See Chrys Ad Pop Ant. Hom. 15. as a point to them and they are at a point for it heaven is before them and the great and durable mansions there no matter for the stuffe of the earth let her keep her gifts her pleasures and profits for as the brother said they have enough they have the pearle for they bid to the price of it they have it and they have enough And so much to the three demands or enquiries touching the earth the resolves thereunto and instructions therefrom 2. It followes that we take a generall view of the things on the earth And behold variety of objects all to refresh and comfort to instruct and humble me I have no sooner set my foot abroad but presently I see There an hill here a dale There a barren ground here a fruitfull There good fruit here weeds d 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Chysost in Gen. cap 2. Hom. 17. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 c. Bas in Hex Hom. 2. There the sheep feeding here the horse and oxe ploughing There the sheep giving us her lambes and her wool here the cow giving her calf and her milk so we have from both first an increase and then their flesh cloth for our backs and food for our hunger There I see herbs flowers trees leaves seeds fruits perhaps now in their winter and withered quarter or in their Spring-time and new dresse receiving a new life again whether so or so they give cleare evidence that what is quite rotten now shall revive again e In resunectionem suturam omnis natura meditatur Expectandum etiam corporis ver est Minut. Felix p. 24. in fol. l. 19 The Spring is the resurrection of the year And consonant to reason it is That man for whom all things spring and rise again should have his spring and rising too Tertul. Here I see an hedge and as much care to keep it strong as there was to plant the field with any of all these There I see the Behemoth beasts so called for her greatnesse here the little worm retiring into its hold and earthing it self in case it feeles the least touch I cannot reckon up what I see but if I do no more but see the mule and the horse and the oxe do as much as I. If we see nothing in the heavens they are Mr Dearings f Heb. lect 5. c. 1. vers 10. words but that they are light and above our reach the horse and mule see this as well as we If we see nothing in the earth but a place to walk in or to take our rest upon it the beasts and fowls see this as well as we If we see nothing in our gorgeous apparell but the pride of a goodly colour the peacock seeth that in her feathers And if in all our refreshment from the creatures we know nothing but the pleasure and sweetnesse of our sense the hogge and swine have here as great a portion as we To be short if hearing seeing smelling tasting feeling be all the comfort we can finde in the works of God we have given our preeminence to the dumbe Creatures which have these senses more exquisite then we and we have turned the hearts of men into the hearts of beasts who with wisdome prudence understanding knowledge reason can do nothing And the words of the Prophet are fulfilled in us Man Reade Isid Pelusiot lib. 2. cp 135. when he was in honour had no understanding he was compared to the brnit beasts and was made like unto them Therefore the beholding the works of God must affect us more then so else we shall be but as the beasts and below them We must learn according as the works of God are thus before us so to behold them and take the pleasure of them that we give glory to God in all that He hath done When we see the heavens we must see His greatnesse who was able to set such a covering over the earth When we behold the earth we must behold His providence who hath ordained such a place of nourishment for all creatures When we look upon the unchangeable course in which all things are established We must look upon His constant wisdome and goodnesse who in a stedfast purpose hath extended His mercies over all His works In the least of all the Creatures of God when we see wisdome power glory more then all the world can reach their hands unto we must humble our selves under His high Majesty before whom no King nor Prince no power of the world hath any account So farre Mr Dearings words I adde for further illustration of the beauty of the Creation That the beholding the works therein do serve to instruct and humble both I see all these and what ever else I do see all in their ranks glorifying their Creatour and serving man who of all the works of Gods Hand 's once the most glorious is fallen out thence and from his station rebells against his Maker and now is called as he is A transgressour from the wombe and so makes the creatures groan under him serving in bondage and in wearinesse This consideration instructs and humbles very much if it come home So also if we consider how little it is that we understand of all that varietie which we do see If saith the Father g Chrysost in Ephes Hom. 19. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 thou shouldest come into a Physicians or Chirurgions closet how small a part couldest thou understand of what thou feest there If into a Carpenters Painters or Smiths shop in how many things wouldest thou be posed there Thou couldest not tell what the workman can do with this little thing or with that but thou must be forced to acknowledge a skill in him beyond thy apprehension Nay I will go lower with thee yet saith the same Father Go to the bee-hive where thou mayest note by the way and it is of great use That h Mar. Aur. Ant Medit. l. b. 6. sect 49. pag. 94. See Cic. Offic. 