Miracles do sufficiently prove the Authority of that Doctrin which was delivered by those who wrought Miracles as Christ and his Apostles 2. If there had been the least ground to question the Truth and Authority of these Writings they had never been so universally received in those Ages when so many were concerned to enquire into the Truth of these things for we see several of the Books were a long time examined and at last when no sufficient reason could be brought against them they were received by those Churches which at first scrupled the receiving them And I am so far from thinking the doubts of the first Ages any Argument against the Authority of a Book that by the objections of some against some of them I am thereby assured that they did not presently receive any Book because it went under the name of an Apostolical Writing As I am the more confirmed in the belief of the Resurrection of Christ because some of the Disciples were at first very doubtful about it 6. You may yet ask What doth all this signifie to the Writings of the Old Testament which were written at a longer distance of Time from us and in a more Ignorant Age of of the World Answ. There cannot be a more evident proof of the Old Testament than by the New For if the New be true the Old must be so which was confirmed so plainly and evidently by it our Saviour and his Apostles appealing to Moses and the Prophets on all occasions So that the same Miracles which prove their Testimony true do at the same time prove the Divine Authority of the Old Testament since it is so expresly said in the New That Holy Men of God did speak as they were moved by the Holy Ghost But after all this You urge that you have discover'd such things in these Writings as could not come from God as 1. Contradictions in them 2. Something 's inconsistent with the Wisdom of God 3. Promises made that were never fulfilled 4. Things so obscure as no one can tell the meaning of them Under these four Heads I shall examin the particular allegations you bring against the Scriptures 1. Under the head of Contradictions you insist on the Prophecy Gen. 15. 13 14 15 16. made to Abraham concerning his Posterity compared with the Accomplishment mentioned Exod. 12. 40. 41. And the force of your Argument lyes in this That the Prophecy in Genesis doth imply that the Servitude of the Children of Israel in Egypt was to be 40 Years or 430 saith Exod. but both these are repugnant to other places of Scripture which make their abode in Egypt not to exceed 215 Years or at the highest by the number of Generations could not exceed 350 Years stretching them to the utmost advantage To this which you lay so much weight upon I Answer distinctly 1. By your own confession supposing the 430 Years to begin from the Covenant made with Abraham the accomplishment mentioned Exod. 12. 40. doth fall out exactly in the time of the Children of Israels going out of Egypt for you have proved from Scripture that from the Covenant with Abraham to Jacobs being in Egypt were 215 Years to which you add that Coath being supposed 5 Years Old at the going into Egypt and that at 70 Years he Begat Amram and that Amram at at 70 Begat Moses to which Moses his 80 Years being added makes up the other 215 Years whereby we have the full 430 Years by your own computation Now Sir I pray consider what reason you have to charge the Scripture with contradiction in a Matter your self acknowledges so exactly accomplished in this way of computation 2. But you say the Words will not bear this because they speak of the 400 Years to expire in their Servitude in Egypt Answ. For this we must consider the importance of the Words both in Genesis and Exodus There is not a Word of Egypt mentioned in Genesis but only in general it is said Thy Seed shall be a Stranger in the Land that is not theirs and shall serve them and they shall afflict them 400 Years and it will conduce very much to the right understanding this Prophecy to consider the main scope and design of it which was not to tell Abraham how long they should be in servitude to the Egyptians but how long it would be before his Seed should come to the possession of the promised Land And it seems Abraham by the Question Gen. 15. 7. 8. did expect to have the Inheritance of this Land in his own time To this therefore God Answers by telling him he meant no such thing but it was intended for his Seed and that not suddenly neither for they were to tarry till the iniquity of the Amorites should be full which would not be till the fourth Generation and then his Seed should after 400 Years come to the Possession of the Promised Land but in the mean time they were to Sojourn in a Land that was not theirs and to meet with many hardships and difficulties This is plainly the scope of this prophecy and by attending to it the great Objections presently appear without force for the Land of Canaan notwithstanding the Promise was by the Patriarchs themselves looked on as a Land wherein they were Strangers So Abraham saith Gen. 23. 4. I am a Stranger and a Sojourner with you and which is more remarkable in the blessing of Jacob by Isaac to whom the Promise was made it is said And give thee the Blessing of Abraham to thee and to thy Seed that thou mayest inherit the Land wherein thou art a Stranger which God gave unto Abraham Gen. 28. 4. Where the very same Word is used concerning Jacob that is expressed in the Prophecy Gen. 15. 13. So that the Patriarchs looked on themselves as Strangers in the Land of Canaan so long after the promise made and after the increase of the Seed of Abraham And therefore the land of Canaan was called Terra Peregrinationum the Land wherein they were strangers Gen. 36. 7. 37. 1. And when God was calling the People of Israel together out of Egypt yet then the Land of Canaan was called by the very same title the Land of their Pilgrimage wherein they were strangers Exod. 6. 4. And Ps. 105. 9 10 11 12 13. where we have a full account of the Promise made to Abraham Isaac and Jacob concerning the inheritance of that Land it is said that they were few and strangers in it when they went from one Nation to another from one Kingdom to another People Which doth fully explain the meaning of the Prophecy in Genesis and that it is not to be restrained to the servitude of the People of Israel in Egypt but to be understood of their state of Pilgrimage for 400 Years wherein they were to suffer great hardships before they should come to the Inheritance of Canaan This is no forced or unnatural exposition of the Words as you seem to suggest
