An Expofttion of the Epiftle ~ My Brethren, mark it, here is new light indeed cometh in, and the mind i! Sermoll raifed up to new Objects it never knew atore; but here is no new Eye made, no XXVI. Under!landinggiven,(asthe Apo!\le expreifethit;) here is not a being 6orn ~ again to fee the Kingdom of God, here is not. the Image of God crtated, here is not that New Creature, (as I defcnbed 1t m the la!l dlfcourfe ;) a new Spiri– tual under!landing and difpofition in the Mind to receive Spiritual things, as they are in themfelves. And, my Brethren, thus meerly to put a new light in the Mind, to fugge!l things that never were before; this is not a thing that requires an Almighty power. Whereas he knew world!y things before , now to propound Spiritual things to him, and to open his eyes to fee t!lem; the old Eye is capable of this, for you fee Balaam's was. I faid before, an Angel can do as much : An Angel can fall upon the Under– !landing, irradiate an object and prefent it to the mind. There were no Fanta– fiicks, Enthufia!ls, if the Devil could not do this; he turneth himfelf into an Angel of light,and he can do it. I will give you Scripture for it, 1 Sam.18. 10. It is faid,an Ev1! Spiritfell t1po11 Sat1l, atJd he prophecJtd. Here was SatJt's Eye opened, as Ba!aam's was; here was prophecying as he did. Herein lieth not then the grcatnefs of God's power to enlighten them, and to reveal to them the things of the World to come; though they knew nothing afore but of the things of the prefent World. Here is a new light brought in, like the bringing of a Candle into a room ; but here is not a new Eye, as there is in a godly man, and fuch a reprefentation made as anfwereth to the Crea– tton. My Brethren, to work Faith in men to believe the things of the World ; to workaFaith, that aman lhall be fully convinced and believe this is the Word of God; limply to do this, is not a work of an Almighty power; Why? Becaufe the Devil can make a man believe a lie, he can work upon the Under!landing fo, who hath not an Almighty power in working. Look in 2 ThejJ.2. 9, 10. where fpeaking of Antichrijl, Whofe coming(faith he) u after the 'IIJorking of Sata11, withal/power, andjigns, mzd lying wonders, a11d with all deceivea61mefs of unrighteoujiu(s i11 them that perzfh, 6ecauft they rectived 11ot the love of the Truth that thry may 6efaved; and for thu cmtje God Jhall fend them flrong de– tu{ions that thryfhallbelieve alie. He fpeaks indeed of the Papi!ls, the learned fort of them, who arc knowing men: But here you fee Satan cometh with de– ceivablenefs of tmrighteouji~tjs, and maketh them 6elieve a lie, through God's permiilion. Whojha/1per[wade Ahab that he may go 11p and fall at Ramoth– Gi!ead1 A11dtherecame forth a Spirit andflo•d 6ejore the Lord, and he faid, I willgo forthmzd be a lyu<g Spirit;, the mouth of all his Prophets. Go (faith God)anddofo,andthoufha!tprevail. Hewentanddid fo work upon the un– der!landings of the falfe Prophets, as he made them believe it; he imitated God fo. So on the other fide, for God to come and fall upon a man's Spirit, and en– lighten it fo as he lhall be fully convinced of the truth, that he is perfwaded that thefc things that are delivered in the Word are true, which he did not before; this is no more a work of an Almighty power, than that other by Satan is, he can do as much in another way, as the Holy Gho!l in this way. So that to work upon the under!landing is not a work of an Almighty power. My Brethren, let me tell you this, If a man have never fo much knowledge wrought in him by the Holy Gho!l in a way of enligluning, when he cometh to turn to God, he findcth all that knowledge new, and it differeth as much from the other, as the Reafon of a man from the Fancy of an Ape, (let me fo exprefs it, there is a reality in the proportion that this expreilion holds forth,) It is , called the light of hfe, Take but tile poore!l Soul, that hath but the under- !bndiog of Jefus Chri!t given unto him by the Spirit of God , he hath that knowledge which all the Learned men in the World have not : The one is a work of an Almighty power by Creation, the other is but an enlightniog, So then, God may work upog the Under!landing, and not by an Almighty ·power, Come
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