466 / 808
Ephefiana,
Chap.
q..
Y
RR.
Z.
as
to
forbeare
his
wrath, to
withhold revenge,
yea fo gracious
as
to
pardon
and
forgive
us.
What
we have found the Lord toward
us,
we
mutt be toward our brethren that doe
offend
us ;
and praélife to-
ward
them the fame gentleneffe and meekneffe, forbearing
one
ano-
ther,
and
forgiving one another,even
as
God for Chrifts
fake forgave
you; verfe
3
2.
Of
the which there
is
fo much
the
more reafon,by how
much
there
is
the
more diftance between
God
and
us.
Flee
is
the
blef-
fed
Creatour
of
infinite
glory
and
Majefty,
we his
poore
and weake
creatures.
Can
he
then forbeare
and
forgive
us,
and cannot we our
fellow
creatures,
and
fellow-fervants! Our
finnes againft him
are
of
an infinite and
invaluable nature,
the
trefpaffes
of
our brethren
againft
us
(mall offences and trifles
in
comparifon.
Can
he remit fuck
hainous
and
great matters! And doe
we flick
at flight
and triviall matters ?
it
we doe,
we
cannot but beforehand give fentence againft our
felves.
See
Parable,
math.
r
8.23.
be.
We
muff
bethink our
felves
what
we have been In
former
times,
that none
are fo bad
in
themfelves
or
toward
us,
but
that
wee
have
been in former times every way
as
bad,
and deferved
as
ill.
Set
not
thy
heart (faith
Solomon)
to
take offenceat
every
evil!
word
which
is
Men
again.
fi
thee,
and
why!
Thy
heart
knees
that
thou haft
fpoken as
badofo-
thers,
and fo
done
as
had to others. Shen all
meekneffe
unto
all
men
who
-
foever
and
howfoever they
deale
with thee: And
why!
It
foliowes,
The
time was
when
see
alto
were
foolifh, difebedient,
living
in
maliciouf-
nere
and envy, hateful! and
hating
one
snot
er.W
hat,
doff
thou
wonder
that others
are
fo
bad, when thou
haft been
as
bad
thy
fclfe!
Art
thou
angry
that
men
thus
and
thuswrong thee, when thou
haft been
in
thy
time
as perverfe and unjuft
toward others! Doeft thou not
fee
in
them
a
pitt;re of
thy owne
old manners
! Thou
didft think
it reafon then
that
men should be meek and
gentle towards thce,and
is
it
not
as much
reafon
that
thou
be fo
toward theme
Thou
canft
not be
rough
and
fe-
vere againft
them, forme
and chafe at
them,
but thou
muff
con
-
demne
thy
Idle.
Wherefore
praife
God who bath put
thee
in
thy
right wits, and
brought
thee
to
a
found mind
to
fit peaceably at the
feet
of
Chrift,
and
out
of
pity have
patience with them who are yet
diftraied
with
that
fpirituall
phrenzy with
which thou fometime
waftdiftempered.
We
are
to confiderour
felves
that
we
are fraile
and
may
fall
as
well
as
others,and
fo fhall
have
need
of
the
fame meek and gentle dealing
from
others which they
now defire
of
us.
If
any be
fallen through
infix
miry, reftore
himwith the
fpirit of
meeknere: So
is
S'.
Pawls
advice, and
whye conflicting
thy
fèlf
,
that
thou
elf
maift
be
tempted.
There
is
his
ground
and
reafon.
If
thou wert
Cure
thou
fhouldft Rand fall
and
not
fall,
thou mighteft perhaps be the more rough
and give way
to
thy
choler
againft
others,
but
lince the
cafe
is
fo
that
thou
ftandeft but on
flippery
ground,&
maift fall and
give
offence
to others,be
kind
&
gen-
de to
filch as
provoke thee. Hebath
need
of
thy
pardon
and patience
to day, thou
mail}
have need
of
another to morrow.
If
thou
deny
thine