We see men of excellent parts are enemies to that they teach themselves, opposing the power of the gospel. Whence is all this ? Because they think only the opening of these things makes them divines, whereas without the Holy Ghost sanctifying and altering the heart in some measure to taste and relish these things, that as they are divine in themselves, so to have some- what divine in the heart to taste these things, it is impossible but that the heart should rise against them ; and so it doth. For when it comes to particulars, you must deny yourself in this honour, in this pleasure, and commodity ; now you must venture the displeasure of man for this and that truth. The heart riseth in scorn and loathing of divine truth. When it comes to particulars they know nothing as they should. For when is truth known, but when in particulars we stand for it ; and will neither betray it nor do anything that doth not benefit* a Christian ? If we have not the Spirit of God to relish truths in particular, they v/ill do us no good. And except the Spirit sanctify the heart of man first by these truths, the truth will never be understood by the proud natural heart of man.
Therefore the course that God takes with his children is this. Those that he means to save, he first inspires into their hearts some desire to come to hear and attend upon the means of salvation, to understand the gospel ; and then under the means of salvation he shines into the under- standing by a heavenly light, and inspires into the will and atfectious some heavenly inclination to this truth of the gospel, to justification, sanctifica- tion, self-denial, and the like, and works a new life ; and new senses, and upon them, wrought under the means, comes the soul to relish, and to understand these mj'steries ; and then the ears and the eyes are open to sec these things, and never before. A holy man, that hath his heart sub- dued by the Spirit of God in the use of the means, oh he relisheth the point of forgiveness of sins ; he relisheth the point of sanctification ; he studies it daily more and more, and nearer communion with God ; he relisheth peace of conscience and joy in the Holy Ghost ; they are sweet things, and all the duties of Christianity, because he makes it his main
* Qu. ' befit ' ?— Ed.
A GLANCE OF HEAVEN. 161
business to adorn his profession ; and to live hero, so as he may live for ever hereafter. And this must be of necessity ; for mark out of the text : if the natural eye and oar and heart can never see nor hear, nor conceive the things of God, must there not be a supernatural ear and eye and heart pnt into the soul ? Must not the heart and all be new-moulded again ? If the former frame be not sufficient for these things, of necessity it miist be so.
Use 4. From hence learn to arm yourselves agniust all scandals.-'- When ye see men of all parts and account, and such there may be, men of deep apprehensions and understanding in the Scripture for the matter of notion, and for the language of the Scripture exquisite, and yet to be proud, ma- licious, haters of sanctity, next to devils, none greater, consider what is the reason. Either they have proud spirits that despise and neglect the mSans of salvation altogether ; or if they do come, they come as judges ; they will not submit their proud hearts to the sweet motions of the Spirit. Stumble not at it, if such men be both enemies to that they teach them- selves, and those that practise it. The reason is, because their proud hearts were never subdued by the Spirit to understand the things they speak of. For such a teacher understands supernatural things by a natural light, and by human reason ; that is, to talk, and discourse, &c., but he sees not supernatural things by a supernatural light, divine things by a divine light. Therefore a poor soul that hears the things published by him, understands them better by the help of the Spirit than he that speaks them ; better indeed for his use and comfort. As we see, there are some that can measure land exactly ; but the man that owneth the land measured, he knows the use of the ground and delights in it as his own. The other can tell, here is so much ground, &c. So some divines, they can tell there are such points, and so they are raised ; and they can be exquisite in this; but what profit have they by it ?
The poor soul that hears these things, by the help of the Spirit he can say. These are mine, as the man for whom the ground is measured. As it is with those that come to a feast, the physician comes and says. This is wholesome and good, and this is good for this and that, but eats nothing. Others that know not these things, they eat the meat, and are nourished in the mean time. So when such men discourse of this and that, a poor man that hath the Spirit, he relisheth these things as his own. The other goes away, only discourseth as a philosopher of the meat, and eats nothing.