God giveth grace to the humble, and particularly grace to learn his will, as Psalm xxv. 9. “The meek "will he guide in judgment, and the meek will he "teach his way." The meek are they, who, with an humble and lowly spirit, receive the word of God, according to the apostle James, i. 21. "Receive with "meekness the ingrafted word, which is able to save "your souls." They shall be taught of God, whom he has disposed to receive his word with meekness, he will ingraft it inwardly in their hearts, and will enable them to bring forth the precious fruits of it in their lives, and thus he will teach them his way. And then they will be able to take up the words of Christ, gratefully acknowledging what God has done for them"We thank thee, O Father, Lord of heaven and "earth, because thou hast hid these things from the "wise and prudent, and hast revealed them unto "babes." The things of God are still hid from the wise and prudent, from the wise and prudent ones of this world, who seek the knowledge of them by mere human learning, which without grace, only puffs them up, and hinders them from seeing their want of divine teaching; from all such he hides the knowledge of spiritual things, but he reveals them to those whom the Holy Spirit has made humble and teachable. When such persons come with a meek temper to be taught of him, then he manifests to them the secrets of his kingdom: for he reveals them unto babes: unto them that blessed promise of the New Testament is fulfilled, "If any of you lack wisdom, and is hum"bled under the sense of his want of it, let him ask "it of God, who giveth unto all askers liberally, and "upbraideth not, and it shall be given him," James i. 5.

This then is the proper disposition of mind with which the Holy Spirit prepares the children of God for divine teaching, and by which he helps them to profit under it. He makes them humble, meek, and lowly in their own eyes, and desirous of being taught

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of God. To such persons he giveth grace to understand the word, to apply it, and to be edified by it. To those whom he has humbled he giveth his grace, because they will take no merit to themselves; but will ascribe the glory of what they learn to their divine teacher, and use it to the praise of the glory of his grace. You are, I hope, convinced of these great truths, but perhaps some of you do not see clearly how you are to attain this humble, teachable disposition. Are you convinced of your own want of it? If you are, this is the work of the Holy Spirit. He has begun to make you sensible of your ignorance; and he must prepare you to receive instruction, as well as give it you. The desire to be taught of God cometh from him, as well as the teaching itself. He must work in you both to will and to do: for it is written, Prov. xvi. 1. The preparations of the heart in man are "from the Lord;" "if there be any preparations in your heart to be taught of God, this is not from yourself, it is from the Lord, and is expressly ascribed to him, Gal. v. 23. where meekness is mentioned among the other fruits of the Spirit, that meekness whereby we receive the ingrafted word is the fruit of his grace in the heart. Apply to him for it, and he will make you an humble, teachable scholar in the school of Christ; and when he has thus disposed you to give him all the glory of teaching you, then to you his promise shall be fulfilled, and you shall be taught of God.

From what has been now offered, the doctrine of the text is, I hope, made plain and clear: If scripture authority can convince, and if matter of fact can determine the point, they give in full evidence for the necessity of divine teaching, which is farther confirmed from the established method in which God teaches his children. He revealed his word for their instruction, and his Spirit still accompanies the hearing or reading of it, and renders it effectual to the purposes for which it was revealed. He still, by his grace, prepares the sinner's mind to receive it, by convincing him of his igno

