An Expojition of the Epifile r-J\./\ I !hall exprefs it to you by this Similitude : The ordinary conftant courfe of Ser·XIX. aChriUian, that is, a holy Behever, he walketh mhght; as we walk tn hght in ~the day, whether theday bedark and cloudy, or not; we have light enough to do our work, to go about our bulinefs ; though we do not fee the Sun, yet we know the Sun fhineth: So there IS an ordmary fiandmg light of Faith, that cauf– eth you to cleave to God and obey him, and it is enough for you to help you to do your work. But fuppofe now upon a fudden, in a cloudy day, a Cloud,!hould break, and a beam be let in that you fee the Sun; fuch kind of irradiations hath the Spirit of God into the hearts of his People, fomctimes. Sometimes you pray to God (my Brethren) and there is, as it were, a Curtain between God and you; you know he is behind the Curtain, you know you pray to him, and you have fo much knowledge and faith in him, that you believe he heareth your Prayers, and accepts of you: But another time you go to Prayer, and all the windows are fet open, all the Curtains are drawn, as I may fo exprefs it. Now this is a. way of "velatiou, more than by a way of wifdom. This Chrifiians have experience of; and this the Scripture holdeth forth. Firfi, Chrifiians have experience of it. My Brethren, Take a Chriflian of a weak underfianding, but exceeding holy, he bath little knowledge of God by way of wifdom, by a way oi difcourfe, and by a way of laying this thing to that thing, and fo knowing God. He is hardly able oftentimes to fpeak wifely and rationally of things; yet notwithfianding this poor Soul, you lhall have God breaking in upon h s Spirit fometimes , and he will know more of God in one Prayer than a great Scholar (though very holy) bath known of him all his life. And the truth is, that oftentimes God cloth deal with weak Underfiandings, that are very holy in this way: For if they were !hut up unto !mowing God, by a way of fanctified reafon, thofe that have large Underfinndings would have in– finite advantage of them, and they would grow little in Grace and little in Ho– linefs; therefore now God makes a fupply by breaking in upon their Spirits by fuch irradiations as thefc are. You !hall fee it in Temptations: A poor Soul, he is tempted that there is no God, he doubteth whether there be a God. You may come, and bring forth Arguments by way of wifdom, and fometimes they will convince him, he will get a little light from them; but fometimes God will come into his Soul with an immediate beam and fcatter all his doubts, more than a thoufand Arguments can do. The way of wifdomtbus of knowing there is a God,that untietl1 the l<not, but the other cutteth it in pieces, cloth it prefently. So it is in all Temptations elfe; Whether a man be a Chrifiian or no, a man goeth the way of wifdom, of fanetified reafon, and he looks into his own heart and there fees the work of Grace, argues from all God's dealings with him, and all thefe fatisfie not a man. Well, God cometh with a light into his Spirit, and all his bolts and !hackels are knocked off in an inflant. Here now you fee is a way of wifdom, and here is a wayof revelatio11. Take thofe Chrifiians that have great Parts and Underflanding, and have grown up to much communion with God in a rational way, by way of Med;ta– tion and Sanctified digeftion of their kt10wledge; yet do but ask them, If at fpme times they have not had fuch mighty impreilions of God upon their hearts, have been lifted up to the Mount: fo that they have feen that in God which bath left that impreilion upon them, that all th,ir life time they had not before. Now, even in them here IS a way of wifdomand revtlrllion in the knowledgt of God, _ Now to prove it to you by Scripture : I will give you one out of the Old Te– fiament, and another out of the New; and then I will give a Ca11tion or two, not to be mif-underfiood, and fo I· will end. Firfi, Out of the Old Tefiament. Job 41.~. (I quoted it by way of Jlluflra– tion indeed in the point of Seali11g; but it properly belongeth to this Head I am now on.) There you fhall find, that Job, who was a holy man, and lived ha– lily all his days; when God had fpoken to him out of the Cloud, preached a Sermon to him; what was the iffue of it? I have heard of tha (faith he) 6y the hearing of tht tllr, but now minetytsfu thee. He cloth not mean, that he ~
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