quotation from Corinthians, of Paul's inspiration, and con sequently, that all the simple ideas, and the component parts of complex ones, are plagiarisms from nature, which are found in revelation; and, of course, that the Spirit of God, by revelation, did nothing more than combine the ide as which the human mind had previously received from na ture; an inference which destroys the very essence, and de sign of revelation. Such a conclusion presents the Bible in the same character with the Alchoran, and Vedum; "Revelation serving only" (in his own words) "to revive in our minds latent ideas, but yet only such as were there before.” Is grant that inspirations are revelations, but all revelations are not by inspiration. This distinction once established, and Mr. Locke's hypothesis must fall to the ground. It is

distinction which Mr. Locke surely never thought of, or he could not have drawn a conclusion from Paul's incapaci ty to describe or communicate the ideas he received when wrapped into the third heavens, for the want of stipulated signs of ideas, or words, that traditional revelation can communicate no new ideas. That was a revelation by inspiration which exhibited to Paul's mind a view of those things which it was not possible to utter, on account of a want of words; the Deity having previously revealed none by which to express them. And indeed the things which he saw might have been ineffable, having appeared to his mind in their essentially divine, and spiritual character, being incapable of delineation, and only discoverable as they are, when this mortal shall put on immortality. Of this import are the words of John. "It doth not yet appear what we shall be, but we know that when he shall appear we shall be like him, for we shall see him as he is." Were Paul, and John taught those things by nature, or in the words which man's wisdom teacheth? But the testimony of Paul is directly against Mr. Locke; for he observes, in the second chapter of first Corinthians, "It is written, eye hath not seen nor ear heard," (n turally no doubt) "neither have entered into the heart of man, the things which God hath prepared for them that love him. But God hath revealed them unto us by his Spirit, for the spirit searcheth all things, yea, the deep things of God. For what man knoweth the things of a man, save

the spirit of man, which is in him? Even so, the things of God knoweth no man, but the spirit of God. Now we have received, not the spirit of the world, but the spirit which is of God, that we might know the things which are freely given us of God-which things also we speak, not in the words which man's wisdom teacheth, but which the Holy Ghost teacheth; explaining" (as Macknight translates the passage) "spiritual things in spiritual words." This was an inspiration; and a revelation was made by words declaring the things which eye had not seen, nor ear heard, nor had they entered into the heart of man to conceive of. Again; that was a revelation (without inspiration,) which God made to Adam in Paradise, when his voice was heard, walking in the midst of the garden in the cool of the day. That was a revelation in words by which it was first known, and is now known, that God, after creating the heavens, and the earth, and dividing the light from the darkness, called the day light, and the darkness night. (Gen. 1. 4. 5.) That was a revelation without inspiration, consisting in miraculous appearances, and words, which were made to Moses from the burning bush, and elsewhere; and to the children of Israel from Mount Sinai. In these cases there were no inspirations, but external revelations, consisting (as before remarked,) of supernatural, and miraculous appearances, addressed to the eyes, and ears, and the revelation of God, by name, accompanied with verbal explanation of the character of the being thus announced. These revelations taught the meaning and use of the name of God, as being expressive of the creator, and governor of the world; who, although naturally not an object of sense, by his supernatural manifestations in signs, and wonders, and words explanatory of them, demonstrated his existence, and universal sovereignty, and absolute claim to their exclusive obedience, and worship. It is only by the custom of using words, as Mr. Locke observes, that they become the stipulated signs of ideas. This was precisely the case in respect to the use of the names God, Jehovah, &c. The custom, however, of using them, and the purposes for which they were first communicated, were established by God himself, by his repeated revelations. As I before remarked upon

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the use of names in acquiring, and retaining knowledge up on spiritual, and invisible subjects; the mind can have no objects of thought, but by words, and names, as they only distinguish existences from each other, and connect together the properties, attributes, and powers of beings which make up the complex idea of them; for those qualities, &c. when manifested by supernatural displays, and even words explanatory, are images too subtile, and fleeting, for the mind to detain without some mark of essence, or name of existence, whereunto it can annex them. This has been the undeviating plan pursued by God when he revealed new ideas, designed to be taught to those unto whom the immediate revelation was not primarily made. God's covenant with Adam in Paradise, was in words, with which he had doubtless inspired him with the knowledge of, as he had with the creatures that he had made. After transgression, the promise of the Saviour was in words, as were also the revelations made to Noah, and the promises to Abraham, &c. &c. In the third chapter of Exodus, Moses informs us, that the Angel of the Lord appeared unto him in a flame of fire, out of the midst of a bush, and he looked, and the bush burned with fire, and the bush was not consumed," (a miraculous, or a supernatural appearance indeed) "and Moses said, I will now turn aside, and see this great sight, why the bush is not burnt; and the Lord called to him out of the midst of the bush, and said Moses! Moses! And he said here am I. And he said draw not nigh hither, put off thy shoes from off thy feet, for the place whereon thou standest is holy ground! Moreover he said I am the God of thy Father! the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob. Here are displayed miraculous appearances; a name is revealed, and words used, explaining the character of him to whom it belonged. Take away the flame of fire out of the midst of the bush which was so miraculous as not to burn it, and on account of which Moses was induced to turn aside, to see that great sight; and also take away the name of God, and words explanatory of his character, and we have no revelation at all; or let the flame continue without the name, and words, and it remains only a great sight, without any particular meaning; nor could Moses have gained any in

