A55299:69
An answer to the discourse of Mr. William Sherlock, touching the knowledge of Christ,…
An answer to the discourse of Mr. William Sherlock, touching the knowledge of Christ, and our union and communion with him by Edward Polhill ..., Esquire.
London: printed for Ben. Foster, 1675
Modern spelling is a reading aid: the words are the author’s, only the spelling is modernized. Original shows the page as printed, with the transcription marks.
Doth our Acquaintance with Christ teach us Mysteries not revealed in the Gospel? No, by no means; neither doth the Doctor say so; Read verba mea & vanescet calumnia tua, saith St. Austin to Julian. The Doctor saith, those Properties are revealed in the Doctrine: And in a Sentence interposed by the Doctor, but omitted by the Author, he saith, The knowledge of them is exposed to all; but saith the Dr. The life of this knowledge lies in acquaintance with Christ: So it is; he is God manifest in the Flesh, and so a rare Mirror of the divine Perfections; and withal he is the Great Illuminator by his Spirit, and so opens our eyes to see the Mysteries in Christ and the Gospel: ⟨p. 43⟩Without this Illumination the outward Revelation gives not a saving Knowledge. It may be the Author will smile at me; but hear St. Austin: 1Valdè remota est à sensibus carnis haec Schola, in quâ Deus auditur & docet; gratia ista secreta est, gratiam verò esse quis ambigit? Hear Bishop Davenant;2 Tales illuminationes fieri, & talem [Greek or Hebrew] imprimi fidelium animis non credunt mundani, experiuntur tamen pii. The Gospel is a perfect outward Revelation, and Rule of Faith, yet our blindness needs an inward Illumination, that we may spiritually discern the Mysteries therein. But now the Author will show us, what Additions these men make to the Gospel, from an Acquaintance with Christ's Person; and first upon the doctors words, That the knowledge of God, the knowledge of our selves, and skill to walk in Communion with God, in which three is the sum of all true Wisdom, are obtained and manifested in and by the Lord Christ. The Author observes, that [by] is fallaciously added, to include the Revelations Christ hath made. To which I answer; The Dr. never excluded outward Revelation; but this alone cannot give saving knowledge: All Wisdom is in Christ, ⟨p. 44⟩as the Mirror of divine Perfections, and by Christ, as the great Illuminator by his Spirit. We should use outward Revelation in the very same posture as Zuinglius did, who, understanding from St. Peter that the Scripture was not of private Interpretation,3 In coelum suspexit, doctorem quaerens Spiritum, looked up to heaven, seeking the the Spirit for his great teacher.