PROPOSITION II.

PROPOSITION II.OfImmediate Revelation.[29]Seeingno Man knoweth the Father but the Son, and he to whom the Son revealeth him;and seeingthe Revelation of the Son isinandbythe 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 disposed theChaosof 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 Appearances, Dreams, or inward objective Manifestations in the Heart, were of old the formal Object of their Faith, and remain yet so to be; sincethe Object of the Saints’ Faith is the same in all Ages, tho’ 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 Touchstone; 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 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 Contradictories can neither be both true, nor both false.[29]Mat. 11. 27.§. I.Revelation by Apostate Christians rejected.It is very probable, that many carnal and natural Christians will oppose this Proposition; who, being wholly unacquainted with the Movings and Actings of God’s Spirit upon their Hearts, judge the same nothing necessary; and some are apt to flout at it as ridiculous: Yea, to that Height are the Generality of Christians apostatized and degenerated, that though there be not any Thing more plainly Asserted, more seriously Recommended, or more certainly Attested to, in all the Writings of the holy Scriptures; yet nothing is less minded, and more rejected, by all Sorts of Christians, thanImmediate and Divine Revelation; insomuch, that once to lay Claim to it, is Matter of Reproach. Whereas of old, none were ever judged Christians, but such ashad the Spirit of Christ, Rom. viii. 9. But now many do boldly call themselvesChristians, who make no Difficulty of confessing they are without it, and laugh at such as say they have it. Of old they were accountedthe Sons of God, who were led by the Spirit of God, ibid. verse 14. But now many aver themselves Sons of God, whoknownothing of this Leader; and he that affirms himself so led, is, by the pretended Orthodox of this Age, presently proclaimed an Heretick. The Reason hereof is very manifest,viz.Because many in these Days, under the Name ofChristians, do experimentally find, that they are not actuated, nor led, by God’s Spirit; yea, many greatDoctors,Divines,TeachersandBishopsof Christianity, (commonly so called) have wholly shut their Ears from hearing, and their Eyes from seeing, thisInward 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 ofKnowledge, and not the trueKnowledgeof him, or that thisKnowledgeis acquired without Immediate Revelation.Knowledge Spiritual and Literal distinguished.For the better understanding then of this Proposition, we do distinguish betwixt the certain Knowledge of God, and the uncertain; betwixt the spiritual Knowledge, and the literal; the saving Heart-Knowledge, and soaring, airy Head-Knowledge. The last, we confess, may be divers 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, inlightning and opening the Understanding.§. II.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 attained 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; who being truly upright-hearted, and earnest Seekers of the Lord, (however stated under the Disadvantages and epidemical Errors of their several 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 of his Elect Ones among all, who finding a Distaste and Disgust in all other outward Means, even in the very Principles and Precepts more particularly relative to their own Forms and Societies, have at last concluded, withOne Voice, That there was no true Knowledge of God, but that which is revealed inwardly by his own Spirit. Whereof take these following Testimonies of the Ancients.Aug.1.[30]“It is the Inward Master (saithAugustine) that Teacheth, it is Christ that Teacheth, it is Inspiration 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 unto us Inwardly, it is needless for us to cry out.”[30]Aug.ex Tract. Ep.Joh. 3.Clem. Alex.2.[31]“There is a Difference (saithClemens Alexandrinus) betwixt that which any one saith of the Truth, and that which the Truth itself, interpreting itself, saith. A Conjecture of Truth differeth from the Truth itself; a Similitude of aThing differeth from the Thing itself; it is one Thing that is acquired by Exercise and Discipline; and another Thing, which by Power and Faith.” Lastly, the sameClemenssaith,[32]“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 most wiseMoseshath insinuated.”[31]Clem. Alex.I. 1. Strom.[32]Pædag.Tertullian.3.[33]“How is it (saithTertullian) that since the Devil always worketh, and stirreth up the Mind to Iniquity, that the Work of God should either cease, or desist 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 little and little directed, formed, and brought to Perfection, by the Holy Spirit, that Vicar of the Lord.I have many Things yet (saith he) to speak unto 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 Administration of the Comforter, but that Discipline be directed, and the Scriptures revealed?” &c.[33]TertullianusLib. de veland. Virginibus, cap. 1.Jerome4.[34]“The Law (saithJerome) is Spiritual, and there is need of a Revelation to understand it.” And in his Epistle 150. toHedibia, Quest. 11. he saith, “The whole Epistle to theRomansneeds an Interpretation; 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.”[34]JeromeEp. Paulin. 103.Athanasius.5.[35]“So great Things (saithAthanasius) doth our Saviour daily: He draws unto Piety, persuades unto Virtue, teaches Immortality, excites to the Desire of Heavenly Things, reveals the Knowledge of the Father, inspires Power against Death, and shews himself unto every one.”[35]Athanasiusde Incarn. Verbi Dei.Gregory6.[36]Gregorythe Great, upon these Words [He shall teach you all Things] saith, “That unless the same Spirit is present in the Heart of the Hearer, in vain is the Discourse of the Doctor. Let no Man then ascribe unto the Man that teacheth, what he understands 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.”[36]Greg.Mag. Hom. 30. upon the Gospel.Cyrillus Alexandrinus7.[37]Cyrillus Alexandrinusplainly affirmeth, “That Men know thatJesusis the Lord by the Holy Ghost,no otherwise than they who taste Honey know that it is sweet, even by its proper Quality.”[37]Cyril. Alex.inThesauro, lib. 13. c. 3.Bernard.8.[38]“Therefore (saithBernard) 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 glorieth, 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 diligently attend, with the Ears of the Heart, to what the Spirit of Truth (which flatters none) inwardly speaks.”