Downame - Puritan-02038 v2

784 O f the f irituall toil: which accompanie worldly thingi. flrt +.thefe worldly honors when they arc exceffuely loued and ouer - greedily defired, do by our wicked getting, and proud keeping them, expofe vs to Gods wrath and venge- ance, in the day ofhis vilitation : for hard and almoll impof- fible it is, to the corrupt nature of man to be aduanced to high places and great dignities, and not to be proud of his preferment; hard it is to be magnified among the peopie,and not alto too much to magnifie a mans owne worth,and to o- uerwecne his gifts and good parts : hard it is for a man ro be great and glorious vpon earth, and to keepe a due remem- brance ofhim from whom he hath receiued his glorie and grcames. And contrariwife,through the fame corruption of our nature, thofc who are aduanced to honorable places are apt to be puffed vein pride, to forget the Lord who hath preferred them,to rob him ofhis glorie, and to arrogate the praife of their preferments to themfelues, their owne poli- cies,and good parts which is due and peculiar to God alone, byreafon of which abufe they commonly make God their encmie, and inflame his wrath againf1 them,for their facrile- gious impietie ; and the more glorioufly they Thine before men, the more their honor is obfcured in the fight ofGod; the more they ma g nifie and extoilthemfelues,the more doth ' he- vilifie andcontemne them; yea he doth not only defpife them in their greateflpride as abie&s, but oppofeth againfi .them as enemies, and as his corrivals in that which is molt deare vnto him, his honor and glory ; as though he fhould fay;To me belongeth this combate againfl the proud, with aniueowne hand mull mine owne title be tried, and glory defended; thisman encroching vpon my right,challengeth 'me to the fight, as my fpeciall aduerfarie and enemie, and therefore I wil take mine owne caufe into mine owne hand, '.and auengeme ofmy foes who rife vp and rebell againft me. Now what can befall them but confufion,fhame and defiru- 1ion,againf+ whomGod purpofelyoppofeth as a (harp and feuereenemie ,feeingheisfopowerful) that none can {land .before him in his anger, nor deliver himfelfe or any other out of his hand; but firong and weake, King and people, arc allalike liableto his plagues, whenhegocth his circuittef