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
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
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
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
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
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
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
Revel 12. the Devill there opposeth Gods Saints in fiery and open violence as a Dragon but afterward Chap. 13. he gives his power to the Beast who had seven heads who would worke with more subtilty to draw the world after him and as wee reade Hos 7. 4 6 7 verses those who laboured to set up the Calves in Dan and Bethel were as hot as an Oven in their purposes intentions and desires but because they saw the best way to have the worke succeed was not to carry it on at first by open violence therefore they were content to stay As the Baker ceaseth from raising after he hath kneaded the dough untill it be leavened and when it is once leavened then hee puts it into the Oven so they were content to forbeare a while untill they had sent fit instruments abroad amongst the people to leaven them to prepare them by perswading them that if such a thing were done it were no great matter they should still worship the true God the difference was but the circumstance of the place and thus when they were leavened then they were fit for the Oven that is for the purposes and intentions of those who desired to set up the Calves which were as hot as an Oven According to any service the Devill hath for men he hath devices to raise their spirits to that height of wickednesse as shall fit them for it We have a notable relation of Hospinian cōcerning this When the Jesuits have made choice of an Instrument for that King-killing service that they intend to set him about they doe not put him upon it untill they have first raised and sitted his spirit for the service by these meanes 1. They bring him to a very private place in a Chappell or Oratory where the knife lies wrapt up in a cloth with an Ivory sheath with divers characters and Agnus Dei upon it they draw the knife and bedew it with holy water and hang on the haft of it some Beads consecrated with this Indulgence That so many blowes as he gives in the killing the King so many soules hee shall save out of Purgatory then they give the knife to him commending it to him in these words O thou chosen son of God take to thee the sword of Iephte Sampson David Gideon Iudith of Machaheus of julius the second who defended himself from the Princes by his sword goe and bee wisely couragious and GOD strengthen thy hand then they all fal upon their knees with this praier Be present O ye Cherubins and Seraphins bee present yee Thrones Powers holy Angels fill this holy vessell with glory give him the crowne of all the holy Martyrs he is no longer ours but your companion and thou O God strengthen his arme that he may doe thy will give him thyhelmet and wings to flie from his enemies give him thy comforting beames which may joy him in the midst of all his sorrows Then they bring him to the Altar where the picture of Iacobus Clemens is who killed Henry the third of France the Angels protecting of him and then they shew him a crown of glory and say Lord respect this thy arme and executioner of thy justice then foure Iesuits are appointed privately to speak with him they tell him that they see a divine lustre in his face which moves them to fall downe and kisse his feet and now he is no more a mortall man they envy his happinesse every one sighing and saying Would to God I were in your roome that I might escape Purgatory and go immediatly into Paradise but if they perceive him to shrink and be troubled after all this they will sometimes affright him with terrible apparitions in the night and sometimes have the Virgin Mary and the Angels appear before him c. Thus you see how the Devill will have mens spirits fit for their worke and when they are fit then he uses them and not before much more will God looke to have the spirits of his servants fit for their employments and then onely he delights to use them and those are the spirits who are higly accounted of who are exceedingly honourable in the sight of God who are fitted for his owne service Seventhly this puts a lustre of Majesty and beautic upon a man Wisedome much more all the excellencies of this Spirit makes a mans face to shine as the light of a Lanterne puts a lustre upon the Lanterne so the brightnesse of these spirits puts a lustre upon the men in whom they are Men of such spirits as these are have a daunting presence in the eyes of those who behold them It is reported of Basil that such was the Majesty lustre of hisspirit appearing in his very countenance that when the Emperor Valens came unto him while he was in holy exercises that it struck such a terror into him that hee reeled and had sallen had he not been upheld by those that were with him When the Officers came to take Christ he did but say I am hee and let out a beam of the Majesty of his Deity it strucke such a feare in them as made them all fall backward This Spirit hath a beame of this Majesty and somewhat of the daunting power of it how unable are wicked men to converse with men