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Jewish, Mahometan, and Chriftian

REVELATIONS

IN PARTICULAR.

VOL. II.

B

SE C

(3)

SECTION

VI.

Concerning Divine Revelation,

T

HE making known or communicating to another fuch propofitions as, antecedent to that communication, the other was a stranger to, this is properly called revelation, whether the other could otherwife have come at the knowledge of fuch propofitions, or not: and it is called revelation, not on account of any particular way in which the discovery is made, nor on account of the agent who makes that discovery, but only from the difcovery itself, as there is something laid open or disclosed, which before was fecret and lay hid. Indeed, if propofitions are brought to our remembrance, or if our attention is called in to fuch propofitions as otherwife would have been forgot, or neglected, or would not have been fufficiently attended to, these may be, and usually are, in a loose and improper sense, called revelation, though, in strictness of fpeech, they are not fo. And, as there must

be fomething difclofed or made known, that was not known before, to conftitute revelation Strictly and properly fo called; fo, confequently, whatever is myfterious and unintelligible, so far as it is unintelligible, cannot be revelation in any fenfe; becaufe there is nothing laid open, or revealed, or brought to remembrance, nor is the attention at all awakened, or engaged; nor, indeed, are there any other images impreffed upon the mind thereby, than the unconnected ideas of characters and founds. If one man, by fpcech, writing, or otherwife, communicates knowledge to, or refreshes the memory, or awakens the attention of another, as aforefaid, this is called human revelation; if the Deity, by a particular and special application of his power and providence, communicates knowledge to, or awakens the attention, or refreshes the memories of his creatures, as aforefaid, this is called divine revelation; being denominated divine, or human,not from the fubject-matter revealed, but from the The perfonal character of the revealer.

way

i

it

in which God communicates knowledge to men, by an extraordinary divine interpofition (fuppofing at any time he does) cannot, I think, certainly be determined;

and

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