too little and not those who beleeve too much Secondly I must premise that we are not here to expect the necessity of demonstrations but must content our selves with such arguments as the nature of our subject will admit there can be no true and perfect demonstration unlesse the property to be demonstrated do naturally flow from the subject of the demonstration In matters then depending upon the free election of causes there cannot possibly be any perfect demonstration and such is the giving of a rule of life in respect of God so that there cannot be a perfect demonstration of it So then we must content our selves with arguments falling short of the necessity of demonstration but such as no man shall be able to deny without denying some such principles as all men doe acknowledge to be true SECT. II. The Assertion resolved into two Propositions the former undertaken that whosoever beleeves the Historicall part of the Scripture must beleeve the Doctrinall 1. TO beleeve that these Books of Scripture are the Word of God there are very great and important reasons 2. To disbeleeve it there are no reasons or not any sufficient reasons And first of all to prove that those bookes of Scriptures are the Word of God it is sufficient if we prove the truth of them because themselves pretend to be of divine inspiration All Scripture is of divine inspiration the tenor of the Old Testament runnes generally so The Lord spake unto Moses or other of the Prophets such as were the Penmen of the holy Scripture indeed the generall pretence of those that wrote both Testaments is that holy men did speak and write as they were inspired by the holy Ghost so then if this pretence of it be true it must be true that it proceeded from the holy Ghost and consequently to prove the truth of it will conclude that it is the Word of God Now as concerning the truch of those writings we have 1. The same Arguments or as great as for the truth of any writings in the world Nay 2. We have Arguments morall Arguments to evince the truth of them such as no other writings can pretend to That we may shorten that we have to perform you may consider that the things delivered to us in the holy Scriptures are either matters of History or Doctrine and that these are frequently interwoven in the Scripture so as when Saint Matthew doth in an historicall narration bring in our Saviour preaching in the Mount and delivering there a summary of his Doctrine so that it will appear that if the historicall part of the Scripture be undoubtedly true there cannot rationally be any doubt made of those doctrinall rules and precepts which there are delivered As for the doctrine of any party whatsoever concerning God there is not imaginable any argument so ready to evince the truth of it as God himself freely attesting to the deliverers of it by mighty signes and wonders by great and undeniable miracles such as are instances of the immediate hand of God such as by skillfull and knowing men are acknowledged to be no way performable by the praestigatory act of Magicians or by the power of evill spirits Such were the miracles which are delivered to us by Moses all along the course of Gods bringing the children of Israel out of Egipt to his own land and afterwards wrought by the Prophets And such were the works of our blessed Saviour all along the course of his Ministry before his passion and such and more admirable was his resurrection and ascention Whosoever doth beleeve that there was such a man as Moses that this man Moses did professe himself to have received from God a Law which was to be delivered to a people he may hitherto very well doubt whether or no he was not deceived in imagining that he had received such a law But if withall he shall be assured or stedfastly beleeve that this man Moses to make good his pretences to Gods revelations could obtain so much of God as to the eyes and senses of millions of gainsayers and opposers of what he did deliver to shew great and palpable miracles whosoever doth beleeve that he did turn a rod into a serpent and that back again into a rod that by stretching forth that rod upon the River Nilus he turned their waters into bloud and slew their fish how afterwards he brought frogs upon all the land of Egipt even into their Kings chambers how he brought flies and caterpillars and lice and thunder and lightning and mighty hail-stones how he brought botches and murrain amongst men and cattell how he brought upon all the land of Egypt a darknesse that might be felt and slew their first-born afterwards how he divided the Red Sea for the people to passe through it and when he had served the turn of his party how the flouds returned and overwhelmed his enemies he that shall beleeve that after this he brought water out of the rock sweetned the waters of Marah brought Quails into the wildernesse procured Manna to fall about their tents all the week and none upon the Sabbath how the fire from Heaven consumed Nadab and Abihu only for adventuring to offer strange fire otherwise then he had prescribed them that the earth opened and swallowed up Korah and covered the Congregation of Abiram that at the time of the promulgation of his Laws God himself appeared visibly that the glory of his presence overshadowed the Mount how there were thunder and lightnings and a thick cloud upon the Mount Exo. 19. how Mount Sinai was altogether on a smoak because the Lord descended upon it in fire and the smoak thereof ascended as the smoak of a furnace and the whole mountain shaked exceedingly Whosoever beleeves these works to have been done by the same party that professed a revelation from God cannot avoid the beleif of his profession unles he can beleeve that God by so great miracles would attest to Blasphemy and Sacrilegious impostures a thing which is palpably mad to be beleeved and is against the light of common sense and reason So likewise whosoever doth beleeve that in the daies of Augustus Caesar there was such a man as Jesus of Nazareth commonly called Christ and that this man did professe himself the sonne of God and pretended to deliver to all the world a way of Religion a Covenant of life eternall an abrogation of the ceremonies of the former law and those other things which he professed there is no necessity that he should beleeve that either he was the Son of God or that his doctrine was infallible But if together with these professions he shall take into beleif those things which Jesus did though for his owne sake he see no reason to beleeve him yet at least he will beleeve for the works sake if he shall beleeve that God himself did attest to these professions he will likewise beleeve those professions of his to have been true and Gods attestation
