YALE UNIVERSITY LIBRARY AN APOLOi^Y TRUE CHRISTIAN DIVINITY: AN EXPLANATION AND VINDICATION PRINCIPLES AND DOCTRINES OF THE PEOPLE CALLED QUAKERS. -WRITTEN IN LATIN AND ENGLISH BY ROBERT BARCLAY, AUD SINCE TRANSLATED INTO HIGH DUTCH, LOW DUTCH, FRENCH, AMI* SPANISH, FOB THE INFORMATION OF STRANGERS. THE riEST STEREOTYPE EDITION, FROM THE EIGHTH LONDON EDITION. P R O YIDENCE: PRINTED BY KNOWLES AND VOSE, FOR THE TRUSTEES OF OBADIAH BROWN's BENEVOLENT FUND. 1847. /ml TO CHARLES II. KING OF GREAT BRITAIN, AND THE DOMINIONS THEREUNTO BELONGING: ROBERT BARCLAY, A servant of Jesus Christ, called of God to the Dis pensation of the Gospel now again revealed, and, after a long and dark night of Apostacy, commanded to he preached to all nations, wisheth health and sol vation. As the condition of kings and princes placeth them in a station more obvious to the view and obser vation of the world, than that of other men, of whom, as Cicero observes, neither any word or action can be obscure; so are those kings, dur ing whose appearance upon the stage of this world it pleaseth the Great King of kings singu larly to make known unto men the wonderful steps of his unsearchable providence, more signally observed, and their lives and actions more dili gently remarked, and inquired into by posterity; especially if those things be such as not only re late to the outward transactions of this world, but also are signalized by the manifestation or reve lation of the knowledge of God in matters spirit- H. TO THE KING. ual and religious. These are the things that ren dered the YivesoWyrus, Augustus Ccesar, and Constan- tine the Great in former times, and of Charles the Fifth, and some other modern princes in these last ages, so considerable. But among all the transactions which it hath pleased God to permit, for the glory of his power, and the manifestation of his wisdom and provi dence, no age furnisheth us with things so strange and marvellous, whether with respect to matters civil or religious, as these that have fallen out within the compass of thy time; who, though thou be not yet arrived at the fiftieth year of thy age, hast yet been a witness of stranger things than many ages before produced. So that whether we respect those various troubles wherein thou foundest thyself engaged while scarce got out of thy infancy; the many different afflictions where with men of thy circumstances are often unac quainted; the strange and unparalleled fortune that befel thy father; thy own narrow escape, and banishment following thereupon, Avith the great improbability of thy ever returning, at least with out very much pains and tedious combatings; oi finally the incapacity thou wert under to accom plish such a design, considering the strength of those that had possessed themselves of thy throne, and the terror they had inflicted upon foreign states; and yet that, after all this, thou shouldest be restored without stroke of sword, the help or assistance of foreign states, or the contrivance and work of human policy; all these do sufficiently declare that it is the Lord''s doing ; Avhich, as it is marvellous in our eyes, so it will justly be a mat ter of wonder and astonishment to generations to come; and may sufficiently serve, if rightly ob served, to confute and confound that Atheism wherewith this age doth so much abound. TO THE KING. IH. As the vindication of the liberty of conscience (which thy father, by giving way to the importu nate clamours of the clergy, the answering and ful filling of whose unrighteous wills has often proved hurtful and pernicious to princes, sought in some part to restrain) was a great occasion of those troubles and revolutions; so the pretence of con science was that which carried it on, and brought it to that pitch it came to. And though no doubt some that were engaged in that work designed good things, at least in the beginning, albeit always wrong in the manner they took to ac complish it, viz. by carnal weapons; yet so soon as they had tasted the sweets of the posses sions of them they had turned out, they quickly began to do those things themselves for which they had accused others. For their hands were found full of oppression, and they hated the reproof of instruction, which is the way of life; and they evilly entreated the messengers of the Lord, and caused his prophets to be beaten and imprisoned, and persecuted his people, whom he had called and gathered out from among them, whom he had made to beat their swords into plough-shares, and their spears into pruning-hooJcs, and not to learn car nal war any more: but he raised them up, and armed them with spiritual weapons, even with his own Spirit and power, whereby they testified in the streets and highways, and public markets and synagogues, against the pride, vanity, lusts, and hypocrisy of that generation, who were righteous in their own eyes, though often cruelly entreated therefor: and they faithfully prophesied and fore told them of their judgment and downfal, which came upon them, as by several warnings and epistles delivered to Oliver and Richard Cromwell, the parliament, and other then' powers, yet upon record, doth appear IV. TO THE KING. And after it pleased God to restore thee, what oppressions, what banishments, and evil entreat- ings they have met with, by men pretending thy authority, and cloaking their mischief with thy name, is known to most men in this island; espe cially in England, where there is scarce a prison that hath not been filled with them, nor a judge before whom they have not been haled; though they could never yet be found guilty of any thing that might deserve that usage. Therefore the sense of their innocency did no doubt greatly contribute to move thee, three years ago, to cause some hun dreds of them to be set at liberty: for indeed their sufferings are singular, and obviously distin guishable from all the rest of such as live under thee in these two respects. First, In that among all the plots contrived by others against thee since thy return into Britain, the7'e was never any, owned of that people, found or known to be guilty, (though many of them have been taken and imprisoned upon such kind of jealousies,) but were always found innocent and harmless, as became the followers of Christ; not coveting after, nor contend ing for, the kingdoms of this world, but subject to every ordinance of man, for conscience' sake. Secondly, In that in the hottest times of persecu tion, and the most violent prosecution of those laws made against meetings, being clothed with innocency, they have boUly stood to their testimony for God, without creeping into holes or corners, or once hiding themselves as all other Dissenters have done; but daily met according to their custom, in the public places appointed for that end; so that none of thy officers can say of them,that they have surprised them in a corner, overtaken them m a private conventicle, or catchedthem lurkino- in their secret chambers; nor needed they to send out spies to get them, whom they were sure daily to find in their open assemblies, testifying for God and his truth ^ TO THE KING. V. By wliich tjiose who have an eye tq see, may observe their Christian patience and courage, constancy and suffering joined in one, more than in any other people that differ from them, or op pose them. And yet, in the midst of those trou bles, thou canst bear witness, that as on the one part they never sought to detract from thee, or to render thee and thy government odious to the people, by nameless and scandalous pamphlets and libels; so on the other hand they have not spared to admonish, exhort, and reprove thee; and have faithfully discharged their consciences towards thee, without flattering words, as ever the true prophets in ancient times used to do to those kings and princes, under whose power vio lence and oppression was acted. And although it is evident by experience to be most agreeable both to divine truth and human policy, to allow every one to serve God according to their consciences, nevertheless those other sects, who for the most part durst not peep out in the times of persecution, while these innocent people stood bold and faithful, do now combine in a joint confederacy, notwithstanding all the former janglings and contentions among them selves, to render us odious; seeking unjustly to wrest our doctrine and words, as if they were both inconsistent with Christianity and civil society: so that to effectuate this their work of malice against us, they have not been ashamed to take the help, and commend the labours, of some in vidious Socinians against us. So do Herod and Pon tins Pilate agree to crucify Christ. But our practice, known to thee by good expe rience to be more consistent with Christianity and civil society, and the peace and welfare of this island, than that of those who thus accuse us, doth sufficiently guard us against this calumny; and VI. TO THE KING. we may indeed appeal to the testimony of thy conscience, as a witness for us in the face of the nations. These things moved me to present the world with a brief, but true account of this people's prin ciples, in some short theological propositions ; which, according to the will of God, proving successful, beyond my expectation, to the satisfaction of seve ral, and to the exciting in many a desire of being farther informed concerning us, as being every where evil spoken of; and likewise meeting with public opposition by some, as such will always do, so long as the devil rules in the children of disobedi ence; I was thereby farther engaged, in the lib erty of the Lord, to present to the world this apology of the truth held by those people : which, because of thy interest in them, and theirs in thee, as having first appeared, and mostly increased, in these nations under thy rule, I make bold to pre sent unto thee. Thou knowest, and hast experienced their faith fulness towards their God, their patience in suffering, their peaceableness towards the king, their honesty, plainness and integrity in their faithful warnings and testimonies to thee; and if thou wilt allow thyself so much time as to read this, thou mayest find how consonant their principles are both to scripture, truth, and right reason. The simplicity of their behav iour, the generality of their condition, as being poor men and ilhterate; the manner of their pro cedure, being without the wisdom and policy of this world ; hath made many conclude them fools and madmen, and neglect them, as not being ca pable of reason. But though it be to them as their crown, thus to be esteemed of the wise, the great, and learned of this world, and though thev rejoice to be accounted fools for Christ's sake- yet of late some, even such who in the world's TO THE KING. VU. account are esteemed both wise and learned, be gin to judge otherwise of them, and find that they hold forth things very agreeable both to scripture, reason, and true learning. As it is inconsistent with the truth 1 bear, so it is far from me to use this epistle as an engine to flatter thee, the usual design of such works; and therefore I can neither dedicate it to thee, nor crave thy patronage, as if thereby I might have more confidence to present it to the world, or be more hopeful of its success. To God alone I owe what 1 have, and that more immediately in matters spiritual; and therefore to him alone, and to the service of his truth, 1 dedicate whatever work he brings forth in me; to whom only the praise and honour appertain, whose truth needs not the pat ronage of worldly princes; his arm and power being that alone by which it is propagated, estab lished, and confirmed. But 1 found it upon my spirit to take occasion to present this book unto thee; that as thou hast been often warned by seve ral of that people, who are inhabitants of England; so thou mayest not want a seasonable advertise ment from a member of thy ancient kingdom of Scotland; and that thou mayest know, which 1 hope thou wilt have no reason to be troubled at, that God is raising up and increasing that people in this nation. ' Ahd the nations shall also hereby know, that the truth we profess is not a work of darkness, nor propagated by stealth; and that we are not ashamed of the gospel of Christ, because we know it to be the power of God unto salvation; and that we are no ways so inconsistent with gov ernment, nor such disturbers of the peace, as our enemies, by traducing us, have sought to make the world believe we are : for which to thee I dare appeal, as a witness of our peaceableness and Christian patience. 2 vm. TO THE KING. Generations to come shall not more admire that singular step of Divine Providence, in restoring thee to thy throne, without outward bloodshed, than they shall admire the increase and progress of this truth, without all outward help, and against so great opposition; which shall be none of the least things rendering thy memory remarkable. God hath done great things for thee; he hath sufficiently shown thee, that it is by him princes rule, and that he can pull down and set up at his pleasure. He hath often faithfully warned thee by his ser vants, since he restored thee to thy royal dignity, that thy heart might not wax wanton against him, to forget his mercies and providences towards thee; whereby he might permit thee to be soothed up, and lulled asleep in thy sins, by the flattering of court-parasites, who, by their fawning, are the rum of many princes. There is no king in the world, who can so ex perimentally testify of God's providence and good ness; neither is there any who rules so many free people, so many true Christians : which thing ren ders thy government more honourable, thyself more considerable, than the accession of many nations, filled with slavish and superstitious souls. Thou hast tasted of prosperity and adversity; thou knowest what it is to be banished thy native country, to be over-ruled, as well as to rule, and sit upon the throne; and being oppressed, thou hast reason to know how hateful the oppressor is both to God and man: If after all these warnings and advertisements, thou dost not turn unto the Lord with all thy heart, but forget him, who remem bered thee in thy distress, and give up thyself to follow lust and vanity; surely great will be thy condemnation. Against which snare as well as the temptation of those that may or do feed thee, and prompt TO THE KING. IX. thee to evil, the most excellent and prevalent remedy will be, to apply thyself to that Light of Christ, which shineth in thy conscience, which neither can nor vrill flatter thee, nor suffer thee to be at ease in thy sins; but doth and will deal plainly and faithfully with thee, as those that are follow ers thereof have also done. GOD Almighty, who hath so signally hitherto visited thee with his love, so touch and reach thy heart, ere the day of thy visitation be expired, that thou mayest effectually turn to him, so as to improve thy place and station for his name. So wisheth, so prayeth, Thy faithful friend and subject, RoBEET Barclay. From Vry, in my native country of Scotland, the 26th of th6 month called November, in th« year MDCLXXV. R. B. Unto the Friendly Reader wisheth Salvation. Forasmuch as that, which above all things I propose to myself, is to declare and defend the truth, for the service whereof I have given up and devoted myself, and all that is mine; therefore there is nothing which for its sake (by the help and assistance of God) I may not attempt. And in this confidence, I did some time ago publish certain propositions of divinity, comprehending briefly the chief principles and doctrines oi' truth; which ap pearing not unprofitable to some, and being be yond my expectation well received by many, though also opposed by some envious ones, did so far prevail, as in some part to remove that false and monstrous opinion, which lying fame, and the malice of our adversaries, had implanted in the minds of some, concerning us and out doctrines. In this respect it seemed to me not fit to spare my pains and labour; and therefore, being actu ated by the same Divine Spirit, and the like inten tion of propagating the truth, by which I published the propositions themselves, I judged it meet to explain them somewhat more largely at this time, and defend them by certain arguments. Perhaps my method of Avriting may seem not only different, but even contrary, to that which is commonly used by the men called divines, with which I am not concerned: inasmuch as 1 confess myself to be not only no imitator and admirer of the school-men, but an opposer and despiser of them as such, by whose labour I judge the Christian religion to be so far from being bettered, that it is rather destroyed. Neither have I sought to accom modate this my work to itching ears, who desire rather to comprehend in their heads the sublime notions of truth, than to embrace it in their hearts: for what I have written comes more from my XII. TO THE FRIENDLY READER. heart than from my head; what I have heard with the ears of my soul, and seen vdth my i^^^^** eyes, and my hands have handled of the Word of Life, and what hath been inwardly manifested to me of the things of God, that do I declare; not so much regarding the eloquence and excellency of speech, as desiring to demonstrate the efficacy and operation of truth; and if I err sometimes in the former, it is no great matter ; for I act not here the Grammarian, or the Orator, but the Chris tian; and therefore in this 1 have followed the certain rule of the Divine Light, and of the Holtf Scriptures. And to make an end; what I have written, is written not to feed the wisdom and knowledge, or rather vain pride of this world, but to starve and oppose it, as the little preface prefixed to the propositions doth show; which, with the title of them, is as foUoweth. THESES THEOLOGIC^. TO THE CLERGY, OF WHAT SORT BOEYEB, ONTO WHOSE HANDS THESE MAY COME; BOT MORE PARTICULARLY To the Doctors, Professors, and Students of Divinity in the Universities and Schools of Great Britain^ whether Prelatical, Presbyterian, or any other; ROBERT BARCLAY, A Servant of the Lord God, and one of those who in derision are called Quakers, wisheth un feigned Repentance, unto the Acknowledgment of the Truth. Friends, Unto you these following propositions are of fered; in which, they being read and considered in the fear of the Lord, you may perceive that simple, naked truth, which man by his wisdom hath rendered so obscure and mysterious, that the world is even burthened with the great and voluminous tractates which are made about it, and by their vain jangling and commentaries, by which it is rendered a hundred-fold more dark and intricate than of itself it is : which great learn ing, (so accounted of,) to wit, your school-divinity, (which taketh up almost a man's whole life-time 2 THESES THEOLOGICffl. to learn,) brings not a whit nearer to God, neither makes any man less wicked, or more righteous than he was. Therefore hath God laid aside the wise and learned, and the disputers of this world; and hath chosen a few despicable and unlearned instruments, (as to letter-learning,) as he did fish ermen of old, to publish his pure and naked truth, and to free it of those mists and fogs wherewith the clergy hath clouded it, that the people might admire and maintain them. And among several others, whom God hath chosen to make known these things, (seeing 1 also have received, in mea sure, grace to be a dispenser of the same Gospel,) it seemed good unto me, according to my duty, to offer unto you these propositions ; which, though short, yet are weighty, comprehending much, and declaring what the true ground of knowledge is, even of that knowledge which leads to Life Eter nal; which is here witnessed of, and the testimony thereof left unto the Light of Christ in all your consciences. Farewell. R. B. THESES THEOLOGICJi:. THE FIRST PROPOSITION. Concerning the true Foundation of Knowledge. Seeing the height of all happiness is placed in the true knowledge of God, {This is life eternal, ^^^^^ »^- to know thee the only true God, and Jesus Christ whom thou has sent,') the true and right understanding of this foundation and ground of knowledge, is that which is most necessary to be known and believed in the first place. THE SECOND PROPOSITION. Coiiceming Immediate Revelation. Seeing no man knoweth the Father but the Son, Mat.jd.27. and he to whom the Son revealeth him ; and seeing the revelation of the Soti is in and by the Spirit ; therefore the testimony of the Spirit is that alone by which the true knowledge of God hath been, is, and can be only revealed ; who as, by the moving of his own Spirit, he converted the chaos of this world into that wonderful order wherein it was in the beginning, and created man a living soul, to rule and govern it, so by the revelation of the same Spirit he hath manifested himself all along unto the sons of men, both patriarchs, prophets, and apostles ; which revelations of God by the Spirit, whether by outward voices, and appearances, dreams, or inward objective manifestations in the heart, were of old iheformalobject of their faith, and remain yet so to be ; since the object of the saints'' faith is the same in all ages, though set forth under divers admin istrations. Moreover, these divine inward revela tions, which we make absolutely necessary for the building up of true faith, neither do nor can ever contradict the outward testimony, of the scrip- 3 THESES THEOLOGICiE. tures, or right and sound reason. Yet from hence it Avill not follow, that these divine revelations are to be subjected to the examination, either of the outward testimony of the scriptures, or of the nat ural reason of man, as to a more noble or certain rule or fouchstone : for this divine revelation, and inward illumination, is that which is evident and clear of itself, forcing, by its own evidence and clearness, the well-disposed understanding to as sent, irresistibly moving the same thereunto; even as the common principles of natural truths move and incline the mind to a natural assent : as, that the whole is greater, than its part ; that tivo contradicto ry sayings cannot be both true, nor both false ; which is also manifest, according to our adversaries' prin ciple, who (supposing the possibility of iiiAvard divine revelations) will nevertheless confess with us, that neither scripture nor sound reason will contradict it: and yet it will not follow, according to them, that the scripture, or sound reason, should be subjected to the examination of the divine rev elations in the heart. THE THIRD PROPOSITION. Concerning the Scriptures. From these revelations of the Spirit of God to the saints, have proceeded the scriptures of truth, w^hich contain, 1. A faithful historical account of the actings of God's people in divers ages, with many singular and remarkable providences at tending them. 2. A prophetical account of sev eral things, whereof some are already past, and some yet to come. 3. A full and ample account of all the chief principles of the doctrine of Christ, held forth in divers precious declarations, exhort ations, and sentences, which, by the moving of God's Spirit, were at several times, and upon Jolin xvi. 13. THESES THEOLOGIC.^. sundry occasions, spoken and written unto some churches and their pastors : nevertheless, because they are only a declaration of the fountain, and not \he fountain itself, therefore they are not to be es teemed the principal ground of all truth and knowledge, nor yet the adequate primary rule oi faith and manners. Nevertheless, as that which giveth a true and faithful testimony of the first foundation, they are and may be esteemed a secondary rule, subordinate to the Spirit, from which they have all their excellency and certainty ; for as by the in ward testimony of the Spirit we do alone truly know them, so they testify, that the Spirit is that guide by which the saints are led into all truth: luim.viU, therefore, according to the scriptures, the Spirit ^^• is the first and principal leader. And seeing we do therefore receive and believe the scriptures, because they proceeded from the Spirit; therefore also the Spirit is more originally and principally the rule, according to that received maxim in the schools, Propter quod unumquodqtie est tale, illud ipsum est magis tale. Englished thus : 21iat for which a thing is such, that thing itself is more such. THE FOURTH PROPOSITION. Concerning the Condition of Man in the Fall. All Adam'^s posterity (or mankind) both Jetvs Rom.v.12, and Gentiles, as to the first Adam or earthly man, '^• is fallen, degenerated, and dead, deprived of the sensation or feeling of this inward testimony or seed of God, and is subject unto the power, nature, and seed of the serpent, which he sows in men's hearts, while they abide in this natural and cor rupted state ; from whence it comes, that not their words and deeds only, but all their imaginations are evil perpetually in the sight of God, as pro ceeding from this depraved and wicked seed. THESES THEOLOGICE. Man therefore, as he is in this state, can know nothing aright ; yea, his thoughts and conceptions concerning God and things spiritual, until he be disjoined from this evil seed, and united to the di vine light, are unprofitable both to himself and oth ers : hence are rejected the Socinian and Pelagian errors, in exalting a natural light ; as also of the Papists, and most Protestants, who affirm. That man, without the true grace of God, may be a true minister of the gospel. Nevertheless, this seed is not im puted to infants, until by transgression they ac- Eph. ii. 1. tually join themselves therewith; for they are by nature the children of wrath, who walk according to the power of the prince of the air. FIFTH AND SIXTH PROPOSITIONS. Concerning the Universal Redemption by Christ, and also the Saving and Spiritual Light, wherewith eve ry man is enlightened. THE FIFTH PROPOSITION. Ezek.xviii. God, out of his infinite love, who delig-hteth not Isa. xlix .6. in the death of a sinner, but that all should live and be Johniii.16. gaved, hath so loved the world, that he hath given his Tit.ii. n. only Son a light, that whosoever believeth in him should Heb « 9^ ^^ saved ; wlio enlighteneth every man that cometh into the world, and maketh manifest all things that are re- proveable, and teacheth all temperance, righteousness, and godliness : and this light enlighteneth the hearts of all in a day,* in order to salvation, if not resisted : nor is it less universal than the seed of sin, being 1 Cor. XV. the purchase of his death, who tasted death for every man ; for as in Adam all die, even so in Christ shall all be made alive. Pro tempore, for a time. THESES THEOtOGICE. THE SIXTH PROPOSITION. According to which principle (or hypothesis') all the objections against the universality of Christ's death are easily solved ; neither is it need ful to recur to the ministry of angels, and those other miraculous means, which, they say, God makes use of, to manifest the doctrine and history of Christ's passion, unto such who (living in those places of the world where the outward preaching of the gospel is unknown) have well improved the first and common grace ; for hence it well follows, that as some of the old philosophers might have been saved, so also may now some (who by provi dence are cast into those remote parts of the world, where the knowledge of the history is wanting) be made partakers of the divine mystery, if they re ceive and resist not that grace, a manifestation iCor.xii.7. whereof is given to every man to profit withal. This certain doctrine then being received (to wit) that there is an evangelical and saving light and grace in all, the universality of the love and mercy of God towards mankind (both in the death of his beloved Son, the Lord Jesus Christ, and in the manifesta tion of the light in the heart) is established and confirmed against all the objections of such as deny it. Therefore Christ hath tasted death for every man ; Heb. ii. 9. not only for all kinds of men, as some vainly talk, but for every one, of all kinds ; the benefit of whose offering is not only extended to such,who have the distinct outward knowledge of his death and suf ferings, as the same is declared in the scriptures, but even unto those who are necessarily excluded from the benefit of this knowledge by some inevit able accident; which "knowledge we willingly confess to be very profitable and comfortable, but not absolutely needful unto such, from whom God himself hath with-held it ; yet they may be made THESES THEOLOGICE. partakers of the mysterj of his death (though ig norant of the history) if they suffer his seed and light (enUghtening their hearts) to take place (in which light, communion with the Father and Son is enjoyed) so as of wicked men to become holy, and lovers of that power, by whose inward and secret touches they feel themselves turned from the evil to the good, and learn to do to others as they would be done by; in which Christ himself affirms all to be included. As they then have falsely and erroneously taught, who have denied Christ to have died for all men; so neither have they suffi ciently taught tbe truth, who affirming him to have died for all, have added the absolute necessity of the outward knowledge thereof, in order to the obtaining its saving effect ; among whom the Re monstrants of Holland have been chiefly wanting, and many other assertors of Universal Redemption, in that they have not placed the extent of this sal vation in that divine and evangelical principle of light and life, wherewith Christ hath enlightened every man that comes into the world, which is ex cellently and evidently held forth in these scrip tures, Ge7i. vi. 3. Deuf. xxx. 14. Johni. 