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 thought of it should cause a dejection of heart within us, and we should judge it infinitely equal & reasonable, that we should endeavour to the utmost we are able, to follow God as fully now, as ever we followed sin before. Saint Paul, Acts 26. 11. confesseth, that in his former way he was mad in the persecution of Gods servants; and when God turned the stream, others judged him as mad in the other way; 2 Corinth. 5. 13. For whether we be besides our selves, it is to God; the love of Christ constraineth us. And hence we may observe, that the same word that signifies to persecute, he useth to set out his earnest pressing towards the Mark; Phil. 3. 14. I press towards the Mark, for the price of the high calling of God. The word that is there ⟨p. 382⟩translated, press towards, it is this same that signifies to persecute, because ¹the earnestness of his spirit, in pressing towards the mark now, is the same that it was in his persecution of those that pressed towards the mark before.

the thought of it should cause a dejection of heart within us, and we should judge it infinitely equall & reasonable, that we should indeavour to the utmost wee are able, to follow God as fully now, as ever wee followed sinne before. Saint Paul, Acts 26. 11. confesseth, that in his former way he was madd in the persecution of Gods servants; and when God turned the streame, others judged him as mad in the other way; 2 Corinth. 5. 13. For whether we bee besides our selves, it is to God; the love of Christ constraineth us. And hence we may observe, that the same word that signifies to persecute, he useth to set out his earnest pressing towards the Marke; Phil. 3. 14. I presse towards the Marke, for the price of the high calling of God. The word that is there