The Excellency of a Gracious Spirit, Title page – Dedication
THE EXCELLENCY OF A Gracious Spirit.
DELIVERED IN A TREATISE upon the 14. of Numbers, Verſe 24.
By IER. BURROUGHES Miniſter of Gods Word.
PROV. 17. 27.
A man of underſtanding is of an excellent ſpirit.
LONDON, Printed by M. F. for R. Dawlman, and L. Fawne, at the Brazen Serpent in Pauls Church-yard. 1639.
TO THE RIGHT HONORABLE EDVVARD, Viſcount MANDEVILLE.
Right Honorable,
THere is a common ſlander that hath been raiſed, and vile aſpertion that hath been, and ſtill is caſt upon the wayes of godlineſſe; That they diſ-ennoble mens ſpirits, (which Salvian complained of eleven hundred Sal. l. 4 de Gab. 1. Dei.yeares agoe, Si quis ex nobilitate converti ad Deum coeperit, ſtatim honorem nobilitatis amittit; o quantus in Chriſtiano populo honor Chriſti eſt, ubi Religio ignobilem facit!) That they make men rigid, melancholy, ſowre, uncivill; That they dull their parts; That they take them off from the delights of the things in the world; That if men take up the power and ſtrictneſſe of them, they muſt reſolve never, to keep any correſpondence with their friends who are of rank and quality in the world; and therefore although thoſe who have little of the world, and little to doe in the world, may live ſtrict lives; yet it is not for ſuch who are borne to great things, whoſe fortunes are raiſed higher than other mens, who have references to many of quality & place; it cannot be expected that they ſhould bee ſo ſtrict; this muſt needs hinder them in their outward accompliſhments; if they begin to take ſuch a courſe, it is impoſsible they ſhould be compleate every way, as beſeemes ſuch as they are: and thus many are compelled to be evill, leſt they ſhould be eſteemed vile, as Salvian complaines of his time; Mali coguntur eſſe ne viles habeātur: a notable ſpeech of his, fully ſutable to our times. The firſt obſervance (that I remember) I had of this place in Salvian, was from your Lordſhips ownhands, ſhewing it to me in him, as an expreſsion that your Lordſhip was much affected with. But theſe men do not conſider how much they ſpeak againſt themſelves; were this true, it were a ſnare, a judgement to be raiſed in outward excellencies above others. No; it is not honour, they are not riches, parts, dignities that hinder godlineſſe; it is the baſeneſſe and corruption of mens ſpirits, in the enjoyment of theſe that hinders; godlineſſe raiſeth the excellencies of them, it drawes out the chiefe good in them, and puts a higher beauty and glory upon them. God hath raiſed up your Honor, to convince the world of the falſeneſſe, malice, impiety there is in this evill report that is brought up, upon the good and bleſſed wayes of godlineſſe. Malice it ſelf cannot but acknowledge, that godlineſſe in the ſtrictneſſe of it, & naturall excellencies in the eminency of them, have a bleſſed conjunction in your Honour; Godlineſſe as the enameling of Pearls in thoſe golden naturall endowments with which God hath mercifully & plentifully enriched you: and were it but for this ſervice only to God and his Church, in convincing the world of the vileneſſe of this ſlander; I may ſpeake without ſuſpition of flattery, happy that ever you were borne; and I know, that thoſe who know your Lordſhip, will juſtifie me in that I ſay. In this God hath honored your Lordſhipe exceedingly; were there no other end for which you ſtill live in ſuch a generation, as you doe, but onelyonly this; yet in this you have great cauſe to bleſſe your ſelfe in God, and in this great honour he hath put upon you, to make you ſo publike and worthy an inſtrument of his. Who is it that lookes upon you, and ſees your wayes, but muſt needs confeſſe, Now I ſee that ſtrictneſſe and power of Religion, may ſtand with a moſt noble, generous, ſweet, amiable, courteous demeanour; I ſee it raiſeth and ennobleth parts; and though it baniſheth baſe and ſordid pleaſures, which are beneath the dignity of a man, much more of ture Nobility and generouſneſſe; yet it knowes how to make uſe of the delights that God affords in this world, and orders and guides them ſo, as by it they are injoyed with a double ſweetneſſe, farre above that which others finde.