of such spirits They often goe from their company convinced self-condemned their consciencestroubled and their hearts daunted in them Eighthly this spirit makes men fit for any condition that God shall put them into they know how to yeeld to God to sinde out Gods meaning to carry themselves in every condition so as to worke out that which God would have by it which men of ordinary spirits cannot doe S. Paul was a man of a most admirable sweet spirit and he shewes it much in this I know sayes he how to want and how to abound how to be full and how to be empty Hee could goe through good report and evill report and keep his way still and carry his work before him It is the weaknesse and vanity of our spirits that makes us thinke that if wee were in such and such a condition then we could doe thus or thus this is a temptation to hinder us from the duties of the present condition by putting our thoughts upon another It is the excellency of ones spirit if the present condition bee not sutable to the minde to make the minde sutable to the condition that the present which God calls to may goe on When a joynt in the body is set right it enables not onely to move one way without paine but to move any way according to the use of the member so where ones spirit is set right it doth not onely enable to go on with some comfort in one condition but in any condition that God calls unto to carry on the work of that condition with joy and hence the recovering of the spirit from a distempered condition to a right
not sensible of their inability to holy desires though they may have many flashes like unto holy desires yet they are wholly strangers to those desires after God which are truly holy 3 These prize not the meanes of grace they long not after them they will not labour they will not bee at charge they will not endure hardship to attain them they are not conscionable in the use of them in any power they use not all meanes if one way will not bring their desires to effect they try not other wayes they are not solicitous about the successe of meanes they look not much after them but rest themselves in the bare use of them not examining not searching their hearts to see what is in them that hinders the blessing not bemoaning their unprofitablenesse under meanes 4 Their desires are not strong unsatiable other contentments quiet their hearts Time weares away the strēgth of their desires though they bee as farre from the enjoyment of the things that were desired as they were at the first 5 Their endeavours are not powerfull they are not working constant endeavours they doe not dedicate devote give up themselves whatever they are or have to the seeking after the Lord their consciences cannot but tel them that the strength of their hearts and endeavours is after other things David in the 119. Psalm 48. vers saith That hee would lift up his hands unto Gods Commandements which hee had loved and hee would meditate in his Statutes Hee did not thinke it enough to have a love to to have some wishes and desires to keepe Gods Commandements but he would lift up his hands to them hee would set himselfe on worke in labouring to obey them hee would meditate set his minde and thoughts to plot and contrive how he might best come to the fulfilling of them Psal 27. 4. One thing have I desired and that will I seeke after Certainly those slight vaine desires and wishes that there are in many peoples hearts are not the following this blessed God fully they are but the dallyings and triflings with God and their owne soules they are so farre from bringing them unto God as they prove to be their destruction The desire of the slothfull killeth him for his hands refuse to labour Prov. 21. 15. Thirdly others have good resolutions now and then in some good moods the truths of God come darting in with some power as they cannot but yeeld to them and then they are resolved that they will doe better that it shall not be with them as it hath beene they will set upon a new course of life things shall bee reformed and their lives shall bee changed but yet these vanish too they follow not God fully They are as those in the 5. Deut. 27. who seemed to have strong resolutions to walke in Gods wayes Goe thou neare say they to Moses and heare all that the Lord our God shall say and speake thou unto us all that the Lord our God shall speake unto thee and we will heare it and doe it But as the Lord said there concerning them Verse 29. So I may say of these Oh that there were such a heart in them How farre are they from having yet a heart to follow God fully For 1 Their resolutions are not fruits of their deepe humiliation for their former neglect of God and the former sinfulnesse of their wayes They are only to procure peace unto themselves for the present their hearts being stirred by the power of the truth darted in 2 They arise not from changed principles from a renewed nature from out of love to the Lord his blessed wayes hence they vanish and they never bring them up unto the Lord. Fourthly others have strong sudden affections they feele sometimes some meltings in sorrow for sinne in hearing the blessed truths of God revealed to them they feele some sweetnesse in the working of truths upon their hearts they are sensible of some joyes in