THE Words before us contain two Things, viz.

• 1. A solemn Caution from the holy Apostle to all Christians, not to be­lieve every, Spirit, but to try the Spirits, whether they are of God. That is, not presently to believe every Pretender to divine Re­velations to be under the Conduct of the Spirit of [Page 2]Truth, because he himself had Confidence enough to affirm it: but to examine first what Right such Persons could make out to such Pretences; and not to receive the Dictates of any Man as divine Ora­cles, whatever specious Pretences he might make, without sufficient Reason to believe him a Teacher sent from God.
• 2. We have a very good Reason for the Caution given, viz. Because many false Prophets were gone out into the World: because many who set themselves up for Teachers, and delivered the Devices of their own Hearts, or the Suggestions of the wicked one, yet pretended that they spake only as they were moved by the holy Ghost.

From the Words we may observe,

• 1. That during the Lives of the Apostles themselves there were many false Pretenders to divine Revelation. Many false Prophets are gone out into the World; deceitful Workers, transforming themselves into the Apo­stles of Christ ^*. This was indeed a notable Instance of the strong Delusion to which Mankind is liable; or else of the Corruption and desperate Wickedness of the Heart of Man: that any should dare to ven­ture upon so vile an Enterprize, while the Apostles themselves were living, who had the Gift of dis­cerning Spirits; who had Authority eno' with all true Christians to expose such Impostors; and who had so much Power with God, as sometimes to inflict Diseases, and even Death itself, on the Children of the Divel. But yet it was no marvel (as the Apostle Paul speaks ^†) for Satan himselt is transformed into an Angel of Light. Therefore it is no great Thing if his Ministers also be transformed as the Ministers of Righ­teousness, [Page 3]whose End shall be according to their Works. It would be beside my present Design, to enquire who these false Prophets were; or what false Doc­trines or pernicious Practices they introduced. 'Tis enough that my Text expresly tells us, there were such; and that the Number of them was not small.
• 2 We may observe, that there were sufficient Means for the People of God to know that these false Preten­ders to divine Revelations were not of God. For it would not have been a serious, wholsome Charge, but a cruel Mockery in the Apostle, to bid them try the Spirits, whether they were of God or not; if there had been no sufficient Means or Rules for them to discern the Spirit of Truth from the Spirit of Error by. The Apostle gives them a Rule in the follow­ing Verse, peculiarly suited to discover the false Prophets of his own Time: and there is enough in the holy Scriptures, to enable us to detect such Impostors in all Ages; whatever strong Delusions they may be under themselves, or whatever De­ceivableness of Ʋnrighteousness they may think to con­ceal themselves under from others.
• 3. We may observe, That it was a Thing of dange­rous Consequence, even for those who believed the divine Authority of the Doctrines taught by Jesus Christ and his Apostles, to think other Teachers also to be of God, who were not so. I shall have occasion in the Progress of this Discourse, to give some Instances of the dan­gerous Consequences of such a Mistake; and there­fore I shall forbear mentioning any at present. It will sufficiently justify the making such an Observa­tion from the Text, only to say, that the Apostle wrote this Epistle to such as would never have be­come Christians, if they had not thought the Doc­trines taught by Jesus Christ and his Apostles to be [Page 4]of divine Authority; and yet, that the Apostle ap­prehends them to be in danger from false Pretenders to divine Revelation: otherwise the Warning in my Text would have been needless, the Apostle's Rule of Tryal in the following verse of no Signisi­cancy, and the People of God disquieted and alarmed for nothing. And therefore we way observe,
• 4. That it is the Duty and Interest even of those who believe the divine Authority of the Doctrines taught by Jesus Christ and his Apostles, to examine the Claims of any other Pretenders to divine Revelation; and not to yeild to their Authority, unless there appears good Rea­son to suppose it divine. That it is their Duty is evi­dent from the express Charge of the Apostle, to try the Spirits whether they were of God. And, that it is their Interest, is no less evident from the dangerous Consequences of the neglect of it; which must be supposed to render such a Charge necessary.

And now to apply these Observations to our pre­sent Purpose.

If there were many false Pretenders to divine Re­velations even in the Apostles days, it will be no Mar­vel at all, if there be such in ours: but we may well expect it now, when there is no body qualified like the Apostles to expose and explode such vain or im­pious Pretences.

And if it was the Duty and Interest of Christians then, while the extraordinary Gifts of the holy Spi­rit were very frequent, not to submit themselves to the Authority of any Pretender to divine Revelati­ons, before they had tried and examin'd, whether he were of God or no; it must much more concern us, to take heed to our selves, and be suspicious of all Pretenders now, when the extraordinary Gifts of the holy Spirit are generally supposed to have ceas'd.

[Page 5] And if while the Canon of Scripture was yet imper­fect, the People of God did not want sufficient Means and Rules to distinguish between the Spirit of Truth and the Spirit of Error; we may very well sup­pose our selves thoroughly furnished unto this Work now.

Since then we have Reason enough to expect Pre­tenders to divine Revelation and Authority in our days. I shall enquire,

I. Whether there really are any such? And if there be; since we are so much concerned and have such good Encouragement to endeavour to try the Spirits, I shall examine,

II. Whether they are of God or no? Here then,

I. I am to enquire, Whether there are any Preten­ders to divine Authority and Revelation in our Days! Now under this Inquiry I shall have nothing to do with such as teach any Religions manifestly contra­ry to the Religion taught us in the Scriptures of the Old and New Testament. For since I have long ago proved them to have been given by Inspi­ration of God; and since the God of Truth cannot deny or contradict himself; it is very plain that no Religion can be of God, which is evidently contrary to that taught us in the Scriptures. And therefore I have nothing to do under this Question, with the Religions of the Mahometans or Heathen. Or if I had, they have both been formerly considered and discharged.

