Book III. OfjESUSCHRIST. zyi

fhort and feeble, to enter into the Realons of the Di- vine Counfels. If therefore fuch Curioilties return upon thee, look upon them as the Siiggeftions of the Devil, by which he labours to difquiet and unfettle thee. If Men, impertinently bufie, require a Solution of fuch Difficulties, content thy felf with that general Anfwer of the Prophet ; Righteous art thou, O Lord^^fjdjufi are thy Judgmejjts • JJoeJudg- jj^f. ^^\ '* mentsof the Lord are true and righteous altoge- ther • His Rightecttfnefs fta7ideth like the (trong Alonntains ^ fixt and immovable, eminent and confpicuous \ and his Judgments are like the great Deep, A vaft p/^/.xxxvi.y. and dark Abyfs, fuch as we cannot fee to the bottom of, or fathom with the fhort Line of a Finite Underftanding.
My Methods and Dealings are to be admired and had in reverence, not fawcily criticized upon, by my own Creatures., For no Creature can have a Capa- city proportioned to them ,• and what Men cannot comprehend, they fhould not prefume to take into Examination.
As little ought they to enquire and difpute concern- ing the Merits or the Preference of Good Men : Which of the Saints excels in Virtue, or is greateft in the Kingdom of Heaven. ' For thefe are Quellions , in which Men are no way concerned, fuch as ingender Strife and Debate, and turn to no good Account. They cherifli Arrogance and Pride, Envy and Faction, while Men break into Parties, and each contends for the Preeminence of him, whofe Order and Patronage he is devoted to, or whom his own Vain Imagination inclines him mofl; to honour. TheEfFed of this is very vifible, and the Mifchiefs,that fpring from fuch an im- pertinent Zeal, exceeding numerous and lamentable ; The Controverfie neither poiKble to be decided, nor worth deciding, if it were. And if thofe Saints have any knowledge Vvhat palTes here below, this indifcreec
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Z7X ^f tf)t ^mitatton Book IIL
and partial Zeal cannot but be highly difpleafing to them. For I am not a God of Contention and Fadi- on^ but of Order^ and Pcace^, and Love. And thefe are the genuine Prodii(fts of true Modefty and Humility, fuch as efteems others better than it felf ; but incon- fiftent with that bold affuming Temper, which is reft- lefs and difcontented, if any ocherbe preferred before it. It may be, AfFef^ion and honefl: Zeal may difpofe fome Men to be more liberal in their Refpeds on this or that lide of the differing Parties ; but do not fuch confider, that fuch Affedion is not the Effed of Grace or Religion, but merely of Human Infirmity ? Thefe are fuch Prepofleflions as I can never be capable of ,* for all the Saints are equally mine. My Hand made them Men, my Affifting Grace made them Saints ,• I enriched them with Virtues, and crowned them all^ with Glory. I know what each have done, what Oc- cafions they had, what Improvements they made. I foreknew them before Time was ; theychofe not Me, but I them, and fingled them out of the Common Croud. I drew them with the Cords of Love and Mercy, condudled them thro' great Variety of Trials and Afflidions , fuftaind them with uncommon Com- forts and Recruits, enabled them to perfevere, and re- warded the Conftancy my felf had given. I know the iiril and laft ; and my Fatherly, my inexpreffible Af- fection extends to them all. For all are Inftruments of my Praife and Glory, fo many Monuments and Eter- nal Trophies of my Goodnefs ; freely advanced to what they are, by my Bounty and Favour,withoutany Right or antecedent Merit of their own. He therefore, who defpifes the leait of thefe, is guilty of difrepedto the greatelt ; for this Contempt reflects at laft on Me, the Author of their Virtues and their Happinefs ,• and therefore in Me alone (hould all the Honour preten- ded to be paid to them centre. Their Interefts and Properties are no longer lepar^te ^ for Charity hath
made