bold I have made thee fmall, thou art greatly defpifed. 40. This is Gods own word, He that defpifeth me shall be dfpifed. Yea, as the Pfalmift faith, He poureth contempt upon Princes. Two things that are most priviledged from contempt fhall here fuffer it. Sr.The Majefty of Kings. 22. The ftrength of fortifications. But when the fupream Majefty of God is offended and despifed, thefe cannot escape both deftruction and contempt. This the generous nature of man doth more fear then any temporal evil: let me ake, and smart, and lose all,but let me not be despiled. When the Jews began after the captivity, to build again the wals of the city,they had ftrong oppofition by their enemies,Tobiah and Sanballat, and others, who laboured to hinder the building all they could. But when they defpifed the Jews, and fcorned their work, Nehemiah took it to heart, and grew very earneft with God in complaint against them. For, Sanballat mocked the Jews, and faid before his brethren and the army of Samaria T What do these weak Jews? will they fortifie themselves? Will they facrifice ? will they finish it in a day? will they make the stone's Whole again out of the heaps of duft, feeing they are burnt? And Tobiah the Ammonite was befide him,and faid, although they build, yet if a fox go up, he fall even break down their strong wall. Verf. 2. Nehem. 4+ I. This fends Nehemiah to God, faying, Hear O God, (we are defpifed) and turn their fhame npou their own head. This heavy. judgment fhall God inflict upon the Jews. The reafon is, because this is the fitteft punishment for their Reafort pride. Now they fhall fee, that fo long as a People walketh humbly before God, fo long they live in glory and reputation; but when God faileth them for their finnes, their enemies do prevail against them, and cover them with disdain. When 1522A op Job 29. 7.1 When God tryed fob with all kind of corporal and temporal calamities in the agony and fmart of his paffion, he looketh back to the former mercies of God; wherein Lobferve,that he giveth the first place of his temporal happineffe to that respect that was given to him. Verl. 10. to do: The Nobles held their peace, and their tongue cleaved to the roof of their mouth. 6534 320802 When the care heard me, then it bleffed mez 40" 3.0 But in the next chapter recounting the miferies which had come upon him, he gives the first place to contempt. J But now they that are younger then I have me in derision, whofe And now I am their fong, I am their by-word. They abbor me, and fly far from me, and spare not to fit in But thus did the Jewes abufe Chrift: Is not this the Carpen- They fpit on his face, and even hanging on the Croffe of pain and Thame, they laughed him to fcorn. Some referre the non to this P Have ye no regard all ge that passe by the way, confider and behold if ever there Lam.1.12 were forrow like my forrow which was done to me: For the grief of contempt muft needs be the greatest humiliation, becaule of the eminencie and excellencie of his perfonn wo And for Chriftian Religion in the Primitive times of the Church, the common evill opinion of it was that, it was Herefie; but the learned Grecians did call preaching foolishneffe, ubi Lapiens? ubiserība? The Verf. II. When I went out to the gate through the City, when I prepared me, and hid themselves, and the aged arofe and stood up. 2172 The Princes refrained talking, and laid their hand on their mouth. Job 30. 1.. Verse 8. Verfe 9. دار The way to avoid this contempt, is humility, a vertue un Vse, known to the moral wifemen of former ages; it is the proper vertue of the Chriftian." Difcite à me quia mitis & humilis. This is the vertue, and he the only teacher of it, the best example of it, the fulleft reward of it. You heard from Obadiah to Edom, The pride of life is the Queen of vices, as you heard then, it tref- Contempt cannot fmart upon the humble in respect of themfelves, but in respect of God who is despised in them; study and pray to God for this graces this keeps peace in the Church, and quietneffe in our common converfation; for only of pride cometh contention. Let me once fay with facob, 13 I am not worthy of the least of thy mercies, and we shall value the very crummes that fall from the childrens table, the leaft of Gods favours will be sweet to us, and God fhall be praised for them. S Obstumeva ob bob to damo di And with fuch as be of a contrite and lowly spirit God will