[38]BernardinPsal. 84.This was the very Basis, and main Foundation, upon which the Primitive Reformers built.Luther.[39]Luther, in his Book to the Nobility ofGermany, saith, “This is certain, That no Man can make himself a Teacher of the holy Scriptures, but the Holy Spirit alone.” And upon theMagnificathe saith, “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.”[39]Luther.Tom. 5. p. 76.Phil. MelancthonPhilip Melancthon, in his Annotations uponJohnvi. “Those who hear only an outward and bodily Voice, hear the Creature; butGod is a Spirit, and is neither discerned, nor known, nor heard, but by the Spirit;By the Spirit alone God is known.and therefore to hear the Voice of God, to see God, is to know and hear the Spirit. By the Spirit alone God is known and perceived.”Which 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 effectually to Christianity, and are not satisfied until they have found its effectual Work upon their Hearts, redeeming 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 hisLight upon their Understanding.Dr.SmithofCambridge, concerning Book-Divinity.And therefore to this Purpose a modern Author,viz.Dr.SmithofCambridge, in his Select Discourses, saith well; “To seek our Divinity merely in Books and Writings, is to seek the Living among the Dead. We do but in vain many Times seek God in these, where his Truth is too often not so much Enshrined as Entombed.Intra te quære Deum,Seek God within thine own Soul: He is best discerned[Greek: noera epaphê: νοερα επαφη](asPlotinusphrased it) by an Intellectual Touch of him. We mustsee with our Eyes, and hear with our Ears, and our Hands must handle the Word of Life (to express it in St.John’s Words) [Greek: hoti tês psychês aisthêsis: ὁτι της ψυχης αισθησις],&c. TheSoul itselfhath its Sense, as well as the Body.And therefore,David, when he would teach us to know what the Divine Goodness is, calls not for Speculation, but Sensation:Taste, and see how good the Lord is. That is not the best and truest Knowledge of God, which is wrought out by the Labour and Sweat of the Brain, but that which is kindled within us, by an heavenly Warmth in our Hearts.And again: There is a Knowing of theTruth, as it is in Jesus, as it is in aChrist-like Nature; as it is in that sweet, mild, humble, and loving Spirit of Jesus, which spreads itself, like aMorning Sun, upon the Souls of good Men, full of Light and Life. It profits little 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 Knowledge, that is got by mere Speculation, which is ushered in by Syllogisms and Demonstrations; but that which springs forth from true Goodness, is [Greek: theioteron ti pasês hypodeixeôs: θειοτερον τι πασης ὑποδειξεως] (asOrigenspeaketh)It brings such a Divine Light into the Soul, as is more clear and convincing than any Demonstration.”§. III.Apostasy and a false Knowledge introduced.That this certain and undoubted Method of the true Knowledge of God hath been brought out of use, hath been none of the least Devices of the Devil, to secure Mankind to his Kingdom. For after the Light and Glory of the Christian Religion had prevailed over a great Part of the World, and dispelled the thick Mists of the Heathenish Doctrine of the Plurality of Gods, he that knew therewas no Probability of deluding the World any longer that Way, did then puff Man up with a false Knowledge of the true God; setting him on work to seek God the wrong Way, and persuading him to be content with such a Knowledge as was of his own 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 greatly dishonoured, so therein the Devil hath his End; who is not anxious how much God is acknowledged in Words, provided himself be but always served; he matters not how great and high Speculations the Natural Man entertains of God, so long as he serves his own Lusts and Passions, and is obedient to his evil Suggestions and Temptations.Christianity is become an Art, acquired by human Science and Industry.ThusChristianityis become as it were an Art, acquired by human Science and Industry; like any other Art or Science; and Men have not only assumed the Name ofChristians, but even have procured themselves to be esteemed asMasters of Christianity, by certain Artificial Tricks, though altogether Strangers to the Spirit and Life of Jesus. But if we make a right Definition of aChristian, according to the Scripture, Thathe is one who hath the Spirit and is led by it, how manyChristians, yea, and of these greatMastersandDoctors of Christianity, so accounted, shall we justly divest of that Noble Title?By Revelation is the true Knowledge of God.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 Traditions of Churches, or the Works of Creation and Providence, whence they are able to deduce strong and undeniable Arguments (which may be true in themselves) are not yet to be esteemedChristians, according to the certain and infallible Definition above-mentioned; and if the inward and immediate 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 attaining Knowledge, hath brought them to Salvation; then it willnecessarily and evidently follow, that Inward and Immediate Revelation is the only sure and certain Way to attain the true and saving Knowledge of God.But the first is true: Therefore the last.Now as this Argument doth very strongly conclude for this Way of Knowledge, and against such as deny it; so in this Respect it is the more to be regarded, as the Propositions, from which it is deduced, are so clear, that our very Adversaries cannot deny them. For as to the first, it is acknowledged, that many Learned Men may be, and have been, damned. And as to the second, who will deny but many illiterate Men may be, and are, saved?Abel, Seth, Noah,&c. instanced.Nor dare any affirm, that none come to the Knowledge of God and Salvation by the inward Revelation of the Spirit, without these other outward Means; unless they be also so bold as to excludeAbel,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 theScriptures, in the next Proposition, will more plainly appear. The Question 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 other. But where the best, highest, and most profound 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 comprehendeth 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.III.Thirdly,That by the Spirit God hath always revealed himself to his Children.