Precious faith considered in its nature, working, and growth

God will not break his rest and serene tranquility with any mundane affairs, and indeed in reason a world made by chance must be so governed. The Stoics in stead of Providence brought in a Fate, or absolute necessity, resulting out of a series or connection of causes, and binding God himself as well as other things. Plutarch relating how Timoleon was strangely delivered from two murderers, instead of acknowledging a Providence, wonders at the artifice of Fortune. Nay, mere reason is apt to vilify the great works of God: thus some said that Moses, in stead of dividing the Sea, did but take the advantage of a low Tide to carry the Israelites over the washes, when it was low water. But when the light of faith comes, the hand of God is seen in every thing, not only in the great moments of nature, but even in the fall of sparrows and numbering of hairs. Thus far of Reason with the Creature-glass before it, but to go on.

God will not break his rest and serene tranquility with any mundane affairs, and indeed in reason a world made by chance must be so governed. The Stoicks in stead of Providence brought in a Fate, or absolute necessity, resulting out of a series or connexion of causes, and binding God himself as well as other things. Plutarch relating how Timoleon was strangely delivered from two murderers, instead of acknowledging a Providence, wonders at the artifice of Fortune. Nay, meer reason is apt to vilifie the great works of God: thus some said that Moses, in stead of dividing the Sea, did but take the advantage of a low Tyde to carry the Israelites over the washes, when it was low water. But when the light of faith comes, the hand of God is seen in every thing, not only in the great moments of nature, but even in the fall of sparrows and numbring of hairs. Thus far of Reason with the Creature-glass before it, but to go on.

Secondly, Take reason with the Scripture-glass before it, and this supernatural light is yet above it. And here I must first admit what ⟨p. 20⟩reason under the influence of a common blessing can do; and then show, how much supernatural light doth transcend it. Reason under the influence of a common blessing may attain a rich furniture of humane learning, and so perusing the holy Scriptures, may understand them by Tongues critically, and by School-divinity distinctly, and by Logic in the consequences and connections, and by History in some Prophetical parts, and by Rhetoric in the tropes and figures, and by Comments in the abstruse and difficult places; and consequently it may gather in a great notion of Divinity, much larger in the extent and latitude thereof then the knowledge of many true believers. Yet after all this notional knowledge attained, there is in the meanest true believer an higher and diviner light, a thing above mere reason and notion; and this I shall demonstrate several ways.