But thus it hath fallen out in other things. Those who have de- clared any thing either of the doctrine or of the power of the grace
VOL. IV. 11
162 CAUSES, WAYS, AND MEANS, ETC. [BOOK VI., PART II.
of the gospel have been traduced, as opposing the principles of mo- rality and reason ; whereas on their grounds alone their true value can be discovered and their proper use directed. So the apostle, preaching faith in Christ, with righteousness and justification thereby, was accused to have made void the law, whereas without his doc- trine the law would have been void, or of no use to the souls of men. So he pleads, Rom. iii. 31, " Do we then make void the law through faith? God forbid : yea, we establish the law." So to this day, jus- tification by the imputation of the righteousness of Christ, and the necessity of our own obedience ; the efficacy of divine grace in con- version, and the liberty of our own wills ; the stability of God's pro- mises, and our diligent use of means, — are supposed inconsistent. So it is here also : the necessity of the communication of spiritual light unto our minds to enable us to understand the Scriptures, and the exercise of our own reason in the use of external means, are looked on as irreconcilable. But, as the apostle saith, " Do we make void the law through faith? yea, we establish it;" though he did it not in that place, nor unto those ends that the Jews would have had and used it. So we may say, Do we, by asserting the righteousness of Christ, make void our own obedience ; by the efficacy of grace, destroy the liberty of our wills; by the necessity of spiritual illumination, take away the use of reason? yea, we establish them. We do it not, it may be, in such a way or in such a manner as some would fancy, and which would render them all on our part really useless, but in a clear consistency with and proper subserviency unto the work of God's Spirit and grace.
2. That in particular which lieth before us is, to remove that pre- tence of some, that we need no other assistance of the Spirit of God for the right understanding of the Scripture but only his blessing in general on our own endeavours. To this end two things are to be inquired into: — (1.) What description is given of this work in the Scripture, and what are the effects of it in our minds in general; (2.) What is the nature of it in particular.
(1.) The work itself is variously expressed in the Scripture; and it is that which, whether we will or no, we must be determined by in things of this kind. And the variety of expression serves both unto the confirmation of its truth and illustration of its nature.
[1.] It is declared by opening of our eyes, Ps. cxix. 18 ; the en- lightening of the eyes of our understanding, Eph. i. 18. This open- ing of our eyes consists in the communication of spiritual light unto our minds by the preaching of the word, as it is declared, Acts xxvi. 17, 18. And the expression, though in part metaphorical, is emi- nently instructive in the nature of this work ; for suppose the near- est and best-disposed proposition of any object unto our bodily eyes,
CHAP. IV.] SPIRITUAL ILLUMINATION PROVED FROM SCRIPTURE. 163
with an external light properly suited unto the discovery of it, yet if our eyes he blind, or are closed beyond our own power to open them, we cannot discern it aright. Wherefore, on a supposition of the proposal unto our minds of the divine truths of supernatural revela- tion, and that in ways and by means suited unto the conveyance of it unto them, which is done in the Scripture and by the ministry of the church, with other outward means, yet without this work of the Spirit of God, called the " opening of our eyes," we cannot discern it in a due manner. And if this be not intended in this ex- pression, it is no way instructive, but rather suited to lead us into a misunderstanding of what is declared and of our own duty. So it is plainly expressed, Luke xxiv. 45, " Then opened he their under- standing, that they might understand the Scriptures." None, I sup- pose, will deny but that it is the work of the Spirit of God thus to open our eyes, or to enlighten our understandings ; for this were to deny the express testimonies of the Scripture, and those frequently reiterated. But some say, he doth this by the word only, and the preaching of it. No other work of his, they affirm, is necessary here- unto, or to make us rightly to discern the mind of God in the Scripture, but that it be proposed unto us in a due manner, pro- vided we purge our minds from prejudices and corrupt affections. And this is the work of the Spirit, in that he is the author of the Scriptures, which he makes use of for our illumination. And it is granted that the Scripture is the only external means of our illumi- nation; but in these testimonies it is considered only as the object thereof. They express a work of the Spirit or grace of God upon our minds, with respect unto the Scripture as its object: " Open thou mine eyes, that I may behold wondrous tilings out of thy law." The law, or the Scripture, with the "wonderful things" contained therein, are the things to be known, to be discovered and understood ; but the means enabling us thereunto is an internal work upon our minds themselves, which is plainly expressed in distinction from the things to be known. This is the sum of what we plead : There is an effica- cious work of the Spirit of God opening our eyes, enlightening our understandings or minds, to understand the things contained in the Scripture, distinct from the objective proposition of them in the Scripture itself; which the testimonies urged do fully confirm.