as well as Caleb 1 Some thinke that Ioshuah at the first did conceale himselfe although after hee did declare himselfe fully but certainly this had been a very great sinne of his to conceale himselfe in such a Cause of God to have stood as Neuter for the saving himselfe hee would not have passed without some signification of Gods displeasure against him for this But Verse 30. God promises Ioshua that hee shall enter into the Land together with Caleb Others therefore thinke that at the first Caleb was the more forward of the two in speaking because hee was of the more honourable Tribe one of the chiefe of the Tribe of Iudah and Ioshua was of Ephraim And besides Ioshua being Moses Minister to attend on him it might bee the more suspected that he might speake to gratifie Moses against whom the people now murmured because of the straits they were brought into by him And besides others thinke that Moses here relates this by Ioshua That Ioshua was used in the penning of this relation and therefore the lesse is said concerning Ioshua Another spirit The spirits of the rest were base and cowardly poore dead unworthy spirits but hee had another spirit went not that way There is a strange conceit some of the Jewish Interpreters have of this other spirit that is say they Caleb and Ioshua when they were in the Land and in their journey they said as the rest of the Spies did and concealed their purpose of declaring any other opinion they had of the Land than the others had and this they did for feare of their lives but when they came before Moses and the children of Israel then they had another spirit and spake plainly what they thought Many such chaffy interpretations of Scriptute wee finde amongst them God having given them over to the spirit of blindnesse Hee sollowed me fully The words are Hee fufilled to follow mee Nothing could take him off from mee what ever therefore becomes of the rest hee shall possesse the Land and his seed with him I intend only to handle the two latter commendations of Caleb First that hee was a man of another spirit Secondly that hee followed God fully And herein first severally secondly in the reference of the one to the other For the first the Point is It is the excellency of godly men to be men of other spirits of choice spirits differing from the common spirits of the world 1 Cor. 2. 12. We have not received the spirit of the world sayes the Apostle but the spirit which is of God There is a great deale of difference betweene our spirits and the common spirits of the world There is a vile spirit ruling in the world As Eph. 2. 2. A spirit that workes strongly and actively in the children of disohedience But of the godly it may be said as it was of Daniel Chap. 6. 3. An excellent spirit was found in him so surely an excellent spirit is found in them Herein first what this other spirit is Secondly wherein the excellency of it lies Thirdly apply it For the first it is first a spirit that hath other principles a better principled spirit than the spirit of the world The spirits of worldly men have base corrupt principles by which they judge of things by which they are led according to which they favour rellish whatsoever is propounded to them The vilenesse and power of these appeares in the wayes of the world but the spirits of the godly are acted by Divine heavenly holy principles that carry them to God to divine and heavenly things they carry them by a kind of naturall instinct the frame of their spirits is so principled that by as it were a naturall instinct naturall I mean the new nature they savour of spirituall and heavenly things their hearts worke after them cloze with them unite themselves to them finde much sweet and contentment in them are fastned and setled unto them What is the reason the same truths propounded set before divers spirits whose naturall parts are equall one sees much excellency in them receives them rellishes them the other looks on them as mean and foolish things wonders what men see and finde in them they are unsavory to them their hearts turne away from them This is from their divers principles Where the spirit is well principled it is carryed on sweetly and strongly in Gods wayes though the naturall parts bee weake though obiections against them many pretences for evill wayes fayre yet these divine principles are as a pondus a waight upon these spirits that carries on the soule still towards God when all is said that can bee against Gods wayes and for sinnefull wayes it will it cannot but hold the conclusion Surely Gods wayes are good As that blessed Martyr said I cannot dispute for the truth but I can dye for the truth These principles cause if not a disputative knowledge yet a savory knowledge Perswade a man by most subtill arguments eloquent orations that what he tasts sweet is bitter perhaps he cannot answer all you say but yet hee knowes the thing is sweet So the Spirit principled right with grace having the savour of the knowledge as the Apostle speakes though many subtill wiles of Satan and cloquent perswasions from the wisdome of the flesh be brought to perswade to the contrary yet still it sayes It is good to walke in the wayes of godlinesse Every life hath principles according to the nature of it receiving to it selfe things sutable or turning from things disagreeable to it the vegetative life according to the nature of it so the sensitive and the rationall life and the life of grace according to it Most mens spirits are led by the principles of a sensitive life few live so high as rationall principles reach to There is a death of the soule in this respect onely God puts in by a common worke of his Spirit some common notions which appeare in some which give but a glimmering light and are very weake but where the life of grace is in any soule there are principles of an higher nature full of light and beauty carrying the soule to high spirituall supernaturall things for the attaining to and injoyment of the highest good Other creatures under the rationall are made for the enjoyment of no higher good than is within the cōpasse of their owne natures therfore their principles are onely to receive in such good things as are sutable to those natures and in them they rest satisfied for they are capable of enjoyment of no higher I say they cannot enjoy any higher indeed they are of use to and were made for that end that they might be serviceable to some higher good than themselves but this they enjoy not The destruction of their natures is the highest use that creatures which are above them have of them But the rationall creature was made for a higher good than is within
there neither wants multitude nor fortitude And Cap. 12. he reports of him that in the time of a famine he caused all his vessels of gold and silver to bee melted to buy corne withall for the reliefe of the poore That Herod likewise which S. Luke speakes of in the 12. Acts 23. who was smote by the Angel and eaten of wormes yet even this man had many excellent morall gifts Iosephus reports of him That hee was a man of a most milde disposition readie to helpe those which were in adversitie free from outward grosse defilements and that there was no day past him in which he did not offer Sacrifice and for a testimony of his mild gentle temper he tels a notable story of him that when one Simon a Lawyer in his absence had scandalized him with many grievous accusations before the people As that hee was a profane man and that upon just cause he was forbidden to enter the Temple when Herod was certified of these things and came to the Theatre he commanded that this Simon should be brought to him and would have him sit downe next to him and in peaceable and kinde manner hee spake thus to him Tell me I prethee what thing thou seest fault-worthy or contrary to the Law in me This Simon not having any thing to answer besought him to pardon him the King grew friends with him and dismissed him bestowing gifts on him What a shame is this example to many Christians and yet wee would all be loath to bee in this mans condition It is reported likewise of Titus whom God made a grievous scourge to the Jewes yet hee was so meeke so liberall so mercifull of so milde and sweet a nature that he was usually called The love and delights of mankind If hee had done no good in any day hee would use to say I have lost this day Suetonius tels of him that hee was wont to use this speech That none should goe away sad from speaking with a Prince Excellent things are likewise reported of Trajan he was accounted a patterne of upright dealing in as much as when a new Emperour was afterwards elected the people were wont to wish him The good successe of Augustus and the uprightnesse of Trajanus and yet the persecution of Christians under him was very grievous It is likewise said of Antoninus Philosophus that he was of such a sweet temper that hee was never much puft up in prosperity nor cast downe in adversitie Thus we see men may have excellent gifts of morality and yet all these but as the flowers that grow on brambles far different from those graces of this other spirit that wee speake of which only growes upon the tree of life As many a faire flower may grow out of a stinking root so many sweet dispositions and faire actions may bee where there is onely the corrupt root of nature It is true learning and moralitie are lovely they are pearles highly to be esteemed they are great blessings of God but there is a pearle of price that is beyond them all which the true wise Merchant will labour to get and will be content to sell all to obtaine as Matth. 13. 45 46. And this pearle of price is that by which this other spirit comes to be so excellent above all that learning and morality or any common gifts can make it It is said in that place of S. Matthew That the wise merchant sought other goodly pearles common gifts are to bee sought after as things that have much excellency in their kind but it was that one pearle of great price that hee sold all for It is that grace of God in Christ that raises the spirit above all other excellencies and is to bee prized and sought after above all things whatsoever And that you may know that there is a great deale of difference betweene naturall endowments morall vertues and true spirituall excellencies that this other spirit is farre beyond the excellencies of these take these notes of difference 1 This other spirit is a renewâ—d spirit A new spirit will I give ya saith the Lord in 11. Ezek 19. It doth not arise out of principles bid up with us the Lord makes the spirit sensible of its natural corruption and weakenesse and of the Almighty worke of his grace upon it It 〈◊〉 made another spirit by a high and supernaturall worke of God upon the soule working a mighty change in it creating new principles new habits Examine what change have you found in your spirits if they be no other then ever have beene yea if the change be onely graduall not essentiall if it be onely the raising of some naturall principles so as to enable you to live in somewhat a fairer way then you did if it bee not the worke of God breaking your spirits in pieces and making of them anew if it bee not a new creation in you surely then yet your spirits are void of that true blessed excellency that this other spirit hath 2 This other spirit workes from God and for God it is sensible of the need it hath of continuall influence from heaven it drawes vertue and efficacy from God conveying his grace to the soule through that blessed covenant that hee hath made with the children of men in Jesus Christ receiving thus grace from on high it is acted up to God himselfe it lookes at God in what it doth it is carried out of love to him with unfained desires to lift up his great Name Morall vertues are wrought by that reasonablenesse the soule sees in such vertuous actions and the highest pitch they reach to is the love to that equity which appeares in them to a mans reason and therefore the spirit of a man that is raised no higher then these blesseth it selfe rather then God in the exercise of them It is farre from drawing any vertue from God in a way of covenant of grace or from denying it selfe and returning all the praise and honour to God Seneca was a man of as brave a spirit for Morality almost as ever lived and yet see how farre hee was from working from God and for God observe a strange expression of his in one of his Epistles The cause and foundation of a blessed life is to trust ones selfe to bee confident in ones selfe it is a shamefull thing to weary God saith hee in prayer for it What needs prayer Make thy selfe happy It s a foolish thing to desire a good mind when thou mayest have it from thy self right reason is enough to fill up the happynesse of a man 3 Where true spirituall excellency is there is a connexion of all spirituall excellencies of all graces Ephes 5. 9. The fruit of the spirit is in all goodnesse and righteousnesse and truth and the reason is because all are united in one root namely in love to God and holinesse The beauty and comelinesse that God puts upon the spirit
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
them Although God takes it well at the hands of those whom hee hath raised in the things of the world higher than others when hee seeth them forward in setting out his praise yet he would not have them thinke that he is beholding to them as if the honour of God depended so upon them as it would faile did not they put to their helpe No God can raise his honour by other meanes he can glorifie himselfe and get himselfe a great name by low meane and contemptible things It is not because God hath need of honour from you but because he delights to honour you that he is pleased to use you in his service It is an advancement to whatsoever greatnesse you have in the world to bee imployed for God were it but in the meanest service he hath to doe Where the heart is right even in that it gloryeth more than in all the dignity that earth can put upon it But yet the greater Instruments the Lord raiseth up for his glory the greater services he cals them unto the greater things may wee hope he intends for his Church When S. John saw the Elders casting downe their crownes before the Throne saying Thou art worthy O Lord to receive glory and honour and power Apoc. 4. 10. soone after S. John heard every creature in heaven and on earth and sea saying Blessing honour glory and power be unto him that sitteth upon the Throne and unto the Lambe for evermore cha 5. 13. And soone after that hee saw Christ with his Crowne upon him going forth conquering and to conquer Chap. 6. 2. What great mercies might we expect did we see God raysing up truely noble and generous spirits more generally in the great ones of the earth did we see the Elders and Nobles casting downe their Crownes before the Throne of the Lambe willing to deny all their glory and excellencies and estates for the raising up the glory of Iesus Christ Certainly God hath great things to doe in this latter age of the world and hee is a God with whom there is as great abundance of spirit as ever when his time comes how soone will such a thing bee as the raising mens spirits to higher and more noble designes than now we can imagine The observing the frame and work of your most pretious noble spirit Right Honourable put mee upon the thought of this Argument The chiefest book that I made use of for the inlarging 〈◊〉 Meditations in it next the Scripture was that which I joyfully beheld in you 〈…〉 selfe and your Noble and much honorred Lady highly honoured and lov 〈…〉 and that deservedly in the esteeme and hearts of all who know her and the truth John Ep. 2. ver 1. Such gracious principles appeared in your spirits such divine rules by which yee were guided those high and noble employments in which yee delighted those blessed qualifications which as so many Diamonds in their lustre and beauty sparkled that light that freenesse that strength that publikenesse that holinesse c. Those comsorts of a higher nature than the common drossie comforts of the world that yee chose to your selves to satisfie your spirits in and found contentment in the enjoyment of that caused the dilating of my thoughts about these things and now making knowne themselves publikely they crave patronage from your Lordship who have beene the originall from whence they came And here I humbly present them to your Honour and to your vertuous and noble Lady as a glasse wherein your selves and others may see the frame and workings of your spirits I dare say that all who know you and know that I had the happinesse to bee so neare unto you and to have excited to look about thee if false Art thou indued with such a spirit as here thou maist find nothing in the world in hell or in thy flesh shall be able to conquer thee as Christ himself thou shalt indure such crosses and contradiction of sinners as these times are big with thou shalt despise the shame and be able to resist to bloud if God should call thee to that honour What excellency of spirit was in S. Paul when he took it ill that they diswaded him from going up to Jerusalem where he was to meet with sharp afflictions What mean you to weepe and break my heart saith he for I am ready not to be bound only but also to die at Jerusalem for the Name of the Lord Jesus Moses refuses to be called the son of Pharaohs daughter though himselfe or some of his posterity might happily have come to the Kingdome by it and chuses afflictions rather with the people of God c. He would not become an Egyptian though of the Royall Stem but abide an Hebrew who were abomination to the Egyptians He knew that the reproach of the Members did redound to the Head and would bee well recompenced by him and therefore he will suffer afflictions and esteeme the reproaches of Christ above all the treasures of Egypt a greater patrimony saith Ambrose So base are many spirits in this age that they had rather censure than trace his practice Scaliger tels of a Tree to which when a man cometh Ramos constringit but when he departs ramos pâ—dit Too many are like this tree when any Ministers or Christians that have the reproach of Christ upon them come neare them and have to deale with them let relations promises ingagemeÌ„ts be what they wil they shrink up themselves are troubled sadded and perplexed thinking it disgrace unto theÌ„ to have to do with such but when they are gone then their hearts dilate again their faces grow pleasant such an adulterous generation there is that are ashamed of Christ in any of his poore reproached despised Members not only ashamed but like that Plant called the Tartarean Lamb which in shape and proportion answers the Lambe but grazeth and eateth up the grasse round about it suffering no green thing to be neare and these men are Lambes in shape but eating up every green thing that is neare unto them Psa 14. 4. They eate up my people as bread they are the food their malice feeds upon It is observed the Pope was so busie and hot against Luther that he neglected to look to all Christendome against the Turk such basenesse was in a Popes brest that he could easier have digested Mahumetisme than Lutherdnisme may we not think the Alcoran would be welcome to those Confessors who have enjoyned their burthened in conscience to burne their Bibles for Pennance this some living know to be a truth There is much basenesse in the spirits of men and upon little occasion it vents it selfe Doeg haead 〈◊〉 malicious murderous spirit in him spared not those that ware the Linnen Ephod The rich man Luk. 12. 19. was all for earth nothing for heaven A great man finding his sicknesse encreasing caused his bed to be made between or upon his Coffers
where he had much gold a Lord came to him and wished him to go to his Chamber and not lie there his answer was I am well where I am so long as I can tarry for I am neare unto my friends meaning his Coffers and his gold What drossie corporall soules have such men The Gadarens drove Christ out of their Country they esteemed their Swine above a Saviour Demas embraceth the present world Ananias and Saphyra reserve a portion for themselves such spirits ever have been and will be in the world Spirits they are as much beneath common reason as those mentioned in this work are above it It is choyce not common spirits that will honour God in stormy times Had not a choyce and excellent spirit been in Nehemiah the plots and practices of enemies would have daunted him but take a view of his spirit Should such a man as I am flee and who is there that being as I am would go into the Temple to save his life I will not go in He had a good cause a good conscience a good God which advanced his spirit to such resolvednesse that hee would not take Sanctuary and disparage either of them by his feare or faint-heartednesse wheÌ„ he saw the Sabbath prophaned he hid not his eyes from it but contended with the Nobles about it What Divine spirits were in the three Children Could Nebuchanezars greatnesse mandates threats of the fiery Fornace force their spirits to false worship Be it known unto thee O King that we will not serve thy gods Here they did obediently disobey knowing that nothing pleases God but what hee hath commanded in his Word they would not deliberate in this case Wee are not carefull to answer thee say they When any enticements come to draw us from the pure worship of God wee should stop our eares charme the Charmers never so wisely Charles the Emperour and two great persons in this Kingdome solliciting King Edward the sixt to allow his sister the Lady Mary to have â—â—asse would not listen but bade them be conceâ—â—t for he would spend his life and all he had rather than agree and grant to that hee knew certainly to be against the truth the suit being yet pressed he brust out into bitter weeping and sobbing desiring them to desist The motioners seeing his zeale and constancy wept as fast as he and told one he had more Divinity in his little finger than they had in all their bodies What a choyce spirit was in that young Lord Harrington who was a man of prayer he prayed twice a day in secret twice with his servants in his chamber and joyned at appointed times with the family in prayer he would never be idle but alwaies well if not religiously imployed he meditated on 4. or 5. Sermons every day retaining five or six in his memory alwayes he kept an exact account of his life every day very conscientious of honouring God to purpose in publike and private on the Lords day he would repeat both the Sermons with his servants before supper and write them down in his night booke before hee slept and on the morning of that day he would as he made him ready repeat those Sermons hee had heard the Lords day before and for the Sacrament he received it very frequently and alwayes fasted the Saturday before spending the whole day in examination prayer and humbling himselfe that so he might be fitted to feast with Christ he gave away the tenth of his estate unto the poore pious uses besides his occasionall charity when he was abroad Here was a choyce spirit beautified with variety of graces not unfit for great mean to propound for their pattern Daniel in Babylon would not defile himselfe with the portion of the Kings meat nor with the wine which he dranke hee had rather eat pulse than defile his conscience When the writing was signed the Lions den threatned did he mussle up his Religion and shrink up his spirit he would not shut up his window nor diminish his prayers but thrice a day prayed and gave thankes unto his God as he did afore time here was a spirit for God and his wayes and not for the times Happily some temporizing politician will charge Daniel of indiscretion no it was the excellency of his spirit that in case of danger and that of life he would not separate external profession from inward faith when God should lose by it And what dost thou charge him with indiscretion whom the Scripture commends for his wisdome It was a proverbiall speech Wiser than Daniel Ezek. 32. 3. and his heart did not accuse him for that indiscretion when he was in the Lions den for he saith Innocency was found in him he was not ashamed of his godlinesse that had raised him and hee would maintaine the honour of it Such spirits have true excellency in them are not shie of the wayes or servants of God when the flouds of iniquity overflow threaten to beare down all Fearefulnesse to appeare in Gods cause is a part of the old man when God puts into his another a new spirit that wasts thy fearefulnes the more thou hast of Gods Spirit the more thy old timorous cowardly spirit is abated Mat. 9. 16. That is put in to fill up takes from the garment and when grace fils up a man it takes away from the old man the old basenesse feare and dastardlinesse in the cause of God and a holy undaunted resolution is begotteÌ„ in thee to justifie wisdom although thou daÌ„nifie thy self According to the fulnesse of mens spirits are their carriages with more or lesse confidence in their undertakings If Satan have filled the heart men will boldly serve him Acts 5. 3. Why hath Satan filled thy heart to lie unto the Holy Ghost Satan had filled his heart and therefore he feared not to lie unto God himselfe Dieu saith upon the place Implere cor alterius est audacem eum reddere he cites that place Hest 7. 5. Quis hic est qui implevit cor suum ad faciendum sic Who is he that hath filled his heart in our Translations That durst presume in his heart to doe so Hamans heart was filled with malice and that made him bold to attempt the destruction of all the Jewes And where godlinesse fils the heart there will be as venturous bold attempts for God Paul being filled with the Holy Ghost set his eyes on Elymas and so thundred and lightned against him that presently his proud malitious spirit was blasted When the heart of a man is filled with divine truths it is not the presence of men in highest place can daunt it Elisha had a double portion of the spirit of Elijah and did the greatnesse or wickednesse of Iehoram daunt him There appeared a Deity in his very speech and spirit 2 Kings 3. 14. As the Lord of Hosts liveth before whom I stand surely were it
not that I regard the presence of Iehosaphat the King of Iudah I would not looke towards thee nor see thee Hee had a fulnesse of Gods Spirit in him that could speake thus to one of the gods on earth When a mans heart is filled with divine influence he feares not the enemies of goodnes neither is ashamed of ought accompanies godlinesse 2 Tim. 1. 7 8. God hath given us the spirit of power of love and of a sound mind be not thou therefore ashamed of the testimony c. When the power of God is in a mans spirit he will not bee ashamed of the Crosse nor refuse to share in the afflictions of the Gospel It is the honour of Religion to have such Disciples as will own her and stand for her at all times and that with an undaunted courage Acts 4. 8 9 10 11 12. Peter was filled with the Holy Ghost and said Bee it knowne unto you all and all the people of Israel that by the Name of Iesus Christ of Nazareth whom you crucified whom God raised from the dead even by him doth this man here stand before you whole this is the stone which was set at nought of you builders c. And after when he and Iohn were commanded silence what said they Whether it be right in the sight of God to hearken unto you more than God judge yee for we cannot but speake the things we have seene and heard It is a brand upon Nicodemus that he came to Christ by night and so of the chiefe Rulers that beleeved on him but because of the Pharisees did not confesse him lest they should be put out of the Synagogues but it was Nicodemus praise for that he had got boldnesse to speak for Christ when vilified though himselfe suffered reproach for it this shewed some excellency and growth in his spirit that he could both speake and suffer for Christ So Ioseph of Arimathea was timerous at Ioh. 19. 38. but being filled with grace He went in boldly to Pilate and craved the body of Iesus Mark 15. 43. With what holy boldnesse did those men march through reproaches afflictions and persecutions for the truths sake Reader swallow thou this Booke as Ezekiel did his rowle and thou shalt be inabled to doe as much Principle and fill thy spirit with the pretious truths contained in this little Treatise and thou shalt find thy drooping spirit to receive a heavenly warmth to come upon thee and a holy boldnesse thrusting thee forward for God and godlinesse Wickednesse is too bold and godlinesse too shamefast it hath lost and suffered much through mens cowardlinesse Reade meditate and feast thy spirit with what thou herein findest and thou mayst walke bold as a Lion through the midst of a crooked and perverse generation thou shalt daunt wickednesse it selfe and make Religion truely beautifull and honourable If thou shouldest say This book might have been kept in there are too many already I answer thee There be many but few to purpose The Sea is full of water yet God addes daily to it by rivers and showers Many would read little if new bookes were not set forth daily Bookes do quicken up a drowsie age to the best purpose New bookes are like new fashions taken up at first with affection Notwithstanding all the Munition of the Kingdome there is new made daily Books are more needfull than Armes the one defends the body the other the soule If thy spirit be choice and right thou wilt acknowledge this worke solid spirituall and such as hitherto thou hast not met with many like it If trees be knowne by their fruit what other sentence may bee passed upon the Composer of it but that hee hath profited in the Schoole of Christ above thousands hath had a large operation of Gods Spirit in his own soule attained to a choicenesse and excellency of spirit himselfe that he hath clearly differenced betweene pretious and base spirits I shall appeale to thy selfe Christian Reader when thou hast perused this Booke whether thou wouldest have had it buried in the dark If he deserves a curse that withholds corne Prov. 11. 26. thou wilt blesse God for this corne the Authour hath sent to market God made him a fountaine not to bee sealed up but to slow for common good Veritatem celare est aurum sepelire In a fountaine sealed and treasures hid the Authour knew was little profit Hee hath let out himselfe to advantage thee taken this off from his owne spirit to put upon thine Doe thine endeavour to better thy selfe by it and if thou gettest any good give unto God glory if none suspect thy spirit and spare thy censures The Authours spirit is above them and counts it a very small thing to bee judged of mans judgement My prayers are that thou mayest profit much attaine true excellency of spirit and follow God fully all thy dayes that so thy end may bee comfortable and glorious Thy Christian friend W. Gr. A GRACIOVS SPIRIT A CHOYCE and a pretious SPIRIT Numb 14. 24. But my servant Caleb because he had an other spirit with him and hath followed me fully him will I bring into the land wherein he went and his seed shall possesse it CAP. I. What that other spirit is which a godly man hath differing from the world IN these words we have Gods approbation of Caleb accepting his faithfull service in the testimony hee gave of the good Land encouraging the hearts of his people to goe into it As for the other that were sent God determines against them they shall never see that good Land But my servant Caleb c. First Gods commendation of Caleb Secondly his blessing upon him For the first hee sayes three things of him 1 He is my servant 2 He hath another spirit 3 He hath followed me fully He is my servant It is a great honor to bee the servant of the blessed God and to bee acknowledged so by God himselfe We should not looke at our services to God only as duties injoyned but as high priviledges as dignities put upon us wee should glory in his service It was a great part of that glorious reward of those who came out of great tribulation who washed their Robes and made them white in the bloud of the Lambe that they should bee before the Lord and serve him night and day Apoc. 7. 14 15. My servant He hath shewed himselfe to bee my servant indeed I will for ever owne him what ever others did hee continued faithfull with me To bee a servant unto the Lord is an honour but to bee acknowledged faithfull that higher I have obtained mercy to be faithfull saith Saint Paul To be faithfull in service is not only a meanes of obtaining mercy but it is a great obtained mercy My servant Caleb Caleb is only mentioned here and so in the former Chap. verse 31. Why is not Ioshua mentioned likewise for surely hee followed the Lord fully
