Downame - Puritan-02038 v2

192 Th41 hot Vint in themfolues aregoéd and lalbfi ll. ceiue notable incouragement hereby to proceed in our good courfes,and vertuous aólions. §.SeE. 4. Laffly,from the examples of thole who fearing God,haue 7heiaufetnefl'e- bin highly in his fauour, wee may conclude that fame and of honours pro_ vertue,honour and religion may well (land together. As of exam; [s the 4braham,the father of the faithful], who was greatly reue- tbofimobaae renced and refpe&ed,euen among the Heathen nations ; lo- been tersely ho. f ph, not onely among the Ifraelits, but all() among the L. aoarable. gyptians,and fo likewife of c.2'tofes, Dank', Iofras, lehofha- Gcn.z3.6. hat, Ez,echias, and the reif ofthe godly Kings, with many r others. And in the new Te(lament, we haue the examples Mark .15.43- A6t.8.z7. of lofèph ofArimathea and Nicodemua,Rulers of the Iewes, the Q gene Candaces Eunuch; vnto which if need were, more might be added; as the Prophet Samuel,ofwhom it is r.Sam.zs6. faid,that he was in fauour both ;rith the Lord, and alfo with Luk.ifz. men.Yea our SauiourChrift himfelfe, vnto whomthe holy Ghoff giueth the fame. teftimony : from all which wee may conclude, that honour and eflimation among(} men, are in themfelues lawfull and good,for otherwife the Lord would neuer haue bellowed them vpon his owne deere feruants, neither would they haue retained them. As alfo that they are not onely good intheir own nature, and as they are the gifts and bleffings ofGod, but cuen in the vie ofthefaith- full,feeing we have hercoffo manyprefidents. f .Se17.5. But howfoeuer honours are good,yet not abfolutely 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 ly good vnto them, fo as they may haue comfort in inioying God. them, they muff carefully labourto haue a holy vfe ofthem, and to this purpofe to obferue many cautions. As firfl, they mull feeke to haue thefe honours from thofe that are trulie honourable,and to be praifed of thofe 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 and praifed by him. And to this end they mull labour to approoue,not onely theiroutward aclions, but alto their hearts and fecretalfeélions vnto God,fetting themfelues al.. waies in his prefence, and performing all their anions as in his