a mans selfe is his soule Hence whereas in Matth. 16. 26. it is said What shall it profit a man if hee gaine the whole world and lose his soule it is said in another Evangelist Luke 9. 25. What shall it prosit a man if hee gain the world and lose himselfe Surely spirituall excellencies are the highest excellencies as First these spirituall excellencies have this propriety in them they make a man a better man wheresoever they are which bodily excellencies doe not nor all the riches nor honours in the world A man is not the better man because he hath money cloaths honours better dyet than others these are but outward things added to him no intrinsecall excellencies Secondly these spirituall excellencies are the beginnings of eternall lise the same life we shall have in heaven and hence the work of Gods Spirit in the soule is called The Earnest of the Spirit not a pawne but an Earnest for a pawne is to be returned againe but an Earnest is part of the whole summe that is to follow That which we have of Gods Spirit is part of the same glory we shall have fully in heaven it is not onely an evidence unto us that there is glory comming but it is a beginning of the glory the fulnesse whereof is to come afterward Such a spirit as hath this life lives a life farre above the common life of the world even the life of heaven the same life that Angels and Saints do live in heaven the life of those blessed spirirs there Wee mistake if wee thinke eternall life is only in heaven eternall life is in this world in the excellent frame of the spirits of Gods servants 1 Iohn 3. 15. Life is the chiefe excellency communicated to the Creature and the highest life the highest excellency There is more distance between the excellency of the meanest weakest godly man in the world and the most eminent man for parts common gifts onely than betweene the meanest and weakest godly soule and the most eminent glorified Saint in the highest heavens the weakest godly man excels him that is most eminent in common gifts more than the most eminent Saint in heaven excells him for the glorified Saint is onely higher in some degrees in the same excellency which in the principles yea and in some lustre the meanest Saint on earth hath hee hath that which will at last grow up to heavens glory but the distance betweene him and the man who onely hath the excellencies of parts learning common gifts it is essentiall All parts and common gifts in the world can never grow up to this Thirdly yea this is not onely the life of Angels the life of heaven but the life of God himselfe for so it is called by God himselfe Ephes 4. 11. Seneca sayes of Reason that it is part of the Divine Spirit in mans body it is much more true of Grace it enables the soul in some resemblance to come the nearest that can be to live as God lives to work as God works it represents God in his highest glory and therefore it is called The lynage of God This shewes more to the world what God is than all the frame of Gods creation besides It is not as an Image which hath only the dead lineaments drawne though there be some beauty in this but as the Image in a glasse which presents the motion as wel as the lineaments yea and not only so but as the sonne that beares the Image of the father and this represents the life or as if a glasse had life in it and so could enjoy the sweetnesse the good of that Image it represents unto it self This Spirit is such a living glasse of the blessed God that it enjoys the good and sweetnesse of that Image of God it hath in it Yea one degree higher it is called the very Divine Nature 2 Pet. 1. 4. as if it were nothing else but a sparkle of the Deity it selfe Seneca has a strong speech concerning mans soule What can we call the soule sayes he but God abiding in an humane bodie If a soule that hath only naturall excellencies comes so neare God how neare then comes it to him when raised by those spirituall and supernaturall excellencies we have spoke of Yea yet there is an higher degree than this It is called the glory of the Lord Rom. 〈◊〉 3. yea a higher degree than all the former the excellencie of this spirit is such as it is one spirit with God himselfe 2 Cor. 6. 17. He that is joyned to the Lord is one spirit It was the excellencie of Ioshua that hee had the spirit of Moses upon him of Elisha that hee had the spirit of Eliah what is it then to have the Spirit of God himselfe yea to be one spirit with him Put all these then together godlinesse by which this other spirit is raised higher than common spirits it is the life of God the Image of God the divine Nature the glory of God yea one spirit with God and is not here an high and glorious excellencie Fourthly this makes him wheresoever it is fit to glorifie God in the world and so the soule thus endued is not onely a glasse to represent a living glasse to enjoy the comfort of what it doth represent but as a glasse to reflect upō the face of God himself the glory of his own Image and that by a principle within it self Other glasses can reflect upon the thing whose image it hath if acted by a hand externally but this by an inward living principle and so gives God his glory actively which no other creature can doe but Angels and mens soules who have these spirituall excellencies in them Were it not for a few of these spirits what glory would God have in the world how little would he be minded or regarded But these are they who have high thoughts of God who have trembling frames before him who do reverence feare adore love cleave to trust in magnifie the Name of the great God in the world these sanctifie his Name in his worship they worship him as a God they worship him in spirit and truth and such worshippers God seeks Ioh. 4. 23. as these he highly esteemes of and much rejoyces in these take notice of him in all his creatures in the wayes of his providence and use the creatures for him from whom they are the glory of God is deare and pretious to these this is the excellencie of their spirits they are not sunke in the dregs of the world but being kept in some measure in their purity they worke up to God doe as it were naturally flow to God as to their Center Fiftly these are such as are fit to stand before the Lord to have converse and enjoy communion with him Dan. 1. 4. we reade that those that were judged fit to stand in the Kings pallace before King Nebuchadaezzar they must have no blemish they must
