fumptuous Men, and mad, and Enthufiafts! Among thefe may be juftly reckon'd nine out of ten of thofe who call themfelves Chriftians; as well among Diffenters, as in the establish'd Church. O may the Lord Jefus direct me that I may speak fo to every one, as that all may have their Mouths stopped, and they be forced to own, these Things are fo.

To all them who are call'd by the Name of Chrift, and fay they believe the Scriptures true, I fpeak firft; and fhew how the Prophets, and Apoftles, and Primitive Fathers, and Chriftians had the Spirit of God, and by the fame Spirit wrote the Things which we moft furely believe.

St. Peter faith, The Prophecy came not in old Time by the Will of Man: But holy Men of God Spake as they were moved by the Holy Ghoft, 2 Pet. i. 21. Alfo the fame Apostle, in his first Epiftle, fpeaking of the Prophets, faith, Unto whom it was revealed, that not unto themselves, but unto us they did minifter the Things which are now reported to you by them that have preached the Gospel unto you. So alfo wrote St. Paul, By Revelation he made known unto me the Myftery, as I wrote before in few Words, Ephef. iii. 3. Allo in another Place he faith, I neither received the Gospel of Man, neither was I taught it, but by the Revelation of Fefus Christ, Gal. i. 12. And again, Our Gofpel came not unto you in Word only, but also in Power, and in the Holy Ghoft, I Thef. i. 5. So David faith in his laft Words, The Spirit of the Lord fpake by me, and his Word was in my Tongue, 2 Sam. xxiii. 2. Yea, and St. Paul faith pofitively, All Scripture is given ly Infpiration of God, 2 Tim. iii. 16. To this End 1pake our Saviour to his Apoftles, For it is not you that fpeak, it is the Spirit of your Father

which

which speaketh in you, Mat. x. 20. That the Prophets and Apoftles had in them the Spirit of Chrift, is evident from the following Scriptures Ezekiel faith, And the Spirit entered into me when he spake unto me, Ezekiel ii. 2. He faith the fame in the 3d Chapter and 24th Verfe. Speaking of Mofes, Ifaiah faith, Where is he that put his holy Spirit in him? Ifaiah lxiii. 11. So God himself freaking of Bezalecl, faith, I have filled him with the Spirit of God, Exodus xxxi. 3. So it is written in Numbers, The Lord came down in a Cloud, and fpake unto him, and took off the Spirit that was upon him, and gave it to the feventy Elders: And they prophefied, and did not ceafe, Num. xi. 25. The Scripture mentioning Saul faith, the Spirit of God came upon him, 1 Sam. x. 10. Again, The Spirit of the Lord came upon David, 1 Sam. xvi. 13. Again, Then the Spirit of God came upon Amafai, I Chron. xii. 18. And again, The Spirit of Elijah doth rest upon Elisha 2 Kings ii. 15. And yet again, as if the Scripture by a Cloud of Witneffes would put to Silence foolish Men, it is written, The Spirit of God was upon the Meffengers of Saul, 1 Sam. xix. 20. And in another Place, Then the Spirit of God came upon Azariah, 2 Chron. xv. 1. And in the fame Book, Then upon Jahaziel came the Spirit of the Lord in the midst of the Congregation, Chap. xx. 14. So when the Lord called Foua to fucceed Mofes in leading the Twelve Tribes, he faid unto Mofes, Take thee Jofhua, the Son of Nun, a Man in whom is the Spirit, Nuin. xxvii. 18. So David when he had finned in the Matter of Uriah prays, Take not thy holy Spirit from me. Reftore unto me the Foy of thy Salvation, and uphold me with thy free Spirit, Pfalm li. 11, 12. So Elibu faith, The Spirit within me constrains me,

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Job

Job xxxii. 18. And Fob himself faith, The Spirit of God is in my Noftrils, Job xxvii. 3. And in another Place he faith, The Secret of God was in my Tabernacle. So Nehemiah, fpeaking of the People, faith to God, Thou teftifiedt against them by thy Spirit in the Prophets, Neh. ix. 30. On the fame Act spake Zechariah, Yea they made them Hearts like an Adamant Stone, left they Should hear the Law, and the Word which the Lord of Hofts bath fent in his Spirit by the former Prophets, Zech. vii. 12. And of Daniel the very Heathens own'd, There is a Man in thy Kingdom in whom is the Spirit of the holy Gods, Dan. v. 11. Befides all these Scriptures, in the New Teftament are many more to prove our Fathers had in them the Spirit of the Lord Jefus; even the Spirit of God. When Gabriel came to Zacharias the Father of John the Baptift, he tells him of his Son, faying, He shall be filled with the Holy Ghoft, even from his Mother's Womb, Luke i. 15. Of this Zacharias it is written, He was filled with the Holy Ghoft. And of his Wife, the Mother of John, Elizabeth was filled with the Holy Ghoft, Luke i. 41, 67. And of Simeon it is written, And behold there was a Man in Jerufalem whofe Name was Simeon, and the fame Man was just and devout, waiting for the Confolation of Ifrael, and the Holy Ghoft was upon him, Luke ii. 25. At the Feaft of Pentecoft, when all the Apoftles were affembled together to wait for the Promife of the Father, they were all filled with the Holy Ghoft, and began to speak with other Tongues, as the Spirit gave them Utterance, Acts ii. 4. And when they had pray'd, the Place was shaken where they were affembled together, and they were filled with the Holy Ghoft, Acts iv. 31. So Peter being filled with the Holy Ghost, faid, &c.

