in God I confesse there are three persons in one Godhead and that is the mysterie and yet but one God And more there could not have beene for this God is infinite eternall c. and onely one can be so there cannot bee two Infinites two Eternities And againe this one cannot not be otherwise for if hee could have been something else hee had not beene infinite If then unity bee such a necessary give us leave to speake as wee can accident as without which God could not have been what hee is may it not bee said that unity is co-essentiall to him seeing that the Deity admits of no accidents And if of his Essence then unity is in him all for the Essence of God is all in God and God in his Essence is but one Divinity Ob. But so infinity power c. all attributes are in God his Essence as well as unity Answ. All other attributes are at length resolved into this of unity Of this can be given no accompt but only negative All explications flow from this returne to this that God is one What is it to be infinite Ficinus answers to have nothing of privation mixt to be plenus sui which is to be One The power of God is the unity of all Being in one point What is this I am that I am but this I am one The same we may say of all other the names of God When we survay the nature of spirituall Beings we shall find them in Scripture stiled one For God reduceth all the commandements to love And the Saints who are quatenus Saints spirituall Beings for their Saintship is a spirituall excellency are stiled Rom. 12.5 one body and Gal. 3.16 they are all one in Iesus Christ Christ and his Church are but one body Now this union carrieth certainly something with it more essentiall than a figure When the three persons are united in one deity the union is more close than a figurative union The conjunction of the humane nature and the second person in the Trinity is a very entire conjunction and so is that of the Saints with Christ There is the union of the whole humane nature with one person Here is the union of divers persons to the whole divine nature And we may easily allow a neare union to these Metaphysicall Beings seeing even in naturall things there is as it were an unity even of two Physicall existences For GOD saith You two shall be one flesh he saith not one but one flesh But these are aenigmata while we see through glasses of flesh Seeing Morall Beings are by generall consent of fraternall alliance to spirituall both in nature and operation I shall not say any thing of them but onely what is said by all that virtutes sunt concatenatae I shall therefore minde you but of this how in Physicall Beings every thing doth delight in unity And this is very plaine in the stillicids of water which if there be water enough to follow will draw themselves into a small thred because they will not sever and when they must disunite then they cast themselves into round drops as the figure most resembling unity Whence is that Sympathy in nature betweene the Earth and the Adamant but from hence that they being of one nature desire to improve their unity by mutuall imbraces When have the Sun-beams their vigor and efficacy beating upon the burning glasse but when the glasse hath gathered them all into one Where is the power of our five senses which are in their nature so honourable that nihil cadit in intellectum quod non prius cadit in sensum Where is their vertue but in communis sensus Nay if I durst be so bold but this I may not now dispute I conceive all the senses are but one and that is * Tactus For their Energie is nothing till the ray from the object to the organ and from the organ to the object touch in one It is most happily expressed by Sir Iohn Suckling Who having drawn the brests of wit and fancie drie May justly now write Man must not a Suckling die When he saith The circumambient aire doth make us all To be but one bare Individuall What are the Mathematicall sciences but Vnity turning it selfe into severall formes of Numbers and Figures yet still remaining entire Harmony proportion proportionality which are the subject the soule of all Knowledge here are so many severall names of the same unity Beauty is but one act of grace and sweetnesse which seemes to us composed of various parcels * Musick is one forme resulting from many different sounds This is that mystery which unknowne hath confounded the Schools in that Question whether quantity be divisibilis in semper divisibile All things are certainly at last reduced to an Vnity yea all things appeare to us cloathed with one forme yet are we never able to search out the perfection of this when we most accurately pursue it The glory and majesty thereof is such that it rendreth our minds uncapable of any more than a grosse view like that of the Sunne in his splendour Democritus his definition of Being is very considerable * Est aliquid differens à se quod sibi convenit and indeed all Being is but one taking various shapes sometimes discovering it selfe under one sometimes under another whereas it is but one Being and this is light truth that as I said before beame of divine glory which is the spring of all Beings To close this discourse give me leave thus to set forth that Majesty whereby Unity wrappeth up all things within itselfe There can be no recedence from Unity unlesse by addition of a new distinct Unity But where will you finde This A simple Unity must be entirely one with the First if you adde any thing to Unity whereby it may differ it remaines no more