An exposition with practical observations continued upon the eighth, ninth, & tenth chapters of…

To make Gods blessings to be the Means and the Increase of our wickedness, ¹that is an abominable thing; To increase our sins according to the increase of Gods blessings. How many may be charged with this, That when they were of low and mean estates then God had more service from them,² than he hath now they are of higher estates? the higher ⟨p. 320⟩they are raised in their Estates, the lower they are in the Work of God:³ As it is observed of men that grow very fat, they have so much the less blood. And •o the fatter men are in their Estates, many times the less blood and life, and less spirits they have for God.

To make Gods blessings to be the Means and the Encrease of our wickedness, ¹that is an abominable thing; To encrease our sins according to the encrease of Gods blessings. How many may be charged with this, That when they were of low and mean estates then God had more service from them,² than he hath now they are of higher estates? the higher ⟨p. 320⟩they are raised in their Estates, the lower they are in the Work of God:³ As it is observed of men that grow very fat, they have so much the less blood. And •o the fatter men are in their Estates, many times the less blood and life, and less spirits they have for God.

1. 1Obs.
2. 2Applied.Applyed.
3. 3simile.

Certainly this is against the ingenuity of a Christian to be less for God when he hath most from Him,¹ when his own turn is served, then to turn his back from the Author of all his good, nay it is against a main Christian Principle so to do.

1. 1Reas. 1.

This is a main Christian Principle,¹ that the good of an Estate consists in this;² That it gives a large opportunity in proportion to what it is, in proportion to what it is to the service of God. This is a great Christian Principle about Estates; an Estate either greater or lesser, affords either a lesser or greater opportunity for Gods service; upon this principle doth a Christian go in the enjoyment of his Estate. Now to be less for God, or more for that that is evil, the better his Estate is: he goes against that great Christian Maxim.

1. 1Reas. 2.
2. 2A Christian principle.A Christiā principle.

1. 1Reas. 3.

But yet the chief point of all I take to be this: Mark here:

But yet the chief point of al I take to be this: Mark here:

They do ACCORDING: (for there lies the very strength of these words) ACCORDING to the multitude of his Fruit, and ACCORDING to the goodness of his Land, they have made goodly Images.

There is a great deal of elegance in the words in the Hebrew,¹ so that from these two expressions, According, and According, here is the Note: That the love that Idolaters bear to their Idols, it is proportionable to what abilities they have to ⟨p. 321⟩show their love; according to the multitude of their Fruit, and according to the goodness of the Land. When Idolaters are low they will yet do what they can, and as they grow up they will do more.

There is a great deal of elegancy in the words in the Hebrew,¹ so that from these two expressions, According, and According, here is the Note: That the love that Idolaters bear to their Idols, it is proportionable to what abilities they have to ⟨p. 321⟩shew their love; according to the multitude of their Fruit, and according to the goodness of the Land. When Idolaters are low they will yet do what they can, and as they grow up they will do more.

1. 1[Greek or Hebrew]〈non-Latin alphabet〉

Virgil he hath a very fine expression of the Idolater toward his Idol there: ¹We now make thee but of Marble, but if so be our flock doth increase, and we have as many Lambs as we have Sheep, we will make thee of Gold.

Virgil he hath a very fine expression of the Idolater toward his Idol there: ¹We now make thee but of Marble, but if so be our flock doth encrease, and we have as many Lambs as we have Sheep, we will make thee of Gold.

1. 1Nunc te marm•r•a pro tempore fecimuis, at tu, si foetura gregem suppleveris aureus esto.

