The Excellency of a Gracious Spirit, Part 1 · Chapter 5
CAP. V.
Learne to have a right eſteeme of ſuch pretious ſpirited men.
IF the godly be of ſuch excellent ſpirits, learne wee then hence to have a right eſteeme of them; they ſurely are worthy of pretious account, of moſt honorable eſteem, who are men of ſuch excellent ſpirits: Let them bee what they will, in regard of their outward condition, though never ſo meane and poore. No matter what the Ring bee, if the Pearle in it be pretious. Many moſt pretious ſpirits have very mean outſides. The Tabernacle was beaten Gold within, but the out ſide covered with Badgers skines. If the treaſure be rich, what though the veſſell be earthen? Surely, theſe are the excellency of the earth, the very light and beauty of the world, the glory of Gods Creation; they give a luſtre to the places where they live, to the families in which they are; eſpecially if they walke cloſe and faithfully with God indeed, manifeſting the excellency of their ſpirits in their wayes; ſo that when they are taken away, the very places where they lived, are darkened. This other ſpirit of the godly makes a Iob ſcraping his ſoares on the dung-hill, and a Ieremy ſticking in the myrie dungeon, more glorious than Kings and Princes ſitting crowned upon their Thrones: theſe are glorious within. God is a Spirit, and he looks on men, to ſee what they are in their ſpirits; and he eſteems accordingly of them; and ſo ſhould we. What doth brave cloathing, what doth money, what doe titles of honour raiſe the dignity? what? are theſe to the excellency of mans nature? No certainly; the excellency of man muſt bee that which muſtmake the moſt excellent and noble part truly excellent, which is the ſpirit of a man. If a man would know the excellency of any thing, as of a ſword, or of any other inſtrument, he judges it not by the Hilt, or the inferour part; but by what excellency the principle part hath. There is a ſpirit in man, and the inſpiration is from the Almighty; a ſpirit inſpired by the Almighty, and beautified with his heavenly graces; this innobles a man indeed; it is the ornament of the hidden man of the heart, the glorious cloathing of that which makes truely beautifull and glorious. How did many of the Heathen highly prize thoſe, in whom they ſaw any naturall excellency of ſpirit, differing from other men? Thoſe amongſt the Romanes, who were called the Curii, and …abritii, they lived very poorly and meanly, yet being perceived to have more excellent ſpirits than other men, they were taken from their dinner of Turnips and Watercreſſes, to lead the Romane Armie: How much more ſhould we honour men in whom we may ſee Divine ſpirits, the luſtre of heavenly graces ſhining in them? But to ſhew more particularly that godly men are to be highly prized in regard of this other ſpirit; as they have received a ſpirit differing from other men, ſo they are to have eſteem and honour differing from other men; not to bee looked at as common men for,
Firſt, this difference of their ſpirits from other men, is a certaine 1ſigne of the eternall love of God unto them; it comes from the treaſure of Gods everlaſting love, of that choyce ſpeciall love of God, from the bowels of Gods deepeſt mercies: it is a moſt infallible argument, that God hath ſet his heart upon them for good; as for other favours, a man may have them more than other men, yet they are no ſuch but may ſtand with Gods hatred, and with his eternall wrath: and this is a great difference betweene ſpirituall mercies and outward mercies, which ſets an exceeding high prize upon ſpirituall mercies aboue all others: theſe are the diſtinguiſhing mercies, which others are not. But,
Secondly, the ſpirit receiving 2theſe ſpirituall excellencies from Gods choyce everlaſting love, receives likewiſe all other mercies from the ſame fountaine; though in their owne nature they bee common mercies, yet where this other ſpirit is, there they are received from another Fountaine than other men receive them, which addes much ſweetneſſe and excellencie to the mercies we have; they come as fruits of the common bounty and generall goodneſſe of God to ordinary men; but to men thus differenced from others, they come out the ſpring of the rich treaſures of Gods grace, tending to the furtherance of eternall mercies.
