TheJixth S &R M o N } -5 Now, there is nothing fo pliant as Lo'(e; ever readie to transfo~me it felfe,ta \vhatfoever may have hkdyhood eo preva•le; and 1fit beLz6eralttze, mto that too For, that Loveis liberal!(nay-prcdigall) the Greekeproverbnoteth it, that faith, Th~ Purfc-.ftrings ofLoveare made ofaLeeke-blade ; eafily in [under, and w1de open with no great adoe, . 6 Saint Paultherefor1: commeth roir; and as he make~h his cafe aFather's Verfe ,· 4~ cafe towards them (in the verfe next before: ) So he faith with the kindc Father Luke•H•· (Luke 15,) Ecce omni>i mea t11a {unt. Filthers love and all mull: be proved by Bejl11ving. . . .7 Yea, I wifl{,effow : Now alas, whatcanPaHlbeJ!o~f Efpedallyuponro wealthy Citizens·~ What harh he to part with, but hi' 1Jookts andhh parchments? ~Tim,4.'•>· Ware, at Athms perhaps fomewhat; but at Corimh, lirtleufed and letTe regarded. Indeedif·filver andgold·be all, and nothing·elfe worrh the beffewing, nothing will come under Impend4m, but it: his befiowing is ftalled. But, by rhe grace ofG oo, there is fometning elfe. 'fh~re be talents ( fo, theworld will call them when they lift, howfoever they elteeme them f<;arce worthpence a peece.) And there be'"'· Col,i.'}! fures of rvifdome and knowledge, in ·CH R 1 s ·r o I • s u (faith Paul.) Indeed,fg had Saint Paul need to fay ; he had beft magntfie hts owncImpendam,forhehath nothing elfe to make of. Nay, it !hall not ftand upon h1s valuanon. They that had both. both the wealth of Corinth, a!Jd the wifdome ofPa11l, and both in abundance,asbe: ing both ofthem Prophets : The one ofthem (King Da'tlid) preferrerh thislmpen. J>rai.r 9 •• o. damofPaul's beforegold,jinegold,much.finego!d; and that we may know how muc11 · ''9· 7 %• that much is, beforethM{ands ofgoldandjilver. This, was no pooreApoffle, The ~rov.••·•f· other (King Salomon) faith dirtCl:ly : There u gold, andamultit11de of richj/ones ;b•t the lips of kTWwledge, that, u thepreciozu Jewel. And, not Policie; but Scielllias 4• J>ro•. 9 ., 0 . ct<rmn, pmde~tia : the kn~ledge of holy things, isthen~tfdome he meanerh. And, ,!lt<g. 1 .,.<>. it was no flounib: hewasmearneft : For, 1t IS well knowne hehimfelfe cho{e them before the orher, when he was put to his choyce; and, that his liking in that choyce, was highly approved; by Go o's owne liking. The truth is, Men haveno fenfe of their foults,till theyb~ ready to part with rhem;.and then is Saint Pauls il/)penda,. called for (and never fenoufly before;) when thm cafe 1s fuch as they can little feele, what the{,eflowing is worth. And, becaufe they would not fceketo feele it before, it is Go o'• juft punilh; inenr they feele it no' then. Bur, if men will labour to have fcnfe of that part in due rime, they lhould finde and feelefuch an eftate ofminde, :1i none know,but fuch as have felt : furely fuch, as they would acknowledge ro be worth an Impendam. Indeed, this it is, Saint Paut can befiow ; and this it is, Corinth needs ; and the more wealthy it is, the more. The other, as he hathit not, fo they need it not, rhatis, .,. AI!.J.6. , At~rtlm & Argent11m: fl.!.1odamem habet, but that bee hath, heeis readie to bejlow. b Mark',·.~~!: What would we have more~ bFecit qt~od pot11it, faith our SA v I o u Rin c.:Mnry •Luke ·""" <.MagdAlens cafe; and ' dedit q11od hubnit, ia the cafe of the pooreWidowe's mites; and, thatisasmuc9as.Go b dorh, or nran can require. Bur, beitlittle,orbeit much, he that givethaU, leaveth nothing ungiven, and therefore his impendam is at thehighelt _ ~ But,when iris at the highc!l:,thePaf!ive Impend•r,is higherthati it. Much more; _Am•"xp••fi· to be GeRorved, than to beJ!oJv. And therefore it bath a St<per-impendar bellowedon ""'' 11 " 1 '"d"· it. I Forfirft, they that beflo•v, give but oftheir fmits; but, he that is bejlowtd, givethfr~tit, tree, and all. In that, thebeftower remained unbeftowed: here, hee himfelfe is in the deed,ofgifcroo. z Secondly, before, there wasbur one ac1 (of bejlorviltg onely ; ) here, mone, are both beflowing and beingbeJiowcd; and there be· ing botbmu£1: needs beberterthanone. 3 Thirdly, before, that which wasbe– fiowcd, what was it ~ our good, no't our btored; our living, not our life : 'l(pn. Hcbr.u.4. d"m 4 dfangr•inem, not yet fo farre, as to thejhedding of bt1ud: Then, there is fome· \vhat behind: But; ifto the fheddinKof that, then1:>it love at the fartbeft: if Jtbc as
RkJQdWJsaXNoZXIy OTcyMjk=