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…

Eighthly, the soul then follows ¹God fully, when it carries through the work it undertakes, against all discouragements and hinderances: As a Ship coming with full sail, bears all down before it. It doth not only work, but works thoroughly, works out that it doth. As Phil. 2. 12. Work out your salvation; work till you get the work through: This ²soul works after God in his ways, and that with power; though it finds no good comes in by them for the present, though it hath wrought a long time, and yet sees nothing coming in; yet it murmurs not, it repines not, it repents not of any thing it hath done for God; it complains not with those Hypocrites, Isaiah 58. 3. Wherefore have we fasted, and thou ⟨p. 290⟩seest not, and wherefore have we afflicted our souls, and thou regardest not? Nor with those in Malach. 1. 13. who say, What a weariness is this? and, Chap. 3. 14. who say, It is in vain to serve the Lord, and what profit is there that we have kept his Ordinances, and that we have walked mournfully before the Lord of Hosts? But this soul that follows God fully, makes no such complaints, but goes on still in the way of God; though the flesh be weary and tired, it goes on still. As Gideon and those three hundred men that were with him, Judges 8. 4. though they were faint, yet they went on pursuing; so here, though there may be much faintness and weakness, yet the soul doth not think of turning back again, but goes on still, pursuing in that way it hath begun; it is glad it hath done any thing for God, and it resolves still to do more, how ever God pleases to deal with it. Though he may be weary in his following the Lord, yet he is is not weary of following the ⟨p. 291⟩Lord. Many follow the Lord, as a beggar follows a man, only in expectation of Alms, he follows him a furlong or two, begging; but if he sees the man goes still from him, he leaves off, and lets him go: so many will pray, and hear, and seek after God for a while; but if they feel not that come in, which they did expect, they grow weary, and leave off. Duties that bring present comfort with them, many can be content to be exercised in, but if they find nothing coming in by them, then their hearts sink in discouragement, they have no heart to do anything. As it is said of Ephraim,