7, 8, 9. Rom.x. 8. Tit. ii. 11. THE SEVENTH PROPOSITION. Concerning Justification, . As many as resist not this light, but receive the same, in them is produced an holy, pure, and spiritual birth, bringing forth hohness, righteous- • ness, purity, and all these other blessed fruits which are acceptable to God; by Avhich holy birth (to wit, Jesus C/im^ formed within us, and working his Avorks in us) as we are sanctified, so are we justified in the sight of God, according to the apostle's words, iCor.vi.ii. j^y^t yg are washed, but ye are sanctified, but ye are THESES THEOLOGICffi. 9 justified in the name of the Lord Jesus, and by the Spirit qf our God. Therefore it is not by our works wrought in our Avill, nor yet by good works, con sidered as of themselves, but by Christ, who is both the gift and the giver, and the cause produ cing the effects in us ; Avho, as he hath reconciled us while we Avere enemies, doth also in his wisdom save us, and justify us after this manner, as saith the same apostle elsewhere, According to his mercy xit. iii. 5. he saved us, by the washing of regeneration, and the renewing of the Holy Ghost. THE EIGHTH PROPOSITION. CoTicerning Perfection. In AA'hom this holy and pure birth is fully brought Kom.vi.14. forth, the body of death and sin comes to be cru- /rf^^'.'a.is. cified and removed, and their hearts united and 1. John iii. subjected unto the truth, so as not to obey any suggestion or temptation of the evil one, but to be free from actual sinning, and transgressing of the law of God, and in that respect perfect. Yet doth this perfection still admit of a growth ; and there remaineth a possibility of sinning, where the mind doth not most dihgently and watchfully attend unto the Lord. THE NINTH PROPOSITION. Concerning Perseverance, and the possibility of falling from Grace. Although this gift, and inward grace of God, be sufficient to work out salvation, yet in those in whom it is resisted, it both may and doth be come their condemnation. Moreover, in Avhom it hath wrought in part, to purify and sanctify them, in order to their further perfection, by disobedience 6. 10 THESES THEOLOGlCSr. such may fall from it, and turn it to wantonness,. i.Tim.L6. making shipwreck of faith ; and after having tasted 5, 6.' ^'' ' of the heavenly gift, and been made partakers of the Holy Ghost, again fall away. Yet such an increase and stabihty in the truth may in this life be attain ed, from which there cannot be a total apostacy. THE TENTH PROPOSITION. Concerning the Ministry. As by this gift, or light of God, all true knowl edge in things spiritual is received and rcA^ealed; so by the same, as it is manifested and received in the heart by the &trength and power thereof, every true minister of the gospel is ordained, prepared and supplied in the work of the minis try : and by the leading, moving, and drawing hereof, ought every evangelist and Christian pas tor to be led and ordered in his labour and work of the gospel, both as to the place where, as to the persons to Avhom, and as to the times when he is to minister. Moreover, those who have this author ity may and ought to preach the gospel, though without human commission or literature ; as on the other hand, those who Avant the authority of this divine gift, however learned or authorized by the commissions of men and churches, are to be es teemed but as deceivers, and not true ministers of the gospel. Also, who have received this holy and unspotted gift, as they have freely received, so are Mat. X. 8. they ffeely to give, without hire or bargaining, far less to use it as a trade to get money by it : yet if God hath called any from their employments, or trades, by which they acquire their livelihood, it i^ay be lawful for such (according to the liberty Avhich they feel given them in the Lord) to receive such temporals (to wit, Avhat may be needful to them for meat and clothing) as are freely given THESES THEOLOGIC^. II them by those to Avhom they have communicated spirituals. THE ELEVENTH PROPOSITION. Concerning Worship. All true and acceptable worship to God is offer ed in the inward and immediate moA'ing and draw ing of his own Spirit, which is neither limited to places, times, or persons; for though we be to worship him always, in that Ave are to fear before him, yet as to the outward signification thereof in prayers, praises, or preachings, Ave ought not to do it where and Avhen we Avill, but Avhere and Avhen we are moved thereunto by the secret in spirations of his Spirit in our hearts, which God heareth and accepteth of, and is never wanting to move us thereunto, when need is, of which he himself is the alone proper judge. All other wor ship then, both praises, prayers, and preachings, Avhich man sets about in his oAvn Avill, and at his own appointment, which he can both begin and end at his pleasure, do or leave undone as himself sees meet, whether they be a prescribed form, as a liturgy, or prayers conceived extemporarily, by Ezek. 13. the natural strength and faculty of the mind, they Acfsii!4!^ are all but superstitions, will-worship, and abomi- &• xviii. 5. nable idolatry in the sight of God; Avhich are to 'sTivlzi. be denied, rejected, and separated from, in this ¦^"'J^*'?.' day of his spiritual arising: however it might have 23. pleased him (who Avinked at the times of igno rance, with respect to the simplicity and integrity of some, and of his OAvn innocent seed, which lay as it Avere buried in the hearts of men, under the mass of superstition) to blow upon the dead and dry bones, and to raise some breathings, and an swer them, and that until the day should more clearly dawn and break forth. 4 12 THESES THEOLOGICiE. THE TWELFTH PROPOSITION. Concerning Baptism. Eph.iv.5. As there is one Lord and one faith, so there is R^m! vi]4! one baptism ; which is not the putkngaway of the filth Gal. iii. 27. of the flesh, but the answer of a good conscience be- Johniii.3o. fore God, by the resurrection of Jesus Christ. And this baptism is a pure and spiritual thing, to wit, the baptism of the spirit and fire, by which we are buried with him, that being washed and purged iCor.i. 17. from our sins, avc may walk in newness of life ; of which the baptism oi' John Avas a figure, which was commanded for a time, and not to continue for ever. As to the baptism of infants, it is a mere human tradition, for which neither precept nor practice is to be found in all the scripture. THE THIRTEENTH PROPOSITION. Concerning the Communion, or Participation of the Body and Blood of Christ. \&°\i ^ '^^Q communion of the body and blood of Christ is inward and spiritual, which is the participation johnvi. of his flesh and blood, by Avhich the inward man icor^'v^^s. ^^ daily nourished in the hearts of those in Avhom Christ dwells: of which things the breaking of bread by Christ Avith his disciples Avas a figure, which they even used in the church for a time, who had received the substance, for the cause Actsxv.2o. of the w^eak ; even as abstaining from things slran- john xiu. ^i^^ and from blood; the washing one another's feet; James v.14 and the anointing of the sick with oil; all which are commanded Avith no less authority and solem nity than the former ; yet seeing they are but the shadows of better things, they cease in such as have obtained the substance. THESES THEOLOGIC*. 13 THE FOURTEENTH PROPOSITION. Concerning the Power of the Civil Magistrate, in matters purely Religious, and pertaining to the Conscience. Since God hath assumed to himself the power and dominion of the conscience, who alone can rightly instruct and govern it, therefore it is not i-uke ix. lawful for any whatsoever, by virtue of any author- Mat. Vn. ity or principahty they bear in the government of 12. 29. this world, to force the consciences of others ; and therefore all killing, banishing, fining, imprison ing, and other such things, which men are afflict ed with, for the alone exercise of their conscience, or difference in Avorship or opinion, proceedeth from the spirit of Cain, the murderer, and is con trary to the truth; provided always, that no man, under the pretence of conscience, prejudice his neighbour in his life or estate ; or do any thing destructive to, or inconsistent with human society ; in which case the law is for the transgressor, and justice to be administered upon all, without re spect of persons. THE FIFTEENTH PROPOSITION. Concerning Salutations and Recreations, &fc. Seeing the chief end of all religion is to redeem ¦p^]^ ^ -^^ man from the spirit and vain conversation of this iPet. i.i4 world, and to lead into inward communion with jeJ'.Vs** God, before whom, if we fear always, we are ac- Acts x. 26 counted happy ; therefore all the vain customs coi' n^s and habits thereof, both in word and deed, are to be rejected and forsaken by those who come to this fear ; such as the taking off the hat to a man, the bowings and cringings of the body, and such 14 THESES THEOLOGIC^. other salutations of that kind, with all the foolish and superstitious formalities attending them ; all which man has invented in his degenerate state, to feed his pride in the vain pomp and glory of this Avorld ; as also the unprofitable plays, frivo lous recreations, sportings and gamings, which are invented to pass away the precious time, and di vert the mind from the witness of God in the heart, and from the living sense of his fear, and from that evangelical Spirit wherewith Christians ought to be leavened, and which leads into sobriety, gravity, and godly fear; in which, as we abide, the blessing of the Lord is felt to attend us in those actions in Avhich we are necessarily engaged, in order to the taking care for the sustenance of the outward man. AN AFOLOGir FOR THE TRUE CHRISTIAN DIVINITY. PROPOSITION I. Concerning the true Foundation of Knowledge. Seeing the height of all happiness is placed in the true knowledge of God, {This is life eternal, to John xvii. know thee the only true God, and Jesus Christ whom thou hast sent,) the true and right understanding of this foundation and ground of knowledge, is that which is most necessary to be known and believed in the first place. He that desireth to acquire any art or science, seeketh first those means by Avhich that art or science is obtained. If Ave ought to do so in things natural and earthly, how much more then in spirit ual .'' In this affair then should our inquiry be the more diligent, because he that errs in the entrance is not so easily brought back again into the right way; he that misseth his road from the beginning of his journey, and is deceived in his first marks, at his first setting forth, the greater his mistake is, the more difficult will be his entrance into the right way. Thus when a man first proposeth to himself the J^^^ knowledge of God, from a sense of his own un- knowi- worthiness, and from the great weariness of his ^^^ °^ mind, occasioned by the secret checks of his con- 16 PROPOSITION I. Jewish Doctors and Phari. sees resist Christ. John vii. 48,49. science, and the tender, yet real glances of God s light upon his heart; the earnest desires he has to be redeemed from his present trouble, and the fervent breathings he has to be eased of his dis ordered passions and lusts, and to find quietness and peace in the certain knowledge of God, and in the assurance of his love and good-will towards him, make his heart tender, and ready to receive any impression ; and so (not having then a distinct discerning) through forwardness embraceth any thing that brings present ease. If either through the reverence he bears to certain persons, or from the secret inclination to Avhat doth comply with his natural disposition, he fall upon any principles or means, by which he apprehends he may come to know God, and so doth centre himself, it will be hard to remove him thence again, how wrong soever thej^ may be : for the first anguish being over, he becomes more hardy ; and the enemy being near, creates a false peace, and a certain confi dence, which is strengthened by the mind's un willingness to enter again into new doubtfulness, or the former anxiety of a search. This is sufficiently verified in the example of the Pharisees and Jewish Doctors, who most of all resisted Chnst, disdaining to be esteemed ignorant; for this vain opinion they had of their knowledge hindered them from the true knoAvledge; and the mean peo ple, who AA'ere not so much pre-occupied with for mer principles, nor conceited of their own knowl edge, did easily believe. Wherefore the Pharisees upbraid them, saying. Have any of the Rulers or Phar isees believed on him? But this people, which know not the law, are accursed. This is also abundantly proved by the experience of all such, as being secretly touched with the call of God's grace unto them, do apply themselves to false teachers, where the remedy proves worse than the disease ; because instead of knowing God, or the things relating to OF THE TRUE FOUNDATION OF KNOWLEDGE. 17 their salvation aright, they drink in wrong opin ions of him ; from which it is harder to be disen tangled, than Avhile the soul remains a blank, or Tabula rasa. For they that conceit themselves wise, are worse to deal with than they that are sen sible of their ignorance. Nor hath it been less the device of the devil, the great enemy of mar kind, to persuade men into wrong notions of God, than to keep them altogether from acknowledging hini ; the latter taking Avith few, because odious ; but the other having been the constant ruin of the world : for there hath scarce been a nation found, but hath had some notions or other of religion ; so that not from their denying any Deity, but from their mistakes and misapprehensions of it, hath proceeded all the idolatry and superstition of the world ; yea, hence even atheism itself hath pro ceeded : for these many and various opinions of God and religion, being so much mixed with the guessings and uncertain judgments of men, have begotten in many the opinion. That there is no God at all. This, and much more that might be said, may show hoAv dangerous it is to miss in this first step : All that come not in by the right door, are accounted as thieves and robbers. Again, how needful and desirable that knowl edge is, which brings life eternal, Epictetus showeth, Epictetw saying excellently well, cap. 38. I'S't btt to Kuptci- tatov, &c. Know, that the main foundation of piety is this, to have opBag wtolni'Ei.g, right opinions and appre hensions of God. This therefore I judged necessary, as a first principle, in the first place, to affirm; and I suppose will not need much farther explanation or defence, as being generally acknoAA'ledged by all (and in these things that are without controversy 1 love to be brief) as that which will easily commend itself to every man's reason and conscience ; and there fore I shall proceed to the next proposition; which. 18 PROPOSITION II. though it be nothing less certain, yet by the malice of satan, and ignorance of many, comes far more under debate. PROPOSITION II. Of Immediate Revelation. Mat.xi.2r. Seeing no man knoweth the Father but the Son, and he to whom the Son revealeth him ; and seeing the revelation of the Son is in and by the Spirit ; there fore the testimony of the Spirit is that alone by which the true knowledge of God hath been, is, and can be only revealed; who as, by the moving ofhis own Spirit, he disposed the chaos of this world into that wonderful order in which it was in the beginning, and created man a living soul, to rule and govern it, so by the revelation of the same Spirit he hath manifested himself all along unto the sons of men, both patriarchs, prophets, and apostles ; which revelations of God by the Spirit,whether by outward voices and appearan ces, dreams, or inAvard objective manifestations in the heart, were of old the formal object of their faith, and remain yet so to be ; since the object of the saints'' faith is the same in all ages, though held forth under divers administrations. Moreover, these divine inward revelations, which we make absolutely necessary for the building up of true faith, neither do nor can ever contradict the outward testimony of the scriptures, or right and sound reason. Yet from hence it will not follow, that these divine revelations are to be subjected to the test, either of the outward testimony of the scriptures, or of the natural reason of man, as to a more noble or certain rule and touch stone; for this divine revelation, and inward illu mination, is that which is evident and clear of OF IMMEDIATE REVELATION. 19 itself, forcing, by its own evidence and clear ness, the well-disposed understanding to assent, irresistibly moving the same thereunto, even as the common principles of natural truths do move and incline the mind to a natural assent: as, that the whole is greater than its part ; that two contradict ories can neither be both true, nor both false. §. I. It is very probable, that many carnal and nat^ Revelation ural Christians will oppose this proposition ; who, rejected being wholly unacquainted with the movings and tateChrist- actings of God's Spirit upon their hearts, judge '*"'• the same nothing necessary ; and sotne are apt to flout at it as ridiculous ; yea, to that height are the generality of Christians apostatized and de generated, that though there be not any thing more plainly asserted, more seriously recommend ed, or more certainly attested, in all the writings of the holy scriptures, yet nothing is less minded and more rejected by all sorts of Christians, than immediate and divine revelation ; insomuch that once to lay claim to it is matter of reproach. Where as of old none were ever judged Christians, but such as had the Spirit of Christ, Rom. viii. 9. But now many do boldly call themselves Christians, who make no difficulty of confessing they are without it, and laugh at such as say they have it. Of old they were accounied the sons of God, who were led by the Spirit of God, ibid. ver. 14. But now many aver themselves sons of God, who know nothing of this leader ; and he that affirms himself so led, is, by the pretended orthodox of this age, presently proclaimed a heretic. The reason here of is very manifest, viz. Because many in these days, under the name oi Christians, do experiment ally find,that they are not actuated nor led by God's Spirit ; yea, many great doctors, divines, teachers, and bishops of Christianity, (commonly so called,) have wholly shut their ears fi-om hearing, and 20 PROPOSITION II. their eyes from seeing, this inward guide, and so are become strangers unto it; whence they are, by their own experience, brought to this strait, either to confess that they are as yet ignorant of God, and have only the shadow of knowledge, and not the true knowledge of him, or that this knowledge is ac quired without immediate revelation. Knowl- For the better understanding then of this propo- edge spir- gition, WO do distinguish betwixt the certain knowl- literai dis- edge of God, and the uncertain ; betwixt the spir- tinguish- itual knowledge and the literal ; the saving heart- knowledge, and the soaring airy head-knoAvledge. The last, we confess, may be diA^ers ways obtained; but the first, by no other way than the inward immediate manifestation and revelation of God's Spirit, shining in and upon the heart, enlightening and opening the understanding. §. 11. Having then proposed to myself, in these propositions, to affirm those things which relate to the true and effectual knowledge which brings life eternal with it, therefore I have truly affirmed that this knowledge is no otherways attained, and that none have any true ground to believe they have at tained it, who have it not by this revelation of God's Spirit. The certainty of which truth is such, that it hath been acknowledged by some of the most refined and famous of all sorts of professors of Christianity in all ages ; Avho being truly upright-hearted, and earn est seekers of the Lord, (however stated under the disadvantages and epidemical errors of their sca'- eral sects or ages,) the true seed in them hath been answered by God's love, who hath had regard to the good, and hath had ofhis elect ones among all ; who finding a distaste and disgust in all other out ward means, even in the very principles and pre cepts more particularly relative to their own forms and societies, have at last concluded, Avith one voice, that there was no true knowledge of God, but that OF IMMEDIATE REVELATION 21 which is revealed inwardly by his own Spirit. Whereof take these following testimonies of the ancients. 1. "It is the inward master (saith Augustine) that ^"S- ** teacheth, it is Christ that teacheth, it is inspiration joh. 3. that teacheth : where this inspiration and unction is wanting, it is in vain that words from without are beaten in." And thereafter : " For he that created us, and redeemed us, and called us by faith, and dwelleth in us by his Spirit, unless he speaketh un to us inAvardly, it is needless for us to cry out." 2. " There is a difference (saith Clemens Alexan- ciemAiex. drinus) betwixt that Avhich any one saith of the truth, '¦ i-strom. and that which the truth itself, interpreting itself, saith. A conjecture of truth differeth from the truth itself; a similitude of a thing differeth from the thing itself; it is one thing that is acquired by exercise and discipline; and another thing Avhich, by power and faith." Lastly, the same Clemens saith, " Truth is neither hard to be arrived at, nor is it impossible to apprehend it ; for it is most nigh unto us, even in our houses, as the mostAvise Moses hath insinuated." 3. " How is it (saith T3rtullian)that since the devil TeriuUia- always Avorketh, and stirreth up the mind to iniqui- ""fanj/ "*® ty,that the work of God should either cease,or desist virginiijus to act .'' Since for this end the Lord did send the '^^'^' ^' Comforter, that because human weakness could not at once bear all things, knowledge might be by Ut tle and little directed, formed, and brought to per fection, by the holy Spirit, that vicar of the Lord. I have many things yet (saith he) to speak utito^ you, but ye cannot as yet bear them ; but when that Spirit of truth shall come, he shall lead you into all truth, and shall teach you these things that are to come. But of this his work we have spoken above. What is then the admin istration of the Comforter, but that disciphne be directed, and the scriptures revealed ? &c." 4. " The law (saith Hierom) is spiritual, and there Hierom^ is need of a revelation to understand it." And in his ii„' los. 22 PROPOSITION II. Epistle 150. to HediMa, Quest. 11. he saith, "The whole Epistle to the Romans needs an mterpreta- tion,it being involved in so great obscurities,that for the understanding thereof we need the help of the holy Spirit, who through the apostle dictated it." Athanasi- 5. « So great things (saith Athanasius) doth our 7Ju. Ver- Saviour daily : he draws unto piety, persuades un- bi Dei. to virtue, teaches immortality, excites to the desire of heavenly things, reveals the knowledge of the Father, inspires power against death, and shows himself unto every one." Greg.Mag. 6. Gregory the Great, upon these words [He shall ?p°on'the teach you all things'] saith, " That unless the sanie Gospel. Spirit is present in the heart of the hearer, in vain is the discourse of the doctor ; let no man then as cribe unto the man that teacheth, what he under stands from the mouth of him that speaketh ; for unless he that teacheth be within, the tongue of the doctor, that is without, laboureth in vain." CyriLAiex. 