PART III. of gracious Ajeaions. 1,69. that Love which natural. Men have to God, and Chrift, and chriftian Vertues, and good Men, is not from any Sight of the Amiablenefs of the Hcalinefs, or true moral Excellency of thefe Things ; but only for the fake of the natural Good there is in them. All natural Men's Hatred of Sin, is as much from.Principles of Nature, as Men's Ha tred of a Tyger for his Rapacioufnefs, or their Averfion to a Serpent for his Poifon and Hurtfulnefs : And all their Love of chriftian. Ver- tue, is from no higher Principle than their Love of a Man's ,good Nature, which appears amiable to natural Men ; but no otherwife than Silver and Gold appears amiable in the Eyes of a Merchant, or than the Blacknefs of theSoil is beautiful in the Eyes of the Farmer. From what has been faid of the Nature of fpiritual Underftanding, it appears that fpiritual Underftanding does not confitt in any new doarinal Knowledge, or in having fuggefied to the Mind any new Propofition, not before read or heard of : For 'tis plain that this fug- getting of new Propofitions, is a Thing entirely diverfe from giving the Mind a new Tatte or Relifh of Beauty and Sweetnefs. 'Tis: alto evident that fpiritual Knowledge does not confift in any new doarinal Explanation of any Part of the Scripture ; for Rill, this is but doarinal Knowledge, or the Knowledge of Propofitions ; the doctrinal explaining of any Part of Scripture, is only giving us to un- detítand, what are the Propofitions contain'd or taught in that Part of Scripture. Hence it appears, that the fpiritual Undemanding of the Scripture, don't confift in opening to the Mind the myftical Meaning of the Scripture, in it's Parables, Types and Allegories ; for this is only a doarinal Explication of the Scripture. He that explains what is meant by the flony Ground,and the Seed's fpringing up fuddenly,and quickly withering away, only explains what Propofitions or.Dodtrines are taught in it. So he that explains what is typified by 7acob's Ladder, and the Angels of God afcending and defeending on it, or what was typified by foflua's leading ^lfrael through 'Jordan, only Calvin, in his Infitutions, Book I. Chap. ix. § r. lays, c' It " is not the Office of the Spirit that is promifed us, to make new and before unheard of Revelations, or to coin fome new << Kind of Dtitrine, which tends to draw us away from the Gt received Dodtrine of the Gofpel ; but to feal and confirm to " us that very Do&trine which is by the Gofpel.". And in the fame Place he (peaks of fome, that in thofe Days snaintain'd the contrary Notion, pretending to be immediately led by the Spirit, as Perfons that were governed by a moot haughty Self- conceit ; and not feproperly to be looked upon as only labouring under a Millake, as driven by a Sort of raving Madnefs. no
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