HAST£Et'S DYING THf)L 21T.. t! those inward perceptions of the verity of the promises and rewards of God, which they cannot bring forth into artificial reasonings to themselves or others; who are taught of God, by the effetive sort of teaching which reacheth the heart, or will, as well as the un- derstanding, and is a giving of what is taught, and a making us such as we are told we must be'.* And who findeth not need to pray hard for this effective teaching of God, when he bath got all or- ganical knowledge, and words and arguments in themselves most apt, at his fingers' ends, as we say? When I can prove the truth of the word of God, and the life to come, with the most convin- cing, undeniable reasons, I feel need to cry and pray daily to God, to increase my faith, and to give me that light which may satisfy the soul, and reach the end. 2. Yet man, being a rational wight, is not taught by mere in- stinct and inspiration, and therefore this effective teaching of God doth ordinarily suppose a rational, objective, organical teaching and knowledge. And the aforesaid unlearned, Christians are con- vinced, by good evidence, that God'sword is true, and his rewards are sure, though they have but a confused_ conception of this evi- dence, and cannot word it, nor reduce it to fit notions. And to drive these that have fundamental evidence, unseasonably and hastily to dispute their faith, and so to puzzle them by words and artificial objections, is but to hurt them, by setting the artificial, organical, lower part, which is the body of knowledge, against the real light, and perception of the thing, (which is as the soul,) even as carnal men set the creatures against God, that should lead us to God, so do they by logical, artificial knowledge. But they that ate prepared for such disputes, and furnished with all artificial helps, may make good use of them for defending and clearing up the truth to themselves and others, so be it theyuse them as a means to the due end, and in a right manner, and set them not up against, or instead of, the real and effective light. But the revealed and necessary part must here be distinguished from the unrevealed and unnecessary. To study till we, as clear- ly as may be, understand the certainty of a future happiness, and wherein it consisteth, (in the sight of God's glory, and in perfect, holy, mutual love, in union with Christ, and all the blessed,) this is of great use to our holiness and peace. But when we will know more than God would have us, it Both but tend (as gazing on the sun) to make us blind, and to doubt of certainties, because we Cannot be resolved' of uncertainties. To trouble bur heads too much in thinking how souls, out of the 'body, do subsist and act, " This is the true mean between George Keith the Quaker's doctrine of continued inspiration and intuition; and that on the other extreme.
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