but tarrie Gods appointed time, for he will manifest all things in their appointed time.
5 We must beg of God the spirit of wisedome to discerne the dealings of men: for the wicked doe often the same things, and in the same manner that Gods children do, but yet not with like affection: we must take heed therefore, that we condemne not the good, nor iustifie the wicked.
6 We be blind in iudging of Gods works: and hence it commeth to passe, that wee run headlong to destruction, in seeing those things that seeme to be good vnto vs. This ought to moue vs to pray vnto God, that he would inlighten our minds, and reforme our iudge∣ments, that we may wisely consider of his workes.
7 A man may haue a good wit, and yet be subiect to the secret curse of God.
8 A good wit not sanctified, is a fit pray for the Diuell.
9 There are diuers kindes of follie. Salomon saith, A wise man is not a stranger in the congregation of the Lord: so then this is a foolishnes, not to come to the congregation of Gods people. In Paules time it was said, bee not foolish but redeeme the time: th•••• then is also follie to loose time. In the time of Moses and Iethro, to giue authoritie and titles in the highest degrees to them that deserue them not, by Iethroes iudgement was follie, and wee do in these times the very same. Well, all these are fooles which can do vs no harme, those that are aliue are no fooles, so long as they can doe hurt. And such as helpe vs to prefer∣ment, we call them wise whatsoeuer we thinke of them: there are two kinds of fooles, one a sot for ignarance, or a crased foole, as he that hath a disease only. There is another foole, and he hath the carkase of folly, and he may well be called the child of follie: This is stin∣king follie, and brutish follie. Chrysostome faith, Better to be found a beast than to become like a beast, for the first is of nature, the last is of sinne. If it bee foolishnesse to be ignorant of that we should doe, what great follie is it to knowe what wee should doe, and doe it not? And who would thinke such follie could fall into any man, that he should know it to bee follie, and confesse i••, and yet doe it?
10 There is is a sect in our age, which say euery one is a sinner, and so will neuer be re∣proued of any sinne: they say, euery one hath enough to looke to one: so was Iohn coun∣ted a foole, an austere foole; and Christ a popular foole: for indeede, because they meant to follow neither of them, they counted them both fooles Christ compareth them to fro∣ward children, Luke 7, and wee may compare them to ••oule gamesters, if I be not decei∣ued; who, when they haue lost all, and haue the last cast in their hande, and see that it is naught also, rise vp in a chafe, and fling downe all, and say, that there hath beene foule play played, when the fault is onely in themselues. So these, when they are reprehended, say, all is naught, and bring others into the compasse of their owne follie. Therefore as they preached against iusticiaries afore time, that all were sinners, none that did good; so now we must preach against Libertines, that all are not vnrighteous: the holy Ghost in al times hath called some by these termes, righteous, wise, holy, though not before the iudgement seat of God, yet in walking in their calling, in doing right, and labouring to obserue the word. All is vanitie, for that all they vse sometimes, the Preacher said so, but he neuer said, all is vanitie of vanities. There is a difference betweene a sinne, that Esay compareth to a coard, and that to a car••rope; betweene Ezechias his boyle, and Lazarus his botch; be∣twixt Pauls pricke in the flesh, and him that was wounded in the way betweene Ierusalem and Iericho: one of these may heale another: a mote may pull out a beame, though a beame may not pull out a mote, else there should be no sinne reproued.
11 We can easily say, their foolishnesse, their sinne, their vnthankefulnesse. This is the fittest Pronoune that we can vse, we haue many notable things in our selues, which we count follie in other men; as in Iudah hath Thamar played the whore, burne her; but when he saw the scaffold, the case was altered. There is difference betweene burne her, and I am to be blamed; sinners are to be blamed. This is that we learned in Philosophie, we can see intellectu directo those things which are in others, but we cannot see intellectu reflexo and vn∣derstand our selues: for our owne faults we had need of an Eunuch to looke out.
12 We may be bold with those that are dead: so said Lucian; Anger and Enuie had killed all wise men, for in anger and enuie we will account none wise: fauour and