A treatise of the incomparableness of God in his being, attributes, works and word…

Will Men or Angels teach with such compassion, with such condescension? It is a Rule of one of the Ancients, That he who will teach Children, must himself be a Child: He must frame and fashion himself to them, and be as one of them, or else he will never teach them. How soon would the dullness and untowardness of Man tire out the patience of Men and Angels, and provoke them to give over teaching them: God's incomparableness herein is fully proved in the incomparableness of God in his Patience, in Chap. 10.

Will Men or Angels teach with such compassion, with such condescension? It is a Rule of one of the Ancients, That he who will teach Children, must himself be a Child: He must frame and fashion himself to them, and be as one of them, or else he will never teach them. How soon would the dulness and untowardness of Man tire out the patience of Men and Angels, and provoke them to give over teaching them: God's incomparableness herein is fully proved in the incomparableness of God in his Patience, in Chap. 10.

3. He speaks effectually: As he hath Power to command us, so he hath Power to enable us to obey his Commands. Men and Angels may tell Men their Duty, but they cannot teach Men their Duty; they cannot strengthen them, or ⟨p. 163⟩impower them to obey: He speaketh so as Men hear, and believe and live; He that hath heard and learned of the Father, cometh unto me, John 6.45. We have a saying, Ex quovis ligno non fit Mercurius, Every man will not make a Mercury: Some so dull and blockish, that none can improve them, or do good upon them, i. e. no Creature can;¹ but God can make the dull, the blind, the most ignorant, to conceive and consider, and apprehend and understand the darkest and most difficult Points by speaking to them, Isa. 48.17