The Second Proposition. Concerning Immediate Revelation.
Seeing no Man knoweth the Father, but the Son, and he, to whom the Son Revealeth him: and seeing, the Revelation of the Son is in and by the Spirit; therefore the Testimony of the Spirit is that alone, by which the true Knowledge of God hath been, is and can be only Revealed: Who, as by the moving of his own Spirit, Converted the Chaos of this World into that Wonderful Order, wherein it was in the beginning, and Created Man a living Soul to Rule and Govern it; so by the Revelation of the same Spirit he hath Manifested himself all along unto the Sons of Men, both Patriarchs, Prophets and Apostles. Which Revelations of God by the Spirit, whether by outward Voices and Appearances, Dreams, or inward Objective Manifestations in the Heart were of old the formal Object of their Faith, and remaineth yet so to be; since the Object of the Saints Faith is the same in all Ages, though set forth under divers Administrations. Moreover these Divine, Inward Revelations, which we make absolutely Necessary for the building up of true Faith, neither do nor can ever Contradict the outward Testimony of the Scriptures, or right and sound Reason; Yet from hence it will not follow, that these Divine Revelations are to be subjected to the Examination either of the outward Testimony of the Scriptures, or of the Natural Reason of Man, as to a more noble, or certain Rule and Touch-stone. For this Divine Revelation and inward Illumination is that, which is evident and clear of it self, forcing by its own Evidence and Clearness the well-disposed Understanding to Assent, irresistibly moving the same there∣unto; even as the Common Principles of Natural Truths move and in∣cline the mind to a Natural Assent (such as are these; That the Whole is greater than the Part; That two Contradictory Sayings cannot be both true, or false.) Which is also manifest according to our Adversaries Principle; who (supposing the possibility of inward Divine Revelati∣ons) will nevertheless Confess with us, that neither Scripture, nor sound Reason will Contradict it: and yet it will not follow according to them, that the Scripture, or sound Reason should be subjected to the Examination of the Divine Revelations in the heart.