approve other Reasons of their FAITH But we shall endeavour in its proper place to undeceive them for no Adversary how absurd or trifling soever ought to be superciliously disregarded by an unfeign'd Lover of Men and Truth So far of REVELATION only in making it a Mean of Information I follow Paul himself who tells the Corinthians that he cannot profit them except he speaks to them by Revelation or by Knowledg or by Prophesying or by Doctrine CHAP. III. That by CHRISTIANITY â—…s intended a Rational and Intelligible Religion prov'd from the Miracles Method and Stile of the New Testament 19. WHAT we discours'd of REASON before and REVELATION now being duly weigh'd all the Doctrines and Precepts of the New Testament if it be indeed Divine must consequently agree with Natural Reason and our own ordinary Ideas This every considerate and wel-dispos'd Person will find by the careful perusal of it And whoever undertakes this Task will confess the Gospel not to be hidden from us nor afar off but very nigh us in our Mouths and in our Hearts It asfords the most illustrious Examples of close and perspicuous Ratiocination conceivable which is incumbent on me in the Explication of its MYSTERIES to demonstrate And tho the Evidence of Christ's Doctrine might claim the Approbation of the Gentiles and its Conformity with the Types and Prophecies of the Old Testament with all the Marks of the MESSIAH concurring in his Person might justly challenge the Assent of his Country-men yet to leave no room for doubt he proves his Authority and Gospel by such Works and Miracles as the stiff-neck'd Jews themselves could not deny to be Divine Nicodemus says to him No Man can do these Miracles which thou do'st except God be with him Some of the Pharisees acknowledg'd no Sinner could do such things And others that they exceedeá the Power of the Devil 20. JESUS himself appeals to his very Enemies ready to stone him for pretended Blasphemy saying If I do not the Works of my Father believe me not But if I do believe not me believe the Works that you may know and believe that the Father is in me and I in him That is believe not rashly on me and so give a Testimony to my Works but search the Scriptures which testify of the Messiah consider the Works I do whether they be such as become God and are attributed to him If they be then conclude and believe that I am he c. In effect several of the People said that Christ when he should come could do no greater Wonders and many of the Jews believ'd when they saw the Miracles which he did 21. How shall we escape says the Apostle if we neglect so great a Salvation which at the first began to be spoken by the Lord and was confirm'd unto us by them that heard him God also bearing them witness with divers Miracles and Gifts of the Holy Spirit according to his own Will Those who heard Christ the Author of our Religion speak and saw the Wonders which he wrought renounce all the hidden things of Dishonesty all Craftiness and deceitful handling of the Word of God And that they manifest nothing but Truth they commend themselves to every Man's Conscience that is they appeal to every Man's Reason in the Sight of God Peter exhorts Christians to be ready always to give an Answer to every one that asks them a Reason of their Hope Now to what purpose serv'd all these Miracles all these Appeals if no Regard was to be had of Mens Understandings if the Doctrines of Christ were incomprehensible contradictory or were we oblig'd to believe reveal'd Non-Jense Now if these Miracles be true Christianity must consequently be intelligible and if false which our Adversaries will not grant they can be then no Arguments against us 22. But to insist no longer upon such Passages all Men will own the Verity I defend if they read the sacred Writings with that Equity and Attention that is due to meer Humane Works Nor is there any different Rule to be follow'd in the Interpretation of Scripture from what is common to all other Books Whatever unprejudic'd Person shall use those Means will find them notorious Deceivers or much deceiv'd themselves who maintain the New Testament is written without any Order or certain Scope but just as Matters came into the Apostles Heads whether transported with Enthusiastick Fits as some will have it or according to others for lack of good Sense and a liberal Education I think I may justly say that they are Strangers to true Method who complain of this Confusion and Disorder But the Proof of the Case depends not upon Generalities Tho whenever it is prov'd I will not promise that every one shall find a Justification of the particular Method he was taught or he has chosen to follow To defend any PARTY is not my business but to discover the TRUTH 23. The Facility of the GOSPEL is not confin'd only to Method for the Stile is also most easy most natural and in the common Dialect of those to whom it was immediately consign'd Should any preach in Xenophon's strain to the present Greeks or in correct English to the Country-People in Scotland 't would cost them much more Time and Pains to learn the very Words than the Knowledg of the Things denoted by them Of old as well as in our time the Jews understood Hebrew worse than the Tongues of those Regions where they dwelt No