3. p. 141. Chrysost Ibid. which is not good for the bee-hive or for the whole swarm cannot be good for the bee see whether thou canst understand that curious art from the 1 Plin. Nat. Hist lib. 11 cap. 5 6. 7 8. 30. Basilii cp 168. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 bee go to the pismire see whether thou canst understand her wayes and work from thence to the spider consider her web and her house Then to the swallow and mark her nest and the workmanship there And if thou hast understanding herein then be bold to enquire into Gods works and to search them out to the bottom but if not then enquire not but rather admire and break forth into praise For if in these creatures thou art forced to acknowledge an art beyond sense in beasts or apprehension in man how much more then when thou lookest abroad into the great shop of the world must thou needs acknowledge the Creator
man to swell for nothing can fill much lesse extend the soule of man but God and the contemplation of God c. for he goes on very usefully There is such a capacitie and receipt in the minde of man so as there is no danger at all in the proportion or quantitie of knowledge that it should make it swell or out compasse it selfe no but it is meerely the qualitie of knowledge which be it in quantitie more or lesse if it be taken without the true corrective thereof hath in it some nature of venome or malignitie and some effects of that venome which is ventositie or swelling This corrective spice the mixture whereof maketh knowledge Haec Antidotus sive aroma c. so soveraigne is charitie and so he goes on in answer to the second objection 3. And as for the censure of Salomon concerning the anxietie of spirit which redounds from knowledge It is certaine That there is no vexation of minde which resulteth thence otherwise then meerely accidentall when men fall to framing conclusions out of their knowledge so ministring to themselves weake feares or vast desires whence groweth that carefulnesse and trouble of minde for then knowledge is not a dry light but steeped and infused in the humours of the affections This is the sum of the answer to the third objection 4. For the Apostles caveat it must not lightly be passed over for if any man shall think by view and inquiry into these sensible and materiall thinges to attaine that light whereby he may reveale unto himself the nature or will of God then indeed is he spoiled by p The soul hath no more nourishment from this kinde of philosophy then the body hath from nuts transl out of Clem. Alex. Strom. lib. 1. p. 199. vain Philosophy For the contemplation of Gods creatures and works produce having regard to the works and creatures themselves knowledge but having regard to God no perfect knowledge but wonder which is broken knowledge And therefore it was most aptly said by one of Platoes School That the sense of man carrieth a resemblance of the Sun which as we see openeth and revealeth all the terrestriall Globe but then again it obscureth and concealeth the Starres and celestiall Globe So doth the sense discover naturall things but it darkeneth and shutteth up Divine And hence it is true that it hath proceeded that divers great learned men have been Hereticall whilest they have sought to fly up to the secrets of the Deitie by the waxen wing of the senses So he goes on in his answer and thus concludeth Let no man upon a weak conceit of sobriety or an ill applied moderation think or maintain that a man can search too farre or be too well studied in the book of Gods word or in the book of Gods works Divinitie or Philosophie But rather let men endeavour an endlesse progresse or proficience in both onely let men beware that they apply both to charitie and not to swelling to use and not to ostentation and again that they do not unwisely mingle or confound these learnings together So farre the answers which serve to deliver this kinde of knowledge we call naturall from the misconceits and exceptions against the same This pointeth us the way to the second thing How we may make our walk profitable and subservient to higher matters That though we walk low and upon the ground yet we may be raised in our thoughts to heaven like the wise and skilfull pilot whose hand is upon the rudder but his eye upon the starre to apply this then to our present purpose thus 2. There are in this our walk I mean in the view of the creatures two extremes and two sorts there are who fall foule and stumble at them The one sort are they who think to rise higher by the sight of the creatures then the creatures can carry them and so by prying too farre with their own light they make their philosophy vain and become vain in their imaginations and their foolish heart is darkened nature cannot rise above nature it cannot elevate herself above herself Though yet if we track and eye her well if we q Advancement 106. hound her as the noble Scholler phraseth it she can leade us and must needs do so from the foot-stool on earth to the Chaire in heaven but when she hath done so and when in our curious pursuit and disquisition