Of the Creatures, and the Condition ~of the Wtfe ot the Worltl, yet it is an Argument fetch't a major:, not abare BooK 11. Oppofltion only: For they are fo far from having mtred 111to the hrar~s of ~corruptmm, that not into innocent man ; for him the words will reach. For, firft, If we confult the Prophet lfaiab, Chap. 64. 4· whence the words are quoted, you !hall find , he fays, From the begwwng of tbe wortd,ear bath not beard 1 C!lc. inftead of which, the Apofllc puts in, Nor !J,zth mtred nJio tbe heart of man; that is, not of innocen t man; no man, from the brginning of the World when man was made. Secondly, The Apoflle, m the l'hrafes he enumerates, excludes all the light, and power, and means of the knowledge of inQocent man by Nature, by reckomng up aJJ the means of Knowledge, F'or his Knowledge came in, either Jrom the inbred Light of Nature in J11 m, as was faid, and fo afcendcd out of ills own heart, as the Phrafe 11 here, whrch notes out the natural way of man's Knowledge from inbred Principles: Orelfe, was improved either by Obfervation ofthe Creatures by the Eye, or by Com– munication with God to the Ear. Now none of thefe way~ fl10uld the things of the Gofpel have been known and recetved by htm; but It rs meerly Super– natural, and fa is faid not to afcend, but todefcend from the Fathrr ofLigbts by Revelation: So ] times r. ), 17. If tmy ofyott tack wifdom, let htm ask of God, that givtth to all 111t1t liberally, and upbraideth not: and it /hull br givm him. Every good gzft, mtd every perfeel g1jt is from above , and cometh dow~tfrom tbe Father of L ights, with whom zs 110 variablenefs, mi– t her fhadow of turni1Jg. He fpeal<S of this Wifdom , and fa it is above the way of Nature alfo. Thirdly, He excludes not the Knowledge of man only, but of Angels alfo, though he names Man only: For in Jfaiah you have it, lfoi., 64. 4- Noue bejides thn lNtVe jtm, 0 God, what he bath prepared for him that waits for him. The Prophet fpeaks unto Chrift, whom l1e calls God , as a Perfon diflind from the Father, that prepared thefe things; There– fore he changeth the Perfon, befldes. thee, what he? no Man or Creature but he that was God as \lOCH as Man, and fo was in God's bofome, could natu– rally have known thefe things. Therefore he fays, No mall 6ejider thee, 0 God, whom therefore he calls God and Man, whom, Ver(e the firfi, he had called upon to come down, and be incarnate, and deliver this Gofpel, as once the Law, when the Mountains melted , Verf. I,:., l• Oh that thot~ wouldefl rent the Heavens, that thotl wotddefl comr down, that thr Mou11taius might flow dowtJ ,;t thy prejtua, As whm the melting fire hu,.neth, the fire wuf: eth the waters to boil, to makt thj Name known to thi11e Adver(aries, that the Nations may tremble at thy prejence, Whm tho11 didfl terrible tbings, which we looked not for, thou camefl dow11; the Mountaitts flowrd dow11 at thy prejtnce. And he threw the Enemies out of CanaarJ, the Type of Spiritual Enemies to be defir,oyed by Chrift, and by the Revelation of the Go– fpel : So that thofe Truths are Supernatural every way to the Knowledge of a– ny Creature but to Cbrifl, as the Vifton of God alfo is. And therefore, the 1\pofile concludes there is no knowing thembut by a Revelation of the Spirit, I Cor,:.. 10. Bttt God bath revealedthem to tU by his Spirit; over and a– bove the Lrght of natural Faith and natural Principles, But of this Head I have treated more largely, in !hewing the glory and ri– ches of the Myfiery of the Gofpel, To which I refer the Reader. The fecond thing, wherein our State excels A dams, is, Tbat heavenly Light wherewith our minds are atled and Elevated to tbofe Supernatural Ob– j :cts; [o far as the Light we are af!ifted with excels, fo far mu(\ be the Know– ledge. It is light which makes all things manifefl, as Ephef s. 'l· The foun– dation of all Adam•s Knowledge of God w;~s an inbred Light , or Candle fet up by the Lord in the Chambers of the Belly, as Solomo11 fpeaks of the re– lick, of it, P1·ov.1o. 27, which though Holy , was but Natural. But that J-ight whereby we fee :he things of the Gcfpel, is termed glor1om, ond fo wholly Supernatural. When Cbrifl converted Paul, /Jels 22. Chrifl furroun– ded his Body with a light which dazled , yea blinded his eyes with the Glory of it, Verj; II. I cottld11ot fee for tbe glory of th,l/ L 1gbt, fays he; .which was but an outward C.gn, to lhew the glory of that Light by which Cbnft drd J11In~
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