And yet further, there are two more bleſſed conjuctures which adde much honour to you; the one is a facile yeeldablenes of ſpirit to any (though much inferiour) in anything, where good may bee done; and yet a ſtrong, unmoveable, ſledfaſt, reſolute ſpirit againſt that which is evill. It was the high commendation that Nazianzen gave of Athanaſius, that hee was Magnes, & Nazian. in Encom. Athanaſ.Adamas, A Loadſtone in his ſweet, gentle, drawing nature; and yet an Adamant in his reſolute ſlout carriage againſt thoſe who were evill.
The other is this (which makes all beautifull and lovely indeed) though God hath raiſed you high in birth, in abilities, in the eſteeme of men both good and bad; yet the luſtre of the humilitie of your ſpirit ſhines beautifully thorow all, manifeſting it ſelfe in much gentleneſſe and meekneſſe; and this is the height of all true excellency. A man of underſtanding is of an excellent ſpirit, ſaith Salomon, Prov. 17. 27. the word in the Originall, is, A coole ſpirit. In alſo poſito non altum ſapere difficile eſt, & omnino inuſitatum; ſed quanto inuſitatius, tanto glorioſius, ſaith Bernard, ep. 42. The Lord carry on your truely noble and generous ſpirit, that you may long hold forth the power, beauty and excellency of his grace. Let the height of all your deſignes be, to liſt up the Name of the great God. 2 Cor. 5. 9. We labour, ſaith the Apoſtle, whether preſent orabſent to bee accepted of him: the word tranſlated, Labour, loſeth the elegancy of it, it is foreign; we love the honour of it; it is ſuch a labour as we account it our honour and glory: We are ambitious; to have high deſignes for God is a holy and a bleſſed ambition; whereas the ambition of other men is low, & baſe: Infoelix prorſus ambitio, quae ambire magna non novit, ſaith Bernard. Account your ſelfe bleſſed Bern. pag. 1010.when your God is bleſſed. It was the bleſſing of Shem, Gen. 9. 26. Bleſſed be the Lord God of Shem; the chiefe of Shems bleſsing was, that his Lord God was bleſſed. That which I ſeeke, is to ingage your Lordſhip for God, and to ſtirr you up to anſwer fully the eſteeme, the expectations that men have of you, whoſe eyes are upon you as a publike bleſsing, & an ornament to the proſeſsion of the truth. And yet this I deſire your Lordſhip would conſider, (as I know you doe) that Religion is a greater honour, and ornament to you, than you are to it; it doth and will more honour you, than you ever did, or can honor its Your birth made you honourable, but oh how honourable have you beene, ſince you have beene pretious in Gods eyes! Eſay 43. 4. Your parts were alwayes hopefull, but how apparently have they beene raiſed ſince grace hath ſanctified them? Although God takes it well at the hands of thoſe whom hee hath raiſed in the things of the world higher than others, when hee ſeeth them forward in ſetting out his praiſe; yet he would not have them thinke that he is beholding to them, as if the honour of God depended ſo upon them, as it would faile, did not they put to their helpe. No, God can raiſe his honour by other meanes, he can glorifie himſelfe, and get himſelfe a great name, by low, meane, and contemptible things: It is not becauſe God hath need of honour from you, but becauſe he delights to honour you, that he is pleaſed to uſe you in his ſervice; It is an advancement to whatſoever greatneſſe you have in the world, to bee imployed for God, were it but in the meaneſt ſervice he hath to doe. Where the heart is right, even in that, it gloryeth more than in all the dignity that earth can put upon it; But yet the greater Inſtruments the Lord raiſeth up for his glory, the greater ſervices he cals them unto, the greater things may wee hope he intends for his Church.
When S. John ſaw the Elders caſting downe their crownes before the Throne, ſaying; Thou art worthy, O Lord, to receive glory, and honour, and power, Apoc. 4. 10. ſoone after S. John heard every creature in heaven, and on earth, and ſea, ſaying, Bleſſing, honour, glory, and power, be unto him that ſitteth upon the Throne, and unto the Lambe for evermore, cha. 5. 13. And ſoone after that, hee ſaw Chriſt with his Crowne upon him, going forth conquering, and to conquer Chap. 6. 2. What great mercies might we expect, did we ſee God rayſing up truely noble and generous ſpirits, more generally in the great ones of the earth? did we ſee the Elders and Nobles, caſting downe their Crownes before the Throne of the Lambe, willing to deny all their glory, and excellencies, and eſtates, for the raiſing up the glory of Ieſus Chriſt?
