Idtm ibidem. Luke •·•9. Luke,. •9· Tho,He],.ood of Angels. Book 11. 3. They ore, and can be prcfent at all our more retired aCl:ions; they are with usat bed anJ boj rd, in all companies, and in all folitar , place,. 4 • By what they feeoutwardly of our aCl:ions, they may gueCs at our inwaras, which ~He as rhe principles of them. ~-Z!!:I '\• They have an infight into the infancy, and the images therein, which follow and imitate the inward thoughts cf the mind, as the 01aJow cloth the body; In this refpcCl: they go 'nto a room further r.heu w~ can go, yea, into~ room next to the Privy Cham.· L:r, wh1ch yet remains faH lockt up unto them. This laH.gocsb~ycmd all the former ; an.l yet (fjith my,Author) all Divines grlllt, that the d-evi'is mayknow and difcern our phantafme' intuitive, as we d9 things which are prefent before'"· 6· As they may ke into the fancy, fo it. God permit, ev.l Angds mayon into the heaJ and fee thole very images and fpecics in the fa.,cy, that are for prefcnt ~~ dircCl: con jcm: Cl: ion with the undcrlhnding, and wb!ch it is then thinking and mnfing of. ll1decd, the immed1ate knowkd~;e of our thoughts, and hearrs, anrl underllanding,, ii proper on– ly to Gnd ; I tbe L wd je Jrch the he:zrt, l try tlu reiwJ; yet argt~ititJe, and as they do tran. fire,and appe1rin the images ofthefancy,andCoq"afi in ali •' " I mcdiatcly,rlwy nny be ve• ry far ddcerncd,and looht into by evil Angels,and lo by u:t,erning thofe very plu ntafmes, which theunderbnding aCl:Jally at prcfent vieweth, and lllJketh ukof, they 111ay thm judge what it is, that th; mind for the prdent is muflng on. AU tbiJ iJ difc,.jl at lJrge cor.– ccrr.in~ tbecvil Angei.f. And if the evtl Angels may how thus much of what is within us, do nor thq~ood Angels know thus much ? The evil Angels have by their fin loll much of their know– led~e, and thereforeare called dar".!lf:fr, and the powernf d.rf<.ne{I, becaufe they areexceed. il!g dark in thcmLlve~, and in comparifon of the holy Angels ; but the good A.ngels ne– ver finned, and therefore never weredeprived of the le.lt meafure of knowTedge con· !erred on them. I mult therefore conclude, that without fpeaking tu them, or reafonin<> with them alter the manner of men, they underlland as well, or whe1ein theyd~ not , God is pleafed often to difcover it to them by anHpociJI d,fpenfation, or·fa– vour and grace : As to the Angel in DJniel, was revealed the myllt ry of the levemy weeks. 2 We may under!land them, though they never fpeak to us , or reafon with us, and fo w• are capable of their teaching: You will fay, how may we do that? l anfwcr-- r. Obferve wetheir work upon our fancies, there they are bulie day and night, to fer together the images for our undn!landing of them: Look, as a Compoliter in printing takes hi> l.ettcrs that lye contufed afore him, and oders, and fets them in words and l~nrences, to reprefent to the Readers eye what he would have read by h1m:fo do the Angels [et and compofe the ima~;es in our intances to reprd<nt to our underlhnding fuch things as they would have us know; it is good therefore to obferve their work day and night, for they may work on our fanci_es in our dream!. . 2. Set we our [elves to think or mu[e upon thofe irnages fet together by them. Thus when the Angel Gabriel [alated Mary,it is laid, that fhecajl in her mindwbat m•Hner cf faluration tbiJ fhould be. And after the Angels had appeared to Shepheards, and that all wondred at thofe tmings wbich the Shepheards told them, it is fa id, that Mary k.fpt aU tbofe thingJ , and pondered them in htr heart. Certainly it is our duty, when Angels ha~e b<cn communicating their minds to us, to ponder, and mufe, and medttate,and to c.!lm ourmiud, what manner of commnnication thii fhouldbt. · 3 . Try we their work upon our fancies, whether it be agreable to theWord of God: It were f,d,tf we lhou!d take that for the fpeokiog of Angels, which is the very voyce of devils: Now though evil fpirits can transforJll rhemfelves into Angels of Light, yet they may bedi!Cerned, if we'l try their work by the word. The good Angels are dJihn· gui{hed from the bad, either by their aparitious, or by their aCtions ; the former I omtt, tor thelatter the Poet gives them in rhus.. · who fo will lift tlleir aCl:ions, he (hall finJ By their fuccefs, if well or ill inc!in'd, The OJJC from other; for the blelfed llill Square all their aCl:10ns ~ th' Almighties will, And to mans profit: -~- The O.cad<JOmons labour all they eau J\gainll Gods Honour, and the good of TR3R. I InJeed
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