The Excellency of a Gracious Spirit, Part 1 · Chapter 2
CAP. 11.
Wherein the excellencie of this gracious ſpirit appeares.
THus they are men of another ſpirit, and this is their excellencie: A ſpirit thus differenced from the world, where all this is found, is an excellent ſpirit indeed. Here is true worth, all the bravery and glory of the world not worthy to be mentioned with this. The ſoule is the excellencie of a man, and this is the excellencie of the ſoule: a mans ſelfe is his ſoule. Hence, whereas in Matth. 16. 26. it is ſaid, What ſhall it profit a man if hee gaine the whole world, and loſe his ſoule? it is ſaid in another Evangeliſt, Luke 9. 25. What ſhall it proſit a man if hee gain the world, and loſe himſelfe? Surely, ſpirituall excellencies are the higheſt excellencies; as,
Firſt, theſe ſpirituall excellencies have this propriety in them, they 1make a man a better man, whereſoever they are, which bodily excellencies doe not, nor all the riches nor honours in the world: A man is not the better man becauſe he hath money, cloaths, honours, better dyet than others; theſe are but outward things added to him, no intrinſecall excellencies.
Secondly, theſe ſpirituall excellencies are the beginnings of eternall 2liſe, the ſame life we ſhall have in heaven: and hence the work of Gods Spirit in the ſoule, is called, The Earneſt of the Spirit; not a pawne, but an Earneſt: for a pawne is to be returned againe, but an Earneſt is part of the whole ſumme that is to follow. That which we have of Gods Spirit, is part of the ſame glory we ſhall have fully in heaven; it is not onelyonly an evidence unto us that there is glory comming, but it is a beginning of the glory, the fulneſſe whereof is to come afterward. Such a ſpirit as hath this life, lives a life farre above the common life of the world, even the life of heaven, the ſame life that Angels and Saints do live in heaven, the life of thoſe bleſſed ſpirirs there. Wee miſtake if wee thinke eternall life is only in heaven; eternall life is in this world, in the excellent frame of the ſpirits of Gods ſervants, 1 Iohn 3. 15. Life is the chiefe excellency communicated to the Creature, and the higheſt life, the higheſt excellency. There is more diſtance between the excellency of the meaneſt, weakeſt godly man in the world, and the moſt eminent man for parts & common gifts onelyonly, than betweene the meaneſt and weakeſt godly ſoule, and the moſt eminent glorified Saint in the higheſt heavens; the weakeſt godly man excels him that is moſt eminent in common gifts, more than the moſt eminent Saint in heaven excells him: for the glorified Saint is onelyonly higher in ſome degrees in the ſame excellency, which in the principles, yea, and in ſome luſtre, the meaneſt Saint on earth hath; hee hath that which will at laſt grow up to heavens glory: but the diſtance betweene him, and the man who onelyonly hath the excellencies of parts, learning, common gifts, it is eſſentiall: All parts and common gifts in the world can never grow up to this.