Again, since I have long ago proved the Inspira­tion of the Scriptures of the New Testament as well as of the Old; I have nothing to do with the Jews neither, whom we don't charge with false Pretences to divine Revelation, but only with a false Con­struction of the True Oracles of God.

[Page 6] All that I have to do therefore under this Head, is only to enquire, Whether among those that call themselves Christians, and admit that the Scriptures of the Old and New Testament were given by Inspiration of God, there are any that pretend to divine Revelations themselves; or that set up any thing else as of equal Authority with the Scriptures.

And here the Answer is obvious, That among those Christians that call themselves Protestants there is a cer­tain Sect (and perhaps some particular Persons who do not denominate themselves from any Sect) that pretend to divine Revelations: And that the Romanists generally arrogate a Spirit of Infallibility to their own Church; and pretend to have preserved sundry Traditions of the same Original and Authority with the holy Scrip­tures. Now since these Pretensions are not only known and acknowledged, but earnestly contended for, by the Parties or Persons charged with them, there is no need of insisting here.

II. It only remains, that according to the Caution given in my Text, we belive not these Spirits till we have tried whether they are of God; which was a se­cond Thing proposed.

But an Examination of them all would lead me into a larger Field than I purpose to enter at this Time.

My only Business will be with those Sects or Per­sons, who come under the General but (as it is common­ly now used) most [...]ivocal and Indefinite Name of Protestants, who maintain that God is pleased, in our days, to discover religious Truths and Duties to His Children by immediate Revelations. In opposition to which I shall endeavour Two things, viz.

• 1. To show that it is exceeding unlikely that God should do so: And
• [Page 7] 2. To try the Spirits of these modern Pretenders to divine Revelations, by such Rules as the Word of God suggests to us. By which, I think, it will appear, that they must be numbred with the Prophets against whom we are cautioned in my Text.

1. I am to show, That it is exceeding unlikely, that God should discover Religious Truths and Duties to any of his Children in our days by immediate Revelation: And that because it is altogether needless, and would be of no use, but very dangerous if he should.

I am not going here to dispute, whether God is ever pleased in these days upon special occasions, to impress the Spirits of any of his Servants with strong Apprehensions of some Events, which it may be of great Importance to themselves or others, to have some previous Intimations of; but only whe­ther he is pleased to discover religious Truths and Duties to any of them by immediate Revelation: which I suppose he is not.

1. Because it is altogether needless that he should. For a Discovery of religious Truths and Duties by immediate Revelation must be either the same with the Discovery contained in the holy Scriptures, or another, But another Discovery of religious Truths and Duties, than that contained in the holy Scrip­tures, cannot be by divine Revelation; unless God could contradict himself. For I have formerly proved, that the Sciptures of the New Testament give us a full and faithful Account of the Truths and Duties taught by Jesus Christ and his Apostles. Now the Apostle Paul solemnly curses him that should presume to preach any other Gospel than that of Christ, even tho' he were an Angel from Heaven. Gal. 1.7, 8. From whence it plainly follows, that if a Disco­very of religious Truths and Duties should now be made to any Man by immediate divine Revelation, [Page 8]it must be the some, at least in Substance with the Discovery already contained in the Scriptures. And then what Necessity can there be of it? For why may not all the Ends of divine Revelation be an­swered by a Discovery of the Nature and Will of God committed to Writing, and sufficiently attested to be of divine Original; as well as by a new im­mediate Revelation? It would be very unreasona­ble to pretend, that a Man cannot understand Truth and Duty by an external written Revelation, if it be but full and clear enough, as thoroughly as by an inward immediate one. Now that the Revelation contained in the Scriptures is so full as to teach every thing which God requires us to believe or to do, in order to obtain eternal Life; and so clear that, if we would but take the same prudent Me­thods that are necessary to understand almost any other Book or Matter of Importance, we need not be at any Loss about it; is manifest from what the Apostle tells us, 2 Tim. 3 15, 17. that the holy Scriptures are able to make us wise unto Salvation, thro' Faith which is in Jesus Christ: and that the Man of God may be perfect, thoroughly furnished to all good works by them. So that there can be no Pretence of a Necessity of new immediate Revelations to give Men a better Understanding of the important Truths and Duties of our holy Religion.

Nay, in this Respect a standing written Revelation hath the Advantage of an inward immediate one, which is but a transient thing; and so both the Mat­ter and the true Import of it may in a great measure wear out of Memory by length of Time: Whereas inspired Writings are standing Monuments of the Will of God, to which we may have Recourse upon every Doubt or Failure of Memory; and we are [Page 9]furnished with abundant Helps to understand the true Design and Import of them, of which we must be destitute in Case of any Obscurity in a transient Revelation. Now if a Man may be more certain to have an abiding thorough Knowledge of his Du­ty from a standing written Revelation, than from an immediate transient one, then it appears in a stronger Light still, that there can be no Pretence of need of immediate Revelations to fill us with the Knowledge of our Duty; since we are much better provided for already in that Regard, by a perfect standing Revelation of the Will of God conveyed to us in the holy Scriptures.

Objection But perhaps it will be objected here, That the Scriptures speak much of the natural Darkness and Blindness of our Minds, and of their Inability to discern the Things of the Spirit of God, until God who commanded the Light to shine out of Darkness, shine into our Hearts to give the Light of the Knowledge of them. And what can this in­tend less than a Necessity of immediate Revelati. ons?

