he wrote of me What did he write you may read in his book called Deuteronomy these words God will raise up unto thee a Prophet like unto me of thy brethren according to thy desire and I will put my words into his mouth and whosoever will not hearken unto the words which he shall speak in my Name I will require it of him The single-hearted Jews aware of the divine truth of this Prophesy were guided as the Magi by a star to Christ So Philip and Nathanael true Israelites embraced him saying with joy We have found him of whom Moses wrote in the Law Whom when the degenerate Jewes rejected the wise Apostles reproved them from the same Moses quoting the forecited words as we see Acts 3. 22. therefore well might our Saviour say Had you believed Moses that is Had you been as you pretend true children of Abraham and genuine disciples of Moses you would not have disowned me whom Moses acknowledged for his Master and esteemed so worthy of honour that he counted the sufferings of Christ greater riches then the treasures of Egypt For as Abraham saw my day afar off and rejoyced so Moses knew the liquid Rock which followed them in the Desert was i.e. did signifie Christ The Prophets also told the same tale and Malachi that brought up the rear and claspt the Old Testament bad the Jewes expect the Sunne of Righteousnesse which was to rise and spread his wholesome rayes like wings of salvation over the world This was written in the close of that Oeconomy since therefore Moses and the Prophets told us the desire of all Nations whom they had long waited for was coming and bad the people to prepare his way by fitting their wicked hearts for so great a comfort whofoever doth not receive Christs Gospel doth not hear Moses and the Prophets Neither do they consider the great reasons which they afford to convince us of this matter For they taught that Christ was to be the light of the Gentiles and the Glory of Israel and this in a sence so raised that the former glory stood valuable by it in no degree of comparison He was to fulfill the Prophesies which had been but glorious vanities if he had not made them good He was to chase away shadows and what is the day to night To heighten their motives with better promises and take off the false Comments which had crept upon the Law by the iniquity of the times viz. the carelesnesse of the people and the wickednesse of the Pharisees so that the New Testament must not be left out But then one may say and some have been as foolish as to say it We do not care for Moses and the Prophets we have no need of the Old Testament This is to run upon the other post of the doore He that is no better advised is just like a man who having a great cause depending is resolved let it go right or wrong he will use but one witnesse he can have more but he cares not for them We do not use to burn the Records of our Ancestors nor to cut in pieces the evidences of our lands nor the Counter-parts of deeds He which values the possession of truth will not easily part with one of its best witnesses The Scripture saith as much as one can well desire in this point Moses and Elias appeared in the transfiguration of Christ and were witnesses of his glory The Gospel is his spiritual transfiguration and unto that Glory they bear a full and well agreeing witnesse This spirit might murmur thus Why could not one Cherubin have served to cover the Mercy-seat God put two whose faces were towards each other and their wings did meet So do both the Testaments spread their golden wings over our Throne of Grace Christ Jesus What is thus said of the Old Testament we easily learn of Christ and his Apostles who acknowledged the usefulnesse of its divine Truth whilest they proved their assertions by it nay they declared nothing but what the Prophets foretold and longed to have seen by which it appears that God hath so put them together that it is devillish to attempt a divorce The Apostle Paul did not only advise Timothy to read them but told him that they were able to make him wise to salvation i.e. were full of divine instructions and as fit for the Jews to walk by towards heaven as the morning light is for a traveller to begin his journey and as to himself he professed that he had great consolation and hope through the knowledge of the rare instances of the Old Testament in which he saw his hopes verified Who would destroy such famous memorials of Truth and writing to the Ephesians concerning the Church under the New Testament which is an habitation of God through the spirit he saies it is built upon the foundation of the Prophets and Apostles Christ being the great Corner-stone When wise men pull stones out of the foundations of their houses then good Christians may reject the writings of Moses and the Prophets So having reconciled two that were never at oddes only some weak or ill-minded people seek occasion to put difference amongst near friends and having proved that neither are to be refused as superfluous it remains to shew for some doubt it that both are enough and of that we have this fourfold assurance 1. As they are Perfect Counsels of excellent wisdom concerning the way to happinesse 2. As they are strict injunctions of Divine Authority concerning our Duties 3. As they containe the strongest Proofes of our Obligation to