struction by gazing upon it. After this revelation, by which God established his name, and character with Moses, he entered into a particular description of the suffering state of Israel under Pharoah, and recognizes them as his chosen, peculiar people, agreeably to the promise made to Abraham. He communicated to Moses that he had appointed him to go, and to bring them out of Egypt. At this Moses was astonished, and asked, "who am I, that I should go unto Pharaoh, and that I should bring forth the children of Israel out of Egypt? And God said unto Moses, certainly I will be with thee; and this shall be a token that I have sent thee; when thou hast brought forth the people out of Egypt, ye shall serve God upon this mountain." Moses desired to know what he should answer to the Israelites upon their asking him the name of the God of their Fathers? "God said unto him, tell them I AM THAT I AM hath sent you."

Moses, in the 4th chapter of Exodus, told God, that they would not hearken unto his voice; for, said he, "they will say, the Lord hath not appeared unto thee;" and immediately the power of working miracles was conferred, which Moses was directed to exhibit before the children of Israel, that they might believe that the Lord God of their fathers had appeared unto him. The rod was to be converted into a serpent, and if that did not convince them, his hand was to become leprous by putting it into his bosom, and cured by repeating the same act; and God said, if they will not believe these two signs, neither hearken unto thy voice, thou shalt take of the water of the river, and pour it upon the dry land, and it shall become blood. Moses, on account of an impediment of speech, intimated a difficulty in the discharge of his office. Aaron was appointed, on account of his powers of speech, for God said unto Moses, he shall be thy spokesman unto the people; and he shall be, even he shall be to thee instead of a mouth, and thou shalt be to him instead of God; that is, Moses should speak unto Aaron as God spake unto Moses, and Aaron to the people. After this, God revealed himself for the first time to Moses by the name of Jehovah; saying, "I am the Lord, and I appeared unto Abraham, unto Isaac, and unto Jacob, by the name of God Almighty, but by my name Jehovah was I not

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known unto them." This is the same God, who revealed unto Moses, that in the beginning he had created the heavens, and the earth, together with the particular order in which all things were made. I would ask any honest inquirer after truth, whether Moses, by the revelations above made, and those made to his Jewish ancestors in which he was taught; learnt nothing but what he had previously ac-. quired from nature? The very idea of such an opinion is preposterous. As I before observed, the revelation of the name of God (for he is not an object of sense-no man hath seen him at any time) often connected with signs, and wonders, and with words explanatory, are the only means by which the world knows any thing about him. The existence, nature, attributes, and sovereignty, of God, thus revealed, by name, are established by sensible manifestation, explained by verbal description, and through tradition, or record, have been handed down through all succeeding ages. We know nothing of the beings designated by the names God, Devil, Angels, &c. except by the explanations given in the Scriptures of their natures, characters, situations. and relations. It is by the custom of using those names, (as well as every other of a supernatural origin, which was established by repeated revelation,) that they are used as signs of the ideas thus revealed, and have served to communicate to the ages, and generations succeeding the immediate revelations, the ideas, and knowledge of the objects signified. But the charracters identified by those names, and the beings to whom they attach, although spiritual, may be easily transposed, and connected with sensible or imaginary objects, and the original acceptation in which they were received, destroyed.

Mr. Locke seems not to have taken sufficiently the nature of language into his original plan. He saw the defect of it but too late, and yet grants enough for my purpose. He observes, "That the mind is as white paper, void of all characters" has no writings, signatures, or impressions, which are the corner stones of natural religion. "All men in their thinking, and reasoning, make use of words, that is, can neither think or reason without them;" therefore God furnished man with language, and although he had by nature his organs so fashioned, as to be fit to frame articulaté