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 particularly, and then proceed to the latter Part.§. V.Assert.I.Proved.As to the first, viz.That there is no Knowledge of the Father but by the Son, it will easily be proved, being founded upon the plain Words of Scripture, and is therefore a fitMediumfrom whence to deduce the rest of our Assertions.For the infinite and most wise God, who is theFoundation,RootandSpringof allOperation, hath wrought all Things by his Eternal Word and Son.[40]This is thatWordthat was in the Beginning with God, and was God, by whom all Things were made, and without whom was not any Thing made that was made,[41]This is thatJesus Christ, by whom God created all Things, 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. 15. As then that infinite and incomprehensible Fountain of Life and Motion operateth in the Creatures by his own Eternal Word and Power; so no Creature has Access again unto him but in and by the Son, according to his own express 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,I am the Way, the Truth, and the Life: No Man cometh unto the Father but by me, John xiv. 6.[40]John 1. 1, 2, 3.[41]Eph. 3. 9.Hence he is fitly called,The Mediator betwixt God and Man: For having been with God from all Eternity, being himself God, and also in Time partaking of the Nature of Man; through him is the Goodness and Love of God conveyed to Mankind, and by him again Man receiveth and partaketh of these Mercies.Hence is easily deduced the Proof of this first Assertion, thus: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 Fatherbut 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 undeniable; 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 Life, 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 proved, that there is no other Way but by the Son; so that whoso uses not that Way, cannot know him, neither come unto him.§. VI.Assert.II.Proved.Having then laid down this first Principle, I come to the second, viz.That there is no Knowledge 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 whom the Father is revealed, doth also reveal himself to his Disciples and Friends in and by his Spirit: As his Manifestation was outward, when he testified and witnessed for the Truth in thisWorld, and approved himself faithful throughout; so being now withdrawn, as to the outward 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 into such,Rev.iii. 20. Of this Revelation of Christ in him,Paulspeaketh,Gal.i. 16. in which he placeth the Excellency of his Ministry, and the Certainty of his Calling. And the Promise of Christ 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.ProofI.I shall deduce the Proof of this Proposition from two manifest Places of Scripture: The first is, 1 Cor. i. 11, 12.What Man knoweth the Things of a Man, save the Spirit of a Man which is in him?The Things of God are known by the Spirit of God.Even so the Things of God knoweth no Man, but the Spirit of God. Now we have received not the Spirit of the World, but the Spirit which is of God, that we might know the Things which 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 declared, that theNatural Man cannot reach them, adds, thatThey 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-mentioned, very apt, and answerable to our Purpose and Doctrine, thatas 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 unto, 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 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 Argument, do very well prove the Matter under Debate, thus:If that which appertaineth properly to Man, cannot 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 contained 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 II.No Man can call Jesus Lord, &c.The other Scripture is also a Saying of the same Apostle, 1 Cor. xii. 3.No Man can say that Jesus is the Lord, but by the Holy Ghost.This Scripture, which is full of Truth, and answereth full well 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 diligently remarked.Spiritual Truths are Lies spoken by Carnal Men.Here the Apostle doth so much require the Holy Spirit, in the Things that relate to a Christian, that he positively avers, we cannot so much as affirmJesus to be the Lord without it; which insinuates no less, than that the Spiritual Truths of the Gospel are as Lies in the Mouths of carnal and unspiritual Men; for tho’ in themselves they be true, yet are they not true as to them, because not known, nor 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 than the counterfeit Representations 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 ofAlexanderthe Great,Julius Cæsar, &c. 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 conqueredAsia, overcomePompey, &c.Like the Pratling of a Parrot.This Knowledge then of Christ, which is not by the Revelation of his own Spirit in the Heart, is no more properly the Knowledgeof Christ, than the Pratling of aParrot, which has been taught a few Words, may be said to be the Voice of a Man; 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 proceeding from a Rational Principle, are true, with respect to the Bird which utters them. Wherefore from this Scripture I shall further add this Argument:If no Man can sayJesus is the Lord, but by the Holy Ghost; then no Man can knowJesus to be the Lord, but by the Holy Ghost.But the first is true: Therefore the second.From this Argument there may be another deduced, concluding in the very Terms of this Assertion: Thus,If no Man can knowJesus to be the Lord, but by the Holy Ghost; then can there be no certain Knowledge or Revelation of him, but by the Spirit.But the first is true: Therefore the second.