T4 . Chap. 22. An Expojition upon the Book of Jos. Verf. z.- the world ; He bath no dependance at all upon our obedience for his bleffedneffe : our íîns cannot hurt him, as our obediencecan. not help him, which Elibu fhevves in the next verte ; If thou be righteous , what giveft thou him ? er what receivoth he of chi ,e hand ? Seventhly, hence fee the honour ofGod, that -bath made fo many creatures, and man efpecially of whom himfelfe bath no need, that bath fo many to fervehim, and yet needs none of their fervices. Give God this glory : We thinke chofe men are very glorious and honourable who have but asmuch'of the Creature as will ferve their turn, all creatures are the Lords, yet he is not ne- ceffîtated to fervehis turn by any of them. rightly, then, fee what-an obligation lyeth upon us continu- ally to bleffe God, to be thankful) to him, to walke humbly with him, who gives us fo many profits, when as we doe not profit him at all. God prizeth that highly by which himfelfe hath no benefit ; he prizes the aftings offaith and holineffe highly, but he bathno advantage by them : God gives us,profit by chofe, though himfelfe be not profited, though he is not the better by any thing we doe, yet we are the better ; The Lordbinds himfelf by promife, that the left good we doe in fincerity (hall have a goodreward; He that giver but a cupofcoldWater to a Difcipls in the name ofa Difciple, ¡hall not to¡e his reward. But ifwe give thoufands of Gold and Silver to poor Difciples, what profit bath Godby it ? And yet though noneof the profit comes to his hand, yet he reckons it as if all wereputinto his hand. All the charityand compaffion (hewed to his people, Chrift taketh to himfelfe ( c... 1atth. 25.) In that yeehave done it unto th%, yee have done it unto me. Chrift had no need ofalms, of qi ringor cloathing, yet he counts it as done to himfelfe, whenwe doe it to any ofhis. Can aman be profitable to goo!? as he that is wife may be profs- table to himfelfe ? Some give the meaning of the words thus Doth it follow, that a man can be profitable unto God, becaufe a wife' man may be po fitable to himfelfe ? our reading reaches the fame knfe. can a manbe fa,able untoGod, as be that id wife may be profitable to him;elfe ? It d00 not follow, ttecaufe A man may profit 1qi 1
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