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vine teachings, or ever shall be so. And these are, as they are frequently expreffed, meekness, humility, godly fear, reverence, fubmiflion of foul and conscience unto the authority of God, with a refolution and readiness for and unto all that obedience which he requireth of us, efpecially that which is internal in the hidden man of the heart. It may be fome will judge that we wander very far from the matter of our enquiry; namely, how we may come unto the knowledge of the mind of God in the Scripture, or we may aright understand the Scripture, when we assign these things as means thereof, or preparations thereunto. For although these are good things, (for that cannot be denied) yet it is ridiculous to urge them as neceffary unto this end, or of any use for the attaining of it. Learning, arts, tongues, fciences, with the rules of their exercise, and the advantage of ecclefiaftical dignity, are the things that are of use herein, and they alone. The most of these things and fundry other of the fame kind, we acknowledge to be of great ufe unto the end defigned, in their proper place, and what is the due ufe of them fhall be afterwards declared. But we must not forego what the Scripture plainly inftructeth us in, and which the nature of the 'things themselves doth evidence to be neceffary, to comply with the arrogance and fancy of any, or to free ourselves from their contempt.

It is such an understanding of the Scripture, of the divine revelation of the mind of God therein, as wherein the fpiritual illumination of our minds doth confift, which we enquire after; fuch a knowledge as is useful and profitable unto the proper ends of the Scripture towards us, that which we are taught of God, that we may live unto him. These are the ends of all true knowledge. See 2 Tim. iii. 14, 15, 16, 17. And for this end the furnishment of the mind with the graces before mentioned is the best preparation. He bids defiance unto the gospel by whom it is denied. "God refifteth the proud, but giveth grace to the humble." Whatever be the parts or abilities of men, whatever diligence they may ufe in the investigation of

the truth, whatever difciplinary knowledge they may attain thereby, the Spirit of God never did, nor ever will, inftruct a proud unhumbled foul in the right knowledge of the Scripture as it is a divine revelation. It is by these gracious qualifications alone whereby we may be enabled to caft out all filthinefs and fuperfluity of naughținess, so as to receive the ingrafted word with meeknefs, which is able to fave our fouls.

Our bleffed Saviour tells us, that unless we be con"verted, and become as little children, we cannot enter "into the kingdom of Heaven," Mat. xviii. 3. We cannot do so, unless we become humble, meek, tender, weaned from high thoughts of ourselves, and are purged from prejudices by corrupt affections. And I value not that knowledge which will not conduct us into the kingdom. of heaven, or which fhall be thence excluded. So God hath promifed that "the meek he will guide in judgment, "the meek he will teach his way; the fecret of the Lord "is with them that fear him, and he will fhew them his "covenant; and what man is he that feareth the Lord, "him shall he teach in the way," Pfal. xxv. 9, 12, 14. And fo we are told plainly that "evil men understand not "judgment, but they that fear the Lord understand all "things," Prov. xxviii. 5.

Now all these graces whereby men are made teachable, capable of divine myfteries, fo as to learn the truth as it is in Jefus, to understand the mind of God in the Scriptures, are wrought in them by the Holy Spirit, and belong unto his work upon our minds in our illumination. Without this the hearts of all men are fat, their ears heavy, and their eyes fealed, that they can neither hear, nor perceive nor understand the mysteries of the kingdom of God.

These things belong unto the work of the Holy Spirit upon our minds: (as also fundry other inftances might be given unto the fame purpose) in our illumination, or his enabling of us rightly to understand the mind of God in the Scripture. But whereas whoever is thus

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by him graciously prepared and difposed, shall be taught in the knowledge of the will of God, fo far as he is concerned to know it in point of duty, if fo be he abide in the ordinary use of outward means, fo there are fundry other things neceffary unto the attaining of further useful degrees of this knowledge and understanding: whereof I fhall treat afterwards.

CHAP. VI.

The work of the Holy Spirit in the composing and disposal of the Scripture as a means of facred illumination; the perfpicuity of the Scripture unto the underftanding of the mind of God declared and vindicated.

