faile to supply you with such estates as will be best and meetest for you I assure my selfe you want neither will nor resolution to set forward the workes wherein Gods honour and the welfare of this place are so much concerned Onely I desire you to embrace the first opportunities which the Lord shall put into your hand to bring your purposes to effect Say not with the people Hag. 1.2 The time is not come that the Lords house should be built Things of publike concernment ought to be our first and chiefest care which when we labour to set forwards with all our power we engage the Lord himselfe to take care of and prosper our private affaires Now the Lord stirre up the spirits of you all as he did the spirits of Zerubbabel and Ioshuah Zech. 1.14 to take his work in hand with speed and courage and be assured of the same successe that these holy men found and besides honour to your selves and comfort in your owne hearts at present the entering into the Joy of your Lord hereafter Mat. 25.21 23. Which that you may doe and finde is and shall be the prayer of Your Humble Servant IOHN WHITE To the Author Sir NOtwithstanding yours or the Printers haste and importunity I must not let these Treatises of so much worth goe out of my hands without that due testimony which my heart gives of them As the compilement of them is close and pithy so the materials full of spirituall vigor accompanied with a strength both of Harmonious and also Argumentative Reason The subjects themselves all seasonable when enjoyments of God through Scripture Revelation without us and by Faith and spirituall experience withinus is esteemed but a living upon the letter a way beneath for infant Christians to walke with God in And both these you have here with much evidence vindicated and cleared As likewise the Morality of the fourth Commandement the conscientious observation of which hath through the blessing of God following his own institutions both elevated and preserved at its height the practicall part of the power of godlinesse in this Kingdome which is laid aside by many true professors of piety as a part of the Iewish paedagogie For the particulars themselves your Description of a spirituall man is deeply fetcht from that which constitutes him such and doth genuinely distinguish him from all other by that which is most proper to his constitution and peculiar to his Faith namely The Demonstration of the Spirit And as the subject is spirituall such are your characters given and your way of reading it exceeding spirituall even according to the Apostles owne direction comparing or suiting spirituall things with spirituall and accordingly is also full of that demonstration of the spirit which you therein make essentiall and constitutive of his faith I see how ever we may differ in Ecclesiasticks and matters of outward order a little yet in spiritualls or what is more conjunct to the inward and spiritual man we agree All our lives meet not in that part of the circumference yet in this center we unite and embrace and herein I doe rejoyce and will rejoyce for ever In your first main part concerning the Scriptures your discourse beares a comely suitablenesse to the nature and scope of that subject also For as the Historicall beleefe of their authority end and use is the foundation of all so your demonstrations thereof are formed out of and framed into a congeniall Harmony and consonancy to right Reason and containe a naturall Genealogy and story of divine Truth about them whereof one is the off-spring of the other which way of setting forth divine Truths as it carries with it the greatest conviction and as your selfe in that forementioned Treatise expresse it begets Faith Historicall which hath for its ground a rationality and consonancy to reason so it is made use of by the holy Ghost as a blessed subservient to that which you make the immediate proper cause of saving Faith The Demonstration of the Spirit For your last peece The more generall notion of such an indefinite sense of the Fourth Commandement I remember you and I long since mutually pleased our selves to have singly and apart agreed in But this your so exact particular explication and demonstration of this intent of God therein exceedes what I either did then or have since imagined could have with that rationality perspicuity even to more then a probability been made forth of the words thereof I doe herein exceedingly admire the wisdome of God in penning and ordering the words of that Fourth Commandement in such a posture whereof you have made observation as that command might become a genuine and naturall root more naturall then Abraham is to Jew and Gentiles successively First to beare that last seventh day that old Sabbath the Omega of the weeke and when that should be lopt off then to give as fresh sap to the first seventh day the Alpha of the week the Lords day Sabbath It makes me say of the Commandement with an inversion what the Apostle sayes upon the like reason of that of Love It was an old Commandement and yet is still a new one Sir as the honour you have done me to commit these Treatises to the Test of my weake judgement ere you transmitted them to the presse hath cleane taken off that little of jealousy of any strangenesse by reason of these unhappy differences in comparison of former intimacy so the quickning materials hereof have fully revived in my heart that intensenesse of Christian and Brotherly love towards you with this just cause of addition and encrease That after your having sacrificed your spirits and strength in the most publique