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dom of Acting, which would be to offer vio lence to Humane Nature; or else Men would, for the most part, have gone on in their wicked courfes ftill, and would have denied God in their Lives, though their Understandings were never fo clearly and fully convinced of his Will and Commandments, as well as of his Eternal Power and God-head. For, as St. Paul teftifies, the Heathen themfelves were not ignorant of the being of God; but when they knew God, they glorified him not as God. No Man can be more certain of any Inspiration which he can receive, than he is of the Being of that God from whom he receives it; and therefore he who denies the Being of God, muft by confequence deny the Truth of any fuch Infpiration, unless it have that powerful Impulse upon his Mind, as both to convince him and force him to an Acknowledgment at once of the Being of God, and of the Operation of his Spirit upon his Soul. And it is hard to conceive how any Infpiration which doth not over-rule the Will and Affections, as well as convince the Understanding, fhould be of more efficacy upon the Minds and Lives of fuch Men, than the Notion of a God is. For if Men can so ftifle the Notion of a God in their Minds, as to doubt whether there be any God or no, or at least to Act as if there were none; no Reason can be given why they might not as well act against any Conviction which they

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(e) Vid. Smith, of Prophecy, c. 8.

might receive by Inspiration, or any other way of immediate Revelation, (unless it had an irresistible effect upon them,) and either take it all for Fancy and Delufion, or else fo harden themselves against it, as not to be reclaimed by it: And of this we have Balaam for an Example, who, notwithstanding the Revelations he received from God, loved the wages of unrighteoufnefs, 2 Pet. ii. 15.

But, above all Men, the Profane and Obftinate Unbelievers can have leaft reafon to expect that God fhould vouchfafe them an immediate Revelation. (c) The Jews have obferved, that the Spirit of Prophecy rested only upon Men of regular and pure Affections, of gentle and meek and tractable Difpofitions. For the Lord will be found of them that tempt him not, and fheweth himself to fuch as do not distrust him: for froward thoughts feparate from God into a malicious foul wisdom fhall not enter, nor dwell in the body that is fubject unto fin. For the holy Spirit of discipline will flee de ceit, and remove from thoughts that are without understanding, and will not abide when un(d) Quis righteoufnefs cometh in, Wifd. 1, 2, 3, 4, 5. verum di- And to the fame purpofe (d) Philo fpeaks.. vinarum And for this reafon, when Jofeph had the Hares fit. Interpretation of Dreams revealed to him, 404. (e) the Word of the Lord is faid to try him, or (e) See to purge, to clear and juftifie him; it being Dr. Ham evident, that God would not in that manPfal.cv.19. ner Infpire one who had been guilty of the

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Crimes which Jofeph was accused of. It is not to be imagin'd that God fhould further reveal himself to all fuch in particular, by an immediate Infpiration, who have rejected all the Manifeftations which he has made of himself, in the Creation and Government of the World; but, that he would reserve these immediate Revelations, as peculiar Favours, to his faithful and obedient Servants. God has sometimes, indeed, made use of wicked Men, Balaam, Caiaphas, &c. as his Inftruments both in Prophecies and Miracles, to fhew that they are at his difpofal, and proceed from his Bounty, not from any Worth or Merit of Men; and that he can over-rule the Defigns and Intentions of the worft of Men, and make them ferviceable to him, even against their Will, whenever he pleaseth : but then thefe are peculiar Cafes, in which thefe Gifts were afforded for particular Ends, and for the Benefit of others, and the Men themselves were never the better for them. But as for the Difobedient, St. Paul acquaints us how, in the general Difpenfations of his Providence, God dealt with them; God gave them over to a reprobate mind, Rom. i. 28. and he there fets down a Catalogue of those Sins which were the confequence of this Reprobation. The Apostle all along maintains, that they had fo much Knowledge of God, as to render them without Excufe; and that they would make no Improvement of it, to the

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the attaining the Knowledge of the Laws of Nature firft, and then of his Revealed Will; and it was the juft Judgment of God to give them up to their own hearts lufts, to abandon them to the tyranny of their fins, fince they would take no notice of his Works, and would not abide his Counfels and it muft needs have been highly inconfiftent, to fend immediate Revelations, or afford particular Infpiration to all fuch Men as are there defcribed. God's Spirit will not always ftrive. with man; but he withdraws his, ordinary Grace from those that abuse it, and therefore it can never be prefumed he fhould conferr higher Favours upon them,

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If Men will believe upon reasonable Motives, they have fufficient Means of Salvation allowed them; but if they will not believe without fome immediate Revelation, they are never like to have that in this World, but in the next God will reveal himself with terror, and vengeance upon all the workers of iniquity. God doth, both by Nature and by Revelation, provide for the Neceffities, for the Welfare and Happiness, but never for the Humours and Peevifhnefs of Men; and those who will not be faved, but according to fome new Way and Method of their own Invention, must be miferable without remedy. I doubt not but the greatest Infidels would own, that if Chrift fhould perfonally speak to them in a Voice from Heaven, or appear

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to them upon Earth, and grant them that Conviction which he once granted to St. Tho mas, or St. Paul, they would believe in him, as these Apostles did. But they would do well to confider what reafon there can be, why fo much favour fhould be fhewn to thofe who reject with scorn and derifion all the Tenders of Grace, and Means of Salvation; and what Obligation God can be under, to fave them in fuch a manner as themselves fhall prescribe, who will not be faved in his Way, and according to the Terms of the Golpel. And if God fhould vouchfafe to make fome immediate Revelation of himself to thefe infolent Offenders, and Blafphemers of his Name and Authority, how can we be affured that they would be converted Would they not rather find out fome pretence to perfuade themselves that it was no real Revelation, but the effect of Natural Agents, or of Me lancholy, and of a disturbed Imagination? For those who have fo long not only rejected (that were a modeft thing) but derided and reviled Mofes and the Prophets, nay, the Apoftles, and our Saviour himself, would not believe, though one should rife from the dead. They might be terrified, perhaps, for the prefent, but they would foon ftifle thofe Apprehenfions with their accuftomed Arguments for Atheism and Infidelity. I hope to prove, in this Difcourfe, That all but Atheists muft be convinced of the Truth of the Reve

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