194 THE RATURE, CAUSES, AND MEANS " revelation in the knowledge of him; the eyes of your " understanding being opened, that you may know " what is the hope of his calling," &c, That the spi- rit of wisdom and revelation, is the Spirit of God work- ing those effects in us, we havebefore evinced. And it is plain, that the revelation here intended is subjective, in the enabling us to apprehend what is revealed, and not objective in new revelations which the apostle pray- ed not that they might reeceive. And this is further evidenced by the ensuing description of it, the eyes of your understanding being opened. There is an eye in the understanding of man; that is, the natural power and ability that is in it to discern spiritual things. But this eye is sometimes said to beblind, sometimes to be darkness, sometimes tobe shut or closed. And nothing but the impotency of our minds to know God savingly, or discern things spiritually when proposed unto us, can be intended thereby. It is the work of the Spirit of grace to open this eye, Luke iv. 18. Acts xxvi. 18. ' And this is the powerful effectual removal of that de- pravation of our minds, with all its effects, which we be- fore described. And bow are we made partakers here- of? It is ofthe gift of God, freely asid effectually work- ing of it; For, (1.) He gives us the spirit of wisdom asid revelation to that end. And, (2.) Works the thing itself in us. Hegives us an heart to know him, Jer. xxiv. 7. without which we cannot so do, or ;he would not himself undertake to work it in us for that end. There is thereforean effectual,. powerful, creating act of the Holy Spirit put forth in the minds of men in their conversion unto God, enabling them spiritually to discern spiritual things, wherein the seed and substance of divine faith is contained. Sect. 53. -2, This is called the renovation of our minds.; renewed in the spirit of our minds, Eph. iv. 23. which is the same with being reneseed in knowledge, Erat Lux vera quer illuminat bmnem hominem venientem In hang undmn; quod ideo dictum est, quia minus hominem illuminator, n illo lum s e Verita, quod Deus est, ne quisquan paterni ab eo se illu- minati a quo aliquid audit ut disent; non dico si quenquam magnum ho- minem sed nec si angetem ei contingat habeee Doctorem. Adhibetur enirn rmo Veritatis extrinsueusvocis mioisteriocorporali; Veruuitamen neque qui plantar est aliquid, neqúequi riges; sed qui incrementum dat Deus. Audit quippe homo dicentem sui hominem vet angelum, sed ut aensat et cognoscat verum esse quod dicitur, illo Ionise intus mens as- pergitur quod aternummanes, quodetiam in tenebris Iucet.August de peccator. Merit. et Remiss. lib. 1. cap. 25. Col. iii. I0. And this renovation of our minds hath in it a transforming power to change the whole soul into an obediential frame towards God, Isom. xü. 2. And the work of renewing our minds is peculiarly ascribed unto the Holy Spirit, Titus. iii. 5. The renewing of the Holy Ghost. Some men seem to fancy, yea, do de - Clare, that there is no such depravation in, or of the mind of man, but that he is able, by the use of his rea- son, to apprehend, receive, and discern those truths of the gospel which are objectively proposed unto it. But of the use of reason in these matters, and its ability to discern andjudge of the sense ofpropositions, and force of inferences in things of religion, we shall treat after- wards. At present, I only inquire whether men unre- generate, be of themselves able spiritually to discern spi- ritual things, when they are proposed unto them in the dispensation of the gospel, so as their knowledge may be saving in and unto themselves, and acceptable unto God in Christ, and that without any especial internal effectual work of the Holy Spirit of grace in them and upon them? If they say they are, as they plainly plead them to be, and will not content themselves with an as- cription unto them of that notional doctrinal knowledge, which none deny them to be capable of I desire to know, to what purpose are they said to be renewed by the Holy Ghost; to what purpose are allthose gracious actings of God in them before recounted? He that shall consider what, on the one hand, the scripture teacheth us concerning the blindness, darkness, impotency of our minds, with respect unto spiritual things when pro- posed unto us, as in the state of nature; and, on the other, what it affirms concerning the work of the Holy Ghost in their renovation and change, in giving them new power, new ability, a new active understanding, will not be much moved with the groundless confident unproved dictates of some concerning the power of rea- son in itself to apprehend and discern religious things, so far as we are required in a way of duty. This is all one as if they should say, that if the sun shine clear and bright, every blind man is able to see. Sect. 54. God herein is said to communicate a light unto our minds, and that so, as that we see by it, or perceive by it, the things proposed unto us in the gos- pel usefully and ravingly; 2 Cor, iv. 6. " God who " commanded the light to shine Out of darkness, hath " shined in our hearts, to give the light of the know=
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