7_ Cyrillus Alexandrinus plainly affirmeth, " That ro lib. 13. men know that Jesus is the Lord by the holy Ghost, no "• ^- otherwise, than they who taste honey know that it is sweet, even by its proper quality." Bernard in g. " Therefore (saith Bernard) we daily exhort you, brethren, that ye walk the ways of the heart, and that your souls be always in your hands, that ye may hear what the Lord saith in you." And again, upon these words of the apostle, [Let him that glori- eth, glory in the Lord,] "With which threefold vice (saith he) all sorts of religious men are less or more dangerously affected, because they do not so dili gently attend, with the ears of the heart, to what the Spirit of truth,which flatters none, inwardly speaks." This Avas the very basis, and main foundation, upon which the primitive reformers built. i^er. Luther, in his book to the nobiUty of Germany, ja. ¦ '^' saith, " This is certain, that no man can make him self a teacher of the holy scriptures, but the holy Spirit alone." And upon the Magnificat he saith. OF IMMEDIATE REVELATION. 23 " No man can rightly know God, or understand the word of God, unless he immediately receive it from the Holy Spirit ; neither can any one receive it from the Holy Spirit, except he find it by experience in himself; and in this experience the Holy Ghost teacheth, as in his proper school ; out of which school nothing is taught but mere talk." Philip Melancthon, in his annotations upon John '^^'^- Me- vi. " Those who hear only an outward and bodily **"'''''°°" voice, hear the creature; but God is a Spirit, and is neither discerned, nor known, nor heard, but by the Spirit ; and therefore to hear the voice of God, to see God, is to know and hear the Spirit. By the BytheSpi- Spirit alone God is known and perceived. Which God is also the more serious to this day do acknowledge, ^^°"^^- even all such who satisfy themselves not with the superficies of religion, and use it not as a cover or art. Yea, all those who apply themselves effect ually to Christianity, and are not satisfied until they have found its effectual work upon their hearts, re deeming them from sin, do feel that no knowledge effectually prevails to the producing of this,but that which proceeds from the warm influence of God's Spirit upon the heart, and from the comfortable shining of his light upon their understanding." And therefore to this purpose a modern author, viz. Dr. Smith oiCambridge,'n\\\is select discourses. Dr. Smith saith Avell ; " To seek our divinity merely in books ^.^f^^' and writings, is to seek the living among the dead ; concern- we do but in vain many times seek God in these, divim°ty. where his truth is too often not so much enshrined as entombed. Intra te qucere Deum, Seek God within thine own soul. He is best discerned vospa tTtoj^ (as Plotinus phraseth it) by an intellect ual touch of him. We must see with our eyes, and hear with our ears, and our hands must handle the word of life, (to express it iri St. John's words,) eg-t xdi TJ/u^^s ai^atg tig, &c. The soul itself hath its sense as well as the body. And there- 24 PROPOSITION n. fore David, when he Avould teach us to know what the divine goodness is, calls not for speculation^but sensation: Taste, and see how good the Lord is. 1 hat is not the best and truest knowledge of God which is Avrought out by the labour and sweat of the brain, but that which is kindled Avithin us, by an heavenly warmth in our hearts." And again : " There is a knowing of the truth as it is in Jesus, as it is in a Christ-like nature ; as it is in that sweet, mild, hum ble, and loving Spirit of Jesus, which spreads itself, like a morning sun, upon the souls of good men, full of light and life. It profits httle to know Christ himself after the flesh ; but he gives his Spirit to good men, that searcheth the deep things of God.'''' And again : " It is but a thin airy know^ledge that is got by mere speculation, which is ushered in by syllo gisms and demonstrations ; but that which springs forth from true goodness, is '^eiote^bv tu ¦csa.aiqq imo- Sii^sog, (as Origen speaks,) It brings such a divine light into the soul, as is more clear and convincing than any demonstration.'''' Apostacy ^, HI. That this certain and undoubted method knowi-'^^^ of the true knowledge of God hath been brought edge intro- out of use, hath been none of the least devices of UIIC6C1 the devil, to secure mankind to his kingdom. For after the light and glory of the Christian religion had prevailed over a good part of the world, and dispelled the thick mists of the heathenish doctrine of the plurality of gods, he that knew there was no probability of deluding the world any longer that way, did then puff man up Avith false knowl edge of the true God ; setting him on work to seek God the Avrong way, and persuading him to be content Avith such a knoAvledge as was of his oAvn acquiring, and not of God's teaching. And this device hath proved the more successful, because accommodated to the natural and corrupt spirit and temper of man, who above all things affects to exalt himself; in which exaltation, as God is OF IMMEDIATE REVELATION. 25 greatly dishonoured, so therein the devil hath his end ; who is not anxious how much God is acknowl edged in words, provided himself be but always served ; he matters not how great and high specu lations the natural man entertains of God, so long as he serves his own lusts and passions,and is obedi ent to his evil suggestions and temptations. Thus Christianity is become as it v/ere an art, acquired christiani- by human science and industry, like any other art come an or science ; and men have not only assumed the l^l ^^X^. name of Christians, but even have procured them- man sci- selves to be esteemed as masters of Christianity by fndust^?'^ certain artificial tricks, though altogether strangers to the spirit and life of Jesus. But if we make a right definition of a Christian, according to the scripture. That he is one who hath the Spirit, and is led by it, how many Christians, yea, and of these great masters and doctors of Christianity, so account ed, shall we justly divest of that noble title '^ If those therefore who have all the other means of knowledge, and are sufficiently learned therein, whether it be the letter of the scripture, the tra ditions of churches, or the works of creation and providence, whence they are able to deduce strong and undeniable arguments, (Avhich may be true in themselves,) are not yet to be esteemed Christians, according to the certain and infallible definition above mentioned ; and if the inward and immed iate revelation of God's Spirit in the heart, in such as have been altogether ignorant of some, and but very little skilled in others, of these means of at taining knowledge, hath brought them to salva tion; then it will necessarily and evidently follow, ^^ ^g^^j^. that inward and immediate revelation is the only tion is the sure and certain way to attain the true and saving iedge°°^f knowledge of God. ^"3. But the first is true : therefore the last. Now as this argument doth very strongly con clude for this way of knowledge, and against such 26 PROPOSITION it. as deny it, so in this respect it is the more to be regarded, as the propositions from which it is de duced are so clear, that our very adversaries can not deny them. For as to the first it is acknowl edged, that many learned men may be, and have been, damned. And as to the second, who will de ny but many illiterate men may be, and are, saved ? Nor dare any affirm, that none come to the knowl edge of God and salvation by the inward revela tion of the Spirit, without these other outward ^''^I'Setb, means, unless they be also so bold as to exclude instanced.' Abel, Seth, Noah, Abraham, Job, and all the holy patriarchs from true knowledge and salvation. § IV. I would however not be understood, as if hereby I excluded those other means of knowledge from any use or service to man ; it is far from me so to judge, as concerning the scriptures, in the next proposition, will more plainly appear. The ques tion is not, what may be profitable or helpful, but what is absolutely necessary. Many things may contribute to further a work, which yet are not the main thing that makes the work go on. The sum then of what is said amounts to this : That where the true inward knowledge of God is, through the revelation of his Spirit, there is all; neither is there an absolute necessity of any oth er. But where the best, highest, and most pro found knowledge is, without this, there is nothing. as to the obtaining the great end of salvation. This truth is very effectually confirmed by the first part of the proposition itself, which in few words compre- hendeth divers unquestionable arguments, which I shall in brief subsume. I. First, That there is no knowledge of the Father but by the Son. II. Secondly, That there is no knowledge of the Son but by the Spirit. ra. Thirdly, That by the Spirit, God hath al ways revealed himself to his children. OF IMMEDIATE REVELATION. 27 IV. Fourthly, That these revelations were the formal object of the saints' faith. V. And Lastly, That the same continueth to be the object of the saints' faith to this day. Of each of these I shall speak a little particu larly, and then proceed to the latter part. § V. As to the first, viz. That there is no knoA\d- Assert, i. edge of the Father but by the Son, it will easily be '^'"^^ proved, being founded upon the plain words of scripture, and is therefore aUt medium from whence to deduce the rest of our assertions. For the infinite and most wise God, who is the foundation, root, and spring oi all operation, hath wrought all things by his eternal Word and Son. This is that Word that was in the beginning with God, john i. l, and was God, by ivhom all things were made, and ivith- ^' ^• out whom teas not any thing made that was made. This is that Jesus Christ by whom God created all things, Eph. iii. 9. by whom, and for whom, all things were created, that are in heaven and in earth, visible and invisible, whether they be thrones, or dominions, or principalities, or powers, Col. i. 16. who therefore is called. The first born of every creature. Col. i. 1.5. As then that infinite and incomprehensible fountain of life and motion ope- rateth in the creatures by his own eternal Avord and power, so no creature has access again unto him but in and by the Son, according to his own ex press words. No 'man knoweth the Father but the Son, and he to whom the Son will reveal him, Mat. xi. 27. Luke X. 22. And again, he himself saith, / am the way, the truth, and the life ; no man cometh unto the Father but by me, John xiv. 6. Hence he is fitly called. The Mediator betwixt God and man : for, having been with God from all eter nity, being himself God, and also in time partak ing of the nature of man, through him is the good ness and love of God conveyed to mankind, and by him again man receiveth and partaketh of these mercies. b 28 PROPOSITION IL Hence is easily deduced the proof of this first assertion, thus : i o j If no man knoweth the Father but the Son, and he to whom the Son will reveal him, then there is no knowledge of the Father but by the Son. But, no man knoweth the Father but the Son. Therefore there is no knowledge of the Father but by the Son. The first part of the antecedent are the plain words of scripture : the consequence thereof is un deniable ; except one would say, that he hath the knowledge of the Father, while yet he knows him not ; which were an absurd repugnance. Again, if the Son be the way, the truth, and the Ufe, and that no man cometh unto the Father, but by him; then there is no knowledge of the Father but by the Son. But the first is true : therefore the last. The antecedent are the very scripture words : the consequence is very evident : for how can any know a thing, who useth not the way, without which it is not knowable.'' But it is already prov ed, that there is no other way but by the Son ; so that whoso uses not that Avay, cannot knoAV him, neither come unto him. Assert. 2. ^ yi. Having then laid doAvn this first principle, prove . J pQjjjg ^^ ^YiQ second, viz. That there is no knowl edge of the Son but by the Spirit ; or, That the revelation of the Son of God is by the Spirit. Where it is to be noted, that I always speak of the saving, certain, and necessary knowledge of God; which that it cannot be acquired otherways than by the Spirit, doth also appear from many clear scriptures. For Jesus Christ, in and by Avhom the Father is revealed, doth also reveal himself to his disciples and friends in and by his Spirit. As his manifestation was outAvard, when he tes tified and witnessed for the truth in this world, and approved himself faithful throughout, so be- OF IMMEDIATE REVELATION 29 ing now withdrawn, as to the outAvard man, he doth teach and instruct mankind inwardly by his own Spirit ; He standeth at the door and knocketh, and whoso heareth his voice and openeth, he comes in to such. Rev. iii. 20. Of this revelation of Christ in him Paul speaketh, Gal. i. 16. in which he placeth the excellency of his ministry, and the certainty of his calling. And the promise ofChrist to his disciples, Lo, I am with you to the end of the world, confirmeth the same thing; for this is an inward and spiritual presence, as all acknowledge : but what relates hereto will again occur. 1 shall deduce the proof of this proposition from two mani fest places of scripture: the first is, 1 C'or.ii.ll, 12. ^roofL What man knoweth the things of a man, save the spirit of a man which is in him ? Even so the things of God The things knoweth no man, but the Spirit of God. Now we have known by received not the spirit of the world, but the Spirit which Ae Spirin is of God, that we might knoiv the things ivhich are freely given us of God. The apostle in the verses before, speaking of the wonderful things which are prepared for the saints, after he hath de clared that the natural man cannot reach them, adds, that they are revealed by the Spirit of God, ver. 9, 10. giving this reason. For the Spirit searcheth all things, even the deep things of God. And then he bringeth in the comparison, in the verses above-mention ed, very apt, and answerable to our purpose and doctrine, that as the things of a man are only known by the spirit of man, so the things of God are only known by the Spirit of God ; that is, that as nothing below the spirit of man (as the spirit of brutes, or any other creatures) can properly reach un to or comprehend the things of a man, as being of a nobler and higher nature, so neither can the spirit of man, or the natural man, as the apostle in the 14th verse subsumes, receive nor discern the things of God, or the things that are spiritual, as being also of an higher nature : which the apostle 30 PROPOSITION II. himself gives for the reason, saying. Neither can he know them, because they are spiritually discerned. So that the apostle's words, being reduced to an ar gument, do very well prove the matter under de bate, thus : If that which appertaineth properly to man, can not be discerned by any lower or baser principle than the spirit of man ; then cannot those things, that properly relate unto God and Christ, be known or discerned by any lower or baser thing than the Spirit of God and Christ. But the first is true : therefore also the second. The whole strength of the argument is contain ed in the apostle's words before-mentioned ; which therefore being granted, I shall proceed to deduce a second argument, thus : That which is spiritual can only be known and discerned by the Spirit of God. But the revelation of Jesus Christ, and the true and saving knowledge of him, is spiritual : Therefore the revelation of Jesus Christ, and the true and saving knowledge of him, can only be known and discerned by the Spirit of God. Proof IL The other scripture is also a saying of the same No man apostlc, 1 Cor. xii. 3. No man can say that Jesus Jesus Lo"d ^"* '^^ ^°'''^' *"^ % ^^^ H^^y Ghost. This scripture, ho. which is full of truth, and answereth full Avell to the enlightened understanding of the spiritual and real Christian, may perhaps prove very strange to the carnal and pretended follower of Christ, by whom perhaps it hath not been so dihgently re marked. Here the apostle doth so much require the Holy Spirit in the things that relate to a Chris tian, that he positively avers, we cannot so much as affirm Jesus to be the Lord without it ; which in- Spirituai sinuates no less, than that the spiritual truths of the lie"sspoke^n g^spcl are as Ues in the mouths of carnal and unspir- ^y ^carnal itual men; for though in themselves they be true,yet are they not true as to them, because not known,'nor OF IMMEDIATE REVELATION. 31 Uttered forth in and by that principle and spirit that ought to direct the mind and actuate it ; in such things they are no better thaji the counterfeit rep resentations of things in a comedy; neither can it be more truly and properly called a real and true knowledge of God and Christ, than the actions of Alexander the Great, and Julius Ccesar, &fc. if now transacted upon a stage, might be called truly and really their doings, or the persons representing them might be said truly and really to have con quered Asia, overcome Pompey, &c. This knowledge then of Christ, Avhich is not by the revelation of his own Spirit in the heart, is no more properly the knowledge of Christ, than the prattling of a parrot, which has been taught a '^r'^ftiJn^of few words, may be said to be the voice of a man; a parrot. for as that, or some other bird, may be taught to sound or utter forth a rational sentence, as it hath learned it by the outward ear, and not from any living principle of reason actuating it ; so just ' such is that knowledge of the things of God, which the natural and carnal man hath gathered from the words or writings of spiritual men, which are not true to him, because conceived in the natural spirit, and so brought forth by the wrong organ, and not proceeding from the spiritual principle ; no more than the words of a man acquired by art, and brought forth by the mouth of a bird, not pro ceeding from a rational principle, are true Avith respect to the bird which utters them. Where fore from this scripture I shall further add this argument : If no man can say Jesus is the Lord, but by the Holy Ghost ; then no man can know Jesus to be the Lord, but by the Holy Ghost. But the first is true : therefore the second. From this argument there may be another de duced, concluding in the very terms of this asser tion : thus. 32 PROPOSITION Ii. If no man can know Jesus to be the Lord, but by the Holy Ghost, then there can be no certain knowl edge or revelation of him but by the Spirit. But the first is true : therefore the second. Assert. 3. §. VII. The third thing affirmed is. That by the proved. gpjj.jj. Q^^ always revealed himself to his children. For making the truth of this assertion appear, it w^ill be but needful to consider God's manifest ing himself towards and in relation to his creatures from the beginning, which resolves itself always herein. The first step of all is ascribed hereunto by Moses, Gen. i. 2. And the Spirit of God moved upon the face of the waters. I think it will not be rhatreve- denied, that God's converse with man, all along th''°s '¦^•'t^ from Adam to Moses, was by the immediate mani- oftiod. festation of his Spirit: and afterwards, through the whole tract of the law, he spake to his chil dren no otherways ; which, as it naturally foUow eth from the principles above proved, so it cannot be denied by such as acknowledge the scriptures of truth to have been written by the inspira tion of the Holy Ghost : for these writings, from Moses to Malachi, do declare, that during all that time God revealed himself to his children by his Spirit. Object. But if any win object. That after the dispensation of the law God's method of speaking Avas altered ; Ans. I answer : First, That God spake always imme diately to the Jews, in that he spake always im mediately to the High-Priest from betwixt the Sanct'r Cherubims ; who, when he entered into the Holy of Holies, returning, did relate to the whole people the voice and wiU of God, there immediately re vealed. So that this immediate speaking never ceased in any age. Secondly, from this immediate fellowship AA'ere none shut out, who earnestly sought after and waited for it; in that many, besides the High- Priest, who were not so much as of the kindred of ram. OP IMMEDIATE REVELATION. 33 Levi,nor of the prophets, did receive it and speak from it; as it is written. Numb. xi. 25. where the Spirit is said to have rested upon the seventy elders ; N°"« ^^'^*- which Spirit also reached unto tAvo that were not in tbilfmme- the tabernacle, but in the camp; Avhom when some diate fei- would have' forbidden, Moses Avould not, but re- °^^ '^' joiced, ivishing that all the Lord'' s people were prophets, and that he would put his Spirit upon them, ver. 29. This is also confirmed Neh. ix. where the elders of the people, after their return from captivity, when they began to sanctify themselves by fasting and prayer, numbering up the many mercies of God toAvards their fathers, say, verse 20. Thou gavest also thy good Spirit to instruct them ; and verse 30. Yet many years didst thou forbear, and testify against them by thy Spirit in thy prophets. Many are the sayings of spiritual David to this purpose, as Psalm li. 11, 12. Take not thy holy Spirit from me ; uphold me with thy free Spirit. Psal. cxxxix. 7. Whither shall I go from thy Spirit? Hereunto doth the prophet Isaiah ascribe the credit of his testi mony, saying, chap, xlviii. 16. And now the Lord God and his Spirit hath sent me. And that God re vealed himself to his children under the New Testament, to wit, to the apostles, evangelists, and primitive disciples, is confessed by all. How far now this yet continueth, and is to be expected, comes hereafter to be spoken to. §. VIII. The fourth thing affirmed is. That these Assei-t. 4 revelations were the object of the saints' faith of old. This will easily appear by the definition of faith, Proved. and considering what its object is : for which we shall not dive into the curious and various notions of the school-men, but stay in the plain and posi tive words of the apostle Paid, who, Heb. xi. de scribes it two ways. Faith (saith he) is the substance what faith of things hoped for,' the evidence of things not seen : "¦ which, as the apostle illustrateth it in the same chapter by many examples, is no other but a firm 34 PROPOSITION IL and certain belief of the mind, whereby it resteth, and in a sense possesseth the substance of some things hoped for, through its confidence in the promise of God: and thus the soul hath a most firm evi dence, by its faith, of things not yet seen nor come to pass. The object of this faith is the promise, word, or testimony of God, speaking in the mind. Hence it hath been generally affirmed, that the The object object of faith is Dens loquens, 8^c. that is, God oeus U)'- speaking, ^-c. which is also manifest from all those quens. examples deduced by the apostle throughout that whole chapter, Avhose faith was founded neither upon any outward testimony, nor upon the voice or writing of man, but upon the revelation of God's will, manifest unto them, and in them ; as in the example of Noah, ver. 7. thus. By faith Noah, being warned of God of things not seen as yet, moved with fear, prepared an ark to the saving of his house ; by the which he condemned the world, and became heir of the righteousness which is by faith. What was here Noah's the object of Noah'' s faith, but God speaking unto " ' him ? He had not the writings nor prophesyings of any going before, nor yet the concurrence of any church or people to strengthen him ; and yet his faith in the word, by which he contradicted the whole Avorld, saved him and his house. Of which Abraham's g}^Q Abraham is set forth as a singular example, be ing therefore called the Father of the Faithful, who is said against hope to have believed in hope, in that he not only willingly forsook his father's country, not knowing whither he went ; in that he believed con cerning the coming of Isaac, though contrary to natural probability ; but above all, in that he re fused not to offer him up, not doubting but God was able to raise him from the dead ; of whom it is said, that in Isaac shall thy seed be called. And last of all, in that he rested in the promise, that his seed should possess the land, wherein he himself was but a pilgrim, and which to them was not to be OP IMMEDIATE REVELATION. 35 fulfilled while divers ages after. The object of Abraham's faith in all this was no other but in ward and immediate revelation, or God signifying his will unto him inwardly and immediately by his Spirit. But because, in this part of the proposition, we made also mention of external voices, appearances, and dreams in the alternative, I think also fit to speak hereof, what in that respect may be object ed; to wit, That those who found their faith now upon imme- Object. diate and objective revelation, ought to have also outward voices or visions, dreams or appearances for it : It is not denied but God made use of the mini^- Answ. try of angels, who, in the appearance of men. The minis- spake outwardly to the saints of old, and that he ^s°speak- did also revealsome things to them in dreams and 'iginthe visions; none of which we will affirm to be ceased, ance of so as to limit the power and liberty of God in man- ™?