468 Chap. 31. fir. Expsfrtion upon the Eooke of J o s. Vert.' 8. rzuia flout fuoThis tranflation thus expounded carrieth a pious fence. Opere in utero But mod ofthe learned Hebricians render the text as we doe; conclitur non fu- is ; ita neejua For frommy youth he was brought up withme s he?who was that virture ab utero thefather-leffe. pies fait. Gre And 1have guided bar frommymothers wombe ; ber ? who was gor. lib. a r. that ? the widdow. So that lob gives an account ofhis charitable cap, r 2. prad} ice, as that which he had not lately taken up, but was long accustomed to. Forfrommyyouth he was brought up with me. As if he had faid (caner was I able to lookt or/fep into the world, but I became a friend to the fatberhpè, and apatron and prote for of thepaare. Iquickly or very early Cooke notice of their L condition laydit to heart andgave them my befit Fff?ance. The ,. . a IT word which we render ,He WAS brought up withme ( for thefe magnet fair , words are there knit up in one) lignifies to growand wax great, crevit adolavtt, p nntritur, enu or to be great. Indeed the poore (as we fay in our language of tritut fuir,p esi an inward bofome friend ) were Great with 70b, when he was enim dum nu- Greateft. And he as a Father brought up the poore, when him- mentor aug- F mentant cap:- fel.e was young, or before he was a father.. snr. Hence note. Grace workes betimes in lime. As there is a feed of fin and corruption in all children, fo we may fee the fruitesof the Spirit in fome children. From myyouth, he wasbrought up with ttte, The Apoftle Paul faith of Timothy (r Tim. 3. g.) From a child thou h,f>3 knawne the holy Scriptures. His fïrff acquaintance was an acquaintance withGod in his word. How fweete is it to fee vertue bioffoming when nature doth ? and the puttings forth offaith contemporary with the fieft puttings forth of reafon ; or to fee thole ailing fpirirually, whohave but begun to ad ratio- nally. The Lord fould have our firff fruits, yea as the old Law commanded, our fl.fl fruits ; They are bleffed who remelt'. ber their Creator in cad in any of their dayes,but'tis our duty to remember him in the dayes ofour youth and to dedicate our firft firft fruites unto him. And though fome are afraid to prefer good things upon their children ,, left they fhould over.burden them ;
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