ring Pompey) to rush into the Holy of Holies,yer maybe allowed to be a Profelyte of the Gate; and, with those deo vost Greeks, to worihip in the Court of the Gentiles. Natural Lighs,or the Lam written in the heart,improved by that yrasor Əer which is written in the Book of the Creature in Capitāl Letters, so that he that runs may read , is that, which this Treatise bears Witness to. Where these siófreer, those heaven-born-lights are set up in the Soul of man, like those twin-flames on the Mari. nors sbrowd, their presage an happy voyage to the faic Havens. As for the busom-secrets of God, Gospel-Mysteries, the Mercy-feat it self into which the Angels desire reege xwfcl, Reason’s plumb-line will prove too short to fathom them; here we must cry with the Apostle, BaIG ! Reason may not come into these Seas , except the strike her Top-Sail; here we may say with Aristotle at the brink of Evripu: not being able to give an account of the Ebbs, and Flows, If I cann't comprehend thee, thou shalt me. It is Storied of Democritus , that he put out his Eyes, that he mighe contemplare the better: I do not counsel you to do so; but, if you would wink with one, the Ejé of Reafon ( captivate every thought to the obedience of Christ) you might, with that other of Faith, take the better aim at the mark, to obtain the price of the high calling in Jesus Christ. Polibly an expression, or two ( more there are not) may seem to speak too much in Reason's behalf; but, if well examined, will prove nothing to the prejudice of free Grace: the whole scope of the Book endeavouring to fix those land-marks, and just bounds betwixt Religion , and Reason , which some ( too superciliously brow-beating the hand-maid , and others 100 inuch magnifying her ) have removed. These These Exercises suit well with the place where , and the Auditours, to whom they were delivered; but, like Aristotle's 'Axessons punnai, these are not for vulgar Ears : these Lucubrations are so elaborate, that they smell of the Lamp, The Candle of the Lord. As concerning the Authour of this Treatise , how great his Parts were, and how well improved (as it may appear by this Work) so they were fully known, and the loss of them sufficiently bewailed by those, among whom he lived, and conversed; and yet I must say of him, 'Av@pámróv ti ima str. And as it is hard for men to be under affli&tion, but they are liable to censures, Luke xiii. 2, 4. so it fared with him, who was looked upon by some, as one, whose eyes were lofty, and whose eyelids lifted up; who bare himself too high upon a coriceit of his Parts: although they, that knew him intimately, are most willing to be his Compurgatours in this particular. Thus prone are we to think the Staff under the Water crooked, though we know it to be Atreight : how ever, turn thine eyes inward, and censure not thine own fault so severely in others. Cast not the first stone, except thou finde thy self without this fault: dare not to search too curiously into antro xviesus idis of God; but rather learn chat Lesson of the Apostles in that elegant Paranomaly, Mb Umseavdo map verão, a'ma' opovão e's od owqeeroin, Rom. xii. 3. Thus, not willing longer to detain thee from the perusal of this Discourse, I commend both thee, and it to the blessing of God, and rest [1] 920%20%20%20%209%29%29 SOUSE A DISCOURSE Of the Light of NATURE. PROVERBS XX. 27. ;Mens homini lucerna Domini מר יהוה נהשמת ארם The understanding of a man is the Candle of the qüs Kueix , Tron n'y Igem Twy. Septuag. aúzva Kueis, Aquin. Symm. Theod. saya låp Kueis. Sic alii. CH A P. I. T is a work, that requires our choicest thoughts, the exa&eft discussion, that can be; a thing very material, and desirable, to give unto Reason the things, that are Reason's, and unto Faith the things, that are Faith's, to give Faith her full scope, and latitude, and to give Reason also her juft bounds, and limits; this is the firft-borne, but the other ha's the blessing. And yec there is no such a valt hiatus neither, such a riga géoua between them, as some would imagine : there is no such implacable B antipathy 4 antipathy, no such irreconcileable jarring between them as some do fancy to themselves; they may very well falute one another bylo shuti, osculo Pacis; Reason, and Faith may kiss each other. There is a twin-light (pringing from both, and they both spring from the same Fountain of light, and they both sweetly conspire in the same end, the glory of that being, from which they shine, and the welfare, and happiness of that being, upon which they shine. So that to blascheme Reason, 'cis to reproach Heaven it self and to dishonour the God of Reason,to question the beauty of his Image, and by a strange ingratitude to light this great and Royal gift of our Createur. For 'cis he, that set up these two great Luminaries in every Heavenly cool, the Sun to rule ihe day, and the Moon to rule the night, and though there be fome kind of creatures, that will bark at this lefser light, and others so severely critical, as that rhey make Mountains of those [po!s, and freckles, which they see in her face ; yet others know how to be thankfull for her weaker beams, and will follow the leaft light of Gos's setting up, though it be but the Candle of the Lord. But some are so strangely prejudiced against Reafon & that upon Cufficient realon too, as they think,which yer involves a flat contradi&tion) as that they look upon it not as the Candle of the Lord, bit as on some blazing Comer, that portends present ruine to the Church, and to the soul, and carries a facal, and venemous influence along with it. And because the unruly head of Socinus, and his followers, by their meer pretenses to Reafon have made thipwrack of Faith, and have been very injorous to the Gospel ; therefore thee weak, and Ataggering apprehensions are afraid of understanding any thing; and think, that the very name of Reafon, especially in a Pulpit, in matters of Religion, muft needs have at least a thousand Herefies couched in it. If you do but offer to make a Syllogism, they'l ftraightway cry it down for carnal reasoning. What would ihese men have? Would they be banished from their own effences? Would they forfeit, and renounce their understandings ? or have i hey any to forfeit,or disclaim ? Would they put out this Candle of the Lord, intelle&uals of his own lighting? or have they any to put out? would they creep into some lower Species, and go a grazing with Nebuchadnezzar among the beasts of the field ? or are they nor there already? Or, if they theme a |