Sec. 7.  This will appear further, if we consider that those means which were us’d by Holy Persons of Old, in order to the Improvement of themselves or others, in the Exercise of Piety and Religion, cannot upon any account be reckon’d as means of their becoming Prophets.  Tho’ Samuel was dedicated to the Service of God from his Birth, and it pleas’d God to chuse him for a Prophet; yet there is no question to be made, but that there were several others so dedicated, which did never prophesy.

Tho’ Daniel was heard from the first day that he did set his Heart to understand, and to chasten himself before God[35], and had an Angel sent to him with a Revelation, yet cannot that disciplining of himself be in any wise accounted a Cause of that Revelation; for if it were, the same Method would produce the same Effect in another Man.  And tho’ there were particular Advantages in being a Member of the College of Prophets; as the Prophet Amos[36] intimates, where he says, I was no Prophet, nor A Prophet’s Son (which must be interpreted The Scholar of a Prophet, for the Scholars of the Prophets are always call’d Sons of the Prophets in Scripture) yet none of these Means were sufficient to help Men to the Gift of Prophecy.  The pious Parents thought it a very good way of improving their Children in the Fear and Love of God, and the Knowledge of his Will, to have them brought up under those Holy and Exemplary Men the Prophets; and accordingly they waited upon them, went on Errands and did their Service; at the same time enjoying the great Advantage of their Example and Discourse.  And according to their Example, even after Prophesy was ceas’d among the Jews, the eminent Men and chief Doctors of the Law had their Scholars and Disciples, more or fewer, according to the Credit and Esteem of the Matter.  So that our Blessed Saviour’s chusing his twelve Disciples, was no new thing among the Jews, but had been practis’d all along, since those Schools of the Prophets.  But never did any one imagine, that these means of Discipline, or any other, were Steps to the attaining the Gift of Prophecy, which always depended, not upon Mens Acquirements or Improvements in that which is good, but upon the positive Will of God.

Sec. 8.  Now, if, as appears from what is already said, God has not afforded to Man, any Means whereby he can attain to the more inferior Degree of Prophecy, which consists in having only some part of his Will reveal’d; and that not constantly or habitually, but as occasion serves:  How vain and fond is it then for any one to imagine that he has given him a Capacity of enjoying his Presence as he is, and of seeing all things in him?[37] Which is as much above the Attainments of the greatest Prophets, as theirs is above the weakest of Men.  For if we consider we shall find that the Prophets Business consisted in delivering a particular Message to one or more; the Contents of which sometimes they receiv’d