Rule of Faith Dr. Stillingfl Defence of A. B. Laud. Dr. Sherlocks Protestant Resolution of Faith Learned Defenders of the Protestant Resolution of Faith against those Popish Writers that set up Tradition in Opposition to it and the Absurdity of the latter is evident at first sight and none but meer Enthusiasts ever made any Pretence to it But on the other side for God to communicate his Will by Writing implies nothing in it but what is Natural and Easie there is nothing requisite to continue this to Posterity but God's preserving the Writings themselves by the ordinary Methods of Providence and then men may as well learn his Will from thence as they can know the Histories of former Ages the Opinions of Philosophers the Laws of their own and other Countries from the Writings which record each of these particulars unless we will say that God cannot order a Book to be writ in as Intelligible a manner as men can indite it when they are left to themselves But 't will further appear that 't is more reasonable to suppose that God should preserve the Knowledge of Christianity by appointing a written Rule of Faith than by any other means if we consider III. That he made use of the same means formerly for the Instruction of the Jewish Church With God is no variableness and what he once approves of he does not afterward lay aside but upon some great reason Moses wrote his Law in a book by God's direction e Exod. 34.27 the Prophets appeal to the Law and to the Testimony f Is 8.20 as the only safe Guide and by which men must judge whether a Doctrine come from God or not Our Saviour bids the Jews g Joh. 5.39 search the Scriptures for in them they were perswaded and so far they were in the right was contain'd the way to Eternal Life and in all his Contests with the Jews he desired no other Vouchers for the Truth of what he said but Moses and the Prophets And 't will appear very reasonable to believe that God should use the same Method to instruct the Christian Church which he did the Jewish if we consider that our Saviour and his Apostles conform'd the External parts of their Religion to the Customs received among the Jews as much as they could being resolv'd to give no offence by studiously affecting Novelties The Two Sacraments were taken from Jewish Rites the Government of the Christian Church was framed after the Pattern of the Jewish Hierarchy the Apostles as 't is natural for all men to do being willing to retain the Customs they had been bred up in wherever the Nature of Christiany did not oblige them to the contrary From whence 't is natural to suppose that the Apostles should take care before they left the world to provide some certain means of Instruction for the Christian Church in Conformity to the Jewish which might supply their place when they were dead and gone or else they would not have been so faithful in their office as Moses was who delivered the Book of the Law to the Priests before his Decease h Deut. 31 9 26. And 't is likely the Christians themselves would expect to be provided with as good and sufficient means of knowing their duty as the Jews enjoyed or else they would have had just cause to complain that they came behind them in the Advantages of Knowledge and Instruction And that this is not a meer Conjecture but the real Sense of the first Christians is plain from the Account which the Ancient Writers give us of the occasion of St. Matthew and S. Mark 's writing their Gospels Eusebius tells us i H. E. l. 3. c. 24. that St. Matthew wrote his Gospel particularly for the use of the Jews to whom he had preached because going into other parts he would supply the Want of his Presence by Writing Clemens Alexandrinus saies k Ap Eus H. E. l. 2. c. 15. That St. Mark wrote his Gospel at the Request of the Christians at Rome who were not satisfied with an unwritten Tradition of the Word and therefore desir'd him to commit it to Writing Which St. Peter coming to understand approved and confirmed this Gospel for the use of the Church And when these and the other Apostolical Writings came into the hands of Christians there was no need of a particular Command from God to make them be received as the Rule of the Christian Faith For the Character of the Persons who wrote them the Example of the Jewish Church and the Parity of Reason why these Writings should be of equal Authority among Christians as the Writings of the Old Testament were among the Jews and lastly the Necessity of having some Standing and Settled Rule of Faith these were all sufficient Inducements to Christians to look upon the Apostolical Writings as ordained by God for the Perpetual Use and Instruction of the Church And this will further appear if we consider IV. That God has actually made use of no other way for the conveying down the Doctrine of Christianity that can be assign'd but the Writings of the N. Testament 'T is a very weak Argument to infer that things must be so because we think it Convenient they should be so This is indeed to prescribe