238 Chap. 19. e"frt expftion upon the Boob,,of J o :a. Verf. 13. (Pral.133. 1.)Behold, how good andhowpleafane it is forbrethren to dwell together inuntie : He compares it to thedew ofHermon, and to the precious oyntment upon the head, that ran dowre upon the beard,even Tarons beard,and that went dawne to the skirt of his garment. low, as it is a pleafure to behold the union and harmony of brethren, fo 'tis very bitter to fee brethren bro- ken off and disjoynted from one another. Whether they be brethren byblood, orbrethren by.profeffion, but chiefly if they bebrethren in the faith and profeffion ofthe Gofpe!. Abraham, (aiduntoLot, let there be nolrife,Ipray thee, between me and thee, and betweenmy herd-men andthy herd-men. He would not onely have no ftrife between themfelves, but not between their fer- vants, and why ? For we are brethren .( Gen. 13. 8.) The divifi- ons of brethren are both grievous and fcandalous ; grievous to .themfelves ,, and fcandalous to others. Hence Mofes gives counfell to the two contending Ifraelites (as Stephen reports it, 4t1. 7.26.) Sirs, why doeye wrong one to another ?you are brethren. The name of a brother or the remembrance that we are bre- thren, isenough to pacifie our fpirits, and hallen us to a recen- .cilement of all our differec ces. And that fo many brethren, who alto are IfraeliteS, fall out with, and wrong one another, ,and will not be reconciled , how fad is the fcandall and how heavie the burdenat this day ? All gracious hearts have much caufe to lament this as all eyes, even the eyes of our common enemies, have too much occafion to take noticeof it. Thirdly, In that he faith,'He bathput my brethrenfarrefrom, ore , Obferve ; The changes ofaff, i Rion are fromGod : or, it is of the Lordthat our brethren are at any time eftrangedfrom tes. As God puts health farre away fromus, or aboundance farre anay from us, f6 he puts friends farre away from us. This loth mot eixtufe brethren in their unkinde departures and elîrangements from one another, onely it fhould teach us to depend upon God , as much for the eftablifh:nent and conti- nuance of friends in their affections and refpeccs to us, as of our Lands and Carrell in their fruitfulneffe to us or of our own bodies in their health and ftrength to us. There is an Over- ruling hand ofGod , and his effeCtuall working, as in all other afflictions
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