he may be trusted or no and for this he can expect no better satisfaction than that his History hath been in great reputation for its integrity among the most knowing Persons but how shall he be sure this was the History written by Thucydides since there have been many counterfeit Writings obtruded upon the World Besides the consent of learned Men in all Ages since we may compare the Testimonies cited out of it with the History we have and the Style with the Character given of Thucydides and the Narrations with other credible Histories of those Times and if all these agree what reason can there be not to rely upon the History of Thucydides All learned Men do acknowledge that there have been multitudes of fictitious writings but do they therefore question whether there are any genuine Or whether we have not the true Herodotus Strabo or Pausanias because there is a counterfeit Berosus Manetho and Philo set forth by Annius of Viterbo Do any suspect whether we have any of the genuin Works of Cicero because an Italian counterfeited a Book De Consolatione in his name Or whether Caesars Commentaries were his own because it is uncertain who Writ the Alexandrian War that is joyned with them By which we see that we may not only be certain of the Fidelity of Persons we converse with but of all things necessary to ouâ— belief of what was done at a great distance of time from thâ— Testimony of Writers notwithstanding the many supposititious Writings that have been in the World But it may be said That all this only relates to meer matters of History wherein a Man is not muâ—h concerned whether they be true or false but the things we are about are matters that Mens Salvation or Damnation are â—id to depend upon and therefore â—reater evidence should be given of these to oblige Men to believe them To this I answer 1. That â—â—y design herein was to prove â—hat notwithstanding the possibility of deception there may be sufficient ground for a prudent and firm assent to the Truth of things done at as great a distance of time and convey'd after the same manner that the Matters of Fact reported in the New Testament are and hereby those general prejudices are shewed to be unreasonable And all that I desire from this discourse is that you would give an assent of the same nature to the History of the Gospel that you do to Caesar or Livy or Tacitus or any other ancient Historian 2. As to the greater obligation to assent â— say it depends upon the evidence of Divine Revelation which iâ— given by the Matters of Facâ— which are delivered to us Anâ— here give me leave to ask you 1. Whether it be any ways repugnant to any conception you have of God for him to make use of fallible Men to make known his Will to the World 2. Whether those Men though supposed to be in themselves fallible can either deceive or be deceived when God makeâ— known his Mind to them 3. Whether on supposition that God hath made use of such Persons for this end those are not obliged to believe them who do not live in the same Age with them If not then God must either make no Revelation at all or he must make a New one every Age If they are then the obligation lies as much on us now to believe as if we had lived and conversed with those inspired Persons 2. That there is no reason to suspect the Truth of those Matters of Fact which are reported in the New Testament For since it is universally agreed among Men that Humane Testimony is a sufficient ground for assent where there is no positive ground for suspicion because deceiving and being deceived is not the common Interest of Mankind therefore we are to consider what the general grounds of suspicion are and whether any of them do reach the Apostles Testimony concerning the Matters of Fact reported by them And the just grounds of suspicion are these 1. If the Persons be otherwisâ— known to be Men of artifice anâ— cunning full of tricks and dissâ—mulation and that make nâ— Conscience of speaking Truth so a Lye tends to their greatesâ— advantage which is too mucâ— the Papists case in their Legends and Stories of Miracles 2. â— they temper and suit their Storâ— and Doctrin to the Humour anâ— Genius of the People they hopâ— to prevail upon as Mahomet did in encouraging War and Lasciviousness 3. If they lay the Scene oâ— their Story at a mighty distance from themselves at such an Age wherein it is impossible either to prove or disprove which is the case of the Brachmans as to their Brahmà and their Veda and was of the Heathens as to their Fabulous Deities 4. If there be any thing contained in the Story which is repugnant to the most authentick Histories of those times by which means the Impostures of Annius have been discovered 5. If there be evident contradiction in the Story it self or any thing repugnant to or unbecoming the Majesty Holiness Sincerity and Consistency of a Divine Revelation on which account we reject Fanatick pretences to Revelations If there were any thing of this nature in the Writings of the New Testament we might then allow there were some ground to suspect the Truth of what is contained therein But I shall undertake by the Grace of God to defend that there is not any foundation for suspicion as to any one of these 1. As to the Persons such whâ— go about to deceive others musâ— be Men that are versed in business and know how to deal with Men and that have some interest already that they have gained by other means before they can carry on such a design as to abuse Mankind by Lyes and Impostures in Religion Therefore the Atheists lay the deceiving the World by Religion to the Charge of Politicians and Law-givers to Men versed in the practice of Fraud such as Numa or Lycurgus or Xaca or Mahomet such as understood the ways of cajoling the People or to subtle Priests that know how to suit the hopes and fears of the superstitious multitude whence came the multitude of Frauds in the Heathen Temples and Oracles But would any Man in the World have pitched upon a few Fishermen and illiterate Persons to carry on such an intrigue as this Men that were rude and unexperienced in the World and uncapable of dealing in the way of Artifice with one of the common Citizens of Hierusalem When was it ever heard that such Men made such an alteration in the Religion of the World as the Primitive Christians did against the most violent persecutions And when they prevailed so much the common charge still against them was that they were a company of Rude Mean Obscure Illiterate Simple Men And yet in spight of all the Cunning and Malice and Learning and Strength of their Adversaries they gained ground upon them and prevailed over the Obstinacy of the Jews anâ—
Jews and no doubt his name had been Recorded to Posterity among the Writers both of Jewâ— and Gentiles that were professed Enemies of Christianity But they are all wonderfully silent in this matter and instead oâ— saying enough to overthrow the truth of Christianity as you seem to suggest I do assure you I am mightily confirmed in the belief of the Truth of it by carefully observing the slightness of the Objections that were made against it by its most professed Enemies But you seem to imply That all this Story concerning Christ was invented long after the pretended time of his being in the World Why may not you as well suspect that Julius Caesar lived before Romulus or that Augustus lived at the Seige of Troy For you might as well reject all History upon such grounds as those you assign and think Mahomet as right in his Chronology as the Bible It is time for us to burn all our Books if we have lived in such a Cheat all this while Methinks you might as well ask whether Lucretia were not Pope Joan Or Alexander the sixth one of the Roman Emperours Or whether Luther were not the Emperour of Turky For there is no greater evidence of any History in the World than there is that all the things reported in the New Testament were done at that time when they are pretended to be 4. Therefore we offer this Story of the New Testament to be compared with all the Circumstances of that Age delivered by any other Historians to try if any inconsistencies can be found therein Which is the most reasonable way can be taken to disprove any History If it could be proved that there could be no such Taxation of the Empire as is mention'd in