A SERMON Against the ANTI-SCRIPTURISTS ALSO Another concerning the Sinfulness Danger and Remedies OF INFIDELITY Preached at WHITE-HALL BY SETH Lord Bishop of Sarum LONDON Printed by J. M. for James Collins at the Kings-Head in Westminster-Hall MDCLXX Against the ANTI-SCRIPTURISTS A SERMON Preached at WHITE-HALL February 20. 1669 70. BY SETH Lord Bishop of Sarum Printed by His Majesties Special Command LONDON Printed by J. M. for James Collins at the Kings-Head in Westminster-Hall MDCLXX 2 Tim. 3.16 All Scripture is given by Inspiration of God IN the verse preceding it is said concerning the Scriptures of the Old Testament that they are able to make a man wise unto salvation 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 by the faith which is in Jesus Christ And it follows immediately All Scripture c. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 the Faith is often by a Metonymy taken for the Gospel which is the Object of the Faith of Christians We read often of the Preaching and Hearing of Faith of the Analogie of Faith the common Faith which was once delivered to the Saints in the preaching of Christ and the Writings of his Evangelists and Apostles and so I conceive it is to be taken in this place So that the meaning of the whole is this The Old Testament understood and expounded according to the Analogy of the New is able to make a man wise And the Pen-men of the Canonical Books of the Old Testament wherein Timothy had been instructed 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 and of the Books of the New Testament which except those of S. John were extant before the writing of this Epistle were inspired and directed by the Spirit of God The words of the Text are an entire Proposition asserting the Divine Authority of the Canon of Scripture and my endeavour shall be at this time to prove the truth of that Proposition Wherein that I may proceed with all plainness and clearness I shall premise two words by way of Petition Precaution 1. By way of Petition I suppose and take for granted 1. The great principle of the power of God and his providence in governing the world 2. That our Body of Canonical Books of the Old Testament is the same with that which was in Vse in the time of Christ and his Apostles And our body of the New Testament the same which was anciently received in the Church So that what shall be proved of those is applicable to the Original Scripture used in our time 3. That those Books of New Testament whose Authors were not anciently questioned were Written by those Authors whose Name they bear And that those few others which were sometimes questioned by some particular Churches and afterward Vniversally received contain in them no one point of Faith or Manners dissentient from the Contents of those Books which were never questioned 2. By way of Precaution and Admonition I must intreat you to take notice that I shall not now meddle with the Controversies concerning Apocrypha Translations Keri and Chetib Hebrew points various Lections dubious Authors or parts of Scripture But my endeavour at this time shall be to Assert the Divine Authority of the body and substance of the Original Books of the Canon of the Old and New Testament And this not in the way of common place but in a particular Examination or Refutation of the most dangerous Opinions of the Anti-scripturists which are these I. Of those who pretend to believe the truth of the New Testament and yet they deny the Divine Authority of the Old II. Of those who pretend to believe the truth but deny the divine Authority of the New Testament III. Of such as pretend to believe matters of fact to have been truly related in the New Testament but do not believe the truth of the Doctrinal parts relating to Faith and Manners IV. Such as deny the truth of the Relation of matters of Fact in the New Testament and in consequence reject the whole Body of Scripture Of these as briefly and plainly as I can I. The first Opinion is of those who pretending to believe the Truth of the New Testament deny the Divine Authority of the Old Testament The Severians and the Manichees Basilides and Carpocrates of old The Catabaptists of later times some Anabaptists Antinomians and other Fanatical Sectaries amongst our selves In opposition to these I shall shew that supposing the truth of the New Testament the Divine Authority of the Old Testament is to be acknowledged Because the Divine Authority of the Old Testament is asserted by Christ and his Evangelists and Apostles in the New 1. Next to the Redemption of the world the great business which Christ had to do upon Earth was to Convince men that he was the Messias and so to assert his Legislative Authority And the great Argument which he used for the conviction of the world was this All the Marks and the entire Character of the Messiah and of his Actions and Passions were prefigured and foretold by the Law and the Prophets and the Psalms i. e. in the Volume of the Old Testament And all things foretold or prefigured concerning the Messiah were accomplished by himself So that though the great Works of Christ and the purity and excellency of his Doctrine and of his Life were of themselves sufficient to justifie the Introduction of his Law into the World yet he was pleased to resolve as it were his own Authority into the Divine Authority of the Old Testament and to