Second. And so in any points of religion naturally, a man sees not them spiritiiaU;/, as they are, and as God sees them, but he seeth them by a human light. He seeth heavenly things by a human light, notionally, and merely to discourse of them. He seeth not intrltively -- into the things themselves. He seeth them sub aliena specie, under another representation than their own. .Only a godly man seeth spiritual things as the Spirit of God, and seeth them as they are, knows sin as it is, knoweth grace to be as it is, and knoweth faith. What it is to believe, what it is to have peace of con- science, and the pardon of sins. He knoweth these things in some sense intritively, though not so as he shall do when he shall see these things in heaven, when he shall see face to face. There is a great difference in it. He sees them intritively in respect of the knowledge of other men, though he sees but in a glass in regard of the knowledge he shall have in heaven. As St Paul saith, ' For we see but as in a glass.' But he that sees in a glass seeth more life than he that sees the dead picture of a man. So, though we see but in a glass heavenly things, yet we see them better than those that see them in a dead notion. Though it be nothing to the knowledge we shall have in heaven, yet it is -incomparable above the know- ledge of any carnal natural man upon the earth.
Third. Again, naturally men have veils of ignorance upon the most divine things. Of spiritual things, such as is union, and as is the communion between Christ and us, and the mystery of regeneration in the new creature, such as is the joy in the Holy Ghost, the inward peace of conscience. I will not name the particulars to insist on them, but give you only an in- stance. Though they know the notion of these things, yet they are alto- gether ignorant of them. Their knowledge is a mere outward light. It is a light radicated f in the soul. It is not as the light of the moon, which
* Qu. ' intuitively,' or ' interiorly ? ' — G. ; or, ' introitively ? ' — Ed.
t There seems to be a confusion here, as if a sentence had been left out. It must be the knowledge, not of ' natural,' but of ' gracious,' men, that is as a light radicated or rooted in the soul. — Ed.
ISA. XXV. 6, 7.] BETWEEN CHRIST AND HIS CHURCH. 463
receiveth light from the sun, but it is a hght radicated and incorporated into the soul, as the hght of the sun is, by the Spirit. It is in the soul. It is not only upon the soul, but in the soul. The heart sees and feeleth, and knoweth divine truths. There is a power and virtue in the sight and knowledge of a gracious man. There is none in the knowledge of a carnal man. The light of a candle hath a hght in it, but no virtue at all goeth with it ; but the light of the sun, and the hght of the stars, they have a special virtue, they have heat with them, and they have an influence in a special kind on inferior bodies working together with the light. So it is with heavenly apprehension and knowledge. It actually conveyeth light. But with the light there is a blessed and gracious influence, there is heat and efiieacy with that light. But though a carnal man know all the body of divinity, yet it is a mere light without heat, a light without influence. It is not experimental. As a blind man can talk of colours, if he be a scholar. and describe them better than he that hath his eyes, he being not a scholar. But he that hath his eyes can judge of colom's a great deal better. Often- times, by book, a scholar can tell you foreign countries better than he that hath travelled, yet the traveller that hath been there can tell them the more distinctly. So he that is experienced in that kind, though a stranger, can measure another man's ground better than himself. He can tell you here is so many acres. But he that possesseth them knows the goodness of them, the worth of them, and improveth them to his own good. And so it is with many. They can measm^e the points of religion, and define and divide them. Aye, but the poor Christian can taste, can feel them, can relish and improve them. His knowledge is a knowledge with interest, but other men's knowledge is a knowledge with no interest or experience at all. So'that there is natm'allyaveil of ignorance on the heart of eveiy natural man.
Christianity is a mystery. Till conversion there is a mysteiy in eveiT point of religion. None know what repentance is but a repentant sinner. All the books in the world cannot inform the heart what sin is or what sorrow is. A sick man knoweth what a disease is better than all physicians, for he feeleth it. No man knoweth what faith is but the true behever. There is a mystery^ also in love. Godliness is called a mystery, not only for the notional, but the practical part of it. Why do not men more solace themselves in the transcendent things of religion, which may ravish angels ? Alas ! there is a veil over their soul, that they do not know them, or not experimentally. They have no taste or feeling of them.