Selected quad for the lemma: spirit_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
spirit_n	adoption_n	father_n	receive_v	8,589	5	5.7408	4	false

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A25404	The pattern of catechistical doctrine at large, or, A learned and pious exposition of the Ten Commandments with an introduction, containing the use and benefit of catechizing, the generall grounds of religion, and the truth of Christian religion in particular, proved against atheists, pagans, Jews, and Turks / by the Right Reverend Father in God Lancelot Andrews ... ; perfected according to the authors own copy and thereby purged from many thousands of errours, defects, and corruptions, which were in a rude imperfect draught formerly published, as appears in the preface to the reader.	Andrewes, Lancelot, 1555-1626.	1650 (1650)	Wing A3147; ESTC R7236	963,573	576

fiery furnace without hurt either to their bodies or garments was so terrified and astonied that he repealed his former decree and published another and that a sharp one against them that should 〈◊〉 Gods Name The like did Darius upon the supernatural and powerful preservation of Daniel in the Lions den And so we read that the people were astonied at the mighty works of our Saviour Power breeds terrour then 3. The last is his omniscience No sin that we commit but he takes notice of them My sinnes saith king David are not hid from thee When Moses saw no man by he was bold to kill the Egyptian But when he perceived that some were privy to it he feared and said surely this thing is known There is no creature but is manifest in his sight for all things are naked and open before him In respect therefore that he knoweth our transgressions our fear is to be fixed on him And this putteth a difference between the fear of God and the fear of man which they call malum diuturnitatis custodem an ill keeper of continuance for the fear of God is bonus diuturnitatis custos a good keeper of it And now according to the first rule for exposition of the Decalogue we are to see in this what is commanded and what forbidden 1. Here are commanded both the fears servile and filial 1. The first the School-men call timorem servorum servile fear such fear as servants shew to Masters a fear of punishment and this is a good fear though it be ignorantly condemned by some True it is that the Apostle saith that the sons of God have not received the spirit of bondage to fear but the spirit of adoption whereby they cry Abba Father the spirit of bondage is inferiour to the spirit of adoption yet that spirit is better then the spirit of Belial or that of slumber of which the Prophet speaks whereby mens eyes are closed It is a maxime that actio perfecta non recipitur nisi imperfecte primo there is no perfect action but at first it is imperfect and is perfected by degrees It is a good thing to be a son yet it is better to be a servant a door-keeper in the house of God then to dwell in the tents of ungodlinesse better to be a hired servant then a prodigal son It is good to be in Canaan in the land of promise but in the mean time it is better to be in the wildernesse then in Egypt So fear and spare not fac saith S. Augustine si nondum potes amore justitiae at timore poenae do it if not for love of goodnesse yet for fear of punishment and his ground is out of a place in Deuteronomie cap. 5. Nothing brought the Jews to the love of God but the terrour they conceived out of the strange sights before them yet God wisheth that they might have such a heart in them alwayes that they would fear him yet this was but a servile fear procured by the strange sights at the deliverie of the Law 2. The second they call timorem filiorum filial fear This they illustrate by an example from the son of a poor man that hath a reverend fear not to offend his father though he be assured that he can do him neither good nor hurt And these two fears are distinct and different The first ariseth from the fear of punishment and this from love and may be called reverence This is the fear which the Psalmist calleth clean and endureth for ever and thus we perfect or work out our salvation with fear and trembling The reason why though we may and ought to obey God out of love yet it hath pleased him to command fear is threefold 1. To overthrow the vain sp culation of some erroneous people that dream of an absolute perfection in this life The Wise man saith Beatus qui semper pavit happy is the man that feareth alway And either there is no perfection in this life or else fear is superfluous he that cannot fall need not fear But because in this life there be degrees of perfection and though we have obtained perfection of parts that is all vertues and graces required in a Christian yet there are several degrees of perfection wherein we must still be growing for a childe though it have all the parts of a perfect man yet it hath them not in that degree of perfection which one of yeers hath attained to therefore this fear is alwayes necessary None stands so fast but he may fall and therefore must alwayes fear 2. Inasmuch as the children of God often feel in themselves a feeblenesse in faith a doubt in hope coldnesse in prayers slownesse in repentance and a debility in all other pious duties in some more in others lesse according to the measure of the Spirit communicated to them as it was in King David therefore fear is necessary to recover themselves and he that looseth it not his heart shall never be hardened nor fall into mischief as the Wise man intimates in the place before cited Fear is a good preservative