2. In this law there are Ai&yQJ } " wonderful things." N?3 signi- fies to be " wonderful," to be " hidden," to be " great" and " high;" that which men by the use of reason cannot attain unto or under- stand (hence ni^PSJ are things that have such an impression of divine wisdom and power upon them as that they are justly the ob- ject of our admiration); that which is too hard for us; as Deut. xvii. 8, "91 Vf» vb®. '3,— "If a matter be too hard for thee," hid from thee. And it is the name whereby the miraculous works of God are
CHAP. II.] SPIRITUAL ILLUMINATION PROVED FROM SCRIPTURE. 129
expressed, Ps. lxxvii. 11, lxxviii. 11. Wherefore, these "wonderful things of the law" are those expressions and effects of divine wisdom in the Scripture which are above the natural reason and under- standings of men to find out and comprehend. Such are the mys- teries of divine truth in the Scripture, especially because Christ is in them, whose name is *?&, or " Wonderful," Isa. ix. 6; for all the great and marvellous effects of infinite wisdom meet in him. These things and doctrines God calls Wfrl-^, Hos. viii. 12: "I have written to him the great things of my law, but they were count- ed ">f 1B3 , as a strange thing." Because they were " wonderful" in themselves, they neglected and despised them, as that which was foreign and alien from them, which belonged not unto them. So deal many with the mysteries of the gospel at this day; because they are heavenly, spiritual, in themselves marvellous, hidden, and above the understanding of the natural reason of men, — that is, they are fli*vS3 , " wonderful," — they reject and despise them as things alien and foreign unto their religion. Wherefore, the " wonderful things" of the Scripture are those mysteries of divine truth, wisdom, and grace, that are revealed and contained therein, with their especial respect unto Jesus Christ.
S. Three things are supposed in the words concerning these "won- derful things:" —
(1.) That they are recorded, laid up, or treasured, in the law or Scripture, and nowhere else, so as that from thence alone are they to be learned and received : " Behold wondrous things out of thy law." That alone is the sacred wapuxaraOiixri, or "repository" of them. There are wondrous things in the works of nature and providence, and much of them is contained in the treasury of reason, wherein it may be dis- cerned ; but these are stored in the law only, and nowhere else.
(2.) That it is our duty to behold, to discern, to understand them, to have an inspection into them; and our great privilege when we are enabled so to do. This makes the psalmist pray so frequently, so fervently, that he may have the discerning of them, or come to an acquaintance with them. Those, therefore, by whom they are neglected do both despise their duty and forsake their own mercy.
(3.) That we are not able of ourselves thus to discern them with- out divine aid and assistance; for the psalmist, who was wiser than the wisest of us, and who had so earnest a desire after these things, yet would not trust unto his own reason, wisdom, ability, and dili- gence, for the understanding of them, but betakes himself unto God by prayer, acknowledging therein that it is the especial work of God by his Spirit to enable us to understand his mind and will as re- vealed in the Scripture.
4. There is expressed in the words the act of God towards us, VOL. iv. i)
130 CAUSES, WAYS, AND MEANS, ETC. [BOOK VI., PART II.
whereby he enableth us to behold, discern, and understand the won- derful effects of divine wisdom which are treasured up in the Scrip- ture ; which the psalmist prayeth for. This is called his " opening of our eyes:" *¥#?$, " Reveal mine eyes, uncover, unveil mine eyes." There is a light in the word : all truth is light, and sacred truth is sacred light* yea, the word of God is expressly called "light," Ps. xxxvi. 9, xliii. 3, cxix. 105. But there is by nature a covering, a veil, on the eyes of the understandings of all men, so that they are not able of themselves to behold this light, nor to discern any thing by it in a due manner. With respect hereunto the psalmist prays that God would " reveal his eyes." Revelare is velamentum levare; " to reveal is to take off the veil or covering." And this veil is that of our natural darkness, blindness, and ignorance; whereof we have treated elsewhere.
I see not what is wanting unto the explanation or confirmation of the position before laid down. The communication of spiritual light from God is the peculiar work of the Holy Ghost. He is the immediate author of all spiritual illumination. But hereby alone, or by virtue hereof, can we know or understand the mind of God in the Scripture, in such a manner as God requireth us to do ; and whosoever hath received the grace of this divine illumination may do so, so far as he is concerned, in point of faith or obedience.
The law is the Scripture, the written word of God. Therein are " wonderful things," or mysteries of divine wisdom, contained and revealed. To behold these things, is to discern and understand them aright with respect unto our own faith and obedience. This we cannot do without a supernatural act of the Spirit of God upon our minds, enabling them to discern them and understand them; these things are in the text avavnpp^rug [" indisputably."] And we hence farther argue, that which is our duty to pray for spiritual, super- natural aid to enable us to do, that of ourselves we are not able to do without that aid and assistance, at least we may do it by virtue of that aid and assistance; which includes the substance, by just consequence, of what is pleaded for. But such aid it is our duty to pray for, that we may understand aright the revelations of the mind and will of God in the Scriptures, — the only thing to be proved.