of the Mystery of Spirituall Wisedome and how to discern this according to the rule of the Analogie of faith And how to make use of this rule to dive into the depth and riches of Gods wisedome and to know thereby what his working is towards our inward and Spirituall man and how the materiall truth is to be applyed and exalted with a reflection of the Spirit upon Christ unto a more heavenly use then the bare rationall consideration thereof doth afford unto a naturall man I say how to do all this for our owne instruction and the inlargement of the soule in communion with God is the third degree of Analyticall doctrine and meditation whereof a particular Treatise should bee elaborated for those that are to be counted Experienced and in some respect Fathers in Christianity For none should be initiated into this Doctrine but such as have experience of Gods dealing with themselves and others and are consequently able from their owne observations of Gods working to bear witnesse to the truth which the Scripture doth mention in a Mystery and which cannot be understood by any but by such as can discerne the worke of the Spirit in themselves and perceive the degrees of the worke thereof in others and consequently can judge betwixt the true and false motions of the Spirit and begun clearly to learne and understand the intention of God in particular proceedings as they are subordinate unto the main intention of God towards Mankinde in the worke of salvation through Christ as he is the Head of his Church Such I say as in the study of Christianity are come this farre may be called Fathers and none but they are capable of this third degree of Analyticall Doctrine And therefore this Treatise is not to be made common but only should be imparted unto them alone and that also by some degrees according to the measure of their capacity in this because here doth lie the danger of Spirituall pride and selfe-conceitednesse which draweth most men of knowledge headlong into errors and extravagancies whereby they confound themselves and others and draw many sometimes into endlesse perdition when they are stubbornly bent to flatter themselves in the deceitfull apprehension of Spirituall Mysteries Thus far all common Christians should be led and taught to attaine unto divine wisedome by way of Scripturall Meditation And besides these directions to be given by way of Treaties certaine Exercises of the minde as well in private solitarily as in company with others and publickly should be made use of and might be described if there were any appearance of hope that in these troublesome and unsetled times a foundation could be laid for the practise and training up of Christian soules in such away of Learning For if a Lecture were founded in some convenient place wherein the Doctrinall part of this Science might be delivered in publicke Lectures and further beaten out in private conferences then also such as would addict themselves unto this kinde of study and give up their Children to be instructed by those degrees of Humane and Divine Learning might be not only taught but actually exercised inured by some practicall wayes into the Method of knowledge for without some exercise fitted to the capacity of him that is taught wherein he may be brought to apply the rule which he hath beene taught to the use wherefore it is given all instruction in Divine matters is either unusefull or hurtfull For unlesse divine instruction end in the fruit of the Spirit which is righteousnesse holinesse which without some reall exercise cannot be received or entertained when God hath given them in any measure all instructions and theoreticall directions are but to none effect and rather hurtfull then profitable because they tend to a greater judgement over him that knoweth the way of truth and doth not follow it Therefore it is expedient to make many discourses and treatises of those things and to publish the doctrine thereof at adventures before tryall be made of the practise and before it may be knowne that those to whom the Doctrine is to be imparted are not doggs and swine that is to say carnall beastly minded men that will teare the truth by selfe conceited contradictions into peeces or if they are led not to contradict so much as to assent that then they will not drowne it in the mire of sensuall lust and swinish worldly mindednesse Therefore these pearles must not be cast before the world but ought to be dispensed unto the children of the Kingdome and that with a great deale of discretion and spirituall prudency because we have experience that even the true children of God are not capeable of al things but that if matters be not suggested to them by degrees they either get a spirituall surfet thereof so that their stomack is spoyled and unable to digest necessary foode when it is proposed to them or else become drunken with them and so in the heate of their braine they are as it were foolish and mad in using them without sobriety and disorderly neither to their owne nor other mens edification As for the Doctrine and exercises belonging to teachers to bring them to a demonstrative way of interpreting of Scriptures they are of two sorts The first is for the inlarging of knowledge for the discovery of the Mystery of Gods Kingdome in a Doctrinall or Hortatorie or consolatorie way to infuse knowledge into others The second is for deciding of doubts either arising from the words or from the matter of the Text Of each of these waies as they are to be fitted to higher or meaner capacities some Treatises