Answer. To which I answer; That tho' it be a great Truth, that the Understanding of Man in his natural State is so much blinded, that without the gracious Influences of God's Holy Spirit it will never apprehend divine Truths, in such a manner as that the Heart shall be suitably affected and the Life go­verned by the Apprehension of them; yet that im­mediate Operation of God upon Man, which is now necessary to remove the natural Blindness of his Under standing, and make him capable of discerning divine Truths aright, is not an immediate Revela­tion of divine Truths to his Understanding; but only a gracious Removal of those Impediments [Page 10]which would not have suffered his Understanding to perceive those Truths in a spiritual manner, whatever way they might be revealed to him in, whether mediately by the written Word of God, or immediately by inward Revelation. So that this operation of the Spirit of God upon Man, which is now necessary in order to a right understanding of divine Truths, does not at all affect the manner of the Revelation of those Truths; but it only affects the Faculty wherewith alone we can apprehend them, after what manner soever they are revealed. And therefore no Plea for the Necessity of immediate Revelations can be founded upon the Illuminations of the Spirit of God, so often spoken of in the Scrip­tures.

Again, as an immediate Revelation of religious Truths and Duties is not at all necessary to give any Man a competent Understanding of them; since this End is much better provided for by the stand­ing Revelation contained in the Holy Scriptures; so neither is it necessary, to assure Men that such Truths and Duties are of divine Original. For this also they have better Assurance of from the Scriptures, than they could well be supposed to have from immedi­ate Revelation.

Our Lord himself prefers the Testimony of the Scriptures before the Testimony of one rising from the dead ^*. And the Apostle Peter, tho't the Tes­timony of the Scriptures a more sure Word of Prophe­cy than what was delivered by a voice from Hea­ven ^†. And the Matter is too plain almost to admit of any Dispute, with respect to the Scriptures of the New Testament in particular (to say nothing here [Page 11]of those of the Old) that the Witness God was pleas­ed to bear to the Religious Truths and Duties con­tained in them, by Signs and Wonders, Miracles and Gifts of the Holy Ghost (not once or twice, but for a whole Age together) is a much more rational and satisfactory Evidence of the divine Authority of them, than an immediate transient Revelation of the same Truths and Duties to any particular Per­son, without such Signs following to support the Credit of it, well can be.

Now if neither so distinct a Knowledge of religi­ous Truths and Duties, nor so good Assurance of their divine Original, can reasonably be expected by immediate Revelations, as we have already by the holy Scriptures; I think it will not be easy to con­ceive, what Need there can now be of any such Re­velations. For the great Ends of a Revelation are, to give us a sufficient Knowledge of what we are to believe and practise, and sufficient Evidence that it is God who requires these things at our hands: both which are done already, in the best manner that can be, by the holy Scriptures.

But perhaps it will be thought, That tho' there be no absolute Necessity that religious Truths and Duties should now be made known to any Man by immediate Revelation, yet it might be of very good Use, if they should; especially to such as are to be Instructors of others: That a sense of the immediate Operation of the Spirit of God upon their Souls, in revealing divine Things unto them, would very much affect their Hearts, and so fire them with a greater Zeal and Activity in their Master's Service. Which brings me to say,

2. That such immediate Revelations would be no more useful than they are necessary, Indeed there is no [Page 12]doubt to be made, but that they would warm the Heart and raise the Passions for a Season: but there is little Raeson to think, that the Heat would prove lasting; and none at all to imagine, that it would make an habitual Change in the Will and Affecti­ons. For God's presenting Truths to the Under­standing by immediate Revelation, and his bowing the Will and Affection to a Compliance with Duty, are Two as different Actions as can be; and have no necessary Connection at all with each other.

Accordingly we find, that many who have at times had immediate Revelations, have yet lived and died very wicked Men. Thus Balaam who had often heard the words of God, and seen the Visions of the Almighty ^* yet still continued to love the ways of Unrighteousness as well as ever, even after that the dumb Ass speaking with Man's Voice, had forbidden the Madness of the Prophet ^† And so our Saviour himself tells us in Effect, that many that have cast out Devils, done many wonderful Works, and prophesied in his name, shall nevertheless depart from him in the day of Judgment with the Workers of Iniquity ^‖

In short, God hath given us sufficient and abun­dant Evidence of the divine Authority of the holy Scriptures; and in some respects better than any Man can well be supposed to have of the Divinity of a transient Revelation. And therefore as for them who will not hear or regard Moses and the Prophets, Jesus Christ and his Apostles, we are far from having any Reason to think, that they would be effectually persuaded or wrought upon by an im­mediate Revelation: And so such immediate Reve­lation would only serve to raise a sudden Commoti­on [Page 13]in the Soul, and could be of no Use or Advan­tage at all to the Interest of Piety and Religion in it. But I proceed to say,

3. That an Expectation of modern Revelations of re­ligious Truths and Duties to any of the Children of God, would certainly be extreme dangerous: and that both to many of the supposed Subjects of such Revelati­ons, and to many others also.

1. It would be very dangerous to many of the supposed Subjects of such Revelations. For though we have all the Reason in the World to think, that God (who hath given to Men a power of communicating their Tho'ts to one another, in such ways as that they may know assuredly from whom the Communication comes) can never want means Himself to make known his Mind to any of his Children so effectually as that they may be as certain that the Revelation is from God, as they can be at any time that they hear the Words of their most intimate Friends, when they are before their Eyes speaking to them; and tho' it be not unreasonable to think, that if any Person had been once favoured with a true divine Revelati­on, he would know the Operations of the Spirit of God too well, to be ever after imposed upon by the Suggestions of the Devil: yet notwithstanding these Concessions'tis very obvious, that were it once ta­ken for granted, that God did in these days make immediate Revelations of religious Truths and Du­ties to some of his Children, without attesting the Divinity of those Revelations, by the Gists of Pro­phesy and Miracles, or some other way equally sa­tisfactory (which he hath never been known to do in later Ages) the great Adversary of Souls might soon take the Advantage of it, to impress Delusions upon the Minds of many well disposed Persons, who [Page 14]had never yet had any divine Revelations, with so much Force and Subtilty, as to make them really think themselves inspired of God; when in truth they were only made to believe Lyes by the Craft and Power of the Devil. And that there would be real and great danger of such fatal Impositions from the Father of Lyes, if an Expectation and Belief of modern unattes­ted Revelations should once prevail; is evident, not only from the Reasonableness of the Supposition, but also from what was Matters of Fact not much more than Twenty Years ago: when great Numbers of Peo­ple, first in France and afterwards in England (and some of considerable Learning and Knowledge too, and of unblemish'd Life) were so far drawn away by the Devices of Satan, as to think themselves under the im­mediate Operations and Illuminations of the Holy Spi­rit; until at length in that Confidence they ventured so far at Prophesies and Miracles, as to quite spoil the Credit of their supposed Inspirations.

