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the Comforter, which is the holy Ghost, whom the Father will fend in my Name, he shall teach you all things, and bring all things to your remembrance, whatfoever I have faid unto you, v. 26. And again, when he the Spirit of truth is come, he will guide you into all truth, for he shall not speak of himself; but whatfoever he shall hear, that fhall be speak; and he will fhew you things to come, John 16. 13.

But these words will not prove the Doctrine of our Adverfaries. For, First, There are two promifes contained in them, which all true Chriftians cannot lay claim to. 1. Our Saviour fays, that the holy Ghoft should bring all things to their remembrance, whatsoever he had faid unto them, John 14. 26. Now this promife could not be made to any Perfons, but thofe whom our Bleffed Lord had convers'd with and preach'd to, whilft he was upon earth. And confequently those Persons who never faw Christ in the flesh, cannot lay claim to it. 2. He fays, that the holy Ghoft fhould shew them things to come, John 16. 13. and yet our Adverfaries do very well know, that all true Chriftians cannot foretel future Events. Secondly, As for all the other promifes contained in these Words, tho' it be granted that all true Chriftians can lay claim to them, yet I have already proved as to the greatest part of them, that they may be very well performed, altho' the Perfons to whom they are performed, do enjoy no

immediate Revelation.

Thofe inftances which have not been as yet confidered, are that the holy Ghost shall, 1. Teach them all things; 2. Guide them into all truth. By thefe Expreffions our Adverfaries themfelves must grant, that we are to understand his teaching us all things neceffary to Salvation, and guiding us into all truth

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neceffary to Salvation. And this the Spirit may and does do, by thofe Holy Books which he dictated to the Infpir'd Writers, and which he has caus'd to be difpers'd abroad for the Direction and Inftruction of our Lords Difciples to the end of the World. So that these particulars here mention'd by our Savior, which can be claim'd by all true Chriftians in general, do not imply, or fuppofe the neceffity of immediate Revelation.

CHA P. IV.

What is meant by being Taught of God. 12.Saiah fpeaking of the Gofpel-State, faies,

Thy Children fhall be all taught of the Lord, ch. 54. 13. And our Savior quotes thofe words to the Jews, faying, It is written in the prophets, and they shall be all taught of God, John 6. 45. from whence our Adverfaries argue, that God teaches Christians the Truths of the Gospel by immediate Revelation.

Now, before I return an Anfwer to this Objection, 'tis neceffary for me to observe, that the method which the Father us'd to convince the Jews, that Jefus was the Chrift, never was by an immediate Revelation of that Truth to their Understandings; but, principally at least, by enabling our Lord to work Miracles, and thereby bearing witness that he was fent of God.

This will appear very plainly, if we confider, First, that our Lord and his Apoftles do not fo much as once upbraid the Jews for not believ ing that immediate Revelation, whereby the Father had declar'd even to themfelves, that he was, the Chrift. And yet doubtless this could not but

have been done and mention'd, if the Father had ever declar'd that Truth to the Jews by immediate Revelation. Secondly, that our Savior and his Apoftles do conftantly appeal to his Miracles for the proof of his Miffion. The works, faies our Lord, which the Father hath given me to finish, the fame works which I do, bear witness of me, that the Father hath sent me. And the Father himself which hath sent me, hath (by enabling me to do thefe Works) born witness of me, John 5. 36, 37. The works that I do in my Fathers name, they bear witness of me, John 10. 5. 'Twas upon the account of his Miracles alfo, that St. John the Baptift inquir'd, whether he were the Chrift. For when John had heard in the prifon the works of Chrift, he fent two of his disciples, and faid unto bim, Art thou he that should come, or do we look for another? Matt. 11. 2, 3. And Jefus bids his Difciples affure their Master of his being the Christ, by faying to them, Go and fhew John again thofe things, which ye do hear and fee. The blind receive their fight, and the lame walk, the lepers are cleansed, and the deaf hear, the dead are raifed up, &c. v. 4, 5. And St. Peter proves to the Jews, that Jesus is the Meffiah, by faying, Jefus of Nazareth, a Man approv'd of God among you, by miracles and wonders and figns, which God did by him in the midst of you, &c. A&ts 2, 22. Thirdly, that our Lord faies to the Jews, If I do not the works of my Father, believe me not. But if I do, tho' ye believe not me, believe the works; that Je may know and believe, that the Father is in me, and I in him, John 10. 37, 38. Nay, he faies, If I had not done among them the works which none other man did, they had not had fin, John 15. 24. So that the Jews had been excu

fable

fable even in rejecting Christ, if his Works had not been his Witnefs. Whereas, had the Father affured the Jews by an immediate Revelation vouchfafed to themselves, that Jefus was the Chrift; they could by no means have been excufable in their unbelief, even tho' Jefus had wrought no Miracles. Because the Father's attefting his Miffion by an immediate Revelation vouchfafed to themselves, had been, without any other evidence, an abundantly fufficient demonstration.

This being premifed, I anfwer, that thofe Perfons who are here faid to be taught of God, were not taught of God by immediate Revelation, but after a very different manner. This cannot be deny'd by thofe, who will impartially confider the whole verfe. Our Lord faies, It is written in the prophets, and they shall be all taught of God. Every man therefore, that hath heard, and learned of the Father, cometh unto me. 'Tis to be obferv'd here, that a Man's being taught of God in the Prophets phrafe, is his having heard and learned of the Father in our Savior's phrafe. For our Savior proves, that every Man, that hath heard and learned of the Father, comes to him; because the Prophet faies, And they shall be all taught of God. Whereas this Argument would not be conclufive, if thofe who have heard and learned of the Father, be not the fame that are taught of God. And therefore being taught of God, and having heard and learned of the Father, denote one and the fame thing. And confequently, when we understand, what a Man's having heard and learned of the Father means; we shall alfo know what is meant by a Man's being taught of God.

Now, what a Man's having heard and learned

of the Father means, appears from the effect of it. Our Savior faies, Every Man that hath heard and learned of the Father, cometh unto me. By which coming to Chrift, we are to understand believing on him, and becoming his Difciple. And therefore believing on Chrift, and being his Difciple, is the effect of a Man's having heard and learned of the Father. Now our Savior is there fpeaking to the Jews, with whom (as I have already fhewn) he does not any where make use of immediate Revelation, as an Argument to perfuade them to believe on him but he generally appeals to his Miracles,as the proof of his Miffion; and requires them to believe on him, upon the account of thofe mighty Works, which the Father enabled him to perform. And confequently, that having heard and learned of the Father, in confequence of which they would have believed on Chrift, and become his Difciples, was not their being informed by immediate Revelation, that he was the Christ but their being convinced of that Truth, principally at leaft, by the evidence of thofe Miracles, which the Father wrought by him.

And fince being taught of God, and having heard and learned of the Father, do fignify one and the fame thing; therefore their being taught of God imports, not their being inform'd by immediate Revelation that Jesus was the Chrift; but their being convinced of that Truth fome other way, and principally by the evidence of thofe Miracles which the Father wrought by him. And how widely different this way of God's teaching is from that way of God's teaching by immediate Revelation, which our Adverfaries make neceffary in order to a faving Chriftian Faith; and confequently,how impertinently this Text is alledged by our Adverfaries to prove the

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