Contemplation!. Lra. XIX· the Lord pardon thy firvant, tlw-when 1f1J111Af/er g"'hinJo the honfe ofRimmon towor- A jhip thtrt,Afld he leamth on "'1 h•nd, and 1 b.,.,, filfeinthe hoof<of Rimm~n tfie Lord par~•• thy ferva~tf" thisthing• .V~4111An goes away refolute to profelfe bi~felf an Ilraehte for Reltgton ; all the SJ""' Court lhall know tflat be lacrifices upon Ifraelitifh earth,to the Godoflfrael: they fhall heare him protell to haveneither heart,nor knee for Rimmon: Ifhe muft goe intothe houfe ofthat Idoll, it fhallbc as a fervant,not as a fupplianr;bis duty to his Mafter fhal caryhim,not hisdevotio to his Mallers ~od;Ifhis mafter goeco worfhip there,nat he, neither doth he fay When 1 bmmyjelft to the Image of Zimmon1but, iMhe hou[<: he !hall bow, to be lea~ ncd upon,not to adore; yet had not NaAman thought this a fault,he had not craved a pardon; his heart told him that a perfeCt convert fbould not have abidd the roof the fight,tbe ayreof Rimmon; that his ob{ervance ofan earthlymaller fbould nd draw him to the femblance ofanact ofoutward ob{ervanceto the rivall ofhis ma- B fter in Heaven,that a fincere detelbtion ofldolatry could not !landwith fa unfeafonable acourtefie. · Farre therefot·e is N••m•n from beinga paueme, fave ofweaknelfe 1 fince he is yet more then halfe a Syrian;fincehe willingly accufes himfelfe,and in !leadofdefending, deprecates his offi:nce; It is not for us to expeCt a fullllature in the c111dle ofconverfion. As namre, fo grace rifes bymany degrees,to perfection 1 Lcprofie was in Naaman cured at once,noccorruption. The Prophet,as glad to fee him but thus forward,difmilfes him withacivill vaIedittion; had an lfraelite made this fuit, he had been anfwered,with acheck;thus much from a Syrianwas worthy akind farewell;They :u·e parted. C Gehezi cannot thus take his leave;his heart is maled up in tbe rich chells of Na4man, andnow he goesco fetch it; TheProphet and his man had not looked with the fame eyes upon the Syriantreafure; the one with the eye ofcontempt, the other with the eye of admiration, and covetous defire. The difpofitionofthe mafter may not bemeafuredbythe mind, by theaaofhis fervant 1 Holy E/ift,•may be attended bya falfe G1hezi: No examples, nocounfells will preYaile with fome hearts ; whowouldnot have thought that rhe follower of Elifh•could be no other rhet:~ aSaint?yet,aftcr the viewofalthofe miraclcs,thisqun is amirrour ofworldlinelfe. He thinkes his mafier either too fimple, ortoo kind,to refufe [ojufi a prefent froma Syrian;himfelfewill bemore wife,morefrugall; De fire ha !lens his pace, be doth not goe, but run after his booty 1 NAaman fees him, and as true nobleneffe is ever courteous,alights from his Charet, tomeet him;Thegreat Lord of D Syria comes forth ofhis Coach to falute a Prophets fcrvant: not fearing that he canhumblehimfelfover-much to one of Elijha"s family:I>Ie greets Gehe£i with the fame word wherewith he larelywas dimitted byhismallcr: Isitpea&e~ Sofudden a melfenger might feeme toargue fame change. He foonc r~eives from the breathlelfe bearer newes ofhis mafters health, andrequell: A.Uiswell, MJ Mafter hat/;Jent me, f•1in$, Behold, eve11 n/1111 there bt come tom.efrom m<JUnt Ephraim,tw• y•11ng mm ofthejommofthe Prophets: Giveme,I P"J thte, atalent ofjilvtr, indtwo chAnges ofgarments. IJad Gehezi craved a reward in his owne name, calling for the fee of the Prophets 11:rvant, as the gaine, fo the offi:nce had been the lelfe i now reaching at agreatedumme, he belies his Maller, robs Na.man, burdens his owne foule. What afound tale bath thecraft of Gehezi devifed~ Ofthe number,the place, E the quality,the age of his Mallers guells~That he might fet a fair colourupon that pretended requell: fa proportioning the value ofhis demand, as might both enrich himfelf,and yet well !land with the moderation ofhis maller. Love ofmoney can never ke<p good quarter with honelly, with innocence : Covetoufneffe never lodged in the heart alone; Ifit find not, it will breed wickeclnelfe. What a mint of fraud there Is in aworldly beaft? How readily can it coine fubtile falfhoodfor an advantage~ Howthankfully liberall was this noble Syrian 1 Gehe£1 could not bemore eager in taking then he was ingiving1As gladoffo happy anoccafi6ofleavinganypecce of his- treafure behind him, he forces two talents upon the ferv<lnt of Elifh•: and bindes
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