A fourth volume containing one hundred and fifty sermons on several texts of Scripture…

3. The next radical Evil, or worldly Lust, is Pride of Life: This grows upon any thing, Gifts, Graces, Parts, Estate. Paul's Revelations were like to puff him up, 2 Cor. 12.7. Lest I should be exalted above measure through the abundance of the Revelations, there was given to me a Thorn in the Flesh, the Messenger of Satan to buffet me, lest I should be exalted above measure: it is a Sin that sticks very close to us. It was the main Ingredient in Adam's Disobedience, and still it runs in the Blood, Pride is natural, we suck it in with our Milk. There is Pride in every Sin, a lifting up of the Creature against the Creator. The carnal Mind is Enmity against God, for it is not subject to the Law of God, neither indeed can be, Rom. 8.7. and therefore the great Work of Grace is to subdue the Pride of the Spirit, not only to sanctify, but to humble us. Look, as Sensuality is the great Corruption of the brutish Part or Appetite, so Pride is of our Understanding, or the Angelical Part. Man is in part an Angel, and in part a Beast; his Appetite he hath in common with the Beasts, but his Understanding in common with Angels. Now look as inordinate Love of Pleasure is the Corruption of the Brutish Part, so is Pride the Corruption of the Angelical Part. By being sensual, we sink as low as the Beasts; and by being proud, we lift up our Hearts as the Heart of God. Sensual Men are called Beasts, 2 Pet. 2.12. These as unnatural brute Beasts, made to be taken and destroyed, speak evil of the things they understand not, and shall utterly perish in their own Corruption. And the worldly and covetous are called mere Men, 1 Cor. 3.3. Are ye not carnal, and walk as Men? But by Pride we are made Devils, 1 Tim. 3.6. Not a Novice, lest being puffed up with Pride, he fall into the Condemnation of the Devil. When we are puffed up with self-Conceit, and do all we do for self-Esteem; this is one of the last Sins we shake off, we leave it not till we come to Heaven, and therefore it is mentioned in the last place. One of the Heathens doth compare it to our Shirt which we put off last. In Heaven only when we are most holy, we are most humble. It's a Sin that encroacheth upon God's Prerogative, therefore mightily hated by God,