but he that believeth that Jesus is the Son of God v. 5. We must needs take this for a description of saving Faith because those that are born of God and overcome the World are the Children and so the Heirs of God To the same purpose are those words John 2â— 31 These are written that ye might believe that Jesus is the Christ the Son of God and that believing ye might have life through his Name And to this description of Faith agrees the several confessions of Faith we read of Thus Peters confession runs Thou art the Christ the Son of the Living God Mat. 16.16 And again John 6.69 We believe and are sure that thou art that Christ the Son of the Living God Thus runs Martha's John 11.27 I believe that thou art Christ the Son of God which should come into the World And thus runs the Ennuchs also Act. 8.37 I believe that Christ is the Son of God But in as much as we are assured by the same authority of Scripture that those that repent not shall perish Luke 13.3 and that those that obey not the Gospel shall be punished with everlasting destruction 2 Thes 1.7 8. and that except a Man be born again he cannot see the Kingdom of God John 3.3 nor without holiness see God Heb. 12.14 it follows of necessity that the Faith afore described is such a belief that Jesus is the Christ the Son of God as doth effectually draw Men to believe his Doctrine and to obey his Laws in doing of which they become New Creatures and overcome the World For he that believes Christ to be the Son of God and considers what he believes must needs believe all his sayings and the whole of his Doctrine to be true for it is impossible for God to lie And he that believes his Doctrine to be true and considers what he believes must needs be under the influence of the most powerful Motives imaginable to repent of a bad and to lead a good Life because Christ hath expresly declared from God that the one shall be punished with everlasting Destruction and the other rewarded with Life Eternal So that Faith works that change in Men by which they become New Creatures are born of God and sanctified by way of Motive as it doth evidence to the Soul and bind upon the Mind the things not seen as those wherein a Man is infinitely more concerned than in any than in all the things which are seen and therefore must needs be governed in the course of his Life by them and not by the other but in subordination unto them For Faith as it is a powerful Motive is an Operative Principle of a good and Holy Life And upon this accoont all the brave and Heroick Acts of those Worthies mentioned in Heb. 11. are said to be done by their Faith as that was to them the substance of things hoped for and the evidence of things not seen and as such an active Principle of those effects And thus the Life which St. Paul lived in the Flesh he lived through the Faith of the Son of God as every good Christian doth as being thereby perswaded thereto Gal. 2.20 And because Faith is thus Motive-wise such an Operative Principle of a good and Holy Life therefore it is that Men of such a Life are usually described by it in the New Testament and are stiled Believers And when good Men are otherwise described by their fear of God and Love to him as many times they are especially in the Old Testament it is because Fear and Love are also powerful Principles of Action that Govern Men in their way A true Believer then according to the New Testament Dialect is neither more nor less than a Disciple of Christ or a faithful follower of him one that frames his Belief and Life according to his Doctrine and Example And the Faith of every such one is such in its Operation and Effects as doth constitute and denominate him a good Man By all this it may easily be diserned that when Men are said to be justified or to be saved by Faith it is not to be understood of the meer Act of believing abstracted from its effects and alone but as it is an Active and Operative Principle changing the Heart and reforming the Life And accordingly Justification and Salvation are in Scripture attributed to the Effects of Faith as well as to the Act of believing Jam. 2. And when ever they are attributed to believing indifinitely it is not without reference to the effects proper to it when it is of the right kind Now as Faith is described in the Scriptures forecited by its Object and by its acting upon its Object by assent so it is in other Scriptures described by its effects which are produced by its actings upon its Object And so a Believer is described by his coming to Christ John 6.35 He that cometh to me shall never hunger and he that Believet on me shall never Thirst saith Christ For mens coming to Christ to learn of him what he hath done and will do for their Souls and what they themselves are to do that they may be saved is the effect of their believing him to be the Son of God and sent of God to bring Salvation unto Men and to declare how and upon what Terms it is to be had And so when Believers are described by their receiving