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…

I remember I have read a passage in Saint Cyprian, how he brings in the ⟨p. 379⟩devil triumphing over Christ in this manner; As for my followers, I never dyed for them, as Christ did for his; I never promised them so great reward, as Christ hath done to his; and yet I have more followers than he, and they do more for me, than his doth for him. O let the thought of our giving the devil occasion thus to triumph over Christ in our slackness and negligence in following after him, cause shame and confusion to cover our faces: and yet to put on this Argument a little more close; It may be you your selves heretofore, have followed sin fully, your hearts have been strong after evil, and your lives have been fruitful in it; it may be you have been forward in putting forth your selves ring-leaders in that which was evil; not only stout and perverse your selves, but maintainers, encouragers of much evil in others; you gave up yours members, your estates, and what you had, to the service of sin; much time was spent, much sleep ⟨p. 380⟩broke, in plotting and contriving wickedness, much pains taken in the execution of it, and now your hearts and ways seem to be for God; and is a poor, sleight, scant, dead-hearted service sufficient for him? Oh be ashamed and confounded in thy thoughts, let Conscience judge between God and his Creature. Doest thou thus requite the Lord? is this thy kindness to him? Is there not infinite reason, that as you have yielded your members servants to uncleanness, & to iniquity unto iniquity; even so you now should yield your members servants to righteousness unto holiness? Rom. 6. 19. Mark the opposition there; there are three to's in the expression of the service to sin, To uncleanness, To iniquity, Unto iniquity; but in the service of God there are only two, To righteousness, Unto holiness. It is true, in this life there will never be that fullness of spirit in following after God, as there was in following after sin; because there was nothing ⟨p. 381⟩but sin in the soul before, no other stream to abate it; but now there is something else besides grace; a stream of corruption to oppose it: but yet we should be ashamed, that there should be such a difference;