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…

Base spirits, as they are very jealous ⟨p. 55⟩in regard of trust, so they are very suspicious of love; and think, because themselves are conscious to themselves of unworthiness, and that they themselves love only for their own ends, therefore they think they cannot be truly beloved of others, but so far as they are useful to them. But one of a generous spirit knows in himself, that he can love others, not only because he receives good from them, but that he may do good to them; and therefore sees this to be infinitely more in God, and therefore can rely upon Gods love in sense of his own unworthiness. Though the Lord can receive no good from me, yet he can do good unto me; and this I believe is the glorious excellency of the Lord, and therefore my spirit shall not give way to suspicious thoughts of his love: As David, 2 Sam. 23. 5. Although (says he) my house be not so with God, yet he hath made with me an everlasting Covenant ordered in all things, and sure: for this is all my salvation, ⟨p. 56⟩and all my desire, although he maketh not to grow. And this is observable, that it is said of him in Vers. 1. that when he spake this, he was a man who was raised up on high. It is true even in this sense, that that expression of his in Verse 5. was an argument of a man whose spirit was truly raised on high; and the rather doth a generous spirit abandon base, jealous, suspicious thoughts of Gods faithfulness and his love, because it knows in it self that it hath not such a vile disposition, as to abuse this gracious & blessed nature that it apprehends of God, so as to be the more secure and loose; to give liberty to it self in any evil, because of this: Oh no, God forbid; this, far from a true generous spirit; this, the spirit of baseness; this, a sordid disposition indeed, that it loathes, it abhors the thought of it; it finds in it self, that the sight of this grace of God, this blessed nature of God draws it most sweetly to him, to close with him, to delight in him: it ⟨p. 57⟩is the strongest Motive to draw it up to holiness; yea, To perfect holiness in the fear of God, 2 Cor. 7. 1. And therefore it casts out jealous & suspicious thoughts of the goodness, and love of the blessed God, as fruits of baseness of spirit.