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…

For the first of these; What more ordinary, than to cast this aspersion upon Godliness, that it makes men to be dull, heavy, stupid fools, not sit for the great and high things of the world, and therefore they labour to stifle any beginnings of godliness in their children, or in any near to them, for fear it should •inder their parts, and take away the quickness of their wits, and braveness of their spirits; Except you think that to be the only braveness of spirit, to venture upon any thing that may further your own ends, not to fear sin, nor the displeasure of an infinite God, to let out your hearts to the utmost, to the satisfying your own desires, to examine nothing by rule, but to do whatsoever is good in your own eyes, to rejoice in the ways of sin, and to bless your self in the proud swellings of your own heart, to be able to scorn at conscience, humiliation ⟨p. 132⟩for sin, strictness in Gods ways, as too mean a thing for men of such quality, of such birth as you are, of such estates, hopes, preferments, and designs as you have, things fitter for poor snakes, meaner people, contemptible silly souls to look after; If this be the excellency of your spirits, then, godliness debases them indeed, yea, it debases them as low as hell it self; it casts shame in the faces of, and breaks in pieces such haughty, swoln spirits as these are, it brings them down to lie at Gods feet, as poor contemptible creatures in their own eyes, loathing and abhorring themselves, as there is infinite cause they should, and judging themselves worthy to be destroyed; but as for any true natural excellency of spirit, godliness doth not quench it, but raises it, and beautifies it, and perfects it; It is either gross ignorance, or desperate malice, that causes these conceits of the work of godliness in the spirits of men, yea, there is much blasphemy ⟨p. 133⟩in them. What? shall the work of Gods grace, wherein the glory of God consists, which is the life of God, the Image of God, the Divine Nature, as hath been shown; shall it be the debasing, the besotting, the befooling of mens spirits? What? doth holiness, that makes God glorious, make man contemptible and vile? doth that which makes God so honourable in the eyes of the blessed Angels and Saints, make man a sot, and a fool in the eyes of men? Oh!

For the first of these; What more ordinary, than to cast this aspersion upon Godlinesse, that it makes men to be dull, heavie, stupid fooles, not sit for the great and high things of the world, and therefore they labour to stifle any beginnings of godlinesse in their children, or in any neare to them, for feare it should inder their parts, and take away the quicknesse of their wits, and bravenesse of their spirits; Except you think that to be the only bravenesse of spirit, to venture upon any thing that may further your owne ends, not to feare sinne, nor the displeasure of an infinite God, to let out your hearts to the utmost, to the satisfying your owne desires, to examine nothing by rule, but to doe whatsoever is good in your owne eyes, to rejoyce in the wayes of sin, and to blesse your selfe in the proud swellings of your owne heart, to be able to scorne at conscience, humiliation