Ofthevanitieofworldly kingdomes. 345 aide;Peeing it is a great gift and royall prerogatiue, where - authority is the with the Lord bath inriched them aboue all their brethren, gift end blefing requiring a proportionable thankfulnes, which theycanne- of God. uer yeeld,vnleffe they know and efleeme the benefit : yea it is not only agift, but ableffing,expreffed it that tnaine blef- liing, wherewithGodbleffed Abraham, the great Patriarch and Father ofthe faithful!: Iwillmal¿e thee (faith he) excee- Genef i7,G. dingfrattfull, andwillmakenations ofthee,yea Kings fhallpro- ceed ofthee. Vntowhich who fo are aduanced, they feeme to be referred abone the eflate andconditionofmeet men, in refpeól oftheir placeandoffice,in regard whereof they haue Gods name and titles imparted vnto them : and this alto Pfalm. z.z.ó, the Lord feemethto imply by his Prophet, where hauing gluen charge that noman fhould enter by the Eafl-gate of the Sanetuary,becaufe the Lord had entred by it: in the next words he faith, that it(hall appertaine to the Prince,both to Ezech.44.:.3, take therein hisrepafl,and tomake it the wayofhis paffage, to come in and go out thereby. Neuertheleffe howfoeuer kingdotnesare the chiefefl ofworldly preferments; yet are theynot to take vp thechiefefl place inour iudgemenrsand affeôlions,feeingtheyarebutofsneaneworth, being com- pared with Gods fpiritual l graces,or the eternal! ioyes ofhis kingdome.In refpcól whereofthey are to bemeanely valuedWeeabnuendam andmoderatelydefired ; that is, neither to berefufedwhen eft, fidat impe- Godgiueth them, nor to be afieeIed when as he denieth riumDeas,uee them,notgiuing vnto vs lawfull means ofattaining tothem: adpetendanr' yea they are direaly to be contemned and reieóled, when as theycome incompetition for our louewith thofeother ex- cellencies, asbeing in comparifon of them worthlefíe and bYlaiaeregno vnprofitable,and when they arethus abufed,hurtfuland per- contemnerereg; nicious: which who fodo,they Phewgreater andmore.Chri- sum. Tianmagnanimity in this contempt,then others inaffeaing or hauing obtainedby raigning inall their-r&yalry. An ex- ample whereofwe haue in Gedeon, who was more enobled Iudgs.33, for denying a kingdome when it was offeredvnto him ; then his fon Abimilech who with eruell and vnnaturall ambition alpired veto ir. But let vs confider offume reafons which may Phew the worthlefffe
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