this occasion which is express'd in these terms The Apostles and Elders came together for to consider of this matter And when there had been much disputing Peter rose up and said c. The common Opinion is that when the Debate was about Doctrinal Matters the Truth was immediately presented to the Minds of the Apostles without any need of Meditation This is undoubtedly true as to the things that Jesus Christ had taught them clearly And they needed no extraordinary Inspiration to call them to mind But this Principle is extended by some to all the Functions of their Charge Now ask if that were so what need was there that the Apostles should not only meet but also talk a long while together The first that had spoke would have sound all the rest of the same mind and there would have been no more to do but for him to pronounce upon the Question according to their general though tacit Agreement It cannot be said there was no Conference amongst the Apostles and Elders concerning this doctrine since St. Luke after having said that the Apostles and Elders came together immediately adds that there was much disputing and that Peter rose up and said c. Neither can the Principle of Mr. Simon be here made use of who says that the Apostles might not determine any thing by their own Authority but by the common Consent of all the Church and that therefore it was that they assembl'd and expos'd in publick their Reasons for not imposing Jewish Ceremonies upon the Gentiles If the Apostles were as much inspir'd as the Jewish Prophets of the Old Testament it is ridiculous to say that they ought to determine nothing by their own Authority but by the Consent of all the Church They had no more to do but to declare what the holy Spirit had reveal'd to them as did the Prophets who met not together to confer about their prophecies before the pronouncing of them but pronounc'd them as soon as God had commanded them without staying for any body's Consent And herein they acted not by their private Authority but by the Authority that God gave them in commanding them to speak to the People No more would the Apostles have acted by their own private Authority in following the Motions of the holy Spirit But Mr. Simon has fancy'd a very particular sort of Inspiration in the Apostles He says it was necessary they should declare that they determin'd nothing which was not conformable to the holy Scriptures and to the Doctrine which they had receiv'd from their Master and that for that Reason it was necessary to deliberate thereupon in Assemblies in which their Opinions happen'd to be sometimes divided A Man must be very acute that can comprehend how Men inspir'd after a Prophetic manner could be of different Opinions But Mr. Simon clears this Difficulty wonderfully in the following words We ought not says he to be surpriz'd at this Diversity of Opinions since every one grounded his particular one upon Inspiration Now this is that which should have hinder'd them from being of different Opinions since assuredly God inspires not several Opinions about one and the same thing It is all one as if one should say that we ought not to be surpriz'd that of two Prophets one should say a thing shall happen and the other that it shall not happen because they both ground their Predictions upon Inspiration And indeed Mr. Simon corrects himself after a fashion by adding Or rather upon the Authority of the Scriptures and the Light which they had receiv'd from Religion If he understands by the Inspiration of the Apostles nothing but the Light which they had receiv'd from Religion why does he make all this ado since herein we agree with him He ought to tell us whether or no when the Apostles spoke by Inspiration they did any thing but express in their own way the Reasonings which God had put ready fram'd into their Minds If that be so how can we conceive that their Opinions should not be one and the same And if he inspir'd them not with the Reasonings they used then we cannot attribute Prophetic Inspiration to them since it is therein that Prophetic Inspiration consists It is very absurd therefore to believe that all the Reasonings the Apostles us'd in preaching the Gospel and all those we read in their Books were inspir'd For it is therein that the Inspiration of the Apostles is ordinarily conceiv'd to consist This is that uniform constant and ordinary Inspiration which Mr. Simon comprehends not because he never thought well upon it Nor indeed does he know what Opinion he is of Sometimes he speaks like the generality of Divines sometimes again he openly contradicts them as may be seen by the words I have cited He must study a little better this matter if he will have us answer him For it is very likely that for the most part he understands not himself I will give but one Example more of it It is that which he says concerning the Author of Ecclesiastes p. 138. For we need but read his words to find that the Prior of Bolleville minds not what he says The Author says he of this Work did not design ONLY to perswade Men to pass their Time in Pleasure To which may be added that Declamation being the proper Character of a Preacher it is no wonder to see him despise all the ordinary Business and Imployments of the World and to prefer an easy commodious Life before all the Troubles that attend a contrary Practice For which he is not to be censur'd as if he were an Epicure after the manner that Mr. N. here understands the Opinions of the Epicureans He would have done well to have told us of what sort of Epicurism the