should bee compiled to shew Ministers both how to divide the words aright unto their hearers according to the difference of their Auditories disposition how to deale one with another in matters of doubts and disputes to come to a full and satisfactorie decision of their controversies These two Treaties are of great concernement and not to be put forth till mens eares be opened by affliction the pride of learning be put down in the conceit of the worldly wise and of the disputers of this age which God will bring to passe partly by outward afflictions partly by the great variety or opinions and the 〈…〉 of received principles which will be shaken on all sides The men that are ingenuous and call upon God for light and direction will finde deeper principles of truth to rest their soules upon then hitherto they have received And by these God will abolish the wisedome of the wise and the learning and the disputer of this age and bring those that seeke wisedome in the simplicity of the word to understand the depths of Gods counsell which are hid from the great Rabbies of the world and men rather addicted to bookish learning to tell us what this or that Author saith then to search after the wisedome demonstration of the spirit of power by which the Apostles in
already discovered where the manner of writing books and Treatises either for the ripping up of the hidden secrets of nature or for the examining and rectifying or compleating of the writings of other men is also to be explained when first the faults and defects of Colledges and Universities are layd open and the abuses of writing books is made known with the wayes of taking a speedy course of reformation in the one and the other Thus having given you an Idaea of the wayes and means how to advance humane learning I will come to the other object which concerneth divine knowledge to be had from the holy Scripture by way of interpretation of the Text Here also some matters are fully to be handled for instruction and direction of those that would come to divine knowledge and some exercises of the spirit are to be intended by the proficients The matters to be handled are these 1 A Treatie or discourse should be put forth to shew the necessitie of reading and meditating Scripture more then men are accustomed to do and what use is to be made of the knowledge of the words of the Text both for humane and divine learning in all kindes as well naturall tending to discover the properties and true use of things created as civill and politick tending to shew the prudencie of mens carriage one towards another in all states namely Domesticall Republick Monarchicall and Military so that it should be made good that no man can be truly wise either to salvation in spirituall things or to the right use of reason in outward things whether it be to make use of creatures or to converse with men towards happinesse without the knowledge of the holy Scriptures which are given to be a generall rule both of all wisedome and reformation 2 This being made good that the Scripturall knowledge is thus necessary and usefull a second Treaties must be set forth wherein the way and manner of making use of Scriptures to attain all these ends is to be shewn partly by private meditation of one by himselfe alone partly by exercises of more then one together either in a private or in a more publicke way where a full Idaea of the heads of means and of the degrees of progresse in meditation and exercises towards the infallible attainment of scripturall understanding is to be laid open 3 These two generalls being made known the particulars are to be insisted upon where beginning from the childish part of scripturall institution and proceeding to the highest degree of spirituall contemplation certaine periods of doctrine for scripturall knowledge are to be distinctly delivered The first period is that which belongeth to children The second to young men The third to such as are great proficients and may be called Fathers And the fourth and last to Doctors and teachers of others The children when they are in the course of humane learning and busied to understand their mother tongue and to read the historicall doctrine of the Bible may be initiated to reade the Text it felfe as soone as they have past through the historicall abridgement which I have mentioned heretofore And when they come to make use of their second and third helpe of sacred scripturall knowledge heretofore mentioned then they must be after they have run them over and in some sort comprehended those Treatises brought to the morall and doctrinall parts of the Scripture it selfe to learne to observe in the Text that which in their books they have learned A direction therefore is to be set downe in a briefe Treatise how children should be made to see and observe in the Scripture it selfe that which formerly was gathered out unto them and delivered in a particular Treatise and this should be done Catechetically so that as in the course of humane learning there were three degrees of knowledge in severall Treatises to be imparted unto them So also in the course of divine learning there must be three degrees of Catecheticall exercises described in a Treatise to shew how that in reading the history it self they ought to be examined and brought to answer concerning the passages mentioned therein and in reading the dogmaticall part they are to be questioned to make them answer from the Text it self unto things therein morrally and doctrinally observeable by their capacity so that the Text