But these things may suffice for the Danger to which an Expectation and Belief of modern Revelati­ons of religious Truths and Duties would expose the imagin'd Subject of such Revelations. It only re­mains that I say,

2. That such an Expectation and Belief would be ex­treme dangerous to many others also. For if some of the Children of God were now imagin'd to be favoured with immediate Revelations; then whatever they were supposed to speak unto us by Revelation, ought not to be received as the Word of Man, but as the Word of God. And here a Difficulty would arise how we should know, who spake by Revelation, and who did not? For unless we could know this, we should be at an utter Loss whose Words we ought to receive as Oracles of God. And therefore for our Conduct in this difficult Affair, we must either make it a Rule to believe every one, whom we look'd upon as a good Man, to speak by immediate Revelation, as often as he was pleased to affirm he did, and we upon Enqui­ry [Page 15]into Circumstances could find no Design of Fraud: Or else every one who pretended to be favoured with divine Revelations, must come recommended to us by such Evidences of a divine Mission as might satisfy a reasonable Enquirer, that he spake not in the Words which Man's Wisdom teacheth, but which the Holy Ghost teacheth.

Now unspeakable Mischiefs would follow to Mankind upon the former of these Supposals. For if we were to believe every one, whom we look'd upon as a good Man, to speak by immediate Revelation, as often as he had Assurance enough to affirm he did, and we upon Enquiry into Circumstances could find no Design of Fraud (besides the strong delusions such Men would be liable to themselves, as was observed under the fore­going head) it would open a Door for every bold Im­postor, who could hypocritically make a fair shew of Religion, to impose upon us almost any Imaginations of his own Heart which he pleased. And in such a State of things there would soon be a Multitude of Instances of good Men drawn away by such Deceiv­ers, to act directly contrary to the Will of God re­vealed in the Scriptures.

And that this is not a groundless Surmise, but a well founded Supposition, I think we may easily satis­fy our selves, by considering the tragical Story of the Man of God, who came out of Judah by the Word of the Lord unto Bethel, as it is reported 1 Kin. 13. He was commanded of God to prophesie against the Altar of Be­thel; and was also charged to eat no Bread, nor drink Wa­ter, nor turn again by the Way that he came ^* And if he could be under any Doubt, whether God was the Au­thor of these Charges or no, it must be entirely taken away by the Fulfilment of the Sign which the Lord had spoken, in the renting of the Altar and the pouring out of the Ashes; and by the withering of the King's hand, and the restoring of it at his Prayer ^† Upon this he withstands the King's Invitation, tho' inforced with [Page 16]the Promise of a Reward; and saith unto him, If thou wilt give me half thine House, I will not go in with thee, neither will I eat Bread, nor drink Water in this place ^‖. And yet notwithstanding this Resolution, no sooner comes the old Lyar of Bethel, and saith unto him, I am a Prophet also as thou art, and an Angel spake unto me by the Word of the Lord, saying, bring him back with thee into thine House, that he may at Bread and drink Water ^*; but the Man of God belioving him upon his bare Word, without any Evidence of a divine Mission, transgresses the express Command of God to himself thro' such Credulity, goes back with him, eats Bread and drinks Water in his house, and is slain by a Lion (upon his Return) for his Disobedience to the Ward of the Lord ^†. Now if one who was a Prophet might be so seduced to act directly contrary to an express Com­mand of God to himself, confirmed with such Signs following: by taking another to come with a contra­ry Revalation from God, upon his own bare Affirma­tion, without any sufficient Evidence: how much easi­er may we well suppose it, for Multitudes of Men of honest Minds, who are neither Prophets nor the Sons of Prophets, to be drawn into Apprehensions and Practices (especially in Matters of positive Institution) directly contrary to the Revelations of the Will of God con­tained in the holy Scriptures; if they should presume any Men in our days to be favoured with divine Re­velations, only upon their own pretending to it, with­out God's bearing them Witness in any way what­ever.

And now upon the whole; if it be altogether need­less, and would be of no good Use, but of such dange­rous Consequences (as we have heard) for any of the Children of God in our days, and under the Circum­stances of our modern Pretenders, to have religious Truths and Duties discover'd to them by immediate Revelation, I think, we need not be at any Loss at all, to conclude they have not. For it would be contrary [Page 17]to all the natural Notions we have of the divine Per­fections, and to all the Discoveries God hath made of himself in his Word, to imagine Him exposing His Children to fatal Dangers, without any Necessity, or proposing any Advantage to them by it.

And if to these Considerations we add, the frequent Warnings we have in the Scriptures, of false Apostles, deceitful Workers, transforming themselves into the Mi­nisters of Christ, and endeavouring to seduce, if possible the very Elect; and that we are therefore wisely cau­tioned and charged in my Text, not to believe every Spirit, but try the Spirits, whether they are of God; I think, we may safely set it down for a Rule, that we ought not to give heed to any Man's Pretensions to divine Revelations of religious Truths and Duties, un­less he produces such Evidences as may be a reasona­ble Satisfaction to us, that the Spirit of God is in him.

