172 `I'hefourth Sign FART M. Manner of the Scripture's coming to my Mind. This making a new Meaning to the Scripture, is the farm Thing as making a new Scripture : It is properly adding to the Word ; which is threatned with fo dreadful a Curfe. Spiritually to underftand the Scripture, is to have the Eyes of the Mind open'd, to behold the wonderful fpiri- tual Excellency of the glorious Things contain'd in the true Mean- ingof it, and that always were contain'd in it, ever fince it was writ- ten ; to behold the amiable and bright Manifefiations of the divine Perfections, and of the Excellency and Sufficiency of Chrifi, and the Excellency and Suitablenefs of the Way of Salvation by Chrifi, and the fpiritual Glory of the Precepts and Promifes of the Scripture, t:;'c. Which Things are, and always were in the Bible, and would have been feen before, if it had not been for Blindnefs, without having any new Senfe added by the Words being fent by God to a particu- lar Perfon, and fpoken anew to him, with a newMeaning. And as to a gracious Leading of the Spirit, it confifis in two Things ; partly in infiruc`ting a Perfon in his Duty by the Spirit; and partly in powerfully indt ng him to comply with that Infiruc`tion. But fo far as the gracious Leading of the Spirit lies in Infiruction, it confifis in a Perfon's being guided by a fpiritual and diftinguifhiugTafte of that which has in it true moral Beauty. I have (hewn that fpiritual Knowledge primarily confifis in a Tafte or Relifh of the Amiablenefs and Beauty of that which is truly good and holy : This holy Relifh is a Thing that difcerns and diftinguifhes between Good and Evil, between holy and unholy, without being at the Trouble of a Train of Reafoning. As he who has a true Relifh of external Beauty, knows what is beautiful by looking upon it : He Rands in no need of a Train of Reafoning about the Proportion of the Features, in order to determine whether that which he fees be a beautiful Countenance or no: He needs nothing, but only the Glance of his Eye. He who has a rectified mufical Ear, knows whether the Sound he hears be true Harmony : He don't need firft to be at the Trouble of the Rea - fonings of a Mathematician, about the Proportion of the Notes. He that has a rectified Palate, knows what is good Food, as loon as he taftes it, without the Reafoning olf a Phyfician about it. There is a holy Beauty and Sweetnefs in Words and Actions, as well as a natu- ral Beauty in Countenances and Sounds, and Sweetnefs in Food ; Job 12. t t . Doth not the Ear try Words, and the Mouth tafle his Meat. When a holy and amiable AC-lion is fuggefied to the Tho'ts of a holy Soul ; that Soul, if in the lively Exercife of it's fpiritual 'Tafte, at once fees a Beauty in it, and fo inclines to it, and clofes with it. On the Contrary, if an unworthy unholy Action be fug- gefted to it, it's fanctifred Eye fees no Beauty in it, and is not pleafed with it ; it's fanctifled Mite relifhes no Sweetnefs in it,; but on the :orttrary, it is naufeous to it. Yea it's holy Mile and Appetite leads it
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