Caryl - Houston-Packer Collection BS1415 .C37 v6

448 Chap. 20. An E.epófitionopon the Book of JOB. impatient : what others fpeake or write in anger, we 1hou...d an- fiver in love ; and to fall to worke with our reafon, yea with ( that, which hath more of the fpirit of our underftanding in it) our Graces, Whenwe perceive thofe we have to deale with overwrought by their owne dittempers and corruptions, when we fee plainly that the fpirit of pride and contentiouf. ales caufeth them to fpeake to us, then we thould ftrive to fpeak with them in a fpirit of meeknes, and the fpirit of our under- #tanding fhould caufeus to anfwer. Man bath this priviledge above beafts, that he bath an underftanding; And not onely fo, but in this he is like to Angelis, yea to God him!:elfe.; but nu- letTe he exercifeth his underftanding he as as a beat t fo the Tfalmift concludes (Pfal. 49.2o) Man that it in honour andun- derftandeth not, ( that is doth not exercife his underftanding, or aCt fuitably to it , but is led meeriy by fence , or hurried by pafiion, this man,)o like the beafts that pti iJb. It is good to be full of affe&ion , but it is bell to worke in thefull afJurance of underftanding ; affe&ions without underftanding are blinde, and quickly run us upon a theufand inconveniences. That duty which calls up all our affc&ions, yet calls for a worke of -the underftanding (Tfal. 47.7) Singpraifes with underf#anding. -And ifwe ought not to performany publik duty in the Church ( thole in particular ofpraying and tinging ) fo, as that others :cannot let their underfiandings on worke, then much leffe are -we to performe any duty without the worke of our owne un- derftanding,(t cor. 14. 14, 15.) ifIpray in an unknewne tongue, ( that is, in a tongue which others who joyne with me know not, though I doe) myfpirit prayeth, but nay underftanding is un- fruitfull, that is,to them with whom I pray ; my underftanding in prayer is no benefit to them, unleffe they alto underhand what I pray. what it it then ? Iwill pray with thefpirit, and will pray with undeftanding alto ; IwillPing with the .Ißirit, Iwillfang with the under ftanding a/fo. That is, I will fingand pray in an unknäwne tongue by that extraordinary gift of the Spirit, or as the Spirit di&ates unto me,yet I willfangand pray with the um. draftanding al,fò, that is, I will fo explaine or interpret my Pfalme or Prayer, that others may underhand it. He is a . Barbarian to others, who eyther fpeaketh or prayeth what they underhand not, and he is worfe then a2arbarian to himfelfe who fpeaketh what

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