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no such power is included in the nature of the gift, which is perfective of their knowledge, not by the way of habit, but actual motion in respect of some particulars; and when this was absent, the same Elisha affirmeth, that he knew not why the Shunamitish woman was troubled), or, secondly, of things future and contingent in respect of their secondary causes, not precisely necessitated by their own internal principle of operation, for the effecting of the things so foreknown: and therefore the truth of the foreknowledge, consists in a commensuration to God's purpose. Now effects of this power, are all those predictions of such things which we find in the Old and New Testament, and divers also since. Secondly, The supernatural gift in speaking I intimate, is that of tongues, proper to the times of the gospel, when the worship of God was no longer to be confined to the people of one nation.

The third working, is that which strictly and properly is called the gift of miracles; which are hard, rare, and strange effects, exceeding the whole order of created nature: for whose production God sometimes useth his servants instrumentally, moving and enabling them thereunto by a transient impression of his powerful grace; of which sort the holy Scripture hath innumerable relations. Now with one of those extraordinary gifts at least, sometimes with all, doth the Lord furnish those his messengers of whom we treat: which makes their message a sufficient revelation of God's will, and gives it credibility enough, to stir up faith in some, and leave others inexcusable. All the difficulty is, that there have been Simon Maguses, and are antichrists, falsely pretending to have in themselves this mighty power of God, in one or other of the forenamed kinds. Hence were those many false prophets, dreamers, and wizards, mentioned in the Old Testament, which the Lord himself forewarns us of, as also those agents of that man of sin, 'whose coming is after the working of Satan with powers and signs and lying wonders; 2 Thess. ii. 9. I mean the juggling priests and Jesuits, pretending falsely by their impostures to the power of miracle-working; though their employment be not to reform, but professedly to corrupt the worship of God. Now in such a case as this, we have, 1. The mercy of God to rely upon, whereby he will guide his into the way of truth, and the

purpose or decree of God, making it impossible that his elect should be deceived by them. 2. Human diligence accompanied with God's blessing, may help us wonderfully in a discovery, whether the pretended miracles be of God, or no; for there is nothing more certain, than that a true and real miracle is beyond the activity of all created power (for if it be not, it is not a miracle); so that the devil and all his emissaries are not able to effect any one act truly miraculous; but, in all their pretences there is a defect discernible, either in respect of the thing itself pretended to be done, or of the manner of its doing, not truly exceeding the power of art or nature, though the apprehension of it, by reason of some hell-conceived circumstances, be above our capacity. Briefly, either the thing is a lie, and so it is easy to feign miracles, or the performance of it is pure juggling, and so it is easy to delude poor mortals. Innumerable of this sort, at the beginning of the reformation, were discovered among the agents of that wonder-working man of sin, by the blessing of God upon human endeavours. Now from such discoveries, a good conclusion may be drawn, against the doctrine they desire by such means to confirm; for as God never worketh true miracles, but for the confirmation of the truth, so will not men pretend such as are false, but to persuade that to others for a truth, which themselves have just reason to be persuaded is a lie. Now if this means fail, 3. God himself hath set down a rule of direction for us, in the time of such difficulty; Deut. xiii. 1—5. 'If there arise among you a prophet or dreamer of dreams, and giveth thee a sign or a wonder, and the sign or the wonder come to pass, wherefore he spake unto thee, saying, Let us go after other gods to serve them; thou shalt not hearken to the words of that prophet, or dreamer of dreams: for the Lord your God proveth you, to know whether ye love the Lord your God, with all your heart, and all your soul. Ye shall walk after the Lord your God, and fear him, and keep his commandments, and obey his voice, and you shall serve him, and cleave unto him. And that prophet or dreamer of dreams shall be put to death.' The sum is, that seeing such men pretend that their revelations and miracles are from heaven, let us search whether the doctrine they seek to confirm by them be from heaven, or no; if it be not, let them be stoned, or accursed, for they

seek to draw us from our God; if it be, let not the curse of a stony heart, to refuse them, be upon us. Where the miracles are true, the doctrine cannot be false; and if the doctrine be true, in all probability the miracles confirming it, are not false; and so much of them, who are immediately called of God from heaven, what assurance they may have in themselves of such a call, and what assurance they can make of it to others. Now such are not to expect any ordinary vocation from men below, God calling them aside to his work from the midst of their brethren: the Lord of the harvest may send labourers into his field, without asking his steward's consent, and they shall speak whatever he saith unto them.

CHAP. VII.

