Downame - Puritan-02038 v2

Of the vaiitie of worldly power and autharitie, 3 r i pri.uiledges, and eternall áduancérnedt inGods>kingdome; letvs confider that in refpe6t ofaheui, They are of üo :excel& lencieor profit; but contrariwifebeing abufed.through. our corruption; they are vfually the caufes both of finne and pu- ni(hment. That there is no great excellencie in this po4eranzl,at+ §,Seci.2. thoritie,itappeareth; in thatod bellowethir asa.eonmimi That there irue G! gift both vpon the good and The bad ; yea commonly thof great excellency vnto whom he vouchfafeth the leall,or no meafine ofgrace, to worldly Po- are moll aduanced to thefe worldly dignities and prefer- tv.e/.. ; and thole which are aboue others inriched with --- virens et/uns earthly,glorie,are often paired by,when asthere is choice CO ma patella, be made of fuch, as fhaif haue fpirituall and heauenly-Us.1 TConcoeunr. uancement : for fo the Apofile faith, that not many wife, not Lucan.lib -8. many mightie, not many noble, are called, but God chufeth the 2" arfal. foali/h things of the world, to confound the wife, and theibeake things oftbe world.to confound the mightie. And thuswereade that the firfl:nightie men on earth, were thofe wicked gi- ants, who were the iffue of that vnequall match,betweene Gen,6.4.. the fonnes of God, and daughters of men: and after the flood Nirnrode began fir(l to beet-nightie on the earth ; and Gen.ro.8;. like vnto thefe fucceeded many others,both, among the Heathen nations, and alfo Gods chofen people,who, the more mightie they were in power and authoritie,the more weake commonly theywere,in all grace and goodneffe. All which ferue as examples .of the Apofiles rule and obferua- tion,thatnot many mightie are ef-feolually called; and con - fequently that there is no true excellencie ib greatneffe, Pee- ing iris fo often void ofgoodneffe,and.therefore thole who moil excell in it are negledled by God,when as thofe which are weake are called and chofen. And as there is no:caufe to glorie in greatnef %; inrefpe6 4,Sel. .. ofany excellencie there is in it felfe. :fo neither in regard:of That world y any great profit it bringeth vnto vs; feeing this might and authoritieand authoritie doth not helpe vs to the obtaining of the bell Powerdeth net things, which are to bee defred, nor to the preventing or artfrnstg io the efcapingofthegreatefl evils, which are tobefhunned. We grace and vet.. cannot with all our might and authoritie command one ,ac. fanc`lifying