the compasse of its own nature and was to enjoy this and the fuller it doth enjoy it the more perfected it is Now then there are required principles of life accordingly to carry these creatures higher than their owne natures to have the fruitiō of that good they were made for and to bee blessed in the enjoyment of it Now these are the principles of Grace with which this other spirit is indued higher above the principles of reason than the principles of reason are above the principles of sense and thus it is another spirit Secondly it works by another rule every thing is guided to its end by some rule which is a beame of Gods wisedome no creature under the reasonable knowes either its end or rule but is acted by God to that it was made for but the reasonable creature is of such a nature as is capable of the knowledge of both and therefore cannot bee happy without the knowledge of both and working accordingly Now it is a great mercy not to mistake in the rule that leades to eternall life to see it and act by it most of the world mistake here their spirits are led by false rules they goe according to sense according to their own carnall apprehēsion of things accordings to their owne wils would have the rule of their actions from their own spirits or else according to the common course of the world as Eph. 2. 2. That which men blesse themselves in that they goe according to the common course is one of the most apparent arguments that is that yet they are strangers from the way of life but the godly they make the Word their rule they looke up to the minde of God to see the beame of Divine wisdome let down from heaven to guide them in their way they looke to it for direction give up themselves to it dare venture their comforts estates safeties soules upon it Thou shalt guide mee by thy counsell sayes David and so bring mee to thy glory Psalm 73. 24. A godly man thinkes it a most dishonorable thing to make the examples of men his rules it is for beasts to follow the Herd Examples of men cannot satisfie his conscience A godly man workes for eternity and therefore is carefull to worke by rule as a man when hee workes in a worke that concernes his life erects a frame that must be for continuance he makes sure of his rule layes often his rule to his worke When God erected the frame of the world which was to last but for a sew yeares hee made all by waight and measure The frame of mans actions here must be for eternity and therefore a godly man dares venture upon no other rule but that which is divine hee lookes at the Word not only at the notions of it and that excellency and beauty he sees in it shining a great way off but as a light to his feet a Lanterne to his steps holds it close to his feet to guide him in his going knowing that every step he goes is either to hell or to heaven and this doing he may look up with comfort for that blessing of God upon his servants 1 Sam. 2. 9. He keeps the feet of his Saints His way is like the way of the Mariner guided by the heavens 3. Thirdly another spirit that is imployed about other things it is not for meane base services but set on worke about high and honourable employments As men of place and dignity have or ought to have other spirits differing from ordinary spirits they cannot endure to be employed in mean and dishonorable workes no those fit for meane base spirits While other mens spirits are busied about low poore things and are content in these minding nothing higher they are busied about great affaires of State the high things of the Kingdome consultations about and transactions of the great businesses of the Common-wealth It was the basenesse and dishonor of Domitians spirit who though a great Emperor yet busied himselfe and spent great part of his time in catching of flies and so of Artaxerxes his spirit who spent a great deale of time in making hafts of knives of Boxe Thus godly men account it too mean a thing for their spirits to bee busied about low base employments while the spirits of other men are busied about meat drink clothes play money lust and are taken up in these poore things the spirits of the godly are taken up in contemplation of the glory of the blessed God the beauty and high excellency of Jesus Christ the great Counsels of God in the greatest worke that ever he did the worke of mans Redemption the great mysteries of the Gospell the glorious things of the Kingdome of Jesus Christ the great things of eternity the interest they have in all the good in God Christ Heaven about the setting out the glory of the blessed God in the World lifting up his Name working together with God in glorifying himselfe observing Gods wayes in his glorious workes of Creation and Providence preparing and fitting themselves for the glorious appearing of the great God joyning with those blessed creatures the Angels and Saints in heaven magnifying praising worshipping and adoring the Lord of all these are things fit for the spirits of the godly they are not suteable to the spirits of the world as Psal 92. 6. A brutish man knowes not neither doth a foole understand this A godly man sometimes may be busied in meane low things but his spirit not contented not taken up not satisfied in those things as adequate objects for him as the spirits of the world are they are objects adequate to any principles they have A man sometimes that is understanding may condescend to sport with children in low things but these take not up his spirit as adequate objects to what hee hath in him if indeed hee should take content and satisfaction in such things it would argue a childish spirit in him So here Fourthly this spirit is carried to other ends the spirit of the world looks at ease pleasure honour gaine and Selfe in all it is a low spirit in an ill sense subjecteth not only ordinary actions but the best things it doth even the duties of Gods worship to base low unworthy ends At the highest the most excellent of the Heathen who had the most brave spirits the World had in their time aimed no higher than to work according to reason to satisfie the dictates of rationall principles and a naturall conscience knew not what it was to honour God to aime at God in all they did but the spirit of the godly is a raised spirit looks at God and eternity in all it doth carries things up to the highest good restlesse till it gets through all creatures and closes with God it accounts the excellency of what it is and what it hath to be in order to God and directs what it doth to him and in this comes as neere the working of
yet himselfe could bee contented to bee accounted an off-scouring for Christ the sublimity of his spirit was not a greater glory to him in the one than the humility of it was in the other Though a godly man minds high things above others yet can be well contented to be used in the meanest services for the good of others though he be raised above the world yet judges himselfe lesse than the least of the Saints Though he aimes at the highest pitch of godlinesse yet blesse God for and makes much of the least breathings of his Spirit and such a heart is pretious indeed in Gods eies this O Lord thou canst not despise Psa 51. 17. so the words are God can despise Kings and Emperours God can despise the glory and lustre of the world but a humble broken spirit the Lord cannot despise There is no object that God accounts worth the looking at in the world but such a one Esa 66. 2. To him will I looke sayes God The highest heavens and the lowest heart are the two places of Gods most glorious residence Seventhly it is a publike spirit enlarged for publike good not a narrow base straightned spirit Godlinesse doth mightily enlarge the heart of a man The Lord perswade Iaphet to dwell in the Tents of Shem the words signifie The Lord enlarge the heart of Iaphet When a man is converted his heart is enlarged and it must needs bee so for now the spirit makes after the enjoyment of God an infinite universall good now it opens it selfe to receive and imbrace a God in whom it expects all good before it followed after some poore drops of good in the creature but now findes all is to bee enjoyed in God himselfe and being thus enlarged to receive an universal good it desires to enlarge it selfe as much as it can to be an universall good but that is proper to God yet a publike good it may be and therefore spreads it selfe as farre as it can Now it loves good as good not upon particular private grounds and therefore the more good the more beloved It mindes good as in reference to God and therefore where God may bee most honoured there the heart most sollicitous most industrious it is willing therefore to empty it self of it's private good that the publike may bee furthered If Nature will venture it 's own particular good for the generall as heavy things will ascend contrary to their natures to keep out vacuity and so to preserve the Universe much more then will Grace Every godly man one way or other according to the abilities he hath is a publike blessing to the place where hee lives The Saints of God are compared to a cloud Heb. 12. 1. the comparision is true in this respect a Cloud waters the earth as a common blessing so are they not as water-pots that water but a few spots of ground in a garden And this publikenesse of spirit is then right and truely gracious First when it is content to doe publike good where it selfe shall be taken little notice of as many times the Engine that doth all in great workes is inward hidden not taken notice of Secondly when he can bee glad that any publike good worke goes on and prospers though others bee used in it and not himselfe to the eclipsing of his light Thirdly when he is willing to be used in any service though but to prepare worke for others which they not hee shall have the glory of after he is gone As Luther writing to Melancthon encouraging him against the strong opposition that they met with in the cause of God God sayes hee is able to preserve his owne cause falling and to raise it fallen if we be not worthy let it be done by others Such a publike spirit as this is is an excellent spirit indeed Eighthly it is a sanctified spirit 1 Thess 4. 8 He hath made us partakers of his holy spirit Chap. 5 23. I pray God sanctisie you throughout your whole spirit and soule Sanctified that is 1 Not such a mixt spirit as the common spirit of the world hath not that mixture of filth and drosse in it but is pure purity consists in freedome from mixture with that which is of a baser nature if mixt with that which is of a superiour nature that doth not make the thing impure as when silver is mixed with gold but when it is mixed with lead or drosse The spirits of the godly are mixed with grace but that makes them more excellent and pure such mixture of spirituall excellency that is above the excellency of the soule their spirits close with but if there come any mixture with that which is base beneath the excellency of the spirit this defiles and this their spirits cannot close with but are sensible of the evill of it and never leave working till they have purged it out from them 2 Sanctified that is God hath set them apart for himselfe as Psal 4. 3. Know that the Lord hath set apart him that is godly for himselfe and they have devoted dedicated and consecrated themselves to and for God they are spirits resigned given up to the Lord. 3 All the parts abilities common gifts of this Spirit are sanctified a higher excellency is put upon thē than they have in the spirits of other men weake naturall parts in these are more excellent than the strongest not sanctisied As the consecration of Wood and Leather and meane things put greater excellency upon them than Gold and Silver had that were not so consecrated yet the larger the naturall parts are of a sanctified spirit the more excellent it is 4 It is able to make a sanctified use of what it meddles withall of what it hath to deale in of all the workes and wayes of God it makes all to be holy to the Lord. Ninthly It is a true heroicall spirit none have such brave heroicall spirits as Gods servants have it is not discouraged by difficulties it wil set upon things a sluggish spirit thinks impossible it will goe through that which such a one thinks can never be it breaks through armies of difficulties that it might goe on in its way and accomplish its worke not discouraged as the sluggish spirit who cries out there is a Lyon in the way It is not the difficulty of the worke but the basenesse of our spirits that ordinarily hinders us in our way some difficulties that others count great hinderances it slights and contemns as reproach and scorne in the wayes of God it can contemn contemners and vilifie those who account the wayes of God as vile this the true spirit of Iesus Christ of whom it is said Hebr. 12. 2. He endured the Crosse and despised the shame the shame whereby others despised him was despised of him not accounting it a thing worthy for his spirit to be troubled at no more is a true godly spirit hindered in his way by this than
one riding on with strength in his journey hindred by the barking of whappets at his horse heeles hee rides on and minds them not and as for railings and revilings at the wayes of God by which many are discouraged the spirit of a godly man can shake them off as St. Paul the Viper that hung upon his hand and feele no hurt it beares off many hardships that are like to bee very grievous to flesh and bloud that it is like to meet with which discourages the hearts of many both from beginning to enter upon Gods ways and from continuance in them after some entrance made as the other Spies that were sent with Caleb and Ioshua their hearts fainted they tell of great difficulties are like to bee met with The land indeed is good but there are children of Anak there and walls that reach up to Heaven but this was the brave heroicall spirit of Caleb and Ioshua their spirits were undaunted they would goe up and possesse the Land let what ever could bee stand in their way Thus many have convictiōs of conscience that the wayes of God indeed are good but the great hardships that they are like to suffer in those ways keep them off But a true godly spirit is willing to embrace Religion with all the hard terms annex'd unto it it is a poore meane spirit that must indent with God a forehand If I were sure to hold out to have at last that which I desire then I would venture upon the wayes of godlines but I am afraid it will never be and so sinks and hath no mind to set upon the work But this spirit will set upon the worke with all the hazards as Ester If I perish I perish this was a brave spirit indeed If she had had such a base cowardly spirit as many to think Alas what good shall I do I may hazard my selfe and bring my selfe into trouble but no likelihood of any good will come of it she is content to venture all upon a meere possibility of good To breake thorow armies of difficulties as Davids Worthies shewed the excellency of their spirits in breaking thorow an Hoste to gratifie their Lord. If the Worthies of God in former times had stood upon every difficulty what had been done in Gods cause No this spirit sets upon that which God cals it to doth what it can and leaves it self and the issue of its work to God as Ioab 2 Sam. 10. 12. Let us play the men for our people and for the Cities of our God and the Lord do that which seemeth him good It was a brave speech of him that shewed an excellent brave spirit in him A poor low spirit thinks every difficulty an impossibility but this spirit will not easily entertain thoughts of impossibility in services that are noble and worthy of choice spirits it will rather thinke with it selfe Was there never any such thing done before or was there never any thing that had as much difficulty as this in it that was as unlikely as this to come to a good issue and yet was at last accomplished why may not this then be done and so sets about it without any more objectings against it with this resolution Quic quid sieri potuit potest That which hath been done may be done Such a spirit as this is ashamed to see and heare reade what great things have beene done by others and what poor things it hath all this while been imployed in Suetonius reports of Iulius Caesar that seeing Alexanders Statue he fetched a deepe sigh because he at that age had done so little Yea so farre is a true heroicall spirit from being discouraged by difficulties as it s raised by difficulties thus it s said of a true godly man that hee stirres up himselfe against the hypocrite that hee holdes on his way and growes stronger and stronger Iob 17. 8 9. When a difficulty when any opposition or danger comes in Gods wayes now it sees an opportunity offered of shewing so much the more love to Iesus Christ so much the more sincerity and power of grace to bring so much the more honour to God and his cause and in this it rejoyces this was the reason why the Apostles and Martyrs rejoyced so much in their sufferings for Christ When Ignatius felt his flesh and bones begin to bee ground betwixt the teeth of wilde beasts now sayes he I begin to be a Christian When Alexander saw an apparant great danger neare him his spirit workes on this manner Now sayes he here 's a danger fit for the minde of Alexander to encounter withall When David at first heard of being the Kings sonne in law he was troubled at it 1 Sam. 18. 22. But when he knew what a difficult and hazardable service hee was to undertake for it then saies the Text in the 26 Verse It pleased David well to be the Kings sonne in law that which would have discouraged others who would gladly have had the preferment that raised the spirit of David and made him like the offer the better and surely this was not an ordinary common spirit it was the true magnanimity of the spirit of David Tenthly A solid serious spirit other spirits are sleight empty vaine frothy rash spirits which are exceeding great evils in the spirits of men sleightnesse of spirit makes men almost uncapable of any good what ever judge ment the Lord laies upon mee in this world yet the Lord deliver me from a vain sleight frothy spirit how doe the blessed glorious truths of God which are of infinite consequence passe by such and are never minded nothing sticks by them nothing abides with them that may be usefull for their everlasting good but this spirit is put into a serious solid frame it examines the ground of actions compares one thing with another looks much at the issue of things this must needs bee because the feare of the great God and the feare of eternity is fallen upon it Esay 11. 2. These are joyned together the spirit of knowledge wisedome the spirit of counsell and the fear of the Lord it converses so much with serious things of high and infinite consequence that it must needs be put in a serious frame Eleventhy It is an active lively spirit serious but not sullen not heavy dull solid but not stupid 1 Pet. 2. 5. The godly are called lively stones stones because of their solidnesse lively because of their activenesse God is himselfe a pure act and these spirits have some likenesse to him and nearenesse with him the higher things are the more active water more than earth aire more than water fire more than all these spirits are raised to the highest excellencies of any creature in this world They are of quick understanding as Esay 11. 3. And ready prepared to every good work as 2 Tim. 2. 21. The most noble excellent activenesse is from life and the more noble excellent the
life the more noble and excellent activenesse as sense more than the plants and the rationall life more than the sense and grace more than that and glory more than all the more spirituall the more active the more power the forme hath over the matter the more active the thing is and the more the forme is sunk as it were into the matter there the lesse activenesse as in the earth and all heavy bodies now where life is there the forme hath most power and the higher the life the greater the power Godly spirits therefore are not melancholy for melancholy makes dul but they are active and lively though they may bee heavy and sad if put to some imployment not sutable to their spirits but put them upon spirituall imployments and then you shall find them lively and active when they have to deale with God when drawing neare unto him in spirituall exercises then they are full of life they are fervent in spirit serving the Lord as Rom. 12. 11. Boyling in spirit so the word signifies when serving the Lord. The effectuall fervent prayer of the righteous availes much saith S. Iames 5. Chapter 16. verse The working prayer so the word signifies and such a working that notes the most liveliest activity that can bee Birds whose motion is on high fly swiftly when they are got up but slutter when they are below so the spirits of the godly when they are got up on high to God in spirituall exercises then they move lively but when they are busied in inferiour things they are oft-times dull and heavy Twelfthly the spirits of the godly are faithfull spirits faithfull to God and men such as will certainly stick to and will bee true to their principles you may know where to finde them if you know their principles which are sound good as before The righteous is as an everlasting foundation Prov. 10. 25. you may build upon him there is an evennesse in all his wayes a constancy an universality of truth and faithfulnesse for it proceeds from the holinesse of their spirits as the faithfulnesse of God proceeds from his holinesse and therfore those mercies that are called the sure mercies of David Esay 55. 3. they are called the holy sure things of David Acts 13. 34. Gods holinesse makes them sure being once promised There may bee a particular faithfulnesse in some things betweene man and man where but some common gifts and the spirit not this choice spirit but that faithfulnesse comes not from a holy frame and therefore there is not an universality in it These are the speciall qualifications of this other spirit these are the bright glistering Pearles with which a godly soule the Kings daughter the Spouse of Iesus Christ is beautifull within and enlightned free royall sublime humble sanctified publike heroicall serious active faithfull spirit this is another spirit indeed not the common ordinary spirit Sixtly another spirit it feeds upon other comforts differing from those that common spirits feed upon Every life draws to it things sutable to the nature of it and findes some kinde of content and comfort in the enjoyment of such things We account life no life except it hath the fillings of it with things sutable from whence it may have comfort according to the variety of severall principles whereby every creature that hath life lives such is the variety of comforts in the world So the life of this spirit must have comforts sutable to it and because it differs from the life of other spirits therefore the comforts of it are different it lives upon other comforts The life of a Dog is maintained by carrion of a Swine by swill of a Toade by poyson but what doth a man care for these though Carrion lie in the ditch though Swill bee in the kennell though poyson cast upon the dunghill he cares not for them for his life is maintained by and hee feeds upon other comforts Thus though the men of the world living by sense and lust have no other comforts to feed upon but such as are sutable to them but the godly having a life that hath higher and more noble principles they feed upon higher and more noble comforts While Nebuchadnezzar lived the life of a beast hee fed on grasse but after when he was restored to his Kingdome and began to live the life of a King he had other comforts to feed upon and delight himselfe in The joy of the spirits of the godly are like the light of the Sunne fed by heavenly influence but the joyes of other men are as the light of a Candle fed by base and stinking matter for so Solomon makes the comparison Prov. 4. 18. The righteous is as the Sunne that shines more and more unto the perfect day and the joyes of the wicked he compares to a Candle Prov. 24. 20. The Candle of the wicked shall be put out The men of the world have seduced spirits they seed upon ashes Esa 44. 20. The curse of the Serpent is upon them upon their bellies they goe dust they eate while they feed upon their Swill and Huskes the spirits of the Saints finde bread in their fathers house their comforts are inward A good man is satisfied from himselfe Prov. 13. 14. hee hath a spring within in his own brest he need not shark abroad Godlinesse with contentment is great gaine saith the Apostle 1 Tim. 6. 6. Godlinesse with selfe-sufficiency so the word signifies When Oecolampadius lay sick his friends askt him whether the light did not offend him hee clapt his hand on his brest and said Hic sat lucis Here is light enough this is soirituall comfort that which arises from a right frame of spirit Hence the word in Saint Iames chap. 5. 13 translated merry is 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 the rectitude of the minde noting that all true mirth must come from the right frame of the minde As for other mirth I have said of laughter it is mad and of mirth What dost thou As when the humours of the body are all in a right temper there is a sweet sensitive delight in the body much more in the spirit when the faculties and the frame of it are in a right temper Spirituall comforts are such as are above the soule and therefore put an excellency upon it the comforts that are in things beneath the faculty cannot but bee meane and doe debase it How much beneath the excellency of the spirit of a man is the flesh of beasts the juyce of the Grape or any vaine sports or whatsoever may give content to the sensitive part but there are comforts that are above the soule spirituall heavenly divine things and these this spirit feeds upon they are comforts that the spirit rejoyces in before the Lord That a sweet and blessed joy indeed that is enjoyed before the Lord and when the Lord most present most enjoyed Other vaine sensuall spirits have joy but not before the
