dung and dross in comparison of him Can he in one word ever be seduced to renounce and hate Religion who has had so long an Experience of the Beauty and of the Pleasure of it Good Habits when they are grown up to Perfection and Maturity seem to me as natural as 't is possible Evil ones should be And if so 't is no less difficult to extirpate the One then the Other And I think I have the Scripture on my side in this Opinion Does the Prophet Jeremy demand Can the Ethiopian change his Skin or the Leopard his Spots then may you that are accustomed to do Evil learn to do Well Jer. 13.23 St. John on the other hand does affirm Whosoever is born of God doth not commit sin for his Seed remaineth in him and he cannot sin because he is born of God 1 Ep. 3.9 Whosoever abideth in him sinneth not v. 6. These are the Grounds of Assurance with respect of the time to come As to Personal and Peremptory Predestination to Life and Glory 't is at least a controverted Point and therefore unfit to be laid as the Foundation of Assurance But suppose it were granted I see not which way it can effect our present enquiry since the wisest amongst those who stickle for it advise all to Govern themselves by the general Promises and Threats of the Gospel to look upon the Fruits of Righteousness as the only solid proof of a state of Grace and if they be under the Dominion of any Sin not to presume upon Personal Election but to look upon themselves as in a state of Damnation till they be recovered out of it by Repentance Thus far all sides agree and this I think is abundantly enough for here we have room enough for Joy and Peace and for Caution too room enough for Confidence and for Watchfulness too The Romanists indeed will not allow us to be certain of Salvation Certitudine fidei cui non potest subesse falsum with such a Certainty as that with which we entertain an Article of Faith in which there is no room for Error i. e. we are not so sure that we are in the Favour of God as we are or may be that there is a God We are not so sure that we have a title to the Merits of Christ as we are or may be that Jesus is the Christ Now if this assertion be confined to that Assurance which regards the time to come as I think it generally is and do not deny Assurance in General but only certain Degrees or Measures of it then there is nothing very absurd or intolerable in it For a less Assurance then that which this Doctrine excludes will be sufficient to secure the Pleasure and Tranquility of the Perfect Man But if this assertion be design'd against that Assurance which regards our present State then I think it is not sound nor agreeable either to Reason Scripture or Experience For first the Question being about a matter of Fact 't is in vain to argue that cannot be which does appear manifestly to have been And certainly they who rejoyced in Christ with Joy unspeakable and full of Glory were as fully perswaded that they were in a State of Grace and Salvation as they were that Jesus was Risen from the Dead Secondly 't is one thing to ballance the Strength and Degrees of Assurance another to ballance the Reasons of it For it is very possible that Assurance may be stronger where the Reason of it may not be so clear and evident as where the Assurance is less Thus for Example the evidence of Sense seems to most learned Men to be stronger then that of Faith And yet through the assistance of the Spirit a Man may embrace a Truth that depends upon Revelation with as much confidence and certainty as one depending upon Sense And so it may be in the case of Assurance The Spirit of God may by its Concurrence raise our Assurance as high as he pleases although the Reason on which it be built should not be Divine and Infallible but meerly Moral and subject at least to a possibility of Error But Thirdly Why should not the certainty I have concerning my Present State be as Divine and Infallible as that I have concerning an Article of Faith If the Premises be Infallible why should not the Conclusion He that Believes and Repents is in a State of Grace is a Divine an Infallible Proposition and why may not this other I Believe and Repent be equally Infallible though not equally Divine What Faith and Repentance is is revealed and therefore there is no room for my being here mistaken Besides I am assisted and guided in the Tryal of my Self by the Spirit of God So that the truth of this Proposition I Believe and Repent depends partly upon the evidence of Sense and I may be as sure of it as of what I do or leave undone partly upon the evidence of inward Sensation or my Consciousness of my own Thoughts and I may be as sure of it as I can be of what I love or hate rejoyce or grieve for And lastly it depends upon the evidence of the Spirit of God which assists me in the Examination of my Self according to those Characters of Faith and Repentance which he hath himself revealed And when I conclude from the two former Propositions