he certainly has not. But a new 'perception he has': and by means of that he is enabled to judge of these things a.? thev are. At the same time, he himself is judged of no man ; because no natural man does view things as they are ; he never takes eternity sufficiently into his account: if he did, he would see, at once, that " the fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom : a good understanding have all they that do there- after : the praise of it endureth for ever^."]
Let me now proceed to point out, IL The true source of his superiority —
The natural man possesses not that kind of know- ledge whereby to instruct him —
[What, I would ask, is the standard of true wisdom? Is it not " the mind of the Lord?" Is there a man in all the world that believes in a divine revelation, and will, for a mo- ment, controvert this truth ? Let this, then, be settled in our minds : let this be admitted as a point agreed upon by all parties : let this be laid down as an axiom, which admits of no doubt :
The mind of the Lord is the only standard of true
Now then, I will ask, What natural man knows that mind? There are but two ways in which he can know it ; namely, either by the written word alone, or by a special revelation of it to his soul. But by the written word alone (whether with human instruction, or without) he cannot understand it ; as we are told in the words before my text : " The natural man re- ceiveth not the things of the Spirit of God ; for they are foolish- ness unto him ; neither can he know them, because they are spiritually discerned^." As for a spiritual revelation of them to his soul, that is out of the question : for if he had that, he would already have become a spiritual man : but, not having received that, he neither knows, nor can " know, the mind of the Lord ;" and consequently cannot instruct the spiritual man, either in a way of refutation, or of more accurate and enlarged information. If he attempt to dogmatize on such subjects, he will only betray his own ignorance, which even a babe, if taught of God, will discover.]
But the spiritual man possesses that very know- ledge which is requisite for his guidance in the divine life—
[" He has the mind of Christ :" he has it revealed to his
^ Phil. i. 9, 10. See the Greek, Trairj; nlaBiimi' i\c to ^oKifxdi^SLv vjiac TCI cia(j>iporT<t.
i Vs. cxi, 10. ^ vex. 14.