Lord the apprehension of the presence of the Lord damps all and therefore they desire not to have mention made of the Name of the Lord Amos 6. 10. So to rejoyce as to be able to blesse God for our joy so to rejoyce as to make the presence of God the chief matter of 〈…〉 joy indeed this 〈…〉 for the spirit to feed upon such comforts is a choyce blessing indeed They are spirituall comforts for they are administred to the soule by a speciall worke of the Holy Ghost it is the office that the Holy Ghost is designed to by the Father and the Sonne to bee the Comforter to bring in sutable comforts to the spirits of his setvants and surely the holy Ghost will not be failing in this worke of his as the Father and the Sonne have been full and glorious in all their workes so is the Holy Ghost in his and therefore such must be the comforts of the spirits of Gods servants as must manifest a glorious worke of the Holy Ghost in the discharge of that he is sent to doe by the Father and the Sonne No marvaile then though the Apostle called this joy unspeakeable and glorious Consider what a difference must there needes be betweene the comfort that a little meat and drinke and vaine sports afford and the comforts of the Holy Ghost which hee conveyes into the soules of the godly by the appointment of the Father and the Sonne Surely these must needs be soule-satisfying soule-ravishing consolations God is the God of all consolation therefore here are all consolations There is surely infinite good sweetnesse treasures of all excellency in God and what are they all for but to bee comforts for the spirits of his servants to rejoyce in these are not for common ordinary spirits they have meate the world knowes not of a stranger shall not intermeddle in these joyes men of ranke quality as they are in higher condition than others so their comforts and delights are much different from the delights of ordinary people As God hath raised the condition of his people higher than other men so he hath raised their comforts Childrens bread from the Lords owne table is provided for them while husks and swill serves worldly spirits Their comforts such as are the delights of God himselfe of Iesus Christ they partake with them in their joyes and surely such joyes as they come and joyne with them in must needs be sweet and glorious indeed I and my Father sayes Christ will come and sup with them and they shall sup with mee They have dainties which their spirits feed upon that are savoury even to the Father and the Lord Iesus Christ Surely the world mistakes who thinks the life of godlinesse not to be a comfortable life as if the most excellent and highest life should have the worst and lowest condition surely it is a grosse mistake to think that the spirits of the Saints should bee the most sad and melancholy spirits Gods Spirit witnesses of them that they are the children of the Light yea that they are light If they be sad it is because they meddle too much with things below it is when their spirits are down when they get up their spirits to heavenly things then they can rejoyce and sweetly delight themselves their hearts are inlarged their soules are filled with joy The Birds doe not use to sing when they are on the ground but when got up into the ayre when on the top of trees then they sing sweetly If they be sad and melancholy it is because they differ no more from the world than they doe because they retaine so much likenesse to your spirits stil in them were they freed altogether from the likenesse there remaines in them to your spirits they would never be sad more but their spirits would be filled with everlasting joy For the present they joy in things sutable to them and sutablenes is the thing that causes comfort in any creature If the Swine could expresse it self it would tell you that no such comfort as in Swill and Dung and wonders that any other creature can take comfort in any other thing like to this because this is the most sutable to their natures Thus worldly brutish spirits because these low vile things are so sutable to them they thinke there can bee no such comfort in any other thing these things they rejoyce in for they know no better but if their natures were changed their greatest comfort would be in the despising and vilifying such comforts S. Augustine before his conversion could not tell how hee should want those delights hee found so much contentment in but after when his nature was changed when hee had another spirit put into him then he sayes O how sweet is it to bee without those former sweet delights You thinke we have no comforts or at least not like yours know we can taste naturall comforts as well as you if the poyson of sinne bee not mixed with them and God gives us leave to reioyce in them God hath made these outward comforts for his setvants Surely God hath not made the flowers for Spiders and Frogges but rather for the Bee to suck honey out of them wee can taste another manner of sweetnesse in them than you can for we can taste the love of God through them we can taste them as the comforts that flow from that God in whom all comfort is we can taste them as fore-runners of eternall comforts A Bee can sucke her honey out of a flower that a Flie cannot doe But besides these there are other conveyances of comforts through which our spirits finde comforts to feed on namely the Ordinances where the Lord lets out himself in a blessed sweet manner to the soules of his servants and yet besides God communicates many comforts immediately 2 Thess 2. 16. Now our Lord Iesus Christ himselfe and GOD even our Father which hath loved us and hath given us everlasting consolation Doe you thinke we have no comforts What did Iesus Christ come into the world suffer so many sorrowes and miseries die such a painfull death and all to bring us to a more sorrowfull estate than we had before Let us alone with our comforts wee envy not yours As Tertullian sayes in his Apologie against the Gentiles Wherein doe we offend you If we beleeve there are other pleasures if wee will not delight in our selves it is our own wrong wee reject those things that please you and you are not delighted with ours CAP. 11. Wherein the excellencie of this gracious spirit appeares THus they are men of another spirit and this is their excellencie A spirit thus differenced from the world where all this is found is an excellent spirit indeed Here is true worth all the bravery and glory of the world not worthy to be mentioned with this The soule is the excellencie of a man and this is the excellencie of the soule
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
bee well-favoured and skilfull in all wisdome and cunning in knowledge understanding science and taught the learning and the tongue of the Caldeans Every spirit is not fit to stand before the King of heaven to have converse with him none but the reasonable creature is capable of any such thing as communion with God and it must bee the reasonable creature thus raised they must bee men of other spirits A man of an excellent spirit cannot endure converse with base sordid spirits much lesse can God who is that blessed holy Spirit No creature can have communion with another but such as live the same life hence the beast cannot have communion with man because mans proper life is rationall these are the spirits who being partakers of the life of God are fitted for converse and communion with him Likenesse is the ground of all liking in communion it is the likenesse they have to God that makes God to delight in communion with them God loves to dwell with these and that in a speciall manner 2 Corin. 6. 16. As God hath said I will dwell in them and walke in them I will bee their God and they shall be my people the words are very significant in the Originall I will in-dwell in them so the words are There are two in s in the Originall as if God could never have near enough communion with them Psal 4 1. 12. Hee sets them before his face for ever as loving to look upon them Now how great how inconceiveable a dignity is this for the poor creature to have this neare communion with God Cursed bee that man saies that noble Marquesse Marcus Galeaceus that prizes all the gold and silver in the world worth one dayes enjoyment of communion with Iesus Christ he was a man of another spirit who spake from his owne experience of that sweet he had found of communion with Christ who had parted with much honour and riches for him Enoch and Noah who were men of other spirits in their generations are said to walke with God God tooke them up even in this world to walke with him many a sweet turne have these spirits with their God God delights to have them neare him that he might reveale and cōmunicate himselfe to them these know much of Gods minde the secrets of the Lord are with these and to them he reveales his Covenant God doth not love to hide his face from these That hidden wisdome which the Princes of the World knew not which eye hath not seene eare heard neither hath entred into the hearts of men to conceive yet hath the Lord revealed them to us by his Spirit saith the Apostle 1 Corin. 2. 10. even by that Spirit that searches the deepe things of God and by vertue of this communion these can prevaile much with God As it is said of Iacob Gen. 32. 28. as a Prince hee had power with God and prevailed Hence S. Bernard in his meditatiös giving divers rules of strictnesse of purging the heart of being humble holy and when thou art thus saith he then remember me as knowing the prayers of such a one would much prevaile with God for blessing Sixtly this spirit is fit for any service any employment God cals it to it is a vessell of mercy sitted for the Masters use Many honourable services God hath to be done in the world men of ordinary common spirits are not sit for them if they should be set about them they would spoile the work and dishonour God in it If a man have a choice peece of work he will not employ one that hath not abilitie to reach to it hee knowes the work would faile and it would be his disgrace When God would imploy some about building his Tabernacle hee fils them first with his Spirit so he saith of Bezaliel and Aholiab If a man bee employed in government hee had need be a man in whom the Spirit of God is as Pharaoh said concerning Ioseph Gen. 4 1. 3 8. When God chose Saul for government hee gave him another spirit so that hee was another man When God had a peece of work to doe of high esteeme beyond Sauls reach hee lookes out for another who had a more excellent spirit than Saul and saith I have found a man according to mine owne heart who shall fulfill all my will The excellency of a thing is in the use of it What can it do The excellency of the Angels is in that they are ministring spirits and the excellency of man is to be serviceable his excellency is not that he can eat and drinke and sport and goe fine but that he is of use fitted for what service God hath to doe in the world that he can further Gods ends in his workes that God may say of him I have found a man according to mine owne heart that is prepared to fulfill all my will When Esay Chap. 6. had his spirit purged signified by that signe of one of the Cherubims touching his tongue with a coale from the Altar he presently shewes the excellency of his spirit in this that when God had a choice piece of worke to doe and askes whom he shall send The Prophet readily and cheerfully answers Lord here am I send me doe but set the truth of God before these it is enough their spirits being gracious close with it yeeld to it obey it set about the work it shewes they should doe but when mens spirits are corrupt and unsavory there is such a stirre to convince them of Gods mind in that which is not agreeable to them so much a doe to prevaile with them to the practice though convinced that it would grieve a man to have to deale with them The excellency of the spirits of Gods people is set out to us very sweetly in that expression of the Psalmist Psalm 18. 44 As soone as they heare they shall obey me There is a wilingnesse of spirit to their worke what God would have what ever it be if they apprehend it above their reach they cast not off their worke but seeke to God for supply of ability knowing that there is spirit enough in God that God hath wayes enough to enable the spirits of his servants unto and carry them on in any worke he sets them about they know that God will never put any man upon any services but by one meanes or other he will fit his spirit for them for it is the great delight of God to have men in service to be of spirits fitted for service When the Devill himselfe hath any worke to doe he chooseth men who have spirits fitted for his worke and in them he delights If the worke requires boldnesse and impudence he hath men of daring spirits who will set upon it and goe thorow with it If it requires subtilty hee chooseth men of more moderate spirits who can keepe in their passions and secretly and insensibly worke their owne ends Wee reade
other succeeding Ages CAP. IV. The Reason why the men of the world and the Godly can never agree HEnce wee see the Reason why the men of the world and the godly can never agree they are men of another spirit Where there is difference of spirits there can be no agreement Water and oile cannot mingle no agreement betweene light and darknesse they looke at them as men whose lives are after another fashion That Apocryphall Authour in that book of Wisdome hath an excellent expression to this purpose Chap. 2. 12. he brings in wicked men saying of the godly He is cleane contrary to our doings he is grievous unto us to behold his life is not like other mens his wayes are of another fashion wee are esteemed of him as counterfeits he abstaineth from our wayes as from filthinesse he commendeth greatly the latter end of the just Verse 19. Let us examine him with rebukes and torments c. Let the relation and the ingagements be what they will yet so long as of different spirits they cannot close What a differeÌ„t spirit was there betweene Iacob and Esau who lay in the same wombe at the same time 〈◊〉 There may be outward peace fo 〈…〉 while betweene Gods people and some wicked men but inward closing of spirit there can never bee The spirit that is in you the world cannot receive sayes our Saviour Iohn 14. 17. Antipathies are irreconcileable no arguments no meanes ever used can cause an accord except there be a change in nature Nothing in the world puts mens spirits in such a distance as Grace when that comes and therefore where the most eminent grace there the greatest disagreement betweene them and wicked men How many wicked men cannot but be convinced of some godly who live with them that they are better than themselves that they are conscientious men whose Principles are truly godly and that they walke close to them they are not able to charge them with any ill carriage towards them they seeke to doe them all the good they can and yet their spirits cannot close but as they were wont to say in former times Caius Seius was a good man but hee was a Christian so now such are good men but they are too strict this enough to keepe a perpetuall breach betweene them CAP. V. Learne to have a right esteeme of such pretious spirited men IF the godly be of such excellent spirits learne wee then hence to have a right esteeme of them they surely are worthy of pretious account of most honorable esteem who are men of such excellent spirits Let them bee what they will in regard of their outward condition though never so meane and poore No matter what the Ring bee if the Pearle in it be pretious Many most pretious spirits have very mean outsides The Tabernacle was beaten Gold within but the out side covered with Badgers skines If the treasure be rich what though the vessell be earthen Surely these are the excellency of the earth the very light and beauty of the world the glory of Gods Creation they give a lustre to the places where they live to the families in which they are especially if they walke close and faithfully with God indeed manifesting the excellency of their spirits in their wayes so that when they are taken away the very places where they lived are darkened This other spirit of the godly makes a Iob scraping his soares on the dung-hill and a Ieremy sticking in the myrie dungeon more glorious than Kings and Princes sitting crowned upon their Thrones these are glorious within God is a Spirit and he looks on men to see what they are in their spirits and he esteems accordingly of them and so should we What doth brave cloathing what doth money what doe titles of honour raise the dignity what are these to the excellency of mans nature No certainly the excellency of man must bee that which mustmake the most excellent and noble part truly excellent which is the spirit of a man If a man would know the excellency of any thing as of a sword or of any other instrument he judges it not by the Hilt or the inferour part but by what excellency the principle part hath There is a spirit in man and the inspiration is from the Almighty a spirit inspired by the Almighty and beautified with his heavenly graces this innobles a man indeed it is the ornament of the hidden man of the heart the glorious cloathing of that which makes truely beautifull and glorious How did many of the Heathen highly prize those in whom they saw any naturall excellency of spirit differing from other men Those amongst the Romanes who were called the Curii and â—abritii they lived very poorly and meanly yet being perceived to have more excellent spirits than other men they were taken from their dinner of Turnips and Watercresses to lead the Romane Armie How much more should we honour men in whom we may see Divine spirits the lustre of heavenly graces shining in them But to shew more particularly that godly men are to be highly prized in regard of this other spirit as they have received a spirit differing from other men so they are to have esteem and honour differing from other men not to bee looked at as common men for First this difference of their spirits from other men is a certaine signe of the eternall love of God unto them it comes from the treasure of Gods everlasting love of that choyce speciall love of God from the bowels of Gods deepest mercies it is a most infallible argument that God hath set his heart upon them for good as for other favours a man may have them more than other men yet they are no such but may stand with Gods hatred and with his eternall wrath and this is a great difference betweene spirituall mercies and outward mercies which sets an exceeding high prize upon spirituall mercies aboue all others these are the distinguishing mercies which others are not But Secondly the spirit receiving these spirituall excellencies from Gods choyce everlasting love receives likewise all other mercies from the same fountaine though in their owne nature they bee common mercies yet where this other spirit is there they are received from another Fountaine than other men receive them which addes much sweetnesse and excellencie to the mercies we have they come as fruits of the common bounty and generall goodnesse of God to ordinary men but to men thus differenced from others they come out the spring of the rich treasures of Gods grace tending to the furtherance of eternall mercies Thirdly The Lord hath an especiall eye upon and delight to dwell with these who are of choice and excellent spirits Hee will dwell with the contrite heart to revive the spirit of the humble Esay 57-15 Hee hath a speciall care of these spirits that they doe not faile before him hee puts under his hand to support comfort revive
who know not wherein true worth and excellency consists Matth. 5. 12. Christ telling his Disciples how ill the world would use them he tels them they have as good use from it as the Prophets had before them How was Micaiah a man of a very sweet and excellent spirit contumeliously used hee was strucke on the mouth shut up in prison to be fed with water bread yea with the water and bread of affliction while 430 false Prophets most base spirited men were fed delicately at Iesabels table How was Ieremiah used hee was thrown into the dungeon stuck up almost to the eares in the myre the Word of the Lord was made a reproach unto him daily David before them a man in whom Gods soule delighted yet he complaines of himselfe that he was a reproach of men and despised of the people all that saw him laughed him to scorne they shot out the lip and shook their head at him Psal 22. 6 7. and Iob before him he was made a by-word of the people and as a Tabret unto them as he sayes of himselfe Chap. 17. 6. The same use had the blessed Apostles who were filled with the Spirit of God none more scorned persecuted cōtemned than they The most worthy and famous men in the Primitive times found no better use than these It were infinite to instance in particulars Ignatius Polycarpus Athanasius Chrysostome Basil and the rest reproached banished from their people persecuted and exceedingly contumeliously used In later times the more excellent the spirits of men were the worse use did they ever finde from the world Wee might instance in Wickliffe Hus Luther Zwinglius Musculus c. I cannot passe by that sad example of Musculus who was a man of as brave a spirit as any lived in his time and a very learned and godly man yet after he had much laboured in the work of the Lord in his publike Ministery was so ill used of the world that he was faine to get into a Weavers house and learne to weave that by it he might get himselfe and his family bread and within a while he was accounted unworthy of that preferment and was thrust out of the house by his Master the Weaver and then was forced to goe to the common ditch of the Town and worke with his spade to get his living Whose heart bleeds not to heare of these former examples and divers others men of most pretious spirits thus ill used by this unworthy world even such in whom Christ rejoyces that ever he shed his blood for them Esay 53. 11. such as hee will glory in before his Father and the blessed Angels yet thus are they abused by this wicked world The more eminently the spirit of Christ appeares in any the more is the rage of evill men against them As it is reported of Tygers that they rage when they smell the fragrancy of Spices the fragrancy of the Graces of Gods spirit in his people which are delightfull to God his Saints puts wicked men into a rage when as base spirited men have the world smile on them according to their hearts desire Oh the providence of God who suffers such indignities to bee offered to his most pretious and choice servants but by this meanes the excellency of their spirits appears in greater brightnes their graces shine in the more cleare lustre All Gods servants have his spirit in them but when any of them suffer reproach and ill use of the world then the Spirit of God and glory rests on them then the glorious Spirit of God is upon thē according to the promise of God unto them 1 Pèt. 4. 14. and they may in part perceive even while they are using them ill that they are men not of common not of ordinary spirits who are thus ill used by them they may see in that meeknesse that patience that humility selfe-denyall faith holy carriage requiting good for evill praying for doing all the good they can to those who use them worst that constancy spirituall chearfulnesse sweet contentednesse that holy boldnesse humble courage heavenly magnanimity that it is a wonder their conscience should not misgive them even while they are abusing of them that their conscience doth not tell them Surely these men we doe mistake in they are led by other principles than we know of they have something within that doth support them wee understand not It is a wonder men are not afraid to abuse them as they doe As Num. 1. 2. 8. The Lord said to Miriam and Aaron concerning Moses when they spoke against him Were you not afraid to speake against my servant Moses The words are very emphaticall in the Hebrew they are thus Were yee not afraid to speak against my servant against Moses Were hee onely my servant though he were not Moses were you not afraid but when my servant and Moses that is such an eminent servant of mine in whom so much of my Spirit appeared were you not afraid to speak against him Certainly the Lord will not alwayes suffer pretious choice-spirited men to be trampled under feet he lookes upō them in their lowest estate as his Jewels even while they are in the dirt but time wil come when he will make up his Jewels as Malac. 3. 17. and then there shall be seene a difference between the righteous and the wicked betweene him that serveth God and him that serveth him not verse 18. God will owne the excellency of the spirits of his servants to be the Image of himselfe and what confusion will this be to the ungodly of the world when the Lord before men and Angels shall own that for the lustre and beauty of his owne excellency which they when time was made matter of their scorn objects of their hatred when God shall come to them as Gideon to Zeba and Zalmana Iudges 8. 18. What manner of men were they sayes Gideon to them whom ye slew at Tabor They answered As thou art so were they each one resembled the Children of a King Then hee said They were my brethren the sonnes of my mother as the Lord liveth if you had saved them alive I would not have slaine you but now he sayes to Iether his first borne Vp and slay them So shall God hereafter say to the men of the world What were those men and what did they whom yee so hated and abused what were they some vile-spirited men how did they carry themselves Your consciences shall be forced then to answer O Lord we must confesse They were those who kept themselves from the common pollutions of the world they lived strictly in their wayes they walked unblameable in their course they were very forward in the duties of the worship and service of God The Lord shall then answer What these men they were my Saints this was my holinesse my image my glory these were not common ordinary men these were my choice ones men pretious in my eyes separated
from the common sort of the world for my praise If you had loved them prized them and honoured them as the choice of the earth if if you had followed their example I had not slain you but now you shall perish everlastingly CAP VII No dishonor to be singular Seven notes to discover that godly mens differing from other men proceeds not from proud humourous singularity but from the choicenesse and excellencie of their spirits IF godly men be men of another spirit and this be their commendation why then should any account it to be a dishonour to be singular from the world Singularity is cast upon Gods servants as their disgrace but certainly it is their glory they are singular and their wayes are singular it is true and they avouch it they rejoyce in it and blesse God for it it is impossible but that it should be so for they are of another spirit a peculiar people separated from the world set apart for God their separation is a wonderfull separation Exod. 33. 16. So shall we bee separated sayes Moses I and thy people from all the people that are upon the face of the earth the word is in the Originall We shall be wonderfully separated No marvell then though their singularity bee such as the world who knowes not their principles wonder at it Their wayes are different from other men I that is true indeed who can thinke otherwise Their principles their estates their dignites their hopes are raised higher then other mens Would Saul have been offended if his former acquaintance had complained Oh now Saul hee mindes other things goes on in other waies lives after another fashion then we doe I that is true indeed for his condition is altered his estate is raised higher then yours he hath an other spirit To complaine of Gods servants that they are singular from others is all one as if you should complaine of Pearles that they are more glistering than dirt and gravell Their way their lives are singular Why how would you have them live would you have them live according to the common course of the world they cannot for they have not received the spirit of the world but another spirit When the Spirit of God would set out the greatest misery of men when they are the children of wrath without God in the world without hope it is that they lived according to the common course of the world Ephes 2. 2. And those two are joyned together living according to the common couse of the world and according to that spirit that rules in the children of disobedience So long as they were acted by that spirit they did live so but now there is another spirit that they are acted by and would you have them live so still as they did before Certainly it cannot be You cry out of dissimulation and that justly But what is dissimulation if this be not where there is not a sutablenesse between the inward principles the inward frame and disposition of the spirit and the outward actions Now if Gods people should not live singular lives certainly their outward actions would not be agreeable to the inward principles frames and dispositions of their spirits for they are singular differing from other mens As there may be dissembling for a man to seeme better than he is so there may be dissembling to seeme worse than we are Is there not as much evill in a life differing from the spirit as in a spirit differing from the life If a man seemes to be godly and is not it is an argument the man is vile who will thus play the hypocrite but it is a commendation to godlinesse that men will account the very seeming of it to be honourable but if a man hath godlinesse in his heart and yet his life be no other than other mens this would argue that a man were ashamed of godlinesse it selfe here godlinesse it selfe would suffer as if it were such a dishonourable thing as would bring shame to a man if it did appeare as if though indeed it must be reserved in the heart for necessity sake yet it must be kept downe not suffered to appeare in the life for feare it be a disgrace to men Is not here then as great an evill in this way of dissimulation as in the other Better all the men of the world had shame cast upon them than that godlinesse should have the least staine Surely then where the spirits of men be other spirits singular choice spirits their lives ought and must needs be other lives singular from other men Their conscience witnesse to them that their spirits are changed that they are other from that they were yea and witnesses for them that their lives are other lives singular from other men and in this witnesse their soules rejoyce But is there not a proud phantasticall singularity may not pride sullennesse and fancie carry men on in singular wayes differing from other men conceiting themselves to be wiser than others loving to satisfie some odde humours of their own If it were any choicenesse or excellency of their spirits it were another matter we would not speake against them but it is this proud hypocriticall humorous singularity we speake against To this I answer If you indeed should do as they doe if you should live after a different manner from the common course of the world having no other principles than those you have it would certainly bee singularity pride hypocrisie and humour in you and thus your consciences would tell you and that because you had not principles to carry you out in this way you have not spirits sutable to it and you judging of others by that you seele in your selves this makes you to thinke the different wayes of Gods servants is onely from pride and humourous singularity yea and they themselves know that there was a time indeede where in if they should have done as now they doe it would have beene no other in them then that you now accuse them of namely when their spirits were as other mens spirits are but now they know they have other principles other qualifications of spirit then formerly they had But surely you doe not thinke indeed that their different lives doe come from proud and humourous singularitie for if you did why doe your consciences so well approve of them when you lie on your sicke beds when you apprehend your selves going before the great God then you could wish it were with you as it is with them But what say you if you thought it were not from this pride and conceitednesse you speake of then you would thinke it were well then you would joyne in justifying of them if you were sure it were from a choyce excellent spirit in them Well then let Gods servants rejoyce in this that they know it is not from pride that it is not from humour that they run not into excesse of riot as others doe but from the worke of
