wife, (a) who tells us, The Spirits of the Prophets are Subject to the Prophets. Which muft condemn that fort of Infpiration, that tranfports Men beyond their own Power and Underftanding, that throws Men into Fits, and acts them like a Machine.

B. Nay I am clearly of the Opinion had St. Paul appear'd to the Nations to whom he preach'd like one of our new Prophets, hiccuping, gulping, foaming, tumbling, whistling, &c. he would have had little Attention or Regard paid him, he would have been thought a mad Man or Dæmoniack inftead of an Apoftle.

another

A. Fourthly, The extream trifling of thefe Pro- The triphets, both in Senfe and Expreffion, would fling of perfwade one they cannot be Divinely infpir'd. phets, both thefe ProGOD is a Spirit of Wisdom as well as Holinefs; in senfe and it is difagreeable to this Idea of the Divine and ExNature, to attribute any idle mean Stuff to this preffion, Original. The Scripture abundantly confirms Argument this Apprehenfion of GOD; its Senfe is grave, that they wife, and important. Let us fee how entirely are not difagreeable the Senfe and Language of thefe Divinely new Prophets is to former Revelation. infpir'd. To omit their intolerable and groundless Repetitions, as ay, ay, ay, ay; yes, yes, yes, yes; no, no, no, no, at leaft four or five times together. Monfeur Fages tring trang, Swing Swang, hing bang which others have taken notice of. I will make, fays the Spirit, the Courts of Justice know, they hold of me Durante bene placito. And in the fame Page, I can put a noli profequi to their Power. In another place, They will fave their Bacon time enough. (b) This is a cafting Stroke paffing

(a) 1 Cor. 13.32. (b) Warn Part II. p. 71.

the Rubicon. No dealing with the Devil, like Pofitives. In the fame Page the Spirit tells them, That every one of them bath more than Cæfar's Fortune. This is a likely thing for the Spirit to fay. Be affur'd, faith the Spirit, my Friends, your Enemies and my Oppofers (b) are all humble jumble. This is ftrange Stuff. (c) Mr. Facio was under fome Doubt to know which way the Spirit would unfold the true Senfe of Scripture, fo obfcur'd and misunderstood, and under Infpiration, pray'd to be inform❜d, as to this Matter. Upon which the Spirit in these words: Mr. Facio, which way do you think I shall be able to explain the Scriptures, by what way, pray tell Mr. Facio.

B. Really this is wonderfully civil.

A. You fhall hear. After the Judgment of all present were ask'd by the Spirit, and they anfwer'd feverally. The Spirit again in Mr. Facio, why it shall be by ftriking your Difputers Blockbeads, making them to be they don't know where. So as to the Doctrine they preach, the Spirit declares, (d) I will cram it down your Throats, and follow you with it into Hell. Farther fpeaking of the Wisdom of GOD in the Creation, the Spirit thus utters it felf, if they fee (that is the Enemies of this Miffion) little particular Fancies of me, in a Blade of Grafs. (a) The Spirit fays, The Minifters don't care for going amongst the Tartars to profelyte them, because there's no good Belly-timber. (b) Mr. Lacy, in that unaccountable Treat he prepar'd for the Infpir'd, wherein feveral things are fancy'd by way of Spiritual Food, (which is a moft ftrange Scene, and worth the Reader's

(b) VVarn Part II. p. 84. (d) VVarn. Part II. p. 128. (a) VVarn. Part II. p. 141,

(c) VVarn Part II. p. 121.

(b) Warn, Part II. p. 107.

confult

confulting) at laft comes to the Wine (altho' there was no need of it) and says, Mine, that is his Food, needs no Wine to digeft it.

