knowledge of Christ";" and must " all be taught of GodP," before we can " know the things that have been freely given to us of God^." Let me then recommend, that, whenever you open the inspired volume, you lift up your hearts to him, and say, " Open thou mine eyes, that I may behold wondrous things out of thy law."
Shall this be thought unnecessary ? Shall it be supposed, that, because we have the words and sentences plainly written, we can necessarily discern the mind of God in them ? Were this the case, every student of the Scriptures would, in all their principal and fundamental points at least, have a clear understanding of them. But experience proves, that, like the Scribes and Pharisees of old, we may have an accurate know- ledge of the letter, and yet have no conception of the spirit of them. They are a sealed book to us at this time, as they were to those of former days. Like a dial, which has the figures accurately marked, and the gnomon rightly fixed ; but yet you look at it in vain, till the light of the sun shine upon it : so in vain do you read or study the Holy Scriptui'es, till a light shine upon them from above, or till God " shine into our hearts, to give us the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ ^"]
3. As a Governor, to bring us into subjection to them —
[If the Spirit of God have searched out for us the deep things of God, and have made them known to us, it is not that we should speculate upon them, but that we should, as far as possible, be conformed to them. We must be as ready to obey him in what he commands, as to believe him in what he reveals. We must complain of nothing as an hard saying; but must give up ourselves as willing servants to fulfil his will, or rather must be like metal that is ready to be poured into the mould w^iich God has prepared for us. This is the very idea suggested by the Apostle Paul, when he says of all true Christians, " Ye have obeyed from the heart that form of doctrine which was delivered you :" his expression rather is, " Ye have obeyed from the heart that forn\ of doctrine, into which, as into a mould, ye were delivered ^" If this be not attained, the manifestation of God's will in the written word will be of no use : indeed, it will only occasion our heavier condemnation.
If any reply, that there are commands which appear unreason- able, and that we cannot be required to obey them ; I answer. We are not to sit in judgment upon God, and to determine whether his commands be reasonable or not. We expect to
« Eph. i. 17, 18, P John vi. 45. <• ver. 12.
' 2 Cor. iv. G. ^ Rom. vi. 17. See the Greek.