of Christ as John 1.12 As many as received him to them he gave power to become the Sons of God even to them that believe on his Name they are then described by the effect of their Faith also For when they receive him for what indeed he is Priest Prophet and King it is because they believe that evidence by which he appears to be so Furthermore when Believers are described by their Trusting in Christ or Relying on him as in Ephes 1.12 Who first trusted in Christ Their Faith is described by its effect For men will not venture their Souls in trusting in Christ and relying on him for the expiation of their Sins by his Blood for direction what to do that they may be saved and for Pardon and eternal Life upon the condition upon which those Benefits are promised untill they first believe him to be the Messiah the Son of God and Saviour of the World upon some evidence they have that he is so But although the Holy Penmen of the Scriptures did not in every description of saving Faith attend unto the Rules of Art by taking in all the essential parts but described it sometimes by its assenting Act and Object and sometimes by its Fruits and Effects as occasions did occur Yet we for our parts shall be best able to make a right Judgment of the true Nature of Saving Faith by that which results out of the several descript ions of it in Scripture when compared together And by comparing those several descriptions together we may also perceive that when Faith as saving is described by its Effects yet then the assenting Act of Faith upon its Object is still implyed supposed and ought to be understood though it be not there exprest and so are the effects too when but only the Act and Object are mentioned By all which we may learn that those are none of the best definitions of saving Faith which Men make when they define it by the Act and Object alone or by any of the Effects alone THE END ADVERTISEMENT THere is lately published a Book called A Perswasive to Peace and Unity among Christians notwithstanding their different apprehensions in lesser things To be sold by B. 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p. 115. Many may run into the practice of several outward things mentioned in the Scriptures to have been the practice of Saints in former Ages and yet not be led into the Truth for all that is but Will-Worship Imitation and Vnwarrantable Your Notion concerning your Way then thus represented is this or to this effect That God Christ the holy Spirit do by immediate Illumination of your minds and without external teaching by the Scriptures or by men shew you or reveal to you what you ought to believe and do and by their immediate motion or operation draw or perswade you to believe and practise accordingly Which Illumination or Operation you call The Light within or the Holy Anointing which teacheth all things This I take to be your sence when you say you own Scripture but not as your Teacher and that such have no need of the Scripture to teach them and that all the Children of God are taught of God and need not any other Teacher And again that God's pure Spirit is put into the inward parts to be the Rule and Guide of Life in all things and that the only perfect Rule of Conscience in the exercise to God is the Spirit of Christ and not any other thing That the Scriptures are so far from being the Rule of Faith and Practice as that the Light within is both your Warrant and Rule That the Spirit of Truth alone leads into all Truth And that the infallible Spirit of Christ gives Infallibility of judgment and discerning into all Cases and Things This then is your Method and Way Now I will shew you what is God's Method and Way which is quite different from yours The Gospel plainly declares That there shall be a Resurrection of all men after Death and a State of everlasting weal or wo in another world and that as many as believe Christ to be the Son of God and Saviour of the world and repent them of the evil they have done and sincerely obey his Laws shall by his Death which he suffered for sin receive Remission of sin and Eternal Life but that those that do not shall be punished with everlasting Destruction This Gospel this Doctrine being not knowable by men by any Natural Light in them without Divine Revelation from God Jesus Christ who came from the Bosom of the Father he revealed it himself to his Apostles and others by his Doctrine and after his Ascension into Heaven he by sending them the Holy Spirit immediately inspired them with a clear knowledge and understanding of it and so by the gift of speaking divers Languages accompanied with boldness and utterance enabled them to reveal and publish it to the world and to procure Credit to it by many Signs and Wonders which were done by them And ever since that God's way and method of bringing men to Salvation that live where the Gospel comes hath been by making known this Gospel to them by word or writing and so by the mighty Motives contained in it such as the Manifestation