quiry into the Scriptures, to know the mind of God n them, and to teach it unto others, without prayers and fupplications for the teaching, leading, guidance, and affistance of the Holy Spirit, or which is worse, contemn and despise all those things as enthusiastical, it may not be expected that they should ever understand, or approve of the mysteries that are contained therein. Is it not hence that both teachers and hearers make fo flow a progress in the knowledge of the mysteries of the gofpel, or grow fo little in the knowledge of our Lord and Saviour Jefus Chrift? How many are there amongst us who for the time, and outward means are become as babes, and have need of milk, and not of ftrong meat? Whence is it that fo many teachers do fo little endeavour "to go on to per"fection," but content themselves to dwell on the rudiments or first principles of our profeffion? Is there not great studying, and little profiting? great teaching, and little learning, much hearing, and little thriving? Do we abide in prayer, and abound in prayer, as we ought for that Spirit who alone can lead us into all-truth?" for that "unction which teacheth us all things" with affurance and experience. I fear here lieth our defect. However this I shall say, that there is no duty, which in this world we perform unto God, that is more acceptable unto him, than fervent prayers, for a right understanding of his mind and will in his word. For herein all the glory we give unto him, and the due performance of all our obedience do depend.

CHAP. IV.

The efpecial work of the Holy Spirit in the illumination of our minds unto the understanding of the Scripture, declared and vindicated. Objections propofed and anfwered. The nature of the work afferted, Pfal. cxix. 18. Ephef. i. 18. 1 Pet. ii. 9. Col. i. 13. Luke xxiv. 25. John v. 20. opened. and vindicated..

WE

E have, as I fuppofe, fufficiently confirmed our first general affertion concerning the necessity of an especial work of the Holy Ghoft, in the illumination of our minds, to make us understand the mind of God as revealed in the Scripture.

That which we proceed unto is to fhew the especial nature of his work-herein. And I fhall take occafion thereunto from the confideration of an objection that is laid against the whole of what we affirm, which was touched on before.

ture.

For it is faid that there is no need of this endeavour: All men do acknowledge that the aid of the Spirit of God is neceffary unto the ftudy and interpretation of the ScripAnd fo it is unto all other undertakings that are good and lawful. And herein confifts the blefling of God upon man's own diligence and endeavours. If this be that which is intended, namely, the bleffing of God upon our endeavours in the ufe of means, it is granted. But if any thing elfe be defigned, it is nothing, but to take off all induftry in the use of means, to reject all helps of reafon and learning, which is in the end to reduce into perfect enthufiafms.

Anfier 1. Whether by the affignation of his own work unto the Spirit of God we take away or weaken the use of other means, for the right interpretation of the Scriptures, will be tried when we come unto the examination of those ways and means. At prefent I fhall only fay, that we establish them. For by affigning unto them their

proper place and ufe, we do manifeft their work and neceffity. But thofe by whom they or any of them are advanced into the place, and unto the exclufion of the operation of the Holy Spirit, do deftroy them, or render them inacceptable unto God, and useless unto the fouls of men. We fhall therefore manifeft that the affignations which we make in this matter unto the Holy Spirit, do render all our use of proper means for the right interpretation of the Scripture in a way of duty, indifpenfibly neceffary; and the principal reafon, fo far as I can understand, why fome deny the neceffity of the work of the Holy Spirit herein, is, because they like not those means whofe neceffary use doth arife from an admiffion thereof.

But thus it hath fallen out in other things. Thofe who have declared any thing either of the doctrine, or of the power of the grace of the gofpel, have been traduced as oppofing the principles of morality and reafon, whereas on their grounds alone, their true value can be difcovered, and their proper ufe directed. So the apostle preaching faith in Chrift with righteousness, and justification thereby, was accused to have made void the law, whereas without his doctrine the law would have been void, or of no use to the fouls of men. So he pleads, Rom. iii. ver. 31. "Do "we then make void the law through faith? God for"bid, yea we establish the law." So to this day, juftifcation by the imputation of the righteousness of Christ, and the neceffity of our own obedience, the efficacy of divine grace in converfion, and the liberty of our own wills, the stability of God's promifes, and our diligent use of means, are fuppofed inconfiftent. So it is here alfo. The neceffity of the communication of spiritual light unto our minds to enable us to understand the Scriptures, and the exercife of our own reafon in the ufe of external means, are looked on as irreconcileable. But as the apostle faith, "do we make void the law by faith? yea we esta"blifh it," though he did it not in that place, nor unto thofe ends that the Jews would have had and used it. So we may fay, do we by afferting the righteoufnefs of