way of service to God and his Church with more then ordinary activity and selfe-denyall you still retaine such a spirituall vigor both of Grace and judgement as this issue shewes in these yeares of old age and infirmities Thus much if any stampe of mine might arise to any such a value for a private encouragement at least be pleased to accept as it is given with all faithfulnesse from Your ancient and still true and faithfull Friend and unworthy Brother Tho Goodwin A Table of the title of the severall Chapters and Sections contained in the Treatise following Cap. 1. OF the necessity of preparation to Reading Pag. 1 Cap. 2. Sect. 1. Of the Author of the holy Scriptures Pag. 7 Sect. 2. That the holy Scriptures appeare evidently to be the word of God Pag. 18 The first Marke by which it is evident that they are so The Style and Phrase of them Pag. 19 The second Marke The Subject or Matter handled in them Pag. 25 The third Marke The powerfull effect of the Scriptures on mens hearts Pag. 33 Cap. 3. The Scriptures having God for their Author must needes be of Divine authority Pag. 45 Cap. 4. That the pen-men of holy Scriptures were holy men guided in that worke wholly by Gods Spirit Pag. 57
make in our own persons neither by our wealth which is no ransome for souls Psal 49.7 Either by ourwealth of by our righteousnesse 2. Or by any other creature 8. nor by our righteousnesse seeing if we could fulfill the whole law it is but duty Luke 17.10 and therefore can make no satisfaction for sins past All other creatures we finde in the same condition with our selves debtors to God for all that they have or can doe and therefore unable to satisfie for us and as unable to defend us from Gods power 2ly Pointing out the onely way of making our peace Christ Jesus 1. Holy in himself 2. Accepted of his Father 3. Satisfying his Justice to the full as they are to work our reconciliation So that our salvation by any creature appears to be utterly impossible The heart of a sinner being by this means brought to despair of help unto salvation by any creature the Word points out unto him that fountain which God hath opened for sin and for uncleannesse Christ Jesus himself the only Son of his Father the holy one in whose mouth no guile was found Isa 53.9 In whom God is well pleased who was bruised for our iniquities so far that God did see the travell of his soul and was satisfied Isa 53.12 and who in our flesh fulfilled all righteousnesse and that for us This means of reconciliation 4. Tendered to us by God himself the Scripture tels us God offers to all that will embrace it and that upon his faithfull Word which is truth it self Psa 119.142.151 Yea makes it manifest that this mercy is of inestimable value and beyond belief yet that it becomes God to doe things incredible to cause his mercies to exceed not onely the mercies of men but even mans apprehension as the love of Christ passeth knowledge Eph. 3.19 that all men may be astonished at the consideration of his mercies as well as of his judgments and generally of all his ways Rom. 11.33 Thus Gods Word shews A means 1. Suiting with Gods Justice 2. Magnifying his Mercy 3. Discovering his Wisdome that this way of saving sinners suits well with Gods justice because he pardons not without sufficient satisfaction with his mercy because it sets out the plentifulnesse of his compassion Psal 86.15 103.11 with his wisdome because this is a way past finding out as all his judgements are a great deep Psal 36.6 and consequently makes a sinner confident that a way of peace proposed by God himself ratified by his faithfull promise and of such advantage to further his own glory every way 4. And consequētly advancing his glory is really intended upon which the distressed soul is encouraged to follow that only way by which he sees hope of escaping the vengeance to come which he could never have known unlesse God had revealed it in the Scriptures Rom. 16.25 26. which must therefore be acknowledged to be the Word of God 2ly The nature of cōversion consisting Now if the grounds of mans conversion could be found no where but in the Word of God much lesse could the act it self of conversion be wrought by any other instrument then the same Word For whereas conversion is the turning away of the heart from all creatures himself and all unto God which consists in two main acts self-deniall and totall subjection to God it is evident that neither of these two can be wrought any other way then by the power of the Spirit working by the Word To begin with self-deniall 1. In self-denial impossible to nature consisting in the abandoning of ones own wisdome righteousnesse ability to doe any good desires and endeavours after his own ends in credit profit pleasure or any other way what wise man among the Heathen guided by the light of nature ever taught it much more practised it Or how is it possible that corrupt nature should conquer it self Indeed it is true that naturall wisdome hath prevailed upon men to change them from a vicious disposition to morall honesty perhaps somewhat out of conscience or more out of self-respect to grace themselves by the honour of a vertuous disposition but to deny ones self one cannot be possibly perswaded but by something that is not himself Again 2. In a totall subjection to Gods wil. it is impossible that the whole spirit of man with all the thoughts thereof should bee brought under to a free and chearfull submission to Gods will unlesse the very temper and frame of it be altered For that Gods desires should be our desires his will our will his delights