Objectively present thofe Truths to our Minds. For that which teacheth me all Things, and is given me for that End, without doubt prefents thofe Things to my Mind, which it teacheth me. It is not faid, It fball teach you how to understand thofe Things that are written; but, It fball teach you all Things. Again, That which brings all Things to my Remembrance, must needs present them by Way of Object; elfe it were improper to fay, It brought them to my Remembrance; but only, that it helpeth to remember the Objects brought from elsewhere.

My fecond Argument fhall be drawn from the Arg. II. Nature of the New Covenant; by which, and those that follow, I fhall prove that we are led by the Spirit, both Immediately and Objectively. The Nature of the New Covenant is expreffed in divers Places: And

First, Ifa. lix. 21. As for me, this is my Covenant Proof 1! with them, faith the Lord, My Spirit that is upon thee, and my Words which I have put into thy Mouth, fball not depart out of thy Mouth, nor out of the Mouth of thy Seed, nor out of the Mouth of thy Seed's Seed, faith the Lord, from henceforth,and for ever. By the latter The LeadPart of this, is fufficiently exprefled the Perpetuity ings of the and Continuance of this Promife, It fhall not depart, faith the Lord, from henceforth and for ever. In the former Part is the Promife it felf, which is the Spirit of God being upon them, and the Words of God being put into their Mouths.

Spirit.

First, This was Immediate, for there is no menti-,. Immedi on made of any Medium; he faith not, I fhall by ately. the Means of fuch and fuch Writings or Books, convey fuch and fuch Words into your Mouths; but My Words, I, even I, faith the Lord, fball put into your Mouths.

Secondly, This must be Objectively; for [the Words objec put into your Mouth] are the Object prefented by him. him.tively. He faith not, The Words which ye fhall fee written, my Spirit fhall only enlighten your Understandings

to

The Difference be

to affent unto; but pofitively, My Words, which I have put into thy Mouth, &c. From which I Argue

thus:

Upon whomfoever the Spirit remaineth always, and putteth Words into his Mouth, him doth the Spirit teach Immediately, Objectively, and Continually.

But the Spirit is always upon the Seed of the Righteous, and putteth Words into their Mouths, neither departeth from them:

Therefore the Spirit teacheth the Righteous Immediately, Objectively, and Continually.

Secondly, The Nature of the New Covenant is yet more amply expreffed, Jer. xxxi. 33. which is again repeated and re-afferted by the Apostle, Heb. viii. 10, II. in thefe Words, For this is the Covenant that I will make with the House of rael, after thofe Days, faith the Lord, I will put my Laws into their Minds, and write them in their Hearts, and I will be to them a God, and they shall be to me a People. And they fball not teach every Man his Neighbour, and every Man his Brother, faying, Know the Lord; for they fball all know me from the leaft to the greateft.

The Object here is God's Law placed in the Heart, and written in the Mind; from whence they become God's People, and are brought truly to

know him.

In this then is the Law diftinguished from the tween the Gospel: The Law before was outward, written in Outward Tables of Stone; but now is inward, written in and Inward the Heart: Of Old the People depended upon their

Law.

Priests for the Knowledge of God, but Now they have all a certain and fenfible Knowledge of Him; concerning which, Auguftine fpeaketh well, in his Book De Litera & Spiritu; from which Aquinas first of all feems to have taken Occafion to move this Queftion, Whether the New Law be a written Law, or an Implanted Law? Lex fcripta, vel Lex indita? Which he thus refolves, Affirming, That the New Law, or Gospel, is not properly a Law written, as the

Old

Old was, but Lex Indita, an Implanted Law; and that the Old Law was written without, but the New Law is written within, on the Table of the Heart.

more glori

ous than

How much then are they deceived, who, inftead of making the Gospel preferable to the Law, have made the Condition of fuch as are under the Gofpel far The Gofper worfe? For no Doubt it is a far better, and more Difpenfation defirable Thing, to converfe with God Immediately, than only Mediately, as being an higher and more glorious Difpenfation: And yet thefe Men acknowledge, that many under the Law had Immediate Converse with God, whereas they now cry it is ceased:

