The souls exaltation A treatiseThe soules exaltation A treatise

this creature despairs of all help, not because of the wrath of the Lord firstly, but because of the weakness, and the sinfulness of the creature that could not bear the wrath of the Lord: and hence he despairs, and the soul saith, alas, I am weak, and a poor sin creature, and this wrath of the Lord is of an infinite vigour, I shall never be able to bear it, nor to get from under it: therefore I despair and cast away all hope of help; but the Lord Jesus Christ being perfect ⟨p. 232⟩God, and perfect man, having a great flame of holy affections kindled in him by the spirit of the Father, this did assist him hereby to bear the wrath of God in his soul, and not only was he able to bear it, but to overcome it; and although he were tossed up and down in the sea of Gods wrath, yet he was not drowned; and though he sipped of the poison, yet he was not poisoned: therefore he bore the pains of the second death, and overcame them, and did not despair; he expected to receive good, because he knew he should have good: thus our Saviour, John 19.30. when he had so deeply drunk of the cup of affliction, he said, now it is finished; that is, now the fierce indignation of the Lord is over. Take a little child or infant new borne, and lay it in a little stream, if no man come to succour it, there can be no hope that it will live, not properly because of the water, but because the child is weak, and not able to keep it self from being overpowered by the water: and therefore there is no hope to have relief for it; but let a strong man come, and he will not be drowned by the stream, for he is of height and strength either to wade through it, or else to save himself by swimming: so there is the stream of the indignation of the Lord: Now God will not help a poor sinful creature, and he cannot help himself, therefore the stream will destroy him, and there is no hope, for he is never able to free himself, because God will not, and he himself cannot; but the Lord Jesus Christ that hath skill and power, because he is God, as ⟨p. 233⟩well as man; therefore though he bear the wrath of God, yet because he is able to wade through it, and to bear it: therefore it is that he will deliver himself, and all us with him.

this creature despaires of all helpe, not because of the wrath of the Lord firstly, but because of the weaknesse, and the sinfulnesse of the creature that could not beare the wrath of the Lord: and hence he despaires, and the soule saith, alas, I am weake, and a poore sinne creature, and this wrath of the Lord is of an infinite vigour, I shall never be able to beare it, nor to get from under it: therefore I despair and cast away all hope of helpe; but the Lord Jesus Christ being perfect