The souls exaltation A treatiseThe soules exaltation A treatise

Not only Gods anger had a single combat with him, but at last the justice of God gathered up all the powers of it, and the wrath of God drew up all the forces together, and they marched in furiously against Christ: and whereas before the Father smote at him, and did thrust at him, now he slew him. When our Saviour came to the cross, and the heat of the battle lay upon ⟨image 157⟩him, then all the sense and sweetness of Gods countenance and favour, they all left our Saviour in the open field; for in the garden he had some refreshings, and some breathing times, and mercy, and goodness did step in and say, slay him not, but let him have some refreshings: but now the sense and the feeling of all these was gone.

Not only Gods anger had a single combat with him, but at last the justice of God gathered up all the powers of it, and the wrath of God drew up all the forces together, and they marched in furiously against Christ: and whereas before the Father smote at him, and did thrust at him, now hee slew him. When our Saviour came to the crosse, and the heat of the battle lay upon ⟨image 157⟩him, then all the sense and sweetnesse of Gods countenance and favour, they all left our Saviour in the open field; for in the garden hee had some refreshings, and some breathing times, and mercy, and goodnesse did step in and say, slay him not, but let him have some refreshings: but now the sense and the feeling of all these was gone.

Use. The use of this last branch, it is a word of terror, and it is able to shake the hearts of the proudest wretches under heaven: they that let themselves against God and Heaven, and make nothing of the sins they have committed, nor of the wrath of God threatened, and when the Minister saith, Oh the end of those sins will be bitterness: this contempt of God, and grace, and holy services, and these oaths will be bitter in the latter end: How can you bear the wrath of God, and you cannot possibly avoid it; tus, say they, come, let us talk of other matters, and not busy our selves with these matters; well, saith the Minister, but the word is true, and the word saith it; well then, saith the soul, and I will bear it as well as I can: If I sin, I will bear it; and if I come into hell, I shall bear it as well as another, and I shall make a shift for one? Oh poor sinful creature, wilt thou bear it, and make thy part good as well as another? dost thou know what thou sayest? let all those stouthearted men that sit in the feat of the scornful, and make nothing of God, nor his wrath, nor of hell, nor of the sins that they have committed: let them know that they shall never be