If it be demanded, what Evidences are sufficient to give us such a Satisfaction? I must defer the Answer till God shall give another Opportunity.

THE Enquiry now before us is, What Evidences are sufficient to give us a reasonable Satisfaction, that any Man who pretends to have religious Truths and Duties discovered to him in our Days by im­mediate Revelation, hath the Spirit of God in him of a Truth? The Answer to this Enquiry will lead us in­to the second Thing proposed, which was,

To try the Spirits of our modern Pretenders to divine Revelations, whether they are of God or no, by such Rutes as the Word of God suggests to us.

And here I think I may truly affirm,

1. That me ought not to rest satisfied in any thing short of such Evidences as those by which God was pleased to bear Witnes, to Moses and the Prophets, to Jesus Christ and his Apostles, in ancient Times.

I say, that nothing short of such Evidences as these, ought to satissy us now: because that God hath as ten­der a Care of His Church now as ever; and from the frequent and solemn Warnings of our blessed Lord himself, and his Apostles, the Church of God seems to be in as much Danger now as ever of Deceivers. And [Page 19]therefore we cannot suppose it to be the Will of God, that his People should give Credit to Pretenders to divine Revelation now, upon weaker Evidences than he expected, that they should do so in more ancient Times.

Especially if we consider, that we have no Intimati­ons in the New Testament, that after the Canon of it should be compleated, we were to expect any more holy Men of Goa speaking or writing to us, as they should be moved by the Holy Ghost. But instead of this, the Canon of the New Testament is sealed up with that awful Commination Rev. 22.18, 19. I testify unto every Man that heareth the Words of the Prophesy of this Book, If any Man shall add unto these things, God shall add unto him the Plagues that are written in this Book. And if any Man shall take away from the Words of the Book of this Prophesy, God shall take away his Part out of the Book of Life, and out of the holy City, and from the things that are written in this Book.

Whereas if we look back to the Times of the Old Testament, we shall find, That tho' Moses says, ye shall not add unto the Word which I command you, neither shall you diminish ought from it. Deut. 4.2; yet he also says, Deut. 18.15. The Lord thy God will raise up unto thee a Prophet from the midst of thee, of thy Brethren, like unto me; unto him ye shall hearken. Now whether we understand this Prediction of Moses, as the learned Grotius and some others do; not of any single Person, but of a Succession of Prophets, as the Exigencies of the Church in the several Ages of it, during that Dis­pensation should call for: or whether we understand it accerding to the more general Opinion of Expositors, to intend (especially at least, if not only) Jesus the Mediator of the New Covenant, who alone resembled Moses in that which was the chief part of his Charac­ter as a Prophet, viz. in giving Laws in the Name of God, and being the Author of a Body of instituted Re­ligion: Which ever way we take it, it is a plain De­claration, that Prophesy should not cease with Moses, [Page 20]but that the People of God might still expect further. Revelations from him, for a great while to come.

And certain it is, That from this or other such Pre­dictions in the Old Testament, both Jews and Samari­tans, how much soever they differed in other Points in our Saviour's time, yet were well agreed in this; that the Messiah whom they expected, was to be a Pro­phet. I know, says the Woman of Samaria, Joh. 4.25. that Messias cometh which is called Christ; when he is come, he will tell us all things. And when our blessed Lord had fed a great Multitude of Jews with Five Loaves and Two Fishes; then those Men, when they had seen the Miracle that Jesus did, said, This is of a Truth that Prophet that should come into the World. John 6.14.

Once more, the marvellous Descent of the Holy Ghost upon the Disciples of our Lord on the day of Pentecost (as the Apostle Peter assures us, Act. 2.16, 17.) was nothing but what was spoken by the Prophet ^† Joel, And it shall come to pass in the last days (saith God) I will pour out of my Spirit upon all Flesh: and your Sons and your Daughters shall prophesy, &c.

To conclude, Upon the sealing up of the Canon of the Old Testament, when the Spirit of Prophesy was to be with held for a season, God charges His People, Mal. 4.4. Remember the Law of Moses my Ser­vant, which I commanded him in Horeb for all Israel, with the Statutes & Judgements. And yet he had told them but a little before ^*, That the Lord whom they sought should suddenly come to his Temple. And he adds here ^‖, Behold I will send you ELIJAH THE PRO­PHET, before the Coming of the great and dreadful day of the Lord.

Now upon the whole, if we compare the many plain Intimations in the Old Testament of the Return of the extraordinary Gifts of the Spirit of God in the Days of the New, with the profound Silence of [Page 21]the New Testament as to any new Effusions of the ex­traordinary Gifts of the Holy Ghost, after the New Testament-Canon should be compleated; and especi­ally if we consider how all Expectation of any such Thing seems to be cut off in the last Chapter of the Revelation; I think the least Effect it can have upon us, must be, to heighten our Suspicions of any Pretenders to immediate Revelations of religious Truths and Duties from God in our Days; and to ren­der it reasonable for us to expect rather more than less Evidences that the Spirit of God is in them, than those by which he was wont to bear Witness to his extra­ordinary Messengers in the Days of the Old and New Testament. And this brings me to consider, what those Evidences were.

Now the Evidences by which God was pleased in an­cient Times to bear Witness to his extraordinary Mes­sengers, were principally such as these.

(1.) Sometimes the Bestowment of an Ability to fore­tell Things to come; or to do such Works, as it cannot be supposed, that God would enable, or even suffer, Men to do for the Confirmation of Falsehoods in Religion; or both.

