Survey of the Spiritual Antichrist, Part 1 · Chapter 7
CHAP. VII. Of Revelations and Inspirations.
AS Swenckefeld and his; so Familists and Antinomians now, as also the Nicolaitans, of which hereafter, were all for immediate inspirations, revelations, without scripture, or indeavours or studying, or bookes or reading. It was observed in New England, when Familists grew, that, especially in the Towne of Boston and in other parts of New England, Familists devised such a difference betweene the covenant of workes, and of grace, especially after a sermon preached by M. Wheelewreight a prime Familist, that he that will not renounce (saith the author of the story of the rise, reigne. &c. pag. 24 25) his sanctification, and wait for an immediate revelation of the Spirit, cannot be admitted, be he never so Godly, and is looked on as an enemy to Christ, and he that is already in the Church and will not acknowledge this new light, is undervalued.
Now as touching revelations and inspirations of the Spirit, I conceave with all submission to the Learned and Godly.
1 There is a twofold revelation,A Revelation twofold, active and passive▪ one of the letter of the word and Gospell, this is nothing but the Lords active uttering of his will and Gospell which was hid before as Ephes. 3.9, 10▪ Ezech. 20.11, 12. Hosea 8.12. Rev. 1.19. This is a revelation proper and immunicable to any, for God onelyonly did devise the Gospell; when neither Men nor Angell could dreame of a way of redemption for lost man, and reveeled to Adam that the seed of the woman, Jesus Christ, should breake the head of the Serpent, and dissolve the workes of Satan. This revelation of the letter of the Gospell is made to thousands, that never beleeve, and therefore though it be but literall and externall, yet none could thus reveale the minde of God to Prophets and Apostles, but God onelyonly, as none were inspired of God, but writers of Canonnick scripture, and Scripture onelyonly is given by divine inspiration, 2 Tim. 3.16. 2 Pe. 1.21. & as this revelation active is Gods only, & from him as the author and fountaine, men doe as Herolds carry this message of revelation to others: so passively, it is common to beleevers and unbeleevers, for the letter of the Gospell may be revealed to all within the vissible Church, and yet the most part are destituted of an internall revelation. Therefore there is an internall revelation, of things that men beleeve. And this I conceave to be foure-fold.
1 Propheticall.Passive revelation foure-fold propheticall, speciall to beleevers, extraordinary, Satanicall.
2 Speciall to the elect only.
3 Of some facts peculiar to Godly men.
4 False and Satanicall.
Propheticall Revelation is that irradiation of the minde that the Holy Ghost makes on the minde and judgement of the pen-men of holy scripture, whether Prophets or Apostles and that by an immediate in-breathing of the minde and will of God on them, whether in visions, dreames, or any other way, without men, or the ministery or teaching of men, as he did to Esaiah, Ieremiah, Esa. 1.1. Ier. 1.1 or to Paul Gal. 1.11. Paul an Apostle not of men, Of propheti…l ….neither by men, 11▪ 12. But I cert…fie you, brethren, that the Gospell which was preached by me, is not after man, for I neither received it of man neither was I taught it, but by the revelation of Iesus Christ. 15, 16. But when it pleased God to reveale his sonne in me, immediately I conferred not with flesh and blood, neither went I up to Ierusalem, to them that were Apostles before me, but I went into Arabia, and returned againe unto Damascus. Ephes 3.2, 3. If yee have heard of the dispensation of the grace of God, which is in me to you ward, how that by revelation he made knowne unto me the mystery &c. I dispute not of the way of the Lords imprinting the speeches, images, and representations of his minde to Prophets and Apostles; I conceave it is the same way, that God revealed himselfe to Ieremiah c. 1.11, 12, 13▪ &c. and to Paul Act, 16.9▪ 10, and that as Ezechiel, c. 3.14 so Iohn the Apostle Re. 1.10. was in the Spirit, and saw, by an immediate brightnesse of light, perfectly & understandingly the will & minde of Christ, in what they prophecied and wrote. And this Revelation is so far from being beside the mind of God, that it is formally the express word sense and minde of God: if Fami. have such Revelations. 1. they see the Visions of God. 2 They speake as acted by the Spirit immediately, and so we are with the like certainty of faith to beleeve, what H. Nicholas Wheelwright, Mrs. Hutchison, M. Del, Saltmarsh, Beacon, Den, Crispe, Collier, &c. speake and write, as we are to beleeve the writings and sayings of the Prophets and the Apostles, Familists have no propheticall Revelations.and both must be alike to us, the mouth of the Lord: and what they both write or preach must be the object of our faith, and their writings must be added to the booke of the revelation, which is forbidden. Rev. 22.17, 18▪ 19. Deut. 12.32. Deut. 30.5, 6. This is the Anti-Christ himselfe. 3 Let them shew the signes of their Apostle-ship; by miracles and speaking with tongues and foretelling things contingent, that are to come; and wee shall beleeve them; Familists produce your strong reasons.
Internall Revelation proper to beleevers.2 There is a speciall internall revelation, made of things in scripture, applyed in particular to the soules of elect beleevers, by which, having heard and learned of the Father Ioh. 6.4. there is made knowne and revealed to them, by the Spirit of wisedome and revelation, what is the hope of their calling, and what is the riches of the glory of the inheritance in the Saints. Ephes. 1.17, 18, 19. and that revealed to them, which fl…sh and blood revealeth not, but the Father of Christ, Mat. 16, 17. And that which the Father revealeth unto babes, and hides from the wise and prudent, Mat 11.25, 26. And this is common to all that beleeve, and not ingrossed as peculiar to the Familists and Antinomians onelyonly, for if it were, then my faith should be in vaine, and I have fallen from my portion and share in Christ, and of the inheritance of the Saints in light, for there should be no converts in the world but Familists onelyonly.
Now this Revelation is a cleare evidence in the conscience by the Testimony of the Spirit ▪ that I am a child of God Rom. 8.16 whether it be immediate; or from speaking signs and markes of sanctification 1 Ioh. 1.3▪ 1 Ioh. 3.14.18, 19 20. 2 It is the knowledge of no new Article which is not conteined in the word in the Generall▪ and is not proper and incommunicable to none but to Antinomians, but is the mystery of the Spirit revealing these things, that are gratiously given to us of God ▪ How p…rti…ular rev…l…tions are n…t in Scrip…e1 Cor. 2.12. even to all beleevers, 3 Its true as touching me, by name its not revealed nor written in scripture in expresse words, that I am by name written in the Lambes booke of life, and a child and sonne of God and an heire annexed with Christ, of life and glory▪ nor are the individuall and numericall manifestations and inshinings, flowings, motions, inbreathings, outgoings of the Spirit of life, and stirrings of the new birth, to Iohn rather then to Mary, to this beleever rather, then to another in Spaine written in the Scripture: yet the Spirit acts never ordinarily, but a beleever may know and heare the noise of his feet; now if all these individuall manifestations, ebbings and flowings of tydes of free grace were written, then should also be written their degrees lesse or more of Christ, the names of the beleeving Saints, that can say I Paul, I Iohn, I Anne &c. Live not, but Christ lives in me; for these I presume adde a numericall particular and individuall being to every single act or motion of the dispensation of grace, and if all were in number, weight, and measure written in scripture, the world (as Iohn saith of Christs facts) should not conteine the bookes, that should be written.
The Holy Ghost speaking of a collective body the Church and spouse of Christ in Solomons song, in the book of the Psalms and of the Lamentations of Ieremiah, shewes us of the outgoings, incommings of the beloved in the soule, of his cloudings and outshinings of free love, of the acts of the hands of Christ, Can. 5. Touching the handles of the barre, and the smel of the myrrhe of Christ, that he leaves behind him when he is departed, of the souls feelings of the impressions, or the withdrawings of Christ, as if the whole Church Catholicke of Invisible beleevers (for so the Church is taken especially, Psal. 45. and in the booke of Solomons song) were but one particular beleever, which is a demonstration that the particular actings of the spirit of grace cannot be written in the scriptures, yet are they not to be thought unlawfull revelations, and destitute of the word, no more then we can say, all the particular actings of Devills & of all wicked men, since the creation, of whoring, swearing, Idol-worship, lying, stealing, oppressing, mis-beleeving &c▪ are not contrary to the expresse law of the Holy Ghost speaking in the word, because these sinnefull actes are not particularly all specified and written in scripture, with the names of the actors.
Of revelations extraordinary of men in our … not immediately inspired and how they … charactered from Satanicall Revelations. Read a prohecy of M. Luther epist. ad Spalatinum an. 1520. et epist. ad Wenceslaum li…eum an. 1521 he prophecied of of the warres of the B…ures.There is a 3 revelation of some particular men, who have forefold things to come even since the ceasing of the Canon of the word, as Iohn Husse, Wickeliefe, Luther, have foretold things to come, and they certainely fell out, and in our nation of Scotland, M. George Wisha…t foretold that Cardinall Beaton should not come out alive at the Gates of the Castle of St. Andrewes, but that he should dye a shamefull death, and he was hanged over the window that he did look out at, when he saw the man of God burnt, M. Knox prophecied of the hanging of the Lord of Grange, M. Ioh, Davidson uttered prophecies, knowne to many of the kingdome, diverse Holy and mortified preachers in England have done the like: no Familists, or Antinomians, no David George, nor H. Nicholas, no man ever of that Gang, Randel or Wheelwright, or Den, or any other, that ever I heard of, being once ingaged in the Familisticall way, ever did utter any but the fourth sort of lying and false inspirations: Mrs Hutchison, said she should be delivered from the Court of Boston miraculously as Daniel from the Lyons, which proved false, Becold prophecied of the deliverance of the Towne of Munster which was delivered to their enemies, and he and his Prophet were tortured and hanged, David George prophecied of the raising of himselfe from the dead, which was never fulfilled, now the differences between the third and fourth revelations, I place in these. 1 These worthy reformers did tye no man to beleeve their prophecies as scriptures, we are to give faith, to the predictions of Prophets and Apostles, foretelling facts to come, as to the very word of God, they never gave themselves out as organs immediately inspired by the Holy Ghost, as the Prophets doe, and as Paul did Rom. 11. prophecying of the calling of the Iewes, and Ioh. Revel. 1.10. and through the whole booke; yea they never denounced Iudgement against those that beleeve not their predictions, of these particular events and facts as they are such particular events & facts, as the Prophets and Apostles did▪ But Mrs. Hutchison said Rise, Reigne, pag. 61 art. 27. That her particular revelations about future events, were as infallible as any scripture, and that shee is bound as much to beleeve them as the Scripture, for the same Holy Ghost is author of both▪ Mr. C…mwell and Familists of old England say she and he…s were the more spirituall and only Saints in New England, and the rest were but Antichristian persecutors; Its knowne they held revelations without, and beside the word of God, Rise reigne er 4…. and said the whole letter of the Scripture holdes forth a covenant of workes, er 9. And so the whole letter of the Scripture, Law, or Gospell is abolished to beleevers, and doth no more oblige them, then the covenant of workes can curse those that are under grace. For T Collier marrow of Christianity, pag. 25.26. sayth many spiritually enlightned of late, are brought to Gospell-inioyments, some other way which is spirituall, then by verball preaching; but Familists take the word preached for the printed inkie letter, or the aire, dead sound of the Gospell, we take it for letter and sound of preaching, as it includes the thing signified, to wit, Christ, and all his promises, in which sense the sounding of the Gospel heard worketh many yeares after it is preached, and the word long agoe preached may be awaked up by a sad affiction, an inspiration from God, and produce the worke of conversion, and still it is the word of truth in the scripture that produceth faith as it is the same seed that lyeth many monthes under the clod and groweth and bringeth forth fruit after: And we know Antinomians reject the scriptures and build all upon inward revelations, as their binding and obleiging rule Del ser. pag. 26 Saltmarsh, free grace, pag. 146.
2 The events revealed to Godly and sound witnesses of Christ are not contrary to the word: But Becold, Iohn Mathie, and Ioh. Schykerus (who kild his brother for no fault) and other Enthysiasts of that murthering Spirit Sathan who killed innocent men, expresly against the sixt command. Thou shalt not Kill, and taught the Boures of Germany to rise and kill all lawfull Magistrates, because they were no Magistrates; upon the pretence of the Impulsions and Inspirations of the Holy Ghost, were acted by inspirations against th… word of God; All that the Godly reformers foretold of the tragicall ends of the proclaimed enemies of the Gospell, they were not actors themselves in murthering these enemies of God, nor would M Wishart command or approve that Norman and Ioh. Leslyes should kill the C…rdinall Beaton, as they did.
2 They had a generall rule going along that Evill shall hunt the wicked man: onelyonly a secret harmelesse, but an extraordinary strong impulsion, of a Scripture-spirit leading them, carried them to apply a generall rule of divine justice, in their predictions▪ to particular Godlesse men, they themselves onelyonly being foretellers not copartners of the act.
3 They were men sound in the faith opposite to Popery, Prelacy▪ Soci…ianisme, Papisme, Lawlesse Enthysiasme, Antinomianisme, A…minianisme, Arrianisme, and what else is contrary to sound doctrine, all these being wanting in such as hold this fourth sort of revelations we cannot judge them but Satanicall having these characters. 1 They are not pure and harmelesse; but thrust men on upon bloody and wicked practises forbidden by God: though …od bad Abraham kil his only son for him▪ to try his obedience yet God countermanded him, and would not have him act accordingly: these Spirits actually kill the innocent upon a pretended Spirits impulsion. 2 They have no rule of the word to countenance them, and if they lead men from the Law & the Testimony, its because there is no light in them, Esa. 8.20. 3▪ These revelations lodge in men of rotten and corrupt minds destitute of the truth, and they are opposite and destructive to sanctification. 4. They argue the scriptures to be imperfect, and to be a lamed and man…ked directory, of faith and manners, contrary to Scripture, Psa. 19 7, 8, 9. 2 Tim. 3.15▪ 16. Luk. 16.30.31. Ioh. 20.30, 31. Act. 26.22. Psal. 119.105, &c.
4 Then the Scripture shal not decide all controverted truthes, nor be that, by which we shall finde the truth and the rule of trying of the Spirits, whether they be of God, or no, contrary to Io. c. 39. 1 Thes. 5.21. And contrary to the laudable example of the noble Bereans who tryed Pauls doctrine by the Scriptures Act. 17.11. 6 Christs knock and stirrings on the heart▪ sounds and breathes the breathings of God in his word, the Devils knock is a dumbe and dead knock and is destitute of the word of truth 7 Men doe and act all things from their owne Spirit, and walke in the light of their owne Sparkes and there is no end of erring and wandring from God, when they act by no certaine knowne rule of the word.