our delights our wisdome in this state of corruption being enmity against him Rom. 8.7 can bee wrought by no other way Which nature opposeth And therefore must be new framed after Gods image to bring it to this subjection but by making our nature answerable to Gods Nature which necessarily requires the destroying of the corruption therof the creating of it after God in wisdom and holinesse Eph. 4.24 Col. 3.10 Now the changing and new creating of the heart is beyond mans power effected onely by him that made it at the first wherefore even in respect of our new birth we are said to be his workmanship Eph. 2.10 receiving this spirituall as well as our naturall life from him to whom it properly belongs to quicken the dead Rom. 4.17 to raise up whom he will John 5.21 as having life in himself v. 26. wherefore the renuing of the heart being a work above nature and properly the effect of a divine power it necessarily follows that the Scriptures which are found by experience to be the instruments of that high and supernaturall work must have a divine original and consequently be the Word of God The last of the divine and supernaturall effects The third supernaturall effect of the Word reviving wounded spirits To be effected only by Gods Word that wounded them wrought by the word is the sustaining reviving of distressed wounded spirits Now that this can be effected by no other means then the Word is manifest not only by experience which makes it evident that humane wisdome or eloquence can doe nothing to purpose this way but besides by the consideration of the cause whence the affliction of the spirit ariseth For seeing it is the apprehension of Gods wrath provoked by sin that breaks the heart it must needs be granted that it cannot be healed but upon a perswasion that God is pacified as we see in that wounded spirit Job 33.25 and in David 2 Sam. 12.13 which must be wrought by a message comming from God himself as it is God that must cause David to hear the voice of joy and gladnesse ere the bones that he had broken could rejoyce Ps 51.8 It must therefore be the same hand that hath smitten that must heal Hos 6.1 wherefore seeing it is onely Gods Word that wounds the soul as hath been shewed the Word that restores and heals
3.5 6. This phrase of infusing or shedding as hath already been intimated implies men to be meerly passive Manifesting man to bee meerely passive in receiving it in receiving this spirituall life yet not altogether as vessels are in receiving that which is poured into them To make this more evident the holy Ghost sets out that state in which grace finds us being yet unregenerate by the name of death Eph. 2.1.5 as it doth our regeneration by the name of quickning Eph. 2.5 begetting again 1 Pet. 1.3 and 1 Iohn 5.18 new birth Iohn 3.3.5 and 1 Pet. 1.23 creating Eph. 2.10 whence regenerate men are tearmed new creatures Gal. 6.15 All phrases which imply us to be as meerly passive in the act of our renovation as we were in our first creation or generation Indeed if your New birth were no more but the improving of something which we had in us before or the strengthning only of that which was weake in us it is true that man himselfe might cooperate with the Spirit of Christ in this worke But seeing it appeares to be the bestowing of that which was not at all what is there in the man to be regenerate that can cooperate with the Spirit in his Regeneration Nature can doe nothing unlesse it be to hinder and oppose the worke For we know that is enmity against God Rom. 8.7 and cannot receive the things of God 1 Cor. 2.14 At the best we know nature is but the matter which is renewed or new formed and matter as we all know can have no operation at all As for grace or spirituall life we know we had none at all till it was infused and that which is not at all cannot possibly have any operation So that it must needes bee granted that there is nothing in a man to be regenerate that can worke any thing at all in the act of his regeneration It being granted then that a man is meerely passive in the worke of his regeneration And therefore not to be discerned by us how it is wrought Though we may discerne 1 the preparations thereunto it must needs be impossible for him to discover how it is wrought as impossible as it is for one to know how he receives his owne life It is true that he may discerne the preparations to the worke such as are those terrours and agonies which oftentimes are before the worke of regeneration and are raised in a mans heart by the discovery of his owne miserable condition in which he stands and of the unability of all the creatures in the world to bring him any helpe seconded with some serious deliberations what to doe and ending in some desires and purposes to make use of some meanes for the escaping of Gods wrath if it may be Such motions as these are by which the heart is many times prepared for the worke of regeneration which may be resembled to the heating of metalls before they melt and are cast into the molde to be fashioned because in them the spirit of a man is wrought upon in a naturall way and by the helpe of naturall reason one may discerne as any creature that makes use of sense and motion cannot choose but discerne and know what it selfe doth Much more may a person regenerate 2. and first operations thereof discerne and understand the motions and operations that are performed by him after he is regenerate seeing it is evident that in them his spirit workes together with the Spirit of Christ Onely the first act of infusing and receiving grace being wrought