of God's Love in the Gift of Christ the Hopes of Eternal Life and the Fears of Eternal Death in concurrence with the Operation of his Grace and good Spirit together with the rational Evidence of the Truth of it to perswade men to believe and embrace it and to live according to it So that according to this Representation compared with that made of your Way God's Way and Method and yours greatly differ You holding that the Holy Spirit directs and perswades men what to believe and do by his own immediate working without outward teaching whereas as we say he doth it by outward teaching It is God Christ the Holy Spirit that works the saving change in men but he doth it still by the Word of the Gospel as communicated to mens minds by the Scriptures or by mens teaching the same Doctrine which is contained in the Scriptures and it is this Doctrine that is the Rule of Faith and Practice And this I doubt not to make very plain to you in opposition to your way if you will not shut your eyes And this I shall endeavour gradually step by step in certain Propositions § 3. First In the Apostles days in which there was the greatest effusion of the Holy Spirit on them and other Christians that ever hath been yet even then God's way of bringing men to believe the Gospel and to live according to it was by publishing it to men by men either by Word or Writing and evidencing it to be from God The Apostles indeed had the Gospel from Christ himself immediately as he himself had it from the Father who gave him Commandment what he should say and what he should speak It at the first began to be spoken by the Lord himself and was confirmed unto us by them that heard him as 't is said Heb. 2.4 But after Christ's Ascension others at the first received the Knowledge and Faith of the Gospel by the Ministry of the Apostles who were his Ambassadors to the world by them he made known his Salvation to the Ends of the Earth When our Saviour prayed for all other good Christians that should be in the World besides his Apostles he describes them thus viz. Such as should believe through their Word John 17.20 Neither pray I for these alone but for them also which shall believe on me through their Word And it pleased God by the foolishness of Preaching to save them that believe 1 Cor. 1.21 And so Faith cometh by Hearing saith he Rom. 10.17 By hearing of what and of whom Why by hearing the Gospel preached by such whom God sent to preach it of which mention is made in the precedent Verses The Doctrine which the Apostles preached which is the Gospel is said to be the Power of God to Salvation Rom. 1.16 And the Reason is given in ver 17 18. Because thereby the Righteousness of God is revealed from Faith to Faith That is God's method of justifying men upon condition of their believing and obeying of it and because thereby the eternal Wrath of God from Heaven is revealed against all Ungodliness and Unrighteousness of men This Revelation being from God and the things the Motives revealed being powerful Arguments to prevail with men to receive and obey the Gospel upon their doing of which they shall be saved thence it is that 't is called The Power of God to Salvation not excluding the concurrent Operation of God's Spirit upon the heart by it This being so your Leaders manifest a strange degree of Vnlearnedness in the things of the Gospel when they deny saving Grace to be wrought by the outward Administration of the Word or Teaching by man as they do when they attribute it to God alone as his immediate Work and all because the Scripture attributes it to God to Christ to the Holy Spirit Whereas nothing is more common than to attribute the same Effect sometimes to one Cause sometimes to another when there is
avoid such as caused Divisions and Offences contrary to the Doctrine which they had learned Rom. 16.17 And forbid to receive into their Houses such as brought not this Doctrine 2 John 10. And if any man teach otherwise saith St. Paul and consents not to wholesom words even the words of our Lord Jesus Christ and the Doctrine which is according to Godliness he is proud knowing nothing 1 Tim. 6.3 4. These things being all so plain as what can be plainer it cannot but be highly ridiculous for such as are ignorant in the very A B C of Christianity as by your dissent in this plain Truth you appear to be to pretend to such Sublimity and Spirituality as to esteem all other Christians in the world of what denomination soever that are not of your way in comparison of your selves to be all in Darkness and Confusion § 4. The Second Proposition is this Although the first Promulgators of the Gospel were enabled by immediate Revelation from Christ to teach it unto others yet afterward God's ordinary way and method of transmitting the Knowledge and Faith of the Gospel downwards to others successively was by such mens teaching it to others as had themselves learned it of the Apostles or others that taught the same Doctrine as they did Thus Timothy and Titus though