An answer to the discourse of Mr. William Sherlock, touching the knowledge of Christ,…

The Author tells us,¹ pag. 75. That he had done enough to expose these men to scorn: Yet we have here a very long Harangue, serving to very little use, unless that ill one, which I presume the Author never intended; to gratify that ugly scoffing humour at Religion, which runs about the profane world: God himself by using similitudes, hath sanctified them to us; the Song of Solomon is an entire Allegory full of sacred mysteries, the writings of the ancient Fathers are in a great measure like pieces of Arras or Tapestry, beautified with Allegorical Flowers, and Images ⟨p. 131⟩of Divine things, to give a little taste: S. Cyril of Alexandria saith,² That Christ is inserted into us, [Greek or Hebrew], As if he were the Diamond of the heart: S. Hilary tells us, That Christ is Margarita, quia nihil illo pretiosius invenitur, Thesaurus ut in ipso omnes divitiae regnorum coelestium reconditae agnoscantur, ³all riches and preciousness being in him: S. Austin touching Manna, saith, Panem Angelorum manducavit homo, ⁴quis est panis Angelorum? In principio erat verbum, quomodo manducavit homo? Verbum caro factum est, & habitavit in nobis. And in another place, De Coelo Manna veniebat, that is in Mr. Watson's phrase,⁵ It was meat dressed in Heaven, attend quem figurabat; ego sum, inquit, panis vivus, qui de Coelo descendi: For the Rock, let S. Ambrose come in, Christus petra dicitur, ⁶quia credentibus fortitudinem, incredulis duritiem praestat, that is, in Mr. Watson's language; A Rock for defence, and a Rock for offence; and for the Honey in the Rock, our Church thinks it no disparagement to say,⁷ That from this Rock we may suck the sweetness of everlasting Salvation: As for the brazen Serpent, let us hear Theophylact, Vide figuram, confer cum veritate, illic Serpentis