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It is faid, that thefe Answers were communicated by the Stones in the Breastplate, which exprefs'd an Affirmative, by fparkling much, and a Negative, by not altering their common Luftre. But it is moft probable, the Answer was given by the High-Priest, who was empower'd upon fuch Occafions, by the Urim contain'd within the Breaft-plate; to which God had annex'd fuch a Quality

As to inquiring of God by Prophets,

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it was a very ancient Ulage. In the Days of Samuel, it is faid, Beforetime, in Ifrael, r Sam. when a man went to enquire of God, thus ix. 9. be Spake, Come, and let us go to the Seer; •Prophet. Benhadad, King of Syria,

being fick, fent one to enquire of the LORD Kings by Elifha, Saying, Shall I recover of this viii. 8. disease? 190 TOUR OF M a bai bas And fometimes, when God was offended with the iniquitous Courfes of either, or both the Perfons, the Enquirer, or him by whom he enquired, he would permit an evil, lying Spirit, to return the 1 Anfwer to the Deception and Confufion, perhaps, of both..

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Of this, we have a notable Inftance; where Abab King of Krael, and Jehofha phat King of Judah who was come sto vifit him, fate each on his throne, cloathed in their robes, at the entring in of the gate of Samaria;' and all the Prophets prophefied before them, faying, Go up to Ramoth Gilead, for the LORD fhall deliver it into the band of the king. But, Micaiab unwilling to speak his Mind, becaufe he knew how ill the Truth would be relifh'd by Abab, when it did not fuit with his Inclinations, being at laft prefs'd to it, 2 Chron. told him, Behold the LORD hath put a lying Spirit in the mouths of these thy Prophets; and the LORD hath spoken evil against thee. Which is afterward thus explain'd's If thou return in peace, then bath" : not the LORD spoken by me. Loznicges of Another Way of God's declaring his Will, was by Dreams: communicated, in fuch an extraordinary Manner, that the s Perfon dreaming might certainly know ve that God had spoke to him. The LORD'SW

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Numb. thus reveal himself. If there be a Pro- M xii. 6. phet among you, I the LORD will makebus

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ny, felf known to him, in a vision; and will peak unto him, in a dream; my fervant Mofes is not fo, &c.

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Of this Manner of God's declaring his Will, we have Abundance of Inftances, throughout the whole Bible: In the new Testament, we read that, the angel of the Matt. i. LORD appeared to Jofeph in a dream; ? feveral Times. And it is among the Signs Sand Effects of the Promulgation of the Gospel, prophetically faid; It shall Joel ii.28. come to pass afterward, that I will pour out my Spirit upon all flesh; your fons and. your daughters shall prophefy your old men Shall dream dreams; your young men fhall See vifions.

Sometimes God imparted his Will to Men, directly and immediately; fometimes he appointed his Angels to be inftrumental in it. But, in whatever Manner it was. convey'd to Men's Understandings, whe ther by only hearing a Voice, or more overy by actually feeing a Vifion, all that we can pretend, or ought to defire, to know, is only this; that the Minds of Men were hereby convinc'd of the Truth: and Certainty of a divine Revelation.

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di And,' when God is" said to speak or apdo ca pear to any Perfon, we are to imagine no more than this; that fuch Perfon's Mind was affected, by the incomprehenfible Operation of God's holy Spirit, in fuch a Manner, as to make him perceive the Intent and Purpose of the divine Monition, as clearly, as if he had heard a Voice, or feen a Perfon fpeaking to him. Since, it may eafily be conceiv'd, at the fame Time, that God (by whose Power, the Elements, and every thing in Nature fubfifts,) can so model Air, which is the Vehicle of Sound, and Light, by which all Objects become vifible, as to convey what Voices and Shapes he thinks proper, to the Ears and Eyes of Men.

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For as God is a Being (as the Articles of our Church declare) without Body, Parts, or Paffions, we must understand all thofe Paffages of Scripture, where he is reprefented as doing any thing after the Manner of Men, to be written only by way of Accommodation to our Capacities, to which God, in his own ture, is incommunicable. So that when he is written or fpoken of, it can be done

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no other Way than in thofe Terms which we ufe, when we write and fpeak of one another. Therefore he is introduc'd talking, bu being angry, pleas'd, repenting grieving, fometimes in one Place, fometimes in another, having Eyes, Hands, a Mouth, with other Circumftances of the fame Kind. All which argues no Imperfection in God, but in us poor Mortals; who are not able, either to think or speak of him in any other Terms than those which relate to our felves.

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And for this, as long as we continue in our mortal State, there is no Remedy. And therefore, God, at fuch Times as he thought proper, has convey'd his Will to Mankind, chiefly by infpiring fome Men to declare and deliver it to others; by པ་མམ་ which Means, it comes to be call'd, the word of God, spoken by the mouth of the LORD, &C. The Perfons, who were fo infpir'd, being call'd Prophets; and the Things which they deliver'd, Prophefies, And therefore it is frequently faid of them, The word of the LORD came unto them. And they themselves, are oblig'd to fay, The LORD. Spake unto me, faying.

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