4. If thou will climb up as high as an eagle, and if thou will make thy nest among the clouds, from thence I will make thee come down, says the Lord.

Where as the scripture uses to put this word, " Behold," Behold. it betokens some notable thing to follow; as when the prophet Isai. vii. said, "Behold, a maid shall conceive and bear a son," he signified that it should be a notable birth and conceiving of a child, and contrary to the course of nature, and that the child which was born should be wonderful. So says David, "Behold, I was conceived in sin;" betokening the great corruption, infirmity and defiling of our nature in our conception. "Behold, as the eyes of the servants are at their Psal.exxiii. masters' hand," says David, signifying that he would be more diligent in watching what the Lord God would do, and what were his holy will for him to do, than the lowest and diligentest servants would be to watch what their masters would will and command them to do. In the same sense says the prophet here," Behold," and mark it well, what I will say unto thee; for it is no small matter, and truly it shall come to pass. Likewise in the threatenings in our own tongue we use to say, Mark what I say to you, take heed to yourself, for I jest not; remember my words well; for I will be even with you, and I will do it in deed,' and such like sayings. “Behold," mark well, says the Lord, what I say: "I will make thee a little one among the heathen :" thou that thinkest so highly on thyself, and thinkest thyself to be so strong, so mighty and greater than thy fellows, "I will make thee a little one among the people" where thou dwellest, and less than any people about thee. Thou flatterest thyself of thy strength, might, power, multitude, strong holds, and to be greater than thy neighbours, people or countries about thee; and thinkest none is able to conquer thee, or pull thee down, or worthy to be compared unto thee: but I will pull thee down, says the Lord; I will cut thy comb; I will abate thy strength, pluck down thy courage and high stomach; I will throw down thy castles and strong hold; and whatsoever thou rejoicest in, I will take it from thee, and make thee more vile and slave, less and weaker than any people round about thee. Thou shalt well know that there is a God, which can and 15

[PILKINGTON.]

Mal. i.

The prophets for the certainty speak that

that is to

will be avenged on all high minds, and will let all such lusty stomachs see what it is to be proud in their own eyes, and rebels against him and his people.

God casts in their teeth that, where he had given them a narrow place to dwell in among the hills, they were proud of it, as though it were the plenteoust place in the country. They were proud of a thing of nought in comparison of other places, as Malachi says, "The Edomites I have placed in the mount Seir." He speaks not all these words in number and order, but so many in effect and purpose; and to the same meaning he writes them in the preterite tense, as though the thing were done and past: for so all the prophets use to speak by the preterite tense such things as shall not be to be past done of many years after, and yet shall as certainly come to pass, as though they were now done and past. In this sort Psal. xxii. said David, "They have wounded my hands and feet;" as though the thing were done and past, which was not fulfilled unto Christ our Lord had suffered. Also of the murder of the children by Herod spake Jeremy, as though it had been done and past: "A noise was heard in Rama, weeping and much lamenting;" with infinite such other like, which were not fulfilled of many years after. And because the whole country and people pleased themselves so highly, and stood so much in their own conceit, God threatens them further, that they shall be much despised.

come.

Jer. xxxi.

Luke xvi.

Judges i.

The righteous judgment of God is commonly to punish us by the same parts wherein we offend him. The rich glutton, that sinned so grievously in his feasting and banquetting, now desires a drop of cold water, and cannot have it. Adonibezec, which had cruelly used his victories, and had chopped off the hands and feet of sixty kings, whom he conquered and made them gather up the crumbs under his table with the dogs, was used after the same sort himself, when he was overcome by the Israelites. Thus teaches Wisd. xi. the wise man: "By what thing a man sins, he shall be punished by the same." This people had much and many years despised the Israelites without cause: they had highly avanced themselves in their own conceit: therefore justice requires that they should be despised again, and should understand how vile a thing pride is in the sight of God, and

look up to

rules all.

how horribly it procures his great anger to fall upon us, when we one despise another. And although Nabuchodonozor was the worker of this destruction, and minister executing God's justice upon this wicked people of Edom, yet the Lord says himself that he will do it, and it shall be counted his deed. So Job says, that the Lord had given and taken away his goods, although the Chaldees and Sabees robbed him, as we noted afore. Thus must we in all things In all things that be done, whether they be good or evil, (except sin, God which which God hates and causes not,) not only look at the second causes, which be but God's means and instruments whereby he works, but have a further eye, and look up to God. If they be good things that he bestows upon us, think not nor marvel not so much at the man or the means whereby it is wrought, but lowly praise the Lord God which has vouchsafed to use such a way to thy comfort: and if it be evil adversity that is fallen upon thee, do not so much murmur and grudge against him or the thing by which it was done, but look up to thy Lord God, which author, being displeased with thy sin, will this way correct thee, and bring thee to repentance, amendment of life, and the knowledge of thyself, thine own vileness, and his holy majesty, mercy, and power, whom thou hast provoked so to punish thee, and yet in mercy, and not as thou hast deserved; or else he will try thy patience, and declare thy faith and hope that thou hast in him to the world, that his might may be praised in thy weakness, which although of thine own self thou be not able to suffer such adversity, yet by the strength of his Spirit thou both can and will.

