That the Inspirations which the Apostles had or the Teaching of the Spirit whereby the mind of God was communicated to them had no Dependency upon Miracles I have shewed before As for New Revelations it is a Phrase of his own not used by us and if by New he intend New as to Substance he doth not rightly represent us for we do not expect a Revelation of any other Gospel of any other Way of Salvation of any other Essâ—ntials in the Christian Religion then what were revealed to the primitive Christians and have been in all Ages revealed to the â—aints in 〈◊〉 Dâ—gree or other and which by the divinely inspired Penmen were committed to writing and are declared of in the holy Scriptures but as no Prophecy of old â—ime came by the will of man but holy men of God spake as they were moved by the holy Ghost so nâ—ither can the true Sense and Meaning of thoâ—e heavenly Doctrines contained in the holy â—criptures be comprehended or understood by the Wit and Wisdom of man in his highest Natural Attainments but only alone by the Openings and Discoveries of that holy Spirit by which they were at first revealed Those divine Mysteries are Mysteries indeed and remain so as a sealed Book which neither the unlearned nor yet the most learned in the wisdom of this World is able by that Learning to open until Christ the Lamb doth open them And these Heavenly things and divine Mysteries so opened by him who hath the Key of David wherewith he openeth and no man shutteth and shutteth and no man with all his humane Learning openeth are not New Revelations that is New things revealed but rather renewed Revelations that is Old things revealed anew The same Gospel the same Way of Salvation the same Essentials of Religion the same Principles and Doctrine in a word the same Good Old Truths which were revealed to the Saints of old and are recorded in the holy Scriptures revealed now anew And this Revelation is absolutely necessary for without it there is no true no certain no living Knowledge of God the Father or of Jesus Christ his Son This our Saviour told the Iews No man sayes he knoweth the Son but the Father neither knoweth any man the Father save the Son and he to whomsoever the Son will reveal him Humane Learning cannot do it Nor can the Doctrines of the Gospel or the Mysteries of God's Kingdom be known to man but by the Revâ—lation of the Holy Spirit Humane Learning cannot discover them for The things of God saith Paul knoweth no man but the Spirit of God Perhaps the Priest will say They are revealed in the Scriptures But I shall then tell him That Revelation is necessary yea of Necessity even to understand the Scriptures For he himself observes p. 96. that it is not the Letter but the Sense that is the Word of God If so it is not enough for any man to have and read the Letter only though he spend his Age therein but if he expect profit thereby he must come to the true Sense which how learned soever he be in the Wisdom of this World he never can attain unto until the holy Spirit reveal it to him And to this purpose must his own words serve if they will serve to any purpose at all namely We confess that the Spirit helpeth us to understand old Truths already revealâ—d iâ— Scripture and we pray for his Assistance therein pag. 103. In which words though he mistakes in saying they are revealed already to him that doth not understand them yet by confessing that the Spirit doth help to understand and praying for his Assistance therein he acknowledges that the Truths contained in the Scriptures are to be revealed by the Spirit Having promised this I hold my self the less concern'd to take notice of what he sayes concerned new Revelations because he speaks upâ—n a false Ground and shoots at random Yet some things scattered here and there in his Discourse I may speak briefly to to make him more sensible of his Mistakes 1 st He says These New Revelations highly disparage the Scriptures Answ. He that desires and waits to have the Truth 's Record in the Scriptures revealed to him by the same Spirit from which they were written doth not at all disparage the Scriptures but honours them But he sayes The Scripture if it be true and may be believed declares it self to be a perfect and sufficient Rule in order to Salvation 2 Tim. 3.17 Answ. The Scripture so far as it hath escaped Corruption from Mis-transcribing Mis-translating Mis-printing and the like is true and not only may but ought to be believed But I do not find it declares that of it self which he hath here declared of it from 2 Tim. 3.17 namely that it is a perfect and sufficient Rule in order to Salvation That place sayes thus Vers. 