Thirdly, The Lord hath an eſpeciall eye upon and delight to dwell 3with theſe, who are of choice and excellent ſpirits; Hee will dwell with the contrite heart, to revive the ſpirit of the humble, Eſay 57-15. Hee hath a ſpeciall care of theſe ſpirits, that they doe not faile before him; hee puts under his hand, to ſupport, comfort, revive them. When wee beate ordinary ſpices, we heed not ſo much every duſt, but ſome flies out and falls on the ground; But if Bezarſtone, or ſome ſpeciall choice coſtly ſpice bee beaten, then there is care had of every duſt, that the leaſt bee not loſt; So though God may afflict the choiceſt ſpirits of his ſervants, yet hee is very carefull that their ſpirits faile not before him; as for other common ordinary ſpirits, hee cares not much to let them faile, and ſinke in their affliction, but this is the mercifull care of God over thoſe ſpirits, whom he highly eſteems of.
Fourthly, The excellencies of this ſpirit, are eternall excellencies, 4they ſhall abide for ever, not vaniſh, not be taken away as common gifts and other mercies ſhall, as, Ezech. 46. 17. If a Prince give of his inheritance to one of his ſervants, it is to bee his but for a time, and to returne unto the Prince againe; but his inheritance ſhall be to his ſonnes, for them for ever: So when God gives any thing to common men, who are but his ſervants at beſt, it muſt returne againe; GOD will call for all his mercies from them againe; but theſe ſoule-mercies of his children, ſhall be their inheritance for ever. Hence God calls his Church, an eternall Excellency, Eſay 60. 15.
But fifthly, and principally, theſe other ſpirits are moſt honourable 5creatures indeed, becauſe they are reſerved for other mercies; GOD gives common mercies to common ſpirits, but hee reſerves his choice mercies for choice ſpirits. With the pure, thou wilt ſhew thy ſelfe pure, ſaith David, in the 2 Sam. 22. 27. The words are, with the choice thou Electis.wilt ſhew thy ſelfe choice. Abraham gave Iſhmael and Hagar a bottle of water and a few raiſins, and ſent them away; but the inheritance was reſerved for Iſaac. So God gives to other men a few ordinary mercies, but his glorious mercies hee reſerves for theſe peculiar ones: and, as it is ſaid of Iehoſaphat, 2 Chron. 21. 3. he gave his other ſonnes great gifts of ſilver, gold, precious things, fenced Cities, but the Kingdome he gave to Iehoram, becauſe he was the firſt borne: So God gives theſe outward mercies to other men, but the mercies of his Kingdome, are reſerved for theſe men of choice ſpirits, who are the firſt borne, the chiefe and moſt excellent of all Gods creatures in this world. Now we are the ſonnes of God, ſaith S. Iohn, but it appeares not what wee ſhall bee; there is more to come hereafter, they have not ſpirits that will be ſatisfied with the things of this world, and therefore are not as ordinary men, who have their portion in the things of this world. God delights to fill the capacities of all his creatures with ſutable good; now theſe other ſpirits, by that choice excellency of them, are made capable of farre higher mercies than the world can afford; they muſt be the good things of another world that can fill them, and thoſe are reſerved for them. The bodies of the Saints, becauſe they are joyned to ſuch pretious ſoules, ſhall be like the glory of the Sunne, yea, excell in glory. How glorious then ſhall their ſouls be, for whoſe ſake their bodies ſhall bee thus glorious? Wee look upon great heires, who have great inheritances to come, with high eſteeme, though they have little for the preſent: Theſe are the great heires of heaven, Coheires with Ieſus Chriſt himſelfe; theſe they are, who are delivered from the wrath to come and to be made partakers of the glory that is to be revealed. The Lord gives them no great matters in compariſon now, becauſe hee hath reſerved ſo much for them afterwards. As nature is not very exquiſite in her worke in inferiour things, where ſhe intends ſome higher excellency; So the God of Nature, intending ſuch high and glorious things hereafter for his Saints, doth no ſo much regard to give them theſe inferiour things for the preſent.
