284 Againjifpiritual wickedneffe. heat'of nature. Charityenviethnot, i Cor. 13. How can it, when it lives where it loves ? and when thou 'ceafell to love, thou beginneft to hate and kill him, and doeft not thou tremble to be found a murderer at haft ? 3. Thirdly, thou confulteft worfl of all for thy fell. God is out o fthy reach, what thou fpitteft againft heaven, thou art fure to have fall on thy own face at tall, and thy brother whom thou envieft God flands bound todefend him againft thy envy, be- caufe he is maligned for what he bath of God in him. Thus did God plead Nephe caufe againft his envious brethren, and Davids againft wicked Saul. Thy felfe only haft real hurt. re, Fit ft, thou depriveft thy (elf of what thou mighteft reap from the gifts of others. That old laying is true, Tolle invidiam, mea tua (Int, & tua mea: What thou haft is mine, and what I have thine; when envy is gone. Whereas now,like the leach,(which they fay draws out the worft blood) thou fuckeft nothing, but what fwells thy minde with difcontent, and is after vomited out in flrife and contention. 0what a fad thing is it, that one fhould go from a precious Sermon, a fweet prayer ' and bring nothing away but a grudge againft the inflrumentGodufed ; as we fee in the Pharifees and others at Chrifts preaching. 2. Secondly, thou robbeft thy felf of the joy of thy life; He that is cruel troubles his arm fleA, Prov. ix. 17. The envious man doth it to purpofe, he flicks the honour and efteem of o- thers as thornes inhis ownheart, he cannot think of themwith- out paine and anguifh, and he muff needs pine that is ever in paine. Thirdly, thou throweft thy felfinto the mouth of temptation, thou needeftgive the devil nogreater advantage; it is a flock a- ny fin almoft will grow. upon. What will not the Patriarchs do, to rid their hands of 7,9,repb whom they envied ? that very pride which made them difdain the thought of bowing to his fheaf, made them 'loop far lower, even to debafe themfelves as low as hell, and be the devils inftruments to fell their dear bro- ther into flavery, which might have been worfe to him, (if God had not providedotherwife,) then if they had flair' him on the place. What an impotent minde and cruel did Saul (hew a- saint' David, when once envy had envenomed his heart ? from that
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