Co11templatiom. And ifGod have built any ofus anhoufcon earth, as well as prepJred us an houfe A m. Heaven, it mu!l be coniC!fed a favo~r \fOrth our thankfulndlc:but as thr perpetlllty ofoor earthly hciufeSis uncertam: fo let us not re!lourhearts upon that but make furc of the Houfe which is ctornall in the heavens. ' Doubtleffe,the goodnes ofthe Daughter added to the Fathers forrow: She was not mote loving, than religious; neither is /he le!fe_willing to be the Lords, than h:r fathers: ana as provokmg her Father to thatwhJCh he rhought piety, though to hcrowncwrong, /he fJye~, If thou h•ft•pened thy m9uth ~nto the Lord, doermh me., thou h•ft J>romifod. Many a daughter wonld have diflivadcd her Father with t<arcs,and have wifht rather her fathers impiety,than her own prejudice. Sh<fues for the fmarrofher fathers vow.How obfequious ihould children be ro'the wil of their carefull Parents even in their final difpolition in the wor!d,wben they &c this B holy_maidwilling,to ab~ndon the world upon the raih vow ofa Father! Tlli!y are thchvmg goods of their Parents, andmufi rh~ refore watt upon the be!towing of the~r owners : They mt!lake themfelves, wluch thmkc they arc their owne. If this maiJ bad vowed her fclfc to God without her Father, it had been in his po1~er to abrogate it; bur now that he vowed her to Godwithout her felfc, it tlands in force. B'r1t1•hat O,allwe fay to thofe children,whom rheir Parents Vow and Care cannot make fo much as lioneft; that will be noother than godle!fe, in fpighr of their Baptifmc and Education 1 What,but that they are given their Parents for a curfc, and /hall one day find what it is to be rebellious. All her defire is,rhar fhe may have leave tobe•vailc that which /he mufi be forced to krep,ber virginity:IfOlC bad not heldit an alllichon,there had bin no caufe to be- C w •ile it;it hl brcn no thank to undergoc it, if /he had nor kno•vne it to be a cro!fe. Teares are no argument of impatience; we may mourne for that 1vc repine not to beare.How comes t hat to be a meritorious vertue under the Gofpel,which was bur a puni01menr under the Law 1 The d~ughters of Ifrael had been too lavifh oftheir rc2rs,ifvirginity had been abfolurely good : What injury ihould it have been ro la· menr that fpirituall preferment,whJCh they ihould rather have emulated 1 While J eptb..s daughter was rwo months in the mountaines, /he nJight have had good opportunity to efcape her farbers vow; bur as one, whom ~<r obedience ryedas clofe to her fJther, as his vow tied him to 'God, /he rerurne• to takcupthat burden, which /he bad be>Yailed to fore-fee: If we be truly dutifull ro our Fatbrr in heaven,we would nor fiip our necks our of the yoke though we might, nor ftie 0 ,~om his commands,thouih the dorc were open. S AM s o N 'onceived. F cxtnordinary perfons,the very birth and conception is extraordinary; God begins h.is ~rondus betimes, in thofe wbom he will make wonderful! ; Thtrcivas neverany of thofe which were mirJculouOy . conceived, whof~!ivcs were not notable and fingular. ~l'c prefJge< of _:__ thewombe, ,and thccndle, are commonly an!Wcrcd m t~e h fi:: It 'E u not theufcof God to cafi away firange beginnings. If c.Manoabs wilio had r.ot bernc barr<n, the Angrllhadnotb<rn fent to her: Afllictions havr t his a~vantagc, that thry occafion God to /hew that metcyto us, wher<of thr profperous arc uncapable; It would not befrrme a mother to be fo indulgent to ao healr~full child, as to a fickr. Itwas to the woman that thr Angell apprared, not to <he husband; whetl,et for that the reproach of barrenr.dfe lay upon her more he •- ,.il v, than on tl:e F•rhe r, or for that the bmh ofthe childe ihouldcofi her mo re deotetban her husband; or lollly, for that the difficultyof tbis newrs was more in Lcr conception, than in his generation: As S2tan layes his batteries ~ver rot he wcake!l; fo contrarily, God addre!feth his _comforts to thofe hearts t h<t 1~>• cl O)()J ~--~----~------------------------------
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