to God Almighty and tell him he ought to have ask'd our Advice in the Managing of things And therefore tho the Arguments for the Infallibility of Tradition for an Infallible Judge of Controversies or whatever other Guide men have set up in opposition to the Scriptures were never so plausible and were as real Demonstrations as the Authors of them fancy them to be yet as long as 't is plain by Experience that Tradition is not Infallible and that there is no Infallible Judge of Controversies all these Pretences to Demonstration signify nothing for a man may demonstrate his heart out before he will be able to confute Experience And that neither the Authority of the Church Representative nor the Tradition of the Church Diffusive neither Pope nor Council jointly or separately are Infallible Guides to Christians or equivalent to the Scriptures has been made out with such admirable Clearness and unanswerable Strength of Reason by the Learned Defenders of the Protestant Cause against Popery that without further insisting upon this Point I shall refer to them for further Satisfaction and proceed to the V. Proposition That the Apostles themselves design'd their Writings for the Perpetual Vse of the Church and look'd upon them of Equal Authority with the Writings of the Old Testament The Supernatural Assistance which attended the Apostles in every thing of Moment and tending to the Edification of the Church was so Extraordinary and even their Private Judgment as men was so Upright and void of all Self-interest and Corruption that 't will very much illustrate this matter to consider what Judgment and Opinion they themselves had of their own Writings The very Design of the
Order of Ministers and Church-Governours who have the Power of Dispensing them the Necessity of being Incorporated into the Church as a Society Founded upon a Divine Charter and to whose Members alone belong the Priviledges of the New Covenant the Meritorious Efficacy of Christ's Sacrifice and Intercession towards the Procuring men's Salvation these Doctrines I say they will by no means admit to be True because as they pretend they cannot see what Natural Force there is in these things toward their producing their intended Effects And when they have deprived Christ of his Titles of Saviour and High-Priest tho perhaps they may still be contented to acknowledge him a Prophet and a Teacher come from God yet they look upon his Coming into the World as a matter of no Great Consequence and which men do well to believe if they see good Reason for it or if after having used Reasonable Diligence they are not convinc'd that 't is True there 's no great Harm done since he came only to Reinforce the Principles and Duties of Natural Religion which men's Reason will sufficiently instruct them in and if they do but live up to its Directions and lead good Moral Lives they may be saved whatever their Opinions are as to what they call the Speculative Points of Religion These Opinions every body is sensible are very much in Vogue especially among those who value themselves for being Free Thinkers and Reasoners 'T is evident likewise that men of these Principles are apt to look upon the Bible as a Book of no great Value and which the World might very well be without and are ready to declare that the Disputes it has occasion'd have done more harm than the Book has done good and so from Vndervaluing its Worth they come to question its Authority From what has been said it appears very probable that the Prevailing of these Loose Notions concerning a Church-state and Revealed Religion at first gave Rise or at least hath since given Continuance to those Controversies that have been so much Debated of late concerning the Integrity and Authority of the Scriptures And the Atheistical Party have been Industrious to keep alive this Dispute as well knowing that 't is doing no small piece of Service to their Cause to weaken the Authority of the Holy Writings Mr. Hobbs and the Author of Theologo-Politicus are the Chief of that Party who have engag'd in this Controversie tho indeed they ought to pass but for one Writer since the latter has taken the Substance of what he says from the former and seems to have little of his own Invention unless it be the Quoting of a Text now and then in Hebrew which he does I suppose to raise in his Vnlearned Readers an Admiration of his Profound Reading and Schollarship And this Design of his has in some measure taken Effect for his Atheistical Admirers are generally Ignorant enough to take him for a Writer of Sense and Learning But to pass by these Profess'd Advocates of Atheism and Irreligion the most considerable Writers that have been concern'd in the Controversie about the Integrity and Authority of the Holy Writings are Mr. Simon and his Adversaries Whose Learning as I do not intend to disparage so neither will I take upon me to judge of their Secret Intention in the Management of this Dispute I acknowledge them to be men of Learning and as to their