of the divine nature is attainable But that Christ is the eternall word of the Father and that there is such a spirit and life as the argument doth imply and that there is a divine and mysticall meaning of that letter of the word they either owe their faith unto that word or else they have not done very charitably in concealing those waies whereby they come to know it and very improvidently in giving occasion for us to beleeve that their pretences of illumination are but pretences Now for that other party who doe reject the Scriptures the whole bulk of them their Arguments are these I. Because they deliver things impossible and consequently incredible and so they are not to be beleeved 2. Because they deliver things repugnant and contradictory to one another 3. Because the Books of the Old Testament are doubtfull by reason of the differences of the Text and Margent And the Books of the New Testament are likewise uncertain by reason of the various readings of severall copies 1. Those things which the Atheisticall partie use to object against the authority of the Scripture as impossible and incredible they are the miracles performed by Moses and the Prophets by Christ and his Apostles but if we shall attentively consider them we shall finde that they doe include in them no contradiction nor any absolute impossibility of the performance the utmost that can be justly concluded from them is that they transcend the ordinary course of the dispensation of that providence which orders the world and administers the laws of the government thereof But upon the hearing or reading of extraordinary events presently though they have been sufficiently attested to disbeleeve them upon conceit of reason to the contrary discovers palpably the want of the exercise of that reason whereto they so much pretend for a man to deny such matters of fact as he is not able to comprehend the reason of must either suppose the party to know the causes of all appearances in nature or conclude him guilty of childish and ridiculous incredulity We have before demonstrated the Omniscience and the Omnipotence of the Divinity and that being as hath been actually proved clearly and evidently demonstrable for the contemptible wit and reasoning of man to prescribe limits and bounds to that power and knowledge is no lesse then to own the acknowledgement of a contradiction by professing that to be limited and finite which the naturall principles of our understandings will force us to acknowledge of necessity to be immense and infinite It cannot be thought a thing impossible that God should either raise the dead or command the Sunne to stand still in Gibea by him that considers what it is to be the originall of life or to have created the Universe with the word of his eternall power the things which are impossible with men they are possible with God and consequently we having before concluded the vanity and madnesse of Atheism shall need to say no more to evince the frivolous weaknesse of this Argument from the impossibilities 2. As for those repugnances and contradictions which some men vainly please themselves imagining they have found them in the Scripture if they be well examined they will be proved to be but so many instances of the weaknesse or inadvertancy of the Objectors those which have been made against the Old Testament have long agoe been found by Rabbi Moses ben Maimoni not to have taken in all those conditions which have been by Philosophers discovered to be required to make up a perfect contradiction that is that contrary assertions be made of the same thing at the same time according to the same part or motion or apprehension and the same hath been lately performed by Manasseh ben Israel in his conciliator for the Old Testament It hath likewise for the New been long since performed by many of the Fathers and of late by diverse of all professions Papists Protestants and their severall subdivisions The matters of Doctrine are easily reconciled by distinguishing the notions of severall terms so for example as faith is said by Paul to justifie and works by Jame by distinguishing of Justification and the matters of History are reconciled by attending to times and places persons and forms of speech Thus are the differences cleared which are about the Genealogies of our Saviour delivered by Saint Matthew and Saint Luke The truth is there could never any considerable difference either in matter of doctrine or history be urged against the Scriptures yet if some slight and inconsiderable circumstances should seem to us so to differ that we could not reconcile them it ought rather to confirme our beleef then any way to shake it seeing it is the custome of those who designe to impose upon mens beleef so to contrive all circumstances as they may be sure to have no difference discovered Such is in truth the agreement and harmony of all these authors so distant in time in place in institution as is not to be found in any other authours in the world though of the same sect either in Philosophy Law Physick or any other faculty nor yet in any one man with himself as might be manifested if either this time or place required it And so instead of an objection to shake us we have found an argument to confirm us 3. The third Argument or objection against the whole Books of Scripture is taken from the Keri and Chetib of the Old Testament and from the various readings of the New from those they conclude them to be doubtfull from these corrupted Now the former of these is answered by the Jewish RR Isaac Jacob of old Elias Levita of later times who do deny the consequence of that Argument and make it manifest that those were added for signification of some mystery and not because the Text was doubtfull and for proof of their assertion they prove that the Books of Haggai Zachary Malachy Daniel and Ezra had those marginall notes added to them by their authours who all were members of the Synagoga magna and made the consignation of the Jewish Canon these could not be doubtfull of the sense of their own writings and consequently from those marginall notes the doubtfulnesse of the Old Testament can no way justly be concluded As touching the various readings of some places of the New Testament we cannot deny but that through the failings of some Scribes there are found in the most ancient copies of those books some differences of letters or some few syllables or words but this we deny that those are sufficient from whence to conclude the books not to be credited for upon the same reason it will be concluded that no Book in the world is to be credited unlesse they can be manifested to be exempted from the slips and failings of transcribers Nay the consideration of those various readings are very strong arguments that the substance of the writings are incorrupted and that they were never changed