§. VII.Assert.III.Proved.The third Thing affirmed is,That by the Spirit God always revealed himself to his Children.For making the Truth of this Assertion appear, it will be but needful to consider God’s manifesting himself towards, and in relation to his Creatures, from the Beginning, which resolves itself always herein. The first Step of all is ascribed hereunto byMoses, Gen. i. 2.And the Spirit of God moved upon the Face of the Waters.The Revelation is by the Spirit of God.I think it will not be denied, that God’s Converse with Man, all along fromAdam to Moses, was by the Immediate Manifestation of his Spirit: And afterwards, through the whole Tract of the Law, he spake tohis Children no otherways; which, as it naturally followeth from the Principles above proved, so it cannot be denied, by such as acknowledge the Scriptures of Truth to have been written by the Inspiration of the Holy Ghost: For these Writings, fromMosestoMalachi, do declare, that during all that Time, God revealed himself to his Children by his Spirit.Object.But if any will Object,That after the Dispensation of the Law, God’s Method of Speaking was altered;Answ.Sanctum Sanctorum.I answer:First, That God spake always immediately to theJews, in that he spake always immediately to theHigh-Priestfrom betwixt theCherubims; who, when he entered into theHoly of Holies, returning, did relate to the whole People the Voice and Will of God, there immediately Revealed. So that this immediate Speaking never ceased in any Age.None shut out from this Immediate Fellowship.Secondly, From this immediate Fellowship were none shut out, who earnestly sought after, and waited for it; in that many, besides theHigh-Priest, who were not so much as of the Kindred ofLevi, nor of the Prophets, did receive it and speak from it; as it is written,Numb.xi. 25. where theSpiritis said to haverested upon the Seventy Elders; which Spirit also reached unto two that were not in the Tabernacle, but in the Camp; whom when some would have forbidden,Moseswould not, but rejoiced,wishing 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 towards their Fathers, say, Ver. 20.Thou gavest also thy good Spirit to instruct them; and Ver. 30.Yet many Years didst thou forbear, and testify against them by thy Spirit in thy Prophets.Many are the Sayings of SpiritualDavidto this Purpose, asPsalmli. 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 ProphetIsaiahascribe the Credit of his Testimony, saying, Chap. xlviii. 16.And nowthe Lord God and his Spirit hath sent me.And that God revealed 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.Assert.IV.The fourth thing affirmed is,That these Revelations were the Object of the Saints’ Faith of old.Proved.This will easily appear by the Definition of Faith, 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 positive Words of the ApostlePaul, who,Heb.xi. describes it two Ways.What Faith is?Faith(saith he)is the Substance of Things hoped for, and 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 and certain Belief of the Mind, whereby itresteth, and in a Sensepossesseththe Substance of some Things hoped for, through its Confidence in the Promise of God: And thus the Soul hath a most firm Evidence, by its Faith, of Things not yet seen nor come to pass. The Object of this Faith, is thePromise,Word, orTestimony of God, speaking in the Mind.The Object of Faith, Deus Loquens.Hence it hath been generally affirmed, That the Object of Faith isDeus Loquens, &c. that is,God Speaking, &c. Which is also manifest from all those Examples, deduced by the Apostle throughout that whole Chapter, whose 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 ofNoah, Ver. 7, thus,By FaithNoahbeing 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.Noah’sFaith.What was here the Object ofNoah’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 World, saved him and his House.Abraham’sFaith.Of which alsoAbrahamis set forth as a singular Example, being therefore called the Father of the Faithful, who is saidagainst 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 concerning the coming ofIsaac, though contrary to natural Probability; but above all, in that he refused not to offer him up, not doubting but God was able to raise him from the Dead; of whom it is said, That inIsaac 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 fulfilled while divers Ages after. The Object ofAbraham’sFaith in all this, was no other but inward 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 objected; to wit,Object.That those who found their Faith now upon Immediate and Objective Revelation, ought to have also outward Voices or Visions, Dreams or Appearances for it.Answ.The Ministry of Angels speaking in the Appearance of Men to the Saints of old.It is not denied, but God made use of the Ministry of Angels, who, in the Appearance of Men, spake outwardly to the Saints of old, and that he did also reveal some Things to them in Dreams and Visions; none of which we will affirm to be ceased, so as to limit the Power and Liberty of God, in manifesting himself towards his Children. But while 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 betwixt 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 beingPrima Veritas, thevery FirstandOriginalTruth. Let us then consider how, or howfar, these outward Voices, Appearances and Dreams, were the Object of the Saints’ Faith: Was it because they were simply Voices, Appearances or Dreams?Revelations by Dreams and Visions.Nay certainly; for they were not ignorant that the Devil might form a Sound of Words, convey it to the outward Ear, and deceive the outward Senses, by making Things to appear that are not. Yea, do we not see by daily Experience, that thejugglersandMountebankscan do as much as all that, by theirLegerdemain? 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 ofGod’s Spiritin their Hearts, assuring them that the Voices, Dreams and Visions, were of and from God.Abrahambelieved 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 acknowledged 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 outward or visible Helps; as we may observe in many Passages of the Holy Scripture, where it is only mentioned,And God said, &c. Andthe Word of the Lord cameunto such and such,saying, &c.Object.But if any one should pertinaciously affirm,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 Spirit witnesseth with our Spirit; but not to our outward Ears,Rom.viii. 16. And seeing the Spirit of God is within us, and not without us only, it speaks to our spiritual, and not to our bodily Ear.The Spirit speaks to the Spiritual Ear, not to the Outward.Therefore I see no Reason, where it is so often said in Scripture,The Spirit said,moved,hindered,calledsuch or such a one, todoorforbearsuch or such a Thing, that any have to conclude thatthis 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 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 Eternal, is the formal Object of his 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 Revelations were the formal Object of their Faith.