these Duties and such as are no where else and so are the best perswasions to our Wills 4. As they are a Proposal of all these Truths to our understandings in a way of most fair and full credibility They are perfect Counsels of excellent wisdome concerning the way to Happinesse They are a full advice and a most exact Method of attaining Blisse prescribed by him who is the Way the Truth and the Life or the true way to Life What lay scatter'd in many places and must have been gathered with much care and many collections difficult to our short apprehensions often tired and so missing it may be what was not much further then we had gone is here comprized to our hands in a perfect summary Truths otherwhere hid under much Rubbish and mixed with many mistakes are here pure and clear in the spring not mudded with carelesse or beastly feet What is obscured in others by naturall weaknesse or affected stile is here plain enough through the superintendency of the Divine spirit So that good men may here expect whatsoever is true wise necessary or usefull There is no plant of Righteousnesse no wholesome herb in the world but it was carried out of Christs garden who planted them in Paradise and therefore he might well put them in his Gospel they were his own and when they were
which believes there is a God believes his Veracity and he which believes not that there is a God hath no reason to believe any thing He hath no reason to believe any thing if there be not Truth And if there be not a God there is nothing and so no truth But as that foundation is firm and unquestionable What God saith is true I must build two things upon it and on them the credibility of the first particular is founded viz. 1. That since what God sayes is true we ought to receive whatsoever we have abundant reason to believe that God did say it 2. Whatsoever comes to us as Gods word we ought by no means to reject it without most weighty reasons to make us think that God did not say it 1. As to the first Scripture is the way of proposal i. e. God hath written his mind to us now we have two great reasons to make us believe this writing to be his word 1. Because writing was the fittest way to communicate his will to us 2. Because since all writings need witnesse that we might not doubt this to be his he hath sent it attested by the witnesse of all those that were worthy to be believed i. e. the good men of all ages 1. Because writing was the fittest way to communicate the Gospel or his will to us that appears thus All the Nations and ages of the world could not be present at the birth of Christ nor be eye-witnesses of his miracles see him rise out of grave and ascend into heaven put their fingers into his side c. what then will they not believe unlesse they do shall Christ be crucified afresh in every age that we may see him rise from the dead but because Christ was not to remain alwayes below nor come again in that manner and it concerned the world to know the Gospel God committed it to writing and hath made the holy Scriptures the safe Repositories of his Truth that is excellent preservatives against weaknesse of memory and the rust of malicious designes Monumentum Christi est divina Scriptura in qua divinitatis humanitatis ejus mysteria densitate literae veluti quadam muniuntur Petra How much God was in love with this way appeared of old for though he was pleased to converse familiarly with his plain friends the Patriarchs yet lest his counsels should slip out of the frail minds of men he commanded Moses to write them Litera scripta manet The Jewes nice care of the letters was well made use of by God for it became Septum Legis whilest they looked to the words God secured the sence and how unsure all other wayes are we may perceive in that the Church hath not preserved the remembrance of Christs miracles which were unwritten Language is the Garb of Truth it comes not abroad till it be cloathed in words and since Christ was not to stay here to preach alwayes he enabled those whom he deputed to declare his will in several languages that it might be understood by divers Nations when it was spoken and heard and because the Apostles were to die too he commanded them to write it and hath enabled his Church to translate it into the several languages of the world and so they understand it being written and read And herein God shewed his care of the Vnlearned who are the greater part of the world for though they cannot read the Originall yet having a Translation which in that it is a Translation agrees with the Original they receive the same mind of God that the Learned do Why should any man be unsatisfied with this way of delivery whereas Princes and States in matters which they esteem the greatest receive the Proposals of Ambassadours by an Interpreter If to read or hear these read be not sufficient to direct us what shall become of the blind who can neither read Original nor Translation And if any think that they say a great matter against Translations when they affirm That we know not the signification of Hebrew and Greek words but by the report of men They may as well say so of our Mother-tongue for we know not that this word Book signifies that which men commonly understand when they heare that word pronounced but that we are told so shall an