it selfe must be made their Catechisme from whence they should learne all doctrine of Religion Young men or children of riper age when they are learning the languages which are to be instruments of learning they must be all at once initiated into the historicall Science of things that are in the world and into some principles of Arts and Sciences which afterward are more fully to be delivered And when they are at this taske in humane matters then in divine matters which at their own times must alwaies go along A further period of scripturall knowledge is to be suggested unto them which is a kinde of Analyticall way of considering the principall sentences of the Text and in learning to distinguish the periods thereof one from another and in a single sentence to know what the subjectum and praedicatum thereof is and what the connexive and rationative particles of a discourse meane and to what use they serve In which period there be again severall degrees of matters to be taught whereof a particular Treatise must be composed for the direction of those that are to teach youths this part of divine knowledge When young men are become proficients and have gotten strength of judgement then they must be brought further to the full doctrine of Analyticall meditation wherein are three degrees First there is the literall Analysis Secondly the materiall Thirdly the spirituall Analysis The literall Analysis is the division of all the sentences of the Text according to the true relation wherin they stand in the bare letter which is to be considered in all the properties thereof whereof a particular Treatise is to be made because this is the ground of all true interpretation and if an error fall out in this part of the interpretation it may marre all the rest which followeth The materiall Analysis is the division of the things which are mentioned in the sentences and words of the Text Here the way to finde out the true matter and the scope of a whole discourse and to observe the parts thereof as they stand subordinat to the scope in the matter to make up the whole and the coherence of these parts one to another with the grounds of their materiall relation and other things belonging thereunto for to take notice of the substance of things delivered and of their order will require another Treatise to direct those that are proficients in the former degree of Analytical knowledge to advance unto deeper thoughts The spirituall Analysis is the division of the Mystery according to the parts of the matters For in every materiall substantiall truth of Gods Word there is some part
preaching the Gospel were able to bring the spirits of all men captive unto the obedience of Christ And because we neither know the Rules of true spirituall meditation to dive into the things belonging unto the Ministerially Doctorall and Pastorall charge neither doe wee sincerely seeke after the rules by which our minds should bee led unto knowledge nor doe wee exercise our selves one with another through the communion of Saints without partiality unblameably in the waies which we know but we rather adhere to humane doctrines and opinionating disputes found in Authors whom we through curiosity seeke after and take up Rules at adventure or by partiall squares and never impart unto others in spirituall simplicity the truth that God maketh manifest unto us but hugge our selves in a selfe conceited flattery with it through the vaine immagination of a more secret knowledge wherein we should be thought to excell others Therefore we that are Ministers are become unprofitable and to us God hath made his word as a booke that is sealed so that no man can reade in it nor knoweth what to make of the sence thereof which to a simple godly capacity is most cleare and evident and may be clearely explained also by such as will not suffer their mindes to runne after their owne conceits Thus I have endevoured to let you see some more light concerning the two objects which you chiefely pitch upon whereof the one is Mr. Comenius proper taske and the other is mine although wee are bound not to doe in publique or to bring to perfection either of these Methods without one anothers advice and consent Because in very deede his taske is no lesse in my aime then in his owne and mine is reciprocally in his ayme a thing whereunto he doth subordinate his endeavours so that the meanes of perfecting both were to have us both set apart for our taskes and setled together in a course of elaborating the same by mutuall communication one with another and with others that are fit to partake of these thoughts and by teaching and exercising both our selves and others in these Methods till God shew us the full period of time when they should be brought forth to the world I will not mention as I did intend at first any thing concerning the other two taskes viz. the matter of correspondency for Union with Forraigne Churches and the matter of Practicall Divinity nor will I discribe heere the manner of our setlement which may bee wished rather then hoped for the elaborating of these taskes to some good purpose These things I thinke needelesse to lay open at this time yet if it should be found requisite to shew the feaseablenesse of what we ayme at and I have here in some kinde specified let mee know thereof by your next and God willing you shall receive satisfaction The grace of God bee with you and direct you in all things unto the manifestation of his glory through Jesus Christ in whom I remaine London this sixt of Ian. 1642. Your worship