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rance of the things of God, by bringing him with an humble teachable temper to learn them from the word of God, and then he works faith in the sinner's heart by the word, and helps the believer to act faith upon the word of God's grace, which is able to build him up, and to give him an inheritance among all them which are sanctified. These particulars have been established upon express passages of Holy Scripture; and what effect, my brethren, has our present consideration of them had upon you? Has it been the means of shewing any of you how much you stood in need of divine teaching? Has it stirred up fervent desires in any of you for the teachings of God's Spirit? If neither of these good effects followed, what is the cause which hindered? If you believe the scripture to be the word of God, you cannot deny the doctrine. No words can be plainer than these written in the prophets. They shall be ALL taught of God." If all are not to be taught of God, how do you understand the words? Do you think they speak only of the apostles and primitive Christians, to whom they were fulfilled, but we are not now to expect their accomplishment? This is the opinion of many persons, but it is quite unscriptural. The 54th chapter of Isaiah, as explained by an infallible interpreter in the New Testament, treats of the Gentile church in the last days, of which it is said, verse 13, "And all thy children shall be taught of the "Lord," ALL without exception, all God's children among the Gentiles in every age shall be taught of the Lord. To the same purpose the prophet Jeremiah, chap. xxxi. speaks of the new covenant which was to be established in the last days, declares from the mouth of God, ver. 34. "And they shall teach no more 66 every man his neighbour, and every man his brother, દુઃ saying, Know the Lord; for they shall all know me "from the least of them to the greatest of them, saith "the Lord." This promise belongs to the new covenant, under which God himself engages to teach his people, and they all, from the least to the greatest,

shall know the Lord. And when our blessed Saviour in the text referred to these and such-like promises, which are written in the prophets, he made no limitation, but said, "they shall be all taught of God,”all in every age of the church, who are made sensible of their want of divine teaching, and look up to heaven for a divine teacher, shall be taught of God. Certainly these passages cannot be so far wrested and tortured as to make them speak for divine teaching in one age of the church only. How can you with any appearance of truth, fix a limited sense to these universal propositions-ALL thy children shall be taught of the Lord -they shall ALL know me from the least to the greatest for they shall be ALL taught of God-All were to be taught by him, all his children, therefore his children now have the same promise of divine teaching which the primitive Christians had; for the promise is to us, and to our children, and to all that are afar off, even as many as the Lord our God shall call.

Since then the scripture so clearly confutes this ab surd and wicked opinion, do you, my brethren, give it up, and acknowledge the necessity of divine teaching? If not, what other objection have you against the doctrine? Have you been used to think, that it carried with it an air of enthusiasm? I know many persons look upon it in this light. If any of you do, pray tell us what you mean by enthusiasm? For it seems to us only a bad name given to the best thing. At this day the knowledge of vital and experimental religion is so far lost, that whenever the generality of our people hear it spoken of, they do not understand it; and what they do not understand, they reject under the odious name of enthusiasm; so that this name does not stand for any bad properties in the thing to which they apply it, but only signifies their dislike of it. And if they express their dislike by an hard name, what hurt can that do? Can it really turn the words of truth and soberness into enthusiasm? Can that be enthusiasm,

which believes God to be a faithful promise-keeping God, and that his word cannot be broken? What! is it enthusiasm to desire to be taught of God, and to ask wisdom of him, after he has commanded his children to ask it, and has engaged to teach it to them? Surely, no. God's promises must be fulfilled, and they, who seek their accomplishment, cannot be disappointed. He hath spoken by the mouth of his holy prophets, that all his children shall be taught of God; and heaven and earth shall pass away, before one tittle of these words shall fail. Men and brethren, what do you think now of this objection, which wants to make God a liar, for promising to teach his children, and which treats them as enthusiasts who expect to be taught of him? Certainly you cannot defend such a blasphemous opinion. Well then, the way is farther cleared for a favourable reception of the doctrine; and do you indeed receive it? Perhaps you assent to it. But what sort of an assent do you give? Is it active and operative? If not, what will it avail? You will learn none of the things of God, by simply believing that God does teach them to his children. You must ask, if you would have: you must seek, if you would find that wisdom which cometh from above. And you must ask with earnestness, and seek with diligence; not as if you could thereby merit, but to express your wants and your humility. The divine direction in this case is, Prov. ii. 3, 4, &c. "If thou criest after knowledge, "and liftest up thy voice for understanding," not asking faintly, but crying aloud, and lifting up the voice through the fervency of the desire after wisdom. "And if thou seekest her as silver, and searchest for her as hid treasures," seeking with as great pains, and searching with as constant application, as ever worldly man took to enrich himself: "Then shalt thou under"stand the fear of the Lord, and find the knowledge "of God: for the Lord giveth wisdom," he giveth it to every one who seeks with humble diligence.

These are words of comfort to you who desire to be