that I am in a State of Grace he confirms and ratifies my Inference And now let any one tell me what kind of certainty that is that can be greater than this I have taken this pains to set the Doctrine of Assurance in a clear Light because it is the great Spring of the Perfect Man's Comfort and Pleasure the source of his Strength and Joy And this puts me in mind of that other fruit of Perfection which in the beginning of this Chapter I promised to insist on which is Its Subserviency to our Happiness in this Life That Happiness increases in proportion with Perfection cannot be denied unless we will at the same time deny the Happiness of a Man to exceed that of an Infant or the Happiness of an Angel that of Man Now this truth being of a very great Importance and serving singly instead of a thousand Motives to Perfection I will consider it impartially and as closely as I can Happiness and Pleasure are generally thought to be only two words for the same thing Nor is this very remote from truth for let but Pleasure be solid and lasting and I cannot see what more is wanting to make Man Happy The best way therefore to determin how much Perfection contributes to our Happiness is to examin how much it contributes to our Pleasure If with the Epicurean we think Indolence our supream Happiness and define Pleasure by the absence of Pain then I am sure the Perfect Man will have the best claim to it He surely is freest from the Mistakes and Errors from the Passions and Follies that embroil Human Life he creates
slighting the blood of the Covenant and grieving the Holy Spirit all which we do by willful Sin is a Guilt that will sink down the obstinate Sinner into the lowest Hell and render his Condition more intolerable that that of Tyre and Sidon Sodom and Gomorrah 2. The Second Effect of the firm Belief of these Gospel Truths is that it begets in us a Contempt of this World and all the things of it To him that Beelieves How short is Time compar'd to Eternity How false how empty are the Pleasures of Sin compared with those of Heaven how insignificant the Esteem or Love of Man to that of God How worthless are all our worldly Hopes and Pretensions in respect of an Interest in Jesus Now the Soul that is once possess'd thoroughly with these Notions what will it not do what will it not suffer rather than fall short of or forfeit its Crown In what state will it not be contented nay in what state will it not abound in Joy whilst it holds fast the steadfastness of its Hope and is secure of the Love of Jesus Here begins that Purity of Heart which is the Fountain of true Epicureism that Greatness of Mind which alone is true Honour and Fortitude But that Faith may have these Effects upon us it must not be only a true but a lively Faith therefore my 2. Second Rule or if you please another Branch of the former Rule shall be this They that will be free indeed must not only believe the great Truths of the Gospel but must frequently and seriously ponder them till they have imprinted in themselves as clear distinct and perfect Ideas of them as we are capable of This will soon mortifie the Appetites of the Body corrrect our false Opinions of worldly Things and baffle all the Sophistry and Confidence of Lust A lively Faith is a Faith that imports the most clear and natural the most full and enlarg'd Notions of its Objects a Faith that not only looks upon the Articles of our Creed as true but beholds them in a manner as present and so represented and drawn to the Life that they fill the Soul with great and moving Considerations This Faith does not only Believe that there is a God but it beholds Him and walks before Him as present it sees Him array'd in all his Glory and in all his Majesty in all the Power and all the Terrors in all the Beauties and all the Graces of the Divine Nature it does not only believe that there are Rewards and Punishments but is extreamly sensible of the Terrors of the one and Attractions of the other and looks upon both as at the door It does not only acknowledge a Mediator but takes a full view of the Misery of that state wherein we lay through Sin and of the Blessedness of that into which we are translated by the Redemption which is in Jesus It Contemplates this Mediatour in all the several steps of Condescension and Humiliation in all the Tenderness and Transports of his Passion in all the melancholy Scenes of his Sufferings and the bright and chearful ones of his Glory This is the Faith that sets us free 3. We must not stop in Faith till it be made perfect in Love We must meditate Divine Truths till they have fired our Souls till they have enkindled our Affections till we be possess'd by an ardent Love of God of Jesus of Righteousness and of Heaven till all our other Desires and Passions be converted into and swallowed up of Love till God becomes the Center of our Souls and in Him we rest in Him we glory and in Him we rejoyce O Love how great and glorious are the