ADVANCEMENT OF LEARNING 419 



The prerogative of God extends over the whole man, and 

 reaches both to his will and his reason; so that man must 

 absolutely renounce himself, aad submit to God : and there 

 fore, as we are obliged to obey the divine law, though our 

 will murmur against it, so are we obliged to believe the 

 word of &od, though, our reason be shocked at it. For if 

 we should believe only such things as are agreeable to our 

 reason, we assent to the matter, and not to the author; 

 which is no more than we do to a suspected witness. But 

 the faith imputed to Abraham for righteousness consisted 

 in a particular, laughed at by Sarah, 1 who, in that respect, 

 was an image of the natural reason. And, therefore, the 

 more absurd and incredible any divine mystery is, the 

 greater honqr we do to God in believing it; and so much 

 the more noble the victory of faith: as sinners, the more 

 they are oppressed in conscience, yet relying upon the mercy 

 of God for salvation, honor him the more; for all despair is 

 a kind of reproaching the Deity. And if well considered, 

 belief is more worthy than knowledge; such knowledge, I 

 mean, as we have at present: for in knowledge, the human 

 mind is acted upon by sense, which results from material 

 things; but in faith, the spirit is affected by spirit, which 

 is the more worthy agent. It is otherwise in the state of 

 glory: for then, faith shall cease, and we shall know as we 

 are known. 2 



Let us, therefore, conclude, that sacred theology must 

 be drawn from the word and oracles of God; 3 not from the 

 light of nature, or the dictates of reason. It is written, 

 that &quot;the heavens declare the glory of God&quot;: but we no 

 where find it, that the heavens declare the will of God, 

 which is pronounced a law, and a testimony, that men 

 should do according to it, etc. Nor does this hold only in 

 the great mysteries of the Godhead, of the creation, and of 

 the redemption, but belongs, also, to the true interpretation 

 of the moral law. &quot;Love your enemies, do good to them 



1 Gen. xviii. 2 I. Cor. xiii. 12. 3 Psal. xviii. 2. 



