Hieron - Houston-Packer Collection BX5133.H54 S4 1624

45o ThePI/oródrngsVownfall. glitter inmenseyes,which theworld approuethof,for worldlyrefpe &s.Now the word(Continue)impliethapoffibilityofbeing inHonour: brcauf no man can be laidnot to centime inhonour , but onelyhe which hathformerly beenin Honour. So that nowthis fide claufeoccafioneth mee to difcourfe vpon two points One, that acarnal!man,a man that bathno tittle°fanygoedneffe,mayps ib) thrift andprofper,andgrowgreat hereon earth. The other;That theprofperityoffach unone,hath noperpetaity. Ther.Delf. Touchingthefirft of there, wee haue proofe enough forit out ofthe Scrip- tures. Daniel defcribing a notoriouswiekedman,yet faithofhim, that his ways' ePfal.ro.f. alwaisaprofperc,and that (au it is well tranflated outofehe Hebrew,) theyare fenced in, as thoughherwere ordinarily out ofthe reachofcommon mile: ies. fPfal73. Andthe fame Damidrecords inanother Pfalmef howmuch it troubled him, and what a temptation it wasunto him, to feethe ffourifl,ing eftate of thevn- /Verf,3, godly: /fretted (faithhe) attbe fosit/b, when Ifamtheprofperityof the wickedg; The very fame thingalto, fo perplexedtlaePropher Jeremy , that he wasbold cven to rcafon the cafe with God,how it could ffandwithhisiuftice fo tofuller it. Whereforedoththewayofthewiclçedprofper, andwhyaretheyAllis weahh Maere. bler.tz,t. befiouflytranfgreffehi The point isexcellently defcribedby lob ,- The wicked/hat andwareold , andgrow inwealth : theirfeeds its effablifhed in their fightwith them, andtheirgeneration beforetheiroyes , theirbouf esarepeaceablewitboatfeare ,endthe rodofGod is not ernthem, their hillocksgenderetb, andfaileth not,theircowcalxetb, ì lobai, 7,t, and caftobnot ber ealfe i,&e. The Scripturealto giueth more light to this Do- 5,1n. &riseby examples, proouing thusmuch vntovs, thateues tise children of God,fuchas feare him, and make confcienceoftheir waies, come often farbe. hind the wickedin outward profperity : ¡Jam the fonneofpromife is carried to the (laughter, when'fmae!the Ionise ofthe bond-woman fitted] gnietly at home. lacobthelourd ,isput forth tokerpeIbeepe, and Elanthe hated , goes Gen.37 so. on hunting. Ifyou looke forJefeph,you Mall finde him inprifon k, for Daniel iDaas.re. you fballfee him in the den 1, for loony, heis makingbookes ofLamentations, a+Icre s..t. andwifhing his beadwerefrllefwatert,andhit getafowitaineof eoaresm,toexpres his griefe, when the vngodlylßretebthemfelseropentbñrbeds, andsate the!amber oftheflakes, and the calms out ofteefold, andfins to thefoundofthe vrole,anddrinks aAo143,4 wine in balm, andputfore awaythe millday.. Nowthe reafon why the Lord ta. l,6. keth this (as may (irme) a ftrange courfe, is this : Firft, that his children for their limes, in this life maynotgo altogether vnchaftifed, andby chaftifement maybe brought to thegreater meafure ofhumility : and that the prophanc, hailingatlealifomethew offome good things , maynot goe altogethervnre.. warded,and fomay thefooner fill vp themeafure ofiniquicy. Secondly,that it mayappeare to bebut a (lander,which the diuell imputed to lob,and inhim,to aIob t.y; allthat are the.Lords, thatthey fettle Godforrewards.: For whenthey, even in the midit of thectoffe, shallcontinue in theirinnocency,it will then be mani- fell, thatit is confcience and not rewardwhich keepes them in obedience. Thirdly,the Lord taketh this courfe, asto take awayall colourofexcufe from the vngodly,fo to affurevs that hedoth not (asit were)makesh1, bookesofac- countdeere in thia life, but refeiuech the fullandfinallaccount, vntill the !ail dayofreckoning, inwhich euerything (hailbe recompenfedtothe full, whe- ther it begood or euill. Thuswe fee the truth ofthis point, and theteafons of it; namely, that acarnaIl man maybase a full meafure ofoutward profperity. ThePA Thesire this Do&vine is very excellent. It ferueth to(hew the vanity of a conceit,which is crept into the hearts ofa great many , and which fo ítrongly poffeffeth them,thatit maketh them tocontemne all religious inftru&ion, and negle& allreformationwhatfoeuer: And it is this :There ismany an one (and let everyman looke intohis own heart, to fee whetherhe benotthe man) who being in his confcience guilty ofmanyfins, whichby the miniltry acheword, are

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