PREPARATORY TO T and how things would be in their accomplishment. That account he Both give of himself in the close of his visions, chap. xii. 8, 9. But he so raised and prepared their minds, as that they might be capable to, receive and retain those impressions of things which he com- municated unto them. So a man tunes the strings of an instrument, that it may in due manner receive, the impressions of finger, and gives out the sound he intends. He did not speak in them, or by theta, and leave it unto the use of their natural faculties, their minds or memories, to understand and remember the things spoken by him, and so declare them to others. But he-himself actuated their faculties, making use of them to express his words, not their own conceptions. And herein, besides other things, consists the difference between the inspirations of the Holy Spirit,, and those so called of the devil. The utmost that Satan can do. -is, to make strong impressions on the imaginations of. .men, or influencing their faculties by possessing, wrest- ing, distorting the organs of the body and spirits ofthe blood. The Holy Spirit is in the faculties, and, useth them as his organs. And this he did, secondly, with that'light.and evidence of himself, of his power, truth and holiness, as left them liable tono suspicion, wheth- er their minds were under his conduct and influence or no. Men are subject to fall so far under the power of their own imaginations, through the prevalency of a corrupt distempered fancy, as to suppose them super- natural revelations. And Satan may, and did of old, and perhaps doth só still, impose on the minds of some, and communicate unto them such a conception of his insinuations, as that they shall, for a while, think them to be from God himself. But in the inspirations of the HolySpirit, and his actings of the minds of the holy men of old, he gave them infallible assurance that it was himself alone by whom they were acted, Jer. xxiii. 28. If any shall ask by what eiaeen,ix, or infallible to- kens, they might know assuredly the inspirations of the Holy Spirit, and be satisfied with such a persuasion as was not liable to mistake, that they were not imposed upon? I must say plainly, that I .cannot tell; for these, are things whereof we have no experience. Nor is any thingof this nature, whatever some falsely and foolish - iy impute unto them who profess and avow an interes° in the ordinary gracious workings of the Holy Ghost, pretended unto. What some phrenetical persons, in HE NEW CREATION. 78 their distempers, or under their delusions, have boasted of, no sober or wise man esteems worthy of any sedate consideration. But this I say, it was the design of the Holy Ghost to give those whom he did thus extraordi- narily inspire, an assurance sufficient to bear them out in the discharge of their duty that they were acted by himself alone. For in the pursuit of their work which they were by hint called unto, they were to encounter various dangers, and some of them to lay down their lives for a testimony unto the truth of the message de- livered. by them. This they could not be engaged into without as full an evidence of his acting them, as the nature of man in such cases is capable of; the case of Abraham fully confirms it. And it is impossible buy that in these extraordinary workings there was such an impression of himself, his holiness and authority left on their minds, as did secure them from all fear of de- lusion. . Even upon the word, as delivered by them un- to others, he put those characters of divine truth, holi- ness, and power, as rendered it 4oawoo worthy to be believed, and not to be rejected without the highest sin by them unto whom it came. Much more was there such anevidente.in it unto them who enjoyed its,origi- nal inspiration. Secondly, He actuated and guided them as to the very organs of their bodies, whereby they expressed the revelation which they had received by inspiration from him. They spake as they were ac- tuated bythe IIoly Ghost. He guided their tongues in the declarations of his revelations, as the mind of a man gnideth his hand in writing to express its concep- tions. Hence David, having received revelations front him, or being inspired by him, affirms in his expres- sion of them, that his tongue was thepen ofa ready wri- ter. Psal. xlv. 2. that is, it was so guided by the Spirit ofGod to express the conceptions received from him. And, on this account, God is said to ss speak by their mouths, as he spake by the mouth of the holy pro- " phets," Luke i. 70. all of whom had but one mouth, on the account of their absolute consent and agreement in the same predictions; for this is the meaning of one voice, orone mouth; in a multitude. The Holy Ghost spake by the mouth of David, Acts i. 16. For what- ever they received by revelation, they were but the pipes through which the waters of it were conveyed, without the least mixture withany allay from their frail- ties or infirmities. So when David had received the
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