190 The fifth Sign PART III: prefentations and Exhibitions of the Glory of God's moral Perfec, tions, that ever were made to the World. And if there be fuch a diftinguifhing, evidential Manifeflation of divine Glory in the Ga- pe], 'tis reafonable to fuppofe that there may be fuch a Thing as Seeing it : What fhould hinder but that it may be Peen ? 'Tis no Argument that it .can't he feen, that Come don't ke it ; tho' they may be difcerning Men in temporal Matters. li there be Each in- effable, diftinguifhing, evidential Excellencies in the Gofpel, 'tis.rea- fonable to fuppofe that they are fuch as are not to be difcerned, but by the fpecial Influence and EnlighrninQs of the Spirit of God. There is need of uncomm n Force of Mind to difcern the diftin- guifhing Excellencies of the Works of Authors of great Genius Thofe Things in Milton, which to mean Judges, appear tafteleís and Imperfeaions, are his inimitable Excellencies in the Eyes of thofe' who are of greater Difcerning, and better Tafte. And if there be a Book, which God is the Author of, 'tis molt reafonaable to fuppofe that the diflinguifhing Glories ofhis Word are of fuch a Kind, as that the Sin and Corruption of Men's Hearts, which above all Things alienates Men from the Deity, and makes the Heart dull and ftupid to an'y Senfe or Tafte of thofe Things wherein the moral Glory of the divine Perfetions confifts ; I fay, 'tis but reafonable to fuppofe, that this would blind Men from difcerning the Beauties of fuch a. Book ; and that therefore they will not fee them, but as God is pleafed to enlighten them, and re%ore an holy Tafte, to difcern and relifh divine Beauties. This Senfe of the fpiritual Excellency and Beauty of divine Things, does alfb tend direéàly to convince the Mind of the Truth of the Got- pel, as there are very many of the moil important Things declared in the Gofpel, that are hid from the Eves of natural Men, the Truth of which does in Eif dt confift in this Excellency, or does fo immediately depend upon it and remit from it ; that in this Excellency's being feen, the Truth of thofe Things is feen. As loon as ever the Eyes are opened to behold the holy Beauty and Amiablenefs that is in di- vine Thing*, a Multitude of molt importantDotrines of the Gofpel, that depend upon it, (which all appear ftrange and dark to naturA Men) are at once feen to be true. As for Inftance, hereby appears the Truth of what the Word of God declares concerning the exceed- ing Evil .of Sin ; for the fame Eve that difcerns the tranfcendent Beauty of Ilolineff,neceffarily ticrein fees the exceedin;Odioufiiefs of Sin The farmeTafte which relifhes theSweetnefs of true meralGood, taftes - the- Bitternef.5- of'moral Evil. And by this Means a Man fees his own Sinfulnefs and Loathfomnefs ; for he has now a Senfe to difcern Qbjeas of this Nature ; and fo fees the Truth of what the Word of God declares concerning the exceeding Sinfulnefs of Man- kind, which before he did not fee. He now fees the dreadful Pollu- tion
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