which they have formed out of a tree, is defcribed, it is, in the conclufion, all ascribed to their hearts. "They have not known, nor understood; for he hath shut their eyes, that they cannot fee; and their hearts, that they cannot understand. And none confidereth in his heart, neither is there knowledge nor understanding, to say, I have burnt part of it in the fire, &c. He feedeth on alhes. A deceived heart hath turned him afide, that he cannot deliver his foul, nor fay, Is there not a lie in my right hand ?"* St. Paul afferts the fame of the Gentiles in general. They became vain in their imaginations, and their foolish heart was darkened. Having the understanding darkened, being alienated from the life of God, through the ignorance that is in them becaufe of the blindness of their heart." And he afferts the fame of the Jews. That their blindness respecting Chrift and the gofpel, was wholly in their hearts, or owing to the vail drawn over them by their oppofition to God, and turning away from him And that this blindness could not be removed, unless their hearts were renewed, and turned to the Lord. "Their minds were blinded.-Even unto this day, when Mofes is read, the vail is upon their heart. Nevertheless, when it shall turn to the Lord, the vail fhall be taken away." The Evangelift John fays the fame of the Jews, which Ifaiah had long before said of them. "He hath blinded their eyes, and hardened their hearts; that they should not fee with their eyes, nor understand with their heart, and be converted, and I fhould heal them." So all their ignorance and errors are afcribed to their evil hearts in the following words, taken from the 95th Pfalm. "Wherefore I was grieved with that generation, and said, They do always err in their heart; and they have not known my ways." "He that faith he is in the light, and hateth his brother, is in darkness, N n *Ifai. xliv. 9—18, 19, 20, 2 Cor. iii. 14, 15, 16. even + Rom. i. 21. Eph. iv. 18. even until now. He that hateth his brother, is in darknefs, and walketh in darkness, and knoweft not whether he goeth, because that darkness hath blinded his eyes.' This darkness is here faid to confift in the heart, in the evil difpofition of that, in not loving but hating his brother, which is an exercise of the heart, and belongs to that only. It hence appears why this darkness is always spoken of in divine revelation as criminal. It is finful in every degree of it, as it confifts in the moral depravity of the heart. This blindness of mind is not only connected with finful depravity, but confifts in the finful exercises and lufts of the mind, and cannot be diftinguished from fin in the heart. Sin is in every degree and in every exercife of it, delufion and blindnefs itfelf: And when the heart is totally corrupt or finful, which is true of every unrenewed heart, as has been proved, this blindness, this moral darkness, is total, and wholly excludes every degree of the oppofite, which is called light, understanding, knowledge and wisdom, in the fcriptures. It is, according to scripture, a wilful blindnefs, being wholly owing to the oppofition of the heart to the light of moral truth, or rather, confifting altogether in this. It is represented by clofing the eyes to keep light out, however clearly it may shine, and can be kept out by nothing but by not making a right ufe of the eyes, by refusing to open them. Men are naturally totally blind to the things of the moral world, except it be only in mere speculation, because they are totally corrupt, and wholly abufe and pervert the natural powers and faculties of their mind, and their capacity of moral exercifes and true difcernment, by loving darkness, and hating the light. Confequently, this blindness is nothing but fin, and confifts wholly in the criminal, inexcufable exercife of the will or heart. Hence this darkness is condemned and forbidden by God 1 John ii. 9, 11. God in his word; and they who are in this fenfe blind, are commanded to open their mental eye, to renounce the darknefs and delufions in which they are, and receive the knowledge of the truth, in the love of it. ་ Hear, ye deaf, and look, ye blind, that ye may fee."