in kind to the holiness of the divine nature. If it be necessary that we possess a moral spirit resembling that of our neighbour, before we can comprehend him; how much greater must be the necessity, that we should possess a moral spirit resembling the Spirit of God, before we cán comprehend the things of the Spirit of God. "But God hath revealed them unto us by his Spirit;" externally in the word, internally by the word, in the souls of the regenerate; "for the Spirit searcheth all things, yea, the deep things of God." 1 Cor. ii. 10. Hence, although man, by the fall, did not absolutely lose all knowledge of God, yet, the knowledge which remained, lost its moral purity; became so entirely vitiated, that any addition to it, without a removal of this depravity, can only lead to an increase of his guilt and misery. For it is only an increase of moral darkness: "If therefore the light that is in thee be darkness, how great is that darkness?" Matt. vi. 23. It is mere Satanic cunning: "They are wise to do evil, but to do good they have no knowledge." Jer. iv. 22. It inclines the will to choose darkness in preference to light: "They did not desire to retain God in their know

ledge." Rom. i. 28. It renders the soul totally unable even to comprehend the spiritual import of divine truth: "The light shineth in darkness, and the darkness comprehended it not." John i. 5. "The natural man receiveth not the things of the Spirit of God: for they are foolishness unto him: neither can he know them, because they are spiritually discerned." 1 Cor. ii. 14. The consequence of all this is, that the natural man may possess the highest attainable degree of the mere intellectual knowledge of God, and still remain in total ignorance of God and divine things. Such a character, fully matured and developed, we have in the devils: "Thou believest there is one God; thou doest well: the devils also believe and tremble." James ii. 19. The Holy Spirit, then, renews the understanding by a removal of those vicious propensities, by which it was blinded, and by a restoration of the lost image of God. "God can by his commanding power, bring light out of darkness; but it is plainly impossible that darkness should produce light."* "Then opened he their understanding :" "Whose heart the Lord opened:" "The eyes Bates, Vol. IV. p. 138.

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of your understanding being enlightened :" "For God, who commanded the light to shine out of darkness, hath shined into our hearts, to give the light of the knowledge of the glory of God, in the face of Jesus Christ." 2 Cor. iv. 6.

3.

XV. The Spirit, then, in the regenerating act, creates the soul in "the knowledge of the truth." This knowledge consists chiefly in the following things:-1. A discovery of the peculiar glory of God arising from his holy nature, or rather the glory of that nature. 2. The extent and spirituality of the divine law as it is a transcript of Jehovah's holiness. The consequent necessity that the transgressor must suffer the penalty of the law, unless a satisfaction can, in some way, be made. 4. The mercy of God manifested in the gift of his Son to be the sinner's surety, and in that character to make the required satisfaction. 5. A discovery to the soul that a continuance in its natural state, separate from the Lord Jesus Christ, must issue in everlasting death. 6. A discovery to the soul, of the all-sufficiency of Christ to save, together with its warrant to receive him as he is offered to sinners in the

gospel. The infusion of this knowledge in the regenerating act, is the internal means by which the Spirit produces the principle or habit of faith in the soul. Hence he is called "the Spirit of faith." 2 Cor. iv. 13.

XVI. Regeneration includes a renewal of the will. In the primitive state of man, with the faculties unclouded by sin, the will would doubtless choose those objects, which the understanding perceived to be the best. But this faculty, like the understanding, having been corrupted by the fall, it is in vain that Arminians, plead the natural operation of the will, as an argument that regeneration is effected merely by such a powerful representation of truth to the mind, that the understanding having perceived it, the will must necessarily chose it; or that it has "an inherent inalienable power" to choose it. Consequently a denial of the doctrine that the will always fully obeys the dictates of the understanding, does not imply that depravity is limited to the will. Because in reference to saving knowledge the understanding is total darkness even where the external light of the gospel is shining in its meridian splendour. But such are the facul

ties, such the natural conscience, that the truth may be and is received intellectually by natural men, while the will, under the power of spiritual blindness and depravity, makes active resistance to the intellectual light in the soul; and rejects even those things which are intellectually perceived to be better, all things considered, than the things which are chosen. So that natural men have power to reject the gospel wilfully, though they have none to embrace it savingly. "Had I not come and spoken to them, they had not had sin; but now they have no cloak for their sin." "Ye have both seen and hated both me and my Father." Herein, then, lies the guilt of men; they violate the dictates of a natural conscience; they reject the only Saviour; they sin wilfully; and their condemnation is just.

XVII. The assertion, " If an object is viewed as good by our understanding, the will chooses it," is not true in any sense, if applied to men in their present imperfect state. If applied to ability of will, in natural men, to choose those objects which the understanding perceives to be good, yea, the greatest good, it imbodies the life and soul of Arminianism. "What we do really believe" says Whitby, "to be our