And yet surely, if any man could, _Paul_ himself might have attained thereto by that wisdom. For we can hardly conceive any, who was more highly favoured with all the gifts both of nature and education. Besides his natural abilities, probably not inferior to those of any person then upon the earth, he had all the benefits of learning, studying at the university of _Tarsus_, afterwards brought up at the feet of _Gamaliel_, the person of the greatest account both for knowledge and integrity, that was then in the whole _Jewish_ nation. And he had all the possible advantages of religious education, being a Pharisee, the son of a Pharisee, trained up in the very straitest sect or profession, distinguished from all others by a more eminent strictness. And herein he had _profited above many_ others, _who were his equals in years, being more abundantly zealous_ of whatever he thought would please God, and _as touching the righteousness of the law blameless_. But it could not be, that he should hereby attain this simplicity and godly sincerity. It was all but lost labour; in a deep, piercing sense of which he was at length constrained to cry out, _The things which were gain to me, those I counted loss for Christ. Yea doubtless, and I count all things but loss, for the excellency of the knowledge of Christ Jesus my Lord._ Phil. iii. 7, 8. 15. It could not be that ever he should attain to this, but by the _excellent knowledge of Jesus Christ_, our Lord: or _by the grace of God_; another expression of nearly the same import. By _the grace of God_ is sometimes to be understood, that free love, that unmerited mercy, by which I a sinner, thro’ the merits of Christ, am now reconciled to God. But in this place it rather means, that power of God the Holy Ghost, which _worketh in us both to will and to do, of his good pleasure_. As soon as ever the grace of God, in the former sense, his pardoning love is manifested to our soul, the grace of God, in the latter sense, the power of his Spirit, takes place therein. And now we can perform, thro’ God, what to man was impossible. Now we can order our conversation aright. We can do all things in the light and power of that love, thro’ Christ which strengtheneth us. We now have _the testimony of our conscience_, which we could never have by fleshly wisdom, _that in simplicity and godly sincerity we have our conversation in the world_.