of Faith,

quens.

and certain Belief of the Mind, whereby it refteth, and in a Senfe poffeffeth the Subftance of fome Things hoped for, through its Confidence in the Promife of God: And thus the Soul hath a moft firm Evidence, by its Faith, of Things not yet feen nor come. to pafs. The Object of this Faith, is the Promife, Word, or Teftimony of God, fpeaking in the Mind. Hence it hath been generally affirmed, That the The Object Object of Faith is Deus Loquens, &c. that is, God Deus Lo Speaking, &c. Which is almost manifest from all thofe Examples, deduced by the Apoftle throughout that whole Chapter, whofe Faith was founded neither upon any outward Teftimony, nor upon the Voice or Writing of Man, but upon the Revelation of God's Will, manifeft unto them, and in them; as in the Example of Noah, ver. 7.thus, By Faith Noah being warned of God, of Things not feen as yet, moved with Fear, prepared an Ark to the faving of his House; by the which he condemned the World, and became Heir of the Righteousness which is by Faith. What was here the Object of Noah's Faith, but God fpeaking unto him? He had not the Writings nor Prophefyings of any going before, nor yet the Concurrence of any Church or People, to ftrengthen him; and yet his Faith in the Word, by which he contradicted the whole World, faved him and his Houfe. Of which Abraham's alfo Abraham is fet forth as a fingular Example, being therefore called the Father of the Faithful, who is faid against Hope to have believed in Hope; in that he not only willingly forfook his Father's Country, not knowing whither he went; in that he believed concerning the Coming of Ifaac, though contrary to natural Probability; but above all, in that he refufed not to offer him up, not doubting but God was able to raise him from the Dead; of whom it is faid, That in Ifaac fball thy Seed be called. And laft of all, In that he rested in the Promife, that his Seed fhould poffefs the Land, wherein himself was but a Pilgrim, and which to them was not to be ful

Noah's Faith.

Faith

filled while divers Ages after. The Object of Abraham's Faith, in all this, was no other, but inward and immediate Revelation, or God fignifying his Will unto him inwardly and immediately by his Spirit.

But because, in this Part of the Propofition, we made alfo mention of external Voices, Appearances, and Dreams in the Alternative, I think alfo fit to speak hereof, what, in that Respect, may be objected; to wit,

That thofe, who found their Faith now upon Immedi- Objett, ate and Objective Revelation, ought to have also outward Voices or Vifions, Dreams or Appearances for it:

of Men to

It is not denied, but God made ufe of the Minif-ns. try of Angels, who, in the Appearance of Men, The Minif. fpake outwardly to the Saints of old, and that he did try of Analso reveal fome Things to them in Dreams and Vi-gels peakfions; none of which we will affirm to be ceafed, Appearance fo as to limit the Power and Liberty of God, in the Saints manifefting himself towards his Children. But of old. while we are confidering the Object of Faith, we must not stick to that which is but Circumftantially and Accidentally fo, but to that which is Univerfal ly and Subftantially fo.

Next again, We muft diftinguish betwixt that which in it felf is fubject to Doubt and Delufion, and therefore is received for, and because of another; and that which is not fubject to any Doubt, but is received fimply for, and because of its felf, as being Prima Veritas, the very First and Original Truth. Let us then confider how, or how far, these outward Voices, Appearances and Dreams, were the Revelations Object of the Saints Faith: Was it because they and Visions were fimply Voices, Appearances or Dreams? Nay certainly, we know, and they were not ignorant, that the Devil can form a found of Words, and convey it to the outward Ear; that he can easily deceive the outward Senfes, by making Things to appear, that are not. Yea, do we not fee by daily

E

Experi

by Dreams

Object.

Anfw.

Experience, that the Jugglers and Mountebanks can do as much as all that, by their Legerdemain? God forbid then, that the Saints Faith should be founded upon fo fallacious a Foundation, as Man's outward and fallible Senfes. What made them then give Credit to these Vifions? Certainly nothing elfe, but the fecret Testimony of God's Spirit in their Hearts, affuring them that the Voices, Dreams and Vilions, were of and from God. Abraham believed the Angels, but who told him that these Men were Angels? We must not think his Faith then was built upon his outward Senfes, but proceeded from the fecret Perfwafion of God's Spirit in his Heart. This then muft needs be acknowledged to be originally and principally the Object of the Saints Faith; without which there is no true and certain Faith, and by which many times Faith is begotten and strengthened, without any of these outward or vifible Helps; as we may obferve in many Paffages of the Holy Scripture, where it is only mentioned, And God faid, &c. And the Word of the Lord came unto fuch and fuch, saying, &c.

