But there is an internal subjective revelation, whereby no new things are revealed unto our minds, or are not outwardly revealed anew, but our minds are enabled to discern the things that are re- vealed already. All the things here mentioned by the apostle, which he desires they might understand, were already revealed in the Scriptures of the Old Testament, and the New that were then written, and the infallible declaration of the gospel in the preaching of the apostles. But there was a new work of revelation required in and 'unto every person that would understand and comprehend these things in a due manner; for avoxuXu-^ig, or " revelation," is the dis- covery of any thing, whether by the proposal of it unto us, or the enabling of us to discern it when it is so proposed. In the first sense it is used, Rom. xvi. 25; 2 Cor. xii. 1, 7; Gal. i. 12, ii. 2; — in the latter, Luke ii. 32; Eph. i. 17, 18. As when God opened the eyes of the servant of Elisha, on the prayer of his master, to see the horses and chariots of fire that were round about him, 2 Kings vi. 17; they were not brought thither by the opening of his eyes, only he was enabled to discern them, which before he could not do : or, as
CHAP. II.] SPIRITUAL ILLUMINATION PROVED FROM SCRIPTURE. 135
when any one maketli use of a telescope to behold things afar off, no object is presented unto him but what was really in the same place before ; only his visive faculty is assisted to discern them at that distance, which without that assistance it could not reach unto. And the Holy Spirit is here called " The Spirit of revelation" causally, as he is the author or principal efficient cause of it. So in his com- munication unto the Lord Christ himself, he is called " The Spirit of wisdom and understanding, the Spirit of counsel and might, the Spirit of knowledge and of the fear of the Lord •" that should " make him of quick understanding in the fear of the Lord/' Isa. xi. 2, 3.
2. What the psalmist, in the place before insisted on, calleth in general niN?S3 } " wonderful things," the apostle expresseth in parti- cular, and distributes them under sundry heads, as they were more clearly revealed in the gospel. Such are, " The hope of God's call- ing," " The riches of his glory," and " The exceeding greatness of his power in them that do believe." These are some of the principal and most important mysteries of the gospel. No other understand- ing can we have of these things but only as they are revealed therein, or of the revelation of them. And in the manner of his expression he declares these things to be " wonderful," as the psalmist speaks ; for there is in them nXovrog ryjg Wcpg, " the riches of glory," — which is beyond our comprehension. So he expressly affirms that it is avi^iyviaerog, Eph. iii. S, "past all investigation" or search; the same word that he useth to set forth the ways of God, when his design is to declare them wonderful, or the object of our admiration: Rom. xi. S3, " 0 the depth of the riches both of the wisdom and knowledge of God ! how unsearchable are his judgments, and his ways past find- ing out!" And there is in them virspQdXXov (jJkyibog, " an exceeding" or inexpressible " greatness of power."
Such are the things that are proposed unto us in the Scripture. And the principal reason why some men judge it so easy a matter to understand and comprehend by the innate abilities of their own minds the revelations that are made in the word of God unto us, is because they do not apprehend that there is any thing wonderful, or truly great and glorious in them. And, therefore, because they cannot raise their minds unto a comprehension of these mysteries as they are in themselves, they corrupt and debase them to suit them unto their own low, carnal apprehensions : which is the principle that works effectually in the whole of Socinianism ; for grant that there are such" " wonderful things," such mysteries, in the gospel as we plead, and the men of that persuasion will not deny but that our minds do stand in need of a heavenly assistance to comprehend them aright, for they deny them for no other reason but because their reason can- not comprehend them.
136 CAUSES, WAYS, AND MEANS, ETC. [BOOK VI., PAUT II.
8. Concerning these things so revealed in the word, the apostle prays for these Ephesians that they might know them; as also, he expresseth the way whereby alone they might be enabled so to do: E/'s to sJd'smi bfiag,- — ■" That ye might have a sight, perception, or understanding of them/' This he denies a natural man to have, or that he can have; he "cannot know them," 1 Cor. ii. 14. It is true, it may be said he cannot know them unless they are clearly and fairly proposed unto him; no, nor then neither by the light and power of his own natural faculties. He cannot do so by the use of any outward means alone. It is futilous [vain] to imagine that the apostle intends only that a natural man cannot know things that are never proposed unto him, which is neither weakness nor discom- mendation ; for neither can the spiritual man so know any thing.