Thirdly, yea, this is not onelyonly the life of Angels, the life of heaven, but 3the life of God himſelfe; for ſo it is called by God himſelfe, Epheſ. 4. 11. Ratio nihil aliudeſt, quam in corpits huma▪ … pars divim … meiſa … Epiſt …7.Seneca ſayes of Reaſon, that it is part of the Divine Spirit in mans body, it is much more true of Grace, it enables the ſoul in ſome reſemblance to come the neareſt that can be, to live as God lives, to work as God works; it repreſents God in his higheſt glory, and therefore it is called, The lynage of God: This ſhewes more to the world what God is, than all the frame of Gods creation beſides. It is not as an Image, which hath only the dead lineaments drawne, though there be ſome beauty in this; but as the Image in a glaſſe, which preſents the motion as wel as the lineaments: yea, and not only ſo, but as the ſonne that beares the Image of the father; and this repreſents the life: or as if a glaſſe had life in it, and ſo could enjoy the ſweetneſſe, the good of that Image it repreſents unto it ſelf. This Spirit is ſuch a living glaſſe of the bleſſed God, that it enjoys the good and ſweetneſſe of that Image of God it hath in it: Yea, one degree higher, it is called the very Divine Nature, 2 Pet. 1. 4. as if it were nothing elſe but a ſparkle of the Deity it ſelfe. Seneca has a ſtrong ſpeech concerning mans ſoule, What can we call the ſoule Quid aliud voces animum, quàm Deum in corepore humano …o … …tem. Sencea.(ſayes he) but God abiding in an humane bodie? If a ſoule that hath only naturall excellencies, comes ſo neare God, how neare then comes it to him, when raiſed by thoſe ſpirituall and ſupernaturall excellencies we have ſpoke of. Yea, yet there is an higher degree than this; It is called the glory of the Lord, Rom. …. 3. yea, a higher degree than all the former; the excellencie of this ſpirit is ſuch, as it is one ſpirit with God himſelfe, 2 Cor. 6. 17. He that is joyned to the Lord, is one ſpirit. It was the excellencie of Ioſhua, that hee had the ſpirit of Moſes upon him; of Eliſha, that hee had the ſpirit of Eliah; what is it then to have the Spirit of God himſelfe? yea to be one ſpirit with him. Put all theſe then together, godlineſſe by which this other ſpirit is raiſed higher than common ſpirits, it is the life of God, the Image of God, the divine Nature, the glory of God, yea one ſpirit with God; and is not here an high and glorious excellencie?
Fourthly, this makes him, whereſoever 4it is, fit to glorifie God in the world, and ſo the ſoule thus endued, is not onelyonly a glaſſe to repreſent, a living glaſſe to enjoy the comfort of what it doth repreſent; but as a glaſſe to reflect upō the face of God himſelf, the glory of his own Image, and that by a principle within it ſelf. Other glaſſes can reflect upon the thing whoſe image it hath, if acted by a hand externally; but this by an inward living principle, and ſo gives God his glory actively, which no other creature can doe, but Angels, and mens ſoules, who have theſe ſpirituall excellencies in them. Were it not for a few of theſe ſpirits, what glory would God have in the world? how little would he be minded, or regarded? But theſe are they who have high thoughts of God, who have trembling frames before him, who do reverence, feare, adore, love, cleave to, truſt in, magnifie the Name of the great God in the world; theſe ſanctifie his Name in his worſhip, they worſhip him as a God, they worſhip him in ſpirit and truth, and ſuch worſhippers God ſeeks, Ioh. 4. 23. as theſe he highly eſteemes of, and much rejoyces in; theſe take notice of him in all his creatures, in the wayes of his providence, and uſe the creatures for him, from whom they are; the glory of God is deare and pretious to theſe; this is the excellencie of their ſpirits, they are not ſunke in the dregs of the world, but being kept in ſome meaſure in their purity, they worke up to God, doe as it were naturally flow to God, as to their Center.
Fiftly, theſe are ſuch as are fit to ſtand before the Lord, to have converſe, 5and enjoy communion with him. Dan. 1. 4. we reade, that thoſe that were judged fit to ſtand in the Kings pallace, before King Nebuchadaezzar, they muſt have no blemiſh, they muſt bee well-favoured, and skilfull in all wiſdome, and cunning in knowledge, & underſtanding ſcience, and taught the learning, and the tongue of the Caldeans.
