Gospel-revelation in three treatises, viz, 1 The nature of God. 2 The excellencies of…

Yet in the fourth place, If souls have such excellency, Use. 4 then certainly those who have most soul-excellency, are the most excellent people; we may judge here who they are that are the most excellent upon the earth, The Righteous is more excellent than his neighbour; perhaps his neighbour is richer than he, hath a comelier body than he, but yet he is more excellent, why? because all excellency must be judged by that that is most proper to the Creature, and that that is the chief part of the Creature; as if you would judge of the goodness of a knife, you will not judge by the haft of it, whether it be good or no, but you will judge by the metal of the knife, you judge by that wherein the chief of the knife is; so, if you will judge of the excellency of a man or woman, you must judge of his excellency by the excellency of that that is most proper to him: Now, for ⟨p. 227⟩Sense, for the body, why the brute-beasts they have sense, they have flesh and blood as well as we, only we differ in these rational immortal souls that God hath given to us; therefore such, whose souls are filled with divine excellency, they are to be most honoured, they are indeed the Lords and Ladies of the world; therefore the Scripture speaks of those, whose out-sides were mean enough; in the latter end of the 11th. of the Hebrews, that wandered in sheep-skins and goat-skins, yet they were such as the world was not worthy of them. Indeed, a man of understanding is of an excellent spirit; we read of the Ark, the outside was of Badgers-skins, it had a poor and mean outside, but within were the Cherubims, and Gold was within; And so, many have very mean outsides, but within there is a great deal of excellency; and others that have brave outsides, and well clad without, yet if you look within them, oh what vile souls have they! the heart of the wicked is little worth, saith the Scripture; Perhaps his Land may be somewhat worth, and his House, but his heart is little worth; As many a man that hath perhaps a hand full of sores, yet may have a fine embroidered Glove upon it; and a dunghill may be strewed with herbs, and in the winter time filthy dunghills you know are covered with white Snow, that in a fair frosty day look as glistering as the Snow that is upon a fine Meadow, but still nothing but filth:

Yet in the fourth place, If souls have such excellency, Use. 4 then certainly those who have most soul-excellency, are the most excellent people; wee may judge here who they are that are the most excellent upon the earth, The Righteous is more excellent than his neighbour; perhaps his neighbour is richer than hee, hath a comlier body than hee, but yet hee is more excellent, why? because all excellency must be judged by that that is most proper to the Creature, and that that is the chief part of the Creature; as if you would judge of the goodness of a knife, you will not judge by the haft of it, whether it bee good or no, but you will judge by the metal of the knife, you judge by that wherein the chief of the knife is; so, if you will judge of the excellency of a man or woman, you must judge of his excellency by the excellency of that that is most proper to him: Now, for