Design I am willing to think as Charitably as I can But yet I cannot forbear saying that tho they differ very much in their Notions as to other Matters yet they seem to agree in speaking slightly and irreverently of the Holy Writers they readily lay hold of any Difficulties which tend to weaken their Credit and do not take half so much pains to Improve any of the Arguments that may be produc'd for them as they do to Vrge Objections against them But however I must say thus much in behalf of Mr. Simon that many to shew their good Will to the Bible make him say much Worse things than he really does and such as they would fain have him say and would be glad if they could Vouch his Authority for They are Industrious to make the world believe that if we will take his Judgment there have been so many Corruptions and Alterations made in the Text of the Bible that 't is impossible to tell which is the True and which is the False Reading Mr. Dryden particularly in his Religio Laici makes this Comment upon Mr. Simon 's Critick and tells us as delivering that Author's sense that the Jews have Let in Gross Errors to corrupt the Text Omitted Paragrahs and With vain Traditions stop'd the Gaping Fence Now one would think by this Account of his Work that Mr. Simon had expresly asserted that the Jews had Wilfully and Designedly Corrupted the Original by Adding to and Taking away from it as they thought fit But in my Opinion 't is taking a greater Liberty than Poetry it self will allow to make a man speak quite contrary to his Sense and Meaning For Mr. Simon makes it his Business to prove in several places of his Book a Critique upon the O. T. l. 1. ch 17 18 19 l. 2. c. 4. that the Jews have not corrupted the Hebrew Text and answers the Arguments that are usually brought for that Opinion All that he affirms as to this matter is that the Bible has been obnoxious to the same Corruptions that other Books are through the Ignorance or Negligence of Transcribers and that such kind of Faults crept into the Text in those Ages chiefly that did not mind the Niceties of Criticism and therefore the proper way to Reform those Errors is by Correcting the Suspected Places according to the Rules of that Art and by diligent Comparing of Copies as Criticks correct other Books and the Massorets have already the Hebrew Text. And as for the Additions which are supposed by many to have been made to the Original Text he supposes them inserted by Prophets whereof there was a constant Succession whose Business 't was to take Care of the Publick Records How true this Hypothesis is 't is not my Business to examine 't is sufficient to my present Purpose that Mr. Simon does not represent these Additions as so many Corruptions of the Text. So that in this Case Mr. D. has Misrepresented Mr. Simon 's Text aswell as that of the Bible and put such a Gloss upon it as it does not appear that he ever intended as far as can be gathered from his Words But I shall pursue this Matter no further because Mr. D. may think it hard measure to urge any thing said in his Religio Laici against him at this time of day when he has alter'd his Mind in so many Particulars since the Writing of that Poem and has made Amends for his Former Incredulity by turning Advocate for Implicite Faith One of Mr. Simon 's Antagonists whom he and the rest of the World take to
as plainly foretelling who are to be Actors in Wickedness would without supposing manifest Violence offer'd to Men's Inclinations in many Cases hinder some of them from being Instrumental in bringing about God's Designs so perhaps it would be a new Temptation to others and make them more furiously bent upon Evil just as the mentioning wickedness stirs up some Men's Ill Inclinations and makes them eager to commit it Especially since the foretelling it as certainly to come to pass affords a Plea for Men's Wickedness for Men that are bent upon Evil and are glad of any Colour to justify their Sin will conclude from thence that it can be no Sin to be subservient to God's Providence and Assisting in the Accomplishment of his Will and Purpose or if it be a Sin it must lie at his door So that if Prophecies were too plainly deliver'd this would often be the consequence that the bringing the Event to pass would be wholly imputed to the Clearness of the Prediction just as Publick Commotions do often take their Rise from the spreading about of Prophecies concerning the Death of the Prince or the Change of the Government Now this is contrary to God's method of dealing with Men for tho we cannot comprehend after what manner he foresees how Free Agents will Determine themselves yet we have all the Reason in the World to believe that Gods Prescience does not Interfere with mens Free-will And therefore as we believe that things do not come to pass meerly because God Foresees them but rather that he Foresees them because their own proper Causes will bring them to pass so 't is agreeable to the methods of Providence that Prophecies should be so worded as not to have any Influence upon the parties concern'd in bringing them about that it might not be said The thing came to pass because it was Foretold but it was foretold because it would come to pass as an Ordinary effect of a Natural Cause 'T is true indeed we may observe that some Scripture Prophecies by being too plainly deliver'd have made the Hearts of Wicked Men wholly set in them to bring to pass the Evil foretold b See 1 King 11.31 32. 