primitive and absolute, to God and no other. Therefore we are certain that so much is true as is God's word.

Secondly, We are certain that all that is the word of God, which he hath set his seal or attestation to, which I have largely opened in the book which you oppose; all that which hath the antecedent, and constitutive, and concomitant, and subsequent attestation of God there opened, we are certain is of God.

Thirdly, We are certain that the person of Christ and his own doctrine had all this four-fold divine testimony; and therefore that Christ and his doctrine are of God, and true: and, consequently, that Christ was the Son of God, the Redeemer of the World, the Head of the Church, and whatever he affirmeth himself to be.

Fourthly, We are certain that the apostles, as preachers of this Gospel and performers of the commission delivered them by Christ, had the same attestation in kind as Christ himself had they had the same spirit. Though the antecedent testimony by prophecy was not so full of them as it was of Christ, yet the Gospel which they preached and left in writing, first, hath in it still visibly to the eye of every truly discerning person, the image of God's power, wisdom, and goodness. Secondly, the same Gospel, as preached and delivered by them, had the concomitant testimony of abundant certain miracles, prophecies, and holy works. Thirdly, the same Gospel maketh that impression on the souls of true receivers, which is the image of God's power, wisdom, and goodness, and so proveth it to be of God. The concurrence of these three is a full and certain proof.

Now, if there be any doubtfulness in any of this, it must be, first, either what it is that these attestations prove: secondly, or whether they are really divine attestations: thirdly, or whether divine attestations are a certain proof of truth.

To begin at the last. First, if divine testimony be not a certain proof of truth, then there is no possible proof in the world; for there is no veracity in any creature, but derivative from God; and then it must be either because a lie is as perfect and good as truth, which humanity, reason, and all the world contradicteth, and human society abhorreth, there being no savages so barbarous as to think so, or because God is imperfect, either in wisdom to know what is true and fit, or in goodness to choose it, or in power to use it; that is, that God is not God, or that

there is no God, and, consequently, no being; for an imperfect God, an unwise and ill, an impotent being, is no God: and, verily, all our controversies with the infidel and the impious, and the persecutor, must finally come to this, whether there be a God.

II. And that these were fully proved in the treatise. the divine vestigia, or image. do but God. None else can give that full, antecedent testimony of prophecy; none else could have done what Christ did, in his life, death, resurrection, and ascension; none could heal all diseases, work all miracles, raise the dead with a word; none else could do what the apostles did, in tongues, and miracles, and wondrous gifts-and these wrought by so many, before so many, for so long a time. No other doctrine could itself bear God's image of power, wisdom, and goodness so exactly, nor make such an impress of the same image on the souls of men: nay, though this same doctrine, by the Spirit of God, be adapted to such an effect, yet would it not do it, for want of powerful application, if God, by the same Spirit, did not set it home: so that the sanctification and renovation of souls is a divine attestation of this sacred Gospel. And, besides all the past testimonies of Christ's and his apostles' miracles, here is a double testimony from God still vouchsafed to all true believers to the end of the world: the one is God's image on the holy Scriptures; the other is the same image, by this Scripture, and the Spirit that indited it, printed on all true christian souls. Divine power, wisdom, and goodness, hath imprinted itself first upon the sacred word, or doctrine, and by that produceth inimitably holy life, light, and love, in holy souls. True Christians know this: they feel it: they profess it: they have this Spirit in them, illuminating their minds, sanctifying their wills, and quickening them to vital operation and execution; and this is Christ's advocate and witness still dwelling in all his members. I speak not of an immediate, verbal, or impulsive revelation in us, but of a holy, indwelling nature, principle, operation, conforming the soul to God, and proving us to bear his image. This is Christ's witness in us, that he is Christ indeed, and true; and this is our witness that we are the children of God and it is our inherent earnest and pledge, firstfruits and foretastes of the glory which Christ hath purchased and promised. If you know no such thing in yourself as this, you

really divine attestations, I have First, they are divine effects, and Secondly, and such as none can

have resisted the Holy Ghost or quenched the Spirit: and if you would not have him dwell and operate in your heart, no wonder if you cannot see him in the holy word: and if you would not consent that he rule your mind and life, no wonder if you deny him also in that word which he did make to rule you.

If you question the real existence of these several testimonies of God's Spirit, first, those that were given to Christ and his apostles, I have plainly proved to you in the treatise, were delivered down to the world three ways. 1. By the most credible human testimony, to produce a human faith: 2. By such a connexion, and such circumstances, of those human testimonies, as amount to a natural infallible certainty, as we have of the wars in England, and that there was such a man as king Charles, king James, &c., and that our laws were made by the king and parliament, that London was burnt, that there is such a city, &c. even to them that see not any of these. 3. By new divine attestations to these attestations; so that there concurreth, first, a full human faith: Secondly, a natural certainty : Thirdly, a divine faith to the ascertaining us, that Christ did die, rise, ascend, work miracles, give the Spirit, and by it the apostles wrought the like.

