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…

It was the grievous complaint of S. Austin in his time; The unlearned, ¹says he, rise up, and take heaven by force, and we with all our learning, are thrust down into hell. It is a speech well known to Scholars; of how great use might it be, if God did settle it upon their hearts? And S. Bernard hath a speech somewhat to the like purpose; Let the wise of the ⟨p. 220⟩world, says he, who mind high things, and yet feeding upon the earth, let them ²with their wisdom go down into hell. And Luther hath a notable story, which may be very useful for this purpose. It is in his writings upon the fourth Commandment, which he makes the third; It is to show, how the holiness of the spirits of mean and unlearned men, shall confound great understanding learned men, where there is not the like godliness.

It was the grievous complaint of S. Austin in his time; The unlearned, ¹sayes he, rise up, and take heaven by force, and we with all our learning, are thrust down into hell. It is a speech well knowne to Scholers; of how great use might it be, if God did settle it upon their hearts? And S. Bernard hath a speech somewhat to the like purpose; Let the wise of the ⟨p. 220⟩world, sayes he, who minde high things, and yet feeding upon the earth, let them ²with their wisdome goe downe into hell. And Luther hath a notable story, which may be very usefull for this purpose. It is in his writings upon the fourth Commandement, which he makes the third; It is to shew, how the holinesse of the spirits of meane and unlearned men, shall confound great understanding learned men, where there is not the like godlinesse.

1. 1Surgunt indocti, & rapiunt coelum, & nos cum doctrinis nostri• de rudimur in given am.