Certainly, God hath great things to doe in this latter age of the world, and hee is a God with whom there is as great abundance of ſpirit as ever, when his time comes, how ſoone will ſuch a thing bee, as the raiſing mens ſpirits to higher and more noble deſignes, than now we can imagine?
The obſerving the frame and work of your moſt pretious noble ſpirit (Right Honourable) put mee upon the thought of this Argument; The chiefeſt book that I made uſe of, for the inlarging … Meditations in it (next the Scripture was that which I joyfully beheld in you… ſelfe, and your Noble and much honorred Lady; highly honoured and lov… and that deſervedly, in the eſteeme, and hearts of all who know her and the truth, John Ep. 2. ver. 1.
Such gracious principles appeared in your ſpirits, ſuch divine rules by which yee were guided, thoſe high and noble employments in which yee delighted, thoſe bleſſed qualifications, which as ſo many Diamonds in their luſtre, and beauty, ſparkled that light, that freeneſſe, that ſtrength, that publikeneſſe, that holineſſe, &c. Thoſe comſorts of a higher nature than the common droſsie comforts of the world, that yee choſe to your ſelves, to ſatisfie your ſpirits in, and found contentment in the enjoyment of; that cauſed the dilating of my thoughts about theſe things, and now making knowne themſelves publikely, they crave patronage from your Lordſhip, who have beene the originall from whence they came.
And here I humbly preſent them to your Honour, and to your vertuous and noble Lady, as a glaſſe wherein your ſelves and others may ſee the frame and workings of your ſpirits; I dare ſay, that all who know you, and know that I had the happineſſe to bee ſo neare unto you, and to have
excited to look about thee, if falſe. Art thou indued with ſuch a ſpirit as here thou maiſt find? nothing in the world, in hell, or in thy fleſh, ſhall be able to conquer thee; as Chriſt himſelf, thou ſhalt indure ſuch croſſes and contradiction of ſinners, as theſe times are big with; thou ſhalt deſpiſe the ſhame, and be able to reſiſt to bloud, if God ſhould call thee to that honour. What excellency of ſpirit was in S. Paul, when Act. 21. 13he took it ill that they diſwaded him from going up to Jeruſalem, where he was to meet with ſharp afflictions; What mean you to weepe and break my heart, ſaith he, for I am ready not to be bound only, but alſo to die at Jeruſalem for the Name of the Lord Jeſus. Moſes refuſes to be called the ſon of Pharaohs daughter; though himſelfe, or ſome of his poſterity might happily have come to the Kingdome by it, and chuſes afflictions rather with the people of God, &c. He would not become an Egyptian, though of Heb. 11.the Royall Stem; but abide an Hebrew, who were abomination to the Egyptians: He knew, that the reproach of the Members did redound to the Head, and would bee well recompenced by him; and therefore he will ſuffer afflictions, and eſteeme the reproaches of Chriſt above all the treaſures of Egypt, a greater patrimony, ſaith Ambroſe. So baſe are many ſpirits in this age, that they had rather cenſure than trace his practice. Scaliger tels of a Tree, to which when …xer…it. 18… §. 27, 28.a man cometh, Ramos conſtringit; but when he departs, ramos p…dit: Too many are like this tree; when any Miniſters or Chriſtians, that have the reproach of Chriſt upon them, come neare them, and have to deale with them; let relations, promiſes, ingagemēts be what they wil, they ſhrink up themſelves, are troubled, ſadded, and perplexed, thinking it diſgrace unto thē to have to do with ſuch; but when they are gone, then their hearts dilate again, & their faces grow pleaſant: ſuch an adulterous generation there is, that are aſhamed, of Chriſt in any of his poore, reproached, deſpiſed Members; & not only aſhamed, but like that Plant called the Tartarean Lamb, which in ſhape and proportion anſwers the Lambe, but grazeth and eateth up the graſſe round about it, ſuffering no green thing to be neare: and theſe men are Lambes in ſhape, but eating up every green thing that is neare unto them. Pſa. 14. 4. They eate up my people as bread; they are the food their malice feeds upon.