Pretcnces therefore can be drawn from the Obscurity of the Language in favour of the irrational Hypothesis for all Men are suppos'd to understand the daily Use of their Mother-Tongue whereas the Stile of the Learned is unintelligible to the Vulgar And the plainest Authors that write as they speak without the Disguise of pompous Elegance have ever been accounted the best by all good Judges It is a visible Effect of Providence that we have in our Hands the Monuments of the Old Testament which in the New are always suppos'd quoted or alluded to Nor is that all for the Jewish Service and Customs continue to this day If this had been true of the Greeks and Romans we should be furnish'd with those Helps to understand aright many unknown Particulars of their Religion which make us Rulers and Teachers in Israel Besides we have the Talmud and other Works of the Rabbins which however otherwise useless give us no small Light into the antient Rites and Language And if after all we should be at a loss about the Meaning of any Expression we ought rather to charge it upon Distance of Time and the want of more Books in the same Tongue than to attribute it to the Nature of the thing or the Ignorance of the Author who might be easily understood by his Country-men and Contemporaries But no Truth is to be establish'd nor Falshood confuted from such Passages no more than any can certainly divine his
most Translations When an able Linguist meets with a difficult Passage he presently takes it for a Mystery and concludes it is to no purpose to be at more Pains about what is in it self inexplicable But an uncapable Translator lays his own blundring Nonsense and all the mysterious Fruits of his Ignorance to God Almighty's Charge These are the Wretches who plentifully furnish the Atheistical and Profane with all the Matter of their Objections against Scripture But I hope in Time we may see a Remedy to these Disorders 62. The fourth Observation is That except Faith signifies an intelligible Perswasion we cannot give others a Reason of our Hope as Peter directs us To say that what we believe is the Word of God will be to no end except we prove it to be so by Reason and I need not add that if we may not examine and understand our Faith every Man will be oblig'd implicitely to continue of that Religion whereâ—…n he is first educated Suppose a Siamese Talapoin should tell a Christian Preacher that Sommonocodom forbad the Goodness of his Religion to be tri'd by the Light of Reason how could the Christian confute him if he likewise should maintain that certain Points of Christianity were above Reason The Question would not be â—…hen whether Mysteries might be allow'd in the true Religion but who had more Right to institute them Christ or Sommonocodom 63. My last Observation shall be That either the Apostles could not write more intelligibly of the reputed Mysteries or they would not If they would not then 't is no longer our Fault if we neither understand nor believe them for nothing cannot be the Object of Belief And if they could not write more clearly themselves which our Adversaries will not suppose they were so much the less to expect Credit from others 64. But 't is affirm'd that GOD has a Right to require the Assent of his Creatures to what they cannot comprehend and questionless he may command whatever is just and reasonable for to act Tyrannically do's only become the Devil But I demand to what end should God require us to believe what we cannot understand To exercise some say our Diligence But this at first sight looks ridiculous as if the plain Duties of the Gospel and our necessary Occupations were not sufficient to employ all our time But how exercise our Diligence Is it possible for us to understand those Mysteries at last or not If it be then all I contend for is gain'd for I never pretended that the Gospel could be understood without due Pains and Application no more than any other Book But if it be impossible after all to understand them this is such a piece of Folly and Iâ—…pertinence as no sober Man would be guilty of to puzzle Peoples Heads with what they could never conceive to exhort to and command the Study of them and all this to keep 'em from Idleness when they can scarce find leisure enough for what is on all hands granted to be intelligible 65. Others say that GOD has enjoin'd the Belief of MYSTERIES to make us more humble But how By letting us see the small Extent of our Knowledg But this extraordinary Method is quite needless for Experience acquaints us with that every day and I have spent a whole Chapter in the second Section of this Book to prove that we have not an adequate Idea of all the Properties and no Idea of the real Essence of any Substance in the World It had been a much better Answer that God would thus abridg our Speculations to gain us the more time for the practice of what we understand But many cover a Multitude of Sins by their Noise and Heat on the behalf of such foolish and unprofitable Speculations 66. From all these Observations and what went before it evidently follows that Faith is so far from being an implicite Assent to any thing above Reason that this Notion directly contradicts the Ends of Religion the Nature of Man and the Goodness and Wisdom of