Book l~ a'\ rh· purity a;1d perf<:Cl:ion, lil rhe rigl>!ecufi1efs and holn.ds, all rhe dig 111 ry and excdLncy ot ""holy grac.uus foul is drawn from 01rifi, he, and only be 15 the root by "hom the Chrifiian i fuliaiued, the Spn ng by whom the Chnllian is repbi£hcd ~ Cor. 3· s.- the Sun, by w!wm the Chnllim is ctllightcnad, the Garment, by whom rJ 1 e Chi,~ fLan is ciJd .am! cova,·d; wnl!foenr gCJOdnef.<, grace, or excellency is m a Chrifii3n, it is Cht iH., :wd. IHA his o.w~1; anJ this PJ«t was wi:li~1g toacknow!tdgc : He wJs not ofhJmtd ( fJlfh one wtrrdy) tc kt the ;yorld X11o·v, thlt Chrill cJrried Ius p1;de for hun, Not tbat we "" [''.ffcient <fwrfel~u t• tbi)IY,any tbing M ofou_rfelver, but our juffimncy If of Gud: YeJ, alter many years toddmg, tillS hol~ man {ees nothing he had gor, I c.unt not my ]cif to b~ve appreh(ndtd ; he is ftill prdhng forward, I prrji t£·n·ards the m;rr, f •r the price nftbehit,b c>lling cj"GIIdi11 Jejiu Cbrijl. How then is it, thlt the Hrongd\Cinifliau be he never [o llrong, £bould have hieh thouv.hts,ond an Jrrhil.3. r;) q. 1 Pet. >· S• roganr opinion ot himfdt 'What is thi• b~t to robGod ofhis glory,~ml CluUl ot his grac<' MJyll thou nor(ay ofevery dramofgrace,as the youog m1n of·his ha•chd,AI.u ,'-l!.rjicr, it wat >;tt borron-erl? Oh !Why £houldll th<:>U be lifted upon thisa.cco"ntiO,JIJ the dunghill boJfi,txcaufe the ~tm fluges on 11' !hall the Chnflun admuehunfelf, !!tea {e the Sun 0 f riglmoulnds hJth f11iotd on him? Oh God forbid! ( . ConliJer, the llronb<r thou art iu 10racc, tlie more lmmbly and fubmillively £bould11 thou C¥ry thy felf; the old r"'le of g"uto JoF/ior mJy wtll here take place, qtl3nto fmDill' tt, t•ntu te ger"' Jub.ni[Jimul > By hnw much rhe more holy, by (o much the more lo·.vly. W1S noe CnriH the•f,irdl of al l the children of mea (grace beinf; eminently poured into him) •n llumbkd Chrill >and mJy we nut thence learn, thJt tile hi.ghtll eJ<celle"<y, and the greatel\ humility, may conftll rogether 1 Many thin!<, thH _robe lowly ,and hum~k,_ would argue to rrcan and abjeCt ·a fpirit for a firong Clmihan; but was ever fpmt {o truly hero teal, and !o cnime{.tly g"cious as Ch.r;!ls Spirit? aRd yet never was fuch an humble lowly fphit in this worU; men are milbken in this thin~, for a proud fpirit, is ~he bafe fpirit, and an humble lpirit, is the raifed fpirit, humility is the grace that puts a varni(h, lufire, beauty, glory, on all otha grace!, and therefore f•ith rh_:; Afotlle to llrong Chril1ians, & cloathtd tJ'ith humility; the pwpr1ety ofthe wsrd hgmfies, a cloathinl!j or drd1iug with .Ribbons, with tine beat)tiflll oruameHts : [t is the beautiful ornam<'nt ofa Chriftian, and of all the graces of a Chriililn, it puts offgrac~, and every aCl:ion with a grace, it graceth all grace< whatfoe~er, and th=rcfore by how ltiJuch the mor.c holy, by fo much tht more humbly £h0uldfi thou carry thy !elf. 7 • Confider fhe fircngth of rhc fh.C>n);el\ Chr;llian grows flttable to his llrength in humility; if he be humbled, this makes llim prohtab~ under affliction• as the Vine under the hando£t~e -Prllllcr duffing ir; this m>keshim capable of che Word ofGod, as thebrollm ~rou.:d is offeed,an<i the empty ye(fellSof water;thi> make& Chril! very w<:)– corne an.r amiable in the ey• of the fo,d, the t:.irefi of ten thoufmds; this difpoferh 01 an to every duty, maloc:s the yok~ ofChrift very eal.ie, !QC fvul never thrives morr, then when it is h~mbla under the t1renr,th which God hath given it 1 he fills tbe h>mgrywilh good lhing,t; but 90 the other tide, if thy heart aogin to !we!, it is time for God· to hold his hand, and turn tbe Cock , for all thJt is powred on fuch a foul, nms over into felf:applauding, aud is good' for notlling : A proud heart, and a l~>fty mmtntain, are never fruitful ; fuch a one goes backward , and not forward, be fptnds on the old Hock , and drives no trade at pnfent to bring in .more : 0 the diiference bttwJX! a Omll1an humble and once grown proud and m£olent! when humble, he prayed in the fence of his own weaknds to get llrengrh , hut when proud , he prayes to !hew hi> ftrenzth , that others may admire him. And 0 che Jullice, if Hezekjah·like, he 'once calls in SpeCl:ator,s. to fee hts trea(ure, that God tal<es away his Trearure. Indeed if God love him, he t)tay we!~ take elm a way from him, which takes aw~y his heart from God, and fo ma!{e him humble, that he may become more firon a· SEC T.
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