One but becomes a Duality Yet doe I in no wise reject that division of Being left us by our Masters when they teach us that there is first a Being which is knowne to Be but it selfe in its Being is insensible Secondly another that is sensible but knoweth not its owne excellency Thirdly that which knowing its owne excellency can reflect upon it selfe For I say this which is called vegetative sensitive and rationall is all of one nature CHAP. VIII The nature of Habits ANd whilst I affirme that the soule is nothing but this Truth I doe not refuse the doctrine of Habits either Infused or Acquisite For when the soule by vertue of its Being is cleare in such a truth it is said to be an infused habit When by frequent action such a truth is connaturall to the soule it may be stiled an habit acquisite though indeed all is but light more or lesse glorious discovering it selfe frequently or rarely and by divine appointment at such a conjunction of time and not any other not that
THE NATURE OF TRUTH Its Union and Unity with the SOULE Which is One in its Essence Faculties Acts One with TRUTH Discussed by the Right Honorable ROBERT Lord BROOK in a Letter to a private Friend By whom it is now published for the Publick Good LONDON Printed by R. Bishop for Samuel Cartwright at the Bible in Duck-lane 1641. THE PREFACE to the Reader Shewing what first gave Birth to This Discourse of TRVTH READER WIthout an Epithet for you must expect no complements I am now a Pleader and so am forbid {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} or {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} Yet with submission to That Severe Court * I hope 't will be no offence by breaking their First Injunction to keepe their Second One Word then by way of Preface may perhaps not seeme unseasonable unnecessary and so not {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} This Divine Discourse of Truth comming to me from so Noble an Hand I could not envy it the Publique Light For what heart could indure to stifle such a Beauty at its first Birth at its first Breath Nay though Cruelty should scorne to take a check yet Power it selfe might plead impotent for such an Act. For where or who is He that can resist the struglings of Divine Truth forcing its way out from the Wombe of Eternity Where or who is Hee that by a Viperous wreaâ—he * or other assault can smoother Hercules though yet but sprawling in his cradle View then This new-borne Beauty mark its Feature proportion lineaments Tell mee now was Its Birth an object of pity or rather of envy at least admiration for Envy findes no place in Noble spirits One thing yet I must excuse which yet indeed needs no excuse A Second Conception is here First borne yet not Abortive no but by mature thoughts 't is againe decreed the elder shall serve the younger For That was meant the Act This but the Prologue ushering in That yet more curious Concept if such be possible which was an Embryo before This but is yet Vnborne The truth is This Noble Lord the Author of this following Discourse having dived deep in those Prophetick Mysteries at which his first lines glaunce in this was even forced by that occasion upon a more exact and abstract speculation of Truth it selfe naked Truth as in her selfe without her gown without her crown At first view hee saw her sparkle with most glorious luster But her Rayes daz'led his eyes so that he durst not hee could not enough behold admire and adore her perfect Beauty exact Proportion Divine Harmony yet though daz'led he viewed still remembring that of the Arâ—opagite Earthly Bodies are best seene in and by Light But Spirituall Beauties {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} in and by Divine Clouds Divine Darknesse This This is the best Perspective to Divine Objects and the Brightest Starres shine best sparkle most in the Darkest the Blackest Night That which ravisht his Soule most and most inforc'd him more to pry to adore more Was the experience of that which Plato speaks When our Soules saith he glance first upon Divine Light they are soon ravisht and cannot but pry more and more because in it they see {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} somewhat of Kin to themselves And this Kindred if I mistake not is the neerest possible more then Consanguinity I had almost said more then Identity it selfe For alas that Corporal Vnion in Materials which we miscall sometimes Identity is at best but a cold touch in a point or two a most disdainful embrace at greatest distance in those Beings which have much {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} and but little {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} as Plato's Mastet taught him long agoe But in Spirituall Beings and in These only is True Harmony Exact Convenience Entire Identity Perfect Vnion to be found Such even Such is That neer Relation That neere Kindred between the Soule and Truth as will fully appeare in This following Discourse of Truth which was never meant nor now published but as a Prodromus to a Future Treatise about Prophetick Truth revealed now in Scripture Of which I shall only adde this Read it if it displease Read it again and yet again and then judge It needs not my Apology if so I might truly say When 't was first VVrot 't was intended but a Letter to a private Friend not a Critick and since its first writing and sending 't was never so much as perused much lesse refined by its Noble Author One VVord more I must speak and so have done If any Ingenuous Reader shall Dissent in any Particular of Consequence and freely yet ingenuously manifest the Reasons of his Dissent Nothing can bee more gratefull to This Noble Lord who promiseth the Fairest Answer for His Aime is only Search of Truth which His Lordship well knows is oft best found as Sparks in the Flint by much Contusion Yet if any shall wrangle not dispute rudely thrust or strike not like a Gentleman His Return will be only a Rationall Neglect I. S REcensui tractatum hunc qui inscribitur The Nature of Truth per illustrissimum piissimumque Dominum Robertum D. Brooke editum apprimè sanè Doctum profundisque conceptibus insignitum quapropter dignissimum arbitror qui in summam utilitatem typis mandetur Novemb. 