Author of the Ecclesiastes may be accus'd Objection 15. It is a great piece of Boldness to judg four Books of the Old Testament three that bear the Name of Solomon and that of Iob as unworthy to be in the Hebrew Canon That Liberty of censuring would weaken the Principles of our Religion For every one by the same Rule may say that such or such a Book is not Canonical according to his own fancy Answer Although we may reject some Books of the Old Testament it does not follow that we may do the same by all of them Neither does it follow because many Ancient and Modern Divines have thought it would have been better not to have joined with the Writings of the Apostles certain Books that are now in the Canon of the New Testament that therefore we may reject all the Books of the Apostles There are Books that are indisputably of those Authors whose Name they bear and there are others which have been questionable and are so still amongst the Learned as the Epistle to the Hebrews that of St. Iames the second of St. Peter the two last of St. Iohn and that of St. Iude. These Doubts hinder us not from
agreeing about the Gospels and St. Paul's Epistles nor from proving clearly that they are the Books of those whose Name they bear I know not why we may not doubt of some of the Books of the Old Testament as well as of some of those of the New and why ill Consequences should be drawn from their Opinions who doubt of some of the former when none is drawn from theirs that reject the latter The Canon of the Books of the New Testament ought to be of much greater importance with us than that of the Old It is a mistake that we ought to receive all or reject all It is not true that we ought to receive all It is less true that we ought to reject all But there is a mean betwixt these two Extreams Objection 16. But what will be said to these words of St. Paul 2 Tim. III. 16. All Scripture is of Divine Inspiration For they ought to be read in the vulgar Translation according to the Greek and also according to the ancient vulgar Omnis Scriptura divinitùs inspirata utilis whereas Mr. N. reads them Omnis Scriptura divinitùs inspirata utilis est The Verb est is not in the Greek but 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 which signifies Et is before utilis If this Verb be to be supply'd because it is often wanting in the Hebrew and the Syriac and consequently in the Greek of the New Testament it ought to be done in this manner Omnis Scriptura divinitùs inspirata est utilis Answer Mr. Simon 's Decrees are not without Appeal We maintain against him that this Passage may very well be thus translated All Scripture that is divinely inspir'd is also profitable for Instruction for Reproof c. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 c. So the vulgar translates it which Mr. Simon improperly corrects and which the Gentlemen of Port-Royal have judiciously follow'd St. Paul's Design favours this Version He tells Timothy that the holy Scriptures are able to make him wise unto Salvation to which he adds That all Scripture given by Inspiration of God is profitable for Doctrine for Reproof for Instruction in Righteousness that the Man of God may be perfect c. These words are a sort of Explanation of those foregoing where St. Paul sets down after what manner the holy Scriptures may instruct to Salvation There is a tacit opposition here between Holy Writ and certain prophane Studies As will easily appear if we go back a little higher to find the Thred of St. Paul's Discourse and observe the occasion of his saying That all Writ divinely inspir'd is profitable c. St. Paul describes in the beginning of the Chapter a sort of wicked People whom in the 5 th Verse he orders Timothy to avoid The Characters he marks them by suit very well to the Gnostics But it matters not of whom He speaks It suffices that we observe that they were Persons who boasted of teaching their Hearers many things witness those Women they had seduc'd which were always learning and never arriv'd to the knowledg of the Truth But the Apostle foretels their Seducement should not long continue He represents to Timothy that he had fully known his Doctrine his manner of Life and the Persecutions he had suffer'd in order to strengthen him by his Example He declares that the Good shall always be persecuted and that there shall still be Seducers and Persons seduced But Thou continues he be stedfast in the things thou hast learn'd and hast been assured of knowing from whom thou hast learn'd them and that from a Child thou hast known the holy Scriptures which are able to make thee wise unto Salvation through Faith in Iesus Christ. He opposes plainly the Study of the holy Scriptures to the Study of fabulous Doctrines which some Impostors then taught and whereof he complains in many places of his two Epistles to Timothy 1 Ep. Ch. 1. v. 4. Ch. 4. v. 7. 