Precious faith considered in its nature, working, and growth

but he that hath the mystery of it dares not do so, well knowing that the lightest afflictions come from Shaddai, the Almighty, and if need be, he can strike harder; he that hath but a notion of Gods All-sufficiency, hath his affections scattered up and down the earth, as the poor Israelites were over Egypt for straw, to gather, if it were possible, a happiness from the flowers of the creature; but he that hath the mystery of it, knows how by a compendious wisdom to have all in God; roll over all worlds, the world of thoughts wishes and desires in the heart, the world of riches honours and pleasures in nature, the world of pardons graces and comforts in Saints, the world of joy glory and beatitudes in heaven; and after all this, the believer can tell you, all these are to be found in God, habet omnia, quihabet habentem omnid, after this manner the secret of the Lord is with the believer.

As to Jesus Christ, the believer hath the mystery of him in his heart. A man may have a notion of God manifest in the flesh, but unless he have an heart of flesh, an yielding resigning heart for God to manifest his spirit and graces in, that the heart may in some measure be made answerable to the spirit and graces in Christ, he wants the mystery of it. St. John, speaking of love, saith, which ⟨p. 174⟩thing is true in him and in you, 1 John 2.8. Why so? because, saith he, the darkness is past, and the true light now shineth; a man may tell the story of the meekness, humility, holiness, obedience, charity, patience it Christ; but if the true light do not shine in him by faith, if these graces be not true in Christ: and in him, he hath not the mystery thereof; the spies coming back from Canaan, brought not only a bare report of the good Land, but clusters of grapes also; he that hath the mystery of Christ, hath not only a mere notion of the full treasures of grace in him, but clusters of graces from thence as so many real proofs thereof; the Apostle Paul doth notably decipher this sagacity, that I may know him, and the power of his resurrection, and the fellowship of his sufferings, being made conformable to his death, Phil 3.10. If a man hath only a notion of Christ crucified and Christ risen, we may character him as Erasmus did the Monastery he was in there is nihil Christi, nothing of Christ crucified, where lusts are living and reigning, nothing of Christ risen, where the soul is dead in trespasses and sins; he only knows the fellowship of Christs sufferings, who hangs up his earthly members on the cross to dye and expire; the only knows the power of Christs resurrection, who hath felt the same Almighty power which raised up Christ, quickening his soul to a heavenly life: this is the mystery, the so learning of Christ, as the expression