* Awake, thou that fleepeft, and arife from the dead, and Chrift fhall give thee light." And hence Chrift, when he was on earth, and fince his afcenfion to heaven, did fo often fay," He that hath ears to hear, let him hear. He that hath an ear, let him hear." And that the above reprefentation of this matter is agreeable to truth and to scripture, is confirmed beyond all difpute, by the most plain and express statement of it, by our Saviour himself. His words are, "He that believeth not, is condemned already, because he hath not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God. And this is the condemnation, that light is come into the world, and men loved darkness rather than light, becaufe their deeds were evil. For every one that doth evil, hateth the light, neither cometh to the light." Believ ing on Chrift, implies a difcerning the truth refpecting the character of the Redeemer, and redemption by him, and approving and loving it; and in this does faith confift. Unbelief is directly the oppofite; it is blindness and darkness itself. St. Paul fays, "If our gofpel be hid, it is hid to them that are loft: In whom the god of this world hath blinded the minds of them which believe not." It confifts in oppofition to the most defirable, charming, glorious light and truth, and in hating it, and loving the oppofite darkness. Therefore this is a voluntary, chosen darkness. It is altogether criminal, and is that for which they are juftly condemned. It hence follows, that the light and understanding which is opposed to this moral darkness, does alfo belong to the heart, and implies a virtuous character, and does Nn 2 Ifaiah xlii. 18. † Eph. v. 14. ↑ Joha iii. 18, 19, 20. does confit in true holiness, or moral excellence. And in this light it is reprefented in the facred writings. What Solomon afks, and God promises to give him, is called wifdom and knowledge, in one place, and in another place, is called a wife and underftanding heart. Indeed, true wifdom has its feat in the heart or will, and confifts effentially in the right moral difpofition of the mind, as has been fhewn: And it is abundantly evident, that the word is generally ufed in this fenfe in the fcripture. And this in. fcripture is the fame with true light, or difcerning, understanding and knowledge. The virtuous, holy heart, is an enlightened, wife and understanding heart. And the totally depraved, vicious heart, is darkness itself, blind, foolish, and without understanding. That true light and knowledge, the knowledge of God, does not confift in mere fpeculation, but depends upon the heart, and confifts in the moral difpofition and exercises of that, is evident from the following words of God by Jeremiah: "I will give them an heart to know me." Therefore our Saviour placed all holimefs of heart, and all true happiness, in the knowledge of the only true God, and the Redeemer, as the whole is comprehended in this. "This is life eternal, that they might know thee the only true God, and Jefus Chrift whom thou haft fent." Agreeable to this the Pfalmift fays, "Give me understanding, and I fhall keep thy law: Yea, I fhall obferve it with my whole heart. Give me underftanding, and I fhall live." That the illumination which takes place in the mind, in regeneration and converfion, refpects the heart, and has its feat in that, is afferted by St. Paul in the following words: "God who commanded the light to fhine out of darkness, hath fhined in our hearts, to give the light of the knowledge of the glory of God, in the face of Jefus Chrifl.” And that true light and knowl ** edge 2 Chron. i. 10, 11. † 1 Kings iii. 9, 12. Jer. xxiv. 7. John xvii. 3. Pfalm.cxix. 34, 144. * 2 Cor. iv. 6. 581 edge implies renovation of heart, or true holiness, and is really the fame thing, is evident from St. Paul's mentioning these as fynonimous. In his epiftles to the Collofians, he defcribes the new man, or renewed heart, in the following words: "And have put on the new man, which is renewed in knowledge, after the image of him that created him." And in his epiftle to the Ephefians, in describing the fame new man, he uses these words: "And be renewed in the fpirit of your mind; and put on the new man, which after God is created in righteoufnefs and true holiness." From these two paffages, compared together, it may be inferred with certainty, that knowledge comprehends righteoufnefs and true holiness, and is the fame thing. That true light and knowledge, the knowledge of God, which is peculiar to them who are renewed and born of the Spirit of God, is feated in the heart, and implies voluntary exercise, even that love, in which all holiness confifts, according to fcripture, may be proved from the following paffage: "Beloved, let us love one another: For love is of God; and every one that loveth is born of God, and knoweth God. He that loveth not, knoweth not God; for God is love."§ In these words, love and knowing God, are afferted to be so connected, that where love is, there is the knowledge of God; and they who have no love, do not know God. Hence it may be inferred, that the knowledge of God is dependent on love; for he who does not love, does not know him: There must therefore be this love, in order to know God, as the latter cannot exift without the former; and does exist wherever the former exifts. And it is farther inferred, that love, and the knowledge of God, cannot be diflinguished, as the one implies the other, and are the fame exercise of the heart. Loving God is knowing him, and knowing God is loving him. Love is the eye of the Nn3 mind, Col. iii. 1o. Eph. iv. 23, 24, § 1 John iv. 7, 8. |