given to them or that such Opposition might soon be suppressed and over-ruled by the Power and Reputation of such prevailing Men. From all which I cannot but conclude That though the general Tradition or Testimony of the Church may be a good Help yet it may not always be a certain Rule to lead me to the entire and unaltered Doctrine of Jesus XXIII Other there are who tell me That to find out the true and entire Doctrine of Jesus I must apply my self to the holy Scripture that is to say to the Books commonly called the Old and the New Testament And because I look upon this to be the right Way I shall briefly and plainly deliver my Thoughts in relation to these Books And first of the New Testament That the New Testament as it was extant in the Greek Toegue has been ever universally owned by all Christians as containing a true though some deny it to be a full Account of the Life and Doctrine of Jesus is a thing so notorious and so universally acknowledged that I cannot find the least Ground or Reason to question it Now the History and Doctrine of Jesus being so well known unto the first Christians by the Preaching of the Apostles and Disciples and they being so ready upon all Occasions to lay down their Lives for the Truth of Christianity it cannot be imagined that ever they would so readily and universally receive and own such a Book if it had contained any thing in it which was dissonant from that Doctrine which they had received It is confessed indeed that some of those Books which make up the Volume of the New Testament that is to say the Epistle to the Hebrews that of St. James the Second of St. Peter that of St. Jude the Second and Third of St. John and the Revelations were not so soon and so universally received throughout the Christian Church as the rest of the Books were The Reason of which apparently was not That these Books contained any thing in them contrary to what was delivered it the other Books of the New Testament for he that reads the whole will plainly find that there is a very compleat Agreement between them the only seeming Discord of St. Paul's Justification by Faith and St. James's Justification by Works being exactly and fully reconciled by considering That St. Paul means no other Faith but such as worketh by Love Gal. 5. 6. and St. James no other Works but such as proceed from Faith Jam. 2. 22. But because it was not at first universally known who were the Authors of them Which abundantly shews the Care and Caution of the Christian Church in not being hasty to receive and admit any Books as authentick Records of their Doctrine without very good Warrant for so doing And therefore since these same Books were in a very little time after received and owned to be of equal Authority with the rest of the New Testament I cannot but from thence conclude That those Churches which at the first doubted concerning those Books did soon receive most full and ample Satisfaction in that matter from those who had before received them I conclude therefore That the Book of the New Testament as it was extant in the Primitive Times in the Greek Tongue did contain a true Account of the Doctrine of Jesus XXIV That innumerable Copies of the New Testament were in a very little time dispersed through all places where Christianity was planted That it has heen at different times and in very distant places translated into all or almost all Languages And that Copies both of the Original and many of the several Translations have been preserved with much Care in a great many distant Parts of the World is allowed by all and denied by none From whence I think we may gather First That where the Generality of the Greek Copies of the New Testament do agree in the very same Words there we have undoubtedly the true and authentick Words of the New Testament For although some Mistakes might creep into some Copies either through the Wickedness or Negligence of some particular Men yet where so many Copies of a Book have been so carefully preserved and in such distant Parts of the World it is not to be imagined that the self-same Errour in any Expression should ever be propagated through the Generality of them Secondly That where the Words or Expressions of divers Greek Copies do differ one from another yet if the Sense and Meaning be exactly the same in all or almost all there we have certainly the true Sense and Meaning of the New Testament For it is easie to apprehend that a Transcriber might by a small Mistake put one Word or Expression of the same Signification in stead of another But that the same Sense should be punctually preserved in all or almost all Copies is not to be imagined except it were the true Sense delivered from the Beginning Thirdly That if there may be found any different Readings in divers Copies of the New Testament which disagree in Sense as well as in Words which scarce ever happens in any thing which is accounted a material Point of Religion then it seems to be most fit and proper to admit of that Reading and Sense which best agrees with the Tenour of the whole with the ancientest and best esteemed Translations and with the evident Principles of sound Reason And if any place be so obscure as that none of these Ways will afford any Light into its Meaning then I think that no stress ought to be laid upon it in any necessary part of Religion