I 94 A Box of precious Ointment : Or, Non ex Terfonisp- dern, fed ex fide perfonas. Taw'. with rep felt of perfons ; for if there come pinto your; affem bly, nkan with a foid ring, in goodly apparel, and there come in alio a poor man in vile raiment, and ye have refpeR to him that orearech the gay 4IoAthing, and fay unto him, fit thou here in a good plane, and fay to the poor, hand thus: there, or fit here under my are ye not then partial in your (elves; and are become judges of evil hosghts? Not that the Apostle cloth !imply or abfolutdy prohibit a civil differencing of men in place from others ; for it cannot be denied but that there is a holy and warrant- able. refpea of peg fore, in refp&...i of their age, callings, gifts, graces and greatnefs in the world ; but when the rich mans wealth is more regarded than the poor mans godlinefs; and when men carry it fo to the rich, as to calf fcorn, con- tempt, difgrace and difcouragement upon the godly poor. They that refpea a rich man that has but a little grace, be- fore a poor man that is rich in grace, are worthy of blame. All t ue born foes love to fee rue image and picture of their father, though hung in never fo poor a frame, and in never, fo mean a cottage : So the true born fans of God, they love! to fee the image of God, the pilure of God upon the poor- eft Saints. 'Tis fad to prefer a worldly Litre before heaven- ly grace; a gold ring before a rich faith, a.:chain of gold be- fore a chain of grace. Ver. S. Hearken my beloved brethren, bath net God chofen the poor of this- lorld, rich in faith, and heirs of the Kingd m? It is a vile thing, faith one of the Ancients, to have thefaith of Chria in refpea of perfons. We do not judge of faith by perfons, but of perfons by faith. 'Tis the great wifdom of a Chriaian, not to judge of men by their outwards, but by their inwards ; not by their externals, but by their internals ; not by what they are worth for this world, but by what they are worth for that other world: The poor- eft Saints are God's portion,,Deta. 3 2. 9. Theyare his plea- fant portion, Ter. 12.10.. They are his peculiar treafure, Exod. 19. 5. They are his jewels, Ma/. 3. 17. They are the apple of his eye, Zech. 2. 8, They are his glory, IP. 4. 5. They are the crown of his glory and'royal diadem, Ifa. 6z. ;. and therefore 'tis: a dangerous thing to flight.them, to difown them, to lookfrowningly upon them; or to carry it unwor- thit
RkJQdWJsaXNoZXIy OTcyMjk=