12. Again take heed of the disturbance of passion in the performance of your work, that which is done in a way of passion, and frowardness and anger is seldom well done, if you have a servant, that will always be busy, and doing of somewhat, but do it in an anger, you had better he should do nothing, they are the quiet and meek spirits that can carry a work sweetly and prosperously on: So in any work that God sets us about, let us go about it with quiet spirits, your strength shall be to sit still, Isa. 50.7. Says the Lord; so the great strength of our hearts in the performance of any work, is to stand still, and be quiet. Stand still and see the salvation of the Lord, Exod. 14.13. Not the stillness that is opposed to endeavour, but that stillness that is opposed to disquietness, and tumultuousness of our unruly affections: you would fain have the salvation of the Lord, and help in such and such a work, why did you not stand still, you are not in case to have the salvation of the Lord, so long as you are in such a disturbance: many miscarry in a work this way, as many foolishly ignorant people that are in a boat, when the boat tosses they run up and down in the boat and will not be quiet, and so are drowned; whereas if there be any skilful in the boat, they say, do but sit still and you are safe enough, but they think they cannot be too hasty to help themselves, and so run up and down and turn the boat over them; so are unruly passions of men in their hearts, when they are in any work and apprehend any danger, their passions are up, and they think there is a necessity for them to be stirring, and it is in an unruly way, and so they overturn themselves, I beseech you observe it ⟨p. 471⟩in Moses. Moses he was to do the great work in carrying the people from Egypt, and he was of a very quiet spirit a great way; but he was to go on in the work, and though he was the weakest man upon the earth, yet the very thing that did over throw Moses in the work at last, that made him to miscarry for his own part, was the disturbance of his passion, when he came to strike the rock, to get water for the people, for not sanctifying the name of God, but did it in a passion, that was the thing that made him miscarry, as in Psalm. 106.32.33. They angered him also at the waters of strife, so that it went ill with Moses for their sakes.
12. Againe take heed of the disturbance of passion in the performance of your work, that which is done in a way of passion, and frowardness and anger is seldom well done, if you have a servant, that will allwaies be busie, and doing of somewhat, but do it in an anger, you had better he should do nothing, they are the quiet and meek spirits that can carry a work sweetly and prosperously on: So in any work that God sets us about, let us go about it with quiet spirits, your strength shall be to sit stil, Isa. 50.7. Saies the Lord; so the great strength of our hearts in the performance of any work, is to stand still, and be quiet. Stand still and see the salvation of the Lord, Exod. 14.13. Not the stillness that is opposed to endeavor, but that stilness that is opposed to disquietness, and tumultuousness of our unruly affections: you would faine have the salvation of the Lord, and help in such and such a work, why did you not stand stil, you are not in case to have the salvation of the Lord, so long as you are in such a disturbance: many miscarry in a work this way, as many foolishly ignorant people that are in a boat, when the boat tosses they run up and down in the boat and will not be quiet, and so are drowned; whereas if there be any skilful in the boat, they say, do but sit still and you are safe enough, but they think they cannot be too hasty to help themselves, and so run up and down and turne the boat over them; so are unruly passions of men in their hearts, when they are in any work and apprehend any danger, their passions are up, and they think there is a necessity for them to be stirring, and it is in an unruly way, and so they overturne themselves, I beseech you observe it ⟨p. 471⟩in Moses. Moses he was to do the great work in carrying the people from Egypt, and he was of a very quiet spirit a great way; but he was to go on in the work, and though he was the weakest man upon the earth, yet the very thing that did over throw Moses in the work at last, that made him to miscarry for his own part, was the disturbance of his passion, when he came to strike the rock, to get water for the people, for not sanctifying the name of God, but did it in a passion, that was the thing that made him miscarry, as in Psalm. 106.32.33. They angred him also at the waters of strife, so that it went ill with Moses for their sakes.