And thus the true worshippers of God should do in their service to God, that must be proportionable; if they be able to bestow but Marble for the present, if God raises their Estates, their Marble is to be turned into Gold, and not only in regard of their Estates,¹ but of the Gifts, and Means they have, any Abilities; know that that which God will accept of when thou art low in thy Gifts, and Means, and Parts, it will not serve turn when God increases thee in thy Gifts, and Means, and Parts. Have you more than others? Account it your shame that it should be said of any in the world, That there is such an one that hath less mercies than I, and yet God hath more service from him than he hath from me. There is no proportion between many of your increases for God, and your increases from God. Now you must look to the proportion to make it as exact as can be, my increase from God, and my increase for God; Oh! be often paralleling these two together, and see whether one do not come longer than mother; and be not at rest, Oh Christian! except thou canst make thy ends be even: Those who are rich, must be rich in good works.² In 1 Tim. 6. God giveth us richly; therefore be rich in good works. It is not enough for a rich man to give sixpence, or twelvepence for some great service, but he is to be rich in good works, and for relieving distressed ones, and the maintenance of the Gospel; he is to be rich in good works,³ and to account their riches to be as well in their good works as in their estates; thou hast so much comings in more than others, thou art rich in that; yea, but ⟨p. 322⟩what works goes from thee more than others? art thou rich in that? If we should judg the riches of men and women by their good works, how many rich men would there be accounted very poor? Every man must be serviceable as God hath blessed them,⁴ 1 Cor. 16. 2. Oh! this meditation would be of very great use to those whose estates are blessed by God; think thus, Is there such a distance between what service I do for God, and the service others do, as there is between what I receive from God, and what others receive from God? This Meditation (I say) would be very useful;

I do as well as others, I but is there as much distance between the service that I do, and the service my poor neighbour doth, as between my estate, and his estate? you perhaps can look upon poor people carrying Tankards, earning dearly ten pence or twelve pence a day, and you have many hundreds a year coming in, now is there as much difference? You would be loth to be in such a condition as those are in, Oh! but is there as much difference between the glory that God hath from you, and the glory that God hath from them? It may be some of them when they have been hard at work all day, they get home, and get alone with wife and children and fall a praying, and letting their tears fall down, and blessing God for their bread and drink that they have. And perhaps you in your many hundreds a year, and many dishes at your table, are but discontented and froward, Oh! consider, that though God hath raised you above others in estates, yet you are lower than many others in good works; If a man hath increased his estate more than before you shall quickly see it in his clothes, and his house shall be finer than before, his furniture shall be finer than before, you shall see his estate raised that way; but can you see it raised in his good works more than before? Oh! that such a man doth more for the service of God than before, more for the relieving of ⟨p. 323⟩the woeful necessities of his poor Brethren than before: Men are ready if so be that men come finer to the Exchange than they did before, they think, What is this man grown richer than he was before? You should (if God doth raise your estates) make it appear in being forward with good works, in good works that are chargeable, as that men may take notice of your riches by your rich works, rather than your rich clothes; except there be a proportion between our plenty and our prosperity, there is no evidence that our prosperity comes in mercy: but if a proportion, then not only an evidence that our prosperity comes in mercy, but a good addition to the good of our prosperity. If a Merchant hath his Ship come home and he hath gotten a thousand pounds by the Voyage, now if God raises his heart in a proportionable way to the furtherance of the Gospel, that is more than ten thousand pounds; a man would account that well if he hath gotten so much and he could employ it to get ten times so much more, think but thus:

I do as well as others, I but is there as much distance between the service that I do, and the service my poor neighbor doth, as between my estate, and his estate? you perhaps can look upon poor people carrying Tankards, earning dearly ten pence or twelve pence a day, and you have many hundreds a yeer coming in, now is there as much difference? You would be loth to be in such a condition as those are in, Oh! but is there as much difference between the glory that God hath from you, and the glory that God hath from them? It may be some of them when they have been hard at work all day, they get home, and get alone with wife and children and fall a praying, and letting their tears fall down, and blessing God for their bread and drink that they have. And perhaps you in your many hundreds a yeer, and many dishes at your table, are but discontented and froward, Oh! consider, that though God hath raised you above others in estates, yet you are lower than many others in good works; If a man hath encreased his estate more than before you shall quickly see it in his cloaths, and his house shall be finer than before, his furniture shall be finer than before, you shall see his estate raised that way; but can you see it raised in his good works more than before? Oh! that such a man doth more for the service of God than before, more for the relieving of

