My second argument shall be drawn from the nature of the new covenant; by which, and those that follow, I shall prove, that we are led by the Spirit both immediately and objectively. The nature of the new covenant is expressed in divers places; and,

First, "As for me, this is my covenant with them, saith the Lord; my Spirit that is upon thee, and my words which I have put into thy mouth, shall not depart out of thy mouth, nor out of the mouth of thy seed, nor out of the mouth of thy seed's seed, saith the Lord, from henceforth and for ever." Isa. lix. 21. By the latter part of this, is sufficiently expressed the perpetuity and continuance of this promise, It shall not depart, saith the Lord, from henceforth and for ever. the former part is the promise itself, which is the Spirit of God being upon them, and the words of God being put into their mouths.

In

Secondly, The nature of the new covenant is yet more amply expressed, Jer. xxxi. 33. which is again repeated and reasserted by the apostle, Heb. viii. 10, 11. in these words, "For this is the covenant that I will make with the house of Israel; after those days, saith the Lord, I will put my laws into their mind, and write them in their hearts, and I will be to them a God, and they shall be to me a people. And they shall not teach every man his neighbour, and every man his bro

ther, saying, Know the Lord; for they shall all know me, from the least to the greatest.'

The object here is God's law placed in the heart, and written in the mind; from whence they become God's people, and are brought truly to know him.

The third argument is from these words of John. "But the anointing, which ye have received of him, abideth in you, and ye need not that any man teach you: but the same anointing teacheth you of all things, and is truth, and is no lie; and even as it hath taught you, ye shall abide in him." 1 John ii. ver. 27.

This could not be any special, peculiar, or extraordinary privilege, but that which is common to all the saints, it being a general epistle, directed to them of that age.

It is a lasting and ing which abideth.

continuing thing; the anointIf it had not been to abide in them, it could not have taught them all things, neither guarded them against all hazard. From which I argue thus,

He that hath an anointing abiding in him, which teacheth him all things, so that he needs no man to teach him, hath an inward and immediate teacher, and hath some things inwardly and immediately revealed unto him.

If any, reading these things find themselves moved, by the strength of these scripture arguments, to assent and believe such revelations ne

cessary, and yet find themselves strangers to them, which, as I observed in the beginning, is the cause that this is so much gainsayed and contradicted, let them know, that it is not because it is ceased to become the privilege of every true Christian that they do not feel it, but rather because they are not so much Christians by nature as by name; and let such know, that the secret light which shines in the heart, and reproves unrighteousness, is the small beginning of the revelation of God's Spirit, which was first sent into the world to reprove it of sin, John xvi. 8. And as, by forsaking iniquity thou comest to be acquainted with that heavenly voice in thy heart, thou shalt feel, as the old man, or the natural man, that savqureth not the things of God's kingdom, is put off, with his evil and corrupt affections and lusts; I say, thou shalt feel the new man, or the spiritual birth and babe raised, which hath its spiritual senses, and can see, feel, taste handle and smell the things of the Spirit; but till then the knowledge of things spiritual is but as an historical faith. But as the description of the light of the sun, or of curious colours, to a blind man who, though of the largest capacity, cannot so well understand it, by the most acute and lively description, as a child can by see ing them; so neither can the natural man, of the largest capacity, by the best words, even scripture words, so well understand the mysteries of God's kingdom, as the least and weakest child who tast

eth them, by having them revealed inwardly and objectively by the Spirit.

CONCERNING THE SCRIPTURES.

From these revelations of the Spirit of God to the saints, have proceeded the Scriptures of Truth, which contain,

I. A faithful historical account of the actings of God's people in divers ages; with many singular and remarkable providences attending them. II. A prophetical account of several things, whereof some are already past, and some yet

to come.

III. A full and ample account of all the chief principles of the doctrine of Christ, held forth. in divers precious declarations, exhortations, and sentences, which, by the moving of God's Spirit, were at several times, and upon sundry occasions, spoken and written unto some churches and their pastors.

We do acknowledge the Scriptures to be very heavenly and divine writings, the use of them to be very comfortable and necessary to the church of Christ, and that we also admire and give praise to the Lord, for his wonderful providence in preserving these writings so pure and uncorrupted as we have them, through so long a night of apostacy, to be a testimony of his truth against the

wickedness and abominations even of those whom he made instrumental in preserving them, so that they have kept them to be a witness against themselves. Moreover, because they are commonly acknowledged by all to have been written by the dictates of the Holy Spirit, and that the errors which may be supposed by the injury of times to have slipped in, are not such but that there is a sufficient clear testimony left to all the essentials of the Christian faith; we do look upon them as the only fit outward judge of controversies among Christians; and that whatsoever doctrine is contrary unto their testimony, may therefore justly be rejected as false. And for our parts, we are very willing that all our doctrines and practices be tried by them; which we never refused, nor ever shall, in all controversies with our adversaries, as the judge and test. We shall also be very willing to admit it as a positive certain maxim, That whatsoever any do, pretending to the Spirit, which is contrary to the scriptures, be accounted and reckoned a delusion of the devil. For we do firmly believe that there is no other gospel or doctrine to be preached, but that which was delivered by the apostles; and do freely subscribe to that saying, "Let him that preacheth any other gospel, than that which hath been already preached by the apostles, and according to the scriptures, be accursed." Gal. i. 8.