OfImmediate Revelation.

[29]Seeingno Man knoweth the Father but the Son, and he to whom the Son revealeth him;and seeingthe Revelation of the Son isinandbythe 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 disposed theChaosof 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 Appearances, Dreams, or inward objective Manifestations in the Heart, were of old the formal Object of their Faith, and remain yet so to be; sincethe Object of the Saints’ Faith is the same in all Ages, tho’ 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 Touchstone; 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 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 Contradictories can neither be both true, nor both false.

[29]Mat. 11. 27.

§. I.Revelation by Apostate Christians rejected.It is very probable, that many carnal and natural Christians will oppose this Proposition; who, being wholly unacquainted with the Movings and Actings of God’s Spirit upon their Hearts, judge the same nothing necessary; and some are apt to flout at it as ridiculous: Yea, to that Height are the Generality of Christians apostatized and degenerated, that though there be not any Thing more plainly Asserted, more seriously Recommended, or more certainly Attested to, in all the Writings of the holy Scriptures; yet nothing is less minded, and more rejected, by all Sorts of Christians, thanImmediate and Divine Revelation; insomuch, that once to lay Claim to it, is Matter of Reproach. Whereas of old, none were ever judged Christians, but such ashad the Spirit of Christ, Rom. viii. 9. But now many do boldly call themselvesChristians, who make no Difficulty of confessing they are without it, and laugh at such as say they have it. Of old they were accountedthe Sons of God, who were led by the Spirit of God, ibid. verse 14. But now many aver themselves Sons of God, whoknownothing of this Leader; and he that affirms himself so led, is, by the pretended Orthodox of this Age, presently proclaimed an Heretick. The Reason hereof is very manifest,viz.Because many in these Days, under the Name ofChristians, do experimentally find, that they are not actuated, nor led, by God’s Spirit; yea, many greatDoctors,Divines,TeachersandBishopsof Christianity, (commonly so called) have wholly shut their Ears from hearing, and their Eyes from seeing, thisInward 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 ofKnowledge, and not the trueKnowledgeof him, or that thisKnowledgeis acquired without Immediate Revelation.

Knowledge Spiritual and Literal distinguished.For the better understanding then of this Proposition, we do distinguish betwixt the certain Knowledge of God, and the uncertain; betwixt the spiritual Knowledge, and the literal; the saving Heart-Knowledge, and soaring, airy Head-Knowledge. The last, we confess, may be divers 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, inlightning and opening the Understanding.

§. II.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 attained 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; who being truly upright-hearted, and earnest Seekers of the Lord, (however stated under the Disadvantages and epidemical Errors of their several 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 of his Elect Ones among all, who finding a Distaste and Disgust in all other outward Means, even in the very Principles and Precepts more particularly relative to their own Forms and Societies, have at last concluded, withOne Voice, That there was no true Knowledge of God, but that which is revealed inwardly by his own Spirit. Whereof take these following Testimonies of the Ancients.

Aug.1.[30]“It is the Inward Master (saithAugustine) that Teacheth, it is Christ that Teacheth, it is Inspiration 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 unto us Inwardly, it is needless for us to cry out.”

[30]Aug.ex Tract. Ep.Joh. 3.

Clem. Alex.2.[31]“There is a Difference (saithClemens Alexandrinus) betwixt that which any one saith of the Truth, and that which the Truth itself, interpreting itself, saith. A Conjecture of Truth differeth from the Truth itself; a Similitude of aThing differeth from the Thing itself; it is one Thing that is acquired by Exercise and Discipline; and another Thing, which by Power and Faith.” Lastly, the sameClemenssaith,[32]“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 most wiseMoseshath insinuated.”

[31]Clem. Alex.I. 1. Strom.

[32]Pædag.

Tertullian.3.[33]“How is it (saithTertullian) that since the Devil always worketh, and stirreth up the Mind to Iniquity, that the Work of God should either cease, or desist 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 little and little directed, formed, and brought to Perfection, by the Holy Spirit, that Vicar of the Lord.I have many Things yet (saith he) to speak unto 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 Administration of the Comforter, but that Discipline be directed, and the Scriptures revealed?” &c.

[33]TertullianusLib. de veland. Virginibus, cap. 1.

Jerome4.[34]“The Law (saithJerome) is Spiritual, and there is need of a Revelation to understand it.” And in his Epistle 150. toHedibia, Quest. 11. he saith, “The whole Epistle to theRomansneeds an Interpretation; 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.”

[34]JeromeEp. Paulin. 103.

Athanasius.5.[35]“So great Things (saithAthanasius) doth our Saviour daily: He draws unto Piety, persuades unto Virtue, teaches Immortality, excites to the Desire of Heavenly Things, reveals the Knowledge of the Father, inspires Power against Death, and shews himself unto every one.”

[35]Athanasiusde Incarn. Verbi Dei.

Gregory6.[36]Gregorythe Great, upon these Words [He shall teach you all Things] saith, “That unless the same Spirit is present in the Heart of the Hearer, in vain is the Discourse of the Doctor. Let no Man then ascribe unto the Man that teacheth, what he understands 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.”

[36]Greg.Mag. Hom. 30. upon the Gospel.

Cyrillus Alexandrinus7.[37]Cyrillus Alexandrinusplainly affirmeth, “That Men know thatJesusis the Lord by the Holy Ghost,no otherwise than they who taste Honey know that it is sweet, even by its proper Quality.”

