SERM. CCXXI. Firft, a perfuafion of the principles of natural religion, which are known by the light of nature. Secondly, a perfuafion of things fupernatural, and revealed. Thirdly, a perfuafion of fupernatural revelation. The two former of these I have confidered, and now proceed to the Third fort of faith, which I call divine, or religi ous; viz. a persuasion concerning a divine revelation, that it is fuch; which I distinguish from the former thus. The former is a perfuafion concerning the things which are revealed from GOD, that they are true: this is a perfuafion concerning the revelation it felf, that it is divine and from GOD. For the opening of this there are many things to be taken into confideration. 1. What we understand by a divine revelation. III. Whether a perfuafion concerning a divine revelation be properly faith. IV. How we may come to be affured of a divine revelation, or by what arguments a faith or perfuafion of a divine revelation is wrought in us. V. The degrees of this perfuafion or affurance. VII. In what fenfe it may be faid to be a divine faith; under which I shall speak something concerning the teftimony of the Spirit. I. What we are to understand by a divine revelation. Answ. A fupernatural discovery, or manifestation of things to us. I fay fupernatural, because it may either be immediately by GoD, or by the mediation of angels; as mott, if not all the revelations of the old teftament were; a fupernatural difcovery, or manifeftation, either immediately to our CCXXI. minds, and inward faculties; (for I do not fo well S ER M. understand the diftinction between underftanding and imagination, as to be careful to take notice of it ;) or else mediately to our understandings, by the mediation of our outward fenfes, as by an external appearance to our bodily eyes, or by a voice and found to the sense of hearing. But of this I have difcours'd in a former fermon *, and therefore fhall add no more here. II. For the feveral kinds of divine revelation; of this alfo I have formerly + difcours'd at large. III. Whether a perfuafion of a divine revelation may properly be called faith? To this I anfwer, that according to the ftrait and narrow notion of faith, which the schools have fixed, which is an affent to any thing grounded upon the teftimony, and authority of God revealing it, a perfuafion of a divine revelation cannot properly be called faith; because it is irrational to expect that a man fhould have another divine revelation to affure him, that this is a divine revelation: for then for the fame reafon, I muft expect another divine revelation to affure me of that, and fo without end. But I have fufficiently fhewn, that this is not the true notion of faith in general, but only of a particular kind of faith; viz. that which is wrought by the argument, which we call teftimony, or authority. But according to the true and general notion of faith, which is a perfuafion of the "mind concerning any thing," a perfuafion of the mind concerning a divine revelation, may as properly be called faith, as any thing elfe, if men will but grant, that a man may be fo fatisfied, concerning a divine revelation, as verily to believe and be perfuaded that it is fo. See vol. VII. ferm. CXXVII. + See ibid. IV. How SERM. IV. How we may come to be perfuaded of a divine revelation, that it is fuch; or by what arguments this perfuafion is wrought in us? For answer to this, it will be requifite diftinctly to confider, First, the perfons to whom a divine revelation is immediately made, what affurance they can have of it. And, Secondly, what affurance other perfons can have of it. I fay, these are diftinctly to be confidered, because there is a very different account to be given of them. First, as to thofe perfons, to whom the revelation is immediately made, the question is, by what arguments or means they may come to be affured, that any revelation, which they have, is really and truly fuch, and not a delufion or impofture. The jewish doctors tell us, that fome kind of divine revelations do not carry full affurance along with them, that they are divine; fuch are dreams and vifions, as they are diftinguished from prophecy and as to that kind of revelation, which they ftrictly call prophecy, they give feveral characteristical notes to diftinguish true divine revelation from delufion; fuch as thefe ; that the spirit of delufion only works upon the imagination, and the lower faculties; the divine fpirit of prophecy upon the understanding and reafonable part of the foul that delufive infpiration, were accompanied with alienation of mind, which did discover itfelf either in rage and fury, or melancholy; but the true prophetical fpirit is always confiftent with the ufe of reafon and understanding. They distinguish them likewife by the manner of their feizing upon them; that in the beginning of infpirations the prophets used to have fome apparition, or to hear fome voice, either articulate in words, or inarticulate by thunder, CCXXI.' thunder, or the found of a trumpet, which in the Re- SER M. velations doth frequently precede St. John's vifions; and by these they were affured that they were divine. And lastly, that a divine inspiration did always carry along with it a ftrong evidence of it's original, and that by the vigor and strength of it's impreffion, they were fully affured and fatisfied beyond all doubt and hefitation. Thus they. But all that I fhall fay by way of answer to this question, fhall be in these two propofitions. 1. If we believe any fuch thing as divine revelati-l on, we cannot doubt but thofe who have it are fome way or other fully fatisfied of it. The reafon is evident; because otherwise it would be in vain and to no purpose, and could not poffibly attain it's end. A divine revelation cannot poffibly fignify any thing, or in reafon have any effect upon a man, unless he be fatisfied it is fuch: for fo long as he does not know but that it is a delufion, he will not attend to it, or regard it. So that the distinction of the jewish doctors between dreams, and visions, and prophecy, that this carries always full affurance with it, the other not, is vain and unreasonable. 2. The means whereby this affurance of a divine revelation is wrought, is moft probably the evidence it carries along with it, whereby it did fully fatisfy the perfon that had it of it's divine original. That GOD can accompany his own revelations with fuch a clear and overpowering light as fhall discover to us the divinity of them, and fatisfy us beyond all doubt" and fcruple, I think no man can doubt, that confiders the vast power and influence which he muft needs have over our understandings, who made them, and knows the frame of them and if this be granted, it is not neceffary to explain the particular way how it CCXXI. SER M. is done, it being a thing not to be expreft in words, but to be felt and experienced. So that the argument, whereby this perfuafion of a divine revelation is wrought in thofe that have it, is inward experience of the full fatisfaction and affurance, which they find to be fupernaturally wrought in them, that is, of which they give no account from themfelves. And this is not a ftubborn belief, and an obstinate conceit of a thing: but a good man, who is infpired, when he reflects upon himself, and this affurance which he finds in himself, he can give a rational account of it to himself. Thus he finds that it is a foreign impreffion, and doth not spring from himfelf, nor hath it's rife from thence; therefore he afcribes it to fome fpirit without himfelf, and he believes that there is a Gon that can communicate himself to the minds and fpirits of men; and that his goodnefs is fuch, that he will not fuffer them to be under a neceflity of delufion, which they muft be, if when they have the highest affurance and fatisfaction that fuch a thing is a divine revelation, they may be deceived. And then likewife he confiders the matter of the revelation, which if it do not contradict any effential and neceffary fundamental notion of his understanding, he thinks himself bound to entertain it upon this affurance. I fay, good men may give themselves this rational fatisfaction: for I grant a wicked man, that rejects and disobeys the truth of GOD may fo provoke him, as" to give him up to ftrong delufions, to believe "lies," and he may be as confident of a lie, as a good man is of truth. But as this is not unjust from GOD in reference to the perfons, fo it is no prejudice to the affurance which good men may have of divine revelation. C: And this affurance is fuch, as it is not in the power of |