English-man for this fine reason doubt whether he can speak true English or no or shall any child neglect his Duty to his Parents whom he can know but by Report Behold how many ways can the divine Providence use one thing The first division of Tongues broke a foolish attempt of scaling the skies This second further'd a Noble Designe of lifting us up the right way to Heaven By the curtesie of so many Translations the Holy Ghost appears again in cloven Tongues Those men which would make us believe the written word is no fit Rule because every body skills not the Hebrew and Greek do not onely say that they are not a rule to us but that they were not to the Jews or Grecians For it is probable some Jews and more then probable that many Greeks could no more read Greek or Hebrew then many now can read English and how did they do If we may be deceived by those which interpret so might they by those which read But if they say as they would fain have it that the Jews had an infallible spirit then it 's lawfull to ask where he lay asleep whilst the Jews being wickedly misled rejected the Messiah 2. As the Scripture was the best way and therefore most likely to be made use of by the wise God so that we might believe that he did We have the testimony of all that were worthy to be believed i. e. good men in all ages The first age saw things writ the truth and so witnessed to it The next age received believed and obeyed the truth and expressed as great effects of the power of it as the first and so on So that we may say as Saint Paul to Timothy We will mind the Scriptures knowing of whom we have received them Those who could not be willing to deceive themselves for they ventur'd this and the other world on 't and they which did so what design could they have upon us 2. The second assertion above-mentioned is that whatsoever comes to us as Gods word we ought not to reject it without weighty reasons to make us think he did not say it Against the Scriptures we can imagine but two things objectable in this point 1. Invalidity in the evidence given for them 2. Sufficient Counter-witnesse against them 1. As to the first what can invalidate the evidence Insufficiency can be imputed but upon two accounts either they know not the things they wrote or they did not write the truth they knew as some Hereticks said in Tertullians time Solent dicere non omnia Apostolos scisse eadem agitati dementia qua rursus convertunt omnia quidem
death as the Authour to the Hebrevves calls him though our Translation perverts the sence of the place who died about this time They had great reason to howle for by death he destroyed him that had {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} the Kingdom or Dominion of death i. e. the Devill for so {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} He killed death tormented Hell and slew the murderer For as Christ had before told us that he would so now he did bind the strong man the Devill and spoyled his goods those Tripodes Images and the rest of the Idolatrous Luggage were his chief houshold-stuff which he took up went his way as Plutarch witnesseth {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} 3. The Heathen Philosophers bore witnesse to him many of which being convinced with the demonstration of his truth became Christians Dionysius the Areopagite Polycarp Iustin Irenaeus Athenagoras c. They were acknowledged Philosophers and whether they were true converts or no they shewed for divers of them became Martyrs I may adde to those named before Origen who when the deluge of Idolatry had overspread the learned world was that holy Ark in which Philosophy was preserved for the service of Christian Religion a sufficient proof of this he gave in the confutation of that railer Celsus for he took off the danger of his blafphemies and chastised the bold wit of his lying pen and spoyled the heathenish hopes by undoing that foolish objection to wit that none but the rude multitude became disciples of Christ they saw it was not want of learning that made them Christians for Origen had so much that the most learned Plotinus seeing him amongst his Auditors blusht and after a few words abruptly brake off his Lecture But why should I go about to reckon those starres which gave light to this truth and whereas 't is said that there were many others which darkned all those that misled Converts could say we may easily make answer to this Amongst these Celsus must have the disgrace to be named first for he was the first that wrote against Christian Religion He denied not the miracles of Christ but would needs perswade the world that they were Magical But as he might learn this of the Iewes for he read the New Testament though to a most hellish end so there he might have learned an answer When Christ cast out Devills they said it was by Beelzebub a Prince among them but Christ does convince them of folly for thinking that a Prince would assist to destroy his own kingdom and condemns them by their owne Disciples whom they acknowledged to do it by divine power by which meanes they were convinced of saying nothing to the purpose or else more then they wist against themselves Celsus his design was not onely overthrown in words by Origen as appears in his most excellent books but whilest he disputed