A vindication of the Animadversions on Fiat lux

Amongst these, there are none that have a more immediate and quickening influence into them, than his Wisdom, Goodness, Grace, Care and Love towards them, unto whom he is pleased to reveal himself. Nor is there any property of his Nature that in his Word he more frequently gives testimony unto. And all of them doth he declare himself to have exalted and glorified in a signal manner, in that Revelation, which he hath made of himself, his Mind and Will therein. I suppose, this cannot be denied by any, who hath the least sense of the importance of the things revealed. Now, if the Revelation made for the End before proposed be not perfect and complete, that is sufficient to enable a man to know so much of God his Mind and Will, and to direct him so in his Worship and Obedience unto him, as that he may please him here, and come to the fruition of him hereafter; it must needs become an evident means of deceiving him, and ruining him, and that to all eternity. And the least fear of any such event, overthrows all the notions which he had before entertained of those blessed Properties of the Divine Nature, and so consequently disposeth him unto Atheism. For if a man hath once received the Scripture as the Word of God, and that given unto him to be his guide unto Heaven, by God himself; if one shall come to him and tell him, Yea but it is not a perfect Guide, ⟨p. 151⟩but though you should attend sincerely to all the Directions that it gives you, yet you may come short of your Duty and Expectation; you may neither please God here, nor come to the fruition of Him hereafter: In case he should assent unto this suggestion, can he entertain any other thoughts of God, but such as our first Parents did, when by attendance unto the false insinuations of the old Serpent, they cast off his Sovereignty, and their dependence on him? Neither can you relieve him against such thoughts by your pretended Traditional supply; seeing it will still be impossible for him to look on this Revelation of the Will of God, as imperfect and insufficient for the End, for which it plainly professeth its self to be given forth by him, without some intrenchment on those notions of his Nature which he had before received.

Amongst these, there are none that have a more immediate and quickning influence into them, than his Wisdom, Goodness, Grace, Care and Love towards them, unto whom he is pleased to reveal himself. Nor is there any property of his Nature that in his Word he more frequently gives testimony unto. And all of them doth he declare himself to have exalted and glorified in a signall manner, in that Revelation, which he hath made of himself, his Mind and Will therein. I suppose, this cannot be denied by any, who hath the least sense of the importance of the things revealed. Now, if the Revelation made for the End before proposed be not perfect and compleat, that is sufficient to enable a man to know so much of God his Mind and Will, and to direct him so in his Worship and Obedience unto him, as that he may please him here, and come to the fruition of him hereafter; it must needs become an evident means of deceiving him, and ruining him, and that to all eternity. And the least fear of any such event, overthrows all the notions which he had before entertained of those blessed Properties of the Divine Nature, and so consequently disposeth him unto Atheism. For if a man hath once received the Scripture as the Word of God, and that given unto him to be his guide unto Heaven, by God himself; if one shall come to him and tell him, Yea but it is not a perfect Guide,