which only gives a true greatnesse to the mind I know this is a powerfull argument with you to make grace lovely desirable in your eies to tell you that it will raise your spirits that it will put beauty and glory upon them that it will adde greatnesse and excellency to them The world is much for brave and Noble spirits we desire your spirits may be so onely mistake not the true Noblenesse the true excellencie of spirit certainly it is inthat which may bring you nearest to God the highest excellencie You can no way be so honourable as by the raising of your spirits by grace Wisdome with an inheritance is good wisedome with birth and eminency of place is a great blessing indeed to be rich in goods and rich in goodnesse is a happy connexion You would account it a great disgrace not to have education somewhat sutable to your birth and qualitie what can be said more dishonourable of a man than this He hath left him indeed a great estate and is of a great house but he hath no breeding What is a competent measure of knowledge in tongues and Arts and other things sutable to your births and estates accounted a beauty and ornament to them and is not grace and godlinesse much more Doe these adde an excellencie to your quality and put an honour upon your dignities and will not godlinesse much more Shall Sea and Land be travelled over with much hazard soule-hazard and bodilyhazard with great expence of estate to get knowledge of fashions and a Gentile behaviour because you thinke they will be Ornaments to your great estates you are borne to and shall no labour be undertaken to get godlinesse to get your spirits raised by grace as an ornament to the greatnesse of your birth and eminencie of your estate How is this to sleight the very glory of God himselfe and to contemne the highest dignity men or Angels are capable of Are any places so fit for wisedome as the high places of the City Prov. 9. 1 3. Wisdome hath builded her house shee hath hewen out her seven Pillars she cryeth upon the highest places of the City How honourable doth godlinesse make those whose birth whose place is honorable in the eyes of God his Saints blessed Angels and in the consciences of all How well doth grace suite with the highest dignity as a bright shining Diamond in a golden Ring as the world is drawn more conspicuous and full in a large Mappe than in a small so the beauty and excellency of grace and godlinesse appeares more conspicuous and glorious in great men and honourable than in those who are of a meaner ranke First you had need of other spirits more need than others for the improvement of those great mercies that you have above others As some fowle that have great wings yet can flie but little so many men have great estates but not having spirits to improve them they are of little use Know that your estates are either mercies or miseries blessings or cursings to you according as you have hearts to improve them if they be improved for God as advantages to honour God by to doe good withall they are then great blessings indeed and that is as great an argument of the truth of grace as any to be as earnest with God for an heart to improve an estate or a place of dignitie for God as to rejoyce that you have such an estate for your selves or that you are in such an eminent place whereby you may get honour to your selves Where God gives not a more excellent spirit than others as well as an higher condition than others there an eminent estate is made but as fewell for a nourisher and maintainer of all manner of evill to afford opportunities for acting of sinne and is not this the excellencie that many account to be in their estates in that it is higher than others in that they can have their wils and satisfie their lusts more than others Secondly you had need of other spirits for the improving of the large opportunities of service for God and his Church that you have more than others these are as great blessings as your estates or any dignities you have above others God betrusts you with much in giving you such large opportunities of service for the honour of his great Name If your birth be high your estates high and your spirits indued with excellencie from on high how fit then are you to be used by God in high and honourable services Hence the conversion of a great man is of exceeding great consequence whereupon Saint Paul was so loath to lose the Conversion of the Deputy Sergius Paulus who began to listen to his preaching of whom we reade Acts 13. verse 7. and so on Therefore when Elymas withstood him in this work seeking to turne away the Deputie from the Faith the spirit of S. Paul rose against him with much indignation and being filled with the Holy Ghost hee set his eyes on him and said O full of all subtilty and all mischiefe thou childe of the devill thou enemy of righteousnesse wilt thou not cease to pervert the right wayes of the Lord And now behold the hand of the Lord is upon thee and thou shalt bee blind As if S. Paul should have said What will you hinder me in such a great work as this wherein God may have so much honour in the conversion of this Noble-man this man of publike and eminent place this indeed is to be full of all mischiefe to bee an enemie of all righteousnesse Thus you see how his spirit was stirred when he was put in feare of being hindred in such a notable prize as this As a man when likely to have a great draught there comes in one and disturbs him and is like to hinder him of it Surely S. Paul saw that it was a wonderfull great blessing to the Church to have great men to be brought in to the obedience of the faith and to be added to it And further it is observed that God going along with S. Paul and finishing the work of the conversion of this great man that upon this Saint Paul had his name Paul given him being changed from Saul and called Paulus from that notable worke of the conversion of this Paulus Sergius As many great Captains amongst the Heathen were wont to have their names changed upon their successe in some noble enterprize and great victories as Scipio Africanus hee was called Africanus from his Conquest of Africa 3 You who are in high and eminent dignities you are the earnest prayers of Gods servants in all places that God would raise you up with truely noble excellent and gracious spirits that you may bee instruments of his glory How blessed you if God fulfils the prayers of his servants upon you What great pity is it that such blessed opportunities of service of honouring God themselves and families as you have should be
