Chap 4· Se5t.ll• <!®lac lllttt) Webtl£'. Book II. 6~ ----~--------------~ htt the flowers of the field , fuch as the Rofe attd Lilly, do in beauty of colours go be· yond them: This made the wife man lJy 1 Favottr it deceitful, and b~autyit vanity, but a Pro 3'·lc• nnnun th.r fcarcth the Lord, {hejh dl be praifed; that IS the true comelmefs, and bell beau· ty whicha picture cannot excrefs. A•·t thou fair aHd beautiful· (faithCbryfojlame) why ChrJ{arl pop. thii is the glory of D"ws, and ~ot of men ; tbiu art 1zat fairer thelt the Pea~oe'<., or the Swan\ Hom.4o,rom.4 dJ 've >tot fee ha>·lalf, and effeminate men have a f!.rtat P>are in thit g,lary I Befides, what l01thcome matte'r Jierh laid ·under thi> fair ,kin? what filthy excrements are they that i!fue out of tbe nofe, and eyes, and ears, and pores, and other poffages' if the foulltoiu with.in were but viewed whence all thef=come, how might rhos humble thee ? I may add this ill of beauty, it is ufed moll frequently by thedevil for a bait to fin, it is a lhining flame to let mens hearts on fire with unlawful lulls: But if there were nothingelfc, alas I to what purpofe art thou proud of a thing fo mutable , a little fcratch impaireth it,and a greater wound cloth quite deform it; a daies ficknefs d0 th much abate it, or if it be but ot a weeks continuance, it cloth quire deface it; yea, fo fading is it, that a little Sun·fnin~ robbeth us of it; or if it be prcferved from the violence of extraordinary accidents, yet time will by little and httk !lea! it away: When old age cometh, it ploughs deep furrows in the moll beautiful vifage , it changetl1 the colour, and when death comes, the moll amiable coutennance will be fo deformed, that they who mot1 admire it, will then lo1th it. Oh that thou wouldll turn theedge of thy all~ctions from this earthly trofh, to fpiritual and heavenly beauty! Oh that thou wou!J!l mind the beau· .ry of the mind, which confifls in virtue and the fan<'lifying graces of Gods fpirit! Old age lha!l never make any wrinkles in the face of this, !;cl<ne(s fha!lnevcr hurt thi•, violence (hall not deflee this, !briefand farrow lh11! not impair this, death it felf lhall pot blemilh or dilgrace this, but rather it fhall Crowu this beauty of grace with the beauty of g!vty. . 2· For firength, conl..der, this is common to men and beafts: How vain is it there· fore that any fi\ould be proud of fuch bafe vanities? .Art tb'u flrong (faith Cbryfojlotne) ChrJf.h,m.ad and ar• tb>lt therefore prottd? r:>by the Lion i< hardier then tholf, aitdthe Boar it ]Iron· PopAo.T•m. 4 , ger thtn tboi:; yea, robbers, tbieves, ruffian!, and tkyown[ervantJ, excell thqe herein, and d.ft ibou thin\ tbiJ it athing pr.ife·worthy? Thou art llrong, but can this deliver thee from thofc innumerable dangers unto which this frail life is daily fubject? 'fhe King ; 1 P(ai.>J. 10• 1101 faved by the mnltimdc of an hoafl, neitbtr it tl>e mighty nun delivered by bit r.reat jlrtngth ; it can neither defend ti1Ce from the Judgments of God, nor from the al!aults • of the devil; it can neither deliever thee from ficknd; nor death. Oh that thou E h f.o ' wouldll be jlrang in the V,d, Andin the power of hifmight! Oh that thou wou!dll put ~. e · .ro,TI o>t the whole Armour of .God, tl>at tbo~t migbtjl be able to }land againft the wilet of tbe Phd 4· t3. devil! why, this is ftrength to purpofc, hereby thou might!\ be able_to do all tbings through Chrijl that ftrtngtbenetb thee : Hereby thou mightll lland mantully in the day of blttle again!\ all the a!faults<if ~hy fpiritual enemies; bodily Urength without this is little worth: ah! wnat ·will become of thee in thq!ay of tryal? 3· For riches; confider, thy riches \Vill not avail in the ·day of the Lords fierce wrath ; what is a fat portion to a lean foul? outward things never mend us, ~ut often worfen us, for a man to 6e proud of his ri~hes, it is as if an horfe 010uld be proud of his trappings, thy riches are but thorns, which unlefs a man hold warily, he is lure to be pricked ? Hence arc fo many Epithctes of riches in Scdpture, that they may wean our affections from priding in them, as the Mammo11 of umighteoufnet, the Luke r69·. , riche< of the wsrld, tfie deceitfitlneft of richet. Augzifline adds, that they a~e an evil ;,_~>m. 6 · 1 7• mallcr, a treacherous fervanr, fathers of flattery, Ions ofgrief, a caufe offearto thole that ' ·'>· 22 • h•ve them, and a canfe of forraw to thufe that want them. Oh that men, Chrillians, Profeifors of Reli~ion, Oiould ever be cho:iked with thefc thoms, or intangled viith thefe ftures, or cfpecial!y overtaken with pride, of fuch forbid , carnal, worldly things. 4· For appne!; confider, that this wa$ the effect of fin; .lt1d our tirll parents conti– nued in their Hate of innoccncy, they had remained glorious in themfelves, but fin bwught fhame, and this lh1me they wo~ld cover by the Joe!p of garments: what then is our apparels but a daily Momtor to call our fin apd lhameto remembrance? Oh that men lhould valiut. tbcmfelves in this v1nity! As if a thief being adjudged to wear an hal:er for hiS cnmes '· fhould make him one of filk; or golden rwilt, and beo.ufe it ghtters, lhould prefently !brow proud of that, which indeed lhowld humble him : Why our apparel is the vety li5n ot our fin, and fhall we convert 1 h>t which 1s 15iven us, to hide llur fininto fi·n it leif? b'~·forc Ad;m finned, the mofi glorious gar: tQ<nt ·L.
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