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and his will, and partly by their miniftry to be communicated unto the church. So was it granted unto Enoch the seventh from Adam, who thereon prophefied to the warning and inftruction of others: Jude xiv. 15. And to Noah, who became thereby a "preacher of righteousness," 3 Pet. ii. 5. And to Abraham, who thereon commanded his children and household to keep the way of the Lord, Gen. xviii. 19. And other inftances of the like kind may be given: Gen. iv. 26. chap. v. 28. And this courfe did God continue a long time, even from the first promise to the giving of the law, before any revelations were committed to writing, for the space of 2460 years. For so long a season did God enlighten the minds of men by fupernatural external immediate occafional revelations. Sundry things may be observed of this divine dispensation, As,

1. That it did fufficiently evidence itself to be from God, unto the minds of thofe unto whom it was granted, and theirs alfo unto whom these revelations were by them communicated. For during this feafon Satan ufed his utmost endeavours to poffefs the minds of men with his delufions under the pretence of divine fupernatural inspirations. For hereunto belongs the original of all his oracles, and enthufiafms among the nations of the world. There was therefore a divine power and efficacy attending all divine revelations afcertaining and infallibly affuring the minds of men of their being from God. For if it had not been so, men had never been able to secure themselves, that they were not imposed on by the crafty deceits of Satan, especially in fuch revelations as feemed to contain things contrary to their reason, as in the command given to Abraham for the facrificing his fon, Gen. xxii. 2. Wherefore these immediate revelations had not been a fufficient means to fecure the faith and obedience of the church, if they had not carried along with them their own evidence that they were from God. Of what nature that evidence was, we shall afterwards enquire, For the

present I shall only fay, that it was an evidence unto faith and not to sense; as is that also which we have now by the fcripture. It is not like that which the fun gives of itself by its light, which there needs no exercise of reason to affure us of; for fenfe is irrefiftibly affected with it. But it is like the evidence which the heavens and the earth give of their being made and created of God, and thereby of his being and power. This they do undeniably and infallibly. Pfal. xix. 1, 2. Rom. i. 19, 20, 21. Yet is it required hereunto, that men do use and exercise the beft of their rational abilities in the confideration and contemplation of them. Where this is neglected, notwithstanding their open and vifible evidence unto the contrary, men degenerate into Atheism. God fo gave

out these revelations of himself, as to require the exercife of the faith, confcience, obedience, and reafon of them unto whom they were made, and therein they gave full afsurance of their proceeding from him. So he tells us that his word differeth from all other pretended revelations, as the wheat doth from the chaff, Jer. xxiii. 28. But yet it is our duty to try and fift the wheat from the chaff, or we may not evidently difcern the one from the other.

2. The things fo revealed were fufficient to guide and direct all perfons in the knowledge of their duty to God, in all that was required of them in a way of faith or obedience. God from the beginning gave out the knowledge of his will rugs, by fundry parts and degrees; yet fo that every age and feafon had light enough to guide them in the whole obedience required of them, and unto their edification therein. They had knowledge enough to enable them to offer facrifices in faith, as did Abel; to walk with God, as did Enoch, and to teach their families the fear of the Lord, as did Abraham. The world perished not for want of fufficient revelation of the mind of God at any time. Indeed when we go to confider those divine inftructions which are upon record, that God

granted unto them, we are scarce able to difcern how they were fufficiently enlightened in all that was neceffary for them to believe and do. But they were unto them "as a light fhining in a dark place." Set up but a candle in a dark room, and it will fufficiently enlighten it, for men to attend their neceffary occafions therein. But when the fun is rifen and fhineth in at all the windows, the light of the candle grows fo dim and useless, that it seems strange that any could have advantage thereby. The Sun of Righteousness is now risen upon us, and immortality is brought to light by the gofpel. If we look now on the revelations granted unto them of old, we may yet see there was light in them, which yields us little more advantage than the light of a candle in the fun. But unto them who lived before this Sun arofe, they were a fufficient guide unto all duties of faith and obedience. For,

