The souls exaltation A treatiseThe soules exaltation A treatise

again, some are cast behind hand in a Christian course, who, before God opened their eyes, and discovered their sins, and brought them home, they lived a riotous course, those old arrearages of pride and looseness many years together, a man is wonderful in debt in this manner; now to bring home such a sinner, and to pardon such a sinner, and to sanctify such a soul, there is a great deal of mercy required, and a great deal of grace required, there are many proud-hearted, and many stout-hearted, as Beelzebub himself, that take up arms against God himself, and stand in defiance against the Lord of hosts: now answerable to their conditions and corruptions, answerable to their debts and base courses, when God will bring such a creature home unto himself, he hath answerably strange blows for him; as it is said of Nebuchadnezzar, the Lord humbled him mightily; so when the Lord comes to meet with an old loose adulterer, and an old base drunkard, and a sturdy persecutor as Paul was, an ordinary stroke will not do the work, therefore as he had a great deal of mercy for Paul, so he had a great ⟨p. 71⟩deal to do before he could humble Paul, he flung him off his horse, as he was posting to Damascus, and might have broken his neck: again, men sometimes are driven to great trials and straights, as when God calls men to great trials and sufferings; now God doth apply to every man, according to his estate and condition; he that God hath set as a commander in his Church, as a Minister to teach, and a Magistrate to rule, and a master of a family, Gods fits graces unto them, according to their estates, the Lord takes measure of a mans estate as it were, and suits him proportionably with all graces necessary for his condition: again, they that are meaner and poorer, they shall have wisdom, and sanctification, and redemption, but answerable to their conditions; that is observable, Ephes. 4.16. Paul there calling our Saviour Christ the head of the Church, and his faithful servants the members of this head, he saith, By whom all the members being knit together, according to their effectual working in their measure they receive increase;

againe, some are cast behinde hand in a Christian course, who, before God opened their eyes, and discovered their sinnes, and brought them home, they lived a riotous course, those old arrerages of pride and loosnesse many yeares together, a man is wonderfull in debt in this manner; now to bring home such a sinner, and to pardon such a sinner, and to sanctifie such a soule, there is a great deale of mercy required, and a great deale of grace required, there are many proud-hearted, and many stout-hearted, as Beelzebub himselfe, that take up armes against God himselfe, and stand in defiance against the Lord of hosts: now answerable to their conditions and corruptions, answerable to their debts and base courses, when God will bring such a creature home unto himselfe, hee hath answerably strange blowes for him; as it is said of Nebuchadnezer, the Lord humbled him mightily; so when the Lord comes to meet with an old loose adulterer, and an old base drunkard, and a sturdy persecutor as Paul was, an ordinary stroke will not doe the worke, therefore as he had a great deale of mercy for Paul, so hee had a great