undertaken that whosoever beleeves the Historicall part of the Scripture must beleeve the Doctrinall p. 81. SECT. III. The kinds and degrees of the causes of Historicall Faith in generall p. 89. SECT. IV. An Application of those generall grounds to the History of the New Testament and a proof of this Assertion That there is as great reason to beleeve the New Testament as to beleeve any other History in the World p. 97. SECT. V. That there is much greater reason to beleeve the History of the New Testament then any other History p. 206. SECT. VI That the Old Testament is the Word of God A Proposall of three severall assertions whereby it is concluded p. 119. SECT. VII The first Assertion proved That the Books of the Old Testament which we now receive are the same which the Jews doe now receive p. 124. SECT. VIII That the Books which the Jews doe now receive are the same which they have received ever since the Consignation of their Canon p. 128. SECT. IX That in our Saviours time these Books were true and consequently were the Word of God p. 135. SECT. X. That there is no reason to disbeleeve the Scriptures Objections briefly proposed and answered first generall Objections against the whole p. 138. SECT. XI Objections against particular parts briefly proposed and answered p. 149. PART I. Preface SECT. I. ALthough I am not without apprehension that the discourse which I design may be prejudged unprofitable as pretending to lay again that foundation which hath long since been layed in the mindes of all that will be readers of it yet when I consider those scandals which the loosenesse of our times have offered even to the religious and the bold and horrid pride and presumption of Atheists and Epicures which by a prophane and confident asserting the uncertainty of all things undervaluing the abilities of our Natures to raise an opinion of their personall excellencies have laboured to introduce into the world a generall Athiesm or at least a doubtfull Scepticism in matters of Religion And when we consider the nature of our mindes which is upon any ill suggestions apt still to receive some impression those things being of like operation with Calumny which if it be confidently and boldly charged will be sure to leave some scarre behinde it When we observe this use and inclination in our selves which is in things where we have not a belief of what is spoken or do not give perfect credit to an accusation yet to admit of a suspicion that things may be as they are spoken and although the strength of our contrary beleef do keep us from a full assenting to the thing in question yet if it happen that the things concern our selves and we have happened to crosse our opinions or our beleef in our way of practise such is the perversenesse of our hearts that in such cases they will make use of the beleef of others especially if they have the reputation of knowing men to oppose against their own belief and interpose betwixt the lashes of their consciences and themselves I say the present condition of Religion and the corrupted nature of our hearts being such I cannot think it uselesse nay not unnecessary to raise a discourse of Religion even from the common Elements and Fundamentals and for a while neglecting the more knowing party of men to undertake so far as the argument will bear to follow the way of demonstration and leade on the weakest from such things as they themselves cannot deny to the acknowledgement of the mysteries of our faith and to the practice of the laws and injunctions of our Religion SECT. II. Of the designe and definition of Religion the prejudices and pretences against the Christian the sum of what is in controversie deduced to three Questions 1. Of the Being of God Attributes 2. Of the Immortality of the souls of men 3. Of the Authority of Scriptures WE may begin with the consideration of the definition and the design of our selves in the matter of Religion however the practise of the world may contradict it I hope we may take this definition of Religion as one that is agreeable to the apprehension which all of us have of it Religion is a resignation of our selves to God with an expectation of reward The designe indeed of Religion however it ought to be meerly obedience to the pleasure and the will of God and height of it is barely terminated in his glory so that the highest act of it is Adoration yet I say the designe of mens Religion is that it may be well unto themselves and to bring them to an estate of happinesse The very definition of Religion supposeth a Godhead according to that of the Apostle He that cometh to God must believe that God is The very designe of it supposeth that both the party worshipping is capable of rewards and that God likewise doth not neglect his services in the following words of the Apostle that he is the rewarder of those that diligently seek him Again the resignation of our selves supposeth the resignation of our supreme faculties those are our understandings and our wils viz. our wils to an obedience to his will to a performance of his injunctions to a submission to his providence and a resignation likewise of our understandings to his truth Now it is agreeable to reason as well as to the Apostle that we cannot practise the will of God unlesse we know it and that we cannot know it unlesse it be discovered to us So then in our profession of Religion there are these supposals That there is a God and That he is a rewarder of those that seek him and that supposeth that they are capable of his way of rewarding That the diligence of our seeking must be exercised in a way conformable to his will and That to this purpose we want not rules for this conformity These are I say the generall suppositions of every Religion under Heaven You see that the being of Religion is in self-resignation but the end of that resignation it is reward still retaining in minde that caution that mercenarily to labour for reward is not the supream exaltation of Religious acts but that it is the ordinary degree of mens Religion and an allowable and commendable step and a degree unto the other it being the strong powerfull motive to Moses to neglect the momentany pleasures of Pharaohs Court because he had respect unto the recompense of reward I say it is the naturall way of reason in every act to look at some or other end and to undertake no labour without an eye upon reward Now so it is that some men who account themselves the wisest observing as they think the design and issue of Religion and comparing the labour and the wages they with much wisedome as they think conclude that all the businesse of gain which comes by Religion is no way worth the pain and labour They see that all things come
eternity So then whatsoever befals us here we shall conclude it requisite to provide that we be not miserable hereafter and consequently that we make our selves a friend of him that hath the issues of death in his power and moderates and dispenses the rewards of Eternity but there is no way to have him propitious to us but by obedience no reason to expect that he should satisfie our longing or fulfill our will to all Eternity unlesse we fulfill his will for our time of triall in this life and that is by the exercise of Religion only attainable So that the consideration of the Souls Immortality will likewise enforce us to a necessity of Religion Thus farre the common principles of naturall reason will force us even the first and most common principles of intelligence such as are grounds of clear evident and perfect demonstration so that it must be the Fool alone as the Psalmist speaks which can be an Atheist so that they are without excuse whoever glorifie him not as God thus farre those poor remains of sight which yet is left to the corrupted off-spring of our degenerate Parent will serve to leade us to the generall necessity of Religion but here indeed it Jeaves us destitute of the certain waies of pleasing God and consequently destitute of clear and solid grounds of hope of attaining to eternall happinesse