It is obſerved, the Pope was ſo buſie and hot againſt Luther, that he neglected to look to all Chriſtendome againſt the Turk; ſuch baſeneſſe was in a Popes breſt, that he could eaſier have digeſted Mahumetiſme; than Lutherdniſme; & may we not think the Alcoran would be welcome to thoſe Confeſſors, who have enjoyned their burthened in conſcience to burne their Bibles for Pennance; this, ſome living know to be a truth. There is much baſeneſſe in the ſpirits of men, and upon little occaſion it vents it ſelfe: 1 Sam. 12.Doeg haead … malicious murderous ſpirit in him, & ſpared not thoſe that ware the Linnen Ephod. The rich man, Luk. 12. 19. was all for earth, & nothing for heaven. A great man finding his ſickneſſe encreaſing, cauſed his bed to be made between, or upon his Coffers, where he had much gold; a Lord came to him, and wiſhed him to go to his Chamber, and not lie there; his anſwer was, I am well where I am, ſo long as I can tarry, for I am neare unto my friends, meaning his Coffers and his gold. What droſſie corporall ſoules have ſuch men? The Gadarens drove Chriſt out of their Country; they eſteemed their Swine above a Saviour: Demas embraceth the preſent world; Ananias and Saphyra reſerve a portion for themſelves: ſuch ſpirits ever have been, and will be in the world. Spirits they are as much beneath common reaſon, as thoſe mentioned in this work are above it. It is choyce, not common ſpirits, that will honour God in ſtormy times. Had not a choyce and excellent ſpirit been in Nehemiah, the plots and practices of enemies would have daunted …eh. 6. 11.him; but take a view of his ſpirit; Should ſuch a man as I am flee? and who is there, that being as I am, would go into the Temple to ſave his life? I will not go in. He had a good cauſe, a good conſcience, Ve. ſ 13. 17a good God, which advanced his ſpirit to ſuch reſolvedneſſe, that hee would not take Sanctuary, and diſparage either of them by his feare or faint-heartedneſſe; whē he ſaw the Sabbath prophaned, he hid not his eyes from it, but contended with the Nobles about it. What Divine ſpirits were in the three Children? Could Nebuchanezars greatneſſe, mandates, threats of Dan. 3. 18.the fiery Fornace, force their ſpirits to falſe worſhip? Be it known unto thee, O King, that we will not ſerve thy gods. Here they did obediently diſobey, *As Groaſthead Biſhop of Lincolne once anſwered the Pope.knowing that nothing pleaſes God, but what hee hath commanded in his Word: they would not deliberate in this caſe, Wee are not carefull to anſwer thee, ſay they. When any enticements come to draw us from the pure worſhip of God, wee ſhould ſtop our eares, charme the Charmers never ſo wiſely.
Charles the Emperour, and two great perſons in this Kingdome, ſolliciting King Edward the ſixt to allow his ſiſter the Lady Mary to have …aſſe, would not liſten, but bade them be conce…t, for he would ſpend his life, and all he had, rather than agree, and grant to that hee See Act. and Mon. 2 Vol. p. 553.knew certainly to be againſt the truth; the ſuit being yet preſſed, he bruſt out into bitter weeping, and ſobbing, deſiring them to deſiſt. The motioners ſeeing his zeale, and conſtancy, wept as faſt as he, and told one, he had more Divinity in his little finger, than they had in all their bodies. What a choyce ſpirit was in that young Lord Harrington, who was a man of prayer: he prayed twice a day in ſecret; twice with his ſervants in his chamber, and joyned at appointed times with the family in prayer: he would never be idle, but alwaies well, if not religiouſly imployed; he meditated on 4. or 5. Sermons every day, retaining five or ſix in his memory alwayes; he kept an exact account of his life every day, very conſcientious of honouring God to purpoſe, in publike and private; on the Lords day he would repeat both the Sermons with his ſervants before ſupper, and write them down in his night booke before hee ſlept, and on the morning of that day, he would as he made him ready, repeat thoſe Sermons hee had heard the Lords day before; and for the Sacrament, he received it very frequently, and alwayes faſted the Saturday before, ſpending the whole day in Stock See in his funerall Sermons.examination; prayer and humbling himſelfe, that ſo he might be fitted to feaſt with Chriſt: he gave away the tenth of his eſtate unto the poore, & pious uſes, beſides his occaſionall charity when he was abroad: Here was a choyce ſpirit, beautified with variety of graces, not unfit for great & mean to propound for their pattern.
