:

R. C. replied, That did not prove Job had Scripture; for there were inward, as well as outward words, and it was the former Job referred to, not the latter for some think Job to be more ancient than Moses, the first penman (as it is generally believed) of Scripture, and that he lived in the days of the patriarchs. (See Mercer's Preface to his Commentary upon Job.) For he makes no mention of the wonderful works of God, either while the children of Israel were in Egypt, or in their coming out, or in their forty years travel through the wilderness to the land of Canaan; which it is very probable he would have done in this book, considering the subject of it, if he had lived then, or after, and had any knowledge of that notable dispensation; seeing there were many passages parallel to his case; and so frequent mention of God's dealings with that people are in most other books of the Old Testament. But whether he was before Moses, as some conceive, or contemporary with him, as others are of opinion, Richard Claridge said, he should not dispute; but he thought there was enough in Elibu's words, to prove Job had no Scripture: "There is," saith Elihu, "a spirit," or rather, "the spirit is in man, and the inspiration of the Almighty giveth understanding," Job, xxxii. 8; where he assigns the cause, and way, of attaining all true and saving knowledge of God, the Spirit of the Lord, and the inspiration thereof.

The Hungarian said, He owned divine revelation; but there was a tradition of that promise in Gen. iii. 15: "I will put enmity between thee and the woman, and between thy seed and her seed: it shall bruise thy head, and thou shalt

bruise his heel:" which was conveyed from Adam to the patriarchs, and from them to the Gentiles, which were without the pale of the Jewish church; and by this tradition, together with divine revelation, they were guided and directed.

R. C. told him, This was but gratis dictum, and amounted to no proof. He granted this tradition was among the Jewish patriarchs, but there was no evidence of its being among the Gentiles.

The Hungarian then positively asserted, That they who had not the Scriptures, had no divine revelation; "for," said he, "the Spirit doth not enlighten men's minds without the Scriptures." R. C. denied this assertion.

The Hungarian desired him to assign his reasons for such denial.

R. C. proceeded as follows:

First, He cited John, i. 9. "That was the true Light, which lighteth every man that cometh into the world."

The Hungarian endeavoured to evade the force of this text, by transposing the words, saying, The true Light coming into the world, was that which lighteth every man, “that is,” said he, “every man that is enlightened by it."

R. C. replied, This exposition was a plain perversion of the text; and then quoted,

Secondly, 1 Cor. xii. 7. "The manifestation of the Spirit is given to every man to profit withal." The Hungarian asked him, What argument he drew from thence ?

R. C. told him, His argument stood thus, If the manifestation of the Spirit was given to every man to profit withal, then there were some persons who had the Spirit, who yet had not the Scriptures;

for all had them not, and yet all had the Spirit, or a manifestation of it to profit withal.

The Hungarian said, This manifestation was limited to those who had the Scriptures: for the heathen are said, by the apostle Paul, to be Atheists, "without God in the world." Eph. ii. 12.

R. C. replied, All were in God's account as heathens, as well those who had the Scriptures, as those who were without them, till they came to experience a change and renovation in the spirit of their minds, a turning from darkness to light, and from the power of Satan unto God. How many thousands at this day, that have the Scriptures, and are called Christians, are as ignorant of God, as any among the nations which never heard of the Scriptures? Had not the Jews the Scriptures, and yet were hardened in their hearts, and blinded in their minds against Christ in his outward appearance ? Was not Paul a Pharisee, and skilled in the writings of Moses and the prophets, and yet, was a blasphemer, and persecutor, and injurious?

The Hungarian said, The apostle, by studying and searching the Scriptures, came to have his understanding illuminated by the Spirit.

R. C. replied, That was contrary to the apostle's own words, Gal. i. 11, 12. "The gospel which was preached of me, is not after man; for I neither received it of man, neither was I taught it but by the revelation of Jesus Christ." He was one who had been bred up at the feet of Gamaliel, a doctor of the law; one who had studied the Scriptures, and profited in the Jewish religion above many others, being exceeding zealous of the traditions of his fathers.

But whither did this knowledge and

zeal lead him? It led him to persecute Christ, and his church; but when it pleased God to call him by his grace, and to reveal his Son in him, then he who persecuted the saints in times past, preached the faith which once he destroyed. So that Paul did not come to his knowledge of Christ, and his gospel, by studying the Scriptures; but by the immediate revelation of Jesus Christ in Spirit.

Thirdly, He cited Tit. ii. 11. "The grace of God, which bringeth salvation, hath appeared to all men;" whence he thus argued if the saving grace of God hath appeared unto all men, then the Spirit doth not illuminate only by the Scriptures; because a great part of the world, which have not the Scriptures, have notwithstanding the appearance of this grace; and the end of this appearance of the grace of God, is, that men may be enlightened by it.

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The Hungarian denied the universal appearance of the grace of God, and said, the word all," in this place, as in many others, was to be taken restrictively, that is, for some or many; but gave no reason for taking it so here.

R. C. then quoted, Fourthly, 1 Tim. iii. 16. "God was manifest in the flesh, justified in the spirit, seen of angels, preached in the Gentiles."

Fifthly, Acts, iv. 12. "Neither is there salvation in any other; for there is none other name under heaven given in men," (not among men,) whereby we must be saved." From these two texts he argued thus, If Christ be preached in the Gentiles, and his name be given in men for their salvation, (the Gentiles, which have not the Scriptures, as well as others, to whom those writings

are brought,) then the Spirit doth savingly illuminate some men's minds without the Scriptures.

The Hungarian replied, Christ was preached in the Gentiles, and given in men, when they received the Scriptures, and not before.

R. C. proceeded, quoting,

Sixthly, Col. i. 23, "If ye continue in the faith, grounded and settled, and be not moved away from the hope of the gospel, which ye have heard, and which was preached in" (not to) every creature, which is under heaven, whereof I Paul am made a minister."

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The Hungarian asked, What creature was here meant?

R. C. answered, Every rational creature under heaven. The gospel, which " is the power of God to salvation, to every one that believeth," is preached in every rational creature under heaven. For though all men have not the outward history, yet the love and mercy of God is manifested unto all : “and in every nation, he that feareth God, and worketh righteousness, is accepted with him; for God is no respecter of persons," Acts, x. 34, 35. His light shines in all, his grace appears to all, his Spirit reproves all, and his gospel, which is his power to salvation, is preached in all.

Seventhly, Rom. i. 19. "That which may be known of God, is manifest in them; for God hath showed it unto them." Here the apostle speaks of the Gentiles, who were not acquainted with the Scriptures, that God had showed unto them, that which might be known of himself, by an inward manifestation in their hearts. Though they had not the outward law, yet they had "the law written in their hearts," Rom. ii. 15; and the apostle shows,