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…

Sixthly, where there are only natural and moral excellencies, they ¹do not raise the soul to a love of the strictest ways of God; they think of accurateness and exactness in Gods ways to be but niceness and ⟨p. 235⟩too much preciseness; luke-warmness is the only temper suitable to them; they think wisdom consists in the remission of godliness, not in the improvement of it; & what is beyond their temper, they judge as weakness and folly; and it must needs be that moral men must have such thoughts of the strictness of the ways of God, because that good they have is such as arises from the principles of natural reason, and makes a natural good its end; and therefore all their virtue and goodness must be such as must not stretch nature, but must be subservient to that natural good they frame to themselves. Now the observing of some Rules and Duties of Religion, will suite well with this; and so far they approve and like well of Religion: and here they stick, and think any thing that is further than this, is folly, and more than needs. The work of godliness in the power of it, must needs be distasteful to them, because it seeks to empty a man of himself, ⟨p. 236⟩to cause him to deny himself; to fetch all from principles beyond himself, & to be for a higher good than himself is, which is an infinite good: and therefore, if it were possible, it would work infinitely towards it, but howsoever, it will set no limits to it self.

Sixthly, where there are onely naturall and morall excellencies, they ¹do not raise the soule to a love of the strictest wayes of God; they thinke of accuratenesse and exactnesse in Gods wayes to be but nicenesse and ⟨p. 235⟩too much precisenesse; luke-warmenesse is the onely temper sutable to them; they thinke wisedome consists in the remission of godlines, not in the improvement of it; & what is beyond their temper, they judge as weaknes and folly; and it must needs bee that morall men must have such thoughts of the strictnesse of the wayes of God, because that good they have is such as arises from the principles of naturall reason, and makes a naturall good its end; and therefore all their vertue and goodnes must be such as must not stretch nature, but must be subserviet to that naturall good they frame to themselves. Now the observing of some Rules and Duties of Religion, will suite well with this; and so farre they approve and like well of Religion: and here they sticke, and thinke any thing that is further than this, is folly, and more than needs. The worke of godlinesse in the power of it, must needs be distastefull to them, because it seekes to empty a man of himself,