Hieron - Houston-Packer Collection BX5133.H54 S4 1624

17Ò TheBaf(epartr of Iehoisah. The i .vje, which have any beefing. Thisdoth teach vstwo things. Fir(}, touching l urCelues. teeing the life and beefing which we haue,we haue it from the Lord,itvrgethvpon vsthe confecrating and denotingof our felues wholly ,veto him,' It is a thing which ftandethcue, with reaCon, that thelife which weehaue receiued from his mercy ,fhould be employed wholly to hisglory. whoplantetha neineyard(faith the Apoftle) andeateth not ofthefruit thereof? whofeedetha fiocke,andeatethnot afthe p n Cor.9.7. milk of hepoke? Emery manexpe&sabenefit by that whereinhe bathbellowed charge : why maynotthe Lordthen by good tight challenge all feruiceand ho- nour andobediencefromvs, teeing we are his workmanlhip, & that this,that we cando any thing, bathproceeded.wholly from his grace ? Salomon faith that the g Cro,tF.¢ Lordmade all thingsfor hisownefake a. It was the glory ofhis onwe Nam e,which was the chiefeend aymed at by him, ingiuing a beefingvntoall things. There is no man inthe world,but, ifanother had rifen by him, and come from no body, to be a man of fome fathion &ability, would thinkhe had receiued a great wrong and a foule indignity, if that man fhouldoppofe himfelfe againfthim, or fhould not be ready toioyne withhim in his occafions.His vnthankfulnes fhould againe and againe be obie&ed tohim, that hee fhould fo much forget him from whom bee had receiued all his aduancement. Howmuch more (hilly may the Lord except againft vs, when as liningandmooning only in & through him,we(hall notwith. ftanding affoordthe vfe ofour life and mooning rather to the feruiceofche diuel in doing his will,then toihe (dukeofGod in the promotingof hisglory? When asDauidvpon the mifinformationofZiba,challenged Mephsbofheth(oneofSault line) for not ioyning with him and afsrlling him in his troables intended again(t himby his Come Abftlon,he, to clearehimfelfe ofall imputation offalle hearted- . ne(fetowardsDruid, anfaeredon thiswilt: o.,411 my fathers borge were but dead iaca before my Lord the King,yet didfi thoufeethyforasse among themthat dideat at Sam t9; thine mane table r; fignifjing thereby thatall theworldmight Willy condemn him rs qa, for a villaine& a wretch, ifbeing fo aduanced by Dauid,(at whole mercy his life flood) he fhould haue entertained a traiterons & difloyall thought againft him. I fpeake itto this end, to thew how hateful) a thing it is to forgetfromwhom a man bath receiuedhis firft beginning,and vnthankfully to demeane ones lelfeto- wards him by whom he is that whichhe is,and without wholegracious fuflaining he fhould(bone retorne onto his firfi nothing. Thiscouldnot chufebut be a very fruitful!and profitable meditation, when a manfhould view himfelfe,and all the powers and faculties ofhis foule& body,and fhould confider withal! from whom he had receiued them. How is it pofsible, but a man even for very (hame,fhould thus thinke with himfelfe ? Did God glue me a tongue tobla(pbeme his Name, to flander others,to fpeakeofany thing rather then ofhis Word ? did he bellow mine eyes to,behold vanity, tobee as windowes, ro let in vncleane thoughtsinto my heart? Haue I my body to vfe it to adultery,todefileit with beaftly drunken_ atom a,t3. neffe,and to apply the feeueral parts thereof as weaponsofvnrighteournesrvnto fin? Hath he made me hie toheare, and fhall I flop mine cares againft his Word? Hach heglues me strength and heart h,to go and to trauell,and that I loyter when I fhould goo tohisHoufeto be imployed in his feruice ? Am I thus f,rnithed tho- row him with wit and reaCon, and capacity and vnderttanding, and(hall I be apt inotherthings, and rein aine dull, and ignorant, and blockifh in the knowledge of his will ? Asr I able toremember and carry away fuch things as concerne nay felfe, and ¡hall I not labour tomake my memory a Clore-houle,inwhich to layvp fuch holefomedo&rine, by which I may know how towalke in the wai sofgod. lineffe ? This would bethe Emit of this .meditation, ifwhen wee feele our owne power oflife, and enotion,ofbreathing,of hearing,ofvnderftanding, of remem- bring, we wouldconflict that wee haue receiued all this from lehouab, that fame Eternal!Seeing, and that therefore it wouldbean intolerableframe lot vs, not to denote all that is in vs tohis glory, from whom we haue receiued ir. A

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