mind of God in them. (2.) In fhewing what is the efpecial nature of this work, what are the effects of it upon our minds, and how it differs from all enthufiaftical infpirations, and what is the true exercise of our minds in compliance therewith; and these things we shall firft enquire into.

CHAP. II.

Explained,

The general affertion confirmed with teftimonies of the Scripture. Pfalm cxix. verfe 18. opened at large. Objections anfwered, 2 Cor. iii. 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18. Ifa. xxv. Luke i. 24, 25. Opened, Eph. i. 17, 18, 19. Explained and pleaded, in confirmation of the truth, Hof.

xiv. 9.

THE whole of our affertion is comprized in the prayer of

גל עיני ואביטה נפלאות מתודה .18 .the Pfalmift; Pfal. cxix

"Open thou mine eyes that I may behold wonderful things "out of thy law." The fame request for the substance of it is repeated fundry times in the fame pfalm, verse 33, 34, &c. Thus he prayed, that it may be efteemed our duty to pray in "like manner," is the tubftance of what we plead for. What we pray for from God, that we have not in, and of ourselves; as the ancient church conftantly pleaded against the Pelagians. And what we pray for according to the mind of God, that we do receive. Wherefore our difcerning, our understanding of the wonderful things of the law, is not of ourselves; it is that which is given us, that which we receive from God.

But that the force of our argument from this teftimony, may be the more evident; the words or terms of it must be explained, that we may fee whether they be equivalent unto, or of the fame fignification with them laid down in our affertion.

1. That which is the object of the understanding prayed

for, that in the knowledge whereof the Pfalmift would be The word fignifies inftruction;

תורה illuminated, is

and being referred unto God, it is his teaching or inftruction of us by the revelation of himself, the fame which we intend by the Scripture. When the books of the Old Teftament were compleated, they were for diftinction fake,

or גבואים and בתובים תודה diftributed into

the law, the pfalms and the prophets; Luke xxiv. 44. Under that distribution Torah fignifies the five books of Mofes. But whereas thefe books of Mofes were (as it were) the foundation of all future revelations under the Old Teftament, which were given in the explication thereof: all the writings of it are usually called the law, Ifa. viii. 20. By the law therefore in this place, the Pfalmift understands all the books that were then given unto the church by revelation for the rule of its faith and obedience. And that by the law in the Pfalms the written law is intended, is evident from the first of them, wherein he is declared bleffed, who "meditate therein day and night;" Pfal. i. 2. Which hath respect unto the command of reading and meditating on the books thereof in that manner, Josh. i. 8. That therefore which is intended by this word, is the entire revelation of the will of God, given unto the church for the rule of its faith and obedience; that is the holy Scripture.

2. In this law there are no wonderful things: 5-fignifies to be wonderful, to be hidden, to be great and high: that which men by the use of reason cannot attain unto, or underftand. Hence - are things that have such an impreffion of divine wisdom and power upon them, as that they are justly the object of our admiration. That which is too hard for us; as Deut. xvii. 8. 707 700 "If a matter be too hard for thee,” hid from thee. And it is the name whereby the miraculous works of God are expreffed; Pfalm. lxxvii. 11, lxxviii. II. Wherefore thefe wonderful things of the law, are thofe expreffions and effects of divine wisdom in the Scripture, which are above the natural reafon and un

Z

derstandings of men to find out and comprehend. Such are the myfteries of divine truth in the Scripture; efpecially, becaufe Christ is in them, whofe name is x, or Wonderful; Ifa ix. 6. For all the great and marvellous effects of infinite wifdóm meet in him. These things and doctrines God calls in 127— Hof. viii. 12. I have written unto him the "great things of my law;" and they were counted by them as a strange thing. Because they were wonderful in themfelves, they neglected and defpifed them, as that which was foreign and alien from them, which belonged not unto them. So deal many with the mysteries of the gofpel at this day; because they are heavenly, fpiritual, in themfelves marvelous, hidden, and above the understanding of the natural reafon of men; that is, They are no- they reject and despise them as things alien and foreign unto their religion. Wherefore, the wonderful things of the Scripture, are those mysteries of divine truth, wifdom, and grace, that are revealed and contained therein, with their efpecial respect unto Jefus Chrift.

