Precious faith considered in its nature, working, and growth

CHAP. II.

THE next thing is to consider Faith in its special nature; and here the first thing in order, is supernatural illumination: touching which, I shall first show what that is, and then demonstrate the necessity of it to Faith. And first, what it is, it is God shining into the heart, and lighting our candle, to make us discern divine things in a spiritual way. It is an illumination above nature subjectively, and not objectively only; it is a thing above reason and all its improvements made upon external objects; reason may be taken in a double posture, either sitting with the glass of the creatures before it, and so it is merely the light of nature, or else sitting with the glass of the Scriptures before it, and so it is a notional knowledge of Divinity; but this supernatural light is above reason in both these postures: First, take reason with the creature-glass before it, and this supernatural light is much above it. And here I might show, how much the Scripture-glass excels that of the creature: the divine words ⟨p. 12⟩there out-shine the Sun, out-weigh the earth, out-vie all the treasures, and out-relish all the sweetnesses in nature. God is more glorious in the Scripture-robes, then in all the visible world: his chariot in the word is statelier then that in the clouds. Evangelical light is a richer garment upon him then mere natural; in the creature there is but a print or footstep of God, but in the Scripture there is his very image and resemblance. Also, which is a consequent on the former, this supernatural light, having the purer glass, is of a far greater latitude then mere reason: it spreads it self into many mysteries, which never entered into natural reason, but were hid from ages in the divine mind, it takes a view of those rare Evangelical pearls which were never digged out of reasons mine, but dropped down from heaven unto the sons of men: But, because the comparison of these two lights as to their outward glasses and latitudes is not so pertinent, I shall compare them as to their inward natures, and only in such things as both of them extend unto, and a vast difference will appear between them.