Both these Evidences certainly concurred in Mo­ses: The Passages of Scripture which prove it, are too many, and too well known, to need to be men­tioned. It is highly probable also, that both these Evidences concurred in most, it not all, the Pro­phets that followed Moses during the Times of the Old Testament. For as to all those whose Writings remain, we are sure, either from their own Books which are still in our hands, or from Hints given us elsewhere in the Scripture, that they foretold things to come. And as for others of them, who have left no Writings upon sacred Record, such as the Man of God from Judah, mentioned in the preceeding Discourse, Elijah the Tishbite, Elisha &c.) we are [Page 22]nevertheless expressly told, both of their Predicti­ons, and of their Miracles. And if we consider the Severity of that Law, Deut. 18.20. The Pro­phet which shall presume to speak a word in my Name, which I have not commanded him to speak,—even that Prophet shall die; and the Rule which God gives in ver. 22, how the People should know the Word which the Lord had not spoken; we may very well conclude that God always enabled his Servants the Prophets (at least in their beginning to speak in his Name, before their Authority could be established by the Fulfil­ment of their Predictions) to give some convincing Sign to those that heard them (it there was Oc­casion for it) that they had a Command from God for what they said: As we are assured, he did in the Cases of Moses, of the Man of God from Judah, of Elijab and others ^†

And therefore when our Saviour Jesus Christ re­sents it, that the Scribes, Pharisees and Sadducees once and again asked a Sign of him, even a Sign from Heaven ^‖; it could not be because he judged it un­reasonable, that the People of God should demand a Sign, of one who speaks to them in the Name of the Lord, before his Mission from God had been proved by any Sign, or any thing else equivalent to a Sign: Nor could it be because he judged it reasonable, that He himself should be believed to be a Teacher sent from God, without any other Evidences of it than his own bare Word. For he says in Contradiction to any Surmise like the First of these, Joh. 15.24. If I had not done among them the Works which none other Man did, they had not had Sin; And in Opposition to the latter he says, Joh. [Page 23]10.37, 38. If do not the Works of my Father, believe me not: but if I do, tho' ye believe not me, believe the Works. And therefore we must suppose, that the true Reason of our Lord's Displeasure was, because the Scribes, Pharisees and Sadducees (who came tempting him, and asking a Sign) very well knew, that He had formerly done so many and such migh­ty Works, as were abundantly sufficient to satisfy any, but those who were resolved not to be satisfied, of his Mission from God. For besides all his wonder­ful Works which they had seen or heard of before, when they came to ask a Sign of Him the first time, he had been casting out a Devil; upon which the Pharisees said, this Fellow doth not cast out Devils, but by Beelzebub the Prince of Devils. Mat. 12.24. And before they came to Him the second time, He had been filling four thousand Men, beside Women and Children, with seven Loaves and a few little Fishes. Mat. 15.34, 38. and yet, as if this was a Work not worth regarding, the Pharisees with the Sadducees came and desired him that he would shew them a Sign from Heaven, Mat. 16.1. We need not wonder then, that our Lord was angry at the Unreasonable­ness and wicked Perverseness of these Men. And that I have assigned the true Cause of his Anger is manifest, not only from what hath been observ'd above, but also from His own Expostulation with them, Mat. 16.3. O ye Hypocrites, ye can discern the Face of the Sky, but can ye not discern the Signs of the Times?

I think I need not say any more concerning the mighty Works with which the Mission of our Saviour Jesus Christ was consirm'd from Heaven. Nor need I say any thing of His Prophesies, which are so well known, and have been so exactly fulfilled.

[Page 24] I shall only add concerning his holy Apostles, in the Words of the Author of the Epistle to the Hebrews, Chap. 2 ver. 3.4. That the great Salvation which at first began to be spoken by the Lord, was confirmed to us by them that heard him; God also bearing them Witness, both with Signs and Wonders, and with diverse Mira­cles and Gifts of the Holy Ghost.

But these things may suffice for the First Way in which God was sometimes pleased in the days of the Old and New Testament to bear Witness to his extraordinary Messengers. I proceed to say,

(2) That God sometimes testified the divine Mission of His Servants the Prophets, by doing some wonderful Work himself for the Confirmation of it.

Not the Prophets, but God Himself sometimes gave a Sign. Thus he declares he will do to the House of 'David, for the Consirmation of His Mes­sage by the Prophet Isaiab, Isa. 7.14. And thus he did also in the Case of the Prophet Jonah: for the Lord prepared a great Fish to swallow up Jonah, and Jo­nah was in the Belly of the Fish three days and three nights. And the Lord spake unto the Fish, and it vomit­ed out Jonah upon the dry Land. Jon. 1.17.-2.10. Now tho' the Scriptures have not informed us, how the Ninevites came to the Knowledge of this won­derful Work of God, yet we are certain from the Scriptures, that they are not ignorant of it, and that this was a Sign to them of the divine Mission of the Prophet. For we read, Luk. 11.30. That as Jo­nah was a Sign to the Ninevites, so shall also the Son of Man be to this Generation. That is (to borrow the Words of Dr. Hammond, with a little Alteration) ‘As the Preaching of Jonah in the Streets of Nine­veh, attested with the Miracle of having been three days in the Whale's Belly, and then being [Page 25]cast upon the Shore alive, was an Assurance to them, that without Repentance they should spee­dily be destroyed: so shall the Preaching of Christ to the Men of this Age, attested with his Death and Resurrection after three days, be a certain Fore-runner of Destruction to you that believe not.’ Upon which we may observe, That even our blessed Saviour Jesus Christ Himself had this Evidence also of His divine Mission, as well as the others above-mentioned. For not only did He Himself prove his Mission from God by Prophefies and Miracles; but God also gave Assu­rance of it unto all Men in that He raised Him from the dead. But I hasten to say,

(3.) That sometimes the 'Proof of the divine Mission of God's extraordinary Messengers might be fetched from Antecedent Prophesies concerning them.

