The Works (Vol 7) by Thomas Goodwin (Available from Amazon or free here) - Continue Book II (Of the Creatures) by reading Chapter 7.
Goodwin continues to contrast the state of Adam and the state of Christians.
Firstly Goodwin demonstrates that Adam's knowledge of God by revelation is a natural knowledge, not a supernatural one.
Secondly he shows that our faith and God's revelation to us is supernatural in contrast to Adam's, particularly:
(i) in respect of the objects revealed to our faith, which his mind should never have arrived at;
(ii) in regard to the light by which our minds are acted and elevated, compared with that inbred light by which he knew things, that candle which the Lord set up in his heart, and was inbred in him.;
(iii) in respect of the way or manner of knowledge, or assent raised up thereby.
Although Goodwin does admit it is not necessarily agreed upon by all, he does make an interesting case.
But most would admit this paragraph holds water: 'And then, last of all, add unto all that we have over and above what he [Adam] had, a new edition of God and all his attributes, and all his mind bound up in one volume in Christ ; and the revelation of the gospel, the mystery of his will, the least tittle whereof Adam should never have known. Faith brings us into another world, and the things of it infinitely transcending Adam's, and revealing more of God in the least creature of it than is in all his volume, and is as much vaster than his as heaven is above earth ; as much exceeds it as the second Adam, Christ, doth him, who was the epitome of his world, as Christ is of ours. We have the addition of new objects, and those glorious, heavenly, wholly supernatural. In Christ, a new Indies is discovered, a new treasure broken up which Adam should never have heard of.'
Living after Christ and the revelation of the New Testament definitely gives Christians a fantastic knowledge of God that Adam never enjoyed.
Next week's reading
Continue Book II (Of the Creatures) by reading Chapters 8 and 9.
Now it's your turn
Please post your own notes and thoughts in the comments section below.
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