Three treatises of the vanity of the creature. The sinfulness of sin. The life…Three treatises of the vanity of the creature. The sinfulnesse of sinne. The life…

Tell me, O thou whom my Soul loveth, where thou lodgest at noon? When Hezekiah could not pray he chattered and peeped, and when thou art not able to speak thy desires, the Spirit can form thy sighs into prayers? Lastly, when still thou art heavy and in darkness, fly to thy Faith, take Jobs resolution, though he slay me with discomforts, yet I will trust in him; angry though he may be, yet he cannot be unfaithful; though he may like Joseph conceal his affection for a time, yet impossible it is that he should shut up his compassions, and renounce the protection of such as in truth depend upon him. Who is there amongst you that feareth the Lord, that obeyeth the voice of his Servant, that walketh in darkness and hath no light? Let him trust in the Name of the Lord, and stay upon his God, Isaiah, 50. 10. ⟨p. 255⟩God will ever have us so much Conscious of our own defects, and sensible of our own disabilities, as that we may still run to the Sanctuary of our Faith, and rest on him, not glory or rely upon our selves. And now if our Impotency drive us to the grace of Christ, make us more v•e in our own eyes, and cry out with the Apostle of our own wretchedness, there may be as much life and obedience All over, as when this or that particular duty was performed with more vigour; for that which was wanting in our strength may be made up in our humility; and this is a sure rule, God is more praised and delighted in those graces unto which humility doth more essentially belong, as Faith & Spiritual sense of our own disabilities, and the like, then in any others. And thus as a small heap of gold may be equal in value to a greater of silver; so though in other regards we should be many times weak, yet if the sense of that make us more humble, and the less holdfast we have of any thing in our selves, make us take the faster hold of the hope that is set before us, we may be equally acceptable in the sight of God, who doth not Judge of us according to our sense of our selves, but hath respect to the lowliness of his Servants, and of their Graces.

Tell me, O thou whom my Soule loveth, where thou lodgest at noone? When Ezekiah could not pray he chatter'd and peep'd, and when thou art not able to speake thy desires, the Spirit can forme thy sighs into prayers? Lastly, when still thou art heavie and in darknesse, flie to thy Faith, take Iobs resolution, though he slay me with discomforts, yet I will trust in him; angry though he may be, yet hee cannot be unfaithfull; though hee may like Ioseph conceale his affection for a time, yet impossible it is that he should shut up his compassions, and renounce the protection of such as in truth depend upon him. Who is there amongst you that feareth the Lord, that obeyeth the voyce of his Servant, that walketh in darkenesse and hath no light? Let him trust in the Name of the Lord, and stay upon his God, Esay, 50. 10.