19. 1640. Johannes Hansley R. P. Episc. Lond. Capell domest. THE NATURE OF TRUTH Discussed in a Letter to a private Friend SIR I Have according to my poore talent essayed to finde out the true sense of the Spirit in these * two Chapters and in this Inquest have improved the labours of the piously learned from whom I have received little other favour than this that they have not seduced me they not having approached so neere to the truth as to dazle it I confesse that Reverend that bright man Master Brightman hath clothed his opinion with such a Sirenian glory that he had almost been to me an ignis fatuus I had almost in following the old lost the young lost the nest of Lapwings But with all respect to his Worth if I am not mightily mistaken I have escaped that Syrtis and yet dare I not with the Philosopher cry out {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} for * who is fit for these things Every truth is * a mysteâ—y what must that be then which is purposely vailed by the Spirit Iesus Christ who is styled in Scripture the * way truth life light and these things are apprehended by sense and are common is to * the Iewes a stumbling blocke and to the Greekes foolishnesse May we not then justly say of him that dares pry into the Arke with hopes and thoughts cleerly to unfold the mysterious the propheticall part of Iesus Christ to unknit the Gordian knot May wee not say of him what GOD saith of Iob Who is
this that darkeneth wisedome with counsell Alas are we not all since Adams lapse buried under the shadow of death and lost in the region of darknesse Who is there that knoweth truth * He that thinketh hee knoweth any thing knoweth nothing as he should Morall truth which as some thinke is yet more within our reach than those sacred mysteries is unknown to us both in the universall nature and in the particular actings of it Difficilia quae pulchra Indeed Truth is that golden apple which though it hath in some sense beene offered to the fairest yet the most refined wits the most high-raised fancies of the world have courted her in vaine these many ages For whilst they have sought with a Palsie hand this glorious star through the perspective of thicke reason they have either mounted too high and confounding the Creator with the creature made her God or descending too low and deserting the universal nature have cōfined their thoughts to some individuall Truth and restrained her birth to severall parcels within the Chaos THE NATURE OF TRUTH It s union and unity with the SOULE CHAP. I. The Vnderstanding and the Truth-understood are one TRUTH is indeed of the seed Royall of Progeny Divine yet so as to be for I may say of her what the Spirit saith of Faith * neere us to be in us And when she is pleased to descend into our valleys and to converse with us shee erects her own pavilion and doth fix it in whatsoever is lovely in us The Vnderstanding is her throne there she reigneth and as she is there seated as she shineth in that part of the soule she appeareth to me under two notions which are also her measure through the whole sphere of Being as will be discovered more hereafter when these lesser streames shall have emptied themselves by progresse into a larger river First that very Being which immediatly floweth from above and is the rise or the first and uniforme ground-work in this particular Being which we now treat of and which under this notion wee call the form or substance Secondly those workings which breathe from thence as all actions and sayings which are in our phrase the effects of a reasonable soule I shall first in few words treat of the first and then very briefly conclude with a word or two upon the second part of Truth This first Truth is the Vnderstanding in its Essence for what is the Vnderstanding other than a Ray of the Divine Nature warming and enlivening the Creature conforming it to the likenesse of the Creator And is not Truth the same For the Beauty of Truths character is that she is a shadow a resemblance of the first the best forme that she is light the species the sparkling of primitive light that she is life the sublimation of light that she may reflect upon her selfe That she is light none will deny that light in reasonable creatures is the fountaine of life is manifest For the forme of a reasonable soule is light and therefore when the soul informeth and giveth life to Animal rationale it enableth the creature to work according to light and upon Her accesses the organs can entertaine light as the eye then beholds the light of the Sun upon Her retirements they are dark and uselesse Thus whilst life is light and light is Truth and Truth is conformity to God and the understanding as we yet