of It destroys the pretensions of both I COME now IV. to the Inferences that may be raised from the whole 1. Reason is certain and inâ—… This follows from the state I gave of the Nature and notion of Reason in the beginning It consists in First Principles and the Conclusions that are raised from them and the observations of sense Now first Principles are certain or nothing can be so for every pâ—…ssible Conclusion must be drawn from those or by their help and every Article of Faith supposeth them And for the Propositions that arise from those certain Principles they are certain likewise For nothing can follow from truth but truth in the longest series of deduction If error creep in there is ill consequence in the case And the sort of Conclusions that arise from the observations of sense if the sense be rightly circumstantiated and the inference rightly made are certain also For if our senses in all their due circumstances deceive us All is a delusion and we are sure of nothing But we know that first Principles are certain and that our senses do not deceive us because God that bestowed them upon us is true and good And we are as much assured that whatever we duely conclude from either of them is as certain because whatever is drawn from any Principle was vertually contained in it 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 That Reason is in a sense the Word of God viz. that which he hath written upon our minds and hearts as Scripture is that which is written in a Book The former is the Word whereby he hath spoken to all Mankind the latter is that whereby he hath declared his Will to the Church and his peculiar people Reason is that Candle of the Lord of which Solomon speaks Prov. 20. 27. That light whereby Christ hath enlightned every one that cometh into the world John 1. 9. And that Law whereby the Consciences of the Heathen either accuse or excuse one another Rom. 2. 15. So that Hiâ—…rocles spoke well when he said 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 To be perswaded by God and right Reason is one and the same thing And Luther called Philosophy within its own bounds The Truth of God 3. The belief of our Reasons is an exercise of Faith and Faith is an act of Reason The former part is clear from the last particular and we believe our Reasons because we have them from God who cannot mistake and will not deceive So that relying on them in things clearly perceived is trust in Gods veracity and goodness and that is an exercise of Faith Thus Luke 12. The not belief of Reason that suggests from Gods cloathing the Lillies that He will provide for us is made by our Saviour a defect of Faith vers 28. O ye of little Faith And for the other part that Faith is an act of Reason that is evident also For 'T is the highest Reason to believe in God revealing 4. No Principle of Reason contradâ—…ts any Articles of Faith This follows upon the whole Faith befriends Reason and Reason serves Religion and therefore They cannot clash They are both certain both the truths of God and one truth doth not interfere with another 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 saith Aristotle Truth agrees with all things that are Whatsoever contradicts Faith is opposite to Reason for 't is a fundamental Principle of that That God is to be believed Indeed sometimes there is a seeming contradiction between them But then either something is taken for Faith that is but Phansie or something for Reason that is but Sophistry or the supposed contradiction is an error and mistake 5. When any thing is pretended from Reason against any Article of Faith we ought not to cut the knot by denying Reason but endeavour to untye it by answering the Argument and 't is certain it may be fairly answered For all Hereticks argue either from false Principles or fallacioâ—…ly conclude from true ones So that our Faith is to be defended not by declaiming against Reason in such a case which strengthens the enemy and to the great prejudice of Religion allows Reason on his side But we must endeavour to defend it either by discovering the falshood of the Principles he useth in the name of Reason or the ill consequence which he calls proof 6. When any thing is offered us for an Article of Faith that seems to contradict Reason we ought to see that there be good cause to believe that this is divinely revealed and in the sense propounded If it be we may be assured from the former Aphorisms that the contradiction is but an appearance and it may be discovered to be so But if the contradiction be real This can be no Article of Revelation or the Revelation hath not this sense For God cannot be the Author of Contradictions and we have seen that Reason as well as Faith is his I mean the Principles of Natural Truth as well as those of Revelation 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 saith Aristotle Truth is throughout contrary to falshood and what is true in Divinity cannot be false in Reason 'T is said indeed in the Talmud If two Rabbins disfer in Contradictories yet both have thâ—…ir Opinions from Moses and from God But we are not obliged to such a non-sensiâ—…al kind of Faith And ought not to receive any thing aâ—… an Article in a sense that palpably contradicts Reason no more than we may receive any in a sense that contradicts other Scriptures Faith and Reason accord as well as the Old Iestament and the