for the heart though all other duties fail yet if fear continue we shall never need to despair Saint Bernard saith I know it for a truth that for the keeping continuing and 〈◊〉 of the vertues and duties which God hath commanded there is nothing more profitable and available then fear when the grace of God is with us and when it is departed so that ther 's nothing left but fear yet this fear wil never leave us or let us rest till we have made our selves fit to receive it again si deficit timor deficis et tu if fear decay thou decayest with it c. when we have recovered the grace that was lost fear will preserve it for fear of a relapse will make us more circumspect Saint Jerome calls it Custodem omnium virtutum 3. Because the excellent duty of love the effect of feare might not fail and grow carles In the Canticles the Spouse fell asleep with her beloved in her arms when she awoke her beloved was gone in her bed she sought him but found him not so that if there be not a mixture of fear with love it will grow secure and fall a sleep and lose her beloved Therefore that we may be sure to keep our love awake when we think we have Christ in our armes there must be a mixture of fear with it So for these three reasons fear is necessary even for them that think themselves in a perfect estate And withall Solomon tells us the fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom so did his father before him And the same Solomon concludes his book of the preacher with fear God and keep his Commandments for this is the end of all and the whole duty of man And in another place he saith it is fons vitae The

his own sinne and his own transgressions are ever before him and not busie himself with other mens faults whereas the proud mans thoughts are bona sua mala aliena the evil in others and the good that is in himself 3. Another signe is when a man is able to suffer the slander backbiting and reproches of ill tongues and not regard them as King David did As for me saith he I was like a deaf man and heard not and as one that is dumb and openeth not his mouth and in the next verse I became even as a man that heareth not and in whose mouth is no reproof Thus he shewed his humil ty when he bare patiently the railing of Shimei Christ being reviled reviled not 4. The fourth not to do any thing that may be against Gods glory though it be to a mans own reproach and suffering in this world when he is willing to suffer any thing himself rather then any dishonour should red ound to God or his Church by opening the mouths of the wicked Psal. 69. 6. Let not them that trust in thee be ashamed O Lord God of hosts for my cause let not those that seek thee be confounded through me c. 5. The last is not to rob God of his glory or to give it to another How can yee beleeve saith Christ that seek glory one of another The humble man as the Psalmist saith setteth not by himself but is lowly in his own eyes Psal. 15. 4. this is evidentissimum signum appropinguantis gloriae for before honour goes humility as a proud looke before a fall Pro. 33. CHAP. X. Of the fift inward vertue Hope Hope and fear come both from faith The several vses of hope The nature and exercise of hope Of presumption and despair Reasons against both Means to strengthen hope Signes of true hope Spes Hope AS the knowledge and belief of Gods justice worketh in us fear and humility of which we have spoken so from the knowledge and apprehension of his mercy ariseth hope and love After humility we come to the valley of Achor for a doore of hope as the Prophet speaks When we have been brought to the valley of mourning and have bin in fear and despaire then will God open to us a door of hope so that in stead of the first spirit the spirit of bondage unto fear we shall receive the spirit of adoption unto hope Now by conferring our strength and performances with the strict rule of Gods justice we finde it impossible that we should hope for salvation but by faith apprehending Gods mercy it may be possible it may be considered as attainable two wayes 1. either by our selves 2. or by some other 1. Now concerning the former if we look upon our selves the effect of faith is fear inasmuch as the object of it is Gods justce and so we can have little comfort in our selves for this shews that it is impossible to us as of our selves but as it is in the Apostle every mouth must be stopped and all the world must become guilty before God ther 's little hope that way 2. But we are not left alltogether to despair for though it be impossible to us of our selves yet if it be possible by another if another way may be found ther 's some hope Faith reasoneth as the Psalmist doth Hath God made all men for nought or in vain If he hath then why falleth not his wrath at once And searching further for the cause why we are not consumed we finde that his mercy is the cause It is of the Lords mercy saith the Prophet that we are not consumed for his compassions fail not and that the work of his creation is not in vain Then consequently a remnant there shall be and God will have a tenth alwayes preserved to himself and the holy seed shall be the substance thereof and as it is in the Gospell there shall be a little flock and we may hope that of that little flock we are If the Lord were sparing of his mercy that might be a great impediment to our hope but when we read that the Lord waiteth to be gracious to us it setteth our hope in a better forwardnesse Now because that out of the gate of mercy all our hope cometh we are to consider upon whom God vouchsafeth to bestow this mercy how they must