But if any one fhould pertinaciously affirm, That this did import an outward audible Voice to the Carnal Ear.

I would gladly know, what other Argument fuch an one could bring for this his Affirmation, faving The Spirit his own fimple Conjecture. It is faid indeed, The fpeakstothe Spirit witnelleth with our Spirit; but not to our outSpiritual Ear, not to ward Ears, Rom. viii 16. And feeing the Spirit of

the out

ward.

God is within us, and not without us only, it speaks to our fpiritual, and not to our bodily Ear. Therefore I fee no Reafon, where it's fo often faid in Scripture, The Spirit faid, moved, hindred, called fuch or fuch a one, to do or forbear fuch or fuch a Thing, that any have to conclude, that this was not an Inward Voice to the Ear of the Soul, rather than an Outward Voice to the Bodily Ear. If any be otherwife minded, let them, if they can, produce

their Arguments, and we may further confider of them.

From all then which is above declared, I fhall deduce an Argument, to conclude the Probation of this Affertion, thus:

That which any one firmly believes, as the Ground and Foundation of his Hope in God, and Life Eternal, is the formal Object of his Faith.

But the inward and immediate Revelation of God's Spirit, fpeaking in and unto the Saints, was by them believed, as the Ground and Foundation of their Hope in God, and Life Eternal.

Therefore these inward and immediate Revelations were the formal Object of their Faith.

§. IX. That which now cometh under Debate, is, Affert. V what we afferted in the laft Place, to wit, That the proved, fame continueth to be the Object of the Saints Faith unto this Day. Many will agree to what we have faid before, who differ from us herein.

There is nevertheless a very firm Argument confirming the Truth of this Affertion, included in the Propolition it felf, to wit, That the Object of the Saints Faith is the fame in all Ages, tho' held forth under divers Adminiftrations. Which I fhall reduce to an Argument, and prove thus:

Firit, Where the Faith is one, the Object of the Faith

is one.

But the Faith is one: Therefore, &c.

That the Faith is one, is the express Words of the Apoftle, Eph. iv. 5. who placeth the one Faith with the one God; importing no lefs, than, that to affirm two Faiths, is as abfurd as to affirm two Gods.

Moreover, if the Faith of the Ancients were not one and the fame with Ours, i. e. agreeing in Substance therewith, and receiving the fame Definition, it had been impertinent for the Apoftle, Heb. xi. to have illuftrated the Definition of our Faith, by the Ex-The Faith amples of that of the Ancients, or to go about to of the move us by the Example of Abraham, if Abraham's old the fam Faith with Ours

E 2

Saints of

Obje&.

Answer.

Faith were different in Nature from Ours. Nor doth hence any Difference arife, because they believed in Chrift, with respect to his Appearance outwardly as future; and we, as already appeared: For, neither did they then fo believe in him to come, as not to feel him present with them, and witnefs him near; feeing the Apostle faith, They all drank of that fpiritual Rock which followed them, which Rock was Chrift. Nor do we fo believe concerning his Appearance paft, as not alfo to feel and know him prefent with us, and to feed upon him; except Chrift (faith the Apoftle) be in you, ye are Reprobates; fo that both Our Faith is one, terminating in one and the fame Thing. And as to the other Part or Confequence of the Antecedent; to wit, That the Object is one, where the Faith is one; the Apostle alfo proveth it in the forecited Chapter, where he makes all the Worthies of old, Examples to us. Now wherein are they imitable, but because they believed in God? And what was the Object of their Faith, but inward and immediate Revelation, as we have before proved? Their Example can be no ways applicable to us, except we believe in God, as they did; that is, by the fame Object. The Apoftle clears this yet further by his own Example, Gal. i. 16. where he faith, So foon as Chrift was revealed in him, he confulted not with Flesh and Blood, but forthwith believed and obeyed. The fame Apostle, Heb. xiii. 7, 8. where he exhorteth the Hebrews to follow the Faith of the Elders, adds this Reafon, Confidering the End of their Converfation, Jefus Chrift, the fame to Day, Yesterday, and for ever: Hereby notably infinuating, that in the Object there is no Alteration.

If any now object the Diverfity of Adminiftration: I anfwer; That altereth not at all the Object: For the fame Apoftle mentioning this Diverfity three times, Cor. xii. 4, 5, 6. centereth always in the fame Object; the fame Spirit, the faime Lord, the Lame God.

But