Chapter 35 [XXXI.]—Why God Does Not Immediately Cure Pride Itself. The Secret and Insidious Growth of Pride. Preventing and Subsequent Grace.

But I would indeed so treat these topics, as to confess myself ignorant of God’s deeper counsel, why He does not at once heal the very principle of pride, which lies in wait for man’s heart even in deeds rightly done; and for the cure of which pious souls, with tears and strong crying, beseech Him that He would stretch forth His right hand and help their endeavours to overcome it, and somehow tread and crush it under foot. Now when a man has felt glad that he has even by some good work overcome pride, from the very joy he lifts up his head and says: “Behold, I live; why do you triumph? Nay, I live because you triumph.” Premature, however, this forwardness of his to triumph over pride may perhaps be, as if it were now vanquished, whereas its last shadow is to be swallowed up, as I suppose, in that noontide which is promised in the scripture which says, “He shall bring forth thy righteousness as the light, and thy judgment as the noonday;” 91    Ps. xxxvii. 6. provided that be done which was written in the preceding verse: “Commit thy way unto the Lord; trust also in Him, and He shall bring it to pass,”92    Ps. xxxvii. 5.—not, as some suppose, that they themselves bring it to pass. Now, when he said, “And He shall bring it to pass,” he evidently had none other in mind but those who say, We ourselves bring it to pass; that is to say, we ourselves justify our own selves. In this matter, no doubt, we do ourselves, too, work; but we are fellow-workers with Him who does the work, because His mercy anticipates us. He anticipates us, however, that we may be healed; but then He will also follow us, that being healed we may grow healthy and strong. He anticipates us that we may be called; He will follow us that we may be glorified. He anticipates us that we may lead godly lives; He will follow us that we may always live with Him, because without Him we can do nothing.93    John xv. 5. Now the Scriptures refer to both these operations of grace. There is both this: “The God of my mercy shall anticipate me,”94    Ps. lix. 10. and again this: “Thy mercy shall follow me all the days of my life.”95    Ps. xxiii. 6. Let us therefore unveil to Him our life by confession, not praise it with a vindication. For if it is not His way, but our own, beyond doubt it is not the right one. Let us therefore reveal this by making our confession to Him; for however much we may endeavour to conceal it, it is not hid from Him. It is a good thing to confess unto the Lord.

CAPUT XXXI.

35. Superbiam ipsam cur Deus non cito sanet. Quam occulte insidietur superbia. Et haec quidem ita dixerim, ut altius Dei consilium me fatear ignorare, cur etiam ipsam superbiam, quae et in recte factis animo insidiatur humano, non cito Deus sanet; pro qua sananda illi piae animae cum 0264 lacrymis et magnis gemitibus supplicant, ut ad eam superandam et quodam modo calcandam et obterendam, dexteram conantibus porrigat. Ubi enim laetatus homo fuerit, in aliquo bono opere se etiam superasse superbiam, ex ipsa laetitia caput erigit, et dicit: Ecce ego vivo, quid triumphas? et ideo vivo, quia triumphas. Ante tempus enim fortasse de illa quasi victa triumphare delectat, cum extrema ejus umbra illo meridie, quantum arbitror, absorbebitur: qui meridies Scriptura dicente promittitur, Et educet sicut lumen justitiam tuam, et judicium tuum sicut meridiem: si fiat quod supra scriptum est, Revela ad Dominum viam tuam, et spera in eum; et ipse faciet (Psal. XXXVI, 6, 5): non sicut quidam putant, quod ipsi faciant. Nullos enim videtur attendisse, cum dixit, Et ipse faciet; nisi eos qui dicunt, Nos facimus, id est, nos ipsi nos ipsos justificamus. Ubi quidem operamur et nos: sed illo operante cooperamur, quia misericordia ejus praevenit nos. Praevenit autem ut sanemur, quia et subsequetur ut etiam sanati vegetemur: praevenit ut vocemur, subsequetur ut glorificemur: praevenit ut pie vivamus, subsequetur ut cum illo semper vivamus: quiae sine illo nihil possumus facere (Joan. XV, 5). Utrumque enim scriptum est: et, Deus meus, misericordia ejus praeveniet me (Psal. LVIII, 11); et Misericordia tua subsequetur me per omnes dies vitae meae (Psal. XXII, 6). Revelemus ergo ad eum viam nostram confessione, non defensione laudemus. Si enim non est ipsius via, sed nostra, procul dubio non est recta. Revelemus eam confitendo; quia non eum latet, etiamsi operire conemur. Bonum est autem confiteri Domino (Psal. XCI, 2).