dark hole in some obscure contemptible place it is expected we should make it conspicuous that we should hang it in some eminent place so as to manifest that wee rejoyce in it as an ornament to us It is a great evill to obscure the Graces of Gods Spirit to keepe in the work of God upon our spirits in which hee hath set out the glory of his owne Image to that end that he might be glorified in us before men Angels Every man delights in the expression of that wherin he esteems his excellency to consist be it Eloquence Wisdom or any Art wherin he hath attained any eminency yea if he accounts his excellency to consist in his riches in his honor in his beautie he loves to make them appear before others as the Prophet in another case Esa 60. 1. Arise and shine for the light is come and the glory of the Lord is risen upon thee If God hath shined upon your spirits by his grace let your lights shine before men that the world may see there are men of other spirits who can doe such things as they cannot Oh what beautifull convincing cōversations would men live if they were onely acted by this renewed spirit As it was said of Steven they could not resist the Spirit by which he spake so it would be true here men could not resist that spirit by which you live What doe you more than other men sayes Christ to his Disciples Matt. 5. 47. Men of other spirits must manifest in their lives that they can do more than other men Let me in the name of the Lord plead with you for more honour and service for the Lord than he hath from others First your birth is from him you are borne of God in another manner than others are and therefore it must not be with you as it is with others Men of high birth will not live as other men doe Hence we read of a custome amongst the Heathen they were wont to derive the pedigree of their valiant men from their gods to this end though the thing were not true yet they beleeving themselves to be a Divine off-spring they might upon confidence there of undertake higher attempts than others with the more boldnesse Much higher things should those endeavour after who are indeed borne of God Secondly God hath put forth an other manner of power out upon your spirits than upon other men other men have but a generall common influence of Gods power let into their spirits but he hath manifested the exceeding greatnesse of his power in you as Eph. 1. 19. observe the gradation there the Apostle speaking of the power of God put forth upon those that doe beleeve expresses it in a sixfold gradation 1 It is his power onely the power of a God could doe it 2 It is the greatnes of his power 3 It is the exceeding greatnesse of his power 4 It is the working of his power 5 It is the working of his mighty power 6 It is the same power by which he raised Christ from the dead and set him at his right hand in the Heavens farre above all Principality and Power and might Now God doth not use to put forth great power but for great purposes he uses not his extraordinary power for ordinary things when supernaturall power is put forth it is that it might raise to supernaturall operations 3 Againe God doth put other abilities into you that others have not that grace with which hee hath endued your spirits is a sparke of his owne divine nature as you have heard it hath a divine power with it and a divine activity in it that is expected from you that none can doe by an inferiour power as by the strength of parts education morall principles if your lives bee not beyond the highest of those who have none other principles than such to raise them you dishonour God and his grace and your holy profession Fourthly your spirits have beene made acquainted with more truths God hath revealed to you the secrets of his Counsels of his Kingdome he hath showne you himselfe his Glory his Majesty Soveraingty Holinesse he hath showne you the reality beauty excellency equity of his blessed wayes Hee hath made known to you the certainty the infinite consequence of the things of eternitie the vilenesse pollution poyson danger of sin he hath given you experiences of the things of heaven the sweetnesse of his wayes the distresse of conscience for sinne Fifthly he hath separated you for himself he hath takē you into a near communion unto himselfe though God is to be feared by all yet more especially in a higher degree hee is to bee feared in the assembly of his Saints and to be had in reverence of them that are about him Psa 89. 7. Sixthly God hath put other dignities upon you that hee hath not put upon other men he hath made you Citizens of the new Ierusalem favorites of heaven heires co-heires with the Lord Jesus Christ God hath raised you above the condition of men and therefore you must not walk as men The Apostle 1 Cor. 3. 3. blamed the Corinthians that they did walke as men Hee hath redeemed you from the earth Revel◠4. 3. Therefore you must not walke as the men of the earth God hath not dealt thus with other people they know not what these things meane Therefore well may the Lord expect from you other manner of service and honour than he hath from other men Seventhly more depēds upon you than upon others the waight of many services depends all upon you which are no wayes expected to bee performed by others What shall become of Gods Name his Glory the fulfilling his will in the world if men whose spirits are fitted for his service should not live in a higher way of holinesse and doe more for him than others God expects great things from you Esay 63. 8. I said surely they will not lie When others are base unfaithfull and vile in their wayes yet God rejoyceth in this that hee hath a generation in the world a choyce company of other spirits pretious excellent spirits and hee shall have other dealings from them Eighthly your sinnes goe nearer to the heart of God than others Other men may provoke God to anger but you grieve his Holy Spirit God tooke it very ill at Salomons hand that hee dealt ill with him after hee had appeared twice to him 1 King 11. 9. How often hath God appeared to your soules What gracious visitatiōs have your spirits had from him It is a shamefull thing indeed for you to fall as other men doe It was an aggravation of the fall of Saul 2 Sam. 1 21. That the shield of the mighty was cast downe the shield of Saul as though he had not beene anoynted with oyle for you to fall as though you had not beene anoynted as others which have no such oyntment powred upon them this is
a great and sore evill Ninthly the eyes of many are upon you the Name of God the cause of God is engaged in you Tenthly you are appointed by God to be the Judges of other men 1 Cor. 6. 2. Doe you not know that the Saints shall judge the world yea Verse 3. Know you not that wee shall judge the Angels God will bring your lives and wayes before all the world to judge the world by and therefore they had need to bee very exact and to have something in them more than ordinary It is a shamefull way of reasoning for any man to reason for sinne by examples as it like a theese he would faine scape in the crowd but much more shamefull is it that any godly man should bee found to argue for sinne this way for this is an aggravation of sinne not a lessening of it as if I should say God hath dishonour by such and such and therefore why may he not have some more by me Sinne is a striking at God and every sinner strikes at him and thou commest running for thy stroake too What wilt thou have thy blow also at him and what thou for whom the Lord hath done such great things as Caesar said to Brutus when in the Senate-house tho Senators had wounded him with many sore wounds and Brutus hee comes also for his stroake whereupon Caesar lookes on him and sayes to him What and thou my sonne Brutus too Conceive as if thou sawest the Lord looking on thee and saying thus to thee when thou ventrest upon any sinfull way upon the example of others But in what particulars should we manifest this choicenes of our spirits in wayes differing from others Answ In these especially 1 In selfe deniall shew that you can deny your opiniōs your desires your wills though you have a strong mind to a thing though you have fit opportunities to enjoy your desires yet if you see God may have more honor any other way you can freely readily without disturbance without vexing yeeld and doe not deceive your selves in this be easily convinced in particulars which are for God against your selves the excellency of a mans spirit is much seen in this Many conceit an excellency of spirit to bee in selfe-willednesse in being passionate froward and boisterous Certainly this comes from weaknes of spirit no excellency is required for this every foole can bee thus but that is excellency to bee able to ovērcome to rule ones spirit to have command of ones spirit to subdue and bring in order passions and violent stirrings of spirits this is pretious and honourable in the eyes of God and man this is a well tempered spirit indeed that can be strong zealous full of courage unyeeldable in the cause of God and the Church but meeke quiet yeeldable selfedeniable in its own cause those who usually are the most boisterous and passionate for themselves are the poorest spirited men and the most basely yeelding when it comes to the cause of God 2 Shew the excellency of your spirits enabling you to doe that which others cannot doe by loving your enemies praying for them doing them all the good you can this is the speciall thing our Saviour commands to his Disciples in that 5. Mat. when he would have them doe more than others doe 3 Feare the least sinne more than the greatest suffering Morality raises the spirit highest next to Grace and yet a meere morall man accounts it foolishnes to be so nice as not to yeeld in little things for the avoyding of great sufferings but a gracious spirit thinks the least truth of God worthy to bee witnessed to by the losse of his dearest comforts and suffering the greatest evils yea he accounts suffering for small things the most honourable sufferings of all as testifying the greatest love as Davids Worthies shewed their dearest love to him in ventring their lives to get him a little water 4 Prize opportunities of service more than al outward contentments in the world a gracious heart thinks it honor enough that Gods imploies it he is not onely willing to goe on in his worke though outward contentments come not in but increase of service for God hee esteemes so great a good as hee accounts the want of outward things made up in it Though I get not so much by that I doe as others yet I blesse God I can goe on in my worke as chearefully as others for contentment is made up to mee in this that God will imploy mee in his service more than others 5 Make conscience of time this felv doe few regard the fillings up of their time their spirits having no excellencie in them they cannot make use of their time in any worthy employments for God to themselves or others but a man of an excellent spirit knows how to employ himself in things that are excellent and therfore prizes the time he hath to worke in and is conscientious in the spending of it 6 Make conscience of thoughts and secret workings of heart of secret sinnes to avoid them and secret duties to performe them a man that hath a pretious spirit doth not like to have it runne wast in extravagant thoughts and affections the thoughts of his minde are pretious the affections of his heart are pretious as his spirit is pretious Wee let water runne wast because wee put no price upon it we think it little worth and therefore we let it run to no use but if it were some pretious liquor some pretious oyle compounded of deare ingredients wee would not doe so but would be carefull to save every drop this is a pretious spirited man indeed who knowes how to lay out his thoughts and his affections at the best advantage and will not lavish them our to no purpose 7 Make conscience of the manner of performing holy duties as well as of the doing of them and looke after them what becomes of them when they are done this is not according to the common spirits of the world who thinke to put off God with flat poore and dead services A gracious spirit hath much of the excellency of his spirit acting in holy duties and therefore hee doth much mind them and lookes much after them but others have little of their spirits acting in them and therfore they are little regarded little looked after by them 8 Rejoyce in the good of others though it eclipses thy light though it makes thy parts thy abilities thy excellencies dimmer in the eyes of others were it not for the eminency of some above thee thy parts perhaps would shine bright and bee of high esteeme yet to rejoyce in this from the heart from the soule to blesse God for his gifts and graces in others that his Name may be glorified more by others than I can glorifie it my selfe to bee able truly to say Though I can do little yet blessed be God there are some who can doe more for God than
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
are not drawne out maintained or increased by spirituall objects and duties but it is otherwise where true spiritual excellencies are such a one goes to Ordinances and holy duties with expectation to meet with the Lord there Hee can discerne and feele the gracious presence of the Lord he findes the Spirit of the Lord breathing graciously upon his spirit and rofreshing his soule with much quickening and life and sweetnesse hee findes his spirit drawne out by them his heart much inlarged his graces much increased in the use of them or if at some times he wants this then hee is sensible of the want of it of that difference that now hee feeles betweene that which sometimes hee hath had and that which now hee wants but the other is sensible of no such want all times are alike with him Thus you see how you may examine your spirits whether the excellencies of them be naturall whether they be onely morall or truely spirituall By these Notes you may see that to bee true of your selves that our Saviour said to his Disciples in another case You know not of what spirit you are Though God hath given you many excellent blessings beautified your spirits with many excellents endowments which are in themselves lovely desirable yet he hath not raised your spirits to that true spirituall excellency that he useth to raise the spirits of his people unto even in this world There are yet other higher excellencies to be attained to to be sought after without which all the other you have will vanish and never bring up your soules to the enjoyment of God as yours in Christ But what should be done that we may get another spirit Worke what you can upon your hearts what ever truth may further convince you of the difference of spirits that you may bee throughly convinced that there is indeed a vast essentiall difference and that you may see into the evill of your spirits and bee sensible of the want of this true spirituall excellency and lie downe before God dejected and humbled in the sight thereof Secondly bee much in the company of the godly When Saul was among the Prophets the Spirit of God came upon him he began to prophesie too Elijah told Elisha that if he were with him when he was taken up then hee should have his spirit come upon him wherefore Elisha kept close to him would by no meanes leave his company By being much in the company of the godly you will come to see some beams of the excellency of their spirits shine out to you whereby you will see that your spirits are not like theirs that they are in a happier condition than you that they are men in a nearer reference to God than you you will soone discerne that surely the world is mistaken in these men Thirdly frequent the Ordinances of God where the Spirit uses to breath set your soules before the worke of Gods Spirit The Spirit breaths where it listeth therefore it must bee attended upon in those wayes which it self chuseth Though your spirits bee never so dead and polluted who knowes but that at length in the attending upon God in his way the Spirit of God may breath upon you may breath in you the breath of life it hath breath'd upon as dead polluted spirits as yours and it hath cleansed them sanctified them it hath filled them full of spirituall and glorious excellencies Fourthly nourish and make good use of those common workes of Gods Spirit you have already they have much excellency in them if they be not rested in but improved they may be very serviceable for the worke of Gods grace but as Christ sayes of the riches of the world If you bee not faithfull in them who will trust you with the true riches so if you be not carefull to make use of the common works of Gods Spirit how can it be expected that the Lord should blesse you with further mercy this way Bee sure you doe not wilfully go against the rules of right reason you are convinced of do not darken that light of reason that God hath set up in you do not extinguish those sparkes in naturall conscience that God hath kindled there do not dead those principles you have received in your education use that strength of reason resolution and naturall conscience you have to keepe in your spirits that they bee not let out to feed upon sinfull delights With what face can you complaine of weaknesse and yet feed your distempers There is little hope of such as have extinguished the light of their common principles which once they had in an eminent māner their light of reason once was at least as a faire Candle-light but now it is like the snuffe in a socket almost drowned quenched with their filthy lusts How just with God were it that these men should be left to die and perish for ever in their filth Fifthly seek earnestly from God to renew to sanctifie your spirits it is he that is the Father of spirits and the spirit of man is under no other power but the power of God himselfe and he hath the command of all and with him there is abundance of spirit and he is willing yea hee hath promised to give his Spirit to them that aske it Luke 11. 13. But you will say how can I pray without the Spirit I answer put thy selfe upon prayer and who knowes but assistance and blessing may come present thy selfe before the Lord tell him what thou apprehendest of the vilenesse of the filthinesse of thy spirit what convictions thou hast of the necessitie of the renewing of it of the excellencie thou seest in the spirits of his servants tell him of those desires thou hast to be blessed with such a spirit O Lord thou hast given me many bodily blessings great blessings of my estate more than others many excellent gifts but Lord there are other mercies my soule wants Oh that thou wouldest give me another spirit As this Caleb Ioshua 15. 19. gave his daughter Aohsah a blessing namely the upper springs and the neither spring so doe thou seeke of God that as he hath given thee the blessing of the nether springs so hee may give thee the blessing of the upper namely that he may blesse thy soule with true spirituall blessings Sixtly be sure thou lookest up to God in Christ to seek this mercy in him look on him as annoynted by the Father with the fulnesse of the Spirit look to him in whom all the fulnesse of the God-head dwels bodily that out of this fulnesse spirituall blessings may bee conveyed to thee for otherwise whatsoever thou seekest for of God and not in this way thou seekest but in a naturall way Seventhly be carefull to observe the beginnings of those speciall stirrings of Gods Spirit in thee those gales that sometimes thou mayest feele and then put on what possibly
mans spirit strengthens it against the impressions that sensitive objects use to leave upon soft and weake spirits Most men have their spirits formed and fashioned according to sensitive objects it is not what they apprehend in abstract notions that works upon them let them bee what they will yet when they have to deale with sensitive things the sweetnesse desireablenesse glory of them works the most powerfully their hearts are altered according to the impression that they leave upon them and this is great weaknesse and an effeminate softnesse of spirit Hence the word translated Effeminate 1 Cor. 6. 9. signifies soft-spirited men This distēper in the spirit is like that in the flesh when it is corrupted with the dropsie the flesh is soft and if you put your finger to it the impression of your finger sticks in it and pits the flesh so the impression of sensitive objects sticks in distempered weake soft spirits as it was in the other Spies who were sent with Caleb and Ioshuah the terrible things they saw in the land stucke mightily in their hearts they brought with them the impressiō of them fastened in their spirits hence Numb 13. 33. according to the translation of the Greek Translators it is They brought the feare of the land with them But this choicenesse of spirit that was in Caleb and is in those who are truely godly keepeth from this and there must bee this firmnesse in the spirit of a man or else it will never cary him after the Lord fully 2 Sam. 22. 26. With the upright thou wilt shew thy selfe upright the word translated upright signifies strong and perfect There is required strength and that more than ordinary too to cary on the soule to perfection Thus you see what there is in this choice spirit that caries it on fully after the Lord Now there must of necessity be this or else this full following of the Lord will never be nothing else will doe it And that 1 Because the wayes of God are supernaturall and therefore there must bee something in the spirit of a man which is supernaturall that must reach to them this which is supernaturall in the spirits of godly men wee see it in the effects and we know it is above reason and all naturall principles whatsoever But what is is very hard to expresse and therefore men of parts in the World are madde to think that any should imagine that those who are of weaker parts than themselves should have any thing in them to carry them on in other wayes than they walke in which they doe not understand because they doe not know what that same thing is which is called supernaturall they will rather think it a conceit and phansie than any reall excellency because they can apprehend other things better than others they thinke why should they not apprehend this better than others if there were any reall excellencie in it 2 The wayes of God are not only above nature but contrary to nature and therefore there must bee needs some speciall choycenesse of spirit to carry a man on in them there must bee a contrary streame to over-power the streame of nature and this streame must be fed by some living fountaine or else there will never bee a holding out In following after the Lord all naturall abilities and common grace will doe no more but stop the streame of corrupt nature they cannot so overpower it as to carry the soule another way but the worke of grace in this choicenesse of spirit will doe it 3 The streame of times and examples of men are exceeding strong and it is not a little matter that will carry on the soule against them The dead fish is carried down the streame though the winde serves to blow it up all naturall abilities of the soule will no more helpe a man against the streame of examples than the winde can carry the dead fish up the stream but if there were life put into the fish it were able then to move against the winde and streame too 4 There are so many strong alluring temptations where in the wiles subtilties depths of Satan are very powerfull to draw the heart away from God that except there bee some speciall worke of Gods grace to give wisdome to discerne the deceits of sin to make the soule spiritually subtill to find out the cunning devices of Satan and to discerne the danger of them the soule most certainly could never hold on in the way of its following after the Lord. 5 There are so many troubles oppositions that it meets withall in this way that most certainly would drive it out were it not for some choyce Worke of Gods grace in it but this choycenesse of spirit will carry a man through all them It is Gods promise Esay 59. 19. That when the enemy shall come in like a floud the Spirit of the Lord shall lift up a standard against him We made use of this Scripture before for opposition of strong corruptions but it is true here now for the resisting of strong spirituall enemies of strong oppositions when they come in like a floud against the soule to carry it out of Gods wayes the Spirit of God in it doth lift up a standard against them were it not for this it could not hold It is this good and sound constitution of the soule that makes it endure those oppositions that it meets withall An aguish heat may bee greater than that which ariseth from a good constitution but it is not able to resist cold so there may be a naturall violence in a mans spirit for a while in the profession of Religion which may seeme to be zeale but not arising from the good constitution of the soule when troubles come it vanishes giving no strength at all 6 There are so many scandals and reproaches that rise against the ways of God so many aspersions that are cast upon them that if a man hath not more than an ordinary spirit hee most certainly will be offended Blessed are they that are not offended in mee saith Christ It is a great blessing when there fals out scandals and when we see grievous aspersions cast upon Gods wayes yet not to be offended there needs be some more than ordinary light to discover to a man the certainty of that good there is in the ways of God he had need be sure of his principles and know in whom he hath beleeved 7 Yea God many times hides himselfe from his servants while they are following after him and this oftentimes proves the sorest temptation of all and a greater discouragement then all the rest for as for oppositions scandals reproaches these are things they make account of and can often lightly passe them over but when God hides his face this puts them at a stand now they are in the dark and know not what to doe Christ was not much troubled at the reproaches of men at the oppositions hee met withall
God himselfe workes as like him as may be it is the glory of God to bee the first cause and last end and to worke from himselfe and for himselfe No creature can worke from it selfe but as it hath his principle from God so it workes for him giving him the glory as the first cause and last end and this is the great worship that God hath from his creature both in this world and eternally in heaven We speake much of honouring God and serving God and worshipping of him wee doe nothing except wee doe this God made the world that hee might have some creatures to worke thus to make him the highest and last end of all many who have excellent naturall parts are often busied about deeper things then other men but their spirits being corrupt not carried to God in that they doe they dive deepe but all comes to nothing are like children diving deepe in the water and bring up nothing but shels and gravell Now where the spirit is carried to God as the last end there first the beauty excellency glory of what ever it hath or doth is iudged according to the reference it hath to God It s true I have these mercies I do such and such things but is God honoured by all al things are as dead to this spirit where it sees not Gods Name lifted up and so the excellency and beauty of what others have or do if God is not honoured by them it lookes on them as dead things Secondly all it hath is or doth lies in an absolute subiection under God to bee at his dispose all things are absolutely subject to the last end Thirdly where God is aimed at as the highest end there Gods glory is willed infinitely no limits no bounds set to the desires or endeavours of the soule after it Fiftly thjs spirit hath other qualifications the spirits of the godly are glorious within As 1. it is an enlightned spirit the light of the glory of God in the face of Iesus Christ hath shined into it and transformed it into the same image Dan. 5. 11. They said he was a man in whom the spirit of the holy Gods was because light and understanding and wisdome was found in him surely the spirit of the living God is here for light understanding wisdome is found here this is the true light the light of life that hath a quickning power and influence of life in it There is a great difference between the light of the Sunne shining in a garden and the light of torches there is the influence of an inlivening power in the one not in the other such difference there is between the light in the spirits of wicked men and the light in the spirits of the godly it is the knowledge of the holy that is true understanding Prov. 9. 10. And a man of such understanding is of an excellent spirit indeed Prov. 17. 27. This is that which the Holy Ghost calls Spirituall understanding Col. 1. 9. to distinguish it from that understanding there is in naturall men they see into Spirituall things after another manner than other men they see the reality beauty excellency glory of them which are hidden from drossie vile spirits the Gospell is said to bee a mystery revealed to the Saints Col. 1. 26. The Law and Testimonies are sealed and bound up amongst the disciples Esay 2. 16. The Lord delights to reveale himselfe to men of excellent spirits who are onely fit to close with divine and spirituall truths As none can teach so as God teacheth Iob 30. 22. so none knowes the things of God so as the godly doe they behold them as with open face they walke on in the light of the face of God Psal 89. 15. their spirits elevated by such a light as is sutable to that light there is in God himselfe and that lustre of his Image that shines in the face of Iesus Christ but the spirit of the world is a spirit of darknesse even that light which is in them is darknesse Secondly it is a free spirit Psa 51. 12. Establish me with thy free Spirit and this freedome makes it indeed a true royall princely spirit for so the word signifies that is translated in that place a free spirit The words are Establish mee with thy royall princely spirit 1. A free disingaged spirit not entangled nor insnared with base earthly engagements like the spirits of the world but a spirit that is at liberty Where the Spirit of the Lord is there is liberty 2 Cor. 3. 17. How doe the engagements of worldly spirits miserably enthrall them that notwithstanding convictions of conscience notwithstanding much unquietnesse of their hearts in their way many checks secret wounds of spirit sinking damps and feares yet they cannot get off their hearts from those engagements they are so miserably so dangerously entangled in this is a woefull bondage Those who are godly can remember a time since their hearts were thus insnared but it was the blessed worke of the Lord to set them at liberty and now they have ease now sweer quiet and rest to their spirits 2. Free from the bondage of sinne not under the power and command of it it hath command over it selfe over its owne passions not in a base slavery to Satan not in servile subjection to men not brought under the power of any creature It was a notable free expression of two blessed Martyrs Surgius and Bacchus who were two great Courtiers being accused for Christians and commanded to offer unto the Idols they refused to goe to the Temple and gave this answer unto the Emperour Wee o Emperour are bound unto you onely in an earthly warfare you have no right over our soules God onely is the Lord of them It will not be forced to any thing that is base God leaves the body and estates of his servants to the power of men oft times but their spirits are free It is to base a disposition of a servant of GOD to plead necessity of sinning no creature can compell another to sinne Tertullia◠hath an excellent expression to this purpose The state of faith doth not admit the alledging a necessity of sinning in those to whom the onely necessity is not to offend 3. It 's free in regard of slavish feare it 's able to looke upon the face of God with ioy Iob 22. 6. Thou shalt have delight in the Almighty and shalt li 〈…〉 up thy face to God The Scripture speaks of a spirit of feare and a spirit of bondage from both which this spirit is set a liberty it can looke upon the power soveraignty justice holinesse of God and rejoyce in them glad that God is so holy and just and that it hath to deale with such a God It hath accesse to his presence with boldnesse and liberty of speech Ephes 3. 12. as the word signifies there It hath sweet and blessed freedome in the performance of holy duties