16. for the 17th Verse depends on that and is imperfect without it All Scripture is given by Inspiration of God and is profitable for Doctrine for Reproof for Correction for Instruction in Righteousness Vers. 17. That the Man of God may be perfect throughly furnisht unto all Good Works Now to let pass the Translation which is not altogether so well as it might be here is no mention of a Rule at â—ll The Scripture is here said to be profitable but I hope the Priest will not say every thing that is profitable is a perfect and sufficient Rule He sayes humane Learning is profitable and not only so but necâ—ssary yea of Necessity to the Understanding Preaching the Gospel will he therefore make humane Learning the Rule But how regardless is this man of speaking Truth who so confidently sayes the Scripture declares it self to be a perfect and sufficient Rule in order to Salvation whenaâ— that Scripture which he brings to prove this hath no such words in it But he adds That the Scripture accurses all that shall preach any other Doctrine Gal. 1.8 9. Answ. If he means any other Doctrine then this which he has preached concerning the Scripture being a perfect and sufficient Rule he errs and wrongs the Text. For the Apostle there sayes If any man preach any â—â—her Gâ—spel unto you then that we haâ—e preached and you have received let him be acursed And so say I He that preaches any other Gospel then what was then preached by the Apostle the Curse and Wo is to him But let me withal tell my Adversary he did unadvisedly to bring these two Scriptures together For in that to Timothy the Apostle saith That the Man of God may be perfect but that the Priest denyes it is possible for him to be So that he preaches not only another but a directly contrary Doctrine to what the Apostle preacht Let him look again then and consider whether he has not brought the Curse to his own Door Again he sayes pag. 104. Consider how contrary these new Revelations are to God's
thing and speak another But if the Letter be not the Word of God how can the Bible be the Word of God seeing the Bible is only the Book wherein the Letter is written Yet does this man so confound and jumble them together that it is hard to know what at last he intends to be the Word of God One while he sayes it is not the Letter but the Sense that is the Word of God by and by he sayes The Bible is the Word of God as if he took the Bible in which the Letter is written to be the Sense of the Letter for he makes the Bible and the Sense of the Letter to be one and the same thing namely the Word of God But the Word of God which is quick and powerful he appears to be a Stranger to But he asks Whence we know that the Word of God is Quick and Lively Answ. By Experience For though he being with the Iews in the Unbelief has never peradventure heard the Voice of God at any time yet blessed be the Lord we have and when the Lord hath spoken in us we have felt his Word living and powerful discerning and discovering the Most Secret Thoughts and Intents of our Hearts But this Answer I conclude will not answer his End He has fitted an Answer to his own Design and put it into his Parishioner's Mouth to speak as for us which is That We learn out of the Bible that the Word of God is Quick and Lively Whereupon as apprehending some Advantage he layes about him with all his Might What! sayes he Out of that Bible which they call a Dead Letter and so goes on for three or four pages together in such an insulting strain as if he had gotten some petty Conquest and were now riding in Triumph But a Wise Man would have defer'd his Boasting until he had put his Armour off That the Bible barely as it is a Book is a Dead Thing that the Scriptures barely as Writings are Dead Letters none I think that considers what he sayes and dareâ— put his Name to it will deny But sayes he Though the Leaves and Letters have no Natural Life in them is therefore the Sense of the Scriptures dead No say I The true Sense and Meaning of the Scriptures is not dead But that Sense which man by his Natural Understanding and Humane Learning only doth invent and form to himself as if he had it from the Scriptures is dead for the true Sense and Meaning of the Scripture is received and understood in by the Openings and Revelation of the Divine Spirit and not otherwise Now we never call the Scriptures a dead Letter in disâ—respect to or dis-esteem of the Scriptures but to manifest the Mistake and Error of those who think it sufficient that they have the Scriptures although they dâ—ny the Revelation of the Spirit by which alone the true Sense and Meaning of the Scriptures can be understood