XXV But some will demand How are we sure of the Sense and Meaning even of those places of the New Testament where there is no difference about the Words In Answar to this I have already shewn § 21. that we are not to follow the Guidance of the Church of Rome to know the true Doctrine of Jesus Nor therefore consequently to know the true Meaning of the New Testament in which his Doctrine is owned to be contained I have shewn also § 22. That though general Tradition may be a good Help yet may it not always be a certain Rule to lead one to the unaltered Doctrine of Jesus nor therefore consequently to the true and genuine Interpretation of the New Testament Since therefore there is no other way to be found I conclude That the New Testament is to be interpreted the same way that other Books are that is by considering the Sense and Property of the Words and Sentences and the ordinary Figures of Speech as they are commonly used in the same Book and in others written in the same Language and about the same time together with the Scope Drift Coherence and Occasion of the Discourse To which End every Man that is learned being bound to use his best Endeavour to know the Will of God as I have shewn § 14. is obliged according to the measure of his Learning to consult
Lexicons Commentators and ancient Writers and to use all other Helps that he may both satisfie himself and also be able to inform others XXVI But perhaps I shall be told That when a Man has done all this to the best of his power yet after all he may be mistaken as it appears that many Learned Men are since 〈◊〉 oppose and contradict one another about the Meaning of the New Testament To this Ianswer That since I have shewn § 3. that all necessary things whether as to Belief or Practice in Religion are easie to be understood I must from hence conclude That a sober and honest Enquirer cannot easily be mistaken in the Interpretation of those places of the New Testament which do contain any necessary part of Religion And as for other parts and passages of it if Men would be but peaceable which is plainly enough commanded in the New Testament their Mistakes about them could do no harm And again Since I have shewn § 14. That God requires no more from a Man but his best Endeavours to know and perform his Will I do hence conclude That if a Man be mistaken in his Interpretation even of any such place as contains some necessary part of Religion yet if this Mistake be purely an Errour of the Vnderstanding and does not proceed from any Neglect or wilful Fault of the Person so mistaking God will never be offended with him for it And then What hurt can there be in such a Mistake as this XXVII But it may be demanded What shall they do to find out the Meaning of the New Testament who do not understand any thing of the Greek which is the only authentick Language of this Book Which is evidently the Case of much the greatest part of Mankind I answer That he who is ignorant of the Greek Tongue being yet obliged to use his best Endeavour § 14. must do the best he can by reading some Translation or Translations of it or if he cannot read himself by hearing them read and by asking and enquiring from such of his Acquaintance as he believes to be Persons of Sincerity and Knowledge to know what is the Sense and Doctrine of the New Testament and the Will of God therein contained And since God requires no more from any Man but his best Endeavour § 14. it follows That if such a Man be mistaken and cannot help it God will not be offended with him neither for it XXVIII And one thing more let me add for the sake of those who are not skilled in the Greek Tongue viz. That since there have many Translations been made of the New Testament most of them by Persons well skilled in Languages of good Repute for their Honesty and Integrity and who could not but know before-hand that their Translations would be narrowly sifted and examined by learned Men which must needs make them careful to commit as few Faults as they could and since all those things which God requires from Men must needs be easie enough to be understood § 3. and therefore easie to be translated and expressed in any Language I cannot but conclude That a sober and impartial Enquirer may be very well assured of the Doctrine of Jesus even from the Translations of the New Testament though he does not understand the Greek Original And for as much as I can understand of the matter if Men did stand only upon the honest and downright Sense and Meaning of plain Places which only can stive us good Assurance in Religion and would not quarrel about critical Niceties in such Texts as are confessedly obscure I believe there is scarce any Translation of the New Testament so defective but might be a sufficient Guide to any sober Man to lead him to the Doctrine of Jesus XXIX Having thus spoken what I designed of the New Testament I come to say something of the Old And here that the Jews in the Days of Jesus had among them a Book written in the Hebrew and some small part of it in the Chaldee-Tongue which we now call the Old Testament which they called the Holy Scripture and esteemed as the Word of God is a thing beyond dispute That this Book was owned and acknowledged quoted and referred to and all People exhorted and encouraged to search and study it as the Word of God both by Jesus