In the next verse is declared the cause of this great destruction, and God's vengeance so grievously poured upon this people. It was the same sin that drove Adam out of paradise, being not content with his own state, but would be fellow with God; and out of which, as out of a root, springs all mischief. "The beginning of sin is pride,” saith Pride. Ecclesiasticus, x. when a man leaves considering of his own vileness, and the mighty power and majesty of God, (which author of both is able to work lowliness in any honest heart,) and begins to flatter and please himself in any good gift that he has within him or without him, in body or soul, in

worldly wealth or wisdom; for then he forgets God and himself, runs headlong to all mischief, offending God and hurting himself.

The pride of this people was both sundry and great, both of mind, wisdom and polity, strength of body, holds, castles and towers, wealth and plenty of corn and cattle; that it might be well said of them, that which proves true in all, wealth makes wanton. We will entreat of all these in order, as the prophet does, and set them out something more at large. The kind of pride that here is touched, wherein they rejoiced so much, trusting in themselves and offending God, was their strong holds, their high castles, builded on the top of the rocks so strongly, that they were sure enough, as they thought, from all hurt and danger, that they should not be overcome. These be pleasant things to a worldly wit, and therefore we are soon taken with the love of them. To declare the inexcusable pride of this people, the prophet says, "The pride of thine own heart has deceived thee;" as though he should say, 'It is not God, nor the devil only, nor any other man's counsel or persuasion, that has taught thee this or beaten it into thy head; but it is even thyself, thine own device and free will, thine own proud heart, and vain trust that thou hast taken in thine own strength and goods.' It is a notable word, that the Holy Ghost puts here, when he says, "The pride of thine own heart has deceived thee;" and well declares the nature of pride, and well-spring of all sin to begin in thy heart and thine own free will. "From the heart come evil thoughts, murder, adultery, theft, &c." as St Matthew says, xv. And well may that be said to deceive man, that under the cloke of godliness, honesty, profit, or pleasure entices a man to it, where in the end it proves wicked, hurtful, and displeasant. For except it had in the beginning some fair shew of some goodness in it, no man would be allured to it. If it were good in deed, it were no deceit; but because it is not, it may well be said to deceive.

Pride among all other sins has this property, that it ever rises of some good thing that a man has given him of God, and takes the praise of it himself. For no man is so foolish to rejoice in any thing that is evil of itself, except

Pride is only of good things.

When God

it have some appearance of goodness in it. gives a good gift to any man, then the devil and his own froward nature makes him not to give God due thanks for it, but to rejoice in himself, as though he himself were worthy all the praise for finding out or using well such a gift. Thus the Pharisee, being proud of his own righteousness in fasting, holiness, and paying his tithes, abuses the good gifts of God, and takes part of the praise to himself, which should be given wholly to God alone; and also in pride he contemns the poor publican, which sat praying by him, because he was not so holy as he was. So strong holds and castles is the good gift of God; but to rejoice in them, not putting his whole trust and deliverance in God, is a great pride and unthankfulness to God, which has given thee such gifts to stir thee up rather to praise him, which has taught thee to find out the profitable use of such things. But it is hard for a worldly man to have these, and not be proud of them; and therefore he says, "Thy pride has deceived thee." Beauty is the good gift of God; but because in out- Beauty. ward appearance it seems good, it soon deceives man, enticing him to evil, rather than to praise God in it. The

wise man says, "Look not in the face of a maiden, lest ye Ecclus. ix. be enticed with her beauty." Towers, castles, holds, bul- Holds. warks, be ordained by the provision of God to defend his people but yet must we ever know, that in vain labours the watchmen, be they never so many, wise and strong, to defend the city, except the Lord defend it, as David says.

What an unthankful pride is this toward God, that when he has given us wit to devise such engines of war to defend ourselves withal, and liberally bestowed on us men and money to make such things withal; and then we do rob him of his due glory, and take that praise to ourselves which is due to him, and rejoice in ourselves! Because they dwelt and builded their holds on the tops of hills, they thought no man should be able to climb up to hurt them, except he could fly: and though undermining will hurt many times, and throw down great castles; yet where the building is on the hard rock of stone, as this was, they can not mine through the rock: so that above, except they could fly, they could not come near them; nor by low they could not pierce

Psal. cxxvii.