numbred among the Books of Canonical Scripture And thus we have argued from the Tradition and the Testimony of the Church And if this be done as it ought to be done it is valid for the Truth of the Copies the Canonicalness of the Books and the like are not decidable by Scripture it self but in the Way that all other Controversies of that nature are As you would prove any other Book to be Authentick so you must prove the Bible to be viz. by sufficient and able Testimony There is the same reason to believe the Sacred History that there is to believe any other Historical Writings that are extant Nay the Testimonies on behalf of the Holy Scriptureâ— are more pregnant than any that are brought for other Writings Besides all that can be said for the Sacred Volume of the Bible which is wont to be said for other Writings I have shewed you that there are some things peculiar to this above aâ—â— others The main thing we have insisted upon is this that the Books of the Old and New Testament have been faithfully conveyed to us and that they are vouched by the constant and universal Tradition both of the Jewish and Christian Church and that these Books and no others are of the Canon of Scripture for to be of the Canon of Scripture is no other than to be owned by the Universal Church for Divinely Inspired Writings The Church witnesseth and confirmeth the Authority of the Canonical Scriptures for she received them as Divine and she delivers them to us as such Yet I do not say that the Church's Testifying these Books to be the Holy Scriptures gives an Absolute and Entire Authority to them A Clerk in the Parliament or any other Court writes down and testiâ—ies that such an Act or Decree or Order was pass'd by the King Magistrate or People and he witnesses that he hath faithfully kept these by him and that they are the very same that at such a time were made by the foresaid Authority but the Authority of this Act Decree or Order rests not in the Clerk but wholly in the King Magistrate or People So the Church recordeth and keepeth the Sacred Writings of the Bible and bears witness that they have been faithfully preserved and that they are the Genuine Writings of those Persons whose Names are presixed to them bâ—t the Divine Authority of the Scriptures depends not on the Church but on the Books and Authors themselves namely their being Inspired And indeed this Authority of the Scriptures cannot depend on the Church because the Church itself depends on the Scriptures These must be proved before the Church can pretend to be any such thing as a Church We cannot know the Church but by the Scriptures therefore the Scriptures must be known before the Church It follows then that the Papists are very unreasonable and absurd in making the Ultimate Resolution of Faith to be into the Testimony and Authority of the Church This we disown as a great Falsity but yet it is rational to hold that the Church's Testimony is one good Argument and Proof of the Truth of the Sacred Scripture according to that known Saying of St. Augustine I should not believe the Gospel if the Authority of the Church did not move me Not that he founds the Gospel i. e. the Doctrine of Christianity and the Truth of it on the Testimony of the Church as the Papists are wont to infer from these Words and frequently quote them to this purpose No the Father's meaning is this that by the Testimony and Consent of the Church he believed the Book of the Gospel to be verily that Book which was written by the Evangelists This is the Sense of the Place as is plain from the Scope of it for he speaks there of the Copies or Writings not the Doctrine contained in them The good Father relies on this that so great a number of knowing and honest Persons as the Church was made up of did assert the Evangelical Writings to be the Writings of such as were really inspired by the Holy Ghost and that they were true and genuine and not corrupted And the whole Body of Sacred Scripture is attested by the same universal Suffrage of the Church i. e. the unanimous Consent of the Apostles and of the First Christians and of those that immediately succeeded them several of which laid down their Lives to vindicate the Truth of these Writings This is the External Testimony given to the Holy Scriptures It is the general Perswasion and Attestation of the Antient Church that these are the Scriptures of Truth that they were penn'd by holy Prophets and Apostles immediately directed by the Spirit who therefore could not err It was usual heretofore among the Pagan Lawgivers to attribute their Laws to some Deity tho they were of their own Invention intending thereby to conciliate Reverence to them and to commend them to the People But here is no such Cheat put upon us God himself is really the Author of the Holy Scriptures these Sacred Laws come immediately from Him they are of Divine Inspiration There is no doubt to be made of the Divinity of the Scriptures and