the time of Augustus that Herod did not live in that Age or that the Jews were not under the Roman Government or that there were no High Priests at that time nor the Sects of Pharisees and Saducees or that there were any other remarkable characters of time set down in the History of the New Testament which could be manifestly disproved there were some pretence to call in Question the Truth of the Story but there is not the least Foundation for any scruple on this account All things agreeing so well with the truest accounts we have of that Age both from Josephus and the Roman Historie I shall not insist on the particular Testimony of Josephus concerning Christ because we need it not and if those who question it would proceed with the same severity against many other particular passages in good Authors they might as well call them in question as they do that since it is confessed that all the Ancient Manuscripts have it in them and supposing that it doth not come in well must we suppose it impossible for Josephus to Write incoherently Yet this is the main Argument that ever I have seen urged against this Testimony of Josephus But I say we need it not all other things concurring in so high a degree to prove the Truth of the History of Christ. Yet since you seem to express so much doubtfulness concerning it as though it were framed when there was no one living capable of disproving it give me leave to shew you the great absurdity of such a Supposition 1. Because we have the plain Testimonies of the greatest Enemies of Christianity that there was such a Person as Christ was who suffered according to the Scripture Story For Tacitus not only mentions the Christians as suffering at Rome for their Religion in the time of Nero Annal. 15. but saith That the Author of this Religion was one Christ who suffered under Pontius Pilate Procurator of Judea in the time of Tiberius which is an irrefragable Testimony of the Truth of the Story concerning Christ in an Age when if it had been false nothing could have been more easily detected than such a Fiction by the number of Jews which were continually at Rome And neither Julian nor Celsus nor Porphyrie nor Lucian did ever question the truth of the Story it self but only upbraided the Christians for attributing too much to Christ. 2. If there were really such a Person as Christ was who suffered as Tacitus saith then the whole Story could not be a Fiction but only some part of it and these additional parts must either be contrived by the Apostles or after their time Not after their time for then they must be added after Christianity was received in the World for that as appears by Tacitus was spread in the Apostles times as far as Rome and if these parts were not received with it the Cheat would presently have been discover'd as soon as broached by those who had embraced Christianity before And besides Tertullian in his time appeals to the Authentick Writings of the Apostles themselves which were then extant wherein the same things were contained that we now believe If these things then were forged it must be by the Apostles themselves and I dare now appeal to you whether ever any Story was better capable of being disproved than this was if it had not been true since it was published in that very time and place where the Persons were living who were most concerned to disprove it As appears by the hatred of the Jews to the Christians both then and ever since which is a very observable circumstance for proving the truth of Christian Religion for the Jews and Christians agreed in the Divine Revelations of old the Christians believed moreover that Christ was the Messias promised this Christ lived and dyed among the Jews his Enemies his Apostles Preached and wrought Miracles among their most inveterate Enemies which Men that go about to deceive never care to do And to this Day the Jews do not deny the Matters of Fact but look on them as insufficient to prove Jesus of Nazareth to have been the Messias Nay Mahomet himself who in all probability would have overthrown the whole Story of the New Testament if he could have done it with any colour yet speaks very honourably of Christ and of the great things which were said and done by him 5. That there is nothing in the Christian Religion unbecoming the Majesty or Holiness or Truth of a Divine Revelation As to the precepts you acknowledge their excellency and the Promises chiefly refer either to Divine Grace or future Glory And what is there herein unbecoming God And as to what concerns the Truth of it we have as great Characters of that throughout as it is possible for us to expect there appearing so much simplicity sincerity candour and agreement in all the parts of it Some Men would have been better pleased it may be if it had been all written by one Person and digested into a more exact method and set forth with all the Lights and Ornaments of Speech This would have better become an Invention of Men but not a Revelation of God Plainness and simplicity have a natural greatness above
IMPRIMATUR hic Liber cui Titulus A Letter to a DEIST Feb. 8. 1676. Guil. Jane R. P. D. Henr. Episc. Lond. a Sacris Domest A LETTER TO A DEIST In Answer to several OBJECTIONS AGAINST THE TRUTH and AUTHORITY OF THE Scriptures LONDON Printed by W. G. and are to be sold by M. Pitt at the Angel in St. Paul's Church-Yard 1677. THE PREFACE THis following Discourse was Written for the satisfaction of a particular Person who owned the Being and Providence of God but expressed a mean Esteem of the Scriptures and the Christian Religion Which is become so common a Theme among the Scepticks of this Age that the Author of this Discourse thought it worth his time and care to consider the force of the Objections that were made against them Especially being written in a grave and serious manner and not with that Raillery and Buffonry which the rude Persons of this Age commonly bestow upon Religion It might be justly expected from such who pretend to Breeding and Civility that they would at least shew more respect to a thing which hath prevailed so much among Men of the best Understanding and Education and who have had no Interest to carry on by it For it is against the ordinary Rules of Conversation to affront that which others think they have great Reason to esteem and love and they would not endure that scorn and contempt of their meanest Servant which they too often shew towards Religion and the things belonging to it If they are not in earnest when they scoff and mock at sacred things their own consciences will tell them it is a horrible impiety if they are in earnest let them debate these things calmly and seriously and let the stronger Reason prevail Men may speak sharply and wittily against the clearest things in the World as the Scepticks of old did against all Certainty of Sense and Reason but we should think that Man out of his senses that would now dispute the Being of the Sun or the Colour of the Snow We do not say the Matters of Religion are capable of the same evidence with that of Sense but it is a great part of judgment and understanding to know the proportion and fitness of evidence to the Nature of the thing to be proved They would not have the Eye to judge of tasts nor the Nose of Metaphysicks and yet these would be as proper as to have the senses judge of Immaterial Beings If we do not give as good Reason for the Principles of our Religion as the