By the Crop of chrif of fuch a culpability. Its a ftrange way that fome men have dr- vifed, of magnifying the Creatorby vilifying his works : and its a ftrange conceit that all the praife that is given to the creature is taken fromGod ; They would not do fo by man : The praife of an Houle is taken to be no difhonour to the Carpenter : Not the commendation of a watch a difhonour to the watchmaker.. God did not difhonour himfelf, when he faid , his works in the beginningwere all Good ! He would never have been a Creator, if all the Goodwhich he made and Communicated had been to his difhónour : When there was nothing but himfelf in being, there was nothing but himfelf to be commended : but doubtlefs God intended his Ca Tory by his Works ; and all that is in them proceeding from himfelf, the praife of themredoundeth to him- felf. In a word, we muff be very careful of Gods intereft in his creatures, and take heed of any fuch contempt or vilifyingof them, which may reffee upon himfelf. 3. The Crucifyingof the world to us, doth not confifi in our looking.upon it as an oflet thing, or laying it afide as to all fpi_ ritual improvement. No ; fo far is this from being any part of our duty, that it is none of the trait of our fins : The creature was the firft book that ever God did make for us in which we might read his bleffed perfe&ions And the perverting it to anotherufe,with the negle& of thir, was mans firft fin. Al it was the great work of the Redeemer , to bring us back to God that made us and rettoreus to his favour , fo allo to rettore us to a capacity of ferving him, even in that imoloyment which he .ap- pointed to us in our innocency ; which was to fee God in the face of his creatures, and then to love and honour hire , and by them to ferve him. Though this be not our higheft felicity , yen is it the way thereto : Till we come to lee face toface, we mutt be glad to fee the face of God in the ghat; of his works. But of this _ we have more to fay anon in the application. 4. Our Crucifying of, or to the world, rcquireth not any fee ceffìon from the world, nor a withdrawing our {elves from the fociety of men, nor the calling away the prapriety or poffefiion of the neceffaties whichwe poffels. It is an eater thing to throw awayour Mafters Talents, then faithfully to improve them. The Papifls glory in The Iiolinr,fs of their Church, becaufe thèy,have many among them that have vowed never to marry, and have no propriety
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