Ho{y 0 bfer"»ationr. 6o. Sometimes evil! fpeeches come from good men,in their unadt•ifedndfe:and forne. times even the good fpeeches ofmen may proceed from an 11! fplr!t. Nocohfdliott could be better than Satan gave ofChrill: It is not enough to confider what is fpoken, or by whom; bur whence, and for what. The_fpirit is oftenrjmes tned by.the fpeech: but orher-times thcfpeech mull beeexammcd by the fpmt; and rhe fpmr, by the rule ofan higher word. 6I. A Greatnelfe puts high thoughts,and biggewords into a man;whereas the deje.!ted mind takes, cardcOy,what offm ttfdf.Every worldlmg ''· bafe-mmded;and therefore his thoughts crecpeO•IIl<Yw upon the earth. The Cimfhan b0th" and knov,•<S himfdfc truly great 1 and thereupon mmdcth and fpeaketh offpmtuall, lmmorrall, glorious, heavenly things. So much as the foulc lloopeth unto earthly thoughts, fo B much is it unregenerate. 6t. Long acquainrance,as ir maketh thofe things which are evil!, ro fceme i<lfe evil!; fo it makes good things,which at firfl were uopleafam, ddiglufull.There is no evill ofpaine, nor no moral! good aCtio•, which is nor harflt at the firll. Conrinuancoof evill, which might feeme to weary us, is the remedy and abatement ofwearinelfe: and the pratlice ofgood, as it profitcrh, foit pleafeth. Herh>tis a flrJng<r to good and evil!, finds both ofthem troublcfome God therefore doth well for us,while he cxcrcifcrh us with long afHiClions: and we doe well to our fclres, whilc we cont~- nually bufie our fdves in good exercifes. · 6J. Sometimes it is wdl taken by men, that we humble our fdves lowerthan there is C caufe.T~y ferv•nt ucob,fairh that eood Patriarch,ro his broth<r,ro his ioferior.And nolelfe well doth God take thefe rubmilfe extenuations ofourfelves;I am aworme, and no man: Surdy I am more fooliOt than a man, and have not the Linderflanding ofa man in me. But I never find that any man bragged to God,although in a matter oftruth,and within the compaffe ofhis deferr,and was~ce<pted. A mao rnay be roo lowly in his dealing with men, even unto contempt : with God he cannot; bur the lower he falleth, the higher is his exaltation. 64· The foulc is fed as the body,flarved with hungtr as thebody, requires proportio: nable diet and necelfary variery,as the body. All ages and llarur<s ofthe foule beare not the fame nourilhment. There is milke for fpirituall Infants, flrong meare for the D growne Chrillian. The fpoone is fit for ono,rhe knife for the other. The bell Chriflian is not fo growne,that he neod to lcorn the fpoone:but the wcake Chri!!ian may fiadallrong fooddangerous.How many have b~en call away with fpiriruall furfets; becaufebeing bur new-borne,they have fwallowed downe big morfds ofthe higbeflmifleries ofgodlinelfe, which they nevercould digefl; bur together with them have call up their proper nourifhment~ A man mull firll know thepower ofhis flomack, ere he know how with fafety ~nd profit to freqoeat Gods Ordinary. 65. It is very hard for the bell man in a fudden extremityofdeach,to fatisfie himfdfin apprehending his flay, and repofing his heart upon it : for the foule is fo opprelfed with fudden rerrour, that ir cannot well command it felfe, till it have digelled an evill. It were mifcrable for the bell Chriflian, ifall his former prayers and meditationsdid not ferve to aid him in his bll flrairs, and meet together in the center ofhis E extremitie; yeelding, though not fenfible relcefe, yet {ecret benefit to the fonle: whereas the worldly man in this cafe, having not laid upfor this houre, bath no comfort from God, or from others,or from himfe!fe. 66. All externall good orevill is meafured by fenfe:neirhcrcoo we account thateithor good or ill,which doth neither a/.lually availe, nor hurt us: fpiritually this rule holds not.All our bell good is inlenfible.For all ourfuture(which is the greatell)good,we hold
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