Ver. i 7. the 17th Chapter of St. JO HN. 24f without Witnefi, in that he did good, and gave us Pain from Heaven, and fruitful Seafons; filling our Hearts with Food and Gladne r. In the Book of Nature there is the rough Draught of God's Will. Trifinegitlus faid, it was Liberunus Divinitate plenau , Creation was nothing elfe but one Book, that was full of the Glory of God, and his Excellency: God fpake to them by Things, not by Words. This, with fame Inftin &s of Confcì- ence, the Reli &s of the Fall, was all the Heathens had. Confcience was God's Deputy, to put them in mind of a Judg ; and the Heavens put them in mind of a God. Look as yob's Meffengers laid, I alone am efcapcd to tell thee; fo there are fome few Reliques and Principles alone efcaped out of the Ruins of the Fall, to tell us fomewhat of God, and fomewhat of a Judg. That Light proclaims every where, and fpeaks to every Nation, and proclaims it aloud to all People, Kindred, and Tongues of the Earth ; Take notice, there is one infinite eternal God, that made us, and you, and all things elfe. God's refrefhing the parched Earth with Showersof Rain, thews how willing he is to be gracious to poor hungry Creatures ; Fruitful Seafons thew us the abundance of his Mercy. The decking the Heavenswith Stars, and the Earth with Plants, thew us what Glory he can put upon the Creatures. This Language may be gathered out of the Creation, and thus did God (peak to all Creatures, by the Voice of his Creatures. 3. To the Church, And the Difpenfations of God to the Church have been various and diverte. Heb. t. r. God who at fundry times, and in divers manners, TñoTvµteZ$ iÿ m1 sTe 7rcx, fpake in Times pal! unto our Fathers by the Prophets, &c. He fpake his Mind by pieces, that is fignified by the Word ; now he gave a piece of his Mind, and then a piece : And he bath fpoken alfo in fundry manners, by feveral ways of Reve- lation. The Church never wanted EfficientRevelation, nor Means of Knowledg to guide them to the Enjoyment of God, and true Happinefs. God's Difpenfations to the Church may be reduced to three Heads : There was, (s.) His Word withoutWriting. (a.) Then Word and Writing. (3.) Then Writing only. (r.) There was the Word without Writing, by Vifions, Oracles and breaths, by which he manifefted himfelf to Perlons of the greateft Sanity and Holinefs, that they might inftru&others, and impart the Mind of God to others. Now mark, this Dif penfation was lure enough to guide them to Communion withGod ; why ? Becaufe the People of the World were then but few Families; and the Perlons intrufted with God's Meffage, were of great Authority and Credit, therefore Efficient enough to inform that prelent Age of God's Counlel 5 and ( which was another Advantage) they lived long; to continue the Tradition' with certainty to others, for hundreds of Years. Vifion and Tradition was lure enough; for, as 'tis oblerved by Come, three Men might conti- nue the Tradition of the Counfei of God from ...Maw, till 1(rae! went down into Egypt. There was Adam firft, God taught him by Oracle, and he taught others, he lived a long time : Methufelah lived with Adam two hundred forty three Years, and conti- nued- until the Flood ; then Sem lived with Methufalah ninety eight Years, and flou- rifhed about five hundred Years after the Flood; and Ifaac lived fifty Years with Sew, and died about ten Years before Ifrael's defcent into Egypt. So that Methufelah, Sem, and Ifaac might continue the Knowledg of God, and preferve the Purity of Religion from Adam's Death, till Ifraeis going down into Egypt, for fo many hundred Years. This was God's Difpenfation to that Church. (7.) Afterwards there wasboth Word and Writing. God's Word was neceffary for the further revealing and clearing up of the Doítrine of Salvation, which was revealed by pieces. And Writing was neceffary, partly, becaufe in procefs of time Precepts were multiplied, and it was needful for Mens Memories,that they fhould be regiltred in fame publick Record ; and partly, becaufe the long Life of God's Witneffes was much leffened,and the Corruption of theWorld was increafed,and Satan began to imitate God by Oracles,Vifions,and Anfwers, and Idolatry and Superftition crept into the heft Fami- lies : Into Tecab's ; Jofh.24.a. Tour Fathers dwelt on the other fde the Flood, in old Time, even Terah the Father of Abraham, and the Father of Nachor, and they limed other Gods. And Jacob's Family was corrupt; Gen. 35. 2. Then Jacob faid to his Houfhold, and to all that were with him, Put away the firange Gods that are among you, and be clean, and change your Garments. The People were grown numerous enough' to make a Commonwealth, and a Politick Body, and it was fit they thould have a publick Re- cord and common Rule ; and therefore to *old Man's Corruptions, and to give a flop to Satan's Deceits, the Lord thought fit there thould be a written Rule at hand, for the H h h h Trial
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