make use of those other manifestations of himself in a co-ordination with that principle And therefore we find him still pressing the Jews with this that if they did believe the Writings of Moses and their other Scriptures they must of necessity believe him also Moses wrote of me saith he wherefore did ye believe Moses ye would believe me The Scriptures testifie of me therefore search them diligently 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 For the attaining of everlasting life he refers the Lawyer to the Law What is written in the Law how readest thou For the avoiding of the place of torments he makes Abraham refer the Relations of Dives to Moses and the Prophets In all his Disputations with the Pharisees and Sadduces the Lawyers and the Scribes he makes his appeal to the Scriptures of the Old Testament And lest any one should think that in all this he did only argue ad homines that disputing with the Jews he only proceeded upon their own Hypothesis we find him in the course of his Ministration positively asserting that the Scriptures must be fulfilled that they cannot be broken that he came not to destroy the Law and the Prophets but to fullfil them and that Heaven and Earth shall pass away before one jot or tittle of these should perish until all was fulfilled Thus he asserted the Authority of the Old Testament before his death And after his Resurrection he made a real demonstration that the Old
Object and Cognoscibility of it 1. To say that instances of supernatural Power and Wisdom are impossible is to deny the power of God and his providence in governing the world And to say that such things are incredible as are and have been actually believed in all times and by all sorts of persons Jews and Gentiles Christians and Mahometans a few Atheistical persons only excepted is an absurdity The History that we speak of pretends to no Intrigues or Cabalistick Counsels or Mysteries of State but conteins it self within the limits of things Visible and Audible things that were done or spoken so that no History can have advantage over it respectu Objecti 2. As for Knowledge in the deliverers I shall shew it by a brief Induction The whole New Testament consists of the Books of the Revelation Epistles Acts of the Apostles and the Gospels The Authors of the Epistles and the Revelation in the Narrative parts of them deliver the things done or spoken to or by themselves and could not be ignorant of their own experiences The Book of the Acts contains some things done by or to the rest of the Apostles but chiefly the concernments of Paul and it was written by Luke who was an individual Companion of Paul and intimately conversant with the rest of the Apostles For the things Related in the Gospel of S. Luke he saith they were delivered to him by those who from the beginning were Eye-witnesses of the works and Ministers of the Word and his History agrees with the other Evangelists The Gospel of S. Mark hath nothing which is not in S. Matthew or S. John and was dictated by S. Peter the Head of the Apostles S. Matthew was an Apostle and S. John the Bosom Apostle of Christ. The Apostles were chosen by him for Witnesses of his Words and Actions they were with him from the beginning of his Ministry continued with him till his death conversed with him till his Ascension That which they had heard which they had seen with their Eyes which they had looked on which their hands had handled of the word of life that they delivered in writing to the World And more than this no Writer or Relater of History can pretend to 2. For Arguments of their sincerity they have left Precepts of Veracity and prohibitions of lying under pain of Hell torments the Lake that burneth with fire and brimstone They have protested that they did not follow cunningly devised Fables that they did things sincerely as in the sight of God They have appealed to the searcher of hearts The God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ knoweth that I lie not The things which I write unto you behold before God I lye not Gal. 1.20 saith S. Paul They have left behind them various instances of their simplicity and godly sincerity in representing their failings to the world and of candour and ingenuity in distinguishing the dictates of their own Reason from the inspirations of the Holy Spirit I speak by permission not by commandment of the Lord This say I not the Lord Thus it is according to my judgment c. 1 Cor. 7. But besides all this let the matter be estimated acccording to common reason If these men did devise a Fable and impose it upon the world what end could they propound to themselves in so doing was there any profit in being destitute of all things or pleasure in being persecuted afflicted and tormented or honour in being counted Fools and Mad-men Before they began to publish the Stories whereof we speak their Master was gone and all worldly hopes were gone away with him If they were not bound in Conscience and in Spirit what obligation had he laid upon them to labour and suffer for his honour as they did To omit the severity of his behaviour to them He called them off from their Vocations Peter and Andrew James and John from their Fishing Matthew from his Customers place the rest accordingly They forsook their Nets their * Ships their Relations and all their interests and followed him And this they did