426 Gods children are the t'trength of, Vpoil h the fourt they foieurne. r 1 When the Saints either dye, ororher wife depart from aplate, it ismuch weakned. Sjay.3o20. 3.Reg.ta. After thefe thingsorSattiour went,épc. ..Saint Augufiimand Saint Hierookti1.we of opinion, That the occafion ofbur Sauiours withdrawingof himfeitsrfivas, the deathof john Baptifl.; theioy forwhole birth beeingfo generall , frairq not much, that the forrow for his death fhould be great. And this. Cures. writ, thatText of Saint cívtathew, whoreports it to be:aftcr the deathof Sginfitehn. This hisdepárinre thence, (hewed his forrow for his friends.,death abut that kingdomehadigreatefl caufe to lamentandbewaile Saint Iohn.Baptifls death,and Chriftsgoing from them ; forwhat isa Kingdome without them. The Saints of God arethe force andiffrengthof Kingdomea, the walles and bulwarkes of Cities,thehedgesaboutaVineyard, the foundation to a$uilding,bonesto the bodie, lifeto thefoule, and thechiefe effence and beingofa Commonwealth. Andwhileft they had Chriftand Saint Ohmamongthem, therewas not any Ci- tie in theworld fo richas that ; but the one beingdead ; and the other hawing left them, Iereneiemight versewell takevphis complaint, andbewaile theirmi- ferie'andfolitude. E fayrfearingoftliemisfortuntsthatíhbuld befall Shèbnathe High-Prieft, fayth, Aufereturpaxillueguifixtes f iers: in locofideli, e?jperibit pod pcpenderat exeo, The Náile that isla flnedin the f &replace,Jhall depart,andJhall be bro- kenandfalload the burthccnthat wasvpon it fluaI!bee cut off.'. Nowpaxilllss is that which in poore mens houles is called the Rackewhereon they lung ipits,or afhelfewhereon theyfey, rfeels ;which itr richmens houlesiscaged Apa- rador,aCourt-cupboorcc, l*feorsisplacedtheii richeft piecès of plate, and fuch as are moft,gloriows tpheeye.And hereofmention is.nta le in theone and thirtieth Chapter ofÈxodus,and the third of Numbers. But yourpoorerfort of People,that are not fcarceworth a paireof Rackes ftrike incertaine pinesinto the wall ; and as the flielfefalling all falls with it that depends thereupon , fo when theHigh--Prieft(being agpod man dies; allgood perifheth with--him in the Commonwealth, becaufethe chiefe goodof theStaredependeth thereup- on. TheHomicidehadfiik Cities toflie'vnto for filcher, buthee could not re- turne home to his owne Countrie till thedeath ofthe High.Prieft. And Philon rendring thereafod+pf this iiti'rdiäion,faith, That-the High-Prieft is aParientt or Kinfenranof all thole thát,liue inhis Commonwealth ; o ttifolttm habetiva in vireos & inmòrtàór : as cuerie Citifen bath his particular Kinffinen, to whomhe owesanobligation, to acknowledge the benefits hexeceiues from him and to reuenge the wrongs that are done to him ; In likemanner,the High.Prieft is the commonKinfemanof the Lining, towhom hee owes anObligation to accord their dircords,to cut off their Cuttsin LaW, to quittheir wrongs, and to delife thepeace and profperitieofthem all biba conclufon, hebeingas itwerea corn-. mon-father to all, infogreat a loffe, irrförfcncible andgeneral' a forrow, whena common misfortunefhould compound particularwrongs,when all men> hearts are fo heauie,their.eyes fo full of mares, theirminds fodifcomforted, it is a fit feafònfor aHomicide to returne hometo his Countrie. And if the death of a High-Prie(f,who happelywas noholyman,caufeth in aCommonwealth fo.ge- ncrallagriefe the deathof.IohnBaptiFt, and our Sauioursdeparture from this People, What effec`l ofheartic forrowought that to.workec God threatned his PeoplebyEfay, The Lard¡hallgineyou thebreadofaduerfacie, andthe waterofaffli- dien, When the. King ofIfráellcommandedMicheaato becaff into prifon, hee faìd,untòhim,Srflenta tecampanetrihaldtionls,&agaaan u li,e,Feedvponthebread i ofofdielion, and thewaterofofflilliori. In the Hebrewbothplaces beare thefame words: but Efayafterwards faith, Thatthough Gods handfhall be heauie vpon them ,and that he shallaflliét themwithmanymiferies,yet he willnot takeaway their
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