consequently there is assurance of the Infallibility of them CHAP. III. The Authority of the Bible manifested from the Testimonies of Enemies and Strangers especially of Pagans These confirm what the Old Testament saith concerning the Creation the Production of Adam and Eve their Fall with the several Circumstances of it Enoch's Translation the Longevity of the Patriarchs the Giants in those Times the Universal Flood the building of the Tower of Babel I Have propounded some of the chief Arguments which may induce us to believe the Truth and Certainty of the holy Writings of the Old and New Testament I will now choose out another for the sake chiefly of the Learned and Curious which I purpose to inlarge upon yea to make the Subject of my whole ensuing Discourse I consider then that we have in this Matter not only the Testimony of Friends but of Enemies and Strangers and it is a Maxim in the Civil Law and vouched by all Men of Reason that the Testimony of an Enemy is most considerable The Iewish and Christian Church as I have shewed already give their Testimony to the Scriptures but besides these Witnesses there are Others there is the Attestation of Foreigners and Adversaries These fully testify the Truth of what is delivered in the Holy Bible we have the Approbation of Heathen Writers to conâ—irm many of the things related in the Old Testament and both Professed Heathens and Iews for we must now look upon these latter as profess'd Enemies when we are to speak of the Christian Concern attest sundry things of the New Testament and vouch the Truth and Authority of them Here then I will distinctly proceed and first begin with the Old Testament and let you see in several Particulars that even the Pagan World gives Testimony to this Sacred Volume
Demosthenes more especially who no less than three times in one Oration uses the Word in this manner and in another place once or twice but I think I have sufficiently establish'd my Notion already by what I have produced You see plainly that 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 hath not absolutely a reference to a Benefit or Advantage but that 't is of a large import and signifies in general on the account or for the sake and more especially that it denotes an Impulsive Cause properly so call'd and is used to express those things or Persons that put Men upon Action which was the thing I undertook to make good and I challenge any Man to disprove it I have defended the Signification of the Word 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 out of Classical Authors that I might thereby obviate the Scruples of some Inquisitive Persons and give some Satisfaction to the Curious and make my Exposition of 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 more clear and demonstrative when 't is seen that it is founded on the Acception of that Preposition not only in the New-Testament but in Prophane Authors and in a Word that I may render my whole Undertaking on that Text the more acceptable to the Learned part of Mankind To this rank of Persons I devote all my Endeavours of this kind but that which I now offer to the World is more especially designed for the Use of younger Students in Sacred Learning such as are Beginners and Candidates in Theology though I am well satisfied that these Critical Researches will â—ot be useless to those of a higher Character A CATALOGUE of the Difficult Chapters and Verses in Holy Scripture which are Explain'd in this Book being set down in the same Order that they are there mentioned II. CHap. of Daniel Concerning the Image whose Head was of Gold c. Page 9 VII Chap. of Daniel Concerning the Four Beasts p. 10 VIII Chap. of Daniel Concerning the Ram and He-Goat p. 13 XI Gen. 4. Let us make us a Name lest we scattered abroad c. p. 127 XXXVI Gen. 24. This was that Anah that found the Mules in the Wilderness c. p. 147 XV. Judg. 15 16 17 c. Concerning the Iaw-bone of the Ass wherewith Sampson slew a thousand Men. p. 149 XXXVIII Isai. 8. The Sun returned Ten degrees by which degrees it was gone down p. 200 XXXIII Deut. 17. Where Joseph is compared to an Ox or Bullock and why p. 214 II. Luke 1 2. There went out a Decree from Caesar Augustus that all the World should be Taxed p. 352 II. Matth. 2. We have seen his Star in the East Vers. 7. Herod enquired of them diligently what time the Star appeared Vers. 9. The Star which they saw in the East went before them c. Vers. 16. Herod slew all the Children that were in Bethlehem from two Years old and under according to the time which he had diligently enquired of the Wise Men. p. 360 XXIV Matth. The former part which speaks of the Destruction of Ierusalem and the parallel Chapter of St. Luke viz. the XXI p. 394 The Author's Vindication of his Interpretation of 1 Cor. 15. 