reason, as that it is no small commendation of it, for it is becoming to put a good face on things.'1 Men love to put a plausible title, a winning frontispiece upon the foulest errors. Thus, licentiousness would fain be called by the name of liberty, and all dissoluteness would fain be countenanced and secured under the patronage and protection of free grace. Thus wickedness would willingly forget its own name, and adopt itself into the family of goodness. Thus Arminianism pleads for itself under the specious notion of God's love to mankind. Thus, that silly error of Antinomianism will needs style itself an evangelical honeycomb.' Thus all irregularities and anomalies in Church affairs, must pride themselves in those glittering titles of a new light,' 'a gospel way,' ' a heaven upon earth.' No wonder, then, that some also pretend to reason, who yet run out of it, and beyond it, and beside it. But must none, therefore, come near it? Because Socinus has burnt his wings at this 'candle of the Lord,' must none, therefore, make use of it? May he not be conquered with his own weapons, and beat out of his own strongholds? and may not the head of an uncircumcised Philistine be cut off with his own sword?

Or, lastly, are they thus afraid of reason, because by virtue of this men of wit and subtlety will presently argue and dispute them into an error, so as that they shall not be able to disentangle a truth, though in itself it be never so plain and unquestionable? But, first, reason itself tells them that it may be thus, and so prepares and fortifies them against such a trial; and then this only shows that some men's reason is not so well advanced and improved either as it might be, or as others' is. A sharper edge would quickly cut such difficulties asunder. Some have more refined and clarified intellectuals, more vigorous

1 Πρόσωπον χρὴ θέμεν τηλαυγές.

and sparkling eyes than others, and one soul differs from another in glory; and that reason which can make some shift to maintain error, might, with a great deal less sweat and pains, maintain a truth.

There is no question but that Bellarmine, and the rest of the learned Papists, could have, if they had pleased, far more easily defended the Protestant religion than their own. Besides, the vigour and triumph of reason is principally to be seen in those first-born beams, those pure and unspotted irradiations, that shine from it; I mean those first bubblings up of common principles that are owned and acknowledged by all, and those evident and kindly derivations that flow from them. Reason shows her face more amiably and pleasantly in a pure and clear stream, than in those muddied and troubled waters in which the schoolmen that have leisure enough are always fishing. Nay, some of their works are like so many raging scas, full of perpetual tossings and disquietings and foamings, and sometimes 'casting up mire and dirt;' and yet these vast and voluminous leviathans love to sport therein : and that which is most intolerable, these grand 'sages," that seemed so zealous for reason, at length in express terms disclaim it; and, in a most blindfold and confused manner, cry up their great Diana, their idol of transubstantiation. The Lutherans are very fierce against reason too, much upon the same account, because it would never allow of that other monstrous and misshapen lump of consubstantiation.

But why have I all this while beaten the air, and spilt words upon the ground? why do I speak to such as are incurable and incapable ? for if we speak reason to them, that is that which they so much disclaim: if we do not speak reason to them, that were to disclaim it too. But I

1 Σοφοί.

speak to men, to Christians, to the friends of learning, to the professors of reason; to such as put this candle of the Lord into a golden candlestick, and pour continual oil into it. Yet, lest any among you Athenians1 should erect an altar to an 'unknown God;' lest you should 'ignorantly Acts xvii. worship' him, we will 'declare him to you.'

And that which we have now said, may serve as a porch

22, 23.

and preamble to what we shall speak hereafter out of these words: The spirit of a man is the candle of the Prov. xx. 27. Lord;' where we shall see,-1. How 'the understanding of a man is the candle of the Lord.' 2. What this 'candle of the Lord' discovers; where we shall find-(1.) That all the moral law is founded in natural and common light, in the light of reason; and, (2.) That there is nothing in the mysteries of the gospel contrary to the light of reason; nothing repugnant to this light that shines from the candle of the Lord.'

1 The Cambridge Academics.

CHAPTER II.

THE EXPLICATION OF THE WORDS.

Now, as for the words themselves, we cannot better judge of the fitness of this expression, than by considering who it was that spoke it. Now, these words were spoken by him that had a large portion of intellectuals, one that 1 Sam. x. 23. was above the people by a head." They were spoken by Solomon, in whom the candle of the Lord' did shine very clearly; one that had asked this as the choicest favour that he could expect from the bounty of Heaven, to have a glorious lamp of knowledge shine in his soul for the enlightening of it. And though the envious Jews would fain persuade the world that he lighted his candle at hell itself -for they esteemed him no better than a magician; as they esteemed Him also that was greater than Solomonyet we know very well, that Solomon's was a purer candle than to be lighted at a lake of fire and brimstone. It was James i. 17. not of Lucifer's setting up, but it came from 'the Father of lights.' It was lighted with sunbeams from heaven.

And it is a modest and humble expression in him, to call his understanding the candle of the Lord,' when as the world looked upon him as a star of the first magnitude, nay, as a sun shining in the firmament, gilding the world with knowledge, scattering beams of light, sparkling

1 Ἔξοχος ἀνθρώπων κεφαλῃ.

out in wise and proverbial sayings, so that the bordering princes and nations are ready to adore such an orient light; and the Queen of the South thinks it no small happiness 1 Kings x. to sit under the shadow of it. But yet to be sensible of his own narrow sphere, of his own finite compass and influence, did not at all take from his lustre, but did rather set it off, and add to his glory.

Thus that wise man among the heathen, Socrates, did so far complain of the weakness of his candle-light, as that he tells us his lamp would show him nothing but his own. darkness. And though a wiser than Socrates be here, yet he is much in the same measure sensible of the dimness of his own intellectuals. And yet he was one that had made many discoveries with this 'candle of the Lord;' he had searched into the mines and several veins of knowledge; he had searched into the hid treasures of wisdom, he had searched to the depth of state affairs, he had searched into the bowels of natural causes, into the 'great things and mysteries'1 of nature, as if among many other wives he had espoused nature also to himself; he had searched into the several tempers and intellectual complexions of men; he had searched long enough with this 'candle of the Lord,' to see if he could find any good under the sun; he went with his candle to find out a 'chief good ;'2 he searched into all the corners of being; and at length, being sufficiently wearied, you may see him sitting down; you may hear him complaining, that he had but spent and wasted 'the candle of the Lord' in vain; for so much is implied in. This was but 'vexation of spirit," as he himself calls it.

Yet he was one that showed others how they might make better improvement of their intellectual lamp; and this was his wisest advice, that he gave upon his most mature and concocted thoughts-this was 'as it were the 1 Magnalia et mysteria. 2 Summum bonum. 3 Depastio spiritus.

Eccles, i. 11.