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…

7 Yea, God many times hides himself from his servants, while they are following after him, and this oftentimes proves the sorest temptation of all, and a greater discouragement then all the rest: for as for oppositions, scandals, reproaches, these are things they make account of, and can often lightly pass them over; but when God hides his face, this puts them at a stand, now they are in the dark, and know not what to do; Christ was not much troubled at the reproaches of men, at the oppositions he met withal from them; for the Scripture saith, He despised the shame, and endured the Cross; but when his Father hid his face from him, then he was in an agony, then his spirit began to be amazed, then his soul was sorrowful to the death, then he falls grovelling upon the ⟨p. 420⟩ground, then he sweats drops of water and blood, then he cries out, My God, my God, why hast thou forsaken me? These spiritual desertions in their degree, Gods servants often meet withal in their way, so as, if they had not choice spirits, some special work of God in their souls, they would certainly fall and sink in it. Now put all these together, and we see, it is not every ordinary spirit, that is like to go on fully after the Lord; it must needs be some thing extraordinary, that preserves a spark in the midst of waves, that preserves a candle light, in the midst of storms and tempests.

7 Yea, God many times hides himselfe from his servants, while they are following after him, and this oftentimes proves the sorest temptation of all, and a greater discouragement then all the rest: for as for oppositions, scandals, reproaches, these are things they make account of, and can often lightly passe them over; but when God hides his face, this puts them at a stand, now they are in the dark, and know not what to doe; Christ was not much troubled at the reproaches of men, at the oppositions hee met withall from them; for the Scripture saith, He despised the shame, and endured the Crosse; but when his Father hid his face from him, then he was in an agony, then his spirit began to bee amazed, then his soule was sorowfull to the death, then hee fals groveling upon the ⟨p. 420⟩ground, then he sweats drops of water and bloud, then hee cries out, My God, my God, why hast thou forsaken mee? These spirituall desertions in their degree, Gods servants often meet withall in their way, so as, if they had not choice spirits, some speciall worke of God in their soules, they would certainly fall and sinke in it. Now put all these together, and we see, it is not every ordinary spirit, that is like to goe on fully after the Lord; it must needs bee some thing extraordinary, that preserves a spark in the midst of waves, that preserves a candle light, in the midst of storms and tempests.