," yet they "abide not in" their "honour:" and "this their way is their folly," though "yet their posterity approve their sayings," Psal. xlix. 20, 12-14. Converse with penitent, humbled souls, that have seen the odiousness of sin, and the wickedness and deceitfulness of the heart, and can tell you by their own feeling what cause of humiliation is still before you. With these are you most safe.

I have been the larger against pride, as seeing its prevalency in the world, and its mischievous effects on souls and families, church and state; and because it is not discerned and resisted by many as it ought. I would fain have God dwell in your hearts, and peace in your societies; and fain have you stand fast in the hour of temptation, from prosperity or adversity; and fain have affliction easy to you. But none of this will be without humility. I am loth that under the mighty hand of God we should be unhumbled, even when judgments bid us lay our mouths in the dust.[240] The storms have been long up; the cedars have fallen; it is the shrubs and bending willows that now are likeliest to scape. I am loth to see the prognostics of wrath upon your souls, or upon the land. I am loth that any of you should through pride be unhumbled of sin, or ashamed to own despised godliness; or that any that have seemed religious, should prove seditious, unpeaceable, or apostates. And therefore I beseech you, in a special manner, take heed of pride; be little in your own esteem; praise not one another unseasonably; be not offended at plain reproofs: look to your duties, and then leave your reputations to the will of God. Rebuke pride in your children; use them to mean attire and employments; cherish not that in them which is most natural (now) and most pernicious. God dwelleth with the humble, and will take the humble to dwell with him, Isa. lvii. 15; Job xxii. 29. "Put on humbleness of mind, meekness, long-suffering, forbearing one another," Col. iii. 12, 13. "Be clothed with humility: serve the Lord with all humility of mind, and he will exalt you in due time," Acts xx. 19; 1 Pet. v. 6, 7.

PART VI.

Directions against Covetousness, or Love of Riches, and against Worldly Cares.[241]

I shall say but little on this subject now, because I have written a Treatise of it already, called "The Crucifying of the World by the Cross of Christ;" in which I have given many directions (in the preface and treatise) against this sin.

Direct. I. Understand well the nature and malignity of this sin; both what it is, and why it is so great and perilous. I shall here show you, 1. What love of riches is lawful. 2. What it is that is unlawful; and in what this sin of covetousness or worldliness doth consist. 3. Wherein the malignity or greatness of it lieth. 4. The signs of it. 5. What counterfeits of the contrary virtue do hide this sin from the eyes of worldlings. 6. What false appearances of it do cause many to be suspected of covetousness unjustly.

Lawful love of creatures.

I. All love of the creature, the world, or riches, is not sin: for, 1. The works of God are all good, as such; and all goodness is amiable. As they are related to God, and his power, and wisdom, and goodness are imprinted on them, so we must love them, even for his sake. 2. All the impressions of the attributes of God appearing on his works, do make them as a glass, in which at this distance we must see the Creator; and their sweetness is a drop from him, by which his goodness and love are tasted. And so they were all made to lead us up to God, and help our minds to converse with him, and kindle the love of God in our breasts, as a love-token from our dearest friend; and thus, as the means of our communion with God, the love of them is a duty, and not a sin. 3. They are naturally the means of sustaining our bodies, and preserving life, and health, and alacrity; and as such, our sensitive part hath a love to them, as every beast hath to its food; and this love in itself is not of a moral kind, and is neither a virtue nor a vice, till it either be used in obedience to our reason, (and so it is good,) or in disobedience to it (and so it is evil). 4. The creatures are necessary means to support our bodies, while we are doing God the service which we owe him in the world; and so they must be loved, as a means to his service; though we cannot say properly that riches are ordinarily thus necessary. 5. The creatures are necessary to sustain our bodies in our journey to heaven, while we are preparing for eternity; and thus they must be loved as remote helps to our salvation. And in these two last respects we call it in our prayers "our daily bread." 6. Riches may enable us to relieve our needy brethren, and to promote good works for church or state. And thus also they may be loved; so far as we must be thankful for them, so far we may love them; for we must be thankful for nothing but what is good.

Covetousness what.