The Life of Faith. The more God giveth to the carnal and unwife, the more they think themfelves engaged againft him ; becaufe by his commands he Items to take it from them again, by trolling the fleth, which would ufe it only to fulfil its !lifts. Like a Dog that fawneth on you till he have his bone; and then fnarlethat you, left you take it from him ; and will fly in your face ifyou offer to meddle with it. Men readily confefs that they have their wealth fromGod; becaufe it cannot bedenyed, andbecaufe they would ufe the nameof God, as a cover to hide their covetoufnefs, and unlawful wales of getting : But if you judge by their ufage of it, and their returns to God ; you would think that they believed, that they had nothing at all from God, but fome injuries ; -and that all their benefits and good were from thcmfelves. The Turkith and Tana- ManEmperour will fay, that all his grandeur and power is fromGod ; that by making it molt Divine, he may procure the more reverence and obedience to himfelf : But when he bath Paid fo for his own intereft, he ufeth the fame power againf God and bit interef ; to the banithingofhis Word and holy Worfhip, and the forbidding the preaching of the Gofpel of falvation; and to the cherithing of tyranny, pride and luf : As if God had armed them againft himfelf, and made his Officers to be his enemies ; andgave them power that they mightpowerfully hinder mens falvation, and made treat, to be great oppreffors. As a believing Pa@or is a Frie&f that (landeth between God 'and-the people, to mediate under thegreat Mediatour ; to re- , ceiVefrom God his Word and Ordinances, and deliver them tó thc'flocks, and to offer up tupplications in their names to Bpd So believing Governors of civil Societies or Families, receive from God a power to rule the fubjcfìs for their good, and they ufe it tomake the fubjees good, that God may be pleated and honoured by all I And theobedience which they require, is fuch as may begiven to God in them. They take power from God to ufe it for God, and are fo much more ex- cellent than the greaten of ambitious carnal Princes, as the pleating andhonouring ofGod, is a more excellent deign and work, than thegratifying of flcthly luft, and the advancement ofa lump ofclay, The Kingdoms of theworld would all be L jfid 75
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