[37]Cyril. Alex.inThesauro, lib. 13. c. 3.

Bernard.8.[38]“Therefore (saithBernard) 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 glorieth, 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 diligently attend, with the Ears of the Heart, to what the Spirit of Truth (which flatters none) inwardly speaks.”

[38]BernardinPsal. 84.

This was the very Basis, and main Foundation, upon which the Primitive Reformers built.

Luther.[39]Luther, in his Book to the Nobility ofGermany, saith, “This is certain, That no Man can make himself a Teacher of the holy Scriptures, but the Holy Spirit alone.” And upon theMagnificathe saith, “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.”

[39]Luther.Tom. 5. p. 76.

Phil. MelancthonPhilip Melancthon, in his Annotations uponJohnvi. “Those who hear only an outward and bodily Voice, hear the Creature; butGod is a Spirit, and is neither discerned, nor known, nor heard, but by the Spirit;By the Spirit alone God is known.and therefore to hear the Voice of God, to see God, is to know and hear the Spirit. By the Spirit alone God is known and perceived.”

Which 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 effectually to Christianity, and are not satisfied until they have found its effectual Work upon their Hearts, redeeming 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 hisLight upon their Understanding.Dr.SmithofCambridge, concerning Book-Divinity.And therefore to this Purpose a modern Author,viz.Dr.SmithofCambridge, in his Select Discourses, saith well; “To seek our Divinity merely in Books and Writings, is to seek the Living among the Dead. We do but in vain many Times seek God in these, where his Truth is too often not so much Enshrined as Entombed.Intra te quære Deum,Seek God within thine own Soul: He is best discerned[Greek: noera epaphê: νοερα επαφη](asPlotinusphrased it) by an Intellectual Touch of him. We mustsee with our Eyes, and hear with our Ears, and our Hands must handle the Word of Life (to express it in St.John’s Words) [Greek: hoti tês psychês aisthêsis: ὁτι της ψυχης αισθησις],&c. TheSoul itselfhath its Sense, as well as the Body.And therefore,David, when he would teach us to know what the Divine Goodness is, calls not for Speculation, but Sensation:Taste, and see how good the Lord is. That is not the best and truest Knowledge of God, which is wrought out by the Labour and Sweat of the Brain, but that which is kindled within us, by an heavenly Warmth in our Hearts.And again: There is a Knowing of theTruth, as it is in Jesus, as it is in aChrist-like Nature; as it is in that sweet, mild, humble, and loving Spirit of Jesus, which spreads itself, like aMorning Sun, upon the Souls of good Men, full of Light and Life. It profits little 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 Knowledge, that is got by mere Speculation, which is ushered in by Syllogisms and Demonstrations; but that which springs forth from true Goodness, is [Greek: theioteron ti pasês hypodeixeôs: θειοτερον τι πασης ὑποδειξεως] (asOrigenspeaketh)It brings such a Divine Light into the Soul, as is more clear and convincing than any Demonstration.”

§. III.Apostasy and a false Knowledge introduced.That this certain and undoubted Method of the true Knowledge of God hath been brought out of use, hath been none of the least Devices of the Devil, to secure Mankind to his Kingdom. For after the Light and Glory of the Christian Religion had prevailed over a great Part of the World, and dispelled the thick Mists of the Heathenish Doctrine of the Plurality of Gods, he that knew therewas no Probability of deluding the World any longer that Way, did then puff Man up with a false Knowledge of the true God; setting him on work to seek God the wrong Way, and persuading him to be content with such a Knowledge as was of his own 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 greatly dishonoured, so therein the Devil hath his End; who is not anxious how much God is acknowledged in Words, provided himself be but always served; he matters not how great and high Speculations the Natural Man entertains of God, so long as he serves his own Lusts and Passions, and is obedient to his evil Suggestions and Temptations.Christianity is become an Art, acquired by human Science and Industry.ThusChristianityis become as it were an Art, acquired by human Science and Industry; like any other Art or Science; and Men have not only assumed the Name ofChristians, but even have procured themselves to be esteemed asMasters of Christianity, by certain Artificial Tricks, though altogether Strangers to the Spirit and Life of Jesus. But if we make a right Definition of aChristian, according to the Scripture, Thathe is one who hath the Spirit and is led by it, how manyChristians, yea, and of these greatMastersandDoctors of Christianity, so accounted, shall we justly divest of that Noble Title?

By Revelation is the true Knowledge of God.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 Traditions of Churches, or the Works of Creation and Providence, whence they are able to deduce strong and undeniable Arguments (which may be true in themselves) are not yet to be esteemedChristians, according to the certain and infallible Definition above-mentioned; and if the inward and immediate 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 attaining Knowledge, hath brought them to Salvation; then it willnecessarily and evidently follow, that Inward and Immediate Revelation is the only sure and certain Way to attain the true and saving Knowledge of God.

But the first is true: Therefore the last.

Now as this Argument doth very strongly conclude for this Way of Knowledge, and against such as deny it; so in this Respect it is the more to be regarded, as the Propositions, from which it is deduced, are so clear, that our very Adversaries cannot deny them. For as to the first, it is acknowledged, that many Learned Men may be, and have been, damned. And as to the second, who will deny but many illiterate Men may be, and are, saved?Abel, Seth, Noah,&c. instanced.Nor dare any affirm, that none come to the Knowledge of God and Salvation by the inward Revelation of the Spirit, without these other outward Means; unless they be also so bold as to excludeAbel,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 theScriptures, in the next Proposition, will more plainly appear. The Question 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 other. But where the best, highest, and most profound 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 comprehendeth 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.

