A discourse about the state of true happiness delivered in certain sermons in Oxford,…A discourse about the state of true happinesse deliuered in certaine sermons in Oxford,…

The second cause is a disability, and blindness in the natural man of discerning and acknowledging the operations of grace. For let a man be otherwise never so eminently or universally qualified; yet without the experience of the power of godliness upon his own soul, he cannot see, he will not be persuaded of the actions of grace in another man, and therefore interprets them to be nothing but hypocrisy, and only pretended, vaingloriously to gain an opinion of more then ordinary piety. What the conceit of an unregenerate man is of the state of grace, is plain out of the conference of our blessed Saviour and Nicodemus. Nicodemus was a great Rabbi in Israel, a famous Doctor in the Law and the Prophets, in which no doubt he had many times read the doctrine of regeneration: yet when he comes to be examined of the power and practise of it, he holds the new birth, (without which no man can ever see God) to be as impossible as for an old man to return into his mothers womb and be borne again. Even such is the judgement of others in his state, of the fruits, effects and course of sanctification. And therefore I marvel that any child of God will afflict his soul, hang down the head, or remit one jot of his zeal in goodness for unjust censures in this kind: sith he knows that ⟨p. 45⟩natural men though never so wise, so learned, or glorious in the world, want spiritual taste, and therefore cannot relish the fruits of the spirit, are blind and cannot see or judge of the light of grace, are in darkness and cannot comprehend it.

The second cause is a disabilitie, and blindnesse in the naturall man of discerning and acknowledging the operations of grace. For let a man be otherwise neuer so eminently or vniuersally qualified; yet without the experience of the power of godlinesse vpon his owne soule, he cannot see, hee will not bee perswaded of the actions of grace in another man, and therefore interprets them to be nothing but hypocrisie, and onely pretended, vainegloriouslie to gainean opinion of more then ordinarie pietie. What the conceit of an vnregenerate man is of the state of grace, is plaine out of the conference of our blessed Sauiour and Nicodemus. Nicodemus was a great Rabbi in Israel, a famous Doctor in the Law and the Prophets, in which no doubt hee had many times read the doctrine of regeneration: yet when he comes to be examined of the power and practise of it, he holds the new birth, (without which no man can euer see God) to be as impossible as for an old man to returne into his mothers wombe and be borne againe. Euen such is the iudgement of others in his state, of the fruits, effects and course of sanctification. And therefore I maruel that any child of God wil afflict his soule, hang downe the head, or remit one iot of his zeale in goodnesse for vniust censures in this kind: sith hee knowes that