Again, Under the Law, there was the Holy of Holies, into which the High-Prieft did enter, and received the Word of the Lord Immediately from betwixt the Cherubims, fo that the People could then certainly know the Mind of the Lord; but now, according to these Men's Judgments, we are in a far worfe Condition, having nothing but the outward Letter of the Scripture, to guefs and divine from; concerning one Verfe of which fcarce two can be found to agree. But Jefus Chrift hath promised us better Things, (tho' many are fo unwife, as not to believe him) even to guide us, by his own unerring Spirit, and hath rent and removed the Vail, whereby not only one, and that once a Year, may enter; but all of us at all Times have Accefs unto him, as of ten as we draw near unto him with pure Hearts: He reveals his Will to us by his Spirit, and writes his Laws in our Heart. Thefe Things then being thus premised; I argue,

Where the Law of God is put into the Mind, and written in the Heart, there the Object of Faith, and Revelation of the Knowledge of God, is Inward, Immediate and Objective.

But the Law of God is put into the Mind, and written in the Heart of every True Chriftian, under the New Covenant.

that of the

Law.

Arg. III.

The Anoint

Therefore the Object of Faith, and Revelation of the Knowledge of God to every True Chriftian, is Inward, Immediate, and Objective.

The Aumption is the exprefs Words of Scripture: The Propofition then must needs be true, except that which is put into the Mind, and written in the Heart, were either not Inward, not Immediate, or not Objective, which is moft abfurd.

6. XII. The third Argument is from thefe Words of John, 1 Jobu ii. ver. 27. But the Anointing, which ing recom- ye have received of him, abideth in you, and ye need mended, as not that any Man teach you: But the fame Anointing teacbeth you of all Things, and is Truth, and is no Lye; and even as it hath taught you, ye fhall abide in

bim.

First, This could not be any fpecial, peculiar, or 1.Common.extraordinary Priviledge, but that which is common to all the Saints, it being a general Epiftle, directed to all them of that Age.

Secondly, The Apostle propofeth this Anointing 2. Certain in them, as a more certain Touch-ftone for them to difcern and try Seducers by, even than his own Writings; for having in the former Verfe faid, that he had written fome Things to them concerning fuch as feduced them, he begins the next Verse, But the Anointing, &c. and ye need not that any Man teach you, &c. which infers, that having faid to them what can be faid, he refers them for all to the inward Anointing, (which teacheth all Things) as the most firm, conftant, and certain Bulwark, against. all Seducers.

3. Lafting.

And Laftly, That it is a lafting and continuing Thing; the Anointing which abideth; if it had not been to abide in them, it could not have taught them all Things, neither guided them against all Hazard. From which I argue thus,

He that hath an Anointing abiding in him, which teacheth him all Things, fo that he needs no Man to teach him, hath an inward and immediate Teacher,

and

and hath fome Things inwardly and immediately
Revealed unto him.

But the Saints have fuch an Anointing:
Therefore, &c.

I could prove this Doctrine from many more Places of Scripture, which for Brevity's fake I omit; and now come to the fecond Part of the Propofition, where the Objections usually formed against it are answered.

§. XIII, The most usual is, That thefe Revelations Objec.

are uncertain,

But this befpeaketh much Ignorance in the Op Answ. pofers; for we diftinguish betwixt the Thefis and the Hypothefis; that is, betwixt the Propofition and Suppofition. For it is one Thing to affirm, that the true and undoubted Revelation of God's Spirit, is certain and infallible; and another Thing to affirm, that this or that particular Perfon, or People is led infallibly by this Revelation, in what they fpeak or write; because they affirm themselves to be fo led, by the inward and immediate Revelation of the Spirit. The first is only by us afferted, the latter may be called in Question. The Queftion is not, who are, or are not fo led? But whether all ought not, or may not be fo led?

53

dance pro

Seeing then, we have already proved, that Chrift The Cerhath promised his Spirit to lead his Children, and tainty of the that every one of them both ought, and may be Spirit's Gui led by it; If any depart from this certain Guide, ved in Deeds, and yet in Words pretend to be led by it, into Things that are not good, it will not from thence follow, that the true Guidance of the Spirit is uncertain, or ought not to be followed; no more than it will follow, that the Sun theweth not Light, because a Blind Man, or one who wilfully fhuts his Eyes, falls into a Ditch at Noon-day, for Want of Light: Or that no Words are spoken, becaufe a Deaf Man hears them not: Or that a Garden full of fragrant Flowers has no fweet Smell, becaufe he, G 2 that