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…

We speak much of honouring God, and serving God, and worshipping of him; we do nothing except we do this; God made the world that he might have some creatures to work thus, to make him the highest and last end of all; many who have excellent natural parts, are often busied about deeper things then other men, but their spirits being corrupt, not carried to God in that they do, they dive deep, but all comes to nothing; are like children diving deep in the water, and bring up nothing but shells and gravel.

We speake much of honouring God, and serving God, and worshipping of him; wee doe nothing except wee doe this; God made the world that hee might have some creatures to worke thus, to make him the highest and last end of all; many who have excellent naturall parts, are often busied about deeper things then other men, but their spirits being corrupt, not carried to God in that they doe, they dive deepe, but all comes to nothing; are like children diving deepe in the water, and bring up nothing but shels and gravell.

Now where the spirit is carried to ¹God as the last end, there first, the beauty, excellency, glory of what ever it hath or doth, is judged according to the reference it hath to God; Its true, I have these mercies, I do such and such ⟨p. 18⟩things; but is God honoured by all? all things are as dead to this spirit, where it sees not Gods Name lifted up: and so the excellency and beauty of what others have or do, if God is not honoured by them, it looks on them as dead things. Secondly, all it hath, is, or doth, lies in an absolute subjection under God, to be at his dispose; all things are absolutely subject to the last end. Thirdly, where God is aimed at, as the highest end, there Gods glory is willed infinitely; no limits, no bounds set to the desires, or endeavours of the soul after it.

Now where the spirit is carried to ¹