IV. V. Fourthly, That these revelations were the And Lastly, That the same continueth to be the object of the saints' faith to this day. Of each of these I shall speak a little particularly, and then proceed to the latter part. proved. SV. As to the first, viz. That there is no knowl- Assert, 1. edge of the Father but by the Son, it will easily be proved, being founded upon the plain words of scripture, and is therefore a fit medium from whence to deduce the rest of our assertions. For the infinite and most wise God, who is the foundation, root, and spring of all operation, hath wrought all things by his eternal Word and Son. This is that WORD that was in the beginning with God, John i: 1, and was God, by whom all things were made, and with- 2, 3. out whom was not any thing made that was made. This is that Jesus Christ by whom God created all things, Eph. iii. 9. by whom, and for whom, all things were created, that are in heaven and in earth, visible and invisible, whether they be thrones, or dominions, or principalities, or powers, Col. i. 16. who therefore is called, The first born of every creature, Col. i. 15. As then that infinite and incomprehensible fountain of life and motion operateth in the creatures by his own eternal word and power, so no creature has access again unto him. but in and by the Sou, according to his own express words, No man knoweth the Father but the Son, and he to whom the Son will reveal him, Mat. xi. 27. Luke x. 22. And again, he himself saith, I am the way, the truth, and the life; no man cometh unto the Father but by mc, Jolın xiv. 6. Hence he is fitly called, The Mediator betwixt God and man: for, having been with God from all eternity, being himself God, and also in time partaking of the nature of man, through him is the goodness and love of God conveyed to mankind, and by him again man receiveth and partaketh of these mercies. Assert. 2. proved. Hence is easily deduced the proof of this first assertion, thus : If no man knoweth the Father but the Son, and he to whom the Son will reveal him, then there is no knowledge of the Father but by the Son. But, no man knoweth the Father but the Son. Therefore there is no knowledge of the Father but by the Son. The first part of the antecedent are the plain words of scripture: the consequence thereof is undeniable; except one would say, that he hath the knowledge of the Father, while yet he knows him not; which were an absurd repugnance. Again, if the Son be the way, the truth, and the life, and that no man cometh unto the Father, but by him; then there is no knowledge of the Father but by the Son. But the first is true: therefore the last. The antecedent are the very scripture words: the consequence is very evident: for how can any know a thing, who useth not the way, without which it is not knowable? But it is already proved, that there is no other way but by the Son; so that whoso uses not that way, cannot know him, neither come unto him. § VI. Having then laid down this first principle, I come to the second, viz. That there is no knowledge of the Son but by the Spirit; or, That the revelation of the Son of God is by the Spirit. Where it is to be noted, that I always speak of the saving, certain, and necessary knowledge of God; which that it cannot be acquired otherways than by the Spirit, doth also appear from many clear scriptures. For Jesus Christ, in and by whom the Father is revealed, doth also reveal himself to his disciples and friends in and by his Spirit. As his manifestation was outward, when he testified and witnessed for the truth in this world, and approved himself faithful throughout, so be of God are of God. ing now withdrawn, as to the outward man, he doth teach and instruct mankind inwardly by his own Spirit; He standeth at the door and knocketh, and whoso heareth his voice and openeth, he comes in to such, Rev. iii. 20. Of this revelation of Christ in him Paul speaketh, Gal. i. 16. in which he placeth the excellency of his ministry, and the certainty of his calling. And the promise of Christ to his disciples, Lo, I am with you to the end of the world, confirmeth the same thing; for this is an inward and spiritual presence, as all acknowledge: but what relates hereto will again occur. I shall deduce the proof of this proposition from two manifest places of scripture: the first is, 1 Cor.ii. 11, 12. Proof 1. What man knoweth the things of a man, save the spirit of a man which is in him? Even so the things of God The things knoweth no man, but the Spirit of God. Now we have known by received not the spirit of the world, but the Spirit which the Spirit is of God, that we might know the things which are freely given us of God. The apostle