ftand, believe, and witnefs them: which being the divine light and spirit of Chrift, it must be that, and not themselves, that must be my rule for fo reading, understanding, and believing them.

And farther, to prove that the light and fpirit within the heathens was fufficient to difcover these things, it is granted on all hands, that the fybils had divine fights. I mean not those made in their name by some profeffors of Chriftianity, as is charged upon them, to gain authority upon the Gentiles, against which Blundel writes; but thofe that are acknowledged, who prophefied of a virgin's bringing forth a fon, and that he fhould deftroy the ferpent, and replenish the earth with righteoufnefs,' as is before cited out of Virgil, who took it out of the remains of Cumæa's verfes, then among the Romans.

And for the practical part of the objection, viz. How fhould we have known it had been unlawful to fwear at all in any cafe, if Matt. v. 34. had not been (which is of moft weight in this cafe, because it is matter of duty, and called particularly by fome an evangelical precept, being a step above the righteoufnefs of the outward law among the Jews) I have this to fay for proof of the light's fufficiency:

There were among the Jews themselves, long before Chrift came, an entire people, that would not fwear, to wit, the Effeni: They keep their promises,' faith Jofephus, and account every word they fpeak of more force than if they had bound it with an oath: and they fhun oaths worse than perjury; for they • esteem him condemned for a lyar, who without it is < not believed.""

Philo writes to the fame purpose, and taught himfelf, That it was bett to abstain from fwearing; that 'one's word might be taken inftead of an oath."

And Pythagoras, in his oration to the Crotonian senators, exhorted them thus, Let no man atteft God

• Jofephus's Wars of the Jews, 1. 2, c. 7. & decalog.

Philo, de fpec. leg.

• by

by oath, though in courts of judicature; but use to fpeak fuch things that he may be credited without an

• oath."

The Scythians are faid to have told Alexander of themselves, Think not that Scythians confirm their friendship by oath: they fwear by keeping their ' word."'

And Clinias, a Greek, and follower of Pythagoras, rather chofe to fuffer the fine of three talents, (which made three hundred pounds English) than to leffen his veracity by taking of an oath. Which act was greatly commended of Bafilius, who upbraided the Chriftians of his time with it; thereby (after our adverfaries way of drawing confequences) preferring the light of the Gentiles before the light of the Chriftians though indeed the light was, and is, always one in itself. But the Chriftian did not live up fo closely to it as the heathen did, and therefore took a greater liberty, and walked in a broader way."

I would now know of our oppofers, if they can yet think the light that preached this doctrine in the mount, was the fame with that light that fhined in the confciences of thofe Gentiles, fo many hundred years before that fermon was writ or preached, who fo plainly believed, practifed, and taught it, yea or nay? Perhaps fome will yet stick out; while the more moderate will fubmit, and conclude ignorance and folly have made all this oppofition against us; and that of a truth, the voice which cried, Prov. viii. 4, 6. "Unto you, O men, I call; and my voice is to "the fons of men; hear, for I will fpeak excellent "things," was alfo heard by the Gentiles; and that what concerned the doctrine of holy living was not hid from them; I mean, evangelically fo; provided Christ's heavenly fermon upon the mount, related by Matthew the Evangelift, may be esteemed fuch: for their writings flow with amens thereunto.

• Laert. Herm. & Orig. contr. Celf. Quint. Curt. in vit. Alex. " H. Grotius on Mat. v. 34.

But

But allowing our adverfaries that the voice was then fo low, and the manifeftation of the light fo fmall, as it discovered not many of those things be-. fore-mentioned; could that give reasonable men ground to conclude, therefore the divine wisdom or light was infufficient; or that the divine wisdom or light was not then, and fhould not in other ages become the rule and guide of the children of men? Yet fuch falfe confequences have been the corner-stone and foundation of our oppofers building against us; and no reasonable man, I think, will attempt to clear it from being a fandy one.

I

Of the JUDGE of CONTROVERSY.

Shall explain what I mean by these terms.

A JUDGE, is one that has not only power to determine, but difcerning to do it rightly.