things that are said of thee 'T is thou who dost impregnate and animate Faith it self 't is thou who dost surmount the Difficulties of Duty and make the Yoke of Christ easie and his Burthen light 't is thou who dost cast out Fear and make Religion full of Pleasure 't is thou that dost make us watchful against Temptations and impatient under the Interruptions of Duty 't is thou that makest us dis-relish the Pleasures of this World and long to be dissolved and to be with Christ Here is the Liberty of the Sons of God Blessed are they even in this World who attain it But one Caution I must here add That our Love must not be a Flesh a Bit but a steady and well setled Affection an Affection that has the Warmth of Passion and the Firmness of Habit. We must therefore by repeated Meditations and Prayers daily nourish this Flame of the Altar and not suffer it to go out 4. We must never be at rest till we have possess'd our Minds with a perfect Hatred of the sin which we are most subject to The Love of God his Long-suffering and forbearance the Sufferings of Jesus the struglings of the Spirit the Peace and Pleasure of Holiness the Guilt and Vexation the Shame and Punishment of Sin its ill Influence on our present Perfection and Happiness on our Peace and Hopes are proper Topicks to effect this A thorough Hatred of Sin once setled and rooted in us will produce that Sorrow that Indignation that Watchfulness that Zeal which will remove us far enough not only from the Sin but also from the ordinary Temptations to it and place us almost without the Danger of a Relapse To this former Rule I should add this other that when once a Man has resolved upon a new Course of Life whatever Difficulties he finds in his Ways whatever Baffles he meets with he must never quit the Desgn of Vertue and Life he must never give over Fighting till he Conquer The reason is plain for he must either Conquer or Dye But this belonging rather to Perseverance in Vertue than the Beginning of it therefore I but just mention it 5. It will not be imprudent in this Moral as in Physical Cures to observe diligently and follow the Motions and Tendencies of Nature Where there are Seeds of Generosity and Honour the Turpitude and Shame of Sin the Baseness and Ingratitude of it the Love of God and of Jesus and such like are fit Topicks to dwell upon Where Fear is more apt to prevail there the Terrors of the Lord are the most powerful Motive And so whatever the Frame and Constitution of Nature be it will not be difficult to find Arguments in the Gospel adapted to it which will be so much the more prevalent as they are the more natural 6. Lastly We must use all Means to obtain the Spirit of God and to increase and cherish his Influence We must ask and seek and knock i. e. we must pray and Meditate and Travel with Patience and with Importunity that our Heavenly Father may give us his Holy Spirit And when we have it we must not grieve it by any Deliberate Sin nor quench it by Security or Negligence by sensual Freedoms and Presumption but we must cherish every Motion improve every
who were Eye witnesses of the Resurrection and Ascention of the Blessed Jesus The Doctrine of one God and a Judgment to come may receive much light and strength from natural Reason And whatever establishes a revealed Truth will be so far from diminishing that it will increase the Vertue and Efficacy of it All the Caution I think fit to give here is that we be sure that the Ground be Plain and Firm on which we build the Belief of an Illuminating Truth Philosophy in many cases is clear and convictive St. Paul himself amongst the Gentiles frequently appeals to Reason But too often we call our Fancy Philosophy and obtrude upon the World the wild and undigested Theories of a warm and confident Imagination for new Discoveries What strange stuff was Gnostick Philosophy once What did it produce but the Corruption of the Christian Faith And what can be expected from Mystick Enthusiastick Philosophy or Divinity in any Age any Man may guess without any deep Penetration Nor do I doubt but that all judicious and experienced Men do as much despise and nauseate the Blendures and Mixtures of pretended Philosophy with our Faith and Morals as the World generally does the subtilties and perplexities of the Schools For my part I can't endure to have my Religion lean upon the rotten props of precarious Notions I admire I love the Elevations and Enlargements of Soul But I can have no value for unaccountable Amusements or Rambles of Fancy An itch of Novelty or Curiosity has a Tincture in it of our Original Corruption I ever suspect an Opinion that carries an Air of Novelty in it and do always prefer a vulgar Truth before refined Error They are vulgar Truths which like vulgar Blessings are of most use and truest worth And surely our Saviour thought so when he thanked his Father that he had hid these things from the wise and prudent and revealed them unto Babes And