in that Capacity only; for fuch Promises only as were made to them, not as Apostles, but only as Chriftians, do belong to all Chriftians in general: And they may be known when they are fuch, from the general Reason of the Things, and from other places of Scripture; of which fort, befides feveral others in this Difcourfe of our Saviour to his Apoftles, is that Saying of his to them, If ye keep my commandments, ye shall abide in my Love, Joh.xv. 10.

Queft. Is not the Promife to the Apostles, of another Comforter, even the Spirit of Truth to abide with them for ever, made to all Chriftians and Believers in all Ages, fince the Apostles themselves were not to abide here for ever, Joh. xiv. 16.?

Anf. This Promise of the Holy Spirit under the peculiar Confideration of a Comforter, to fupport them under their Sufferings and Afflictions, was what the Circumstances of the Apoftles did in a peculiar and extraordinary Manner require; though we doubt not, but it will be given in what measure God thinks fit, to all other Minifters or Chriftians, who maintain the Caufe, and fuffer for the Testimony of Jefus. But as it has refpect here in a fpecial manner to the Apostles, and the Word for ever is not always to be understood for Eternity, or a perpetual Duration, but is to be limited to the Subject Matter, Thing or Person spoken of; as when it is faid, He fhall be thy fervant for ever, that is, as long as he lives, Deut. XV. 17. So the meaning of the Promise here, as made to the Apostles, was, that the Spirit of Truth as a Comforter, fhould abide with them to the end of their Lives; not for fome time only, and then to cease, but perpetually and without Intermiffion, till they had done

the

the Work for which it was given them, of teaching all Nations, and had finished their Course.

Queft. Was the Promife of the Guidance of the Spirit into all Truth, fo confined to the Perfons of the Apostles only, that other good Chriftians now have no Intereft

therein ?

Anf. No: It was not fo confined to the Perfons of the Apostles only, as if other good Christians now had no Intereft therein; because the extraordinary Guidance of the Spirit into all Truth, promised and given to the Apoftles, was for the Benefit of the Church of Chrift in all Ages, by their being thereby effectually enabled to propagate the Chriftian Doctrine through the World, by their Preaching and Writing: So that all good Chriftians now, have the fufficient Guidance of the fame Spirit to guide them into all Truth neceffary to their Salvation, by the Holy Scriptures, which were written by the Apostles, by the effectual Guidance of the Spirit. And they may all now, by the ordinary Affiftances of the Spirit accompanying their honeft Endeavours in the Study of the Scriptures, be kept from actual erring, or from all Errors of dangerous Confequence, or deftructive of their Salvation. And if they happen to fall into involuntary Errors in leffer Matters, through inculpable Ignorance or Weakness, they will not be charged upon them.

. And this Promise of the Spirit may also extend to all good Chriftians in all Ages, as to its Spiritual Comforts and Confolations, and its fanctifying Illuminations and Affistances, which are generally neceffary to all, and in

other

other Places of Scripture promised to all, Luke xi. 13. But these are far from Prophetical and Apoftolical Inspirations; which were not neceffary to make a Man a good Chriftian, but were only given to fome extraordinary Perfons, for the Edification of others...

Quest. Are we not all to wait still with a quiet Silence, as the Apostles were required, for the Promife of the Father, which is the Spirit of Truth to lead us into all Truth? Acts i. 4. Luke xxiv. 49.-xvi 13.

Anf. No: For the waiting required of the Apoftles, was only their bodily ftaying at Jerufalem for fome Time, till the Holy Ghost that was promised defcended upon them, which was to be not many Days hence. But for others now to wait for, or to expect the like miraculous Defcent, or extraordinary Gifts of the Holy Ghoft, or immediate Infpiration of the Spirit, as was then given to the Apoftles, they have no Promise thereof, as the Apoftles had. Aud fuch waiting is apt to lay the Soul open to every Impreffion, Thought or Fancy, that firft offers it felf, fo as to take it for a divine Infpiration, or Suggeftion of the Spirit. And St. Paul recommended to Timothy other Means than waiting, when he faid, Give Attendance to Reading, meditate upon thefe Things, give thy felf wholly to them, that thy profiting may appear to all, 1 Tim. iv. 13, 15. And we may reasonably fuppofe that God will be more ready to reveal his Mind to thofe who are diligent in reading and praying, than to those who do nothing. but only wait for it.

Queft. Was it not promifed, that every one in the times of the Gofpel, fhould have fuch immediate Infpirations of the Spirit, as to

have no need of any other Teaching, when it is faid, They fhould not teach every Man his Brother, faying, know the Lord; for that all should know him, from the leaft to the greatest; which must be by the immediate Inspiration of the Spirit? Jer. xxxi. 34. Heb. viii. 11.

Anf. It is not there meant, that every one in the times of the Gospel, fhould have fuch immediate Infpirations of the Spirit, as to have no need of any other teaching. For the whole current of the New Teftament fhews the contrary; that the way by which the Chriftian Religion fhould be propagated, was to be by the teaching of the Apoftles, and Evangelists, and fuch other Paftors and Teachers as were sent forth by them, and their Successors in the Ministry, to the end of the World. But the Words are to be understood only in a comparative Senfe, as a Prediction of the greater Measure of Knowledge that was to be under the Gospel, than was under the Law; as other Scriptures of the like Sort are: As when it is faid, The Earth fhall be filled with the Knowledge of the Lord, as the Waters cover the Sea; it cannot be understood in a ftrict and literal Senfe, as if the Earth were as full of the Knowledge of the Lord, as the Sea is full of Water, Ifaiah xi. 9.

And if there was 'to be fuch a Difpenfation of the Spirit under the Gofpel, as fhould take away all neceffary Use of being taught by Men, it should have been, one would think, in the Apostles Times, when there was the moft plentiful Effufion of the Spirit. And yet it is certain the Apoftles did not fo underftand thefe Predictions concerning the Times of the Gofpel, when they took fo much Pains in teaching and inftructing others. But fo

far

far is the plentiful Effufion of the Spirit in the Times of the Apoftles, from being a Proof of the Spirit's being given to every Man under the Gospel to teach him immediately, without any outward Teaching, that it rather proves the contrary; that it was given to the Apoftles, and fome others then, on purpose to enable them to teach others, by their Preaching and Writing; which was God's ordinary Method in teaching Men the Christian Religion; and not his teaching every Man immediately, by immediate Inspiration.

And if there be fuch a Dispensation of the Spirit fince the Apoftles Times, after a long and dark Night of Apoftacy, as they fay, of every Man's being inwardly and immediately taught by the Spirit, without any Need of outward Teaching, How is God faid to have spoken in thefe laft Days by bis Son, and laft of all to have fent his Son, if a farther and new immediate fpeaking by the Spirit, be now ftill to be expected, inwardly to reveal again to us what he outwardly taught himself, and by his Spirit in the Apoftles, by an inward immediate Inspiration to every particular Man?

And what need is there of the Quakers teaching Men fo much outwardly, by their Preaching and Books, if every Man be inwardly taught by immediate Inspiration? Or if, as they fay, they that are taught of God, need not that the Scripture fhould teach them, what need have they to be taught by their Books, that have no need to be taught by the Scriptures?

Queft. Does not the Apostle John fay of all Chriftians in general, and of all Ages, that hey have an Unction from the holy one, and know