Downame - Puritan-02038 v2

Of the vanitie ofworldly 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 they can ne- of God. uer yeeld,vnleffe they know and efleeme the benefit : yea it is not only a gift, but ableffing,expreffed it that tnaine blef- liing, wherewith God bleffed Abraham, the great Patriarch and Father of the faithful!: I willmal¿e thee (faith he) excee- Genef i7,G. ding frattfull, and will make nations of thee,yea Kings fhall pro- ceed of thee. Vnto which who fo are aduanced, they feeme to be referred abone the eflate and condition of meet men, in refpeól oftheir place and office,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 no man 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 his repafl,and to make it the way of his paffage, to come in and go out thereby. Neuertheleffe howfoeuer kingdotnes are the chiefefl of worldly preferments; yet are they not to take vp the chiefefl place in our iudgemenrs and affeôl ions ,feeingtheyarebutofsneaneworth, being com- pared with Gods fpiritual l graces,or the eternal! ioyes of his kingdome.In refpcól whereof they are to be meanely valued Wee abnuendam and moderately defired ; that is, neither to berefufed when eft, fi dat impe- God giueth them, nor to be afieeIed when as he denieth riumDeas,uee them,not giuing vnto vs lawfull means ofattaining to them: adpetendanr' yea they are direaly to be contemned and reieóled, when as they come in competition for our louewith thofe other ex- cellencies, as being in comparifon of them worthlefíe and bYlaiaeregno vnprofitable,and when they are thus abufed,hurtfuland per- contemnerereg; nicious: which who fo do,they Phew greater and more.Chri- sum. Tian magnanimity in this contempt,then others in affeaing or hauing obtained by raigning in all their-r&yalry. An ex- ample whereof we haue in Gedeon, who was more enobled Iudgs.33, for denying a kingdome when it was offered vnto him ; then his fon Abimilech who with eruell and vnnaturall ambition alpired veto ir. But let vs confider of fume reafons which may Phew the worthlefffe