2 Ep. Ch. 4. v. 4. And as here he orders his dear Disciple to continue firm in those things he had learn'd and which he had been assur'd of he likewise ends his first Epistle with this Exhortation O Timothy keep that which is committed to thy Trust avoiding profane and vain bablings and opposition of Science falsly so called which some professing have err'd concerning the Faith And thus when he adds That all Scripture given by Inspiration c. It is as if he had said to Timothy That he ought to keep close as he had done hitherto to the study of the Old Testament which would instruct him sufficiently in the way to Salvation by joining thereunto Faith in Jesus Christ Because all Scripture inspir'd by God as is a great part of the Old Testament is profitable for Instruction Whereas if he apply'd himself to the false Science that some Impostors then boasted of he would cultivate Doctrines that would be proper for nothing but to raise Disputes instead of edifying as he had else-where told him By this it is evident that all this reasoning of St. Paul does in no wise suppose that all the Scripture of the Old Testament is inspir'd and that the Apostle pretends thereby only to intimate that the inspir'd Writings without fixing the number of them are more profitable than those that some Persons at that time boasted of Rivet had objected this Passage to Grotius against the Opinion of that incomparable Critic concerning the Inspiration of the sacred Books Let us see how Grotius answers him The place says he 2 Tim. Chap. 3. v. 16. has another signification than D. Rivet thinks For St. Paul says not All Writing is divinely inspir'd For how many are the Writings of human Invention Nor does he mean that all that is inspir'd is divinely inspir'd That would be trifling But this is his meaning All Scripture that is divinely inspir'd that is the Word of Prophecy as St. Peter stiles it 2 Ep. Chap. 1. v. 19. is not only useful in its own time to show God's Praescience and to give Authority to the Prophets but is moreover at all times profitable because it contains many standing Rules Reproofs of Vices Incitements to Righteousness c. This Sense was rightly observ'd by the Syriac Interpreter who thus renders it In the Scripture which is written by the Spirit there is profit in respect of Doctirne c. This Passage then of St. Paul proves nothing against me let Mr. Simon say what he pleases He seems not to understand Christian Religion throughly enough to treat of these matters These Sir are the principal Objetions that have been made to Mr. N. against his Essay concerning the Inspiration of the sacred Pen-Men You may judg whether he has solv'd the Difficulties propos'd or no. For my part I will not judg of that Question But this I dare boldly say that Mr. Simon is not the Man that will run him down and that the Answers you have now read are plausible enough
Advertisement BY THE TRANSLATOR TO THE READER FOR the better understanding of these five Letters it seems necessary in a few words to explain the Occasion and Subject of them They are not in French one distinct Volume as they are here made in English but a part of two larger Volumes written in an Epistolary Form The First entituled The Thoughts or Reflections of some Divines in Holland upon Father Simon 's Critical History of the Old Testament The Second A Defence of those Thoughts in Answer to the Prior of Bolleville who is supposed to be also the same Mr. Simon disguised under a borrowed Name The general Design that Mr. Simon drives at in the Critical History of the Old Testament as well as in that of the New which are now both of them published in English is to represent the many Difficulties that are amongst the Learned concerning the Text of the Scriptures and thereby to infer the necessity of receiving the Roman Doctrine of Oral Tradition This Design raised him many Antagonists amongst the Protestants beyond the Seas who have opposed him in their Writings each according to his different Genius or Principles The Book first above mentioned was one of the earliest of that kind and it 's Anonymous Author appears second to none either in Critical Learning or Solid Iudgment But it is not necessary to my purpose in this place to insist upon his particular differences with Mr. Simon in Points of Criticism This only in general is needful to be observed That though on the one side he sufficiently overthrows the pretended necessity of Oral Tradition and on the other side ingenuously acknowledges all the Difficulties that are amongst the Learned about the Text of the Scriptures yet he does not thereupon leave the Iudgment of his Reader in suspence about so weighty a matter but propounds a middle way which he conceives proper to settle in Mens Minds a just esteem of the Scriptures upon a solid Foundation The Scheme or System of this middle way he says he received from his Friend Mr. N. and therefore he gives it not in his own but in his Friend's words It is comprized in the Eleventh and Twelfth Letters of his foresaid Book And because That is a distinct Subject of it self and of more consequence to the generality of Christians than those nice Disputes of Criticism with which he is obliged in following Mr. Simon to fill up the rest of that Volume I have therefore thought fit to translate those two Letters into English They are the two First of these Five and are the Ground and Occasion of the rest The publishing of that Volume of Letters produced an Answer from Mr. Simon or the Prior of Bolleville as he calls himself and further gave opportunity to the Author to learn from several hands whatsoever was objected most materially by others against the fore-mentioned Scheme which he had published in his Friend's words This afforded him occasion in replying to the Prior of Bolleville to insert a further explanation and defence of that Scheme from the hand of the Author as also to justifie himself for having published it and in the last place to remove the great Popular Objection arising from a Iealousy lest that System of Mr. N's should prejudice the Foundation of the Christian Religion I say it prompted him to answer that Objection by giving a solid Demonstration of the Truth of our Religion without