same ; since, whether it be the Father or the Son who instructs us, it is always by the agency of the Holy Spirit. To say exactly how Christ instructs us, is beyond our power : it is not by visions, or by voices, or by dreams, as in the days of old ; but by opening to us the Scriptures, and giving us a spiritual perception of the truths contained in them. We know not how our own spirit operates on our body : yet we have no doubt but that it does ; because the body obeys in all things the motions of the mind : so, though we cannot define the precise mode in which the Spirit of God operates on our spirit, we know, by the effects, that an influence is exerted by Him upon our minds, and that by that influence we are enabled to see and comprehend many things which to the natural man are utter foolishness^.]
This teaching every true Christian receives —
[In matters of science, the Christian has no advantage above others : his progress will be regulated by laws that are common to every student. But in the concerns of the soul he has a decided superiority, above all his equals in age and learning. He has the Lord Jesus Christ for his instructor: his " heart has been opened by the Lord, as Lydia's was, to attend to the things of Godh;" and his understanding has been opened to understand them1." It was by this teaching that Peter, a poor fisherman, was enabled to declare the true character of Christ, which the Scribes and Pharisees, with all their advantages, were not able to discern : " Blessed art thou, Simon Bar-jona ; for flesh and blood hath not revealed it unto thee, but my Father which is in heavenV If it be thought that this privilege was confined to the Apostles, or to the apostolic age, I answer, that it is the portion of all God's people to the end of time ; according as it is written, " All thy children shall be taught of God, and great shall the peace be of thy children."]
Suited to this education is,
II. The Christian's walk —
The Apostle tells us what this is : he tells us,
1. Negatively, what it is not — [The state of the Gentile world is awful in the extreme. Whatever may be the conduct of a few amongst them, the great mass are alienated from all good, and addicted to all evil. As for God, they know him not, nor have any desire to know him. Their minds are altogether alienated from every thing
g 1 Cor. ii. 9—12, 14. h Acts xvi. 14.
1 Luke xxiv. 45. k Matt. xvi. 17.