Lt». XI. E L 1 and hi4Sonner. A as lewd, as hiPlfelfe was holy. If the Goodneffc of ex:unpl<s, precepts, education, profellion, couldhave bC:ene_prefervatives f~om exr~emity oflinne, thefe fons ofan h.oly Father hadnot been w1cked? now, ne1ther parentag~ nor bre.;din~ nor Prid\-hood can keep the fonnes ofEit from the fonnes of Bill a~. If our children be good, let us thanke God forit; this wa~ more than we could g•ve them ; ifevill they maythankeus, and themfelves: us, for their birth·linne; themfelves forth~ improvementofit to that height ofwicked)le!fe. , lfthey had not been fo~nes of Eli; yetl;>eing Priells of_God, _who would not have hoped their very calhng fhould have mfufed fome hohne!fe mt? them 1 But now even their white Ephoocovers our foule Gnnes; yea, rather, If they which ferve at the Alrar,degenerate, their wickedne!feis fo much more above otiu~l'S,as B their places is holier. A wicked Priell is the worfi creature upon eartb, Whoare Divefs, but they which were once Angels of light I Who can llumble at the Gnnes of,the Evangelicall Levites, that fees fucli impurity before the Arke of God I That Godwhich promifedto be the Lev1tes portiOn, had fet forch the !;'Ot• tion of his Minillers; he will feafr them at his owne Altar; the brefi and the nght fhoulder of the peace-offering Nas theirmorfell: thcfe bold and covetous P riefrs will rather have the llefh-hooke their arbiter, than ~od ; whatfoever thofe three teeth fallen upon, fhall be for their tooth; they wer~ weary ofone joynt,aud now their delicacy affects variety; Godis not worthy to carve for thefemen, but their own hands;and this they doe not reccive,but take;and take violently,unfeafonably; It had bin fir God fhould be fir}l fervcd;their prefumprionwil not fray his leilure; C erethefatbeburned, erethetlefh be boy!ed, theyfnatchmorethan their fhare from the Altar, as if the God of Heaven fhould waite on their palate; as if the Ifraelites had come thither to facrifice to their bellies ; and (as commonlya I\' anton tooth is the harbinger to luxurious wantonne!fe) they are no fooner fed, than they neighafter theDames oflfrael;holy women a!femblc to the doore oftheTabernacle ; thefe varlets tcrnptthemtolufr, that came thither for devotion ; they hadwives of their owne, yet their unbridleddeftres rove after firangers1 and feare not to pollute even that holy place with abhominable lilthine!fe. 0 llnrtes, too fhamefull for mep; much more for the fpirituall guides of lfrael ! He that makes himfelfe a fervantto his tooth, fhallealily become a ll;lve to all inordinate affetli· ons. That Arke whichexpiatedother mens Gnnes, added tothe Gnnes ofthe facri D 6cers; Doubtlelre, manvaf0,,t~t•·· ... ~·L--'-.. ~-!'-..... tn.. t...tvWvt tfu; l ro~:Lctfices, which they lb~~, .. ""~ .. t<Jr owne.were more unpure : And as the Alrar cannot r... .,._, .,~ •'-a vriell,fo theuncleanne!fe ofthe Miniller cannot pollute the offer in a. becaufethe verrue thereofis 110t in the agent,but in the infiitution;in the reprefe~: ration his Gnne is his owne, thecomfort ofthe Sacrament is from God;Our Clergic is no cltarter for heaven; Even thofe whofe trade is devotion,may at once fhew the way_ to heaven by their t;pngue, and by their foot lead theway tO hell.It is nei· ther a Coule, nor anEphod that can priviledge the foule. The finnc ofthefe men was worthy of contempt,yea,perhaps,thcir perfons;but for the people therefore, to abhor the offerings ofthe lord, was to add their evil! unto the Priefrs,and ro offend God,becaufe he was offended; Therecart no offence E be jullly taken, even atmen; much le!leat God for the fake of men : No mans fins lhouldbring the feiviceof Godinto diflike 1 this is ro make holy things guilty of our profanenelfe.Itis a dangerous ignorance,not to difiinguifh betwixt theworke, and the inllrunient ; whereupon it oft comes to paffe, that we fall out with God, becaufewo find caufeofoffence from men, and give God jull caufe to abhorre us, becaufewe abhorre his fervice unjuiHy. Although it be rrile (ofgreat men efpeci· ally) that they are the lallthat know the evils oTtheir ~vnt houfe, yet either it couldnotbewhenall lfraelrungcfthe_lell'dne!fe of tlm fonnes, that he onely fhould not know it , or if bee l<new it not, his igQorance cannot be excufed; for a feafonable rellraint might have prevented this ettremity of debauchedneffe. Complaint$are long mutterc4ofthe grear,ere they darc·break forthtoopen con· -~ - tefiation: IOOJ
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