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…

Hence the world is mistaken, who ¹judge it stoutness, and stubbornness of spirit in Gods servants, that ⟨p. 422⟩will go on in the ways of godliness; they are a kind of inflexible people, there is no persuading of them, there is no dealing with them: No, it is no stubbornness; it is the choiceness of their spirits, that makes them to do as they do; you judge it stubbornness because you do not know the principles upon which they go. I confess, if I see a man stand constantly in his way, and will not be moved by the persuasions of others, if I do not understand the reasons upon which he goes, I cannot but think it stoutness, and this is your case; but if you did but know, what are their reasons, what are their powerful motives, that draw them on in the ways of God, you would not have such thoughts of them; Their spirits within them constrain them, as Elihu says of himself in another case, Job 32. 18.

Hence the world is mistaken, who ¹judge it stoutnesse, and stubbornnesse of spirit in Gods servants, that ⟨p. 422⟩will go on in the wayes of godlines; they are a kind of inflexible people, there is no perswading of them, there is no dealing with them: No, it is no stubbornnesse; it is the choicenesse of their spirits, that makes them to doe as they doe; you judge it stubbornnesse because you doe not know the principles upō which they goe. I confesse, if I see a man stand constantly in his way, and will not bee moved by the perswasions of others, if I doe not understand the reasons upon which hee goes, I cannot but thinke it stoutnesse, and this is your case; but if you did but know, what are their reasons, what are their powerfull motives, that draw them on in the wayes of God, you would not have such thoughts of them; Their spirits within them constraine them, as Elihu sayes of himselfe in another case, Iob 32. 18.

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