nature of Religion considered can be given for it let us then be blamed for our weakness in defending it but let not Religion suffer till they are sure nothing more can be said for it There is a late Author I hear is mightily in vogue among many who cry up any thing on the Atheistical side though never so weak and trifling It were no difficult task to lay open the false Reasonings and inconsistent Hypotheses of his Book which hath been sufficiently done already in that Language wherein it was written But if for the Advancement of Irreligion among us that Book be as it is talked Translated into our Tongue there will not I hope want those who will be as ready to defend Religion and Morality as others are to decry and despise them A Letter of Resolution to a Person unsatisfied about the Truth and Authority of the Scriptures SIR ALthough I do not pretend to any skill in the depths of Theology yet I am heartily concerned for the Truth and Honour of the Christian Religion which it is the design of your papers to undermine When I first looked them over I could not think them so considerable as to deserve a particular Answer especially from one in my circumstances who have so much other business lying upon me and so little leisure and health to perform it but I found at the conclusion of your Papers so earnest and vehement a desire expressed by you that I would return an Answer in order to the settlement of your mind that I could not refuse an Office of so great Charity as you represent it to be I confess when I considered the nature of your Objections and the manner of managing them I could hardly believe that they proceeded from a doubtful Mind that was desirous of any satisfaction but since you tell me so I will first shew my Charity in believing it and then in endeavouring to give you my poor assistance and impartial advice in order to your satisfaction And in truth I think impartial advice will contribute more to that end than spending Time and Paper in running through all the difficulties which it is possible for a cavilling Mind to raise against the plainest Truths in the World For there is nothing so clear and evident but a Sophistical Wit will always find something to say against it and if you be the Person I take you for you very well know that there have been some who wanted neither Wit nor Eloquence who have gone about to prove That there was Nothing in the World and that if there were any thing it could not be understood by Men that if it were understood by one Man it could not be expressed to another And besides such extravagant undertakers as these how many have there been who with plausible and subtle Arguments have endeavoured to overthrow all manner of Certainty either by Sense or Reason Must we therefore quit all pretences to Certainty because we cannot it may be Answer all the Subtilties of the Scepticks And therefore I am by no means satisfied with your manner of proceeding desiring all particular difficulties to be Answer'd before we consider the main evidences of the Christian Faith For the only reasonable way of proceeding in this matter is to consider first whether there be sufficient Motives to perswade you to imbrace the Christian Faith and then to weigh the difficulties and to compare them with the Reasons and Arguments for believing and if those do not appear great enough to overthrow the force of the other you may rest satisfied in the Christian Faith although you cannot Answer every difficulty that may be raised against the Books wherein our Religion is contained I pray Sir consider with your self do not you think it possible for any man to have Faith enough to save him unless he can solve all the difficulties in Chrâ—â—ologie that are in the Bible unless he can give an account of every particular Law and Custom among the Jews unless he can make out all the Prophetick Schemes and can tell what the Number of the Beast in the Apocalypse means If a Man may believe and be saved without these things to what purpose are they objected for the overthrow of the Christian Faith Do you think a Man hath not reason enough to believe there is extended Matter in the World unless he can solve all the difficulties that arise from the extension or divisibility
gave the greatest testimonies of their Sincerity that could be expected from them and that no matters of fact were ever better attested than those which are reported by them from whence it will follow That it is not reason but unreasonable Suspicion and Scepticism if not willfulness and obstinacy which makes Men to continue to doubt after so great evidence 1. That we may have such evidence of Matters of Fact done at such a distance of time as may oblige us to believe the Truth of them This we are first to make out because several of your Objections seem to imply That we can have no certainty of such things because we cannot know what tricks may have been plaid in former times when it was far more easie to deceive and that it is confessed there have been several Frauds of this kind which have a long time prevailed in the World But have not the very same Arguments been used against all Religion by Atheists And if the Cheats that have been in Religion have no force against the Being of God why should they have any against the Christian Religion And if the common consent of Mankind signifie any thing as to the acknowledgement of a Deity why should not the Testimony of the Christian Church so circumstantiated as it is be of sufficient strength to receive the Matters of Fact delivered by it which is all I at present desire Do we question any of the Stories delivered by the common consent of Greek or Latin Historians although we have only the bare Testimony of those Historians for them And yet your Objections would lye against every one of them How do we know the great prevalency of the Roman Empire was it not delivered by those who belonged to it and were concerned to make the best of it What know we but thousands of Histories have been lost that confuted all that we now have concerning the greatness of Rome What know we but that Rome was destroyed by Carthage or that Hannibaâ— quite overthrew the Roman Empire or that Catiline was one oâ— the best Men in the World because all our present Historieâ— were written by Men of the other side How can we tell buâ— that the Persians destroyed thâ— Macedonians because all our Accounts of Alexanders Expeditioâ— are Originally from the Greeks And why might not we suspecâ— greater partiality in all these Cases when the Writers did not givâ— a thousand part of that evidencâ— for their fidelity that the Firsâ— Christians did And yet whaâ— should we think of such a persoâ— who should call in question thâ— best Histories of all Nations because they are written by thosâ— of the same Countrey By whicâ— it seems you will never allow any competent Testimony at all for if such things be written by Enemies and Strangers we have reason to suspect both their knowledge and integâ—ity if written by Friends then though they might know the Truth yet they would write partially of their own side So that upon this principle no History at all ancient or modern is to be believed for they are all reported either by Friends or Enemies and so not only Divine but all Humane Faith will be destroyed I am by no means a Friend to unreasonable credulity but I am as little to unreasonable distrust and suspicion if the one be Folly the other