is not forced and haled to them doth not take them up as tiresome burdens Gods Commandements are not grievous they are not as fetters of iron but as chaines of gold for beauty and ornament there is a readinesse of spirit to what ever is good they are vessels of honour ready prepared to every good worke 2. Tim. 2. 21. It is written in the volume of thy booke I should doe thy will and â—o I come psalm 40. 7 8. There is a sutablenesse betweene the law and the spirit the law is written in it never so in it's element as when it is in the wayes of obedience there is not that straitnesse of spirit as in others but here the heart sweetly enlarges it selfe as the flowre that opens it selfe to the shining of the Sunne Thirdly a sublime spirit raised high by spirituall heavenly influences not swelling by pride a spirit that hath all earthly things under feet as the Holy Ghost sets out the Church Revel 12. 1. Things received with admiration by other spirits it looks on with contempt as things infinitely inferiour to it a godly mans feet are where other mens heads their heads that is the pitch and height of all their aimes is upon things that are on the earth but the Saints have these things under their feet When Valence sent to offer Basil great preferments to tell him what a great man he might be Basil answers Offer these things to children not to Christians When some bade stoppe Luthers mouth with preferment one of his adversaries answered It is in vaine he cares not for gold his spirit was too noble and high to bee tempted with gold base low spirits would have beene taken with such things such a spirit as Demas who forsooke Paul to imbrace this present world but a spirit raised by God is above them How was S. Pauls spirit above mony when he speaks of lucre he cals it silthy lucre 1 Tim. 3. 3. A godly mans spirit is sutable to the high dignities put upon it and priviledges it hath Saul when made a King had another spirit put upon him contemning former things highly esteemed of a man raised on high lookes on things below and they appeare small things to him so here Reason may raise the spirits of men above the common sort a rationall man lookes at many sinnes as too mean and base for him scornes to staine his excellency with them as the sinnes of sensuality and filthy lusts Tully thinkes him not worthy the name of a man that spends a whole day in the pleasures of the flesh and Socrates had such a vile esteeme of sinne as he thinkes it shall be one of the greatest torments of men in another life to be tied and bound to the sinnes they most delighted in here Seneca hath a notable expression to this purpose I am too great and borne to greater things theÌ„ that I should be a slave to my body But if Reason raises the spirit so high how high then doth Grace raise it This spirit cannot be satisfied with small low things as it is reported of Luther when great gifts were sent to him hee refused them with this most brave and excellent speech I did earnestly protest that God should not put mee off with these things meaning that hee would not be satisfied with anything that was here below All the things in the world are farre from being able to satisfie this spirit it accounts all yea if they were a thousand times more than they are but a poore pittance for the portion of an immortal soule If God should make more worlds for it yet if he give not himselfe to it it would not be satisfied nothing but a God an infinite universall eternall Good can fill up the desires of this spirit Thou hast made us O Lord for thy selfe saies Saint Austin and our hearts are unquiet till they come unto thee It is the worke of a base drossy spirit to thinke If I had but so much or so much yearely I should have enough how base the spirit of that rich man blessing himselfe in his goods Soule take thine ease thou hast goods laid up for many yeares what were all those to his soule to the happinesse of his soule These are spirits that have higher designes theÌ„ so their designes no lesse than a Kingdome yea than God himselfe Rom. 2. 7. They seeke for glory honour immortality eternall life Though they can bee content with little of the world for their use yet they cannot bee content without that Good Happinesse that is infinitely higher and better than all the world for their portion As Abraham said concerning his child when God promised him a great reward Gen. 15. 2. Lord what will thou give me so long as I goe childlesse Lord what is all the reward I can have except I have this mercy except I have a child because the Messias was to come out of his Ioines So the soule here if God should promise it never such great things yet Lord what are all these things to me if I have not thy selfe All the gifts that God can give to this spirit will not satisfie it except he gives himself to it As God is not pleased with what wee tender to him except we give our selves to him So a godly heart is not contented with all that God gives to it except hee gives himselfe to it Thus Bernard exceeding sweetly As what I have if offered to thee pleaseth not thee O Lord without my selfe so thy good things we have from thee though they may refresh us yet they satisfie us not without thy selfe Yea further the enjoyment of God is not enough except they may have a full enjoyment of him they are not satisfied except they bee filled with the fulnesse yea with all the fulnesse of God Ephes 3. 19. See a notable example of this in Moses Exod 33. 12. and so on The Lord had done great things for Moses many wayes but besides all hee had done for him hee told him that hee knew him by name and that he had sound favour in his sight one would have thought this might have satisfied him No Moses must have more Verse 13. I pray thee if I have found grace in thy sight shew me thy way that 〈◊〉 know thee and that I may finde grace in thy sight God grants him this and rels him Verse 14. that his presence shall goe with him and hee will give him rest surely this will satisfie him No Verse 16 Moses must have yet more hee must have such a presence as the world may know that God doth goe with him and that hee and his people are a separated people from all the people that are upon the face of the earth and Verse 17. The Lord saith to him I will give thee this thing also that thou hast spoken Surely this will satisfie him No Moses is not satisfied yet Verse 18. I beseech thee
shew mee thy glory Hee must have more of God yet God grants him this also Verse 19. I will make all my goodnes passe before thee And so the Lord passes by him and proclaimes his great and glorious Name before him Hee shewes him so much of his glory as he was able to behold Surely Moses hath enough now No not yet Chap. 34. 9. God must pardon the sinne of his people too and take him and them for his inheritance Hee must have this fruit of Gods favour as a higher than all the rest See how as wee may so say with holy reverence he incroaches as it were upon God as one that could never have enough and yet this God liked exceeding well Here 's a spirit indeed that is not satisfied with meane and ordinary things In a spirituall sense the godly doe seeke great things for themselves and it is their glory so to doe God delights to have the spirits of his children thus raised he would not have them to bee of such sordid spirits as to minde no higher things than the base drudges of the world doe as a Prince or Noble-man delights to see the spirit of his childe raised to higher designes than the ordinary sort of men Fourthly a firme strong spirit Esay 11. 2. The spirit of Christ is a spirit of might First strong to resist strong temptations Secondly strong to overcome strong corruptions Thirdly strong to beare strong afflictions For the first it is not every temptation that can prevaile with these little things will draw weak childish spirits but such temptations as others know not how to resist these can stand before them and go on in their way without any alteration of spirit by them though they live in the middest of temptations yet they are able to keep thēselves unspotted like the three Children who walked in the fire and yet the smell of the fire came not upon them nor their garments or like the children of Israel walking on the dry land safely and the seas on each side of them they are ashamed to complaine of temptations to excuse themselves by their temptations for wherefore hath the worke of God beene so mighty upon their spirits but to strengthē them against temptations many temptations which others thinke to bee strong they scarce take notice of so farre are their spirts above them Luther was so farre above the sin of covetousnesse as he saith of himself he found no temptations to that sinne though his spirit was much pestred with temptations in other kindes The Devill will not set upon such with ordinary temptations hee knowes it is in vaine when he comes upon them it is with temptations of a higher nature of stronger efficacy as some mens bodies are of such strong constitutions as that which will work mightily upon others will not stirre them So it is with mens spirits the devill need not trouble himself much about many the poorest sleightest temptatiōs are enough to draw them to what hee would have yea and such who account themselves to be of brave of more than ordinary spirits too who can stand out strongly against GOD and his truth against the strongest arguments the drawing motives the powerfull perswasions of the Word they move them not at all but every poore temptation of the Devill drawes them any way they have no power to resist but are led as the Oxe to the slaughter and as the foole to the stocks The godly man is strong in the Lord and in the power of his might Ephes 6. 10. Other men are strong in their lusts and in the power of them against the Lord and his truth Secondly they can overcome strong corruptions temptations from without have not such power as corruptions that are within yet when these rise up like a flood This spirit of the Lord in them sets up a standard against them Esay 59. 19. Yea by a contrary streame opposeth and overcomes them The more sutable any corruption is to the naturall disposition the more powerfully it hath heretofore prevailed the more strongly it would now put forth it selfe the more doth this spirit keepe it under above all others Every ordinary spirit can oppose and be able to resist some meane contemptible sinne which brings little pleasure or profit with it when sin is as it were weakned and benummned by afflictions then they can cast it off when the strength of it is abated for want of fewell for want of opportunities of acting for want of bodily strength to put it forth then they can leave their sinne as Simeon and Levi came upon the Sichemites when they were sore and overcame them so they can come upon their sinne in times of affliction and overcome it this they thinke to be repentance which is a mistake But this spirit can oppose sinne when it is in the vigour and strength and activity of it and overcome it then Let God put this Spirit into one who is yong strong whose bones are full of marrow who hath the world smile on him and may have opportunities to the full to enjoy his lust yet now he shall be able to overcome his corruption prevaile against the strongest lust As it is said of Moses Hebr. 11. 25. When he was of full years he then could deny himself and refnse the pleasures of the flesh The word in the Originall When he was great when he was growne up to ripenesse when he might have injoyed his pleasure to the full yet now he was able to overcome himself the world and this requires strength of spirit indeed Thirdly it is strong to bear strong afflictions as a strong bodyed man can indure cold and hard weather which others dare scarce put out their heads into such difference is there in the spirits of men in regard of their bearings of afflictions some are alwayes complaining murmuring whyning at every little affliction their hearts fret vexe and rage under it like some mens flesh if their skin be but razed with a pin it presently festers and rankles Iob 23. 2. He saith that his stroke was heavier than his groaning but these mens groanings are heavier then their strokes like rotten boughs of trees if a little waight be hung on them they presently break A little thing will break the spirits of these men a little thing will cause them to sinke and pine away and in a desperate sullennesse to make away themselves If thou faintest in adversity thy strength is small saith Solomon Prov. 24. 10. What poore things are they that many mens spirits are not able to beare Not a frowne from a great man not a conceit of the least disparagement that they suffer in any thing that is but a toy and trifle which a man of an excellent spirit would scorne to bestow a thought about the losse of a little money as I have read of one who hung himselfe onely upon a dreame that hee had that hee had
lost his money Others if they meet but with a little disturbance in their family from husbands or wives if their parents doe but crosse them if their hopes bee frustrated in things of no great moment they cannot beare it but they sinke downe in such desperate discouragements as their lives are bitter unto them they are weary of them and they seeke to ease themselves by putting an end to them Impatient sinking desperatnesse ever proceeds from base weaknesse of spirit Despaire is a sinne exceeding vile and contemptible Gulielmus Parisiensis speaking of despaire hath this expression I despaire Oh word of eternall reproach and confusion of dishonour never to be blotted out it publisheth the Devill to be the Conqueror and would thou didst see the devil crowned as a Conquerour to whom thou dost so shamefully lie under These sinking sullen-spirited people may please themselves in the froward sullen distempers of their hearts and conceit as if they were fruits of humility but let them know that the devill is the most sullen spirit that is and yet the most proud Though in thy frowardnesse thou flyest from God and lettest thy spirit sinke down even as low as the bottome of the Sea yet even there the wrath of God will follow thee As Amos 9. 3. Though they hide themselves in the bottome of the sea I will command the Serpent to bite them Thus those whose spirits are sunk into the bottome of the sea of desperation they shall have no ease there even there the Lord will cōmand the Serpent to bite them the devill shall vexe and torment them there Many while in their prosperity while the world smiles on them they seeme to bee of brave and stout spirits to bee sure they are scornefull proud and high enough they are all for mirth and jollity they are so afraid of sadnesse as they banish all seriousnesse But when affliction comes upon these when God toucheth them with sicknes what poor spirited men are they then how doe their hearts sinke like lead how disconsolate how dejected are they then none more Manasseh was of a bold presumptuous spirit and exceeding scornfull in time of his prosperity he went on with a high hand against God as if he meant to contest with heaven it selfe but marke in the 2 Chron. 33. 11. when he was brought into trouble what a poore base spirit he had he runnes amongst the thornes he hides himselfe in the bushes and from thence he is taken and bound in Fetters As it was said of Alexander it was nothing for him to carry himselfe bravely because he alwayes conquered but for Caesar to behave himselfe wisely and to uphold his spirit when he was conquered and others fainted this was an high praise unto him You talke of merry hearts and joyfull spirits but can you be joyfull in affliction will your spirits hold out in tribulation Can you rejoyce in the greatest troubles Will your comforts hold out in sore and grievous distresses this were a signe of strength of spirit indeed The spirit of a man can sustaine his infirmity saith Salomon This is the strength of a mans spirit to be able to carry it selfe bravely undauntedly in the middest of greatest afflictions your spirits can beare nothing they are childish poore weake spirits not to be accounted the spirits of men Lactantius boasts of the bravenesse of the spirits of the Martyrs in his time in this respect Our children and women not to speake of men doe in silence overcome their tormentors and the fire cannot fetch so much as a sigh from them Fiftly they are generous spirits as 1 They are not mercenary they will not indent with God for what they doe so much as they may get by their service so much service and no more No they goe on in their worke and leave themselves to God let the benefit of that they doe be what it will they lose not their end if they be imployed for God men doe very ill for themselves in indenting with God for any service for their strait spirits cannot imagine or desire that latitude of good that the infinite bounty of God would give if they left themselves wholly to it Seneca reproves the opinion of such who said a man should choose a friend that he might have one who might relieve him in his want who might visit him in his sicknesse c. No saith he this is mercenary but I will choose a friend that I may have one to shew love unto to visit if hee bee sick to help if hee bee in want So for men to choose a God unto themselves that they may be helped out of troubles that they may have their estates blessed that they may get such and such things by to make this the highest end is mercenary and too low for a true gracious generous spirit but to choose a God to be my God that I may honour love fear worship him for ever this is true Christian generousnesse 2 A true generous spirit cannot endure basely to subject it selfe to any that is to flatter and fawne and to be serviceable to mens lusts and base humours for advantage sake It knowes how to lie under the feet of any to doe them good where God may have honour but to be serviceable to any mans lusts whatsoever it cannot endure As we reade of Dionysius his flatterers who were so grosse in their flatteries that when he did spit they licked up his spittle and said it was sweeter than Nectar and Ambrosia It is reported likewise of Cambyses who falling in love with his sister he asked the Iudges whether it were lawfull for him to marry her they answered That they had no such law but they had another that the King might do whatsoever liked him whereupon he married her Such base-spiritednesse cannot stand with Christian generousnesse 3 A true generous spirit is not ready to take advantages against those that are under it Men of these spirits love to pity and relieve those whom they have at advantage as Elisha 2 King 6. 22. when hee had the Syrians in the midst of Samaria and the king of Israel askt him Shall I smite them shall I smite them He answered Thou shalt not smite them set bread and water before them that they may eate and drink and goe to their Master and he prepared great provision for them and when they had eaten and drunk he sent them away As is reported of the Lyon it spares those things that fall down and submit to it but the Wolfe Beare Dog rend and teare what they get hold of To bee able to doe one hurt and not to doe it that is truely noble It is the glory of a King yea of God himselfe to passe by an offence To shew mercy saith S. Chrysostome is a more glorious thing than to raise from the dead and a greater worke than to build most magnificent Temples Many base-spirited men who will crouch
low enough to those who are above them yet they are imperious cruell hard-hearted rugged fierce towards those that are under them they thinke it the bravenesse greatnes of their spirits that they can insult over them and revenge themselves upon them but there is nothing great in these men but pride and selfe love this is the greatest basenesse of spirit that can be and the more these men formerly did discover their basenesse in their sordid crouchings unto others that were above them the more doe they now discover the vilenesse of their spirits in their cruell insultings over those that are under them And this they thinke a goodly and brave thing that they can trample upon others whereas the kindnesse of a man is the goodlinesse and beauty and excellency of a mans spirit That word in Esay 40. 6. that is translated The goodlinesse of the flower is the same word which signifies Kindnesse Wee reade Revel 9. The Locusts that came out of the smoaking pit They had faces as the faces of men and they had haire as the haire of women They had faire countenances they could looke smiling and flattering upon men for their owne ends but their teeth were the teeth of Lions and they had tailes like Scorpions to tear and sting those that they had at an advantage An insulting spirit over those that we have at advantage is farre from true generousnesse howsoever men may blesse themselves in it Rehoboam was a man of an exceeding imperious insulting disposition My little finger saith he shall be thicker than my fathers loynes My father put a heavy yoke upon you but I will put more to your yoke my father chastised you with whips but I will chastise you with Scorpions O what a spirit was here Surely he and those who put him on rejoyced in this as a brave commanding spirit indeed But the holy Ghost saith of Rehoboam that he was a poore weak childish-spirited man yea he calls him a child though hee was above forty yeeres old 2 Chron. 13. 7. hee was young the word is a childe and tender-hearted that is of a poore soft effeminate spirit True generousnesse and cruelty are exceeding opposite one destroys the other When Davids spirit was distempered when he had lost much of his generousnesse by that sinne of uncleannesse as appeares in the 51. Psalme where hee prayes to God for his free spirit which word signifies a royall Princely spirit as you heard before much of the royall princelinesse of his spirit was lost by that sinne and David was never so rigid as hee was at this time which appeares out of the 2 Sam. 12. 30 31. where he commanded the people whom hee had overcome to bee brought forth and put them under sawes and under harrowes of iron and made them passe thorow the brick-kilne and thus did he unto all the Cities of the children of Ammon This was exceeding harsh and rigid wee never reade of him that ever he dealt thus with any before now this is observable that this act of his was at that time wherein he lay in his sinne for Ioab had besieged that City before David saw Bathsheba and it was at that siege that Vriah was slaine And although this fact be related after Nathans comming to him and after Solomons birth yet it is probable it was before even while hee lay in his sinne for two reasons 1. Because it is not probable that the siege continued not onely till the child conceived in adultery was borne but after the birth of Solomon too as it here stands in the story 2. Neither is it like that David newly receiving such mercy from God as he did in the pardon of his sinne and when his heart was so broken as it was that hee should then shew such rigid severity onely for the abuse of his Messengers The reason why this is set after is because in the time of the siege David committed the adultery and so the whole story concerning David and Bathsheba is first related and then he comes to the story of the warre againe 4. A generous spirit is studious and diligent to returne good as well as desirous to receive good as David Psal 116. 12. What shall I render unto the Lord saith he he speaks as a man pressed in his spirit troubled untill he did returne something he accounts favours received as great obligations as any debts in the world It is infinite basenesse in spirit to be so for ones selfe as if ones owne turne be served then neither God nor man is regarded How many men will crouch and yeeld to any thing till they have got their owne turnes served but then they grow proud and regardlesse of those yea oftentimes spightfull against those to whom when time was they crouched for favours and from whom they received many by which they are come to that which now they are A notable example of this we have in Benhaded 1 King 20. 32. compared with Chap. 22. 31. In the former place he caused his servants to gird themselves with sackcloth on their loynes and put ropes on their heads and to come to the King of Israel and say Thy servant Benhadad saith I pray thee let me live and hee was content to yeeld to any termes when the King of Israel had him at advantage as verse 34. The Cities which my father tooke from thy father I will restore and thou shalt make streets for thee in Damascus but after that he was got out of his hands Ahab was faine to go to war with him to get those Cities Cap. 22. 3. And observe the basenesse of the spirit of Benhadad hee who before had so crouched to Ahab for his life hee now commands his Captaines to fight neither with small nor great save only with the King of Israel see with what malice he seekes the life of him who before had saved his 5 A generous spirit loves to be abundant in service it is not satisfied in doing mean and ordinary things as before they were sublime in that receiving of ordinary things from God would not satisfie them but they must have great things from him so now it is their generousnesse that they will not be quieted in doing ordinary things for God but they must doe great things for him they prize their service as well as their wages as Ioh. 17. 4. Christ saith He hath finished the work that his Father gave him to doe he accounts his worke a gift Thus those who have the Spirit of Christ account their services to be gifts from God to live unserviceable they would account to be the greatest burden in the world to them they had rather have lesse comforts and more service than more comforts and lesse service they had rather be straitned in comforts than in duties To what purpose doe we live if we be of no use It is the basenesse of mens spirits which a truly godly man abhorres who desire to
receive great things but are content in doing little they put off God with ordinary flight services but the spirits of the Saints are more generous than so if it were possible they would bee infinite in service to God they never thinke they have done enough for him I will yet praise thee more and more saith David Psal 71. 14. I will adde to thy praise so the words are in the Originall as if he should say God hath had some praise in the world already I would faine adde something for my part I would come in withmy share that he might have some more praise for mee and this not an ordinary praise but endeavoures to have the high praises of God in heart and mouth Psal 149. 6. desires to make the praise of God glorious Psal 66. 2. he would faine be eminent in good workes Tit. 3. 14. Let ours also learne to maintaine good workes the words are let them learn to be eminent in good works above others there is a holy ambition in them to get above others in godlines this is indeed to walk circumspectly that the Apostle exhorts to in the 5. Eph. 15. the word there translated Circūspectly signifies To get up to the top of godlines to perfect holinesse in the fear of God therefore he sets the highest pitch of the rule before him would not have the rule come down to him but indeavours to get up to the rule sets before him the highest examples he can he is not willing to offer that to God which cost him nothing but if any thing more choice more excellent better then others it shall be for God he loves to bee abundant in duty hee would not scant God to give onely that which he must of necessity but loves to bee fruitfull in all good works The reasonings of many mens spirits shewes much basenesse in them Why are wee bound to doe this is it absolutely necessary cannot a man bee saved except hee doe thus may not such a thing be lawfully done If thou hadst a raised generous spirit for God it were enough to thee that such a thing is good is commendable it may bee serviceable God may have glory by it I may do good by it and such a thing hath no excellency in it God shall have no glory by it This were enough to cause the soul greedily and delightfully to embrace the one and freely and strongly to reject the other A generous spirit strives to be abundant in doing good and leaves it selfe with God let God doe with him what seemes good in his eyes it doth not maintain jealous suspicious thoughts of God as if it were best to provide for it selfe and not dare to venture upon God Base unworthy spirits discover themselves much in this they will part with nothing but first will see what they shall have they must have present pay bee sure of it in the hand they are jealous and suspicious of every one they are conscious to themselves of basenesse this way and therefore look upon all others as if there were onely for themselves too but a generous spirit findes in it selfe a disposition ready to doe good to others though they can doe little for him yet if they need and he able he finds hee can freely and readily doe it and this makes him to venture upon others that they will likewise out of freedome and generousnesse bee helpfull to him if occasion if need serve though they should not receive recompence from him and therefore he is not ready to entertaine jealous suspicious thoughts as other baser spirits doe Thus in respect of God hee knowes God is infinitely good and blessed in himselfe and that he out of his own infinite goodnesse is ready to doe good and helpe those in want who are able to doe little againe in way of requitall but that he for his Names sake shewes mercy and loving-kindnesse to his poore creatures because Mercy pleases him and therfore he can venture himselfe upon God Base spirits as they are very jealous in regard of trust so they are very suspicious of love and thinke because themselves are conscious to themselves of unworthinesse and that they themselves love onely for their own ends therefore they think they cannot be truly beloved of others but so farre as they are usefull to them But one of a generous spirit knowes in himselfe that he can love others not onely because he receives good from them but that he may do good to them and therfore sees this to be infinitely more in God and therefore can relie upon Gods love in sense of his owne unworthinesse Though the Lord can receive no good from me yet he can doe good unto me and this I beleeve is the glorious excellency of the Lord and therefore my spirit shall not give way to suspicious thoughts of his love As David 2 Sam. 23. 5. Although sayes he my house bee not so with God yet he hath made with me an everlasting Covenant ordered in all things and sure for this is all my salvation and all my desire although hee maketh not to grow And this is observable that it is said of him in Vers 1. that when he spake this hee was a man who was raised up on high It is true even in this sense that that expression of his in Verse 5. was an argument of a man whose spirit was truely raised on high and the rather doth a generous spirit abandon base jealous suspicious thoughts of Gods faithfulnesse and his love because it knowes in it self that it hath not such a vile disposition as to abuse this gracious blessed nature that it apprehends of God so as to bee the more secure and loose to give liberty to it selfe in any evill because of this Oh no God forbid this farre from a true generous spirit this the spirit of basenesse this a sordid disposition indeed that it loathes it abhorres the thought of it it findes in it selfe that the sight of this grace of God this blessed nature of God drawes it most sweetly to him to close with him to delight in him it is the strongest Motive to draw it up to holinesse yea To perfect holinesse in the fear of God 2 Cor. 7. 1. And therefore it casts out jealous suspicious thoughts of the goodnesse and love of the blessed God as fruits of basenesse of spirit Sixthly though sublime raised as before yet withal it is an humble broken and contrite spirit one who is poor in spirit this a blessed cōjunction indeed though it thinks it self too good for any lust yet not too good to be subject to the least Commandemēt though will not be under the power of any creature yet will lie flat and trembling under the least word of the Lord Esa 66. 2. Though not satisfied with meane things yet accounts it self lesse than the least of all Gods Mercies How sublime was Pauls spirit when hee accounted all things dung
