Chap. 28. efln Expofitiox upon the Book of J o a. Verf. tg. 28' thefe. But becaufe mofi men over-value them,çherefore the Spi- rit of God puts a flight upon them, in comparifon of wifdom, thereby to convince all men that wifdomdeferves our utmofi re.- fpeet, Peeing theft things, whichmen fo much refpe6t, and which bear fogreat a weight at the common beam, are yet lighter then vanity in this ballante of the SaUtuary. Sccondly,obferve Man to fo weak and lark in hie underfianding,tbat he cannot dí f tern the worthofwifdom, nor of any thing that if fpiritual , best as comparedwithand fet offby thof a thongswhich arenatural Ludibrioferia and obvious to our,fences, yea but toys and trifler for our fences film. to play witball. The reafon why the Spirit of God gives fo many inflances in the befi treafures to be found in natures florehoufe, is, becaufe our,dulncfs knows not how ro apprehend the excellency of that which is divine, nor how tovalue it abflraCtly,or in it felf, but by confidering how much it excells chofe things which are mot} va- lued by our felves. A littie,the leaf+ grain of Grace and holy wif- dome is better in it Pelf, then a mountain cf Gold, yet few fee the goodnefs of ir, but in itspreferrencebefore Gold.And there- fore, though there are many ufes, for which, and ends why God made Silver and Gold, yet this may be reckoned a fpecial one, char their worth andnatural excellency might be as a foyle to fet off the beauty and lutiire of that which is fpiritual. For, As when the Lord had finned the workof Creation, he brought and fet all the creatures in their Original beauty be- fore Adam,that having viewed them well,and given them names according to their natures, he might fee there was not one among them all worthy of himfelf, or meete for his fociety, and that then his delires might be drawn out ro embrace a help mettefor him (Gen, a. ao.) So the Lord Pets before the pofierityof Á- dam, all the good things of this world, that finding their de fires full hungry and unfattsfied, theymay be led further, and con- vinced, rhat if things of greater+ worth here below, cannot fatif- fie them, then theymuff look out for fomewhat that is above, and better. That's alto one reafon why Chrifi is fo often fhadow- ed in the Gofpel by fenfible obje&s, by bread and cloathing, by light, and the light.dearer. TheSun in the firmament 'that fo, O o we
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