Evangelists were instructed by Paul in the Christian Faith and how they should behave themselves in their publick capacities as Evangelists or Bishops and this was done partly by Speech and partly by his Epistles to them 2 Tim. 1.13 Hold fast the Form of sound words which thou hast heard of me 2 Tim. 3.14 15. Continue in the things which thou hast learned and hast been assured of knowing of whom thou hast learned them and that from a Child thou hast known the Holy Scriptures Titus learned the Christian Faith by Paul for which cause he stiles him his Son in the Common Faith Tit. 1.4 And by his Epistle instructs him in the Election of Bishops which he was to place in the Cities of Crete And one of his Instructions about this Affair was that he should ordain such as held fast the faithful word as they had been taught Tit. 1.9 And the same things which Timothy had learned of Paul he was to commit to faithful men and such as should be able to teach others 2 Tim. 2.2 The things which thou hast heard of me among many Witnesses commit thou to faithful men who shall be able to teach others also § 5. 3. The same Doctrine and many of the same Miracles were committed to writing by the Apostles which were first preached and done by Christ and his Apostles and for the same end to wit to bring men to the Christian Belief and Life John 20.31 But these are written that ye might believe that Jesus is the Christ the Son of God and that believing ye might have life through his Name 1 John 5.13 These things have I written unto you that believe on the Name of the Son of God that ye may know that ye have Eternal Life and that ye may believe on the Name of the Son of God That is that they might believe more groundedly and firmly and so constantly and perseveringly against all opposition and temptations to the contrary Luke 1.3 4. It seemed good to me also having had perfect understanding of things from the very first to write unto thee most excellent Theophilus that thou mightest know the Certainty of those things wherein thou hast been instructed 2 Tim. 3.15 16. The Scriptures given by inspiration of God are profitable for reproof correction and instruction in righteousness and able to make men wise unto salvation through Faith which is in Christ Jesus Rom. 16.26 And by the Scriptures of the Prophets according to the Commandment of the everlasting God made known to all Nations for the obedience of Faith God of old commanded the Law written to be read to all the Congregation of Israel that they might learn to fear him Deut. 31.11 12. § 6. 4. The Apostle required the same regard to be given to what he taught by his Epistles as to what he taught by speech face to face 2 Thes 2.15 Therefore stand fast and hold the Traditions which ye have been taught whether by word or our Epistle 1 Cor. 14.37 If any man think himself to be a Prophet or spiritual let him acknowledge that the things which I write unto you are the Commandments of the Lord. And the Epistles written to particular Churches were intended for the benefit of all in those things which in their nature were of common concern unto all 1 Cor. 1.2 Unto the Church of God at Corinth With all that in every place call upon the Name of Jesus Christ our Lord both theirs and ours The two Epistles of St. Peter the first Epistle of John the Epistle of Jude and that of James are all General Epistles not directed to any particular Churches as such but to the Christians scattered abroad in the world And the Colossians were to read the Epistle sent to Laodicea and the Laodiceans to read that sent to the Colossians as well as those that were sent to both themselves respectively Col. 4 16. And St. John was commanded to send all the seven Epistles to each of the seven Churches in Asia and not only one Epistle to one Church and another to another And in Rev. Chap. 2 3. It is seven times said He that hath an Ear let him hear what the Spirit saith unto the Churches as every man in the world hath that is not deaf And Chap. 22.18 I testifie to every man saith Christ that heareth the words of the Prophesie of this Book c. And there is great reason why the same regard should be given to what the Apostles and Evangelists wrote as to what they spake as long as they either wrote the same Doctrine or History upon the same evidence For the Doctrine is the same after it is written as it was before for its Being written doth not alter the Nature of it And therefore men must needs be as much concerned in their Belief or Disbelief Obedience or Disobedience to it when it is communicated to them by writing as when it is so by Preaching yea I had almost said or by immediate Revelation For 't is not the way and manner of communicating the will of God to us that makes it saving but our belief and serious consideration of it and yielding obedience to it how or by what means soever we come to know it Otherwise 't is possible men may have Revelations from God as Balaam had and as Judas and other workers of Iniquity that prophesied and cast out Devils in Christ's Name had or might have had and yet not be profited by them And if there be any less degree of evidence of Divine Truth when it is communicated to us by writing than when it was communicated to others by the Apostles preaching or to the