And though the Scriptures without the Spirit be a Dead Letter yet being opened explained applyed and the true Sense of them given by the Spirit they are then truly serviceable and profiâ—able for Doctrine for Reproof for Correction for Instruction in Righteousness and may be so used by them that are led and guided by the Spirit without any of those Absurdities which this man irreligiously would fasten on them Besides when the Bible is called a Dead Letter it is as in his Book in Opposition to them that call it the Word of God as this Man expresly doth in the very same page 107 though to his own Contradiction he had said but a few Leaves before pag. 96. It is not the Letter but the Sense that is the Word of God So that although he will not have the Letter to be the Word of God but the Sense yet by an incomparable Piece of Ignorance and Self-contradiction he will have the Bible or Book to be the Word of God as if the Book wherein the Letter it written were the Sense of the Letter Thus all his great Bluster and Vapour against others ends in the Detection of his own Confusion He sayes pag. 112. To look for more Revelations or a Repetition of the former would be equally an Act of Impudence and Infidelity Why of Impudence and Infidelity He replies Would it not be an Act of Infidelity not to believe God when he plainly tells us that the Scriptures themselves are able to make us wise unto Salvation through Faith c. and to furnish us throughly to all good Works Answ. He corrupts the Scripture Where doth God plainly tell him that the Scriptures themselves are able c This word themselves he puts in of his own Head and yet sayes God tells us plainly that the Scriptures themselves are able c. wherein he speaks Untruth of God If this be not Infidelity yet it looks as like Impudence as I have seen If the Scriptures themselves were able to make wise unto Salvation through Faith c. there were then no Need of the Help of the Spirit But I have already shewed that unless the Spirit reveal and open them the Scriptures themselves cannot be rightly understood And he himself in saying The spirit doth help them to understand them and that they pray for its Assistance therein pag. 103. doth implicitly acknowledge as much But if there be a Necessity of the spirit 's Teaching in order to a right understanding of the Scriptures then it is evident that the Scriptures themselves are not able to make wise c. without the Help and Assistance i. e. the Teaching and Revelation of the Spirit Whether then it can be an Act of Infidelity to expect that which there is so great a Necessity of that men cannot be wise unto Salvation without it I leave to the Reader 's Judgment Nay let it be well considered seeing Christ hath plainly and expresly told us That he will send the Comforter the spirit of Truth to his Disciples that this spirit shall be in them and shall abide with them forever that he shall testifie of Christ that he shall take of Christ's and shew it unto them that he shall teach them all things and guide them into all Truth as appears in the 14 15 16. Chapters of Iohn I say let it be well considered whether it is not an Act of Infidelity in any who profess themselves to be Christ's Disciples not to believe and expect the Performance of this so absolute a Promise Thus far as to the Infidelity of expecting to have the Truths formerly revealed to the Saints revealed now to us by the same spirit by which they were then revealed unto them which I take to be the Meaning of that Phrase of his a Repetition of the former Revelations Now to the Act of Impudence for he sayes To look for a Repetition of the former Revelations would be equally an Act of Impudence and Infidelity And is it not an Act of Impudence sayes he
that Vsage which they confess was then lawful Answ. He mistakes the Case they are not brought in speaking against that which was then lawful but against that which was then unlawful namely the wrong Use and Abuse of Oaths who that hath at all converst with Books is ignorant that it is usual at the Foot of a Title page to insert some Sentences out of Holy Scripture if the Subject of the Book be Religion out of prophane Authors if the Discourse be of another Nature â— somwhat relating or alluding to the matter treated of The Subject R. H. was treating of was this that all manner of swearing being forbidden by Christ all Oaths are now unlawful and therefore the Use of any Oaths must needs provoke the Displeasure of God against that Nation where they are used This being the Subject of his Book he did very aâ—tly allude to those Words of the Prophet Hosea Because of Oaths the Land