Kaina kai palaia Things new and old, or, A store-house of similies, sentences, allegories, apophthegms, adagies, apologues, divine, morall, politicall, &c. : with their severall applications / collected and observed from the writings and sayings of the learned in all ages to this present by John Spencer ...

[ 1161] Spirituall and corporall blindnesse, their difference.

A Blind Boy that had suffered imprisonment at Glocester not long before,* 1.1 was brought to Bishop Hooper, the day before his death; Mr. Hooper, after he had examin'd him of his Faith,* 1.2 and the cause of his imprisonment, beheld him very steadfastly, and tears standing in his eyes, said unto him; Ah poor boy, God hath taken from thee thy outward sight, upon what consideration he in his Di∣vine wisdome best knowes, but hath given thee another sight much more pretious; For he hath endued thy Soul with the spirituall eye of understanding: O happy change! doubtlesse there is a wide difference betwixt corporeall and spiritual blindness,

though every Man be blind by Nature, yet the state of the spiritually blind is more miserable then that of the other blind; The bodily blind is led either by his Ser∣vant, Wife, or Dogg, but the spiritually blind is mis-led by the World, the Flesh,* 1.3 and the Devill; The one will be sure to get a seeing guide; but the other followes the blind guidance of his own lusts, till they both tumble into the ditch; The want of corporal eyes is to many divinum bonum, albeit humanum malum; but the want of Faith's eyes, is the greatest evill which can befall Man in this life; For Reason is the Soul's left eye, Faith the right eye, without which it is impossi∣ble to see the way to God, Heb. 11. 6.

Notes

• * 1.1

  Act. and Monum.
• * 1.2

  Coe••um ter∣ram{que} non aspi∣cit; sed coeli terrae{que} Domi∣num spectandi facultas non cripitur. Pe∣trarch. de Coe∣citate.
• * 1.3

  Joh. Passera∣tius de coeci∣tate.