2. It's a temptation to act under deadness, which actually blunts the heart; therefore to obey under a formal temptation, is more spiritual obedience. As for Christ to pray, to believe, to exhort his disciples to watch, and when pain, wrath, the actual pressing curse puts him to tears and hideous cries, Heb. 5. is a perfect copy to all obedience: less thanks to you to pray when the heart is oiled with real influences,1 and feasted with some holy, and the bridegrooms honey-comb, and the feelings of the out-lettings of freest love; as what praise to a wheel to roll down the mount? or for the fire to cast heat, or the Sun to yield light? Feelings of the strong impulsions and breathings of Christs love carry along such a strong necessity of obeying Christs love, being a stronger and a more imperious commander then a fiery Law, almost steals away the elective power, but to pray under the frame and current of a dead disposition working and re-acting on the contrary, from a principle that is strongly real, but from pure moral influences from the pure spiritual commands, 1 Thess. 5. 17. Pray without ceasing, and Psal. 50. 15. Call upon me in the day of trouble, is the most spiritual and perfect obedience. That wine hath the most kindly taste and colour of wine, and is preserved most connaturally, that hath it's being on the mother grape; it's not so when there is something of art (I know not what) to preserve it by, steel ⟨p. 250⟩or something like that. Hence appears the deceitfulness of our hearts, when the delight in the duty comes rather from a mere physical cause, & less moral, to wit, from the heavenly flamings of quickening influences, not from the command, the only kindly mother and moral motive of obedience. The withdrawing of the rays and beams of the personally near Godhead now (as it were) under a cloud, which was wont to give the savourness of strong delight, made our Redeemers obedience (as is said) the more excellent.
2. It's a temptation to act under deadness, which actually blunts the heart; therefore to obey under a formal temptation, is more spiritual obedience. As for Christ to pray, to believe, to exhort his disciples to watch, and when pain, wrath, the actual pressing curse puts him to tears and hideous cries, Heb. 5. is a perfect copy to all obedience: lesse thanks to you to pray when the heart is oyled with real influences,1 and feasted with some holy, and the bridegrooms hony-comb, and the feelings of the out-lettings of freest love; as what praise to a wheel to roll down the mount? or for the fire to cast heat, or the Sun to yield light? Feelings of the strong impulsions and breathings of Christs love carry along such a strong necessity of obeying Christs love, being a stronger and a more imperious commander then a fiery Law, almost steals away the elective power, but to pray under the frame and current of a dead disposition working and re-acting on the contrary, from a principle that is strongly real, but from pure moral influences from the pure spiritual commands, 1 Thess. 5. 17. Pray without ceasing, and Psal. 50. 15. Call upon me in the day of trouble, is the most spiritual and perfect obedience. That wine hath the most kindly taste and colour of wine, and is preserved most connaturally, that hath it's being on the mother grape; it's not so when there is something of art (I know not what) to preserve it by, steel ⟨p. 250⟩or something like that. Hence appears the decitfulnesse of our hearts, when the delight in the duty comes rather from a meer physical cause, & less moral, to wit, from the heavenly flamings of quickening influences, not from the command, the only kindly mother and moral motive of obedience. The withdrawing of the rayes and beams of the personally near Godhead now (as it were) under a cloud, which was wont to give the savourness of strong delight, made our Redeemers obedience (as is said) the more excellent.
- 1Less of sweet real influences, and more of moral influences from the word makes obedience the more perfect.
