And yet the reality, and Spiritualness of that Divine Good never apprehended. Psal. 25.14. The Secret of the Lord, is with them that fear him, and he will teach, &c. There be Secrets in Praying, Secrets in Preaching, and there be Secrets in all the Truths, Divine, and Mysterious, that are spoken and preached: and a man may speak of the Truths, and preach of them, and yet never know those Secrets he preacheth. As a man may preach the Word, and allege the Scriptures, and there be Spiritual Mysteries which are therein contained, that happily he never knew, though he published the Word, and Reasons, that did convey them to the hearing of others, when God is pleased to work thereby. There be in the Several Metals, and Herbs, three things which are secretly enclosed in the bowels of the Metals; a Salt, an Oil, and a special Sovereign Water, which Alchemists, that can dissolve, and unbowel the Metals, can bring out: Another man happily hath more Gold, Silver, A timony, take whatever other Metal you will, and yet he shall never see those Secrets, never know them, nor ever have the use of them, though he see the view, & Metals daily: But he that is a skilful Alchemist, he can tell how by his Distillation, to find them, & by his Art, to use them. So here: There be in the Profession of God, and his Truth, special Secrets of this Fatherly: Love, and ⟨p. 401⟩Faithfulness, which the Saints by believing, as by Spiritual Chemistry, can see, & discern, & have the use, & find the comfort of: Whereas others, who profess as much, and can speak a• freely, and it may be, more freely, never come to find really, or truly to discern what they speak. As Job; I have heard of thee by the Ear, but now mine Eye hath seen. To speak of God by hear-say, but to find God making himself real, and to see him as he is, though not in Perfection, yet in truth, and in some kind of proportion: and therefore in effectual Calling and Conversion, it's said, That the Saints are turned from darkness, to light, and from the power of Satan, unto God. Sin seems another thing than ever: Gods Love and Faithfulness, carry an amazing kind of astonishment, that the sinner wonders where he hath been. Now he can see a God in the World, and the wonders of his God like Love and Mercy: all which were in the dark, and he in the dark before; all came by report and relation:
And yet the reality, and Spiritualness of that Divine Good never apprehended. Psal. 25.14. The Secret of the Lord, is with them that fear him, and he will teach, &c. There be Secrets in Praying, Secrets in Preaching, and there be Secrets in al the Truths, Divine, and Mysterious, that are spoken and preached: and a man may speak of the Truths, and preach of them, and yet never know those Secrets he preacheth. As a man may preach the Word, and alledg the Scriptures, and there be Spiritual Mysteries which are therein contained, that happily he never knew, though he published the Word, and Reasons, that did convey them to the hearing of others, when God is pleased to work thereby. There be in the Several Mettals, and Herbs, three things which are secretly inclosed in the bowels of the Mettals; a Salt, an Oyl, and a special Soveraign Water, which Alchymists, that can dissolve, and unbowel the Mettals, can bring out: Another man happily hath more Gold, Silver, A timony, take whatever other Mettal you wil, and yet he shal never see those Secrets, never know them, nor ever have the use of them, though he see the view, & Mettals dayly: But he that is a skilful Alchymist, he can tel how by his Distillation, to find them, & by his Art, to use them. So here: There be in the Profession of God, and his Truth, special Secrets of this Fatherly: Love, and ⟨p. 401⟩Faithfulness, which the Saints by beleeving, as by Spiritual Chymistry, can see, & discern, & have the use, & find the comfort of: Whereas others, who profess as much, and can speak a• freely, and it may be, more freely, never come to find really, or truly to discern what they speak. As Job; I have heard of thee by the Ear, but now mine Eye hath seen. To speak of God by hear-say, but to find God making himself real, and to see him as he is, though not in Perfection, yet in truth, and in some kind of proportion: and therefore in effectual Calling and Conversion, it's said, That the Saints are turned from darkness, to light, and from the power of Satan, unto God. Sin seems another thing than ever: Gods Love and Faithfulness, carry an amazing kind of astonishment, that the sinner wonders where he hath been. Now he can see a God in the World, and the wonders of his God like Love and Mercy: al which were in the dark, and he in the dark before; al came by report and relation:
