: appear, I did further consider of it: but the more 1 weighed it, I found it the weaker. And therefore that thou thyself mayest make the truer judgment of it, I thought meet to send thee my further considerations thereon; (which I had done e'er now, had not I, both in London and elsewhere, been diverted by other necessary occasions) wherein, I doubt not, but thou wilt perceive a full and distinct answer to thy argument. But if thou canst not as yet yield to the truth, or thinkest mine answer in any part to be defective, so that there yet remains with thee any matter of doubt or scruple; I do earnestly desire thee, that as I for thy sake, and out of love to the truth, have not been wanting to examine thy argument, and to transmit, to thee my, considerations thereon; so thou mayest give thyself the trouble to write and send me what thou hast further to say: which my friend N. N. who delivers thee this, will, at what time this thou shalt appoint, receive from thee, and transmit to me thy letter; that at last the truth may appear where it is. "And that the whole matter may the more clearly, be understood, it will be fit in the first place, to propose thy argument, whereby thou opposest the immediate revelation of God in the saints; thence concluding, thou hast fully overturned the foundation of the people called Quakers. Which argument of thine is; "That since (as thou judgest) the being and substance of the Christian religion consisteth in the knowledge of, and faith concerning the birth, life, death, resurrection, and ascension of Christ Jesus, thou considerest the substance of the Christian religion as a contingent truth; which contingent truth is matter of fact. Whence thou reasonest, that Matter of fact cannot be known, but by the relation of another, or by the perception of the outward senses; because there are naturally in our souls no ideas of contingent truths, such as are concerning necessary truths; to wit, that God is; and that the whole is greater than the part.-And since it may without absurdity be said, that God cannot make a contingent truth to become a necessary truth; neither can God reveal contingent truths, or matters of fact, but as contingent truths are revealed: but matters of fact are not revealed, but by the outward senses. From whence thou concludest that Men are not even obliged to believe God producing any revelation in the soul concerning matter of fact, whether of a thing done, or to be done, unless there be added some miracles obvious to the outward senses, by which the soul may ascertain, that that revelation cometh from God. "And this thou endeavourest also to prove from the Scripture, Rom. x. where the apostle saith, Faith cometh by hearing" and because the apostle speaketh afterwards of those who were sent in the plural number; thence thou concludest that to be spoken of outward preaching by the ministry of men: and since the apostle uses a question, saying, "How shall they believe unless they hear," thou gatherest from the induction and connexion of the text, that the apostle speaks only of outward hearing; thence concluding, that without outward hearing, faith cannot be produced; and therefore that there can be no immediate revelation by the simple operation of the Spirit in the mind, unless there be something proposed in the outward senses. "Before I proceed to a direct answer to this argument, some things are necessary to be premised: "First then; That it is falsely supposed, that the essence of the Christian religion consists in the historical faith and knowledge of the birth, death, life, resurrection and ascension of Jesus Christ. That faith and historical knowledge is indeed a part of the Christian religion; but not such an essential part, as that without which the Christian religion cannot consist; but an integral part, which goes to the completing the Christian religion: as the hands or feet of a man are integral parts of a man, without which nevertheless a man may exist, but not an entire and complete man. "Secondly, If by immediate revelation be understood such a revelation of God, as begets in our souls an historical faith and knowledge of the birth of Christ in the flesh, without the means of the holy Scripture, we do not contend for such a revelation, as commonly given, or expected by us, or any other Christians. For albeit many other evangelical truths be manifested to us by the immediate manifestation of God, not using the Scripture as the means; yet the historical knowledge of Christ is not commonly manifested to us, nor to any others, but by the Holy Seripture, as the means, and that by way of a material object; even as when we see the person of Peter or Paul to our visive faculty immediately, yet not without the medium of that person concurring as a material object to produce that sight; while the light of the sun concurs, as the formal object of that vision or sight. So that when we livingly and spiritually know the history of the birth of Christ in the flesh; the inward revelation or illumination of God, which is like the sun's light, proceeding from the divine sun, doth shine into the eye of the mind, and by its influence moves the mind to assent unto the historical truth of Christ's birth, life, &c. in the reading or hearing of the Scripture, or meditating therein. "Thirdly, Nevertheless we do firmly assert, that God can most easily, clearly, and certainly manifest to our minds the historical truths of Christ's birth, &c. when it so pleaseth him, even without the Scripture, or any other outward means. And because this argument seems to be formed against the possibility of such a revelation, therefore I shall proceed to discuss it; but first thou mayst mind, that the prophets who foretold Christ's coming in the flesh, and being to be born of a virgin, and afterwards to suffer death, did know these truths of fact by the inward inspiration of God without outward means, for which see 1 Pet. i. 10, 11. Now that which hath been may be. "Fourthly, This argument doth at most conclude, that we cannot naturally know any truth of fact, but by the relation of another without us, or by the perception of the outward senses; because there are naturally in our minds no ideas concerning contingent truths (and every truth of fact is a contingent truth) as there are of necessary truths. This then proveth, that we cannot naturally know any contingent truth, but by the relation of another, or perception of |