ducements or motives, but what were solely taken from itself-consisting in things that "eye had not seen, nor ear heard, nor could enter into the heart of man to conceive"-hath it exerted its power and efficacy, to the conquest of the world; causing men so to fall down before its divine authority, as immediately to renounce all that was dear to them in the world, and to undergo whatever was terrible and destructive to nature, in all its dearest concerns.

It hath been the work of many to nsist on the particulars, wherein this power exerts itself; so that I shall not enlarge upon them. In general, they have this advantage, that, as they are all spiritual, so they have their seat and abode in the hearts and consciences of men, whereby they are not liable to any exception, as though they were pretended. Men cannot harden themselves in the rejection of the testimony they give, by sending for magicians to do the like; or by pretending that it is a common thing that is befallen those on whom the word puts forth its power. The seat and residence of these effects, is safe-guarded against all power and authority but that of God. Its diving into the hearts, consciences, and secret recesses of the minds of men ; its judging and sentencing of them in themselves; its convictions, terrors, and conquests of men; its converting, building up, making wise, holy, obedient; its administering consolations in every condition, and the like effects of its power, are usually spoken to.

These are briefly the foundations of the answer to the inquiry, How know we that the Scripture is the word of God; how may others come to be as

sured thereof ? The Scripture, we say, bears testimony to itself, that it is the word of God; that testimony is the witness of God himself, which, whoso doth not accept and believe, he doth what in him lies to make God a liar. To give us an infallible assurance that, in receiving this testimony, we are not imposed upon by cunningly-devised fables; "the Scriptures " have that glory of light and power accompanying them, as wholly distinguishes them, by infallible signs and evidences, from all words and writings not divine; conveying their truth and power into the souls and consciences of men with an infallible certainty. On this account are they received, by all that receive them as from God.

CHAPTER V.

Of the testimony of the Spirit. Traditions.
Miracles.

BEFORE I proceed to the consideration of those other testimonies, which are as arguments drawn from those innate excellencies and properties of the word which I have insisted on, some other things, whose right understanding is of great importance, must be laid down and stated. Some of these refer to that testimony of the Spirit, which is usually and truly pleaded, as the great ascertaining principle, on account of which we receive the Scriptures to be the word of God.

That the Scripture be received as the word of God, there is required a twofold efficacy of the Spirit. The first respects the subject, or the mind of man, that assents to the authority of the Scripture. Now, concerning this work of the Spirit, by which we are enabled to believe the Scripture, on account of which we may say that we receive the Scripture to be the word of God, or upon the testimony of the Spirit, I shall a little inquire wherein it doth

consist.

First, then-It is not an outward or inward vocal testimony concerning the word, as the Papist would impose upon us to believe. We do not affirm that the Spirit immediately saith to every individual believer-this book is, or contains, the word of God; we say not that the Spirit ever speaks to us of the word, but by the word. Such an enthusiasm as they fancy is rarely questioned; and where it is so, it is for the most part quickly discovered to be a delusion.

We plead not for the usefulness, much less the necessity, of any such testimony. Yea, the principles we have laid down, resolving all faith into the public testimony of the Scriptures themselves, render all such private testimonies altogether needless.

Secondly This testimony of the Spirit consists not in a persuasion that a man takes up, he knows not well how or why; only this he knows, he will not depose it though it cost him his life. But if a man should say, that he is persuaded that the Scripture is the word of God, and that he will die a thousand times to give testimony thereto; and not knowing any real ground of this persuasion, that

should bear him out in such a testimony, shall ascribe it to the Spirit of God, our concern lies not in that persuasion. This may befal men by the advantage of traditions, of which men are usually zealous, and obstinate in their defence. Education, in some constitutions, will give pertinacity in most vain and false persuasions. It is not, then, a persuasion induced into our minds, we know not how, built we know not upon what foundations, that we intend, in assigning our receiving the Scripture to be the word of God, to the effectual work and witness of the Holy Ghost.

Two things, then, we intend by this work of the Spirit upon the mind of man :— -1. His communication of spiritual light; by an act of his power, enabling the mind to discern the saving truth, majesty, and authority of the word, in a spiritual manner. There is a blindness, a darkness, upon the minds of men, not having the Spirit, that not only disenables them from discerning the things of God, in their certainty, evidence, necessity, and beauty, (" for the natural man receiveth not the things of the Spirit of God,") but also causes them to judge amiss of them, as things weak, foolish, dark, unintelligible, not answering to any principle of wisdom whereby they are guided. Whilst this delusion abides on the minds of men, it is impossible that they should, on any right abiding foundation, assent to the word of God. They may have a prejudicate opinion, but they have no faith concerning it. This darkness, then, must be removed by the communication of light by the Holy Ghost.

2. The Holy Ghost, together with and by his

work of illumination, taking off the perverse disposition of mind that is in us by nature, with our enmity to, and aversion from, the things of God, also effectually persuades the mind to receive and admit the truth; wisdom, and authority of the word. Now, because this perverse disposition of mind, possessing the supreme command of the soul, influences the will also to an aversion and dislike of that goodness which is in the truth, it is removed by a double act of the Holy Ghost.

(1.) He gives us wisdom, understanding, a spiritual judgment, whereby we may be able to compare spiritual things with spiritual, in a spiritual manner, and to come thereby to a clear and full light of the heavenly excellency and majesty of the word; and so enables us to know of the doctrine, whether it be of God. Under the benefit of this assistance, all the parts of Scripture, in their harmony and correspondency, all the truths of it in their power and necessity, come in together to give evidence one to another, and all of them to the whole; I mean as the mind is enabled to make a spiritual judgment of them.

(2.) He gives a spiritual sense, a taste of the things themselves upon the mind, heart, and conscience, when we have " senses exercised" to discern such things.

As in our natural state, in respect of these things of God, the mind is full of vanity, darkness, blindness, yea, is darkness itself, so that there is no correspondency between the faculty and the object; and the will is in an utter unacquaintedness, yea, impossibility of any acquaintance with the life,