interessing it in this Controversy This is done in the Ninth Tenth and Eleventh Letters of his Second Book Entituled A Defence c. And they are the three last of these following Five I have translated them all that the Reader may at once have a full view both of Mr. N's Opinions concerning the Holy Scriptures in the fore-mentioned System of the Objections that have been made against it of the Answers he gives to those Objections and of the Vse that may be made of all in setling the Christian Religion upon a Basis not to be shaken by the Difficulties about the Scripture which the Learned are forced to acknowledg to be insuperable This is all that I think needful to premonish the Reader upon this Subject Only if in the perusal of the two first of these Letters any one should be apt to condemn me for publishing things of this nice concernment in our Language I intreat him to suspend his Censare till he have read the rest and as he goes along to apply unto me the Author's Apology Our Case is the same and I think he has said all that is needful upon it In a word We live in an Age of so much Light that it is not only now as at all times unbecoming the Dignity of such Sacred Truths as the Christian Religion teaches us to build them upon unsound Principles or defend them by Sophistical Arguments but it is also vain to attempt it because impossible to execute The Doctrine of Implicit Faith has lost its Vogue Every Man will judg for himself in matters that concern himself so nearly as these do And nothing is now admitted for Truth that is not built upon the Foundation of Solid Reason Let not therefore any simple-hearted pious Persons be scandalized at these Disquisitions They are not calculated for their Vse But they are absolutely needful for many others who are more Curious and less Religious And that they may be in some measure useful to the Propagation and Advancement of True Religion amongst such is the strong Hope and hearty Desire of the Translator THE FIRST LETTER YOU are desirous Sir that I should inform you more particularly about the thoughts of Mr. N. concerning the Inspiration of the Sacred Writers and you ask me if our Friends do not suspect him to be tainted with Deism He that gave me the Essay which I send you told me nothing of his other Opinions nor of his Manner of Life And for his Thoughts concerning that Divine Inspiration which the Sacred Pen-men received from God it is conceived that from thence he cannot be concluded to be a Deist It is presumed on the contrary without entring into the Examination of what he says that he believes by this Method he better answers the Objections which the Deists and Atheists have used to make against the Stile of Holy Scriptures And it appears by this Essay that he is far from being of their Opinions We ought not always to measure or judg of the extent of any Man's Thoughts in reference to Religion by the manner of his explaining or defending them as if all those who do not defend well their Religion were Men of ill Design that only seemingly defend in order to destroy it 'T is said that the impious Vannini designed to shew there is no God in making as if he would prove there is one But it does not follow from thence that all others do the same who defend or oppose weakly any Opinion Otherwise we must believe many Writers both Catholicks
and Protestants who injudiciously oppose the Opinions of their Adversaries and as ill defend their own to be guilty of ill Design If a Man would make an exact Catalogue of all the Catholick Authors who have made impertinent Answers to the Protestants and have used as impertinent Objections against them it would amount to several Volumes in Folio and the number of Protestant Authors who have succeeded no better would be little less Nevertheless I do not believe there is any Body so unjust as to pretend That the generality of those Authors on both sides have been Cheats who maintained what they did not Believe or opposed what they did You Sir have too much knowledg of the Frame and Constitution of Man's Mind to be ignorant that it is capable of believing in good earnest the most ridiculous things in the World and which is yet more astonishing of giving its Assent at the same time to two things directly opposite If you should on purpose invent the most ridiculous Religion imaginable there would be People found in Asia whose Opinions would not appear more rational You have read Mr. Bernier's Travels and the History of the Bramins What do you think of the Heathens of the great Mogul's Country and of those famous Indian Philosophers Do you think there is none among them that believes the monstrous Principles of their Theology For my part I am perswaded there are very few that see the absurdity of it You will say perhaps That those Nations are under a blindness which is next to down-right Foolishness and that the Europeans are not to be judged of by Indians But are there not in your Opinion some even among the Christians who believe things absurd and against all sort of appearance The Protestants at least do pass that censure upon many of the Roman Catholic Doctrines as Transubstantiation the Infallibility of the Pope or Council c. And the Catholicks are not wanting to make like reproaches to Protestants The Catholicks believe That many Units make more than a single one and do so much believe it that he would pass for a Fool amongst them as well as amongst other Christians that would undertake to deny it and nevertheless they believe that a Million of Humane Bodies separate