to the E PHE S I AN S. had any outward Vition of God, that is plain, far you read of no fuch thing "-A./\ made to ']o6 in the whole Book; and it there had, that V1tion had notubeen Ser. XIX. comparab.le to the knowledge of Faith. He. fpeaks therefore of an fnward ~ light that now upon this Sermon fell upon h1s S~mt; That (fa1th he)all die k 11 o,;tedge 1 have had of God in comparifon of th1s, IS but he:ir·fay; ruit -but that it was real, but fo he compareth 1t: I have heardof thee ~the heartJtg of theear,6utnowminee;reshnvefee1lthu. _ . . 1· ,,,, • ; • l Theother place that I /hall mention to you, IS that m 'fohn 14- 2 r. He tha~ bath myCot!lmmzdfmmts, a11d keepeth them, he it is that, iovrth me; ·and hA tbat loveth me, jba/J 6e loved of my Father: mzd I wz/J low btm, dmi"illl!l 1 ,.auifei1 my (elf tmto him. M~ Brethren , Here IS a Prom•fe .made n?t.only to Apofiles, but 10 Believers; for it IS to them that keep the Commandemenrs, and have out of much love obeyed God's Law. He that bath my Commanife; mn;ts (faith he) and krepeth them, he lovtth me: him do I love, a11d him will my Fi1ther tow; that is, we ~ill take him into a more fpe~tal nearnefs to exprefs morelove 10 him · and how wlll he exprefs more love to h1m? I wztt mamfefl ;,y(elf tmto him.' Here is now fome further manifeflation than what they had before; yet they had Faith before, that is plain, for they loved God. The Promife is to him that bath the Commmtdemmts and keepeth them, and it IS to one that loveth God, aHd that God loveth before; yet there will be fome further expreflion of love, and that by fome fpecial manifeflat!ou of God himfelf, and of Chrift to a man's Soul ; which is the reward of havmg the Comma11d<mmts written in his heart, and kept in his life. He that bath my Comnitl1tdemtnts, anJ ktepeth them : I wit/ love him; and mmzifefl my feif unto him, The word '"'"'I"'' as Be.za rendeth it, I will fet my felr, i11 medio lt<ci&, in open light to him; anditisufed of thofe Apparitions, Matt. 27. il· that wereofterChriil's Refurrection ; not that there are fuch Apparitions of God or of Chrifl , but becaufe they hold akind of limilitude with this, for it is wholly by the Spirit. And(faith he, ver.2j.) we wilt cometmto him, mtd make our abode with him. Mark,Wewillcome,asif he had never come before, fo the exprellion impfieth and carrieth it : As you know aMartyr faid, He i& come, he i& come. He cometh in fuch a manner, with fuch a manifeflatioo of himfelf unto a man as he never faw' him before, So you have it likewife Rev.3. 20. I wit/ come in and {up with him, and he with me. I will come; It is a manifeflation of the prefence of God rather in a notional way: And it is a Supping with him; he cometh and.. cometh fuddenly, as when a great Perfon fendeth his Meat and will Sup witha maR, and converfe familiarly with him, and letteth him tafle of his Chear. I will give you but a Limitation or two to what I have deli\1ered: For this I have delivered, all Divines (Popifo and Proteflant) acknowledge, and the experience of Chriflians do confirm it, and the Scripture it felf holds it forth. Only, let me fay this to you, By Revelation you mufl not underfland, as if there were Vilions made : No . (Brethren,) Hence forth, thougb we have known Chrif1 after the jftj/1, we k11o,/; btm no more. How hadPaul known Chrifl after the flelh? He had fcen him in Heaven. But mark it, That k11owledge which he had by Faith he valued more, than that tight he had of him when he was converted. All the wicked men in the world /hall fee Chrifl one day, but that will not fave them· but to know him by Faith is more. And there is no fuch Revelation now. ' And then, if youmark it, he doth not pray that they may have the Spirit of wifdom andrevelatronm the knowledge of Truths, to open Scrifture, to have a~llmmed1atel1ghtthusfromHeaven; to be able to fay, This know by D:– vme revelation to be the meaning of fuch a place: or in matters of Conrroverfie to be able to fay, Th1s I know by Divine revelation immediately that this is . ~h~ Truth. . No, there 1s nofuch Revelation now : It is the knowledge of htm , Jt IS only tlus m a way of Perfonal communion between God and a man's Souf. And for God to make fuch Revelations as thefe to a man's Spirit, to take him up t? a nearnefs with himfelf; to come and Sup with him, and manifefl himfeff to h1m, beyond the ordinary light of Faith, going ~boutby a long rational way of d1fcourfe and medltatwn; there rs no harm m tillS, no abfurd1ty in ir. All
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