Now, of all forts of light God is the author.-He formed the fun to rule the day,-he maketh us wifer than the fowls of heaven,-and he alone giveth fupernatural light, or a spiritual understanding.-Hence is he ftyled the Father of Light, from whom cometh every good and perfect gift.

If any admit no other kind of light, with regard to divine things, but that of reafon, improved and beightened by external advantages and diligent application, I shall not, at present, difpute the subject with them. It is not this fort of light that I mean, but fomething of a nature entirely different,-a light that is properly fupernatural, and from God; in a manner, the light which reason furnishes is not, nor can, with any propriety, be faid to be. God manifefts himself to his people in a peculiar manner, by a luftre, as fuperior to that of mere natural reafon, as it is different from it in kind. They have the fame common knowledge of God as others,-the fame powers of reafon,-the fame external advantages from his word and works, for acquiring a fpeculative acquaintance with him, his nature and perfections; but they have a knowledge of him which is not acquired in this way, which is far above the efforts of reason, though bleffed with the beft aids, and applied with the greatest diligence. This knowledge is the effect of a spiritual illumination of their minds, by God's fhining into them with the light of his glory. The heart is the fubject of the divine irradiation; the eyes of the understanding are enlightened by the Spirit of wisdom and revelation. When God thus fhines into their hearts, the effect is a clear, diftinct, lively perception of his fupreme and transcendant excellency,-of the beauty and amiableness of his nature and perfections. God appears exceedingly lovely, and exceedingly glorious; worthy to be feared, and

to

to be had in reverence of all intelligent creatures. The genuine language of their heart now is,-Bless the Lord, O my foul!-who would not fear thee, O Lord, and glorify thy name!-love the Lord, all ye his faints !—laud him all ye people!—praise ye him, all his Angels !—praise ye him, all bis bofts!

Not only does this or that perfection appear agreeable; or this or that branch of his conduct; but every thing in God is lovely; every perfection of his nature, and every branch of his providence ;-every thing that belongs to him has a peculiar fweetnefs, and acceptablenefs in it to the foul. Efpecially the Gospel appears with peculiar luftre, as the brightest and most distinguishing display of the uncreated loveliness of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Ghoft.

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Some perfons talk of great regard to God, great efteem of his perfections, and high expectations of future happinefs; while they have but a mean opinion of the Gospel, and are destitute of all fenfible love and deference to the character of Jefus Chrift. But all their religion is a deceit, and their hopes a delufion; for these things cannot be feparated-He that hath not the Son, hath not the Father. He that rejecteth the Son, rejecteth the Father.He that bonoureth not the Son, honoureth not the Father, which bath fent him. He who receives not the record of God, maketh him a liar.

In proportion to our fenfe of the excellency of God, and his perfections, will be our fenfe of the excellency of the Gospel, and its author, and fo on the contrary.

When God at firft regenerates a foul, and fhines into the heart, and gives it to behold the light of the knowledge of his glory, the creature is introduced into a new world. All things appear new. It has new views and perceptions of God and Jefus Chrift, fuch as it never had before;

before; yea, thofe things which were known before, appear with a new luftre and beauty.-The fcripture and its truths appear new; new light and glory appear to fhine in them.-Now the heart has an evidence of their divinity, and a sense that they are not cunningly devised fables, far beyond any thing it could obtain from mere fpeculation. In these discoveries, the mind is brought to the full affurance of understanding.

There is no knowledge which we can acquire, that can anticipate this divine illumination, or render it uselefs. Some fay, men may, by their own application, obtain all that knowledge in religion that is neceffary; and then all that remains to make them good mean, is to practise what they know. This is one of the modern refinements, and is as far from being true as fome others : for that religious knowledge, which is neceffary to form the heart and practice to real goodness, lies not at all in mere fpeculation; neither will the refult of our own application, in itself considered, ever fanctify the foul or produce a truly virtuous life. That knowledge which fanctifies, is of a different original; it comes down from above; it flows from the mercy-feat of God.

The

And as no acquired knowledge can fuperfede the neceffity of this divine teaching, fo when it is granted in any confiderable degree, it is very perceptible. most learned divine becomes immediately fenfible of the vaft difference between his own knowledge and this divine inflruction. His own notions, however diligently collected and matured, are as nothing, with refpect to clearnefs and efficacy, compared to one view of the divine glory communicated to the heart, by the Spirit of God fhining into it. Now, he fees divine things in a different view; he beholds them in a very different light;

hence

1

hence this knowledge is altogether a different thing from the teachings of any outward means whatsoever.

In this fenfe, God is a fun, and in this manner, does he communicate spiritual light to his people.

II. God infufes joy and gladnefs into their hearts. As God is the author of fpiritual light, fo alfo of fpiritual joy. Holy light always precedes holy joy, as it is the reafon and ground of it. That joy and affection which does not rife from a spiritual discovery of the excellency of divine things, is falfe and enthufiaftic.-There is no fuch thing in true religion, as heat without light, or zeal without knowledge. There is indeed much of this fort of religion in the world; but as it has not the nature of true religion, it ought not to bear the name.

So, on the other hand, there is no fuch thing in real religion as spiritual light without heat, or spiritual knowledge without zeal. These can be no more feparated than light from the fun, or heat from fire, or reason from an intelligent nature.

God does not give to all his creatures equal degrees of joy and confolation; but he usually grants them in some degree; and in thofe communications, he fhews a wife and holy fovereignty. And where the leaft measure of this fpiritual joy is given, it is of so exquisite and heavenly a nature, that the foul can never again thirft fupremely for earthly joys, nor habitually prefer the delights and pleafures of earth to those of true religion. This is the diftinguishing nature of fpiritual joy, of which God is the author, that it forever palls the tafte to all fenfual and finful pleafures.-This is the water which Christ gives, that he who drinks of it will never thirst again. It is only the true and upright Chriftian, who knows the refined pleasures and joys which God pours into their

hearts;

hearts; fuch as the men of this world understand not, neither do ftangers intermeddle with them. These are the secrets of the Lord, which are imparted only to those who fear him. They are facred pledges of mutual friendfhip,-foretaftes or prelibations of thofe rivers of pleafure at the right hand of God, which are in reserve for his people, when they shall have finished their present pilgrimage. These joys, wherewith true Christians are entertained, are produced by the holy Spirit, through means of the word and ordinances.

God's own existence and glorious perfections realised to their hearts, form one comprehensive reafon of sweetness and fatisfaction. None but good men know what infinite pleasure it affords, that God exifts. Oftentimes it fills their fouls with unspeakable tranfports, and they inwardly exult in the blessed assurance.

The univerfal dominion and government of God, is another fource of fenfible pleasure to the truly pious. O! how comfortable is the thought, that the Lord God omnipotent reigneth!-that in the darkest state of things, be fits at the helm, and directs the affairs of the church, and of the world!-that his own glory will be advanced!

Sometimes these joys arise from having their hearts drawn out in ftrong and fenfible love to God above all things; in a love ftronger than death.-O! how tranfporting the pleasure, to feel an heart full of love to the moft amiable of Beings!

Sometimes he gives them the kindeft affurance of his favour and regard through Jefus Chrift.-While they fear their unworthiness and finfulness will for ever separate him from them, he fecretly communicates fome tender teftimony of his love, and at once diffipates every diftreffing fufpicion of heart. O! how sweet is it, to be prevented