Downame - Puritan-02038 v2

That all worldly things are mutable and vnconfant. 6a he mutabilitie of honor s, and the vnconftancie ofthe com- mon people,fo alto the malice ofSatan, who would (as one faith) hauehis proceflion go immediatly be fore his paillon, Bernard.in Re- thefe honors,before thole difgraces,and this high exaltation m;, Palmarum before his loweft downefall,that by this fudden alteration he 'erm,z. might be the leffe prouided, & his paillon made more bitter and intollerable : although the Lord who difpofed ofall had Mauh.zt:q. another end, namely, that the Scriptures might be fulfilled xott ¿ann whichteftified ofhis Son, to the furtherconuincingof the ra rag,euixf Imes, and the Tuft condemnation ofall, who would not be corrruar tZ t leeue: and therefore ifour Saviour Chrift who Was worth ie yr:n slfi;per- ofall honor, found this fudden and vndcferued alteration, bræ,roraoto. what conflancie can they hope for,who come infinitdegrees PuProftcr- ñort ofhis excellencies? nere,as' elf ora But in truth howfoeuer this vnconftancieof honors may cresiße.Am. be attributed to the mutabilitie and treacherie of the world, brot.;nPlal.gó. and the Prince thereof,in regard that they promife it to their 4.Seeé1.4. followers,and falle in performance; & as they are made ÿ in- Thom re o hr flruments of God,both in the conferring and taking away of boners to d honors; wherein they take occafion to thew their fawning vnco,,Faat. in the one, and their malice in the other; yet the fupreame and chiefe caufe of thefe alterations in honors and prefer- ments, is thewifeprouidence ofalmightie God, who would haue thefe worldly honorsvariable and vnconlant, chiefely forhis ownechildrens fake, both for their triall and chaflife- ment, and becaufehe would not haue them to let their harts too much vpon them,and fo negle6l that eternal glory ofhis heauenly kingdome;and fecondarily for the Tuft punifhment ofthe wicked, fromwhom he taketh away thefe honors af- ter he bath aduanced them,becaufe they abufe themto pride --'"1.74 and tyrannie. And thus Adonihezek ofa great conqueror of Kings, became worfe then a flaue, and equal' to a dog,eating the offalsvnder the table; wherein the Lord meafured iuftly vnto him, according to that meafure bywhich he had meted veto others. Thus Haman was one day the chiefe fauourite Hefter t.r. in court, and the next day hanged on his own; gallowes;be- with chap.?. caufe bee had abufed his greatneffe to the ruine of Gods 8."4 Church t and thus Gods owne Church andpeople after they S f 3 had