But what are thoſe reſerved mercies you ſpeake of, that God hath for theſe?
Not entending a Treatiſe of that glory, that God hath for his choice ones, onelyonly take theſe five generals.
Firſt, Theſe mercies are prepared mercies, prepared before the foundations 1of the world were laid, and againe prepared by Ieſus Chriſt, who is gone before to heaven to that end, as hee tels us himſelfe, To prepare Manſions for us, Iohn 14. 1. Now this is ſpoken after the manner of men, who do not uſe to make long and great preparations but for ſome great worke in hand: Surely, theſe mercies muſt needs be great, which the wiſedome, power, and mercy of God, hath been from all eternity preparing.
Secondly, They are other mercies, than Adam, than Man-kinde 2ſhould have had, than they could have attained unto, if he had ſtood in his innocencie. Man indeed ſhould then have beene for ever happy, but not according to that height of happineſſe, and glory that now is provided for thoſe, who are the beloved of the Lord.
Thirdly, Theſe reſerved mercies, are ſuch as muſt ſet out Gods Magnanimity, 3that God may ſhew to Angels, and all his creatures what his infinite wiſdome, power, and goodneſſe can do for poore creatures, to raiſe their conditions to a height of glory; ſurely that glory muſt needs be high, that is raiſed for that end. If a King ſhould doe any thing of purpoſe to ſhew his magnificence, it muſt needs be ſome great thing; it is not a common ordinary thing, that can ſet forth the Magnificence of a King; much leſſe that can ſet forth the Magnificence of the great God. When Ahaſbuerus would make a feaſt, and Nebuchadnezzar would build a Pallace, to ſhew to their people their greatneſſe, they were great things; ſo ſurely here, that which muſt ſhew the greatneſſe of the great God, muſt needs be great indeed.
Fourthly, Theſe mercies muſt be ſuch, as may ſhew to Angels and all 4the world, how infinitly well pleaſed God the Father is with the obedience of his Sonne, in giving himſelf up to death, for the purchaſe of, mercy: Surely that mercy thus purchaſed muſt needs be great. If there had beene no higher good for man, but to eat and drink, and to have pleaſure to the fleſh, certainly Chriſt would never have died, to have purchaſed this; but there were higher things then theſe wch Chriſt look'd at, theſe are but poore things for God to ſhew by them how infinitely he is well pleaſed with the obedience of his ſonne to the death; that which muſt demonſtrate this, cannot but bee very great what ever it bee, and that, yea the fulneſſe of that, is the mercy reſerved for theſe choice ones.
Fiftly, Other mercies (in ſome reſpect higher) than the very bleſſed 5Angels themſelves have;
For, 1 Mans nature is more highly advanced than theirs, being hypoſtatically united to the Divine Nature.
2 The righteouſneſſe whereby the Saints come to glory, is a higher righteouſneſſe, a more excellent righteouſneſſe than that of the Angels; though theirs be perfect in its kinde, theirs is the righteouſneſſe but of meere creatures, but the righteouſneſſe of the Saints, is the righteouſneſſe of that Perſon, which is both God and man.
3 The ſonneſhip of the Saints, is founded in a higher right, then that of the Angels, namely in the Sonneſhip of the ſecond Perſon in Trinity.
4 They are the members of Jeſus Chriſt, and ſo in a nearer union with him then any other creature.
5 They are the Spouſe of the Lambe, whereas the Angels are but miniſtring ſpirits, as the ſervants of the Bridegroome, but the Saints are the Bride.
Surely then, the mercies reſerved for theſe choice ſpirits, are choice and glorious, not onelyonly other mercies then others have, or they themſelves have now, but other mercies then they are able to imagine; theſe therefore wee are to looke upon, as moſt bleſſed and honourable creatures.