put a veil

upon his face; which veil, faith

the apoftle, is ftill upon their hearts in the reading of the old teftament

So far was

the act of Mofes fulfilled upon them.

pre

But now with refpect to us Chriftians, who see the glorious spirit of the new teftament under the letter of the old, we are not like Mofes when veiled, as the Jews are; but like Mofes when turned to the Lord; and deriving glory to his own face from beholding the light of the divine fence. Juft fuch is the effect of the fpirit of the old teftament on those who are converted and look towards it, through faith in Jefus Chrift, who is the fpirit and glory of the law it occafions a transfiguration in man's nature, and derives glory to it, like to that which fell upon the face of Mofes when he had conference with God, and was turned towards him. This is the effect which happens to us according to the fense of the apoftle; whose words, though very obfcure when taken independent of the context, will be easily understood

after

XI.

LECT. after what hath been faid-" We all, with open (that is, unveiled) face, beholding as in a glass the glory of the Lord, are changed into the fame image, from glory to glory, even as by the fpirit of the Lord;" or, as the margin reads, by the Lord who is the Spirit of the law, as aforefaid. Of all which the sense, in brief, is this: there was a glory on the face of Mofes underneath his veil, and there is a glorious fpirit under the letter of his law, which they who behold ftedfaftly are themselves transfigured and glorified after the manner of Mofes. Whoever beholds the glory of God is himself thereby glorified, as he who looks at the fun is fhone upon by it. All we can fee of God in this mortal life is in his word: there that light doth still shine which illuminated the face of Moses; and they who behold it reflected as in a glass from the figures and ceremonies of his law, are changed (Gr. transfigured) into the fame image, from glory to glory; from the glory of the law which appeared in Mofes, to the glory of the gospel which

appeared

appeared in the transfiguration of Jefus LECT. Chrift *.

A fight of that glory which is in the fpirit of the law, is not only our privilege, but is abfolutely neceffary toward the converfion of a natural man into a fpiritual one; if it doth not rather presuppose such a converfion; because a natural man can neither receive nor difcern the things of the spirit of God. This was the cafe of the Jews; they were not able to fee the inward fpirit of our Saviour's parables; and fo, instead of being converted they were only condemned by it. "Their ears,

faid he, are dull of hearing, and their eyes they have clofed; left at any time they fhould fee with their eyes, and should

*Chriftianis cum legitur (Lex) thefaurus eft abfconfus in agro-oftendens fapientiam Dei-quoniam in tantum homo diligens Deum proficiet, ut etiam videat Deum, et audiat fermonem ejus, et ex auditu loquelæ ejus in tantum glorificari, uti reliqui non poffint intendere in faciem gloriæ ejus, quemadmodum dictum eft a Daniele; quoniam in: telligentes fulgebunt, quemadmodum claritas firmamenti, &c. Irenæi, Lib. 4. c. 48. Irenæus has here fallen upon the very fame idea with that before us, though he does not collect it from the fame paffage.

XI.

hear

LECT. hear with their ears, and should under

XI.

ftand with their hearts, and fhould be con-
verted, and I should heal them." Hence
we fee, that they who have the fpiri-
tual fense which difcerns fpiritual things,
may be converted and healed: while they
who have it not are only hardened in
their unbelief. Inftead of improving they
grow worse, and are farther from God
than ever:
"whofoever hath not, from
him shall be taken away even that he
hath:" As it was with Chrift in his pa-
rables, fuch to this day will be the fuccefs
of every preacher of God's word, who
keeps up to his profeffion as a minister of
the fpirit: if his hearers do not grow bet-
ter and become fpiritually minded, they
will grow worfe as the Jews did. The
fpirit of God's word which fhould con-
vert and heal them will never prove to be
an inactive indifferent medicine: it will
either do good or harm; it will operate ei-
ther towards life, or towards death; it will
make men turn to God or drive them far-
ther
away from him: which is a ferious
and fearful confideration; and I pray to

God

XI.

God you may lay it to heart. My only LECT. defire is to do you good, and I should be forry to speak to the condemnation of any one foul committed to my charge. But you fee how the cafe is as the benefit is great, fo is the danger: if there should be darkness where there ought to be light, how great will be that darkness !

Such then is the excellence of the facred style, that it is accommodated to our capacities, it delights our imagination, and leads us into all truth by the pleasantest way; it improves the natural world into a witness of our faith; it transfigures us from natural into fpiritual men, and gives us a foretaste of the glorious presence of God. If these are the effects of it, it must be of infinite value to particular persons in their several studies and profeffions.

And first, it is abfolutely necessary to a Christian preacher: whofe doctrine, if it be after the form of the fcriptural imagery, will be more intelligible, more agreeable, and more edifying to all forts of hearers.

If