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…

Sixthly, the more fully we follow ¹God, the more full shall our present peace, and joy, and soul satisfying contentment be. Psal. 119. 130. The entrance of thy words giveth light; the beginning of following God, is sweet and good, but the further we do go on, the more sweet we shall find, as they who walked toward Zion, Psalm. 84. 7. They went from strength to strength: so they who walk after the Lord, they go from peace to peace, from joy to joy, from one degree of comfort unto another; for if the entrance into our way be so good and sweet, what will it be when we come into the midst of it? Prov. 8. 20. I lead in the way of righteousness, in the midst of the paths of judgement; mark what follows ⟨p. 383⟩there, verse 21. That I might cause those that love me, to inherit substance, and I will fill their treasures. Then doth the soul inherit substance indeed, then are the treasures of it filled, when wisdom leads it, not only in the way of righteousness, but in the midst of the paths of judgement. The way of the just is compared to the shining of the light, that shineth more and more unto the perfect day, Prov. 4. 18. The further he goes on his way, the more light he hath, the more glorious shine is upon him. Psal. 36. 8. They shall be abundantly satisfied, and they shall drink of the River of pleasures. Who are those that shall be thus abundantly satisfied, and shall have this River of pleasures? they are verse 10. the upright in heart. That soul that walks on before the Lord in the uprightness of it, shall not want satisfaction, shall not want pleasure. Psal. 119. 165. Great peace have they which love thy law. It is more to love Gods law than to do the thing that is ⟨p. 384⟩commanded in it. That soul which doth not only submit to the Law, but loves it, will be abundant in duty, for love is bountiful; & great peace hath such a soul, that thus loves Gods Law. Every good motion in the soul is as the bud of the Lord, and that is beautiful and glorious; but how excellent and glorious is the fruit of it then? the good beginnings which are as the budding of the Pomegranate, and the putting forth of the tender Vine, are delightful to God and to the soul; but how pleasant then is the fruit when it comes to ripeness?