OfFriendes. 313 yeeres longer , we(hall fee profperitie will perfivade all and ouercomesmany todie in the Deft. Naywhich more is,afflibtion canhardly call vs away or knocke vsoff, we grow fo deafe,and takeholde fo;aft of the world e: For who isfo ficke,buteven inpaint hewould ratherwifhtohuethelonger, thentodiethefooner? whofoclogdewithpoucrtie ,thattorheefirTrins be freedfrom his clogge would defireto die ? Ifthelfraelitespanting andbreathingsn der al ¡he charrb theyoke of molt feruileunpofitions and trauelswerehardly drawne towardsthe promifed rn LBrp landoflibertic,& caGly' would haue retired to the former labours of their feruitude,whatdi etid thinke you fhould haue allured thedi outofEgypt, if theyhad hued there in fouieprefer- Jnnbto tI[pro ment and cafe, as did Iofeph in the court ? what couldMofsand Aaron Isaacdoneto have rar¡òd land. driucn them out of the place? And I pray you , if wee becingneuer Co Cicke , nonce fo poore, can 1h11 be content to haueour abiding in thisLife, whatwill wedo, ifthe Lorddill - grauntvs friends , leaaeourconfciencevntouched,ourbodiesvnharmed,ourgoodsvn- confumcd ? Surelywe would not bauelealùre to thinke of death, much Idle to die, asour commonfpceches of our wife, ftrong,and tveaitsietoen do thrive,who , whendeath dea- lcthwith them, crie out, what mull Ineedes away, alasI neuer thought of anyotherIlea- urn, Iam not fitte to depart, I am very lothto die? Thus itis'the wifedomeand goodnefle of God to waivevs front the worldby afil idlion, which as it caufethvs to findegreat com- fort inbeholdingGod but even in a glaffc,fo ithaflenethvs to tafle ofthe fulneficof coin- fortin hint,by beholding him face to face. S Iofeph laying thy feruants are men occupiedabout cattell, mightfeeme to diffemble, butit is not neceffarie alwayes to fpeake alltrueth,and theyconfelfed the principal trueth, that is, that theywere fhepheards, which ki nde of men wereabhorred of the Egyptians, and thisturned to their profite : for being fettered from the Egyptians , they might better maintaine peace ai000gtlseinfclues, and be keptfrccfrontlie corruptions of theEgypti- ans,whereinto by familiaritic they might hauefallen. This teacheth vs that wefhould not be afhamed of our kindred, though they be contemptibleinthcworld. For Iofephbeiug a chiefeRuler in the land of Egypt,yet confided all hisfathers to befhepbeards, he would not hauehis brethren change their tradc,thoughhemight haue gotten for themgreat pre- ferments. Out of all thismay be gathered that he Lord worketb a contempt of thisworld, in thehearts of hischildren, and thatthey liad rather bedoore keepers in thehoufe of the Lord, then to dwell in the tents of the vngodly, wee ought.likewife not tobeafhamed to becalled the peopleof God, the difciples of Chridt, nonoryet Precifians, and loch like names as commonly are giuen to Chriltians. This may teach vsthat theineane efface is ál- wayes belt, to that weought to glueGod thankes forit, andnot tobe ambitious, forthey that wouldbegreat in theworldcan hardly bereligious. But becaufemany will be called Na es ofboo- brethren, which be not fo indeed, it dial begood to let downeContenotesof brotherhood: therhood. and the firft is to helpeone another inneede , yea, though it bewithdanger of our hues; therfore it is laid thata brother is madeforthe timeofadnerhty:thegodly brethren hazar- ded their hues forPaul;for thole that foughtPatsies death , would hkewifehaue daine there iftheyhadknown them. There are dinersexamples of this in theScripture,asMoyfesand Paul whowühed themfelues accurfed&wiped out of the booke of life,for their brethren. RahaE,although buta novice inreligion , yet ventured her lifefor the, lilies : Jonathan for David:David for the people of Iliad : Obadiah fortlie Prophets,andChrift for vs all,lea- uing vs an example that the Mould glueour lines for the brethren. Hefterfor the Church, and ludith forthe children ofIleael,&Paul reioiced for theoff ibtions whichhe fuffered for Cololf thebrethren;but we are fo far fromgiuing our lines for them,thatiftwo pence would four 4' theirliues,tbey fhould not honeit,fo,loofe is our to ue,& fo cold is our chartcie. But ifthis he a greatthing&hard to come to fuch perfeétion,tet vs fee the leffer marks,a red fled'corn the Deceit inCos beginningof loue which is to abítaine from doing barme,which Paul cömandeth, faying, traels. let noman defraud his brother in anymatter: btuweare fo far fromthis, that inbargaining ., and fach like,we footled deceiueour brethrE,becaafe they beleeuevseafly,& take things on ourword;infomuch thatalthough theyWit fay,I could feriae youno better if you were Mac rs 3. my father,&perhaps theyfay as they think,becaufe the god ofthisworld hath blindedtheir hcarts,yetis their fraudfomanífefl,that irisa cömon faying to fay,Iliad rather buy of him E e whom
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