himself and also by his Disciples is most evident to any one who reads the New Testament From whence I must conclude That the Doctrine of that Book as it was then extant is to be esteemed as part of the Doctrine of Jesus and that those Laws and Commands which are there to be found are to be kept and observed by all Christians the Followers of Jesus except where it can be shewn that Jesus has freed us from the Obligation of them XXX Moreover since this Book has been Translated into as many Languages and as many Copies of the Original have been carefully kept in distant Parts of the World as of the New Testament I do conclude That the very same things which just now were said concerning the Words the Meaning and Way of interpreting the New Testament will hold good concerning the Old Testament also as far as they can be accommodated to it XXXI There are some certain Books and Fragments which among the Protestants are well known by the Name of Apocryphal to which the Papists give the Title of Deuterocanonical These Pieces the Papists contend to be a real part of the Old Testament and of equal Authority with the other Books of it But the Protestants will not allow their Authority to be sacred although they grant that there are many useful and profitable things contained in them Now he that is not able to search into Antiquity for the Resolving of this Controversie may by another way be satisfied about it For since the Jews from whom the Christians originally received the Scriptures of the Old Testament do all of them and ever did unanimously reject these same Apocryphal Books and Fragments as being no part of their Holy Scripture I think it may from hence be sufficiently concluded That as to the Controversie about the Apocryphal Scripture the Protestants are in the right and the Papists in the wrong And yet if the Authority of those Pieces were as great as the Papists would have it I see not how it could make any Alteration in my Religion For I do not find any thing in them but what is easily reconcilable with the rest of the holy Scripture XXXII But there are some Difficulties which seem to arise concerning what I have discoursed to which it will be necessary to give a full and satisfactory Answer And First If all be granted that has hitherto been said yet how shall I be sure that the Book of the holy Scriptures contains not only truly but also fully and entirely the Doctrine of Jesus so that nothing is to be esteemed as a part of his Religion but what is contained in
the Scripture To this I might answer That there are several Passages in the Scripture it self which do give us to understand that the whole Law and Will of God as far as it is needful for Man to know them are contained in those holy Writings as the Protestant Divines do sufficiently make appear in the Management of this Controversie against the Papists But waving this I think it is enough to say That it is not indeed impossible in it self but that Jesus might have made known other Particulars of Doctrine and of the Will of God besides what is consigned to us by the Scripture And if any Man can effectually prove that any such Doctrine or Precept was delivered by him I think that whosoever is convinced of the Proof ought to believe that Doctrine and obey that Precept which appear to be so delivered But he that does his hearty and sincere Endeavour to find out the Doctrine and Will of God delivered to Man by Jesus and is not able with all his Diligence to discover any more of it than what is recorded in the Scripture if he faithfully keeps and observes as much of it as he is able there to discover it is plain that God requires no more from him § 14. and therefore certainly will not punish him for want of any thing farther XXXIII Secondly It may be objected That in Reading these Books there do appear to be some Passages which are in themselves absurd and contrary to the plain Dictates of every Man's Reason and Understanding and some which are irreconcileable with one another Now that the Doctrine of Jesus is certainly true must be allowed because it is confirmed by God That both parts of a Contradiction cannot be true is acknowledged by all Men And no Man I think can own that for a Truth which is contrary to the plain Dictates of his Reason and Understanding which to every Man is and must be the Standard of all Truth whatsoever For there can be no Reason why any Man receives and owns any thing for a Truth but only because he apprehends it to be conformable unto the plain and self-evident Notions which are already planted in his Mind Here then it may be demanded how it canbe possible that these Scriptures should contain the true and uncorrupted Doctrine and Religion of Jesus To this I answer First That I cannot find any appearance of a Contradiction throughout the Holy Scriptures in any Point of Doctrine or Rule of Manners but what is so easie and obvious to be reconciled that no Man I think of Candour and Ingenuity but would be ashamed to object it Secondly And as for those few seeming Discordances which do occurr in the Circumstances of some Historical Narrations though I perhaps am not able to reconcile them yet it may be that the things themselves may not be absolutely irreconcilable But suppose they were yet it is no derogation to the Truth of the History as to the main substance of it