dwell, God himselfe boweth the heavens, and cometh down to fach to vifit them,atque humiles habitare cafas. Behold, I stand at the doore and knock. Not at the door of the proud, for their felf love keepeth him out. 3. oral si burpalo ar moitlause in d The humble man is the Lords temple, and he faith, Here will I dwell, for I bave a delight therein; Iwill fatisfie their poore with bread, the holy ones fhall rejoyce and fing: I tooke David from the Sheepfolds, there will I make the horne of David to flourish, A have ordained a lanthorn for mine annointed. Lovia Euoniam of alt Verf. 3. Doct. Ver.11. Then shall his mind change,and be shall passe over, and of, fend, imputing this his power unto his god. 3. W Hat shall become of the Chaldeans thus victorį. ous, 1. They fhall change their mind, 3. They fhall offend. 4. Their fault. 1.They fball change their mind. いう。 The profperous and victorious fucceffe of the Chaldæan, fhall fo infatuate the Chaldæan, that he shall be transported with the pride thereof, and God fhall give end unto his violence; God fhall change his mind for their fakes whom he referveth as his remnant amongst the Jews. # The rod of the wicked fhall not reft on the lot of the righte ous. The wicked are the fword of the Lord, he will not always chide nor strike, but he will put up his fword in his sheath, his arme in his bofome, " He guideth the hearts of all men like rivers of waters, which way he pleaseth. bolt is a doctrine which I lately taught out of Obadiab. Though the Church of God do live under the Croffe for a time, it hall not be always fo for as here it is declared, Their mind shall change that afflict her. 1. Becaute Gods quarrel is not against the Perfons of men, but against their fins, therefore he punisheth non ad vindictam, but ad emendationem vita,and it is no pleafure to God to punifa his children, therefore he will not always punish, because afflictions are of excellent force to bring forth in his children 1. Contrition. 2. Supplication. T 2. He will not always punish, leaft the extream paffions of his fervants fhould breed in them a doubt of his love, and fo weaken their faith.. 3, Least the righteous fhould put forth his hand unto finne. 4. Leaft the enemies of his Church should grow too info lent. Further Further we are taught, that those whom God ufeth as his rods 2 Doct. are limited; when they have executed his will they fhall then change their minds the mind of the Chaldæan was cruelty, and oppreffion, and covetoufneffe, and ambition; this victory fhall change their mind into pride and infolencie, fo that as the wife man faith, The profperity of fools fhall deftroy them. It is a true faying for the most part, that as the good, fo the blood rifeth; men of low degree, when they rife to high places, men of poor eftate when they grow to plenty, even nations, when they overflow their own banks, and over-run others, do change their minds, they have not the fame hearts and affections that they had. " It is a fingular wifedome to ule the fulneffe of profperity well. The Paradife of God did not content our firft Parents, the forbidden fruit feemed to Evab the fairest fruit of the garden, that changed her mind from the obedience of the law of God, to be both a Prævaricatour and a tempter. The fonnes of God living in profperity in the favour of God, fet their eyes on the daughters of men, and because they looked fair like Eves apple,they changed their mind from living un. der the religious awe of God, to take them wives by whom the fervice of God was corrupted; for they that marry with tempters and take them into their bofomes, either prefume too much on their own ftrer gth,and they tempt God therein: or elfe they change their minds and religions with them. Can a man carry fire in his bofome and not be burnt? or walke upon burning coals and not be fcorched? The Author of the book of Wifedome faith well of the righteous, That he is fpeedily taken away, least wickednesse should alter his understanding, or de- Wild.4.11 ceit beguile his foule. There is a great measure of grace needful to him that would ufe profperity well; he must not be wicked; for where the good fpirit of God is wanting, there is nothing but unftayed neffe and inconftancy; but David prayech, Establish thou me with thy free Spirit. Davids victories and peace and profperity, did change his mind, he grew wanton, and to hide that, cruel, and to live in |