dignities yea grace is the only thing that blesseth them and advanceth them And you whose spirits God hath raised above others in the excellencies of your parts and many excellent endowments of learning you have who are men of larger understandings of higher apprehensions than others and can looke upon ordinary men as low and meane in respect of the difference between your parts and theirs Do you labour yet to raise your spirits higher by grace and godlinesse that as you differ from them in naturall excellencies so you may differ from them much more in spirituall and divine How eminent would you be in grace if those parts and abilities of learning you have were sanctified for God What blessed instruments might you be of glory to God of comfort and encouragement to his people but otherwise your parts and gifts are poisoned a sinfull wicked heart will poison all It may be said of many as it was of Pope Eugenius the second he was a man of great Learning and great Eloquence with a mixture of great hypocrisie If it may bee thus said of any He is a man indeed of excellent parts very learned of strong abilities but he hath a corrupt spirit he is a man of a corrupt minde surely these parts are all poisoned no marvell then though such men swell so much by reason of them Parts unsanctified doe exceedingly enlarge mens spirits to be so much the more capable of spirituall wickednesse more than others of meaner and lower parts can be your parts will aggravate all your sinnes and increase your damnation It is a lamentable thing that such excellent parts and abilities as many have which might be of so great use for God and his Church yet that they should vanish into froth It was the great complaint of one Robertus Gallus a famous man an opposer of the corruptions of those times in which he lived which was in the 13. Century He compared the Schoole-Doctors to one having bread and good wine hanging on both his sides yet notwithstanding he was gnawing hungerly on a flint-stone Thus they leaving the wholesome food in the Scriptures busied themselves with subtile questions wherein there was no edification or comfort to the soule thus their excellent parts did all vanish into nothing Now if it be so grievous a thing for parts and learning to be imployed about meane and unworthy things how much more grievous is it when they are employed against God Oh what great cause have we then to pray for these men whose spirits are raised by naturall parts and how great cause have they themselves to seeke God and to use all meanes that their spirits might bee likewise raised by grace that that great blessing of parts and learning might be blessed to them by Gods bestowing upon them this other spirit Oh consider what an opprobrious thing it is to you that God should have more feare honour service from men of lower farre meaner weaker abilities That their hearts should close more with the wayes of godlinesse That their hearts should be more enlarged towards God than yours That they should enjoy more heavenly spirituall communion with God than you yea such communion with God as you are altogether unacquainted withall And that at length their soules should be saved and for ever blessed when yours shall be cast out as filth and an everlasting abhorring from the presence of the Lord What a grievous thing will it be to you when it shall appeare that your parts shall serve for no other and than to enlarge your soules to be more capable of the wrath of God than other men for be you assured that none are so filled with Gods wrath as knowing men It was the grievous complaint of S. Austin in his time The unlearned sayes he rise up and take heaven by force and we with all our learning are thrust down into hell It is a speech well knowne to Scholers of how great use might it be if God did settle it upon their hearts And S. Bernard hath a speech somewhat to the like purpose Let the wise of the world sayes he who minde high things and yet feeding upon the earth let them with their wisdome goe downe into hell And Luther hath a notable story which may be very usefull for this purpose It is in his writings upon the fourth Commandement which he makes the third It is to shew how the holinesse of the spirits of meane and unlearned men shall confound great understanding learned men where there is not the like godlinesse In the time of the Councel of Constance he tells us There were two Cardinalls riding to the Councell and in their journey they saw a shepherd in the field weeping one of them pitying him sayes that he could not passe by but he must needs go to yonder man and comfort him and comming neare to him hee asked him why he wept he was loath to tell him at first but being urged he told him saying I looking upon this Toad considered that I had never praised God as I ought for making mee such an excellent creature as a man comely and reasonable I have not blessed him that hee made not me such a deformed Toad as this When the Cardinall heard this hee was struck with it considering that hee had received greater mercies than this poore man and he was so struck as hee fell downe presently dead from his Mule his servants lifting him up and bringing him to the Citie hee came to life againe and then cried out Oh Saint Austine how truely didst thou say The unlearned rise and they take heaven and we with all our learning wallow in flesh and bloud You therefore whom God hath honoured with excellent parts that you may not be thus confounded another day before the Lord and his blessed Angels and Saints bee you restlesse in your spirits till you finde God hath added a further beautie to them even the beautie of holinesse the sanctifying graces of his Holy Spirit that may make you lovely in his eyes truely honourable before him and for ever blessed of him Take heed you rest not either in gifts of learning or in gifts of moralitie the gifts of moralitie are yet a further ornament to mens spirits but yet they come short of those divine excellencies of spirit that will make it blessed for ever Wee reade of many who were very eminent in morall excellencies and yet altogether strangers from the life of grace As for example Iosephus lib. 15. c. 8. reports of Herod the King that which would make one thinke hee was raised to very high morall excellencies once making a speech to his Army amongst other passages he hath this Perhaps some men will say that right and equitie is on our side but that the greater number of men and meanes are with the other but this their speech is unworthy of my followers for with those with whom justice is with those also God is and where God is
