Four books on the eleventh of Matthew

And again, many may be Low in Expressions of words in discommending themselves, and yet be proud in heart, either in accusing themselves of such things, as they hope others will not believe them, or denying such things as they hope others will contradict them in, you shall have many people that will have a seeming kind of humility, and be ready to speak very hard things of themselves, and say, they are very poor weak people, and have but little strength in them, and not fit for such and such employments, and it is fit that others should be chosen in those employments rather than themselves, and they have wretched, and vile hearts, and when they come amongst others they speak of their vile ⟨p. 482⟩wretched heart, and they cannot do thus and thus, and very large they will be in speaking very ill of themselves, and deny that they have any excellency as others have; and yet their hearts extremely proud, which appears in this, because if any body else should be of their mind, they would be extremely discontented, if any others should say, O! God hath given you great Gifts, this pleaseth them, whereas if others that are in Company and hear them charge themselves to have such vile and wretched hearts, and to say, they cannot do thus & thus. Suppose they should be of the same mind, and they should say, I think it is so, that you are a poor silly Creature, an ignorant Creature, and you have a very hard heart, and a proud and stubborn heart, now if any should be of their mind, they would be angry with them and be displeased. Doth not this argue a great deal of pride of heart? I remember Bernard hath such an expression in his Books, saith he, if another should accuse me as I accuse my self, I were not able to bear it, he confessed this pride of his heart, though he did accuse himself, yet if another should say the same thing of him he were not able to bear it, and I am confident it would be so with abundance of people, when they come in company and speak thus of themselves, it is but to fetch out commendations from them, that others might commend them, and they would be mightily displeased if others should say of them that which they say of themselves, in Prov. 17. 7. Excellent speech becometh not a Fool, much less do lying lips a Prince.

And again, many may be Low in Expressions of words in discommending themselves, and yet be proud in heart, either in accusing themselves of such things, as they hope others will not beleeve them, or denying such things as they hope others wil contradict them in, you shal have many people that wil have a seeming kind of humility, and be ready to speak very hard things of themselves, and say, they are very poor weak people, and have but little strength in them, and not fit for such and such imployments, and it is fit that others should be chosen in those imployments rather than themselves, and they have wretched, and vile hearts, and when they come amongst others they speak of their vile