Mather - Houston-Packer Collection BS478 .M3 1705

62 TheGofpel of theperfonal Types.. Rule 3. As you find the Lord letting in any thing offurther Light into your Minds, be fare you all Faith : And exercife Grace with renewed Vigour upon thofe Truths and Myfteries, as you find any Beams of farther Light coming in concerning them. If a Man have all Know- ledge, and underfland all My,Fteries, and bath not Faith and Love, what is he the better for his Light ? i Cor. 13. 1.2. When you fe`Things more clearly and fully, you fhould endeavour to believe more ftrongly, and to grow in Grace, as you grow in Light. 2; duty, 1667. Quell. Why the Lord fpake fo much in this wary by Types and Shadows ? Ánfw. Something may be gathered as to this, out of what was for- merly fpoken in general concerning theReafons of the Lot is uung fo great variety of Difpenfation, from that Text, Heb. i. t. therefore I fhall but touch upon fome few things now and that very briefly. R. I. There is a general Suitablenefs in filch a way of fpeaking unto Man's Nature, as a fenfitive Creature, confsfling of a Body as well as a Soul. Hence in all Times and Ages, even before Sin entred, the Lord gave unto Mankind Tome outward and fenfible Things to be Signs and Reprefentations ofSpiritual Things: Hence were thofe two Sacramental Trees, the Tree of Life, and the Treeof Knowledge of Good and Evil. And now much more fince the Fall ; Manbeing fal- len much lower, hath greater need of loch Inftruaions. Man is not only a fenfitive, but a Senfe-loving Creature. R. 2. It was particularly fuitable to that Infant-Age and State of the Church : It was fuitable to their Nonage, to be taught by fuck vifi- ble and carnal Things. The whole way of God's see Caiv. Inftit. Difpenfations, both 'God's Bleflings and Judgments 1.2. C. II. f. a. were much more External and Senfible than they are a.a' now. Children muff- have their A. B. C. weak and rudimental Inftru&ions. T hefe are called Elements, or Rudiments, yea weak and beggarly, Rudiments cro:xela, Gal. 4. 9. rota logis 0e- conomia veluti radis qu cdam erat difciplina rudibus conveniens. Beza in Gal. 4.. 3. Like a Horn-book to a Child. R. 3. That they to whom it was not given might not underftand. R. 4. That his People mightfee and underftand the better. Thefe two laft Reafons are affigned by Chrift himfelf for his own Teaching fo much by Parables ; and there is Tome Affinity between a Type and a Parable,. as you heard the laft time, Mat. 13. I I, 13. why fpeakeft thou to them in Parables ? Becaufe it is given toyou to know the Myfteries of the Kingdom of Heaven, and .-- besaufe theyTeeing fee not,

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