mourns The Land mourned then because of Oaths Why because those Oaths then were Vnlawful The Land mourns now because of Oatâ—s why because all Oaths are now unlawful The like is to be said of the Words of Zachary and this is further to be noted that in R. H.'s Book it is thus And as saith the Prophet Every one that sweareth shall be cut off but this Parenthesis as saith the Prophet the Priest leaves out which was not fairly done of him for it shews the Intention of R. H. to be only to allude to the words of the Prophet as if he had said as the Prophet saith in another Case so say I in this he said every one that swears falsly shall be cut off because it was unlawful to swear falsly then I say every one that swears at all shall be cut off because it is unlawful to swear at all now it was therefore ignorantly at least if not maliciously done of the Priest to infinuate that R.H. brought these Scriptures to prove that all Oaths were as unlawful then as now for himself confesseth that R. H. doth yield that some Oaths were lawful then Besides what Reason had he to say of those Scriptures These are his Proofs what doth he mean they were Proofs of He himself in his own Book hath set at the Foot of his Title-page this Scripture 2 Thes. 2.11 For this cause God shall send them strong Delusion that they should believe a Lye Did he intend this for a Proof of what I would know Is it to prove his Book a Conference between a Minister and a Parishioner of his Is it to prove his Parishioner was inclining to Quakerism Is it to prove that the absurd Opinions of that Sect are detected and exposed to a just Censure This is the sume of his Title or is it to prove that they who credit what he hath â—herein written against the Principles of the People called Quakers are indeed under strong Delusion and do believe a Lye But letting his pass let us now hear what the Priest â—an say in defence of Swearing That our Saviour Christ when he said â—ear not at all c. Mat 5. did not forbid â—ll manner of Oaths he takes upon him to prove and saith he will do it in this order First By proving an Oath an Act of natural Religion towards God Secondly An Act of necessary Iustice and Charity towards men Thirdly That it is therefore a Part of that Moral and Eternal Law which our Saviour professeth he came not to destroy but to fulfil Fourthly That we find it practised in the new Testament page 5.6 His first Proposition viz. That an Oath is an Act of natural Religion towards God I deny He offers to prove it by Reason and Consent of Nations By Reason thus That whereby we glorifie God and adore his Attributes is an Act of Religion but by an Oath rightly taken we glorifie God and adore his Attributes therefore such an Oath is an Act of Religion Answ. The first Part of this Argument doth not reach the Proposition he undertook to prove namely That an Oath is an Act of natural Religion for in his Argument he drops the Word Natural and makes no mention of it neither doth he in the Conclusion of his Argument infer that an Oath is an Act of Natural Religion but barely thuâ— Therefore such an Oath is an Act of Religion Now a thing may be an Act of Religion and yet not an Act of Natural Religion as he calls it that iâ— it may be an Act of Religion by Precept or Institution yet not an Act of Religion barely of it â—elf or simply from the Nature of the thingâ— thâ—t may be an Act of Religion being commanded which was not an Act of Religion before it was commandâ—d nor will be an Act of Reâ—igion after that Command which made it so is repealed Tâ—usâ—â—s it in the Caâ—e of Circumcision it was an Act of Religion yet not an Act of Natural Religion It was no â—ct oâ— Religion before it was commanded It was an Act of Religion after it was commanded it is no Act of Religion since that Command which made it so is repealed Here then he hath missed his Aâ—m and that abundantly short of the Mark And it is a very material Consideration for for his main Drift in asserting an Oath to be an Act of Natural Religion seems to be that he might wholely free it from Dependence upon Precept and establish it as a Paâ—t of the Moral and Eternal Law which in his third Proposition he ushers in with a Therefore that it being an Act of Natural Religion c. It is therefore a Part of the Moral and Eternal Law c. But his Therefore being built upon a false Foundation must needs therefore fall to the Ground And as in the first Part of his Argument there is a Dâ—fâ—ct so in the second there is a Reduâ—daâ—cy which makes it stark naught for therein he Assumes thus But by an Oath rightly taken we glorifie God c. The Faâ—lacy lies in those Words