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…

Seventhly, where there is only nature or morality, there is no sense ¹of the breathings of Gods Spirit in his Ordinances; the Ordinances are dead and flat things to them: a mere moral man can like well enough of presenting himself in the Ordinances, but he feels no virtue in them, no impression that they work upon him, that abides on his spirit after the Ordinances are done; he knows not what it is to enjoy God in them, he knows not what it is to stir up himself to take hold on God in the exercise of them; those excellencies that he hath, are not drawn out, maintained or increased by spiritual objects and duties; but it is otherwise where true spiritual excellencies ⟨p. 237⟩are; such a one goes to Ordinances and holy duties with expectation to meet with the Lord there: He can discern and feel the gracious presence of the Lord; he finds the Spirit of the Lord breathing graciously upon his spirit, and refreshing his soul with much quickening, and life and sweetness; he finds his spirit drawn out by them, his heart much enlarged, his graces much increased in the use of them; or if at some times he wants this, then he is sensible of the want of it, of that difference that now he feels between that which sometimes he hath had, and that which now he wants; but the other is sensible of no such want, all times are alike with him.

Seventhly, where there is onely nature or morality, there is no sense ¹of the breathings of Gods Spirit in his Ordinances; the Ordinances are dead and flat things to them: a meere morall man can like well enough of presenting himselfe in the Ordinances, but he feeles no vertue in them, no impression that they worke upon him, that abides on his spirit after the Ordinances are done; he knowes not what it is to enjoy God in them, he knowes not what it is to stirre up himselfe to take hold on God in the exercise of them; those excellencies that hee hath, are not drawne out, maintained or increased by spirituall objects and duties; but it is otherwise where true spiritual excellencies ⟨p. 237⟩are; such a one goes to Ordinances and holy duties with expectation to meet with the Lord there: Hee can discerne and feele the gracious presence of the Lord; he findes the Spirit of the Lord breathing graciously upon his spirit, and rofreshing his soule with much quickening, and life and sweetnesse; hee findes his spirit drawne out by them, his heart much inlarged, his graces much increased in the use of them; or if at some times he wants this, then hee is sensible of the want of it, of that difference that now hee feeles betweene that which sometimes hee hath had, and that which now hee wants; but the other is sensible of no such want, all times are alike with him.