293 Chap. 5. An Expofirion'upan the Boole of ] O B. Verf. > ç: fluences o( this prornife. Néfaveth the poor. Wicked poor are no more under Gods proteEtion, then wicked opprcffors,or wic- ked rich men arc. This poor man cryed, and the Lord beard, Pfal, 34.6. Not every or any poor man. Some Doer men may cry, and the Lord hear them no more, then he did the cry of Dives, the richenantr hall, Luke 16. Forget not the Comgregacion of thy poor, Pfal. 74. 19. Thy poor, by way of difcrimination : There may be a greaterdiftance between poor and poor, then there is between poor and rich. There are many ragged Regiments,Con- gregations of poor , whom the Lord will forget for ever, But ¿la poor /hall be faved.And therepoor are of two forts ; either poor in regardof wealth and outward fubftance ; or poor in regard of friendsor outward afiiftancc. A rich man,cfpecialiy a godly :s',1mti rich man,may be in a poor cafe, deft itute and forfaken,wanting r3radice1-°1"Z, patronage and protefion:God faveth his poor in both notions, quad eßdeft both thofe that have no friends,and thole that have no eftates. derare, quali, euper amnia The word for Poor, fprings from a root de- p defderet, Cum (ire;and the reafon is, becaufe poor men arc commonly rich in oubilbabeat, delires. They that are full of fenfible wants, are full of earneft nriticMn wifhingq.7-^hey that are emptiefi ofenjoyments are fallefi ofhopes &long- t enrm, &,, ings. And the reafon why poverty ofSpirit, in ourfpiritual eftate telligentix. is pronounced a bleífing,is,becaufe the poor in fpirit are full of snaps, sckind. delres offpiritual riches. They are ever craving and fee- nia omrnbul king to be filled with that fulnefs, which is in Chrift, withgrace iner$ee onznia for race;theywouldhave every image of every grace in Chrift babe(Rab.Da. engraves upon their fouls. Or (in a holy covetoufnefs) they would be as rich in grace as Chrift is. Grace for grace:as a cove- tous man,would have penny for penny, pound for pound with his richefl neighbor;or as an ambitious man would have honor for honortitle for title with his greate(t neighbor.The Chriflian who fees his Coate lowe(t,ufually let his defires higheft,his affe- ({ions areever upon the wing,for fupplies from Chrift.Both the civil poor man, and the poor foul, would fain beenriched. He faveth the poorfrom the Sword, from their mouth, and from the band of the mighty. Some read this by appofition, befaveth the poor from the Sword their mouth, making the latter to be but an expofition of the former, from the Sword, their mouth, that is, their mouth is the Sayerrd, from whichGod faveth his poor. So taken it is a truth,
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