clearly and plainly believing that he was to be a Great Temporal Prince and in hopes of Preferment under him In this Expectation they continued to the last minute of his conversation with them upon Earth and he permitted them so to do Their last words to him were delivered in this question Lord wilt thou at this time restore the Kingdom unto Israel Of the thing it self they never doubted they only desire to be informed of the time Now after so long expectation Consider his Answer His Answer was this It is not for you to know the times c. but ye shall receive power when the Holy Ghost is come upon you and ye shall be witnesses of me unto the utmost parts of the earth and immediately he vanished away Was this an answer to their Question or a satisfaction to their expectation Was this an Obligation laid upon them If he had not sent down the Holy Ghost this would have moved them indeed but it would have been to rage and indignation this would have obliged them indeed but it would have been to detest and abhor the name and memory of him that had abused them But for the honour of his name not their own they did and suffered all things and gloried in it An irrefragable argument of their sincerity in the things which they delivered 3. Of the internal Arguments for the belief of History there remains only the Consideration of the way and manner of writing Histories then carry their own credentials in them when the principal parts of them are delivered with such circumstances of times places and persons as may render them liable to Examination and Refutation if they contain any falshood in them And in this particular no History hath any advantage over that History whereof we are speaking as will be evident to him that considers it thorowout Concerning John the Baptist it is recorded that he was born some few Months before Christ that his Mother was Elizabeth that his Father was Zachariah a Priest of the Course of Abia that they lived in the Hill-Country He began to preach in the 15. of Tyberius Pilat being Governour of Judaea Herod Tetrarch of Galilee his Brother Philip Tetrarch of Iturea and of the Region of Trachonitis and Lysanias Tetrarch of Abilene Punctual and particular Soon after this he was Imprisoned and Beheaded by Herod for reprehending him about Herodias all which were matters of Fact very easie if false to have been refuted Concerning Christ his birth is stated to have been at a time the most remarkable that ever was when the whole world was taxed by Augustus in the days of Herod when Cyrenius was Governour of Syria the place easie to be enquired of it was in a Manger in an Inne in a Town that was a little one among the thousands of
Juda easie to be examined When he was about 30 years old he was Baptized of John within a few days after he called his Apostles and in less than four years space he performed all his mighty Works whereof I shall mention only some few particulars At Cana in Galilee he turned Water into Wine at a Wedding where was much company He raised the Daughter of Jayrus the Ruler of the Synagogue there was but one in that place she was his only Daughter and about 12 years Old He healed the Servant of that Centurion that had built a Synagogue Can any thing be more particular At Bethany 15 Furlongs from Jerusalem a few days before his death he raised Lazarus after he had been dead four days Could any thing be more examinable His death was at Jerusalem at the time of the Passeover a time of greatest annual concourse in the world and then it is said that the Sun was darkened the Veil rent the Rocks torn apieces the Graves opened Can any thing be more refutable than these things if they had been false So likewise for the Apostles The healing of Aeneas at Lydda raising of Dorcas at Joppe the passages with Cornelius Captain of the Band called the Italian Band at Caesarea and many other acts of Peter The increpation of Barjesus at Paphos in the presence of Sergius Paulus the Governour The healing of a Cripple at Lystra in the presence of the Priest of Jupiter besides many other acts of Paul and the rest of the Apostles are so circumstantiated in the History that if false they might have been very easily contradicted But besides all these this History contains a Narration of things done and said not only by persons well affected but by Herod and Pontius Pilate and the Roman Governours by the Pharisees the Scribes the High Priests and the Sanhedrim all of them Enemies both to the Historians and the History and if any of these things had been convicted of falshood would not the credit of the whole Gospel have at once been utterly overthrown I conclude therefore that in respect of internal Arguments for belief no History hath or indeed can have any advantage above the History of the New Testament 2. As for External Arguments I can but name them Though the whole world interessed themselves against the story so examinable as you have heard though the Books were extant while the memory of things was recent Matthew within seven years Mark within eleven Luke about twenty four post mortem Christi the Epistles of Peter and Paul within thirty years all the rest intra unius hominis aetatem yet no man could ever convince them of falshood The stories were received by men of the greatest Wisdom Learning and Virtue amongst the Greeks and Latines Many of the hardest passages were