God But at this rate some will be apt to say Faith is no longer Faith but Knowledg I answer that if Knowledg be taken for a present and immediate View of things I have no where affirm'd any thing like it but the contrary in many Places But if by Knowledg be meant understanding what is believ'd then I stand by it that Faith is Knowledg I have all along maintain'd it and the very Words are promiscuously us'd for one another in the Gospel We know i. e. we believe that this is indeed the Christ the Saviour of the World I know and am perswaded by the Lord Jesus that there is nothing unclean of it self You know that your Labour is not in vain in the Lord. 67. Others will say that this Notion of Faith makes Revelation useless But pray how so for the Question not whether we could discover all the Objects of our Faith by Ratiocination I have prov'd on the contrary that no Matter of Fact can be known without Revelation But I assert that what is once reveal'd we must as well understand as any other Matter in the World Revelation being only of use to inform us whilst the Evidence of its Subject perswades us Then reply they Reason is of more Digâ—…ity than Revelation I answer Just as much as a Greek Grammar is superiour to the New Testament for we make use of Grammar to understand the Language and of Reason to comprehend the Sense of that Book But in a word I see no need of Comparisons in this Case for Reason is not less from God than Revelation 't is the Candle the Guide the Judg he has lodg'd within every Man that cometh into this World 68. Lastly It may be objected That the Poor and Illiterate cannot have such a Faith as I maintain Truly if this can be made out it may pass for a greater Mystery than any System of Divinity in Christendom can afford for what can seem more strange and wonderful than that the common People will sooner believe what is unintelligible incomprehensible and above their Reasons than what is easy plain and suted to their Capacities But the Vulgar are more oblig'd to Christ who had a better Opinion of them than these Men for he preach'd his Gospel to them in a special manner and they on the other hand heard him gladly because no doubt they understood his Instructions better than the mysterious Lectures of their Priests and Scribes The uncorrupted Doctrines of Christianity are not above their Reach or Comprehension but the Gibberish of your Divinity Schools they understand not It is to them the Language of the Beast and is inconsistent with their Condition in this World when their very Teachers must serve above an Apprenticeship to master it before they begin the Study of the Bible How slowly must the Gospel have mov'd at the Beginning if such as were call'd to preach it had been oblig'd
to Israel until the Fulness of the Gentiles be come in The third Passage is in Col. 1. 25 26 27. The Church whereof I am made a Minister according to the Dispensation of God which is given to me for you to fulfil the Word of God even the MYSTERY which hath been hid from Ages and Generations but now is made manifest to his Saints to whom God would make known what are the Riches of the Glory of this MYSTERY among the Gentiles The fourth Passage is in Eph. 1. 9 10. Having made known unto us the MYSTERY of his Will according to his good Pleasure which he hath purpos'd in himself that in the Dispensation of the Fulness of times he might gather together into one all things in Christ. These Places require no Explication for the Sense of them all is that the Secret of the Vocation of the Gentiles is in the Gospel made known manifested and declar'd and therefore remains no longer a Mystery The next thing under the Designation of a Mystery in the above-mention'd Sense is one Circumstance of the Resurrection The Apostle having no less clearly and solidly than largely reason'd upon this Subject 1 Cor. 15. obviates an Objection or Scruple that might be rais'd about the State of such as should be sound alive on the Earth at the last day Behold says he ver 51 52. I shew you a MYSTERY I impart a Secret to you we shall not all sleep or die but we shall all be chang'd in a Moment in the twinkling of an Eye the Dead shall rise and we shall be chang'd It is not the Doctrine of the Resurrection then you see that is here call'd a Mystery but only this particular Circumstance of it viz. that the Living shall at the Sound of the last Trumpet put off their Flesh and Blood or their Mortality without Dying aâ—…d be in an Instant render'd incorruptible and immortal as well as those that shall revive In the fifth Chapter to the Ephesians ver 31 32. we learn that the mutual Love and Conjunction of Man and Wife is a Type of that indissoluble Union which is between Christ and his Church This was questionless a great Mystery before we were told it but now there is nothing more intelligible than the Foundation of that Resemblance or Figure The Kingdom of Antichrist in opposition to the Gospel or Kingdom of Christ is also call'd a Mystery because it was a secret Design carry'd on insensibly and by degrees but at length all Obstacles being remov'd or surmounted it appears bare-fac'd to the Light and as it was divinely fore-told ceases to continue a Mystery Let no Man deceive you by any means says Paul to the Thessalonians 2 Thess. 