°t3 of'" ifesting himself towards his children. But while old. we are considering the object of faith, we must not stick to that which is but circumstantially and accidentally so, but to that which is universally and substantially so. Next again, we must distinguish betAvixt that which in itself is subject to doubt and delusion, and therefore is received for and because of another ; and that which is not subject to any doubt, but is received simply for and because of itself, as being prima Veritas, the very first and original truth. Let us then consider how or how far these outAvard voices, appearances, and dreams were the object of the saints' faith : was it because they were sim- Reveia- ply voices, appearances, or dreams } Nay, certain- dreamf ly; for they were not ignorant, that the devil ?nd vis- might form a sound of words, convey it to the out ward ear, and deceive the outward senses, by making things to appear that are not. Yea, do we 7 36 PROPOSITION IL not see by daily experience, that the jugglers and mountebanks can do as much as all that by their legerdemain ? God forbid then that the saints' faith should be founded upon so fallacious a foundation as man's outward and fallible senses. What made them then give credit to these visions ? Certainly nothing else but the secret testimony of God''s Spirit in their hearts, assuring them that the voices, dreams, and visions were of and from God. Abra ham believed the angels ; but who told him that these men were angels ? We must not think his faith then was built upon his outward senses, but proceeded from the secret persuasion of God's Spirit in his heart. This then must needs be ac knowledged to be originally and principally the object of the saints' faith, without which there is no true and certain faith, and by which many times faith is begotten and strengthened without any of these outAvard or visible helps ; as we may ob serve in many passages of the holy scripture, where it is only mentioned. And God said, &rc. And the word of the Lord came unto such and s\ic\i,saying, &rc. But if any one should pertinaciously affirm. Object. That this did import an outward audible voice to the carnal ear; Answ. I would gladly know what other argument such an one could bring for this his affirmation, saving his own simple conjecture. It is said indeed, The Im^t^ Spirit witnesseth with our Spirit ; but not to our out- the spirit- ward ears, Rom. viii. 1 6. And seeing the Spirit of "o tKt- CJod is within us, and not without us only, it speaks ward. to our spiritual, and not to our bodily ear. There fore I see no reason, Avhere it is so often said in scripture. The Spirit said, moved, hindered, called snch. or such a one, to do or forbear such or such a thing, that any have to conclude, that this was not an inward voice to the ear of the soul, rather than an outward voice to the bodily ear. If any be otherwise minded, let them, if they can, produce OF IMMEDIATE REVELATION. 37 their arguments, and we may further consider of them. From all therefore which is above declared, I shall deduce an argument to conclude the proof of this assertion, thus : That which any one firmly believes, as the ground and foundation of his hope in God, and life eter nal, is the formal object ofhis faith. But the inward and immediate revelation of God's Spirit, speaking in and unto the saints, was by them believed as the ground and foundation of their hope in God, and life eternal. Therefore these inward and immediate revela tions were the formal object of their faith. §. IX. That which nowcomethunder debate, is ^'oygj^' what we asserted in the last place, to wit. That the same continueth to be the object of the saints' faith unto this day. Many will agree to what we have said before, who differ from us herein. There is nevertheless a very firm argument, con firming the truth of this assertion, included in the proposition itself, to wit. That the object of the saints' faith is the same in all ages, though held forth under divers administrations ; which I shall reduce to an argument, and prove thus : First, Where the faith is one, the object of the faith is one. But the faith is one : Therefore, &c. That the faith is one, are the express words of the apostle, Eph. iv. 5. who placeth the one faith with the one God; importing no less, than that to affirm two faiths is as absurd as to affirm two Gods. Moreorer, if the faith of the ancients were not one and the same with ours, i. e. agreeing in sub stance therewith, and receiving the same definition, it had been impertinent for the apostle, jHe6. xi. to J^^^f^^ have illustrated the definition of our faith by the saints of examples of that of the ancients, or to go about to move us by the example of Abraham, ii Abraham's old the same with ours. 38 PROPOSITION IL faith were different in nature from ours. Nor doth any difference arise hence, because they believed in Christ with respect to his appearance outwardly as future, and we, as already appeared: for neither did they then so believe in him to come, as not to feel him present with them, and witness him near; seeing the apostle saith. They all drank of that spir itual rock which followed them, which rock was Christ ; nor do we so believe concerning his appearance past, as not also to feel and know him present with us, and to feed upon him ; except Christ (saith the apostle) be in you, ye are reprobates ; so that both our faith is one, terminating in one and the same thing. And as to the other part or consequence of the antecedent, to wit. That the object is one where the faith is one, the apostle also proveth it in the fore-cited chapter, where he makes all the worthies of old examples to us. Now wherein are they im- itable, but because they believed in God } And what was the object of their faith, but inward and immediate revelation, as we have before proved } Their example can be no ways applicable to us, except we believe in God, as they did ; that is, by the same object. The apostle clears this yet lUr* ther by his own example. Gal. i. 1 6. where he saith, So soon as Christ was revealed in him, he consulted not with flesh and blood, but forthwith believed and obeyed. The same apostle, Heb. xiii. 7, 8. AA'here he ex- horteth the Hebrews to follow the faith of the el ders, adds this reason. Considering the end of their conversation, Jesus Christ, the same to-day, yesterday, and forever : Hereby notably insinuating, that in the object there is no alteration. Object. If any now object the diversity of administration ; Adbw. I answer ; That altereth not at all the object : for the same apostle mentioning this diversity three times, I Cor. xii. 4, 5, 6. centereth always in the same object ; the same Spirit, the same Lord, the same God. OP IMMEDIATE REVELATION. 39 But further; If the object of faith were not one ^nd the same both to us and to them, then it would follow that we were to know God some other way than by the Spirit. But this were absurd : Therefore, &c. Lastly, This is most firmly proved from a com* mon and received maxim of the school-men, to wit, Omnis actus specificatur ab objecto. Every act is specified from its object: from which, if it be true, as they acknowledge, (though for the sake of many I shall not recur to this argument, as being too nice and scholastic, neither lay I much stress upon those kind of things, as being that which commends not the simplicity of the gospel,) it would follow, that if the object were different, then the faith would be different also. Such as deny this proposition now-a-days use here a distinction ; granting that God is to be known by his Spirit, but again denying that it is immediate or inward, but in and by the scriptures; in which the mind of the Spirit (as they say) being fully and amply expressed, we are thereby to know God, and be led in all things. As to the negative of this assertion. That the scriptures are not sufficient, neither were ever ap pointed to be the adequate and only rule, nor yet can guide or direct a Christian in all those things that are needful for him to knoAV, we shall leave that to the next proposition to be examined. What is proper in this place to be proved is, That Chris tians now are to be led inwardly and immediately by the Spirit of God, even in the same manner (though it befall not many to be led in the same measure) as the saints were of old. §. X. I shall prove this by divers arguments, ^^^^''l and first from the promise ofChrist m these words, ^e le^dby John xiv. 16. And I will pray the Father, and he will l„ae''same give you another Comforter, that he may abide with you ^^^^il^^ for ever. Ver. 17. Even the Spirit of truth, whom of^old!" 40 PROPOSITION II. the world cannot receive, because it seeth him not, net" ther knoweth him ; but ye know him, for he dwelleth with you, and shall be in you. Again, ver. 26. But the Comforter, which is the Holy Ghost, whom the Father will send in my name, he shall teach you all things, and bring all things to your remembrance. And xvi. 13. But when the Spirit of truth shall come, he shall lead you into all truth : for he shall not speak of himself ; but whatsoever he shall hear he shall speak, and shall de clare unto you things to come. We have here first, who this is, and that is divers ways expressed, to wit. The Comforter, the Spirit of truth, the Holy Ghost, the sent of the Father in the name of Christ. And hereby is sufficiently proved the sottishness of those Socinians, and other carnal Christians, who neither knoAv nor acknowledge any internal Spirit or power but that which is merely natural; by which they sufficiently declare themselves to be of the world, who cannot receive the Spirit, because they neither see him nor know him. Secondly, Where this Spirit is to be. He dwelleth ivith you, and shall be in you. And Thirdly, What his work is. He shall teach you all things, and bring all things to your remembrance, and guide you into all truth, o^yndEL v^iag ei(^ odaav triv o^i/iQeuolv. Query 1. As to the First, Most do acknowledge that there Comfort" ^^ nothing else understood than what the plain er ¦¦ words signify ; which is also evident by many other places of scripture that will hereafter occur ; nei ther do I see how such as affirm otherways can avoid blasphemy : for, if the Comforter, the Holy Ghost, and Spirit of truth, be all one with the scrip tures, then it wiU follow that the scriptures are fa't'^conse ^^'^' ^^^"'^ '* ^^ ^™^ t'^at the Holy Ghost is God, quenc°es'*' '^ t^cse meu's reasoning might take place, where- tocwans- ^''^'^ ^¥ '^^"¦'^ ^^ mentioned in relation to the belief of saints, thereby might be truly and properly under- lureSg '*°«^ ^b? «<=riptures; Avhich, what a nonsensical th« Soirit. monster it would make of the Christian religion OF IMMEDIATE REVELATION. 41 will easily appear to all men. As where it is said, A manifestation of the Spirit is given to every man to profit withal; it might be rendered thus, A mani festation of the scriptures is given to every man to profit withal ; what notable sense this would make, and what a curious interpretation, let us consider , by the sequel of the same chapter, i Cor. xii. 9, 10, 11. To another the gifts of healing, by the same Spir it ; to another the working of miracles, 8rc. But all these worketh that one and the self-same Spirit, divi ding to every man severally as he will. What would now these great masters of reason, the Socinians, judge, if we should place the scriptures here in stead of the Spirit? Would it answer their rea son, which is the great guide of their faith } Would it be good and sound reason in their logical schools, to affirm that the scripture divideth severally as it will, and giveth to some the gift of healing, to others the working of miracles ? If then this Spirit, a manifestation whereof is given to every man to profit withal, be no other than that Spirit of truth before-mentioned which guideth into all truth, this Spirit of truth cannot be the scripture. I could infer an hundred more absurdities of this kind upon this sottish opinion, but what is said may suffice. For even some of themselves, being at times forgetful or ashamed of their own doctrine, do acknowledge that the Spirit of God is another thing, and distinct from the scriptures, to guide and influence the saints. Secondly, That this Spirit is inward, in my Query 2. opinion needs no interpretation or commentary, Jl^^^pJ^^^S He dwelleth with you, and shall be in you. This in dwelling of the Spirit in the saints, as it is a thing most needful to be known and believed, so is it as positively asserted in the scripture as any thing else can be. J^ so be that the Spirit of God dwell in you, saith the apostle to the Romans, chap. viii. 9. And again, Know ye not that your body is the temple of the 42 PROPOSITION n. Holy Ghost, 1 Cor. vi. 19. And that the Spirit of God dwelleth in you? 1 Cor. iii. 16. Without this the apostle reckoneth no man a Christian. If any man (saith he) have not the Spirit ofChrist, he is none ofhis. These words immediately foUoAV those above-men tioned out of the epistle to the Romans, But ye are not in the flesh, but in the Spirit, if so be the Spirit of God The Spirit dwellinyou. The context of which showeth, that the within, the apostle rcckoneth it the main token, of a Christian, ken of a both positively and negatively: for in the former Christian, y^rses he showeth hoAV the carnal mind is enmity against God, and that such as are in the flesh cannot please him. Where subsuming, he adds concerning the Romans, that they are not in the flesh, if the Spirit of God dwell in them. What is this but to affirm, that they in whom the Spirit dwells are no longer in the flesh, nor of those who please not God, but are become Christians indeed .'' Again, in the next verse he concludes negatively, that ij^awy man have not the Spirit of Christ, he is none ofhis; that is, he is no Christian. He then that acknowledges himself ignorant and a stranger to the inward in- being of the Spirit of Christ in his heart, doth thereby acknowledge himself to be yet in the car nal mind, which is enmity to God ; to be yet in the flesh, where God cannot be pleased ; and in short, whatever he may otherways know or believe of Christ, or however much skilled or acquainted with the letter of the holy scripture, not yet to be^ notwithstanding all that, attained to the least de gree of a Christian ; yea, not once to have em braced the Christian religion. For take but away the Spirit, and Christianity remains no more Christianity, than the dead carcase of a man, when the soul and spirit is departed, remains a man; which the living can no more abide, but do bury out of their sight, as a noisome and useless thing, however acceptable it hath been when actuated and moved by the soul. Lastly, Whatsoever is ex- OP IMMEDIATE REVELATION. 43 ceUent, whatsoever is noble, whatsoever is worthy, what soever is desirable in the Christian faith, is ascribed to this Spirit, without AA'hich it could no more sub sist than the outward Avorld without the sun. Here unto have all true Christians, in all ages, attributed their strength and life. It is by this Spirit that they avouch themselves to have been converted to God, to have been redeemed from the Avorld, to have been sti-engthened in their weakness, comforted in their afflictions, confirmed in their temptations, imboldened in their sufferings, and triumphed in the midst of all their persecutions. Yea, the Avritings of all true Christians are full of The great the great and notable things which they all affirm b"e a""^ themselves to have done, by the power, and virtue, "'at imve and efficacy of this Spirit of God working in them, areper- It is the Spirit that qtdckeneth, John vi. 63. It was [°,™s'|J'if the Spirit that gave them utterance. Acts ii. 4. It Avas in all ages, the Spirit by which Stephen spake, That the Jews were not able to resist. Acts vi. 10. It is such as walk after the Spirit that receive no condemnation, Rom. viii. 1. It is the law of the Spirit that makes free, ver. 2. It is by the Spirit of God dwelling in us, that Ave are redeemed from the flesh, and from the carnal mind, ver. 9. It is the Spirit of Christ dwelling in us that quickeneth our mortal bodies, ver. 11. It is through this Spirit that the deeds of the body are mortifled, and life obtained, ver. 13. It is by this Spirit that we are adopted, and cry ABBA, Father, ver. 1 5. It is this Spirit that beareth witness with our spirit that we are the children of God, ver. 1 6. It is this Spirit that helpeth our inflrmities, and maketh inter cession for us, with groanings which caiinot be uttered, ver. 26. It is by this Spirit that the glorious things which God hath laid up for us, which 7ieither out ward ear hath heard, nor outward eye hath seen, nor the heart of man conceived by all his reasonings, are revealed unto us, 1 Cor. ii. 9, 10. It is by this Spirit that both wisdom and knoivledge, and faith, 8 44 PROPOSITION n. Calvin of the neces sity of the Spirit's In- dwellin? and miracles, and tongues, and prophecies, are obtain ed, 1 Cor. xii. 8, 9, 10. It is by this Spirit that we are all baptized into one body, ver. 1 3. In short, what thing relating to the salvation of the soul, and to the life of a Christian, is rightly performed, or ef fectually obtained, without it ? And what shall I say more ? For the time would fail me to tell of all those things which the holy men of old have de clared, and the saints of this day do themselves en joy, by the virtue and power of this Spirit dwelling in them. Truly my paper could not contain the many testimonies whereby this truth is confirmed; wherefore, besides what is above-mentioned out of the fathers, whom all pretend to reverence, and those of Luther and Melancthon, I shall deduce yet one observable testimony out of Calvin, because not a few of the followers ofhis doctrine do re fuse and deride (and that, as it is to be feared, because of their own non-experience thereof) this way of the Spirit's in-dwelling, as uncertain and dangerous ; that so, if neither the testimony of the scripture, nor the sayings of others, nor right reason can move them, they may at least be re proved by the words of their own master, who saith in the third book of his Institutions, cap. 2. on this Avise : " But they allege, It is a bold presumption for ' any to pretend to an undoubted knowledge of ' God's will ; which (saith he) I should grant unto ' them, if Ave should ascribe so much to ourselves ' as to subject the incomprehensible counsel of ' God to the rashness of our understandings. But ' while Ave simply say with Paid, that we have receiv- ' ed )iot the spirit of this world, but the Spirit which is ' of God, by whose teaching we know those things ' that are given us of God, what can they prate ' against it Avithout reproaching the Spirit of God ? 'For if it be an horrible sacrilege to accuse any ' revelation coming from him, either of a lie, of un- OF IMMEDIATE REVELATION. 45 " certainty or ambiguity, in asserting its certain- " ty wherein do we offend ? But they cry out. That " it is not without great temerity that we dare so " boast of the Spirit ofChrist. Who would believe " that the sottishness of these men were so great, " whaAA'ould be esteemed the masters of the world, " that they should so fail in the first principles of " religion ? Verily I could not believe it, if their " OAA-^n writings did not testify so much. Paul ac- " counts those the Sons of God, who are actuated by " the Spirit of God; bu.t these will have the children " of God actuated by their own spirits without the '• Spirit of God. He will have us call God Father, " the Spirit dictating that term unto us, which only " can witness to our spirits that we are the Sons of " God. These, though they cease not to call upon " God, do nevertheless dismiss the Spirit, by whose " guiding he is rightly to be called upon. He denies "them to be the Sons of God, or the Servants of " Christ, who are not led by his Spirit ; but these - "feign a Christianity that needs not the Spirit of " Christ. He takes away the hope of a blessed resur- " rection, unless we feel the Spirit residing in us ; " but these feign a hope without any such a feeling; " but perhaps they will answer, that they deny not " but that it is necessary to have it, only of modesty " and humility Ave ought to deny and not acknowl- " edge it. What means he then, when he commands " the Corinthians to try themselves, if they be in the " faith ; to examine themselves, whether they have " Christ, whom whosoever acknoAvledges not dwell- " ing in him, is a reprobate.'' By the Spirit which i-i' he hath given us, saith John, we know that he abideth " in us. And what do we then else but call in " question Christ's promise, while we would be " esteemed the servants of God without his Spirit, " which he declared he would pour out upon all his ? " Seeing these things are the first grounds of piety, " it is miserable blindness to accuse Christians of 46 PROPOSITION II. Withoutthe Spirit's presence, Christian ity must cease. Query 3. What is the work of the Spir it.? Joan xvi. 13.and xiv. 26. The Spirit tbe guide. " pride, because they dare glory of the presence " of the Spirit ; without which glorying, Christian- "ity itself could not be. But by their example " they declare, how truly Christ spake, saying. That " his Spirit was unknown to the world, and that " those only acknowledge it with whom it re- " mains." Thus far Calvin. If therefore it be so, why should any be so fool ish as to deny, or so unAvise as not to seek after this Spirit, which Christ hath promised shall dwell in his children .? They then that do suppose the in dwelling and leading of his Spirit to be ceased, must also suppose Christianity to be ceas«d, which cannot subsist Avithout it. Thirdly, What the work of this Spirit is, is part ly before shown, which Christ compriseth in two or three things. He will guide you into all truth; He will teach you all things, and bring all things to your remem brance. Since Christ hath provided for us so good an instructor, why need we then lean so much to those traditions and commandments of men wherewith so many Christians have burthened them selves } Why need we set up our own carnal and corrupt reason for a guide to us in matters spirit ual, as some will needs do } May it not be com plained of all such, as the Lord did of old concern ing Israel by the prophets, Jer. ii. 1 3. For my peo ple have committed two evils, they have forsaken me, the fountain of living waters, and heioed them out cisterns, broken cisterns, that can hold no water ? Have not ma ny forsaken, do not many deride and reject, this inward and immediate guide, this Spirit that leads into all truth, and cast up to themselves other Avays, broken ways indeed, which have not all this while brought them out of the flesh, nor out of the AAorld, nor from under the dominion of their oAvn lusts and sinful affections, whereby truth, which is only rightly learned by this Spirit, is so much a stran ger in the earth .'' OF IMMEDIATE REVELATION. 47 From all then that hath been mentioned con cerning this promise, and these words of Christ, it will follow, that Christians are always to be led in- Aperpet- wardly and immediately by the Spirit of God dwell- "nee to"'" ing in them, and that the same is a standing and ^^°^^J^^ perpetual ordinance, as well to the church in gen- and peo- eral in all ages, as to every individual member in p'®* particular, as appears from this argument : The promises of Christ to his children are Yea and Amen, and cannot fail, but must of necessity be fulfiUed. But Christ hath promised, that the Comforter, the Holy Ghost, the Spirit of truth, shall abide with his children forever, shall dwell with them, shall be in them, shall lead them into all truth, shall teach them all things, and bring all things to their remembrance : Therefore the Comforter, the Holy Ghost, the Spirit of truth, his abiding with his children, &c. is Yea and Amen, Sfc. Again : No man is redeemed from the carnal mind, which is at enmity with God, which is not subject to the law of God, neither can be : no man is jet in the Spirit, but in the flesh, and cannot please God, except he in whom the Spirit of God dwells. But every true Christian is in measure redeem ed from the carnal mind, is gathered out of the en mity, and can be subject to the law of God ; is out of the flesh, and in the Spirit, the Spirit of God dwelling in him. Therefore every true Christian hath the Spirit of God dwelling in him. Again : Whosoever hath not the Spirit of Christ, is none of his ; that is, no child, no friend, no disciple of Christ. But every true Christian is a child, a friend, a disciple of Christ : Therefore every true Christian hath the Spirit of Christ. 4S PROPOSITION 11. Moreover: Whosoever is the temple of the Holy Ghost, in him the Spirit of God dwelleth and abideth. But every true Christian is the temple of the Ho ly Ghost : Therefore in every true Christian the Spirit of God dwelleth and abideth. But to conclude : He in whom the Spirit of God dAvelleth, it is not in him a lazy, dumb, useless thing; but it moveth, actuateth, governeth, in- structeth, and teacheth him all things whatsoever are needful for him to know; yea, bringeth all things to his remembrance. But the Spirit of God dwelleth in every true Christian : Therefore the Spirit of God leadeth, instruct- eth, and teacheth every true Christian whatsoever is needful for him to know. Object- §. XI. But there are some that will confess. That the Spirit doth noAv lead and influence the saints, but that he doth it only subjectively, or in a blind manner, by enlightening their understandings, to understand and believe the truth delivered in the scriptures ; but not at all by presenting those truths to the mind by way of object, and this they call Medium incognitum assentiendi, as that of whose ivork- ing a man is not sensible. Answ. This opinion, though somewhat more tolerable than the former, is nevertheless not altogether ac cording to truth, neither doth it reach the fulness of it. Arg. 1. 1. Because there be many truths, which, as they are appUcable to particulars and individuals, and most needful to be known by them, are in no-wise to be found in the scripture, as in the following proposition shall be shoAvn. Besides, the arguments already adduced do prove, that the Spirit doth not only subjectively help us to discern truths elsewhere delivered, but also object- OF IMMEDIATE REVELATION. 