348 Offences how and when to Vpon theTuefday after be forginee or reproved. Prou, a,. He that refe fah coffee-H- on fhall bee ouertaken with fudden defttuitioa. uouranddisfauour of the Corrector andthe Corrthed.Ofhirn that corn'eteth Cryfojlome faith, lfthoufhouldefìgiut innumerable riches to the Poore thenfbalt not workethatgoodthere6y,ac thou{halt byfauingaPule ; forthere isno price compara- ble with that of theSouk : Frweiucjafli,lignumvita , By liuing well himfèlfe, andby gaining his brothers Soule. SaintBugtj7inefaith, Thateuerie Chriftian fhoulddefìre that all fhouldbe fued; andhe that contemnethcorreétion,cloth inpartdenie this delire. And the Apoftle Saint¡amet,Thathe that {hall conuert his brother,and remooue him from his enour,'hallfaue hrsfoulefromdeath : In whichwords arecomprifed as well his owne, asanothers foule . Thomas faith, Correction is deemefina f iritualrc,a f irituall kindofaimes ; andof fomuch more price than any otheralms,by how much the foule isofmoreprice than the bo- die,& by howmuch thegoods ofGraceare tobe preferred before thofeoffor- tune andofNature. He that fuccours the Poore, when hee giues moft,hee can but lay downe his corporali life for hint ; but hee that raifethvphim that is fal- len,beftowes afpirituall life on him,and performes the office ofan Apoftle. So that to corred and tobe correeted,brings with it fo much intereft, and fomuch gaine, that euery man may account it for agreat happineflè. Theincorrigibleman isfo threatned inthe facred Scripture , that theverie feare thereof is able toquell his fpirits,and tomake him turne Coward..1man that hardnethhis necke when he is rebuked(hallfiiddenly 6edejlroyed,fo faithSalomon: The Hebrewphrafe is, Vir correidionum, he that liueth foill,that aman had need toCarriealwayes in his hand arod ofcorreftion for him ; and infteadofamen- ding his faults,dayly addes finne vnto finne, wherebyhee is ouertakenwith fud- dendeath,which ina Sinner is ofall othere:als the greareft.Otherlefferthreat- nings are fet downe bySalomon,Pouertieand/Namejhallbe tohim that forfakethdif cipline : andnow here he faith,sadden defirution'hallcomeuponhim.So long may. hee perfeuer in the hardncffe of hisheart, that Gods juftice may ouertake him, and (horten his dayes by fudden death. The truth ofthis is apparent in Pha- raoh, towhom fomany faire warningsandadmonitions ferued but tomake the heape of his honesthe higher , till at laft,with thofe heapes ofwaters hec was overwhelmedfuddenly in the fea. It is written in the Bookeof Tvifdome,That thofe cruell and many ftripes which were bellowed vpon the f .gyptians, could not draw fo much as one tearefrom theireyes, nor procure the liberrieofGods People ofhard-heartedPharaoh: But whenthey favi thedeathof their firftborn, then they howled&wept,and Pharaoh lrimfelfewas mooued andmade pittious mone,and gaueprefentorderfor their departure. But here(Ipray you)obferue with meeafearefull kind.of obftinacie; for they had fcarce dryed their teares, fcarce hadtheycouered thegrauesoftheir Dead,when lo,thofe that had intrea ted for their departure, as fearingthey fhould all die the death omnes morie- mar, forfo faith theText, falling into arafh and vnaduifed conhderation, follo- wed after them, as if they hadbeone a companie of Fugitiues , forgetting the former torments which theyhad indured. Andawife man rendring the reafon ofthis fo foolifh a refolution, faith, This their hardnef ofheart carried them as itwereperforce to thisfo drfaflrostsan end;to the end that thofewhom the plagues which Godhadfent amongthem(as fomanyadmonitions& fomany warnings) hadnotmade an end of; fudden deathmight dcllroy, and fupplie the defeft of that puni(hment. O, that Sinners would bee fo wife as to enter into difcourfe with themfelues. TheAdulrerer,whom God bath freedfromathoufand noto- rious dangersof his life andcredit ; thoughhis brethren hauenot checkthim, yet hash his owne confcience corrected himwith greater feueritie,andfar more Tharpely,
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