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THERE is yet another part of the work of the Holy Spirit with refpect unto the illumination of our minds which must also be enquired into. And this concerneth the Scripture itself. For this he hath so given out, and so disposed of, as that it should be a moral way or means for the communication of divine revelations unto the minds of For this alfo is an effect of his infinite wisdom and care of the church, defigning to enlighten our minds with the knowledge of God, he prepared apt inftruments for that end. That therefore which we shall declare on this head of our difcourfe is, that the Holy Spirit of God hath prepared and difpofed of the Scripture, "fo as it might be a moft fufficient and abfolutely perfect way and means of communicating unto our minds, that faving knowledge of God and his will which is needful that we may live unto him, and come unto the enjoyment of him in his glory. And here fundry things must be observed.

1. The Holy Spirit hath not in the Scripture reduced and difpofed its doctrines or fupernatural truths into any system, order or method. Into fuch a method are the principal of them disposed in our catechisms and systems

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of divinity, creeds, and confeffions of faith. For whereas the doctrinal truths of the Scripture have a mutual respect unto, and dependence on one another, they may be disposed into such an order to help the understandings and memories of men. en. There is indeed in fome of the epiftles of Paul, especially that unto the Romans, a methodical difpofition of the most important doctrines of the gofpel. And from thence are the best methods of our teaching borrowed. But in the whole Scripture there is no fuch thing aimed at. It is not diftributed into common places, nor are all things concerning the fame truth methodically difpofed under the fame head: but its contexture and frame is quite of another nature. From this confideration fome think they have an advantage to charge the Scripture with obfcurity; and do thereon maintain that it was never intended to be fuch a revelation of doctrines as should be the rule of our faith. Had it been fo, the truths to be believed would have been proposed in fome order unto us, as a creed, or confeflion of faith, that we might at once have had a view of them, and been acquainted with them. But whereas they are now left to be gathered out of a collection of histories, prophecies, prayers, fongs, letters or epiftles, fuch as the Bible is compofed of, they are difficult to be found, hard to be underftood, and never perfectly to be learned. And doubtless the way fancied would have been excellent had God defigned to effect in us, only an artificial or methodical faith and obedience. But if we have a due regard unto the use of the Scripture and the ends of God therein, there is no weight in this objection. For.

I. It is evident that the whole of it confifts in the advancement of men's own apprehenfions and imaginations against the will and wisdom of God. It is a fufficient reafon to prove this the absolute best way for the difpofal of divine revelations, because God hath made ufe of this and no other. One indeed is reported to have said, that had he been present at the creation of the universe, he would have difpofed fome things into a better order, than what they

are in. For vain man would be wife, though he be like the wild affes colt. And no wifer or better are the thoughts. that the revelation of fupernatural truths, might have been otherwise disposed of with refpect unto the end of God, than as they are in the Scripture. God puts not fuch value upon men's accurate methods as they may imagine them to deferve. Nor are they fo fubfervient unto his ends in the revelation of himself, as they are apt to fancy (yea, oft times when as they suppose they have brought truths unto the ftricteft propriety of expreffion, they lofe both their power and their glory.) Hence is the world filled with fo many lifelefs, faplefs, graceless, artificial declarations of divine truth in the schoolmen and others. We may fooner squeeze water out of a pumice stone, then one drop of spiritual nourishment out of them. But how many millions of fouls have received divine light and confolation fuited unto their condition in thofe occafional occurrences of truth which they meet withal in the Scripture, which they would never have obtained in those wife artificial difpofals of them which fome men would fancy. Truths have their power and efficacy upon our minds, not only from themselves, but from their pofiture in the Scripture. There are they placed in fuch aspects towards, in fuch conjunctions one with another, as that their influences on our minds do greatly depend thereon. He is no wife man, nor exercifed in those things, who would part with any one truth out of its proper place where the Holy Spirit hath difpofed and fixed it. The Pfalmift faith of God's teftimonies, they are in W, "the men of his counfel," Pfalm cxix. 24. And no man will make choice of a counsellor, all whose wisdom confifts in fayings and rules caft into a certain order and method. He alone is a good counsellor, who out of the largenefs and wisdom of his own heart and mind, can give advice according unto all prefent occafions and circumftances. Such counsellors are the teftimonies of God. Artificial methodizing of fpiritual truths, may make men ready in notions, cunning and fubtle in difputations, but

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