his most faithfull and willing servant IOHN DVRYE Sir C. BY your last of the ninth of this Moneth I am glad to understand that the motions which have beene made unto you have given some content The chiefe thing which I aymed at was to give you some reall satisfaction to so equitable a demand so answerable to the ay me of my studies I must confesse that the universality of that good which is to bee sought for in the Kingdome of God whereof I labour to approve my selfe a true member is so disproportionate to the capacity affections of most men that I have hitherto dealt withall who are ordinarily bent to a particular of their owne more then to a reall publike good that I could never yet meete with any affectionate Patron who was willing and ready to undertake the advancement of such matters for themselves and to the ends for which God doth put them in our hearts who in the midst of straights and infirmities cannot leave the prosecuting thereof although for love to such objects through neglect of our selves we are put to a non-subsistance I meane Master Comenius Mr. Harâ—lib and my selfe For though our taskes be different yet we are all three in a knot sharers of one anothers labours and can hardly bee without one anothers helpe and assistance But it is no new thing to such as serve God without respect to private ends to spend and be spent and receive no incouragement from the world Therefore also we can have patience and waite upon Gods providence till hee shew what use he will make of our talents which we have dedicated unto his service to be i mployed and set a worke in any place where wee shall perceive the overture to be made by him onely our end must alwaies be answerable unto the guift bestowed upon us viz. publique and universall because we know that Gods intention is that his goodnesse and glory should not be concealed nor ingrossed by any but made common to all that can partake thereof who are not doggs and swine whose custome is to teare and trample good things under their feete Now the overture which you have made if it be from him I make no doubt but hee will make it apparent to us then you may be sure that on our part nothing shall be wanting wherewith God hath inabled us to further the publique good For as we professe not to seeke our selves in any thing diswade others from such an ayme so we shal be found no waies difficill to comply to others in any reasonable motions which shall not prejudg the liberty of publique communication of the best things which in the kingdome of God must alwaies bee inviolably observed But how these things wherein we think we could bee serviceable unto the publique might be made use of is not yet apparent unto you partly because you have not as it seemes to me fully conceived the meanes of propagating the good which we aime at partly because you are not assined of the inclination of those that would contribute their assistance unto the furthering of the same I then must tell you that which you seeme not rightly to apprehend concerning the Meanes which is that besides the elaborating of certeine Teatises which indeed is but a transent action if that were all to be done then a transient contribution for the elaborating of these Treatises might suffice the exercitation of the minds of those that are to make use of the treaties the breeding of Schollers in our way of knowiedge is no lesse if not more effectuall for the scope intended then the elaborating and penning of the Treaties The Treaties containe but the material part of the worke but the excercises of the minds of Schollers and the framing of Schooles in humane learning the actuall introduction manuduction of the Spirits of Christians to scripturall wisedom meditation is the forme principall
knowledge and the unity of faith which now a dayes is so greatly requisite for all men are now for the most part drunken with their owne opinions reeling to and fro in uncertainties and the more ignorant sort which is oft times such as think themselves the wisest are so incapeable of true heavenly wisedome that all things delivered unto them out of the Scriptures must be delivered as unto little babes line upon line precept upon precept here a little and there a little and so we alwaies stay in the very elements of knowledge and never go forward to perfection because we cannot bear one with another and hear one another with patience because we pray not one for another that things unknown may be revealed but we blame one another and suspect one another and envie one another to our mutuall destruction now the Lord of his mercy mend these things both in the teachers and in the hearers that by the faithfull prayers and endeavours of Gods people once at last the divine order of the holy wisedome of God revealed in the Scriptures may be made manifest for me thinkes that Babilon which is the confusion of the whole world in all things but chiefly in the originall language of Canaan which is the true sence of the Scriptures will never be overthrown till this generall order of the text in the uniforme sence of all the distinct parts of it be raised up by God and brought forth as a true Zorubbabell to confound this confusion of uncertaine sences and when this shall be effectuated by the Lord of Hosts who is wonderfull in counsels and excellent in working then I am sure that the question shall be determined who ought to be judge of controversies the Pope or the Scriptures then Atheists mouthes who acknowledge not the divinitie of it shall be stopped and all those that seek