THE EXCELLENCY OF A Gracious Spirit DELIVERED IN A TREATISE upon the 14. of Numbers Verse 24. By IER BURROUGHES Minister of Gods Word PROV 17. 27. A man of understanding is of an excellent spirit LONDON Printed by M. F. for R. Dawlman and L. Fawne at the Brazen Serpent in Pauls Church-yard 1639. TO THE RIGHT HONORABLE EDVVARD Viscount MANDEVILLE Right Honorable THere is a common slander that hath been raised and vile aspertion that hath been and still is cast upon the wayes of godlinesse That they dis-ennoble mens spirits which Salvian complained of eleven hundred yeares agoe Si quis ex nobilitate converti ad Deum coeperit statim honorem nobilitatis amittit o quantus in Christiano populo honor Christi est ubi Religio ignobilem facit That they make men rigid melancholy sowre uncivill That they dull their parts That they take them off from the delights of the things in the world That if men take up the power and strictnesse of them they must resolve never to keep any correspondence with their friends who are of rank and quality in the world and therefore although those who have little of the world and little to doe in the world may live strict lives yet it is not for such who are borne to great things whose fortunes are raised higher than other mens who have references to many of quality place it cannot be expected that they should bee so strict this must needs hinder them in their outward accomplishments if they begin to take such a course it is impossible they should be compleate every way as beseemes such as they are and thus many are compelled to be evill lest they should be esteemed vile as Salvian complaines of his time Mali coguntur esse ne viles habeātur a notable speech of his fully sutable to our times The first observance that I remember I had of this place in Salvian was from your Lordships ownhands shewing it to me in him as an expression that your Lordship was much affected with But these men do not consider how much they speak against themselves were this true it were a snare a judgement to be raised in outward excellencies above others No it is not honour they are not riches parts dignities that hinder godlinesse it is the basenesse and corruption of mens spirits in the enjoyment of these that hinders godlinesse raiseth the excellencies of them it drawes out the chiefe good in them and puts a higher beauty and glory upon them God hath raised up your Honor to convince the world of the falsenesse malice impiety there is in this evill report that is brought up upon the good and blessed wayes of godlinesse Malice it self cannot but acknowledge that godlinesse in the strictnesse of it naturall excellencies in the eminency of them have a blessed conjunction in your Honour Godlinesse as the enameling of Pearls in those golden naturall endowments with which God hath mercifully plentifully enriched you and were it but for this service only to God and his Church in convincing the world of the vilenesse of this slander I may speake without suspition of flattery happy that ever you were borne and I know that those who know your Lordship will justifie me in that I say In this God hath honored your Lordshipe exceedingly were there no other end for which you still live in such a generation as you doe but onely this yet in this you have great cause to blesse your selfe in God and in this great honour he hath put upon you to make you so publike and worthy an instrument of his Who is it that lookes upon you and sees your wayes but must needs confesse Now I see that strictnesse and power of Religion may stand with a most noble generous sweet amiable courteous demeanour I see it raiseth and ennobleth parts and though it banisheth base and sordid pleasures which are beneath the dignity of a man much more of ture Nobility and generousnesse yet it knowes how to make use of the delights that God affords in this world and orders and guides them so as by it they are injoyed with a double sweetnesse farre above that which others finde And yet further there are two more blessed conjuctures which adde much honour to you the one is a facile yeeldablenes of spirit to any though much inferiour in anything where good may bee done and yet a strong unmoveable sledfast resolute spirit against that which is evill It was the high commendation that Nazianzen gave of Athanasius that hee was Magnes Adamas A Loadstone in his sweet gentle drawing nature and yet an Adamant in his resolute slout carriage against those who were evill The other is this which makes all beautifull and lovely indeed though God hath raised you high in birth in abilities in the esteeme of men both good and bad yet the lustre of the humilitie of your spirit shines beautifully thorow all manifesting it selfe in much gentlenesse and meeknesse and this is the height of all true excellency A man of understanding is of an excellent spirit saith Salomon Prov. 17. 27. the word in the Originall is A coole spirit In also posito non altum sapere difficile est omnino inusitatum sed quanto inusitatius tanto gloriosius saith Bernard ep 42. The Lord carry on your truely noble and generous spirit that you may long hold forth the power beauty and excellency of his grace Let the height of all your designes be to list up the Name of the great God 2 Cor. 5. 9. We labour saith the Apostle whether present orabsent to bee accepted of him the word translated Labour loseth the elegancy of it it is 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 we love the honour of it it is such a labour as we account it our honour and glory We are ambitious to have high designes for God is a holy and a blessed ambition whereas the ambition of other men is low base Infoelix prorsus ambitio quae ambire magna non novit saith Bernard Account your selfe blessed when your God is blessed It was the blessing of Shem Gen. 9. 26. Blessed be the Lord God of Shem the chiefe of Shems blessing was that his Lord God was blessed That which I seeke is to ingage your Lordship for God and to stirr you up to answer fully the esteeme the expectations that men have of you whose eyes are upon you as a publike blessing an ornament to the prosession of the truth And yet this I desire your Lordship would consider as I know you doe that Religion is a greater honour and ornament to you than you are to it it doth and will more honour you than you ever did or can honor it s Your birth made you honourable but oh how honourable have you beene since you have beene pretious in Gods eyes Esay 43. 4. Your parts were alwayes hopefull but how apparently have they beene raised since grace hath sanctified