29. Praef. ERRATA PAge 18. l. 28. for Ahaz read Hezekiah p. 37. l. 15. for end r. erre p. 99. l. 8. dele not p. 151. l. 15. dele not p. 212. l. 30. r. with Ham. and l. 26 27. correct the Hebrew words And do the same in other places p. 227. l. 21. r. unutterable p. 238. l. 11. r. on p. 241. l. 9. r. deus is p. 248. l. 18. r. ex Aetheris l. ult for that r. at other times p. 250. l. 17. r. Martinius p. 255. l. 26. r. tornare p. 334. Marg. Quotations misplaced p. 349. Marg. 3 last lines put Apolog. 2. ad Sen. after the Quotation Sed cum c. And put b before Adv. Gent. p. 363. l. 33. r. other Pagans p. 364. l. 26. r. Silver locks p. 376. l. 11. dele citeth the same testimony and. p. 411. l. 7 10. r. Cedrenus What other Faults have escaped the Reader is desired to Correct Advertisement AN Enquiry into several Remarkable Texts of the Old and New-Testament which contain some difficulty in them With a probable Resolution of them By Iohn Edwards B. D. In Two Volumes in Octavo Sold by I. Robinson I. Everingham and I. Wyat in St. Paul's Church-Yard and Ludgate-street OF THE Truth and Authority OF THE HOLY SCRIPTURES CHAP. I. The Internal Testimonies or Arguments to evince the Authority of the Holy Scriptures viz. 1. The Matter of them that is the Sublime Verities the Holy Rules the Accomplish'd Prophecies contain'd in them Vnder which last Topick several particular Predictions chiefly in the Book of Daniel are explain'd and shew'd to be fulfilled Further 't is demonstrated that the foretelling of future Contingences of that nature especially so long before they come to pass could be from God only 2. The Manner of these Writings which is peculiar as to their Simplicity Majesty and their being immediately dictated by the Holy Ghost 3. Their Harmony 4. The particular Illumination of the Spirit I HAVE chosen a very Noble and Important Subject to exercise my Pen and to entertain both my own and the Reader 's Thoughts and Contemplations with for no Book under Heaven can possibly be the Rival of the Holy Bible none in the World can pretend to the transcendent Worth and Excellency of these Sacred Writings Here not only all Natural or Morâ—â— Religion but that also which is Supernatural is fulâ—ly and amply contain'd Here is the Decalogâ—â— written by God himself and transcrib'd out of the Law of Nature besides that there are frequentlâ— interspersed in these Writings other choice Rulâ—â— and Precepts of Morality But Supernatural Relâ—gion being the chief this is the main Subject of thâ—â— Sacred Volume and this you will find partly deâ—livered by the Inspired Prophets of the Old Testament and partly by Christ Iesus himself in perâ—son and by the Evangelists and Apostles in the New Testament Of these Holy Scriptures I am tâ— treat which are the Standard of Truth the infallible Rule of Faith and Holiness and the Ground work of all Divinity for this being the Doctrinâ— which is according to the Word of God deliver'â— in Sacred Writ we must necessarily be acquainted with This and know in the â—irst place that it iâ— True and make it evident that it is so If aâ—â— Estate be given a Person by Will he must firâ—â— prove that Instrument to be True and Authenticâ—â— before he can challenge any Right to what is demised him in it So it is here God bequeaths us aâ— Inheritance i. e. Life and Salvation and Eternaâ— Happiness and the Scriptures are as it were the Will and Testament wherein this is plainly exprest and whereby it is conveyed to us Especially thâ— Writings of the Evangelists and Apostles deservâ— that Name and thence are stiled 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 for the Greek word which in its Original
Import signifies a disposing of something is most commoâ—â—ly applied to such a Disposal as is either by Covenâ—â— or Testament Hence it is sometimes rendred 〈◊〉 Covenant and sometimes a Testament especially among the Lawyers the latter Sense prevails and accordingly you will find that a Last Will and Testament is express'd by this word 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 in the Imperial Institutions and other Law-Books translated into Greek We may here join both Senses together for what God hath agreed to by Covenant with Man that Christ bequeaths and gives by Testament Now we must prove both these i. e. we must make it evident that the Covenant and Testament are True before we can receive any Advantage and Benefit from them There is a Necessity of evidencing the Truth of the Scriptures which are this Covenant and this Testament otherwise we can build nothing upon them Here then I. I will evince the Truth and Authority of the Scriptures which is the great Basis of all Theology II. After I have largely insisted on this I will proceed to give you an account of the Nature of the Stile and Phrase of these Holy Books III. I will advance yet farther and demonstrate the Excellency and Perfection of them The Subject of our present Undertaking is the first of these in handling of which I shall but briefly and concisely make use of those Arguments which are commonly insisted upon by Learned Writers till I come