the Lord shall find him and be fedd with understanding for there is such an incomprehensible extent of knowledge in a little parcell or book of the Scriptures and so uniforme a sence and light through the manifold parts of it that I cannot compare the parts of it more fitly then unto the body of the Sunne in our worldly firmament which though in appearance it seemes but a hand breadth yet it fils the whole world with the glory of one light by the meanes of infinite beames making up but one stream of resplendencie on every side alike defused so is it with one epistle even with every one of the epistles they are but as a hand breadth in substance but in light of knowledge through the infinite respects and references of divers parts as of great beames they are able to fill the whole church and the heart of every living soule with the resplendencie of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ and as Ideots that wote not what optike or opticall demonstrations mean cannot beleeve or perceive although it be told them that there is an orderly dispositions of the beames of the Sunne amongst themselves and a subordinate proceeding of their parts from the body of the Sunne and that there is an unspeakably and incomprehensibly exact order in the disposition of all the parts of light so the spirituall Ideots that have no optike Organs it is no marvaile that they never beleeve nor see any order to be in the body of the Scriptures but so many of you as can make evident demonstrations or experimentall tryals in gathering the beames of the light together in your looking glasses to doe by the meanes of refraction or reflection some wonderfull effect either of representation or of burning in the hearts and before the eyes of godly soules you I say may know and can see that in this light is not onely an excellent order and disposition of all the parts of it but also the very cause of all order that is or ever shal be in this world for even as darknes is the mother of all confusion disorder because it bears under its wings as it were the shadow of destruction and the nature of a Chaos and as light is the mother of comlinesse and order setting forth and making manifest by the onely presence of it selfe the whole decency distinction varietie unitie and symmetricall disposition of every thing in heaven and earth and of the whole world so also ignorance hath been hitherto the mother of Babel and knowledge shall beget Zorubbabell now no knowledge is certaine but that which is in the word of God even as no light is pure light but that which comes from heaven by the same therefore that light can onely and shall bring all order and righteous disposition of all things in the church and world for in it onely is the true weight measure proportion and situation of every thing and by it onely the disposition of the Creatour who hath framed every thing most orderly and decently can be made manifest unto mankind and can any now be so sencelesle as to think that that word and light which is and must be the onely cause of order in every thing should want order and be confused in it self can any be so confused in judgement and drowned in foolish and disorderly imaginations as to think that Gods spirit who by wisedome hath in the first creation of this temporary world ordered all things in so admirable a manner that whosoever beholds it cannot but acknowledge the infinite providence of the workman of so strange a frame should not in the second creation of an eternall world which is his church order and expresse in the Scriptures the very decrees and precepts of wisedome it selfe orderly If the kingdome of nature which shall perish is established by so wonderfull an effect of wisedome and stands only by it for heaven and earth are naturally subsistant by no other thing but by the pillars and foundation of order shall the kingdome of grace and of the word of God which lasteth eternally be lesse wonderfull in the same effect of that same wisedome No surely for if order be one of the most certaine and chiefe effects and consequents of wisedome then wheresoever wisdome is expressed there order must be also and where wisdome is most eminently and highly expressed there also order must be found in the most eminent and high degree of prudencie righteousnesse decencie and comlinesse and for this cause I hold for certaine that in the text of the Scripture a divine order and disposition not only of matter but also of words and manner of expressing that matter is to be found which being perceived and found will bring a new light to all mens eyes and will discover hidden things more evidently hereafter then ever knowne things have been knowne heretofore which I beseech the Lord in his mercie to performe and to make manifest by his spirit of propheste in the testimony of Iesus Christ that in the revelation of his deare sonne all those that love him may be filled with joy and that the glory of his wisdome and goodnesse may be knowne in the truth of his word to the praise of his holy and glorious ame both now and evermore Amen Even so come Lord Iesus and let him that hear it say come Rev. 22. and 20. and 17. Finis Mat. 19 17. â—phes 4. 18 1 Iohn 2. 16. 17. 1 Iohn 3. 2. Heb. 3. 13 14. Colos. 2. 9. c. 1. 19. 1. 3. 1. 5. 8. 1 Iohn 1. â— 1 Tim. 6. 1â— Iohn ibid. v. 9 10 11. Phil. 2. 13 â—â—r 5. 19 〈◊〉 v. 16 17. â—â—r 6. 17. â—â—r 15. 45. Iohn 14. 9 10 11. 2 Pet. 1. â—â— 1 Cor. 12. 13. 2 Cor. 3. 13 14. ibid. v. 17. 1 Cor 2. 10 11 12. â—â—r 2. 11 12. 〈…〉 3. 17. 1 Per. 2. 3. â—nt 1. 1 Pet. 2. 5