III.Thirdly,That by the Spirit God hath always revealed himself to his Children.

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 particularly, and then proceed to the latter Part.

§. V.Assert.I.Proved.As to the first, viz.That there is no Knowledge of the Father but by the Son, it will easily be proved, being founded upon the plain Words of Scripture, and is therefore a fitMediumfrom whence to deduce the rest of our Assertions.

For the infinite and most wise God, who is theFoundation,RootandSpringof allOperation, hath wrought all Things by his Eternal Word and Son.[40]This is thatWordthat was in the Beginning with God, and was God, by whom all Things were made, and without whom was not any Thing made that was made,[41]This is thatJesus Christ, by whom God created all Things, 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. 15. As then that infinite and incomprehensible Fountain of Life and Motion operateth in the Creatures by his own Eternal Word and Power; so no Creature has Access again unto him but in and by the Son, according to his own express 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,I am the Way, the Truth, and the Life: No Man cometh unto the Father but by me, John xiv. 6.

[40]John 1. 1, 2, 3.

[41]Eph. 3. 9.

Hence he is fitly called,The Mediator betwixt God and Man: For having been with God from all Eternity, being himself God, and also in Time partaking of the Nature of Man; through him is the Goodness and Love of God conveyed to Mankind, and by him again Man receiveth and partaketh of these Mercies.

Hence is easily deduced the Proof of this first Assertion, thus:

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 Fatherbut 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 undeniable; 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 Life, 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 proved, that there is no other Way but by the Son; so that whoso uses not that Way, cannot know him, neither come unto him.

§. VI.Assert.II.Proved.Having then laid down this first Principle, I come to the second, viz.That there is no Knowledge 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 whom the Father is revealed, doth also reveal himself to his Disciples and Friends in and by his Spirit: As his Manifestation was outward, when he testified and witnessed for the Truth in thisWorld, and approved himself faithful throughout; so being now withdrawn, as to the outward 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 into such,Rev.iii. 20. Of this Revelation of Christ in him,Paulspeaketh,Gal.i. 16. in which he placeth the Excellency of his Ministry, and the Certainty of his Calling. And the Promise of Christ 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.ProofI.I shall deduce the Proof of this Proposition from two manifest Places of Scripture: The first is, 1 Cor. i. 11, 12.What Man knoweth the Things of a Man, save the Spirit of a Man which is in him?The Things of God are known by the Spirit of God.Even so the Things of God knoweth no Man, but the Spirit of God. Now we have received not the Spirit of the World, but the Spirit which is of God, that we might know the Things which 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 declared, that theNatural Man cannot reach them, adds, thatThey 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-mentioned, very apt, and answerable to our Purpose and Doctrine, thatas 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 unto, 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 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 Argument, do very well prove the Matter under Debate, thus:

If that which appertaineth properly to Man, cannot 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 contained 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 II.No Man can call Jesus Lord, &c.The other Scripture is also a Saying of the same Apostle, 1 Cor. xii. 3.No Man can say that Jesus is the Lord, but by the Holy Ghost.This Scripture, which is full of Truth, and answereth full well 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 diligently remarked.Spiritual Truths are Lies spoken by Carnal Men.Here the Apostle doth so much require the Holy Spirit, in the Things that relate to a Christian, that he positively avers, we cannot so much as affirmJesus to be the Lord without it; which insinuates no less, than that the Spiritual Truths of the Gospel are as Lies in the Mouths of carnal and unspiritual Men; for tho’ in themselves they be true, yet are they not true as to them, because not known, nor 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 than the counterfeit Representations 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 ofAlexanderthe Great,Julius Cæsar, &c. 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 conqueredAsia, overcomePompey, &c.

Like the Pratling of a Parrot.This Knowledge then of Christ, which is not by the Revelation of his own Spirit in the Heart, is no more properly the Knowledgeof Christ, than the Pratling of aParrot, which has been taught a few Words, may be said to be the Voice of a Man; 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 proceeding from a Rational Principle, are true, with respect to the Bird which utters them. Wherefore from this Scripture I shall further add this Argument:

If no Man can sayJesus is the Lord, but by the Holy Ghost; then no Man can knowJesus to be the Lord, but by the Holy Ghost.

But the first is true: Therefore the second.

From this Argument there may be another deduced, concluding in the very Terms of this Assertion: Thus,

If no Man can knowJesus to be the Lord, but by the Holy Ghost; then can there be no certain Knowledge or Revelation of him, but by the Spirit.

But the first is true: Therefore the second.

§. VII.Assert.III.Proved.The third Thing affirmed is,That by the Spirit God always revealed himself to his Children.

