that " by wisdom they knew not God^" But we will wave this advantage, and take the instance of St. Paul, who had the Scriptures in his hands, who was educated under the most eminent teacher of his day, and who had made a proficiency in biblical learning beyond any of his own age. With these helps, we might well expect that reason should per- form its office to admiration, and prove to the world, that it was not so vitiated as some imagine. Doubt- less he, who had the advantage of living under the brightest, fullest dispensation of Gospel light, should in no respect continue in darkness : he must have clear views both of his duty to God, and of that me- thod of salvation which had been typified in the Scriptures, and was now made plain by the preach- ing of a crucified Saviour. Yet behold, this very man was grossly ignorant both of the law, and of the Gospel too : he knew not that the law condemned the inmost w^orkings of iniquity in the souP ; or that the prophecies had been accomplished in Jesus ^ Nor, unless God had caused the " scales to fall from his eyesV' would his reason ever have sufficed to rectify his views, or to keep him from being a self- righteous moralist, a furious zealot, and a bloody persecutor.
Thus much could reason do for him : " his very wisdom and knowledge, instead of guiding him aright, perverted him'';" "he became vain in his imagina- tions, and his foolish heart was darkened; professing himself to be wise, he- became a fool^."
In addition to what has been thus stated and exem- plified, we will only observe, that God speaks with utter indignation against those who fancy themselves wise, or expect ever to become so by the mere exer- tion of their own reason ; " Vain man would be wise, though he be born like a wild ass's colt^"
Here then permit me to ask ; Does not God know more of us than we do of ourselves ? and. Do not the
r 1 Cor. i. 21. s Rom. vii. 7, 9. ^ \ Tim. i. 13.
" Acts ix. 18. ^ Isai. xlvii. 10. y Rom. i. 21, 22.
^ Job xi. 12.