_/ij LIB. XIX. Eliiha witb<'Naaman. 1145 - binds them in two bags, and lai~ them upon two ofbis owne fervams 1 his owne A trayne lhall yeeld Poners to Gehezi: Cheerefulneffe is the juft praife of our !Je.nelicence : Bountiful! mindes are as zealou' in over-paying good turnes, as the niggardly are in fcantingretributions. What projeehdoe we think Gehezihad all the way~ Howdid he pleafe himft!fe with the waking dreamesofpurchafes, of traflique,ofjolly~ and now, when they are cometo the tower,he gladly disburthens,&difmiffes his twoSyri•n attendants,and hides their load,&wipes his mouth, & !landsboldlybefore that Ma!ler, whom he had lo foully abufed: Oh Gehezi! where didft thou thinkGod was this ' while?Couldeft thou thus long pbure water upon the hands ofEli/h•,andbe either B ignoranc,or regardleffe of that undeceivable eye of providence,whichwas ever fixed upon tby hands,thy tongue,thy heart~ Couldli thou thus hope to blind the eyes of aSeer~Hearethcn thy inditement,thy fentence,from him,whomthou thoughteft to havemocked with thy concealement;Whenctc•mtft th110Gehezi?Thyferv•m went no whither. He that had begun a lye to NAAmAn,ends it to hisMafter:who fo lets his tongue once loofe to awilful umruth,foon growesimpudent in muhiplying falfehoods.Ofwhat metal is the forehead ofthat man,that dares lye toa Prophet~ What is this,but to out-face the fenfes~ Wmt not my heart with thee whm the"'"' t•rned •· g•inefrom his charettomeet thee r Didft thou nottill nowknow,O Gehezi,that Prophmhave fpirituall eyes, which are not confined to bodily ptofpeets ~ Didft thou not know, thot their hearts were often, where they were not ~ Did!\ thou not know that thy fecreteft waies wereover-looked by invifible witneifes ~ Heare then and be convinced:Hitherthou wenteft,thus thou faidfr,thus thou didft, c thus thou fped!l.What anfwcr was now here but confulion~ MiferableGehtzi,how didftthou ftandpaleond tr~mbling before the dreadful! tribunall ofthy fevcre Ma- !\er, looking for thewofull fentence of fame grievous judgement for fo hainous an offence~ Is this a time to rtceivemsnJ,& to receivegarmtnts,and( which chou hadft already purchafed in thy conceit) olivt-yards,&Vine-yards,andShtep, and Oxen, and Men-(ervants,•ndMaid-fervants?Did mymouth refufe,thatthy hands might take~ Was I fo·carefull to win honour tomy God,&credit to my profe!lion,by denying thefe syri•s prefents,that thou mightft dalh both in receiving them?Wasthere no woy to enrich thy felf,but by belying thy Ma!ler, by dif~araging this holy funCli5 in the eyes of• new convert~ Since thou wouldftneeds t ereforetake part of Naam•m treafure,take part with him in his Leprofie,Tht leprojieof NaamanJb•llcltavt unto thu, andunto thy{etdfor evtr.Oh heavy talents ofGehtzi! Oh the horror ofthis D one unchangeable fuit,which lhall never be butloathfomely white,noyfomely un· cleane!Howmuch betterhad been a light pur!e,and an home~ coat, with a found body,a clearefoul~ Toolatedoth that wretched man now fin e, that he hath loaded himfelfe with a curfe.that he bathclad himfelfwith lhame:His fin lhal be read ever in his face, inhis feed; all r,•tfenr.ers, all po!letities 0Jallnow fay, Behold the characters ofGehezi" covetou ne!fe, raud,facriledge!The acft ovenakesthe word, He w<11tortt ofhis pre(enct a Ltptr M white 44 fmw.It is awofullexchangethat Gehezi bathmadewith Naa..,an ; NAanw• came a Leper,returned aDifciple; Geluzicame a Oifciple,returneda Lepcr:Naamm left behindboth his difeafeand mony;Gtht.ei takes up both his mony and his difeafe:Now 01all Gehezi never look upon himfelf, E but he fhal think ofNaamAn whofe skin is transferred up5 him with thofe Talents; and lhall weare out the reftofhis daiesin lhame,and pain, and forrow : His teares . may walhoffthe guilt ofhis fin,fhall not{likeanother Jordan) wafb offhis Leprafie,that fl1all ever remain as an hereditary monument ofdivine feverity. This fon ofthe Prophetslhall moreloud and lively preach the Juflice of God by his face, thenothers by their tongue. Happy was it tor him, if whiles his skin was fnowwhite with Leprofie, his humble foul were wa01ed white as fnow with the water oftrue repentance.· ~liflta
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