be qualified The prophet saith he will thrust his face into the dust that is he will humble himself if peradventure he may have hope And hope is given to them that fear and are of a contrite spirit and that tremble at Gods word Spes timentibus Deum hope is a reward to them that fear God And as fear is requisite so faith much more God shews this kindnesse to them that put their trust in him and all they that put their trust in him shall not be destitute or forsaken And when we hear God himself say liberabo eum qui sperat in me when the act of hope shall have such a reward ther is good encouragement and we may surely expect it Now to hope is to trust in Gods mercy and so the psalmist saith My trust is in thy mercy for that is Porta spei the gate of hope there 's no entrance unto God but by this gate and no issue of good to us but by it for faith apprehending mercy hopeth and the rather because there is such plenty of mercy promised to them that hope in God that it will compasse them round Who so putteth his trust in the Lord mercy imbraceth him on every side But it may be demanded how faith can beget both fear and hope two contraries or how two contraries can stand in one subject To this may be answered first we should not question it in respect that the holy Ghost hath put them together so often The Psalmist saith The Lords delight is in them that fear him and put their trust in his mercy Again faith breedeth fear in us in respect of our weaknesse and it breeds hope in respect of the mercies of God so that they being contraries non secundum idem they may well stand together in the soule of a just man For distinction sake Fides credit promissis faith beleeveth the promise and spes expectat credita hope looketh for the things we beleeve Again a thing may be believed and yet not hoped for as no true Christian though he hopes not for hell yet he believes there is such a place So the general truth of God being the object of our faith and containing many threatnings bringeth forth fear and the mercy of God in his promises being likewise an object of our faith produceth hope And so we see they are distinguished ab objecto the one having Gods justice and the other his goodnesse for its object S. Bernard distinguisheth the three vertues of Faith Hope and Charity by presenting to

Surely if we follow not his will and pleasure in his worship he will have none of it for S. Chrysostome concludes there Non est honor sed 〈◊〉 si vel contra vel 〈◊〉 mandatum fiat it is rather a disgrace then an honour to worship God either against or besides his own Rule Nay S. Ambrose goes further Si quid addas vel detrahas prevaricatio videtur esse mandati adde or detract any thing from it and you break the Commandment that is where God hath particularly prescribed any thing we must keep close to it but where he hath 〈◊〉 a latitude it is his will that we hear the Church and obey those that are set over us CHAP. II. That God will not be worshipped by Images the several words whereby Image-worship is forbidden why God appointed the making of Cherubims and the brazen serpent reasons against worshipping of images the original of images four occasions of the use of images some in times of persecution some in times of peace That God is not to be worshipped by Images THe general being thus premised The first question is concerning the choyce which God hath made whether he will have us worship him by images or not In which there is a meere 〈◊〉 scopi as the Logicians term it between us and the Church of Rome for whereas God hath delivered his will in these two termes 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 and 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 exemplar the greatest stir they keep is about 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 and 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 or 〈◊〉 and Idolum an Image and an Idol two words that are not in the 〈◊〉 so that whosoever contends with them about these words 〈◊〉 needs fall into a 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 and fight about a shadow This is then that which is required whether when God nameth 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Sculptile graven and after 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 a word very general and large and that so general as that neither in the Latine nor the Greek there can be any word found to answer it containing both 〈◊〉 and exemplar and not onely that but extractam 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 in 〈◊〉 even the 〈◊〉 notions whether in our brain or brought into matter we must not so much as fancy any of them in Gods worship seeing that God riseth from the species to the genus of all And this will set the question right between us and the 〈◊〉 for whereas Gods word is here 〈◊〉 any likenesse whatsoever which the seventy 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 likenesse though 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 doth not so fully 〈◊〉 it their 〈◊〉 is as before is said about 〈◊〉 and 〈◊〉 but here is a flat precept against both the Hebrew word can admit of no distinction and therefore for that which 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 by the Censurers of Colein that God in no place hath generally prohibited the use of Images let 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 and Pagnine be their Judges in the word 〈◊〉 It is true that Peter 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 There are thirteen Hebrew words to 〈◊〉 what is here forbidden to which more might be added but to avoid tediousnesse they may be reduced to these four 1. 