For making the Truth of this Assertion appear, it will be but needful to consider God’s manifesting himself towards, and in relation to his Creatures, from the Beginning, which resolves itself always herein. The first Step of all is ascribed hereunto byMoses, Gen. i. 2.And the Spirit of God moved upon the Face of the Waters.The Revelation is by the Spirit of God.I think it will not be denied, that God’s Converse with Man, all along fromAdam to Moses, was by the Immediate Manifestation of his Spirit: And afterwards, through the whole Tract of the Law, he spake tohis Children no otherways; which, as it naturally followeth from the Principles above proved, so it cannot be denied, by such as acknowledge the Scriptures of Truth to have been written by the Inspiration of the Holy Ghost: For these Writings, fromMosestoMalachi, do declare, that during all that Time, God revealed himself to his Children by his Spirit.

Object.But if any will Object,That after the Dispensation of the Law, God’s Method of Speaking was altered;

Answ.Sanctum Sanctorum.I answer:First, That God spake always immediately to theJews, in that he spake always immediately to theHigh-Priestfrom betwixt theCherubims; who, when he entered into theHoly of Holies, returning, did relate to the whole People the Voice and Will of God, there immediately Revealed. So that this immediate Speaking never ceased in any Age.

None shut out from this Immediate Fellowship.Secondly, From this immediate Fellowship were none shut out, who earnestly sought after, and waited for it; in that many, besides theHigh-Priest, who were not so much as of the Kindred ofLevi, nor of the Prophets, did receive it and speak from it; as it is written,Numb.xi. 25. where theSpiritis said to haverested upon the Seventy Elders; which Spirit also reached unto two that were not in the Tabernacle, but in the Camp; whom when some would have forbidden,Moseswould not, but rejoiced,wishing 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 towards their Fathers, say, Ver. 20.Thou gavest also thy good Spirit to instruct them; and Ver. 30.Yet many Years didst thou forbear, and testify against them by thy Spirit in thy Prophets.Many are the Sayings of SpiritualDavidto this Purpose, asPsalmli. 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 ProphetIsaiahascribe the Credit of his Testimony, saying, Chap. xlviii. 16.And nowthe Lord God and his Spirit hath sent me.And that God revealed 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.Assert.IV.The fourth thing affirmed is,That these Revelations were the Object of the Saints’ Faith of old.

Proved.This will easily appear by the Definition of Faith, 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 positive Words of the ApostlePaul, who,Heb.xi. describes it two Ways.What Faith is?Faith(saith he)is the Substance of Things hoped for, and 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 and certain Belief of the Mind, whereby itresteth, and in a Sensepossesseththe Substance of some Things hoped for, through its Confidence in the Promise of God: And thus the Soul hath a most firm Evidence, by its Faith, of Things not yet seen nor come to pass. The Object of this Faith, is thePromise,Word, orTestimony of God, speaking in the Mind.The Object of Faith, Deus Loquens.Hence it hath been generally affirmed, That the Object of Faith isDeus Loquens, &c. that is,God Speaking, &c. Which is also manifest from all those Examples, deduced by the Apostle throughout that whole Chapter, whose 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 ofNoah, Ver. 7, thus,By FaithNoahbeing 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.Noah’sFaith.What was here the Object ofNoah’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 World, saved him and his House.Abraham’sFaith.Of which alsoAbrahamis set forth as a singular Example, being therefore called the Father of the Faithful, who is saidagainst 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 concerning the coming ofIsaac, though contrary to natural Probability; but above all, in that he refused not to offer him up, not doubting but God was able to raise him from the Dead; of whom it is said, That inIsaac 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 fulfilled while divers Ages after. The Object ofAbraham’sFaith in all this, was no other but inward 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 objected; to wit,

Object.That those who found their Faith now upon Immediate and Objective Revelation, ought to have also outward Voices or Visions, Dreams or Appearances for it.

Answ.The Ministry of Angels speaking in the Appearance of Men to the Saints of old.It is not denied, but God made use of the Ministry of Angels, who, in the Appearance of Men, spake outwardly to the Saints of old, and that he did also reveal some Things to them in Dreams and Visions; none of which we will affirm to be ceased, so as to limit the Power and Liberty of God, in manifesting himself towards his Children. But while 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 betwixt 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 beingPrima Veritas, thevery FirstandOriginalTruth. Let us then consider how, or howfar, these outward Voices, Appearances and Dreams, were the Object of the Saints’ Faith: Was it because they were simply Voices, Appearances or Dreams?Revelations by Dreams and Visions.Nay certainly; for they were not ignorant that the Devil might form a Sound of Words, convey it to the outward Ear, and deceive the outward Senses, by making Things to appear that are not. Yea, do we not see by daily Experience, that thejugglersandMountebankscan do as much as all that, by theirLegerdemain? 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 ofGod’s Spiritin their Hearts, assuring them that the Voices, Dreams and Visions, were of and from God.Abrahambelieved 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 acknowledged 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 outward or visible Helps; as we may observe in many Passages of the Holy Scripture, where it is only mentioned,And God said, &c. Andthe Word of the Lord cameunto such and such,saying, &c.

Object.But if any one should pertinaciously affirm,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 Spirit witnesseth with our Spirit; but not to our outward Ears,Rom.viii. 16. And seeing the Spirit of God is within us, and not without us only, it speaks to our spiritual, and not to our bodily Ear.The Spirit speaks to the Spiritual Ear, not to the Outward.Therefore I see no Reason, where it is so often said in Scripture,The Spirit said,moved,hindered,calledsuch or such a one, todoorforbearsuch or such a Thing, that any have to conclude thatthis 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 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 Eternal, is the formal Object of his 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 Revelations were the formal Object of their Faith.

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