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 by Day[38], which sort of Vision is call'd _Machazeh_, or,
_Mareeh_, or else by Night in a Dream, and this was call'd _Hhalom, a
Dream_, or _Hezyon Hallaiyelah, a Nocturnal Vision_. But what is either
or both these to the Intuition of the Divine Presence? There is as much
Difference, as there is between a great Courtier and a Favourite, who
when he pleases, enjoys the Presence of his Prince, and one who is now
and then sent by him on an Errand. And yet to such a degree of
Enthusiasm have some gone, as our Author here in particular, and several
more of the same strain in those former Ages, and the _Quietists_ and
other _Mysticks_ and Enthusiasts in our times, that nothing will down
with him less than the Intuition of the Divine-Being, and they despise
_Meditation_[39], as a mean thing, and too much below one that aspires
to Perfection. And this, it seems, is attainable by Application and
continued Exercise; whereby they have at once set all Mankind in a
Capacity of out-doing infinitely the ancient Prophets, who if they had
known any thing of this way, certainly would not have been so sparing of
it in their Writings, especially when their Business was to labour for
the Benefit and Instruction of Mankind. But there is not one word in all
their Writings which favours this Opinion, from whence we may safely
conclude, that they had no such Notion; and yet it must not be in the
least doubted, but that they were throughly acquainted with the Will of
God, and knew more of his secret Counsel than any other Men in the World
whatsoever.

Sec. 9. It must needs be acknowledg'd by us Christians, as well as by the
Jews, that _Moses_ was, without Controversie, the the greatest Prophet
that ever appear'd upon Earth before our Saviour's time, and had the
most frequent and greatest Revelations of the Divine Will. For tho' it
was a singular Favour which God vouchsafed the other Prophets, in
communicating to them some of the Secrets of his Purposes; yet _Moses_
was the Man whom God chose to be the Instrument of the Deliverance of
his People _Israel_, by such convincing Signs a