2. 3 4 5 6 7 8. for that Day shall not come except there be a falling away or Apostacy first and that Man of Sin be reveal'd the Son of Perdition c. And now you know what with-holdeth that he might not be reveal'd in his time for the MYSTERY of Iniquity doth already work only he who now hindreth will hinder till he be taken out of the way and then shall that wicked one be reveal'd These are all the Passages relating to the second Head 32. Mystery is Thirdly put for any thing vail'd under Parables or Enigmatical Expressions in these paralleâ—… Places following The first is in Mat. 13. 10 11. The Disciples came and said unto him Why speakest thou unto them in Parables He answer'd and said unto them Because it is given to you to know the MYSTERIES of the Kingdom of Heaven but to them it is not given The second Passage is in Mark 4. 11. And Jesus said to his Disciples Unto you is given to know the MYSTERY of the Kingdom of God but unto them that are without all these things are done in Parables The same Words are repeated in Luk. 8. 10. And it is most evident from all of 'em that those things which Christ spoke in Parables were not in themselves incomprehensible but mysterious to them only to whom they were not unfolded that as it is there said hearing they might not understand It is now the most ordinary Practice in the World for such as would not be understood by every one to agree upon a way of speaking peculiar to themselves Nor is there any thing more easy than the Explication which Christ gave of these Parables at the Request of his Disciples 33. There are but two Passages only left and Mystery in them has no reference to any thing in particular but it is put for all secret things in its utmost Latitude or Acceptation The first Place is in 1 Cor. 13. 2. And tho I have the Gift of Prophecy and understand all MYSTERIES and all Knowledg and tho I have all Faith so that I could remove Mountains and have no Charity I am nothing The second parallel to this is in 1 Cor. 14. 2. He that speaketh in an unknown Tongue speaketh not unto Men but unto God for no Man understandeth him however in the Spirit he speaketh MYSTERIES that is what is intelligible enough to him are Secrets to such as understand not his Language 34. Having so particularly alledg'd all the Passages where there is mention made of Mysteries in the New Testament if any should wonder why I have omitted those in the Revelation to such I reply that the Revelation cannot be properly look'd upon as a Part of the Gospel for there are no new Doctrines deliver'd in it Far from being a Rule of Faith or Manners it is not as much as an Explanation of any Point in our Religion The true Subject of that Book or Vision is a Prophetical History of the External State of the Church in its various and interchangeable Periods of Prosperity or Adversity Buâ—… that I may not fall under the least Sâ—…spicion of dealing unfairly I shall subjoin the few Texts of the Revelation wherein the word Mystery is contain'd The first is in Rev. 1. 20. The MYSTERY of the seven Stars which thou sawest in my right Hand and the seven Golden Candlesticks Well what is the Mystery or Secret of these Stars and Candlesticks The seven Stars are the Angels of the seven Churches and the seven Candlesticks which thou sawest are the seven Churches namely of Asia Another Passage is in chap. 17. 5 7. And upon her Forehead was a Name written MYSTERY BABYLON THE GREAT c. And the Angel said I will tell thee the MYSTERY of the Woman This he performs too in the following Verses which you may consult Nor is it undeserving our particular Notice that Mystery is here made the distinguishing Mark of the false or Antichristian Church Mystery is a Name written on her Forehead that is all her Religion consists in Mystery she openly owns she enjoins the Belief of Mysteries And no doubt on 't as far as any Church allows of Mysteries so far it is ANTICHRISTIAN and may with a great deal of Justice tho little Honour claim
Kindred with the scarlet Whore The only remaining Text is in chap. 10. 5 6 7. And the Angel which I saw stand upon the Sea and upon the Earth lifted up his Hand to Heaven and swore by him that liveth for ever and ever who created Heaven and the things that therein are and the Earth and the things that therein are and the Sea and the things which are therein that there should be Time no longer but that in the Days of the Voice of the seventh Angel when he shall begin to sound the MYSTERY of God should be finish'd that is that all the things figuratively deliver'd in this Prophecy concerning the Gospel which was shewn above to signify the same with the Mystery of God should have their final Accomplishment and so end with this Globe and all therein contain'd 35. I appeal now to all equitable Persons whether it be not evident to any that can read that Mystery in the whole New Testament is never put for any thing inconceivable in it self or not to be judg'd of by our ordinary Notions and Faculties however clearly reveal'd And whether on the contrary it do's not always signify some things naturally intelligible enough but either so vail'd by figurative Words and Rites or so lodg'd in God's sole Knowledg and Decree that they could not be