our understanding is wound up so high yet is it but a naturall understanding still so as we do in this search and enquiry tumble up and down like a ship at anchor in the waves of our own reason and conceits for it is not possible as the same Noble scholler saith for us to make a perfect discovery of the more remote and deeper parts of knowledge standing the while but upon the flat or levell of this naturall knowledge There is another sort and they are the most who stumble at the other extreame They behold the creatures the works of nature of God rather but do no more but behold them they stay and dwell upon the superficies or out-side of the work further they passe not either to what is within or to what it tends unto There are two most simple and primitive trades of life ancient and once honourable trades both though now as was said * Presace pag. 21. Cooks are of more esteem because the old simplicitie of life and livelihood are out of fashion Two trades I say and they maintain the state of the world The one of shepheardie the other of husbandrie They who are versed herein should be if they are not truants well instructed men for their books which are full of instruction are still in their eye and they are still poring upon them They live still in the view of heaven and of the earth the one tending his sheep the other driving his oxe and horse and yet though thus they do yet have they gained no more true understanding from their observations in either then the sheep or oxe have which they tend and drive Experience tells us that the shepheard and the husbandman are the most ignorant persons in the world Though yet I know very well that both these do know what sheep and which ground yeelds them most profit and the way they know how to make them most serviceable that way and all this they may know and yet remain most ignorant notwithstanding as for the most part they are no more understanding have they in those chief things and lessons which the beholding the earth and the heaven might yeeld them then the oxe or the horse have which they follow which was Mr Dearings complaint long since And whence this stupiditie or grosse ignorance There can be no other reason hereof but this that they do behold the creature and no more as so saith the proverb An oxe looketh on a gilded gate Their senses report no more to the minde but that they have seen it no
may discerne little hope he may live to heare of the miscarriage of his Childe and see that which like a back winde will put him onwards towards the pit hastening him with sorrow to the grave But In hope the Parent must doe his dutie herein also like the husbandman whose worke is never ended something he findes still that requires his eie and must command his hand or like the Painter who cannot withdraw the hand from the table before he sees his work fully perfected But herein the Parent and the Painter are very like In all his pictures saith Pliny more is to be understood then is expressed although the skill be great yet there is alwaies more in the minde In omnibus ejus operibus intelligitur plus semper quà m pingitur cum Ars summe sit Ingenium tamen ultra Artem est Pliny l. 35. 10. of the Workman then the pensill could expresse to the eie of the beholder His Ingeny or Idea the proportion he hath framed in his mind is beyond his Art It is so with a Parent his care may be great and his skill somewhat and the Childe may observe both and much of both But the Childe must understand more then it can see and yet understand it cannot the yearning of the Spirit the turnings of the bowels the desire of the heart towards the Childe It is the Parent he and she onely who know the Heart of a Parent And this as one speaks very feelingly h Chrysolog de Arch sy Serm 33. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Hec. to her son Hector Hom. Iliad 22. p. 814. Should work very much with the Childe what Care and Cost and Labour and Feare he hath put his Parents too But alas Children consider it not for if so they would give all diligence to render back their so due service But if all this work not upon the Childe it should work upon the Parent very much To consider What a barren wild nature his Childe hath taken from him Barren to every seed of Instruction and which is the griefe but not the wonder the more precious the seed is the more barren the nature is unto it the more hard to receive it And yet if this precious seed be not received and the nature of the soyle changed by it Man will sinke lower into misery then a Beast can And in ordinary matters here a Beast may as farre exceed him as he thinks he exceeds a Beast Take a man in his pure Naturalls and we finde it ordinary That a Beast exceeds him which might be further exemplified For many have written very usefully thereof I will take that which I know is of most use and this it is Defects of Reason in Beasts is supplyed with exquisituesse of sense saith Basil i Hex hom 9. pag. 100. Nay there is something more then sense in Beasts and then vegitation in Plants saith he in the same place And so saith the learned Geographer k II. Book cap. 4. sect 6. pag. 229. in his History of the world It is not sense alone which teacheth beasts at first sight and without experience or instruction to flye from the enemies of their Lives Seeing that Bulls