Seventhly, The choiceness of a 1mans spirit strengthens it against the impressions that sensitive objects use to leave upon soft and weak spirits. Most men have their spirits formed, and fashioned according to sensitive objects; it is not what they apprehend in abstract notions, that works upon them, let them be what they ⟨p. 413⟩will; yet, when they have to deal with sensitive things, the sweetness, desirableness, glory of them, works the most powerfully; their hearts are altered according to the impression that they leave upon them, and this is great weakness, and an effeminate softness of spirit: Hence the word translated Effeminate, 1 Cor. 6. 9. signifies 2soft-spirited men. This distemper in the spirit, is like that in the flesh, when it is corrupted with the dropsy; the flesh is soft, and if you put your finger to it, the impression of your finger sticks in it, and pits the flesh; so the impression of sensitive objects, sticks in distempered, weak, soft spirits, as it was in the other Spies who were sent with Caleb and Joshua; the terrible things they saw in the land, stuck mightily in their hearts, they brought with them the impression of them fastened in their spirits: hence Numb. 13. 33. according to the translation of the Greek Translators, it is, They brought the fear of the land with them: But ⟨p. 414⟩3this choiceness of spirit that was in Caleb, and is in those who are truly godly, keepeth from this: and there must be this firmness in the spirit of a man, or else it will never carry him after the Lord fully, 2 Sam. 22. 26. With the upright thou wilt show thy self upright; the word translated upright, signifies strong and perfect: There is required strength, and that more than ordinary too, to carry on the soul to perfection.
Seventhly, The choicenesse of a 1mans spirit strengthens it against the impressions that sensitive objects use to leave upon soft and weake spirits. Most men have their spirits formed, and fashioned according to sensitive objects; it is not what they apprehend in abstract notions, that works upon them, let them bee what they ⟨p. 413⟩will; yet, when they have to deale with sensitive things, the sweetnesse, desireablenesse, glory of them, works the most powerfully; their hearts are altered according to the impression that they leave upon them, and this is great weaknesse, and an effeminate softnesse of spirit: Hence the word translated Effeminate, 1 Cor. 6. 9. signifies 2soft-spirited men. This distēper in the spirit, is like that in the flesh, when it is corrupted with the dropsie; the flesh is soft, and if you put your finger to it, the impression of your finger sticks in it, and pits the flesh; so the impression of sensitive objects, sticks in distempered, weake, soft spirits, as it was in the other Spies who were sent with Caleb and Ioshuah; the terrible things they saw in the land, stucke mightily in their hearts, they brought with them the impressiō of them fastened in their spirits: hence Numb. 13. 33. according to the translation of the Greek Translators, it is, They brought the feare of the land with them: But ⟨p. 414⟩3this choicenesse of spirit that was in Caleb, and is in those who are truely godly, keepeth from this: and there must bee this firmnesse in the spirit of a man, or else it will never cary him after the Lord fully, 2 Sam. 22. 26. With the upright thou wilt shew thy selfe upright; the word translated upright, signifies strong and perfect: There is required strength, and that more than ordinary too, to cary on the soule to perfection.
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- 2[Greek or Hebrew].〈non-Latin alphabet〉.
- 3[Greek or Hebrew].〈non-Latin alphabet〉.
