in Homer, men are said to excel in abilities, not only as Jupiter has distributed to every one, but according as he guides him from day to day. And experience clearly shews, since the most ingenious and sagacious of mankind frequently stand still in profound astonishment, that the minds of men are subject to the power and will of God to govern them every moment: for which reason it is said, that "he taketh away the heart of the chief people of the earth, and causeth them to wander in a wilderness where there is no way." (f) Yet in this diversity we perceive some remaining marks of the divine image, which distinguish the human race in general from all the other

creatures.

XVIII. We now proceed to shew, what human reason can discover, when it comes to the kingdom of God, and to that spiritual wisdom, which consists chiefly in three things: to know God, his paternal favour towards us on which depends our salvation, and the method of regulating our lives according to the rule of the law. In the two first points, but especially in the second, the most sagacious of mankind are blinder than moles. I do not deny that some judicious and apposite observations concerning God may be found scattered in the writings of the philosophers; but they always betray a confused imagination. The Lord afforded them as we have before observed, some slight sense of his Divinity, that they might not be able to plead ignorance as an excuse for impiety, and sometimes impelled them to utter things, by the confession of which they might themselves be convinced. But they saw the objects presented to their view in such a manner that by the sight they were not even directed to the truth, much less did they arrive at it; just as a man, who is travelling by night across a field, sees the coruscations of lightning extending for a moment far and wide, but with such an evanescent view, that so far from being assisted by them in proceeding on his journey, he is re-absorbed in the darkness of the night before he can advance a single step. Besides, those few truths with which they as it were fortuitously besprinkle their books, with what numerous and monstrous falsehoods are they defiled! Lastly,

(ƒ) Job xii. 24. Psalm cvii. 40.

they never had the smallest idea of that certainty of the Divine benevolence towards us, without which the human understanding must necessarily be full of immense confusion. Human reason then neither approaches, nor tends, nor directs its views towards this truth, to understand who is the true God, or in what character he will manifest himself to us.

XIX. But because, from our being intoxicated with a false opinion of our own perspicacity, we do not without great difficulty suffer ourselves to be persuaded, that in Divine things our reason is totally blind and stupid; it will be better, I think, to confirm it by testimonies of Scripture, than to support it by arguments. This is abundantly taught by John, in that passage which I lately cited, where he says that from the beginning" in God was life, and the life was the light of men. And the light shineth in darkness; and the darkness comprehended it not." (g) He indicates indeed that the soul of man is irradiated with a beam of divine light, so that it is never wholly destitute either of some little flame, of at least of a spark of it; but he likwise suggests that it cannot comprehend God by that illumination. And this because all his sagacity, as far as respects the knowledge of God, is mere blindness. For when the Spirit calls men "darkness," he at once totally despoils them of the faculty of spiritual understanding. Wherefore he asserts that the faithful, who receive Christ, are "born not of blood, nor of the will of the flesh, nor of the will of man, but of God." () As though he had said, that the flesh is not capable of such sublime wisdom as to conceive of God and divine things, without being illuminated by the Spirit of God; as Christ testified that his being known by Peter was owing to a special revelation of the Father. (i)

XX. If we were firmly persuaded of what indeed ought not to be questioned, that our nature is destitute of all those things which our heavenly Father confers on his elect through the Spirit of regeneration, here would be no cause of hesitation. For this is the language of the faithful by the mouth of the Prophet; "With thee is the fountain of life: in thy light we shall see light."(k) The Apostle confirms the same, when he (g) John i. 4. (i) Matt. xvi. 17.

(h) John i. 13.
(k) Psalm xxxvi. 9.

