Niar9.34 The Secret Southfayer, or not in conceit or notion, and opinion, or perfwafion, but by a clear Revelation and Manifejtation of the day of Jefus Chrifi in him : He-found that till then he was in darknefle, and theftrong man kept the h- ufe, and hehad an opinion that he was alive, andyet was really dead : before he had high opinions of himfelf, and of hisJervint; Ged,ardpealingGod, and conceited that hehad brought every hi`h thought, and every imagination into fubjee,iion toChriß, and that they had obfèrved every rule, not omitting the leaf# command with- out conformity to it : Hedid not pickand chine, but he was univerfal in his obedience (as he thought) and he fcarce knew any thingamide by himfelf . He was conformable to forms and duties, andwafhings, &c. but alas, to an experi- enced Saint, all this is but delufion ; for his very fpeech will bewray him, fnce he cannot but (peak ofbimfelfs and of his doing andacing; ye (hall never hear him complain of him- felf really, from a true fenfe ofevil (but formally hemay) but he is f1ill vomitting out his own pride, and vain-Ql.,ry ; filming his ulfts andparts, and glorying in his wifedome and holineffe,and ítil telleth what great andgoodly things he did. But all this is but [ M AN ] Man in the beginning, and Man in the middle, andMan in the end : For this manwas never fetcht out ofhimfelf : never yet faw the abominations of his own heart, never yet loathed himfelf; and how can any thing of Godcome fromhim, who never in himfelf had a- ny thingof God, but all his aTìngs were frcm man, and fromfèlf, and from parts gained and acquired by his own diligence and improvement? and do men gather Grapes of Tborns,or Figs of Thiulles ? From hencealfo tis farther clear, that all Charmes, Lyes, Inchantme,ts, Sorceries, and all thefecret workings of Satan and Antichrift lie hid and undifcovered until the day ofJe- fus Chrift ; for Satan will never difcover himfelf, Belzebub will never really cart out Belzebub, thoughhe by the Phari- fees lyingly call that upon Chrift, meerly to hide and keep himfelf undifcovered; for his fubtile working is,- that he would have Chrift taken to be the Devil, and he would be the
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