Daniel in Babylon would not defile himſelfe with the portion of the Kings meat, nor with the wine which he dranke; hee had rather eat pulſe than defile his conſcience. When the writing was ſigned, the Lions den threatned, did he muſſle up his Religion, and ſhrink up his ſpirit? he would not ſhut up his window, nor diminiſh his prayers, but thrice a day prayed, and gave thankes unto his God, as he did afore time; here was a ſpirit for God and his wayes, and not for the times.
Happily ſome temporizing politician will charge Daniel of indiſcretion: no, it was the excellency of his ſpirit, that in caſe of danger, and that of life, he would not ſeparate external profeſſion from inward faith, when God ſhould loſe by it: And what, doſt thou charge him with indiſcretion, whom the Scripture commends for his wiſdome? It was a proverbiall ſpeech, Wiſer than Daniel, Ezek. 32. 3. and his heart did not accuſe him for that indiſcretion, when he was in the Lions den; for he ſaith, Innocency was found in him; he was not aſhamed of his godlineſſe; that had raiſed him and hee would maintaine the honour of it. Such ſpirits have true excellency in them, & are not ſhie of the wayes or ſervants of God, when the flouds of iniquity overflow, & threaten to beare down all. Fearefulneſſe to appeare in Gods cauſe is a part of the old man, & when God puts into his, another, a new ſpirit, that waſts thy fearefulnes; the more thou haſt of Gods Spirit, the more thy old timorous cowardly ſpirit is abated. Mat. 9. 16. That is put in to fill up, takes from the garment; and when grace fils up a man, it takes away from the old man, the old baſeneſſe, feare, and daſtardlineſſe in the cauſe of God, and a holy undaunted reſolution is begottē in thee to juſtifie wiſdom, although thou dānifie thy ſelf.Dan. 6. 10.
According to the fulneſſe of mens ſpirits are their carriages, with more or leſſe confidence in their undertakings; If Satan have filled the heart, men will boldly ſerve him, Acts 5. 3. Why hath Satan filled thy heart to lie unto the Holy Ghoſt? Satan had filled his heart, and therefore he feared not to lie unto God himſelfe. Dieu ſaith upon the place, Implere cor alterius eſt audacem eum reddere, & he cites that place, Heſt. 7. 5. Quis hic eſt, qui implevit cor ſuum ad faciendum ſic? Who is he that hath filled his heart; in our Tranſlations, That durſt preſume in his heart to doe ſo? Hamans heart was filled with malice, and that made him bold to attempt the deſtruction of all the Jewes: And where godlineſſe fils the heart, there will be as venturous & bold attempts for God. Paul being filled with the Holy Ghoſt ſet his eyes on Elymas, and ſo Acts 13. 9. 10.thundred and lightned againſt him, that preſently his proud malitious ſpirit was blaſted.
When the heart of a man is filled with divine truths, it is not the preſence of men in higheſt place can daunt it. Eliſha had a double portion of the ſpirit of Elijah; and did the greatneſſe, or wickedneſſe of Iehoram daunt him? There appeared a Deity in his very ſpeech and ſpirit, 2 Kings 3. 14. As the Lord of Hoſts liveth before whom I ſtand, ſurely were it not that I regard the preſence of Iehoſaphat, the King of Iudah, I would not looke towards thee, nor ſee thee. Hee had a fulneſſe of Gods Spirit in him, that could ſpeake thus to one of the gods on earth. When a mans heart is filled with divine influence, he feares not the enemies of goodnes, neither is aſhamed of ought accompanies godlineſſe, 2 Tim. 1. 7, 8. God hath given us the ſpirit of power, of love, and of a ſound mind; be not thou therefore aſhamed of the teſtimony, &c. When the power of God is in a mans ſpirit, he will not bee aſhamed of the Croſſe, nor refuſe to ſhare in the afflictions of the Goſpel. It is the honour of Religion, to have ſuch Diſciples as will own her, and ſtand for her at all times, and that with an undaunted courage, Acts 4. 8, 9, 10, 11, 12. Peter was filled with the Holy Ghoſt, and ſaid; Bee it knowne unto you all, and all the people of Iſrael, that by the Name of Ieſus Chriſt of Nazareth, whom you crucified, whom God raiſed from the dead, even by him doth this man here ſtand before you whole; this is the ſtone which was ſet at nought of you builders, &c. And after when he and Iohn were commanded ſilence; what ſaid they? Whether it be right in the ſight of God, to hearken unto you more than God, judge yee; for we cannot but ſpeake the things we have ſeene and heard. It is a brand upon Nicodemus that he came to Chriſt by night; and ſo of the chiefe Rulers that beleeved on him, but becauſe of the Phariſees did not confeſſe him, leſt they ſhould be put out of the Synagogues: but it was Nicodemus praiſe, for that he had got boldneſſe to ſpeak for Chriſt, when vilified, though himſelfe ſuffered reproach for it: this ſhewed ſome excellency and growth in his ſpirit, that he could both ſpeake and ſuffer for Chriſt. So Ioſeph of Arimathea was timerous at Ioh. 19. 38. but being filled with grace, He went in boldly to Pilate and craved the body of Ieſus, Mark. 15. 43. With what holy boldneſſe did thoſe men march through reproaches, afflictions, and perſecutions for the truths ſake.
