The souls exaltation A treatiseThe soules exaltation A treatise

the good man seeing the dishonour that was like to come to God, & the utter destruction of the people of the Jews, he saith, I could even desire to be separated from Christ, & to be cut off from the Nation of the Jews, that they might not be forsaken of God: Now should a man pray to be removed out of Gods presence, and to be separated from God for ever, and to be cut off from God, and to be separated from Christ Jesus? no, for this were sinful; either it signifies that Paul should have his heart loosened, and sit loose in his affections to God, and to Jesus Christ: this Paul did not pray for, for it is a horrible sin, and it is an argument he hated Christ and himself too. Now so far as it implies our want of love to God, and our want of depending upon God, it is a fearful sin, and these holy men did not desire it: but this is the meaning, they were willing to have suffered the want of the sense and feeling of Gods love and favour for the present: though they would have loved and closed with God still, yet they would have been content to want the sense of Gods love, that ⟨p. 224⟩Gods glory might have been advanced, and the salvation of the Jews furthered: so it was here with our Saviour Christ, for howsoever according to his humane nature he did fear the death natural, and the wrath which he saw coming upon his nature, and therefore he said, if it be possible, let this cup pass from me; he might do it, and God by reason required it, that a man be sensible of misery, yet according to the holiness of the will of the Father, he did not pray against these, but prayed for these, and for the bea•ing of the punishment: for he was sent for this end, and it was a part of the Mediatorship: this is the meaning of that place, John 12.27. What shall I say, Father save me from this hour? no, but therefore came I unto this hour; that is, the hour of death; He came into the world for this end, and therefore, he submits himself: Thus much for the opening of the first part of this conclusion; that whatsoever wrath should have come forth from the Father upon the faithful, Christ did bear it all.

the good man seeing the dishonour that was like to come to God, & the utter destruction of the people of the Jewes, he saith, I could even desire to be separated from Christ, & to be cut off from the Nation of the Iewes, that they might not be forsaken of God: Now should a man pray to be removed out of Gods presence, and to be separated from God for ever, and to be cut off from God, and to be separated from Christ Jesus? no, for this were sinfull; either it signifies that Paul should have his heart loosened, and sit loose in his affections to God, and to Jesus Christ: this Paul did not pray for, for it is a horrible sinne, and it is an argument he hated Christ and himselfe too. Now so farre as it implies our want of love to God, and our want of depending upon God, it is a fearfull sinne, and these holy men did not desire it: but this is the meaning, they were willing to have suffered the want of the sense and feeling of Gods love and favour for the present: though they would have loved and closed with God still, yet they would have beene content to want the sense of Gods love, that