David Gideon Barak others who through faith subdued Kingdomes Hebr. 11. 32 33. That is basenesse of spirit and want of valour that makes a man a slave to sin and the Devill so a slave as he hath no heart to any worthy service to free himselfe from it but lies down under it and carries the fetters and yoake of his bondage about with him withersoever he goes That is cowardly basenesse that brings conscience into a servile subjection that cowardly basenesse that will suffer the cause of God to be betrayed rather than venture any thing for it what greater argument that men want true spirit than this Godlinesse puts a spirit of fortitude into men that will not suffer them to bee thus debased and where appeares the like courage in any as in these when they are called to stand for the truth Though all the Tiles of the houses in the City of Wormes were Devils yet thither would I goe to testifie to the truth saith Luther Againe it is not a turbulent spirit for turbulency of spirit makes men cruell and malicious this spirit causes men to love their enemies to do all the good they can to them turbulent spirits seeke onely their own ends they care not what becomes of others so it bee that they may but warme themselves they care not what house bee on fire They are boysterous in things that concerne themselves But the Saints of God in whom this other spirit rules they are meeke and gentle and yeeldable in their owne cause ready to put up wrong in all quietnesse take them in things that onely concerne themselves and you shall find none so readily so freely so chearfully denying themselves as they And againe turbulent spirits doe not love to examine things by rule to call things to account but follow their owne fiery humour and set upon their own will with violence but godlinesse takes off men from this ruggednesse and turbulency of spirit makes them gentle and peaceable let them bee never so active never so forward never so zealous in any thing yet if you wil call them to examine things by rule they will meekly and patiently heare you yea a childe shall leade them Esay 11. 6. And yet further turbulēt they are not for none more obedient to authoritie than they none see that Majestie of God in Autority as they doe none obey Authority out of conscience so as they doe If the will of men in authority rather than authority shall require any thing that the authority of Heaven forbids that they do not because they cannot obey for conscience sake And so sacred do they account Authority that they would have no obedience performed to it but obedience for conscience sake Blind obediēce the Church of God hath long agoe exploded as too servile for Christian spirits this were more servile than selling mens bodies in the Market for slaves which Christianity abhors It were too uncharitable a conceit of Christian Magistrates to thinke that they should require of or expect from any other obedience than in and for the Lord and in this obedience those who are godly are so forward as they are judged turbulent for being over-forward to maintaine the honor of Authority as some think when according to their places they promote the execution of laws made by authority and that of those lawes which are of the highest consequence for the furtherance of Piety and Peace Againe factious spirits they are not because they seeke above all things to keep to the maintenance of obedience to the Primitive truth that is faction that sides against that Tertullian hath a notable expression in his Apology for the Christians against the Gentiles to cleare Gods people from being men of factious spirits it seemes that aspersion was cast upon them then which was about 1400 yeares agoe his expression was this When good men when honest men meet together when godly men are gathered together it is not to bee called a faction but a Court and on the contrary the name of faction sayes hee is to bee applyed to them who conspire to the hatred of good and honest men And thus much of the first branch of the Vse which was the reprehension of the vile cōceits that men had of this other spirit Now the second followes which is the rebuking of the men of the world for the ill use they give to men who are of such excellent spirits The excellencies of the spirits of the godly do challenge all the good use that can bee but it is little they meet withall they are for the most part abused by the men of this vile world as if they were the vilest scurfe and filth of the earth yea so indeed they account them so saith S. Paul 1. Cor. 4. 13. We are made as the filth of the world and are the off-scouring of all things unto this day Why what was S. Paul and what were those that were with him who was so accounted of were they not men of most excellent and admirable spirits S. Paul was one of the most excellent spirited men that ever lived upon the earth and did as much service for God as ever any meere man did since the beginning of the world and yet how vilie was he thought of how contemptibly was hee used put into stocks and whipped wanted cloathes and victuals And for the others that were with S. Paul they were men of whom the Holy Ghost gives this witnesse that they were the very glory of Jesus Christ 2 Cor. 8. 23. Oh unworthy world that ever they should have such men live amongst them Those who are the delight of Angels yea of God himselfe how are they abused in this wicked world as if they were dogges or the basest scumme and filth of the earth What scorne and contempt is cast upon them the most abject of men think themselves good enough to reproach and abuse them Were it not a grievous sight to see some base drudge to have power over the body of some noble Prince to abuse it by stripes or any other contumelious sordid manner but a more grievous thing it is to see the vile and base spirits of the world who are nothing but sinks of filth themselves to abuse men of such noble and excellent spirits as if they were more vile than dirt It was the bitter complaint of Ieremy Lament 4. 2. that the pretious sonnes of Sion comparable to fine gold were esteemed as earthen pitchers Such as blessed spirits would honour if they had them with them yet here they are cast out as filth What griefe sufficent to lament the seeing of such filthy swine to trample under their feet such pretious pearles in all ages thus it hath beene Those who were indeed the true honourable upon the earth such pretious and excellent spirited men as of whom the world was not worthy and yet they have beene most vilely abused and are so still by this wretched world
