Sermon 12. ofthe HoLY GnoST. Then is not every errcr repugnant to GoD's ele:~io11. Why every error, more than everyJirme? GoD 1S able ropardon andn?r ro 1mputeerron~ opinion, as well "' errour ill praflice; and Nenne err~nt ?mnes qut operantllr '!'alum cr~lthSalomon) Doe Prov. I 4·~'· 1 allerre that doe evil/? yes lure. D1d not the Htgh Prtefl dlfer, as well fort he er- Levu.f.tf,, DO ,r; ,/?,· f h 1 Ad. C d xCor,x.jo. rers, as forrh~tran1gr<:v•oi1S o t e peop e ~ n IS not . H R I s T ma e to us,by God,Wifdomeagain!! the one,as well as Rtghteonfnejfeagamft theother~ It was Saint Peters cafe here. . . . Thisondy we are to looketo; that with Samt Peter, we be not W1lfull, ifthere come a clcere comperi: bur as ready to relent in the one, as to.rep~nt ofthe other. That when we befhewed our errour, we open our eyes topercewe lt; and when we percei~eir, with Saint Peter here, we open our mouthes ro confeffe it. And t.hat w~ doeit with an open mouth, andnothet.veene the tuth, but acknowledge 1t plamely,1t was orhcrwife than we thought. I verily th011gbt (faith Saint Pa11l) I ought to doe,that Ails i~.g~ which now all the world lhould nor make me to doe. This is Saint Partls. I now comprehend,'or rather Am comprehended (for '"'""'"~'''""tM.' will beare both) of which Pliii.J.i>; before I could not. This is Saint Peters rerraetation. Conclude then, ifwe happen 10 bee in fome points otherrvife minded, G 0 D rvifl wring Ill to the knowledge, C'T./{11 of them. onely i;o thofe whereto we are come, andwhereofwe are agreedon allJides, that wee proceed by o11e rule, make aconfcienceofthepratfice offuch trnths,a ove agree of,and thofe wee doenot,jhallfoonebeerevealeduntoru, and wedhallfayeven ofthem, In ver~~ we Comp~ri. What was this, that Saint Peter formerly had not, bu't now didperceive? That Ii: G0 D unoaccepterofp.erfons. Let'ustake with us, what is meant byPerfons• •Fo.r, ~.~;:;~'',.,t. he that feareth Go n 1saper[on; C~rneltru was aperfon; fowere all theperfonsm Ius ,,,ive.' · houlhold. Theword in all thethreetongues, is taken as we takeit, when we fetPer- 'Godis.,,,~ fonall again!l: Reall, oppofe thecaofe to theperfen : under it comprehend.ing whatfo- ';~~~' •fptr~ ever is bdide the matter or caufc. TheGreeke,and Hebrewproper!y figmfie theface ; -{:,hat iis mcan'i that (we know) lhewes it felfe firft, and ifidhew it felfe well, is muta commendatio, byptrfm ' · c3rries us, though it fay never a word; as inEliab, the goodlineffe ofhisperfon mo- r Sam.16.~, ved evenSamuel. Vnder theface then, we underf!and, (as I may fay, and as we ufe to call it in apparell)thefacing : under theperfon, all by.refpeets that doeper{onate, •ttire, ormaskeany,to make himperfonable; fuch as ar.ethe C~llntrey,Condition,Birth, Riches, Honour and the like. And thisperfonthus taken, ofa truth we daily perceive, that inomnigentemen accept ofthis,and in amanner, ofnothing e!febur this :all goes by ir. Well, with God, it isotherwife,and with men it lhould be: Godaccepts them not, nor ofany men, for them. This is the comperi. - .And is this it~ Why,thiswas no newes. Was Peter ignorant ofthis~ It is nof poflible; I will neverbeleeve, but he had read the five bookesofMofes: why there itisexpreffelyfetdowne (Deut.r o.) totidem ver6is. Why, by the very lig~t of na- D:ur. ro.ri: tuteE/ihufaw it, and fetit downeroo,Ioh 34· 'l{gnot theperfonofPrinces. InSam11- lob ~·P~· tlschoice ofDavid, rhere it is, I Sam.r6. And King Iehofaphat gave it in his charge. c~:~~~~· zchron.r9. and in other places be!ide: and how could he but know this~ · Youwill fay: SaimPeter knew it before;but not with ae~mperi,asnow he cloth. And(mdeed) many things we know,by hook,by f}mdation (as we fay) and in groffe, ~htchwhen w: come to the particular experience of,we ufe to fay,yea, now I know it :ndeed, as ifwe had not knowne it, at leaf! not fo knowne it before; The experimen– tal/ knowledge, is the rrue comperi i11 veritate, when all is done. Was this it ~ .No: for, had he not experience ofthis,and lay away his bookeHave not all ex· penence daily ~That God, in dealing his gifts ofnature: Ollfwatd, Beauty, Stature, Strength, Acliveneffe: inward; Wit to apprehend, Memory to reraine, Judgement 10 dtfcerne, Sp~ech to deliver: that He puts no difference, bur without all rcfpec1 of ft':fo . .<.' hcOowes them on the child ofthe meane, asfoone, as oftlwnighty ~ So.is PfaL••H~ mw,alrhandworldly preferment, He lifts the pom oNt ofthe d1if/· Nay, (you Wlll beare
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