crets, which God has referved to his Knowledge? We can difcover nothing of them our felves; and we must be obliged to his Holy Spirit, for whatever Revelations we may hope for of that Nature. Where then is the Scribe, where is the Wife, where is the Difputer of the World? Hath not God made foolish the Wijdom of this World? It cannot of its felf attain to any Informations, which may be perfective of its true Happiness; it cannot arrive at any of thole advantages, of which our Nature is capable when improved by Grace: But when God's good Spirit has imparted his affiftance, we fhall open our Eyes as in another World, and view at once all the Treasures of the Divine Wifdom, Faith will convince us of the Truth of all thofe Myfteries, which the Natural Man is uncapable of difcerning; we shall then have such Notions of God's Wisdom, and his Truth,as will make us give up our felves with an entire Refignation, to what One difcovers and the Other confirms: When that Holy Spirit has whispered to our Souls, what it could not have entered into the Heart of Man to conceive, we fhall find our felves as certain that

its Maxims are unquestionable, as that there is a God, a God of Truth. In vain shall humane Reason attempt to struggle against Mysteries of too noble and fublime a Nature, to be canvassed or examined by fo feeble an Inquifitor, when it feels it felf over-ruled bya Power that is irresistible, and undoutedly affured of what it cannot comprehend. But I beg that I may not be mistaken in this point, as if I afferted that the workings of God's Spirit, were direct. ly oppofite to our human Reason; it is fo far from ading contrary to that, that one effectual Method which it uses for our inftruction, is to exalt, and as it were, to fpiritualize our Reafon; by let ting that fee clearly the Divine Autho rity, by which the Myfteries of our Religion are recommended, and which when our Reason is once affured of, That must engage us to close heartily with them. Faith may indeed sometimes fly higher than Reason, and leave that a little out of fight, but it never clashes with or Contradicts it; fince that it felf is but a fort of Reasoning, more elevated and abftracted from the Senfes, being ftiled the Evidence of things not leen. But how ftrangely indifpofed

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must the Natural Man be, to qualifie himfelt for these gracious Illuminations! He muft part with all that he is most fond of; and his darling Reason, his unerring Guide, must be supposed unable to direct him in his going; for while he keeps up his lofty Opinion of that, it is impoffible that ever he should be made partaker of thofe clearer lights which God's Spirit would afford him ; and no wonder nor pity is it, if he be mifled; who will rather wander through Darkness after a deluding Meteor, than travel fafely at Noon-day by the Light of the Sun. How shall he liften patiently to the Dicates of God's Spirit, whofe underftanding has not yet informed him, whether there be any Holy Ghoft or no? How fhall he give affent to the Articles of our Faith, whose carnal Reason tells him they are fo many abfurdities? How fhall he fubmit to be inftructed in the Truth, who thinks he is poffeffed of all usefulKnowledge? How will be entertain the Leffons of that Wifdom from above, which is pure and peaceable, full of mercy and good Fruits; when he is wholly taken up with that other false Wisdom, which is pronounced to be

earthly,

earthly, fenfual, devilish? It is impoffi ble that a Man, who cotinues in these Circumstances; who neither feeks for, or deserves the affiftance of God's Spirit, but depends upon the ftrength of his own natural faculties, who thinks his Reason infallible, and himself above erring, fhould ever receive (that is) affent to, or know (that is) comprehend the things of God's Spirit which are of a fpiritual Nature, and which cannot be otherwife than fpiritually difcerned: The Apoftle therefore had fufficient grounds, to affign this as the Reason, for fuch a Perfon's not knowing or receiving them, because he is a Natural Man, and they require a Spiritual discernment. I fhall now proceed in the

Fourth and laft place, to enquire what is necessary to be done, in order to qualifie us for that fpiritual difcernment, by which alone we can be enabled, to receive and know the things of God's Spirit.

The First thing which we are to do in order to this end, is carefully to im. plant within our Souls,the moft Christian Virtue of Humility. We have already feen that the main oppofition,

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which the Natural Man made against the things of God's Spirit, was occafioned by Pride, by Self-conceitedness, and a fond opinion of his own Sufficiency, this kept him at a distance from that fpiritual difcernment, which it is our great business to qualifie our felves for; and therefore it is neceflary that we immediately thake off this overweening conceit of our abilities; that we be conscious of our wants, and not afhamed to acknowledge them, that we be willing to recognize our vileness and our ignorance; and defirous to receive the affiftance of God's Spirit, at once to purifie us and instruct us: Then will God who refifts the Proud, affuredly give his Grace to us that are thus humble and his Grace it is, and that alone, which is able to impart to us that fpiritual difcernment, by which we may perceive, in what the World calls foolifhness, both the Power of God, and the Wisdom of God. For Humili ty, like Jacob's Ladder, tho' it has one end upon the Earth, in the Self-abafement of Man the Practitioner, yet reaches with the other up to Heaven, in the gracious approbation of God the Recompencer; and the Angels which afcended