discourse of it is this light to the soule the Vnderstanding and Truth can be but one CHAP. II. The second Argument proving that truth is the Nature of the Vnderstanding I Know the learned choose rather to stile the understanding a faculty and so institute a soule recipient a Being scil. Truth received and a faculty which is the understanding whereby the soule receiveth and acteth according to what it doth entertaine But with submission to their better judgement I should crave leave to make one Quaere Are there not to the constitution of every Being three notions requisite First the Fountain communicating Secondly the Channell entertaining Thirdly the Waters imparted I confesse we must not in Metaphysicall Beings expect Physicall subsistencies yet {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} all learning doth allow of But where shall wee finde these in the understanding whilest the intellect passeth under the notion of a faculty Indeed wee may discerne the last scil. those sweet beames of light which beat upon us continually But where is the second which entertaineth them If it be the understanding then the light which differēceth us from the vegetative and sensitive creatures lieth in the understanding and not in the soule and the soule which all men hold to be a spirituall Being is but a Theca to the intellect as the body is the Tabernacle of the soule Or if the soule hath light as well as the understanding then are there two enlightened Beings in one reasonable creature Non belle quaedam faciunt duo sufficit unus Huic operi Two reasonable Beings in one Compositum is too unreasonable a thing Thirdly Who is it that communicateth this light It is conveyed to the understanding either from the soule or some other way If from the soule then the soule doth not finde the defect of the understanding For if the soule can communicate light then hath it light already the same or more excellent then can it worke diffuse light and enjoy it selfe and so this faculty the understanding shall be in vaine If in any other way it must either be immediately from God or mediante Creatura If from a creature and not from the soule it must be by some other facultie intervenient For if the soule which by their consent is a more noble Agent than the understanding cannot according to their Doctrine act without a faculty how shall an inferior Being work without some such like subservient help And thus may you excurrere in infinitum which according to the Philosophers may not be done for Entia non sunt multiplicanda nisi necessariò If the truth come from God then why is it not immediately intrinsecally infused into the soule it selfe But however the understanding bee enricht with this treasure of Truth if it be imparted to it then is it it selfe that Truth that light which I contend for For God doth not communicate light by light which I take in a Metaphoricall sense I understand some spirituall excellency and such light I say God doth not offer but to light For quicquid recipitur recipitur ad modum recipientis Cleopatra her dissolved union would have been to Esops cocke of lesse value than a barly corne And if the understanding have not light it cannot take it unlesse by being turned into the nature of it For what giving and receiving can here be besides that which maketh both to become one and the selfe same Light came into the world
in the inward man is the specificall difference which distinguisheth between us and brutes deservedly called reason that ample Sphere of Truth which is the All in us and besides which we are wholly nothing Are not wee said to be made after the image of God and if in any thing we are honoured with this inscription it is in the most noble part Now God is unus purus simplex actus For with submission to his better learning and judgement I cannot subscribe to D◠Ames his manner of expression who saith first there is God and then his attributes are in him * tanquam in esse secundo If then we do beare his impresse quanquam non passibus aequis it must be in that which is as farre as we can judge DEI formalis ratio which is to be purus simplex actus In this our shadowy resemblance of the Deity I shall not challenge perfection for though the Scripture say * We shall hereafter be perfect as he is perfect and doth here style us partakers of divine nature yet all this is to be understood according to our little modell Unity is that wherein wee carry some touches some lineaments of his Majesty Unity is Gods Essence Unity is all what we are For division being the birth of nothing can be nothing And thus may we raise from our Microcosme a passable Hieroglyphick of the Trinity Truth as it is in the breast of Eternity intended to the Sonnes of men resembles Patrem intelligentem as it descends from above Filium intellectum as it informeth the Soule enjoyeth and reflecteth upon it selfe Spiritum dilectum We must not then expect First a Being of the Soule Secondly a faculty whereby it worketh God and his attributes are but one mercy and justice kisse each other in him he and they are ens necessarium And so the Soule and the Faculty is one that divine light and truth CHAP. VI All things are this one light or truth shining from God BUt if the Intellect the Soul Light and Truth are from the reasons alledged all but one this argument will presse all things that are then will all Beeing fall under the same Predicament This is that which I aymed at and why not Seeing that First all Beeing