attested and confessed by Enemies and Vnbelievers The Authors owned by Julian the Miracles confessed by Celsus the checking of the operation of the Devil by Porphyrius the Darkness and Earthquake at the death of Christ by Thallus and Phlegon Trallianus the Crucifixion of Christ by Pilat under Tiberius by Tacitus And in one word The entire Volume of the Scriptures the very same which our Church receives by virtue of the belief of the History of the Gospel before any general Council or the time of Constantine without any Convocation of the Clergy or imperial Edict for that purpose was instinctu quodam Christiano generally received by all Christians and the world made Christians In respect of all these Arguments internal and external I might have justly said that the History of the Gospel hath the advantage of any other History but seeing there are some particulars wherein the advantages are super-eminent I shall speak a little of that distinctly by it self and so conclude 2. These advantages I shall reduce to two heads Testimonium Rei Testimonium Dei 1. For the Testimonium Rei consider 1. Opposition to the Gospel 2. Prevailing of the Gospel 1. Never any story was so much opposed as the Books and History of the New Testament by Jews and Gentiles by the World and by the Devil The beginnings and propagation of the Gospel was by the Jews maliciously and strenuously opposed in the times of Christ and his Apostles and in all succeeding Generations Lest all men should believe in Christ because of his Miracles the Rulers took counsel to destroy him the People cryed out to have him Crucified Lest the last errour as they called it should be worse than the first they sealed up his Sepulchre and set a watch upon it and lastly suborned the Souldiers to say that his Disciples came by night while they were sleeping how could they know this and stole him away That the first Miracle wrought by Peter and John might not spread among the People the Rulers and Elders and Scribes Annas and Caiaphas and John and Alexander and all the Kindred of the High Priest laid hands upon them and put them in hold and threatned and commanded them not to speak at all in the Name of Jesus When Stephen had uttered his testimony the people cried with a loud voice and stopped their Ears and ran upon him with one accord and cast him out of the City and stoned him Wherever they met with Believers Men or Women they haled them into Prison breathing out threatnings and slaughter Wherever they met with the Preachers they opposed and blasphemed they tumultuated they stirred the Gentiles they enraged the chief men of the Cities and the honourable women against them The instances of their malicious opposition in all ages of the Church are so many as are not to be numbred in a few Minutes but would require many days only to name them They first stirred up Nero to persecute the Christians they contrived the death of Polycarpus they stood by and insulted over the dying Martyrs in a word whoever shall read the stories of primitive times he will find that the Jews were generally the Setters and Informers against the Martyrs and the Brokers for their Goods after Execution And the Histories of our own and other Nations will shew us the height of their malice and the continuance of it Now beside the little Nation of the Jews the rest of the whole world when this History began to be published and the Books written were Heathen universally devoted to the Devil whom therefore our Saviour stiles the Prince of this world And now that feud which had depended betwixt the seed of the Serpent and the seed of the woman 4000 years was by the preaching and writing of these things brought to a Crisis The professed and declared design of the Gospel was to drive the Devil out of his Dominion Notwithstanding the antiquity of his possession the universality of his Church and the consent of all Nations whereby he held his title Notwithstanding
his Empire was supported by Governour and Laws and fortified by the Arms and actual strength of all the world he saw that if the Gospel were not suppressed a little time would spoil the pride of all his glory that in a moment he should fall like lightning from Heaven That he should be exorcised out of the bodies which he possessed That his famous Oracles should soon be put to silence his gorgeous Temples and Images should be torn down his Mysteries and lying wonders set at nought That Prayers and Vows would be made to him no more and he should cease to be celebrated in the Songs of his Poets and Hymns of his Hierophantae That his revelling Festivals would be turned to mourning no more gifts would be presented no beasts nor children women or men sacrificed upon his Altars The Contention was de rerum summa pro aris focis and his rage was kindled accordingly He summons together all his wiles and stratagems he musters all his forces he sounds an Allarm to the world stirs up young and old rich and poor all ages sexes conditions the people wise and unwise the Common Souldiers and Commanders Counsellors and Judges Senate and Emperours by suppressing these Books and destroying the Believers of them to erase the memory of the Gospel and abolish it for ever The people were enraged against the Believers as against the common Enemy of mankind and pro solenni suo they slandered them with unthought of wickedness they imputed