The divine intention is more to produce a perfection of the will, than of the understanding; but a perfect clearness would only be of use to the understanding, and would be hurtful to the will.

If there were no darkness, men would not feel their depravity; and were there no light, they would have no hope of a remedy. So that it is not only just, but advantageous to us, that God should conceal himself in part, and discover himself in part; since it is, equally, dangerous for men to know God without knowing their own misery,-and to know their own misery, without any knowledge of God.

Every thing informs man of his own condition; but this ought to be rightly understood. For God does not either completely reveal himself, nor remain altogether concealed. But it is most certainly true, that he conceals himself from those who tempt him, and reveals himself to those who seek him. For though men are altogether unworthy of God, yet at the same time they are capable of enjoying Him. They are unworthy of communion with him by their corruption; but are capable of it by their original nature.

There is no object on earth, which does not proclaim either the misery of man, or the mercy of God; either the impotence of man, without

God, or the power of man, with the assistance of God.

The whole universe teaches man, either that he is depraved, or that he is redeemed. Every thing informs him either of his greatness, or his misery. The dereliction of God, we may remark in the Pagans: his protection appears in the Jews.

All things work together for good to the elect; even the obscurities of scripture, which they revere on account of that divine clearness which they understand. And all things work together for evil to the reprobate, not excepting the divine clearness of scripture, which they blaspheme, on account of the obscurities which they do not comprehend.

If Jesus Christ had only come for the purpose of sanctification, the whole of scripture, and every thing else, would have been directed to this end; and it would have been very easy. to convince unbelievers. But since he came, as Isaiah speaks, both for a sanctuary and a rock of offence, (Isa. viii. 14.) it is impossible for us to conquer their perverseness. But this makes nothing against us, because we affirm that all the divine conduct conveys no conyiction to obstinate minds, and such as do not

Jesus Christ is come, that those who see not, may see; and that those who see, may be made blind. He is come to heal the sick, and let the healthy die to call sinners to repentance and justification, and to leave those in their sins, who think themselves righteous; to fill the hungry with good things, and to send the rich empty away.

What do the prophets affirm of Jesus Christ? That he shall appear, evidently, to be God? No -But that he is a God veiled to the eye of sense; that he shall be unknown; that men will not think it is him; that he shall be a stone of stumbling, against which many shall fall; &c.

It was to make the Messiah known to the good, and unknown to the wicked, that God caused him to be so foretold. For had the manner of his appearance been clearly described, there would not have been any obscurity, even to wicked men. And if the time had been obscurely predicted, even good men would have felt themselves in darkness. For the integrity of their heart could not have taught them, for example, that a signified six hundred years. The time, therefore, was clearly declared; and the manner only in figure.

By this means the wicked, apprehending that the blessings promised were temporal, were

deceived, notwithstanding the clear predictions of the time; while the righteous were not deceived; for the sense in which the promised blessings are understood, depends on the heart, which calls that good which it loves; but the interpretation of the promised time does not depend on the heart. And thus the clear prediction of the time, and the obscure prediction of the blessings, could mislead none but the wicked,

What must the Messiah have been, seeing that in him the sceptre was eternally to continue with Judah; and that, at his coming, the sceptre was to be taken from Judah? That seeing, they should not see; and understanding, they should not understand. Isa. vi. 9. Nothing could have been more complete.

Instead of complaining that God is concealed, we ought to give him thanks that he has so clearly revealed himself; and to give him thanks also, that he still hides himself from the wise and the proud, who are unworthy to know so holy a God,

The genealogy of Jesus Christ in the Old Testament, is intermixed with so many things of little consequence, that we can scarcely

gister but that of the ancestors of Jesus Christ, it would have been too conspicuous; but even now, by careful inspection, we may trace it in Thamar, Ruth, &c.

The most apparent defects are of force with persons of discernment. For instance: the two genealogies of St. Matthew and St. Luke; it being manifest that they could not have been drawn out in concert.

Let not men, therefore, reproach us with want of light for we ourselves profess to want it. But let them own the truth of religion in its very obscurity, in the imperfection of the light which surrounds us, and that indifference which is in men about knowing it,

Were there but one religion, God would be too conspicuous: and so likewise, if there were martyrs in no other religion than our own.

Jesus Christ, to leave the impious in their blindness, never told them that he was not of Nazareth, or that he was not the son of Joseph.

As Jesus Christ remained unknown amongst men, so truth remains amongst other opinions, undistinguished by their external appearance, like the Eucharist amidst common bread.