Every ſpirit is not fit to ſtand before the King of heaven, to have converſe with him; none but the reaſonable creature is capable of any ſuch thing as communion with God, and it muſt bee the reaſonable creature thus raiſed, they muſt bee men of other ſpirits. A man of an excellent ſpirit, cannot endure converſe with baſe ſordid ſpirits; much leſſe can God, who is that bleſſed holy Spirit. No creature can have communion with another, but ſuch as live the ſame life; hence the beaſt cannot have communion, with man, becauſe mans proper life is rationall; theſe are the ſpirits who being partakers of the life of God, are fitted for converſe and communion with him: Likeneſſe is the ground of all liking in communion, it is the likeneſſe they have to God, that makes God to delight in communion with them; God loves to dwell with theſe, and that in a ſpeciall manner. 2 Corin. 6. 16. As God hath ſaid, I will dwell in them, and walke in them, I will bee their God, and they ſhall be my people; the words are very ſignificant in the Originall; I will in-dwell in them, ſo the words foreign.are. There are two ins in the Originall, as if God could never have near enough communion with them, Pſal. 4 1. 12. Hee ſets them before his face for ever, as loving to look upon them. Now how great, how inconceiveable a dignity is this, for the poor creature to have this neare communion with God? Curſed bee that man, ſaies that noble Marqueſſe, Marcus Galeaceus, that prizes all the gold and ſilver in the world, worth one dayes enjoyment of communion with Ieſus Chriſt; he was a man of another ſpirit, who ſpake from his owne experience, of that ſweet he had found of communion with Chriſt, who had parted with much honour and riches for him. Enoch and Noah, who were men of other ſpirits in their generations, are ſaid to walke with God: God tooke them up even in this world to walke with him; many a ſweet turne have theſe ſpirits with their God; God delights to have them neare him, that he might reveale and cōmunicate himſelfe to them; theſe know much of Gods minde; the ſecrets of the Lord are with theſe, and to them he reveales his Covenant, God doth not love to hide his face from theſe. That hidden wiſdome which the Princes of the World knew not, which eye hath not ſeene, eare heard, neither hath entred into the hearts of men to conceive, yet hath the Lord revealed them to us by his Spirit, ſaith the Apoſtle, 1 Corin. 2. 10. even by that Spirit, that ſearches the deepe things of God, and by vertue of this communion, theſe can prevaile much with God; As it is ſaid of Iacob, Gen. 32. 28. as a Prince hee had power with God and prevailed. Hence S. Bernard in his meditatiös, giving divers rules of ſtrictneſſe, of purging the heart, of being humble & Et cum talis fueris, inemento mei. Bern. meditat. devoti…. cap 5.holy, and when thou art thus, ſaith he, then remember me; as knowing the prayers of ſuch a one would much prevaile with God for bleſſing.
Sixtly, this ſpirit is fit for any ſervice, any employment God cals it 6to; it is a veſſell of mercy, ſitted for the Maſters uſe; Many honourable ſervices God hath to be done in the world; men of ordinary common ſpirits, are not ſit for them; if they ſhould be ſet about them, they would ſpoile the work, and diſhonour God in it. If a man have a choice peece of work, he will not employ one that hath not abilitie to reach to it; hee knowes the work would faile, and it would be his diſgrace. When God would imploy ſome about building his Tabernacle, hee fils them firſt with his Spirit, ſo he ſaith of Bezaliel, and Aholiab. If a man bee employed in government, hee had need be a man in whom the Spirit of God is, as Pharaoh ſaid concerning Ioſeph, Gen. 4 1. 3 8. When God choſe Saul for government, hee gave him another ſpirit, ſo that hee was another man: When God had a peece of work to doe of high eſteeme, beyond Sauls reach, hee lookes out for another, who had a more excellent ſpirit than Saul, and ſaith, I have found a man according to mine owne heart, who ſhall fulfill all my will. The excellency of a thing is in the uſe of it: What can it do? The excellency of the Angels is, in that they are miniſtring ſpirits; and the excellency of man is to be ſerviceable; his excellency is not, that he can eat, and drinke, and ſport, and goe fine, but that he is of uſe, fitted for what ſervice God hath to doe in the world, that he can further Gods ends in his workes, that God may ſay of him, I have found a man according to mine owne heart, that is prepared to fulfill all my will. When Eſay Chap. 6. had his ſpirit purged, ſignified by that ſigne of one of the Cherubims, touching his tongue with a coale from the Altar, he preſently ſhewes the excellency of his ſpirit in this, that when God had a choice piece of worke to doe, and askes whom he ſhall ſend, The Prophet readily and cheerfully anſwers, Lord here am I, ſend me: doe but ſet the truth of God before theſe, it is enough; their ſpirits being gracious cloſe with it, yeeld to it, obey it, ſet about the work it ſhewes they ſhould doe; but when mens ſpirits are corrupt and unſavory, there is ſuch a ſtirre to convince them of Gods mind, in that which is not agreeable to them; ſo much a doe to prevaile with them to the practice, though convinced, that it would grieve a man to have to deale with them.
