PART III. of gracious 4 e Lions. I07 tempers of Body, makes Perfons abundantly more fufceptive of fuch Impreiliions . As to a truly fpiritual Senfation, not only is the Manner of its co- ming into the Mind extraordinary, but theSenfation it fell is totally diverfe from all that Men have, or can have, in a State of Nature, as has been (hewn. But as to thefe external Ideas, tho' theWay of their coming into theMind is fometimes unufual, yet theldeas in themfelves are not the better for that ; they are Rill of no different Sort from what Men have by their Senfes ; they are of no higher Kind, nor a whit better. For Inflance, the external Idea a. Man has now of Chrift hanging on the Crofs, and (bedding his Blood, is no better in it fell, than the external Idea that the Pews his Enemies had, who flood round his Crofs and faw this with their bodily Eyes. The imaginary Idea which Men have now, of an external Brightnefs and Glory of God, is no better than the Idea the wicked Congregation in the Wildernefs had of the external Glory of the Lord at Mount Sinai, when they faw it with . bodily Eyes ; or any better than that Idea which Millions of curfed Reprobates will have of the external Glory of Chrifi at the Day of Judgment, who (hall fee, and have a very lively Idea of ten thoufand Times greater external Glory of Chrifl, - than ever yet was conceived in any Man's Imagination -f- ; yea, the Image * " Conceits and Whimfeys abound moll in Men of weak Rea - L6 Ion ; Children, and fuch as are crack'd in their Underfland- 6.6 !landing have moll of them ; Strength of Reafon banifhes C6 them, as the Sun does Miffs- and Vapours. But now the 66 more rational any gracious Perfon is, by fo much more is he c fix'd and fettled and fatisfied in the Ground's of Religion : C6 Yea, there is the highefl and purefl Reafon in Religion; and " when. this Change is wrought upon Men, it is carried on in a 46 rational Way, Ifai. i. 18. 'John 19. 9. "` Flavel's Prepa- ration for Sufferings, Chap. 6. " If any Man fhould fee, and behold Chriff really, immediate- " ly, this is not the laving Knowledge of him. I know the 66 Saints do know Chrifl as if immediately prefent ; they are 66 not Strangers by their Dillance : If others have feen him 46 more immediately, I will not difpute it. But if they have 66 feen the Lord Jefus as immediately as if here on Earth, yet cc Capernaum faw him fo ; nay fome of them were Difciples for 6 _ a Time, and followed him, Yohn 6. And yet the Lord was hid from their Eyes. -Nay, all the World (ball fee him in his Glory, which (hall amaze them ; and yet this is far fhort of having the faxing Knowledge of him, which the Lord doth t6 communicate
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