218 Chap. 28. An Expofition upon the Book of J o B. Verf. z. fee , nor a heart to underhand, fo he is much more cyclets to fee and heartless to underhand the dealingsof God in fpiritu al things, the miheries of faith, the fecrets ofgrace, and the work- ings of the Spirit. Thcfe are riddles andparables, which he nn- der Rands no more,then the beans of the field, or the hones of the fireer. (1 Cor. 2.14.) The natural man receiveth not the things cf theSpirit of God, for they are foolifhnefr untohim . neither can be know them, because they are fpiritually discerned. He neither Both nor can difcern them ; that is, as he at prefent doth not difcern them by his natural underhanding ; fo, while his underflanding remains natural, (how much foever otherwife improved by flu- dyor experience) he cannot ; yea, they who are moll wife and Eagle-eyed in the things of nature, are usually moll dim. lighted as to the things of. God.. And we may give a. fourfold account why they are fo. Firh, God judicially hides themilferies of heavenly wifdom fromworldly wife men (Math. 1 r. zç.) I thank thee (faith Chrifl)O Father, Lord of heaven and earth, becaufe thou ball hid . theft things from thewife and prudent, and hall revealed them unto babes, even fo Father for it feemul good in thy fight. The Father doth not hide these things byputting darknefs into the wife and prudent, but by leaving them to their own darknefs,.or by deny- ing them his on light. And Chrifl refolves this into his Fathers will and pleafure: Thereneeds no other reafonbut his will, who that he may doe what he will, is the greateft reafon, becaufe he can will nothing but what is jut+. From this righteous and font taiga will of God it is, that the prudent, both innatural things, fuch as Gold and Silver,and in civil things, fuck as are commerce or government,fee nothing at all of Chrìfl. Howmany are there who think they can turn the world about by the engine of their brain or wit, who have not wit nor brains enough to turn one (lone, or to difcern the fill principlesand rudiments of Gofpel- truths. Te fee your calling, Brethren, (faith the Apollle, i Car. T. 6.)How that not manywife men after theflefh(that is, in mo- ralls and polliticks) not many mighty, not many noble are called that is, they are not effcetually and favingly called (though per- haps often called upon to the knowledge and acknowledgement of the truth) Brat God bath rhafen the foolish things of the world (chat is, hebathboth chofeo. acid called them) to confound rho wife,
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