20 j vg Difcourfe of true happiireffe. OracleofGod : andyet without fupernaturall illumination, and the divinegraces,of faith,love,zeale, fincerity,fpirituall wifedome , a fanc`tifiedcontention of fpirit, in making to- wards God in all kindofduties ; which only put aman into poílfeflìonoftruehappineffe,and fit him for a bleffed afioeiati- on with God, Angels, andholymen ; I fay, without thefe fupernaturall graces, he cannot onelynotperceive the things ofthe Spirit of God, but (which is an horrible and fearefull curie) even efteeme them foolifhneffe. 3 The third reafon !hall be taken from the exampleofNico- demos; Iohn 3. Nicodemm, I am perfwaded, was an honeft and ingenuous man; I amPure bee wasa great man, and a Teacher ofIfrael ; yet when hecomes out of his civili hone- fty andnaturali wifedome, to reafon and confer with Chrift about the falvationofhis foule and eternal!happineffe; hee is ftrangely childishanda meere infant.Forwhen Christ tels him ; Except amanbeborne againe, hee cannotfee thekingdome ofGod; hereplyes : Howcan amanbeborne which is old? Can he enter into his mothers wombe againandbe borne ? A reply, whichmaybreed anaftonifhment in all that !hall ever reade this Rory underftandingly unto the worlds end : nay, it feemes to feeme ftrange toChrist himfelfe, by his interro- gative admiration afterward ; Art thoua Teacher of Ifrael, andknowefl not thefe things?Andno marvel] ; for whowould think,that one ofthe bet!ofthe Pharifes,a ruler ofthe Iewes, aprofeft Doctor in the Law and the Prophets, and one care- ful! to fave his foule, should bee fogros%ly and palpably ig- norant, in a molt materiali andnecefiary point of falvation ; efpecially , having many times, no doubt, read itin c Ä[efes and theProphets? Amongft many places,he might fee, Ezec. 3 6. a6, 27, molt clearely laid downe the great and glorious worke ofour new birth : Anew heart alfawilllgiveyen, and a newririt will put withinyou,& Iwill take theffony heart out ofyour ,and Iwillgiveyoua heart offief 7, &c.But whenhe comes from teaching,and readingofthis and the likeplaces, tobe examined in the praciice andexperimental! feeling of thefe gracesofregeneration upon his owne foule; why, hee talker
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