Meditations and Discourses on the Glory of Christ

BUT I cannot here avoid another short digression. There are those by whom all these things are derided as distempered fancies and imaginations. Yea, such things have been spoken and written of them, as contain a virtual renunciation of the Gospel, the powers of the World to come and the whole work of the Holy Ghost as the comforter of the Church. And hereby all real intercourse between the Person of Christ, and the souls of them that do believe, is utterly overthrown; reducing all Religion to an outward show and a pageantry, fitter for a stage, than that Temple of God which is in the minds of men. According unto the sentiments of these profane scoffers, there is no such thing as the shedding abroad of the love of God in our hearts by the Holy Ghost; nor as the witnessing of the spirit of God with our spirits, that we are the Children of God; from which these spiritual joys and refreshments are inseparable, as their necessary effects. No such thing, as the lifting up of the Light of Gods countenance upon us, which will put gladness into our hearts; that gladness which compriseth all the things mentioned; No such thing as rejoicing upon Believing with joy unspeakable and full of Glory; no such thing as Christs showing and manifesting himself unto ⟨p. 176⟩us, supping with us, and giving us of his loves; that the divine promises of a feast of fat things, and Wine well refined in Gospel-Mercies, are empty and insignificant words; that all those ravishing joys and exultations of spirit that multitudes of faithful Martyrs of old, and in later ages have enjoyed by a view of the Glory of God in Christ and a sense of his love, whereunto they gave testimony unto their last moments in the midst of their torments, were but fancies and Imaginations. But it is the height of impudence in these profane scoffers, that they proclaim their own Ignorance of those things which are the real powers of our Religion.

BUT I cannot here avoid another short digression. There are those by whom all these things are derided as distempered fancies and imaginations. Yea, such things have been spoken and written of them, as contain a virtual renunciation of the Gospel, the powers of the World to come and the whole work of the Holy Ghost as the comforter of the Church. And hereby all real entercourse between the Person of Christ, and the souls of them that do believe, is utterly overthrown; reducing all Religion to an outward shew and a pageantry, fitter for a stage, than that Temple of God which is in the minds of men. According unto the sentiments of these prophane scoffers, there is no such thing as the shedding abroad of the love of God in our hearts by the Holy Ghost; nor as the witnessing of the spirit of God with our spirits, that we are the Children of God; from which these spiritual joys and refreshments are inseparable, as their necessary effects. No such thing, as the lifting up of the Light of Gods countenance upon us, which will put gladness into our hearts; that gladness which comprizeth all the things mentioned; No such thing as rejoycing upon Believing with joy unspeakable and full of Glory; no such thing as Christs shewing and manifesting himself unto