they did not like to retain God in their knowledge, "God gave them over to a reprobate mind, to do "those things which are not convenient."" These notable lines of that great apoftle, give an apparent overthrow to all objections, against either the univerfality or fufficiency of the light within: which will farther appear, it the reader be but pleased to obferve these few particulars. (1.) That in the gofpel of Chrift is the righteoufnefs of God revealed, and that from faith to faith. (2.) That this faith the just have ever lived by; for he quotes a time past, As it is written:" which writing was above feven hundred years before he wrote that epiftle. (3.) That many had degenerated from the righteoufnefs of God, to wit, the Gentiles, into ungodlinefs, against which the wrath of God was revealed from heaven. (4.) That they, however, once knew the truth. (5.) That they came to the knowledge of this truth from the "Manifeftation of God (who is light) within," fince the apostle fays, what "might be known of God was "manifefted in them, because God had fhewed it unto "them." (6.) That the cause of their after darknefs, was their rebelling against that manifestation or light, not glorifying the God that fhewed it to them, when they both faw it, and knew it was Hɛ that fhewed them confequently that God had given them light fufficient, both to know and obey him. And fince they liked not to retain God in their knowledge, the deficiency was theirs, and not the light's. (7.) If therefore their foolish hearts were darkened, (that is, by disobedience) it follows, that darkness came by fin into their hearts; and that they had light in their hearts, or a light within, to know their duty and fquare their lives by. (8.) Laftly, If the wrath was therefore revealed, because they held the truth in unrighteousness; and when they knew God, by the manifeftation of light within, they glorified him not as God, but became vain in their imaginations, and their Rom. i. 16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21, 28. foolish foolish hearts were darkened; then certainly, had they kept to that enlightening principle we call TRUTH, and the manifeftation of God within, and fo preferved their faith in God, as he had revealed himself to them, glorifying him as God, and delighting to retain him in their knowledge; not wrath, but mercy and peace, had been revealed from heaven; as faith the fame apostle in his following chapter, "To them, who by patient continuance in well-doing, feek for glory, " and honour, and immortality, eternal life.*" In fhort, This we may fafely conclude, that the righteousness revealed in the gospel of Christ (of which Paul was not afhamed) from faith to faith, (by which faith, he teftifies, the just ancients lived, or were accepted) is one in nature, though not in degree, with that truth the Gentiles apoftatized from, and therefore are faid to have lived without faith, righteousness, or God in the world; for which the wrath was revealed. Whereas, had they lived up unto it, glorifying God as God, according to the manifeftation of himself in their hearts and confciences, they would have had, not the revelation of wrath, but of the "Righteousness of faith," by which the juft in all ages have lived acceptably with God: for without faith no man can please God, in any age; as without holiness (that flows from true faith) no man fhall ever fee the Lord. VII. And lastly, I do earnestly intreat the unprejudiced reader to obferve these two notable paffages, which, with my confideration of them, fhall conclude the fcripture-proofs I have urged for the universality of the light, and Spirit of God, antecedent to Christ's appearance in the flesh. Then Peter opened his mouth, and faid, Of a "truth, I perceive that God is no refpecter of per"fons; but in every nation, he that feareth him, and worketh righteoufnefs, is accepted with him. For "not the hearers of the law are juft before God, but "the doers of the law, fhall be juftified: for when the "Gentiles, which have not the law, do by nature the "things contained in the law, these having not the law, are a law unto themselves, which fhew the "work of the law written in their hearts; their confciences alfo bearing witnefs, and their thoughts "the mean while accufing, or elfe excufing one an"other, in the day when God fhall judge the fecrets " of men by Jefus Chrift, according to my gofpel.' These scriptures are a fevere check to all undervaluing apprehenfions of the bleffed light of God in man; and this appears in feveral particulars : 1. That God is no refpecter of perfons in any nation: from whence I conclude, that All perfons and ⚫ nations were and are lighted, as