God to receive the sentence of their eternall doome when they are to enter upon eternity how many then blesse God that ever he put it into their hearts to go another way not according to the common course of the world Though humour and conceitednesse may please and give content for a while yet it can never bring such peace and joy in sicknesse and death and when the soule sees it hath to deale with such an infinite holy God such a dreadfull Majesty none apprehend the glory and Majesty of God so as the godly doe none understand what eternity means so as they doe the sight of these things would shake men out of an humour it is not humour that can stand before God and the eternall misery or happinesse of the creature rightly apprehended it is time now to lay aside humours and conceits and yet then when these things are most clearely most powerfully apprehended by Gods servants even then they are most for the wayes of God in which they differed from the world than ever they were before it is now their greatest griefe that they have no more differed from them than they have and if they were to begin againe they would differ farre more than ever they did Sixtly Surely it is not humourous conceited singularity because most men who have enlightned consciences when they are most serious in their best moods are of this mind If you will needs go by multitudes we dare venture upon this yea we dare challenge upon this argument onely with these two Cautions 1 That the men you bring in be men of inlightned consciences for what have we to doe with others who are blind and ignorant though there were never so many thousands of them they can adde nothing at all to the cause 2 Let the judgements of men be taken when they are most serious when they are best able to judge doe not take them when they are in passion when their lusts are up but when their spirits are calmed and in the best temper when conscience hath the most liberty to speake indeed what it thinkes and of such men in such times we shall have the most on our side and therefore surely it is not a humour of singularity that acts the in the way of godlinesse Seventhly It is not singularity for we have the Prophets Apostles Martyrs Saints of God before us cloudes of witnesses thousand thousands of them and every one of them worth ten thousands of others as S. Chrysostome hath an expression in one of his Sermons to the people of Antioch It is better to have one pretious stone than to have many halfpenies so one godly man is better than multitudes of others And S. Cyprian hath the like expression in one of his Epistles Doe not attend to the number of them sayes he for one that feares God is better than a thousand wicked It is safe to follow the way of good men according to that in the Proverbs 2. 20. Walke thou in the wayes of good men and keep the wayes of the righteous Now then let neither the wayes of godlinesse or godly men ever be blamed for their singularity other spirits must needs lead into other wayes It was laid to Luthers charge that he was an Apostate he confesses himselfe to be one but a blessed and a holy Apostate one that had fallen off from the devill So wee confesse this is singularitie but a blessed and a holy singularity which differences Gods servants from this vile wicked world in which they live whereby they live as men of another world as indeed they are CAP. VIII Blesse God for making this difference betweene your spirit and the vile spirits of the men of the world SEeing this other spirit is so excellent and blessed then doe you to whom God hath given other spirits learne to blesse GOD for them the mercies of GOD to mens spirits are the greatest mercies though your conditions be meaner than others in other respects yet if your spirits be raised to an higher excellency than others you have infinite cause to blesse the Lord as S. Paul Ephes 1. 3. Blessed be the Lord which hath blessed us with all spirituall blessings in heavenly things in Christ What though God hath not abounded to you in outward honours estates delights yet if he hath abounded to you in wisdome holinesse faith humility c. you have no cause to complaine Where God gives his Spirit in the gifts and graces of it there hee gives all good things hence whereas S. Matthew sayes Chap. 7. 11. How much more shall your Father in heaven give good things to them that aske him S. Luke 11. 13. bringing in Christ speaking upon the same occasion sayes How much more shall your heavenly Father give the Holy Ghost to them that aske him as if all one to give his Spirit and to give all good things Spirituall blessings make all outward crosses light and easie as Prov. 18. 14. The spirit of a man will sustaine his infirmities Spirituall blessings have this excellency in them they cause a man to feele no need of many outward things which others know not how to want and it is as good to bee in such an estate to have no need of a thing as to enjoy it when we want it And further it is the excellency of spirituall blessings to keep downe the body and to carry the spirit above the body It was the excellencie and glory of the Martyrs that their spirits were so satisfied with mercies they had that they so little regarded their bodies when they suffered grievous torments as if they had not been their own Thus Zozomen reports of them Spirituall blessings are such as inable men to improve all other blessings they enjoy without these the greatest of other blessings would prove to bee the greatest curses to us and yet further These blessings upon our spirits cost God infinitely more than other blessings doe Other blessings God can give at a lower rate but these cost the dearest heart blood of his owne Sonne and therefore above all let God have the praise of these Outward bodily mercies we are unworthy of but when we consider of these let us say as David Psal 66. 14. Come and hearken all ye that feare God I will tell you what he hath done to my soule There God hath magnified his mercies toward me indeed You may remember how base your spirits once were how blinde foolish drossie sensuall and it may bee malicious This S. Paul cals to minde to stirre up himselfe and others to praise God for that blessed change he had wrought in his and in their spirits Tit. 3. 3. For we our selves also were in times past saith hee unwise disobedient deceived serving divers lusts living in maliciousnesse and envie hatefull and hating one another but when the bountifulnesse and love of God our Saviour appeared c. But if your spirits have not beene so vile as