New and the Analogy of Reason is to be â—…ded also because even that iâ—… Divine and Sacred 7. There is nothing that God hath revealed to oblige our Faith but he hath given us reason to believe that he hath revealed it For though the thing be never so clearly told me If I have not reason to think that God is the Revealer of what is so declared I am not bound to believe except there be evidence in the thing it self For 't is not Faith but vain credulity to believe every thing that pretends to be from God So that we ought to ask our selves a Reason why we believe the Scripture to be the Revelation of Gods Will and ought not to assent to any sense put upon it till we have ground to think that that sense is his mind I say we must have ground either from our particular Reasons or the Authority of the Church otherwise our Faith is vain credulity and not Faith in God 8. A man may hold an erroneous opinion from a mistaken sense of Scripture and deny what is the truth of the proposition and what is the right meaning of the Text and yet not erre in Faith For Faith is belief of God revealing And if God have not so revealed this or that as to give us certain ground to believe this to be his sense he hath not sufficiently revealed it to oblige our Faith So that though I deny such or such a sense while
sit to take notice of because I doubt some may be misled into an undue opinion of those excellent Persons and others of their way by finding their names among those of an abhorred Character in an Author of so much note I say 't is for this reason I have given this hint and not out of any humour of opposing or carping at that worthy Man No I think he is to be honoured much for his stout rational and successful oppositions of the mischievous Antinomian â—…ollies when the current Systematick Divinity then called Orthodox was over-grown with them for his frequent asserting and vindicating the Reasonableness of Religion against the madness of spreading Enthusiasm for his earnest endeavours for the promotion of peace and universal charity when 't was held a great crime not to be â—…ierce in the way of a Sect For his quick piercing and serious practical Writings I say I judge the Author the slip of whose Pen in a thing relating to my Subject I have noted to be a person worthy of great respect and I can scarce forbear affirming concerning him as a learned Doctor of our Church did That he was the only man that spoke sense in an age of non-sense He meant the only man that was reckoned among the people of those times with the madness of which he contested But I am digress'd The business of this Section hath been to shew that the charge of Atheism against the Real Philoâ—…ophy is a gross and groundless slander and I hope I have made good what I undertook SECT III. BUT 2. 't is alledg'd by some That Philosophy disposeth 〈◊〉 to despise the Scriptures or at least to neglect the study of them and upon that account is to be exploded among Christians To which I say That Philosophy is the knowledge of Gods works and there is nothing in Gods Works that is contrary to his Word and how then should the study of the one incline men to despise the other Certainly had there been any such impious tendency in searching into Gods Works to the lessening of our value of the Scriptures The Scripture it self would never have recommended this so much unto us as we have seen it doth Yea indeed this is so far from being â—…rue that on the contrary the knowledge of Gods Works tends in its proper nature to dispose men to love and veneration of the Scriptures For by converse with Nature we are made sensible of the Power Wisdom and Goodness of God fresh instances of which we shall still find in all things And 't is one great design of the Scripture to promote the Glory of these Attributes How then can he that is much affected with them chuse but love and esteem those holy Records which so gloriously illustrate the perfections which he admires Besides by inquiry into Gods Works we discover continually how little we can comprehend of his ways and managements and he that is sensible of this will find himself more inclined to reverence the declarations of his Word though they are beyond his reach and though he cannot fathom those Mysteries he is required to believe Such a disposition is necessary for the securing our reverence to the Divine Oracles and Philosophy promotes it much So that though 't is like enough there may be those that pretend to Philosophy who have less veneration and respect for the Scripture than they ought yet that impious disesteem of those sacred Writings is no effect of their Philosophy but of their corrupt and evil inclinations And to remove the scandal brought upon natural wisdom by those Pretenders it may be observed that none are more earnest or moâ—… â—…requent in the prooâ—… and recommendation of the Authority of Scripture than those of Philosophiâ—…al inclination and genius who by their publick capacity and profession have the best opportunities to give testimony to the honour of that Divine Book And besides the many Sermons that are continually preach't but no further publish't by the Divines that are disposed to this sort of knowledge I may for instance mention the excellent performanof those incomparable Philosophers the present most learned Bishop of Sarum and the deservedly famous Mr. Boyle the former