49 ively present those truths to our minds. For that which teacheth me all things, and is given me for that end, without doubt presents those things to my mind Avhich it teacheth me. It is not said. It shall teach you how to understand those things that are written ; but. It shall teach you all things. Again, That which brings all things to my remembrance, must needs present them by way of object ; else it were improper to say, It brought them to my re membrance; but only, that it helpeth to remem ber the objects brought from elsoAvhere. My second argument shall be draAvn from the Arg. 2. nature of the new covenant ; by which, and those that follow, I shall prove that we are led by the Spirit both immediately and objectively. The nature tjf the new covenant is expressed in dfvers places ; and, First, Isa. lix. 21. As forme, this is my covenant Proof 1. with them, saith the Lord ; My Spirit that is upon thee, and my words which I have put into thy mouth, shall not depart out of thy mouth, nor out of the mouth of thy seed, nor out of the mouth of thy seed''s seed, saith the Lord, from henceforth and for ever. By the lat- Theiead- ter part of this is sufficiently expressed the perpet- ^^^^^°^ *® uity and continuance of this promise, It shall not depart, saith the Loid from henceforth and forever. In the former part is the promise itself, which is the Spirit of God being upon them, and the words of God being put into their mouths. First, This was immediate, for there is no men- i.imme- tion made of any medium ; he saith not, I shall by "^'^ ^' the means of such and such writings or books, convey such and such words into your mouths ; but My words, I, even I, saith the Lord, have put into your mouths. Secondly, This must be objectively ; for [the words 3. otject- putinto the mouth] are the object presented by him. iveiy. He saith not. The words which ye shall see written, my Spirit shall only enlighten your understandings, .50 PROPOSITION II. to assent unto ; but positively. My words, which I have put into thy mouth, &rc. From whence I argue thus : Upon whomsoever the Spirit remaineth always, and putteth words into his mouth, him doth the Spirit teach immediately, objectively, and continually. But the Spirit is always upon the seed of the righteous, and putteth words into their mouths, neither departeth from them : Therefore the Spirit teacheth the righteous im mediately, objectively, and continually. Proofs. Secondly, The nature of the new covenant is yet more amply expressed, Jer. xxxi. 33. which is again repeated and reasserted by the apostle, Heb. viii. 10, 11. in these words. For this is the covenant that I ivill make with the house of Israel, after those days, saith the Lord, I will put my laws into their minds, and write them in their hearts, and I will be to them a God, and they shall be to me a people. And they shall not teach every man his neighbour, and every man his brother, saying, Knoiv tlie Lord; for they shall all knoiv me, from the least to the greatest. The object here is God's law placed in the heart, and written in the mind ; from whence they become God's people, and are brought truly to know him. enc^e bV^' ^^ this then is the law distinguished from the oufward"" S^^^P'^^' the law before was outward, w^ritten in and in- tables of stone, but now is inward, written in the wardlaw. heart: of old the people depended upon their priests for the knoAvledge of God, but now they have all a certain and sensible knoAvledge of Him ; concerning which Augustine speaketh well, in his book De Litera Sf Spiritu ; from whom Aquinas first of aU seems to have taken occasion to move this question, Whether the new law be a written law or an implanted law ? Lex scripta, vel lex indita ? Which he thus resolves, affirming, That the new law, ; or gospel, is not properly a law loritten, as the old was. OF IMMEDIATE REVELATION. 51 to Lex indita, an implanted law ; and that the old law was written without, but the new law is written with in, on the table of the heart. How much then are they deceived, who, instead of making the gospel preferable to the law, have made the condition of such as are under the gospel far worse .'' For no doubt it is a far better and more desirable thing to converse with God imme diately, than only mediately, as being an higher and The gospel more glorious dispensation : and yet these men tioS^more acknowledge that many under the law had imme- ^}°"°^i diate converse with God, whereas they now cry it of the law is ceased. Again : Under the law there was the holy of holies, into which the high priest did enter, and received the word of the Lord immediately from be twixt the cherubims, so that the people could then certainly know the mind of the Lord ; but now, according to these men's judgment, we are in afar worse condition, having nothing but the outward letter of the scripture to guess and divine from ; concerning the sense or meaning of one verse of Avhich scarce two can be found to agree. But Je sus Christ hath promised us better things, though many are so unwise as not to believe him, even to guide us by his own unerring Spirit, and hath rent and removed the vail, whereby not only one, and that once a year, may enter ; but all of us, at all times, have access unto him, as often as Ave draw near unto him with pure hearts : he reveals his will to us by his Spirit, and writes his laws in our hearts. These things then being thus premised, I argue. Where the law of God is put into the mind, and written in the heart, there the object of faith, and revelation of the knowledge of God, is inward, im mediate, and objective. But the law of God is put into the mind, and written in the heart of every true Christian, un der the new covenant. 9 fi2 PROPOSITION II. Therefore the object of faith, and revelation of the knowledge of God to every true Christian, is inward, immediate, and objective. The assumption is the express words of scrip ture : the proposition then must needs be true, ex cept that which is put into the mind, and written in the heart, were either not inward, not immediate, or not objective, Avhich is most absurd. Arg. 3. §. XII. The third argument is from these words The a- of John, 1 John ii. ver. 27. But the anointing, which recom"^ ye have received of him, abideth in you, and ye need mended,as not that any man teach you : but the same anointing teacheth you of all things, and is truth, and is no lie ; and even as it hath taught you, ye shall abide in him. 1. First, This could not be any special, peculiar, ^ °°' or extraordinary privilege, but that which is com mon to all the saints, it being a general epistle, directed to all them of that age. 2. Secondly, The apostle proposeth this anointing ¦ in them, as a more certain touch-stone for them to discern and try seducers by, even than his own writings ; for having in the former verse said, that he had written some things to them concerning such as seduced them, he begins the next verse, But the anointing, 8rc. and ye need not that any man teach you, 8rc. which infers, that having said to them what can be said, he refers them for all to the inward anointing, which teacheth all things, as the most firm, constant, and certain bulwark against all seducers. 8. And Lastly, That it is a lasting and continuing lasting, thing; the anointing Avhich abideth. If it had not been to abide in them, it could not have taught them aU things, neither guarded them against all hazard. From which I argue thus. He that hath an anointing abiding in him, which teacheth him all things, so that he needs no man to teach him, hath an inAvard and immediate teach- OF IMMEDIATE REVELATION. 53 er, and hath some things inwardly and immediate ly revealed unto him. But the saints have such an anointing : Therefore, &c. I could prove this doctrine from many more places of scripture, which for brevity's sake I omit ; and now come to the second part of the proposition, where the objections usually formed against it are answered. §. XIII. The most usual is. That these revelations Object- are uncertain. But this bespeaketh much ignorance in the op- Answ. posers ; for we distinguish between the thesis and the hypothesis ; that is, between the proposition and supposition. For it is one thing to affirm, that the true and undoubted revelation of God''s Spirit is certain and infallible ; and another thing to affirm, that this or that particular person or people is led infallibly by this revelation in what they speak or write, be cause they affirm themselves to be so led by the inward and immediate revelation of the Spirit. The first is only aisserted by us, the latter may be called in question. The question is not who are or are not so led : But whether all ought not or may not be so led ? Seeing then Ave have already proved that Christ J^^^''^^} hath promised his Spirit to lead his children, and the Spirit's that every one of them both ought and may be led Iroved!^ by it, if any depart from this certain guide in deeds, and yet in words pretend to be led by it into things that are not good, it will not from thence fol low, that the true guidance of the Spirit is uncer tain, or ought not to be followed ; no more than it will follow that the sun showeth not light, because a blind man, or one who wilfully shuts his eyes, falls into a ditch at noon-day for want of light; or that no words are spoken, because a deaf man hears them not ; or that a garden full of fragrant flowers has no sweet smell, because he that has 54 PROPOSITION IL lost his smelling doth not smell it; the fault then is in the organ, and not in the object. All these mistakes theretbre are to be ascribed to the weakness or wickedness of men, and not to that Holy Spirit. Such as bend themselves most against the certain and infallible testimony of the Spirit use commonly to allege the example of the old Gnostics, and the late monstrous and mischiev ous actings of the Anabaptists of Munster, all which toucheth us nothing at all, neither weakens a whit our most true doctrine. Wherefore, as a most sure bulwark against such kind of assaults, was subjoin ed that other part of our proposition thus : More over these divine and inward revelations, which we es tablish as absolutely necessary for the founding of the true faith, as they do not, so neither can they at any time, contradict the Scriptures'' testimony, or sound reason. Byexperi- Besides the intrinsic and undoubted truth of this assertion, we can boldly affirm it from our certain and blessed experience. For this Spirit never deceived us, never acted nor moved us to any thing that was amiss ; but is clear and mani fest in its revelations,which are evidently discerned by us, as we wait in that pure and undefiled light of God {that proper and fit organ) in which they are received. Therefore if any reason after this manner, {That because some wicked, ungodly, devilish men have committed wicked actions, and have yet more wick edly asserted, that they were led into these things by the Spirit of God ; Therefore, No man ought to lean to the Spirit of God, or seek to be led by it,) The absur- ^ utterly deny the consequence of this proposition, f^«^ '^' ^^ich, were it to be received as true, then would all qnence. faith inGod and hope of salvation become uncertain. and the Christian religion be turned into mere Scep ticism. For after the same manner I might reason thus : ence, op IMMEDIATE REVELATION. 55 Because Eve was deceived by the lying of the serpent ; Therefore she ought not to have trusted to the promise of God. ' Because the old world was deluded by evil spir its ; Therefore ought neither Noah, nor Abraham, nor Moses, to have trusted the Spirit of the Lord. Because a lying spirit spake through the four hundred prophets, that persuaded Ahab to go up and fight at Ramoth Gilead; Therefore the testimony of the true Spirit in Mi- caiah was uncertain, and dangerous to be followed. Because there were seducing spirits crept into the church of old ; Therefore it was not good, or it is uncertain, to follow the anointing, which taught all things, and is truth, and is no he. Who dare say, that this is a necessary conse quence .'' Moreover, not only the faith of the saints and church of God of old, is hereby render ed uncertain, but also the faith of all sorts of Christians now is liable to the like hazard, even of those who seek a foundation for their faith else where than from the Spirit. For I shall prove by an inevitable argument, ab incommodo, i. e. from the inconveniency of it, that if the Spirit be not to be followed upon that account, and that men may not depend upon it as their guide, because some, while pretending thereunto, commit great evils ; that then, neither tradition, nor the script ures, nor reason, which the Papists, Protestants, and Socinians do respectively make the rule of their faith, are any whit more certain. The Romanists l instan reckon it an error to celebrate Easter any other dition. ways than that church doth. This can only be decided by tradition. And yet the Greek church, which equally layeth claim to tradition with her self, doth it otherwise. Yea, so little effectual is 56 PROPOSITION li. Euseh. tradition to decide the case, that Polycarpus, tbe rfis'ub'is. disciple oi John, and Anicetus, the bishop oi Rome, 0.26. ^ho immediately succeeded them, according to whose example both sides conclud'ed the question ought to be decided, could not agree. Here of necessity one of them must err, and that following tradition. Would the Papists nov«^ judge we dealt fairly by them, if we should thence aver, that tradi tion is not to be regarded } Besides, in a matter of far greater importance the same difficulty vvill oc cur, to wit, in the primacy of the bishop of Rome ; for many do affirm, and that by tradition, that in the first six hundred years the Roman prelates nev er assumed the title of Universal Shepherd, nor were acknowledged as such. And, as that w^hich alto gether overturneth this precedency, there are that allege, and that from tradition also, that Peter never saw Rome ; and that therefore the bishop of Rome cannot be his successor. Would you Romanists think this sound reasoning, to say as you do.? Many have been deceived, and erred grievous ly, in trusting to tradition ; Therefore we ought to reject all traditions, yea, even those by which we affirm the contrary, and, as we think, prove the truth. ,_ ^^ Lastly, In the *council oi Florence, the chief doc- Fior. Sess. toTs of the Romish and Greek churches did debate quodara'" wholc scssious loug Concerning the interpretation Conc.Eph. of one sentence of the council of Ephesus, and of 11^ &, 12.^^ Epiphanius, and Basilius, neither could they ever Cone. agree about it. rior Sess. ^ 18, 20. Secondly, As to the scripture, the same difficul- FhTr^'sess. ^-^ occurrcth : the Lutherans aHirm. they beUeve con- 21. p. 480.' substantiation by the scripture; whichthe Calvinists ^^^'^- deny, as that which, they say, according to the same scripture, is a gross error. The Calvinists again affirm absolute predestination,which the Armin ians deny, affirming the contrary ; wherein both OF IMMEDIATE REVELATION. 57 affirm themselves to be ruled by the scripture and reason in the matter. Should I argue thus then to the Calvinists? Here the Lutherans and Arminians grossly err, by following the scripture ; Therefore the scripture is not a good nor cer tain rule ; and e contrario. Would either of them accept of this reasoning as good and sound .'' What shall 1 say of the Episcopa lians, Presbyterians, Independents, and Anabaptists of . Great Britain, who are continually buffeting one another with the scripture } To whom the same argument might be alleged, though they do all unanimously acknowledge it to be the rule. And Thirdly, as to reason, I shall not need to ^-Ofrea- say much ; for whence come all the controversies, contentions, and debates in the world, but because The de- every man thinks he follows right reason .'^ Hence i^fnceari- of old came the jangles betAveen the Stoics, Pla- singbe- ionists. Peripatetics, Pythagoreans, and Cynics, as of o7d\nd^ late betwixt the Aristotelians, Cartesians, and other 'atepu- naturalists : Can it be thence inferred, or will the ""°^ ^"' Socinians, those great reasoners, allow us to con clude, because many, and those very wise men, have erred, by following, as they supposed, their reason, and that Avith what diligence, care and in dustry they could, to find out the truth, that there fore no man ought to make use of it at all, nor be positive in what he knows certainly to be ration al ? And thus far as to opinions ; the same uncer tainty is no less incident unto those other princi ples. §. XIV. But if we come to practices, though I ^"^^^P" confess I do with my whole heart abhor and detest their wild those wild practices which are written concerning P™Pro-' the Anabaptists of Munster; I am bold to say, as testants bad, if not worse things, have been committed by ^^^^^ fll those that lean to tradition, scripture, and reason : *^^^«j'^j^^^*_ wherein also they have averred themselves to have shed, e^ch 58 PROPOSITION IL pretend- been authorized by these rules. I need but men- tafe°fo?it. tion aU the tumults, seditions, and horrible blood shed, wherewith Europe hath been afflicted these divers ages ; in which Papists against Papists, Cal vinists against Calvinists, Lutherans against Luthe rans, and Papists assisted by Protestants, against other Protestants assisted by Papists, have misera bly shed one another's blood, hiring and forcing men to kill each other, who were ignorant of the quarrel, and strangers one to another : all, mean while, pretending reason for so doing, and plead ing the lawfulness of it from scripture. Tradition, p^j. what havc the Papists pretended for their scripture, - -" u • -n i and rea- many massacres, acted as well in J^rance as else- rco^r*^* where, but tradition, scripture, and reason ? Did forperse- they not Say, that reason persuaded them, tradition murden" allowed them, and scripture commanded them, to persecute, destroy, and burn heretics, such as de nied this plain scripture. Hoc est corpus meum. This is my body ? And are not the Protestants assenting to this bloodshed, who assert the same thing, and en,courage them, by burning and banishing, while their brethren are so treated for the same cause } Are not the islands of Great Britain and Ireland, yea, and all the Christian world, a lively example hereof, which were divers years together as a theatre of blood; where many lost their lives, and numbers of families were utterly destroyed and ruined.'' For all which no other cause was principally given, than the precepts of the scrip ture. If we then compare these actings with those of Munster, we shall not find great difference ; for both affirmed and pretended they were called, and that it was lawful to kill, burn, and destroy the wicked. We must kill all the wicked, said those Anabaptists, that we, that are the saints, may possess the earth. We must burn obstinate heretics, say the Papists, that the holy church of Rome may be purg ed of rotten members, and may live in peace. We OP IMMEDIATE REVELATION. 59 must cut off seducing separatists, say the Prelatical Protestants, who trouble the peace of the church, and refuse the divine hierarchy, and religious ceremo nies thereof. We must kill, say the Calvinistic Pres byterians, the Profane Malignants, who accuse the Holy Consistorial and Presbyterian government, and seek to defend the Popish and Prelatic hie rarchy; as also those other sectaries that trouble the peace of our church. What difference I pray thee, impartial reader, seest thou betwixt these "? If it be said, The Anabaptists went without, and Object- against the authority of the magistrate; so did not the other ; I might easily refute it, by alleging the mutual Answ. testimonies of these sects against one another. The behaviour of the Papists towards Henry the Third and Fourth of France ; their designs upon James ^Ip^^^ the Sixth in the gunpowder treason ; as also their cruelties. principle of the Pope's power to depose kings for the cause of heresy, and to absolve their subjects from their oath, and give them to others, proves it against them. And as to the Protestants, how much their ac- Protestant tions differ from those other above-mentioned, ^^"j*""*' may be seen by the many conspiracies and tu- cutions in mults which they have been active in, both in |"„°g/and' Scotland and England, and which they have acted and hoI- within these hundred years in divers towns and *° " provinces of the Netherlands. Have they not oft entimes sought, not only from the Popish magis trates, but even from those that had begun to re form, or that had given them some liberty of ex ercising their religion, that they might only be permitted, without trouble or hindrance, to exer cise their religion, promising they would not hin der or molest the Papists in the exercise of theirs ? And yet did they not on the contrary, so soon as they had power, trouble and abuse those fellow- citizens, and turn them out of the city, and, which 10 ^ 00 PROPOSITION II. is worse, even such who together with tnetn' had forsaken the Popish religion } Did they not thes'e things in many places against the mind of the mag istrates } Have they not publicly, with contume lious speeches, assaulted their magistrates, from whom they had but just before sought and obtain ed the free exercise of their religion ? Represent ing them, so soon as they opposed themselves to their hierarchy, as if they regarded neither God nor religion .'* Have they not by violent hands possessed themselves of the Popish churches, so called, or by force, against the magistrates' mind, taken them away } Have they not turned out of their office and authority whole councils of mag istrates, under pretence that they were addict., ed to Popery ? Which Popish magistrates neverthe less they did but a little before acknowledge to be ordained by God ; affirming themselves obliged to yield them obedience and subjection, not only for fear, but for conscience' sake; to whom moreover the very preachers and overseers of the reformed church had willingly sworn fidelity ; and yet af terwards have they not said, that the people are bound to force a wicked prince to the obserA^ation of God's Avord.'* There are many other instances of this kind to be found in their histories, not to mention many worse things, Avhich we know to have been acted in our time, and which for brevi ty's sake 1 pass by. Lntheran I might Say much of the Lutherans, whose tumult- agSfte "^"? actions against their magistrates not pro- reformed fessing the Lutheran profession, are testified of by Ssauit several historians worthy of credit. Among oth- upon the ers, 1 shall propose only one example to the read- Branden-° ^r's Consideration, which fell out at Berlin in the faloima- year 1615. "Where the seditious multitude of ny. the Lutheran citizens, being stirred up by the dai ly clamours of their preachers, did not only with violence break into the houses of the reformed OF IM1\IEDIATE REVELATION. 6,1 teachers, overturn their libraries, and spoil their furniture; but also with reproachful words, yea, and with stones, assaulted the Marquis of Bran denburg, the Elector's brother, while he sought by smooth w^ords to quiet the fury of the multitude; they killed ten of his guard, scarcely sparing him self, who at last by flight escaped out of their hands." All which sufficiently declares, that the concurrence of the magistrate doth not alter their principles, but only their method of procedure. So that for my own part, I see no difference be twixt the actings of those of Munster, and these others, (whereof the one pretended to be led by the Spirit, the other by tradition, scripture, and rea son,) save this, that the former were rash, heady, and foolish,in their proceedings,and therefore Avere the sooner brought to nothing, and so into con tempt and derision : but the other being more po litic and wise in their generation, held it out lon ger, and so have authorized their Avickedness more, with the seeming authority of law and reason. But both their actings being equally evil, the dif ference appears to me to be only like that which is betAveen a simple silly thief, that is easily catch- ed,and hanged without any more ado; and a compa ny of resolute boldrobbers,who being better guard ed, though their offence be nothing less, yet by violence do, to shun the danger, force their mas ters to give them good terms. From all which then it evidently follows, that they argue very ill, who despise and reject any principle, because men pretending to be led by it do evil ; in case it be not the natural and conse quential tendency of that principle to lead unto those things that are evil. Again : It doth follow from what is above as serted, that if the Spirit be to be rejected upon this account, all those other principles ought on the 62 PROPOSITION U. same account to be rejected. And for my part, as I have never a whit the lower esteem of the blessed testimony of the holy scriptures, nor do the less respect any solid tradition, that is answerable and according to truth; neither at all despise rea son, that noble and excellent faculty of the mind, i-et n°°e because wicked men have abused the name of certainty* them, to cover their wickedness, and deceive the e^n* sT- simple ; so would I not have any reject or doubt rit of God, the certainty of that unerring Spirit which God Wsr'pre- hi^th given his children, as that which can alone tenders to guide them into all truth, because some have false ly pretended to it. §. XV. And because the Spirit of God is the fountain of all truth and sound reason, therefore we have well said. That it cannot contradict either the testimony of the scripture, or right reason : " Yet (as the proposition itself concludeth, to the last part of which I now come) it will not from thence follow, that these divine revelations are to be subjected to the examination either of the outward testimony of scripture, or of the human or natural reason of man, as to a more noble and certain rule or touch stone ; for the divine revelation, and inward illu mination, is that which is evident by itself, forcing the well-disposed understanding, and irresistibly moving it, to assent by its oAvn evidence and clear ness, even as the common principles of natural truths do bend the mind to a natural assent." He that denies this part of the proposition must needs affirm, that the Spirit of God neither can, nor ever hath manifested itself to man without the scripture, or a distinct discussion of reason ; or that the efficacy of this supernatural principle, working upon the souls of men, is less evident than natural principles in their common operations; both which are false. For, First, Through all the scriptures we may observe, that the manifestation and revelation of OP IMMEDIATE REVELATION. 