A Christian Directory

§. 56. Sign 5. A proud man thinks when he looks at the works of his Superiors, that he could¹ do them better himself, if he had the doing of them. There is not one of them of an hundred but think that they could rule better than the King doth, and judge better than the Judge doth, and perhaps preach better than the Preacher doth, unless his ignorance be so palpable as that he cannot question it. Absalom would do the people Justice, better than his Father David, if he were King. If all the matters of Church and Common-wealth were at his dispose, how confident is he, that they should be well ordered, and all faults mended; and O how happy a world should we have!

§. 56. Sign 5. A proud man thinks when he looks at the works of his Superiours, that he could¹ do them better himself, if he had the doing of them. There is not one of them of an hundred but think that they could rule better than the King doth, and judge better than the Judge doth, and perhaps preach better than the Preacher doth, unless his ignorance be so palpable as that he cannot question it. Absolom would do the people Justice, better than his Father David, if he were King. If all the matters of Church and Common-wealth were at his dispose, how confident is he, that they should be well ordered, and all faults mended; and O how happy a world should we have!

1. 1Sign 5.

§. 57. Sign 6. A proud man is apt to over-value his own knowledge, and to be much unacquainted¹ with his Ignorance; He is much more sensible of what he knoweth, than how much he is wanting, of² what he ought to know: He thinks himself fit to contradict the ablest Divine, when he hath scarce so much knowledge as will save his soul. If he have but some smattering, to enable him to talk confidently of what he understandeth not, he thinks himself fittest for the Chair; and is elevated to a pugnacious courage, and thinks he is able to dispute with any man; and constantly gives himself the victory: If it be a woman that hath gathered up a few Receipts, she thinketh her self fit to be a Physician, and venture the lives of dearest friends upon her ignorant skilfulness; when seven years study more is necessary to make such Novices know how little they know, and how much is utterly unknown to them, and seven years more to give them an encouraging taste of knowledge; yet Pride makes them Doctors in Divinity and Physic by its Mandamus without so much ado: And as they commenced, so they practise, in the dark; and to save the labour of so long studies, can spare, and gravely deride that knowledge, which they cannot get at cheaper rates. And, no wonder, when it is the nature of Pride and Ignorance to cause the birth and increase of each other. It were a wonder for an Ignorant person to be Humble; and when he knoweth not what abundance of excellent truths are still unknown to him, nor what difficulties there are in every controversy which he never saw. How many studious, learned, holy Divines would go many thousand miles (if that would serve) to be well resolved of many doubts in the Mysteries of Providence, Decrees, Redemption, Grace, Free-will, and many the like, and that after twenty or forty years study; when I can take them a Boy or a Woman in the Streets, that can confidently determine them all in a few words, and pity the ignorance or error of such Divines, and shake the head at their blindness, and say, God hath revealed them to themselves that are Babes! yea, and perhaps their confidence taketh dissenters for such heretical, erroneous, intolere persons, that they look upon them as Heathens and Publicans, and either with the Papists reproach and persecute them, or with the lesser Sects divide from them, as from men that receive not the the truth;