Downame - Puritan-02038 v2

98 what is required Osto bettors that they may begood,&e. them forget . their mortalitie, and toafpirevnto diuinewor. ¡hip. And thus(as I take it) doth this flattering which gluts vntoPrincesand great perfonages the highefi and mofltranfcendent titles ofvertue and goodnes ,as moll 'nightie ,moil excellcnt,mof} high, mofl gracious,mofl di. nine and loch like. Which howfoeuerthey may be cxcufed, that they are not giuen them abfoluttely,butcomparatiuely in refpe& of other men ; or that onely thereby is f gnificd, that they are very excellent in thefe things :yet herein thefe phrafes and titles thus afcribed, admit of no excufe, in that they leaue none that are higher for God himfelfe; and be- taule men hereby in flew and found of words match them- feints with him, which being at leali an apparanceofeuill, Pfa1,8s.r.e. Chriflians ought to auoid. For whereas it may be alleaged, that Princes are Paid m the Scripturesto bee Gods; to this I anfwere, that this name is attributed vnto them, not in re- fpe& of any thing in their perlons, but only in regard of their oftce and miniflerie; becaufc they fland in the place ofGod,as his Vicegerents and deputies,and therefore they haue his title,feeingthey fuflaine his perfon : in which fenfe alto the Lord faith veto e.961ofes,that he had made himTha- raobx God,that is, his owns deputie and ambaffadour vnto him. Neither in this refpcil is this title giuenonelyvnto Exod.zi,s.& great Princes,but is common with them unto any inferiour az.8. Msgiflrates,as appeareth in other places. And therefore this title giuen vnto them in rcfpeóì of their calling and office,,, excufeth not thofe, who giue vntothem Gods peculiar at- tributes,in refpe& of their perfons; in which regard if any fhould glue the title of God vnto any mortal man,he fhould commit horrible blafphemie,and facrilegious impietic. §.$0. 10. But as honour ought not to bee fought vnmeafurably in That bowlers refpe6t of the quantitie; fo neither immoderatly, and otter . ought sot to be greedily in rc£peól ofour affeElion : in regard whereof wee immoderately mould rather haue it prefi'ed vpon vs, then fnatch it with dc tired. violence; and rather flay till it come voluntarily to attend vpon vertue,then to fend for it in poll haft ; or to compell it byforce toperforene this elutie : for as iris not to be reie5ìed wbvnitprofferethitfetuice ,foitisnot to be prefld hereun- to,