They were strangers to the world, but close and familiar friends to God.5 They seemed to themselves as nothing, and to his present world contemptible; but they were precious and beloved in the eyes of God. They were grounded in true humility, lived in simple obedience, walked in love and patience: and therefore they profited daily in the spirit, and obtained great grace in God’s sight. They were given for an example to all religious men; and they should more provoke us to strive for spiritual excellence, than the number of lukewarm livers should prevail to make us lax.