good things they have a taste of the powers of the world to come When they heare Christ preached or see his body broken or his blood shed in the Sacrament they think with themselves Oh that Jesus Christ should come from heaven to save such poore wretches as we are that hee should shed his pretious blood that hee should die for such vile sinners yet these are a great way off from following the Lord fully For 1 these affections are sudden and flashing the truths of God passe by them leaving a little glimmering behinde them or as water passeth thorow a Conduit leaves a dew but they soake not into the heart as the water soakes into the earth to make it fruitfull 2 These are stirred with the pardoning comforting saving mercies of God but not with the humbling renewing sanctifying mercies when the word puts them upon any hard thing to flesh and blood it is unsavoury to them their hearts turne from it If the word urgeth to strict examination of themselves if it puts them upon the finding out of the deceits of their spirits their secret corruptions and would straine them to higher duties than their principles reach unto then their spirits fly off they seeke to blesse themselves in that they have already and think that these things trouble people more than needs if God should not bee mercifull to such who finde such affections such stirrings of heart as wee doe then Lord what shall become of us 3 These flashy affections doe not arise from spirituall judgement apprehēding the spirituall excellencies of godlinesse after a spirituall manner their apprehensions of spirituall and heavenly things are too too carnall and sensitive Hence afterwards when they come to finde the good things of the wayes of God to be spirituall and heavenly not sutable to those apprehensions they had of them their hearts are then taken off as those wee reade of in the 6. of Iohn 34. verse When Christ told them That the bread of God is hee which commeth downe from heaven and giveth life unto the world Oh say they Lord ever give us this bread their hearts were up exceedingly stirred Well as if Christ should have said You shall have it I am the bread of life hee that commeth to mee shall never hunger hee that beleeveth in me shall never thirst as if he should have said This must bee done by faith you must feed upon my flesh by faith and drinke of my blood by faith But now they having apprehended a strange kind of bread from heaven before and afterwards hearing of no other but comming to Christ and beleeving in Christ they were deceived of their expectations and so were offended and now their affections fall for verse 41. they begin to murmur at him and verse 60. they said It was an hard saying who could heare it and ver 66. From that time many of them went backe and walked no more with him The like example wee finde in the
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
to the soule but how pleasant then is the fruit when it comes to ripenesse The more fully we follow on in Gods wayes the more full will the testimony of the witnesses both in heaven and earth bee in witnessing our blessed estate unto us Those three witnesses in heaven the Father Word and Holy Ghost and those three on earth the spirit water and the blood of which S. Iohn in his 1 Epistle 5. 7 8. they will all come with their full testimony to that soule which followes God fully By following the Lord fully wee keep our evidences cleare sinne blots and blurs our evidences that oftentimes wee cannot reade them but when the heart keeps close to God and walks fully with him then all is kept faire The Kingdome of God consists in righteousnesse peace and joy the more fully wee are brought into his Kingdome the more fully wee are under his government as there will bee the more righteousnesse so the more peace and joy Es 9. 7. Of the encrease of his government and peace there shall bee no end saith the Text. The more encrease there is of Christs government in the soule the more full it is the more peace will be there Seventhly there is great reason that wee should walke fully after the Lord because the way that God cals us to walke in is a most blessed and holy way In the 21. Revelation 21. verse The streets of Ierusalem that is the wayes of Gods people in his Church wherein they are to walke they are said to bee of pure gold and as it were transparent glasse they are golden wayes they are bright shining wayes Prov. 3. 17. The wayes of wisdome are the wayes of pleasantnesse and all her paths are peace There is not any one Command of God wherein hee would have us to follow him but it is very lovely there is much good in it God requires nothing of us but that which is most just and holy as God is holy in all his workes so he is holy in all his Commands they are no other but that which if our hearts were as they ought wee would choose to our selves A righteous man is a law to himselfe he sees that good that beauty that equity in all Gods Lawes as hee would choose them to himselfe were hee left at his owne liberty What one thing is there in Gods Law that could bee spared What is there that thou couldst bee glad to bee exempted from It may bee in the strength of temptation when some lust is up working the flesh would faine have some liberty but upon due serious