rence of the Spirit.

The wind bloweth where it listeth." John, 3: 8. The ordinances are like the pool of Bethesda. John, 5: 4. At a certain time an angel came down and troubled the waters, and then they had a healing virtue in them. So the Spirit comes down at certain times in the word, and opens the heart; and then it becomes the power of God to salvation. So that when you see souls daily sitting under excellent means of grace, and still remaining dead, you may say as Martha did to Christ of her brother Lazarus, "Lord, if thou hadst been here," they had not remained dead. If thou hadst been in this sermon, it had not been so ineffectual to them.

3. It implies the utter impotency of man, unaided, to open his own heart, and thereby make the word effectual to his own conversion and salvation. He that at first said, "Let there be light-and it was so," must shine into our hearts, or they will never be savingly enlightened, 2 Cor. 4:4, 6. Fallen man, so far from opening his own heart, without aid from on high, cannot know the things of the Spirit, 1 Cor. 2: 14, believe, John, 6: 44, obey, Rom. 8: 7, do a good act, John, 15:5, speak a good word, Matt. 12:34, or think a good thought, 2 Cor. 3:5. Hence, conversion is in Scripture called regeneration, John, 3:3, a resurrection from the dead, Eph. 2:5, a creation, Eph. 2: 10, a victory, 2 Cor. 10:5.

4. Christ's opening the understanding imports his Divine power, whereby he is able to subdue all things to himself. Who but God knows the heart? Who but God can unlock and open it at pleasure? No mere creature, no, not the angels themselves can command or open the heart. We may stand and knock at men's hearts till our own ache, but no opening till Christ come. He can fit a key to all the cross wards of the will, and with sweet efficacy open it, and that without any force or violence to it.

II. In the next place, let us see by what acts Jesus Christ performs this work, and what way and method. he takes to open the hearts of sinners.

1. He does so by his word: to this end was Paul commissioned and sent to preach the Gospel, "To open their eyes, and to turn them from darkness to light, and from the power of Satan unto God." Acts, 26: 18. The Lord can, if he pleases, accomplish this immediately; but though he can do it, he will not do it ordinarily without means, because he will honor his own institutions. You may observe, that when Lydia's heart was to be opened, there appeared unto Paul a man of Macedonia, who prayed him, saying, Come over into Macedonia, and help us." Acts, 16:9. God will keep up his ordinances among men; and though he hath not bound himself, yet he hath bound us to them. Cornelius must send for Peter. God can make the earth produce corn, as it did at first, without cultivation and labor; but he that shall now expect it in the neglect of means, may perish for want of bread.

2. But the ordinances in themselves cannot do it; and therefore Jesus Christ hath sent forth the Spirit, who is his vicegerent, to carry on this work in the hearts of his people. And when the Spirit comes down upon men in the administration of the ordinances, he effectually opens the heart to receive the Lord Jesus, by the hearing of faith. He breaks in upon the understanding and conscience by powerful convictions and compunctions; as those words, John, 16: 8, import, "He shall convince the world of sin" convince by clear demonstration, such as enforces assent, so that the soul cannot but yield it to be so; and yet the door of the heart is not opened till he has also put forth his power upon the will, and, by a sweet and secret efficacy, overcome all its reluctance, and the soul is made willing in the day of his power. When this is done, the heart is opened; saving light now shines in it; and the Spirit in the soul is,

A new light, in which things appear far otherwise than they did before. The names Christ and sin, the words heaven and hell, have another sound in that man's ears, than formerly they had. When he comes to read the same Scriptures, which possibly he had read a hundred times before, he wonders he should be so blind as he was, to overlook such great, weighty, and interesting things as he now beholds in them; and saith, where were mine eyes, that I could never see these things before?

It is a very affecting light; a light that hath heat and powerful influences with it, which makes deep impressions on the heart. Hence they whose eyes the great Prophet opens, are said to be "brought out of darkness into his marvellous light." 1 Pet. 29. The soul is greatly affected with what it sees. "Did not our hearts burn within us whilst he talked with us, and opened to us the Scriptures ?"

