Downame - Puritan-02038 v2

Of the vanítieofworldly nobrlitie. 3 2$ abone the common fort, namely thole heroicall vertues, and good parts, which firfl enobled their anceflors. Neither is it birth and fucceflion alone that can make noble, foras the Heathen -man well obferued,there is no King,who bath not Plato. defeended of feruants; no feruaut, which bath not had a King for his predecefí'or, long time hauing made a mixture of all cfiates,ratfng fome from the dunghill, to the throne; and depofing others from great honours,to thelowell con- tempt andmofi abieCt difgrace. Againe, if wee refpedl our common matter, we are all made ofthe fame earth and clay, and readie when God taketh away from vs the breath of life,tobecome al alike,and to turne into the fame principles whcreofwe weremade. hfwe looke veto our pedegree, we haue the fame //dam,the fame Noah, for our common ance- .hors, neither did the Lord make one man ofmore precious matter, to bee the rootc and firfi progenitour of the noble, and another'of baler mould, to bee the firü beginner of the poore and contemptible; but one and the fame Adam to be the father ofall. Fi nally,if we refpeël the foule,our more ex- cellent part,may we not allo fay with the Prophet, Haue wee Malach..z.to. sot all alefather ? bath not one God made vo? and bath not the fame Creator breathed into vs the farne.breath oflife ?In all which refpe&s there is no fuperioritie,but wee are all alike the creature's dfGód;inel, brethren one -to another. And as there is no difference betweene diuers,peeces of the fame lumpe of clay, although the one bee contained in a golden, the other in a earthen difh; nor betweene two peeces of wood, of the fame tree, becaufe the onlip coucred with rags,and the other with cloath.ofgold ; fo there is no diffe- rence of excellencie,betweene the noble and ignoble, the King and therneanefi fubieel,if they bee conßdered in this generalitie of nature, though there bee no companion be- tweene them in their worldly etlate. Wherein then loth the exccilencie and;fuperioritie of the noble confiil, aboue thole who are ofmeane birth ? Surely, chiefly in this, that the Lord bath giuen vnto them the priuiledge of certaine heroicall vertues,excellent parts,a +rd good deferts, whereby they are aduanced to honour and places of dignitie. And therefore..