to them all the calamities of the world And required them to death Si Tiberis ascendit in moenia Christianos ad Leones Against these Books the Learned employed their Learning and the Witty employed their Wit Celsus Porphyrius Jamblichus Hierocles and other Philosophers endeavoured to dispute them out of the world Symmachus and Libanius and other Rhetors to declaim them away Julian and Lucian and other Scoptick wits endeavoured to jeer and droll away the credit of them Mean while the Senators and Lawyers employ themselves to destroy the Books by stretching against them the ancient Laws against bringing in Foreign Religions and against Magical and Fatidical Books And to destroy Books and Believers by New Laws made for that purpose against Combinations Heteriae Sacriledge Treason the Law that none should buy or sell or draw water without Thurification to the Gods and the like By force of these they persecute the Believers as Enemies to the Common-wealth and Traytors to the Emperour as sacrilegious persons and contemners of Religion The people sometimes rising upon them without any Edict sometimes by virtue of Edicts Imperial or Proconsular From the beginning of the Gospel to the end of Dioclesian and Maximian this was the state of Believers Their Scriptures were forbidden to be read and required to be burned their Oratories and obscure Churches were pulled in pieces their Estates were plundered and confiscate their bodies were imprisoned and tormented Fire and Sword hot Iron Chairs and Coffins Gridirons and Cauldrons Hooks Stakes and Gibbets the Teeth of Lions and Tygers c. were their portion It cannot be shewed that ever any Book or Story met with equal Opposition 2. Consider then how it prevailed how quickly and largely how deeply and effectually although the Precepts were not contrived to sollicit the Affections nor the Doctrines to court the Reason of men At one Sermon of Peter 3000 at another 5000 were converted Within a few years after the death of Christ we find by S. Peter that the Gospel was preached throughout Pontus Galatia Cappadocia Asia Bithynia and Paul had planted it from Jerusalem round about to Ilyricum Besides what was done by other Apostles in the Provinces assigned them at the Council of Jerusalem Within 66 years this grane of Mustard seed was become a Tree Pliny Proconsul of Bithynia to whom the care of Religion ex officio did appertein appointed by Trajan to suppress the Christians he writes to him that this Belief was Longè latéque diffusa Civitates Vicos Agros impletos Christi cultoribus During the second Century it had shot out great branches the boughs of this Tree were stretched out Hesterni sumus vestra omnia implevimus Tertullian reckons up the known parts of the World in quibus omnibus Christi nomen regnat and concludes ubique porrigitur creditur colitur regnat adoratur And lastly During the third à morte Christi the Fowls of the air and Beasts of the field lodged under the shadow of it The Net drew good and bad to shore the Roman Emperour and Empire declared themselves Christians i.e. Believers and Assertors of these Books So mightily grew the word of God and prevailed It went on conquering and to conquer not by the Spirit of the Sword but by the sword of the Spirit the powers of the Earth and the gates of Hell could not withstand it it drove the Devil away with all his Temples Idols Oracles Priests Sacrifices Services like lightning So fell the Dragon the old Serpent that deceived the World he was cast out with all his train So fell Lucifer the Son of the morn his Friends and his Followers lamenting How art thou fallen from Heaven O Lucifer the Son of the morning Desolata Templa rarissimus Victimarum emptor Some complain of people forsaking of the Gods others of the Gods forsaking their Oracles and Temples and becoming useless to the World He said I will ascend into Heaven and exalt my Throne above the Stars but he was soon brought down to Hell For the Gospel like Leaven or Fire from Heaven seized upon all that stood before it it leaven'd Cities Islands Castles Councils Camps the Tribes and Decuries the Palaces Senate Pleading-places It took possession of the Learned and the Wise the greatest and noblest Wits of the Eastern and Western Nations It raised up Philosophers to confound the Philosophy and noble Orators to confound the Rhetorick wherewith it was opposed Against Celsus it excited Origen against Porphyrie Apollinarius Methodius against Porphyrie and Hierocles Lactantius and Eusebius besides what was written sparsim by Jerom Augustine Cyril c. It set up Chrysostom against Libanius Prudentius against Symmachus and the Rhetoricians And as it spread it self large and high so where it took possession it took a deep possession Quantum vertice tantum radice Those that received it truly received it in the love thereof it took possession of their hearts it penetrated their spirits and took its lodging in the inmost recesses of the soul. The Contents of these Books was their most precious Pearl and they hid it in their heart The Books themselves were their greatest worldly treasure and rather than they would deliver them to be burned they chose to suffer the loss of honour liberty estate Wives and Children nay even life it self When Dioclesian required the Scriptures that they might be burned In one Province Egypt in one Month 17000 persons chose