192 Th41hot Vint in themfoluesaregoéd and lalbfi ll. ceiue notable incouragement hereby to proceed in our good courfes,and vertuous aólions. §.SeE. 4. Laffly,from the examplesofthole whofearing God,haue 7heiaufetnefl'e-bin highly in his fauour, wee may conclude thatfame and ofhonours pro_ vertue,honour and religionmaywell (land together. As of exam;[s the 4braham,the father ofthe faithful], who was greatly reue- tbofimobaae renced and refpe&ed,euen among the Heathen nations ; lo- been tersely ho. f ph, notonely among the Ifraelits, but all() among theL. aoarable. gyptians,and fo likewife of c.2'tofes, Dank', Iofras, lehofha- Gcn.z3.6. hat, Ez,echias, and the reif ofthegodly Kings, withmany r others. And in the new Te(lament, we haue the examples Mark .15.43- A6t.8.z7. of lofèphofArimathea andNicodemua,Rulers ofthe Iewes, theQ gene Candaces Eunuch; vnto which ifneed were, more might be added;as the Prophet Samuel,ofwhom it is r.Sam.zs6. faid,that he was infauour both ;rith the Lord, andalfo with Luk.ifz. men.Yea our SauiourChrift himfelfe, vnto whomthe holy Ghoff giueth the fame. teftimony : from all whichwee may conclude, that honour andeflimation among(}men, are in themfelues lawfull andgood,for otherwife theLord would neuer hauebellowed them vpon his owne deere feruants, neither would they haue retained them. As alfothat they are not onelygood intheir own nature, and as they are the gifts andbleffings ofGod, but cuen in the vieofthefaith- full,feeing we have hercoffomanyprefidents. f .Se17.5. But howfoeuer honours are good,yet notabfolutely and That toe waft immutably, feeing they are fubieól to be abufedbymans firfiandprin. corruption;and therfore whofoeuer would haue honors tru_ c pa/1y f ke lygood vnto them,fo as theymay haue comfort in inioying God. them, theymuff carefully labourtohauea holy vfeofthem, and to thispurpofe to obferue many cautions. As firfl,they mull feeke tohaue thefehonours from thofe that are trulie honourable,and to bepraifed ofthofe who are pralle wor- chie; and principally becaufe the Lord is thebeflower ofall true honours,they mull feeke in the firff place to be approo- ued andpraifedby him. And to this end they mull labour toapprooue,not onely theiroutwardaclions, but alto their hearts and fecretalfeélions vntoGod,fetting themfelues al.. waies in his prefence, andperforming all their anions as in his
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