The Life of Faith. 443. felves,we (hall find that it is, The worldly mind that caufeth one calamity. Many well meaning friends of the Church do think how dishonourable it is to the Minifiry, to be poor and low, and confequently defpicable; and what an advantage it is to their work,to be able to relieve the poor, and rather to oblige the people, than to dependupon them, and to be above thttrt, rather than below them. And fuppo ing the Pallors to be mortified, holy, heavenly men, all this is true ; and the zealot' thefe thoughts is worthy ofcommendation. Put that which goodmen intend for good, hath become the Churches bane. So certain is the common laying, that Confantinerzeal did poifon the Church, by lifting up thePaflors of it too high, and occa- fioning thofe contentions forgrandure andprecedency, which "to this day feparate the Eall and Wefl. When well-meaning Piety hath adorned theoffice with wealth and honour; it is as true as that the Sun thineth, that the mollproud, ambitious, Worldly men, will be the mollftudiow feelers of that office ; and will make it their plot, and trade, and bufinefi, how by friends, and obfervances,and wiles, to attain theirends: And ufually he that leeks fhal find: when in the mean time the godly mortified humble man, will not do fo ; but will ferve God in the Rate to which he is clearly called : And confequent- ly, except it be under the Government of an admirably wife and holy Ruler, a worthyPaflor in fuch a wealthy flation; will be a fingular thing, anda rarity of the age; whilft worldly mere, whofe hearts arc h. abited with that which is utterly contrary to holinefs, and contrary to the very ends and work of their own office, will be the men that mutt fit in Niles Chair ; that milt} have the doingand rulingof the work which their hearts are fet againft. And how it will go with the Church of Chrilt, when the Gofpel is to be preached, and Preachers chofen, and Gedlinefs promoted by the feeret enemies of it ; and when ambiti us, flefhly, worldly men, are they that mutt cure the peo- ples fouls (under Chrifi) of the love of the fleth, and the world, it were carte to prognotlicate from the caufes, if the Chrifttan world could not tell by the efefis : fo that, except by the wonderfullPiéty of Princes -there is no vifible way in theeye ofreafon, to recover the mifcrable Churches, but to retriveth a ?agora/ Office into faéb aflare, as that it may be see K. k k 2 bait
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