357

and Morall. upon the nature of fiee*.

corruption or drosse in it,that will quickly being lightest ascendupmost, hut the purest honey wili sinkc ( unseene ) to the b jc-tome. So when Sat in disquiets the heart, that which is purestand (houlehnostcomfort will strike, and be out of fight, butour sinnes and corruptions w.il ever be before our faces.

XXIX.

The industrious Bee i$ diligent to gather honey, and whenih- hath filled her hive is chafed out of it and her life oft timesby fire and smoke, that the profit may be car-: so that theprunes and labour are only hers, but the advantage and p-ofit isours. And the paincs of Chrifts wounds were his, but the bene-fit ours, the holes in his hands and side were his but the honeywhich issued out was ours: in one word,the price which he paidwas his, but the inheritance which he purchased was ours, he a-lone without any demerit of his suffered our punishment, thatwe without ment of ours might obtaine his grace.

XXX.

Bees diligently apply themselves to their worke early andlate, neglecting no occasion, they are exceeding intent upon it,much taken with it, and almost over-whelmed in their eagerand delightful! paines, and that all the time the season continu-cth,for ftormes and rainy weather may come, and then theywill be necessitated to lye still, or winter will come, and then'there is nothing to be gotten, and if they have not sufficientlybefore-hand provided and furnished themselves, they mustneedes starve and dye. And shall not men do? good and getgood,while they have Jibertie and opportunity even give them-selves up unto it, and that with all their might. M my a Chri-stian is kept from doing good, by restraint, by sicknesle , byworldlinesse, by businesse, by an unwilling and hard heart,howsoever by death, when the winter, wh n night comes,thereis no more working. How dolefull will the prison, steknesseand death be, when conscience shall pinch us for ourlibertie,healch, and life abused ? We may therefore justly use the argu-ment of the Epicure-, whatsoever thj hand fndeth to doe , doe it

August-

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