The PR E FACE exercifed to difcern Good and Evil, and into an abounding in all Knowledge 4nd Senfe. And indeed, that Perfon it the beft Interpreter, who (bejidu other Helps) bath a Comment in his own heart ; and he beft Interprets Paul't Epiftler, who is himfelf the Epifl:Ie of Chrifl: wPitten by the Spirit of God. · He beft underfiarids Paul's Epiftlu, who had Paul's Senfe, Temptations, and Experience. He religioufly obferved the Light he arrived to, andgreat– !J abhorred to hold any Truth in unrighteoufnefs ; but lived over the Truths he Jtnew, even to the ha'{_ard of what was moft dear to him. And according to Chrijt's own Aphorifms, the truefi way of underfianding hif Doflrine is to do it: as on the other fide, there is no great difoan~e between jhipwr:ecl{ of Faith and agood Confcience. He had a GenitM to diJJe intQ th£t bottom of Pointf, which he intended to Treat of; to fl:udy them down, as be ufed to exprefr it, not contenting himfolf with fuperficial Know– ledge without wading int;o the depths of thingt. His way was to confult the weightiejl, if not aU the Autbort that had written upon the Subjefl be was upon , greatly valuing the Light which every man afforded~ according to the manifold Grace of God, and the various Difpenfarions of his Spi– rit ; yet confined bimfelf to no man's- ~entiments, but made an ad'I:Jance from his own Light·and'Experience to the Noti– on! of Other.s. · As be conjulted with Booft! , fo be bad the advantage of intimate Converfe with the gr.eateft Chriftians of his Age, thofe living and walking Bibles. And thtM from reading the living Word i11 himfelf and Othm, he rofe up to agreat improvement in the Truths of God, and was able toJPea~~ more particularly and experimentally in Cafes of Confcience and Practical Points, which did not a little.qualijie·him for · this Worft; · He was aPerfon much addifled to Retirements a11el. deep Contemplation , by which means he bad the advamage of loo~ng round the Points and Scriptum he was upon, and filling his head and heart with Spiritual Notions, as t!Je Sand of the Sea. . _ . · He
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