Lastly, This pride of the will is seen, In raging and rebellious risings up against God in his proceedings against us. In this the pride of the will doth sadly discover it self, what rage, what fretting and discontent do we find in our hearts, when Gods will is to chastise or afflict us? If we could bind the arms of the Omnipotent to prevent his blows, how ready is presumptuous man to do it? It is therefore a great work of regeneration to mollify and soften the will, to make it facile and ductile, so as to be in what form God would have us to be. When David had such holy power over his will, 2 Sam. 15. 26, that in his miserable flight from Absalom, he could say, If ye have no delight in me, behold here I am, let him do to me as seemeth good to him; he could abound and want, be rich and poor, a king and no king all in a day, this argued the great work of sanctification upon his will. This iron was now in the fire, and so could be molleated as God would have it; Thus in the fore mentioned instance of Paul, when he cried out, Lord, what wilt thou have me to do? Here was a tender humble resignative of the whole will to God, without any conditions or provisos; But oh the pride and unruliness of the will, if left to its natural pollution! When God shall any ways bring his judgements upon us, how impatiently do we rise against God, even as if we would be revenged of his Majesty? As it is said of the Thracians, when it thundereth and lighteneth, they shoot against heaven, as if they would bring God to order. Xerxes scourged the sea, and sent a Bill of defiance against the hill of Athos. Augustus being beaten with a tempest at sea, defied their god Neptune, and caused his image to be taken down from the place where the rest of their gods were. Yea Charron speaketh of a Christian King, who having received a blow from God, swore be would be revenged, and gave a commandment, that for ten years no man should pray to him, or speak of him; I tremble to mention these dreadful instances, but they are useful to demonstrate, what pride and unsubdued contumacy is in the will of man, even against God himself, when he crosseth us of our wills: Yea do not the godly themselves though grace hath much mollified their will, and made it in a great measure obsequious to God, yet do they not mourn, and pray, and groan under the pride of their will?
Lastly, This pride of the will is seen, In raging and rebellious risings up against God in his proceedings against us. In this the pride of the will doth sadly discover it self, what rage, what fretting and discontent do we find in our hearts, when Gods will is to chastise or afflict us? If we could bind the armes of the Omnipotent to prevent his blowes, how ready is presumptuous man to do it? It is therefore a great work of regeneration to mollity and soften the will, to make it sacile and ductile, so as to be in what forme God would have us to be. When David had such holy power over his will, 2 Sam. 15. 26, that in his miserable flight from Absalom, he could say, If ye have no delight in me, behold here I am, let him do to me as seemeth good to him; he could abound and want, be rich and poor, a king and no king all in a day, this argued the great work of sanctification upon his will. This iron was now in the fire, and so could be molleated as God would have it; Thus in the fore mentioned instance of Paul, when he cryed out, Lord, what wilt thou have me to do? Here was a tender humble resignative of the whole will to God, without any conditions or provisoes; But oh the pride and unruliness of the will, if left to its natural pollution! When God shall any wayes bring his judgements upon us, how impatiently do we rise against God, even as if we would be revenged of his Majesty? As it is said of the Thracians, when it thundereth and lightneth, they shoot against heaven, as if they would bring God to order. Xerxes scourged the sea, and sent a Bill of defiance against the hill of Athos. Augustus being beaten with a tempest at sea, defied their god Neptune, and caused his image to be taken down from the place where the rest of their gods were. Yea Charron speaketh of a Christian King, who having received a blow from God, swore be would be revenged, and gave a commandment, that for ten yeares no man should pray to him, or speak of him; I tremble to mention these dreadfull instances, but they are usefull to demonstrate, what pride and unsubdued contumacy is in the will of man, even against God himself, when he crosseth us of our wills: Yea do not the godly themselves though grace hath much mollified their will, and made it in a great measure obsequious to God, yet do they not mourne, and pray, and groane under the pride of their will?