2 King 8.12 13 15 10.10 But perhaps God might do this on purpose to take off the minds of the Jews from that greedy desire they had to search into Futurity when they saw what Ill Consequences did sometimes attend that Knowledge The Sum of the Argument is this that the Evil which if Foretold Darkly and Obscurely needed nothing to bring it to pass but only God's suffering Men's Wickedness to break out and permitting them to act according as their Ill Inclinations prompt them if it were foretold Plainly and Clearly could not be effected without supposing him to offer Violence to Humane Nature and making him a Party concern'd and a Tempter of men to Wickedness From all that has been said upon this head it appears that whether the thing foretold be Good or Evil the foretelling it too Punctually and Distinctly would make Prophecy a Felo de se and be an effectual way to defeat its Accomplishment for then it could not be brought to pass in a way that is suitable to the Divine Purity and Wisdom For this is one of the Master-pieces of the Divine Wisdom to bring about its Designs in such a manner as never to put any Force upon the Freedom of man's Will so that the Events may rather seem the Natural Effects of Free Agents than the Works of an Overruling Providence To this purpose speaks the Author of the Book of Wisdom c Wisd 8.1 Thy Wisdom O Lord reacheth from one end to another Mightily and Sweetly doth she order all things God sees every Link of that Vast Chain of Causes and knows how they depend upon each other what Force each Circumstance has in determining mens Resolutions and what it is that turns the Balance of the Mind one way or t'other and therefore tho he brings to pass all his Purposes in an Irresistable manner yet he does it withall in so Easie and Gentle a one that the Events look like the Result of mens own Free Determinations and one would think that the Natural Agents let alone to themselves would have produc'd the same Effect These two Reasons fully justifie the Obscurity of Prophecies and shew us the Use of them that we are not to look upon them as deliver'd meerly to gratifie the Curiosity men have to pry into what is Future but to be an Argument to us of Gods Overruling Providence which extends it self to the most Minute Actions and very often makes such Accidents as seem to us to be Trivial and Insignificant Instrumental in bringing to pass the Greatest and most Surprizing Events and especially to shew us That nothing befalls his Church but by his determinate Counsel and Foreknowledge I will conclude this Head with a Brief Caution to those who do not think the Prophecies concerning Christ and the Gospel Clear enough to be an Argument for our Belief and that is this That they ought not to expect that the Prophecies should give as distinct an Account of Christ as the Gospels do nor because they do not should they slight them as Insignificant but they should first of all consider the Evidence of Truth which the Gospel brings along with it and then Compare it with the Prophecies And thus tho the Prophecies be Obscure in themselves yet when they are compar'd with the Event as they will receive Light from it so they will add Light to it Just as that Obscure Saying of our Saviour's d Joh. 2.19 Destroy this Temple and in three days I will raise it up was not understood by his Disciples when he spoke it but afterward when they Compar'd it with the Event which it foretold it was a new Argument to them that he came forth from God e Ver. 22. II. Another Difficulty concerning Prophecy the Resolving of which will tend to Establish the Authority of the Prophets is Concerning the Signs whereby True Prophets were distinguish'd from False ones 'T is plain by the Prophetick Writings that there were False Prophets that oppos'd themselves to the True ones and utter'd quite contrary Prophecies to theirs But tho the True Prophets warn the People often not to be seduc'd by these False pretenders yet we can discover but little out of their Writings concerning the Marks whereby the True Prophets were to be distinguish'd from the False ones Those which I can gather from the Holy Writings are these following 1. If a Prophet indeavour'd to perswade the people to Idolatry this was a certain Mark that he was a False Prophet tho he should confirm what he said by a Sign This Rule is laid down by Moses e Deut. 13.1 and is grounded upon very good reason For since God had manifested his Power to the Israelites by so many Undeniable Miracles and Proofs 't was not reasonable that working a single