capacities that have but a mind to understand them and will attend to them and consider them Who is so weak as not to understand it when it is declared to him that there was such a one as Jesus Christ and that he was declared to be one come from God and his Doctrine touching his being the Son of God and concerning all other things to be true by the wonderfulness of his Birth of a Virgin and the many and mighty miracles which he wrought and which were wrought by others in his Name and by his Resurrection from the dead Who is so weak as not to understand when it is declared to him upon good grounds that this Jesus was put to death not for his own but for our Sins and that he rose again from the dead the third day Who is so weak as not to understand when he hears it declared in the Gospel that forgiveness of Sins a glorious Resurrection and eternal Happiness in another World are promised to those that believe in him as such and that believe his Doctrine and sincerely obey it touching the necessity of Repentance consisting in amendment of Life proceeding from sorrow for Sin and in a sincere observing all his Precepts These are things that may be understood by every body that hears and considers them And yet these are the things revealed by the Gospel as necessary to be believed and done in order to salvation The reason why so many of those that hear the Gospel do not believe and obey it to the saving of their Souls is not because they cannot understand it but because they are not willing to obey it and so not willing to believe it or to consider it that they might believe it but chuse rather to please themselves in their evil ways for the present and so run the hazard for the future of the Gospels being true or not true or else flatter themselves with hopes that they do repent and obey the Gospel under vain and delusive notions of the nature of saving Repentance and Obedience And it is not congruous to the goodness of God's nature to think that when he hath been pleased out of his great compassion to lost men to make a New Covenant of Salvation upon terms suitable to that love and goodness of his to think I say that he should lay the stress of their Salvation upon terms not easie to be understood by all one as well as another that are concerned therein And therefore the greatest reason I conceive why some things in the Gospel are stiled a Mistery is because they were so till they were plainly revealed by Christ a great part of the things therein contained being such as no man by the highest improvement of reason could discover or apprehend till God in a supernatural way was pleased to reveal them Such was God's sending his Son to assume our Nature and to die for our Sins and the granting Remission of Sins and eternal Life for his sake to those that believe and obey the Gospel But when they are once revealed and by revelation made plain and easie to be understood by men of all capacities they are sure then no longer Mysteries to them unless they remain so through their own wilful neglect to understand them Agreeable to this is that of St. Paul Col. 1.26 Speaking of the Gospel even saith he the Mystery which hath been hid from Ages and from Generations but now is made manifest to his Saints Eph. 1.9 Having made known to us the Mystery of his will according to his good pleasure which he hath purposed in himself So the calling of the Gentiles is called a Mystery not because it was hard to be understood when the thing was revealed by Christ's Commission to preach the Gospel to them and by preaching the Gospel had given them the Holy Spirit as he had to the believing Jews at the first but because this calling of them was little known or understood in the World till then God saith St. Paul by revelation made known to me the Mystery which in other ages was not made known unto the Sons of men as it is now revealed unto his Holy Apostles and Prophets by the Spirit that the Gentiles should be fellow-Heirs and of the same Body and partakers of his promise in Christ by the Gospel Eph. 3.2 6. And so again Ver. 9. and to make all men see what is the fellowship of the Mystery which from the beginning of the World hath been hid in God So that as the Gospel is called a Mystery as containing things in it which had been altogether a Mystery till they were revealed so it is called a Revelation of the Mystery by reason of its discovering that which was a Secret before Rom. 16.25 26. The preaching of Jesus Christ according to the Revelation of the Mystery which was kept secret since the world began but now is made manifest and by the Scriptures of the Prophets according to the commandment of the everlasting God made known to all Nations for the