Chap. 28. An Expofition upon the Book. ofJ o a. Vert. 2. 2 rg wife and God kath chofen the weak things of the world to confound the things which aremighty, &c. Here is one reafon, it is Gods way and will it fhould be fo, and what is man that he fhould re- ply toGod ! Yet Secondly., There is a retain alto in themfelves; for chele wile men are fo taken, and taken up with natural things, fo drunken, yea befctted with the profits and concernment: of this world, that they doe not mind the things of the Spirit. He that inqui- rech much into the veins of filver, is flow to makeenquiries after the veins of truth. And he that fetshis eye upon the place ofGold, is fo bedazzl'd with the fplendor of ir, that he cannot behold thofe things which are of apurer and higher nature. Yea, he who is much in, and bath got much of thele earthly Creatures, thinks he bath enough,and therefore purfues no further.His Silver veins have filled him, and the place of Gold bath taken up all the room of his heart : He bath now no place left for God, or the things of God. The full foul loathech the Honeycomb ; and as God fills the hungry, but fends the tich(that is,the fpiritually rich in their own conceit) empty away , fo they who are full of temporal riches, are ufualiy infenlible of any fpiricual emptinefs, and Co negleet thofe wayesand meanes, by which alone theymay be fil- led. They who are poor in fpirit, delire nothing more then fpi- ritual riches, but they who are pooreft in fpirituals, care loft foc theriches of the fpirir. Thirdly, They who area vvifell and bufieft about natural things,bave not only flow and dull delires after, but defpifng and contemptuous thoughts ofthe things of grace. The Grecian weregreat Philofophers,lovers of,and fludious to find out all chi rarities of nature. Now thefe (as the Apofile chargeth them, z Cor. r. 23.) counted and called the G ofpel, or the preaching of Chi ill crucified, foolifhntfs, and fo became the cheif' of lodes. Theycould peirce into the darke + referves and clofets of nature, but could not fee the clearefl manifeftarionsand fhiningsof grace. It was pride in their own wi(`dom, which would not fuf}er them to fee the excellency of the wifdom of God, and it was their pu- nifhment that they fhould nor. Ic was the anfwer of a wile man in the Law, who hearing another oppofing the fentence of the Court., told him, it was Law ; to which the perfon diffatisfied replied, /fit were Law Icould underJland it, for Law it realon, F f 2 and
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