Corztemplations. LIB. I,I. builthoufes toGod, ifthey had facrificed,prayed,lived well; the intent poyfC:ns the . A aCtion: but now both the afrand the purpofe are l!qUally vain,and the iffue isas vain as either. God bath a fpeciall indignationat pride above all finnes,and will croffe our endevours, not for that they areevil I (what hurt could be in laying one bricke upon another?)but forehac they are proudly undertaken : He could havehindred the laying ofc}Ie firfi (lone; and might aseafily have made a trench for the fofidacion,thegravc ofthe builders:but he loves to fee what wicked men wou!d do;and eo let fooles run rhemfelve•out ofbreath: whatmonument fhould they have hadofrhcir ownmadneffe,and hispowerfull inrermption,ifrhe wals had rifen to noheight?To flop them then in themidfl oftheir courfe,he medles not with either their bands,or their feet but cheir tongues; not by pulling themout, not by loafing their firings, nor by ma~ B king themfay nothing, but by teaching them to fay too much : Here is nothing varied bur the found ofLetters;even this fruflrates che wotk, and befoo!es chework· men: How eafie it is for God cen choufand wayes eo carrell: and forefiall the greatefl proje{lsofmen? Hnhac raught A'4m the firflwords,raughtthem words that nev<r were. One cat. for bricke, the other looks himin rhefoce, and wonderswhat hee commands, and howand whyhe fpeakes fuch words as were never heard; and in flead thereof brings him morrer, returning himan anfwere as little underftood: each chideswith other, cxprefiing his choler, fo ashe onely can underfiaod himfelfe: Fromheat they fall to quiet increaries, but flill with the fame fucceffe. Acfir!\ every man thinkshis fellow mocks him :butnowperceiving this ferious confttGon, cheironly anfwer was filence, and ceafing; they could nor come rogerher, for no C man could call them eo be underflood; and ifthey had affrmbled, nothing could be determined becaufeonecould never anaine to the others purpofe .-No, theycould not have the honor ofagenerall difmiffion, but each man leaves his Trowcll and flacion, more like a foole then he underrooke it : Socommonlpetions begun in glory,fhut up in fhame. All externall a{liomdepend upon the tongue: No man can knowanochersminde, ifthisbenoHheinrerprerer; hence, as therewere many tongues given eoflay the buildingof Ba.lel, fo there were as many given tobuild the new Jerufidcm,theEvangelitall Church.How dear barb :B4htlcoflall theword? At thefirfl,when there was but one language, meo did fpend theircirne inArcs;(fowas it reqoifite at the firfl fetling oftheworld)and fo came early to perfellion, but now we Hay fo long (ofneceffiry) upon the fhell oftongues, char wee can hardly have D rime to chew the fweet kernell ofknowledge: Surelymen would have grown too proud,ifcherehadbeen noBdtl: Itfalsoucofc-timcs chat onefinisaremedyof agreater. DiviGon oftonguesmufl needs Oacken any worke : Multiplicity oflanguage hadnotbeene given by theHoly Ghofl, for a bleffing to the Church, ifrhe world had not been befure poffelfed with multiplicity oflangu•ges for apunilh· menc: Hence it is, rhat the buildingofour Sionrifesnof:tfler, becaufeour tongues arc divided; Happy were the ChurchofGod, ifwe all fpake bur one language: Whileswe differ, we can buildnothingbut B•b<l; differenceoftongues caufed their Babe! coceafe, but it builds ours. Of AB RA HAM. DT was fit chat hewhich fhould be the Fatherand pattern ofrhefairhfull, fhould be ehroughly tryed: for ina fet copy every faultis imporrant,and may prove a ruleoferror: often trialswhich ,t6r~ham paffed, the lafl was che forefl: No fonne of Abrah•m can hope ro efcape tempcario_ns, whilehefeesthat bofom, inwhich hedefires to refl, fo affaulced with dilliculrress ,tbraham mufr leavehis Councry,and kinred, and live amongfl 1\rangero; ThecalE lingofGod never leaves men,whereit findes them; Theearth is the Lord•, and all places ace alike eo the.wifeand faithfull:lfChaldea had nor been g;otrely Idolatrous Abrah•m had not lefm;noDO\ldmufl ty us to thedangerofmfetlion. . . ~-
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