And it is a growing light, like the light of the morning, which shines more and more unto the perfect day." Prov. 4: 18. When the Spirit first opens the understanding, he doth not give it at once a full sight of all truth, or a full sense of the power, sweetness, and goodness of any truth; but the soul in the use of means grows up to a greater clearness day by day: its knowledge grows extensively in measure, and intensively in power and efficacy. Thus the Lord Jesus by his Spirit opens the understanding.

INFERENCE 1. If it be the work and office of Jesus Christ to open the understandings of men; hence we infer the misery of those men, whose understandings Jesus Christ hath not opened; of whom we may say, as Deut. 29 4; To this day Christ hath not given them eyes to see. Natural blindness, whereby we are deprived of the light of this world, is sad; but spiritual blindness is much See how dolefully their case is represented; "But if our Gospel be hid, it is hid to them that are lost :

more so.

whose eyes the god of this world hath blinded, lest the light of the glorious Gospel of Christ, who is the image of God, should shine unto them," 2 Cor. 4: 3, 4; he means a total and final concealment of the saving power of the word from them. What is their condition? Truly no better than lost men. It is hid τοις απολλυμένοις, from them that are to perish, or be destroyed. More particularly, because the point is of deep concern, let us consider,

The judgment inflicted-spiritual blindness. A sore misery indeed! Not a universal ignorance of all truths; O no! in natural and moral truths they are oftentimes acute and sharp-sighted men; but in that part of knowledge which leads to eternal life, John, 17: 2, they are utterly blinded: as it is said of the Jews, upon whom this misery lies, that blindness in part is happened to Israel. Again, consider

The subject of this judgment—the mind. If it fell upon the body, it would not be so considerable; it falls immediately upon the soul, the noblest part of man, and upon the mind, the intellectual, rational faculty, which is to the soul what the natural eye is to the body. Now the soul being ever active and restless, always working; and its leading, directive power blind: judge what a sad and dangerous state such a soul is in; just like a fiery high-mettled horse, whose eyes are out, furiously carrying his rider upon rocks, pits, and precipices. I remember Chrysostom, speaking of the loss of a soul, says, if a man lose an eye, ear, hand, or foot, there is another to supply its want: God hath given us those members double; but he hath not given us two souls," that if one be lost, yet the other may be saved. Surely it were better for thee, reader, to have every member of thy body made the subject of the most exquisite racking torments, than for spiritual blindness to befall thy soul. Moreover,

Consider that this judgment is unperceived by those

on whom it lies: they know it not, more than a man knows that he is asleep. Indeed it is "the spirit of a deep sleep." Isa. 29 10. This renders their misery the more remediless : Because you say, "We see, therefore your sin remaineth." John, 9: 41. Once more,

Consider 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 soul that is so blinded can never see sin, 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, so in order thereto, it renders all the ordinances and duties under which the soul comes altogether useless and ineffectual to its salvation. He comes to the word, and sees others melted by it, but to him it signifies nothing. Did you but understand the misery of such a state, if Christ should say to you, as he did to the blind man, "What wilt thou that I should do for thee ?" you would reply as he did, "Lord, that my eyes may be opened." Matt. 20: 32, 33.

2. If Jesus Christ be the great Prophet of the church, then surely he will take special care both of the church and the under shepherds appointed by him to feed them; else both the objects and instruments upon and by which he executes his office must fail, and consequently this glorious office be in vain. Hence he is said "to walk among the golden candlesticks," Rev. 1: 13, and "to hold the stars in his right hand," Rev. 2: 1. Jesus Christ instrumentally opens the understandings of men by the preaching of the Gospel; and whilst there is an elect soul to be converted, or a convert to be further illuminated, means shall not fail by which to accomplish it.

3. Hence you that are yet in darkness, may be directed to whom to apply yourselves for saving knowledge. It is Christ that hath the sovereign eye-salve that can