Its an excellent speech that I remember Luther hath (saith he) This is the Rhetoric of the Spirit of God (its a very fine speech of his) to extenuate evil things, and to amplify good things; if there falls out a cross, to make the cross to be but little, but if there be a mercy to make the mercy to be great; as thus, If there be a cross, if the Spirit of God prevails in the heart, such a man or woman will wonder that it is no greater, and will bless God that though there be such a cross, yet that it is no more; that's the work of the Spirit of God: and if there be a mercy, wonders at Gods goodness that God granted so great a mercy: The Spirit of God extenuates evils and crosses, and doth magnify and amplify all mercies, and makes all mercies seem to be great, and all afflictions seem to be little. But (saith he) the Devil goes quite contrary, the Rhetoric of the Devil is quite otherwise, he doth lessen Gods mercies, and amplify evil things, as thus, A godly man wonders at his cross that it is no more, a wicked man wonders his cross is so much, Oh (saith he) none was ever so afflicted as I am! If there be a cross, the Devil puts the soul ⟨p. 137⟩upon musing on it, and making it greater than it is, and so it brings discontent: And then on the other side, if there be a mercy then its the Rhetoric of the Devil to lessen the mercy, Indeed (saith he) the thing is a good thing, but what is it? It is no great matter, and for all this I may be miserable. Thus the Rhetoric of Satan doth lessen Gods mercies, and doth increase afflictions: And for this I'll give you a notable example that we have in Scripture, it is the example of Korah, Dathan, and Abiram, In Numb. 16.12, 13. And Moses sent to call Dathan and Abiram the sons of Eltab: which said, We will not come up. Is it a small thing that thou hast brought us up out of a Land that floweth with milk and honey, to kill us in the wilderness, except thou make thy self altogether a Prince over us? Mark, they slighted the Land that they were going into, the Land of Canaan, that was the Land that God promised them that should flow with milk and honey: But mark here their discontentedness, because they met with some troubles in the wilderness, Oh it was to slay them, they made their affliction in the wilderness to be greater than it was, Oh it was to kill them, though it were indeed to carry them to the Land of Canaan.
Its an excellent speech that I remember Luther hath (saith he) This is the Rhetorick of the Spirit of God (its a very fine speech of his) to extenuate evil things, and to amplifie good things; if there falls out a cross, to make the cross to be but little, but if there be a mercy to make the mercy to be great; as thus, If there be a cross, if the Spirit of God prevails in the heart, such a man or woman will wonder that it is no greater, and will bless God that though there be such a cross, yet that it is no more; that's the work of the Spirit of God: and if there be a mercy, wonders at Gods goodness that God granted so great a mercy: The Spirit of God extenuates evils and crosses, and doth magnifie and amplifie all mercies, and makes all mercies seem to be great, and all afflictions seem to be little. But (saith he) the Devil goes quite contrary, the Rhetorick of the Devil is quite otherwise, he doth lessen Gods mercies, and amplifie evil things, as thus, A godly man wonders at his cross that it is no more, a wicked man wonders his cross is so much, Oh (saith he) none was ever so afflicted as I am! If there be a cross, the Devil puts the soul ⟨p. 137⟩upon musing on it, and making it greater than it is, and so it brings discontent: And then on the other side, if there be a mercy then its the Rhetorick of the Devil to lessen the mercy, Indeed (saith he) the thing is a good thing, but what is it? It is no great matter, and for all this I may be miserable. Thus the Rhetorick of Satan doth lessen Gods mercies, and doth encrease afflictions: And for this I'le give you a notable example that we have in Scripture, it is the example of Korah, Dathan, and Abiram, In Numb. 16.12, 13. And Moses sent to call Dathan and Abiram the sons of Eltab: which said, We will not come up. Is it a small thing that thou hast brought us up out of a Land that floweth with milk and honey, to kill us in the wilderness, except thou make thy self altogether a Prince over us? Mark, they slighted the Land that they were going into, the Land of Canaan, that was the Land that God promised them that should flow with milk and hony: But mark here their discontentedness, because they met with some troubles in the wilderness, Oh it was to slay them, they made their affliction in the wilderness to be greater than it was, Oh it was to kill them, though it were indeed to carry them to the Land of Canaan.
