CHAPTER XLV – 5. Strength and valor to be denied
temptations of women, and procacious youth; but one would think it should be easy for a few sober thoughts to cut their combs, and let them see how little cause they have to be proud of beauty or comeliness of the flesh. Alas, what is that body that you are proud of?
Filth and corruption, covered with a cleaner skin than some of your neighbours. Ah, but the skin is thin: and if that be all you have to glory in, it is as frail as contemptible. There is many a pretty flower in the common field that is trodden down by the feet of beasts, that have a gloss and hue incomparably beyond your beauty. I asked you before, what beauty you will have to glory of when you have dwelt but a few months in the grave; or if the small-pox, or leprosy, should clothe you with another coloured skin; or if a cancer should but seize upon your face, and turn it into such an ugly shape, as makes men tremble to behold it; or when wrinkled age hath made you as another person; or when death hath deprived you of that soul, which was your beauty, and laid you out as a prey and sacrifice to corruption.
Ah, that ever such a skin full of dirt, such a bag of filth, should yet be proud, that is carried about by a living soul, and by it kept a little while from falling down as a senseless clod, and turning into a stinking corpse! They are shortsighted, and short witted, as well as graceless, that cannot look so far before them, or within them, as to see that which may take them down from being proud of any comeliness of the flesh. One would think this should be so easy a part of self-denial, as any graceless one might reach by a little use of the reason that is left them.
CHAPTER XLV
Strength and Valour to be Denied
5. ANOTHER piece of vainglory to be denied, is in the reputation of strength and valour. The witless part of men, especially in their procacious humours, do use to be carried away with this, as witless women with the former. Hence commonly are their matches of running and wrestling, and many exercises of activity and strength; yea, and hence commonly are their duels and murders. It seems such a dishonourable thing to them to be thought a coward, or unable to defend themselves, and to be crowed over by their enemy, that they will venture body and soul upon it rather than they will put up such indignities, or lie under the dishonour of being cowards. Yea, and (would one think it) some Jesuits are such carnal doctors, that they teach men that if they be challenged, and their honour do lie upon it, they may meet the challenger there in a defensive posture, and fight with him to defend their honour: yea, and in many other cases, they may kill another for their honour, seeing their honour is more to them than their lives. O, miserable teachers, and miserable souls that do obey them! Christ hath taught you another lesson, even "to despise the shame," Heb. 12:2, 3, and to humble yourselves, and intimateth that such cannot be believers which "receive honour of one another, and seek not the honour that cometh from God only;"
John 5:44. It is more honour to obey God in suffering, than to be so valiant as to murder another man. The day is near, when he will appear the honourable man that was most like to Jesus Christ, that when he "was reviled, reviled not again; when he suffered, he threatened not, but committed himself to him that judgeth righteously;" 1 Pet. 2:23. Blind sinners! do you think it more honourable to do hurt than to suffer hurt? Yea, to be like the devil, who is a murderer, than to Christ, that was a sufferer, and came not to destroy men's lives, but to save them and lay down his own. Can