from one another make but One. This is a visible Contradiction Yet you know this is their Opinion concerning the Body of Christ. There are some that assuredly believe That God is not the Author of Sin c. Who at the same time assert That he created Man with a Design to let him fall into Sin as a means to make his Justice Eminent in punishing the greatest part and his Mercy in pardoning some few It is evident that to say God ordered Sin should be on purpose to accomplish thereby his Ends is to make him the Author of it But this is the frailty of Man's Mind he sees not these Contradictions because he has been so long accustomed to shut his Eyes when they are presented to him A Man may then not only defend an ill Opinion that he believes but also believe things absurd and even contrary to one another without being aware And that 's the Reason our Friends suspect not Mr. N. to be a Deist though some may think his Opinions favour those that are so called But that you may be able to judg I send you here an abridgment of what he says which one of my Friends imparted to me a while ago There are says Mr. N. three sorts of things in Holy Writ Prophecies Histories and Doctrines which are not ascribed to particular Revelation To begin with the First God made himself known to the Prophets after several manners but it seems as if they might be reduced to these three They had Visions by Day or by Night they heard Voices or they were inwardly Inspired It is not our business here to examine these things in themselves We only enquire after what manner they have written that which they learnt by these Visions bythese Voices or by these Inspirations Prophecies have been written by God's express Command by the Prophets themselves or by others For we cannot tell whether the Prophets themselves have always Written or Dictated them or whether their Disciples have Collected and Written them as exactly as their memory would serve However it be we cannot doubt but God made known to the Prophets that which we find in their Books and that we ought to believe St. Peter when he says Prophecy came not in old time by the Will of Man but holy Men of God spake as they were moved by the Holy Ghost To tell us that which appeared to them in Visions whether it be they themselves that writ it or others that heard them tell it there needed nothing but a good memory A Man has no need of inspiration to relate faithfully what he has seen especially when the impression it made upon him was strong as commonly happen'd to those to whom God sent any Vision Hence it is observed that every Prophet has his particular Stile by which it appears that they related what they had seen as they used to relate other things Their Stile was the same when they spake by the Order of God with that which they us'd in their ordinary Discourse The same Judgment is to be made concerning the recital of the words they heard There needed no more but a good Memory to retain them But we cannot be Assured that they have always recited exactly the very words they heard and not sometimes thought it sufficient only to tell us the sense When God told them the Name of some Person it was necessary they should retain the Syllables of that Name as when God ordered Isaiah to foretel that Cyrus should give the Jews liberty to return into Palestine it behoved Isaiah to remember those two Syllables Co-res But there is no likelihood that in the rest of his Discourse Isaiah has related word for word what he heard The diversity of Stile does moreover prove that the Prophets expressed after their own manner the sense of what they heard There is for example much difference between the Stiles of Isaiah and Amos. Isaiah's manner of writing is high and lofty On the contrary that of Amos is low and vulgar and we find in it divers popular Expressions and many Proverbs which sufficiently testify that this Prophet who was a Shepherd expressed after his own way what God had said to him This is the Opinion of St. Ierom in the Preface of his Commentary on this Prophet The Prophet Amos saith he was skilled in Knowledg not in Language for the same Holy Spirit spoke in him that spoke by all the Prophets This Doctrine attributes clearly the expression to the Prophets and the thing it self to the Holy Spirit which appears also by the Remark he makes on Chap. III. saying We told you that he uses the Terms of his own Profession and because a
of mine and shall shew it unto you All things that the Father hath are mine therefore said I that he shall take of mine and shew it unto you What Opinion soever a Man may be of concerning the Holy Spirit it is plain that these words cannot be taken properly as if the Holy Spirit had heard from God or Jesus Christ that with which he ought to inspire the Apostles The most simple sense and most conformable to the accomplishment of this Promise which can be given to these words is to my thinking this I should explain many things to you more clearly than I have done but you are not yet in condition to receive them as you should When you shall have received the Spirit of Miracles he will teach you the rest that you ought to know either by Visions or by making you call to mind that which I have told you so that he will make you apprehend the sense and will teach you what you ought to do afterwards To speak properly he will tell you nothing new he will but recal into your memory to make you better understand it the Doctrine of my Father which is the same that I have taught you and which I may also call my Doctrine because my