The excellency of the ſpirits of Gods people, is ſet out to us very ſweetly in that expreſſion of the Pſalmiſt, Pſalm. 18. 44, As ſoone as they heare, they ſhall obey me. There is a wilingneſſe of ſpirit to their worke, what God would have, what ever it be; if they apprehend it above their reach, they caſt not off their worke but ſeeke to God for ſupply of ability, knowing that there is ſpirit enough in God, that God hath wayes enough to enable the ſpirits of his ſervants unto, and carry them on in any worke he ſets them about; they know that God will never put any man, upon any ſervices, but by one meanes or other, he will fit his ſpirit for them: for it is the great delight of God, to have men in ſervice, to be of ſpirits fitted for ſervice. When the Devill himſelfe hath any worke to doe, he chooſeth men who have ſpirits fitted for his worke, and in them he delights; If the worke requires boldneſſe and impudence, he hath men of daring ſpirits, who will ſet upon it, and goe thorow with it; If it requires ſubtilty, hee chooſeth men of more moderate ſpirits, who can keepe in their paſſions, and ſecretly, and inſenſibly worke their owne ends. Wee reade, Revel. 12. the Devill there oppoſeth Gods Saints in fiery and open violence, as a Dragon; but afterward, Chap. 13. he gives his power to the Beaſt who had ſeven heads, who would worke with more ſubtilty, to draw the world after him; and as wee reade, Hoſ. 7. 4, 6, 7, verſes, thoſe who laboured to ſet up the Calves in Dan, and Bethel, were as hot as an Oven in their purpoſes, intentions, and deſires; but becauſe they ſaw the beſt way to have the worke ſucceed, was not to carry it on at firſt by open violence, therefore they were content to ſtay; As the Baker ceaſeth from Cornel. à Lapide in locum.raiſing after he hath kneaded the dough untill it be leavened, and when it is once leavened, then hee puts it into the Oven; ſo they were content to forbeare a while, untill they had ſent fit inſtruments abroad amongſt the people to leaven them, to prepare them, by perſwading them, that if ſuch a thing were done, it were no great matter; they ſhould ſtill worſhip the true God; the difference was but the circumſtance of the place; and thus when they were leavened, then they were fit for the Oven; that is, for the purpoſes and intentions, of thoſe who deſired to ſet up the Calves, which were as hot as an Oven. According to any ſervice the Devill hath for men, he hath devices to raiſe their ſpirits to that height of wickedneſſe, as ſhall fit them for it. We have a notable relation of Hoſpinian cōcerning this. When the Jeſuits have made choice of an Inſtrument, for that King-killing ſervice, that they intend to ſet Hoſpinian hiſt. Ieſuit. p. 225.him about, they doe not put him upon it untill they have firſt raiſed, and ſitted his ſpirit for the ſervice by theſe meanes.