against motion Origen walked up and down i.e. whilst one cavil'd at Christs miracles the other and his contemporaries did them by his Name and Prayers So the Disciples of Christ long before by speciall Miracles {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} coverted the {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} those which used Magical Arts and they burnt their Conjuring books It 's most unreasonable to think that the Devils had a finger in this work for the Gospel which these miracles confirmed was their extirpapation where-ever it came So Origen having in word and deed made a just vindication of our Saviours honour to cut off all further objections at one blow in the second of his books against Celsus sets him this impossible task {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} i.e. Let him shew us not many but a few nay but one such as Christ was who with the divine glory of his Miracles and powerful wisdom of his holy doctrine did so much good unto mankind mended the world which lay in wickednesse and of the worst of men made so many thousands good Arnobius seeing them gravel'd with this made them a great abatement and put the challenge with this variation Potestis aliquem nobis monstrare ex omnibus illis magis qui unquam fuere per secula consimile aliquid Christo millesima ex parte qui fecerit qui sine ulla vi carminum c. i.e. Can you shew us any of the Magicians in any age which performed but the thousand part of what Christ did who without any inchantments juices of herbs observations of sacrifices or times did such things by the power of his great Name Nothing hurtfull nothing destructive but things worthy of God full of goodnesse and help to men c. Unto these demands Porphyry could give no satisfaction though he took up the Cudgells vvhich vvere beaten out of the hands of Celsus moved probably vvith indignation to see the blood of one of his ovvn party run dovvn so fresh vvhose head vvas justly not long before broken by Origen But he resolved to expresse his hatred of the Christian Religion though he had nothing to stuffe his books withall but such railing as Celsus had before him used as Hierom witnesseth in his preface to his Commentaries upon the Epistle to the Galatians A little after Hierocles thinking the matter but imperfectly done tried once more to mend it he went so far in the way of the former that as Eusebius reports he wrote again the very selfe-same things which they had wrote before him {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} He stole impudently out of their writings not only the sence but the very words and syllables only he attempted to answer the question of Origen by naming Apollonius Tyanaeus whom he would needs put as a great Antichrist in comparison of our Saviour as equalled and excelled by his works But the answer to him is not hard for as the things which he opposes are no way comparable so the evidence of of them is very insufficient viz. the book of one single Fabler The things were slight for though he tells strange stories they go far short of his purpose being some grossly wicked sundry of them Magicall devices many pitifully insignificant and ridiculous all of them of contemptible quotation to frame a comparison against Christ Some are grossely wicked as his offering sacrifice to appease the Ghost of Palamedes and his making prayers to him to lay aside his anger against the Greeks which it seems remained still with him in the other world that he would give leave that many of them might grow wise and good and yet he himself durst not teach Antisthenes who desired to learn of him because the Ghost of Achilles forbad him Antisthenes being forsooth one that used to speak well of his enemy Hector Also at the command of this envious soul he went an Ambassodor to the Thessalians to perswade them to renew their sacrifices at the grave of Achilles
vvhich at his Mediation they did A good man indeed that could find in his heart to offer sacrifice to pacifie the wicked soules of men that kept anger and revenge after they had departed this life Among his Magical devices I reckon his seven rings which he called after the names of the seven Planets which he wrote each day differently according to the name of the Planet which the day bore These he received of the Indians whom Philostratus confesses Magicians and tells many pretty stories of them as of their Tables which moved of themselves and brought in dinner of bread fruits and herbs which put themselves in order better then any Cook could do As also of their Cisterns two of wine and two of water one hot one cold which came into the Dining-Room of themselves and of little pages of black brass which mingled the wine with water and powred it forth also of two Hogs-heads one filled with water another with wind from which they supplyed the Countrey with showers if it was drye or as occasion required with fresh aire not much unlike to Homers or the Laplanders bottles These things Apollonius approved and makes great hope concerning himself that he should prove some-body being one that had drunk of the Cup of Tantalus that is communicated with them in their secret mysteries as we read in his letter to Iarchas and what he practised according to these principles Philostratus sets down at large