2. And most common and received by all; but supernatural evidence hath this advantage, that it is for the most part the most clear and satisfactory *.

Quest. CLX. May we not look that God should yet give us more revelations of his will, than there are already made in Scripture?

Answ. You must distinguish between, 1. New laws or covenants to mankind, and new predictions or informations of a particular person. 2. Between what may possibly be, and what we may expect as certain, or probable. And so I conclude,

1. That it is certain that God will make no other covenant, testament or universal law, for the government of mankind or the church as a rule of duty and of judgment. Because he hath oft told us, that this covenant and law is perfect, and shall be in force as our rule till the end of the world".

Object. So it was said of the law of Moses, that it was to stand for ever, yea, of many ceremonies in it.'

Answ. 1. It is in the original only, 'for ages and ages; or 'to generations and generations,' which we translate for ever,' when it signifieth but to many generations.' 2. It is nowhere said, of Moses's law as such, that it should continue either till the end of the world, or till the day of judgment, as it is said of the Gospel. And 3. It is not said that he will add no more to the former testament, but contrarily, that he will make a new covenant with them, &c. But here in the Gospel he peremptorily resolveth against all innovations and additions".

2. It is certain that God will make no new Scripture or inspired Word as an infallible, universal rule for the exposition of the Word already written. For, 1. This were an addition which he hath disclaimed, and, 2. It would imply such an insufficiency in the Gospel to its ends (as being not intelligible) as is contrary to its asserted perfection, and, 3.

x 1 John i. 1-3. Heb. ii. 3, 4.

y Gal.i.7-9.

Matt. xxviii. 20. 2 Thess. i. 10, 11. Mark xvi. 15, 16. Rev xiv. 6. xxii. 18, 19. Heb. vii. 28, 29. 1 Tim. i. 16. Rom. vi. 22. John v. 22. 24. vi. 27. 40. 47. xii. 50. Heb. i. 7-9.

It would be contrary to that established way for the understanding of the Scripture, which God hath already settled and appointed for us till the end a.

3. It is certain that God will give all his servants in their several measures, the help and illumination of his Spirit, for the understanding and applying of the Gospel.

4. It is possible that God may make new revelations to particular persons about their particular duties, events or matters of fact, in subordination to the Scripture, either by inspiration, vision, or apparition, or voice; for he hath not told us that he will never do such a thing. As to tell them, what shall befal them or others; or to say, 'Go to such a place, or, Dwell in such a place, or, Do such a thing,' which is not contrary to the Scripture, nor co-ordinate, but only a subordinate determination of some undetermined case, or the circumstantiating of an action.

5. Though such revelation and prophecy be possible, there is no certainty of it in general, nor any probability of it to any one individual person, much less a promise. And therefore to expect it, or pray for it, is but a presumptuous tempting of God".

6. And all sober Christians should be the more cautious of being deceived by their own imaginations, because certain experience telleth us, that most in our age that have pretended to prophecy, or to inspirations, or revelations, have been melancholy cracked-brained persons, near to madness, who have proved deluded in the end; and that such crazed persons are still prone to such imaginations.

7. Therefore also all sober Christians must take heed of rash believing every prophet or pretended spirit, lest they be led away from the sacred rule, and before they are aware, be lost in vain expectations and conceits.

Quest. CLXI. Is not a third rule of the Holy Ghost, or more perfect kingdom of love to be expected, as different from the reign of the Creator and Redeemer ?

Answ. 1. The works 'ad extra' and the reign of the Father, Word and Spirit are undivided. But yet some things

a Eph. i. 18, 19.

b Micah ii. 11. 1 Kings xxii. 21, 22. 1 John iv. 1, 2. 1 Thess. ii. 2.

are more eminently attributed to one person in the Trinity, and some to another ".

2. By the law and covenant of innocency, the Creator eminently ruled omnipotently. And the Son ruled eminently sapientially, initially under the covenant of promise or grace from Adam till his incarnation and the descent of the Holy Ghost, and more fully and perfectly afterward by the Holy Ghost. And the Holy Ghost ever since doth rule in the saints as the Paraclete, Advocate or Agent of Christ, and Christ by him, eminently by holy love; which is yet but initially but the same Holy Ghost by perfect love shall perfectly rule in glory for ever; even as the Spirit of the Father and the Son. We have already the initial kingdom of love by the Spirit, and shall have the perfect kingdom in heaven; and besides the initial and the perfect there is no other. Nor is the perfect kingdom to be expected before the day of judgment, or our removal unto heaven; for our kingdom is not of this world. And they that sell all and follow Christ, do make the exchange for a reward in heaven; and they that suffer persecution for his sake, must rejoice because their reward in heaven is great: and they that relieve a prophet or righteous man for the sake of Christ, and that lose any thing for him, shall have indeed an hundred fold (in value) in this life, but in the world to come eternal life. We shall be taken up in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air, and so shall we ever be with the Lord and those are the words with which we must comfort one another, and not Jewishly with the hopes of an earthly kingdom. And yet "we look for a new heaven and a new earth wherein dwelleth righteousness, according to his promise." But who shall be the inhabitants, and how that heaven and earth shall differ, and what we shall then have to do with earth, whether to be overseers of that righteous earth (and so to judge or rule the world) as the angels are now over us in this world, are things which yet I understand not c.

