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ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
B09989	A seasonable discourse of the right use and abuse of reason in matters of religion. By Philologus.	Philologus.	1676 (1676)	Wing S2227BA; ESTC R183656	138,457	248

most wicked Superstition CHAP. XII The divine Authority of the Holy Scriptures proved by Reason THe Laws of God as we have heard differ much from the Laws of men these command only the outward man but the divine Laws reach the Spirit and command the inward man which Laws are Recorded in the Sacred Scriptures now that these Holy Writings are the word of God and do contain the Laws of God and the Rule of our Faith and practice may be proved by Reason so far as may convince a Heathen or Infidel that there is such a divine Authority and Efficacy in these Writings as are not to be found in any other First then let it be granted as it hath been clearly demonstrated that there is one living and true God and that this God is to be honoured and adored by his reasonable Creatures with that service and worship which becomes him Then it will undeniably follow That there must be some Revelation made by God himself touching that way of worship wherein he will have us obey him this is practic'd by all wise Princes and States who govern their Subjects in a way of Reason and of Prudence for who can know what pleaseth God but he himself and they to whom he makes known his will and pleasure Now then supposing some Revelation of Gods will in order to that service which he will accept if the Scripture be not this Revelation where then shall we find it Let any man if he can shew some other or better manifestation concerning the will and worship of the great and Holy God then what he hath made known in his Written word Nothing can be the standing unerring Rule of our Faith but what God himself hath made so That which is the Rule must be the law of our Beleif and who can make a Law of this nature but God himself 'T is unreasonable to imagine that any men or Creatures can prescribe to us what we are to beleive concerning God unless God himself make known his will and publish his Laws Secondly As for the Scriptures of the Old Testament which are received and imbraced as the word of God both by Jews and Christians let us rationally consider how the Church of the Jews who were the peculiar People of God to whom were committed the Oracles of God Rom. 3.2 have witnessed these Books to be divine and Supernatural Have they not from time to time for many Ages together in their greatest misery and affliction constantly acknowledged and contended for the divine Authority thereof whenas by only denying the same they might have had not only liberty but great preferments in the World And is it not very observable that though the Princes high Preists and others amongst the Jewes persecuted the Prophets and despised their words whilst they lived yet they received their Writings as Prophetical and Divine when they where dead and since blindness and obstinacy came upon the Jewes notwithstanding their great enmity and hatred to the Christian Religion and the Professors thereof yet the Scriptures of the Old Testament yea those very Texts that do evidently confirm the truth of the Christian Religion are kept pure and uncorrupt amongst them Thirdly The Christian Church which embraceth both the Books of the Old and New Testament have witnessed and do still witness to the divine Authority thereof even to the Death the whole Vniversal Church of God even from the first Penning of the Scriptures till this very day have all along professed that these Books are divine and Thousands of them have Sealed the same with their blood this Testimony is of great weight and force though it be not so infallible and effectual to perswade and satisfie the Conscience as the Testimony of the Holy Ghost himself Of all humane Testimonies whereby the Author of any Book that hath is or ever shall be extant can be proved or evinced so as to satisfie mans Reason the Testimony of the Universal Church of God concerning this Book is the greatest and most satisfactory both in respect of the multitude wisdom honesty and faithfulness of the witnesses and the likelyhood constancy and uninterrupted continuance of the Testimony it self Is it probable in a way of Reason that so good and wise a God should suffer so many honest well meaning People to be so long abused and deceived by a false or feigned Book fathered upon himself such a horrid Imposture the God of truth will not endure to lye hid and undiscovered for so many hundred years Christians of all sorts and conditions Noble and Ignoble Rich and Poor Learned and unlearned Married and unmarried Old and Young throughout the World for a long time together have endured the most grievous and exquisite torments that the Devils could invent or the malice of men find out for the defence of this truth and that with great constancy and alacrity with an undaunted heart and merry countenance And can any sober man think that so many thousand persons and some of them of great quality learning and prudence that might have lived bravely and carried a great part in this World should suffer so many and so great things out of meer weakness pride vaine glory discontent or that they should suffer for a fable that hath no Truth nor reality in it This Testimony which is taken from the great sufferings Christian patience joy and courage of the Martyrs is not meerly humane for that courage and cheerfulness which they shewed in the midst of their Torments was not from the strength of humane Nature and reason but it was from above and supernatural Fourthly God hath confirmed the divine Authority of the Scriptures in the view of the World by many great wonders and Miracles from Heaven such as Satan himself cannot imitate such as exceed the power of any yea of all the Creatures in the World such as the most malitious subtil Enemies of God's truth could not deny to be divine These Miracles hath the Lord openly wrought by the hands of Moses the Prophets and Apostles which as they were sufficient to confirm the divine Authority of the Scriptures to them who were eye-witnesses thereof so the undoubted and clear Narration of them is to us an invincible Argument that the Word and Gospel of Christ is from Heaven and not from men the Lord witnessing thereunto both by Signs and wonders and with divers Miracles and gifts of the Holy Ghost according to his own will Heb. 2.4 What shall I say of the Antiquity of the Scriptures and the Doctrine contain'd therein which of all Writings and Doctrines that have been taught and published is the most Ancient In all other Writings and Records the Doctrine of the Creation and fall of man is omitted which yet is particularly and plainly set down in the Scriptures And truly it is admirable to Consider how the power and wisdom and goodness of God have appeared in preserving his written Word and Laws to this day notwithstanding the rage and