well Gentiles as Jews.' 2. That here are men (not of the circumcifion made with hands) who fear God, work righteoufnefs, and are doers of the law, not from the obligation of an outward law, for they had none, but the "inward "work of the law writ upon their hearts;' which is a demonstration that they had not only the light as a reprover, but as a teacher and leader, whereby they came to fear God, and work righteoufnefs: which is elsewhere faid to be the conclufion of the matter, and "whole duty of man."" Since, then, no man that fears God, and works righteoufnefs, and keeps the pure law of God in the heart, (which the fcriptures teftify fome Gentiles did) can be faid to do so, and yet be void of the true light, that objection of the heathen's ignorance of the true God, and that none by the light within was ever reproved for not believing Jefus to be Chrift, vanifheth of courfe. For fuch as lived up moft fincerely to the Lord in their own confciences, acknowledged, moft readily, the glorious appearance of light when in the flesh. 1 Acts x. 34, 35. Rom. ii. 13, 14, 15, 16. Ecclef. xii. 13, 14. They were the great pretenders to fcriptures that would not come to Chrift; the traditional, literal, and ordinance-men, who alfo rejected and crucified him. On the other hand, had not Cornelius and the centurion, with many others, been upright livers to the light within, neither had Peter been fo received by the one, nor Christ so followed by the other: but that measure of the divine light, which they had hitherto obeyed, as the "more fure word of prophecy," led them naturally to the rifing of the "Day-ftar;" which, though a more glorious manifeftation, yet not of another light, life, or fpirit; for there are not two lights, lives, natures or fpirits in God: he is one for ever in himself, and his light one in kind, however variously he may have declared himself, or manifested it at fundry times of the world: his truth is one, his way is one, and his rest one for ever. But laft of all, that which greatly rejoices good men is this, that the narrownefs of fome mens fpirits in this world, will not be found able to exclude virtuous Gentiles from their reward in the other: but, maugre all the heat, petulancy, conceitednefs, and fleshly boafting of carnal Chriftians, "fuch as fear "God, and work righteoufnefs, and are doers of the "law written in the heart," we are affured fhall be accepted and juftified of God, in the day that he will judge the fecrets of all men by Jefus Chrift, according to Paul's gofpel: and if any man bring another, let it be accurfed, Amen. I have here, on purpose, overlooked many very pregnant inftances, both in the Old and New Teftament-writings," for brevity's fake, in which the righteoufnefs of the Gentiles hath, in feveral cafes, more evidently appeared, than that of fome of the Jews, and which undeniably teftifies to the fufficiency of the light within, both to manifeft that which was good from that which was evil, and also to give ability to Gen. xx. 4. and xxi. 22. 2 Chron. xxxvi. 23. Ezra i. 2, 3, 4, 5, and vi. 3, 12. Dan, vi. 26, 27. Matt. ix. 18. fuch fuch as truly minded its illumination, whereby they were enabled to do the one, and to reject the other: fuch were Abimelech, Cyrus, Darius, the ruler that came to Chrift, and many others, which I fhall omit to mention more particularly; the chief bent of my mind being to demonftrate the truth of my affertion from their own writings. CHAP. VII. That the Gentiles believed in One God, that he enlightened all men with a faving light, that men ought to live piously, that the foul is immortal. That there is an eternal recompence; the whole called Gentile-divinity. The first point proved by fixteen teftimonies. H AVING proved briefly, though I hope fully and truly, from the fcriptures, that the Gentiles in general were lighted with a divine light, I fhall now make it my business to evidence the truth thereof, by moft undeniable inftances out of their own writings. And because I am willing my defence both of the light within, and thofe of them who obeyed it, should turn to the clearest and best account, I will endeavour to refolve the whole into as plain a method, as the matter, and their way of delivering it, will allow me. First, then, from their own authorities I am taught to affirm, That the Gentiles believed in One holy, infinite and eternal God. Secondly, That they did therefore fo believe, becaufe God had imprinted the knowledge of himself on their hearts; or, in our language, that he had lighted all mankind with a divine light, which, if obeyed, would lead to eternal happiness. Thirdly, That they held and practised high fanctity of life. Fourthly, |