Precious faith considered in its nature, working, and growth

First, The light of reason with all its acquired notions is not a light as yet congruous to the things of God, which are spiritually discerned only by a supernatural light. To make out this, it will be worth our while to consider that famous place, 1 Cor. 2. where the Apostle clearly distinguishing two sorts of men, the natural man and the spiritual; and two sorts of spirits, the spirit of man making the natural man, and the spirit of God making the spiritual man; and two sorts of objects, the things of man, which are the line of knowledge to the natural man endued with an humane spirit, and ⟨p. 21⟩the things of God, which are the line of knowledge to the spiritual man endued with the spirit of God; Positively lays down this Thesis, the natural man [Greek or Hebrew], the soully man, or the man that hath only a rational soul, receiveth not [Greek or Hebrew], as a full vessel is not capable of the things of the spirit of God, for they are foolishness unto him, neither can he know them, because they are spiritually discerned, ver. 14. In this Thesis the Apostle by the [Greek or Hebrew], or soully man, doth not mean a sensual man, who hath deflowered his reason with sensual indulgences, for then he would not have distinguished between the natural man and the spiritual, but between the sensual man and the rational; neither would he have distinguished between the spirit of man and the spirit of God, but between the spirit of man or reason drowned in sensual pleasures, and the spirit of man or reason keeping its station and just authority over the sensual appetite; neither doth the Apostle here mean a natural or rational man sitting in Pagan darkness, without the Gospel, for he saith, the natural man receiveth not the things of God, which imports an offer of the Gospel to him, and he receiveth them not, because they are foolishness to him: which they could not be, if altogether unknown; and (saith he) he cannot know them, why? not because they are not externally propounded (which is the Pagans case) but because they are spiritually discerned: But the Apostle here meaneth by the natural or soully man, a man of reason, and that never forfeited ⟨p. 22⟩by sensual lusts, and a man of reason with the Gospel set before him; and so his conclusion is this, A man of reason with the Gospel before him, cannot receive or know the things of God.