in us and not by us yea and that in an instant and not by degrees is impossible to be discerned how it is wrought either by nature which understands not spirituall things or by spirituall sense which as we have seene already flowes from that spirituall life newly received and therefore cannot discerne what was done before it had any beeing at all Notwithstanding it is not impossible for a regenerate man to feele the very first illapse of the Spirit into the soule for it may bring that sense with it selfe although it doth not alwayes so Yet it may bring the sense of it selfe even in the instant of receiving it but not usually nor perhaps usually for though when a blinde man receives sight he must needes know that he sees as soone as he sees yet in receiving this spirituall life it is not so The giving of spirituall life and the giving of the sense of it be two distinct acts of the Spirit which may but doe not alwayes goe together Howsoever even in such persons as in the instant of regeneration feele themselves regenerate though they know what is wrought in them yet how it is wrought they cannot understand The author of this worke of regeneration is Christ by the Spirit Unto this By the Spirit of Christ the fashioning and quickning of all things that are created and continually renewed is ascribed as in the first Creation Gen. 2.2 the Spirit is said to move upon the waters that is to fashion and form that rude masse out of which all things were made that Spirit garnished the Heavens Job 26.13 And the renovation of all things by continuall propagation is ascribed to the same Spirit Psal 104.30 and more especially the infusing of the soule Gen. 2.7 Job 33.4 So that the abilities thereof are most significantly termed The Spirit of understanding Iob 32.8 of strength and courage Iudg. 14.6 of counsell and government Numb 11.25 and 1 Sam. 10.9 10. But above all the Supernaturall abilities of Grace and Sanctification are ascribed to the same Spirit 1 Cor. 12.8.9 called for that cause The Spirit of Sanctification 2 Thes 2.13 and 1 Pet. 1.2 in so much that all graces of regeneration are termed the fruits of the Spirit Gal. 5.22 This Spirit resting on Christ Isa 61.1 who is for that cause said to be anointed with the oyle of gladnesse above his fellowes Psal 45.7 and to be full of grace Iohn 1.14 as having the Spirit given him not by measure Iohn 3.34 flowes from him to all his members as the head sends out influence of life to all the body so that of his fulnesse they all receive grace for grace Iohn 1.16 that is graces answerable to his graces SECT II. Of the spirituall mans operations THe operations of a spirituall man we have in the former description expressed by the terms and phrase of Comprehending and Embracing All things Spiritually Where under the termes of Comprehending and Embracing we understand all the severall kinds of the operations of a spirituall man and by All things we note the subjects of those operations and by the last terme Spiritually we signifie the manner of those severall workings or motions Comprehending 1. Comprehending implying all the acts of the understanding is properly that act of the understanding by which we conceive such things as are represented us which is the ground of our judging of them afterwards
Notwithstanding it cannot be denied that when it is once rooted in the heart it may be and is further strengthened and perfected by continuall use and exercise as our naturall habits are The cause of faith is as hath beene already intimated the Spirit of Grace flowing unto a regenerate man from Christ his head 2. Infused by the spirit abiding in us and in respect of that cause as well as of the nature of it we tearme it a spirituall habit and so we finde it reckoned amongst the fruits or effects of the Spirit Gal. 5.22 And here we meet with the first difference betweene Historicall and Justifying Faith that they proceed from different causes the one being infused by the spirit of Christ dwelling in us the other the effect onely of naturall reason further inlightned at the most by the assistance of that Spirit as shall be farther proved hereafter The subject of justifying Faith 3. Into a regenerate person is onely a regenerate person For whosoever beleeves hath eternall life Iohn 5.24 into which there can be no entrance without regeneration Iohn 3.5 but in more expresse tearmes 1 Iohn 5.1 the Apostle affirmes that whosoever beleeves that Jesus is the Christ is borne of God Now historicall faith we know may be found in the Devills themselves Iames 2.19 And temporary faith which as we have intimated already is of the same nature may be in such as have no root Luke 8.13 that is as the Apostle expresseth it in another phrase 1 Iohn 3.9 No seed of God abiding in him nor is borne of God which is all one And from hence ariseth the second difference betweene historicall and justifying Faith that they are found in divers subjects the first even in the wicked the latter onely in the godly The kind of assurance which true faith is built upon 4. Which gives him an evidence we call an evidence as the Apostle also tearmes it Heb. 11.1 Who also in the same place expresseth the object of that faith by two different names given it in divers respects Things hoped for and Things not seene as also he expresseth the assurance of them by two other names Substance and Evidence Now it is true that by those different names the same things are meant for the most part although it be true that some of those things which we beleeve although they be invisible have notwithstanding