b John v. 22. 25. Prov. i. 20, 21.
e Matt. v. 11, 12. Luke xviii. 22, 23.

1 Cor. xii. 2, 3. v. 1. 3. 8.

2 Pet. iii. 11-13. 1 Pet, i. 4.

Matt, xviii. 10.
Heb. x, 34.

Matt. x. 41, 42. Luke vi. 23. xvi 20. 1 Thess. iv 17, 18. Mark xii. 25. xii, 13. Col,i, 5, Phil, iii, 20, 21.

Quest. CLXII. May we not look for miracles hereafter?

Answ. 1. The answer to Quest. clx. may serve to this. 1. God may work miracles if he please, and hath not told us that he never willd.

2. But he hath not promised to us that he will, and therefore we cannot believe such a promise, nor expect them as a certain thing. Nor may any pray for the gift of miracles.

3. But if there be any probability of them, it will be to those that are converting infidel nations, when they may be partly of such use as they were at first.

4. Yet it is certain, that God still sometimes worketh miracles: but arbitrarily and rarely, which may not put any individual person in expectation of them.

Object. Is not the promise the same to us as to the apostles and primitive Christians, if we could but believe as they did?'

Answ. 1. The promise to be believed goeth before the faith that believeth it, and not that faith before the promise.

2. The promise of the Holy Ghost was for perpetuity, to sanctify all believers: but the promise of that special gift of miracles, was for a time, because it was for a special use; that is, to be a standing seal to the truth of the Gospel, which all after ages may be convinced of in point of fact, and so may still have the use and benefit of. And providence (ceasing miracles), thus expoundeth the promise. And if miracles must be common to all persons and ages, they would be as no miracles. And we have seen those that most confidently believed they should work them, all fail.

But I have written so largely of this point in a set disputation in my Treatise called "The Unreasonableness of Infidelity," fully proving those first miracles satisfactory and obligatory to all following ages, that I must thither now refer the reader.

Quest. CLXIII. Is the Scripture to be tried by the Spirit, or the Spirit by the Scripture, and which of them is to be preferred?

d Luke xxiii. 8.

e 1 Cor. xii. 28,29. Heb. ii. 3, 4. John x. 41.

Answ. I put the question thus confusedly, for the sake of those that use to do so, to shew them how to get out of their own confusion. You must distinguish, 1. Between the Spirit in itself considered, and the Scripture in itself. 2. Between the several operations of the Spirit. 3. Between the several persons that have the Spirit. And so you must conclude,

1. That the Spirit in itself is infinitely more excellent than the Scripture. For the Spirit is God, and the Scripture is but the work of God.

2. The operation of the Spirit in the apostles was more excellent than the operation of the same Spirit now in us; as producing more excellent effects, and more infallible.

3. Therefore the Holy Scriptures which were the infallible dictates of the Spirit in the apostles, are more perfect than any of our apprehensions which come by the same Spirit (which we have not in so great a measure f).

4. Therefore we must not try the Scriptures by our most spiritual apprehensions, but our apprehensions by the Scriptures that is, we must prefer the Spirit's inspiring the apostles to indite the Scripture, before the Spirit's illuminating of us to understand them, or before any present inspirations, the former being the more perfect; because Christ gave the apostles the Spirit to deliver us infallibly his own commands, and to indite a rule for following ages; but he giveth us the Spirit but to understand and use that rule aright".

5. This trying the Spirit by the Scriptures, is not a setting of the Scripture above the Spirit itself; but is only a trying the Spirit by the Spirit: that is, the Spirit's operations in ourselves and his revelations to any pretenders now, by the Spirit's operations in the apostles, and by their revelations recorded for our use. For they and not we are called foundations of the church h

f 1 John iv. 1, 2. 6. John xviii. 37.
g Acts xvii. 11, 12. Matt. v. 18.

viii. 47.

x. 16.

Rom. xvi. 26. Matt. xxviii. 20. Luke

h Rev. ii. 2. Jude 17. 2 Pet. iii. 2. Ephes. iv. 11, 12. 1 Cor. xii. 28, 29. Ephes. ii. 20.