obedience of Faith In all this I do not deny but that there are in the Gospel things very Mysterious and hard to be conceived as touching the manner of their existence as the Union of Christs two Natures and the Doctrine of the Trinity of Persons and Unity of Essence and some other things But it is not hard to understand that those things really are when God hath revealed and declared that they are though it is very hard or rather beyond our apprehension to know how and after what manner they are and to know and believe more than he hath plainly revealed is not doubtless necessary to mens Salvation and therefore men should be cautious of laying too great a stress upon their different apprehensions about them If you shall say if Evangelical Truths be made so perceptible by the plainness and fulness of the Revelation of them how comes it to pass then that there is such difference in mens opinions and so many controversies about them as there is I answer if the differences and controversies be about those things that are necessary to Salvation I have told you the reason already it is because men will not be satisfied nor acquiesce in that plainness in which such things are delivered in the Scriptures but still fancy there is some farther Mystery in them than indeed there is And when men take that liberty and think they do excellent well in it then one fancies he sees this hidden Mystery couched under truths plainly exprest and another that when both are wide of the mark And then men weary themselves in defending their notions on both sides and can never be reconciled until both lay down their bye-opinions and submit their judgments to the plainness and simplicity of the truth labouring to improve it to practice which is the true and proper use of it which will bring more solid satisfaction to the mind than all mens Airynotions how taking soever
the Father and the Son And again 1 John 2.24 If that which ye have heard from the beginning shall remain in you ye also shall continue in the Son and in the Father § 12. 10. That in Christ Jesus neither Circumcision availeth any thing nor Uncircumcision but a new Creature is a most important Doctrine declared in writing by St. Paul Gal. 6.15 And when he saith in the next Verse As many as walk according to this Rule peace be on them it is most evident he was not of your mind and way who hold that the Holy Scriptures or Doctrine contained in them which is the same are not a Rule of Christian Faith and Practice This written Doctrine of the Gospel we see is a Rule for Christians to walk by as the written Law and Testimony was to the Jews and as it was said of those that walked not according to that Word or Rule that it was because there was no Light in them Isa 8.20 Even so and for the same reason it may now be said of you that if you walk not according to this Rule it is because in truth there is no Light in you how much soever you vainly boast of it and censure others for want of it that yet make it their daily care and endeavour to walk according to the Light and Guidance of that Rule that hath its seat in their Conscience And now Sirs by this time methinks you should not but perceive that I have given you proof in good measure heaped up shaken together pressed down and running over That Gods way and method of directing men what to believe and do as necessary to their Salvation and of perswading them to believe and do accordingly is and hath been by that teaching which comes from God into the Soul by outward means such as is his Word written or by mens teaching the same Doctrine which is contained in the Scriptures and if so then not by his immediate teaching and operation without such outward teaching which yet is that which you hold and teach in opposition to God's Method The Proof of this is so evident and convincing that if you will but give your minds and Consciences Liberty seriously to consider it I cannot imagine how you should possibly persist in your way without offering some violence to the reason of your Minds § 13. But since you have strengthened your selves in this your perswasion out of an Opinion you have that some Scriptures are on your side in it I shall yet add something farther to convince you of Error and Mistake therein You seem to ground your selves much upon John 1.9 Where it is said of Christ This is the true Light which lightneth every man that cometh into the world That Christ doth one way or other lighten every man that comes into the world is a great truth here declared But that which you are wont to alledge it for and which you are to prove hence if you would have it do your business is That Christ lighteneth every man that comes into the world with the knowledge of what he ought to believe and do in order to his salvation without learning it from or by any Outward Means That no such thing as that Christ so lightens all men without Outward Teaching can be proved either from this or any other Scripture I shall easily shew you Christ doth