1 I 2 The foperior Excellency the world; as the Pfalmifl: exprdfeth it, ' The jthzts are excellent ones in the earth. Now, we .fhall not trouble you with any further explication of the words; which are fo clear, or with any divilion of a pro– pofition fo .Gmple; but {hall illufirate and confirn1 the affertion, by producing fuch undou!:>ted evidences of noblenefs and ex– cellency, as are proper to godlinefi, and to tl~ofe who praCi:ife it: where we have oc– cafion to hint at fuch charaCters of a pious· · n1an, a,, befides the general defign, n1ay perhaps ferve to put: us in n1ind of fome parts of our duty which we are not care– ful to obferve; and which therefore may be ufeful even to thofe who have already embraced the praCtice of religion. Being to fpeak of the noblenefs and ex– cellency of religiori; it may be expeCted we ihould fay fomething of its origin and ex– tract:; that being the whole of nobility which fo.n1e undedl:and, and others pretend · to. ·We might take occafion to difcover the folly of glorying in the antiquity of aa illufl:rious houfe, or the fan1ed virtue of ·worthy ancefl:ors, who perhaps, were they - alive, would difown their degenerate pro– geny. But I iliall not infifi upon this,7. vt is a ·vanity which hath been chafiifed fufficiently
RkJQdWJsaXNoZXIy OTcyMjk=