then the administration of the Comforter, but that discipline be directed, and the scriptures revealed? &c.

Hieron. Ep. 4. "The law (faith Hierom) is fpiritual, and there Paulin.103. is need of a revelation to understand it." And in his Epiftle 150. to Hedibia, Queft. 11. he faith, "The whole Epiftle to the Romans needs an interpretation, it being involved in fo great obfcurities, that for the understanding thereof we need the help of the holy Spirit, who through the apoftle dictated it."

Athanafius

de Incarn.

5. "So great things (faith Athanafius) doth our Verbi Dei. Saviour daily: he draws unto piety, perfuades unto virtue, teaches immortality, excites to the defire of heavenly things, reveals the knowledge of the Father, infpires power against death, and fhews himself unto every one."

Greg. Mag.

upon the Gospel.

6. Gregory the Great, upon these words [He shall Hom. 30. teach you all things] faith, "That unless the fame Spirit is prefent in the heart of the hearer, in vain is the discourse of the doctor; let no man then afcribe unto the man that teacheth, what he understands from the mouth of him that fpeaketh; for unless he that teacheth be within, the tongue of the doctor, that is without, laboureth in vain.'

Cyril. Alex.

7. Cyrillus Alexandrinus plainly affirmeth, "That in Thefauro men know that Jefus is the Lord by the Holy Ghoft, no otherwise, than they who tafte honey know that it is sweet, even by its proper quality.'

lib. 13. c. 3.

Bernard. in

"

8. "Therefore (faith Bernard) we daily exPfal. 84. hort you, brethren, that ye walk the ways of the heart, and that your fouls be always in fouls be always in your hands, that ye may hear what the Lord faith in you." And again, upon these words of the apostle [Let him that glorieth, glory in the Lord] "With which three-fold vice (faith he) all forts of religious men are less or more dangerously affected, because they do not fo diligently attend, with the ears of the heart, to

what

what the Spirit of truth, which flatters none, inwardly speaks."

This was the very bafis, and main foundation, upon which the primitive reformers built.

tom. 5.

P. 76.

Luther, in his book to the nobility of Germany, Luther. faith, "This is certain, that no man can make himself a teacher of the holy fcriptures, but the holy Spirit alone." And upon the Magnificat he faith, "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 fchool; out of which school nothing is taught but mere talk."

lanethon.

rit alone

Philip Melanthon, in his annotations upon John Phil. Mevi. "Those who hear only an outward and bodily voice, hear the creature; but God is a Spirit, and is neither difcerned, nor known, nor heard, but by the Spirit; and therefore to hear the voice of By the SpiGod, to fee God, is to know and hear the Spirit. God is By the Spirit alone God is known and perceived. known. Which also the more ferious to this day do acknowledge, even all fuch who fatisfy themselves not with the fuperficies of religion, and use it not as a cover or art. Yea, all those who apply themselves effectually to Christianity, and are not fatisfied until they have found its effectual work upon their hearts, redeeming them from fin, 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 fhining of his light upon their understanding."

bridge,

And therefore to this purpose a modern author, viz. Dr. Smith of Cambridge, in his felect dif- Dr. Smith. courses, faith well; "To feek our divinity merely of Camin books and writings, is to feek the living among concerning the dead; we do but in vain many times feek book-diviGod in thefe, where his truth is too often not fo

nity.

Apoftafy

knowledge

much enshrined as entombed. Intra te quære Deum, Seek God within thine own foul. He is best difcerned operat (as Plotinus phrafeth it) by an intellectual touch of him. We must fee with our eyes, and bear with our ears, and our hands must handle the word of life (to exprefs it in St. John's words) suxus didnois tis, &c. The foul itself hath its fenfe, 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 fenfation: Tafte, and fee how good the Lord is. That is not the best and trueft knowledge of God which is wrought out by the labour and fweat of the brain, but that which is kindled within us, by an heavenly warmth in our hearts." And again: "There is a knowing of the truth as it is in Jefus, as it is in a Chrift-like nature; as it is in that fweet, mild, humble, and loving Spirit of Jefus, which spreads itself, like a morning fun, upon the fouls of good men, full of light and life. It profits little to know Chrift himself after the flesh; but he gives his Spirit to good men, that fearcheth the deep things of God." And again: "It is but a thin airy knowledge that is got by mere fpeculation, which is ufhered in by fyllogifms and demonftrations; but that which springs forth from true goodness, is θειότερὸν τι πάσης υποδείξεως (as Origen fpeaks It brings fuch a divine light into the foul, as is more clear and convincing than any demonftration."

