The Bruised Reed and Smoking Flax

Fire turneth all, as ¹much as it can, to fire; so grace maketh a gracious use even of natural and civill things, & doth spiritualize them, what another man doth only civilly, a gracious man will do holily.

Fire turneth all, as ¹much as it can, to fire; so grace maketh a gracious use even of naturall and civill things, & doth spiritualize them, what another man doth onely civilly, a gracious man will doe holily.

1. 18.

Sparks by nature ¹fly. upwards: so the spirit of Grace carrieth the soul Heaven-ward, and setteth before us holy and heavenly aims, as it ⟨p. 118⟩was kindled from heaven, so it caries us back to heaven. The part followeth the whole: Fire mounteth upward, so every spark to its own element. Where the aim and bent of the soul is God-wards, there is grace though opposed. The least measure of it is holy desires springing ²from faith and love, for we cannot desire any thing which we do not believe first to be, and the desire of it issues from love. Hence desires are counted a part of the thing desired in some measure, but then they must be, First, constant, for constancy shows ⟨p. 119⟩that they are supernaturally natural, and not enforced: Secondly, they must be carried to spiritual things, as to believe, to love GOD, &c. not out of a special exigent, because if now they had grace, they think they might escape some danger, but as a loving heart is carried to the thing loved for some-excellency in it self: And thirdly, with desire there is grief when it is hindered, which stirs up to prayer: Oh that my ways were so directed,