〈◊〉 a graven or 〈◊〉 image 2. Fusile any thing that may be melted 3. 〈◊〉 that which may be hammered out 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 a thing composed of the 〈◊〉 of 〈◊〉 and he saith 〈◊〉 that soulptile was more common among the Jesws then the rest and was usually taken by Moses to comprehend the rest But seeing it pleased God to set it down by the word 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 which the Septuagint interpret as before 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 a likenesse let any man judge whether in forbidding all likenesse or similitude there be not a full and plain precept containing both Idola and 〈◊〉 in the 〈◊〉 These two have a plain distinction but so cannot 〈◊〉 or 〈◊〉 in regard of 〈◊〉 and abuse After the holy Chost hath thus set down the general to make all sure you may see what he doth further Because we should have no pattern to frame to our selves he maketh an enumeration of heavenly and earthly things and consequently leaveth nothing to resemble God by either in heaven or in earth and this is comprehended under these 3. heads 1. Things in heaven above 2. In the earth beneath 3. In the waters under the earth 1. For the first The Papists as divers of their late writers affirme do utterly disclaime with us the drawing of the deity and are weary of defending the lawfulnesse of representing it and that upon this text of the Prophet To whom well ye liken God or what liknesse will ye compare unto him For other things in heaven it was high time for God to give this charge because men had robbed him of his honour in ascribing that to his Creatures which was onely due to himself we see that Laban had his Teraphim angelos genios good Angels as they call them The Greek renders it 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 And there were few of the Philosophers afterwards but knew and worshipped them by the title of intelligentiarum intelligences or spirits for the souls of men it was no lesse necessary the opinion was that they were 〈◊〉 minorum gentium received up into heaven and an vsuall thing it was to deify them and give them divine honour And for the stars we see that the Sunn came also to be worshipped for we read that good king 〈◊〉 in reforming the service and worship of God among other his acts of reformation one was that he burnt the Chariots of the Sun And Jer. 44. 17. 18. The people say that they will sacrifice to the Queen of Heaven The Sun was so called because in the Hebrew 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 the sun is of the feminine gender It was the God of the Persians The Jews also worshipped the Moon 2 Kings 23. 5. Again Saint Stephen tells the Jews out of the Prophet Amos that the people worshipped the host of heaven that is the stars one was Moloch which was the star of Saturne and the star of the God 〈◊〉 And Baal by the learned was the star Jupiter and 〈◊〉 Mars 2. In the earth after the things in heaven he cometh down to the earth and 1. first for men Males no similitude must be made of them It was the fault of the Israelites after 〈◊〉 death they went a whoring saith the text after Baalim and made Baal-Berith their God as they had done 〈◊〉 to Baal 〈◊〉 We read that Ahaziah sent to enquire of Baal-zebub the God of Ekron So were there Hercules Jupiters Mars and many others worshipped among the Heathen 2. There were females too that had their worship as Ashtaroth mentioned in the book of the Judges and 〈◊〉 Venus c. 3. Fowls Saint Paul tells us that they changed the glory of the uncorruptible God into an image like corruptible man and to birds

his pillar at the entring c. And thus standing may be a reverend gesture when kneeling or some other gesture in publick worship is not prescribed by the church in which case we must conforme to what is 〈◊〉 for that which is indifferent in it self in the gesture is not indifferent to us or in the practise of it when it is commanded by lawfull authority 2. In private prayer we shall see it to be a samiliar thing sometimes to fall down prostrate as Moses and Aaron did This gesture of prostration was used by Moses as he testifies of himself And the Evangelist reports of our Saviour that he used it So likewise was kneeling a custome of the holy men of God in their private prayers Ezra fell upon his knees and spread out his hands And S. Paul in his private devotions bowed his knees as he sayes of himself In private devotions liberty and freedome of gesture may be used so it be reverent and humble which sitting at prayer cannot be Balaam willed Balak to stand by his burnt-offering Numb 23. 15. and being set he bids him rise up 2. The exteriour signes in respect of hope are oculi elevati manus extensae eyes lifted up and hands stretched out And these are to be used in that part of prayer which is called Petition for in deprecation the Publicans posture is fittest which is oculis dejectis with eyes cast down for the other we finde King David lifting up his eyes And in S. Johns gospel it appears that our Saviour did the like For the other the lifting up of hands we see that in the battail with the Amalekites Moses practised it Ezra in the place before cited spread out his hands to God The Prophet David tells us that he stretched out his hands to God Let the offering up of my 〈◊〉 be an evening sacrifice And it is the Apostles counsel to use this gesture I will that every man pray lifting up holy hands For as oculus elevatus expectat the eye lifted up expects so manus extensa petit the stretched out