Other things were extremely ridiculous as that in his journey to India finding a dead Lionesse that had eight young ones in her belly he foretold that his stay in that countrey should be a yeare and eight months the Lionesse signifying a year forsooth and the young whelps months How ridiculous also is that converse which he pretended to have with the Ghost of Achilles he only asked him a few slight questions concerning Homers fabulous stories as whether Achilles was buried according to the relation of the Poets whether the Muses wept for him whether Polixena was killed for his sake whether Helen was ever at Troy and how Greece was able to send so many gallant men against it and lastly whether Homer knew Palamedes or if he did why he did not set down his discourses These were the five great questions which he asked Achilles the resolution of such queries did as much good to the world as a man got with going into Iupiters Temple in Arcadia for when he came forth they said his body did cast no shadow for which was he better or worse These things thus storied of Apollonius are so far from proving him equall to Christ that they leave him a great way short of a good man Did our Saviour seek glory by such things did the Apostles lean upon such reeds Or if it be said that he performed some things of better note and particularly some great cures I answer so did and so do many Physitians that desire not to be adored for it And if he taught some good things so did many excellent Philosophers Heathenish and Christian which one should foolishly compare with Christ So that though Celsus bragged that many might easily appear like unto Christ but named none and Hierocles would needs take this for one yet we see with what little reason he did it as to the things reported And as they are not to be named in the same day with Christs most glorious undertaking and performances so their testimony for what they are is contemptible one single Philostratus and he confesses that what one Damis an Assyrian whom Apollonius took up in his way to India had not very hansomely written concerning his travels and what Maximus a Cilician added concerning what Apollonius did in the City AEgae he gathered together at the request of Queen Iulia and so patched up his story Alas what is this to the testimony of thousands and ten thousands of wise and good men that lived in the confession of Christ and died for the Confirmation of his Gospel Apollonius his name for all those stories outlives his honour neither could that writing support any great regard of him in the world and indeed all it comes to is only a doubtful remembrance of such things as most of the world never heard of and the wisest of those that do deride Photius in his forty fourth book as also in the twenty fourth hath marked them with these black coales {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} i.e. Philostratus gathered together a company of absurd and incredible things full of madnesse meer fables invented to please Apollonius which none of any sence or reason would believe And therefore Eusebius in his book entituled against Hierocles but written chiefly against Philostratus did justly taxe Hierocles who was otherwise a grave Philosopher for the unreasonable credulity which he gave to such odde relations so insufficiently witnessed and let him see that Christians are not such fooles as he would make them for believing in Christ Jesus notwithstanding all that Hierocles could gather out of that book Lest any should make objection against what I have said as if the Honour of Apollonius depended not upon the single testimony of Philostratus I shall adde a few words It 's true there is also a short story related by Flavius Vopiscus concerning the apparition of Apollonius many yeares after his death to Aurelian the Emperour a little before the taking of Tyana and that he charged the Emperour to shew mercy to the Inhabitants Aureliane si vis vincere nihil est quod de civium meorum nece cogites c. whereupon he saith that Aurelian though he had vowed upon their shutting the gates against him not to leave so much as a dog alive in the Town intending the utter ruine of the place yet he only killed the Dogs but spared all the people except Heraclammon by whose treachery he gained the place and promised a Temple and Statues to Apollonius If we grant this apparition to have been true it is not such great matter It was not the first time that the Devill appeared in a Prophets mantle But we may well suspect the Truth of it both because it is not mentioned in Aurelians letter to Mallius Chilo wherein he gives him an account of the taking of Tyana and why he killed Heraclammon though he spared the rest where it seems utterly improbable that he would have concealed that apparition had it been the reason of his clemency Besides Vopiscus though he saith he had this Tale from grave men and read it written in linnen in the Vlpian Library yet grants that he believed it the rather because of the greatnesse of Apollonius which he understood from Greek books that is those of Philostratus which are discredited already And confesseth in the beginning of his story that Iunius Tiberianus at whose request he wrote it in honour of Aurelian of whom he claimed kindred bad him fill it up with