The Art of Happiness, Meditations, The Heavenly Academy, The Great Oracle, and Mystical Marriage, by Francis Rous, Esq. (Works, page 489): To the right noble, the sons of the most High, his blessed brethren by the best that is the second birth. Truly honorable, whose father is God and whose inheritance is a kingdom. The divers sparks of holy fire, which issued from the Spirit that baptized with fire, I have gathered together. By their united heat to kindle a flame where is none, or to increase it where it is already kindled. This blessing must come from God, and therefore of God have I desired it: The glory of God by your benefit is that which I seek, desiring also to be holpen by you both in prayer and exhortation, a great lover of you and your peace.
Pages 643–645, 685, 735: In his Heavenly Academy, very excellent advice to ministers indeed. In his Mystical Marriage, sweet consulting advice to heaven’s newborn children—to the bride, the Lamb’s wife: The soul seeketh a Husband and finds him.
Page 643: He that will be taught of God must come, or retire in[ward], diligently to his Teacher. They shall be all taught of God and meet him when and where he useth to teach. Know therefore thy own insufficiency—yea, the insufficiency of the best Teacher in the world. For who is sufficient for these things to teach thee inwardly except God? But that thou mayest not be mistaken concerning the true heavenly teaching or the use of it, take with thee some cautions: First do not mistake a teaching of thine own for an heavenly teaching. Neither set thine own imagination in the celestial chair; this hath misled many into many and great errors. Whilst being taught by the strength of their own imaginations, they have thought themselves to be taught of God. And indeed many times, as errors do thus come from the strength of human apprehension, so their prosecution doth favor of this strength and shows from whence they come. For too often opinions are headily nursed into schisms and divisions, as they were headily brought forth; the same flesh that was the mother being also the nurse.
Page 644: His advice is very excellent[ly] agreeable to the apostles: for none to go beyond their bounds and measure of faith (Romans 12 and 13).
BENJAMIN LAY 