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…

3 These flashy affections do not arise from spiritual judgement, apprehending the spiritual excellencies of godliness, after a spiritual manner; their apprehensions of spiritual and heavenly things, are too too carnal and sensitive: Hence afterwards when they come to find the good things of the ways of God to be spiritual, and heavenly, not suitable to those apprehensions they had of them, their hearts are then taken off, as those we read of in the 6. of John 34. verse; When Christ told them, That the bread of God is he which cometh down from heaven, and giveth life unto the world, Oh say ⟨p. 327⟩they, Lord ever give us this bread; their hearts were up & exceedingly stirred; Well, as if Christ should have said, You shall have it, I am the bread of life; he that cometh to me shall never hunger, he that believeth in me shall never thirst; as if he should have said; This must be done by faith, you must feed upon my flesh by faith, and drink of my blood by faith. But now they having apprehended a strange kind of bread from heaven before, and afterwards hearing of no other, but coming to Christ, and believing in Christ, they were deceived of their expectations, and so were offended, and now their affections fall; for verse 41. they begin to murmur at him, and verse 60. they said, It was an hard saying, who could hear it? and ver. 66. From that time many of them went back, and walked no more with him. The like example we find in the Galatians, at the first they would have plucked out their eyes for S. Paul, their affections were so stirred by his Ministry, ⟨p. 328⟩they apprehended some great matters in the message of the Gospel that S. Paul brought, but afterwards, finding that those great and excellent things that the Gospel spake of, were only spiritual, which their carnal hearts had little skill of, and could not relish, their affections were soon cooled, & they fell off from S. Paul. Take heed therefore of resting to these flashy affections, for if you do, when these are gone, your hearts will be left in darkness. Many examples are known of such, who have proved to be most vile Apostates; yet time was, wherein they have had many meltings, much sudden strong joy, so as they have professed that the joy they have found hath been so great, that if it had continued but a while, they could not have lived, but their spirits would have expired.

3 These flashy affections doe not arise from spirituall judgement, apprehēding the spirituall excellencies of godlinesse, after a spirituall manner; their apprehensions of spirituall and heavenly things, are too too carnall and sensitive: Hence afterwards when they come to finde the good things of the wayes of God to be spirituall, and heavenly, not sutable to those apprehensions they had of them, their hearts are then taken off, as those wee reade of in the 6. of Iohn 34. verse; When Christ told them, That the bread of God is hee which commeth downe from heaven, and giveth life unto the world, Oh say