or of the Doctrine contained in the holy Scriptures that some of the Sacred Writers have been mistaken in the Relation of some small and inconsiderable Circumstances There are several Historians and Chroniclers which give an Account of the Life and Reign of many of our Kings of England and although they differ in many Circumstances of things yet this was never made an Argument to doubt of the Truth of the main History wherein they all agree And why may not the Scripture-Historians be as favourably censured as all other Historians in the World are Thirdly There are many things which are above my Reason and Understanding which I cannot comprehend in my Mind nor frame a clear and distinct Notion of which yet I cannot say are contrary to my Reason Because though they are above my reach yet I do not find that they do contradict any of those plain and self-evident Principles which are implanted in my Understanding For Example I am not able distinctly to apprehend how the smallest Particle of Matter which can be assigned is yet in it self capable of being for ever divided so that no part of Matter though ever so small can ever be so much as convinced to be absolutely invisible And yet this is so far from being contrary to my Reason that my Reason it self does fully satisfie me that the thing is so though I am not able to comprehend the manner of it The same thing also may be said concerning the necessity of some thing being without any Beginning of which see § 5 6. Now if I meet with any thing in Scripture which is thus above my Reason but not contrary to it I cannot refuse my Assent unto it I mean always upon a Supposition that the Words do appear evidently to carry such a Sense For I cannot conclude such a thing to be impossible Because I do not find it contrary to my Reason though above it And if it be a thing in my Apprehension possible I must believe it to be true when I find that God has declared it so to be Other things again there are which are directly contrary unto those self-evident Notions and Principles which my Reason finds to be connatural with it self For Example That a Part is equal to the Whole and such like Absurdities Now if any such Propositions as these which are contrary to my Reason should occurr to me in Scripture I cannot possibly believe them to be true in a Literal Sense for that were to renounce the clear Dictates of my Reason and Understanding upon which the Certainty of all things which I believe or know is ultimately built and without which I could have no Certainty of the Being of God or the Truth of any Religion and therefore I must needs understand them to be meant figuratively And that Figure which best agrees to such Words according to the most common Custom of Speech and is most conformable to common Sense and Reason I think is always to be preferred I never read any Book to my knowledge but in it I found many Expressions which taken literally and strictly were absurd and ridiculous but taken figuratively as 't is evident they were intended did contain very good Sense and Meaning Since then the Holy Scriptures were written in such Words and Expressions as were commonly used among Men in Speaking and Writing why should we think that strange in them which is so usual in all other Books XXXIV Thirdly It may be objected That this Doctrine which I have taught leaves every Man entirely to his own Reason and Understanding to find out the true Religion and the Way to Heaven Now since there is so great a difference between the Notions and Sentiments of different Men it must needs follow that all Men being left wholly to themselves there must necessarily be great Variety and even Contrariety of Opinions among them concerning Religion And if God requires no more from every Man but to do his best Endeavour and to chuse
guilty of such a Mistake can very hardly be charged with a Fault XLIII Fourthly That the Knowledge of God Almighty his Attributes and his Law may in part be gathered from the Light of Nature antecedent to any Revelation is evident from Reason and acknowledged by St. Paul For the invisible things of him from the Creation of the World are clearly seen being understood by the things that are made even his Eternal Power and Godhead Rom. 1. 20. See Psal 19. 1. And when the Gentiles which have not the Law do by Nature the thiugs contained in the Law these having not the Law are a Law unto themselves which shew the Work of the Law written in their Hearts their Conscience also bearing Witness and their Thoughts the mean while accusing or else excusing one another Rom. 2. 14 15. Now although all things relating to Religion which may be known by the Light of Nature are I think again repeated and farther explained by the Holy Scripture Yet because it may be that this will not appear so plainly to every one I think it necessary here to Note That we are obliged to give our Assent to those Truths and our Obedience to those Laws of of Religion which we are able to discover by our Natural Reason although the same should not appear to us to be again repeated in Scripture For for this very reason St. Paul pronounces the ancient Gentiles to be without Excuse because that when they knew God that is had some Knowledge of him by their natural Understanding they glorified him not as God by owning and obeying him Rom. 1. 