hand begs and asketh But in this point corruption is crept into our Church Instead of humbling our selves by prostration and kneeling we are pleased to sit at our ease and that in a proud manner instead of the depositio magnificentiae nudatio capitis kneeling and uncovering our heads we sit and with our heads covered too this is not to enquire at least not to imitate the dayes of old Balaam would not suffer Balac though a King to sit down but to stand at his burnt-offering and when he was set he bade him arise This sedentary prayer and proud fashion of covering the head cannot be warranted by any text in Scripture Secondly the outward gesture at the word preached or read in the old Testamament was usually sitting as we may see in Ezekiel They sit before thee and they hear thee c. saith the Lord by the Prophet And so in the new The multitude sate about our Saviour while he was preaching and the Pharisees and Doctors of the Law sate by him as he was teaching So Mary sate at Jesus feet and heard his word Eutychus also sate to hear S. Paul preach Sometime the word preached was heard standing as when Ezra opened the book standing in a pulpit of wood all the people stood up And these two gestures have ever been indifferently permitted and used In the administration and receiving the Sacraments the nature and dignity of them with the prayer for the preservation both of our bodies and soul unto eternal life to say no more may easily direct us with what exteriour reverend behaviour we are to carry our selves viz. that the gesture of kneeling and humble adoration is most fit and that such a gesture as doth not signifie our humble reverence as sitting is utterly unlawful In point of discipline the gesture is evident the Judge sits and the party accused or that hath any cause depending before him stands So that the end of all this is 1. That God may be glorified as well by the body which is the external worship as by the soul and spirit which is for the internal 2. That our outward gesture may stir up our souls to their duty as clothes increase the heat of the body though they receive their heat at first from the body Lastly as to stir up our selves so to stir up others by our example that they seeing our reverend behaviour may fall down with us and be moved to do that which they see us do and to glorifie God on our behalf Thus as we have shewed what we are to learn out of the affirmative part viz. what duties to perform so out of the Negative part we must learne what sinnes we must avoid and to finde out this we shall need to go no further then by opposing the contraries to that which hath been delivered in the affirmative part 1. To Humility and depositio magnificentiae he is opposite that carries himself proudly in Gods service The Wise man tells us a proud eye is an abomination to the Lord and if at all times much more at that time It is the Prophets counsel to 〈◊〉 this behaviour especially in Gods service Hear ye give ear saith he 〈◊〉 proud for the Lord hath spoken 2. To Humiliare He is averse that is stiffe necked not willing to bow and that hath knees like an Elephant that cannot bend when we give him not the reverence of knee head and of our whole body 3. To Coming Our absenting our selves from Gods service and worship S. Chrysostome saith Ludus jubet facis vocat aurea tuba venis Cultus Dei jubet non facis vocat non venis pleasure commands thee and thou obeyest the golden trumpet calls thee and thou comest Gods worship commandeth and thou obeyest not it calls thee and thou comest not Whose servant then thou art thou mayest judge by the Centurions words even his at whose command thou comest and goest 4. Lastly to the doing of his work the neglect of it is opposed and the neglecters out of Gods 〈◊〉 for neglectus praecepti 〈◊〉 is injuria est the neglect of a command is an injury to him that commandeth He that knoweth his Masters will and doth it 〈◊〉 shall be severely punished But in the manner of doing Gods work and his will in his service and publique Liturgy there are five things required of us of which though something hath been formerly spoken yet considering the great neglect and contempt of this work by many more is here to be said of them 1. The first is Unanimity and uniformity to come together at the same time and to joyn together in the same worship that there be no disagreement in our behavior in Gods service one to do one thing and another to do

away thy soul and then whose shall all these things be c. or 2. that they may be kept therewith in the day of sicknesse here likewise they fail of their ends when they are in sponda languoris upon their sick bed they can have no comfort in their riches their wealth cannot ease them of their pain they grow worse and worse and ofttimes though they spend all their money upon the Physitians as the woman that had the issue of blood yet they are never the better as the Rabbins use to say they shall not shift from the sick mans pallet to the bed of health or 3. that they may leave great estates to their children in this also God often crosses them so that as Elihu speakes Their Children shall seek to please the Poore they shall be 〈◊〉 as we see by common experience that a prodigal son is usually the heir to a niggardly father 2. The other extream is profusenesse or prodigality He that rightly uses his riches is 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 a steward and his work a dispensation but he that runs into this extream is a prodigal and his work is 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 wasting he flings his money from him