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…

A solid work of the soul proceeding from an humble broken heart, casting it self upon the faithfulness, and freeness of the grace of God in the promise, for pardoning, ⟨p. 329⟩and sanctifying mercy, and there resting, so as willing to venture it self there for ever, though it hath no present sense of joy, yet it is far more to be prized than the strongest of these sudden flashes of affection. These flashy affections which have not principles to maintain them, are like to Conduits in the City, running with wine at the Coronation of Princes, or some other great triumph, but it will not hold: they are like Land floods, which seem to be a great sea, but come to nothing in a day or two; As there may be flashes of terror, and yet no true fear of God. The Israelites were terrified when the Law was given, and yet God saith, Deut. 5. 29. Oh that there were a heart that they would fear me: So there may be flashes of joy, desire, sorrow, and yet no true sanctified joy, desire, or sorrow at all. There is much deceit in mens affections; Affections not well principled, not well grounded, soon vanish; time will wear them away. The people ⟨p. 330⟩of Israel at the giving of the Law, had their affections much stirred, so that one would have thought, they had been engaged unto the Lord for ever; and yet within forty days, their hearts were so taken off from God, and his Law, as if God had never made himself known unto them; they call to Aaron to make them gods to go before them, and say to the Molten Calf, These be thy gods, O Israel, which brought thee out of the land of Egypt. Another notable example we have of people whose affections are strong for the present, and yet worn away in a little time, in the 13. of Hosea 1. When Ephraim spake, trembling, he exalted himself in Israel; but when he offended in Baal, he died: When Ephraim spake, that is, when Jeroboam who ¹was of the Tribe of Ephraim, declared his purpose to alter the worship of God, the people at the first were exceedingly affected with it, & they stood all trembling at such a strange thing as that was; the very thought ⟨p. 331⟩