871 [ontemplations. L 1a. VI. ced it fo confpicuoully,ifhe had meant it ll1ould be hid: Hide ye your f.tcesrarher A which are blemilhed "irh your finne ; and looke nor that I fiwuld wrong God and my felfe,to feeme leffe happy in favour ofyour weakneffe. Butwithout all fdfe refpech,hemodeflly hides his glorified face;and cares nor their eyes fi10uld pierce fo farce, as to Ius skmne,on condmon, that hts words may ptcrce mto their eares. (t is good for a man fometi!nes to hide his graces; Some Talents are befr improved by bemg bid up : Mofos had more glory by his Va!le,then by his face. Chnfrian modefly reaches a wife man,not to cxpofe himfelfe to the fairefr lhew, and to live at the urmofl pitch ofhis firenfh. · There is many a rich one laid up in the bowels ofthe Earrh;many a faire Pearle laid up in the bofome ofthe Sea, that never was feene, nor never (hall be. There is many agoodly Starre,whichbecaufeofheightcomes not within our account.How B did our true c.M'[;s, with r~e Vaile ofhis~elh, hide the glor~ofhis Deir~,andput on v!leneffe,beli es the laymg afide ofMaJcfiy: and lhur up his great & D!VmeMi. racles,with,Seeyou tdl11o man! How far arerhofe fpirits from this, which care only to be feene ; andwilh only to dazle others eyes with admiration, not carina for unknown Riches~ But rhofe yet more,which delireto feeme above themfeh:'es,whether in pamor graces,whofe Vaile is fairer then their skin. Modell faces /hall fi1ine throu~h theirVailes,when the vain-glorious /hall bewrayrheir lhame through their covenng. That Godwhich gave his Law in fmoak,delivered it again throu~h the Vaile of r.uofts .Ifrael couldnot look ro the end ofthar, which lhouldbe >bo ilhed; forrhe fame caufe hadGod aVaile upon his own face,which hid.his prefencein theHolyof c Holies.Now as the Vaile ofGod did rend,when he faid,!t iJ finifhed;fo theVaileof Mojes was then pulled off:We clearly fee Chrifr,theendof theLaw;Our Iojh11a that. fucceeded · Ul1ofts, fpeakes to us bare-faced: what a fi1ame is it there lhould be a Vaile upon our hearts, when thereisnoneon his face~ When <.M ofcs went to fpeak with God,he pulled offhisVaile: It was good reafon he lhould prefenr to God that face which he hadmade. There had beenemore need ofhisVaile, to hide the glorious face ofGod from him, then to hide his from God:bur his faith and rhankfulnes ferve for both rhefeufes.Hypocrires arecontrary to Mofos: he /hewed hisworftto men,hisbefi to God; they lhewtheirbefrto.men, their worfi to God : burGod fees both theirVaile and their face: and I knownor whether he more hates rheirvaile ofdiflimulation,or theirface ofwickedneffe. D NADAII and As IH u. .HatGod which /hewed himfdfe to men in fire when he delivered his Law, would have men prefent their Sacrifices to him in fire: and this fire he would have his owne, that there might be a jufl circulation in this creature; as the water fends upthofe ••pours, which it receives, downe againe in raine. Hereupon it W3S, that flee came downe from God unto the Altar: That as the chargeofthe Sacrifice was delivered in fire and fmoke, fo God might lignifie the acceptarion of it in the like fall1ion wherein it was commanded. ~ The Baalites might lay ready their Bullock upon the wood, and water in their Trench : but they might fooner fetch the bloud out of their bodies, and deflroy themfelves,then one Aafi1 out ofHeaven to confumethe Sacrifice. ThatDevill which can fetch down fire from Heaven,eirhermalicioully,orto no purpofe; (although he abound with fire;and did as fervently delire this fire in emulation to God, as ever he defired mitigation ofhis own) yet now he could no more kindle a fire for the IdolatrousSacrifice,then quench the flames ofhisown torment. Herein God approves himfelf only worthy to be facrificed unro,that hecreates the fire for his own fervice ; whereas the impote_nt Idols oftheHeathen mufl fetch fire from their neighborsPI:irchen;and themfelves are fir matter forrheir borrowed fire. The Ifraelites (that wereled too much with fenfe) ifthey·had feene the Bullock confumed -
RkJQdWJsaXNoZXIy OTcyMjk=