in the verses before, speaking of the wonderful things which are prepared for the saints, after he hath declared that the natural man cannot reach them, adds, that they are revealed by the Spirit of God, ver. 9, 10. giving this reason, For the Spirit searcheth all things, even the deep things of God. And then he bringeth in the comparison, in the verses above-mentioned, very apt, and answerable to our purpose and doctrine, that as the things of a man are only known by the spirit of man, so the things of God are only known by the Spirit of God; that is, that as nothing below the spirit of man (as the spirit of brutes, or any other creatures) can properly reach unto or comprehend the things of a man, as being of a nobler and higher nature, so neither can the spirit of man, or the natural man, as the apostle in the 14th verse subsumes, receive nor discern the things of God, or the things that are spiritual, as being also of an higher nature: which the apostle Proof II. No can man Jesus Lord &c. himself gives for the reason, saying, Neither can ne know them, because they are spiritually discerned. So that the apostle's words, being reduced to an argument, do very well prove the matter under debate, thus: If that which appertaineth properly to man, cannot be discerned by any lower or baser principle than the spirit of man; then cannot those things, that properly relate unto God and Christ, be known or discerned by any lower or baser thing than the Spirit of God and Christ. But the first is true: therefore also the second. The whole strength of the argument is contained in the apostle's words before-mentioned; which therefore being granted, I shall proceed to deduce a second argument, thus: That which is spiritual can only be known and discerned by the Spirit of God. But the revelation of Jesus Christ, and the true and saving knowledge of him, is spiritual : Therefore the revelation of Jesus Christ, and the true and saving knowledge of him, can only be known and discerned by the Spirit of God. The other scripture is also a saying of the same apostle, 1 Cor. xii. 3. No man can say that Jesus call is the Lord, but by the Holy Ghost. This scripture, which is full of truth, and answereth full well to the enlightened understanding of the spiritual and real Christian, may perhaps prove very strange to the carnal and pretended follower of Christ, by whom perhaps it hath not been so diligently remarked. Here the apostle doth so much require the Holy Spirit in the things that relate to a Christian, that he positively avers, we cannot so much as affirm Jesus to be the Lord without it; which inSpiritual sinuates no less, than that the spiritual truths of the truths are gospel are as lies in the mouths of carnal and únspirby carnal itual men; for though in themselves they be true,yet men. are they not true as to them, because not known,nor lies spoken uttered forth in and by that principle and spirit that ought to direct the mind and actuate it; in such things they are no better than the counterfeit representations of things in a comedy; neither can it be more truly and properly called a real and true knowledge of God and Christ, than the actions of Alexander the Great, and Julius Cæsar, &c. if now transacted upon a stage, might be called truly and really their doings, or the persons representing them might be said truly and really to have conquered Asia, overcome Pompey, &c. Like the prattling of This knowledge then of Christ, which is not by the revelation of his own Spirit in the heart, is no more properly the knowledge of Christ, than the prattling of a parrot, which has been taught a few words, may be said to be the voice of a man; a parrot. for as that, or some other bird, may be taught to sound or utter forth a rational sentence, as it hath learned it by the outward ear, and not from any living principle of reason actuating it; so just such is that knowledge of the things of God, which the natural and carnal man hath gathered from the words or writings of spiritual men, which are not true to him, because conceived in the natural spirit, and so brought forth by the wrong organ, and not proceeding from the spiritual principle; no more than the words of a man acquired by art, and brought forth by the mouth of a bird, not proceeding from a rational principle, are true with respect to the bird which utters them. Wherefore from this scripture I shall further add this argument: If no man can say Jesus is the Lord, but by the Holy Ghost; then no man can know Jesus to be the Lord, but by the Holy Ghost. But the first is true: therefore the second. From this argument there may be another deduced, concluding in the very terms of this assertion: thus, |