and Horses appeare to the sense more fearefull and terrible then the least kinde of Dogs And yet the Hare and Deere feedeth by the one and flyeth from the other yea though by them never seene before and that as soone as they fall from their Dam's c. The truth is and there is great use of it for it tells us what a blow or wound we received by our fall Beasts have many excellencies and much perfection of outward sense And which is of use indeed to hide pride from our eyes they can make good improvement thereof for their safetie and some of them for their Lords-service Only man in his pure naturalls is herein below the beasts as brutish as the Swine l 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 c. Clem. Alex. Protrep p. 44. Fishes cannot be tamed nor taught Basil Hex Hom. 7. which is the most brutish creature As unteachable as a fish and that is a creature which you can neither tame nor teach But now to instance in a creature most familiar with us and of the very lowest ranke A Dogge And not to speake of his logick which they say he hath and the Hunts-man discernes that so it is This we must note because it is so usefully noted to our hands A Dog will follow m See Hist of the World 1 Book cap. 11. sect 6. Lege Lipsium Câ—nt 3. Ad. Bâ—l. epi 56. c. Cent 1 epist 44. Cic. lib. 2. de natura deor paper 323. Scal. exerci 202. 6. his masters foot he will keep of the theife and the murtherer he will defend his master if he be strong enough if not and his master be slain for so we reade it hath faln out he will stay by the carkasse till he pine away with hunger or he will pursue the man of bloud and single him forth as if he would tell the beholders That is the man that kill'd my master All this a Dog will do and more then this though this is most strange as experience hath told us And why all this why because he hath received a dry-bone from his masters hand and sometimes a bit of bread Therefore will this Dog put forth his strength to the utmost in way of requitall for his masters peace and securitie Hearken unto this all ye that forget God hearken Will the Dog do all this for a dry-bone and an hard crust n 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Hex Hom. 9. What will they say for themselves who love not the Lord Jesus what excuse can they finde who forget their Good Master in heaven who feeds them and doth cloth them every day who doth preserve them every moment of the day from whose hands they receive all good and nothing but good nothing which they can properly call evill What will they say so St. Basill reproves unthankfull man so like a swine and fish so untameable so unteachable so farre faln even below a Dog I know not what some may thinke when they spie a Dog here and that he is here for this purpose to instruct his Master we may thinke him too low a servant very faithfull though he be for that purpose But what ever is thought this I think nay this I know and am sure of That there is not a Creature in the World which doth so mightily convince reprove ashame mans ingratitude as the dog doth how so Because he doth so much for so little And man doth so little for so much And let us observe it well and make this as familiar with us as our dog is for we shall have no excuse for the neglect of our service to that Lord who gives us to reape where we sowed not and to dwell were we builded not we shall have nothing to say why we are
hand no further then to the outward water and dipping therewith It is the Baptisme made by fire and the holy Ghost which reacheth to the heart which cleanseth and purgeth indeed He or she who have received this washing who are purged from their old sinnes may glory in their fountain opened for sinne and for uncleannesse d Zech. 31. 1. and in their priviledges worthy to be gloried in as we read a great Emperour did more then in his Imperiall Crown e Aust de Civit. Dei l. 5. c. 26. for what greater glory is there then to be of the off-spring of God to receive the adoption of sonnes and daughters and to have that worthy name to be called upon us and such honour have all thy Saints And now we are come to a great secret The way how the Lord works and upon whom He works is more secret then is the winde which bloweth where it listeth c. and as indiscernable to sense as is the knitting of the bones in the wombe and covering of them with flesh What we cannot conceive pray that we may admore what we cannot understand pray we that we may experimentally finde and feel that though we cannot comprehend we may be comprehended The Lord knoweth who are his and it is a great secret yet His secret is with them that fear Him I mean not alwaies and with all that fear Him they know that they are His though yet all know it not nor some at all times and this they know as not by extraordinarie revelation so nor by prying into his secret Decree how there He hath disposed of them This will as by fixing our weake eye upon a strong object blinde us with light It is a ventrous and a bold coming unto God and most dangerous also for if we climbe up unto His Decree we shall fall into the gulfe of despair because we come unto Him without a Mediatour f Hic sine m dâ—ctore â—es agitur disputatur de Dei benâ—pâ—icito ac voluntale in quam sese Christus resert Luther Psal 22. In doubts of Predestination begin from the wounds of