The second way whereby a man may be called extraordinarily. SECONDLY, A man may be extraordinarily called to the preaching and publishing of God's word, by a concurrence of Scripture rules, directory for such occasions, occurrences, and opportunities of time, place, and persons, as he liveth in, and under. Rules in this kind may be drawn either from express precept, or approved practice: some of these I shall intimate, and leave it to the indifferent reader to judge, whether or no they hold in the application; and all that in this kind I shall propose, I did with submission to better judgments.

Consider then,

1. That of our Saviour to St. Peter, Luke xxii. 32. When thou art converted, strengthen thy brethren;' which containing nothing but an application of one of the prime dictates of the law of nature, cannot, ought not, to be restrained unto men of any peculiar calling as such. Not to multiply many of this kind (whereof in the Scripture is plenty); add only that of St. James; Brethren, if any of you do err from the truth, and one convert him; let him know, that he which converteth the sinner from the error of his way shall save a soul from death,' &c. From these and the like places it appears to me, that

(1.) There is a general obligation on all Christians, to

promote the conversion and instruction of sinners, and man erring from the right way.

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Again, Consider that of our Saviour, Matt. v. 15. Men do not light a candle and put it under a bushel, but on a candlestick, and it giveth light unto all that are in the house:' to which add that of the apostle, If any thing be revealed to another that sitteth by, let the first hold his peace; 1 Cor. xiv. 30. which words, although primarily they intend extraordinary immediate revelations, yet I see no reason why in their equity and extent, they may not be directory for the use of things revealed unto us by Scripture light; at least we may deduce from them, by the way of analogy, that

2. Whatsoever necessary truth is revealed to any out of the word of God, not before known, he ought to have an uncontradicted liberty of declaring that truth, provided that he use such regulated ways for that his declaration, as the church wherein he liveth (if a right church) doth allow.

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Farther, see Amos iii. 8. The lion hath roared, who will not fear? The Lord God hath spoken, who can but prophesy? And Jer. xx. 9. Then said I, I will not make mention of his name. But his word was in mine heart, as a burning fire shut up in my bones, I was weary with forbearing, and I could not stay:' with the answer of Peter and John, to the rulers of the Jews, Acts iv. 19, 20. Whether it be right in the sight of God to hearken unto you more than unto God, judge ye, for we cannot but speak the things that we have seen and heard.'

Whence it appears, that

3. Truth revealed unto any, carries along with it an unmoveable persuasion of conscience (which is powerfully obligatory) that it ought to be published and spoken to others.

That none may take advantage of this to introduce confusion into our congregations, I gave a sufficient caution in the second rule.

Many other observations giving light to the business in hand, might be taken from the common dictates of nature, concurring with many general precepts we have in the Scripture, but omitting them, the next thing I propose is the practice, &c.

1. Of our Saviour Christ himself, who did not only pose the doctors when he was but twelve years old, Luke ii. 46.

but also afterward preached in the synagogue of Nazareth, chap. iv. 18. being neither doctor, nor scribe, nor Levite, but of the tribe of Judah (concerning which tribe it is evident that Moses spake nothing concerning the priesthood).

2. Again, in the eighth of the Acts, great persecution arising against the church, after the death of Stephen, they were all scattered abroad from Jerusalem, ver. 1. that is, all the faithful members of the church, who being thus dispersed, went everywhere 'preaching the word,' ver. 4. and to this their publishing of the gospel (having no warrant but the general engagement of all Christians to further the propagation of Christ's kingdom), occasioned by their own persecution, the Lord gave such a blessing, that they were thereby the first planters of a settled congregation among the Gentiles, they and their converts being the first that were honoured by the name of Christians; Acts xi. 21. 26. Neither, 3. is the example of St. Paul altogether impertinent, who with his companions repaired into the synagogues of the Jews, taught them publicly, yea, upon their own request; Acts xiii. 15. Apollos also spake boldly, and preached fervently, when he knew only the baptism of John, and needed himself farther instruction; Acts xviii. 24. It should seem then, in that juncture of time, he that was instructed in any truth, not ordinarily known, might publicly acquaint others with it, though he himself were ignorant in other points of high concernment; yet perhaps now it is not possible that any occurrences should require a precise imitation, of what was not only lawful, but also expedient, in that dawning towards the clear day of the last unchangeable revelation of God's will. Now in these and the like, there is so much variety, such several grounds and circumstances, that no direct rule can from them be drawn, only they may give strength to what from the former shall be concluded.

For a farther light to this discourse, consider what desolate estate the church of God hath been, may be, and at this present in divers places is, reduced to: her silver may become dross, and her wine be mixed with water; the faithful city becoming a harlot, her shepherds may be turned into dumb sleeping dogs and devouring wolves; the watchmen may be turned smiters, her prophets to prophesy falsely, and her priests to bear rule by lies; the commandments of God.

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