63 God by his Spirit to the patriarchs, prophets, and apostles, was immediate and objective, as is above proved ; which they did not examine by any other principle, but their own evidence and clearness. Secondly, To say that the Spirit of God has less The self- X evidence evidence upon the mind of man than natural prin- of the Spb- ciples have, is to have too mean and too low "*¦ thoughts of it. How comes David to invite us to taste and see that God is good, if this cannot be felt and tasted ? This were enough to overturn the faith and assurance of all the saints, both now and of old. How came Paul to be persuaded, that noth ing could separate him from the love of God, but by that evidence and clearness which the Spirit of God gave him.-* The apostle John,who knew well where in the certainty of faith consisted, judged it no ways absurd, without further argument, to ascribe his knowledge and assurance,and that of all the saints, hereunto in these woTds,Hereby know we that we dwell in him, and he in us, because he hath given us ofhis Spir it, 1 John iv. 13. And again, chap. v. ver. 6. It is the Spirit that beareth witness, because the Spirit is truth. Observe the reason brought by him. Because the Spirit is truth ; of whose certainty and infallibility I have heretofore spoken. We then trust to and confide in this Spirit, because we know, and cer tainly believe, that it can only lead us aright, and never mislead us ; and from this certain confidence it is that we affirm, that no revelation coming The Spirit from it can ever contradict the scripture's testimo- diSs^not nv nor risrht reason : not as making this a more scripture certain rule to ourselves, but as condescending to reason. such, who not discerning the revelations of the Spirit, as they proceed purely from God, will try them by these mediums. Yet those that have their spiritual senses, and can savour the things of the Spirit, as it were in prima instantia, i. e. at the first blush, can discern them without, or before they ap ply them either to scripture or reason ; just as a j64 proposition iIl deirn^' ^good astrouomer can calculate an eclipse infallibly^ strations by which he can conclude (if the order of nature toouomy Continue, and some strange and unnatural revolu- and geom- tiou intervene not) there will be an eclipse of the *^' sun or moon such a day, and such an hour ; yet can he not persuade an ignorant rustic of this, until he visibly see it. So also a mathematician can infalli bly know, by the rules of art, that the three angles of a right triangle are equal to two right angles ; yea, can know them more certainly than any man by measure. And some geometrical demonstrations are by all acknowledged to be infallible, which can be scarcely discerned or proved by the sen ses; yet if a geometer be at the pains to certify some ignorant man concerning the certainty of his art, by condescending to measure it, and make it obvious to his senses, it will not thence follow, that that measuring is so certain as the demonstration itself, or that the demonstration would be uncer tain without it. §. XVI. But to make an end, I shall add one ar gument to prove, that this iuAvard, immediate, ob jective revelation, which Ave have pleaded for aU along, is the only sure, certain, and unmoveable foundation of all Christian faith ; Avhich argument, when well weighed, I hope will have weight with all sorts of Christians, and it is this : ineve'ia- . "^^^^ ^hich all professors of Christianity ^oi what tion the kind soever, are forced ultimately to recur unto, WeTun-' ^'^?" pressed to the last; that for and because of dation of which all other foundations are recommended, and tianS!" accounted worthy to be believed, and without which they are granted to be of no weight at aU, must needs be the only most true, certain, and un moveable foundation of all Christian faith. But inward, immediate, objective revelation by the Spirit, is that which all professors of Christian ity, of what kind soever, are forced ultimately to recur unto, i&c. OF IMMEDIATE REVELATION. 65 Therefore, &c. The proposition is so evident, that it will not be ^^P"'' denied ; the assumption shaU be proved by parts. tio"n° fteir And First, as to the Papists, they place their aJjd'tradi foundation in the judgment of the church and tra- Uon,why? dition. If we press them to say. Why they believe as the church doth.? their answer is. Because the church is always led by the infallible Spirit.. So here the leading of the Spirit is the utmost foundation. Again, if we ask them. Why we ought to trust tra dition? they answer, Because these traditions were delivered M5 by the doctors and fathers of the church; which doctors and fathers, by the revelation of the Holy Ghost, commanded the church to observe them. Here again all ends in the revelation of the Spirit. And for the Protestants and Socinians, both which Protest- acknowledge the scriptures to be the foundation socinhins and rule of their faith ; the one as subjectively in- ^'^Y^ the fluenced by the Spirit of God to use them, the S "*^ other as managing them with and by their oAvn fj^d'fou reason ; ask both, or either of them. Why they dation, trust in the scriptures, and take them to be their ^^^^ rule.'' their answer is. Because we have in them the mind of God delivered unto us by those to whom these things were inwardly, immediately, and objectively re vealed by the Spirit of God ; and not because this or that man wrote them, but because the Spirit of God dictated them. It is strange then that men should render that so christians uncertain and dangerous to follow, upon which ^5',"^™!' -I If -I ¦ r 1 • and not by alone the certain ground and foundation of their nature, OAvn faith is built ; or that they should shut them- I'aHon'cIa- selves out from that holy fellowship with God, scdcon- which only is enjoyed in the Spirit, in which we scripti^e. are cornmanded both to walk and live. If any reading these things find themselves mov ed, by the strength of these scripture-arguments, to assent and believe such revelations necessary, and yet find themselves strangers to them, which. 66 proposition il as I observed in the beginning, is the cause that this is so much gainsaid and contradicted, let them know, that it is not because it is ceased to become the privilege of every true Christian that they do not feel it, but rather because they are not so much Christians by nature as by name ; and let such know, that the secret light which shines in the heart, and reproves unrighteousness, is the small beginning of the revelation of God's Spirit, which was first sent into the world to reprove it of sin, John xvi. 8. And as by forsaking iniquity thou comest to be acquainted with that heavenly voice in thy heart, thou shalt feel, as the old man, or the natural man, that savoureth not the things of God's kingdom, is put off, with his evil and corrupt af fections and lusts ; I say, thou shalt feel the new man, or the spiritual birth and babe raised, which hath its spiritual senses, and can see, feel, taste, handle, and smell the things of the Spirit; but till then the knowledge of things spiritual is but '^'•° , . as an historical faith. But as the description of wants his . xii-j Bight sees the light of the sun, or of curious colours to a blind "ight* man, who, though of the largest capacity, cannot so well understand it by the most acute and lively description, as a child can by seeing them; so neither can the natural man, of the largest capaci ty, by the best words, even scripture-words, so well understand the mysteries of God's kingdom, as the least and weakest child who tasteth them, by having them revealed inwardly and objectively by the Spirit. Wait then for this in the small revelation of that pure light which first reveals things more known ; and as thou becomest fitted for it, thou shalt receive more and more, and by a living ex perience easily refute their ignorance, who ask, How dost thou know that thou art actuated by the Spirit of God ? Which will appear to thee a ques tion no less ridiculous, than to ask one whose OF THE SCRIPTURES. 67 eyes are open, How he knows the sun shines at iioon-day.'' And though this be the surest and certainest way to answer all objections ; yet by what is above written it may appear, that the mouths of all such opposers as deny this doctrine may be shut, by unquestionable and unanswerable reasons. PROPOSITION III. Concerning the Scriptures. From these revelations of the Spirit of God to the saints, have proceeded the Scriptures of Truth, which contain, I. A faithful historical account of the actings of God's people in divers ages ; with many singu lar and remarkable providences attending them. II. A prophetical account of several things, where of some are already past, and some yet to come. HI. A full and ample account of all the chief prin ciples of the doctrine of Christ, held forth in divers precious declarations, exhortations, and - sentences, which, by the moving of God's Spirit, were at several times, and upon sundry occa sions, spoken and written unto some churches and their pastors. Nevertheless, because they are only a declaration of the fountain, and not the fountain itself, there fore they are not to be esteemed the principal ground of all truth and knowledge, nor yet the adequate primary rule of faith and manners. Yet because they give a true and faithful testi mony of the first foundation, they are and may be esteemed a secondary rule, subordinate to the spirit, from which they have all their excel- j^j^^ ^^^ lency and certainty : for as by the inward testi- 13. Rom. mony of the Spirit we do alone truly know them, ¦^"- ^^ so they testify, That the Spirit is that Guide by 68 PROPOSITION III. which the saints are led into all Truth ; therefore, according to the scriptures, the Spirit is the first and principal leader. Seeing then that Ave do therefore receive and believe the scriptures be cause they proceeded from the Spirit, for the very same reason is the Spirit more originally and principally the rule, according to the receiv ed maxim in the schools. Propter quod unumquod- que est tale, illud ipsum est magis tale : That for which a thing is such, that thing itself is more such.§. I. The former part ofthis proposition, though it needs no apology for itself, yet it is a good apol ogy for us, and will help to sAveep away that, among many other calumnies, wherewith we are often loaded, as if we were vilifiers and deniers The holy ^f ^^ scriptures ; for in that which we affirm of scriptures -ii ii-i i the most them, it doth appear at what high rate we value mitings'' them, accounting them, without all deceit or equiv- in the ocation, the most excellent writings in the world ; to which not only no other writings are to be pre ferred, but even in divers respects not comparable thereto. For as we freely acknowledge that their authority doth not depend upon the approbation or canons of any church or assembly; so neither can we subject them to the fallen, corrupt, and de filed reason of man : and therein as we do freely agree with the Protestants against the error of the Romanists, so on the other hand, we cannot go the length of such Protestants as make their authority to depend upon any virtue or power that is in the writings themselves; but Ave desire to ascribe all to that Spirit from which they proceeded. We confess indeed there wants not a majesty in the style, a coherence in the parts, a good scope in the whole ; but seeing these things are not dis cerned by the natural, but only by the spiritual man, it is the Spirit of God that must give us that belief world. OF THE SCRIPTURES. 69 of the scriptures which may satisfy our conscien ces ; therefore some of the chief among Protest ants, both in their particular writings and public confessions, are forced to acknoAvledge this. Hence Calvin, though he saith he is able to prove Caiyin s that if there be a God in heaven, these writings thltthe"^ have proceeded from him, yet he concludes another Scripture 1 iiji r ¦ Ti certainly knowledge to be necessary. Instil, lib. 1 . cap. 7. sect. 4. is from the " But if (saith he) we respect the consciences, ^P'"*^" " that they be not daily molested with doubts, and " hesitate not at every scruple, it is requisite that " this persuasion which we speak of be taken high- " er than human reason, judgment, or conjecture ; " to wit, from the secret testimony of the Spirit." And again, " To those who ask, that we prove unto " them, by reason, that Moses and the prophets were " inspired of God to speak, I answer. That the testi- " mony of the Holy Spirit is more excellent than " all reason." And again, " Let this remain a firm " truth, that he only whom the Holy Spirit hath " persuaded, can repose himself on the scripture " with a true certainty." And lastly, " This then "is a judgment which cannot be begotten but by " an heavenly revelation, &:c." The same is also affirmed in the first public con- J'"*.*""" . iTii'i lession of fession of the rrench churches, published in the theFrench year 1 .'}59. Art. 4. " We know these books to be '='"'>-'='^««- " canonical, and the most certain rule of our faith, " not so much by the common accord and consent " of the church, as by the testimony and inward " persuasion of the Holy Spirit." Thus also in the Sth article of the confession of Churches faith, of the churches of Holland, confirmed by ^^ert ile** the Synod of X)or^. "We receive these books only same. " for holy and canonical, — not so much because " the church receives and approves them, as be- " cause the Spirit of God doth Avitness in our hearts " that they are of God." 7© PROPOSITION III. Westmin- ^^d lastly. The divines, so called, at Westminster, fessionThe who began to be afraid of, and guard against, the '*'"*¦ testimony of the Spirit, because they perceived a dispensation beyond that which they were under beginning to dawn, and to eclipse them ; yet could they not get by this, though they have laid it down neither so clearly, distinctly, nor honestly as they that went before. It is in these Avords, Chap. 1. Sect. 5. " Nevertheless our full persuasion and as- " surance of the infallible truth thereof, is from " the inward work of the Holy Spirit, bearing wit- " ness by and with the Word in our hearts." By all which it appeareth how necessary it is to seek the certainty of the scriptures from the Spirit, and no where else. The infinite jang lings and endless contests of those that seek their authority elsewhere, do witness to the truth here of Apocry- for the ancients themselves, even of the first centuries, were not agreed among themselves con- Conc. cerning them; while some of them rejected books M.taCod' which we approve, and others of them approA^- Ec! 163. ed those which some of us reject. It is not Laod.'heid unknown to such as are in the least acquaint- in the year ed with antiquity, what great contests are con- ded from' cerning the second epistle of Peife/-, that oi James, Eccr"he *^*^ second and third of John, and the Revela- wisdomof tio7is, which many, even very ancient, deny to Judith,To- ^^"^^ ^^®" written by the beloved disciple and bias, the brother of James, but by another of that name. Macca- ^j^^^^ should then become of Christians, if they To'lJncii^of ^^^ "°^ received that Spirit, and those spiritual c^Tage°, senses, by which they know how to discern the JeLr39?' ^?' ^""^P the fake ? It is the privilege of Christ's received, sheep indeed that they hear his voice, and re fuse that of a stranger; which privilege being ta ken away, we are left a prey to all manner of wolves. OF THE SCRIPTURES. 71 §. II. Though then we do acknowledge the scrip tures to be very heavenly and divine writings, the use of them to be very comfortable and necessary to the church of Christ, and that we also admire and give praise to the Lord, for his wonderful providence in preserving these writings so pure and uncorrupted as we have them, through so long a night of apostacy, to be a testimony ofhis truth against the wickedness and abominations even of those whom he made instrumental in preserving them, so that they have kept them to be a witness against themselves ; yet we may not call them the ^he Scrip- principal fountain of all truth and knoAvledge, nor n'oiTthT yet the first adequate rule of faith and manners ; pJou^'^V because the principal fountain of truth must be the truth, Truth itself; i. e. that whose certainty and author ity depends not upon another. When we doubt of the streams of any river or flood, we recur to the fountain itself; and having found it, there we de sist, we can go no farther, because there it springs out of the boAvels of the earth, which are inscruta ble. Even so the writings and sayings of all men we must bring to the Word of God, I mean the Eternal Word, and if they agree hereunto, we stand there. For this Word always proceedeth, and doth eternally proceed from God, in and by which the unsearchable wisdom of God, and un searchable counsel and will conceived in the heart of God, is revealed unto us. That then the scrip ture is not the principal ground of faith and knowledge, as it appears by what is above spo ken, so it is proved in the latter part of the propo sition ; which being reduced to an argument, runs thus : That whereof the certainty and authority de pends upon another, and which is received as truth because of its proceeding from another, is not to be accounted the principal ground and ori gin of all truth and knowledge: 72 PROPOSITION UI. But the scriptures' authority and certainty de pend upon the Spirit by which they were dictated ; and the reason Avhy they were received as truth is, because they proceeded from the Spirit : Therefore they are not the principal ground of truth. To confirm this argument, I added the school maxim. Propter quod unumquodque est tale, illud ipsum magis est tale. Which maxim, though I confess it doth not hold universally in all things, yet in this it doth and will very well hold, as by applying it, as we have above intimated, will appear. Neither The Same argument will hold as to the other the *rima- hraiich of the proposition. That it is not the primary ry rule of adequate rule of faith and manners ; thus, l^'inn^r/ That which is not the rule of my faith in believ- ing the scriptures themselves, is not the primary adequate rule of faith and manners : But the scripture is not, nor can it be, the rule of that faith by which I believe them, &c. Therefore, &;c. That the ^^^ ^^ ^^ P^*^^ ^^ shall producc divers ar- Spirit is gumciits hereafter. As to what is affirmed, that the rule, ^j^g Spirit, and not the scriptures, is the rule, it is large ly handled in the former proposition ; the sum whereof I shall subsume in one argument, thus. If by the Spirit we can only come to the true knowledge of God ; if by the Spirit we are to be led into all truth, and so be taught of all things; then the Spirit, and not the scriptures, is the foundation and ground of all truth and knowl edge, and the primary rule of faith and man ners : But the first is true, therefore also the last. Next, the very nature of the gospel itself de- clareth that the scriptures cannot be the only and chief rule of Christians, else there should be no dif ference betwixt the law and the gospel ; as from the nature of the new covenant, by divers scrip- OF THE SCRIPTURES. 73 tures described in the former proposition, is proved. But besides these which are before mentioned, wherein herein doth the law and the gospel differ, in that losiTdtf- the law, being outwardly written, brings under '^"^ condemnation, but hath not life in it to save ; whereas the gospel, as it declares and makes manifest the evil, so, being an inward powerful thing, it gives power also to obey, and deliver from the evil. Hence it is called 'E.va.fyiT^iov, which is glad tidings. The law or letter, which is Avithout us, kills; but the gospel, which is the inward spiritual law, gives life; for it consists not so much in words as in vir tue. Wherefore such as come to know it, and be acquainted with it, come to feel greater power over their iniquities than all outward laws or rules can give them. Hence the apostle concludes, Rom. vi. 14. Sin shall not have dominion over you: for ye are not under the law, but under grace. This grace then that is inward, and not an outward law, is to be the rule of Christians. Hereunto the apostle commends the elders of the church, saying. Acts XX. 32. And now. Brethren, I commend you to God, and to the word of his grace, which is able to build you up, and to give you an inheritance among all them which are sanctified. He doth not commend them here to outward laws or writings, but to the word of grace, which is inward ; even the spiritual law, which makes free, as he elsewhere affirms, Rom. viii. 2. The law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus, hath made me free from the law of sin and death. This spiritual law is that which the apostle de clares he preached and directed people unto, which Avas not outward, as by Rom.x. 8. is mani fest; where distinguishing it from the law, he saith. The word is nigh thee, in thy heart, and in thy mouth ; and this is the word of faith which we preach. From what is above said I argue thus : 74 PROPOSITION IIL The principal rule oi Christians under the gospel ^s not an outward letter, nor law outwardly Avrit ten and delivered, but an inward spiritual law, engraven in the heart, the law of the Spirit of life, the word that is nigh in the heart and in the mouth. But the letter of the scripture is outward, of itself a dead thing, a mere declaration of good things, but not the things themselves: Therefore it is not, nor can be, the chief or principal rule of Christians. The scrip- (^ HI. Thirdly, That which is given to Christians 'Z^t for a rule and guide, must needs be so fuU, that it may clearly and distinctly guide and order them in aU things and occurrences that may fall out. But in that there are numberless things, with regard to their circumstances, which particular Christians may be concerned in, for Avhich there can be no particular rule had in the scriptures; Therefore the scriptures cannot be a rule to them.~ I shall give an instance in two or three particu lars to prove this proposition. It is not to be doubted but some men are particularly called to some particular services ; their being not found in which, though the act be no general positive duty, yet in so far as it may be required of them, is a great sin to omit; forasmuch as God is zeal ous of his glory, and every act of disobedience to his will manifested, is enough not only to hinder one greatly from that comfort and inward peace which otherwise he might have, but also bringeth condemnation. As for instance. Some are called to the ministry of the word : Paul saith. There was a necessity upon him to preach the gospel; wo unto me, if I preach not. If it be necessary that there be now ministers of the church, as well as then, then there is the same necessity upon some, more than upon others, to occupy this place ; which necessity, as it may be in- DP THE SCRIPTORES. iS cumbent upon particular persons, the Scripture neither doth nor can declare. If it be said. That the qwijjfications of a minister Object- arc /oimrf in the scripture, and by applying thesk quali fications to myself, I may know whether Ibefitfbr such a place or not ; I answer, The qualifications of a bishop, ot mm- Answ. ister, as they are mentioned both in the epistle to Timothy and Titus, are such as may be found in a private Christian ; yea, which ought in some mea sure to be in every true Christian : so that this giveth a man no certainty. Every capacity to an office giveth me not a sufficient call to it. Next again, By what rule shall I judge if I be so qualified ? How do I know that I am sober, meek, holy, harmless ? Is it not the testimony of the Spirit in my conscience that must assure me hereof."^ And suppose that I was qualified and called, yet A^hat scripture-rule shall inform me, Whether it be my duty to preach in this or that place, in France or England, Holland or Germany ? Whether I shall take up my time in confirming the faithful, reclaim ing heretics, or converting infidels, as also in wri ting epistles to this or that church .'' The general rules of the scripture, viz. To be diligent in my duty, to do all to the glory of God, arid for the good of his church, can give me no light in this thing. Seeing two different things may both have a respect to that way, yet may I commit a great error and offence in doing the one, when I am call ed to the other. liPaul, when his face was turn ed by the Lord toward Jerusalem, had gone back to Achaia or Macedonia, he might have supposed he could have done God more acceptable service, in preaching and confirming the churches, than in be ing shut up in prison in Judea; but would God have been pleased herewith .'' Nay certainly. Obedie>ice is better than sacrifice ; and it is not our doing thai which is good simply that pleaseth God, but tlial 12 76 PROPOSITION in. That which is good for one to do, may be sinful to another. IMversities of gifts. good which he willeth us to do. Every member hath its particular place in the body, as the apos tle showeth, 1 Cor. xii. If then, I being, the foot, should offer to exercise the office of the hand ; or being the hand, that of the tongue; my service would be troublesome, and not acceptable ; and in stead of helping the body, I should make a schism in it. So that that which is good for another to do, may be sinful to me ; for as masters will have their servants to obey them, according to their good pleasure, and not only in blindly doing that which may seem to them to tend to their master's profit, whereby it may chance (the master having business both in the field and in the house) that the servant that knows not his master's will may go to the field, when it is the mind of the master he should stay and do the business of the house, would not this ser vant then deserve a reproof, for not answering his master's mind } And what master is so sottish and careless, as, having many servants, to leave them in such disorder as not to assign each his particu lar station, and not only the general terms of doing that AA^hich is profitable } which Avould leave them in various doubts, and no doubt end in confusion. Shall we then dare to ascribe unto Christ, in the ordering ofhis church and servants, that which in man might justly be accounted disorder and con fusion } The apostle showeth this distinction well, Rom. xii. 6, 7, 8. Having then gifts differing accord ing to the grace that is given to us ; whether prophecy, let us prophesy according to the proportion of faith ; or ministry, let us wait on our ministering ; or he that teacheth, on teaching ; or he that exhorteth, on exhor tation. Now what scripture-rule showeth me that I ought to exhort, rather than prophesy.