1. They bring him to a very private place, in a Chappell or Oratory, where the knife lies wrapt up in a cloth, with an Ivory ſheath, with divers characters, and Agnus Dei upon it; they draw the knife, and bedew it with holy water, and hang on the haft of it ſome Beads conſecrated with this Indulgence, That ſo many blowes, as he gives in the killing the King, ſo many ſoules hee ſhall ſave out of Purgatory: then they give the knife to him, commending it to him in theſe words; O thou choſen ſon of God, take to thee the ſword of Iephte, Sampſon, David, Gideon, Iudith, of Machaheus, of julius the ſecond, who defended himſelf from the Princes by his ſword: goe and bee wiſely couragious, and GOD ſtrengthen thy hand; then they all fal upon their knees with this praier; Be preſent, O ye Cherubins and Seraphins; bee preſent yee Thrones, Powers, holy Angels, fill this holy veſſell with glory, give him the crowne of all the holy Martyrs; he is no longer ours but your companion; and thou, O God, ſtrengthen his arme, that he may doe thy will; give him thyhelmet and wings, to flie from his enemies; give him thy comforting beames, which may joy him in the midſt of all his ſorrows; Then they bring him to the Altar, where the picture of Iacobus Clemens is, who killed Henry the third of France, the Angels protecting of him, and then they ſhew him a crown of glory, and ſay, Lord reſpect this thy arme, and executioner of thy juſtice; then foure Ieſuits are appointed privately to ſpeak with him; they tell him that they ſee a divine luſtre in his face, which moves them to fall downe and kiſſe his feet, and now he is no more a mortall man; they envy his happineſſe, every one ſighing and ſaying, Would to God I were in your roome, that I might eſcape Purgatory, and go immediatly into Paradiſe; but if they perceive him to ſhrink and be troubled after all this, they will ſometimes affright him with terrible apparitions in the night, and ſometimes have the Virgin Mary, and the Angels appear before him, &c. Thus you ſee, how the Devill will have mens ſpirits fit for their worke, and when they are fit, then he uſes them, and not before; much more will God looke to have the ſpirits of his ſervants fit for their employments, and then onelyonly he delights to uſe them, and thoſe are the ſpirits who are higly accounted of, who are exceedingly honourable in the ſight of God, who are fitted for his owne ſervice.
Seventhly, this puts a luſtre of Majeſty and beautic upon a man. Wiſedome 7(much more all the excellencies of this Spirit) makes a mans face to ſhine; as the light of a Lanterne puts a luſtre upon the Lanterne, ſo the brightneſſe of theſe ſpirits puts a luſtre upon the men in whom they are. Men of ſuch ſpirits as theſe are, have a daunting preſence in the eyes of thoſe who behold them. It is reported of Baſil, that ſuch was the Majeſty & luſtre of hisſpirit, appearing Gregor. crat. de landibus Baſil…i.in his very countenance, that when the Emperor Valens came unto him, while he was in holy exerciſes, that it ſtruck ſuch a terror into him, that hee reeled, and had ſallen, had he not been upheld by thoſe that were with him. When the Officers came to take Chriſt, he did but ſay, I am hee, and let out a beam of the Majeſty of his Deity, it ſtrucke ſuch a feare in them, as made them all fall backward: This Spirit hath a beame of this Majeſty, and ſomewhat of the daunting power of it: how unable are wicked men to converſe with men of ſuch ſpirits? They often goe from their company convinced, ſelf-condemned; their conſciencestroubled, and their hearts daunted in them.
Eighthly, this ſpirit makes men fit for any condition that God ſhall put 8them into; they know how to yeeld to God, to ſinde out Gods meaning, to carry themſelves in every condition, ſo as to worke out that which God would have by it; which men of ordinary ſpirits cannot doe. S. Paul was a man of a moſt admirable ſweet ſpirit, and he ſhewes it much in this; I know (ſayes he) how to want and how to abound; how to be full, and how to be empty. Hee could goe through good report and evill report, and keep his way ſtill, and carry his work before him. It is the weakneſſe and vanity of our ſpirits that makes us thinke, that if wee were in ſuch and ſuch a condition, then we could doe thus or thus; this is a temptation to hinder us from the duties of the preſent condition, by putting our thoughts upon another. It is the excellency of ones ſpirit, if the preſent condition bee not ſutable to the minde, to make the minde ſutable to the condition, that the preſent which God calls to, may goe on.
When a joynt in the body is ſet right, it enables not onelyonly to move one way without paine, but to move any way according to the uſe of the member; ſo where ones ſpirit is ſet right, it doth not onelyonly enable to go on with ſome comfort in one condition, but in any condition that God calls unto, to carry on the work of that condition with joy: and hence the recovering of the ſpirit from a diſtempered condition to a right frame, is compared to the ſetting of a member in joynt: As, Gal. 6. 1. If a man be overtaken in a fault, ye which are ſpirituall, reſtore ſuch a one in the ſpirit of meekneſſe: the word ſignifies, Put him into joynt againe. And here you have had the diſcovery, as of foreign.what this other ſpirit is, ſo wherein the excellencie of this other ſpirit lies; now then let us make Applicaon of all.