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teousness, and John with victory over the world; This, fays he, is the victory which overcomes the world, even our faith.

§. XVIII. The heirs of this faith are the true children of Abraham,' though the uncircumcifion in the flesh, in that they walk in the steps of Abraham, according to the obedience of faith, which only entitles people to be the children of Abraham. This lives above the world, not only in its fin, but righteousness: to this no man comes, but through death to felf, by the cross of Jefus, and an entire dependance, by him, upon God.

Famous are the exploits of this divine gift; time would fail to recount them: all facred ftory is filled with them. But let it fuffice, that by it the holy ancients endured all trials, overcame all enemies, prevailed with God, renowned his truth, finifhed their teftimony, and obtained the reward of the faithful, a crown of righteoufnefs, which is the eternal bleffedness of the just.

< 1 John v. 4. Rom. iv. 12. •

John xvi. 9, 10

CHAP. VII.

§. 1. Of pride, the first capital luft, its rise. §. 2. Its definition and distinction. §. 3. That an inordinate defire of knowledge in Adam, introduced man's mifery. §. 4. He thereby loft bis integrity. §. 5. Who are in Adam's state.

§. 6. Knowledge puffs up. §. 7. The evil effects of falfe, and the benefit of true knowledge. §. 8. Cain's example a proof in the cafe. §. 9. The Jews pride in pretending to be wiser than Mofes, God's fervant, in setting their post by God's poft. §. 10. The effects of which was the perfecution of the true prophets. S. 11. The divine knowledge of Chrift brought peace on earth. §. 12. Of the blind guides the priefts, and the mischief they have done. §. 13. The fall of Chriftians, and the pride they have taken in it, hath exceeded the Jews; under the profeffion of their new-moulded Christianity, they have murdered the witnefs of the Lord Jefus. §. 14. The angels fung peace on earth at the birth of the Lord of meekness and humility: but the pride of the Pharisees withstood and calumniated him. §. 15. As Adam and the Jews loft themfelves by their ambition, fo the Chriftians lofing the fear of God, grew creed and worship-makers, with this injunction, Conform or burn. §. 16. The evil effects of this in Christendom, fo called. §. 17. The way of recovery out of fuch miferable defection.

§. I.HAVING thus difcharged my conscience against that part of unlawful felf, that fain would be a Chriftian, a believer, a faint, whilst a plain ftranger to the crofs of Christ, and the holy exercises of it; and in that briefly dif covered what is true worship, and the ufe and business of the holy cross therein, to render its performance pleasing to Almighty God; I fhall

now, the fame Lord affifting me, more largely profecute that other part of unlawful felf, which fills the ftudy, care, and converfation of the world, prefented to us in these three capital lufts, that is to fay, pride, avarice, and luxury: from whence all other mischiefs daily flow, as ftreams from their proper fountains: the mortifying of which makes up the other; and indeed a very great part of the work of the true crofs; and though laft in place, yet first in experience and duty: which done, it introduces in the room of those evil habits, the bleffed effects of that fo much needed reformation, to wit, mortification, humility, temperance, love, patience, and heavenly-mindednefs, with all other graces of the spirit, becoming the followers of the perfect Jefus, that most heavenly man.

The care and love of all mankind are either directed to God or themselves. Those that love God above all, are ever humbling felf to his commands, and only love felf in fubferviency to him that is Lord of all. But thofe who are declined from that love to God, are lovers of themselves more than God: for fupreme love must centre in one of these two. To that inordinate self-love, the apostle rightly joins proud and high-minded. For no fooner had the angels declined their love, duty, and reverence to God, than they inordinately loved and valued themselves; which made them exceed their station, and aspire above the order of their creation. This was their pride, and

2 Tim. iii. 2, 4.

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this fad defection, their dismal fall; who are referved in chains of darkness unto the judg ment of the great day of God.

§. II. Pride, that pernicious evil, which begins this chapter, did alfo begin the mifery of mankind: a moft mifchievous quality; and fo commonly known by its motions and fad effects, that every unmortified breaft carries its definition in it. However, I will fay, in short, that pride is an excefs of felf-love, joined with an undervaluing of others, and a defire of do minion over them: the most troublefome thing in the world. There are four things, by which it hath made itself best known to mankind, the confequences of which have brought a mifery equal to its evil. The firft is, an inordinate pursuit of knowledge; the fecond, an ambitious craving and feeking after power; the third, an extreme defire of perfonal refpect and de. ference: the last excess is that of worldly furniture and ornaments. To the juft and true witness of the eternal God, placed in the fouls of all people, I appeal as to the truth of these things.

§. III. To the firft, it is plain, that an inordinate defire of knowledge introduced man's mifery, and brought an univerfal lapse from the glory of his primitive ftate. Adam would needs be wiser than God had made him. It did not ferve his turn to know his Creator, and give him that holy homage his being and innocency naturally engaged and excited him to; nor to have an understanding above all the beafts of the field, the fowls of the air, and

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the fishes of the fea, joined with a power to rule over all the visible creation of God; but he must be as wife as God too. This unwarrantable search, and as foolifh as unjust ambition, made him unworthy of the bleffings he received from God. This drives him out of paradife; and instead of being lord of the whole world, Adam becomes the wretchedest vagabond of the earth,

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§. IV. A ftrange change! That inftead of being as gods, they should fall below the very beasts; in comparison of whom, even God had made them as gods. The lamentable confequence of this great defection, has been an exchange of innocency for guilt, and a paradife for a wildernefs. But, which is yet worse, in this ftate Adam and Eve had got another god, than the only true and living God: and he that had enticed them to all this mifchief, furnished them with a vain knowledge, and pernicious wisdom: the skill of lies and equivocations, fhifts, evafions, and excufes. They had loft their plainnefs and fincerity; and from an upright heart, the image in which God had made man, he became a crooked, twining, twisting ferpent; the image of that unrighteous fpirit, to whofe temptations he yielded up, with his obedience, his paradisiacal happiness.

. V. Nor is this limited to Adam; for all, who have fallen fhort of the glory of God, are right born fons of his difobedience. They, like him, have eaten of what they have been hidden: they have committed the things

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