Secondly, And the other two testimonies still show themselves; they are yet in being. The sacred Gospel is among us, and on it the life, light, love, fore-described. The believers, sanctified by this Gospel, are among us; and have within them the impressed life, light, love. We see it, where distance, selfishness, prejudice, or malignity hindereth not, shining, though as through a lantern, and working, though imperfectly, in others; and they that have it, may so feel it in themselves, as will preserve them against the cavils of unbelievers.

As the great Creator hath his standing testimony in the natural conscience of mankind, which, in despite of the devil, shall keep up some natural religion in the world; and they that have not a written law, are a law unto themselves, showing that God hath a law in their hearts; so the gracious Redeemer hath his standing witness in the sanctified, even his Holy Spirit, the divine nature, the new creature, the image of God, the Father, Son, and Spirit, dwelling in them, by divine life, light, and love, so as shall keep up a church of holy ones to Christ, in despite of all the powers of hell, even the spirits of death, of darkness, and of malignity; and so much for the validity of God's attestation. III. All, then, that remaineth doubtful, or further to be

spoken to, is, what it is that God hath thus attested by the Holy Ghost.

And, first, we are sure it is not nothing; it is not nothing that all this is done for nor nothing that maketh this change on souls. Secondly, we are sure it can be no less than the truth of the person, office, and doctrine of Christ himself: he hath certainly, by this, proved his own verity and veracity; for his own miracles and resurrection were seals affixed hereunto. Thirdly, we are sure that the same Gospel spoken by himself, was confirmed also when spoken or written by his disciples. Else the same should be sure and not sure. Fourthly, we are sure that the apostles' miracles, &c., confirmed all their commissioned work. I have proved this in my Treatise of the Lord's-day.' Whatever Christ promised them the Spirit for, that he gave them the Spirit for. He that findeth his promise with the performance, may know that it was the promise which was performed. Therefore, our work is to find out that promise.

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And, first, we find their commission, (Matt. xxviii. 19, 20,) "Go and disciple me all nations, baptising them into the name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Ghost: teaching them to observe all things whatever I have commanded you." And the promise is: "Lo, I am with you always to the end of the world." And, "It is expedient for you that I go away: for if I go not away, the Advocate will not come unto you: but if I depart, I will send him unto you. I have yet many things to say unto you, but you cannot bear them now. Howbeit, when he, the Spirit of Truth, is come, he will guide you into all the truth: for he shall not speak of himself, but whatsoever he shall hear, that he shall speak; and he shall show you things to come he shall glorify me; for he shall receive of mine, and show it unto you." (John xvi. 7, 12-15.) “And behold I send the promise of my Father upon you but tarry ye in the city of Jerusalem, till ye be endued with power from on high." (Luke xxiv. 49.) So, (Acts i. 5, 8,) "Ye shall be baptised with the Holy Ghost not many days hence. But ye shall receive power after that the Holy Ghost is come upon you, and ye shall be witnesses to me, both in Jerusalem, and to all Judea, and in Samaria, and unto the uttermost parts of the earth. "I have given to them the words which thou gavest me, and they have received them. Sanctify them through thy truth thy word is truth. As thou hast sent me into the world, so I have also sent them into the world and for their sakes I sanctify myself, that

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they also might be sanctified through the truth." (John xvii, 8, 17, 18.) "But the Comforter, which is the Holy Ghost, whom the Father will send in my name, he shall teach you all things, and bring all things to your remembrance, whatsoever I have said unto you." (John xiv. 26.)

Add to these, the texts which mention the performance of these promises; (as John xx. 22; Acts ii.; Acts xv. 28; Heb. iii. 3, 4.) "So great salvation, which at first began to be spoken by the Lord, and was confirmed to us by them that heard him: God also bearing them witness, both with signs and wonders, and with divers miracles and gifts of the Holy Ghost, according to his own will." "The things which are now reported unto you, by them that have preached the Gospel unto you, by the Holy Ghost sent down from heaven." (1 Pet. i. 12.) "Through mighty signs and wonders, by the power of the Spirit of God, so that from Jerusalem, and round about by Illyricum, I have fully preached the Gospel of Christ." (Rom. xv. 19, 20.) "This only would I learn of you; received ye the Spirit by the works of the law, or by the hearing of faith?" (Gal. iii. 2.)

By all this it is evident, that the Spirit was given them, to enable them to understand the Gospel, and to preach it to the world; to remember all that Christ had taught them to help them to deliver the covenant of grace, and draw men into it, and baptise them to gather churches, and to teach them to observe all that Christ had commanded them, and made part of his laws. To teach them all truth, which was evangelical, or part of their ministerial office. To enable them to be most certain and full in their testimony of what they had heard from Christ, and seen him do, which was part of the Gospel. In a word, to perform all their proper office.

I do not at the present suppose you to take these texts for the word of God: for I must suppose you to be an infidel: but I only offer them as part of the certain historical evidence, concurring with all the forementioned history and evidence of the fact, to prove what it was which the apostles' miracles were used to confirm. This same Gospel they preached every where, when they wrought these miracles. And if they confirmed not the Gospel, or christian religion, they confirmed nothing. So that it being certain that this Spirit and miracles were real, and certain that they were the testimony of God, and certain that it was the truth of Christ's person, actions, doctrines, sufferings, resurrection, ascension, and covenant, and commandments,