to fix upon a Topick which is not commonly yea which is very rarely and by the by used in this Cause and this I will pursue very largely and fully I hope with some Satisfaction to the Reader There are many Arguments to demonstrate the Truth and Authority of the Holy Scriptures and shew that they are worthy to be believed and imbraced by us as the very Word of God Some of these Arguments which are to prove the Truth of these Writings are in common with those that prove the Truth of the Christian Religion on which I shall have occasion to insist at another time but my Design at present is to propound those which are more peculiarly and properly fitted to evince the Truth of the Scriptures And these are either Internal or External The Internal ones I call those which are either in the Scriptures themselves or in Vs. The Characters of Divinity which the Scriptures have in Themselves are either their Matter or the Manner of the writing them I begin with the first the Matter of them and here I will mention only these three Particulars 1. The Sublime Doctrines and Verities which are in Holy Writ In reading this Book we meet with such things as cannot reasonably be thought to come from any but God himself In other Writings which are most applauded the choicest things which entertain our Minds are the excellent Moral Notions and Precepts which they offer to us which are all the Result of Improved Reason and Natural Religion But here are besides these Notices of a peculiar Nature and such as are above our natural Capacity and Invention as the Creation of the World in that Manner as is represented to us in these Writings the Doctrine of the Holy Trinity the Eternal Decrees the Incarnation of Christ the Son of God the Redemption of the World by his Blood the whole Method of Man's Salvation the stupendous Providence of God over his Church in all Ages the Coming of Christ to Judgment and in order to that the raising of all Men out of their Ashes These and several other Doctrines deliver'd in the Sacred Writings cannot be imagined to come from any but God they carry with them the Character of Divinity as being no common and obvious Matters but such as are towring and lofty hidden and abstruse and not likely to be the Product of Humane Wisdom A God is plainly discovered in them for the most Improved Creatures could never have reach'd to this pitch Any serious and thinking Man cannot but discern the peculiar Turn and singular Contrivance of these Mysterious Doctrines which argue them to be Divine We may therefore believe the Writings of the Prophets and Apostles to be the Word of God because of the wonderful Height and Sublimity of those Truths which are contained in them 2. The Exact Purity and Holiness both of Body and Soul of Heart and Life which are enjoin'd in these Writings are another Testimony of their being Divinely Inspired For though some other Books dictate Religion and Piety yet this is certain that all the true and just Measures of them were taken originally from this one Exact Standard which was prior to them all as I shall shew afterwards Besides the Love and Charity the Humility Meekness and all other Vertues which the Scriptures describe to us far exceed the most advantageous Representations the most exalted Ideas which the Heathen Moralists give of them These therefore are emphatically and eminently called by St. Paul the Holy Scriptures 2 Tim. 3. 15. because they breath the most consummate Goodness and Piety and that antecedently to all Writings whatsoever because every thing in them advanceth Holiness and that in Thought Word and Actions The End and Scope of them are to promote Sanctity of Life to make us every way better and even to render us * like God himself The Holy Scripture was intended to set forth the Divine Perfections to display the Heavenly Purity and thereby to commend the Excellency of a holy Life And it is certain that if with sincere and humble Minds we peruse this Book of God we shall find this blessed Result of it it will marvellously instruct us in the Knowledg of the Divine Attributes especially of God's Unspotted Holiness it will tincture our Minds with Religion it will pervade all our Faculties with a Spirit of Godliness and it will thorowly cleanse and sanctify both our Hearts and Lives which proves it to be from God But because I shall have occasion to say more of this when I treat of the Perfection of the Scriptures I will now dismiss it 3. To the Matter of Scripture we must refer the Prophecios and Predictions which are contained in it These I reckon another Internal Argument because they are drawn from what is comprehended in the very Scripture it self What a vast number is there of Prophecies of the Old and New Testament which we find fulfilled and accordingly are Testimonies of the Truth of these Scriptures Here I will a little enlarge and first I will begâ—n with that ancient Prophecy of Noah God shall enlarge Japheth and he shall dwell in the Tents of Shem and Canaan shall be his Servant Where are foretold things that happened above two thousand Years afterward for the Posterity of Iapheth viz. the Europeans especially the Greeks and Romans among other Conquests gain'd the possession of Iudea and other Eastern Countries which were the Portion of Shem. Again it was fulfilled thus by Christ's coming and preaching the Gospel and by his