frame is compared to the setting of a member in joynt As Gal. 6. 1. If a man be overtaken in a fault ye which are spirituall restore such a one in the spirit of meeknesse the word signifies Put him into joynt againe And here you have had the discovery as of what this other spirit is so wherein the excellencie of this other spirit lies now then let us make Applicaon of all CAP. III. A discovery to the men of the world whereby they may see that their spirits are not like the spirits of godly men HEnce let the men of the world see there is a great difference between their spirits the spirits of the godly There are men indeed of excellent spirits God hath such in the world in whom he delights with whom he converses whom he employes in high and excellent services but you are of base sordid uncleane spirits the spirit of whoredome of lying stubbornnesse vanity folly is in you your spirits drossie sensuall froward malicious profane sleight empty unsavory unfaithfull perverse What delight can the Lord who is an infinite holy glorious Spirit take in such How farre are these from any communion with God No marvell though nothing of God or any spirituall thing bee savory to them Oh the corrupt principles that mens spirits are possessed with the corrupt rules they goe by and corrupt ends they have in what they doe the base imployments they put their spirits to the noisome distempers of them and base comforts they feed upon The heart of the wicked is little worth sayes the Scripture Pro. 10. 20. Perhaps your Lands your houses may be something worth but what are your hearts worth they are worth nothing full of chaffe and drosse like childrens pockets full of stones and dirt while the spirits of the godly are Store-houses of most choice and pretious treasures When Grace is gone from the soule the excellency is departed from it as it was said of Ruben his excellency was departed in respect of that sinne of his How many a man or woman who have faire comely bodies good complexion beautifully dressed up but within spirits most ugly and horrid spirits full of filth full of venome loathsome distempers spirits full of wounds and putrified sores breeding filthinesse continually nothing else but filth and corruption issuing out from them Men of corrupt mindes as the Apostle speakes How unsavory to any who have the least of God in them If the Lord should give men but a view of the horrid deformednesse and filthinesse of their spirits it would amaze them and sinke their hearts in wofull horrour they could not but abhorre themselves as loathsome creatures fit to be cast out from the Lord as an everlasting curse especially if together with the filth of their owne spirits they had a sight of the infinite brightnesse and glory of the holines of God who is an infinite pure glorious Spirit God abhorrs not any other filthinesse but the filth of spirits The Devills are abhorred of God because they are uncleane spirits There is no other object of Gods hatred but the corruption of spirits God made mans soule at first a most excellent creature the very glasse of his owne infinite wisedome and holinesse but now what an ugly base loathsome creature is it where it is not renewed If mens bodies were deformed and ranne with loathsome issues and putrified sores how dejected would they be in their owne thoughts But certainly this spirit-defilement is incomparably worse If mens bodies were so putrisied that they bred vermine continually as it is reported of Maximinus how grievous would it be to them Their spirits have these loathsome diseases upon them by which they are infinitely more miserable If they had such a distemper of body as their excrements came from them when they knew not of it this would be accounted a grievous evill but their spirits so corrupt that much filth comes from them and they know not of it Many are so deeply putrified in their spirits that they usually sweare and speak filthily and know not of it and think this a sufficient excuse that they did not thinke of it It is a rule in nature that the corruption of the best thing is alwayes the worst as a stain in fine Cambrick worse than in a courser cloth So by how much the spirit of a man is more excellent naturally than the body which is the brutish part by so much the corruption of the spirit is a greater evill than any the body is capable of The reason why the Devils are so vile and miserable now is because sinne seized upon natures which by Creation were most excellent When diseases seize on the naturall spirits in the body they are the most dangerous deadly Soul-diseases of al diseases are the greatest evils and usually prove deadly yea the least spirit-corruption would most certainly prove deadly were it not for the application of that blood that is more pretious than ten thousand worlds Spirit-defilement is such a defilement as defiles every thing you meddle with as Tit. 1. 15. To the impure all things are impure Of what use are men whose spirits are so vile many make no other use of their spirits but to be as the Philosopher said of the sensitive soul of the Swine it served for no other use but to be as salt to keepe the flesh from stinking How are many mens spirits employed about nothing else but to make provision for the flesh and the filthy lusts of it O that an immortall spirit capable of eternall communion with the blessed God and to be employed in such high and heavenly exercises as for which it was made should now come to be so farre degenerated and debased Especially how vile is this that men who in regard of estates and place are raised above others and be trusted with large and blessed opportunities of worthy services for God and the Church but they minde nothing but satisfying their lusts to have their sports let the cause of God Church or Common-wealth lie bleeding they regard not What a lamentable thing is it to have the weight of great businesses of consequence to depend upon such weak-spirited men who minde nothing but vanity and basenesse they have no worthy enterprize in their thoughts their spirits so effeminated that they will do or suffer any thing for the satisfying of their lusts Others there are who have remaining in them many excellent parts pretious naturall endowments but of what use are they but to enlarge their spirits to be capable of more wickednesse than the spirits of other men are wise to doe evill the fittest instruments for Sathans depths Who such enemies to Christ as the Scribes and Pharises men of the strongest parts Who such enemies to S. Paul when hee came to Athens as the Philosophers there and no Church was founded at Athens which was the place of the greatest learning in the world And thus it hath beene in
them When wee beate ordinary spices we heed not so much every dust but some flies out and falls on the ground But if Bezar-stone or some speciall choice costly spice bee beaten then there is care had of every dust that the least bee not lost So though God may afflict the choicest spirits of his servants yet hee is very carefull that their spirits faile not before him as for other common ordinary spirits hee cares not much to let them faile and sinke in their affliction but this is the mercifull care of God over those spirits whom he highly esteems of Fourthly The excellencies of this spirit are eternall excellencies they shall abide for ever not vanish not be taken away as common gifts and other mercies shall as Ezech. 46. 17. If a Prince give of his inheritance to one of his servants it is to bee his but for a time and to returne unto the Prince againe but his inheritance shall be to his sonnes for them for ever So when God gives any thing to common men who are but his servants at best it must returne againe GOD will call for all his mercies from them againe but these soule-mercies of his children shall be their inheritance for ever Hence God calls his Church an eternall Excellency Esay 60. 15. But fifthly and principally these other spirits are most honourable creatures indeed because they are reserved for other mercies GOD gives common mercies to common spirits but hee reserves his choice mercies for choice spirits With the pure thou wilt shew thy selfe pure saith David in the 2 Sam. 22. 27. The words are with the choice thou wilt shew thy selfe choice Abraham gave Ishmael and Hagar a bottle of water and a few raisins and sent them away but the inheritance was reserved for Isaac So God gives to other men a few ordinary mercies but his glorious mercies hee reserves for these peculiar ones and as it is said of Iehosaphat 2 Chron. 21. 3. he gave his other sonnes great gifts of silver gold precious things fenced Cities but the Kingdome he gave to Iehoram because he was the first borne So God gives these outward mercies to other men but the mercies of his Kingdome are reserved for these men of choice spirits who are the first borne the chiefe and most excellent of all Gods creatures in this world Now we are the sonnes of God saith S. Iohn but it appeares not what wee shall bee there is more to come hereafter they have not spirits that will be satisfied with the things of this world and therefore are not as ordinary men who have their portion in the things of this world God delights to fill the capacities of all his creatures with sutable good now these other spirits by that choice excellency of them are made capable of farre higher mercies than the world can afford they must be the good things of another world that can fill them and those are reserved for them The bodies of the Saints because they are joyned to such pretious soules shall be like the glory of the Sunne yea excell in glory How glorious then shall their souls be for whose sake their bodies shall bee thus glorious Wee look upon great heires who have great inheritances to come with high esteeme though they have little for the present These are the great heires of heaven Coheires with Iesus Christ himselfe these they are who are delivered from the wrath to come and to be made partakers of the glory that is to be revealed The Lord gives them no great matters in comparison now because hee hath reserved so much for them afterwards As nature is not very exquisite in her worke in inferiour things where she intends some higher excellency So the God of Nature intending such high and glorious things hereafter for his Saints doth no so much regard to give them these inferiour things for the present But what are those reserved mercies you speake of that God hath for these Not entending a Treatise of that glory that God hath for his choice ones onely take these five generals First These mercies are prepared mercies prepared before the foundations of the world were laid and againe prepared by Iesus Christ who is gone before to heaven to that end as hee tels us himselfe To prepare Mansions for us Iohn 14. 1. Now this is spoken after the manner of men who do not use to make long and great preparations but for some great worke in hand Surely these mercies must needs be great which the wisedome power and mercy of God hath been from all eternity preparing Secondly They are other mercies than Adam than Man-kinde should have had than they could have attained unto if he had stood in his innocencie Man indeed should then have beene for ever happy but not according to that height of happinesse and glory that now is provided for those who are the beloved of the Lord. Thirdly These reserved mercies are such as must set out Gods Magnanimity that God may shew to Angels and all his creatures what his infinite wisdome power and goodnesse can do for poore creatures to raise their conditions to a height of glory surely that glory must needs be high that is raised for that end If a King should doe any thing of purpose to shew his magnificence it must needs be some great thing it is not a common ordinary thing that can set forth the Magnificence of a King much lesse that can set forth the Magnificence of the great God When Ahasbuerus would make a feast and Nebuchadnezzar would build a Pallace to shew to their people their greatnesse they were great things so surely here that which must shew the greatnesse of the great God must needs be great indeed Fourthly These mercies must be such as may shew to Angels and all the world how infinitly well pleased God the Father is with the obedience of his Sonne in giving himself up to death for the purchase of mercy Surely that mercy thus purchased must needs be great If there had beene no higher good for man but to eat and drink and to have pleasure to the flesh certainly Christ would never have died to have purchased this but there were higher things then these which Christ look'd at these are but poore things for God to shew by them how infinitely he is well pleased with the obedience of his sonne to the death that which must demonstrate this cannot but bee very great what ever it bee and that yea the fulnesse of that is the mercy reserved for these choice ones Fiftly Other mercies in some respect higher than the very blessed Angels themselves have For 1 Mans nature is more highly advanced than theirs being hypostatically united to the Divine Nature 2 The righteousnesse whereby the Saints come to glory is a higher righteousnesse a more excellent righteousnesse than that of the Angels though theirs be perfect in its kinde theirs is the righteousnesse but of
meere creatures but the righteousnesse of the Saints is the righteousnesse of that Person which is both God and man 3 The sonneship of the Saints is founded in a higher right then that of the Angels namely in the Sonneship of the second Person in Trinity 4 They are the members of Jesus Christ and so in a nearer union with him then any other creature 5 They are the Spouse of the Lambe whereas the Angels are but ministring spirits as the servants of the Bridegroome but the Saints are the Bride Surely then the mercies reserved for these choice spirits are choice and glorious not onely other mercies then others have or they themselves have now but other mercies then they are able to imagine these therefore wee are to looke upon as most blessed and honourable creatures CAP. VI. A Rebuke to this vile world who have vile conceits of this spirit and abusemen of such excellent spirits IF the spirits of godly men bee thus pretious how vile then is this base world which hath such irrationall absurd conceits of this spirit and which so scornes and abuses men of such excellent spirits There are two branches of this use In the first the vile conceits that men of this world have of this spirit are rebuked For 1 they thinke godlinesse befooles men 2 They thinke it makes them cowards to bee men of no metall and valour poore spirited men 3 They thinke this spirit to bee a turbulent spirit as Ahab said of Elijah Art thou hee that troubles Irael Luther was called the trumpet of rebellion 4 And lastly They thinke them to be factious spirits For the first of these What more ordinary than to cast this aspersion upon Godlinesse that it makes men to be dull heavie stupid fooles not sit for the great and high things of the world and therefore they labour to stifle any beginnings of godlinesse in their children or in any neare to them for feare it should â—inder their parts and take away the quicknesse of their wits and bravenesse of their spirits Except you think that to be the only bravenesse of spirit to venture upon any thing that may further your owne ends not to feare sinne nor the displeasure of an infinite God to let out your hearts to the utmost to the satisfying your owne desires to examine nothing by rule but to doe whatsoever is good in your owne eyes to rejoyce in the wayes of sin and to blesse your selfe in the proud swellings of your owne heart to be able to scorne at conscience humiliation for sinne strictnesse in Gods wayes as too meane a thing for men of such qualitie of such birth as you are of such estates hopes preferments and designes as you have things fitter for poor snakes meaner people contemptible silly soules to looke after If this be the excellency of your spirits then godlinesse debases them indeed yea it debases them as low as hell it selfe it casts shame in the faces of and breaks in pieces such haughty swoln spirits as these are it brings them down to lie at Gods feet as poore contemptible creatures in their own eyes loathing and abhorring themselves as there is infinite cause they should and judging themselves worthy to bee destroyed but as for any true naturall excellency of spirit godlinesse doth not quench it but raises it and beautifies it and perfects it It is either grosse ignorance or desperate malice that causes these conceits of the worke of godlinesse in the spirits of men yea there is much blasphemy in them What shall the worke of Gods grace wherein the glory of God consists which is the life of God the Image of God the Divine Nature as hath been shewne shall it be the debasing the besotting the befooling of mens spirits What doth holinesse that makes God glorious make man contemptible and vile doth that which makes God so honourable in the eies of the blessed Angels and Saints make man a sott and a foole in the eyes of men Oh! that ever there should bee such malice in the hearts of men against the grace of God ever to have such vile conceits of it pray if it be possible that this thought of thy hart may be forgiven thee Did not malice blind men they might see that the Lord hath had and still hath some of his Saints as emineÌ„t in any outward true excellency as any in the world as great Schollers as brave Courtiers as any living as deepe in policie as profound in learning as compleat every way as any whosoever Who more eminent in learning than Moses who was learned in all the learning of the Aegyptians who ever had a higher straine of eloquence than Esay who ever more profound than S. Paul And in later times yea even in our dayes the Church hath not wanted worthy and glorious lights who have beene exceedingly eminent in all that naturall excellency could make them even their enemies being Judges What braver Courtiers ever lived than Ioseph Nehemiah and Daniel Could godlinesse in the power and life of it in the strictnesse of it stand with bravenesse of spirit naturall excellencies then and can it not do so now Though God choseth oft-times the poore in the world to bee rich in faith the foolish things in the world to confound the wise and weake things of the world to confound the strong and base things and things despised c. 1 Cor. 1. 26 27. Yet when men are godly their parts are not by their godlines debased but raised many poore weake men who before were of mean naturall abilities yet put them now upon spirituall things and what strength of parts doe they shew in prayer in conference about the mysteries of God in discerning the subtilities and wiles of Satan in finding out the corruptions of their owne hearts in wisely ordering their affaires for God and the furtherance of their owne eternall good Wise in the right choice of the highest end and prudent in the right disposing of the best meanes tending thereunto These things are not the works of fooles of poore silly simple men they require quicknesse of understanding depth of judgement There are five reasons why godlines must needs raise a mans parts 1 Because it purges from many lusts that darken and besot men in their parts 2 It imployes men in conversing with high spirituall and heavenly things 3 It makes men serious and so strengthens their judgements in the apprehension of things 4 It makes men make conscience to improve their time in the use of all meanes and helps they can to enable and fit themselves for service Fifthly it causeth to imploy their parts faithfully and so they come to have the blessing of God upon them for the encrease of them according to his promise To him that hath it shall bee given Againe Godlinesse doth not make men cowards surely it hinders not spirituall valour who ever were greater souldiers more eminent in true valour and fortitude then Ioshua
God upon their spirits and this witnesse they have for themselves this they have to encourage themselves in that if the men of the world did but know their principles from whence they worke as they know them themselves even they would justifie both them and their wayes But further wee must know there is a way of God that is reall that tends to life what ever way it be this is certaine it must be different from the common course of the world and if this be not it in which Gods people doe walke tell us what is that way and wee will walke in it The Scripture tells us the way to life is narrow and that few walke in it and the other way is broad that tends to death we cannot therefore but feare when we see the marke of a way that leads to death Christs flocke is but a little flocke Luke 12. 32. Feare not little flocke there are two diminutives in the Originall the word translated flocke signifies a little flocke but that the exceeding littlenesse of it might appeare Christ addes another word so the words are Feare not little flock And S. Iohn 1 Epist 5. 19. saith the whole world lies in wickednesse but wee know that wee are of God What a singularity was this in S. Iohn how doth he difference a few odde contemptible people from the whole world We are of God and yet the whole world lies in wickednesse and the world surely is not growne better since But that you may see that the way of the godly is not from singularity or humour take these Evidences and judge according as conscience shall tell you is truth First Where humour and conceited singularity prevailes with men there is no evennesse no constancy in their wayes no porportion of one thing with another in their course they are singular and humourous in some odde foolish things but in other things where they have as much reason to bee singular they doe as others doe But in Gods people you shal see an evennesse constancie and proportion in the course of their lives that which makes them singular in one thing makes them so in all other of the same nature They are not as humourous people who have their fits and take them out of their fits they are other men they are as different from themselves as they are from other men But where the Spirit of God guides though there be more difference from other men yet there is lesse difference from themselves Secondly Those who doe things out of singularitie they care lesse for such things they doe out of that principle when they come to bee common then they did before But it is not so here in the wayes of godlinesse the more common they grow the better they are the more doth Gods people rejoyce and blesse themselves in them they are the more lovely and amiable in their eyes Thirdly Humourous singular men differ exceedingly one from another one will bee singular in one thing and another in another but Gods people goe all the same way they have the same course with such as they never saw Observe the spirits and wayes of godly men in all places of the world though their education their constitution their employments their former principles be exceeding different yet now for the maine they are the same they favour and rellish the same things they delight in the same way of holinesse which evidently shews they are led acted by one and the same spirit though they may differ in some things of lesser moment one from another yet they differ very little amongst themselves in things wherein their difference from the world principally lyes in those things for which the world dislikes them and their wayes there is a generall agreement in the spirits of all godly men in such things As in searing of the least sinne as a greater evill then any outward misery in loving the strictest waies of holines in labouring to keepe themselves pure as much as they can from the sinnes of the times and places where they live c. In these and such like things which are most proper to godlinesse and for which they are judged singular there is a generall agreement of all the spirits of the godly throughout the world Fourthly proud conceited singularity acts it self especially in things that are taken notice of by others if others looke not after them and will not vouchsafe to take notice of them they quikly grow weary of that they doe and this is the best way to deale with such people to neglect them Let them perceive no body thinks them worthy of regarding of once minding them and this makes them sooner weary then all the opposing of them that can bee The end of singularity is that it might bee observed this is the humour of these people they would faine bee taken notice of for something let it be what it will bee observance is the thing that feeds this humour where this is not it soone growes weary of it selfe and hence when these people are alone when none can observe them they doe but as other men doe But now the speciall worke of godlinesse wherein Gods people differ from other men in which their soules most delight and are most fully exercised in it is in secret things not subject to the view of the world The Kings daughter is all glorious within If there bee a little godlinesse outwardly there is much more inward as where there is a little wickednesse without there is abundance in the heart Godly men are most eminently godly in inward things The countenance and voice of the Church is most sweet and comely in secret places Cant. 2. 14. My Dove that art in the holes of the rocke in the secret places of the staires shew me thy sight let me heare thy voyce for thy voyce is sweet and thy sight is comely Godly men dare not indeed but be godly before men for so Christ commands them Let your light shine before men that others may see your good works but it is one thing to do that which may be seen and another to do it to that end that it may be seene and to make that the highest end If they make their end that the light may be seene and not that themselves may be seene and that their Father in heaven may be glorified and not themselves glorified it is no other than Christ would have But betweene God and their owne soules there is the chiefe work of godlinesse there the soules of Gods servants doe most expatiate themselves there they are most themselves there is their most proper Element wherefore surely it is not a humour of singularity Fiftly If it were humourous singularity it would not bring them so much sweet peace and heavenly joy when they are upon their sick beds and death-beds and when they have to deale with God in a speciall manner when they are to appeare before the great
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