is Madness No prudent Man believes any thing because it is possible to be true nor rejects any thing meerly because it is possible to be false But it is the prudence of every Man to weigh and consider all circumstances and according to them to assent or dissent We all know it is possible for Men to deceive or to be deceived but we know there is no necessity of either and that there is such a thing as Truth in the World and though Men may deceive yet they do not always so and that Men may know they are not deceived For else there could be no such thing as Society among Mankind no Friendship or Trust or Confidence in the Word of another person because it is possible that the best Friend I have may deceive me and the World is full of dissimulation must I therefore believe no Body This is the just consequence of this way of Arguing That we have reason to suspect the Truth of these Matters of Fact because there have been many Frauds in the World and might have been many more than we can now discover for if this Principle be pursued it will destroy all Society among Men which is built on the supposition of mutual trust and confidence that Men have in each other And although it be possible for all Men to deceive because we cannot know one anothers hearts yet there are such Characters of Honesty and Fidelity in some Persons that others dare venture their Lives and Fortunes upon their Words And is any Man thought a Fool for doing so Nay have not the most prudent and sagacious Men reposed a mighty confidence in the Integrity of others And without this no great affairs can be carried on in the World for since the greatest Persons need the help of others to manage their business they must trust other Men continually and every Man puts his Life into the hands of others to whom he gives any freedome of access and especially his Servants Must a Man therefore live in continual suspicion and jealousie because it is possible he may be deceived But if this be thought unreasonable then we gain thus much that notwithstanding the possibility of deception Men may be trusted in some cases and their Fidelity safely relied upon This being granted we are to enquire what that assurance is which makes us trust any one and whereever we find a concurrence of the same circumstances or equal evidence of fidelity we may repose the same trust or confidence in them And we may soon find that it is not any ones bare Word that makes us trust him but either the reputation of his Integrity among discerning Men or our long experience and observation of him This latter is only confined to our own tryal but the former is more general and reaches beyond our own Age since we may have the Testimony of discerning Persons convey'd down to us in as certain a manner as we can know the mind of a Friend at a 100 Miles distance viz. by Writing And in this case we desire no more than to be satisfied that those things were written by them and that they deserved to be believed in what they writ thus if any one would be satisfied about the passages of the Peloponnesian War and hath heard that Thucydides hath accurately written it he hath no more to do than to enquire whether this Thucydides were capable of giving a good account of it and for that he hears that he was a great and inquisitive Person that lived in that Age and knew all the occurrences of it and when he is satisfied of that his next enquiry is whether
art and subtilty and therefore God made choice of many to write and at several times that by comparing them we may see how far they were from contriving together and yet how exactly they agree in all things which Men are concerned to believe But you say We have many infirmities of the Apostles discovered therein their heats and animosities one against another But I pray consider 1. How came you to know these things Is it not by their own Writings And if they had been such who minded only their applause had it not been as easie to have concealed these things and would they not certainly have done it if that had been their aim If St. Paul seems to boast doth he not do it with that constraint to himself as a Man that is forced to do it for his own vindication against malicious Enemies And who ever denyed a Man of a generous mind the liberty of speaking for himself 2. But suppose they had infirmities and heats among them doth this prove that God could not make use of them as his Instruments to declare his Truth to the World Then it will follow that God must never reveal his will by Men but by Voices from Heaven or Angels or the assumption of the humane Nature by the Divine But if God be not denyed the liberty of imploying meer Men we cannot find so great evidences of Piety and Zeal of Humility and Self-denyal of Patience and Magnanimity of Innocency and universal Charity in any Men as were in the Apostles And therefore did appear with the most proper Characters of Embassadors from Heaven And I dare venture the comparison of them with the best Philosophers as to the greatest and most excellent virtues for which they were the most admired notwithstanding the mighty difference as to their Education allowing but the same Truth as to the Story of the New Testament which we yield to Xenophon or Diogenes Laertius or any other Writers concerning them But what is it then which you object against the Writings of the New Testament to make them inconsistent with the Wisdom of God I find but two things in the Papers you sent me 1. Want of the continuance of the Power of Miracles which you say is Promised Mark 16. 17. 2. The number of the Beast in the Revelations But Good Sir consider what it is to call in question a Divine Revelation for such Objections as these are Must there be no Revelation unless you understand every Prophecy or the extent of every promise Be not so injurious to your own Soul for the sake of such Objections to cast away the great assurance which the Christian Religion gives us as to the Pardon of Sin upon Repentance here and eternal Happiness in another World Would you reject all the Writings of Plato because you do no more understand some part of his Timaeus than the number of 666 You must have a very nice faith that can bear with no difficulties at all so that if there be but one or two hard things that you cannot digest you must throw up all the best Food you have taken at this rate you must starve your Body as well as ruin your Soul But of these places afterwards 3. I have hitherto removed the grounds of Suspicion I now come to shew the positive Testimonies of their Sincerity which the Apostles shewed which were greater than were ever given to any other Matter of Fact in the World I will then suppose the whole Truth of the Christian Doctrine to be reduced to this one Matter of Fact Whether Christ did rise from the dead or no for as I have said already it is plain the Apostles put the main force of all that they said upon the Truth of this and often declared that they were appointed to be the Witnesses of this thing Now â—et us consider how it is possible â—or Men to give the highest assurance of their sincerity to others and that must be either by giving the utmost Testimony that Men â—an give or by giving some Testimony above that of Men which cannot deceive which is the Testimony of God 1. They gave the utmost Testimony that meer Men could give of their fidelity I know no betâ—er way we have for a full assurance as to any humane Testimony