A Contemplations. T H E s E c 0 N D B 0 0 K. No A H. fooncr is No•h come outofthe Arkr,hut he build• an Altar: not on houfe for himfelfe, but an Altar ro the lord: Our fJith will ever teach us to preferGod ro our felve•. Delayed thankfulneffi: is not worthy ofaccepcation. Of thofe few creatures that are !efr,Godmufr have fome; they are all his : yet his goodneffe will haveMan knowthatitwashe, for whofe fake they were preferved. It was a priviledge tothofe very bruit creatures, cbac they were faved from the waters, eo be offered up in fire untoGod : What a favor ls it tomen, to be referved from common dellrufrions, to be facrificed ro theirMaker and Redeemer! Loe this little fire of No•h, through the verrue ofhis faith, purged theworld, and afcended up into chafeheavens,fromwhich thewaters fel,&.caufedaglorious Rainbow toappeare therein for his fecurity:AII the fins ofthe former world were not fo unfavory untoGod, as this fmoakewaspkafant. No perfume can be fo fweet as the holyobedience ofthe faithfull. NowGod that wasbefore anoyed with the ill favor offinne,fmels a fweet Gvorofrefr: Beholdhereanewand fecond refr: Firfr, God 0 refred from making theworld,now he refls fromdellroying it: Even whilewe ceafe not to otrend, he ceafes from apublike revenge. Hisword Wa3 enough, yet withall hegivesa figne, which may fpeake the tl'uth ofhispromife to the very eyes ofmen: thus hedoch flill in his blefTed Sacramenti,whichare as =11words ro rhe fou!e. The R.ain-bow is thep\edgeofour fafety, which even norurally fignifies the end ofa !hower:.ll the fignes ofGods inflitution are proper,and fignificant. Butwhowould looke after all this, to have found righteousNoab, the Fatherof the newWorld, lyingdrunken in his tent? Whowould think that winelbould overthrow him that was preferved from the waters? Thathe who could not be tainted withthe finfull examples of the forljler wotld, !hould begin the exampleofa new fin ofhi; own? What arewemen, ifwe be tiut our{elves?WhileGod uphold' E us, no temptation canmove us:when he leaves us,no temptationistoo weake tooVtrthruw us. What livin~ man everhadfonoble proofesofthemercy, ofthe juflice ofGod?Mercy.upon himfelf,Julliceupon others.What man had fo gracious approbation fromhismaker?Behold,heofwhomin an uncle>nworld God faid, ThteotJtl) h•velfound R.ighteows,prQves nowuncleane when theworldwas parged. ThePreacher ofrighteoufnefTeunco the former age, the King, Priefl, andProphet ot the world renued, is the firfl thacrenuesche finsoftbat worldwhichhehad reproved, and which hefawcondemnedfor tin:Gcds befrchildren have no fence forfinsofinfirmity : Which ofthe Saintshave nor oooe done that, whereofthey are afhamed? God that lees us fall, knowshow tomake"' good ofe of tbe finsofhis holy ones, as oftheir obedience: Ifwehad not fuch patcernes, who could choo(e bmdefpaire ar the fightofhis finnes? Yet
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