^ or to minister, rather than teach } Surely none at all. Many more difficulties of this kind occur in the life of a Christian. Moreover, that which of all things is most need OP THE SCRIPTURES. 77 ful for him to know, to wit, whether he really be ot taitii in the faith, and an heir of salvation, or not, the tion can" scripture can give him no certainty in, neither can ^^g/^^P it be a rule to him. That this knowledge is ex- sure thee? ceedingly desirable and comfortable all do unani mously acknowledge ; besides that it is especially commanded, 2 Cor. xiii.5. Examineyourselves,wheth er ye be in the faith, prove yourselves ; know ye not your own selves, how that Jesus Christ is in you, ex cept ye be reprobates 1 And 2. Pet. i. 10. Wherefore the rather, brethren, give all diligence to make your calling and election sure. Now I say. What scrip ture-rule can assure me that I have true faith.'' That my calling and election is sure ? If it be said. By comparing the scripture-marks of true faith with mine : I demand. Wherewith shall 1 make this observa tion .'' What shall ascertain me that I am not mis taken.'' It cannot be the scripture : that is the mat ter under debate. If it be said. My own heart : How unfit a judge is it in its own case .'* And how like to be partial, especially if it be yet un renewed ? Doth not the scripture say, that it is The hem deceitful above all things ? I find the promises, I ceitfu?. ' find the threatenings, in the scripture; but whotell- eth me that the one belongs to me more than the other ? The scripture gives me a mere declara tion of these things, but makes no application ; so that the assumption must be of my own making, thus ; as for example : I find this proposition in scripture ; He that believes, shall be saved : thence I draw the assumption. But I, Robert, believe ; Therefore, / shall be saved. The minor is of my own making, not expressed in the scripture ; and so a human conclusion, not a divine position; so that my faith and assurance 78 PROPOSITION III. here is not built upon a scripture proposition, l(ut upon an human principle; which, unless I be sure of elsewhere, the scripture gives me no certainty in the matter. Again, If I should pursue the argument further, and seek a new medium out of the scripture, the same difficulty would occur : thus. He that hath the true and certain marks of true faith, hath true faith : But I have those marks : Therefore I have true faith. For the assumption is still here of my own mak ing, and is not found in the scriptures ; and by con sequence the conclusion can be no better, since it still foUoweth the weaker proposition. This is in deed so pungent, that the best of Protestants, who The in- plpad for this assurance, ascribe it to the inward mony of tpstimony of the Spirit ; as Calvin, in that large ci- tte fe^^ of tfttion, cited in the former proposition. So that, scripture- not to scck farther into the writings of the primi- promises. ^j^g Protestants, which are full of such expressions, even the Westminster confession of faith affirmeth, Chap. 18. Sect 12. " This certainty is not a bare " conjecture and probable persuasion, grounded " upon fallible hope, but an infallible assurance of 'f faith, founded upon the divine truth of the prom- " ise of salvation ; the inward evidences of these " graces, unto which these promises are made; the " testimony of the Spirit of adoption, witnessing to ^' our spirits that we are the children of God ; "which Spirit is the earnest of our inheritance, ^'¦whereby we are sealed to the day of redemption." Moreover, the scripture itself, wherein we are so earnestly pressed to seek after this assurance, doth not at all affirm itself a rule sufficient to give it, but wholly ascribpth it to the Spirit, as Rom. yiii. 1 6. The Spirit itself beareth witness with our sipirit, that we are the children of God. 1 John iv. }3. Hereby know we that we dwfll in him, and he OP THE SCRIPTURES. 79 in us, because he hath given us of his Spirit ; and chap. V. 6. And it is the Spirit that beareth witness, because the Spirit is truth. §. IV. Lastly, That cannot be the only, princi- Jprft„*® pal, nor chief rule, which doth not universally reach are not the every individual that needeth it to produce the cWefruie. necessary effect; and from the use of which, either by some innocent and sinless defect, or natural yet harmless and blameless imperfection, many who are within the compass of the visible church, and may, without absurdity, yea, with great probabil ity, be accounted of the elect, are necessarily ex cluded, and that either wholly, or at least from the immediate use thereof But it so falls out frequent ly concerning the scriptures, in the case of deaf j ^g^f people, children, and idiots, who can by no means people, have the benefit of the scriptures. Shall we then and iXts affirm, that they are without any rule to God- instanced. ward, or that they are all damned.'' As such an opinion is in itself very absurd, and inconsistent both with the justice and mercy of God, so I know no sound reason can be alleged for it. Now if we may suppose any such to be under the new coven ant dispensation, as I know none will deny but that we may suppose it without any absurdity, we can not suppose them without some rule and means of knowledge ; seeing it is expressly affirmed, They shall all be taught of God, John vi. 45. And they shall all know me from the least to the greatest, Heb. viii. 11. But secondly, Though we Avere rid ofthis difficulty, how many illiterate and yet good men are there in the church of God, who cannot read a letter in their own mother tongue ? Which imper fection, though it be inconvenient, I cannot tell whether we may safely affirm it to be sinful. These can have no immediate knovidedge of the rule of their faith ; so their faith must needs depend upon the credit of other men's reading or relating it un to them ; where either the altering, adding, or omit- 80 PROPOSITION IIL 2. Papists conceal the second command ment from thepeopie. S. The un certainty of the in terpreters of the scripture,and their adulterating it. Hieron. Epist. 28. ad Lucin. p. 247. ting of a little word may be a foundation in the poor hearer of a very dangerous mistake, whereby he may either continue in some iniquity ignorant ly, or believe a lie confidently. As for example. The Papists in all their catechisms, and public ex ercises of examinations towards the people, have boldly cut away the second command, because it seems so expressly to strike against their adora tion and use of images ; whereas many of these people, in whom by this omission this false opinion is fostered, are under a simple impossibility, or at least a very great difficulty, to be outwardly in formed of this abuse. But further; suppose all could read the scriptures in their own language ; where is there one of a thousand that hath that thorough knowledge of the original languages in which they are written, so as in that respect im mediately to receive the benefit of them .'' Must not all these here depend upon the honesty and faithfulness of the interpreters .'' Which how un certain it is for a man to build his faith upon, the many corrections, amendments, and various essays, which even among Protestants have been used, (whereof the latter have constantly blamed and corrected the former, as guilty of defects and er rors,) doth sufficiently declare. And that even the last translators in the vulgar languages need to be corrected (as 1 could prove at large, were it prop er in this place) learned men do confess. But last of all, there is no less difficulty occurs even to those skilled in the original languages, who cannot so immediately receive the mind of the authors in these writings, as that their faith doth not at least obliquely depend upon the hon esty and credit of the transcribers, since the orig inal copies are granted by aU not to be now ex tant. Of which transcribers Jerom in his time com plained, saying. That they wrote not what they found, but what they understood. And Epiphanius saith. That OP THE SCRIPTURES. 81 in the good and correct copies of Luke it was written, ^^^\ '" that Christ wept, and that Irenseiis doth cite it ; but tom. oper. that the Catholics blotted it out, fearing lest heretics should have abused it. Other fathers also declare, that whole verses were taken out of Mark, because of the Manichees. But further, the various readings of the Hebrew ^^ ® ^^^'_ character by reason of the points, which some plead ings of the for, as coeval with the first writings, which others, ^aracter, with no less probability, allege to be a later in- ^^ vention ; the disagreement of divers citations of Christ and the apostles with those passages in the Old Testament they appeal to ; the great contro versy among the fathers, whereof some highly ap prove the Greek Septuagint, decrying and render ing very doubtful the Hebrew copy, as in many pla ces vitiated, and altered by the Jews ; other some, and particularly Jerom, exalting the certainty of the Hebrew, and rejecting, yea even deriding, the history of the Septuagint, which the primitive church chiefly made use of; and some fathers that lived centuries before him, affirmed to be a most certain thing; and the many various readings in divers copies of the Greek, and the great alterca tions among the fathers of the first three centuries, who had greater opportunity to be better informed than we can now lay claim to, concerning the books to be admitted or rejected, as is above ob served ; I say, all these and much more which might be alleged, puts the minds even of the learned into infinite doubts, scruples, and inextri cable difficulties : whence we may very safely con clude, that Jesus Christ, who promised to be always with his children, to lead them into all truth, to guard them against the devices of the enemy, and to establish their faith upon an unmoveable rock, left them not to be principally ruled by that, which was subject in itself to many uncertainties : and therefore he gave them his Spirit, as their princi- 82 PROPOSITION til. Wrong transla tions of scripture discerned in the Spir it by the unlearnedin letters. pal guide, which neither moths nor time can weaf out, nor transcribers nor translators corrupt; which none are so young, none so illiterate, none in so re mote a place but they may come to be reached, and rightly informed hj it. Through and by the clearness which that Spir it gives us it is that we are only best rid of those difficulties that occur to us concerning the scrip tures. The real and undoubted experience Avhere- of I myself have been a witness of, with great ad miration of the love of God to his children in these latter days : for I have known some of my friends, who profess the same faith with me, faithful ser vants of the Most High God, and full of divine knowledge of his truth, as it was immediately and inwardly revealed to them by the Spirit, from a true and living experience, who not only were ignorant of the Greek and Hebrew, but even some of them could not read their own vulgar language, who, being pressed by their adversaries with some citations out of the JEnglish translation, and find ing them to disagree with the manifestation of truth in their own hearts, have boldly affirmed the Spirit of God never said so, and that it was certainly wrong; for they did not believe that any of the holy prophets or apostles had ever written so ; which when I on this account seriously examined, I really found to be errors and corrup tions of the translators ; who (as in most transla tions) do not so much give us the genuine signifi cation of the words, as strain them to express that which comes nearest to that opinion and notion they have of truth. And this seemed to me to suit very well with that saying of Augustine, Epist. 19. ad Hier. Tom. ii. foi. 14. after he has said, "That " he gives only that honour to those books which " are called canonical, as to believe that the au- « thors thereof did in writing not err," he adds, " And if I shall meet with any thing in these wri- OF THE SCRIPTURES. 83 tings that seemeth repugnant to truth, I shall not doubt to say, that either the volume is faul ty or erroneous ; that the expounder hath not reached what was said ; or that I have in no wise understood it." So that he supposes that in the transcription and translation there may be er rors. §. V- If it be then asked me. Whether I think Object. hereby to render the scriptures altogether uncertain, or useless ; I answer; Not at all. The proposition itself de- Answ. clares how much I esteem them ; and provided that to the Spirit from which they came be but granted that place the scriptures themselves give it, I do freely concede to the scriptures the second place, even whatsoever they say of themselves ; which the apostle Paul chiefly mentions in two places, Rom. xv. 4. Whatsoever things were written aforetime, were written for our learning, that we through patience and comfort qf the scriptures might have hope. 2 Tim. iii. 15, 16, 17. The holy scriptures are able to make wise unto salvation, through faith which is in Je sus Christ. All scripture given by inspiration of God, is profitable for correction, for instruction in right eousness, that the man of God may be perfect, thorough ly furnished unto every good work. For though God doth principally and chiefly lead us by his Spirit, yet he sometimes conveys his com fort and consolation to us through his children, whom he raises up and inspires to speak or write a word in season, whereby the saints are made instruments in the hand of the Lord to strengthen and encourage one another, which doth also tend to perfect and make them wise unto salvation; and such as are led by the Spirit cannot neglect. The saints but do naturally love, and are wonderfully cher- '^^^f^ j, ished by, that which proceedeth from the same the same Spirit in another; beacuse such mutual emana- au'"**" tions of the heavenly life tend to quicken the mind, 13 84 PROPOSITION III. when at any time it is overtaken with heaviaessv Peter himself declares this to have been the end of his writing, 2. Pet. i. 12, 13. Wherefore I will not be negligent to put you always in remembrance of these things, though ye know them, and be established in the present truth ; yea, I think it meet, as long as I am in this tabernacle, to stir you up, by putting you in remem brance. God is teacher of his people himself; and there is nothing more express, than that such as are un der the new covenant, need no man to teax:h them : yet it was a fruit of Christ's ascension to send teachers and pastors for perfecting of the saints. So that the same work is ascribed to the scrip tures as to teachers ; the one to make the man of God perfect, the other for the perfection of the saints. As then teachers are not to go before the teach ing of God himself under the new covenant, but to follow after it; neither are they to rob us of that great privilege which Christ hath purchased un to us by his blood ; so neither is the scripture to go before the teaching of the Spirit, or to rob us of it. Ans. 2. Secondly, God hath seen meet that herein we should, as in a looking-glass, see the conditions The scrip- and experiences of the saints of old ; that finding looking our experience answer to theirs, we might thereby glass. ^g ^Q more confirmed and comforted, and our hope of obtaining the same end strengthened; that observing the providences attending them, seeing the snares they were liable to, and beholding their deliverances, we may thereby be made wise unto salvation, and seasonably reproved and instructed in righteousness. The scrip- This is the great work of the scriptures, and tiires' their service to us, that Ave may witness them ful- service." filled in US, and so discern the stamp of God's Spir it and ways upon them, by the inward acquaintance OF THE SCRIPTURES. 85 we have with the same Spirit and work in our hearts. The prophecies of the scriptures are also very comfortable and profitable unto us, as the same Spirit enUghtens us to observe them fulfilled, and to be fulfilled; for in all this it is to be observ ed, that it is only the Spiritual man that can make a right use of them : they are able to make the man of God perfect, (so it is not the naturalman,) and whatsoever was written aforetime, Avas written for our comfort, [our] that are the believers, [our] that are the saints ; concerning such the apostle speaks : for as for the others, the apostle Peter plainly declares, that the unstable and unlearned wrest them to their own destruction : these were they that were unlearned in the divine and heavenly learning of the Spirit, not in human and school literature ; in which we may safely presume that Peter himself, being a fisherman, had no skill ; for it may with great probability, yea certainty, be Logic. affirmed, that he had no knowledge of Aristotle's logic, which both Papists and Protestants now,* *1676 degenerating from the simplicity of truth, make the handmaid of divinity, as they call it, and a necessary introduction to their carnal, natural, and human ministry. By the infinite obscure la bours of which kind of men, intermixing their heathenish stuffy the scripture is rendered at this day of so little service to the simple people ; where of if Jerome complained in his time, now twelve hundred years ago, Hierom. Epist. 1,H. ad Cypr. Tom. 3. saying. It is wont to befall the most part of learned men, that it is harder to understand their ex positions, than the things which they go about to ex pound ; what may we say then, considering those great heaps of commentaries since, in ages yet far more corrupted .'' §. VI. In this respect above-mentioned then, we have shown what service and use the holy scrip tures, as managed in and by the Spirit, are of to 86 PROPOSITION III J^A^l^^' the church of God ; wherefore we do account them ondaiy a Secondary rule. Moreover, because they are ™ * commonly acknowledged by all to have been writ ten by the dictates of the Holy Spirit, and that the errors which may be supposed by the injury of times to have slipped in, are not such but that there is a sufficient clear testimony left to all the es sentials of the Christian faith; we do look upon them as the only fit outward judge of controversies among Christians ; and that whatsoever doctrine is contrary unto their testimony, may therefore justly be rejected as false. And for our parts, we are very willing that all our doctrines and practices be tried by them ; which we never re fused, nor ever shall, in all controversies with our adversaries, as the j udge and test. We shall also be very willing to admit it as a positive certain maxim, That whatsoever any do, pretending to the Spir it, which is contrary to the Scriptures, be accounted and reckoned a delusion of the devil. For as we never lay claim to the Spirit's leadings, that we may cover ourselves in any thing that is evil ; so we know, that as every evil contradicts the scrip tures, so it doth also the Spirit in the first place, from which the scriptures came, arid whose mo tions can never contradict one another, though they may appear sometimes to be contradictory to the blind eye of the natural man, as Paid and James seem to contradict one another. Thus far we have shown both what we believe, and what we believe not, concerning the holy scrip tures, hoping we have given them their due place. But since they that will needs have them to be the only, certain, and principal rule, want not some show of arguments, even from the scripture itself, (though it no where caUs itself so,) by which they labour to prove their doctrine ; I shall briefly lay them down by way of objections, and answer them, before I make an end of this matter. OF THE SCRIPTURES. 87 §. VII. Their first objection is usually drawn Obj. 1 from Isaiah viii. 20. To the law and to the testimony; if they speak not according to this word, it is because there is no -light in them. Now this law, testimony, and ivord, they plead to be the scriptures. To which I answer. That that is to beg the Answ. thing in question, and remains yet unproved. Nor do I know for what reason we may not safely af firm this law and word to be inward : but suppose it was outward, it proves not the case at all for them, neither makes it against us ; for it may be confessed, without any prejudice to our cause, that the outward law was more particularly to the Jews a rule, and more principally than to us; seeing their law was outward and literal, but ours, under the new covenant, (as hath been already said,) is expressly affirmed to be inward and spir itual; so that this scripture is so far from making against us, that it makes for us. For if the Jews T9*iy aU o ' , , tiiiDfirs by were directed to try all things by their law, which whati"' was without them, written in tables of stone ; then if we will have this advice of the prophet to reach us, we must make it hold parallel to that dis pensation of the gospel which we are under : so that we are to try all things, in the first place, by that word of faith which is preached unto us, which the apostle saith is in the heart ; and by that law which God hath given us, which the apostle saith also expressly is written and placed in the mind Lastly, If we look to this place according to the Greek interpretation of the Septuagint, our ad versaries shall have nothing from thence to carp ; yea, it will favour us much ; for there it is said, that the law is given us for an help ; which very well agrees with what is above asserted. Their second objection is from John v. 39. Search Obj. 2, the scriptures, &fc. 88 PROPOSITION III Here, say they, we are commanded by Christ him self, to search the scriptures. Ans. 1 , I answer. First, That the scriptures ought to be searched, we do not at all deny; but are very wil ling to be tried by them, as hath been above de clared : but the question is, TVhether they be the only and principal rule ? Which this is so far from prov ing, that it proveth the contrary; for Christ checks them here for too high an esteem of the scriptures, and neglecting of him that was to be preferred be fore them, and to whom they bore witness, as the following words declare ; for in them ye think ye Search the have eternal life, and they are then ivhich testify of me : scriptures, , .77 •' "^ 7 •77 i-r &c ana ye will not come unto me, that ye might riave life. This shows, that while they thought they had eter nal life in the scriptures, they neglected to come unto Christ to have life, of which the scriptures bore witness. This answers well to our purpose, since our adversaries now do also exalt the scrip tures, and think to have life in them ; which is no more than to look upon them as the only principal rule and way to life, and yet refuse to come unto the Spirit of which they testify, even the inward spiritual law, which could give them life : so that the cause of this people's ignorance and unbelief was not their want of respect to the scriptures, which though they knew, and had an high esteem of, yet Christ testifies in the former verses, that they had neither seen the Father, nor heard his voice at any time ; neither had his word abiding in them ; which had they then had, then they had believed Ans. 2. in the Son. Moreover, that place may be taken in the indicative mood. Ye search the scriptures; which interpretation the Greek word will bear, and so Pasor translateth it : which, by the re proof following, seemeth also to be the more gen uine interpretation, as Cyrillus long ago hath ob served. OF THE SCRIPTURES. 89 §. VIII. Their third objection is from these Obj. 3. words. Acts. xvii. 11. These were more noble than those in Thessalonica, in that they received the word with all readiness of mind, and searched the scriptures daily, whether those things were so. Here, say they, the Bereans are commended for searching the scriptures, and making them the rule. I answer, That the scriptures either are the Ans. 1. principal or only rule, will not at all follow from this ; neither will their seai-ching the scriptures, or being commended for it, infer any such thing : for we recommend and approve the use of them in that respect as much as any ; yet will it not fol low, that we affirm them to be the principal and only rule. Secondly, It is to be observed that these were Ans. 2. the Jews of Berea, to whom these scriptures, Avhich were the law and the prophets, were more partic- ^he Bere- ularly a rule ; and the thing under examination ing the was, whether the birth, life, Avorks, and sufferings scriptures, . ... -, , .. " makes of Christ, did answer to the prophecies that went them not before of him ; so that it was most proper for them, ruiVto'try being Jews, to examine the apostle's doctrine by doctrines. the scriptures ; seeing he pleaded it to be a ful filling of them. It is said nevertheless, in the first place. That they received the word with cheerfulness ; and in the second place. They searched the scriptures : not that they searched the scriptures, and then received the word ; for then could they not have prevailed to convert them, had they not first mind ed the word abiding in them, which opened their understandings; no more than the Scribes and Phar isees, Avho (as in the former objection we observed) searched the scriptures, and exalted them, and yet remained in their unbelief, because they had not the word abiding in them. But lastly. If this commendation of the Jewish Ans. 3, Bereans might infer that the scriptures were the only and principal rule to try the apostle's doctrine 90 PROPOSITION HI. by, what should have become of the Gentiles ? How should they ever have come to have received the faith of Christ, who neither kneAV the scrip tures, nor believed them .'' We see in the end of the same chapter, how the apostle, preaching to The Aihe- the Athenians, took another method, and directed stanced. them to somewhat of God within themselves, that they might /ee/ after him. He did not go about to proselyte them to the Jewish religion, and to the belief of the laiv and the prophets, and from thence to prove the coming of Christ ; nay, he took a nearer way. Now certainly the principal and only rule is not different ; one to the Jews, and another to the Gentiles; but is universal, reaching both: though secondary and subordinate rules and means may be various, and diversely suited, according as the people they are used to are stated and circum stantiated : even so we see that the apostle to the Athenians used a testimony of one of their own poets, which he judged would have credit with them ; and no doubt such testimonies, whose au thors they esteemed, had more weight with them than all the sayings of Moses and the prophets, whom they neither knew nor would have cared for. Now because the apostle used the testimony of a poet to the Athenians, will it therefore folloAV he made that the principal or only rule to try his doctrine by } So neither will it follow, that though he made use of the scriptures to the Jews, as being a principle already believed by them, to try his doctrine, that from thence the scrip tures may be accounted the principal or only rule. §. IX. The last, and that which at first view seems to be the greatest objection, is this: If the scripture be not the adequate, principal, and only rule, then it would follow that the scripture is not complete, nor the canon filled; that if men be now im mediately led and ruled by the Spirit, they may add neic Obj. 4. OF THE SCRIPTURES. 