B. I have enough of this. Thefe Thoughts favour more of Fancy and the Earth, than the Divine Spirit.

A. Fifthly, Some Expreffions I cannot recon- Impiety cile to the Spirit of Piety. (c) Mr. Lacy under charg'd on. Infpiration, ftyles Eliz. Grey Morning-ftar: Thou thefe art a Morning-ftar. Nay, as if this was not e-Prophess. nough, he fays, Thou art more than (d) a Morningftar. In the fame Page, Yes, thy Brother shall fee thy Glory, as thou haft feen his, the Sun Shall not eclipfe thy Brightness, O thou Morning-ftar. I know not what these Perfons mean by the Star, and the Morning Star, I know none it is apply'd to in Scripture but our Bleffed Saviour. So faith our Saviour himfelf, (e) I am the Root and Off-Spring of David, and the bright and Morning-ftar. If thefe Men were in their Senfens, they would furely dread to honour one another with Titles, that our Saviour hath fo pe= culiarly apply'd to himself. So it is strangely offenfive to hear them falute one another, under Inspiration; as, Thou art none of the least of the Princes of Juda. (f) So 'tis common that they make the Spirit ftyle themfelves,(g) GOD's PrivyConcellours, his Secretaries of State. How can a Man understand this in a good Senfe? fpeaking of GOD. The Glory of thy Crown and Dignity is at Stake. There is abundance of this fort of Expreffion.

Sixthly, Some things they deliver under Infpiration that are falfe. I might produce many of

(c) VVarn. Part II. p. 7. (e) Rev. 22. 16.

(t) VVarn. Part II. Fi 32.

(d) Warn. Parc II. p. 21, 22.

(g) Ibid. p. 60.
Dd 3

this

this kind, but left I fhould prove tedious, I fhall content my felf with one or two. They The Falle tell us, (a) Chriftians now look upon Christ as dead bood of and afcended into Heaven. But where's, where's the Several Propofiti. Expectation taught of his coming again? This is aons deli. gainft the Minifters of the Church: But what Miver'd un nifters teach Chrift will not come again to Judg der Infpi- ment? They tell us, the Prophecy of the Prophet another foel was not fulfill'd at the Day of Pentecoft, Argument in which, they evidently contradict St. Peter'; against it. for he fays exprefly, (b) This is that which was

ration,

Spoken by the Prophet Joel; and fo goes on, and quotes the very Words of the Prophet. Is there any thing more confident than this? So they tell us again, that St. Peter (c) is not defcribing the Diffolutin of the World. Let any Man read the Words of St. Peter, But the Heavens and the Earth, which are now by the fame word kept in ftore, referv'd unto Fire, against the Day of Judgment and Perdition of Ungodly Men. And farther, as an Explication of this, The Day of the Lord fhall come as a Thief in the Night, in which the Heavens fhall pass away with a great Noife, and the Elements hall melt with fervent Heat; the Earth alfo and the Works that are therein shall be burnt up. And again, Looking for, and hastning to the coming of the Day of GOD, wherein the Heavens being on fire, fhall be diffolved, and the Elements fhall melt with fervent Heat. If this does not fignifie a Diffolution of the World, I know not what 'Expreffion will. No lefs will they infer a Refurrection of the Dead, and that Change which it makes on Mens Bodies. For thefe new Prophets will not pretend, that the Bodies of good Men now as they are in

(a) VVarn. Part III. p. 31.
(b) Ats Chap. 16.

(c) 2 Ep. Chap. 3. ver. 7.

this State of Corruption and Mortality, will be able to endure the general Conflagration, which fure the Apoftle is here defcribing. If the Earth and the Heavens will be thus affected with this Fire, the Bodies of Men cannot be lefs. So that as this Defcription declares a mighty Change in all things, it must fuppofe a mighty Change in the Bodies of Men too; and we never read of any fuch Change that the Bodies of Men fhall undergo, but by Refurrection. I know not what Schemes thefe Men have fancy'd to themselves, neither fhall I trouble my felf about them, it is enough they evidently contradict St. Peter, and therefore whatsoever they be, there cannot be a more improper Text quoted to support them.

infallible

Lastly, The Prophecies they have made, abun-Their false dantly evince, they are not directed by a Di-Prophecies vine and Infallible Spirit. This is the Rule another whereby GOD himself teacheth us to try Pre-Ground to tences to Divine Infpiration. (a) When a Pro-conclude phet Speaketh in the Name of the Lord, if the thing them unfollow not, nor come to pass, that is the thing which the der a DeLord hath not spoken, but the Prophet hath Spoken pre- lufion. Sumptuously, thou shalt not be afraid of him. The Confidence with which falfe Prophets ufually appear, the terrible Evils they denounce upon all fuch as doubt or difpute their Miffion, is apt to work ftrongly upon weak Minds. It is therefore with good Reafon added, Thou shalt not be afraid of them. If therefore they have spoken things that have not come to pals, we have the Command of GOD himfelf not to fear them. Let us fee whether we cannot prove this against them.

(a) Deut. Chap. 18. ver. 22.

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