And here it is that the Scoffers and irreligious men take occasion to reason themselves and others to destruction seeing that nature hath here deserted us and left us no infallible Rules of particular waies of devotion they contend that ther are none such and consequently that our Religion is vain and uncertain uncertain in the issue because uncertain in the grounds and principles And here now against them we pretend that wherein our naturall light hath failed us the mercy of God hath been pleased to supply us that God hath not left us without a certain rule and Canon of Religion not without a light shining to us in this dark place particularly that he hath given to us his holy Word to be a Light to our feet and a Lanthorn to our paths and that the books of the holy Scriptures are that Word of God PART III. Concerning the truth and Authority of our Scripture SECT. I. Petitions and Cautions premised to the question YOu will doe me the favour to consider that our present controversie is against those that deny the Authority of the holy Scriptures so that we cannot have the advantage of those Arguments which in every other controversie of Religion are the most valid I mean Arguments drawn from the Authority of the Scriptures themselves which is the best if not the only authentike rule of decision of such differences as doe arise such as doe indeed arise in the Church of God who all doe agree in a profession of that faith which is delivered in these holy Books this I say they agree upon in these generall tearms however with wonderfull heat and distance they vary in their judgements whether or no some particulars be of the recommendation of the Scripture It is then the common principle of Christians and the ultimate rule for the judgement of those that are within but as for them that are without the Church they ae likewise out of the jurisdiction of this Canon or Judge and to give over their incredulity or rather infidelity as some of our Divines have done with this ill-interpreted axiome for rejection that they deny our principles and so are not worthy to be disputed with or to referre them only to the {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} of the Scriptures and to the spirit working with the reading and hearing of them it might be to prove a scandall to them without and to such as are weak and wavering within it were tacitely to imply that we have no way to gain the question unlesse our of courtesie the adversary be pleased to yeild it to us to resolve the motives of our Catholique Faith into private impulses and particular dictates of the Spirit arguments of very great credit and reputation due to our selves as particular favorites of the holy Spirit but such as being deserted by the tenor and regiment of our lives render us dishonourable to that holy Spirit whereto we pretend whilest in the apprehension of men we doe at least obliquely entitle it to such actions as are inconsistent with it professing we hold our faith by private revelation and consequently have our understandings taken up by the holy Ghost at such time as our wils are guilty of enormous sinnes A fancy that is the mother of diverse prodigies lately broken into the Church as that either God sees no sinne in beleevers that Murther Adultery Incest Sacrilege any thing may be committed and that these are no sinnes in beleevers arguing thus that they which have the holy Spirit are free from sinne such as do beleeve the Gospel they have the holy Spirit because there is no other motive sufficient besides a private illumination so then they cannot be guilty of sinne but yet they may and doe commit such things as those we mentioned wherefore those are no sinnes Thus doth Satan transform himself into an Angel of light and act his Tragedies in the likenesse of the holy Spirit Nay we say and doe beleeve that the Devils also beleeve and tremble that the Kingdome of Heaven is like a Net which drew to shore fishes of all sorts some to be put into vessels and others to be thrown away We say and doe acknowledge to the glory of God that the internall light of the holy Scriptures is sufficient to make the man of God perfect to salvation and that in some it is the means of generating faith in men but that the most of those beleevers who have the happinesse to be trained up from their infancy in any part of the Christian Church by observing the esteem which in their Church is had of those holy Bookes they doe betimes upon the reputation of their Church receive them with a kinde of veneration that upon this motive they receive the faith and that others doe upon other inducements entertain it and once for all we say that besides the secret and free illuminations of the holy Spirit these want not Arguments to enforce the reason of unbvassed men to entertain the Scripture as the Word of God and that all such as without the engagement of perverse affections shall admit those Arguments in their apprehensions must necessarily be of that belief Before I betake my self to the proof of this assertion I must premise that by the books of the holy Scripture I mean such books of the old and new Testament as in the Church of England have been accounted Canonicall and that I intend not here to take up the controversie which is betwixt the Church of Rome and us concerning the books which are Apocryphall the drift of my discourse being against those who beleeve
Ghost by the imposition of their hands unlesse they could have healed all manner of diseases the blinde the lame the deaf the dumb c. by words touch shaddow or could have spoke all sorts of Languages or rather at one speaking could have brought to passe that men of every language should perfectly have understood their speech as if it had been their own Parthians and Medes and Elamites and the dwellers in Mesopotamia and Judea and Cappadocia Pontus and Asia Phrygia and Pamphilia Egipt and the parts of Lybia about Cyrene strangers of Rome Jews and Proselytes Cretes and Arabians they all heard them speak in their own tongues Nor did it please the Lord of the spirits of all flesh here to stint the dispensations of his holy spirit to them he gave them not only the power of miracles but the spirit of prophecy he unfolded to them the everlasting rolls and admitted them into his decrees and would not hide from them the things which he meant to bring to passe in the generations to come he urged them by his holy Spirit and they foretold the fates of the world they foretold it and God brought it to passe I cannot stand to reckon up all their prophecies which they delivered and shortly after they were fulfilled of the spreading of that leaven of the growth of that grain of mustardseed of the mighty and wonderfull propagation of the faith and the perpetuall enduring of it of the rejection of it by the Jews and the receiving of it by the Gentiles of the hatred of the Jews and the torments which were to be undergone by the glorious Martyrs of the destruction of Ierusalem and the calamities of that faithlesse Nation all these make it evident that God was with them that there is infinitely more reason to beleeve the writers of the New Testament then any other writers That none can disbeleeve