in the Essay before mentioned and in a late â—…lose smart and judicious Sermon agâ—…inst the Antiscripturists and in another annext against Infidelity newly Printed hath with great perspicuity strength and demonstrative order refuted and shamed the pretensions of the Inâ—… and roundly proved the Divine Authority of the Holy Volume And the other excellent Philosopher Mr. Boyle in a most elegant and learned Discourse concerning the Style of Scripture hath vindicated those inspired Writings from the cavils and exceptions of the nice Wits of men of corrupt minds which performances of these two deep and pious Inquirers into Gods Works may with better reason be pleaded for the Piety of Philosophy in reference to the Scriptures then the irreverences of any that pretend to natural wisdom can be alledged against it SECT IV. BUT to justifie the imputation of the disservice Philosophy doth Religion and the Scriptures it may by some be pleaded That Philosophy viz. that which is called the new teacheth Doctrines that are contrary to the Word of God or at least such as we have no ground from Scripture to believe as for instance that the Earth moves and that the Moon is of a terrestrial nature and habitable which opinions are supposed to be impious and Antiscriptural In return to this Objection I say 1. In the general That 't is true indeed that Philosophy teacheth many things which are not revealed in Scripture for this was not intended to instruct men in the affairs of Nature but its design is to direct Mankind and even those of the plainest understandings in life and manners to propose to us the way of Happiness and the principles that are necessary to guide us in it with the several motives and incouragements that are proper to excite our endeavours and to bear them up against all difficulties and temptations This I say was the chief design of that Divine Book and therefore 't is accommodated in the main to the most ordinary capacities and speaks after our manner and suitably to sense and vulgar conception Thus we â—…ind that the Clouds are called Heaven the Moon one of the greater Lights and the Stars mentioned as less considerable and the Stars also Gen. 1. We read of the going down of the Sun and of the ends of the Earth and of the Heavers and divers other such expressions are in the Scriptures which plainly intimate unto us That they do not concern themselves to recâ—… the mistakes of the vulgar in Philosophical Theories but comply with their infirmities and speak according as they can understand So that 2. No Tenent in Philosophy ought to be condemned and exploded because there may be some occasional sayings in the Divine Oracles which seem not to comport with it And therefore the Problems mentioned concerning
the Motion of the Earth and terrestrial Nature of the Moon ought to be left to the Disquisitions of Philosophy The Word of God determines nothing about them for those expressions concerning the running of the Sun and its standing still may very well be interpreted as spoken by way of accommodation to sense and common apprehension as 't is certain that those of its going down and running from one end of the Heavens to the other and numerous resembling sayings are so to be understood And when 't is else where said That the foundations of the Earth are so fixt that it cannot be moved at any time or to that purpose 'T is supposed by Learned men that nothing else is meant than this That the Earth cannot be moved from its Centre which is no prejudice to the opinion of its being moved upon it And for the other Hypothesis of the Moon 's being a kind of Earth the Scripture hath said nothing of it on either hand nor can its silence be argumentative here since we know That all Mankind believes many things of which there is no mention there As that there are such places as China and America That the Magnet attracts Iron and directs to the North and that the Sea hath the motion of Flux and Reflux with ten thousand such other things discovered by Experience of which there is not the least hint in the Sacred Volume And are not these to be believed till they can be proved from Scripture this is ridiculously to abuse the Holy Oracles and to extend them beyond their proper business and design And to argue against this supposal as some do by Queries What men are in that other Earth whether fallen and how saved is very childish and absurd He that holds the opinion may confess his ignorance in all these things without any prejudice to his Hypothesis of the Moon 's being habitable or the supposal of its being actually inhabited For that may be though no living man can tell the nature and condition of those Creatures But for my part I assert neither of these Paradoxes only I have thought fit to speak thus briefly about them that they may be leâ—… to the freedom of Philosophical Inquiry for the Scripture is not concerned in such Queries And yet besides this which might suffice to vindicate the Neoterick Methods of Philosophy from the charge of being injurious to the Scripture in such instances I adde 3. The â—…ree experimental Philosophy which I recommend doth not affirm eâ—…er of those feared propositions For neither of them have so much evidence as to warrant peremptory and dogmatical assertions And therefore though perhaps some of those Philosophers think that they have great degrees of probability