91 Scriptures of equal authority with the old ; whereas eve ry one that adds is cursed : yea, what assurance have We, but at this rate every One may bring in a new gospel according to his fancy ? The dangerous consequences insinuated in this Answ. objection were fully answered in the latter part of the last proposition, in what was said a little before, offering freely to disclaim all pretended revelations contrary to the scripture^. But if it be urged. That it is not enough to deny Obj. 1. these consequences, if they naturally follow from your doctrine of immediate revelation, and denying the scrip ture to be the only rule ; I answer. We have proved both these doc- Ans. 1. trines to be true and necessary, according to the scriptures themselves ; and therefore to fasten evil consequences upon them, which we make appear do not follow, is not to accuse us, but Christ and his apostles, who preached them. But secondly, we have shut the door upon all Ans. 2. such doctrine in this very position ; affirming. That the scriptures give a full and ample testimony to all the principal doctrines of the Christian faith. For we do firmly believe that there is no other gospel or doctrine to be preached, but that which was de livered by the apostles ; and do freely subscribe to that saying. Let him that preacheth any other gos- ^'^' '• ®" pel, than that which hath been already preached by the apostles, and according to the scriptures, be ac cursed. So we distinguish betwixt a revelation of a new ^ "^w re- gospel, and neiv doctrines, and a new revelation of the not a new good old gospel and doctrines ; the last we plead for, gospel- but the first we utterly deny. For Ave firmly be lieve. That no other foundation can any man lay, than that which is laid already. But that this revelation is necessary we have already proved; and this dis tinction doth sufficiently guard us against the haz ard insinuated in the objection. 14 92 PROPOSITION in. Bootacan- ^g to the scriptures being a filled canon, I see no necessity of believing it. And if these men, that believe the scriptures to be the only rule, will be consistent with their own doctrine, they must needs be of my judgment ; seeing it is simply impossible to prove the canon by the scriptures. For it can not be found in any book of the scriptures, that these books, and just these, and no other, are can onical, as all are forced to acknowledge ; how can they then evite this argument } That which cannot be proved by scripture is no necessary article of faith. But the canon of the scripture, to wit, that there are so many books precisely, neither more nor less, cannot be proved by scripture : Therefore, it is no necessary article of faith. Obj. 2. If they should allege, That the admitting of any other books to be now written by the same Spirit, might infer the admission of new doctrines ; I deny that consequence ; for the principal or fundamental doctrines of the Christian religion, are contained in the tenth part of the scripture ; but it will not follow thence that the rest are im pertinent or useless. If it should please God to bring to us any of those books, which by the inju ry of time are lost, which are mentioned in the Booltslost. scripture; as, The Prophecy of Enoch ; the Book of Nathan, Src, or, the Third Epistle of Paul to the Co rinthians ; 1 see no reason why we ought not to re ceive them, and place them with the rest. That which displeaseth me is, that men should first af firm that the scripture is the only and principal rule, and yet make a great article of faith of that which the scripture can give us no light in. As for instance : Hoav shall a Protestant prove by scripture, to such as deny the Epistle of James to be authentic, that it ought to be received .'' First, If he would say. Because it contradicts not the rest, (besides that there is no mention of it in OP THE SCRIPTURES. 93 any of the rest,) perhaps these men think it doth contradict Paul in relation to faith and works. But, if that should be granted, it Avould as weU fol low^, that every writer that contradicts not the scripture, should be put into the canon ; and by this means these men fall into a greater absurdity than they fix upon us : for thus they would equal every one the writings of their OAvn sect Avith the scriptures; for I suppose they judge their own confession of faith doth not contradict the scrip tures : Will it therefore follow that it should be bound up with the bible .'' And yet it seems im possible, according to their principles, to bring any better argument to prove the Epistle of James ^^^W to be authentic. There is then this unavoidable of^Jam'es^ necessity to say, We know it by the same Spirit {^g^alld"' from which it was written ; or otherwise to step how to back to Rome, and say. We know by tradition that ''""^ ''" the church hath declared it to be canonical ; and the church is infallible. Let them find a mean, if they can. So that out of this objection we shall draAv an unanswerable argument ad hominem, to our purpose. That which cannot assure me concerning an article of faith necessary to be believed, is not the primary, adequate, only rule of faith, &c. Therefore, &:c. I prove the assumption thus : That which cannot assure me concerning the canon of the scripture, to wit, that such books are only to be admitted, and the Apocrypha excluded, cannot assure me ofthis. Therefore, &c. And lastly. As to these words. Rev. xxii. 18. Obj. 3. That if any man shall add unto these things, God shall add unto him the plagues that are written in this book ; I desire they will show me how it re- Answ. lates to any thing else than to that particular proph ecy. It saith not. Now the canon of the scripture 94 PROPOSITION IV. is filled up, no man is to write more from the Spir it; yea, do not all confess that there have been prophecies and true prophets since ? The Pa pists deny it not. And do not the Protestants af firm, that John Hus prophesied of the reformation ? Was he therefore cursed.? Or did he therein evil .'' I could give many other examples, confess- ''Ti^s'to ^"^ ^y themselves. But, moreover, the same was add to the in ofFect Commanded long before, Prov. xxx. 6. Add scriptures. ^^^^^ ^^f ^^^f^ j.^^^ words, kst he rcprovc thee, and thou be found a liar : Yet how many books of the proph ets were written after ? And the same was said by Moses, Deut. iv. 2. Ye shall not add unto the word which I command you ; neither shall ye diminish aught from it. So that, though we should extend that of the revelation beyond the particular proph ecy of that book, it cannot be understood but of a new gospel, or new doctrines, or of restraining man's spirit, that he mix not his human words with the divine ; and not of a new revelation of the old, as we have said before. PROPOSITION IV. f Concerning the Condition of Man in the F'aU. All Adam's posterity, or mankind, both Jews and Gentiles, as to the first Adam, or earthly man, is fallen, degenerated, and dead ; deprived of the sensation or feeUng of this inward testimony or Rom.v.i2, seed of God; and is subject unto the power, nature, and seed of the serpent, which he sow- eth in men's hearts, while they abide in this na tural and corrupted estate; from whence it comes, that not only their words and deeds, but all their imaginations, are evil perpetually in the sight of God, as proceeding from this de praved and wicked seed. Man therefore, as he is in this state, can know nothing aright ; yea, 16 OP MAN IN THE FALL. 95 his thoughts and conceptions, concerning God and things spiritual, until he be disjoined from this evil seed, and united to the Divine Light, are unprofitable both to himself and others. Hence are rejected the Socinian and Pelagian errors, in exalting a natural light ; as also of the Papists, and most Protestants, who affirm. That man, without the true grace of God, may be a true min ister of the gospel. Nevertheless, this seed is not imputed to infants, until by transgression they ac tually join themselves therewith; for they are by nature the children of wrath, who walk according to the power of the prince of the air, the spirit that Eph.il. now worketh in the children of disobedience, having their conversation in the lusts of the flesh, ful filling the desires of the flesh, and of the mind, §. I. Hitherto we have discoursed how the true knowledge of God is attained and preserved; also of what use and service the holy scripture is to the saints. We come now to examine the state and condition of man as he stands in the fall ; what his capacity and power is ; and how far he is able, as of himself, to ad vance in relation to the things of God. Of this we touched a little in the beginning of the second proposition; but the full, right, and thorough un derstanding of it is of great use and service ; be cause from the ignorance and altercations that have been about it, there have arisen great and dangerous errors, both on the one hand and on the other. While some do so far exalt the Ught of nature, or the faculty of the natural man, as ca pable of himself, by virtue of the inward will, fac ulty, light, and power, that pertains to his nature, to follow that which is good, and make real pro gress towards heaven : And of these are the Pela gians, and Semi-Pelagians of old ; and of late the Socinians, and divers others among the Papists. 96 PROPOSITION IV Augustine's zeal against Pelagius. I. II. III. Part I. Adam'sfail. Others again will needs run into another extreme, (to whom Augustine, among the ancients, first made AA'ay in his declining age, through the heat of his zeal against Pelagius,) not only confessing man in capable of himself to do good, and prone to evil; but that in his very mother's womb, and before he commits any actual transgression, he is contami nate with a real guilt, whereby he deserves eter nal death : in which respect they are not afraid to affirm. That many poor infants are eternally damn ed, and forever endure the torments of hell. There fore the God of truth, having now again reveal ed his truth (that good and even way) by his own Spirit, hath taught us to avoid both these ex tremes. That then which our proposition leads to treat ofis. First, What the condition of man is in the fall ; and how far incapable to meddle in the things of God. And secondly, That God doth not impute this evil to infants, until they actually join with it : that so, by establishing the truth, we may overturn the errors on both parts. And as for that Third thing included in the proposition itself, concerning these teachers which want the grace of God, we shall refer that to the tenth proposition, where the matter is more par ticularly handled. §. II. As to the first, not to dive into the many curious notions which many have concerning the condition of Adam before the fall, all agree in this, That thereby he came to a very great loss, not only in the things which related to the outward man, but in regard of that true fellowship and communion he had with God. This loss was sig nified unto him in the command. For in the day thou eatest thereof, thou shalt surely die. Gen. ii. -17. This death could not be an outward death, or the dis solution of the outward man ; for as to that, he OF MAN IN THE FALL. 97 did not die yet many hundred years after ; so that it must needs respect his spiritual Ufe and com munion with God. The consequence ofthis fall, besides that which relates to the fruits of the earth, is also expressed. Gen. iii. 24. -So he drove out the man, and he placed at the east of the garden of Eden cherubims, and a fiaming sioord, which turned every way, to keep the way of the tree of life. Now whatso ever literal signification this may have, we may safely ascribe to this paradise a mystical signifi cation, and truly account it that spiritual commu nion and fellowship, which the saints obtain with God by Jesus Christ ; to whom only these cheru bims give way, and unto as many as enter by him, who calls himself the Door. So that, though we ^'^l^^f do not ascribe any whit of Adam's guilt to men, Adam^s until they make it theirs by the like acts of diso- P°'t«"ty bedience ; yet we cannot suppose that men, who are come of Adam naturally, can have any good thing in their nature, as belonging to it ; which he, from whom they derive their nature, had not him self to communicate unto them. If then we may affirm, that Adam did not retain in his nature (as belonging thereunto) any will or light capable to give him knowledge in spiritual things, then neither can his posterity : for what soever real good any man doth, it proceedeth not from his nature, as he is man, or the son of Adam ; but from the seed of God in him, as a new visitation of life, in order to bring him out of this natural condition : so that, though it be in him, yet it is not of him; and this the Lord himself witnessed. Gen. vi. 5. where it is said, he saw that every imag ination of the thoughts of his heart was only evil con tinually : which words as they are very positive, so are they very comprehensive. Observe the fj^adon emphasis of them; First, There is every imagina- ofthena tion of the thoughts of his heart ; so that this admits i's"evii"^" 9S PROPOSITION IV. of no exception of any imagination of the thoughts of his heart. Secondly, Is only evil continually ; it is neither in some part evil continually, nor yet only evil at some times ; but both only evil, and always and continually evil ; which certainly excludes any good, as a proper effect of man's heart, naturally: for that Avhich is only evil, and that always, can not of its own nature produce any good thing. The Lord expressed this again a little after, chap. viii. 21. The imagination of man's heart is evil from his youth : Thus inferring how natural and proper it is unto him ; from which I thus argue : If the thoughts of man's heart be not only evil, but always evil ; then are they, as they simply proceed from his heart, neither good in part, nor at any time. But the first is true; therefore the last. Again, If man's thoughts be always and only evil, then are they altogether useless and ineffectual to him in the things of God. But the first is true; therefore the last. The heart Secondly, This appears clearly from that say- OI man de- , %/ ^ - r r ^ j __ j ceitfui. ing of the prophet Jeremiah, chap. xvii. 9. The heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately wick ed. For who can with any colour of reason imag ine, that that which is so hath any power of itself, or is in any Avise fit, to lead a man to righteousness, whereunto it is of its own nature directly oppo site .'' This is as contrary to reason, as it is im possible in nature that a stone, of its own nature and proper motion, should fly upwards : for as a stone of its own nature incUneth and is prone to move downwards towards the centre, so the heart of man is naturally prone and inclined to evil, some to one, and some to another. From this then I also thus argue : That which is deceitful above all things, anddesper- op MAN IN THE PALL. 99 ately wicked, is not fit, neither can it lead a man aright in things that are good and honest. But the heart of man is such : Therefore, &c. But the apostle Paul describeth the condition ^°™- "': of men in the fall at large, taking it out of the 3. &, mi. 2,* Psalmist. There is none righteous, no not one : there *"'• is none that understandeih, there is none that seeketh after God. They are all gone out of the way, they are altogether become unprofitable ; there is none that doth good, no not one. Their throat is an open sepulchre, Man's es- with their tongues they have used deceit, the poison of fau. "* asps is under their lips : whose mouths are full of cursing and bitterness. Their feet are swift to shed blood ; destruction and misery are in their ways : and the way of peace have they not known. ^There is no fear of God before their eyes. What more positive can be spoken .'' He seemeth to be particularly careful to avoid that any good should be ascribed to the natural man ; he shows how he is polluted in all his ways ; he shows how he is void of right eousness, of understanding, of the knowledge of God; how he is out of the way, and in short un profitable ; than which nothing can be more fully said to confirm our judgment : for if this be the condition of the natural man, or of the man as he stands in the faU, he is unfit to make one right step to heaven. If it be said. That is not spoken of the condition of Object. man in general; but only of some particulars, or at the least that it comprehends not all; The text showeth the clear contrary in the fore- Answ. going verses, where the apostle takes in himself, as he stood in his natural condition. What then? Are we better than they? No, in no wise; for we have be fore proved both Jews and Gentiles, that they are all under sin, as it is written: and so he goes on; by which it is manifest that he speaks of mankind in general. 1^0 pRot'osrrioN IV. Object- If they object that Avhich the same apostle saith in the foregoing chapter, ver. 14. to wit. That f^e Gentiles do by nature the things contained in thi law, and so consequently do by nature that which is good and acceptable in the sight of God ; Ans. 1. I answer, this nature must not, neither can be understood of man's own nature, which is corrupt and fallen ; but of the spiritual nature, which pro ceedeth from the seed of God in man, as it receiv eth a noAv visitation of God's love, and is quicken- By whkt ed by it : which clearly appears by the following G^^ntiiel'^^ words, whcrc he saith, T^hese not having a law (i. e.) did do the outwardly, «re a law unto themselves; which shorvs the^faw.^ ;Ae work of the law written in their hearts. These acts of theirs then are an effect of the law writ ten in their hearts ; but the scripture declareth, that the writing of the law^ in the heart is a part, yea, and a great part too, of the new covenant dispensation, and so no consequence nor part of man's nature. Ans. 2. Secondly, If this nature here spoken of could be understood of man's own nature, which he hath as he is a man, then would the apostle unavoidably contradict himself; since he elsewhere positively Thenatu- declares. That the natural man discerneth not the Sscerneth things of God, nor can. Now I hope the law of not, &c. God is among the things of God, especially as it is written in the heart. The apostle, in the viith chap, of the same epistle, saith, verse 12. that the law is holy, just, and good; and verse 14. the law is spiritual, but he is carnal. Now in what respect is he carnal, but as he stands in the fall unregene rate .'' Now Avhat inconsistency Avould here be, to say. That he is carnal, and yet not so of his own nature, seeing it is from his nature that he is so denominated ? We see the apostle contra-dis- tinguisheth the laAv as spiritual, from man's nature as carnal and sinful. Wherefore, as Christ saith, Matvii.i6. There can no grapes be expected from thorns. OF MAN IN THE FALL. 101 nor figs of thistles; so neither can the fulfilling of the law, Avhich is spiritual, holy, and just, be ex pected from that nature which is corrupt, faUen, and unregenerate. Whence we conclude, with good reason, that the nature here spoken of, by which the Gentiles are said to have done the things The Gen- contained in the law, is not the common nature of uaiVa^ll^i" men ; but that spiritual nature that ariseth from the j" •'"'"S works of the righteous and spiritual law that is written in the heart. I confess they of the other extreme, when they are pressed with this testimo ny by the Socinians and Pelagians, as well as by us when we use this scripture, to show them how some of the heathens, by the light ofChrist in their heart, came to be saved, are very far to seek ; giv ing this answer. That there were some relics of the heavenly image left in Adam, by which the heathens could do some good things. Which, as it is in itself without proof, so it contradicts their own asser tions elsewhere, and gives away their cause. For if these relics Avere of force to enable them to ful fil the righteous law of God, it takes away the ne cessity of Christ's coming; or at least leaves them a way to be saved without him; unless they will say, (which is worst of all,) That though they really fulfil the righteous law of God, yet God damned them, because of the want of that particular knowledge, while he himself ivithheld all means of their coming to him from them; but ofthis hereafter. §. III. I might also here use another argument from those words of the apostle, 1 Cor. ii. Avhere he so positively excludes the natural man from an un derstanding in the things of God; but because I have spoken of that scripture in the beginning, of the second proposition, 1 will here avoid to repe,at socinians what is there mentioned, referring thereunto: yet «^*|^°g^j because the Socinians and others, who exalt the Ught'thenatural of the natural man, or a natural light in man, do '"^°- 102 PROPOSITION IV. ' Ante- object agaiust this scripture, I shall remove it be- quam pro ¦ r t n * grediar. forC 1 prOCeCd.* Object. They say. The Greek word '»^;tt»6s ought to be translated animal, and not natural; e/*e, say they, it would have been i^vaiicbg. From which they seek to infer, that it is only the animal man, and not the rational, that is excluded here from discerning the things of God. Which shift, Avithout disputing about the Word, is easily refuted; neither is it anywise con sistent with the scope of the place. For, Answ.l First, The animal life is no other than that which Theani- man hath in common with other living creatures; isthesame for as he is a mere man, he differs no otherwise withnatu- fj-Qij^ bcasts than by the rational property. Now the apostle deduceth his argument in the forego ing verses from this simile; That as the things of a man cannot be known but by the spirit of a man, so the things of God no man knoweth but by the Spirit of God. But 1 hope these men will confess unto me, that the things of a man are not known by the animal spirit only, i. e. by that which he hath in common with the beasts, but by the rational; so that it must be the rational that is here understood. Again, the assumption shows clearly, that the apostle had no such intent as these men's gloss would make him have, viz. So the things of God knoweth no man, but the Spirit of God. According to their judgment he should have said. The things of God knoweth no man by his animal' spirit, but by his ra tional spirit : for to say, the Spirit of God, here spoken of, is no other than the rational spirit of man, would border upon blasphemy, since they are so often contra-distinguished. Again, going on, he saith not that they are rationally, but spiritually discerned, AllSW.2 Secondly, The apostle throughout this chapter shows how the wisdom of man is unfit to judge of the things of God, and ignorant of them. Now I ask these men, whether a man be called a wise OF MAN IN THE FALL. 103 man from his animal property, or from his rational ? If from his rational, then it is not only the animal, "^^^ ^^" but also the rational, as he is yet in the natural in the na- state, which the apostle excludes here, and whom e"™uded^ he contra^distinguisheth from the spiritual, verse from dis- 15. But the spiritual man judgeth all things. This the^'hrngs cannot be said of any man merely because rationed, of God. or as he is a man, seeing the men of the greatest reason, if we may so esteem men, whom the scrip ture calls wise, as were the Greeks of old, not only may be, but often are, enemies to the kingdom of God ; while both the preaching of Christ is said to be foolishness with the wise men of the world, and the wisdom of the world is said to he foolishness with God. Now whether it be any ways probable that either these wise men that are said to account the gospel foolishness, are only so called with re spect to their animal property, and not their ration ed ; or that the wisdom that is foolishness with God is not meant of the rational, but only the animal property, any rational man, laying aside interest, may easily judge. §. IV. I come now to the other part, to wit. That this evil and corrupted seed is not imputed to in- sin jmpu- fants, until they actually join with it. For this there }^^ is a reason given in the end of the proposition it self, drawn from Eph. ii. For these are by nature children of wrath, who walk according to the prince of the power of the air, the spirit that now worketh in the chiMren of disobedience. Here the apostle gives their evil walking, and not any thing that is not reduced to act, as a reason of their being children of wrath. And this is suitable to the whole strain of the gospel, where no man is ever threatened or judged for whait iniquity he hath not actually wrought : such indeed as continue in iniquity, and so do allow the sins of their fathers, God will visit the iniquity of the fathers upon the children. 104 PROPOSITION IV. Is it not strange then that men should entertain an opinion so absurd in itself, and so cruel and con trary to the nature as well of God's mercy as jus tice, concerning which the scripture is altogether silent.'' But it is„manifest that man hath invented this opinion out of self-love, and from that bitter root from which all errors spring ; for the most uite de-°' P^^*- ^^ Protestants that hold this, having, as they cree of fancy, the absolute decree of election to secure them spring^ ^"