when he himself taught the People with power and authority and not as the Scribes he did advance no subtil Theories but bright and dazling useful and convictive Truths This minds me of another property of Illuminating Knowledge 2. This Knowledge must not be obscure and confused but Distinct and Clear Where the Images of things are slight faint and vanishing they move Men but very weakly and affect them but very coldly especially in such Matters as are not subject to our Senses And this I perswade my self is one chief Reason why those glorious and wonderful Objects God a Judgment to come Heaven and Hell do strike us so feebly and operate so little We have generally no lively distinct and clear Conception of them It being otherwise impossible That things in their own Nature dreadful and amazing should excite in us no Fear or that things in their own Nature infinitely amiable should enkindle in us no Passion no Desire The Notions we have of Spiritual and Invisible Things are dim dusky and imperfect Our Thoughts pass over them so slightly that they scarce retain any print or traces of them Now this sort of Knowledge will never do the work These drousie notices of things will never ferment and raise our Passions for Heaven high enough to confront and combate those we have for the World From hence we may give a fair account what the use is of Prophetick Retirement and Prophetick Eloquence What is the purpose of all those Schemes and Tropes which occur in inspired Writings And why the best of Men have ever so much affected Solitude and Retreats from the noise and the hurry of the World Serious frequent and devout Contemplation is necessary to form in our Minds clear distinct and sprightly Notions And to communicate these well to the World they must be expressed in moving Language in living Tropes and Figures Ah! Did we but consider this we should sure allot more time to the study of Divine Truths and we should not think that to discover them throughly it were enough to let our Thoughts glance upon them But we should survey and ponder them with all the exactness and diligence that were necessary to make lasting and distinct impressions upon us Could we know by Intuition doubtless wonderful Objects would raise very extraordinary Passions in us But this we cannot let us come as near it as we can Only let us avoid forming absurd and false Notions of things whilst we endeavour after distinct and clear ones Spiritual things do not answer Corporeal like Face to Face in a Glass And therefore though to give some light to things that are above us we may find out all the Resemblances of them we can in those things we are acquainted with here below yet we must still remember that the one do vastly exceed the other and that we cannot thus get a just and adequate Notion of them 3. This Knowledge must not be in the Understanding crude and undigested but it must be throughly concocted and turned into Nourishment Blood and Spirits We must know the true value and use of every Principle of every Truth and be able readily to apply them For what does it signifie how important Truths are in themselves if they are not so to me What does it avail that they are impregnated with Life and Power if I feel not any such Influence Of what use is the Knowledge of Gospel Promises to me if I reap no Comfort from them Or the Knowledge of Gospel Threats if they are unable to curb and restrain my Passions And so is it with other Truths What will it avail me that I know the Life of Man consists not in the multitude of the things which he possesses if notwithstanding I cannot content my self with a Competency That Righteousness is the chief Good and the richest Treasure of the Soul of Man if notwithstanding I seek this World and the things of it with a more early and passionate Concern That sin and pain are the most considerable if not only Evils of Man if notwithstanding I be cast down and broken under every Adversity And thus I might go on and shew you that the Knowledge which is not digested into Nourishment is if not a burden of no benefit to us 'T is plain that is to me nothing worth which I make no use of We must then follow the advice of Solomon and never quit the Search and Meditation of Truth till we grow intimate and familiar with it and so have it always ready for a Guide and Guard for our Support and Strength and for our Delight and Pleasure We must bind it about our Heart as he speaks and tie it as an Ornament about our Neck Then when we go forth it shall lead us when we sleep it shall keep us and when we awake it shall talk with us For the commandment is a Lamp and the Law is light and reproofs of Instruction are the way of Life Prov. 6. In a word nothing can render the most important Truths powerful and operative in us
