A heavenly conference between Christ and Mary after His resurrection. Wherein the intimate familiarity,…

Now as it is the wisdom of God in bringing about his own designs, to raise up fit, and suitable instruments, for the work of every Generation. So it is also the gracious dispensation of God, to put seasonable words into the mouths of those his Servants, who by faith, do fix their ¹eyes on him for the guidance of his blessed spirit, as every judicious Reader may observe in the works of this reverend Divine, who foreseeing (as it were) what a degeneracy ⟨image 3⟩of spirit Professors in his time were, falling a pace into (that itch of Questions and Disputings like a noxious humour, beginning then to break forth among Professors,) like a skilful Physician, applied himself to preserve the vitals and essentials of Religion.

Now as it is the wisdom of God in bringing about his own designs, to raise up fit, and suitable instruments, for the work of every Generation. So it is also the gratious dispensation of God, to put seasonable words into the mouths of those his Servants, who by faith, do fix their ¹eyes on him for the guidance of his blessed spirit, as every judicious Reader may observe in the works of this reverend Divine, who foreseeing (as it were) what a degeneracy ⟨image 3⟩of spirit Professors in his time were, falling a pace into (that itch of Questions and Disputings like anoxious humor, beginning then to break forth among Professors,) like a skilful Physician, applyed himself to preserve the vitalls and essentials of Religion.

1. 1Prutitus disputandi scabies ecclesiae. Sir H. Wotton.Prutitus disputandi scabies ecclesiae. Sir H. VVotton.

That the souls of his hearers being captivated with the inward beauty and glory of Christ, and being led into an experimental knowledge of heavenly truths, their spirits might not evaporate, and discharge themselves in endless gainless, soul-unedifying, and conscience-perplexing questions: For as it is in nature, a man that hath tasted the sweetness of honey, will not easily be persuaded that honey is bitter. But he that hath only taken it up upon credit, may soon be baffled out of it, because no act can go higher then its principle; and so it is in Religion; for those good souls that have embraced the truths of Jesus Christ, upon a supernatural principle, and experimented not only the truth but the goodness of them, in their own souls, they are the clinched christians, the good holdfast