! I Sermon r. Ofthe NA T 1 v 1T 1 E. -~ _r 3 ---------~----~--- 1 QFtheparciescomp•red; AfJtelsandMen. Thefctwo we mullfirficompare, that we I may the more clearely fee the greamelfe of rhcgrace~nd benefic, this day, vouchfa- The P~r<ics fed us. No long procclfewlll need~eo layb efore you, how(trr~ 1nfenour our ~arure 1s, ~o compared– that ofthevfngels : It ts a companion Without companfon. Ir IS too appatanc, tfwe bela~d M•" with together, or weighed together, wefhall befoundmrnus habentes, farre too hglu. They are,m ANG • ts. l!xprelfe cermes,faid, (both, mthe old, andmrhe NewTeflament) to excell us mpower : And ~rp;·,:~.l1·;_o. as in power Coin all the rell. Tlus one thmg may fuffice, to fl1ew thcoddes: That our Nature; chat Zvc, when we are at our very highdtperfechon,_Cit is even thus exprelfed, thac)we come neare or arethercinlikeco, or as anAngel!, Perfe~beat~ty, mSamtStephen: They A,~,6-•f· ftw hi4face,'a theface ofan Angefl. PerfeCt wi(domc in David: <.My Lord the King is wifea< : ~:;;: :;_;~•m vfnuel/of Go o. PerfeCt eloquence mSame Paul": ThoHgh I ffeake w1th thttonguesofMen, nay-ofAngels. All our excellency, our highefiand moft perfe~ ellare, is burro be, as they: therefore, they above us farrc. . . . __ l!ut, to come nearer: What are Angels? Surely, they areJjmts; Glorro11sjfmts; Hea11en- ~:t· ..;•· Jy Jl!irits; Immortal! Jl!irits•. For rhe1r Natsm or fublllnce, Spmts: For thetr ~..t11y, or Mml/~.: 16 • property, Glorious : For their !'fare, or abode, Heavenly : For their Durance, or connnuance, Luk >o. 3 6. Immortal/, And, what is thefeed ofAbraham, bur,as Abraham himfelfe is~ And, what is Ahraham_? Let himanfwer himfelfe; I am dufl afJdafbes. What tsrhefeedofAbraham?Let oneanfwer,m Gon.ri. , 7 _ the perfons ofall the reil:; Dirensputredini, &c._ faying to rottenncjfe, th." art mym;;ther, and lob , 7 , , 4 _ tpthewormes,ye are my hrethren. I. They aref}mts; Now, wharare we, what ts thefeed of .Abraham? Flejh. And what is the very harvelt ofrhisfeedofjlejh? what, bur corruption, and G'l.6.8. rottennejfe, and wormes?There is the fubfiance ofour bodies: _ z. They,gloriousJP:rits: We,vtle bod1es (beare wtrh it, It 1s theHoly Ghofls owne terme, whojballchangeourvile hodies.) And not onely bafe and vile, butjilthzandtmcle,:ne: ex im.. Phil.j.it-; ·:.,ttlldoconceptumJemine,conuivedofunc!ean_efeed: There is themetaH. And, the mould is no lob ••·•– better: the wtm~be, whercmwe were conce1ved vile, bafe,filthy, anduncleane. There, is our Pfll.pA 'JNA{ity. . _ 3• They, heavenly Jl!irits, vfngels of Heaven: that is, theirplace ofabode is inhea-vm above. Ours is here below, in the dull ; interpulices, & et~lices, tinea<,aranea<,& vermes ; Our place is here amongjleas, andflies, moths andJPiders, and crawlingwermes. There is our place of dwelling. 4 They, i111mortall j}irits;thac is their durance. Ourcime is proclaimed in the Prophet :Flefl1,AIIjlejh isgrajfe,andtheglary efit,.s thejloure of thefield; (FromApril!to ltme.) El''y4o.6t TheSithecommeth; nay, thewindbut hloweth, and we aregone. Withering fooner than the grajfe, which is fl1orr: Nay,fadingfooner, than rhcjJorm ofthegra/[e,which is much lhorrer: lob· 4 . , 1 • Nay, (faith lob) rubbedin peeces more eafily, than any moth. - - This we are, to them., ifyou lay us togethc'~· And, i~you weigh :'s upon the ha/lance,we M•N,by arc altosether lrghterth411 vamty ttfelfe- There IS pur wetghr. And, ,fyou value us; Mants rhem!clves; but athmg ofnot~ght: There, is our worth. Houftomnis homo; This is Abraham, and this is Pf.,l.•'-" – ,v1brahamsfeed: And who would llandto comparethefe withvfngels? Verily there is ~'1 'H ' 4 • no comparifon; They are, incomp~rably, farrc betterrhan the bell of us. ' om.•.,, . Now then: this is the rule ofrea[on,theguideofall choice, Evcnriore to rake the better and leave the worfe. Thus would man doe; H.ecejl le.'< hominis. H~re thencommerh the mat– ter ofadmiration: Notwithfianding thefe things fiand thus, bctweene the Angels and LAhr11· lumsfeed : (theySpirits,gloriotls, heavenly,immortatl ;) yet tooke He not them; yer, in no wife, toolce He them ;B11t thefeed ofAbr11ham. The(etdofAhraham, with their bodies, vile bodies, emhly bodresofclay, bodies of mortality, corruption, anddeath: Thefe Hee tookc, thefe Hee ~•kef•ratlth<t. Angels, andnormm; So,inreafon, iriliouldbc : Men, and norv{ngels; h tt IS: And, chat granted to us, that denied to them. Granted eo us, fo bafe; that denied t em, foglorious.Denied,and firongly denied; ·ov, •,J>;..,,; 'l(gt, not in any rvife,!lot at any ht~n4, bo h~em. They, every way, in every thing elfe,above, and before us; in this, beneath and Eh tn~~ us. And we (unworthy,wretchedmmthat we are,) above and before the Angels, the tr~ tm, the Seraphim, andallthcPrifJfipalities,'andThrones, in this dignity. This being E-ab:yond
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