I and in this I doe and will rejoyce this is indeed to be able to doe much more than others this shewes a great eminencie of spirit All the parts gifts abilities that any man in the world hath where this is not come farre short of this excellencie to be able to doe this is more than to bee able to â—xcell others in any excellencie whatsoever if this bee wanting If God hath given thee this hee hath given thee that which is a thousand times more worth than strong parts and abilities in which thou might'st have been farre more eminent than thou now art or than others are 9 If thou wilt shew the excellency of this spirit in some choyce thing then labour to keep the heart low in prosperitie and man heavenly cheerefulnesse in adversitie not only contented but joyfull in a quiet sweet delightfull frame In the greatest difficulties and straits when you are put upon hard things go on in your way with what strength you can without vexing distracting thoughts let your spirits bee stayed on God quietly meekly committing your selves and cause to him as the people of God in the 26. Esay 8. They professe their willingnes in all quietnesse to wait upon God in the wayes of his judgements and they give the reason because the desire of their soule is to his Name and to the remembrance of him If in the times of our troubles the desires of our soules were to Gods Name and to the remembrance of him and not unto our own names and to the remembrance of our selves we should not have such sinking discouraged disquiet vexing spirits as we have The spirits of most men if any difficult thing befall them they are presently in a hurry so disquiet and tumultuous that all the peace and sweetnesse of them is lost and they hinder themselves exceedingly both in the businesse they are about adding much to the difficulty of it and in all other businesses that concerne them This notes much distemper of spirit like distempered flesh of a mans body if it be but toucht with the finger or the least aire come to it it presently festers and ranekies 10 Be more carefull to know the fountain from whence all your mercies come to have a sanctified use of them when you enjoy them than to have the possession of them or delight in them An ordinary spirit lookes at nothing but only to have the thing it desires is not solicitous about the fountaine from whence they spring nor carefull to attaine any sanctified end to which they tend looks not at them as from God neither uses them for GOD but where all these are here is the work of a choice pretious spirit indeed the peculiar work of it this is to do more than others and thus Gods servants must doe or else they can never live convincing lives While Pharaoh and his Magicians saw that Moses did no more than they could doe they were not convinced but when Moses did that which they could not doo then they acknowledged the finger of God So it is here while wicked men see those that are religious doe onely such things as they could doe if they would as going to Sermons speaking of good things they are never convinced by them but when they fee them do some thing which their consciences tell them they cannot do then they are forced to acknowledge that there is a reall excellencie in godlinesse which they have not as Christ said once If I had not done those things that no man did they had not had sinne Ioh. 15. 24. It aggravated the sinne of the Jewes that they did not beleeve in Christ notwithstanding he did those works amongst them that no man ever did So if godly men did manifest the choicenesse of their spirits amongst the men of the world in doing such as none other can doe this if it did not convert them and bring them in love with Gods wayes it would certainly much aggravate their sinne and increase their condemnation It is therfore a most shamefull thing that those who make a great shew and profession of godlinesse should in their lives be no more than equall unto yea be lower than others who are meerly Morall lower than a Socrates than a Fabritius than others of the Heathen How many civill morall men goâ— beyond them who would be taken for godly they are more meeke and patient more courteous more faithfull and trusty more liberall and helpfull more ingenuous and candid Many servants who would seeme godly are not so obedient so diligent so humble and submissive so conscionable in their worke as others whom they judge meerly carnall So many wives not behaving themselves with that quietnesse respectivenesse love and obedience to their husbands as others whom they themselves judge to be onely civill In like manner many husbands and masters of families who professe godlinesse yet in their houses are more froward more dogged more churlish cruell and bitter to wife and servants than others whom they esteeme onely carnall So many children more stout to their parents and parents more negligent in the care they ought to have of their children than others What a shame is it saies S. Hierom that faith should not be able to doe that that infidelity hath done What not better fruit in the garden in the vineyard of the Lord then in the wildernesse What not better fruit grow upon the tree of life than upon the root of nature Where lies the power of godlinesse If it carries not men beyond these what is it to live godly in Christ Jesus in the vertue in the power and life of Christ Jesus if it doth not enable to go beyond others There needs no such vertue power life of Christ Jesus to enable one to dof that which others can doe What is godlinesse but a notion but a conceit that it will not carry men beyond the light of nature CAP. XI An Exhortation to labour to get this excellent spirit IT is an use of Exhortation let us labour to get this other spirit Every one desires to be eminent to be above others in estate in esteeme in naturall excellencies if we would faine be eminent let us labour to be eminent in spirituall blessings in getting our souls endued with higher spirituall excellencies than others have It is coÌ„mendable to strive to be as eminent here as we can especially you whom God hath raised higher than your brethren in other things in the Nobility of your births the eminency of your places the greatnesse of your estates Doe you labour to be as high above others in the excellencies of your spirits that as your birth is other your places other your estate other than coÌ„mon mens so your spirits may be other spirits What an excellent thing is it to have a spirit sutable to ones condition A great mind becomes a great fortune sayes Seneca He means greatnes of minde in the exercise of vertue
