the faving power of the word from them. Why, what if Jefus Chrift withhold it, and will not be a prophet to them, what is their condition? Truly no better than loft men. It is hid τους

μs, to them that are to perish, or be deftroyed. This blindnets, like the covering of the face, or tying the handkerchief over the eyes, is in order to their turning off into hell. More particularly, becaufe the point is of deep concernment, let us confider,

1. The judgment infled, and that is fpiritual blindness. A fore mifery indeed! Not an univerfal ignorance of all truths, O Do! in natural and moral truths they are oftentimes acute, and fharp-fighted men; but in that part of knowledge which wraps, up eternal life, John xvii. 2. there they are utterly blinded: As it is faid of the Jews, upon whom this mifery lies, that blindness in part is happened to Ifrael. They are learned and knowing perfons in other matters, but they know not Jefus Chrift; there is the grand and fad defect.

2. The fubject of this judgment, the mind, which is the eye of the foul. If it were but upon the body, it would not be fo confiderable; this falls immediately upon the foul, the nobleft part of man, and upon the mind, the higheft and nobleft faculty of the foul, whereby we understand, think, and reafon. This in fcripture is called a the fpirit, the intellectual rational faculty, which the philofophers call to you, the leading directive faculty; which is to the foul what the natural eye is to the body. Now the foul being the most active and reftiefs thing in the world, always working, and its leading directive power blind, judge what a fad and dangerous ftate fuch a foul is in; just like a fiery high-mettled horfe, whofe eyes are out, furiously carrying his rider upon rocks, pits and dangerous precipices. I remember Chryfoftom, speaking of the lofs of a foul, faith, that the lofs of a member of the body is nothing to it; for, faith be, if a man lose an eye, ear, hand or foot, there is another to supply its want: Omnia Deus dedit duplicia, "God hath given us "thofe members double ;" animam vero unam, "but he hath not given us two fouls," that if one be loft, yet the other may be faved. Surely it were better for thee, reader, to have every member of thy body made the feat and fubject of the most exquifite racking torments, than for fpiritual blindnefs to befal thy foul. Moreover,

3. Confider the indifcernableness of this judgment to the foul on whom it lies: they know it not, no more than a man knows that he is afleep. Indeed 'tis "the fpirit of a deep fleep poured out upon them from the Lord," Ifa. xxix. 10. like

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that which befel Adam when God opened his fide, and took out a rib. This renders their mifery the more remedilets: "Becaufe ye fay you fee, therefore your fin remaineth," John ix. 41.

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Once more,

4. Confider the tendency and effects of it. What doth this tend to but eternal ruin? for hereby we are cut off from the only remedy. The foul that's fo blinded, can never fee fin, nor a Saviour; but, like the Egyptians during the palpable darkness, sits still, and moves not after its own recovery. And as ruin is that to which it tends, fo in order thereto, it renders all the ordinances and duties under which that fout comes, altogether useless and ineffectual to its falvation. He comes to the word, and fees others melted by it, but to him it fignifies nothing. O what a heavy ftroke of God is this! Moft wretched is their cafe, to whom Jefus Chrift will not apply this eyefalve, that they may fee. Did you but underftand the mifery of fuch a state, if Chrift should say to you, as he did to the blind man, Matt. xx. 33. "What wilt thou that I fhould do for thee?" You would return as he did, "Lord, that my eyes may be o"pened."

Inference 2. If Jefus Chrift be the great Prophet of the church, then furely he will take special care both of the church and the under bepherds appointed by bim to feed them: elfe both the objects and infruments upon and by which he executes his office, muft fail, and confequently this glorious office be in vain. Hence he is faid to walk among the golden candlesticks," Rev. i. 13. and Rev. ii. 1. 66 to hold the stars in his right hand." Jefus Chrift inftrumentally opens the understandings of men by preaching of the gofpel; and whilft there is an elect foul to be converted, or a convert to be farther illuminated, means fhall not fail to accomplish it by.

Inference 3. Hence you that are yet in darkness, may be directed to whom to apply yourfelves for faving knowledge. 'Tis Chrift, that hath the fovereign eye-falve, that can cure your blindnefs; he only hath the key of the houfe of David; he opens, and no man fhutteth. O that I might perfuade you to fet yourfelves in his way, under the ordinances, and cry to him, "Lord,

* So thick is that cataract which is grown over the eye of our understanding, that none but God can touch it. Chrift was fent to be a light to the Gentiles, fo he enlightens the medium; and to open the eyes of the blind, fo he heals the organ; he is the only oculift: Firmin's Real Chrißian, p. 30.

SERM. X. "that my eyes may be opened." Three things are marvelously encouraging to you to to do.

1. God the Father hath put him into this office, for the cure of fuch as you be, Ifa. xlix. 6. "I will give thee for a light to the Gentiles, that thou may'st be my falvation to the end of the earth." This may furnish you with an argument to plead for a cure. Why do you not go to God, and fay, Lord, didft thou give Jefus Chrift a commiffion to open the blind eyes? Behold me, Lord, fuch a one am I, a poor, dark, ignorant foul, Didst thou give him to be thy falvation to the ends of the earth? No place nor people excluded from the benefit of that right; and fhall I fill remain in the fhadow of death? O that unto me he might be a faving light alfo? The best and most excellent work that ever thou wroughteft, brings thee no glory till it comes in to the light! O let me fee and admire it!

