they be meanly clothed, in ruffet cloth, or eating Cap.16. course bread, and playing with beggars children, fo Gods fervants, howfoever they are in the esteem of the world, yet those that know what they are to inherit, what they fhall receive hereafter, cannot but look upon them as honorable: A fpiritual eye fees that that body that is now clothed fo meanly, within a few years thall fhine more bright then the Sun in the firmament,and that foul that is weak in parts and gifts, it fees it as a veffel that shall be filled to the brim with all the glory of God, and the Image of God to be made perfect, and to have perfect knowledge of God, and of the bleffed Trinity, and the mystery of the Gofpel, and all the great works of God: A fpiritual eye can fee within a little while, when Chrift fhall come in his glory, he will own them before men and Angels, and tell men and Angels, Thefe are thofe, for whom the eternal councels of my Father did work,and I was content to fhed my blood for them; and all that was intended in the great work of Redemption, was for these: A fpiritual eye can fee, that within a while they shall be taken up with our Savior, to judge the whole world, to judge the Angels, with Crowns upon their heads, and palms in their hands, triumphing, afcending up with Chrift to fee the Father, and to enjoy him everlaftingly. And if these things be feen, as real and certain, they cannot but raise esteem; there is fo much in Gods people here, as not onely does convince a gracious heart, but fometimes will convince one that hath but natural principles of their excellency.

Some men and women, that do fometime rail

Cap.16. at Gods people, if we could fee into their bofoms, do fometimes blefs them, and wish that their condition were fuch as theirs fhall be: As Balaam wished he might dye the death of the Righteous; and John the Baptift, though he was mean for outwards, yet Herod reverenced him, because he faw fome glimmerings of the excellency that was in him: And that is obfervable that we have of Foah King of Ifrael, 2 Kings 13. 14. he was a wicked man, yet when he comes to Elifba, and fees the Prophet was to dye, fays he, o my Father, my Father, the Chariots of Ifrael, and the Horsemen thereof! this is the fpeech of one that was ungodly, he had a reverend eftcem of Elifha, and it feems he walked fo, as he gained mighty eftcem from wicked men,as in 2 King. 3.12. three Kings came down to the Prophet to fpeak with him, they do not fend for him; True it is, one of them was a good man, but the other two were wicked; it was indeed in the time of their affiction, yet it was a mighty honor the Prophet had from them. It is reported of the Emperor Severus, when Origen came to him, he came very meanly cloathed, onely one garment; Severus fent him a Chariot, and change of garments, to come in pomp to him, he refused to come in pomp ; and and yet when he faw the piety and gravity of the man, he was mightily convinced, and it gained much refpect from him: The godly will gain refpect from wicked men, much more from a gracious heart, that can judge as God judges, and fee the ends of things.

CHAP.

CHAP. XVII.

What we are to learn from that high esteem a gracious heart bath of the Saints in their foreft afflictions.

Cap.17.

Ence we fee what a difference is between the ufe 1. men of the world, and Gods people: The men of the world are fuch, as in all their outward pomp and bravery, are bafe and wretched, and Gods people in all their baseness and meanness, are precious and honorable: The wicked men are fo vile, as all the glory that the world hath cannot make them bleffed, and Gods people are so bleffed, as that all the evil of the world cannot make them any way miferable: If a man had his hearts defire in all things that are here below, he may remain as a bafe curfed creature, but let him be gracious, and godly, and let him have all the misery that can be pur upon him in the world, he is one that God, and the Angels, and Saints look upon, as the glory of the earth.

That is very obfervable we have of Antiochus Epiphanes in Dan.11.21. In his eftate fball stand up a vile perfon, and yet he was the great King of Affyria. And fofephus reports, the Samaritans wrote to him, because he tormented the Jews,to excuse themselves that they were no fews;and they writ, Antiochus the mighty God, and his name Epiphanes in English,does fignifie one that is illuftrious and famous above others: Though he was the great King of Affyria,and by flattery was called the Mighty God, and by his name called Illuftrious & famous above others, yet by the holy Ghost he is called a Vile perfon. But David speaking

Cap. 17. of Gods people, whom he should do good unto, fays, They are the excellent of the earth in whom is my delight, Pfal.16. the word fignifies, the magnificent of the earth: The one is called The vile of the earth, in the Pfalm before, and the other called The magnificent, in this Pfalm.

2.

God hath made a feparation between the wicked and the godly, and therefore Mofes fays in Exod. 33. ver.16. Thou haft feparated between us and other people, the word that is tranflated feparated, is, thou haft wonderfully feparated between us and other people, fo God hath wonderfully feparated between us and the world; that the one should be fo curfed, that all the good of the world cannot make them bleffed; and the other fo bleffed, as all the evil of the world cannot make them miferable. When Agrippa was fo admired, that the people cryed, The voyce of God, and not of man, God gives an Angel authority to fmite him,and he was eaten up with worms: Fohn though he was mean in the world, the Holy Ghoft calls him the greatest that was born of a

woman.

Secondly, this rebukes those that can fee no excellency in those that are godly, more then in others : and if they be afflicted, they look upon them, as the prey of the malice of wicked men, and a poor contemptible people, and pass them by, and fee nothing in them to be worthy of any refpect. As it was faid of Herod, when Chrift came to him, he thought to have seen miracles wrought by him; and because he appeared as a mean man, Herod flighted him; and fo men that judge according to the flesh, if men be great in the world, or have fuch a one to

'be

be their friend, they like that well, but if he be rag- Cap.17. ged, and mean, they pafs him by, as not respecting of him. As Hopinian tells us of the dogs, that kept the Temple of Vulcan, If any came to the Temple with brave cloaths, they would let them alone, but if they came in ragged cloaths, they would tear them all in pieces: So men of the world, if they fee men in good cloaths, and profper outwardly, they are fomebody; but for this godliness, and precifenefs, they have no skill in it, and therefore despise it, and look contemptibly upon it. So it was with the Samaritans, as long as the people of the Jews were profperous outwardly,they would challenge acquaintance, and affinity with them, but if they were in affliction, then they would fall off: but St. Paul did not fo, for (fays he) Henceforth know I ne man after the flesh.

It is a great fign of a carnal heart, and oppofite to the principle of grace, to look upon things according to outward excellency, and not to see a beauty in Gods people for want of outward excellency. Some things that are foolish, are onely weakness of reafon : fome things are oppofite to the principles of reason, and where we fee luch, we account those naturals: fo fome things are infirmities,and argue weaknefs of grace, but other things are quite contrary to the principles of grace, and amongst those I know none more evident then this, For people to judge of things according to outward excellency, and not to fee the excellency of Gods people through outward meanes: this is an argument that the Gospel is hid from thee,and fo thou art a loft creature: if the beauty of the Gospel be hid,it is hid to those that are loft: