438 Ephefianr Chap. ¢ Via. Z. war,a blafphemer, an oppreffor, thathe was the chiefe ofjnners, and did RQ carryabout him ;bodyof death, and f vne, the fruit whereof was that as it did ènipty him of all windy conceits of bis owne excellency, which might make him fwell touching himfelfe, that he was5 no wor- r heG'8.$ 9 thy to be an' 4pofile,tvzr asone bornest t ofduetime , and the feat ofad P r Saintt. A third ground is thegrace andmercyof God towardus , by the which we are what we arc;and of whichwe have all that we have, there beingnothing that we canboaft ofas our owne;What haft thou that thou hapnot received? and ifahou haft received it, why boafkf thou 1 Cor. 4:7. a$ iftheuhadit not receivedit? Boafi not thy felfe, and if thou boaft thy Rom.a1. 1a felfe, thou bearefi not the root, butthe root thee. And if it made orephi. bofheth fo humble thathe was notenraged at the foule wrong his fer- vant had done him, nor difcontente with the rafh judgement that sdm. 19. a7, David at the firft or laic hearing gave again(t him , but was content :8. with fomething or nothing, asthe Kingpleafed,confideringthat when hewas asadeaddog, the Kinghad (hewed him grace , fed him at his owne table, reftored him tohis fathers lands, and that whatfoever bee had, he enjoyed it meerely by the Kings favour: How humble fhould it'make us to thinkewhat mercy the Lord hath Mewed us, that ofchil- drenofdeath, he hath fparedus, made us his children, and heires, and that we have nothing but ()thisgrace, gift and favour tous. 4 A fourth ground is thehumility ofIefùs Chrift í Let the fame mind Phtt:.s. be inyouthat woo in chr:j lofas. And if Chrift who is our Lord and matter, mho being intheforme ofGod,thought it no robbery to bee equaQ with God, didcarry himfelfe fo humbly toward God and man, as there is faid how low then ou ht weto ffoo g pe, and. to what hombleneffe ofmind mutt wecompofe our felvesthat are but fervants and fchol- 1ers, nay, who arebut poorewormes of the earth? 5, The fifth ground, let it be the frailty and vanity of all outward and earthly things, howgloriousMever, whichas lames fheweth in one iamramal. kind ofthem, are but as theflower of the graffe. The flower is the bra- veft and goodlieft part ofan hearb to fee to, but the weakeft and that which doth fooneft perifh.Thegraffe & hearb it felfat lengthd'oth wi- ther, but oft doth the flower fade even thefame daythat itEft flouri. Iheth, and the goodly beauty & fafhion, with which it did take up the eyes ofmen, commeth unto naught:fo a man himfelfe,as the hearb is weak, mortali and muff wither at length; but thefe outward goodly things, withwhich as withgay garlands when he is trimmed, he is not a little lifted up and proud of them, are much more brittle,fugitive and momentany. Let therefore (faith the Apoftle) the rich, andfi the Jamc.,% faire, the honourable, be. rejoyce in that he is made low. And wherein is he made low, but in the fickleneffe ofhis eftate, and frailty of thofe outward things he bathe which fhould move him rather tó an humble ufeandenjoyment of them, then puffe him up with pride inthem. 6. Let this be the laft ground, the bafe condition to whichwe fhall be brought by death, and wherein we (hall beall alike, thatwe (hall make our
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