6z6 E'phepîaln, Chap.s, V ER.16. YTe z. It muff iliac us up to imployall the honresofour lives more fruit- fully, to take every good occafion, time andtide flay not ; he that will not ftrikethe iron while it is hot, doth lofe his labour when it is cold. it is notablefolly tofeepe in barvefl, Prov.1o. 5. And in earthly things we will take the occafionofour gaine, redeeming it with loffe of plea- lurewith riling from our tables. Doll. For the fecond thing, Wefee that evills muff not make uegiveplace to unfruitfulneffe, but more diligent in takingevery goodoccafion. Ifabar- veftday befull ofclouds and windie, men willnot keepe in,but worke more diligentlyand warily : If the evill of finne abound, wee mutt increafe in holineffe : Is it not enough, we our God di(honou- red with others e thus Davidwept,Pfal. '19. t7uine eyesgull; our with riversofteares becaufe menkeepe net thy law. Lot vexedhisfoule. Solomon whenhe law thefield of the fluggard, learned wifedome. If calami- ties be in our times, we have more neede to draw neere to God. It is a ffrong theefe that call intoprifon will not ceafe to fteale while he is in hold : So if God let chainesofcommon calamities hangonus, it is notable lewdneffe not then to become converts ; as it is noted with an emphafis of i4baz , zC+er. 28. z2. That even inho oflia`lions, he cea- fdnot to offend. Again, this may hence be periwaded; the more rare commodities grow, the more we ingroffe them. Again, the leffe while a thing is like to abide with us, the firmer hold you layof it : nowopportunities in evill rimes are hard to come by, and not like long to continue with us : fo that as men who are at worke, whenit isnow but an hone to night, they will double their yf, diligence. This thereforedoth reprove thofe who becaufe there are hinderan- ces and croffes and fuch abundance of evill, thinke it a folly for them to flrive againft the ftreame and doe otherwife thenothers doe; this.is thedevils Logicke with which he beguileth fluggards, Prey. 15. 19. Theway ofcheflothfull man is asa hedgeoftharms, Pray. a 2.13. Hefaith, there is lyon in the way : but we mull !carne the contrary, unleffe we will let the devil! kill us with our owne weapons; becaufe men are fo fenfualland earthly every where, becaufe there are fo manyevills and diftraélions ready to take the occafion out ofour hand,therfore we will bemore carefull totake it. Ifone had a commoditie we liked, though therewere fome broakers that did lye in the winde for ir, we would not got fit flill, and fay, Let them take it, but wee would goe betime and bid well, that theyMould know how they carried it : fo the more things come betweene us and home, the more carefull we muff be like good merchants to buy the commoditie, even the opportunitie of doinggood. VERSE I7j VE R S E. 17. Whereforebenot unwife, but tenderfland what the will ofthe Lord is. Now followeth the third amplification from the rule dr meane nablingusin this circumfpeét walking; and the precept concerningit is given negatively and affirmatively. For the openingofthe words. Where-
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