ers the excellence of this plan? "When HE is come, he shall reprove," convince, give the most irresistible demonstration to "the world of sin, and of righteousness, and of judgment: He shall receive of mine and shall shew it unto you.' Why is divine teaching so frequently promised, and promised as a leading blessing of the covenant, unless it is indispensably requisite to our salvation? Is it not "written in the prophets, they shall be all taught of God: Zion's children shall all know the Lord, and great shall be the peace of her children: I will give them a heart to know me that I am Jehovah, and they shall be my people, and I will be their God?" This teaching is essentially different from that external teach ing of the word which is common to all who enjoy the dispensation of the gospel: It is the peculiar privilege of Zion's children, and is derived from the influences of the Holy Ghost, immediately communicated to the soul: "I will give them a heart to know me." That knowledge which issues in eternal life as its end, is really a supernatural gift; it lies as far beyond the reach of unassisted nature as faith, or repentance, or love, or any other grace which is accompa nied with salvation. But that a divine illumination is necessary, and constitutes a part of the Spirit's office in regeneration, is established beyond controversy by the most plain, undeniable declarations of scripture. Ignorance of God and of ourselves is there

represented as an essential part of the curse to which we are subjected, no less than enmity against him; and the infusion of new light into the understanding is pronounced a blessing no less important than the communication of love to the heart. Is not the natural man described as "having the understanding darkened, as alienated from the life of God through the ignorance that is in him, because of the blindness of his mind?" Here, as if one expression was insufficient to point out our utter, absolute ignorance in spiritual things, the Eternal God uses a variety. "The understanding is" said to be "darkened," as the body is dark without the eye, or the natural world becomes dark without the light of the natural sun: "being alienated from the life of God through the ignorance that is in them." Man is here represented as " alienated" from the living God, merely because he is "ignorant" of him: we cannot possibly love an object of which we have not some competent knowledge; we cannot delight in God, although perfection itself, if the eyes of the understanding are shut against any discovery of his perfections. Again, "the natural man receiveth not the things of the Spirit of God; they are foolishness to him; neither can he know them, for they are spiritually discerned;" they are savingly discovered only by the illuminating influences of the Holy Ghost. Add to these considerations that our effectual calling is as frequently expressed

by a renovation of the understanding as of the heart." Ye were once DARKNESS,* but are now light in the Lord :" Those who “are begotten again to the lively hope" of salvation, are admonished to "shew forth the praises of him who hath called them out of DARKNESS into his marvellous light." Paul, that pre-eminent preacher of righteousness, was sent abroad to open the eyes of the blind, and turn them from DARKNESS to light:" and in the execution of his commis

The Greek word rendered darkness in all these instances corresponds precisely with the Hebrew word which is used to express the darkness of the world previous to the formation of the sun; and the change produced upon the mind is represented to be as real as that produced in the natural world at the creation of this luminary. "God said let there be light, and there was light;" and that "God who commanded the light to shine out of dark. ness shines upon the heart giving the light of" saving knowledge. What may we infer from this consideration? Surely it instructs us that as "darkness was upon the face of the deep," until the lights of heaven were formed, darkness no less profound and im penetrable covers the mind of man until enlightened by the Spirit of wisdom. There is not even the shadow of propriety in applying these and similar passages to the heathen, who wanted the advantages of revelation. They relate to all without discrimina tion until taught of Jehovah. "We preach Christ crucified, to the Jews a stumbling block, and to the Greeks foolishness, but to them that are called both Jews and Greeks, Christ the wisdom of God and the power of God." These men enjoyed equal exter nal advantages. The same apostle had addressed them, a crucified Christ was invariably the theme of his discourse; yet how different was its reception by these hearers? "To the Greeks," notwithstanding all their attainments in natural wisdom, "it was foolishness" all that the apostle proclaimed of the substitution of the Son of God in the room of sinners, and of our justification thro' his righteousness was in their estimation an "idle tale, a fable cunningly devised;" all the effulgence of that wisdom,that condescen sion, that love which shone so transcendantly through the cross of Calvary, was as really lost to them as the splendors of the meridian sun to the man that "was born blind; but to them that are called," who had received an "unction from on high to know all things," this Christ appeared the "wisdom of God," the most. illustrious display of his "prudence and grace."

sion how ardently does he pray, "that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ would give them the Spirit of wisdom and revelation in the knowledge of him." These Ephesians already enjoyed the "word" of wisdom : the gospel in all its glory was shining around them. But the natural sun gives no light to him who has not eyes to behold it, and the gospel, however "glorious," has no "glory" to him who possesses not a spiritual sense to discern it: This apostle therefore pleads, "that the eyes of their understanding being enlightened, they might know what was the hope of his calling, and what the riches of the glory of his inheritance among the saints."

From this variety of scripture evidence we conclude, that the natural man is not only alienated from God, but utterly ignorant of him, and that the communication of light to the mind constitutes an essential part of his translation from spiritual death to spiritual life. "He is renewed in KNOWLEDGE after the image of him that made him; he obtains new discoveries of Jehovah in his holiness, his justice, his goodness and truth; new discoveries of Jesus in the riches of his love, in the excellencies of his offices, in the fulness of his covenant, and the freedom of his salvation; he obtains new discoveries of himself, of his aggravated guilt, of his desperate pollution and wretchedness; new discoveries of the world in its

vanity, and of eternity in its infinite impor

tance.

This illumination of the understanding is accompanied,

2. With the acquiescence of the will.As the man famishing with thirst readily drinks the cooling draught when offered to him, or the man tortured with some dreadful disease eagerly receives the medicine when presented, so the sinner, convinced in the light of eternal truth of his disease and danger, cordially welcomes the "balm of Gilead and the physician there." No compulsion is then necessary. The sinner is as voluntary in accepting remission through the surety's sacrifice, and reposing his soul on the compassionate Saviour, as the "man slayer," when pursued by the avenger of blood, was voluntary in fleeing "to the city of refuge," or as a man caught in a thunder-storm, willingly betakes himself to the first shelter in his reach. "Thy people shall be willing in the day of thy power: Every man that hath heard and learned of the Father cometh to me." The moment that the understanding is savingly enlightened to behold the glory and the suitableness of Jesus, the hand of faith is reached out to receive him. This is the order established by the illustrious assembly of Westminster. "Effectual calling is the work of God's Spirit, whereby convincing us of our sin and misery, enlightening our minds in the knowledge of Christ, and renewing our wills, he