them without forfeiting his reason by asserting that God would give testimony to imposture SECT. VI That the Old Testament is the Word of God A Proposall of three severall assertions whereby it is concluded HAving demonstrated that the Books of the New Testament are all of them to be received under the authority and credit of the word of God that the dogmaticall parts are to be received upon the credit of the Histories and the Histories upon the common principles of reason and consequently that no man professing to be guided by reason and judgement can refuse them It remains that we demonstrate the same of the Old Testament and that we take off those colours and answer those Sophisms which by some men are urged against the Scripture and so conclude this argument Before I proceed to the former of these I must call to your remembrance that which in the beginning I did premise that under the title of the Books of the Old Testament I did comprehend those and those only which in the Church of England have been admitted under the name of the Books of the Canonicall Scripture and that I had no purpose at all to meddle with the controversies which are betwixt us and the Romane Church about the books which are Apocryphall the reason why the Church hath entertained them only into the Canon is because they onely were of the Canon of the Jews beleef before the coming of our Saviour they only being written in the Hebrew tongue and consigned by Esdras at the return of the Jews from the Babilonish captivity as is generally beleeved amongst the Jewish Rabbines whilest the Prophets Haggai Zachary and Malachy were yet alive Now although the way to demonstrate the truth of them considering the question apart and by ic self be the same with the way whereby we did demonstrate the truth of the New Testament by asserting the Authours of them to have been those men to whom they were evermore ascribed and from the qualities of the things delivered in matter of History and the characters of those persons who have delivered the severall parts of it to demonstrate that no reason can be imagined why such men as those are and must be supposed to be should deliver such impostures as those must be supposing them to be impostures that no end or motive can be discovered which they should propound to themselves for their reward but on the contrary that many reasons are visible why they should have held their peace if they durst have concealed those things from the world the reasons from safety gain glory and the like as might either jointly or severally be demonstrated of even all the books of the Law and of the Prophets which make up the greatest part Moses together with the Law having delivered likewise the shame of himself and Miriam and Aaron The Prophets having been all or most of them hardly used which of the Prophets have not your Fathers persecuted Although I say this had been the naturall way to demonstrate the matter in question taken singly and apart by it selfe yet partly to avoid the similitude of matter which renders unpleasant even the most profitable discourses and partly to make a present dispatch of this Argument I shall content my self to have put you thus in minde that all those generall arguments for the truth and credit of those writers are common to these as well as to the others and that there needs no variation of them being to be applied to the question now in hand any other then the interchanging of their severall names their personall relations and qualities and other accidents In a word that the kindes of the Arguments are the same and the force of reason alike in both allowing only the difference of gradual and individuall circumstances This being premised the summe of what I shall further say is briefly this That 1. In the time of our Saviour and the Apostles these Bookes were true 2. That since that time they have not been changed From which two Propositions it will follow that still they are so and consequently that the Books of the Old Testament as well as of the New are the Word of God As touching these propositions the truth of them will be inferred by this ratiocination 1. The Books which we now receive are the same which the Jews do now receive 2. The Books which the Jews now receive are the same which they did formerly receive even up to the consignation of their Canon 3. The Books which then they did receive were true SECT. VII The first Assertion proved That the Books of the Old Testament which we now receive are the same which the Jews doe now receive THat those Canonicall Books which we receive are the self same with those which the Jews at the present do receive is a case so plain that it needs no manner of proof but only this that it is obvious to every man to compare our English or Latine Bibles with the Hebrew Bibles which are used amongst the Jews at present and daily put forth by the present
which they could not have done if any and not all of them should have been corrupted and that all of them should either casually or by design be corrupted besides that no end can appear to encourage such a designe the thing it self makes it impossible Besides had any such thing been they must to make a correspondence have corrupted likewise the Septuagint translation which for almost three hundred years before our Saviour was extant in Egipt that I speak nothing of the Chaldee Paraphrase extant before the time of our blessed Saviour so then as far as the nature of a morall subject will admit we have shewed as from the causes that the Scriptures of the Old Testament could not be corrupted Now as from the signes we have likewise powerfull arguments that to our Saviours time they were uncorrupted because our Saviour never discovers any corruption of the Text which certainly he would not have spared at such times as he taxes the Scribes and Pharisees of making the Law of God of none effect by their traditions Now that the Hebrew Canon hath not been corrupted since our Saviours time we have this sign likewise that never any of the ancient Fathers have in their greatest heat of zeal against the Jews accused them of such corruption though Justin Martyr complain of wronging the Septuagints Translation and certainly if they should have corrupted them upon design either before or since it would have been in all those places which conclude against them for Christ the true Messiah that stumbling stone upon which they stumbled and fell but those do remain unaltered The truth is to them were committed the Oracles of God and they have by the visible ordination of the providence of God discovered so much care and diligence that way as is not to be found to have been bestowed upon any other writings under heaven witnesse the Criticall notes of their Massoreth which gives an account of the numbers of of letters in every Book almost and almost if not altogether of every various lection I conclude then that they have never been corrupted SECT. IX That in our Saviours time these bookes were true and consequently were the Word of God BUt we in our Saviours time they were true and the Word of God as appears by our Saviours testimony and the testimony of the Apostles who still referre to them as being