rightly taken bâ— which he would take for granted that an Oath may be rightly taken this is meer begging of thâ— Quâ—stion for that is the main thing in Controversie if we câ—uld grant that an Oath may be rightly taken we should not refuâ—e to take it our selves but we â—ay no Oath can be rightly taken because all Oaths are by Christ forbidden The Premisses being both faulty his Conclusion to be sure cannot be good therefâ—â—e what he builds thereupon deserves the less Regard He enumerates many Attributes of God which he saith are acknowledged by an Oath to which no other Answer need be given then that the divine Attributes are acknowledged by speaking the Truth without an Oath and God thereby more glorified in having reâ—eemed a â—eople from â—eâ—fidiousness Treachery and Falshood and brought them to that State of integrity and Uprightness of Heart that haâ—ing put away â—ll Lying which was tâ—e Occasion of Swearing they can now spâ—â—k every
Skill and Learning and not to the mighty Power of God Answ. The Reason holds good still Experience shews that these learned men that call themselves Ministers of the Gospel now do extol and cry up their humane learning beyond the Power of God for they make that Learning such an indespensible Qualification and of such absolute Necessity that though a man be indued with Power from on high though he hath received the Promise of the Father though he be full of the Holy Ghost and of Faith yet if he be not skâ—lled in humane Learning or at least supposed to be they say he is not fit to preach the Gospel But he saith That was a time extraordinary the Disciples being to plant the Gospel in all Nations and probably understanding no Language but the Syrian Christ therefore rains upon them cloven Tongues whereby they were capacitated to preach the Gospel to all People and Nations under Heaven page 100. Answ. If that was an extraordinary time and occasion in and upon which Tongues were given he is the more to blame for inferring from thence a Necessity of Humane Learning in ordinary times and upon ordinary occasions He should have remembred what himself saith page 128. That it is a most grand Fallacy to draw an universal Conclusion from particular Premises But a time he saith was coming when these Tongues should cease the main Work being done page 101. Answ. 'T is true Tongues being given but for a particular Service were to cease that Service being answered but the Teaching of the Spirit was not to cease it had no Dependency upon Tongues and therefore was not to cease with them it was before them and was to continue after them The Comforter the Spirit of Truth which Christ said he would pray the Father to send to his Disciples was to abide with them forever and he was to be their Teacher and to guide them into all Truth Besides the Apostle Paul writing to the Church at Ephesus amongst whom being of one Tongue there was no need of Tongues and by whom we read of no Miracles wrought tells them He ceaseth not to pray for them that God would give them the Spirit of Wisdom and Revelation in the Knowledge of himself From whence it is evident First That divine Revelation had no Dependence upon Tongues or Miracles Secondly That although Tongues were for a particular Service and Season and therefore were to cease yet that the Ministration of the Spirit by divine Revelation was not to cease but to continue in the Church of Christ therefore also he exhorts the Thessalonians not to quench the Spirit 1 Thes. 5.19 But he saith It would be presumption in them who pretend to be the Apostles Successors to expect to receive all Gospel Knowledge in the same manner and in all those Wayes wherein it was communicated to the Apostles page 101. Answ. How far he will strain the Word all in the last Clause I know not but if by all those Ways he intends no more then an inward Manifestation and immediate Revelation of the mind and Will of God to them by the Spirit of Truth which dwells in them I will adventure to tell him it is no Presumption at all in those who are the Apostles Successors to expect to receive the Knowledge of the Gospel in the same manner for as our Saviour prayed not for them only but all such also as should believe on him through their Word So what he promised concerning sending the Comforter to be in them to teach them to take of his and shew it unto them to guide them into all Truth and to abide with them forever he did not promise with Restriction and Limitation to them only but with an extensive Relation to all that should believe on him This appears First from the Words of Christ He that believeth on me as the Scripture hath said out