The Soul's Conflict with Itself

Then we make God our God, and set a Crown of Majesty upon his head, when we set up a Throne for him in our hearts, where self-love before had set up the creature above him; when the heart is so unloosed from the world, that it is ready to part with any thing for Gods sake, giving him now the ⟨p. 498⟩supremacy in our hearts, and bringing down every high thought in captivity to him; making him our trust, our love, our joy, our delight, our fear, our all; and whatsoever we esteem or affect else, to esteem and affect it under him, in him, and for him; When we cleave to him above all, depending upon him as our chief good, and contenting our selves in him, as all-sufficient to give our souls fit and full satisfaction. When we resign up our selves to his gracious government, to do and suffer what he will, offering our selves and all our spiritual services as sacrifices to him. When faith brings God into the soul as ours, we not only love him, but love him dearly, making it appear, that when we are at good terms with God, we are at a point for other things. How many are there that will adventure the loss of the love of God, for a thing of nothing? and redeem the favour of men with the loss of Gods. Certain it is whatsoever we esteem, or affect most, that whatsoever it be in ¹it self, yet we make it our God. The ⟨p. 499⟩best of us all may take shame to our selves herein, in that we do not give God his due place in us, but set up some Idol or other in our hearts above him.

Then we make God our God, and set a Crowne of Majesty upon his head, when we set up a Throne for him in our hearts, where selfe-love before had set up the creature above him; when the heart is so unloosed from the world, that it is ready to part with any thing for Gods sake, giving him now the ⟨p. 498⟩supremacy in our hearts, and bringing downe every high thought in captivity to him; making him our trust, our love, our joy, our delight, our feare, our all; and whatsoever we esteem or affect else, to esteem and affect it under him, in him, and for him; When we cleave to him above all, depending upon him as our chiefe good, and contenting our selves in him, as all-sufficient to give our soules fit and full satisfaction. When we resigne up our selves to his gracious government, to doe and suffer what he will, offering our selves and all our spirituall services as sacrifices to him. When faith brings God into the soule as ours, we not onely love him, but love him dearely, making it appeare, that when wee are at good tearmes with God, we are at a point for other things. How many are there that will adventure the losse of the love of God, for a thing of nothing? and redeeme the favour of men with the losse of Gods. Certaine it is whatsoever we esteeme, or affect most, that whatsoever it be in