than to consider what those Circumstances are which are generally allowed to accompany Truth and if we have the concurrence of all these we have as much as can be expected For nothingâ— that depends on Testiâ—ony can be proved by Mathematical Demonstration But notwithstanding the want of this eitheâ— we may have sufficient ground to assent to Truth upon Testimony oâ— there can be no difference known between Truth and Falshood by Humane Testimony which overthrows all Judicial proceedingâ— among Men the Justice whereof doth suppose not only the veracity of Humane Testimony Buâ— that it may be so discerned by others that they may safely rely upon it Now the main thing to be regarded as to the Truth oâ— Humane Testimony are these 1. Iâ— Men testifie nothing but whaâ— they saw 2. If they testifie iâ— at no long distance of time from the thing done 3. If they testifie it plainly and withouâ— doubtful expressions 4. If a great number agree in the same Testimony 5. If they part with all that is valuable to Mankind rather than deny the Truth of what they have testified And where all these concur it is hardly possible to suppose greater evidence to be given of the Truth of a Thing and now I shall shew that all these do exactly agree to the Apostles Testimony concerning the Resurrection of Christ. 1. They testified nothing but what they saw themselves The Laws of Nations do suppose that greater credit is to be given to eye witnesses than to any others thence the Rule in the Civil Law Testimonium de auditu regulariter non valet Because say the Civilians and Canonists Witnesses are to testifie the Truth and not barely the possibility of things that which Men see they can testifie whether they are or not That which Men only hear may be or noâ— be and their Testimony is noâ— of the Fact but is looked on as more uncertain and ought to have greater allowances given it but the Apostles testified only what they saw and handled and that after the most scrupulous enquiry into the Truth of Christ Body and after many doubts anâ— suspicions among themselves abouâ— it so that they did not seem hastily and rashly to believe what they afterwards declared to the World Now a Body was a proper object of Sense and no tryal could be greater or more accurate than theirs was nor anâ— satisfaction fuller than putting their fingers into the very wound of the pierced side 2. They did not stay till the circumstances might have slipt out of their Memories before they testified these things but very soon after while the impression of them was fresh upon them If they had let these Matters
alone for any long time the Jews would have asked them presently if these things were true why did we not hear of them as soon as they were done Therefore we see the Apostles on the very day of Pentecost a little after Christs ascension to Heaven openly and boldly declare the Truth of these things not in private corners among a few Friends but in the most solemn meeting of their Nation from all parts which was the worst time could have been chosen if they had any intention to deceive 3. They testifie it in as plain a manner as is possible on purpose to prevent all mistakes of their meaning This Jesus hath God raised up whereof we all are Witnesses Therefore let all the House of Israel know assuredly that God hath made that same Jesus whom ye have crucified both Lord and Christ. Men that had a mind to deceive would have used some more general and doubtful words than these were 4. If this had been testified by one single witness the World would have suspected the Truth of his Testimony for according to the Rule in the Civil Law in the case of Testimony Vox unius vox nullius est But this was testified by very many not meerly by the twelve Apostles but by 500 at once among whom some might be supposed to have so much honesty or at least capable of being perswaded to have discovered the Imposture if they had in the least suspected any 5. But that which adds the greatest weight to all this is that there was not one of all the Apostles and scarce any one of the rest but exposed themselves to the utmost hazards and dangers rather than deny or retract the Truth of what they witnessed If the People had been careless and indifferent about Religion it is possible Men might have gone on in a Lye so long till they had gotten interest enough to maintain it but no sooner did the Apostles appear witnessing these things but they met with an early and vigorous opposition and that from the chiefest Men in Power who made it their business to suppress them Now in this case they were put to this choice if they would renounce or conceal the Truth of what they testified they might presently enjoy ease and it may be rewards too but if they went on they must look for nothing but the sharpest persecution and this they met with almost in all places and is it conceivable that Men should be so fond of a lye to forsake all and follow it and at last to take up their cross for it If credit and interest in the hearts of People might carry a Man on a great way in the delusion yet he would be loth to dye for it and yet there was never a one of the Apostles but ventured his life for the Truth of this and all but one they tell us did suffer Martyrdom for it I pray Sir consider where you ever meet with any thing like this that so many Men should so resolutely dye for what themselves at the same time knew to be a lye and that they must certainly do if it were all a contrivance of their own heads 2. But although in these things they went as high as it was possible for humane Testimony to go yet they had something beyond all this which was a concurrence of a Divine Testimony in the miraculous gifts and operations of the Holy Ghost And this we assert to be the highest Testimony can be given in the World of a Truth of any thing because God will not employ his Power to deceive the World And as all other Truth hath a criterion proper to it so this seems to be the proper criterion of a Divine Testimony that it hath the power of Miracles going along with it For if we do suppose God to make known his Mind to the World it is very reasonable to believe there should be some distinguishing note of what is immediately from God and what comes only from the inventions of Men and what can be more proper to distinguish what comes from God and what from Men than to see those things done which none but God can do But against this you object several things which I shall easily and briefly Answer 1. You cannot tell what it is that Miracles do attest not all their Doctrin since Paul said some was not from the Lord. Answ. Miracles do attest the veracity of the Speaker and by consequence the truth of the Doctrin not that you should believe that to be from the Lord which he said was not but that which he said was from the Lord. But when he makes such a distinction himself it is very unreasonable to urge that as an Argument that he had nothing from the Lord it is much rather an argument of his candor and ingenuity that he would not pretend to Divine Revelation when he had it not 2. You would have it signified what Doctrin it is which is attested by Miracles since the Doctrins of Scripture lye in heaps and confusion Answ. To what purpose should any Doctrins be singled out to have the Seal of Miracles set to them since it is their Divine Commission to Teach and declare the Will of God which is sealed by it And what they did so Teach and declare is easily known by their Writings 3. But why do not Miracles still continue Answ. Because there are no Persons employ'd to Teach any new Doctrines and no Promise of Scripture doth imply any more For the signs which were to follow them that believe were such as tended to the first confirmation of the Christian Faith which being effected their use ceased and so to ask why God doth not continue a Gift of Miracles to convince Men that the former were true is to the same purpose as to ask why God doth not make a New Sun to satisfie Athiests that he made the Old 4. But doth not the Scripture say that wonders are not always to be taken as confirmations of the Truth of Doctrin since false Prophets may work Wonders Deuteron 13. 