21 o Book IV. j!..,OO!itng unto 'Jjcfu.S'. ,Chap.5.Secr. 2 • !"finiflers of Chri!~ preaching of rhefe inward ~;-~fellations, fay, Sci~tntinitiati, 0-c.– Jt IS only the fpmttul man can know thefe rhmgs, for they are fpiritually difcerned. 0 my foul, mednate on th1s unnl r?ou feelefl:.Gods Spmt workmg mthy fpirit rhefe in– ward gracious, glori_ous, man~fdlatJon<. lt u Chrijl in thee u the hop-e of glo>y. 5. Confider CbnUs wlupp1ng the buyers and fellers Out of the Temple. Sometimes 0 my foul. thou art i? fw·et; and fometimes rho~ art in the Alfemblies of Gods peo– ple ; and 1! thou an tn duty, wherefoever thou art, confider the efpecial prefence of C hrifi; and what IS that but the prefence of his Spirit, and the prefence of his An– gels? 1. ·The prefence of his Spirit ; this we know by his working in us, certainly th~ Spirit doth n?t only hove: over us, .but worketh in us: How in us? 1anfwer by his qu1ckmng, feedm~, cbenOung, h_ealmg,. mollifying, melting,. comforting. Jn rhis manne~ be works m us when we are 111 Ordmances. Why now JS he (I hope) riding with triUmph 111 the m1dfi of the Alfembly, now is he in. his Chariot, in his Throne,. in rhe hearts of Ius people, and therefore away, away With all buyers and fellers, out of that Temple of the holy Gholl:.---2. The prefence of Chrill: is the prefence.of his Angels; as a King is where his Courtis, fo is Chrill: the King of Kings efpecially prefent where Ius ble!Ted Angels puch rhelf Tents. And the prefenceof Angels is wor– thy ( 0 my foul) of thy conlideration. Certainly they are minifiring fpirirs , that have awork to do upon thy inward man; I gram the Spirit of Chrift can only enlighten the underfianding, and determine the will effectually, it is he only can bend, and turn and form tl1e mind which way foever he pleafeth; but the Angels can fpeak alfo ro tli1 fpiritual parts, and though the Spirit only determine, yet their fpeaking carries a power with it. By way of digreffion, it is a fine skill to know how the Angels can fpeak to us, and how we may know when they fpeak ; and how we may difcern what is lpoken by the im:nediate infpiration of the Spirit, and what by the mediation uf the An– gels. r. How do the Angels fpeak ro us? We muU conceive if we underftand this , lira that the Imoges, or phamafms of things received by the outward fenfes, are kept and preferved by the inward fenfes, as the fpccies of founds, of lhapes, or whatfoever elfe. 2, That the images or phamafms fo kept, may be fo moved by our fpirits, or humors, or fome extrinfecal things, as that they may move the fancy, and provoke it to reprefent, and conceivefuch things as neicher appear, nor are at that rime perceived bwany outward fenfe at all. This appears. r, In our ordinary courfe, as we cao fir in the dark, where we hear and fee nothing, and yet there we can multiply a fancy in infiniwm, by an act of our own wjlJ. 2. This appears in our dreams, when thougfi we hear or fee norbing, yet the humour can ll:ir up the memory of things, and pro– voke our fancies to the apprehenlion of this or that, 3. This appears alfo in lickne!S, which altering rhe body, and the humours, and fo troubling the fancy, it begets .'1-.range fancies, and makes dreadful and fearful reprefentations unto us: now this we mull: know, that whatfoever an inferiour power can do, that a fuperiour power can do much more· whatfoever an act of our own will, or natural dreams, or preternatural {icknefs can 'do, that the Angels can do mo!t orderly, and efficacioully; they know exactly how the fpirits and humors mull: be moved, rhat the images or phantafrnes may be applied to fuch or fuch concepticms or apprehenlions, moll: accommodate and fitted for the knowledge of what truth they would fugge!l. So that to me here is the diffe– rence between the converfe of Men and Angels; Men can fpeak to our underll:andmgs by the mediation of our external fenles, but Angels go a nearer way to work and fpellc to rhe internals firfi of all : they do no more but come mto the memory ( the rreafurer of all our phamafmes and imaginations ) and there make fuch and fuch compolit1ons even as rhey pleafe, and then the underfianding rakes them off, and reads what IS wrmen, without more ado. . 2. How may we know when the Angels fpeak to us? I confefs it i> ~n bard quelhon, and ~alily it cannot be folved; only fomc c~nje~ur~ we may have; as 111 a cafe of evd; thou art in a way of fin, and near to fall 1mo Jt, 1t may bo on a f~dden thou ltearefr within thee fome comruy whifperings, which .alfo are ~bove th<; wlufpenngs of a no– rural confciencc, common to the wicked; or 111 cafe of good, 1t may be on a fudden thou hearell: within thee fomc independent, fupernarural perfwafions, and reafomngs t<> this or thlt good, or to this or that object, whicl1 may more eafily lead rhee t? clmfe tbe oood · in thefe cafes thou mayft conjeClurally thmk, that thefe wlufpenng~ or b 1 · . mouons·
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