The excellency of a gracious spirit Delivered in a treatise upon the 14. of…The excellency of a gracious spirit Deliuered in a treatise upon the 14. of…

Fourthly, this makes him, wheresoever ¹it is, fit to glorify God in the world, and so the soul thus endued, is not only a glass to represent, a living glass to enjoy the comfort of what it doth represent; but as a ⟨p. 91⟩glass to reflect upon the face of God himself, the glory of his own Image, and that by a principle within it self. Other glasses can reflect upon the thing whose image it hath, if acted by a hand externally; but this by an inward living principle, and so gives God his glory actively, which no other creature can do, but Angels, and mens souls, who have these spiritual excellencies in them. Were it not for a few of these spirits, what glory would God have in the world? how little would he be minded, or regarded? But these are they who have high thoughts of God, who have trembling frames before him, who do reverence, fear, adore, love, cleave to, trust in, magnify the Name of the great God in the world; these sanctify his Name in his worship, they worship him as a God, they worship him in spirit and truth, and such worshippers God seeks, Joh. 4. 23. as these he highly esteems of, and much rejoices in; these take notice of him in all his creatures, in ⟨p. 92⟩the ways of his providence, and use the creatures for him, from whom they are; the glory of God is dear and precious to these; this is the excellency of their spirits, they are not sunk in the dregs of the world, but being kept in some measure in their purity, they work up to God, do as it were naturally flow to God, as to their Centre.

Fourthly, this makes him, wheresoever ¹it is, fit to glorifie God in the world, and so the soule thus endued, is not onely a glasse to represent, a living glasse to enjoy the comfort of what it doth represent; but as a ⟨p. 91⟩glasse to reflect upō the face of God himself, the glory of his own Image, and that by a principle within it self. Other glasses can reflect upon the thing whose image it hath, if acted by a hand externally; but this by an inward living principle, and so gives God his glory actively, which no other creature can doe, but Angels, and mens soules, who have these spirituall excellencies in them. Were it not for a few of these spirits, what glory would God have in the world? how little would he be minded, or regarded? But these are they who have high thoughts of God, who have trembling frames before him, who do reverence, feare, adore, love, cleave to, trust in, magnifie the Name of the great God in the world; these sanctifie his Name in his worship, they worship him as a God, they worship him in spirit and truth, and such worshippers God seeks,