This Sort of Proof our blessed Lord Himself don't think it unbecoming the Dignity of His Person and Offices to have Recourse to. For after he had said, Joh. 5.36. The Works which the Father hath given me to finish, the same Works that I do, bear Witness of me, that the Father hath sent me; He adds Ver. 39. Search the Scriptures, for in them ye think ye have eter­nal Life, and they are they which testify of me; and again Ver. 46. Had ye believed Moses, ye would have believed me: for he wrote of me.

And this was the Case of John the Baptist, who had been spoken of under the Name of Elijah by the Prophet Malachi ^*; and whose Birth and Ser­vice had been foretold to his Father by an Angel, and a Sign given to confirm the Prediction ^† And all these things were noised abroad throughout all the [Page 26]Hill Country of Judea. And all they that heard them, laid them up in their Hearts, saying, what manner of Child shall this be ^‖? In fine, tho' the People say of John, that he did no Miracle, yet they add, that all things that he spake of Christ were true ^*: which was an Acknowledgment that John had the Gift of Pro­phecy.

And now upon the whole: Since God hath al­ways (so far as we can learn from Scripture) given some such Evidences as these of the divine Mission of His Servants, when He expected, that Men should believe that they speak by Revelation from Him; since our Saviour Jesus Christ himself tho't it necessary to have Recourse to such sort of Proofs that the Father had sent Him; and since it is rea­sonable for us to expect rather more than less Evi­dences that the Spirit of God is in such as pretend to immediate Revelations from him in our Days, than those by which he was wont to bear Witness to His extraordinary Messengers in the Days of the Old and New Testament; I think we may very fairly conclude, that till the modern Pretenders to divine Revelations can either prove, that they and their Mission have been foretold somewhere or other in the Scriptures of the Old or New Testa­ment; or can make it appear that God Himself hath given some sufficient Sign of their Mission from Him, like that of Delivering Jonah from the Whale's Belly, or the Raising up our Saviour from the Dead; or till they can satisfy us, that they themselves are endued from on high with the Gists of Prophecy or Miracles, or both, to support the Credit of their pretended Revelations; Or can give [Page 27]us some other as good Evidences as these, that God is with them of a Truth; they must allow us, in obedience to the Warnings and Cautions given us in the Scriptures, to number them with Men under strong Delusions, or with false Prophets and Ministers of Satan. And to these Things I must add,

2. That upon Supposition that any modern Pretender to divine Revelation should give any Sign or Wonder; yet if the Doctrine which it is wrought in Confirmation of, should be manifestly contradictory to any Article of the Gospel of Jesus Christ, according to which Men are to be judged at the last Day; or should be notoriously Wicked in its Nature; or evidently tending to open the Door to all manner of Wickedness, by ridding us of that Fear, not of Man only but of God also, which is the Be­ginning of Wisdom; Tho' the Sign should be such an one, as that if it had been given for a better Purpose, we should hardly (if at all) have been able to distinguish it from a Divine Miracle; Yet in such a Case the False­ness or Wickedness of the Doctrine design'd to be establish­ed by it, would be a sufficient Pooof, that the Wonder was not of God, but of the Devil.

For we are not more certain that God is powerful, than we are that he is also wise, just, good, and true. And therefore the seeming Greatness or Dif­ficulty of any Work can never perswade us to be­lieve it an Effect of Divine Power, if it be wrought to confirm a Doctrine, which we certainly know to be inconsistent with God's Wisdom, Justice, Truth or Goodness. But on the contrary, a certain Know­ledge of the Wickedness of the Nature or Tenden­cy of any Doctrine; or of its Contradictoriness to such Revelations of the Will of God as can never be reversed, (because Men are to be judg'd accord­ing to them at the great Day) and which God hath [Page 28]born Witness to by Signs and Wonders, Miracles and Gifts of the Holy Ghost for an whole Age to­gether; will be a sufficient Reason for us to account any Wonder wrought in Confirmation of such a Doctrine to be only a lying Wonder wrought by the Wicked one. For in such a Case it must be more evident, that the Doctrine is false or wicked, than it can be, that such a Wonder could be wrought by nothing less than divine Power.

And as it is plain to Reason, that no Sign or Wonder can be sufficient to give Credit to a Doc­trine, when it is more evident, that the Doctrine is false or wicked, than it is, that such a Wonder could be wrought by nothing less than divine Pow­er; so it hath been the Opinion of several pious and very learned Men, that it appears from Scripture, that God may sometimes permit such Wonders to be wrought for the support of Doctrines notoriously false or wicked, as can be distinguish'd from the Effects of a Power truly divine by nothing but the evident Absurdity or Vileness of the Doctrine they are design'd to give Credit to. This Opinion they found upon that Passage, Deut. 13.1, 2, 3. If there arise among you a Prophet, or a Dreamer of Dreams, and giveth thee a Sign or a Wonder, and the Sign or the Wonder come to pass, whereof he spake unto thee, say­ing, Let us go after other Gods (which thou hast not known) and let us serve them: Thou shalt not hearken to that Prophet, or that Dreamer of Dreams: for the Lord your God proveth you, to know whether you love the Lord your Grd with all your Heart, and with all your Soul. Hence they suppose (and I think very justly) that God might (to prove His People) suffer a false Pro­phet to give such a Sign or Wonder, to entice them to Idolatry, as could not be distinguish'd by any [Page 29]thing but the Design of it, from a true Miracle: be­cause the Service of the Heathen Gods was so absurd and wicked, and contradictory to the Light of Na­ture, as to be alone sufficient to destroy the Credit of any Wonders, that could be wrought to seduce those into it who were acquainted with the Reasonable Service of the true God.