a beeing in present and therefore cannot properly be said to be expressed by hope so that the things hoped for are but some of those things which we beleeve These objects Of things invisible Things invisible and Things hoped for and consequently yet to come Faith so apprehends as having withall a kinde of subsistence and visibility although in divers respects For looking at things which it beleeves it apprehends them as already having a being in the will and purpose of God and this it doth without errour as God without errour calls the things which are not as if they were Rom. 4.17 seeing they have a beeing in him although they have no subsistence as yet in themselves These and other objects which are not seen Faith makes evident that is beholds them by a spirituall sense though they be hidden from the bodily eye as Abraham in this manner is said to behold Christs day Iohn 8.56 which was not in beeing till many hundred yeares after and Moses is said to see him that is invisible Heb. 11.27 And thus is faith the substance of things hoped for and evidence of things that are not seene When we say that by faith we have a spirituall evidence And therefore makes no use of sense or reason and manifestation of things that are invisible to the outward sense we necessarily imply that this Faith makes not use in this apprehension of any naturall help either of Sense or Reason Not of Sense for things invisible cannot be the object of sense Nor of Reason which can help in this case little more then Sense seeing it receives information by Sense from whence it gathers things by way of discourse which indeed may convince a man that things are but can give him no evidence or Demonstration of the things themselves Hence it is that when a man comprehends things by Reason he may be able by discourse of Reason to inform another man of that which he knowes and by that meanes cause him to understand it as well as himselfe but in those things which are apprehended by Sense But apprehends the things themselves by spirituall sense he cannot doe so He can relate to another man what he seeth or heareth or tasteth but can neither make him see nor heare nor taste that which himselfe doth nor if he be one that never had use of those senses make him by any discourse understand either what the object is that he apprehends And therefore cannot by discourse make another understand what he feeles or how his sense is affected by it or if he have the use of the same senses make him able by his discourse to apprehend the thing it selfe which he discernes in its proper species though he may breed in him some conceit of it by an imagination of some other thing of the same kinde which that person himselfe hath apprehended by the same sense before So is it in matters of faith he that beleeves cannot many times give a reason why he beleeves nor at any time represent unto another that which is manifested unto him nor shew him what satisfying delight and sweetnesse he findes in those things which he beleeves he can onely in generall manifest unto him that he findes the tender mercies of God exceeding great Psal 119.156 his thoughts towards us precious Psal 139.17 his Testimonies wonderfull Psal 119.129 and exceeding sweet ver 103. but cannot describe that excellency or sweetnesse which himselfe finds Yet seeing those things that are beleeved are also agreeable to right reason the reasonablenes of them the beleever may manifest to another but the evidence of them he cannot shew This evidence by demonstation historicall faith wants How justifying faith hath an evidence of the things which it apprehends we have seene Historicall wants this evidence as we shall see anon as having no further assurance of what it beleeves then that which Reason suggests which may rather be tearmed a conviction that such things must be then an evidence what they be And therefore differs from justifying faith not onely in degrees but in nature For justifiing faith is built upon a divine Testimonie Whence it is evident that those two kinds of faith are of different natures not onely of divers degrees because the grounds of assurance on which they are built are as farre different as Reason and Sense To cleare this truth fully we must consider the different testimonies upon which justifying and historicall faith are built For we shall find that true faith is built upon a Divine the other upon an Humane
Creature but hold the Roote and Greennesse still it brings no fruit at all to perfection Luke 8.14 Such an one was Demas 2 Tim. 4.10 This Beleever is neither so heady nor sodaine in his affection or profession as is the former And yet although he knowes more of God and Christ and embraceth the Profession of Godlinesse with more advised deliberation and resolution then the former doth for all that for want of cleansing his heart of his inbred corruptions whereof earthly mindednesse is the chiefe he comes to nought at last The fault of this Beleever is that though his judgement be convinced of the excellency of God linesse notwithstanding he wants that cleare Spirituall Evidence of it which onely is able to winne the whole heart to embrace it and to abandon all things for it with S. Paul Phil. 3.8 And withall he never yet had a like full discovery of the vanity and emptinesse of those earthly things that bewitch his heart which causeth him to retaine the love of them still Thus he joynes the love of Christ So that he embraceth Christ with the world which the incompatible and of the world together which being incompatible and impossible to subsist together