some others if they have been faire and ingenuous if you have beene of sweet natures and tractable dispositions you have cause to blesse God in some respects so much the more for the change hee hath wrought in them for his mercie towards you that you did not rest in those naturall excellencies and mistake them for saving graces as many doe with much danger to their soules and when you see the base corrupt spirits of other men as those who have any thing to doe in the world shall meet with exceeding vile corrupt spirits not onely in the worst sort of men but in those who seeme to be faire in whom a man would never have thought to have met with such base workings of spirit that would make a man wonder Oh Lord what are the spirits of men Then I say when you see this blesse the Lord let your spirits and all that is within them blesse his name who hath put such difference betweene your spirits and theirs as you cannot but acknowledge except you should be exceedingly injurious to the grace of God in you Cap. IX Communion and converse with men of such excellent spirits is a most blessed thing IF the godly be of such excellent spirits then converse and communion with them is a most blessed thing no greater heaven upon earth than this for here you may see the beauty and lustre of Gods graces shining the brightnesse of which darkens all the beauty and glory of the world to a spirituall eye Seneca saw so much excellency that Moralitie put upon a man that hee sayes that the very looke of a good man delights one The very sight of such servants of God who walke close with God who are carefull to keep their spirits clear and shining truly it is very delightfull it hath much quickening in it the uprightnesse holines spirituall enlightnings that their soules have will guide them to advise for God in safe and good wayes The advise of godly men in things concerning God is much to be prized It was a good speech of Shechaniah to Ezra Chap. 10. 3. Now therefore let us make a Covenant with our God c. according to the counsell of the Lord and of those that feare the Commandement of our GOD. It was good to follow their counsell The spirits of these are favory in their discourse in their duties in all their carriage their example exceeding powerfull and profitable The blessing of Abigail upon David was The Lord binde up his soule in the bundle of life Enjoyment of communion with Gods people is the binding up of our soules in the bundle of life for every one of them hath life in him Doctor Taylor the Martyr rejoyced that ever he came into prison because he came there to have acquaintance with that Angel of God Iohn Bradford as he cals him If the society of one sweet heavenly spirited man bee enough to make a prison chearfull what a blessing then is the enjoyment of cōmunion with many All my delight saith David is in the Saints in them that excell in the earth It is the blessing of the Gospell to come to the spirits of just men made perfect Heb. 12. 23. when we are amongst them we may in the beholding the worke of their spirits come to see many failings in our own that we saw not before and so be humbled for them and be put on to seeke helpe We may see the same graces shining in them that we feele in our owne hearts and so be strengthened and encouraged in them and stirred up to blesse God for them and the sutablenesse betweene their spirits and ours if ours be right will cause such a closing and mingling as from thence there will arise an unspeakable delight and incomparable sweetnesse No society under heaven hath that pleasantnesse sweetnesse in it as the society of the Saints no mens spirits close so fully one with another as theirs no mens spirits bound so firmly by such indissoluble bonds together as theirs they know the excellency of one anothers spirits so as they can freely open themselves unbosome their hearts one to another and venture their lives one upon another and it is the most honourable society in the world for it is the association of the most excellent and glorious creatures God himself delights to joyne himselfe with them to be amongst them as 2 Cor. 6. 16. I will dwell among them saith the Lord and walke there and I will be their God and they shall be my people But the words are more significant in the Originall they expresse Gods delight not onely to dwell among them and walke with them but to dwell in them and walke in them And hence that expression of Tertullian that wee made use of before in another case is very pertinent for our purpose here likewise When good men meet sayes hee when godly men are gathered together this is not to bee called a faction but a Court What place is accounted so honourable and excels in more delights than the Courts of Princes The society of Gods Saints communion with Gods people hath more honour is filled with more delights than any Court in the world where this is wanting the society of the wicked that is unsavory and tedious because their spirits are so vile and corrupt like the slime and filth there is congealed when many Toades and venomous filthy creatures doe joyne together How abominable is their breathings together to a gracious spirit how loathsome is the mixture of their spirits Zach. 13. 2. we have a promise that God will in his due time take away the uncleane spirit out of the Land and oh what a blessed time will that bee How happy would Gods servants thinke themselves if they might bee delivered from the noysomnes of corrupt unclean spirits Let us keep our selves what we can now from mingling with them wee shall within a while be for ever delivered from them CAP. X. That all those whose spirits God hath thus differenced should improve this Mercy by walking not as other men IF God hath beene mercifull to you in giving you another spirit improve this mercy shew in all your wayes that you are acted by another spirit let the renewed spirit guide you let the beauty and excellency of it appeare If wee live in the spirit let us walke in the spirit sayes the Apostle Gal. 5. 25. The works of the flesh are manifest Gal. 5. 19. Why should not the works of the spirit be so too God hath beautified your spirits with his owne Image in this hee hath honoured you that you might honour him in holding forth the beauty and excellency of his Image he hath made you a peculiar people to that end that you might shew forth the vertues of him who hath called you out of darknes into his marvellous light 1 Pet. 2. 9. It is a dishonor to a parent or any special friend to hang his picture in some
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
lost for want of spirits Were it not more honorable to you and your houses to be imployed as publique blessings to Church and Common-wealth to have thousands of soules blesse you and blesse God for you than for you to go siner than others to have your tables better furnished than others to sport and game more than others to spend more than others 4 Againe you had need of other spirits for your example is looked at more than others either in good or evill as Christ said of himselfe in another case If I bee lifted up I will draw all men after me so I may say If godlinesse be lifted up in the examples of great ones it will draw all men after it What ever evill is seene in you is not onely followed by others but used as a plea to maintaine and encourage that which is evill in many others Charles the fifth was wont to say that as the Ecclipse of the Sun is a foretoken of great commotions so the errours and oversights of great men bring with them great perturbations to the places where they live 5 Their sinne is worse than others for it doth more hurt and therefore their punishment will bee greater than others as their actions are exemplary so will their punishments Hence that place Mich. 6. 5. O my people remember from Shittim unto â—ilgal at Shittim the Lord destroyed the Heads of the people Num. 25. 4. The destruction of great ones is to be for ever remembred 6 And yet further you have need of other spirits because you have temptations greater and stronger than others therefore if you have not the more excellent spirits you are in greater danger than others The high estate of great outward dignitie is a very dangerous estate if God gives not an extraordinary spirit There is a notable story of Pius Quintus that Pope who excommunicated Queene Elizabeth my Author of the story is a Jesuite Cornelius à Lapide one highly esteemed amongst the Papists and therefore the truth of it is to bee the lesse suspected the story is this he sayes that this Pope Pius Quintus was wont to say of himselfe that When I was first in religious Orders that is without any further Ecclesiasticall dignity I had a very good hope of the salvation of my soule but being made a Cardinall I began to be much afraid but now bein Pope I do even despaire So sayes Cornelius did Clement the eight that followed after him thinke of himselfe Thus by this example wee see what a dangerous thing it is to bee raised in outward honour and yet still the spirit to continue base and vile 7 Above all you who are honourable and great in the world you had need labour to bee gracious because sin is more unsutable to your condition than to others It was the complaint of the Church Lam. 4. 5. that those who were brought up in Scarlet did embrace the dung How unsutable was this to have the highest places and the lowest spirits Bernard writing to a noble Virgin who was godly he sayes that others were cloathed with purple and silke but their consciences were poore beggerly they glistered with their Iewels but were base in their manners but you sayes he without are meanly clad but within shine exceeding beautifull not to humane but to Divine eyes How unsutable was the one but how comely and sutable the other It is reported of Scipio Asricanus that when he took new Carthage he took a young Gentlewoman prisoner who was so faire that she ravished all mens eyes this Scipio then said If I were but a common souldier I would enjoy this Damsell but being Commander of an Armie I will not meddle with her and so preserving her entire restored her to her friends Thus he though a Heathen thought wickednesse too meane for and unsutable to greatnesse Sinne is uncomely any where much more uncomely amongst great ones and grace is comely where ever it is much more to the great ones of the earth As Aeneas Sylvius was wont to say concerning learning I may say the same concerning godlinesse Popular men should esteeme learning as silver Noble men should account it like Gold and Princes should prize it like Pearles Thus if godlinesse be as silver to ordinary men it is to be accounted as gold and pearls to you The Scripture compares beauty in a woman without wisdom to a Pearl-in a Swines snour Pro. 11. 22. as a thing unsutable Thus are all outward excellencies where there is not grace 8 And would it not be a grievous thing to you to see poore inferiour meane men and women to be lifted up to glory your selves cast out an eternall curse have not many of them most excellent pretious spirits doe they not doe God farre more service than you doe they not bring more honor to his Name than ever you did Think then with your selves Why should God put those who are of such choice pretious spirits into such a low condition and raise me to such an high Is it not because he intends to give me my portion in this life but reserves better mercies for them afterwards It would bee very grievous indeed if it should prove so 9 The hopes we have of the continuance of our peace in the happy enjoyment of those pretious liberties of the Gospel that in so great mercy have been continued unto us depends much upon the worke of Gods grace upon your souls If God takes off your spirits from common vanities the pleasures of the flesh from the poore low things of the world from your own private ends and causes the feare of his great Name to fall upon them and raiseth them to the love of and delight in the great things of godlinesse to be given up wholy to him to lift up his great Name we shall then look upon you as the joyfull hopes of our souls that God still doth will delight in the blessing peace prosperity of his people But if we see darknesse upon your spirits then a dismall night of darknes is upon us As when we see it wax dark in the valleys we say it is towards night if it begins to be dark upon the hills it is nigh night but if it be dark in the skie it is night indeed So where we see the workes of darknesse amongst the people it is a signe that a night is comming but where we see them in those of a higher ranke in the Gentry it makes us feare that the night is nearer but if in the Nobility and the great men then it is a dismall night indeed Wherefore be you exhorted in the Name of the Lord to labour much that you may have more gracious and holy spirits than others together with your dignities whereby you are lifted up above others Wee envie not your honours we desire that they may be raised higher by grace Grace may well stand with the enjoyment of all your
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
in the worke of grace is a perfect beauty and comlinesse Ezech. 16. 14. There is no grace wanting there is all true spirituall blessings Ephes 1. 3. Blessed bee God who hath blessed us with all spirituall blessings so the words are in your bookes but in the Originall blessings is in the singular number with all spirituall blessing there is all and yet but one blessing to note that spirituall blessings are so knit together that they all make up but one blessing and therefore where there is one truely there none can be wanting there is such grace as in the growth of it it springs up to eternall life There is such a perfection as wants onely the ripening and it would bee the same with the life in heaven but where there wants any essentiall part though it bee ripened never so much let it grow up never so fast it will never come to be perfect Thus if there be any worke of grace wanting if there be any defect in the principle though that that be there grow up never so fast yet it would never attain unto eternall life Therefore in the work of sanctification where it is true though it bee never so weake yet there is this perfection that there are all graces in it but where there is onely a sweet nature where there is onely some morall worke upon the spirit there are onely some particular excellencies The most Morall man that ever lived hath had some way of evill that his spirit hath run out unto 4 Where there are true spirituall excellencies there is an impulse of heart a strong bent of spirit in following after the Lord there is such a powerfull impression of divine truths upon the soule as presses it on with strength in Gods wayes so that it cannot easily bee hindered as the Propher saith Esay 8 11. That the Lord spake to him with a strong hand that he should not walke in the way of the people such a spirit hath not onely some desires and some wishes to that which is good but goes on bound in the spirit as S. Paul sayes of himselfe The love of Christ constraines him there is a power of godlinesse where it is true When Eliah had cast his Mantle upon Elisha the spirit of Elisha was prest to follow him 1 King 19. 19 20. so that when Elisha desired leave of him to goe to his father and mother to take his leave of them and said that then he would follow him Eliah answershim What have I done to thee Eliah indeed did nothing in outward appearance to draw him after him for what was the casting of his Mantle upon him to worke such an effect in him but together with the casting of his Mantle there went a spirit into Eliah that hee could not but follow him Such a powerfull worke is there in the sanctifying graces of Gods Spirit as with strength to cause the soule to follow him there is a law of the minde that hath power and command in it as before there was a law of sinne But where there are onely sweet natures there men are easily drawne one way and as easily drawn the other way they joyne with those that are good in good actions but their hearts are not so set on that they doe but that they may bee easily taken off and carried another way Fifthly where there are onely moral principles there the soule sees not into is not sensible of turnes not from the evill of sinne as the greatest evill it sees not such evill in it as to make it subscribe to the righteousnesse of God in all those dreadfull things that are threatned against it but thinkes they are too hard Surely God is not so severe a God God forbid things should bee so as those wee read of in the Gospell When Christ spake that Parable concerning those who smote the servants of the Lord of the Vineyard Luke 20. 16. and told them that the Lord should come destroy those Husbandmen and give his Vineyard to others It is said When they heard that they said God forbid So many when they heare the dreadfull wrath of God denounced against sinne they say God forbid they thinke indeed that sinne ought not to bee committed but they doe not thinke it so great an evill as to procure so great miseries but if their spirits were right they would apprehend sinne as opposite to an infinite good and so having a kind of infinitenesse of evill in it they would not onely yeeld to the Justice of God revealed but acknowledge that there are greater and more fearefull miseries due to it than can be conceived yea they would see cause that if God should bring those evils upon them for their sinne that there is infinite equitie that they should lay their hands upon their mouthes and take shame to themselves and acknowledge the Lord to bee righteous for ever Sixthly where there are onely naturall and morall excellencies they do not raise the soule to a love of the strictest wayes of God they thinke of accuratenesse and exactnesse in Gods wayes to be but nicenesse and too much precisenesse luke-warmenesse is the onely temper sutable to them they thinke wisedome consists in the remission of godlines not in the improvement of it what is beyond their temper they judge as weaknes and folly and it must needs bee that morall men must have such thoughts of the strictnesse of the wayes of God because that good they have is such as arises from the principles of naturall reason and makes a naturall good its end and therefore all their vertue and goodnes must be such as must not stretch nature but must be subserviet to that naturall good they frame to themselves Now the observing of some Rules and Duties of Religion will suite well with this and so farre they approve and like well of Religion and here they sticke and thinke any thing that is further than this is folly and more than needs The worke of godlinesse in the power of it must needs be distastefull to them because it seekes to empty a man of himself to cause him to deny himselfe to fetch all from principles beyond himselfe to be for a higher good than himselfe is which is an infinite good and therefore if it were possible it would work infinitely towards it but howsoever it will set no limits to it selfe Seventhly where there is onely nature or morality there is no sense of the breathings of Gods Spirit in his Ordinances the Ordinances are dead and flat things to them a meere morall man can like well enough of presenting himselfe in the Ordinances but he feeles no vertue in them no impression that they worke upon him that abides on his spirit after the Ordinances are done he knowes not what it is to enjoy God in them he knowes not what it is to stirre up himselfe to take hold on God in the exercise of them those excellencies that hee hath
thou canst then sollow the work of Gods grace make much of such beginnings give up thy selfe to the power of them turne the motions of Gods Spirit into purposes and those purposes into endevours and those endevours into performances and seeke that those performances may bee established Wee doe not know what we lose when at any time we lose the stirrings of Gods Spirit in our hearts Who knowes but that thy eternall estate may depend upon those sparkes that hee is now kindling in theé It is a great wickednes to stifle the child in the wombe when it is new conceived and is it not a great wickednes to stifle those blessed motions that are conceived by the worke of the Holy Ghost And for a conclusion of this point let thy spirit be for ever restlesse untill thou feelest God graciously comming in unto thee let no mercie satisfie thee till God gives thee soule-mercies and blesses thee with his choice spirituall blessings such as are peculiar to those who are good in his eyes A GRACIOVS SPIRIT FOLLOWS GOD FVLLY The second Part. Numb 14. 24. And hath followed me fully him will I bring into the land wherein he went and his seed shall possesse it CAP. 1. 〈…〉 t is for a man to follow God fully THe second Doctrine follows which is this It is the high praise of servants that they follow God fully This is their coâ—mendation that they have their hearts come fully off in the wayes of obedience to fulfill the good will of the Lord this is that perfect heart which God so often calls for in Scripture and for which so many of Gods servants are commended in the Word as Gen. 17. 1. Walke before me saith God to Abraham and be thou perfect Deut. 18. 13. Thou shalt be perfect with the Lord thy God This Noah is commended for Gen. 6. 9. He was a just man and perfect in his generations so Iob Chap. 1. 1. He was perfect and upright The want of this was the staine and blot upon Salomon 1 King 11. 6. the Text there sayes he went not fully after the Lord as did David his father This likewise was the staine of the Church of Sardis Revel 3. 2. I have not found thy wayes perfect the woâ—ds are I have not found thy wayes 〈…〉 thou hast not filled up thy 〈…〉 following me somthing ind 〈…〉 ou hast done but thou hast not followed me fully To have a heart ful of goodnesse as S. Paul testifies of the Romanes Chap. 15. vers 14. and to have a life full of good workes as Acts 9. 33. is witnessed of Tabitha This is the excellencie of a godly man this is the true declaration of the excellencie of that spirit wherein this glory doth consist In this Argument we shall first shew what it is to follow God fully or what the frame of the spirit is in the following the Lord fully Secondly wherein the true excellencie of this lies Thirdly apply it For the first take this Caution premised When we speak of a fulnesse in following the Lord wee doe not mean a legall fulnesse such a fulnesse wherein there is no want or imperfection not to sinne is here onely our law in heaven it shall be our reward Buâ—â—here is a true following of the 〈…〉 that is even in this life to bâ—â—â—â—aâ—ned unto an Evangelicall fulnesse and that is the fulnesse that we are to speake of The Gospel requires perfection as well as the Law though in a different manner and this is First a fulnesse of all graces though not the degree of all graces yet the truth of every grace There is no grace wanting where this Evangelicall fulnesse is Secondly there is no want no not of any degree wherein the soule rests there is such a perfection as the soule takes no liberty to it selfe to faile in any thing Thirdly there are sincere aymes as in the sight of God to attain to the highest perfection the full measure of holinesse and Fourthly there is that uprightnesse of the soule as it doth not onely desire and endeavoure to attaine but doth indeed attaine to the truth of that I shall deliver First the heart is fully set and resolved for God there is fuln 〈…〉 of resolution so the Septuag 〈…〉 slates that place in Ioshuah 14. vers 8 where Caleb speakes of his following of God fully they turne it thus I decreed I determined to follow him The heart is fully taken off from shiftings from hankerings after other things from the ingagements that before it had from disputings reasonings for the wayes of the flesh it doth not hang betweene two as unsetled irresolved wavering but is truly and fully taken off and the resolutions are fully set upon and for the wayes of God Many have some coÌ„victions some stirrings some makings towards the wayes of God some approbation of them thinking with themselves it were well if wee could doe thus Surely they are the best men who can doe thus but still some ingagement holds them fast they have thoughts flitting up and downe they would and they would not they could like well were it not for this thing and that thing this inco 〈…〉 ience and the other trouble w 〈…〉 follow and so they delay and put off and think it may be they may hereafter doe better their good desires and inclinations they hope may serve turne for the present And thus they stand baffling with God and their owne soules they are as Seneca speakes of some alwayes about to live But this soule who fully followes God is fully broken off from former wayes the thoughts of it are come to a determinate issue it is resolved against them whatsoever becomes of it resolved to listen no more after the reasonings of flesh and blood as S. Paul sayes of himselfe Gal. 1. 15 16. that after it pleased God to call him by his grace and to reveale his Son in him immediately he conferred not with flesh and blood Many are a great while before they be thus fully taken off they are as Agrippa Acts 26. 28. almost perswaded to become Christians the truths of God doe move them but not throughly perswade them they strive with them but dâ— not throughly vanquish them The â—pirit of God leaves some in the very birth that there is never strength to bring forth but it is a most blessed thing when the heart comes off kindly and fully now it is not so ready to raise objections against the wayes of God nor to hearken to objections raised by others as it was before When the fire is fully kindled there is little smoke at the first the smoke rises thicke that we can see no fire The reason of so many arguings and objections of the flesh is because the heart is not fully taken off Tertullian hath a notable expression to this purpose How wise an Arguer sayes he doth the pride of man seeme to it selfe when it is
every one that hath any truth Wherefore for answer let us know there is this perfection or else there is no truth at all onely remember I doe not speake now of the perfection of degrees in this cōsists the right straightnes of a mans heart A straight line wil touch with another straight line in every point but a crooked line wil not it toucheth but only here there in some so straight hearts will joyne with Gods law in every part but crooked and perverse hearts onely in some onely so farre as may serve their owne turnes In this consists the true plainnesse of a mans spirit you know plaine things will joyne likewise in every point one with another but round and rugged things will not so proud sowlne hearts and rugged spirits will not close fully with Gods truths but where there is plainnesse of spirit there is a full closing a thorow union There is a great dangerous mistake about this point which yet is a generall mistake multitudes of people miscarry everlastingly upon this mistake they think because we cannot in this life attain to the perfection of holinesse in the degrees therefore there is no perfection at all necessary but that they may be saved without it they think therfore that if they do some good things if they obey some Commandements it is sufficient though they take liberty to themselves in other things they finde they can yeeld in something yet other things of Gods will are exceedingly unsutable unto thē Be convinced of your mistake herein a godly man indeed is weak and cannot attain to the performance of every part of Gods will but the frame of his heart is to every part every part is sutable to his spirit He esteemes all the Precepts of God concerning all things to be right and he hates every false way He findes the Law of God in the latitude of it written in his heart there is no command of God that is not dearer to him than all the world Marke that place in Iob Chap. 8. verse 20. God will not cast away the perfect man neither will he helpe the evill doers The perfect man is opposed to the evill doers who shall be cast away If you be not perfect in this sense that hath been spoken of then you are an evill doer who must be cast away how glorious soever many of your actions may seeme to be That place in Ezechiel Chap. 18. verse 21. that is usually taken for the place of the greatest mercy in all the Scripture by many is exceedingly abused yet see what that requires of men in their repentance the words are usually taken up thus At what time soever a sinner repents him of his sin I will blot out all his iniquities saith the Lord. There are not those very words in any place of Scripture but there are to the like effect which are in this place of Ezechiel And in no other place is Gods mercy to a sinner more fully revealed There is no Text in Scripture comes nearer to that which men ordinarily take up than that verse and the 27. 28. verses in the same Chapter and see what of Gods mind wee have made knowne there the words of the Scripture are thus If the wicked will turne from all his sinnes that he hath committed and keepe all mystatutes and doe that which is lawfull and right he shall surely live and againe Verse 28. Because he considereth and turnes from all his transgressions Thus you see that God in the largest promises of his mercy to those who have the least measure of grace he requires the turning from all sinnes and the keeping of all his Statutes and this God brings to shew the infinite equity of his wayes towards sinners As if he should say Except this be no mans conscience in the world but must acknowledge it to bee infinitely just and equall that he should perish everlastingly if there bee any way of wickednesse reserved if any statute of mine bee neglected if he thinks to have mercy without an universall turning from his sin without an universall obedience his conscience will tell him that it is an unequall and unreasonable thing that hee should ever expect it And yet further because you think that this universalitie of obedience should be expected only from some who are eminent in grace who have attained to a great measure of godlinesse consider what is required of poore widdowes 1 Tim. 5. 10. They must diligently follow every good work First they must not onely have good desires but good works Secondly they must follow good works Thirdly they must diligently follow them Fourthly they must diligently follow every good work And fifthly they must so follow as they must be well reported of for it Yea sixthly they must doe all this or els they must not be received into the Church Surely then it is a shame for any man especially of parts and abilities to plead weaknesse when so much is required of poore women certainly it is not weaknes but falsenesse of heart that is contrary to universalitie of obedience to the following of the Lord fully in this respect The Vessell of honour is distinguished from the vessel of dishonour 2 Tim. 2. 21. by this Character that it is one that is sanctified and prepared for every good worke You know what S. Iames saith Chap. 1. verse 26. If any man seeme to be religious and bridle not his tongue but deceives his owne heart this mans religion is in vaine It is an heavie censure that all a mans religion is in vain for one fault and that but for a fault in the tongue and yet this is the censure of the Holy Ghost No question such men who were guilty herein would reason thus with themselves We cannot be perfect in this life we doe performe many duties of religion therefore we hope though we faile in this one thing that yet we shall doe well enough God will accept of us No saith S. Iames hee deceives his owne heart such a one shall never be accepted To the like effect is that of our Saviour Iohn 5. 44. How can you beleeve on me which receive honour one of another This was enough to keep thē off for ever from Christ and yet this was but an inward sin no outward grosse crying sin in the esteem of the world Let a man be never so glorious in never so many duties of Religion yet certainly the giving liberty to himselfe in any one lust is enough to keepe him off for ever from God from partaking of good in him As if a wife be never so officious to her husband yeelding to him in never so many things seeking to give him content in his desires never so many wayes yet if she entertaines any other lover besides himselfe it is enough to alienate his spirit from her for ever That which God sayes to Salomon 1 King 9. 4. is very observable to our purpose After Salomon had finished