is derived from the same fountaine scil. from him who is uniforme in all like himselfe Secondly All Being is the same in nature scil. a beame of that excellent light and therefore in Metaphysicks * Truth and Being are one Thirdly All Being is entertained in the same manner by every individuall existence which is the subject receiving this light from above and all reall true reception is alone by similitude and union of nature Yet I shall not agree to confound the names of particular Beings though I doe conjoyne their natures For all Being may be compared to light in such a body it is styled the Sunne in another it is called the Moone in the third it beareth the name of a Starre and under various shapes the names of various Stars as Syrius Canopus c. but all is light and it is but light The body of waters is by us called Seas when they beate upon such a coast it beareth one name when it coasteth upon another soyle it receiveth a severall denomination All Being is this light this truth but contained within those Circles it appeareth to us under this name and againe it hath another style when it beateth upon a various object All Being is but light communicating it selfe to us through severall crannies some greater some lesse whilst all is light * Plato most excellently most acutely most truly hath madé all Being of Terminus and Infinitum The first Being appearing to us in severall bounds and measures amidst the vast infinity of darknesse or nothing The Platonick Philosophers do not erre who reduce all Beings to number making one all and the chief and the other more or lesse glorious as they have two three or foure more or lesse numbers or degrees Whence they had this Maxime I know not this I know Satan that old Serpent is very learned and can sometimes as he doth when hee calls Jesus the Christ and sonne of God can I say sometimes tell true that so hee may even by truth entaile to himselfe a certaine interest in such Disciples as refuse any other allurement than that of golden truth and it is to be feared that they have had too great and free converse with him For even this sweet point of learning have they shamefully abused to charmes and spells as that of the Poet r Numero Deus impare s gaudet Two was curst because it first departed from unity Three whereby unity againe returned into it selfe became sacred But it may be spero meliora that they received it from the Egyptians and the Egyptians from the Hebrews Now if this be true which I submit to the judgement of the wise then all Being is but one and all things are more or lesse excellent as they partake more or lesse of this first Being This doctrine of Platonists will not be so unfavory if we pay unto unity its due tribute I confesse according to true Philosophy Time is but mensura motus vel ordinis which both are the same Number calculus temporis One is principium tantùm numeri and so it is hardly a part of that which is but the handmaid of circumstance CHAP. VII How unity is all in all things BUt I should desire that we might consider whether it doth not carry something in it in nature more glorious something that may seem to informe a Being If I cannot tell what it is you will excuse me knowing how hard a thing it is to finde out the Forme of any Being and how much more hard to discover the Being of a Forme But from this reason I doe seeme to collect some glimmering light of what I now propound All Being seemeth to breath and catch after unity Gravia doe not more naturally incline downwards than all Being doth naturally seeke for unity Of Beings there are but two sorts Uncreated Created Uncreated is God only Created is Spirituall Morall Physicall Mathematicall In all these you will find Unity as it were the Forme of their Being My thoughts my ignorance my no thoughts of the first incomprehensible inaccessible Majesty I desire to propound with fear trembling and reverence If Iohn in the midst of revelation being overcome with nothing but the glitterings and sparklings of the creature did mistake and worshipped one of his fellow-servants if the Jewes refused to trample upon any contemptible scroul fearing lest in them the namelesse name of God might be included surely wee in the midst of darknesse having to doe not with the name but with the nature of Eternity ought to cloathe our spirits with much modestie I shall therefore humbly propound this to consideration Whether unity be not all
termes closely yeeld to I doe apprehend it an undeniable truth that what Good soever I know to be good I must love And therefore if wicked men did know more of God they must know him needs under the notion of good and so Seeing goodnesse in his nature they must love him more I might adde what good we know we are our act of understanding being an act of union which as before being Metaphysicall in the soule must be entire CHAP. IX The difference betwixt Knowledge and affection discussed IT may be that what hath beene disputed will be granted but there is yet an objection which requireth solution Ob. If all Being differeth onely in degrees not nature if knowledge affection light activity bee all one Whence is it that even amongst Christian men holy spirituall men men of largest affections and the affections are the activity the maine of the Soule I say men of the largest affections are esteemed to know least of God And others whose affections are as it were benummed and all activity is placed in their braine understand more of the divine nature