which flows from different Gifts of God which depend not on our selves This being premised in order to prevent my being mistaken I proceed and determine 1. That Illumination depends not upon a Man's outward Fortune There are indeed several sorts of Knowledge which we can never arrive at without much leisure and much expence And in order to support the one and enjoy the other it is requisite that we be Masters of a good Fortune Hence is that Observation of the Author of Ecclesiasticus Chap. 38.24 The Wisdom of a Learned Man cometh by opportunity of leisure and he that has little business shall become wise And therefore in the following Verses he excludes the Husbandman the Statuary the Engraver the Smith the Potter and all consequently whose Time and Mind is taken up in the Labours of their Profession and in making the necessary Provision for Life these I say he excludes from all Pretentions to Wisdom How can he get Wisdom that holdeth the Plough and that glorieth in the Goad whose talk is of Bullocks c. But this is not the Wisdom that I am enquiring after and which constitutes Illumination That consists not in the Laws of our Earthly but Heavenly Country Not in Arts and Sciences which relate to the Body and minister to a temporal Life but in those Divine Truths which purifie the Soul and minister to an Eternal one no not in Notional Improvements of the Mind but in Spiritual and Vital ones And therefore the Husbandman and the Artist the Mechanick and the Trader are as capable of this sort of Wisdom as the Man of Office Mony or Quality There needs no Wealth to render one the Child of Light and of the Day There is the Book of Nature the Book of Revelation both the Books of God both writ throughout with glorious Illuminating Truths These lie wide open to every honest Christian The Being and Nature of God the Mediation of Jesus and a Judgment to come the Nature and Necessity of Holiness are fully revealed and unanswerably proved And though every honest Man be not able to discover all the Arguments on which they stand yet may he discover enough and what is more he may have an inward vital sensible proof of them he may feel the Power the Charms of Holiness experiment its Congruity and Loveliness to the Human Soul and observe a thousand Demonstrations of its serviceableness to the Honour of God and the good of Mankind He may have a a full convictive sense of the Manifestation of the Divine Perfections in the great work of our Redemption and the excellent Tendency of it may be so palpable and conspicuous to him as to leave no room for Doubts or Scruples But besides all this there is a Voice within there is a Divine Teacher and Instructor which will ever abide with him and lead him into all necessary Truths All which is implied in those words of our Lord If any Man will do his will he shall know of the Doctrine whether it be of God or whether I speak of my self Joh. 7.17 2. Extraordinary Natural parts such as Sagacity or Acuteness of Judgment strength of Memory the liveliness of Imagination are not necessary to Illumination The Gospel as I remember takes no notice of these Such is the beauty of Holiness that it requires rather purity of Heart then quickness of Apprehension to render us enamoured of it And the very same thing may be said of the Power and Energy of all Gospel Motives and of the Proofs and Evidences too of Divine Truths To convince and affect us there is no need of Sagacity and Penetration but Probity and Sincerity However I have two or three Reflections to make here which may not be unuseful For tho' Acuteness and Retention by which I mean quickness in discerning and firmness in preserving Truth be commonly accounted Natural Parts and generally are so yet I think where the one or the other are most defective they may be much helped and wonderfully improved To which end I remark First That those defects of Vnderstanding or Memory which some are wont to accuse themselves of in Spiritual things are with more Justice to be imputed to want of concern and affection for such things than to any incapacity of Nature 'T is plain we easily understand and easily remember what we desire and love And where-ever we follow the Impulse or Conduct of strong Inclinations we seldom fail of excelling Let us therefore take care that our Hearts be set upon the things of God and we shall soon see that our Judgment and Memory will no more fail us here then in those worldly Interests and Pleasures which we are most intent upon Secondly as to Memory it depends very much upon the Perspicuity Regularity and Order of our Notions Many complain of want of Memory when the defect is in their Judgment And others while they grasp at all retain nothing In order then to relieve this infirmity of Memory it were an excellent way to confine our search and Meditation to a few Objects and to have these clearly and methodically handled A Catechetical way of expounding and asserting the Rudiments of our Faith if done as it ought to be is of great service to Persons of all Capacities but especially to those of meaner For thus they may not only be enriched with the