1-be r GVanity of the t,reature. II the Lord hath befiowed a great portion of this Opinio- native felicity, I rneane, of money, honour, reputati on,or thelike; Firí}', not totruf in uncertaine Riches , not to, rilie upon a foundation of their owne laying for matter' of fatisfaaion to their Soule, nor to boafl in the multi- tudeof their riches,. as the Proph'et..fpeakes. PfaI.. 9. 6. ( for that is certainly one great effed of the Deceitful - neffeof Riches , fpoken of Afatth. i 3.22. to perfwade the Soule that there is more in them than indeed there is) and the Pfalinif} gives an excellent reafon in the farne place , No man can by any means redeeme his brother, nor give to -God ranforne for him, for. the Redemption of their Soule is Pretious. And fecondly , it may-teach them as not to trufl, fo not to fwell with there things neither. It is an argument: of their windineffe and emptineffe that they are apt to make men fwe]l ; whereas if they cannot change a haire ofa mans head, nor adde an inch to his f }azurethey can much leffe.;nake an acceflìon of the leafl dramrne of me- rit , or reali value to the owners of them. And finely if men could ferioufly confider, that they are gill mem- bers of the fame common bodie, and that of a twofold body -, a civili and a myflicail body,and that though they haply may bee the more honourable parts in one body,, yet in the other they may bee the Ieire honourable ; that .. the. poore whom they defpife may in Chrifs body have a higher roome than they (as the Apollle faith, Hath not God. chafen the poore in this world , Rich in faith, Iam.2.5 ) I fay, if men could compare things rightly to- gether , and confider that they 'are but the greater letters rza the fame volume, and the poore the finaller, though they take up more roome, yet they put no more matter' nor worth into the word which they compound , they would never_fuffer the tympanie and inflation ofpride or fupercilioufnetfe, of felfe- attributions , or contempt of their meaner brethren to prevaile within them. Wee fee in
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