as if he cared not for it or were angry with it as Seneca saith Ita se gerit ac si iratus esset pecuniae he behaves himself as if he were fallen out with his money As the inordinate desire of riches began from that other 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 that lust mentioned in the foregoing Commandment so lightly it ends in the same when men spend what is unjustly got in lusts and pleasures vain and sinful and sometimes monstrous and unnatural And herein the prodigal as well as the covetous is fur sui a thief of his own for being profuse and prodigal 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 where he needs not he steals from himself 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 what he may need he wastes and consumes himself in superfluities so that at last he wants such things as are necessary The Philosopher observed that they which are 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 quick and eager in such things as concern themselves and the satisfying their own lusts and pleasures are 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 dull and heavy in any thing that is good when any charitable or good work is offered to them as the redeeming a captive c. they are very sparing and backward though profuse and prodigal in other matters as in a riotous supper But as we must remember that as justice justice must be our condus our layer up so we must have a promus a layer out too and who that is the Heathen man tells us in that speech of his 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Temperance be thou my steward And that to avoid this extream of prodigality we must avoid that which is 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 the whetstone of ryot which is nothing else but 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 vain glory which if one can take away he may know the Compasse of his own 〈◊〉 and so shall never fall into this sin And although it be true which some may say that how much soever they spend yet they have enough they are able to do it though they do with the rich man in the Gospel 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 fare deliciously every day yet their abundance will not excuse them from riot seeing they are but stewards and must give accompt to God of what they have and how they use it The Heathen man could say of those that spend profusely because they have enough that this is no reason for saith he if you should allow your Cook a bushel of salt for the use of your house and he by putting too much into the pot should make the Pottage too salt if he should answer and say he did it because he had enough you would not be satisfied with such a foolish answer No more will God who hath given abundance to some men be satisfied with their answer that they spend riotously and say they may do it because they have enough And if this be a sinne in those that abound and have 〈◊〉 much more grievous is the sin of them that spend above their ability whereby they spend that which is another mans and run themselves into debt to the ruine of themselves and those that depend upon them Now of this 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 prodigality and excesse there are two degrees 1. When they spend 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 unseasonably upon no just occasion dayly or oftener then needs as the rich Glutton who fared deliciously every day 2. When they spend 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 above their strength which is either above their means and faculties further then their estate will beare or else above their condition though their estate will beare it of the former we have an instance in him that began to build 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 a tower which he was not able to finish of the other in Nabal who though he were rich yet it was above his condition to make a feast like a king it is not lawful though a man be able to live above his rank and condition much lesse if his purse will not reach Therefore David prayed that his enemies table may become a 〈◊〉 to them because by excesse it becomes a snare both to the soul and body to the soul which will hereby despumare in libidinem wax wanton and to the body by bringing diseases upon it for as 〈◊〉 saith such shall 〈◊〉 at the last when the flesh and their body is consumed and not onely to soul and body but to the estate also which is hereby wasted and consumed Thus that speech of Zophar is made good though wealth unjustly got be weet in the mouth and the covetous hide it under his tongue though it bee sweet in the getting and we may adde in the spending too yet it shall be bitter at the last Though he swallow down riches yet he shall vomit them up again God shall cast them out of his belly c. And thus much for the first use of riches which concerns our selves 2. Come we now to the second use of our outward estate viz. That which concerns others As we must provide for our selves so we must give to the poor we must sow to the spirit and not spend all upon the flesh and as we must drink out of our own Well so we must let our Fountain run abroad Now a dayes men sow onely to the flesh though as we shewed before this ground brings forth nothing but rottennesse and corruption meat is for the belly and the belly for meat but God will destroy both the belly and it But we must sow to the spirit if we would reap eternal happinesse Our Saviours saying was Beatuis est dare quam accipere it is a more blessed thing to give then to receive and this it seems was his common saying