Knowledge of the most useful things and of the grounds on which our Obligation either to Belief or Practice is bottom'd but also may be furnished with general Principles of Reason by which they may steer their Judgment in all cases and with certain Heads of Faith and Morals to which they may be able to reduce most of what they read or hear Thirdly 't is with the Understanding as with the Eye of the Body One sees further off and in a fainter Light but another sees as well with regard to all the uses of Life who yet requires that the Object should be nearer and the Light better Men of slow Capacities must not be Daring or Precipitate in passing their Sentence and forming their Notions They must examine whether the Matters they enquire after be not too remote and obscure whether the Object may be brought nearer and placed in a better Light or whether they may be furnished with Telescopes or Microscopes fit for them If not they must quit the search of such Truths as improper and unnecessary for them By which means they will at least avoid being deceived or perplexed which is no small advantage To be enriched with a kind of Vniversal Knowledge is a great thing but I doubt too great for Man Next to this is to be endowed with a Knowledge of necessary and important Truths and to be freed from Errors and Perplexity in Matters of any moment And methinks it were no great excess of Modesty or Humility for Man to be content with this 3. There is no great need of acquired Learning in order to true Illumination Our Saviour
in the Exercise of Truth Justice and Charity And no where is the ill Influence of Selfishness Sensuality and the Love of the World more notorious than here For these rendring us impatient and insatiable in our Desires violent in the Prosecution of them extravagant and excessive in our Enjoyments and the things of this World being few and finite and unable to satisfie such inordinate Appetites we stand in one anothers Light in one anothers way to Profit and Pleasures or too often at least seem to do so and this must unavoidably produce a thousand miserable Consequences Accordingly we daily see that these Passions Selfishness Sensuality and the Love of the World are the Parents of Envy and Emulation Avarice Ambition Strife and Contention Hypocrisie and Corruption Lewdness Luxury and Prodigality but are utter Enemies to Honour Truth and Integrity to Generosity and Charity To obviate therefore the mischievous Effects of these vicious Principles Religion aims at implanting in the World others of a benign and beneficent Nature opposing against the Love of the World Hope against Selfishness Charity and against Sensuality Faith And to the end the different Tendency of these Different Principles may be the more conspicuous I will briefly compare the Effects they have in reference to our Neighbour Selfishness makes Men look upon the World as made for him alone and upon all as his Enemies who do any way interfere with or obstruct his Designs it Seals up all our Treasures confines all our Care and Thoughts to our private Interest Honour or Pleasure employs all our Parts Power and Wealth and all our Time too in Pursuit of our particular Advantage Sensuality tempts a Man to abandon the Care and Concern for his Country his Friends and Relations and neglect the Duties of his Station that he may give himself up to some sottish and dishonourable Vice it prevails with him to refuse Alms to the poor Assistance to any publick or Neighbourly good Work and even a decent nay sometimes a necessary Allowance to his Family that he may waste and lavish out his Fortune upon some vile and expensive Lust In a word it makes him incapable of the Fatigues of Civil Business and much more of the Hardships and Hazards of War So that instead of imitating the glorious Example of Vriah who would not suffer himself to be courted into the Enjoyment even of allowed Pleasures nor indulge himself in the Tendernesses and Caresses of a Wife and Children while Joab and the Armies of Israel were in the Field he on the contrary dissolves and melts down his Life and Fortunes in Vncleanness and Luxury the shame and burden of his Country and his Family at a time when not only the Honour but the Safety of his Country lies at stake and Prince and People defend it by their Toil and Blood What should I mention the Love of the World are not the Effects of it as visible amongst us as deplorable does not this where-ever it reigns fill all Places with Bribery and Corruption Falshood Treachery and Cowardise Worse cannot be said on 't and more needs not for what Societies can thrive or which way can Credit and Reputation be Supported what Treasures what Counsels what Armies what Conduct can save a People where these Vices prevail Let us now on the other side suppose Selfishness Sensuality and the Love of the World cashiered and Faith Hope and Charity entertained in their Room what a blessed Change will this effect