of divine inspiration as being the truth and Word of God their using the testimony almost of every particular Book as anthenticall their disputations founded upon their Authority Particulars in this kinde are so many and so plain that without any more speaking I will conclude that we are to receive the Old Testament upon the credit of the New and the New Testament as I have formerly demonstrated upon greater reason far then any other writings in the world and consequently that we must receive the Books of the Old Testament upon the same Authority We have already discovered some of those many reasons whereupon we are to receive the Books of the Old Testament and the New under the credit and authority of the Word of God Besides those whereupon I have insisted there are many more some of them taken from the quality of the writers some from the manner of the writings the former shewing that those men from whom they proceeded were not fit persons to devise such things they being many if not most of them simple and unlearned men the latter manifesting that such things are not of their nature obvious to be devised because they transcend the wit and invention of man the Majesty and simplicity of the stile the concord and harmony the end and scope the power and efficacy the antiquity besides the Testimony of the Spirit in the hearts of men But the evidence of truth no way depending upon the multitude of arguments or reasons and all of these being insisted on in some or other of those Authours which are obvious I shall at this time finish what remains of that which at the first I propounded which was to shew That as there are many and important reasons moving wise men to receive them so there neither are nor can be any sufficient arguments on the contrary to make men to refuse them SECT. X. That there is no reason to disbeleeve the Scriptures Objections briefly proposed and answered first generall Objections against the whole 'T is true indeed that many both of old and later times have refused either all or severall parts of the holy Canon and it is not to be hoped or expected that they should ever be generally received by all the world there must be heresies and amongst the rest there alwaies have been and sure there ever will be Antiscripturians the greatest part of the world have ever lived according to sence and appetite and to prove that de facto it is denyed is not to manifest that there is reason why it is so yet seeing there are of those disputing and theoreticall hereticks as well as practicall to conceal or dissemble the arguments which are alleadged against the truth it would be to betray the cause that we have undertaken and give occasion for some Jealousie that their Objections are unanswerable To come then to an issue some have rejected All by reason of  Impossibilities    Repugnances    Mutations  Parts accusing them as Sine nomine Authoris    Dubitati    Ab intrinseco matter Those who refuse the whole Scriptures they are some of them Atheists others professe themselves Christians and yet doe deny the authority of the written word pretending to private and secret illuminations as the last rule of their actions the design of my discourse being against the former I shall only intimate the frenzy of the later They pretend that that which we call the written word is not the Word of God because 1. The Word of God is God himselfe 2. Christ is the Word of God 3. The Letter kils 4. The Word of God is spirit and life These are the arguments which by some Enthusiasts are used against the written Letter And for answer to them we may only observe how by arguing against the authority of the Scriptures these men do tacitely assert it for taking their arguments out of it and proceeding no further either by reason or revelation to the discovery of their antecedents but barely resting in the recitall of those words which are there written they do resolve all the power and force of their argument into the authority of those very writings which they would impugne and consequently they do at once deny and grant the authority of the Scripture which is to deserue the Epithete which is given them of fanaticall Enthusiasts That the Word of God is God himself taking the Word of God for the immanent act of the diuine understanding is indeed a truth attainable by other principles by those I mean from whence the absolute simplicity
it is beleeved because of his abilities to know and because it makes not things appear to be strained in his behalf because it might have been contradicted if it had been otherwise and because he is delivered to us in the complexion of Histories as a man of honour that would not write a lye That the Histories of Salust are true it is beleeved because he wrote of things done within the compasse of his time whereof he might well informe himself he was a man of knowledge and could not gain by any thing that he hath delivered if it were untrue That all of these Histories were written by those that bear the name of them there is hardly any man that doubts because there is no improbability in reason they have been constantly so received in the world and mentioned successively in Authors following one another from their severall generations down to ours We see the various degrees of qualifications some of them upon which we build an historicall beleif that this beleif comes short of the clearnesse of our assent to a Mathematicall demonstration is evident because there is an absolute impossibility that things should be otherwise there being a contradiction involved in the very tearms and in adjecto but here is no impossibility but only an exceeding difficulty which makes up not indeed a Mathematicall but a morall impossibility it is possible that all men may combine together to say that they have seen such things as they have not seen because every man is a lyar but how they should come to doe it or to what end is so invisible and inconceivable that the matter taken in the grosse is altogether incredible It is absolutely possibly that all those writings which we receive as delivered down from ancient times may have been of late devised by some men to abuse the world and put upon other names but to what end any men should ttke the pains and how they should fit them with circumstances and make them all depend upon each other in a constant succession agreeing in the mention of persons places and actions is a thing so difficult as that it would argue madnesse to beleeve and conclude him to want the use of reason that should reject the light of all antiquity SECT. IV. An Application of those generall grounds to the History of the New Testament and a proof of this Assertion ' That there is as great reason to beleeve the New Testament as to beleeve any other History in the world SUch madnesse then and no lesse it were to reject the Histories of the holy Scriptures no lesse madnesse nay it is much greater and that not only because they are of more concernment to us then the acts of men of former times but even because of the advantages of the delivery of those Histories We will beginne with those of the New Testament And here first The Books of the New Testament were written by those whose