thoughts looking into the bottome of things a gracious soule closeth with the Law and loveth it as gold yea fine gold and breakes for the longing it hath not to the reward of obedience to Gods Statutes and Judgements but to the Statutes and Judgements of God themselves as David saith his soule did Howsoever our path in following the Lord may seeme rugged and hard to the flesh in regard of the afflictions and troubles it meets withall in it yet where there is a spirituall eye the way of holinesse appeares to it exceeding lovely and beautifull Though David Psa 23. supposed the worst that might befall him in his way as that he might walke through the valley of the shadow of death yet he cals his way greene pastures and saith Godwill leade him by the still waters It is true the wayes of God are grievous to the wicked but very good and delightfull to the Saints because they are the wayes of holinesse as Esay 35. 8. And a high-way shall be there and it shall bee called the way of holinesse The uncleane shall not passe over it Eightly the consideration of the end of our way should bee a strong motive to draw our hearts fully after the Lord in it the entrance into it is sweet the midst of it more as before we have shewed but the end of it most sweet of all there is that comming that will fully recompence all Consider of the sweetnesse of the end of our way 1 In that period of it that will be at death and 2 In that glorious reward we shall have in heaven That sweet and blessed comfort that the full following of the Lord brings at death is enough to recompence all the trouble and hardship that wee meet withall in our way while we are following of him This hath caused many Saints of God to lie triumphing when they have been upon their death-beds blessing the Lord that ever they knew his wayes that euer he drew their hearts to follow after him in them When Hezekiah received the message of death Esay 38. 2 3 he turned his face to the wall and said Remember O Lord I beseech thee how I have walked before thee in truth and with a perfect heart and have done that which is good in thy sight and Hezechiah wept sore O the sweetnesse that possessed the heart of Hezekiah which did flow from the testimony of his conscience that hee had fully walked after the Lord with a perfect heart the verbe there I have walked is in that Mood in the Originall that addes to the signification of it It signifies I have continually without ceasing walked Thus Luther who was a man whose spirit was exceeding full in his love unto and walking after the Lord Jesus Christ while hee lived and when hee came to die his spirit was as full of comfort and joy as before it was full of zeale and courage these expressions brake from him O my heavenly Father O God the Father of the Lord Iesus Christ the God of all comfort I give thee thanks that thou hast revealed thy Sonne Iesus Christ to mee whom I have beleeved whom I have professed whom I have loved whom I have honoured whom the Bishop of Rome and the rest of the rout of wicked men have persecuted and contemned and now I beseech thee O my Lord Iesus Christ receive my soule my heavenly Father although my body is to be laid downe yet I certainly know that I shall for ever remaine with thee neither can I by any be pulled out of thy hands The grace of Gods Spirit oftentimes appeares most in the glory of it when death approacheth because grace and glory is then about to meet That soule that hath followed God fully here when it comes to depart out of the body it onely changeth the place nor the company which was the speech of a late reverend holy Divine of ours a little before his death I shall change my place saith hee but not my company meaning that as he had conversed with God and followed after the Lord here in this World hee was now going to converse with him and to follow after him more fully in a better World Death to such a soule it is but Gods calling of it from the lower gallery of this World to the upper gallery of Heaven to walke with him there Here
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
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
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
Gods Word and inable not to deny his Name Secondly therefore is Christ filled with all fulnesse of all grace that out of his sulnesse thou mayst receive grace for grace that Spirit by which he is so plentifully annoynted it is for thee But I am afraid my spirit is not this choice spirit and therfore I shall not hold out in following the Lord. First is it a broken humble spirit in sense of thy weakenesses and wants Secondly that which thou dost though but weakly is it upon divine grounds and hast thou divine ends Thirdly doth the sight of thy weaknesse make thee cling and cleave unto Jesus Christ Fourthly when thou losest God in following him art thou sensible of the want of his presence and doest thou never leave crying and seeking till thou enjoyest him again Certainly this is a true choyce spirit that will carry on fully in following the Lord when thousands of glorious Hypocrites shall vanish and come to nothing If it be this choicenesse of spirit that is the only thing that will fully carry after the Lord then let us learn to looke to our spirits Keepe thy heart with all