Doth it not appeare from hence say they that all Being is not one differing onely in degrees but that there are even different natures amongst which one may excell whilst the other is deprest Sol. I could tell these men who start the objection that they deeme the light in the head more than the love in the heart and then I shall say that with them the head is the higher degree the heart the lower degree of light and so all is but a different light from whence affection being judgement in its infancy ceaseth when Knowledge groweth mature as the heate and blaze of fire is but its labouring towards purity and perfection which therefore are no more when the cleare flame reacheth its Element But other men think otherwise and they doe pitch all in the affections and the meaner light in the understanding and so turning the table still one shall be a parcell of or a step to the other and each carry along both in equall measure according to reality how much true affection so much knowledge vice versa as I shall shew in other two answers on which I fixe the strength of my thoughts in this point And therefore Secondly I affirme confidently and I hope truly that he who soars upon the wings of Affection and layeth himselfe in the arms of Jesus Christ though hee amuse not his head with the mysticall nature of the Trinity with the procession of the Spirit with the incarnation of Jesus Christ attempting to make that holy oyle Touching the Arke this glory which is too high for him loosing himselfe while he laboreth to see how humane nature can be raised so high divine condescend so low as to bring forth the Hypostaticall Union I say such a one knoweth more of God than the other It is often seene a working head is like an over-hot liver burneth up the heart and so ruineth both Whereas sweet humble affections are the onely way to keepe the poore creature in a constancy of spirituall health And in this care the Apostle to Titus forbids foolish questions endlesse genealogies contentions and brawlings about the Law This Law is the rule of life and if we know not the Law we cannot keepe the Law and so we must perish and yet we finde the search of this forbidden Object Some will say here is meant the Ceremoniall Law Answ. I will allow it but is not the Ceremoniall included under the second precept The people upon Christ his Sermon wherein he taught that He that looketh on a woman to lust after her hath committed adultery with her in his heart and so he gave the Law its full latitude say He speaketh as one that hath authority and not as the Scribes and Pharises conceiving it their duty and happinesse to know the Law in its utmost limits and yet we are restrained from any brain-sick heady nice inquiry even into the Law scil. not to busie our heads with the knowing part in over-great proportion but labour to bring our knowledge to practise If then all such knowledge I meane all knowledge of this nature bee forbidden it is because it is not good it is not knowledge but a vaine tumour in stead of reall greatnesse or growth and that other of the affection hath certainly more of God in it and so more of truth The Apostle is so great an enemy to this kinde of knowledge that having disputed such a point in disdaine of gain-sayers he concludeth If any man lust to be contentious we have no such custome nor the Churches of God Demonstrat quaelibet herba Deum He who refreshed with the sweet odours pleased with the various comely shapes of a flower can say this is sweet this is lovely lovely indeed Yet Iesus Christ is a bed of spices as the Lilly of the field the Rose of Sharon sweeter much sweeter ten thousand times more lovely This man knoweth God this man loveth God this man knoweth him indeed and this knowledge as it is the most pleasant here so it will certainly prove the most profitable hereafter and alwayes declare it selfe most reall Doth not the Apostle doth not he most truly most pathetically cry out Though I had the gift of prophecie and knew all secrets all knowledge yea if I had all faith so that I could remove mountaines I were nothing I were as sounding brasse and a tinckling Cymbal if I have not charity When all these excellencies meet in a Christian as happly they may yet it is charity that maketh him what he is and the other Beings are but as Phalerae as trappings which give a handsome set-off but not a Being to a Christian Love is lovely in Gods eye he is stiled the God of Love the God Love And in another place the Scripture affirmeth that in this we have fulfilled the will of God if we love one another for by this we are made one with God and so dwell in true light The two Tables are reduced to Love of God and our neighbour So that sweet affections doe make the most sweet harmony in Gods eares Of the Chorus of Saints the greatest number will bee found amongst the feminine sexe because these are most naturally capable of affection and so most apt to make knowledge reall It is true I confesse these affections misguided led them first into transgression but these same affections after carried them first to the grave then to the sight of a Saviour gave them the enwombing of Christ who in some sense might have entertained our nature in another way if he had so pleased and these affections will one day raise many of them into the sweet embraces of everlasting joy Amongst the Church-Officers the Pastor and the Doctor according to Timothie are more eminent than the rest because they labour in the