Christ p. 337. that is from the sense of Gods love in Christ we should rise to the grace of election in Him before the world was It was Luthers counsell and he found it of force against the devises of Satan g De praedestinatione diâ—putaturus incipe à Christi vulnâ—ribus statim Diabolus cum suis tentationibus recedet Mel. Ad. in Staupicii vita p. 20. The way to melt our hearts into a kinde repentance for sinne is to begin from the love of righteousnesse and of God all figured out in Baptisme as well as in the Supper And this also was Staupitius counsell to Luther whereby he made the practise of repentance ever sweet to him whereas before nothing in all the Scripture seemed so bitter h Vera est ea poenitentia quae ab amore justitiae Dei incipit dixit Staupitius Quae vox ita aliè in animo Luthâ—i insedit ut nihil dulcitos facrit deinceps ei poenitentia cum aâ—tea eidem in totâ Scripturâ nihil esset amarius Mel. Ad. ibid. vita Staup. But now suppose our case to be this and it is most likely to be so that we finde no work of the Spirit upon us no change wrought by His renewing grace we are as we were not cleansed from our old sinnes we have passed over this Iordan we have gone into this water and we are come out as unclean as before our hearts are not sprinkled We see a price paid for us and no lesse then the price of the blood of God yet we have not consecrated our selves to Him who hath so dearly bought us yet we have not accepted Him for our Lord though we are His purchase i Rom. 14. 9. and for this end He died and rose again but other Lords rule over us And though we be called by His name yet we walk in our own wayes serving divers lusts as if we were our own and not peculiarly His who bought us with a price If I say this be our case then Luthers counsell is observeable which is this To enter into our closet there to spread our selves before the Lord in humble confessions as followeth k Oportet nos esse tales scilicet verè poenitentes non possumus esse tales Quid hic faciemus Oportet ut cognito te tali non neges te talem sed in angulum vadas juxta consilium Christi in abscondito ores patrem tuum in coelis dicens sine fictione ecce optime Deus poe â—itendum mihi praecipis sed talis sum ego miser quod sentio me nolle neque posse quare â—â—is prostratus pedibus c. Concione de poenitentiâ An. 1518. Lord thou hast set a fountain open but to us it is sealed Thou hast bid us wash and be cleane we cannot we are no more able to wash our selves then we can take out the seeming spots in the Moon Thou hast said When will it be c. we say it will never be no not when the Rocks flie in pieces and the earth shall be no more but then it shall be when thou giving that thou commandest art pleased to make us as thou wilt the heavens and the earth all new Thou hast commanded us to come unto Christ that we might live we cannot come no more then Lazarus could by his own power cast off his grave-clothes and turn up the mould from over his head and stand up from the dead We are bound up in unbelief as within gates of brasse and barres of iron Thou hast said Turn ye every one from his evill way we say we cannot turn r Lay down thy heart under the Word yeeld it to the Spirit who is as it were the Artificer can frame it to a vessell of honour Mr. Reynolds on Psal 110. pa. 42. no more then we can turn that glorious creature which like a Gyant runnes his course so gyant-like we are and so furiously marehing on in our own wayes of sinne and death This is but part of our confession 2. We must acknowledge also that righteous is the Lord in commanding what is impossible for man to do Because the Lord did not make things so at first He gave us a great stock to deale and trade with but like unfaithfull stewards we have wasted the same and so have disinabled our selves Our inability was not primitive and created but consequent and contracted our strength was not taken from us but thrown from us This is the principall point of confession our inabilitie comes out of our own will Å¿ Read and observe with all diligence Mr. Dearings words on the third Chapter to the Hebrews ve 8. Lect. 15. Sentio me nolle neque posse I finde that I neither will nor can before D'S S. p. 215. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉
mourn as David for his sonne every day * 2 Sam. 13. 37. It is a bitter sorrow and it is accompanied with loathing y Ezech. 6. 9. 43. 20. 43. How these will stand together Godly sorrow I mean and spirituall joy is not to our purpose now But the greater our sorrow if it be godly the greater our joy The more sowre our sinnes the more sweet is Christ The more loathing of them as the alone and greatest evill the more prizing of Christ as the only and greatest good the choisest of ten thousands Whether we have this grace of repentance the tryall is easie for if we sorrow after a godly sort behold what carefulnesse it works what clearing of our selves what indignation 2 Cor. 7. 11. what feare what vehement desire what zeale what revenge Infallible marks these of repentance unto life It is now with the penitent as once it was and as ever it will be A sorrow to repentance is not a work of a day or two the hanging down the head like a bulrush for a day or an houre as the custome is Where there is a breaking the bands of our yoke there is a making to go upright z Levit. 