Proposition it is impossible it should gain the Assent of any intelligent and sober Person When we consider the Nature of these Prophecies and what they aim at we must needs own them to be from Him to whom all Future Things are Present and who is the Cause as well as the Foreseer of them And therefore when we observe that the things which the Writers of Holy Scripture have delivered are actually come to pass we may with reason conclude that their Writings are not Forgeries but on the contrary that the Penmen of them were Inspired Persons that they had the Gift of Prophecy which is an infallible Testimony of their Authority These things being thus foretold so long before and being exactly verified since it undeniably follows that the Books which contain these Predictions and are founded on them are True and Certain These Predictions coming from God are an aâ— red Proof that these Writings were endited him they being so great a part of them Thiâ— that which an antient Father long since deliverâ— The foretelling of future things saith he 〈◊〉 Characteristick Note of the Divine Authority 〈◊〉 the Scriptures for this is a thing that is aboâ—â— humane Nature and the Powers of it and 〈◊〉 only â—e effected by the Virtue of the Divine â—â—â—rit We may rely upon it as an impregnaâ— Maxim that the Spirit of Prophecy and the Fâ— filling of Prophecies are a Divine Proof of 〈◊〉 Truth of the Scriptures and are a sufficient Grouâ— to us of believing them to be the Word of Goâ— Thus from the Matter of the Holy Scriptures 〈◊〉 have undeniable Evidence of the Authority aâ— Truth of them Again the Manner of these Writings is anotheâ— Proof of the Divine Authority of them Theâ— are not writ as others are wont to be the Penmeâ— of these Sacred Books do not speak after the raâ—â—â— of other Writers How admirable is the Simplâ— city and Ingenuity of these Men all along Theâ— do not hide their own or others Failings yea eveâ— when they are very gross and scandalous thuâ— Moses recorded not only Noah's Drunkenness and Lot's Incest but his own rash Anger and Unbelieâ— and David registers in the 51st Psalm his own Murder and Adultery Ieremiah relates his own unbecoming Fears Discontents and Murmurings chap. 20. 7 8 14. The Writers of the New Testament conceal not the Infirmities and Defects 〈◊〉 the gross Miscarriages of themselves and of â—heir Brethren as their cowardly leaving of Christ 〈◊〉 his Passion Iohn's falling at the Feet of an Anâ—el to worship him Thomas his Infidelity Iohn â—nd Iames the Sons of Zebedee their unseasonaâ—le Ambition Peter's denying of Christ even with â—erjury This free and plain dealing of the Wriâ—ers of the Old and New Testament shews that â—hey are not the Writings of Men. A Man may â—ee that there is no worldly and sinister Design â—â—rried on in them but that the Glory of God is â—holly intended by their impartial discovery of â—he Truth Which was long since taken notice of â—y Arnobius in answer to that Cavil of the Pagans hat the History of the Gospel was writ by poor 〈◊〉 People and in a simple Manner Therefore â—aith he it is the more to be credited because they write so indifferently and impartially and out of Simplicity This Impartiality and Sincerity of theirs are an irrefragable Argument of the Truth of their Writings And here also you will find an excellent and admirable Composition of Simplicity and Majesty together Though the Strain be High and Lofty yet you may observe that at the same time it is Humble and Condescending To which purpose a Learned Father saith well The Language of Divine Wisdom in the Scripture is Low but the Sense is Sublime and Heavenly whereas on the contrary the Phrase of Heathen Writers is Splendid but the things couched in them are Poor and Mean The Scripture-Writers make it not their work to set off and commend thâ— Writings by being Elaborate and Exact Hâ— are no set Discourses no pointed Arguments 〈◊〉 affected Strains of Logick The Writers 〈◊〉 the Bible saith another antient Father did 〈◊〉 make their Writings in a way of Demonstration these unquestionable Witnesses of the Truth being above all Demonstration Nor shall yâ—â— find here that the Writers strain for Eleganciâ— and florid Expressions as other Authors are wonâ— here is no quaint and curious Method no formâ— Transitions no courting of the Readers no unnecessary Pageantry of Rhetorick to gain Admiration and Attention Especially the Stile of the Evangelists and Apostles is not tumid and affected but plain and simple and scorns the Ornamenâ— and