§. III. That this certain and undoubted method and a faife of the true knowledge of God hath been brought introduced. Out of use, hath been none of the leaft devices of the devil, to fecure mankind to his kingdom. For after the light and glory of the Chriftian religion had prevailed over a good part of the world, and difpelled the thick mifts of the heathenish doctrine of the plurality of gods, he that knew there was no probability of deluding the world any longer that way, did then puff man up with a falfe know

ledge

ledge of the true God; fetting him on work to seek God the wrong way, and perfuading 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 fuccessful, because accommodated to the natural and corrupt fpirit and temper of man, who above all things affects to exalt himself; in which exaltation, as God is greatly difhonoured, fo 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 fpeculations the natural man entertains of God, fo long as he serves his own lufts and paffions, and is obedient to his evil fuggeftions and temptations. Thus Chriftianity is become as it were an art, acquired by Christianity human science and industry, like any other art or an art, acfcience; and men have not only affumed the name quired by of Chriftians, but even have procured themselves ence and to be esteemed as masters of Chriftianity, by certain induftry. artificial tricks, though altogether ftrangers to the fpirit and life of Jefus. But if we make a right definition of a Chriftian, according to the fcripture, That he is one who hath the Spirit, and is led by it, how many Chriftians, yea, and of these great mafters and doctors of Christianity, fo accounted, fhall we justly divest of that noble title?

is become

human fci

If those therefore who have all the other means of knowledge, and are fufficiently learned therein, whether it be the letter of the fcripture, the traditions of churches, or the works of creation and providence, whence they are able to deduce ftrong and undeniable arguments (which may be true in themfelves) are not yet to be esteemed Chriftians, according to the certain and infallible definition above-mentioned; and if the inward and immediate revelation of God's Spirit in the heart, in fuch as have been altogether ignorant of fome, and but very little skilled in others, of these means of attaining knowledge, hath brought

C 4

tion is the

brought them to falvation; then it will neceffarily By revela- and evidently follow, that inward and immediate true know- revelation is the only fure and certain way to attain the true and faving knowledge of God.

ledge of God.

But the first is true: therefore the laft.

Now as this argument doth very strongly conclude for this way of knowledge, and against fuch as deny it, fo in this refpect it is the more to be regarded, as the propofitions from which it is deduced are fo clear, that our very adverfaries cannot deny them. For as to the firft it is acknowledged, that many learned men may be, and have been, damned. And as to the fecond, who will deny but many illiterate men may be, and are, faved? Nor dare any affirm, that none come to the knowledge of God and falvation by the inward revelation of the Spirit, without these other outward means, unless Abel, Seth, they be also se bold as to exclude Abel, Seth, Noah, Noah, &c, Abraham, Job, and all the holy patriarchs from true knowledge and falvation.

inftanced.

§. IV. I would however not be understood, as if hereby I excluded thofe other means of knowledge from any use or service to man; it is far from me fo to judge, as concerning the scriptures, as in the next propofition will more plainly appear. The queftion is not, what may be profitable or helpful, but what is abfolutely neceffary. Many things may contribute to further a work, which yet are not the main thing that makes the work go on.

The fum then of what is faid 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 abfolute neceffity of any other. But where the beft, higheft, and moft profound knowledge is without this, there is nothing, as to the obtaining the great end of falvation. This truth is very effectually confirmed by the first part of the propofition itself, which in few words comprehendeth