Precious faith considered in its nature, working, and growth

Take it in the greatest Rabbi sitting with the Scriptures before him, and it sees them only in the shell or letter, and not in the mystery. And no wonder, for even in common Sciences it may be so; a man may construe and know the Grammar of a principle in Euclid, and yet be ignorant of the Mathematical sense of it; much more in divine truths may a man be spiritually ignorant, who knows a great deal literally. Therefore all Scholars may do well in their studies to ⟨p. 24⟩do as Zuinglius did, who having arrived at Arts and Tongues, yet in the reading of the holy Scriptures, looked up to heaven. As for the great Doctor the holy Spirit, when he comes in supernatural illumination, then we know the things of God, not by our own spirit but Gods, the very same spirit which breaths in the Scriptures, shines in the heart. Hence spiritual things are discerned spiritually, by a light congruous to their nature; the spirit glorifies and shows forth Christ, as the expression is, John 16.14. Holy truths are as it were transfigured and shown forth in glory, which before were seen but in the flesh or weakness of the Letter; the Deity sparkles out in the beauty and spiritual lustre of Scripture-mysteries, which before only appeared in the humanity of words and phrases. Now heaven opens, and free-grace passes before us, the secret of the Lord is with us, and we are of his Privy Council. This is the first and fundamental difference, Reason with all its acquired notions is not a light congruous to spiritual things, but the light of Faith is: Out of this all the other are derived.

Take it in the greatest Rabbi sitting with the Scriptures before him, and it sees them only in the shell or letter, and not in the mystery. And no wonder, for even in common Sciences it may be so; a man may construe and know the Grammar of a principle in Euclide, and yet be ignorant of the Mathematical sense of it; much more in divine truths may a man be spiritually ignorant, who knows a great deal literally. Therefore all Scholars may do well in their studies to ⟨p. 24⟩do as Zuinglius did, who having arrived at Arts and Tongues, yet in the reading of the holy Scriptures, looked up to heaven. As for the great Doctor the holy Spirit, when he comes in supernatural illumination, then we know the things of God, not by our own spirit but Gods, the very same spirit which breaths in the Scriptures, shines in the heart. Hence spiritual things are discerned spiritually, by a light congruous to their nature; the spirit glorifies and shews forth Christ, as the expression is,