Christ, make void our own obedience; by the efficacy of grace, deftroy the liberty of our wills; by the neceffity of fpiritual illumination, take away the use of reafon? yea we establish them: We do it not, it may be, in such a way, or in fuch a manner as fome would fancy, and which would render them all on our part really useless, but in a clear confiftency with, and proper fubferviency unto the work of God's Spirit and grace,

2. That in particular which lyeth before us, is to remove that pretence of fome, that we need no other affiftance of the Spirit of God for the right understanding of the Scripture, but only his bleffing in general on our own endeavours. To this end two things are to be enquired into, (1) What defcription is given of this work in the Scripture, and what are the effects of it in our minds in general. (2.) What is the nature of it in particular.

1. The work itself is variously expreffed in the Scripture. And it is that which whether we will or no, we must be determined by in things of this kind. And the variety of expreffions ferves both unto the confirmation of its truth, and illuftration of its nature.

A. It is declared by " opening of our eyes," Pfal. cxix. 18. "The enlightening of the eyes of our understanding," Ephef. i. 18. This opening of our eyes confifts in the communication of spiritual light unto our minds by the preaching of the word, as it is declared, Acts xxvi. 17, 18. And the expreffion though in part metaphorical, is eminently inftructive in the nature of this work. For fuppofe the nearest and beft difpofed propofition of any object unto our bodily eyes, with an external light properly. fuited unto the difcovery of it, yet if our eyes be blind, or are closed beyond our own power to open them, we cannot difcern it aright. Wherefore on a fuppofition of the propofal unto our minds of the divine truths of fupernatural revelation, and that in ways and by means suited unto the conveyance of it unto them, which is done in the Scripture, and by the miniftry of the church with other outward means; yet without this work of the Spirit

of God, called the "opening of our eyes," we cannot difcern it in a due manner. And if this be not intended in this expreffion, it is no way inftructive, but rather fuited to lead us into a misunderstanding of what is declared, and of our own duty. So it is plainly expreffed, Luke xxiv. 25. Then opened he their understanding, that they might understand the Scriptures." None I suppose will deny but that it is the work of the Spirit of God thus to open our eyes, or to enlighten our understandings, for this were to deny the exprefs teftimony of the Scripture, and thofe frequently reiterated. But fome fay, he doth this by the word only, and the preaching of it. No other work of his, they affirm, is necessary hereunto, or to make us rightly to difcern the mind of God in the Scripture, but that it be propofed unto us in a due manner, provided we purge our minds from prejudices, and corrupt affections. And this is the work of the Spirit in that he is the author of the Scripture, which he makes use of for our illumination. And it is granted, that the Scripture is the only external means of our illumination. But in these testimonies it is confidered only as the object thereof. They exprefs a work of the Spirit or grace of God upon our minds, with respect unto the Scripture as its object, "Open my eyes "that I may behold wondrous things out of thy law." The law or the Scripture, with the wonderful things contained therein, are the things to be known, or to be discovered and understood. But the means enabling us thereunto, is an internal work upon our minds themselves, which is plainly expreffed in diftinction from the things to be known. This is the fum of what we plead, there is an efficacious work of the Spirit of God, opening our eyes, or enlightening our understandings or minds, to understand the things contained in the Scripture diftinct from the objective propofitions of them in the Scripture itself, which the teftimonies urged do fully ́ confirm.

2. It is expreffed, as a tranflation out of darkness into light, he hath called us out of " darkness into marvellous