enlighten all whom he doth enlighten in one or more of these three ways either 1. By Natural Light Or 2. By Supernatural Revelation Or 3. By outward Teaching by Speech or Writing or Example in conjunction with the inward assistance of his Spirit 1. Christ indeed as God Creator as he is described in the beginning of that Chapter doth enlighten every man that comes into the world with the faculty of Reason and Understanding by which he may know that there is a God and that he is to be worshipped and that he is placable and the difference between moral good and evil in many things But however this may possibly be a Light sufficient to direct the Heathen to as much as God expects from them if they live up to it to whom he affords no other Light yet this Natural Light is not sufficient to direct those that live under the Gospel to believe and do what they are bound to believe and do upon pain of Damnation They that live under the Gospel are bound to believe Jesus to be Christ the Son of God and Saviour of the world and that upon pain of damnation If ye believe not that I am he ye shall die in your sins said our Saviour to them to whom the Gospel came Jo. 8.24 Every Spirit that confesseth not that Jesus Christ is come in the flesh is not of God but is the Spirit of Antichrist 1 John 4.3 He that believeth not the Son of God shall not see Life but the wrath of God abideth on him Joh. 3.36 Now that no man can know Christ know him to be the Son of God and Saviour of the world by his Natural Light without Supernatural Revelation from God or Instruction from without derived from them that had such Revelation is most evident When Peter said to Christ Thou art Christ the Son of the Living God our Saviour told him Flesh and Bloud had not revealed that unto him but his Father Mat. 16.16 17. And the Natural man receiveth not the things of the Spirit of God neither can he know them because they are spiritually discerned that is they are knowable only by means that are purely spiritual and supernatural as the revelation of the Gospel at first was And it may well be that in this respect 't is said that no man can say that Jesus is the Lord but by the holy Ghost 1 Cor. 12.3 For no man could know that he was so but by that Revelation and discovery which the Holy Ghost several ways at the first made concerning him He shall glorifie me for he shall receive of mine and shall shew it unto you said Christ to his Apostles concerning the Holy Spirit John 16.14 And Christ is said to be justified in or by the Spirit to be what he himself said he was and his Apostles witnessed him to be 1 Tim. 3.16 All this shews that though Christ do enlighten all men with Natural Light yet this is not sufficient without somewhat else to enlighten all men particularly those that are under the Gospel with the knowledge of what is necessary for all such to know and believe in order to their Salvation For to whom much is given of him much shall be required Luke 18.48 Then secondly Another way by which Christ enlightens men with the knowledge of himself and of what is necessary for mens Salvation is by immediate and supernatural Revelation and thus he enlightened the Apostles that they might be able infallibly to teach the way of Salvation by Christ through Faith in him and Obedience to him For God saith one of them who commanded the
they may be with some But though the things necessary to salvation are in the Revelation of them accommodated to the capacities of the weak and simple whose Salvation is designed by them as well and as much as theirs of stronger and quicker apprehensions yet there are things under the New Testament that are hard to be uttered as the phrase is Heb. 5.11 and therefore hard to be understood as the phrase is again 2. Pet. 3.16 As there is milk for Babes who are unskilful in the Word of righteousness so there is meat for strong Men who by reason of use have their Senses exercised to discern both good and evil as 't is said Heb. 5.13 14. And mens differences about these points proceed at the best from their different measures of Light and understanding and sometimes are persisted in from that which is worse So it was in the Apostles time between the believing Jews and the blieving Gentiles Rom. 14. Which by the way would not have been if all good Christians then had been guided by an infallible Light within as you suppose they are now If they had they would not have needed to have been taught and re-taught which are the first principles of the Oracles of God as some of them were Heb. 5. But when men which are but poor in knowledge and yet rich in confidence undertake to manage and master these more difficult points and passages of Scripture they too often wrest them to their own destruction as St. Peter speaks 2. Ep. 3.16 And this they either do or are in great danger of doing when they fasten upon some wrong sence and notion of hard and difficult places of Scripture and then pervert plain and easie places by interpreting them to