to the soule but how pleasant then is the fruit when it comes to ripenesse The more fully we follow on in Gods wayes the more full will the testimony of the witnesses both in heaven and earth bee in witnessing our blessed estate unto us Those three witnesses in heaven the Father Word and Holy Ghost and those three on earth the spirit water and the blood of which S. Iohn in his 1 Epistle 5. 7 8. they will all come with their full testimony to that soule which followes God fully By following the Lord fully wee keep our evidences cleare sinne blots and blurs our evidences that oftentimes wee cannot reade them but when the heart keeps close to God and walks fully with him then all is kept faire The Kingdome of God consists in righteousnesse peace and joy the more fully wee are brought into his Kingdome the more fully wee are under his government as there will bee the more righteousnesse so the more peace and joy Es 9. 7. Of the encrease of his government and peace there shall bee no end saith the Text. The more encrease there is of Christs government in the soule the more full it is the more peace will be there Seventhly there is great reason that wee should walke fully after the Lord because the way that God cals us to walke in is a most blessed and holy way In the 21. Revelation 21. verse The streets of Ierusalem that is the wayes of Gods people in his Church wherein they are to walke they are said to bee of pure gold and as it were transparent glasse they are golden wayes they are bright shining wayes Prov. 3. 17. The wayes of wisdome are the wayes of pleasantnesse and all her paths are peace There is not any one Command of God wherein hee would have us to follow him but it is very lovely there is much good in it God requires nothing of us but that which is most just and holy as God is holy in all his workes so he is holy in all his Commands they are no other but that which if our hearts were as they ought wee would choose to our selves A righteous man is a law to himselfe he sees that good that beauty that equity in all Gods Lawes as hee would choose them to himselfe were hee left at his owne liberty What one thing is there in Gods Law that could bee spared What is there that thou couldst bee glad to bee exempted from It may bee in the strength of temptation when some lust is up working the flesh would faine have some liberty but upon due serious thoughts looking into the bottome of things a gracious soule closeth with the Law and loveth it as gold yea fine gold and breakes for the longing it hath not to the reward of obedience to Gods Statutes and Judgements but to the Statutes and Judgements of God themselves as David saith his soule did Howsoever our path in following the Lord may seeme rugged and hard to the flesh in regard of the afflictions and troubles it meets withall in it yet where there is a spirituall eye the way of holinesse appeares to it exceeding lovely and beautifull Though David Psa 23. supposed the worst that might befall him in his way as that he might walke through the valley of the shadow of death yet he cals his way greene pastures and saith Godwill leade him by the still waters It is true the wayes of God are grievous to the wicked but very good and delightfull to the Saints because they are the wayes of holinesse as Esay 35. 8. And a high-way shall be there and it shall bee called the way of holinesse The uncleane shall not passe over it Eightly the consideration of the end of our way should bee a strong motive to draw our hearts fully after the Lord in it the entrance into it is sweet the midst of it more as before we have shewed but the end of it most sweet of all there is that comming that will fully recompence all Consider of the sweetnesse of the end of our way 1 In that period of it that will be at death and 2 In that glorious reward we shall have in heaven That sweet and blessed comfort that the full following of the Lord brings at death is enough to recompence all the trouble and hardship that wee meet withall in our way while we are following of him This hath caused many Saints of God to lie triumphing when they have been upon their death-beds blessing the Lord that ever they knew his wayes that euer he drew their hearts to follow after him in them When Hezekiah received the message of death Esay 38. 2 3 he turned his face to the wall and said Remember O Lord I beseech thee how I have walked before thee in truth and with a perfect heart and have done that which is good in thy sight and Hezechiah wept sore O the sweetnesse that possessed the heart of Hezekiah which did flow from the testimony of his conscience that hee had fully walked after the Lord with a perfect heart the verbe there I have walked is in that Mood in the Originall that addes to the signification of it It signifies I have continually without ceasing walked Thus Luther who was a man whose spirit was exceeding full in his love unto and walking after the Lord Jesus Christ while hee lived and when hee came to die his spirit was as full of comfort and joy as before it was full of zeale and courage these expressions brake from him O my heavenly Father O God the Father of the Lord Iesus Christ the God of all comfort I give thee thanks that thou hast revealed thy Sonne Iesus Christ to mee whom I have beleeved whom I have professed whom I have loved whom I have honoured whom the Bishop of Rome and the rest of the rout of wicked men have persecuted and contemned and now I beseech thee O my Lord Iesus Christ receive my soule my heavenly Father although my body is to be laid downe yet I certainly know that I shall for ever remaine with thee neither can I by any be pulled out of thy hands The grace of Gods Spirit oftentimes appeares most in the glory of it when death approacheth because grace and glory is then about to meet That soule that hath followed God fully here when it comes to depart out of the body it onely changeth the place nor the company which was the speech of a late reverend holy Divine of ours a little before his death I shall change my place saith hee but not my company meaning that as he had conversed with God and followed after the Lord here in this World hee was now going to converse with him and to follow after him more fully in a better World Death to such a soule it is but Gods calling of it from the lower gallery of this World to the upper gallery of Heaven to walke with him there Here