says, that "no man can say that Jesus is Lord, but by the Holy Ghost." (1) And John the Baptist, perceiving the stupidity of his disciples, exclaims, that “a man can receive nothing, except it be given him from above." (m) That by "gift" he intends a special illumination, not a common faculty of nature, is evident from the complaint which he makes of the inefficacy of the many discourses in which he had recommended Christ to his disciples. "I see that words are unavailing to instruct the minds of men in divine things, unless God give them understanding by his Spirit." And Moses also, when he reproaches the people for their forgetfulness, yet at the same time remarks, that they cannot be wise in the mysteries of God but by the divine favour. He says, "Thine eyes have seen the signs and those great miracles: yet the Lord hath not given you an heart to perceive, and eyes to see, and ears to hear." (n) What more would he express, if he had called them blockheads, destitute of all understanding in the consideration of the works of God? Whence the Lord, by the Prophet, promises, as an instance of peculiar grace, that he will give the Israelites "an heart to know" him: (o) plainly suggesting that the mind of man has no spiritual wisdom, any farther than as it is enlightened by him. Christ also hath clearly confirmed this by his own declaration, that no man can come to him, except the Father draw him. (p) What? is he not himself the lively image of the Father, representing to us all “the brightness of his glory?" (9) Therefore he could not better manifest the extent of our capacity for the knowledge of God, than when he affirms that we have no eyes to behold his image where it is so plainly exhibited. What? did he not descend to the earth in order to discover to men the will of the Father? And did he not faithfully fulfil the object of his mission? He certainly did; but his preaching is not at all efficacious, unless the way to the heart be laid open by the internal teaching of the Spirit. Therefore none come to him but they who have heard and learned of the Father. What is the nature of this hearing and learning? It is when the Spirit, by a wonderful and peculiar power, forms the ears to hear, and the mind to

(1) 1 Cor. xii. 3.
(0) Jer. xxiv. 7.

(m) John iii. 27.
(p) John vi. 44.

(n) Deut. xxix. 3, 4.
(q) Heb. i. 3.

understand. And lest this should appear strange, he cites the prophecy of Isaiah, where, predicting the restoration of the Church, he says, that all those who shall be saved "shall be taught of the Lord." If God there predicts something peculiar concerning his elect, it is evident that he speaks not of that kind of instruction which is common also to the impious and profane. It must be concluded therefore, that there is no admission into the kingdom of God, but for him whose mind has been renewed by the illumination of the Holy Spirit. But Paul expresses himself more clearly than all the others. Having professedly entered upon this argument, after he has condemned 'all human wisdom as folly and vanity, and even reduced it to nothing, he comes to this conclusion: "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." (r) Whom does he call the natural man? him who depends on the light of nature. He, I say, has no apprehension of the mysteries of God. Why so? because through slothfulness he neglects them? Even his utmost endeavours can avail nothing, "because they are spiritually discerned." This implies, that being entirely concealed from human perspicacity, they are discovered only by the revelation of the Spirit; so that where the illumination of the Spirit is not enjoyed, they are deemed foolishness itself. He had before extolled "the things which God hath prepared for them that love him" (s) above the capacity of our eyes, our ears, and our minds: he had even asserted that human wisdom was a kind of veil, by which the mind is prevented from a discovery of God. What do we want more? The Apostle pronounces that "God hath made foolish the wisdom of this world;" () and shall we ascribe to it such a degree of sagacity, as would enable it to penetrate to God, and to the most secret recesses of the heavenly kingdom? Far be from us such extreme stupidity.

XXI. That which he here detracts from men, he in another place ascribes exclusively to God. Praying for the Ephesians, he says, "May God, the Father of glory, give unto you the

Spirit of wisdom and revelation." (v) You hear now that all wisdom and revelation is the gift of God. What follows? "The eyes of your understanding being enlightened." If they need a new revelation, they are certainly blind of themselves. It follows, "that ye may know what is the hope of his calling," &c. He confesses, then, that the minds of men are not naturally capable of this great knowledge. Nor let any Pelagian here object, that God assists this stupidity or ignorance, when by the teaching of his word he directs the human understanding to that which, without a guide, it never could have attained. For David had the law in which all desirable wisdom was comprised; yet not content with this, he requested that his eyes might be opened to consider the mysteries of that law. (w) By this expression he clearly signifies, that the sun arises on the nations, where the word of God shines on mankind; but that they derive little advantage from it, till he himself either gives them eyes or opens them, who is therefore called "the Father of lights;" (x) because wherever he shines not by his Spirit, every thing is covered with darkness. Thus also the Apostles were rightly and abundantly taught by the best of all teachers: yet if they had not needed the Spirit of truth (y) to instruct their minds in that very doctrine, which they had previously heard, they would not have been commanded to expect him. If in imploring any favour of God we confess our need, and if his promising it argues our poverty, let no man hesitate to acknowledge, that he is incapable of understanding the mysteries of God, any farther than he has been illuminated by divine grace. He who attributes to himself more understanding, is so much the blinder, because he does not perceive and acknowledge his blindness.

XXII. It remains for us to notice the third branch of knowledge, relating to the rule for the proper regulation of our life, which we truly denominate the knowledge of works of righteousness; in which the human mind discovers somewhat more acuteness than in the two former particulars. For the Apostle declares, that "when the Gentiles, which have not the law, do by nature the things contained in the law, these