Mat. 6.24 Iames 4.4 1 Iohn 2.15 it must necessarily follow that seeing earthly affections had the first possession of this mans heart and being confirmed by long use and custome getting a stronger Root then God lines can have they will hardly give place as our Saviour tells us Mat. 19.23 and being the more prevalent of the two draw the greatest strength of the heart and of the desires after them so that Godlinesse wanting strength of affection to keepe life in it must needs grow weake and heartlesse This then being the nature of Historicall faith under which that which is Temporary is comprehended the difference betweene that and true Justifying faith appeares in these sixe things First in the cause Sixe differences betweene a True and Temporary Beleever the one proceeds from Naturall Reason the other from the Spirit of Sanctification Secondly in the subject the one may be in an unsanctified person the other is only in a man regenerate Thirdly in the kinds of assurance which is that the one is onely a Conviction in the other there is an Evidence Fourthly in the grounds of their assurance the one is a divine the other an humane Testimony Fiftly in the object the one acknowledgeth the truth of that which it apprehends the other withall finds and tasts the goodnesse of it Lastly in adherence the one embraceth Christ by mistake the other upon sound knowledge the one affects some imaginary good in Christ the other Christ himselfe with all his Heavenly treasures The one takes in the love of Christ to the love of the world the other casts out all to make roome for Christ Yet a true Beleever may faile in his practise But holds his Resolution still It is true that this true Beleever though he adheres firmly to Christ in his resolution yet he followes him not so fully sometimes in the course of his practice as S. Paul complaines of himselfe Rom. 7.15.19.23 and David Psal 119.176 which happens not onely by the lusting of the flesh against the spirit Gal. 5.17 but withall by the neernesse of the flesh to sensible objects by which the lusts thereof sodainly take fire and inflame the heart with inordinate motions ere the Spirituall part can make head against them Yet such a person holds his resolution still in generall to walke with God from whom he departs not wickedly Psal 18.21 But still loves his Law Psal 119.97 Delights in it ver 47. Rom. 7.23 Sweares to keep it Psal 119.106 and that to the end ver 111. and strives to make it good in his practise ver 59 60. Casting himselfe upon God for his assistance thereunto ver 133. This man may be likened to a Country newly Conquered And may be resembled to a Country conquered but not full quieted but not quieted wherein after the enemies Armies are broken and his strong holds taken in yet some lurking Rebells sodainly breake out and make head againe and robbe and spoile but shall never be able to winne the country out of the Conquerors hand or beate him out of the field For in a person Regenerate though the strong holds and imaginations of his heart be taken downe and brought under the Obedience of Christ 2 Cor. 10.5 yet the lusts which are rather Crucified then fully killed make head oftentimes against the spirit Gal. 5.17 but shall never be able to alter this mans judgement nor the ful resolution of his will to cleave unto Christ but he shall still conclude it is good for him to draw neere to God Psal 73.28 SECT IIII. Of Spirituall Experience the other meanes of comprehending things spiritually EXperience in generall Experience in generall described is may be described to be the Discovery by Sense and Knowledge thereby of something not evident in it selfe but manifested by some Event or Effect This generall Description of Experience may easily be applyed both unto that which is Naturall and to that which is Spirituall The later of these two being not easily understood in it self unlesse it be of those that finde it in themselves therefore hard to be expressed may not unfitly be shadowed by the former which is well understood of all 1. Knowledge acquired by Sense Experience we affirme to be a Knowledge not infused but acquired out of the Observation of the Events or Effects by Sense Whereby Reason guesseth at some inward thing that appeares not whereby Reason being informed guesseth at some inward and secret cause whence they proceed Wherefore brute beastes because they want Reason cannot properly be said to have Experience though they must be acknowledged to have something answerable thereunto as being by the helpe of Sense 2. Of things not Evident in themselves but manifested by Events or Effects moved to take or leave things which they finde agreeable or hurtfull to themselves This kinde of knowledge being grounded on sense is usually most certaine and generally most affects This Experience must be of such things as are not manifest in themselves but are onely discovered by the Effect as that Hony is sweet and Wormwood bitter because the taste by often taking them proves them to be so though neither of them can be outwardly discerned But we are not so properly said to know Snow to be white by experience because it appeares so to the eye or to know a Man by experience when we behold one whom we never saw before But when by his Actions Words and Conversation we discover the inward disposition of his minde which appeares not outwardly we are properly said to know him by experience That inward thing Which may be either a quality or the very thing it selfe if it be of a Spirituall Nature which Experience thus discovers is oftentimes a quality in