Names they bear that the four Gospels were written by the four Evangelists and that the Acts of the Apostles were written by Saint Luke c. Now that these Books were written by these men it is impossible affirmatively to demonstrate all that can be said is that there is as great evidence of it as of any other writing in the world that by whatsoever argument it can be made appear that any Books have been written by those who are reputed for their Authours in antiquity that the works of Homer or Plato or Aristotle or Tully are theirs by the same it may be made evident that these have proceeded from our Authours Have they been successively delivered so have these have they been continually mentioned under those names so have these have they been acknowledged by all parties so have these those that in the primitive times did oppose the doctrine of Christ yet did it not under the pretence that their Books were spurious neither Jews nor Pagans had the impudence to make that objection Julian the Apostate doth freely acknowledge Cyrill 10. Grot. 3. ver. that the Books which by the Christians were received under the names of Peter Paul Mathew Marke Luke they were the writings of those Authours It is true that there are some Book received of the Canon of the New Testament whose Authors are unknown as the Epistle to the Hebrews and some others but concerning them I hope to speake in answering those objections which are made against the Scripture In the mean time we may justly assume it for granted that those whereof no question hath been made in ancient times they are the writings of those to whom they are ascribed And now this being supposed which cannot with any pretence of reason be denied it follows clearly that the things they have related are to be beleeved for first the things which they have delivered they were matters easily to be known in respect of the things themselves they were matters of fact and speeches performed by our Saviour or by themselves Secondly the acts were acted publiquely in the face of the world and the speeches which they deliver as spoken by others they were for the most part spoken publiquely either in the Synagogue or in the Temple or to the multitude somewhere gathered together on a mountain by the sea-side in publique places so as they might have easily been contradicted if they should have delivered a falsehood Thirdly the parties which have delivered them had all the opportunities in the world to know the truth of things they were things done either by themselves or within their owne sight or hearing for the greatest part or at least wise in the times and places where the reporters lived Mathew and John the two Evangelists which wrote the History of Christ they were two of his Disciples two that were intimately acquainted with his actions and his words more familiar with him then the rest the one was the disciple that Jesus loved and used to lean in his bosome as they lay at meat the other was usually taken with him when most of the rest were left behinde and hence it follows that they themselves were present at almost all the acts and speeches which they have delivered Marke and Luke the other two Evangelists they lived in the same territories at the same time where and when our blessed Saviour bestowed his conversation and moreover Saint Marke was as 't is very probable first a Disciple of Saint Paul who was miraculously chosen to deliver the doctrine of Christ Afterwards he was undoubtedly a disciple and companion of Saint Peter who was an Apostle of our Saviour did live familiarly together with him was present at almost all things which Marke hath written and besides whatever is delivered by Saint Marke is to be found in the writings of the Apostles Luke was an individuall companion of Paul and so he might learne of him such things as he delivered besides that he saith that he spoke with those that were eye-witnesses of the
things which he delivered he was borne near hand he travelled through Palestina might converse with those very men upon whom Jesus had wrought his miracles such as had seen the life of Jesus his death and resurrection The Acts of the Apostles were likewise written by Saint Luke and that Book containes some things done by the rest of the Apostles but the most of it is concerning the actions of Paul after his miraculous conversion the former it was easie for him to know either from the Apostles themselves or others of the latter he could not be ignorant because he was continually with Paul in all his labours and his journeys even from the time of his conversion to his imprisonment at Rome As for the matters of fact which are delivered in the Epistles of Paul and Peter and James and John and Jude they are such as either were done by themselves and so they could not possibly be ignorant of them or by others with whom they held a correspondence or by our Saviour whose Apostles they were all but Paul or else they are things done by others publiquely and notoriously known Lastly As for the Epistle to the Hebrews and the Revelations though the authours of them be not certainly known in the Church yet thus much is plain that the Authour to the Hebrews saith that the Gospel of Iesus was preached at first by Christ and confirmed unto him Us by them that heard him 2. v. 3. and so that he could not be ignorant of that nor yet was it possible that the Authour of the Revelations should be ignorant whether or no he had those visions which he hath delivered Now these are all the Books of the New Testament and it appears that the Authours of them had as much opportunity to know the things which they delivered as is possible to be had wherefore the businesse is clear in respect of their Sufficiency of knowledge and all the Question which remains it must be in regard of their Integrity Whosoever challengeth or questions the Integrity of an Historian and upon that cause refuseth to receive his Testimony it is requisite that he produce the reasons of his suspition that he charge the Authours of corruption and prove the charge which he hath objected or that he discover and manifest the ends which he might propound to himself as the reward of his imposture that he shew the gain that might accrue or the losse or perill or ignominy that he might avoid and manifest that his accusation hath not proceeded from malice but from judgement from some grounds of reason and not from perversenesse or spight or any inhumanity Here then it is that we challenge men or Devils to produce the crimes to detect and prove the villanies of these Writers nay to assign the ends which they might have in relating falshood the gain the pleasure the glory the safety or whatsoever it is that prevails upon the appetites and lusts of men and let their infidelity and jealousie out-doe the malice of the grand Apostate Indeed I think scorn to stand upon this argument it was the contemplation of these things chiefly that gained from me that second assertion That there is greater reason to beleeve the Scripture then any other writings in the world the first Proposition being already demonstrated That we have as great SECT. V. That there is much greater reason to beleeve the History of the