Chap. 2z. fln Expofition upon the $ook of Io B. `Nerf. 2, 9 refolve to prote5t and defend him as I doe myown portion and treafure ; In this fenfe doth the Lord fay of his people, 7e are my areafure. We efteerne treafure, and treafures are under pro- teftion, left any take them from us. Thus the Lord fpeakes ofhis people, not that he hath anyprofit or gain by them, as men who ordinarily have portions and Inheritance in Fields or Houles which are their flock and livelyhood. Indeed there is a Revenue which the Lord hath by his people as they are his portion ; that is, a Revenue of glory and honour, not a Revenue of profit. But if you fay glory and honour is profit, and an advantage toman, is it not then an advantage to God to be glorified by man ? I anfwer, It is no advantage to God when he is glorified by man, Our glorifying of God doth not add any glory to him that he hadnot, but it is only the letting forth of that glory which he had ? there is no encreafeof his fulneffe by all the honour and glory that the creature gives him. We are commanded to glori- fie God. (.Matth. i. i 6. Let your light fo _Thine before men, that they may feeyourgoodworksandglorifie your Father which is in Heaven.) But God dothnot receive any additional) glory by us,how much or how clearly foever our light fhineth hefore men A candle addsmore light to theSun, then all the creatures in the world can adde to the glory of God, when they have fludied his glory, and laboured to glorifie him to the urmoft all their dayes.. Thirdly, that of Davidmay be yet obje&ed, Frahm. 4. 3. The Lordbath f et apartfor himfelfi themays that id godly. And if lo, then it feemes he intends to make fome profit ofhim ; it is an al- lu, onunto chofe that vend wares:A merchant looks upon this and that commodity, and then faith this is for my turne, this I like, let it apart for me. Seeing then the Lord bets the godly apart for himfelfe, it founds as if he meant to make fotne gain or advantage by him. I anfwer, the meaning ofthat Scripture is not, that God fers a godlyman apart as one that he gets profit by, but as one that he intends to bellow mercyupon;or hePets him apart forfervice, not for gaine ; The Lord ferves his own ends by the fer- viceofman every day, andPets apart thegodly man for his fpeci- all fervicc. C Yet
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