and so are sit for Philosophical consideration Yet there are none that I know that determine they are certainties and positive Truths 'T is contrary to the genius of their way to do so And on the other hand 't is a very obnoxious folly to conclude That those opinions are false when no one can be certain that they are so But whether the one or the other be said Religion and the Scriptures are not at all concerned Thus briefly of the slanders that are aâ—…t upon Philosophy viz. of its Tendency to Atheism and disparagement of the Scriptures The other lesser ones are answered in the discussion of these CHAP. VIII Other Objections against Philosophy answered viz. That there is too much Curiosity in those Inquiries That the Apostle gives a Caveat against it That the First Preachers of the Gospel knew little or nothing of it A brief Recital of some of the Holy Men who are recorded in Scripture to have had skill in several parts of Philosophy SECT I. BUT besides those slanderous imputations there are some little vulgar plausibilities pretended against it also It would be endless to recount all of them The chief are these that follow I. There is too much curiosity in those inquiries and S. Paul desired to know nothing but Christ and him crucified To which I answer That what is blameable curiosity in things not worth our pains or forbidden our scrutiny is Duty and laudable endeavour in matters that are weighty and permitted to our search So that nothing can be fastned upon the Philosophical Inquisitions into Nature on this account till it be first proved That a ' diligent observance of Gods Goodness and Wisdom in his Works in order to the using them to his glory and the benefit of the world is either prohibited or impertinent There is indeed such a depth in nature that it is never like to be throughly fathomed and such a darkness upon some of Gods Works that they will not in this world be found out to perfection But however we are not kept oâ—…f by any expressness of prohibition Nature is no Holy Mount that ought not to be touched yea we are commanded To search after wisdom and particularly after this when we are so frequently called upon to celebrate our Creator for his Works and are encouraged by the success of many that have gone before For many shall go to and fro and science shall be increased So that our inquiries into Nature are not forbidden and he that saith they are frivolous and of no use when the Art of the Omniscient is the object and his glory the good of men the end asperseth both the Creator and the Creature and contradicts his duty to both As for the latter clause of the Objection which urgeth that speech of S. Paul of his desiring to know nothing but Christ and him crucified 1 Cor. II. 2 I return to it That he that shall duely consider the discourse of the Apostle in the verse before and those that succeed will perceive That in this expression he only slights the affected eloquence of the Orators and Rhetoricians He spoke in plainness and simplicity and not in those inticing words of mans wisdom which he desired either not to know at all or not in comparison with the plain Doctrines of the Gospel Or if any should take the words in the largest sense then all sorts of humane Learning and all Arts and Trades are set at nought by the Apostle And if so the meaning can be no more than this That he preferred the knowledge of Christ before these For 't is ridiculous to think that he absolutely slighted all other Science The knowledge of Christ is indeed the chiefest and most valuable wisdom but the knowledge of the Works of God hath hath its place also and ought not quite to be excluded and despised Or if Philosophy be to be slighted by this Text all other knowledge whatsoever must undergo the same Fate with it But it will be urged SECT II. II. THat there is a particular caution given by the Apostle against Philosophy Col. II. 8. Beware lest any one spoil you through Philosophy To this I have said elsewhere That the Apostle there means either the pretended knowledge of the
Glory of God and the Firmament sheweth his handy works And again Psal. 14. 8. 3. Praise him Sun and Moon praise him ye Stars and Light which intimates that these Works of his afford matter to our reasons for religious acknowledgments And Reason proves the existence of God from the beauty and order and ends and usefulness of the Creatures for these are demonstrative Arguments of the being of a wise and omnipotent mind that hath framed all things so orderly and exactly and that mind is God This Article then Reason proves which was the first branch of the particular and I add that it is Reason only that can do it which was the other This you will see when you consider that there are but three things from whence the existence of any Being can be concluded viz. Sense Revelation or Reason For Sense it hath no more to do here but to present matter for our Reasons to work on and Revelation supposeth the Being of a God and cannot prove it for we can have no security that the Revelation is true till we are assured it is from God or from some Commissioned by him The knowledge of his Being therefore must precede our Faith in Revelation and so cannot be deduced from it Thus Reason befriends Religion by laying its corner stone And the next to this is the other Principle mentioned II. The Divine Authority of Scripture This also