.3©6 The Misery of thofe Men that is the very thing that keeps thee from the fire; thou art a thorn, but God hath oieof thee, and therefore bring! the` not to the fire : but if thou once comaft to be unufe- ful, the fire is the next thing thou (bait hear of. I remem- ber Auflin`( in his 5th Book, De Civitate Dri, and°the t:. Chap. ) fpeaksof the Romans, that had fuch a flouri(hing condicon fora white, and he gives that for one Reafon, the Romans had breve (pirits, they were men that had ex- cellent moralities, and had Heroick kind ofspirits, and were delivered from that bafenefsof f irit, that caber peo- ple had, and therefore God (hewed Come-kind of refpe& unto them ; here many iníiances might be in that kind. Tnat's the fourth. Fifthly, God gives wicked men a portion here, to (hew unto them what little good there in all thefe things? and to fiere the world what little good there is in all the things that are here below in the world Certainly, if there were much good they should never have them : it ix an argument there is nogreat excellency in the firength of body, for anOx bath it more than you : an argument there is no great ex- cellency in agility of body, for a Dog bath it more than you : an argment no great excellency in gayclothes, for a Peacock bath them more than you: an argument there is not any great excellency in Gold St Silver, for the Indians that know not God,have them more than you; and if thefe things had any great worth in them,certainly God would never give c ìem to wicked men, a certain argu en! : As it is anargument there is no great evil in a fRi &tons in this world, becaufe that the Saints are fo much affli&ed ; So nogreat argument, there is any great good in this world, for the wicked they enjoy fo much ofit. Luther hath such an exprefiion as this is, in his Comment upon Genefis, faith he, TheTurktfh Empire, as great at it is, it is but a erum, that the mailer of the family, that Godcalls i todogs : the whol Tur- ki(h Empire, fuch an e(teem had Luther of it : and indeed is is no more. All thethingsof the world, Godin giving of ahem to Turks andwicked ones, His enemies, (hewsThere is
RkJQdWJsaXNoZXIy OTcyMjk=