The man who had the heart of a beast, as to any saving or solid
knowledge of God or himself, hath now got an understanding to know him
that is true. Now is Christ become the poor man's wisdom, he is now
renewed in knowledge after the image of him that created him; he might
well babble of spiritual things, but till now he understood nothing of
the beauty and excellency of God and his ways; nay, he knew not what he
knew, he was ignorant as a beast of the life and lustre of those things
which he knew in the letter; nothing seemed more despicable to him in
the world, than true godliness; but now he judgeth otherwise, because he
hath the mind of Christ. The things which in his darkness he did
undervalue as trifles to be mocked at, he now can only mind and admire,
since he became a child of light; now being delivered from that
blindness and brutishness of spirit, which possesseth the world, (and
possessed himself till he was transformed by the renewing of his mind)
who esteem basely of spiritual things, and set them at nought, he
prizeth as alone precious. The world wonders what pleasure or content
can be in the service of God, because they see not by tasting how good
he is; to be prying into and poring upon invisible things, is to them
visible madness, but to the enlightened mind, the things that are not
seen are only worth seeing, and while they appear not to be, they only
are; whereas the things that are seen appear but to be, and are not.
Though the surpassing sweetness of spiritual things should be spoke of
to them, who cannot favour the things of God, in such a manner as the
glorious light of them did surround men; yet they can perceive no such
thing; all is to them cunningly devised fables; let be spoke what will,
they see no form, no comeliness, no beauty in this glorious object--God
in Christ reconciling sinners to himself. Alas! the mind is blinded; the
dungeon is within; and till Christ open the eyes, as well as reveal his
light, the soul abides in its blindness, and is buried in midnight
darkness; but when the Spirit of God opens the man's eyes, and he is