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Show Yo.'}). r. J671· 3fter it, )>y R'!velati.on, )ll)li<;4 'l'.q !i•<l i)j.!i~~MI; , Nowdbat. there <Gold ~ be no Revel:mqn wa4our tt1{Qwrne I,.m.ht~9t Spmr, ~·Jn~~ 1s the Lilo·ot ~ the Etetnal, Cre~rillg Worl\, mul.t need• ~eJ!!t:l1lted ; l«>r> ianh rhe A poHic t ¢br. 2. to, 'f!aul, tbt Spirit pf Grfl O.PIJ: /j'R.fttrt!Jh ~p~ _fPilfJJ' ·of God; Jnd whtuev~ ~\ 1 "ibakes maniff!l il ;l:,ight; ~o¥. t)W thUlpjrit ~nd Llghr ore One, thong~ ~ • ~· 3' 'I'wh: N~mes, hal beep tuffiojeqJIJf evid~otJd already. It then ir was This Light of the Eternal Word, th~.r aq!iverml thole pafl Things to Alojb, ,and gave that ProfpcEl: of _fmure Th1ngs to the 'Pro_phers, as~~ Doubt It WJ! it t~.eS.:riptute beCredtble, tlJ~n 10 fay, Tbo Ltght or Spmt could not ddir is Blafphemous as well as abiUrd. Again, 'I'o.3rgue, becaufe the Ligh~d~ not Reveal every CircumfianCe of Hillary to each Individual that hath al· ready an, Acc;ou~;~t thereof'- tljerefpre h cduld nor, is Unreafonahle. Were tqe Hi!loty q£ th~ Tranfaajqn? o( Chtif\ :md his Followers wan ring, as bof9i\' lflofts W4S tbat of 4d41lf <jOd his eqfturiry, and that the Lord faw it n~edful to ac'lu#~l M1nkind rl)erewlrh, no Doubt but tho Light and Spirit l'{blth Revealea tl.te AccQilnt of lhe CteJtion, above Two Thoufand Hors ~fter. ro lf1<if«, and forelold feveral H•ndr<¥1 Years matl)' of thole Tranfallions ol Chrill by the P.ropbets, would alfo hove fqpplied that Wan\: ~ut i,nafmuc~ ~s ;w Account is ~rant, and therefore not needed, that ObJefl: ion is Vain .. - Again, it does not follow, becaufe eYery Man has a M{afure of Light to Inform and Rule him, that therefore he muft needs know all which rhat Light knows, or is able to Reveal to him. I return that Argument tftus upon our Adverfaries: They fay they have the Spirit of God ; Then thq /mow all that the Spirit of God knows, or can reveal to them. If the laner be ;~hfurd, then tl\e former. Again fay they, 'l;be Ligbr Wit bin did nor &vc,d Chrifl to tb~ Ge'!tilr.r, and that Cbrifl jhau/4. he Born of a V;rgin, &:c. tbert~ fore_ Infufjici~'ft: I r~turn. ~pan theryt thus J! the. S.pirit of God, given to the Chtldren of Jfta~l, Neb. IX. 20. dtd not .acq~amr them ~hat ChrHt fhou1d ~e Born of a Yirg1n. nor mt,~ch mote of h,15 L1!e and Bod1ly Tranfaflions; therefore t~e Spirit of God was lnfufficient. The like may he concluded againfi the Spirit in the Prophets: For 'tis manifeft from 1 Pet. i. 10, JI. that theSphit had nQt Revealed tO) all the Prophets the Time of thrill's A_ppe:uance and SuffeFings. Was the Spirit therefore ~nlnfufficie]lt Rule to ihem? But that which falls heavj_elt upon our Oppofers, is this, That the Scriptures by their own Argument, are a, moft lmpt;r/dl Account rhcmfehres of what was done, not relating the Hundredth Part of Things; therefore tts Infuffi.cient ,in not relating wb•t n behind, as they would weakly render the Light or Spirit, in not Revealing to evc;ry Individual rhof~ Things which are alrealj.y palt. Nay, they may as well infer lnfufficiency to the Spilir, or the Ljght Within, in tbat it doe I not ./l?rwall that jhalJ he to t1Je End Of the Wllrld, which.in t/:leir proper Seafons there wi11 be a Neceflity to know, as to refl.ea Infufi}ciency upon it, fie. becaufe it did not forerel Things tbar are. no"! pafi unto. for"1er J}ges, or !Mtdf!Jly Reveal them over again rQ us m this Age. Nenhct.ts Hifl"rYo or can u be the Rule of that F3irh ::trd Life~rowe fpeak of, whic~ are {O,abfolutelr~ nece.ff:iry to Sal\'ation ; which is the raith that God, an~ nor Hiftory gives, and that works not by HHtory, but. by Love, and overcomes the World; by which Millions of Hijfor;cal heltcven are overcome, and wallow in the Spirit and Practice of. And the Rule mufi be anfwerablc to the Nature <\nd Workings of the F:lirh: The ~arne in Point of Praai~e, which .is Puty done. Now Hiitory, though ir Inform me of others ACbons, yet 1t does not follow that it is the Rule of Dury to me, fince it may relate to AEl:\ons not imitable, as in the Cafe or Adam an? Eve in fevepl Ref pills, :lnd Cbrifl.'I being Barn of a Virtin, Dying ftJr tb~ Stm of the ~Vorld, &c. wh.erefQte this cannot be The Rule (lf ·DlltJ. The like may he fatd of th.e Je.wijb St.llry, rh;u was tbe particul:n Concern ahd Tranfaaion of that PeoP,le. . 