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CHAP. XXV.
Whether Honours, Offices, and Dignities, are to be conferr'd on those, that sue for them?
TO men of much Learning, Vertue, and Quality, and that haue beene of some vse and seruice to the State, some Mini∣sters doe, & haue sayd; why do you not sue (Sir) for such, or such a place? Espe∣cially seeing that Kings loue to be sued vnto; And that to sue, beg, and craue is so holy a thing, that God himselfe knowing our necessities,* 1.1 wil••th vs to aske Petite, & accipie∣tis, Aske, and yee shall haue. Besides, it seemeth to bee a certaine kinde of pride, to be willing to receiue, without being desirous to sue. For to sue, is a signe of humilitie. Wherefore, to seeke to runne any other course, sauours of I know not what singularitie, rashnes and presumption. Hereunto I answer, that there is a great deale of difference betwixt sueing to God, and sueing to Men, and in the crauing of spirituall goods, and the crauing of Temporall. For, in sueing to God, we better our selues much, and those princi∣pall Vertues, Faith Hope, and Charitie, are much increased and augmented. For our Faith increaseth, when we petition God, by acknowledging him to be the vniuersall Lord of all things, who onely can fulfill our requests and desires According to that of Saint Paul; super abundanter quàm petimus aut intelligimus;* 1.2 That is able to doe exceeding aboundantly aboue all that we aske, or thinke; &c. Like∣wise Hope, and Charitie, receiue thereby an Increase, be∣cause we hope, for a good end of our petition: And for this cause doe we likewise loue God, from whom wee hope to