Correction, instruction or, a treatise of afflictions

It is one of Gods designs in affliction, to hide pride from man; ¹to spread sackcloth upon all his glory, that so man may see no excellency in all the creature wherein to pride himself. God led Israel forty ⟨p. 24⟩years in the wilderness to humble them: By the thorns of the wilderness God pricked the bladder of pride, and let out the windiness of self-opinion that was in their hearts. Prosperity usually makes men surly and supercilious towards their poor brethren; ²The rich answers roughly: Even while the poor useth entreaties, maketh his addresses to him with all humility and observance, he holds up his head, or turns his back upon him with scorn and contempt, and thinks himself too good to give his poor neighbour a soft and peaceable answer: Joquuntur lapides, they speak hard things; these rough-cast Nabals, ³a man cannot tell how to speak to them. Pride is an humour which naturally runs in our veins, and it is nourished by ease and prosperity. And therefore to tame this pride of spirit that is in man, God takes him into the house of Correction, puts his feet in the stocks, and there teacheth him to know himself: He humbled thee, ⁴and suffered thee to hunger; Hunger brought down ⟨p. 25⟩Israels stomach, & did eat out that proud flesh which began to rankle. Hence it is that if you take the children of God either yet in, or newly come out of the furnace of affliction, you shall observe them to be the tamest, meekest creatures upon the earth; as it is said of the new Convert, Isa. 11.6. A little child may lead them: whereas before it may be they were so stiff and high in the instep, that an angel of God could not tell how to deal with them; now the meanest of Gods ministers or servants may reprove and counsel, &c. a little child may lead them: That David whom Sin made so fierce that he put his poor Ammonitish prisoners and captives to death in cold blood,