Acts

Acts iv. 8. And Stephen being full of the Holy. Ghoft, looked up stedfaftly into Heaven, and far the Glory of God, &c. Acts vii. 55. And of Barnabas it is faid, He was a good Man and full of the Holy Ghoft, Acts xi. 24. So when Paul and Barnabas were fent for by the Deputy of Paphos, and Elymas a Sorcerer withstood them, it is written, Then Paul filled with the Holy Ghoft fet his Eyes on him and faid, &c. As xiii. 9. So when the fame Apoftle came to Ephefus, and found certain Difciples, He faid unto them, have ye receiv'd the Holy Ghoft fince ye believed? and they faid unto him, we have not fo much as heard whether there be any Holy Gloft. And when Paul had laid his Hands on them, the Holy Ghoft came on them, Acts xix. 6. At Antioch alfo were the Difciples filled with Foy and with the Holy Ghost, Acts xiii.. 52. St. John faith, I was in the Spirit on the Lord's Day, Rev. i. 10. St. Paul faith, It pleafed God-to reveal his Son in me, Gal. i. 15, 16. Alfo he faith in another Place in the fame EpiAtle, He that wrought effectually in Peter-the Jame was mighty in me toward the Gentiles, Gal. ii. 8. So again, I live, yet not I, but Chrift liveth in me, and the Life which I now live in the Flesh, I live by the Faith of the Son of God, who loved me, and gave himself for me, Gal. ii.. 20. Writing to the Corinthians he faith, Since ye Jeek a Proof of Christ Speaking in me, which to: youward is not weak, but is mighty in you, &c. 2 Cor. xiii. 3. Writing of the Mystery of God to the Ephefians, he faith, Which in other Ages was not made known unto the Sons of Men, as it is now revealed unto his holy Apoftles, and Pro- · phets by the Spirit, Ephef. iii. 5. Again he faith,. Walked we not in the fame Spirit? 2 Cor. xii. 18.. And when he wrote to the Church in Theffalonica,;

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he faith, He that defpileth, defpifeth not Man but God, who hath alfo given unto us his holy Spirit, 1 Thef. iv. 8. So in his fecond Epiftle to Timothy, he faith, That good Thing which was committed unto thee, keep by the Holy Ghost which dwelleth in us, 2 Tim. i. 14. So alfo St. Peter writing to the Churches of the Lord's Salvation, faith, Of which Salvation the Prophets have enquired, and fearched diligently, who prophefied of the Grace that should come unto you: Searching what, or what manner of Time the Spirit of Chrift which was in them did fignify, when it teftified beforehand the Sufferings of Christ, and the Glory that should follow. Unto whom it was revealed, that not unto themfelves, but unto us they did minifter the Things which are now reported unto you by them that have preached the Gofpel unto you, with the Holy Ghost fent down from Heaven; which Things the Angels defire to look into, 1 Pet. i. 10, 11, 12. To all thefe Proofs I would add yet this one, when Jefus our Saviour was rifen from the Dead, and appeared to his Difciples, he breathed on them, and faid, Receive ye the Holy Ghoft, John xx. 22. Thefe Scriptures are fo plain, that unlefs Men wilfully fhut their Eyes, they muft own all the Fathers, the Prophets and Apoftles were enlightned, and filled with the Holy Gheft. Some, as I faid before, allow what I have here proved to be true, that is, that the Prophets and Apoftles had the Spirit of God, and the Scriptures were given by Infpiration, but ftrongly affirm, that the fame Gift of the Spirit is ceafed fince the firft 300 Yearsafter Chrift, and now we must not expect to receive any fuch Thing. To thefe I would give an Anfwer: And yet not I, but the Lord. Hear ye therefore the Word of the Lord, whoever ye be !

Thus