in the World how soon will Honour and Integrity Truth and Justice and a publick Spirit revive how serviceable and eminent will these render every Man in his Charge These are the true Principles of great and brave Actions these these alone can render our Duty dearer to us than any temporal Consideration these will enable us to do good Works without an Eye to the Return they will make us These will make it appear to us very reasonable to Sacrifice Fortune Life every thing when the Honour of God and publick good demand it of us The Belief and Hope of Heaven is a sufficient Incouragement to Vertue when all others fail the Love of God as our Supream Good will make us easily surmount the Consideration of Expence Difficulty or hazard in such Attempts as we are sure will please Him and the Love of our Neighbour as our selves will make us compassionate to his Evils and Wants tender to his Infirmities and Zealous of his good as of our own How happy then would these Principles make the World and how much is it the Interest of every one to encourage and propagate these and to discountenance and suppress the contrary ones I have done with the second Effect of Christian Liberty and will pass on to the Third as soon as I have made two Remarks on this last Paragraph First 't is very evident from what has been said in it that solid Vertue can be Graffed on no Stock but that of Religion that universal Righteousness can be rais'd on none but Gospel Principles who is he that overcometh the World but he that believeth that Jesus is the Christ 1 Joh. 5. I do not oppose this Proposition against Jew or Gentile God vouchsafed in sundry times and in divers manners such Revelations of his Truth and such Communications of his Grace as he saw fit and to these is the Righteousness hereof whatever it was to be attributed not to the Law of Nature or Moses But suppose it against the bold Pretensions of Libertin's and Atheists at this day Honour and Justice in their Mouths is a vain Beast and the Natural Power they pretend to over their own Actions to square and govern them according to the Rules of right Reason is only a malitious Design to supplant the Honour of Divine Grace and is as false and groundless as arrogant Alas they talk of a Liberty which they do not understand for did they but once admit Purity of Heart into their Notion of it they would soon discern what Strangers they are to it How is it possible but that they should be the Servants of the Body who reject and disbelieve the Dignity and Pre-eminence of the Soul How is it possible they should not be Lovers of Pleasure more than Lovers of God who either believe no God or none that concerns himself much about us and how can they chuse but be selfish and sensual and doat upon this World who expect no better who believe no other Take away Providence and a Life to come and what can oblige a Man to any Action that shall cross his temporal Interest or his Pleasure what shall reward his espousing Vertue when it has no Doury but Losses Reproaches and Persecutions what shall curb him in the Career of a Lust when he may commit it not only with Impunity but as the World sometimes goes with Honour and Preferment too Though therefore such Men as these may possibly restrain their outward Actions yet are they all the
the visible and invisible World He therefore alone is to be fear'd and He alone is to be loved Fear not them saith our Saviour Matth. 10.28 which kill the Body but are not able to kill the Soul but rather fear him who is able to destroy both Soul and Body in Hell And St. John gives the same Precept concerning the World Love not the World neither the things of the World And backs it by the same reason for the World passeth away and the Lust thereof But he that doth the Will of God abideth for ever That is the World can at best but gratifie for a moment the Appetites of the Body or the Desires of a sensual Fancy therefore love it not but love the Father who after the dissolution of the vital Union betwixt Soul and Body is able to confer Life and Happiness on both to all Eternity Thus have I considered the Characters of Illuminating Truths And the whole of what I have said amounts to these two things 1. There are Truths of very different kinds Truths that are of no use such are those which are either trifling or meerly notional and can have no Influence on Human Life Truths that are of ill use such are those of which consists the Arts of Sensuality Avarice Vanity and Ambition These are to be detested the former to be contemned by all that seek after true Wisdom Again there are Truths of an inferior use such as concern our Fortunes our Relations our Bodies and these may be allowed their proper place and a reasonable Value But the Truths which concern the Peace and Pleasure and Strength and Liberty of our Souls which procure us the Favour of God and the Grace of his Spirit the Truths in a word which secure our Temporal and Eternal