Father has charg'd me to preach it as the only Doctor of his Church The Holy Spirit led the Apostles into all Truths and took that which was Christ's without ever speaking of himself in making them call to mind that which they had forgotten and in making them understand on divers occasions or even by extraordinary Revelations that which Christ had said to them but which they then understood not This is plainly that which Christ teaches us in these words These things have I spoken unto you being yet present with you But the Comforter which is the Holy Ghost whom the Father will send in my Name he shall teach you ALL THINGS AND BRING ALL THINGS TO YOUR REMEMBRANCE WHATSOEVER I HAVE SAID UNTO YOU Iohn XIV 25 These last words apparently explain the foregoing He shall teach you all Things In effect there is nothing in the Doctrine of the Apostles which Christ had not told them and in leaving them he gave them no other order for the preaching of the Gospel but to teach all People to observe all those things which he had commanded them And the Apostles observe in several places that it was not till after they had received the Holy Spirit that they remember'd and understood divers things which Christ had told them when he was here below These things understood not the Disciples at the first says St. Ioh. XII 16. but when Iesus was enter'd into his Glory then remember'd they that these things were written of him See the same Evangelist II. 22. and Acts XI 16. This is in my Opinion the sense of Christ's words at least I find nothing among the Interpreters that answers so well to the Event which thorowly convinces me that Christ must have meant some such thing For when all 's done whatsoever may be said the Promise ought to be understood by its correspondency with the Accomplishment and there is no better Interpreter of Prophecies than their execution This being so the Infallibility of the Apostles according to my judgment consisted in this They knew clearly the general Principles of the Jewish Religion which had been taught them from their Cradle they had heard Christ often tell what the Gospel added to Judaism or if you will Christ had explain'd to them more clearly the Will of God and had shown them the Errors of the Pharisees He had instructed them concerning the Messiah and had made appear to them by many Proofs that himself was HE God had rais'd him from the Dead and they had convers'd with him after his Resurrection and in the last place they had seen him ascend into Heaven from whence he assur'd them he would come one Day to judg the Quick and the Dead They preach'd faithfully that which they had heard that which they had seen with their Eyes that which they had observ'd with attention and that which they had touch'd with their Hands They could declare without any mistake what they had seen they could preach what they had heard For the Doctrine of Jesus Christ was compris'd in a few Articles plain enough to be understood and consequently easy to be remembered Thus they related infallibly what they had seen and heard and therein it is that their Infallibility consisted Perhaps also the Spirit of Miracles which Christ sent them strengthned their Memories and open'd their Minds after a manner we comprehend not But it is certain as I have made it appear that this Spirit directed them not in so miraculous a manner as to make it necessary for us to regard all they said or writ with the same respect as the words of Jesus Christ the only Master and the only infallible Doctor that ever was amongst Men. He was the only Mystical Ark in which the Godhead dwelt bodily from whence proceeded nothing but Oracles Some may ask perhaps Whether it might not so happen that the Apostles might abandon the Truth of the Gospel and preach a false Doctrine and if it might be so how we can be assur'd that they were not Deceivers I confess that though it was very unlikely that after having receiv'd so many Illuminations and Graces they should fall into Apostacy yet it was not absolutely impossible But in that case God would not have approv'd by Miracles the Doctrine they taught and thereby it is that we may know they were no Seducers There crept in during their Time many false Prophets among the Christians but they were presently discover'd because they could not maintain by Miracles a Doctrine contrary to that of the Apostles which was confirm'd by an infinity of Wonders God made appear by those Prodigies that the Apostles declar'd nothing but what was conformable to his Will nor any thing that could be hurtful to Piety for it is impossible that God would favour a Doctrine which should turn Men from Holiness But we must not believe neither as I have already observ'd that because God wrought Miracles in favour of any Person it therefore follows that all things pronounced by that Person were immediately inspir'd and ought to be receiv'd as the infallible Decisions of him that never errs Provided that Person maintained the Substance of the Gospel and said nothing but what conduced to Piety God would not cease to bear Witness to his Doctrine although all his Reasonings were not Demonstrations God would not that this Mark of his Approbation should be interpreted as if he had thereby declared that he would have all the Words of those that had miraculous Gifts receiv'd as Oracles To be fully convinc'd hereof we need but read the first Epistle to the Corinthians I must nevertheless ingenuously confess that there is mention made in this Epistle of some miraculous Gifts which seem to have