PART III. of gracious Afehiions. 187 feffing God's Name to the Difciples, or giving them a true Appre- henfion and View of divine Things, was that whereby they knew that Chriff's Doélrine was of God, and that Chrift himfelf was of him, and was fent by him. Matth. 16. 16, 17. Simon Peter faid Thou art the Chr, the Son of the living God. And fefus anfwered, and faid unto him, Rile /el art thou, Simon Bar-jona, for Flesh and Bloodbath not REVEALED it unto thee, but my Father which is in Hea- ven. 1 John 5. to. He that believeth on the Son of God, bath the Witnefs in himfelf. Gal. i . 1415,16. Being more exceedingly zealous of the Traditions of my Fathers. But when it pleated God, who fepara- ted me from my Mother's Wonab, and, calledme by his Grace, to RE- VEAL his Son in me, that I might preach him among the Heathen, imme- diately I conferrednot with Flesh and Blood. If it be fo, that That is a fpiritual Conviaion of the Divinity and Reality of the Things exhibited in the Gofpel, which arifes from a fpiritual Underffanding of thole Things ; I have fhown already what that is, viz. a Senfe and Tafle of the divine, fupream and holy Ex- cellency and Beauty of thole Things. So that then is the Mind fpi- ritually convinced of the Divinity and Truth of the great Things of the Gospel, when that Conviction arifes, either direly or remote- ly, from fuch a Senfe or View of their divine Excellency and Glory as is there exhibited. This clearly follows from Things that have been already Paid ; and for this theScripture is very plain and exprefs. 2 Cor. 3. 3, 4, S, 6. But ifour Gofpel be hid, it is hid to them that are loft : In whom the God of this World bathblinded the Minds of them that BELIEVE not, left the Light of the GLORIOUS GOSPEL of Chrift, who is the Image ofGod, shouldfine unto them. For we preach not our (elves, but Chrift `Jefus the Lord, and our felves your Servants for fefus Sake. For God, who commanded the Light to thine out of Darknefs, loath shined in our Hearts, to give the LIGHT OF THE KNOWLEDGE OF THE GLORY OF GOD, in the Face of feftns Chrift. Together with the last Verse of the foregoing Chapter, which introduces this, But we all with open Face, beholding as in a Glafs, the GLORY OF THE LORD, are changed into the fame Image, from Glory to Glory, even as by the Spirit of the Lord. Nothing can be more evident then that a laving Belief of the Gospel, is here fpoken of, by the Apostle, as arifing from the Mind's being enlight- ned, to behold the divine Glory of the Things it exhibits. This View or Senfe of the divine Glory, and unparallel'd Beauty of the Things exhibited to us in the Gofpel, has a Tendency to con- vince the Mind of their Divinity, two Ways ; direfly ; and more àndiretfly, and remotely. I. A View of this divine Glory dire vly, convinces the Mind of the Divinity of thole Things, as this Glory is in it felf a direct, clear, and all-conquering Evidence of it efpecial- ly
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