352 CORRUPTION OR commands of God in a due manner; they deny the corruption of our nature by the entrance of sin, and render the grace of Christ useless, as shall be demon- strated. 2. There is, or may be, a-power in the mind to dis-. cern spiritual things, whereby it is so able to do it, as- that it can immediately exercise that power in. the spi- ritual discerning of them upon their due proposal unto it, that is spiritually; as a man that hath a visive faculty sound and entire, upon the due proposal of visible ob- jects unto him, can discern and see them. This power must be spiritual and supernatural: for whereas tore- ceive spiritual things, spiritually, is so to receive them as really to believe them with faith divine and super- 'natural, to love them, with divine love, to conform the whole soul andaffection unto them, Rom. vi. 17. 2Cor. iii. 18. no natural man bath power so to do. This is that which is denied in this place by the apostle: where- fore between the natural capacity of the mind, and the act of spiritual discerning, there must be an interposi- tion of an effectual work ofthe Holy Ghost, enabling it thereunto, 1 John v. 20. 1 Cor. iv. G. Sect. 31. Of the assertion thus laid down and ex- plained the apostle gives a double reason; the first taken horn the nature of the things to be known, with respect unto the mind and understanding of anatural man, the other from the way or manner whereby alone spiritual things may be acceptably discerned. 1. Thefirst reason taken from the nature ofthe things themselves with respect unto the mind, is, that they are foolishness. In themselves they are the wisdom of God, fCor. ii. 7. Effects of the wisdom of God, and those which have the impress of the wisdom of God upon them; and when thedispensation of themwas said tobe foolishness, the apostle contends not about it, but tells them however it is the foolishness of God, 1 Cor, i. ltJ which he Both to cast contempt on all the wisdom of men, whereby the gospel -is despised: and they are the hidden wisdom of God; such an effect of divine wisdom as no creature could make any discovery of, Ephes. iii. 9, 10. Job xxviii. 20, 21, 22. And they are the wis- dom of God ina mystery, or full of deep mysterious wisdom. But to the natural man they are foolishness, not only although they are the wisdom of God, but pe- culiarly because they are so, and as they are so; for the carnal mind is enmity against God. Now that is DEPRAVATresur esteemed foolishness, which is looked oneither as weak and impertinent, or as that which contains or expresseth . meansand ends disproportionate, or as that which is undesirable in comparison of what may be set up in competition with it, or is on any other consideration not eligible,. or tobe complied with on the terms where- on it is proposed. And for one or other, or all of these reasons, are spiritual things, natnely, those here intend- ed, wherein the wisdom of God in the mystery of the gospel doth consist, foolishness unto a natural man;: which we shall demonstrate by some instances. Sect.' 82: (t.) That they were so unto the learned . philosophers of old, both our apostle doth-testify, and the known experience of those first ages of the church makes evident, 1 Cor. i..22, 23, 26, 27, 28. Had spi- ritual things been suited unto the minds or reasons of natural linen, it could not be, but that those who had most improved their minds, and were raised unto the highest exercise of their reasons, must much more read- ily have received and embraced the mysteries of the gos- pel,. than those who were poor,: illiterate, and carne many degrees behind them in the exercise and improve- ment thereof. So we see it is, as to the reception of any thing in nature, or morality, which being of any worth is proposed unto the minds of men; they are em- braced soonest by them that are wisest and know most. But here things fell out quite otherwise; they were the wise, the knowing, the rational, the learned men of the world, that made the greatest and longest opposition unto spiritual things; and that expressly and avowed- ly, because they were foolishness unto them, and that on all the accounts before-mentioned; and their opposi- tion unto them they managed with pride, scorn, and contempt, as they thought foolish things ought to be handled. Sect. 3.3. The profound ignorance and- confidence, whence it is that some of late are not ashamed to preach and print, that it was the learned, rational, wise part of mankind, as they were esteemed or,professed of them- selves; the philosophers, and such as under their con- duct pretended unto a life according to the dictates`- of reason, who first embraced the gospel, as being more disposed unto its reception than others, cannot be suf.* ficiently admired or despised. Had they once consi- dered what is spoken unto this purpose in the. New Testament, or knew any thing of the entrances,_growth,
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