'J}: -u..,"( 1 ~t J'>d.f cdil.=vcd' .ni.c d ~1:lH:lrh ) 11 Obj. B11t VoL. I. Of Faith and PraCtice; 6o~ Obj. B111 tbife Tbingr ot~gbr to be Btlieved. J67J• Anfw. I fay fo too, where theHi!lory has reached,ond the Spitit of God ~ hath made .a Convu9:10n upon the Confc1ence; wh1ch, fays Doctor 1. OP:ttt~ as before cued, Gzve.r them iiutbortty, Verny, and Ptrf}ic;llly. But where thiS Hifiory has not reached any People, or rhey dye "Ignorant of it, the are n_ot refp~mfible for not believmg any fuch PaffageS, as faith Bilhop sal. drrfon. 7Js one Thmg to fay the Scnptures ought to be Read Beheved p r n and Fulfilled, and another Thmg to fay, They are the Evangtl;c4J Rule 0j sr:1: 22~· Farth and Life: For when I r_ead, believe, and witnefs them fulfillingt J muft needs have a Rule by wh1ch to Read, Underfiand, Believe, and Wit· nefs them . Whuh bem: the Drvme Ltght and Sp1r11 of Cbrifl, it rnufi be That,. and not th.ern.feh'es, that muft be my Rule lor to Reading Under· fiandm&, and Beltevtng them. ' An~ funhe~, to prove that the Light and Spirit within the Heat hem w33 fuffit1~n~ to d.1fcover thefe Things, it is granted on all Hands, that the SybiUr ~ad Dtvme ~~~ht~: I m_ean not thofe mJde in their Name by fame Profef.. :tors ?f Chnf:hanuy,_ as 11 charged _upon them to gain Authority upon the Grntrlu, agamft WhiCh Blundtl wntes. Bur thofe that are acknowledged who prophefied of .A. Virgin' I. Bringing fortk • So'!, nnd that He jhould De: ft.roy the Serpent,. and RepltniJ.h the Earth wttb Rtgliteolljnefi, as is before cued out of Virgtl, who rook It out of the Remains of Cun~tta"s Verfes, thon among the Romans. And ~or the Pratkical Part of the Objeaioil, viz. How fhould we have known tt had bee!l U~lawful co Sw~ar a~ aU _in any Cafe, if l!f4t. v. 34"" had not been (whach IS of rnoit Wc1ght m this Clfe, becaufe It is Maner ~f Duty, and ca~led partic~larly by 10me an Evangelical Precept, being a Sc~p above the R1ghteoufnefs of the Outward Law among the Jew.r} I have th1s to fay for Proof of the Light's Sufficienty: . There were among the ]tWI themfel ves, lOng before Chrift camei an en· tue ~eople, that would not Swear, to wit, the Effeni : They keep their Jofephus's Prllmiju (fays JofephmJ. and account every Word tbcy fpeak, Of more force fe':;; 11 ,~,e thary 1f they had bound 1t w_ith an Oath: .A'[!~ they jh11n Oatb.r _worfe rha11 '1' 2'c. 7• Per;ur'; Jor they tfteem htm Condemned for a Lyar, who wubaut it is not belrtvtd. Philo den Pbi(o writes to the fame Purpofe, :md taught himfelf, that it was beft to leg. & dJ:.~· Abftamfrom Swearing; that one's Word might be taken infi:ead of an Oarh. log. And Pythagora~, in his Oration to \he Crotonian Stnaton, exhorted them thus, Let no Ma11 .Atttft God by Oath, tho11gh in Couru of ]11dicature. bNI Laerto He!'m, UJf~: {~;~~~a~:';r;'la7a.r ::~at~ ~;fd bA7::1~1e~ ~V'~b~~fet~:~~· Thin~ not ~:?tg.coatr. ft;~lcythians confirm their Friend/hip by Oath: Tbey Swear by Rttping their ~u~rt~·~r:;: And Clinia1, a Gred, ·and F01lower of Pyt1J6goraJ, rather chafe to fuffer H. Grotiusoa the Fine of Three T11ltnts, {which made ;oc /. Englijh) than to leJTen his Mat.~· 14- Veracity by uking of an Oath. Which AB: was greatly commended of Ba-filim, who upbraided the Chriftians of his Time with it; thereby (after our Adverfaries Way of drawing Confequences) preferring the Light of the GN1tilts before the Light of the Chriftians : Though indeed the Light was, ~nd is always One in it felf. But the Chriftian djd not lh•e up fo clofely to It as the Heathen did, and therefore took a greater Liberty, and walked in a brooder Way. I would now know of our Oppofers, if they can yet think the Light that preach'd this DoC:hine in the Mount, was the fame with that Light that fhiiled in the Confciences of thofe Gentiles, fo many Hundred Years before that Sermon was writ or preached, who fo plainly believed, praaifed and taught it, Yea or Nay? Perhaps fame will yet fiickour, while the more Moderate will fuhmit, and conclude lgnorance and Folly have made all thi' Oppofition againft us, and that of a Truth, Tbt Voice «'!Ncb erird, Prov. viii. H h h h : 4• 6. |
