~ o8 Meditations and Difcourfes their Profelytes. For having lived, it inay be; a long time without any the lea.ft experience of a fenfible impreffion on their minds, or a transfor~ ming power from the .Reprefentatiort of Chrift in the Gofpel , upon their very firft Religious, . Devout, Application unto thefe Images , they find their thoughts exercifed , their minds affeCted, and fome prefent change made upon them. · · BUT there was a difference between the Perfon of ,David, and an image wtth abol(fer of Goats hair, · tho the one were laid in the room and place of the other. And there is fo between Chrift and an Image, tho the one be put into • he place of the other. Neither do thefe things ferve unto any other end, but to divert the minds of men from Faith and Love to Ghrift ; giving them fome fuch fatisfaClions in the roon·l of them, as that their carnal affeCtions do cleave unto their idols. And in.- deed it doth belong unto the Jf5fdom of Faith, or we ftand in need of fpiritnal ·Light , to difcern and judg between the working of na.. rural affefrions towards fpiritual objeCts, on undue motives , by undue means, with indireCt ends,. whereit:t all Papal Devo~ion confifts, and the fpiritlial exercife of Grace in thofe AffeCtions duly fixed on fpitirual ObjeCts. · BUT as was fa id, it is a real experience of the Efficacy, that there is in the fpiritual beholding of the Glory of Chrift by Faith as propofed in the Gofpel, to ftrengthcn, encreafe and exc.;:ire all Grace unto its proper exercife,fo changing and tr~ns.form .. ing the foul gradually into his likeneis , which ·muft fecure us againft all thofe Prfl:tences ; and fu
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