3. Another Way in which the Credit of any won­derful Works, how great soever, may be destroyed, is by God's exerting a superiour Power in Contradiction to them.

‘Thus He did in ancient times by the Wonders of the Magicians of Egypt; whom he suffered to withstand His Servants Moses and Aaron for some time; and to do, or seem to do, some won­derful Works like to theirs; for Aaron cast his Rod upon the Ground, and it became a Serpent, and so did they ^*: and Aaron stretched out his hand over the Waters, and the Frogs came up and cover­ed the Land of Egypt. And the Magicians did so with their Enchantments, and brought up Frogs upon the Land of Egypt ^†. But tho' He suffered the Magicians thus to contend with His Prophets, yet he gave the Victory clearly on his Prophets Side. For: Aaron's Rod swallowed up their Rods ^‖; and when the Magicians endeavoured by their Enchant­ments to bring forth Lice, as Aaron had done, they could not; but were forced to own before Pha­roah, that it was the Finger of God ^††; and from that Time forward strove no more for Victory.’ So that there was no Danger, that either Israelites or Egyptians should be led into any Error by the Wonders of the Magicians; because God immedi­ately enabled his Servants to contradict and con­found [Page 30]them, by more wonderful Works on the other side: And therefore in this Case, it was not at all inconsistent with the Wisdom or Goodness of God, to permit the Devil to do marvellous Things; be­cause He took effectual Care to prevent any Bo­dy's being necessarily and fatally misled by them, and rendered His own Power more observable and glorious, by suffering the Magicians to contest with Him for a time. And if God ever should, for wise and holy Ends unknown to us, in our Times, or in Ages to come, suffer any false Pretenders to divine Revelations, after the working of Satan to support their Pretensions with such Signs and Wonders, as could no other way be distinguish'd from the real Effects of divine Power; we may safely confide in his Goodness, that He would, as in the Days of Moses, exert a superiour Power in Contradiction to them; and not suffer those who receive the Love of the Truth that they may be saved, to be over­born with such strong Delusions.

I shall only add,

4. That we can never safely depend upon it, if we are Strangers to a Man's Character, that he comes with a Message by immediate Revelation from God to us, any further than He confirms the divine Authority of such Message by some sufficient Evidence.

For I have proved in the foregoing Discourse, that some very wicked Men have heard the Words of God, and seen the Visions of the Almighty, and prophesied in his Name. And yet, if we should believe such a Man to come unto us by the Word of the Lord, without his giving any sufficient Proof of a divine Mission at that time, only because we have known or heard, that he hath sometimes been favoured with divine Revelations; we can't be secure, that we shall not be served, as the Man of God from [Page 31]Judah was by the Old lying Prophet of Bethel. It is not enough therefore, that we be perswaded, that a Man hath sometimes been favoured with imme­diate Revelations from God: but we ought also to be satisfied, that he is not under the predominant Power of Covetousness or Pride, or any other cor­rupt Affection, but is one that truly fears God: Or else we cannot safely trust him upon the Cre­dit of former Revelations, any further than he gives sufficient Evidence of the divine Authority of every particular Message, which he may presume to come to us with in the Name of God.

And now upon the whole: If you should ever hear of any New Messiah, or if any pretended Pro­phets should come forth into the World in our days: the Thoughts which have been offered at this time may be improved, as so many Directions for your Assistance, in trying the Spirits whether they are of God.

I therefore desire you would be careful to re­member, what I hope has been sufficiently proved above; and what I recapitulate on purpose to refresh your Memories: namely,

That you ought not to rest satisfied with weaker Evidences of the divine Mission of Pretenders to Re­velations from God in our Days, than those with which God tho't it necessary to bear Witness to Moses and the Prophets, to Jesus Christ and His A­postles in ancient Times.

That even some of these are not alone of Force enough to command your Assent; but that you ought also to take in the Consideration of the Nature and Tendency of the Doctrines to which they may be design'd to give Credit; and of the Conduct of the governing Providence of God with respect to them.

[Page 32] That the manifest Wickedness of the Nature or Tendency of any pretended New Revelation; or its Contradictoriness to such Ancient Revelations of the Will of God, as are never to be revers'd, and as have been confirmed by Signs and Wonders, Mira­cles and Gifts of the Holy Ghost for an whole Age together; will be sufficient to spoil the Credit of any Sign or Wonder which may be wrought for its Support; and to prove that such Sign or Wonder was not of God, but of the Devil.

That the Credit of any wonderful Work will likewise be destroyed, if God should exert a superi; our Power in Contradiction to it.

In fine, that when you are in any measure Stran­gers to the moral Character of a Pretender to divine Revelations, you cannot safely trust him upon the Credit of former Revelations; but may reasonably expect, that he should give sufficient Evidence of the divine Authority of every particular Message, which be may presume to come to you with in the Name of the Lord.

And to these things you ought to add a Conscien­tious Endeavour to do the Will of God, so far as you know it; and servent Prayers in the Name of Christ that God may have no Cause to send you strong De­lusion, that you should believe a Lie.

If you shall observe these few Directions, I trust you will not be carried about with diverse and strange Doctrines, but will be established upon the Foundati­on of the Apostles and Prophets, Jesus Christ Himself­ing the chief Corner Stone.

To conclude: If some should suppose these Direc­tions to be needless, and others should apprehend [Page 33]them to be too rigid; I think I cannot answer both better than in the solemn Words of our Blessed Lord, viz. If any Man shall say unto you, Lo, here is Christ, or there; beleive it not. For there shall arise false Christs, and false Prophets, and shall shew great Signs and Wonders, insomuch that (if it were possi­ble) they should deceive the very Elect. But take ye heed: Behold I have told you before ^*