fumptuous Men, and mad, and Enthusiasts! Among these may be justly reckon'd nine out of ten of those who call themselves Christians; as well among Diffenters, as in the establish'd Church. O may the Lord Jesus direct me that I may speak so 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 speak first; and shew how the Prophets, and Apostles, and Primitive Fathers, and Christians had the Spirit of God, and by the fame Spirit wrote the Things which we most surely 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 Ghost, 2 Pet. i. 21. Also the fame Apostle, in his first Epistle, fpeaking of the Prophets, faith, Unto whom it was revealed, that not unto themselves, but unto us they did minister 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 Mystery, 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 Jesus Christ, Gal. i. 12. And again, Our Gospel came not unto you in Word only, but also in Power, and in the Holy Ghost, 1 Thef. i. 5. So David faith in his laft Words, The Spirit of the Lord spake by me, and his Word was in my Tongue, 2 Sam. xxiii. 2. Yea, and St. Paul faith pofitively, All Scripture is given Ly Inspiration of God, 2 Tim. iii. 16. To this End ipake our Saviour to his Apostles, For it is not you that speak, it is the Spirit of your Father

which speaketh in you, Mat. x. 20. That the Prophets and Apostles, had in them the Spirit of Chrift, is evident from the following Scriptures: Ezekiel faith, And the Spirit entered into me when be spake unto me, Ezekiel ii. 2. He faith the fame in the 3d Chapter and 24th Verfe. Speaking of Moses, Ifaiah faith, Where is he that put his holy Spirit in him? Ilaiah Ixiii. 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 spake unto him, and took off the Spirit that was upon him, and gave it to the seventy Elders: And they prophesied, and did not cease, Num. xi. 25. The Scripture mentioning Saul faith, the Spirit of God came upon him, I Sam. x. 10. Again, The Spirit of the Lord came upon David, I Sam. xvi. 13. Again, Then the Spirit of God came upon Amasai, I Chron. xii. 18. And again, The Spirit of Elijah doth rest upon Elisha 2 Kings 11. 15. And yet again, as if the Scripture by a Cloud of Witnesses would put to Silence foolish Men, it is written, The Spirit of God was upon the Meffengers of Saul, I 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 Joshua to fucceed Moses in leading the Twelve Tribes, he faid unto Mofes, Take thee Joshua, the Son of Nun, a Man in whom is the Spirit, Num. xxvii. 18. So David when he had finned in the Matter of Uriah prays, Take not thy holy Spirit from me. Restore 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, Job

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Job xxxii. 18. And Job himself faith, The Spirit of God is in my Nostrils, Job xxvii. 3. And in another Place he faith, The Secret of God was in my Tabernacle. So Nehemiah, speaking of the People, faith to God, Thou testifiedst 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 Hosts hath sent 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 Testament are many more to prove our Fathers had in them the Spirit of the Lord Jesus; even the Spirit of God. When Gabriel came to Zacharias the Father of John the Baptist, he tells him of his Son, faying, He shall be filled with the Holy Ghost, even from his Mother's Womb, Luke i. 15. Of this Zacharias it is written, He was filled with the Holy Ghost. 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 Jerufalen whose Name was Simeon, and the same Man was just and devout, waiting for the Confolation of Ifrael, and the Holy Ghost was upon him, Luke ii. 25. At the Feast of Pentecost, when all the Apostles were affembled together to wait for the Promife of the Father, they were all filled with the Holy Ghost, and began to speak with other Tongues,

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the Spirit gave them Utterance, Acts 11. 4. And when they had pray'd, the Place was shaken where they were affembled together, and they were filled with the Holy Ghost, Acts iv. 31. So Peter being filled with the Holy Ghost, said, &c.

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Acts iv. 8. And Stephen being full of the Holy Ghost, looked up stedfastly into Heaven, and saw the Glory of God, &c. Acts vii. 55. And of Barnabas it is faid, He was a good Man and full of the Holy Ghost, 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 Ghost fet his Eyes on him and said, &c. Ats xiii. 9. So when the fame Apostle came to Ephesus, and found certain Disciples, He faid unto them, have ye receiv'd the Holy Ghost fince ye believed? and they said unto him, we have not so much as heard whether there be any Holy Ghost. And when Paul had laid bis Hands on them, the Holy Ghost came on them, Acts xix. 6. At Antioch alfo were the Disciples 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. 1. 10. St. Paul faith, It pleafed God-to reveal his Son in mc, Gal. 1. 15, 16. Also he faith in another Place in the fame Epiftle, 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 Seek 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 Ephesians, he faith, Which in other Ages was not made knoren unto the Sons of Men, as it is now revealed unto his holy Apostles, and Pro phets by the Spirit, Ephef. iii. 5. Again lie 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 despiseth, despiseth not Man but God, who hath also 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 kee 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 searched diligently, who prophesied of the Grace that should come unto you: Searching what, or what manner of Time the Spirit of Christ which was in them did fignify, when it testified beforehand the Sufferings of Christ, and the Glory that should follow. Unto whom it was revealed, that not unto themselves, but unto us they did minister the Things which are now reported unto you by them that have preached the Gospel unto you, with the Holy Ghost fent down from Heaven; which Things the Angels desire to look into, 1 Pet. i. 10, 11, 12. To all these 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 said, Receive ye the Holy Ghost, John xx. 22. Thefe Scriptures are fo plain, that unless Men wilfully shut their Eyes, they must own all the Fathers, the Prophets and Apostles were enlightned, and filled with the Holy Ghost. Some, as I faid before, allow what I have here proved to be true, that is, that the Prophets and Apostles had the Spirit of God, and the Scriptures were given by Inspiration, but strongly affirm, that the fame Gift of the Spirit is ceafed fince the first 300 Years after Christ, and now we must not expect to receive any fuch Thing. To these I would give an Answer: And yet not I, but the Lord. Hear ye therefore the Word of the Lord, whoever ye be! Thus