Honour how maintained. the honour that God difpenfeth unto man through Chrift his Sonne. And O how great thould the care of man be that is thus honoured by Chrift,not to dithonotrr himfelfe, by wallow- ing like a fwine in the mire and filth of finne, by bowing down to the world as Gideons 1 thoufands to the waters, by enthralling himfelfe to the DivelI, and his owne 1ufs, as fomethnes Dalila cut off Sampfons ' locks, and made him a llave to the Philiffines.O man doe not difhonour that nature of thine, which Chrift hath fo honoured, doe not debafe that which Chrift hath exalted, doe not unite and joyn thy felfe in communion with the Divel,and the dung and drofle of the world, Chrifthaving taken mans nature into the u- nitie of . hik perfon, as a pledge of thy future exaltation ; doe not bow lowne thy foule and exalt thy Intl, as Solomon fometjmes faro ß fervants on boric-bake, and Primes walling 071 foot. But as Chrift hath honoured thee,fo maintain thy dignity and fpirituall glory, by purging thy felfe from fin, as a liv- ing fpring doth purge it felfe from pollution ; by contend- ing mightily againft all the oppofitions of grace, as a Soul - dier in the day of battle ; by being induftrious in the works of holineffe,as he that labours for great wages : a Chriftians labour is his honour by fhining as the Sunne with light, by being full as the tree with fruit, by abounding as the Sea with waters. As the nature which Chrift hath affumed a- bides unchangeably united to the perfon of the Sonne ; fo o abide with Chrift, in attendance on his ordinances, in faith in his promifes, in love to his truth, and in obedience to his precepts : As the affumed nature is afcended from the earth tb heaven, fo raife thy thoughts and affeLions P from the things below to the things above; afcend continually by medi- tation, by faíth,by love and longing to the things which are fpirituall As the affumed nature hath no fubfiftence hut in the perfon of the Son,fo have thou no dependance upon any thing but on Chrif alone; let him q be all in all: And as the affumed nature is filled with the fulneffe of the God - head,fo labour more and more to be filled with the fulneffe of all K grace I 65 Mans care to preferve his Honour. /Judges 7. m Judges i 6. n Eccl.ro. z7. Manner how man mu (} pre ferve,.Iiis,h:, nour, Non e¡i dignum ut inde exignr honorem uncle rcfugù laüorem o:John 1.5.7. p Co1,3. z. E4 2 Pfal.73.i5.
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