1. Answ. That signifies no more than that Wonders are not to be believed against the Principles of Natural Religion or Revealed Religion already confirmed by greater Miracles And that those who would value such a particular sign above all the series of Miracles their Religion was first established by may be justly left to their own delusions You might as well object the lying Wonders of the Man of Sin against all the Miracles of Christ and his Apostles If God hath once done enough to convince Men he may afterwards justly leave them to the tryal of their Ingenuity as a Father that hath used great care to make his Son understand true Coyn may afterwards suffer false to be laid before him to try whether he will mind his being cheated or no 5. But you may yet farther demand what the Testimony of Miracles doth signisie to the Writings of the New Testament Answ. 1. The
but to my apprehension very plain and easie if we attend to the main scope and design of them which was to acquaint Abraham how long it would be before the prophecy were accomplished and what the condition of his Seed should be the mean time viz. That they should have no Land which they should call their own by Inheritance all that time but they should be exposed to great hardships yea even to Servitude but that Nation whom they should serve should at last suffer for their ill usage of them and they should come out of that Captivity with great substance and all this to be done in the fourth Generation of the Amorites when their Iniquities should be arrived at the full height All which particulars were so remarkably accomplished at such a distance of time and under such improbable circumstances that that this very prophecy were enough to convince an unprejudiced mind that it came from Divine Inspiration For where do we meet with any thing like this in the Histories of other Nations viz. A Prophecy to be accomplished 400 Years after and the very manner foretold which no humane conjecture could reach to since the manner of deliverance of the People of Israel out of their Captivity in Egypt was to all humane appearance so impossible a thing especially at such a time when the Spirits of the People were sunk and broken by so long a slavery And not only the manner foretold but the accomplishment happened to a day according to Exodus 12. 41. And it came to pass at the end of the 430 Years even the selfe-same day it came to pass that all the Hosts of the Lord went out from the Land of Egypt But against this you object That the sojourning is spoken of the Children of Israel in Egypt for 430 Years which cannot hold good any ways since to make it up the times of Abraham Isaac and Jacob must be taken in who could not be called the Children of Israel Answ. For the 430 Years I grant that according to St. Paul they did commence from the Covenant made to Abraham Gal. 3. 17. and that the 400 Years began from Isaac's being owned for the Promised Seed between which time the 30 Years were passed and all appearance of difficulty is avoided if we admit the reading of the best Copies of the LXX which is in these words 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Now the sojourning of the Children of Israel who dwelt in Egypt and Canaan they and their Fathers was 430 Years This is the reading of our Alexandrian Copy and the Complutensian and that of Aldus and of Eusebius in his Chronicon and of St. Hierome in his Translation of it and of the Church in St. Augustins time and afterwards and lest any should reject this as a late Interpolation or gloss received into the Text besides these Testimonies of the Antiquity of it we find the very same in the Samaritan Copy which the Enemies of it do allow to be as ancient as our Saviours time And that which very much confirms the Truth of this reading is that the Jews themselves follow the sense of it who are the most eager contenders for the Authority of the Hebrew Copy who all agree that the beginning of the Computation of the 430 Years is to be taken before the Children of Israels going into Egypt and Menasseh Ben Israel contends with many others that the 430 Years did begin from the Promise made to Abraham and the 400 from the time of Isaac to which their most ancient Books of Chronology do agree and to the same purpose speak both Philo Judaeus and Josephus who although in one place he seems to make the Israelites affliction in Egypt to have been 400 Years yet when he speaks more particularly of it he makes the time of their abode in Egypt to have been only 215 and the 430 to begin from Abrahams entrance into Canaan The Targum of Jonathan begins the 430 from the Vision of Abraham and the 400 from the Birth of Isaac all which I mention to let you see that the Jews themselves do in sense concur with the Samaritan and Greek Copy and therefore we have more reason to suspect something left out in the present Hebrew than any thing added in those Copies But doth not this take off from the Authority of the Scripture Not at all For the only Question is about the True Reading And having the consent of the Samaritan Alexandrian and other Copies of the LXX and of the Ancient Church and of the Jews themselves as to the sense of it we have reason to look on this as the truer Reading Which is making no addition to the scripture either as to Persons or Places but only producing the more Authentick Copy much less is this Adding or Changing as we please for if we did this without so much Authority as we have for it you might as easily reject it as we produce it 3. After all this I do not see the mighty force of your Reason to charge the Scripture with Contradiction supposing the 400 Years were to be spent in the servitude of the Children of Israel in Egypt I confess when I found the Scripture so boldly so frequently charged with no less than Contradiction I expected something like Demonstration in the Case especially in this place which you chose to put in the Front of all but I do not find any thing like such a proof of a Contradiction supposing we should allow the 400 Years to be spent in Egypt Yes say you Coath was 5 Years Old when he came down into Egypt and When he had lived there 65 Years he begat Amram and Amram being 70 Years Old begat Moses to which Moses his 80 Years being added we have only 215 Years But since the Scripture doth not assign the particular Age of any of these when they begat their Children I see no impossibility or repugnancy in the supposition that 400 Years should pass from Levi's going into Egypt to the Eightieth of Moses any more than from Salmons entrance into Canaan to the time of David for no more are reckoned in scripture than Boaz the Son of Salmon by Raab and Obed and Jesse So that by the same way this latter may be explained the former may be so too If it be said That either they begat their Children at a great Age or that the scripture in Genealogies doth not set down all the intermediate Parents but only the most eminent as Caleb is called the Son of Esron 1 Chron. 2. 9 18. although there was at least one between them the very same Answer will serve to clear this part of the Chronology of Scripture from any appearance of Contradiction These things you might have found more largely deduced and fully handled by those Learned Persons who have undertaken to clear the Chronology of Scripture Who were men of more Judgment than from any difficulty of this nature to call in question the Truth and
