the importunate demanding a Sign of him, if a Sign had not been of greater Account with them than Miracles? And as to the Nature of this Sign that it imply'd a Prediction that should very fhortly come to pafs, appears fully from our Saviour's Anfwer. No Sign fhall be given this Wicked and Adulterous Generation, but the Sign of the Prophet Jonas, meaning his Resurrection from the Dead. And again, when they asked, What Sign fheweft thou? He answers, Destroy this Temple, and in three Days I will raife it up. So that the Tendency of their Demand feem'd to imply a Foretelling of fomething Future.

A. It looks fo, I confefs, because the Scribes and Pharifees demand a Sign, even after they had feen a Miracle wrought by him. But on this more efpecially doth he teach his own Difciples to depend, when they should fee his Predictions, and efpecially as to his own Refurrection, come to pafs.. Thus frequently to them, Thefe things have I foretold you, that when you fee them come to pass, ye might believe; as if this was the fureft Ground of their Belief.

You have heard a Revelation that comes from GOD must be worthy of him.

B. Nothing is more infifted on by Divines, The Con nor more urged for the Infpiration of the Sacred tents of a Writings. Pray explain this Matter throughly, Revelations how this fhould be fuch a Teft of Divine Infpiare especi ration?

ally to be confider'd,

Satisfalti

A. For a Man certainly to know whether he in order to be Infpired by GOD, he must in fome compe- receive tent Degree, know what GOD is. - B. It may be fo. But I do not yet fully com- ther it prehend you in this.

on, whe

comes from

A. No: That methinks is ftrange! You fay GOD. GOD reveals himself to you, but how can you be affured, whether the Being that reveals him

felf,

felf, be GOD, unless you know what GOD is? Or, in other Words, You feel an Infpiration, you are certain from the Effects, that fomething Supernatural acted you. But can you be certain, whether GOD or the Devil Supernaturally acted you, unless in some measure you know GOD from the Devil?

B. That's true indeed; for if a Man speaks to me, I cannot be certain who, or what it is that speaks to me, unless I know this Creature of my own kind, and can diftinguish him from others.

A. What is this Knowledge or Idea you have of GOD, but of a Being infinitely Perfect, which includes not only infinite Power but infinite Wisdom, Goodness, Holiness, Purity Truth, Faithfulness and the like?

B. You say right.

A. It appears therefore demonftratively clear; firft, That Revelation fuppofes our Natural Knowledge of GOD, and qualifies us for it; and unless our Reafon dictated fomething concerning GOD, we fhould be incapable of Divine Revelation. If our Faculties naturally dictated nothing concerning GOD, I doubt, whether through Supernatural Means, or by Revelation, we could know any thing of GOD; as we fee Brutes, that know nothing of GOD Naturally, are incapable of knowing any thing of GOD, Supernaturally. But more efpecially if Natural Faculties inform'd us not in any thing concerning GOD, the Inspired Perfon that teaches us by Revelation, muft firft teach us what GOD' is, and whatsoever Reprefentations he made of GOD, muft be received; and confequently the Nature of the Doctrines he teaches us, would be no Proof, for or againft the Revelation, And then the only way fup

