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have a longer, after millions of Ages, than they had the first Year, or Day, from whence we may be fupposed to begin the computation of thofe Ages. For a longer or fhorter Duration must fuppofe a Beginning, from whence the computation is made; and therefore that which is eternal, and had no Beginning, can have neither a longer nor a fhorter Duration, but always the fame: and by confequence, Time can bear no proportion to Eternity, because that which had a Beginning can bear no proportion to that which had none. Yet Eternity muft coexift with Time, in all the Differences and Succeffions of it, and must be prefent with every part of it; that is, the Eternal Being exists the space, fuppofe, of a thousand Years, and a Temporal or Created Being exifts at the fame time as long, and the Temporal Being becomes a thousand Years older than it was, but the Eternal no older than it was before; becaufe, tho' it coexift with Time, yet it has no refpect to the divifion of it into Paft, Present and Future. There is no Mystery in Religion more difficult and perplexing than this; and yet this is no more than what every one, tho' he be a Deift, or an Atheist, must acknowledge to believe, if he will but confider it.

2. Whoever believes that there is a God, and yet believes no Revelation, or that the Scriptures are not by Revelation from him, muft believe a God, and yet deny the Divine Attributes; he must believe that there is a God, who is not effentially just, and good, and holy, which is, in effect, to believe no God at all, as I have proved at large in the former Book.

* Ἔδι γ' ἔδς θεὸν ὄντα καὶ ἀγαθὸν ἐπαμυίαι τοῖς διόλω λό σι, καὶ ἀπρακίου με απορίαι διαβόλας φθόνον, &c. Τί δὴ ἄρα λοιπὸν ἔδε δρᾶν + 7 ὅλων δημιεργόν ; ραχωρῆσαι Κρα Τῶν ἢ ἐπὶ γῆς τοῖς ἀκαθάρτοις δαίμοσι, &c. Στα πῶς μ αΓαθός, εἰ μελὸν ἀμοζητὶ καὶ λίαν * ταῦτα δρῶν, ἐδενὸς ἡμᾶς iwoe 6. Cyrill. Alex. contr. Julian. lib. 8.

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Much more might be faid upon fo copious a Subject, but this is enough to make us more humble and modeft, in judging of the Divine Myfteries. For fhall poor Mortals, who know fo little, and that little fo imperfectly, prefume to cenfure the Holy Scriptures, because they contain things, which they cannot understand? Shall he, that cannot fully explain the Nature of the vileft Infect, reject what God hath deliver'd concerning himself, because he doth not comprehend it? The thoughts of mortal men are miserable, and our devices are but uncertain. For the corruptible body preffeth down the foul, and the earthly tabernacle weigheth down the mind, that mufeth upon many things. And hardly do we guefs aright at things that are upon earth, and with labour do we find the things that are before us': but the things that are in heaven, who bath fearched out? Wifd. ix. 14, 15, 16,

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"But out of the Contemplation of Nature, and "out of the Principles of humane Reafon, to dif "course, or earnestly to urge a point touching the "Myfteries of Faith; and again to be curiously fpe"culative into thofe Secrets, to ventilate them, and "to be inquifitive into the manner of the Mystery, "is in my Judgment not fafe: Da fidei, que fidei "funt. For the Heathens themfelves conclude as "much, in the excellent and divine Fable of the Gol"den Chain, that Men and Gods were not able to "draw Jupiter down to the Earth; but contrariwife, "Jupiter was able to draw them up to Heaven. "Wherefore he laboureth in vain, who shall attempt "to draw down Heavenly Myfteries to our Reafon; "it rather becomes us to raife and advance our Rea"fon to the adored Throne of Divine Truth.

Lord Bacon's Advancement of Learning, B. 3. c. 2.

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CHAP. II.

Of Inspiration.