26. 13. a constant walking with God as those that have now communion and fellowship with the Father and the Sonne And though this godly sorrow is more secret in the heart and there the work also of a true penitent is most in the well ordering thereof and in watching over the issues there-from yet is it not altogether undiscernable to the outward sense for as Mr. Dearing a Heb. 2. 11. noteth well There is no affection in us according to to the flesh but if it be great it will appeare in its work much more this which is of the Spirit of God If thou be sorrowfull it will make thy face sad b Deprendas animi tormenta latentis in aegro Corpore Juven Salyr 9. if joy be within it maketh thy countenance merry if thou have a flattering heart all the members of thy body will streight serve so vile a thing if hatred be within thee thy body will shew it forth in all manner of cursed doing and there is nothing that can possesse the minde but it leadeth the members in obedience of it How much more if the Spirit of God have replenished our mindes with these affections of godly sorrow and spirituall joy And so much to the first requisite 2. The second is Faith the hand of the soul which the Lord createth and strengthneth to lay hold on eternall life by Iesus Christ In the Sacrament of the Lords Supper we see a full Redemption wrought and a full price paid in His body broken and bloud poured forth In the bread and wine he that Qui dividit perdit devides destroyes the Sacrament we have a full and compleat nourishment all that the soul can desire But now as the mouth is opened so are we filled As the heart is enlarged so do we receive If the mouth be shut and the principle of life be wanting no matter what dainties are set before us or what put in Therefore we must consider our Interest in the Covenant and whether we can lay hold on a promise for life reconciliation and peace For the bloud of Christ and His Body serve not for the nourishment of any in whom they have not been as the seed of regeneration both in pardon of sin and change of the heart in which conversion standeth we must remember Sacraments convert none but strengthen the converted To the fainting spirit they are meanes to convey power they encrease strength c Isa 40. 29. The Sacraments are as the breasts of the Church from which the living childe doth suck and is satisfied with consolations from which the thirsty soul doth milke out and is delighted with the abundance of her glory d Isa 66. But it is the living childe that draweth comfort here and the instrument by which he draweth is Faith which is Gods gift as is Repentance He gives both So then we must examine how provided we come hither else we come to a well of living water but having nothing to draw or we are like a vessell east into the Ocean which hath no mouth or if any it is stopt The outward man can do its part it discerneth tasteth digesteth the outward signes But now what inward principle hath my inward man and what help hath it from all this in the beholding tasting enjoying the spirituall part Christ and the influence of His Grace issuing therefrom This is all the Question and point to be examined what Faith I have whose work is the same about the spirituall part as is the work of the outward man about the outward And yet had we all Faith I mean justifying faith we could not receive all that is offered here and though we have a weake faith if true we shall receive sufficient Our hearts as one noteth cannot comprehend all the wisdome of God in the wind that bloweth how He raiseth it up or maketh it fall again how can we understand this wisdome of our uniting unto Iâ—sus Christ only this we true members can say God hath given us faith in which we may believe it and out of which such joy shineth in our mindes as crucifieth the world unto us how farre our reason is from seeing it it skilleth not it is sufficient if we can beleeve it We beleeve in the Lord our God yet we know not what is his countenance we beleeve and apprehend by hope His glory yet neither eye can see it nor care can heare it We beleeve and see immortalitie yet our heart cannot comprehend the heighth the breadth the length the depth We beleeve the resurrection of the dead yet we cannot understand such excellent wisdome how life is renewed in the dispersed and scattered bones and ashes We beleeve our Saviour Christ is man and we have seen Him and felt Him yet how He was man born of a virgin all men in the world have no wisdome to declare Even so we beleeve that our Saviour Christ and we be one He of us and we of Him He the head we the body really substantially truly joyned together not by joynts and sinewes but by His spirit of which we have all received And this unitie I cannot conceive nor utter till I know God even as He is and His hely spirit which hath wrought this blessing But yet though thus secret and undiscernable this work of faith is we may take some evidence of the life and operation thereof by those things that our understanding part doth here in matters below and of another and much inferiour nature As thus My minde by the velocitie and speed of my apprehension can be many miles off upon the naming of the things I love Then surely my heart is dull and slow and wants the principle of a new creature if by so lively representations