CONTROVERSY, is a debate between two parties about the truth or falfhood of any propofition to be determined by that judge.

From whence I am led to affert, that the judge of controversy must be certain and unerring.

And though this may feem ftrange to fome, it is. nevertheless true in itself: for if the judge be fallible, he may indeed filence the contending parties by his authority, but not the controverfy by a certain judgment, fince he may as well determine falfly as truly. So that controverfy can never be rightly determined by a fallible judge, therefore he is no true judge of controverfy. Indeed it is abfurd, and a contradiction in itself to think otherwife; fince he that is uncertain, can never be certain of his decifion: and if not a certain one, then none to the purpose. Nor ought any perfon, no otherwife judged, that is perfuaded of the truth of his caufe, to let fall his belief upon fo doubtful a determination; fince he moves not only without conviction, but against conviction: and,

which is worse, he is not afcertained of the truth of what he is required to fubmit to. Therefore of all people they are moft condemnable, who, notwithtanding they keep fo great a ftir about religion, and fometimes ufe coercive means to compass their defigned uniformity, acknowledge to us, they are not certain of their own faith.

Since then the judge must be unerring, it will be worth our while to confider where this infallible judge is to be found. "There is none good but God," faid God himself, when manifested in the flesh; that is, originally, or as of himfelf: fo, truly, there is none infallible but God, as of himself. Yet as the Supreme Good is communicated unto man according to meafure; fo (as well fays bishop Latimer) is their infallibility, certainty, or affurance of the truth of things given to man, according to capacity: otherwise men would be obliged to believe and obey, and that upon damnation, thofe things concerning which there can be no certainty, whether they be true or falfe.*'

Emmanuel, God with men, as he is their Rule, fo their Judge: he is the Law-Giver, and therefore the best interpreter of any point that may concern his own. law: and men are so far certain, as they are subject to his voice, light, or spirit in them, and no farther; for, bumanum eft errare, man is errable. Nor can any thing refcue him out of error, or preserve him from the infections of it, but the found and certain judgment that God, by the light of his fpirit, gives unto

him.

Obj. But is not the fcripture the judge of controverfy?

Anfw. How can that be, fince the queftion moft times arifes about the meaning of fcripture? Is there any place tells us, without interpretation, whether the Socinian or Trinitarian be in the right, in their differing apprehenfions of the "Three that bear record,”

* Book of Martyrs, vol. 3. P. 475.

&c.

&c. Also the Homoufian and Arian, about Chrift's divinity; or the Papifts or Proteftants about transubftantiation? If then things are left undefined and undetermined, I mean literally and exprefsly, in the fcripture, and that the question arifes about the fenfe of words, doth the fcripture determine which of those interpreters hit the mark? As this is not reasonable to think, fo muft it be acknowledged, that if interpretation decide the matter in controverfy, then not the fcripture, but the interpreter must be the judge.

Now this interpreter muft either interpret by his own mere wisdom or fpirit, called by the apostle, I Cor. ii. 11. " the fpirit of a man," who, by weighing the text, confulting the intent of the writer, comparing places together, gives the judgment which the fcripture does not give of itself; or, from the fpirit of God," which gives understanding," as Job xxxii. 8. and as the fame apostle faith, in the fame place, "searcheth the deep things of God." If the first, then a fallible; if the last, then an infallible judge.

I would fain know, whether it was the fcripture, or the Holy Ghoft, that prefided among the apostles when they were come together, Acts xv. when they faid, "It feemeth good to the Holy Ghoft, and to "us," &c. If the Holy Ghoft, then pray give us a plain fcripture to prove we are to have another judge now if that cannot be done, then we must have the Jame, and confequently an infallible judge, viz. the fpirit of truth, which leads Chriftians into all truth, and is given of God, by Chrift, for that very end.

Obj. It is granted that the fpirit is infallible: but how fball I know that any man determines a thing by this fpirit, and does not rather obtrude his own fenfe upon us, under that fpecious pretence?

Anfw. By the fame fpirit; as well faid Gualt. Cradock, The way to know whether the spirit be in us, VOL. I.

Hh

is