The blessedness of the righteous discoursed from Psal. 17, 15 /The blessednesse of the righteous discoursed from Psal. 17, 15 /

and the vigour of his soul exhaled in his service! Is it not a pleasant thing so to spend and be spent? when one can in a measure find that his will is one with Gods, transformed into the divine will; that there is but one common will, and interest, and end between him and us; and so that in serving God, we reign with him; in spending our selves for him, we are perfected in him. Is not this a pleasant life? Some Heathens have spoken at such a rate of this kind of life as might make us wonder, and blush. One speaking of a virtuous person; saith, he is as a good Soldier that bears wounds,¹ and numbers scars, and at last, smitten through with darts, dying, will love the Emperor, for whom he falls; he will (saith he) keep in mind that ancient precept, follow God. But they that complain, cry out and groan, and are compelled by force to do his commands, and hurried into them against their will, and what a madness is it (saith he) to be drawn rather than follow? And presently after subjoins, we are born in a Kingdom; to obey God is liberty. The same person writes in a Letter to a friend: ⟨p. 131⟩If thou believe me when I most freely discover to thee the most secret fixed being of my soul,² in all things my mind is thus formed: I obey not God so properly as I assent to him. I follow him with all my heart, not because I cannot avoid it. And another,³ Lead me to whatsoever I am appointed, and I will follow thee cheerfully, but if I refuse, or be unwilling, I shall follow notwithstanding.

and the vigour of his soul exhaled in his service! Is it not a pleasant thing so to spend and be spent? when one can in a measure find that his will is one with Gods, transformed into the divine will; that there is but one common will, and interest, and end between him and us; and so that in serving God, we raign with him; in spending our selves for him, we are perfected in him. Is not this a pleasant life? Some Heathens have spoken at such a rate of this kind of life as might make us wonder, and blush. One speaking of a vertuous person; saith, he is as a good Souldier that bears wounds,¹