As to inherent grace, the believer knows it to be an excellent thing, an accident more worth then the substance of the soul it self, and yet withal he knows it to be a creature, and in it self defectible, he knows it to be an excellent thing excellent in its supernatural parentage, a thing not born of the will of the flesh, nor of the will of man, but of God, an holy thing formed by the overshadowing of the blessed spirit, a beam of grace from the eternal grace in the heart of God, excellent again as it is the souls lustre, knowledge its glass, humility its veil, obedience its golden ear-ring, love the chain of its neck, righteousness its fine linen, every grace its inward glory and beauty, elevating natural faculties above their own pitch, into a state congruous for communion with God, above all, excellent as it represents God himself; in every creature there is a print or footstep of God, but in grace there is his very image and resemblance. a believer can see more of God in an holy beam, then in the great Sun, in a little of heaven, then in all the ⟨p. 176⟩earth, intal poor meek spirit, then in all the Nimrods and mighty Potentates of the world; and yet after all this, the believer sees grace to be but a creature, and in it self defectible without a spiritual concourse from heaven, should God bid him stand alone, he would be in an agony, and pray as) Annas Burgus did at his Martyrdome, Deus mi, ne me derelinquas, ne ego te derelinquam, my God, forsake me not, lest I forsake thee. Should God offer him all the Angels in heaven to guard his little spark of grace in being, he would tremble and say, not so Lord, let me be kept by thine Almighty power unto salvation, that is the only keeper I desire; he dares not say, my mountain is strong, now I am full, now I am rich, now I reign as a King by my self; were he full of grace, it would be but as a room is of light, no sooner could he shut the windows, and possess it in a self-subsistence, but he would be in the dark, and experiment every beam to hang upon the Sun of righteousness; were he rich in grace, it would be but as a Merchant is in his trade, if the rich returns from heaven should fail, he would soon spend all his stock, and like a son of Adam, turn bankrupt;
As to inherent grace, the believer knows it to be an excellent thing, an accident more worth then the substance of the soul it self, and yet withall he knows it to be a creature, and in it self defectible, he knows it to be an excellent thing excellent in its supernatural parentage, a thing not born of the will of the flesh, nor of the will of man, but of God, an holy thing formed by the overshadowing of the blessed spirit, a beam of grace from the eternal grace in the heart of God, excellent again as it is the souls lostre, knowledge its glass, humility its vail, obedience its golden ear-ring, love the chain of its neck, righteousness its fine linnen, every grace its inward glory and beauty, elevating natural faculties above their own pitch, into a state congruous for communion with God, above all, excellent as it represents God himself; in every creature there is a print or footstep of God, but in grace there is his very image and resemblance. a believer can see more of God in an holy beam, then in the great Sun, in a little of heaven, then in all the ⟨p. 176⟩earth, intal poor meek spirit, then in all the Nimrods and mighty Potentates of the world; and yet after all this, the believer sees grace to be but a creature, and in it self defectible without a spiritual concourse from heaven, should God bid him stand alone, he would be in an agony, and pray as) Annas Burgus did at his Martyrdome, Deus mi, ne me derelinquas, ne ego te derelinquam, my God, forsake me not, lest I forsake thee. Should God offer him all the Angels in heaven to guard his little spark of grace in being, he would tremble and say, not so Lord, let me be kept by thine Almighty power unto salvation, that is the only keeper I desire; he dares not say, my mountain is strong, now I am full, now I am rich, now I reign as a King by my self; were he full of grace, it would be but as a room is of light, no sooner could he shut the windows, and possess it in a selfsubsistence, but he would be in the dark, and experiment every beam to hang upon the Sun of righteousness; were he rich in grace, it would be but as a Merchant is in his trade, if the rich returns from heaven should fail, he would soon spend all his stock, and like a son of Adam, turn bankrupt;