pofeable,

pofeable, whereby the Truth of the Revelation could be made appear, muft be by outward Signs and Miracles; but thefe could fignifie nothing neither, if Naturally we knew not GOD infinitely Powerful. For thefe Miracles are Supernatural Effects, and do denote GOD only as they denote infinite Power; and if we did not Naturally know GOD infinitely Powerful, there would be no manner of Connexion between GOD and thofe Powerful Effects, nor any fure Ground. of concluding, becaufe thefe Effects appear Miraculous, that GOD must be the Author of them. But this perhaps is needlefs. Secondly, That Fools and Mad-men are naturally incapable of Divine Inspiration or Revelation, because being deprived of the ufe of their Rational Faculties, they can never know whether a Revelation comes from GOD, because they have no Apprehenfions or Knowledge of his Being; and as they are incapable of any Natural Knowledge of GOD, fo of Supernatural; for Fools and Mad-men furely are no more capable of Supernatural, than Natural Knowledge, until their Faculties be rectified; that is, They are capable of no Knowledge at all. 'Tis true, they may be acted on, and moved as meer Inftruments or Engines, and in this Senfe they may be Infpired, and fo may Brutes; but then all the while they know nothing of their own Infpiration, and what they utter is not from Knowledge; they are no fuller of this, than the Tube is, through which a Man difcourfes never fo Profound things: For furely we reckon it one thing to Infpire, and another thing to move the meer Organs of the Body. And although fome of the Fathers have exprefs'd themselves in Words to this Effect, have call'd Infpired Men the OrL

gan

gan of the Divine Spirit; yet this must not be understood in too ftrict a Senfe. If Infpiration conveys any Knowledge of GOD or our Duty, the only Subject of this, is the Mind and Rational Powers; and he that is incapable of knowing any thing, muft needs be incapable of Infpiration. But this likewife only by the by. What Reafon teaches us of GOD, we have declar'd; our Apprehenfions of the Devil, I think are the contrary.

B. As to the Moral part of his Nature, juft the oppofite.

A. And all these Attributes, we before mention'd, appear to us as Neceffary and Effentially in GOD, as Omnipotency.

B. I can no more conceive GOD without Holiness, Juftice, Wisdom, and the like, than I can conceive GOD without Power.

A. It will be therefore needful to confider, what Miracles do precifely demonftrate. B. Power, I fuppofe.

A. They carry with them this farther Prefumption, that where infinite Power is, there is all other Perfection; but in their own Nature, they only, as you fay, denote the Being whence they proceed, exceeding Powerful, and no otherwife, nor farther, prové a Divine Revelation, than they prove themselves the Effect of a Divine Power: So that if there be any other Being befides GOD, capable of producing fuch Effects, thefe Effects or Miracles will not neceffarily prove a Divine Revelation. The fame is to be faid of Foreknowledge, it only directly demonftrates the Being that foreknows or foretels, endow'd with a Superlative Excellency of Knowledge, and proves a Divine Revelation, just so far as Foreknowledge can be prov'd incompatible to any other Being but GOD. For if

it

it can be made appear, that any other Being can foretel befides GOD, it will not neceffarily follow, that GOD in a particular Cafe foretels, and confequently can be no infallible Teft of a Divine Revelation. But befides Power and Knowledge, you conceive as neceffarily in GOD, Truth, Mercy, Juftice, Wisdom, and the like. But now, what if the Doctrines, we fuppofe to proceed from GOD, bear evident Contradiction to thefe Attributes, if evidently Unholy, Unjuft, &c.

B. Why truely, I think we fhould have juft as much to fay against fuch a Revelation, as for it; that is, We fhould not know what to make of it.

A. Affuredly every Man has fufficient Reafon to disbelieve fuch a Revelation, whatsoever Miracles were wrought for it; because thefe Attributes that thefe Doctrines contradict, are as Effential to GOD as Power is; and as the most Wife, Holy, Pure Doctrines, would never prove a Divine Revelation, provided thefe Doctrines did clearly imply, the Being that Revealed, or Infpir'd them, to be Weak, Corruptible or Mortal; because GOD we know is Powerful, is Immortal; fo the greatest Inftances of Power would never prove a Divine Revelation, if the Revelation or Doctrines contain'd in it, evidently imply'd GOD Unjuft or Unholy; because we as certainly know GOD the contrary, as we know him to be Powerful. Neither can we be as fure, that no Being but GOD, could do any particular Wonder or Miracle, as we are fure, that GOD is Holy and Righteous.

B. But I pray, Sir, who can be positive as to these Attributes in GOD, his Holiness, Juftice, Wisdom, or the like? May not our Apprehen

L 2

fions