of his Belly shall flow Rivers of living Water But this spake he of the Spirit which they that believed on him should receive This is spoken indefinitely of all Believers without any Restraint to Persons time or place for the Invitation is general If any Man thirst let him come unto me and drink c. Secondly It does appear that this inward immediate and spiritual Teaching was known and received by the Saints of old in general of whom we read not that they spake with Tongues or wrought Miracles The very little Children Babes in Christ to whom Iohn writ had received the Anointing Ye have an Vnction from the holy One and ye know all things the Anointing which ye have received of him abideth in you and ye need not that any man teach you but as the same Anointing teacheth you of all things and iâ— Truth and no Lye and even as it hath taught you ye shall abide in him Hence it is manifest that in the Primitive Church the Saints in general had the Spirit poured on them had the Anointing in them that the End of it was to teach and guide them and that they were taught and guided by it Thirdly Besides this inward and immediate Teaching of the Spirit of God by which the Knowledge of the Gospel is communicated being the very End for which the Conforter was sent and as I may say the natural Effects of his coming implied in those Words of Christ He shall teach you all things he shall testifie of me he shall receive of mine and shall shew it unto you he shall guide you into all Truth c. it must either be granted that these Effects of his Coming are now received and known in the true Church or denied that the Comforter is now received and doth abide with Believers at all The Consequence whereof would be that Christ hath left his People Comfortless which he hath assured them he will not do but if the Comforter the Spirit of Truth be now to be expected he is faithful that promised if he is to be in the Saints and to abide with them forever if his Office be to testifie of Christ to receive of Christ's and shâ—w it unto them to teach them all things and to guide them into all Truth I hope Reader thou wilt not think it Presumption in them that are truly the Apostles Successors in Faith and Doctrine to expect to receive the Knowledge of the Gospel in the same manner as they received it Again he saith it is as ungodly and absurd to depend upon extraordinary Revelations and Miracles while we neglect the ordinary means under which we live as it is for an Husbandman to give over his Husbandry in expectation of being provided for by daily Miracles page 102. And a little lower he saith Though God's Hand be not shortned but that it is in his Power to give the Church now the same Gift of Tongues of Working Miracles and the rest as he was pleased to do in the Primitive Age of the Church c. Answ.
constant Method in regard they come naked without any Miracles to attest them for when did God ever send any new Doctrine and did not also give the Preachers thereof a Power of Working Miracles c Answ. This all depends upon the word New New Revelations and New Doctrines which â— have before shewed to be a Mistake and that we are not concerned therein if by Nâ—w Doctrines he means such Doctrines as are essâ—ntial to Salvation we do not pretend or expect to have any New Gospel or such New Doctrines revealed to us but we say the Good Old Gospel and the Doctrines of it which were of old revealed to the Apostles and Saints in the first Ages of Christianity and which are declared of in the Scriptures of Truth are now after the long Night of thick Darkness which hath covered the Earth and that general Apostacy wherein all the World wondred after and worshipped the Beast and the Inhabitants of the Earth were made drunk with the Wine of the Fornication of the great Whore of which all Nations had drunk again revealed by the same Spirit which Christ promised to send to his Disciples to be in them to teach them all things to guide them into all Truth to take of his and shew it unto them and to abide with them forever the Spirit of Christ being still free in his manifold Discoveries and Revelations beyond Utterance the highest Degree whereof is in no wise repugnant to those Essential Truths declared of in Scripture And it is observable that although the Gospel was preached in Demonstration and Power by the Apostles and Disciples in the Beginning and that too universally yet Iohn in his Vision of the future State of the Church saw the Gospel preacht again by an Angel flying in the midst of Heaven thereby intimating that the Gospel should be preached in the Demonstration of the Spirit and Power after the â—postacy