Reader, ſwallow thou this Booke (as Ezekiel did his rowle) and thou ſhalt be inabled to doe as much. Principle and fill thy ſpirit with the pretious truths contained in this little Treatiſe, and thou ſhalt find thy drooping ſpirit to receive, a heavenly warmth to come upon thee, and a holy boldneſſe thruſting thee forward for God and godlineſſe. Wickedneſſe is too bold, and godlineſſe too ſhamefaſt; it hath loſt and ſuffered much through mens cowardlineſſe. Reade, meditate, and feaſt thy ſpirit with what thou herein findeſt, and thou mayſt walke bold as a Lion through the midſt of a crooked and perverſe generation; thou ſhalt daunt wickedneſſe it ſelfe, and make Religion truely beautifull, and honourable.
If thou ſhouldeſt ſay, This book might have been kept in, there are too many already; I anſwer thee, There be many, but few to purpoſe. The Sea is full of water, yet God addes daily to it by rivers, and ſhowers. Many would read little, if new bookes were not ſet forth daily Bookes do quicken up a drowſie age to the beſt purpoſe. New bookes are like new faſhions, taken up at firſt with affection. Notwithſtanding all the Munition of the Kingdome, there is new made daily. Books are more needfull than Armes, the one defends the body, the other the ſoule. If thy ſpirit be choice and right, thou wilt acknowledge this worke, ſolid, ſpirituall, and ſuch as hitherto thou haſt not met with many like it. If trees be knowne by their fruit; what other ſentence may bee paſſed upon the Compoſer of it, but that hee hath profited in the Schoole of Chriſt above thouſands; hath had a large operation of Gods Spirit in his own ſoule, attained to a choiceneſſe and excellency of ſpirit himſelfe, & that he hath clearly differenced betweene pretious and baſe ſpirits. I ſhall appeale to thy ſelfe, Chriſtian Reader, when thou haſt peruſed this Booke, whether thou wouldeſt have had it buried in the dark. If he deſerves a curſe that withholds corne, Prov. 11. 26. thou wilt bleſſe God for this corne the Authour hath ſent to market. God made him a fountaine not to bee ſealed up, but to ſlow for common good. Veritatem celare eſt aurum ſepelire. In a fountaine ſealed, and treaſures hid, Aug conf. l. 11.the Authour knew was little profit. Hee hath let out himſelfe to advantage thee, taken this off from his owne ſpirit, to put upon thine. Doe thine endeavour to better thy ſelfe by it, and if thou getteſt any good, give unto God glory; if none, ſuſpect thy ſpirit, and ſpare thy cenſures: The Authours ſpirit is above them, and counts it a very ſmall thing to bee judged of mans judgement. My prayers are, that thou mayeſt profit much, attaine true excellency of ſpirit, and follow God fully all thy dayes, that ſo thy end may bee comfortable, and glorious.
Thy Chriſtian friend, W. Gr.
A GRACIOVS Cap. 1.SPIRIT, A CHOYCE and a pretious SPIRIT.
Numb. 14. 24.
But my ſervant Caleb, becauſe he had an other ſpirit with him, and hath followed me fully, him will I bring into the land, wherein he went; and his ſeed ſhall poſſeſſe it.