3. There was during this feafon a fufficient ministry, for the declaration of the revelations, which God made of himself and his will. There was the natural miniftry of parents, who were obliged to inftruct their children and families in the knowledge of the truth which they had received. And whereas this began in Adam, who first received the promife, and therewithal whatsoever was neceffary unto faith and obedience; the knowledge of it could not be loft without the wilful neglect of parents in teaching, or of children and families in learning. And they had the extraordinary ministry of such as God entrusted new revelations withal, for the confirmation and enlargement of thofe before received, who were all of them preachers of righteousness unto the rest of mankind. And it may be manifefted, that from the giving of the first promise, when divine external revelations began to be the rule of faith and life unto the church, to the writing of the law; there was always alive one or other, who receiving divine revelations immediately, were a kind of infallible guides unto others. If it was other

wife at any time, it was after the death of the patriarchs, before the call of Mofes, during which time all things went into darkness and confufion. For oral tradition alone would not preferve the truth of former revelations. But by whom these instructions were received, they had a sufficient outward means for their illumination, before any divine revelations were recorded by writing. Yet,

4. This way of inftruction, as it was in itself imperfect, and liable to many disadvantages, fo through the weaknefs, negligence, and wickedness of men, it proved infufficient to retain the knowledge of God in the world. For under this difpenfation the generality of mankind fell into their great apoftacy from God, and betook themselves unto the conduct and service of the devil; of the ways, means, and degrees whereof I have difcourfed* elsewhere. Hereon God alfo regarded them not, but "fuffered all nations. to walk in their own ways," Acts xiv. 16. giving them up to their own hearts' lufts to "walk in their own counsels," as it is expreffed, Pfal. lxxxi. 12. And although this fell not out without the horrible wickedness and ingratitude of the world; yet there being then no certain ftandard of divinę truth, whereunto they might repair, they brake off the eafier from God through the imperfection of this difpen'fation. If it fhall be faid, that fince the revelation of the will of God hath been committed into writing, men have apoftatized from the knowledge of God, as is evident in many nations of the world, which fometimes profeffed the gofpel, but are now overrun with heathenifm, Mahometifm, and idolatry: I fay, this hath not come to pass through any defect in the way and means of illumination, or the communication of the truth unto them; but God hath given them up to be destroyed for their wickedness and ingratitude, and unless "we repent, we shall all likewise perifh," Rom. i. 18. 2 Theff. ii. 11, 12. Otherwise where the standard of the word is once fixed, there is a constant means of preferving divine revelations. Wherefore,

De Natura Theologiæ, lib. 3.

Thirdly, God hath gathered up into the scripture all divine revelations given out by himself from the beginning of the world, and all that ever shall be so to the end thereof, which are of general use unto the church, that it may be throughly inftructed in the whole mind and will of God, and directed in all that worship of him, and obedience unto him, which is neceffary to give us acceptance with him here, and to bring us unto the eternal enjoyment of him hereafter. For (1.) When God first committed the law to writing, with all thofe things which accompanied it, he obliged the church unto the use of it alone, without additions of any kind. Now this he would not have done, had he not expreffed therein, that is the books of Mofes, all that was any way needful unto the faith and obedience of the church. For he did not only command them to attend with all diligence unto his word, as it was then written for their instruction and direction in faith and obedience, annexing all forts of promifes unto their fo doing, Deut vi. 6, 7. but also exprefsly forbids them, as was said, to add any thing thereunto, or to conjoin any thing therewith, Deut. iv. 2. chap xii. 32. which he would not have done, had he omitted other divine revelations, before given, that were any way neceffary unto the use of the church. As he added many new ones, fo he gathered in all the old from the unfaithful repofitory of tradition, and fixed them in a writing given by divine inspiration. (2.) For all other divine revelations, which were given out to the church, for its ufe in general, under the Old Teftament, they are all comprised in the following books thereof; nor was this, that I know of, ever queftioned by any perfon pretending to fobriety; though fome, who would be glad of any pretence against the integrity and perfection of the Scripture, have fruitlessly wrangled about the lofs of fome books, which they can never prove concerning any one, that was certainly of a divine original. (3.) The full revelation of the whole mind of God, whereunto nothing pretending thereunto is ever to be added, was committed unto, and