Volume First, The Persons to whom a DiXII. vine Řevelation is immediately made, what assurance theycan have of it.And, Secondly, What affurance other persons can have of it. I say, these are diftinctly to be confider'd, because there is a very different account to be given of them. First, As to those persons, to whom the Revelation is immediately made, the question is, By what Arguments or Means they may come to be affured, that any Revelation, which they have, is really and truly fuch, and not a Delusion or Impofture. The Jewish Doctors tell us, that fome kind of Divine Revelations do not carry full assurance along with them, that they are Divine; such are Dreams and Visions, as they are diftinguish'd from Prophecy: and as to that kind of Revelation, which they strictly call Prophecy, they give several characteristical notes to distinguish true Divine Revelation from delufion; fuch as these; that the spirit of delusion only works up on III. on the imagination, and the lower Faculties; the Divine Spirit of Pro- Sermon phecy upon the understanding and reasonable part of the Soul: that delusive Inspirations were accompanied with alienation of mind, which did discover it self either in Rage and Fury, or Melancholy; but the true Prophetical Spirit is always confistent with the use of reason and understanding. They diftinguish them likewife by the manner of their feifing upon them; that in the beginning of Inspirations the Prophets used to have some apparition, or to hear some voice, either articulate in Words, or inarticulate by Thunder, or the found of a Trumpet, which in the Revelations doth frequently precede St. John's Visions; and by these they were affured that they were Divine. And lastly; that a Divine Inspiration did always carry along with it a strong Evidence of its original, and that by the vigour and strength of its impreffion, they were fully affured and fatisfied beyond all doubt and hefitation. Thus they. But all that I shall say by way of Answer to this Question, shall be in these two Propositions. F3 1. If Volume R 1. If we believe any such thing, XII. as Divine Revelation, we cannot doubt but those who have it, are fome way or other fully fatisfied of it. The Reason is evident; because otherw.fe it would be in vain, and to no purpose, and could not possibly httain its pr. A Divine Revelation poffibly fignifie any thing, reaton have any effect upon a n, unless he be fatisfied it is such: for fo long as he does not know but that it is a delufion, he will not attend to it, or regard it. So that the diftinction of the Jewish Doctors between Dreams, and Visions, and Prophecy, that this carries always full affurance with it, the other not, is vain and unreasonable. 2. The means whereby this affurance of a Divine Revelation is wrought, is moft probably the evidence it carries along with it, whereby it did fully fatisfie the perfon that had it of its Divine Original. That God can accompany his own Revelations with fuch a clear and overpowering Light as shall difcover to us the Divinity of them, and satisfie us beyond all doubt and Sermon scruple, I think no man can doubt, III. that confiders the vast Power and Influence which he must needs have over our Understandings, who made them, and knows the frame of them: And if this be granted, it is not necessary to explain the particular way, how it is done, it being a thing not to be exprest in words, but to be felt and experienced. So that the Argument, whereby this perswasion of a Divine Revelation is wrought in those that have it, is inward Experience of the full Satisfaction and Afsurance, which they find to be fupernaturally wrought in them, that is, of which they can give no account from themselves. And this is not a stubborn belief, and an obstinate conceit of a thing: but a good man, who is inspired, when he reflects upon himself, and this affurance which he finds in hımself, he can give a rational account of it to himself. Thus he finds that it is a foreign impreffion, and doth not spring from himself, nor hath its rise from thence; therefore he ascribes it to some Spirit without Volume himself; and he believes that there XII. is a God that can communicate him self to the minds and spirits of men'; and that his Goodness is such, that he will not fuffer them to be under a neceffity of delufion, which they must be, if when they have the highest afsurance and fatisfaction, that such a thing is a Divine Revelation, they may be deceived. And then likewife he confiders the matter of the Revelation, which if it do not contradict any essential and neceffary fundamental notion of his understanding, he thinks himself bound to entertain it upon this affurance. I fay, good men may give themfelves this rational fatisfaction: for I grant a wicked man, that rejects and disobeys the Truth of God, may so provoke him, as to give him up to strong delusions, to believe lies; and he may be as confident of a Lie, as a good man is of Truth. But as this is not unjust from God in reference to the Perfons, so it is no prejudice to the afsurance which good men may have of Divine Revelation, And |