2. 'Tis encouraging to think, that Jefus Chrift hath actually opened the eyes of them that were as dark and ignorant as you are. He hath revealed those things to babes, that have been hid from the wife and prudent, Matt. xi. 25. 66 The law of the Lord "is perfect, making wife the fimple," Pfal. xix. 7. And if you look among thofe whom Chrift hath enlightened, you will not find "many wile after the flesh, many mighty, or noble; "but the foolish, weak, bafe, and defpifed; thefe are they on "whom he hath glorified the riches of his grace," I Cor. i. 26, 27.

3. And is it not yet further encouraging to you, that hitherto he hath mercifully continued you under the means of light? Why is not the light of the gospel put out? Why are times and feafons of grace continued to you, if God have no further design of good to your fouls? Be not therefore difcouraged, but wait on the Lord in the use of means, that you may yet be healed.

Quest. If you afk, What can we do to put ourselves into the way of the Spirit, in order to fuch a cure?

Sol. I fay, though you cannot do any thing that can make the gospel effectual, yet the Spirit of God can make those means you are capable of ufing effectual, if he pleafe to concur with them. And it is a certain truth, that your inability to do what is above your power, doth no ways excufe you from doing what is within the compafs of your power to do. I know no act that is faving, can be done without the concurrence of fpiritual grace; yea, and no act that hath a remote order and tendency thereto, without a more general concourfe of God's

affiftance; but herein he is not behind hand with you. Let me therefore advife,

1. That you diligently attend upon an able, faithful and searching miniftry. Neglect no opportunity God affords you; for how know you but that may be the time of mercy to your foul? If he that lay fo many years at the pool of Bethejda, had been wanting but that hour when the angel came down and troubled the waters, he had not been healed.

2. Satisfy not yourfelves with hearing, but confider what you hear. Allow time to reflect upon what God hath spoken to you. What power is there in man more excellent, or more appropriate to the reasonable nature, than its reflexive and felf-confi dering power? There is little hope of any good to be done upon your fouls, till you begin to go alone, and become thinking men and women: Here all converfion begins. I know, a feverer task can hardly be impofed upon a carnal heart. 'Tis a hard thing to bring a man and himself together upon this account: but this must be, if ever the Lord do your fouls good. Pfal. iv. 4. "Commune with your own hearts."

3. Labour to fee, and ingenuously confefs the infufficiency of all your other knowledge to do you good. What if you had never fo much fkill and knowledge in other myfteries? What if you be never fo well acquainted with the letter of the fcripture? What if you had an angelical illumination? This can never fave thy foul. No, all thy knowledge fignifies nothing till, the Lord shew thee by fpecial light the deplored state of thy own heart, and a faving fight of Jefus Chrift, thy only remedy.

Inference 4. Since then there is a common light, and special faving light, which none but Chrift can give, it is therefore the concernment of every one of you to try what your light is. "We "know, (faith the apoftle, i Cor. viii. 1.) that we all have "knowledge." O but what, and whence is it? Is it the light of life fpringing from Jefus Christ, that bright and morning star, or only fuch as the Devils and damned have? Thefe lights differ,

1. In their very kind and natures. The one is heavenly, fupernatural, and fpiritual; the other earthly, and natural, the effect of a better conftitution or education, James iii. 15, 17.

2. They differ moft apparently in their effects and opera tions. The light that comes in a special way from Christ, is humbling, abafing, and foul-emptying light: by it a man fees the vilenets of his own nature and practice, which begets self

SERM. X. loathing in him; but natural light, on the contrary, puffs up, and exalts, makes the heart fwell with felf conceitedness, 1 Cor.. vii. I.

The light of Christ is practical and operative, ftill urging the foul, yea lovingly conftraining it to obedience. No fooner did it fhiue into Paul's heart, but prefently he afks, "Lord, "what wilt thou have me to do?" Acts ix. 6. It brought forth fruit in the Coloffians, from the firft day it came to them, Col.. i. 6.; but the other fpends itfelf in impractical notions, and is detained in unrighteoufnels, Rom. i. 18. The light of Chrift is powerfully transformative of its fubje&ts, changing the man, in whom it is, into the fame image, from glory to glory, 2 Cor. iii. 18 But common light leaves the heart as dead, as carnal and fenfual, as if no light at all were in it.

In a word, All faving light endears Jefus Chrift to the foul; and as it could not value him before it faw him, fo when once he appears to the foul in his own light, he is appreciated and endeared unfpeakably: then none but Chrift; all is but dung, that he may win Christ: none in heaven but him, nor in earth defirable in comparison of him. But no fuch effect flows from natural common, knowledge.

3. They differ in their ijues. Natural common knowledge vanifheth, as the apoftle fpeaks, Cor. xiii. 8. 'Tis but a Mayflower, and dies in its month. "Doth not their excellency that "is in them go away?" Job iv. 21. But this that fprings from Chrift is perfected, not deftroyed by death: it fprings up into everlasting life. The foul in which it is fubjected, carries it away with it into glory. John xvii. 2. this light is life eternal. Now turn in, and compare yourfelves with thefe rules: let not falfe light deceive you.

Inference 5. Lastly, How are they obliged to love, serve, and honour Fefus Chrift, whom he hath enlightened with the faving knowledge of himself? O that with hands and hearts lifted up to heaven, ye would adore the free grace of Jefus Chrift to your fouls? How many round about you have their eyes clofed, and their hearts fhut up! How many are in darkness, and there are like to remain, till they come to the blackness of darkness, which is referved for them? O what a pleafant thing is it for your eyes to fee the light of this world! But what is it for the eye of your mind to fee God in Chrift? To fee fuch ravishing fights as the objects of faith are? and to have fuch a pledge as this given you of the blessed vifions of glory? for in this light you shall fee light. Blefs God, and boat not: rejoice in your light, but be not proud of it and beware ye fin not against the belt and highest light

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