New Testament then any other History HAving already demonstrated that considering the qualifications of the persons who have recorded unto us the New Testament of our Saviour there is as great reason to give credence to their Histories as to any other ancient Histories in the world by reason of their means of knowledge and opportunities for discovery of the truth of those matters of fact which they have delivered It follows now that we make good that which in the second place we propounded concerning them which was That we have greater reason to beleeve them then to beleeve any Historians whatsoever and this now will be manifested to us by these Arguments following 1. Greater obligation 2. Their sufferings 3. Their Miracles 4. Their predictions First then They were more powerfully obliged to the delivery of the truth then others not that others were not obliged likewise to deliver nothing but the truth there is in the conscience of every soul setled a principle dictating unto him that he ought not not to recede from the truth in his relation but yet this principle is in the most of men very much overclouded and overborn as is manifest not only by the fabulous relations of ancient Histories even after the institution of the Olympiads but by that inclination which we finde almost in all men to make their relations handsome in order wherunto even the gravest of them Josephus Livy and the rest of those orders of Historians have often changed the form of Circumstances and varied from the truth to make a coherence of things according to their fancy such as might please their owne imaginations The truth is that which held in the Heathen so far as they were held within the boundaries of truth it can be conceived to be no other then a certain magnanimity and a morall generosity that was actuated and quickned in them by the conceit of a reputation thereby gained amongst the people of their own generation their hopes of perpetuating their owne fame together with the acts which they recorded and consecrating them to eternity and immortality I do not say that this was all the motive which they had but that upon the consideration of them in the whole complexion of their circumstances I cannot finde out any more powerfull motive nor any stronger obligation But besides all that these men had to move them the writers of the New Testament had likewise other motives as farre beyond these as the heaven is beyond the earth either in dignity or situation A most severe injunction of their Master such as they themselves have delivered such as they could not neither durst neglect their writings abound in precepts of truth and of veracity and that prescribed under far other conditions and setled upon a far surer foundation upon the foundation of truth it self the originall and the Ideall truth of the world and propounded to them under far other penalties they knew full well and taught to others that of every idle word which men shall speak an account must be given at the day of judgement how dreadfull an account then must they have expected if they should have delivered falshood in the place of truth if they should have told a lye for God or lyes of God or delivered impostures in the name of God nay verily the necessity which lay upon them compared to others doth as farre exceed it as the fear of a little disreputation is exceeded by the horrour of eternall torments and now their practise was also answerable to their obligation and what they delivered
upon design seeing the differences that are do no way inferre any difference either in the Doctrine or History of the Testament it was of the favour and mercy of God to preserve to his Church those various readings that by comparing them together and likewise with the rest of the holy Scriptures both the true sence and the true reading of them might at once be manifested SECT. XI Objections against particular parts briefly proposed and answered NOw Objections against particular books of either Testament will be found likewise inconsiderable 't is true that many of them have been either doubted of or rejected by some men but those who have pertinaciously refused them have done it rather out of the interest of their passions and corrupt affections then out of judgement Briefly Ecclesiastes hath been rejected by some as Written by Solomon in his dotage Placing felicity in sences But the first of these can no way be proved nay the contrary appears by the whole tenour of it well considered and the latter is evidently confuted by the conclusion Fear Cod c. for God shall bring c. The Canticles have been taken for a Love-song compiled in a complement to Pharaohs daughter but it had been but a slender complement to tell her that her eyes were like fish-pools and her nose like the tower of Lebanon that looketh toward Damascus The Prophecy of Daniel hath been charged by Porphyrius to have been a History written after the things were done written in the time of Antiochus and imposed upon the world under the credit of the name of Daniel but beside the testimony of our Saviour it appears out of History that that Prophecy was shewed to Alexander the great in his advance towards Jerusalem 150. years before Antiochus New Testament Hebrews was rejected by the Latine Church because the Authour was unknown and because of some passages especially seeming to favour the Novatian herefie I answer 1. It is not the name of an authour which gives credit to his Writings but that character of his person which is drawn from his abilities and integrity Now these were never doubted of in that Authour 2. Those passages are very well to be understood otherwise then in favour of the Novatians 3. It was ever received in the Greek Church and recited amongst the Canonicall Books by the Councels of Nice Laodicea and Carthage 4. If we are to beleeve the Western Church had grounds to doubt of the credit of it at such time as it did not admit it we may as well beleeve that that Church had reasons which satisfied them of the authority of it at such time as they did receive it The Epistles of Saint James 2d of St Peter the second and third of St John Jude Revelations have all of them been doubted of for some time by some parties whether or no they were indeed written by those authours under whose names they are now received but though they were some time doubted by some they were alwaies received by others and those Churches which did refuse them so long as they were unsatisfied are to be supposed to have been satisfied when they did receive them and so we ought to give as great if not greater cedit to them then to such others as had not been questioned inasmuch as that which hath been deliberated and debated and then decided is to be credited as well as that which silently hath passed on unquestioned And now I have with brevity as I suppose congruous to such an Essay as I intended made evident the last assertion which I undertook That to disbeleeve either the whole body of Scripture or any part of it there is no reason or not any sufficient reason {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} Eternity Necessity Simplicity Independency Incorporeality Immensity Unity Omnipotence Omniscience