Thou hast gotten in thy estate by being proportionable in service for God, thou doest increase the blessing ten fold, thou often thinkest of the blessing of God in giving thee an estate more than before, and others think of it, Oh what a blessing such a man hath! yea, but think of the other blessing that follows; but hath God given him or her a heart to do a great deal of service; The second blessing is the great blessing indeed.¹ When David had rest, he presently thinks of building God an house, and that proportionable in what God had blest him in. And that is very observable in the difference of Moses Altar and Solomons Altar;² you know Moses he was in times of affliction, and his Altar was five cubits long, and three cubits broad; and Solomons was twenty cubits long, and ten broad; Moses he was low for outwards; Solomon he was high; therefore Moses was five cubits high, and three broad; and Solomons was twenty cubits long, and ten broad▪ ³God doth proportion his goodness to what we do ⟨p. 324⟩for him, why should not we proportion our service with what he doth for us? And therefore when God blesses any of you in your outward estate, it is very good to do somewhat presently, as thus; A man perhaps heretofore had but a little stock, and lived in a Parish where he had but poor and mean preaching, now God raises his estate and he would have his house better, and his clothes better, why then should not I have better preaching for my soul? And so many other ways, if God hath blessed you with good preaching, then help your poor neighbours some way or other that the Gospel may be furthered by Gods blessing, and that in a proportionable way.

Thou hast gotten in thy estate by being proportionable in service for God, thou doest encrease the blessing ten fold, thou often thinkest of the blessing of God in giving thee an estate more than before, and others think of it, Oh what a blessing such a man hath! yea, but think of the other blessing that follows; but hath God given him or her a heart to do a great deal of service; The second blessing is the great blessing indeed.

They make them goodly Images.

There is a very fine elegant paronomasy, According to their good Lands, ¹so goodly Images. Now this word that is translated Goodly, it signifies also Beauty. They that were good Benefactors to their Images, they made their Images beautiful: and it is the same word used in the story of Jezebel where she is said to tire her head, it is the same word that is here for making goodly Images,² she made her self a goodly head. Oh how great a shame is it to do so much for Images, dead Images, & to do so little for the Images of God? Shall Idolaters not care for what cost they bestow upon their dead Images, and shalt thou see a man or woman that carries the Image of God with them in a lively way, shalt thou see them naked, and looking hunger-starved, and looking ruefully and miserably, and wilt thou deny to one that hath the Image of God? Every man hath the Image of God in some measure, even in wicked men, but especially in those that are godly there it is a renewed Image, there the very Life of God doth appear, the Divine Nature doth appear: And what a charge will this be, when God shall bring Idolaters at the day of Judgment against thee, that shall bestow so much upon their dead Images, ⟨p. 325⟩and thou shalt let these Images of God to suffer want so as they do? Certainly so long as there is any that hath Gods Image upon them that wants, and wants miserably too, for thee to think of increasing thy estate now and to be richer than in former times, it must needs be very vile.

There is a very fine elegant paranomasy, According to their good Lands, ¹so goodly Images. Now this word that is translated Goodly, it signifies also Beauty. They that were good Benefactors to their Images, they made their Images beautiful: and it is the same word used in the story of Jezebel where she is said to tire her head, it is the same word that is here for making goodly Images,² she made her self a goodly head. Oh how great a shame is it to do so much for Images, dead Images, & to do so little for the Images of God? Shall Idolaters not care for what cost they bestow upon their dead Images, and shalt thou see a man or woman that carries the Image of God with them in a lively way, shalt thou see them naked, and looking hunger-starved, and looking rufully and miserably, and wilt thou deny to one that hath the Image of God? Every man hath the Image of God in some measure, even in wicked men, but especially in those that are godly there it is a renewed Image, there the very Life of God doth appear, the Divine Nature doth appear: And what a charge will this be, when God shall bring Idolaters at the day of Judgment against thee, that shall bestow so much upon their dead Images,

Goodly Images.

Men are taken with outward shows,¹ but a spiritual heart, the Ordinances of God though they be never so plain in their outside, Oh they are goodly things! A Spiritual heart sees a goodliness in all Gods Ordinances; Carnal hearts they see goodliness only in their outward bravery, and outward pomp and glory.

Men are taken with outward shews,¹ but a spiritual heart, the Ordinances of God though they be never so plain in their outside, Oh they are goodly things! A Spiritual heart sees a goodliness in all Gods Ordinances; Carnal hearts they see goodliness only in their outward bravery, and outward pomp and glory.

1. 1Obs.

And lastly,¹ A Note that Pareus hath: Here we see the vain distinction that Papists make between their Images and Idols; we see here they are charged for making goodly Images. It follows;

1. 1Obs.