to the E PHE S I AN S. a N,;ttmzt form not an Artificial ; and Inward one, not an Outward~ , StnllotJ on;~ that now, for a man to approve of Spiritual things in a Spiritual manner, XXV, look as if he would make a Beajl underjland M a mmt, you mull: bnng a new~ Soul a new form : fo if you will make an unregenerate man underfland Spiritu;l things aright, you mufl bring a new fo~m, a new Soul (as it were) into his underflanding. The Apoflle exprelfcth Jt t Job r· 20. He bath gtvm m mt uJtderflrmdl1tg th<~t we may knew him; not but the fame for fubflance, the fame natural power of underl!anding ~s in a wicked J~an an~ in ag?dly man : Butthere is a new ability, a new prmCJple, anew quahty put m that fits !urn to ·under!land Spiritual things, which the other cannot do. To illuflrate this further unto you, and to lhew you that to work this re– quireth no Jefs power than in fhe Creation. Look firfl into 1 Cor.2, 14- (I lhal! tell you·to what purpofe I qwote that by and by) The N.lttsr<~J ma11 (faith he) recnvflh 1101 thr things of the Spirit of God, 11flthrr caJt he /mow them, 6e– ·caufo they areJPirituatly difcerned; 6ut he that is fPirituat ;udgeth all things, yrt he himfeif ts judged of 110 mm1. To open thefe words; By a Natural man he meaneth , a man that is not regenerate, that is not born again (for he doth oppofe him to a Spiritual man) a man that hath no other principles in him in refpectof. Grace, than what he brought iMto the Worla; he harh the fame na– tural underflanding he had without any Spiritualnefs put upon it by the Holy Ghofl. This is a Natural man, Now, faith he, thu man raeivtth not the thmgs of the Spirit of God; Nay, faith he, he cmmot know them. Bt1t he th,zt ;. {ptritual, he is both able to receive them, and he can know them; fo the oppofition runneth. ~nd all cometh to this, that there mufi be a new principle put into the underflandmg of a man; not only a new light come m, but a ne\v pnnciple, if you would have this man underfiand Spiritual things aright, And that is the fcope I quote this place for, that the unaerflanding mufl be altered anew principle mufl be put into it, a new habit as we call it. All the exprellion; do carry it to that fenfe. For, Firfl he faith, otherwife, if he be not made Spiritual he cannot receive Spiritual things, that is, he wants a capacity. It is fuch a phrafe, as if you would fpeak to a Deaf man, youwill fay, he cannot receive what you fay, for he wanteth a faculty of hearing. If you bring a Blind man into the Sun , he cannot receive the light of it, for he wants a natural faculty fo to do. He ex– preffeth it in a way of Nature, he is not capable of it, which argueth, I fay, a want of aprinciple whereby to do it. · And not only fo, but he faith in the following words, He ca11not know them; he wants a Ill'""''• apower; v"'4"'"'"'"'"'• a Po;e11tit1, as the Philofopher cal– leth it; fo~ the Apoflle fpeaks fuitably here tO Phil?fophical principles. That, as we_ fay m Philofophy, nothmg can wo~ but It mufi h_ave a principle of workmg: A man cannot fee Without the faculty of feemg; fo this man wants a faculty of knowing Spiritual things, therefore he cannot know them. . Thirdly, The Reafon he giveth evidenceth this, for what is the Reafon why a Natural man canno~ know them? Becaufe, faith he, they ar( jpirit11af!y dt.f· c~r.:ed._ (H~ fpea~s_Jufl hke our Schoolmen , for we ufe to exprefs in a way of ~Ifimct10n, m ~Spmtualmanner, thatis,fi;iritually.) The meaning is, To feo It m Its own Spmtual nature, abflracted from all confidcrations befides, fo he cannot fee it, th~t is. the m"aning of this , He cau11ot dtfcer11 ir fpiritua/J:y. If he would know It anght, he muft know it as it is in ir felf, now fo_he hath not a pr.1nc1ple fu1t~d and fitted to this object as it is Spiritual in it felf; he may know It othcrwife m other conliderations but take it as it is Spiriru•l and be cannot know it. ' Tt
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