Embellishments of Fancy for as an oâ— Christian said rightly Truth needs no Fucus anâ— Artifice and therefore the Sense not Words are minded in Scripture All good Men ought to be pleased with this Simplicity and Plainness of the Holy Stile of which there is a memorable Instance in an Ecclesiastical Historian who tells us that Spiridion a notable Confessor for the Christian Faith reproved one Tryphilius an Eloquent Man and converted by him to Christianity some time before because speaking one time in the famous Council of Nice he did instead of those Wordâ— of Christ Tolle grabatum tuum say Tolle lectum tuum humilem he reproved him I say and that very sharply for disdaining to use the word which the Scripture it self useth It is true the Words of Scripture seem sometimes to be common and rude and altogether ungraceful sometimes I say for I shall shew afterwards that Scripture is not destitute of its Graces of Speech but that seeming Commonness and Rudeness are great Tokens of the peculiar Excellency of the Stile of Scripture Gregory the Great excusing the Plainness and Rudeness of his Stile in his Comments on Iob professeth that he thought it unworthy of and unbecoming the Heavenly Oracles to restrain them to the nice Rules of Grammar Surely the Writers of the Bible might say so with more reason it became them not to stand upon those Niceties and Formalities of Speech which are so frequent in other Authors for it is fitting there should be a difference between Humane Writings and Divine I agree with a late Ingenious Author who declares that it fits not the Majesty of God whose Book this is to observe the humane Laws of Method and Niceness of Art Inspired Writings must not be like those of Men. The singular Grace of these is that they are not Artificial and Studied but Simple Plain and Careless and that their whole Frame and Contexture are not such as ours An artificial Method is below the Majesty of that Spirit which dictated them This would debase the Scriptures and equal them with the Writings of Men. Wherefore the oftner I look into that Sacred Volume and the more I observe it the more I am convinced that the Pens of the Writers were wholly directed by a Divine Hand For take any of the Books either Doctrinal
nothing in Scripture that looks like Inconsistent and Contradictory Upon a diligent Search we shall discern a mutual Correspondence in the Stile Matter and Design of these Writings we shall find a happy Concurrence of Circumstances and an admirable Consistency in the Doctrines and Discourses in so much that we shall be forced to acknowledg that upon this single Consideration it is reasonable to believe that these Writings were endited by the Holy Spirit This Harmony then of the Scriptures I may justly reckon among the Inward Notes of the Truth of Scripture because it is adjoined to the Matter of it which is of the very Intrinsick Nature of it What Iustinian professes and promises concerning his Digests in his Preface to them that there is nothing Clashing and Contradictory in them but that they are all of a piece is true only of the Sacred Laws of the Evangelical Pandects which contain in them nothing Dissonant and Repugnant The Old and New Testament the Prophets and Apostles are consonant to themselves and to one another which is a great Argument of the Truth of them There is nothing in one Place of Scripture opposite to the true Meaning which the Holy Ghost hath revealed and asserted in another The Contents of the whole Book whether you look into the Doctrinal or Historical Part of it have nothing contradictory in them All the Authors of it agree in their Testimonies and assert the same thing and consent among themselves It is the Nature of Lies and Forgeries that they hang not together as Lactantius on the like Occasion hath observed Especially if you search very inquisitively and narrowly into them you will perceive that they are thin and slight and may easily be seen through But the Contents of these Writings have been diligently inquired into and with great Care and Industry examined by all sorts of Persons and yet they are found to be every ways Consistent with themselves and the Testimony of the Writers is known to be Concurrent and Agreeing All wise and curious Observers must needs grant that there is no Book under Heaven that parallels the Scriptures as to this Which shews that they are more than Humane Writings yea that they were Divinely inspired and dictated And this I take to be the Sense of St. Peter who assures us that no Prophecy of the Scripture is of private Interpretation He speaks of the first Rise of those Prophecies which are in Scripture they are from God they are not of private Interpretation they are not from Man's Invention they are not of his own Brain and Fancy but they are to be esteem'd to be as they are Divine and Heavenly Oracles Thus the Word of God is Witness to it self and stands in need of no others The Scripture is