A17286:313
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…
The excellency of a gracious spirit Delivered in a treatise upon the 14. of Numbers, verse 24. By Jer. Burroughs minister of Gods Word.The excellency of a gracious spirit Deliuered in a treatise upon the 14. of Numbers, verse 24. By Ier. Burroughes minister of Gods Word.
London: printed by Miles for R. Dawlman, 1639
Modern spelling is a reading aid: the words are the author’s, only the spelling is modernized. Original shows the page as printed, with the transcription marks.
1 It is willing to follow the Lord 1in difficult duties, when it must put the flesh to it, in duties that require pains, much labour, that cannot be done without some hard things attending on them. God hath some hard pieces of services to put his people upon, to try the uprightness of their hearts, the sincerity and power of their loves to him in; and God takes it exceeding well when they will follow him in such duties; As that hard piece of service he put Abraham upon, in offering his son, ⟨p. 257⟩when Abraham was willing to follow him in that, Now, saith he, I know thou lovest me: It is nothing to follow God in such duties, as will so suit with us, wherein we need put our selves to no trouble; many are well content with such duties, and seem to yield to God in them; but go beyond those, and put them upon further, and they stir not; but as the rusty hand of a Dial, if you come at that time of the day, wherein the hour falls out the same, at which the hand stands, it seems to go right, but if you pass that time, the hand stands yet still, it goes no further than it did, and so shows the Dial not to be good: So here, when it falls out so, that a duty is enjoined, which is suitable to a mans mind, and ends, he will readily yield to it, and seem as if he made conscience of obedience to God in it; but if you put him on further, in duties that are not so suitable to him, there he stirs not, because of the difficulty which he sees in them, and in this he shows ⟨p. 258⟩the falseness of his heart, that he doth not follow God fully.
1 It is willing to follow the Lord 1in difficult duties, when it must put the flesh to it, in duties that require paines, much labour, that cannot be done without some hard things attending on them. God hath some hard peeces of services to put his people upon, to try the uprightnesse of their hearts, the sinceritie and power of their loves to him in; and God takes it exceeding well when they will follow him in such duties; As that hard peece of service he put Abraham upon, in offering his sonne, ⟨p. 257⟩