discover'd without special Revelation Whoever retains any real Veneration for the Scripture and sincerely believes it to be the Word of God must be ever concluded by its Authority and render himself in spight of all Prejudices to its Evidence He that says the Gospel is his only Rule of Faith and yet believes any thing not warranted by it he is an arrant Hypocrite and do's but slily banter all the World 36. Nor can a more favourable Opinion be harbour'd of those who instead of Submission to the Dictates of Scripture and Reason straight have Recourse to such Persons as they specially follow or admire and are ready to receive or refuse an Opinion as these shall please to direct them Pray Doctor says one of his Parishioners what think you of such a Book it seems to make things plain Ah! dear Sir answers the Doctor it is a very bad Book he 's a dangerous Man that wrote it he 's for believing nothing but what agrees with his own purblind proud and carnal Reason P. Say you so Doctor then I 'm resolv'd to read no more of it for I heard you often preach against Humane Reason I 'm sorry truly it should unhappily fall into my Hands but I 'll take care that none of our Family set their Eyes upon 't D. You 'll do very well Sir besides this Book is still worse than I told you for it destroys a great many Points which we teach and should this Doctrine take which God forbid most of the good Books you have at home and which cost you no less Pains to read than Money to purchase would signify not a Straw and serve only for Waste-Paper to put under Pies or for other mean Uses P. Bless me good Doctor I pray God forgive me reading such a vile Treatise he 's an abominable Man that could write it but what my Books worth nothing say you Dr. H's Sermons and Mr. C's Discourses Waste-Paper I 'll never believe it let who will say the contrary Lord why don't you excommunicate the Author and seize upon his Books D. Ay Sir Time was but now it seems a Man may believe according to his own Sense and not as the Church directs there 's a Toleration establish'd you know P. That Toleration Doctor will D. Whist Sir say no more of it I am as much concern'd as you can be but it is not safe nor expedient at this time of day to find Faults 37. There are others far from this Simplicity but as firmly resolv'd to stand fast by their old Systems When they tell us of Mysteries we must believe them and there 's no Remedy for it It is not the Force of Reasoning that makes these for Mysteries but some by-Interest and they 'll be sure to applaud and defend any Author that writes in favour of their Cause whether he supports it with Reason or not But I 'm not half so angry with these Men as with a sort of People that will not be at the Pains of examining any thing lest they should become more clear-sighted or betterinform'd and so be tempted to take up a new Road. Such Persons must needs be very indifferent indeed or they make Religion come into their Scutcheons 38. The mention of Scutcheons naturally puts me in mind of those who are little mov'd with any Reasons when the Judgment of the Primitive Church comes in competition The Fathers as they love to speak are to them the best Interpreters of the Words of Scripture And what those honest Men says a very ingenious Person could not make good themselves by sufficient Reasons is now prov'd by their sole Authority If the Fathers foresaw this adds the same Author they were not to be blam'd for sparing themselves the Labour of reasoning more exactly than we find they commonly did That Truth and Falshood should be determin'd by a Majority of Voices or certain Periods of Time seems to me to be the most ridiculous of all Follies 39. But if Antiquity can in good earnest add any worth to an Opinion I think I need not fear to stand to its Decision For if we consider the Duration of the World says another celebrated Writer as we do that of Man's Life consisting of Infancy Youth Manhood and old Age then certainly such as liv'd before us were the Children or the Youth and we are the true Antients of the World And if Experience continues he be the most considerable Advantage which grown Persons have over the younger sort then questionless the Experience of such as come last into the World must be incomparably greater than of those that were born long before them for the last Comers enjoy not only all the Stock of their Predecessors but to it have likewise added their own Observations These Thoughts are no less ingenious than they are just and solid But if Antiquity be understood in the vulgar Sense I have no Reason to despair however for my Assertion too will become antient to Posterity and so be in a Condition to support it self by this commodious Privilege of Prescription 40. Yet seeing I am not likely to live till that time it cannot be amiss to make it appear that these same Fathers who have the good luck to be at once both the Young and the Old of the World are on my side 'T is not out of any Deference to their Judgments I confess that I take these Pains I have freely declar'd what Value I set upon their Authority in the Beginning of this Book but my Design is to shew the Disingenuity of those who pretending the highest Veneration for the Writings of the Fathers never fail to decline