flourish more in Princes Courts than in the times of the Apostles why did not one or other step forth to vanquish or convict them before the Magistrates Origen not to mention here other Learned men that were converted to Christ was himself a great Philosopher and fellow-Disciple to Plotinus who is highly commended by the Philosophers can any sober man imagine that he and others of great judgment and abilities would suffer themselves like so many fools and mad men to be led with vain Illusions Or to attribute those things to God's special miraculous Operation which depended wholly upon Natural Causes Especially seeing that both Origen and also Cyprian before their Conversion to Christ had professed the Art of Magick If it be further said that the Apostles were influenced by pride and vain-glory in doing what they did how happeneth it then that each of them did not cause himself to be worshipped and adored as the Idol-gods and Mahomet did If they were so vain-glorious in their works as is pretended why did they not make use of their own Names and exalt themselves but refer all to Jesus and give him the power and glory of all who was so much despised by the great men of the World Surely this must needs be from God and from a divine power and not from Satan nor from Men. Fourthly Let a man but rationally consider the Life and Doctrine of Jesus who is the Author and substance of the Christian Religion and he will be convinc'd of the verity and excellency of it What was the Life and Conversation of Jesus upon Earth even by the confession both of Jews and Gentiles but the very pattern of Virtue and Piety What was it but the very Body of the Legal Types and shadows and the substance of the Predictions and Prophecies concerning the Messias How wise how patient how meek and humble how loving and compassionate to Mankind How holy and heavenly minded how diligent faithful and impartial was he in the Work of God He did neither flatter the greatest nor discourage the meanest but delivered the whole Counsel of God without respect of persons What a publick spirit what self-denial what excellent Virtues and Graces did Jesus shew forth both in His Actions and Sufferings His Enemies themselves being Judges Insomuch that Porphyry acknowledged Him to be a most Excellent Man though saith he the Christians are to blame to Worship Him as God And Pilate's Wife desired that her Husband might not meddle with that Just man To His painful Death which He suffered for us He went as a Sheep to the slaughter not opening His mouth and prayed most affectionately for His Enemies upon the Cross Father forgive them for they know not what they do Never was there such an Example of Virtue and Holiness as Jesus was and therefore how can any man of reason think that he should be the Author or Founder of a false Religion As for His Doctrine and Instructions there cannot be any found out or devised more excellent and precious Never man spake as He spake What was the continual subject of His Preaching and Discourse but the evil of Sin the vanity of this World the goodness and mercy of God in pardoning the Sinner the excellency of Holiness and Righteousness the glory and happiness of Heaven He teacheth not His Disciples how to obtain the Riches Honours and Pleasures of this World how to be great amongst men and to seek the praise and applause of men how to Conquer Kingdoms and subdue Nations by the material Sword But he teacheth them how to deny themselves and take up the Cross and follow Him how to be Crucified to the World and the Flesh to lay up Treasures in Heaven to forgive their Enemies and do good to them that despitefully use them Was there ever such Heavenly Doctrine such Excellent Instructions as proceeded out of His mouth If we look to the Precepts in Man's Laws as those amongst the Lacedemonians Athenians Romans they neither command all good nor forbid all evil The Laws of men are limited according to time place and persons As the Wise men of Persia answered the King who would have married his own Sister That indeed there was a Law that a man might not marry his own Sister but yet they found another Law That the King might do what he would and so by this means he shall have more liberty to sin than his Subjects But now on the contrary the Laws of the Christian Religion do command all that is good and forbid and restrain all that is evil the Precepts thereof are general and impartial to all persons to the King as well as the Subject to the Master as well as the Servant to the rich as well as the poor wthout exception No other Religion or Doctrine reacheth the Heart and inward man but only this Where can we find another Law that hath in it Non concupisces Thou shalt not lust which striketh at the very root and core of corruption Other Laws teach men to advance and enlarge their worldly interest and power and to be in favour with Princes But the Precepts of the Christian Religion teach us to forsake the world and not seek great things for our selves nor be ambitious of the favour of great men but to live above it And as God Himself is a Spirit and doth chiefly require the Heart so that Worship which pleaseth Him must be spiritual and such a Worship is prescribed and commanded by the Laws of Christ whereas all other Religions in the World as they proceed from man so man himself being Corporeal the Worship that he chiefly prescribeth must be Corporeal also and not Divine and Spiritual as the Christian Religion chiefly requires Other Religions attribute the praise to man either in whole or in part but the Christian Religion attributeth all to God as the highest Truth the chiefest Good and ultimate End of all Fifthly The nature and success of Christ's Kingdom may serve to convince any man's reason that the Christian Religion is divine and heavenly By what weak means by what contemptible Instruments hath Christ advanced and enlarged his Kingdom How hath he from time to time confounded things that are by things that are not Whereas men will have apt Instruments to every action and the Matter also well dispos'd to work upon Christ chooseth weak and unapt Instruments for carrying on His work in the World not the Wise and Noble and Learned of the World but Poor simple men to be His Apostles and Ambassadors and then for the Matter which they were to work upon namely the World it was altogether unprepared both Jews and Gentiles hating Christ and His Apostles Vlpian the chiefest Lawyer Galen the chiefest Physician Porphyry and Plotinus the chiefest Philosophers then living were desperate Enemies to them and wrote Books against Christ and the Christian Religion Julian the Emperour forbad Schools of Learning to the Christians in hatred of Christianity and the