Clap: 3z. An Expofltion upon the Book of J o B. Vert 19. 475 oftenbut flaggs ofvanity) he did not fupply the pride of any, but thenecefiìties of all. Charity is difcreete as wel as pitifull, andas it is ready to relieve the wants, fo it will not nourifh wan- tonnes in any. They were perifhing perfons, not vaine or proud perfons whom ?obi charity cloathed.If I (faith he)havefence any perifh for want of:loathing. Hence note. Fir(t, Dying is perifhing. Thus the Prophet phrafeth it (Ifa. 57. z.) The righteous perifh and no man layeth it to heart, Death is not a perifhing as to our future eternal beeing, but as to our prefent temporali beeing Naturall death is our perifhing to all worldly comforts ; erernul death is our perifhing to all comforts. The worft death and tic worft of death is but the perifhing ofour comfortable being, not ofour being. Secondly , Perifhing is here fuppofed the effeâ of want. Hence obferve. Gkedneffe or want ofClothing, is a billing want. The body cannot beare nakedneffe long and live : the body can no morebeare the want of Clothing, then it can beare the want of bread ; Cold kills as well as hunger. See in this, the bit- ter fruits of fin : it is faid ( Gen. 2. 25. The man and his wife wereboth naked and were not afhamed. There was no matter of flame in nakedneffe, when there was no matter of fin in it. And as man was not afhamed, fo he was not scold by reafon ofhis na. kedneffc, the ayre was not then injurious nor afidive to his bo- dy ; whereas nowClothing ferves not only to hide fhame,but to keep usfrom perifhing.There are two great ufes ofclothing;Firft, to cover our nakednes ; Second!y,to preferve our lives : As death is an uncloathing, fo we dye if we are not Clothed. And hire let mee minde you, in a fpirituall fence, ofanother Clothing, which ifwe want we muff indeed perifh, and perifh for ever; O how many are there that are ready to perifh for want of that Cloth- ing 1 what's that t why,it is Uhrift,they that are, not clothed with him fin pca iih eternal'iy,not only in body,but in foule (Rom.:3. a4.)Put jeon the Lord efnu c'hrif,Clothe your felves with him; Chrift is our fpirituall Clothing : Fitti in his ri hte.oufneffe to P p p 2 Jufti.
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