kind of things ; things, faith he, are true, whatfoever things are honeft, whatfoever things are juli,pure, lovely, and of good report, (to wit, with thole that are able to judge aright of things that are fo) think on thefe things There are many things lawful that are not honeft ; many things lawful may not have a good report ; and many things that are lawful may not be lovely : Now, when two lawful things are before us, we would confider which of the two are molt Chriftianly honeft, and moft lovely ; which of them bath the beft report, and is beft thought Of among them that can difcern beft : And, tho' a thing be lawful in itfelf, yet,if it be not honeft, and of a good report, it may give caufe of ill- fpealcing ; that is not to be allowed. As for inftance, fuppofe in the matter of mar- riage there be two fingle perfons, it is lawful for them to n3arry;yet fuppofe them to be unequal as to their rank and quality, the one a great man, the other a poor wo- man and defpicable, or contrarily ; or vaffly unequal as to age, or parts and accomplishments; and that fuch a match is not honestly reported of, or is not counted gra- cious and tender-like in a profefor of religion, man or woman ; rho' it might be (imply lawful, yet in that cafe, he or the is to walk according to the apofilk's rule, even according to this rule : Particular circumftances I grant will very much vary the cafe ; yet that rule would be Rill tenderly looked to. A fourth general rule is, 1 Cor. 7. 17, 20. As the Lord loath called every one, fo let them walk. Let every man abide in the fame calling wherein he is called : Which fuppofeth, that Chriftians, being once clear that the Lord hath called them to be in fuch cal- lings and Rations, and to fuflain fuch relations, as of ma- giftrates, minifters, merchants and tradefmen, hus- bands, wives, matters, fervants ; they should, for keeping a good Confcience, continue quiet and fatisfied in them, without coveting prepofteroufly, or itching curioufly toj be out of them, and without daring to move from them without a clear and convincing call from God ; and that they should make Confcience to difcharge the re- fpe &ive duties incumbent on them, by vertue of thefle itatious 4a4 relations, while they are ink therm
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