their wrong sence of those that are more obscure and difficult especially when their interpretations are not mere speculations but such as influence men in their practice as becoming a rule to them therein Whereas the more wise and judicious never interpret hard places in opposition to the common sence of those that are plain and easie but explain those that are hard and difficult by those that are plain The use I would advise you to make of all this is to review the grounds you have gone on and to cease from your new notions and speculations of your being taught only by the Light within which you have taken up from some expressions in Scripture misunderstood by you and wholly disagreeing to the Scope of the places where they are found and contrary to the general current of the Scriptures in their plain and obvious sence Seek not a Knot in a bulrush seek not for Mysteries there where the Lord hath declared his mind plainly and in no parable But form your notions of God's method of proceeding with men to bring them to Salvation according to the plain and express Doctrine of Christ and his Apostles in the Scriptures and receive from and regulate by that Doctrine all your apprehensions perswasions affections and operations of your Souls together with all your words and actions So did the good Christians of Old they obeyed from the heart that form of Doctrine which was delivered to them Rom. 6.17 They purifyed their souls in obeying that Truth through the Spirit 1. Pet. 1.22 Yea the Apostles themselves were first taught by Christ's preaching unto them what to think and believe concerning Christ John 17.8 I have given unto them the words which thou gavest me and they have received them and have known surely that I came out from thee and they have believed that thou didst send me And just as the Apostles preached so the Christians believed they made their Doctrine the Adequate Rule of their notions of things the Rule of their Faith the Rule of their Life So we Preach and so ye believed saith St. Paul 1. Cor. 15.11 And those great plain known and commonly received Truths necessary to Salvation called the common Faith Tit. 1.4 the Faith once delivered to the Saints Jude 3. these I say were the Rule and Standard by which they were to try the Doctrine of such as only pretended to Inspirations from the Spirit Beloloved believe not every Spirit but try the Spirits whether they be of God because many false Prophets are gone out into the World 1. Joh. 4.1 And then St. John in ver 2 3. commends to them one known fundamental Doctrine pertinent to his Case then in hand by which they might know the Teachers he cautioned them against were not inspired by God nor authorized by him Hereby know ye the Spirit of God every Spirit that confesseth that Jesus Christ is come in the Flesh is of God And every Spirit that confesseth not that Jesus Christ is come in the Flesh is not of God And again verse 6. We are of God he that knoweth God heareth us adhered to and governed themselves by the Apostles Doctrine he that is not of God heareth not us hereby know we the Spirit of Truth and the Spirit of Error And truly if you will not make the plain and express Doctrine of Christ and his Apostles in the Scriptures touching Faith and a good Life your Rule by which to try and to judge of the Truth and erroneousness of your conceptions perswasions motions and inclinations under the notion of the Light within and of all your words and actions consequent thereupon you are and will be in great danger to be like the wandring Stars and the clouds carried with a Tempest of which St Peter and Jude speak unfixed and unstable in your judgment Faith and Ways For it is certain and evident whatever you pretend to the contrary that the Light within you is not in your own account always a certain constant and infallible Rule to you for if it were you would not act so contrary to your selves as you have done under pretence of being taught of God and guided by the Light within One while crying up your former practice of shaking as the effect of God's work in and upon you and another while confessing it to be a delusion as Samuel Fisher one of note with you did to me saying it was so judged One while crying down all Ecclesistical forms of Government as tyrannical another while erecting one among your selves pretending to as much Infallibility in your Body representative in managing it as the Papists do in reference to the Pope One while owning the witnessing of a person to be from God and another while condemning the same for an error or delusion How often have those of your number thought they have been sent by God on messages who after have found themselves deluded By these and other like instances you may be convinced that if you do not make the Doctrine of Christ in the Scriptures the Adequate Rule of the motions and inclinations of your minds and the actions of your lives whereby to know when they are of God and when not you have then no certain Rule to