Authority of the sacred Scriptures and although the Opinions of Chronologers are like the City Clocks which seldom agree yet some come nearer the time of the day than others do and therefore you ought to examine and compare them before you pronounce so peremptorily about Contradictions in scripture which you have no reason to do till you find that no one hypothesis among them will serve to free the scripture from Contradiction For otherwise you do but blame the Sun because you cannot make the Clocks agree This is all I can find in your Papers under the head of Contradictions and I leave you now soberly to consider whether this place did afford you sufficient ground for so heavy a Charge but if you say you have a great many more by you but you sent me this only for a Tryal of my skill before you send any more I beseech you Sir to consider 1. How easily things do appear to be Contradictions to weak or unstudied or prejudiced minds which after due consideration appear to be no such things A deep prejudice finds a Contradiction in every thing whereas in Truth nothing but ill will and impatience of considering made any thing it may be which they Quarrel at appear to be so If I had been of such a quarrelsome humour I would have undertaken to have found out more Contradictions in your Papers than you imagin and yet you might have been confident you had been guilty of none at all When I consider the great pains and Learning and Judgement which hath been shewn by the Christian Writers in the Explication of the Scriptures and the raw indigested Objections which some love to make against them if I were to judge of things barely by the fitness of persons to judge of them the disproportion between these would appear out of all comparison A modest Man would in any thing of this nature say with himself methinks if there were such Contradictions in the Bible as now seem to me so many persons of incomparable Abilities in the First and latter Ages of the Christian Church who have made it their business to enquire into these things would have discerned them before me And yet they retained a mighty veneration for the scriptures as coming from God himself and therefore it may be only weakness of Judgement want of Learning or some secret prejudice may make me suspect these things or else I must suspect the honesty of all those persons who have pretended such a Devotion to the Scriptures and yet have believed them full of Contradictions 2. Wherein the Contradiction appears Is it in the main and weighty parts of the Religion revealed herein or is it only in some smaller Circumstances as to time and place The great thing you are to look after are the Matters those Scriptures tell you your Salvation depends upon and if there be a full consent and agreement therein you find enough for you to believe and practice And if some Contradictions should still appear to you in smaller Matters what follows from thence but only that the same care was not taken about little as about great things And you ought to set that appearance of Contradiction in small Matters together with the real consent in the things of the highest importance and from thence rather to infer that this was no combination or design to deceive others for such persons take the greatest care to prevent suspicion by their exactness in every minute Circumstance and sometimes the over-much care to prevent suspicion doth raise it the more 3. What ways have been used by Men of judgement and learning to clear those places from the charge of Contradiction For not one of the Objections you can start now but hath been considered over and over and all the difficulties that belong to it examined If you will not take the pains to do this it is plain you do not desire satisfaction but only seek for a pretence to cavil especially if you only search the weakest or most injudicious Writers on the Scriptures and endeavour to expose their opinions without taking notice of what others have said with more clear and evident Reason This shews either want of Judgment in choosing such Expositors or want of Candor and fair dealing and a desire of taking any advantage against the Scriptures 4. How hard a Matter it is for us at this distance to understand exactly the grounds of Chronology or the manner of computation of Times used so long ago and therefore in all difficulties of this nature we ought to make the fairest allowances that may be considering withall that escapes and errours are no where more easily committed by Transcribers than in numbers and that it is a very unreasonable thing that a Book otherwise deserving to be thought the best Book in the World should be scorned and rejected because there appears some difference in the computation of times We do not so exactly know the manner of the Hebrew Chronology nor the nature of their Year or Intercalations nor the customs of their Genealogies nor the allowance to be made for interregnums so as to be able to define peremptorily in these things but it is sufficient to shew that there is no improbability in the accounts that are given and no sufficient reason can be drawn from thence to reject the Authority of the Scriptures 2. I come to consider the places you object as containing things inconsistent with the Wisdom or Goodness of God according to a rational perswasion and those are either 1. From the Laws of Moses 2. From the express story of the Bible or actions of the Prophets 1. From the Laws of Moses Your first Objection is from Exod. 21. 7. Where a Man is supposed to sell his Daughter which you say it is incredible to believe that God should permit because it implies unnatural affection and covetousness in the Father But Sir 1. You do not consider that this is barely a provisional Law and is not the permission of the thing so much as the regulation of it supposing it to be done i. e. in case a Man should part with his interest in his Daughter to another Person upon an extraordinary case of necessity as the Jews understand it yet then she was not to be in the condition of a Servant but to be either Betrothed to the Person who receiv'd her or to his Son which was intended for the restraint of promiscuous Buying and Selling Daughters meerly for the satisfaction of Lust. The Jews who certainly best understood their own Judicial Laws do say that this was never to be done but where there was a presumption of such a betrothing for no Man could Sell his Daughter to those to whom it was unlawful for her to Marry by their Law so that this was looked on as a kind of Espousals of a young Girle taken into Wardship by another but so that if she were not Betrothed she was to remain her 6 Years during her Minority