is to be proved by Reason and only by It. The great Argument for the truth of Scripture is the Testimony of the Spirit in the Miracles wrought by Christ and his Apostles Our Saviour himself useth this Argument to gain credit to his Doctrines Believe me for the works sake The works that I do bear testimony of me and if I had not done among them the works that no other man did they had had no sin Joh. XV. 24. And the Apostles continually urge that great Miracle the Resurrection of Christ from the dead for the conviction both of the Jews and Gentiles That he was the Son of God and his Doctrines true Now Miracles are an Argument to our Reasons and we reason from them thus Miracles are Gods Seal and they are wrought by his Power and He is true and good and would not lend these to Impostors to cheat and abuse mankind Therefore whoever works real Miracles for the confirmation of any Doctrine it is to be believed that He is taught of God and Commissioned to teach us And that Christ and his Apostles did those things which are recorded of them is matter of Testimony and Reason clears the validity of this by the aggregation of multitudes of Circumstances which shew that the first Relators could not be deceived themselves and would not deceive us nor indeed could in the main matters if they had designed it And the certainty of the conveyance of these things to us is evinced also by numerous convictive Reasons So that the matter of fact is secure and that such Doctrines were taught as are ascribed to those divine persons and those persons inspired that penned them are proved the same way And so it follows from the whole that the Gospel is the Word of God and the Old Testament is confirmed by that Thus Reason proves the Divine Authority of Scripture and those other Arguments that use to be produced for it from Its style and Its influence upon the Souls of men from the excellency of its design and the Providence of God in preserving it are of the same sort though not of the same strength Reason then proves the Scriptures and this only For that they are from God is not knâ—…wn immediately by sense and there is no distinct Revelation that is certain and infallible to assure us of it and so Reason only remains to deâ—…onstrate this other Fundamental Article These two great Truths The existence of God and Authority of Scripture are the first in our Religion and they are Conclusions of Reason and Foundations of Faith Thus briefly of those Principles of Religion that are Fundamentally such We have seen how Reason serves them by demonstrating their Truth and certainty I COME now to the SECOND sort of Principles viz. those that are formally so They are of two sorts mixt and pure The mixt are those that are discovered by Reason and declared by Revelation also and so are Principles both of Reason and Faith Of this kind are the Attributes of God Moral good and evil and the Immortality of humane Souls The Principles of pure Faith are such as are known only by Divine Testimony as the Miraculous Conception the Incarnation and the Trinity The first sort Reason proves as well as Scripture this I shew briefly in the alledged instances 1. That the Divine Attributes are revealed in the Holy Oracles 't is clear and they are deduced from Reason also For 't is a general Principle of all Mankind That God is a Being absolutely perfect And hence Reason concludes all the particular Attributes of his Being since Wisdom Goodness Power and the rest are perfections and imply nothing of imperfection or defect and therefore ought to be ascribed to the infinitely perfect Essence 2. That there is moral good and evil is discoverable by Reason as well as Scripture For these are Reasons Maxims That every thing is made for an end and every thing is directed to its end by certain Rules these Rules in Creatures of understanding and choice are Laws and the transgressing these is Vice and Sin 3. The Immortality of our Souls is plain in Scripture and Reason proves it by shewing the Spirituality of our natures and that it doth from the nature of Sense and our perception of spiritual Beings and Universals Of Logical Metaphysical and Mathematical Notions From our compounding Propositions and drawing Conclusions from them From the vastness and quickness of our Imaginations and Liberty of our Wills all which are beyond the powers of matter and therefore argue a Being that is spiritual and consequently immortal which inference the Philosophy of Spirits proves Also the Moral Arguments of Reason from the goodness of God and his Justice in distributing rewards and punishments the nature of virtue and tendencies of religious appetites conclude I think strongly That there is a life after this Thus in short of the Principles I called mixt which Reason demonstrates BUT for the others viz. II. Those of pure Revelation Reason cannot prove them immediately nor is it to be expected that it should For they are matters of Testimony and we are no more to look for immediate proof from Reason of those things than we are to expect that abstracted Reason should demonstrate That there is such a place as China or that there was such a man as Julius Caesar All that it can do here is to assert and make good the credibility and truth of the Testimonies that relate such matters and that it doth in the present case proving the Authority of Scripture and thereby in a