diligence for out of it come the issues of life Doe not so much complain of teÌ„ptations oppositions troubles you meet withal but look to your spirits all is safe and wel If there be the spirit of love of a sound mind there will be the spirit of power for these are joyned together by the Apostle there need not be the spirit of feare for the spirit of a sound mind the spirit of feare are opposed one to another in the same place But wherein should we looke to our spirits First take heed to your judgmeÌ„ts keep your judgemeÌ„ts clear for God his truth as it is said Es 33 that wisdom and knowledge should be the stability of those times so true wisdome and knowledge preserving the judgments of men right sound are the stability of mens hearts Take heed your judgmeÌ„ts come not to be altered to thinke otherwise of Gods wayes than you did before to have other opinions of theÌ„ Though there may bee many weaknesses yet if the judgement be kept right all may doe well but if the Leprosie bee got into the head then the soule is in a dangerous condition as Lev. 13. 44. when the Priest shall looke upon a Leprous man and see the plague is got into his head the Text saith he shal pronouÌ„ce him utterly unclean for the Plague is in his head The Priest was to pronouÌ„ce none to be utterly unclean but such who had the plague in their heads Secondly labor to keep conscience clear take heed of pollution there take heed of a breach in thy spirit there for that will weaken it much conscience is the strong Tower of thy soule if the Truth of God be got out there the strength of the soule is gone Thirdly labour to keepe thy heart low and humble when the flesh swels it cannot beare any hard thing upon it though a member growes bigger when it swels yet it growes weaker so it is with the soule Fourthly labour to keepe the spirit heavenly mixture of drosse will weaken it convince thy soule that a little of the Creature will serve turne to carry thee thorow this thy Pilgrimage well enough One told a Philosopher If you will be content to please Dionysius you need not feed upon green hearbs The Philosopher answers him And if you will be content to feed upon greene hearbs you need not please Dionysius So if men would be content with a little in the World to be in a low and meane condition they need not flatter those things that draw others from following after the Lord would not move them at all Fiftly labour to keep thy spirit in a continuall trembling frame abiding in the feare of the Lord all the day long the feare of the Lord causeth men to depart from evill meditate the feare of the Lord continually Lastly keep thy spirit continually working many things have much power in them while they are in motion but weake when the motion ceaseth sinne is very strong while it is in motion but when affliction stops the motion the truths of God have more power over it so grace while it is acting it is strong but if it growes dull it growes weake and is soone turned aside Thus we looking to our spirits wee shall bee able to follow the Lord fully and finish our course in peace FINIS Sal. l. 4 de Gab. 1. Dei Nazian in Encom Athanas Bern. pag. 1010. Act. 21. 13 Heb. 11. â—xerâ—it 18◠§. 27 28. 1 Sam. 12. â—eh 6. 11. Ve. s 13. 17 Dan. 3. 18. * As Groasthead Bishop of Lincolne once answered the Pope See Act. and Mon. 2 Vol. p. 553. Stock See in his funerall Sermons Dan. 6. 10. Acts 13. 9. 10. Aug conf l. 11. Cap. 1. Obs 1 Cor. 7. 25 Quest Answ Abulensis 〈◊〉 54 55. Scrarius l. 1 Ios c. 8. q. 6 Lorinus in Numb 14. 24. Implevit sequi 1 1 〈…〉 1 Sapida â—â—iâ—â—tia Philo Iudaeus in his book intituled Om nis probus liber tâ—ls of the Pyâ—â— agereans that inter Sacrata praecepta this was a principall Per viam publicam ne ingredere Argumentâ— turâ—issimis 〈◊〉 turba sayes Seneca 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Eadem ratione hanc vita viam quaeri oportet qua in altoiter navibus quaeritur nisi aliquid cali lumen observent incertis cursibus vagantur quisquis rectum iter vitae tenere nititur non terr'd debet aspicere sed coeluâ—â— ut aâ—ertius loquar on hominem debet sequi sed Deum Lactant. l. 6. c. 8. 4 1 5 1 2 Cor. 4. â— Nos Imperator so a terrena militia tibi obstricti sumus in animas nullum tibi jus est illarum Deminus est solus Deus Coutzen aulâ— speculum pag 47. Non admittit status sidei allegati onem neces sitatis deliuouendi quibus una est necessitas non delinquendi Tertul. de Cor militis cap. 11. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Rom. 8. 15 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 2 T 〈…〉 1. 7. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 3 Hem Germ ma illa bestia non 〈◊〉 auruÌ„ Melchior â—dâ—m in 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Nemo est dignus namine hominis qui unum diem vâ—lit esse in vo luptate lib. 2 de sinibus Platonis Phoedo p. 81. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈…〉 or sum et ad majora naturquà m vt mancipium sim corporis mei Sen. 〈◊〉 66. Valde protesta tus sum me nolle sic saâ—iari ab co Melchier Adam in vita Iuth Feciâ—â—i nos Domine prote â—â—qu etum est â—or n 〈…〉 do 〈…〉 veniat adte Luke 12. 19. Hern. de amore 〈◊〉 Sicut mea â—on tibi placent oblata nisi mecum sic bon rum tuorum contemp 〈…〉 io resiâ—â—t nos s 〈…〉 non sat at