perhaps he thought not himself mistaken in his Sense of it.

BUT to make amends, if poffible, for His Senfe of thefe Extravagancies I have mention'd, (at Extraordinaleaft in part) 'tis more than time now tory Occurrenadvertise the Reader, That the Doctor was ces. far from over-valuing, or laying any great. Weight on things of this Nature. If they were offer'd, he thought them Privileges, and of Ufe; but to be receiv'd, at the fame time, with the greatest Caution and Humility imaginable. It was true Life, and the Divine Morality, that after all he chiefly relish'd or regarded; with the fober Ufe of his Reafon and Faculties, whether in Philofophy or Religion. Thefe are the things he every where magnifies beyond all External Accidents whatever; even the Outward Converse of Angels themselves, if it were to be vouchfaf'd. And to this purpose he writes, in a certain Letter I have purfeen, as followeth.

ડ્ર

"Now for his Mind running on the frequent Intercourfe betwixt the Inhabitants of this and the Invisible World; there is

no hurt in thinking that may come to "pafs in due time: But the Converfe of "thofe will be with the most humble and "fimple-hearted. And a Man muft take heed "how he affects any fuch thing; both be"cause it may eafily arife from unmorti"fied Pride in a Man, as alfo it may expofe "him to the Delufion of evil Damons.

K 4

And

" be

"besides the Converse of the Spirit of God "within us, by the Prefence of its Light "and Life rebuking fweetly, and putting "out of Countenance, by the Lovely Pre"fence of it felf, every Appearance of Tur"pitude in the Soul, is far to be preferr'd before all external Conferences with AnLL gels. And the Affectation of this latter may be a Hindrance to the former. Which I conceive is the Caufe, why Good Angels rarely confer with Piously difpos'd Per"fons in way of Perfonal Conference ; on pur

pofe to engage them to feek where they may find Better Satisfaction, in fuch a way as is more Perfective of their own "Nature; and that is by attaining to, and "growing up in the Spirit of Life in the "New Birth, which is Chrift begotten in us: Which is of a more standing Confe

te

quence to us than ever to have feen his "External Perfon, though in his Glorified "Condition; unless thereby he were con"ceiv'd' by his Approach to heal our Souls

of all Sin, as in his Incarnate Condition "he heal'd the Diseases of the Body. This "is by Communicating his Spirit in an ex"ternal way, as he might in fome fort to "Saint Paul, which yet was abundantly

more perfected by a Difpenfation internal. "The Affectation of External Appearances, beats the Fancy; but a fincere Hunger and Thirst after the Eternal Righteousness of God in the inward Man, purifies the "Heart, where is the best Speculum of feeshing God.

What

What he speaks here of our Bleffed Saviour, minds me of what he writes elfewhere, touching the no Reafon he could

fee for the Perfonal Reign of Chrift on Earth. Paralip. Pro"Inward Regeneration by the Operation phet. p.333 "of the Spirit into the living Image of "Chrift, is a greater Privilege, I say, than ແ to be guided by the external Perfon and "Voice of Chrift amongst us founding in our "Ears. As, if the thing could be, it were "better for an Horfe to be turn'd into a per"fect Man, than to be rid by the braveft "Heroe that is.

To a certain Perfon exalting much the Privilege of Converfe and Direction from the Angelical Powers, and Pretending that there was fuch an Attainment to be reach'd; He anfwer'd, Shall a Man obtain thereby more true Faith in God and Chrift? Or be more Humble and Charitable than he could be otherwise, by the fecret Operation of the Holy Spirit of God upon his Soul? He said, No, he could not fay fo. Wherein then, said the Dr. imagine you, is the great Advantage of such an affected Peculiarity?

To a Friend writing about a near Relation of his, that was faid to have fomething of an Extraordinary kind that befel him, he hath these farther Paffages. "What you

write of your Brother is fomething, as st you note at first, unusual: But the more "Peculiar the Providence is, it is the greater "Obligation to him to keep clofe to God; "and not to allow himself in any thing

that he is convinç'd in his own Conscience

"is

"is finful; and above all things, to afpire "to the most perfect Humility that may be: Nor to please himself in any thing "peculiarly happening to him, nor to affect "fuch things; but if they come, to make

a right Use of them, as Signs of a serious "Design in Providence for his good; and to "remember, that he is in the greater Dan

ger, if his Proficiency be not anfwerable to "the great Advantages that are offer'd him: "And to confider, that whatever is External "and Miraculous, is nothing Comparable to "the Scope it aims at; that is, the ftrengthning of our Faith in the Affiftance of God's Spirit for the utter demolishing the Power "of Sin in us; and the Mortifying all Selfwill, Self-defire, and Self-arrogation, that the Spirit of Chrift may alone rule and act in us, which is the Spirit of perfect Humility and Holy Love.

There are yet fome Other Letters of his, wherein the fame Things are prefs'd; and that with greater Earnestness, if it be poffible.

This then was His Prudence on fuch Occurrencies; and he was far from being elated or vainly Oftentatious in those Unusual things that concern'd himself: He neither affected them in a way of Singularity himfelf; nor would he have Others to affect them. Even for that Extraordinary Vifion before-mention'd of Theomanes, he doth particularly anticipate such an Objection as this, in these Words.

"Philop.

"Philop. Doth not Theomanes highly re- Dial. 5. as lifh fuch a Peculiarity of Difpenfation, O before, "Philotheus?

"Philoth. Not at all, Philopolis, fo far

as I can difcern; he only expreffseth him"felf well pleas'd with the Reasonableness "and Usefulness of the Vifion. For he pro"feffeth it confonant both to Scripture "and Philofophy; and hath taken notice

feveral times in my hearing, how useful "it is for the digefting all thofe Visions in "the Apocalypfe that appertain to the Laft "Trumpet, into their right Order, according to Synchronifme, &c.

He was fo far from over-valuing even Miracles themselves, that he thus writes occasionally of them. "But for my own part, "I think working of Miracles is one of the "leaft Perfections of a Man; and is nothing 66 at all to the Happiness of him that doth "them, or rather feems to do them: For "if they be Miracles, he doth them not; "but fome other Power or Perfons distinct "from him. And, after an edifying Enlargement, again thus; " But Holy and "Good Men know, that the greatest Sweet

and Perfection of a Virtuous Soul is the

kindly Accomplishment of her own Na"ture in true Wisdom and Divine Love. And "if any thing Miraculous happen to them, " or be done by them, it is, That that "Worth and Knowledge that is in them "may be taken notice of; and that God "thereby may be Glorified, whofe Witnesses "they are.

And

Pref. to Def, of the Three

fold Cab,