3. Three things are fuppofed in the words concerning these wonderful things :

1. That they are recorded, laid up or treasured in the law or Scripture, and no where elfe; fo as that from thence alone, are they to be learned and received. "Behold "wonderful things out of the law." That alone is the facred ragaaralan, or repofitory of them. There are wondrous things in the works of nature and providence; and much of them is contained in the treafury of reason, wherein it may be difcerned. But thefe are stored in the law only, and no where elfe.

2. That it is our duty to behold, to difcern, to underftand them, to have an inspection into them, and our great privilege when we are enabled fo to do. This makes the Pfalmift pray fo frequently, fo fervently, that he may have the discerning of them, or come to an acquaintance with them. Those therefore by whom they are neglected, do both defpife their duty, and forfake their own mercy.

3. That we are not able of ourselves thus to difcern them without divine aid and affiftance. For the Pfalmift who was wifer than the wifeft of us, and who had so earneft a defire after these things, yet would not trust unto his own reason, wisdom, ability, and diligence for the underftanding of them, but betakes himself unto God by prayer, acknowledging therein that it is the especial work of God by his Spirit, to enable us to understand his mind and will as revealed in the Scripture.

4. There is expreffed in the words the act of God towards us, whereby he enableth us to behold, difcern, and understand the wonderful effects of divine wisdom, which are treasured up in the Scripture, which the Pfalmift prayeth for. This is called his opening of our eyes, : "reveal mine eyes," uncover, unveil my eyes. There is a light in the word; all truth is light; and facred truth is facred light. Yea, the word of God is exprefsly called light, Pfal. xxxvi. 9. Pfal. xliii. 3. Pfal. cxix. 105. But there is by nature a covering, a veil on the eyes of the understandings of all men, that they are not able of themselves to behold this light, nor to difcern any thing by it in a due manner. With refpect hereunto, the Pialmift prays that God would reveal his eyes Revelare is Velamentum levare; to reveal is to take off the veil or covering. And this veil is that of our natural darkness, blindnefs, and ignorance; whereof we have treated elfe

where.

I fee not what is wanting unto the explanation or con. firmation of the pofition before laid down. The commu• nication of fpiritual light from God, is the peculiar work of the Holy Ghoft. He is the immediate author of all fpiritual illumination. But hereby alone, or by virtue hereof can we know or underftand the mind of God in the Scripture, in fuch a manner as God requireth us to do; and whofoever hath received the grace of this divine illumination, may do fo, fo far as he is concerned in point of faith or obedience.

1

The law is the Scripture, the written word of God.

Therein are wonderful things or mysteries of divine wifdom contained and revealed. To behold thefe things, is to discern and understand them aright, with respect unto our own faith and obedience. This we cannot do without a fupernatural act of the Spirit of God upon our minds, enabling them to difcern them, and understand them; these things are in the text, avavriggNTWS. And we hence

further argue, that, which is our duty to pray for fpiritual fupernatural aid, to enable us to do, that of ourselves we are not able to do, without that aid and affistance; at least we may do it by virtue of that aid and affiftance; which includes the fubftance by juft confequences of what is pleaded for. But fuch aid, it is our duty to pray for, that we may understand aright the revelations of the mind and will of God in the Scriptures, the only thing to be proved.

There is but one thing which I can forfee, that may with any pretence of reafon be objected unto this testimony of the Pfalmift in particular. And this is that he speaks of the times and writings of the Old Teftament. Now it is confeffed that there was in them a darkness and. obscurity, and such as needed new revelations for the understanding of them. But fince all things are brought to light by the gospel, there is no need of any special aid or affistance of the Holy Spirit by fupernatural illumination for the understanding of them. In anfwer hereunto I fhall confider the discourse of the apoftle, wherein he stateth this whole matter; 2 Cor. iii. 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18. "And not as Mofes who put a veil over his face that the "children of Ifrael could not stedfastly look to the end of "that which is abolished. But their minds were blinded: "for until this day remaineth the fame veil untaken away, in the reading of the Old Teftament, which is done away in Chrift. Nevertheless, when it shall turn unto "the Lord, (or they be turned unto the Lord) the veil "fhall be taken away. Now the Lord is that Spirit; "and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is liberty, "But we all with open face behold as in a glafs the glory of the Lord."