Four books on the eleventh of Matthew

First, Because such a one dares not venture upon any thing before he sees Gods call, a bold spirit will venture upon any thing when he hath not Gods call, and there he meets with trouble, but now a Lowly Spirit thinks ⟨p. 606⟩thus, is this Gods way? Have I a word for it? And a call for it? If I have, Let me go on whatever comes of it, if he meet with trouble in such a business, if he can say, I undertook it thus, I had Gods call, what abundance of Rest hath he? What is the Reason that men are disquieted in the world, and troubled? It is because they rush upon things without Gods call. When the Soul can appeal to God, Lord, I would not undertake such a thing, nor such a thing, though I say, there might be some preferment by it, and somewhat got by it, yet, Lord, thou seest the uprightness of my heart, that I would not venture upon it without thy call, and then when I saw that, I ventured upon it, such a Soul must needs have a great deal of quiet.

First, Because such a one dares not venture upon any thing before he sees Gods cal, a bold spirit will venture upon any thing when he hath not Gods cal, and there he meets with trouble, but now a Lowly Spirit thinks ⟨p. 606⟩thus, is this Gods way? Have I a word for it? And a cal for it? If I have, Let me go on whatever comes of it, if he meet with trouble in such a business, if he can say, I undertook it thus, I had Gods cal, what abundance of Rest hath he? What is the Reason that men are disquieted in the world, and troubled? It is because they rush upon things without Gods cal. When the Soul can appeal to God, Lord, I would not undertake such a thing, nor such a thing, though I say, there might be some preferment by it, and somewhat got by it, yet, Lord, thou seest the uprightness of my heart, that I would not venture upon it without thy cal, and then when I saw that, I ventured upon it, such a Soul must needs have a great deal of quiet.

Secondly, One that is humble hath Rest because he can never be in so low a condition, but his heart is lower then his condition. This is an excellent frame of Spirit, though my Estate is low, yet my heart is lower, if you be able to say so, you that have low Estates your care is how you can raise your Estates if I could raise my Estate as high as others. Then I should have a great deal of Peace and comfort, No, thy way must be to lowen thy Heart, that is the way to raise thy Estate. If a mans affliction be above his Heart, and his heart beneath the affliction, if the fire he under the fuel then the fire quickly catcheth the fuel, but now if the Fire be above the fuel, it will not so soon kindle it, so I say in a mans affliction, if a mans heart be above his affliction I mean in a sinful way, he hath lifted up his heart, and he would have higher things then these things are, and these things are beneath his spirit, he hath a higher design and plot, and aims at greater things, and these things are beneath what he would have, Oh! Then the affliction troubles the Spirit, but when a mans spirit is beneath his afflictions then a man hath a great deal of Rest and quiet, he is lower then his afflictions and therefore he is quiet.