LL the Motion of Material things is deriv'd from God, and the best account which those who have the most study'd the Nature of Motion, have been able to give of it is only this, that it is an Effect of the Divine Power manifefting it felf according to certain Laws or Rules, which God has been pleas'd to prefcribe for the Communication of Motion from one Body to another. And it is at least as conceivable by us, that God doth act upon the Immaterial, as that he acts upon the Material part of the World, and highly reasonable to fuppofe, that he concerns himself with our Souls much more than with our Bodies. There is no doubt to be made, but that feparate and unbody'd Spirits have ways of converfing, or communicating their Thoughts to one another Indeed, all the Communication and Difcourse, that is among Men in this World, is properly between their Souls, which use their Bodies as Inftruments for the Conveyance of their Thoughts and Notions from one to another; and as their Bodies are more or less fit and ferviceable to this end, fo their Difcourfe is more or lefs easily convey'd ; and therefore Souls, when they are at liberty from thefe Bodies, must have a Power to communicate their own Thoughts, in a way much more free and unconfin'd, than in this Life; as they have more Knowledge in a feparate State, fo they must have fitter means to communicate it. And fince the Happiness of Heaven confifts in the Vision of God, that is, in the Communications of the Divine Wisdom and Goodness, God certainly can as well act upon the Minds of Men in this mortal State, though we be lefs capable of receiving

or obferving the Influences of his Spirit. Since finite Spirits can act one upon another, it is reasonable to believe that the Spirit of God, the God of the Spirits of all Flesh doth move and work upon the Spirits of Men, that he enlightens their Understandings, and inclines their Wills by a fecret Power and Influence in the methods of his ordinary Grace. That, when he reveals no New Objects of Faith to them, he difpofes and enables them to believe thofe already reveal'd, and to live fuitably to fuch a Belief. And he can likewife act upon the Wills and the Understandings of fome Men with a clearer and more powerful Light and Force, than he is pleas'd to do upon others, in fuch a manner as to render them infallible in receiving and delivering his Pleasure and Commandments to the World. He can fo reveal himself to them, by the Operations of his Holy Spirit, as that they shall be infallibly affur'd of what is reveal'd to them, and as infallibly affure others of it. Which kind of Revelation is ftyl'd Inspiration, becaufe God doth not only move and actuate the Minds of fuch Men; but vouchfafes to 'em the extraordinary Communications of his Spirit; the Spirit then more efpecially may be liken'd to the Wind, to which it is compared in Scripture: for by strong Convictions, and forcible, but gracious Impreffions, he breaths upon their Souls, and infufes his Divine Truths into them. But upon thofe, to whom God did thus reveal himself by inward Light and Knowledge, he did moreover bestow a Power of giving external Evidence by miraculous Works, that their Pretences were real, and that what they spoke was not of themselves, but was reveal'd to them from God. This Infpiration the Apostles profefs'd to have, both in their Preaching and Writings, and this Evidence they gave of it.

In fpeaking of the Inspiration, by which the Scriptures were written, I. I fhall fhew wherein the Infpiration of the Writers of the Scriptures did confist, or

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how far it extended. II. I fhall from thence make fuch Inferences, as may afford a fufficient Anfwer to the Objections alledg'd upon this Subject.

I. I fhall fhew wherein the Infpiration of the Writers of the Scriptures did confift, or how far it extended. And here we must confider both the Matter and the Words of Scripture. The Matter is either concerning things reveal'd, and which could not be known but by Revelation, or it is fomething which was the Object of Senfe and Matter of Fact, as when the Apoftlés teftify, that our Saviour was crucify'd, and rofe again; or laftly, it is matter of Reason, as Difcourfes upon Moral Subjects, and Inferences made from things reveal'd, or from matter of Fact. God, who is a Spirit, can speak as intelligibly to the Spirits and Minds of Men, as Men can speak to the Ear, and In things which could not be known but by Revelation, the Notions were fuggefted and infufed into the Minds of the Apostles and Prophets by the Holy Ghost, but they might be left to put them into their own Words, being fo directed in the use of them, as to give infallibly the Senfe and full Importance of the Revelation. In matters of Fact, their Memories were, according to our Saviour's Promife, affifted and confirm'd. In matters of Difcourfe or Reasoning, either from their own Natural Notions, or from things Reveal'd, or from Matters of Fact, their Understandings were enlightned, and their Judgments ftrengthned. And ftill in all cafes their natural Faculties were fo fupported and guided both in their Notions and Words, as that nothing fhould come into their Writings, but what is infallibly true. They had always the Life of their Faculties, tho' under the infallible Direction and Conduct of the Holy Ghost, and in

•~•~Præteřéa ícito, unumquemque Prophetam peculiare quid habere, & ea lingua, eaque loquendi ratione, quæ ipfi eft familiaris & contueta, ipfum impelli à Prophetia fua ad loquendum ei, qui intelfigic ipfum, Maimon. More Nevoch. Part. 2. c. 29.

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