Happiness these are Illuminating Truths these have a transcendent worth and inestimable Excellence or Usefulness and consequently can never be too dear to us 2. Since the great Characters of Illuminating Truths do exactly fit the Gospel of Jesus 't is plain that this is that Systeme of Knowledge which we are to Study day and night this is that Divine Philosophy whose Principles and Laws we must incessantly revolve and ponder 'T is not without reason that the Psalmist bestows such glorious Elogies upon the word of God Psal 19. and elsewhere That he magnifies one while the intrinsick Excellence and Beauty another while the Force and Efficacy of it and ever and anon enlarges himself upon the advantages the unspeakable advantages which reward the Meditation and Practice of it Of all Perfections I have seen an end But thy Commandments are exceeding broad They are pure they endure for ever they enlighten the Eyes and rejoyce the Heart Moreover by them thy Servant is warned and in keeping of them there is great Reward That is by them we are preserved from all real Evil and put in possession of or entitled to all real Good How well did St. Peter answer when our Lord asked his Disciples will ye also go from me Lord whither shall we go Thou hast the words of Eternal Life And how wisely did St. Paul resolve to know nothing but Christ Jesus and him Crucified For He is the Way the Truth and the Life and in Him are hid all the Treasures of Wisdom and Knowledge But after all as there is a Form of Godliness so there is a Form of Knowledge without the power of it The Knowledge of the same Truths as I observed in the beginning in different Persons may be very different as meeting with a very different Reception Our Conceptions may be more clear or confused more lively or faint more perfect or maimed And our Assent may be stronger or weaker In some they may only float superficially in others they may penetrate deeper And the Degrees of their Influence and Operation will be certainly proportioned to the different manner of their Reception For this reason it will be necessary to the right understanding of a state of Illumination to discourse 2. Of the Nature of that Knowledge we must have of the Former Truths to shew what sort of Conception we must form of them what kind of Assent we must pay them and what kind of Consideration we must employ about them As I have therefore laid down the Properties of those Truths so will I now lay down the Properties of that Knowledge of them which is Essential to Illumination 1. Illuminating Knowledge must be deeply rooted This our Saviour has taught us in that Parble wherein he has observed to us that the Seed which had not depth of Earth as it soon sprung up so it soon withered and dryed away We often know or pretend to do so the Rudiments of our Religion without the Grounds and Foundation of it We embrace Conclusions without examining the Principles from whence they flow and contrary to the advice of the Apostle we are unable to give a reason to any one that asketh us of the Faith and the Hope that is in us And then ours is not properly Knowledge but Opinion 't is not Faith but Credulity 'T is not a firm Perswasion but an easie customary Assent And this is overthrown by every Temptation defaced or much blur'd by every Atheistical suggestion or Prophane Objection Does the World or our Lust tempt us as the Devil did our first Parents ye shall not surely Die how easily is that Faith shaken which is no better founded How easily is a Man induced to Hope that Sin is not very fatal and pernicious that God will easily be prevailed with to pardon it that the Flames of Hell are Metaphorical and its Eternity a mistaken Notion and groundless Fancy if he be ignorant of the true Reasons of God's Wrath and Indignation which are founded in the very Nature of God and Sin Whereas on the other hand he that well understands both these the Deformity and Tendency of Sin and the Holiness and the Purity of the Divine Nature cannot but discern an irreconcilable Opposition between them and be convinced that were there no Tribunal erected for the Sinner yet would Sin be its own Punishment and that an intolerable Hell consisting in the disorder of Nature an exclusion from God c. would be the natural and necessary Issue of it The sum of this Argument is that Knowledge which has no deep root is subject to be overthrown by ever blast That Faith which is little more than Credulity does very seldom stand against any very rude shock Now the Grounds of our Faith and Duty are fully and clearly expounded in the Gospel And here especially we must seek them When I say this I reject no Collateral Arguguments I refuse no Foreign Aids which contribute any thing to confirm and fortifie our Belief of Gospel Truths The Faith of St. Thomas did in part at least depend upon the Evidence of sense Thomas because thou hast seen thou hast believed Joh. 20.29 And so did that of the rest of them