20 21 c. And what is it else but an Appeal to the natural Notions of Mankind when he exhorts us That whatsoever things are true whatsoever things are honest whatsoever things are just whatsoever things are pure whatsoever things are Lovely whatsoever things are of good Report if there be any Vertue and if there be any Praise we should think on these things Phil. 4. 8. XLIV Fifthly He that writes a Treatise upon any Subject whatsoever he has a Mind that his Reader should particularly observe and be convinced of he will be sure to lay it down plainly as a main Conclusion nor will he fail if he be discreet as often as Occasion requires to repeat and referr to it that the more Notice may be taken of his Meaning and Design Such things as are mentioned only occasionally and collaterally and not as any part of the main Subject of the Discourse are not always expressed with so much Care and Exactness but that often even the meaning of them may be misunderstood Nor can we be always certain what is the true Sense and Opinion of a Writer from such accidental Expressions which sometimes may be used figuratively sometimes by way of Allusion or Accommodation sometimes with Reference to the Capacity of People without any Regard to the litteral Truth of them except he gives us fome farther Explication of his Mind From whence I think I may conclude That the necessary Doctrines and Precepts of Christian Religion are not to be gachered from those collateral and occasional Expressions which are scattered up and down in the Scriptures but from the main Scope and Design of the whole Bible in general and of each Book of it in particular XLV I have thus briefly and plainly given I hope a rational Account of Religion and of Christianity in general If I find that what I have here writ is likely to do any good in the World I shall proceed with God's Assistance to draw out and publish a particular Account of the Doctrines to be believed and Duties to be practised by a Christian FINIS Errata to the 2d and 3d. Part. PAge 48. l. 16. read my own p. 59. l. 12. for of r. and. p. 82. l. 11. for Love r. live p. 110. l. 3. dele it p. 113. l. 12. for every r. very p. 254. for that r. than p. 260. l. 16. r. Office in a settled Church Books Printed for and Sold by A. and J. Churchil at the Black Swan in Pater-Noster-Row TItus Livius's Roman History Boccacio's Novels and Tales Sir Paul Ricaut's Lives of the Popes of Rome Rushworth's Historical Collections Lloyd Dictionarium Histor Poeticum Geographicum Statutes of Ireland Bolton Justice of Ireland Leybourn's Dyalling Buchanan's Chronicle and History of the Kings of Scotland Machiavil's Works Sir Simon D' Ewe's Journal of Paliament Queen Elizabeth Dr. Brady's Introduction to the History of England Milton's Paradise Regain'd Leybourn's Cursus Mathematicus Sir Roger L'Estrange's Aesop's Fables Clark's Praxis Cur. Ecclesiasticis Dr. Gibson's Anatomy Monsieur Le Clerc's Logica c. Drelincourt of Death Leybourn's Arithmetick Protestant-Reconciler Compleat Homer's Iliads Poetae Minores Royal Grammar Gibbon's Heraldry Patridge's Treasury of Physick Opus Reformatum Bishop Wilkins of Prayer and Preaching Thibault's Chymistry Glasier's Chymistry Valerius Maximus English Two Treatises of Government The Three Letters for Toleration Some Considerations of the Consequences of Lowering Interest and Raising the Value of Money Sir William Temple's Observations on Holland Miscellanea Dr. Burnet's Travels Plato Redevivus Selden's Table-Talk Debates of Oxon and Westminster-Parliaments Livill Orationes selectae 12o. Sleidan de Quatuor fummis Imperiis Aristotle's Rhetorick English Dr. Whitby's several Pieces Patridge's Astrology Isoratis Oration Large 12o. Guide to Heaven 24o. Latin-Testament the Cambridge-Edition 12o. Boyl's General History of the Air A Gentlemans Religion Two Treatises of Rationa Religion 8o. Common Prayer in Greek Salmon's Dispensatory Dorn Synopsis Medicinae Salustii Historia Weekly Preparation II. Part Bunnian's Sighs from Hell Archbishop Layton's Sermons Gunter's Line Ciceronis Epistol Familiar Mr. Talent's Chron. Tables A GENTLEMAN'S Religion Part II. III. In which the Nature of the Christian Religion is particularly enquired into and Explained LONDON Printed for Richard Sare at Grays-Inn-gate in Holborn 1697. A Short PREFACE To the whole SOme Men slight Religion whilst others corru and perplex it with things either false or unnecessary the later of which I look upon to be much the cause of the former Many will not take the pains to read much and many do not throughly consider nor will digest what they read which renders their Notions confused and themselves uncertain what to conclude I have theresore endeavoured to make such a short and easy Draught of Christianity and the Grounds of it as every Man of a moderate Capacity may read without Tediousness and understand without Difficulty And which if it does not wholly satisfie him may yet serve to put his Thoughts into a Method and himself upon seeking for farther Satisfaction The first Part of this small Work I put forth some time since and finding that it has not proved altogether unacceptable to Men of Judgment and Moderation I have been encouraged to finish and publish the Second and Third Parts also My Design is certainly good and if I have not well performed what I have undertaken I hope at