as well as it had been before Yet we read not of any Miracles he wrought though he was an Angel Yet in the next page he has another fling at New Revelations which he sayes do manifestly contradict the Faith of the primitive Christians Answ. To this I shall not need to say much Let them look to it whom it concerns That it concerns not us I have already shewed The Faith which we have received is the same with that of the primitive Christians the Author of it is the same the Finisher of it the same and we have received it after the same manner that they received it of old namely by the Gift of God But other Gospel then that which they had we do not expect Again in pag. 106 107. Upon his old Text of new Revelations he runs into an Extravagant Vein of Rayllery charging us with Falshood Rayling Nonsense and Blasphemy that we would bring the World into Egyptian Darkness and all this and much more for a Dream a meer Fancy a Miserable Mistake c. that we follow a False and Fantastick Light and adore a Lye for divine Revelation c. Answ. In this Case what fitter Answer can be given then that which Michael gave the Devil The Lord Rebuke thee Unhappy Man whom nothing less would satisfie then to dash himself against that Stone which if it fall upon him will dash him to pieces 〈…〉 enough that he hath reviled and vilified â—s throughout his whole Book but he must also blaspheme the Light of the Son of God and the Operaâ—ion of the Holy Ghost in calling the one a False Fantastick Light and the other a Lye Well let him remember that the Apostle hath said He that despiseth despiseth not Man but God who hath also given unto us his good Spirit And let him beware of persisting in this Course lest he bring on himself an irreversible Doom which he may read Mat. 12.31 32. Yet would not this man for all this be thought to deny all Revelation neither For sayes he I own those Revelations which are upon Record in the holy Bible which iâ— the Word of God wherein he hath revealed his Will to the Church c. pag. â—07 Answ. He seems not rightly to understand Revelation but rather to have taken in some strange Notion concerning it I would gladly know of him how he would be understood when he sayes God has revealed his Will to the Church in the Holy Bible He sayes The Letter is not the Word but the Sense pag. 96. Does he mean then that this Sense is so revealed in the Bible that he that reads the Letter though he hath no Assistance therein but only his own natural Understanding shall be sure to find the true Sense and understand the Will of God This his words import Yet this he cannot reasonably intend if he will consist with himself because he else-where not only urges the Necessity of Humane Learning but also confesses the Spirit doth help them to understand the Scriptures and that they therefore pray for his Assistance therein pag. 103. But if he means that the Will of God is so revealed in the Scriptures that they can understand it with the Help and Assistance of the Spirit but not without which is the fair import of confessing the Spirit doth help and praying for its Assistance therein what else then I pray is this but to say They can understand the Will of God in the Scriptures when the Spirit revealeth it unto them but not otherwise For if they could understand the Will of God without the Help of the Spirit in vain do they invoke his Assistance but if they cannot understand the Will of God in the Scriptures without the Help of the Spirit and therefore implore his Assistance that shews the Necessity of the Spirit 's Teaching and if the Spirit vouchsafe his Help and do open and make known the Will of God to them that is Revelation How egregiously absurd then it is for this man to exclaim as he does against Revelation who upon his own Principle cannot understand the Will of God without it let the Reader judge But he charges the Quakers with saying The Bible is a Dead Letter but the Word of God is Quick and Powerful so is not the Bible p. 107. Answ. The Word Bible signifies a Book and the Book or Bible the Priests call the Word of God This Man called it so but just now I own said he those Revelations which are upon Record in the Holy Bible which is the Wâ—rd of God pag. 107. Hereupon to shew them how grosly they mistake they have been sometimes asked How it can be that the Bible should be tâ—e â—ord of God seeing the Word of God is quick and powerful and the Bible or Bookâ— a Dead Letter Some of them being by this a little awakened to avoid the Absuâ—dity tell us They do not 〈◊〉 can that the Letter is the Word of God but the Sense so says this man p. 96. But why then do they mean one