To hatch into thelines of the fourth Sunday inLent. pp othm,a riceincidenttoal. ,der.z0: gether allone way,and that oneof them faisinto apit, whileftthe reft paffe on and let himalone : In likemattermight Iob fay,that hisbrethrendealt fo with him ; being that neithernaturc,neereneffeof bloud,oldacquaintance,norlong bred friendlhip,could mouetheir heartsto pittie,or their eyes to teares. refitstaw4man thatwas blondfromhú birth. And bis Difciplesasked him Paying, t.atafier, Whodidfinne , This manorhis parents? that hewas borneblind, &c. This isan old fetteredwound, that wetooke in the fall of our firft parents, to be too curious inother mensfaults, and too forgetful! ofour owne. Saint Chryfofiome faith, Thatthere is fcarceoneto be found,euenamongft thofe that aremolt per- feEt,which arenot infestedwith this vice. If amanwalke abroad inamorning into the fieldes, hisneighbors inheritance ismore in his eye thanhis owne ; and whenhe comes homeat night , hepreféntly askeswhatnewes there is ftirring And is well pleafedwith any tidingsthat aretoldhim,efpeciallyofother mens misfortunes. Plutarchmakes this frmile Thatas in Cities therevfe tobeTome vnlucky gates,wherat nothing enters,orgoesout thatis good,faue dunghils that lyein the ftreete,andperfons that are condemnedtodeath ; fo likewifeinto the cares ofthe Curious, nothing enters that isgood. It was the Paying ofa cer- taine Philofopher , that ofall kind o f winds , thofewere mòft troublefome, which did whirle our clokes from offour íhoulders : 'In like manner , of all fortes ofmen, the Curious arcmolt to beabhorred , whichvnwrap theclokes ofour fhame,blow open our difgrace,and rip vp thegraues ofthedead : and as Xenocrates Paidofthem; They enter not intoother mens houfes with their feet, but their eyes. Hefaw,&c. This might verywellaffure them , that he looktvpon himwith the eyeofLoue. Firft,becaufe itis Godsnatureandcondition,when hedothonefauour, toin- gage himfelfe for manyothercourtefies. And therefore, hauingdone him the fauourto looke vponhim, he was now obliged to giue him his fight. Cicero faith, That it is the propertyofanoblebreft, to him thatowes much , to defire tomake that manmorehis debtor. Eft animiingenui, cui mutton; debeas, eidem plurimumvelledebere. Thebeftowingof one fauour vpon mee (faith Ecclfafli- cur) makes methe bolder to beg another ; And fince thouhaft (tuckvntome in my life,S Lord,doe the like inmy death. God did reueale veto Daaid by the ProphetNathan,perpetuitieofhis Kingdome ; and after this fogreat a fauour, he further addeth, Thereforeit thy fermentsheart readie topray vnto thee. Ezecbiae had receiuedextraordinarie kindneffes fromGods hand,andthefè weremotiues tomake him intercede forfarther fauours. In aword , one courtefie conferred vpon vs,incouragethvs ro craneafecond. But that the conferringofone fauor íhouldlayanobligation, or make one defiroustodoe another on the neckeof thar,this onely holds in God,asa peculiar noblenefrebelongingvnto him.And for tofecurevs ofallthofe fauours, whichveecan expect from his greatneffe, the Church fàithof our Sauiour Chrift,that was offeredvp for vs, Ngbùpignut datur,vipledgeit giuenvs. Now apledge is alwayespawned forletfe than it is worth. Hawing thereforethus impawned the infinit treafureofhis perfon,what willhe notbeftow vpon vs r If he haue giuenthee eyes, will hee notgiue thee hands And if he hauegiuen thee hands,will he not giue thee aheart r Sothat Godsdoingofone fauour,istheof Bringofmany. IntheWilderneffe when all t.Agarsbread andwaterwas fpent,and feting her forme ready to dyefor thirft, flic lifted vp hereyes toHeauen callingvpon God, Et exaadiait dominosvixen' peteri, AndtheLordheard thevoice ofthe child.His giuingBare vnto her,was a figne that 477 Whém God once fauours, he Rill fol. lowcs.
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