Chap. 3r. An Expofition upon the Books of Jo a. Verl. 15. 445 ferences ordegrees there areamong men, they meete and are a- like inmany, yea inmolt things. And that God who bath made both theMafter & the fervant, the rich and the poore, canquick- ly make (as he bath often made) the rich man poore, and the poore man rich; The Mailer a.fervant, and the fervant a Ma- iler. Yet many a& towards their fervants, and the poore, as if they were ofanother mould and originali. And keep at loch a diflance as ifthey hadnever met in any thing, nor ever could. Though in- deed (as one ofthe Ancients cenfures fuch ) He that contemnes any man bcaufe he moves in a lower worldly fpheare then him- felfe, is himfelfe not above but below all men; for he divefts him- felfe ofhis humanitie, anddoth not at like a man while he fo proudly conceits himfelfeunlike other men. They are men ofno reali worth or value, who value themfelves over. much beyond other men. What is there either in the matter or the maker of of one man, more then of the other ? And that any man is poore, or a fervant, doth not arife from his nature, but from providence or divine difpenfation. Heathens have fayd, It is not nature bast Raríonalem ho- fortune that feu a man in thefate of afervant ; Chriftians fhould. narrow fadlx,n fay, it is not nature but God that doth it. Auguftine in his rgth ad tmag ne,n fuarn noircit nib booke ofthe CitieofGod, bathan excellent paffage to this pur; t,rationtlibith pofe ; e t firff ( faith he )Godgaveman dominion over the irra dominari, non tionall creatures, notover men. The word fervant was not beard 1'7hi? omin -, of early in the world. The firft newes we have ofit was by N:,ah fed hominem (Gen.$. 25 ) Curled be Canaan, A fervant offervants fh ll he be. N-tmni rfq; Servants came not at firft from the inflitution ofGod but from fe,vi cu'ta me the fin ofman. Goddid not irnpofe the ftate of a fervant upon "it n" "1". man, till man by fin refuted the fervice ofGod. Whenwe looke de GV. do á, upon our fervants from whom we expet fervice and obedience, cap 15 it fhould mind us of our dilobedience to our Lordand Mailer. And we fhould often remember with much felfe- humiliation, that itwas our rebellion againft God, which bath brought man into this kind offub;edion toman. Thirdly , From the connexion and fcope ofthefe three verfes, layd together: Obferve. This confderat;on, that Mailers andfervants have the fame Maker,, fñouldmeekenandmoderate the fpirits of Mailers to. ward$,
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