26 Pzetíauo Fourthly, the meér notional knowledge ac- quired by reafon bath no Jiritual life orfinf in it,it bath no life in it weer notions are but a dead faith,but faith is a living notion. In an un- believer the notions are all dead, affording no pulfe of holy affetions,or motion of true obedi ence,they are all buried in a grave of corruption and covered in the duff of earthly things í But as foon as faith comes,there is a refurre6fion in the foul,the notions before dead now wake out of the duft,and rife in life and power every truth lives in the heart, and fprings up into the new - creature.This fupernatural knowledge is a zt ell - ffring of life, Prov. i 6.22. and all the vital ads of grace ffream from thence. Nay, as our Saviour tells us,it is life eternal, john r7.3. heaven loth dawn and appear in it.Meer notional knowledg hath no fpiritual fente in it ; the unregenerate man with 411 his notions, lies as a man in a Le- thárgÿ,never feeling the weight of fin and wrath, though heavier then` rocks and mountains ; nor indeed favouring the fweetnefs of Chrift and grace, though infinitely out- relifhing àll the things in nature.But as foon as faith comes,there are all the fenfes of the inward manta féeing the fut of righteoufneft an: hearing thefweet'charms of Gofiel- grace,a finelling the odours of Chr'ijt,and the holy unelion, a taifing horn good and gracious the Lord ii,and a touching and handling the word of /ife.The Learned Anatomifts curioufly pry 'in to the head to find out the commune Senf rium, where all the fpecies and images of fenfible things meet together. In the fpiritual man faith is an
RkJQdWJsaXNoZXIy OTcyMjk=