here 's the misery we are not sensible of this if wee have our desires in the creature we are quieted and satisfied whereas if our hearts were fully after the Lord as they ought when wee are before him wee should crie to him as Moses in another case Exod. 33. Except thy presence goe with mee Lord send mee not hence 9 One that followes God fully is willing to engage and binde himselfe to God by the most full and strong bonds and engagements that can be his spirit is at the greatest liberty when hee is most strongly bound to the Lord. That place in the 2 Chron. 15. 12 is very observable for this Asa and his people enter into a Covenant to seek the Lord God of their fathers with all their heart and with all their soule yea so as whosoever would not seeke the Lord God should bee put to death whether small or great man or woman and they sware unto the Lord with shoutings and with trumpets and with cornets But were they not afterwards troubled that they had so tied and bound themselves would they not have thought it better to have been at more liberty No surely for Verse 15. the Text sayes that all Iudah rejoyced at the oath and this reason is given Because they had sworne with all their heart and sought him with their whole soule When any seek God with their whole heart with their whole soule they are not only willing to engage themselves to God but they rejoyce in their engagements Thus Nehemiah whose heart was fully set for God did himselfe and got the Princes the Priests Levites and People to make a sure covenant to write it to seale it Chap. 9. 38. And as if this were not engagement enough they further enter into a curse and into an oath to walke in Gods Law to observe and doe all the Commandements of the Lord and his Judgements and his Statutes Thus David discovers the fulnesse of his spirit in following after the Lord in that he not onely promises but sweares hee will keep the righteous Judgements of the Lord Psal 119. 106. It is a signe that mens hearts are not fully taken off from their sinne when they doe not fully come off in the Covenant of the Lord. No may some say it is because wee often covenant with God and finde wee are overcome againe and doe breake covenant with him and therefore we are afraid to enter into covenant any more Is it not better not to covenant than not to performe I answer It is true if men covenant and wilfully neglect they were better not covenant at all but if when wee enter into covenant wee have the testimony of our consciences that we labour as in the sight of God to fulfill our covenants wee make and it is the burthen of our soules that we saile in them then I say that wee are still to goe on and engage our selves further our covenants doe not aggravate our sinne but in time they will help us against our sinne this is one way that God hath appointed to strengthen us and therefore wee must not complaine of weaknesse and yet neglect any way appointed by GOD to get strength by 10 To follow God fully is to abide in all these constant to the end of our dayes That is we must be constant in Gods wayes not thinke it enough to enter into them by fits and starts but the wayes of God must be our ordinary track Prov. 16. 17. The high way of the upright is to depart from evil It is his common road and constant course and wee must continue faithfull before the Lord unto the death It is the commendation of Hezechiah 2 King 8. 6. He clave unto the Lord and departed not And David Psal 119. 112. he saith Hee hath enclined his heart to performe Gods statutes alway but as if that expression were not enough to signifie his continuance he addes even unto the end Iob 17. 9. The righteous holds on his way A heart that hath given up it selfe fully to God doth never forsake him There is no Apostate in the world but if we could trace him along in his wayes to his very beginning we might find that in the entrance of his profession there was not a full giving up himself to God there was not an absolute surrender made of all that he was and had unto the Lord. It may bee said of him as it was of Amaziah That though he did that which was right in the sight of the Lord yet he did it not with a perfect heart There are three Reasons why it must needs be that that man which followes God fully must needs follow him constantly and for ever First because where ever the Lord brings any to follow him fully hee causeth such a perfect breach betweene sinne and that soule as there is no possibility that ever there should be a reconciliation made that the breach should bee made up againe An unsound heart so falls out with his sinne as there is a possibility of reconcilement and therefore when such a one findes trouble in Gods service hee is willing to enter into parly againe upon termes of agreement with his sinne but it is not so with a truly godly heart there is such a breach made as there is no hope of reconciliation It was Achitophels policie to get Absolon to stick to him so as never to leave him To take away the feare that there might be lest Absolon in time might bee reconciled to his father and so leave him therefore he sought to make such a breach betweene him and his father as there should never be any hope of reconciliation and so hee might bee the surer to keepe constant to him and the people that joyned with him and therefore hee advised that Absolon should goe in to his fathers Concubines upon the house top in the sight of all the people 2 Sam. 16. 21 22. It is the wisedome of God that he may have followers never to leave him to make such breaches betweene sinne and their soules at first so as there may never bee hope of peace betweene them againe As the Devill when he would draw one to be his for ever hee seekes to make great breaches betweene God and him that if hee should have ever any thoughts of returning he may discourage and sinke his spirit with thoughts of despaire telling him there is no hope of good in returning that way and therefore it were better for him to continue as he is as Ier. 2. 25. Thou saidst there is no hope No for I have loved strangers and after them will I goe When the Devill gets one who hath beene forward in the profession of religion to Apostatize hee labours to make such a breach betweene him and his former course as not onely to fall off from it but to hate it and to persecure it and to turne deadly enemie to it and then both the devill and wicked men think
hold on to the end The reason that Philosophers give why the heavens are incorruptible is because the forme of them is so excellent as it wholly fils up the utmost capacity of the matter so the reason of the holding on of the upright heart is the full satisfaction of it the filling up the full capacity of it with contentment and delight in Gods ways Thus you have heard what it is to follow God fully CAP. II. The excellency of this frame of spirit in foure things THe second thing propounded in the point was to shew wherein the excellency of such a kind of frame of spirit lies take it in these foure things First this is truly to honour God as a God except God be honoured as infinite hee is not honoured as God now it is the full following him that onely honours him as infinite where God is followed and not thus hee is followed no otherwise than a creature may bee followed this is not therefore to honour him as a God but rather it is a dishonor to that infinite excellency blessednesse of his whereby he is infinitely above all that creatures are or that they are any way capable of The great thing that God aimed at in the creating of the heavens and earth was that he might by Angels and men bee honoured as a GOD and therefore that which gives him this hath true and much excellency in it Secondly this full following of God doth much honour the work of Grace and the profession of godlinesse it shewes a realitie power excellency and beauty in it it shewes that it proceeds out of the fulnesse of Jesus Christ such as hath high and heavenly principles when there is power proportion and constancy in a mans wayes there must needs bee much beauty in them there is a forcing of conviction from the consciences of evill men by them this takes away all pretences from men that they know not how to speak evill of the wayes of godlinesse they know not how to oppose and persecute them when they can see no flaw when though they watch what they can yet they can see nothing unsutable to their principles The principles of godlinesse for the most part are acknowledged by the consciences of the worst who have any light in them therefore when all a mans wayes are sutable to these it puts wicked mē to a stand they know not what to say against such men nor against their way but their owne thoughts tell them that surely there is something in these men that hath realitie and power and divine excellency in it that is from none other but from God himselfe Thirdly this hath such excellency in it as that God himselfe boasts of such as these are as they glory in the Lord and blesse themselves in the Lord so the Lord seemes to glory in them and to account his name blessed by them as you may see how God rejoyces in and makes his boast of Iob Chap. 1. vers 8. Hast thou considered my servant Iob that there is none like him in the earth a perfect and an upright man And so of David I have found a man after mine own heart which shall fulfill all my will So of those wee read of in Revel 14. These are they which were not defiled and againe These are they which follow the Lambe whithersoever he goeth and again in the same verse These were redeemed from among men being the first fruits unto God and to the Lambe and in their mouth was found no guile Fourthly this following of the Lord fully doth ever attaine its end it prospers in that it workes for in whatsoever thing any soule followes the Lord fully it shall be sure to accomplish that it aymes at and to be satisfied in that it would have As Hos 6. 3. Then shall we know if we follow on to know the Lord Thus David in Psal 63. where his soule thirsted after God his flesh longed for him his soule followed hard after him he saith himselfe in the same Psalme that Gods right hand did now uphold him and that his soule should be satisfied as with marrow and fatnesse and his mouth should praise the Lord with joyfull lips and the King shall rejoyce in God CAP. III. Rebuke to divers sorts whose spirits are not full in following after the Lord. IF thus to follow the Lord fully bee so excellent if this fulnesse of spirit bee such an honour unto Gods people then justly are those rebuked whose spirits are not full in following the Lord who acknowledge the Lord worthy to be followed but their spirits are slight and vaine their hearts are straitned in the wayes of the Lord they doe not fill up this blessed work of following after the Lord their hearts doe most basely fall and most miserably vanish in it As first some are convinced their judgements and consciences are for God but their lusts carry them violently another way Oh the miserable torment of these mens spirits while their consciences draw one way and their lusts another it is not so great an evill to have wilde Horses tyed to the members of ones body tearing of them by drawing contrary wayes Secondly others rest in their good inclinations their good desires they say they would faine doe better and they hope God will accept the will for the deed they like of Gods wayes and speake well of good men and therefore they thinke their hearts are for God but these desires and good motions are but as little buds and sprigs that come out of the roots of trees or from the middle of their body which come to nothing they never grow up to beare any fruit these are yet farre from following the Lord fully and savingly for 1 Their judgements are not yet inlightned not throughly convinced of the poyson and infinite evill there is in sinne of that absolute infinite necessitie there is in the holy wayes of God they see not the dreadfull Authority of God in every truth they think it were well if things were amended it were good if more were done than this God helpe us we have all our infirmities and though they doe not as others doe yet they hope their hearts are good towards God were it not for some inconveniences they are like to meet withall they could be content to doe more than they doe But what is this to that mighty work of God upon this spirit convincing of the infinite necessity equity beauty of his blessed wayes What is this to that sight of Gods infinite dreadfull authority Those whose hearts the Lord takes off from other things to work fully after himselfe he begins thus with them in the powerfull enlightning and convincing of their judgements 2 These never were made sensible of their inabilitie to have holy desires after God so as to see any need of any speciall worke of the Holy Ghost to raise such desires in their hearts Those who are
Verse to set forth the earnestnesse and fulnesse of the spirit of Idolaters towards their Idols Where have we five such expressions together to set out the fulnesse of the worke of mens spirits in following after the Lord It was said of Ahab that hee sold himselfe to work wickednesse what a fulnesse of spirit was there in him in doing wickednesse Ier. 23. 10. It is said there of the people that their course was evill and their force was not right That vis that strength and force that was in their spirits was not right it was not after God but after the wayes of sinne How many difficulties will men passe thorow for their lusts what cost will they bee at how great things will they suffer nothing is so deare unto them but they will be content to part with it for and bestow it upon their Idols How soon did the people Exodus 32. break off their golden Ear-rings from their Eares to make an Idoll withall and shall not then our hearts and lives bee more fully after the blessed God Wee see wicked men sticke close to their wicked principles they are bold they will not bee daunted they will goe thorow with the worke they have begun what ever come of it should not wee much more stick to our principles should not wee much more bee undaunted in our way and goe thorow with our worke I remember I haue read a passage in Saint Cyprian how he brings in the devil triumphing over Christ in this manner As for my followers I never dyed for them as Christ did for his I never promised them so great reward as Christ hath done to his and yet I have more followers than hee and they doe more for mee than his doth for him O let the thought of our giving the devil occasion thus to triumph over Christ in our slacknesse and negligence in following after him cause shame and confusion to cover our faces and yet to put on this Argument a little more close It may bee you your selves heretofore have followed sinne fully your hearts have beene strong after evill and your lives have beene fruitfull in it it may bee you have beene forward in putting forth your selves ring-leaders in that which was evill not onely stout and perverse your selves but maintainers encouragers of much evill in others you gave up yours members your estates and what you had to the service of sin much time was spent much sleepe broke in plotting and contriving wickednesse much paines taken in the execution of it and now your hearts and wayes seeme to bee for God and is a poore sleight scant dead-hearted service sufficient for him Oh bee ashamed and confounded in thy thoughts let Conscience judge betweene God and his Creature Doest thou thus requite the Lord is this thy kindnesse to him Is there not infinite reason that as you have yeelded your members servāts to uncleannes to iniquity unto iniquity even so you now should yeeld your members servants to righteousnesse unto holinesse Rom. 6. 19. Marke the opposition there there are three to 's in the expression of the service to sinne To uncleannesse To iniquitie Vnto iniquitie but in the service of God there are onely two To righteousnes Vnto holines It is true in this life there will never be that fulnesse of spirit in following after God as there was in following after sinne because there was nothing but sinne in the soule before no other streame to abate it but now there is somthing else besides grace a streame of corruption to oppose it but yet wee should bee ashamed that there should be such a difference the thought of it should cause a dejection of heart within us and we should judge it infinitely equall reasonable that we should indeavour to the utmost wee are able to follow God as fully now as ever wee followed sinne before Saint Paul Acts 26. 11. confesseth that in his former way he was madd in the persecution of Gods servants and when God turned the streame others judged him as mad in the other way 2 Corinth 5. 13. For whether we bee besides our selves it is to God the love of Christ constraineth us And hence we may observe that the same word that signifies to persecute he useth to set out his earnest pressing towards the Marke Phil. 3. 14. I presse towards the Marke for the price of the high calling of God The word that is there translated presse towards it is this same that signifies to persecute because the earnestnesse of his spirit in pressing towards the marke now is the same that it was in his persecution of those that pressed towards the marke before Sixthly the more fully we follow God the more full shall our present peace and joy and soule satisfying contentment be Psal 119. 130. The entrance of thy words giveth light the beginning of following God is sweet and good but the further wee doe goe on the more sweet we shall finde as they who walked toward Sion Psalm 84. 7. They went from strength to strength so they who walke after the Lord they goe from peace to peace from joy to joy frō one degree of comfort unto another for if the entrance into our way be so good and sweet what will it bee when wee come into the midst of it Prov. 8. 20. I lead in the way of righteousnesse in the midst of the pathes of judgement marke what followes there verse 21. That I might cause those that love me to inherit substance and I will fill their treasures Then doth the soule inherit substance indeed then are the treasures of it filled when wisedome leades it not onely in the way of righteousnesse but in the midst of the paths of judgement The way of the just is compared to the shining of the light that shineth more and more unto the perfect day Prov. 4. 18. The further hee goes on his way the more light hee hath the more glorious shine is upon him Psal 36. 8. They shall be abundantly satisfied and they shall drinke of the River of pleasures Who are those that shal be thus abundantly satisfied and shall have this River of pleasures they are verse 10. the upright in heart That soule that walkes on before the Lord in the uprightnesse of it shall not want satisfaction shall not want pleasure Psal 119. 165. Great peace have they which love thy law It is more to love Gods law thē to do the thing that is commanded in it That soule which doth not onely submit to the Law but loves it will be abundant in duty for love is bountifull great peace hath such a soule that thus loves Gods Law Every good motion in the soule is as the budd of the Lord and that is beautifull and glorious but how excellent and glorious is the fruit of it then the good beginnings which are as the budding of the Pomegranate and the putting forth of the tender Vine are delightfull to God and
God saith David maketh my way perfect the word is He frees my way Solvit so it is translated by some Hee frees it from snares and this is a great mercy Hence Psalme 18. 32. Where this thanksgiving of David is againe repeated there the word is translated Dedit Hee hath given my way to be perfect this is a good gift indeed for God to make a mans wayes free and cleare before him to take off the temptations that did ingage and insnare his spirit and then as Verse 34. of that place in Samuel He maketh my feet as Hindes feet O how swiftly and powerfully then may the soule runne in Gods wayes when it is thus freed Psalm 119. 44 45. I shall keep thy Law continually for ever and ever and I will walke at liberty When the heart is at liberty then it goes on continually for ever and ever in following after the Lord but if there be any secret ingagement in it it will be weary and one time or other will leave off a man that is fettered can neither go apace nor continue long A fourth thing that hinders men in following God fully it is going out in the strength of their owne resolutions not in any strength that they receive out of the fulnesse of Jesus Christ they trust more to their owne promises than to Gods Luther reports of Staupicius a Germane Divine that hee acknowledged of himselfe that before he came to understand aright the free and powerful grace of Jesus Christ that he vowed resolved an hundred times against some particular sin and never could get power over it at last he saw the reason to be the trusting to his own resolutions A fift cause is the meeting with more difficulties in Gods ways than wee made account of when Christians thinke onely of the good and sweet that they shall meet with in Gods wayes but they doe not cast in their thoughts what the troubles are like to bee that they shall finde in them like Ioseph who dreamed of his preferment and honour that hee should have above his brethren but dreamt not of his selling into Egypt nor of his imprisonment there Christians should at the first entrance into Gods wayes expect the utmost difficulties they should enter upon those termes to incounter with great troubles if they meane to sollow God fully in them It is a shame for any Christian to account any trouble that he meets withall in Gods wayes to be as a strange thing unto him Because the Lord had takē S. Paul as a chosen vessell unto himselfe and purposed to draw his heart fully after him observe how God deales with him in his first entrance into his way Acts 19. 16. I will shew him how great things hee must suffer for my Names sake But what then would take off the heart and carry it fully after the Lord These three things will doe it First the reall sight and thorow sense of sinne as the greatest evill Whē God leads his people weeping and with supplications then hee brings them into a straight way wherein they shall not stumble Ier. 31. 9. and againe Ier. 50. 4 5. the Lord saith that his people shall goe weeping and seeke the Lord their God they shal aske the way to Zion with their faces thither-ward saying Come let us joyne our selves to the Lord in a perpetuall Covenant that shall not be forgotten When they are led weeping in the thorow sense of their sinne then their faces are set toward Zion and then they are willing to joyne themselves to God in a perpetuall Covenant The second thing that will take off the heart fully is the cleare sight of God in these two considerations 1. In relation to our selves to see how there is all good in him for us to enjoy fully though wee have nothing but him alone what ever wee would have in any creature in any way so farre as is good for us it is to bee had in him when the soule is thorowly convinced of this it comes off sweetly and flowes fully after the Lord. 2. Consider God in relation to all other good thus that nothing else hath any true goodnesse in it but in reference and subordination to him The third thing that will take off the heart fully is the feare of God and the feare of eternity powerfully falling upon the soule and deeply taking impression in it For the feare of God take that place 2 Cor. 2. 1. Perfect your holinesse in the feare of God The feare of God is a great means to bring your holinesse to perfection and for the second that place in Phil. 2. 12. Worke out your salvation with feare and trembling The feare of the eternall salvation of the soule of the infinite consequence of it will cause us to labour to work it out CAP. VI. That it is the choicenesse of a mans spirit that causes him to follow GOD fully FRom the reference that this following of God fully hath to the excellency of Calebs spirit The Doctrine that ariseth is this That it is the choicenesse and excellency of a mans spirit that causeth him to follow God fully As Comets that are called blazing stars do soone vanish because of the basenes of the matter out of which they are but Starres in the Firmament continue because they are of an heavenly substance so there are many blazing Professors of Religion who rise high for a while but at last they come to nothing because their spirits are base and vile but those who have heavenly and choice spirits they god on in their way finish their course to the honour of God and his truth Pro. 11. 5. The righteousnesse of the perfect shall direct his way but the wicked shall fall Ezec. 36. 26 27. A new heart will I give you and a new spirit will I put within you c. And after it followes And cause you to walke in my Statutes and yee shall keepe my Iudgements and doe them This new spirit will cause a man to walk in Gods Statutes a man of such a spirit shall certainly keepe his judgements and do them even to the end It is not strength of parts that will carry a man thorow nor strength of Argument nor strength of conviction nor strength of naturall conscience nor strength of resolution nor strength of common grace it is onely this choice excellent spirit that other spirit of which wee have spoke so much before In this point I shall follow these three things 1 Wee shall shew what there is in this spirit that doth carry on a man fully 2 Why onely this can doe it 3 Apply it For the first it is the choicenesse of a mans spirit that causeth a man to goe fully after God for 1 By this a man comes to have a more full presence of God with him than any other man can have such a man is nearer unto God than others hee hath more of the nature of
from them for the Scripture saith He despised the shame and endured the Crosse but when his Father hid his face from him then he was in an agony then his spirit began to bee amazed then his soule was sorowfull to the death then hee fals groveling upon the ground then he sweats drops of water and bloud then hee cries out My God my God why hast thou forsaken mee These spirituall desertions in their degree Gods servants often meet withall in their way so as if they had not choice spirits some speciall worke of God in their soules they would certainly fall and sinke in it Now put all these together and we see it is not every ordinary spirit that is like to goe on fully after the Lord it must needs bee some thing extraordinary that preserves a spark in the midst of waves that preserves a candle light in the midst of storms and tempests Never wonder then or bee offended to see so many to fall off from God few men have choice spirits those who are godly expect no other from most professors and therefore they are not troubled when they see this fall out They went out from us because they were not of us saith the Apostle Wicked men are offended because they know not what the worke of grace meanes and hence if they see a man make profession of Religion they make no difference as though there were as much to be expected from him as from another as though the cause of God fell when he fell no such matter If you see mens spirits proud slight earthly sensuall or carried with a greater violence than their principles will beare I doe not meane though their affections may sometimes goe beyond their knowledge but by principles I meane the rooted graces of God in their hearts as one may perceive in some there are not graces rooted sutable to their expressions outward wayes and when you see not an evennesse in the wayes of men then never expect from them any full following the Lord and if they fall off be not troubled let it be no more than you made account of before-hand would be Hence the world is mistaken who judge it stoutnesse and stubbornnesse of spirit in Gods servants that will go on in the wayes of godlines they are a kind of inflexible people there is no perswading of them there is no dealing with them No it is no stubbornnesse it is the choicenesse of their spirits that makes them to doe as they doe you judge it stubbornnesse because you doe not know the principles upō which they goe I confesse if I see a man stand constantly in his way and will not bee moved by the perswasions of others if I doe not understand the reasons upon which hee goes I cannot but thinke it stoutnesse and this is your case but if you did but know what are their reasons what are their powerfull motives that draw them on in the wayes of God you would not have such thoughts of them Their spirits within them constraine them as Elihu sayes of himselfe in another case Iob 32. 18. Take these convincements that it is not stubbornnesse but choicenesse of spirit that carries them on so unmoveable in their way 1. In other things they are as yeeldable as tractable as easie to bee perswaded as any men it is only in the matter of the Lord their God they are thus They can beare burthens upon their shoulders and cry out and resist as little as any if you will compell them to goe a mile they will be content if it may do good to goe two yea as far as the shooes of the preparation of the Gospell of peace will carry them who can beare wrongs and injuries from men better than they stubborne-spirited men cannot doe thus 2 Stubbornnesse is joyned with desire of revenge but in these dispositions there is all pity and compassion they pray for those who doe oppose them when they are reviled they revile not againe If sometimes their corruptions should bee stirred they are ashamed and confounded in their own thoughts for that they have done they mourne and lament in the bitternesse of their spirits for it Thirdly stubborne dispositions are not contracted on a sudden it is by degrees and continuance of time that alters nature but this disposition of being unmoveable in Gods wayes comes many times even of a sudden as soone as ever the heart is turned which is an evidence of a new principle put into it Fourthly stubborne hearts doe not use to seek God to uphold them to strengthen them to blesse them in that way they doe not blesse God for being with them helping of them to persist in their way as Gods servants doe they go to God to get strength to inable them to bee immoveable they give God the glory of it when they have found themselves inabled to withstand temptations Fiftly those who are of stubborn dispositions doe not use to bee most stubborne when the heart is most broken with afflictions stout hearts though in their prosperity are unyeeldable there is no dealing with them then their hearts are presently up if you move them to any thing they have no mind to their words are stout their answers are sierce but let afflictions come then as Es 29. 4. Their hearts are brought down and they speake as one out of the ground and their speech is low as one out of the dust then they are willing to heare what you say As the young Gallant that Salomon speakes of in Proverbs 5. there was no speaking to him in his prosperity but when his flesh and body were consumed then he mournes at the last and cries out How have I hated instruction and my heart despised reproofe I have not obeyed the voyce of my Teachers c. But now those that are godly in their greatest afflictions when their hearts are most broken when God humbles them most even then they are most settled and unmoveable in that way they walked in before and it is then the greatest griefe of their soules that they walked no closer with God in it than they did Have other thoughts then of Gods people than you have had do not accuse that of stubbornnesse that you doe not understand thinke with your selves that there may be something in their spirits more than you know of Let those who have this excellent choice spirit encourage themselvs in this that surely it will inable them to follow God fully let them know First that though they be weak if their spirits bee right if of the right kind they shall certainly hold out That which Christ said for the comfort of the Church of Philadelphia Revel 3. 8 they may apply for theirs Thou hast a little strength saith Christ and hast kept my Word and hast not denyed my Name A little strength if it bee right if it bee the strength of a sound spirit it will carry on the soule to keepe