sufficiently proved by what is in it and is to be believed for its own sake Which made an antient Writer say We have compleat Demonstrations out of the Scriptures themselves and accordingly we are demonstratively assured by Faith concerning the Truth of the things therein delivered Which cannot be said of any humane Writings in the World for they carry no such Native Marks with them But the very Inward Notes of the Truth and Authority of the Scriptures create in us a certain and unshaken Belief They may be known from all other Writings whatsoever by the Excellent Transcendent and Divine Matter contained in them and by the peculiar Manner of delivering and publishing it These I call Internal Proofs because they are taken from the Books themselves because they are something that we find there These assure us that they were written not by Man but by God There is yet another Internal Testimony I call it so because it is within Vs though not in the Scriptures As I have shewed you that the Holy Spirit speaks in the Scriptures and bears Testimony to the Truth of them so now I add that this Spirit speaks in Vs and works in our Hearts a Perswasion that the Scriptures are the Word of God By this Spirit we are enabled to discern the Voice of the same Spirit and of Christ in those Writings This witnessing Power of the Spirit in the Souls of Believers is asserted in Acts 5. 32. 15. 7 8. and in 1 Iohn 5. 6. From these Places it is clear that there is an Illumination of the Spirit joining with our Consciences and Perswasions and this Spirit powerfully convinces all Believers of the Truth of the Scriptures This Testimony follows immediately on our setting before us the Inward Excellencies of the Scripture as I have represented them for God makes use of those Evidences and Arguments to beget a Belief in us of the Divine Authority of Scripture The Spirit enlightens and convinces Mens Minds by those Means but more especially he urges these Evidences on the Hearts of the Religious and Faithful and thereby brings them to a firm Perswasion of the Scriptures being the Word of God This is no Enthusiasm because it is discovered to us by proper Means and Instruments whereas that is without any and is generally accompanied with the despising of them But the Evidences and Notes in the Scripture are the Reasons and Motives of our Belief only the Holy Spirit comes and prepares and sanctifies our Minds and illuminates our Consciences and causes those Arguments and Motives to make Impression upon us and effectually to prevail with us and to silence all Objections to the contrary Thus the Truth of Scripture is attested by the Holy Spirit witnessing in us But when I say the Testimony of the Spirit is a Proof of the Truth of the Scripture I must adjoin this that this Proof serves only for those that have this Spirit it may establish them but it cannot convince others No other Man can be brought to be perswaded of the Truth of those Sacred Writings by the Spirit 's convincing me of the Truth of them Besides this Proof is not in all that really believe the Truth of these Books some may be convinced of the Truth of them without this but where this is it is most Powerful and Convictive and surpasses all other degreâ— of Perswasion whatsoever There is no such câ—tain knowledg of the Truth of these Holy Wâ— tings as by the Testimony of the Sacred Spirit 〈◊〉 the Hearts of Men produced there in a ration â— way and in such a manner as is most sutable 〈◊〉 our Faculties CHAP. II. External Proofs of the Truth of the Holy Scriptureâ— Viz. the wonderful Preservation of them and Vniversal Tradition Which latter is defended against the Objections of those that talk of a New Character wherein the Old Testament is written Thâ— Iewish Masoreth attests the Authority of these Writings The Hebrew Text is not corrupted The Points or Vowels were coexistent with the Letters F. Simon 's Notion of Abbreviating the Historicâ—â— Books of the Old Testament rejected The New Tement vouched by the unanimous Suffrage of the Primitive Church The
of meer Fictions Whence Eusebius complains that there were nothing but meer Fables in the Greek Histories if they may be call'd Histories before the beginning of the Olympiads that Famous Greek Epoche or Computation which began from the Instauration of the Olympick Games by Iphitus but when this was is not very clear for some say it was in the time of Azariab King of Iudah above two hundred years after the Death of Solomon others say in the Reign of Vzziah King of Iudah A. M. 3173. Others fix it A. M. 3189 eight years before the Birth of Romulus and Remus four hundred and seven years after the Destruction of Troy Others place the Olympiads lower about A. M. 3228 others A. M. 3256 about seven hundred and fifty years before Christ. Varro's Division of Times into Vnknown Fabulous and Historical the last of which he begins not 'till the Greek Olympiads proves this very thing The most Ancient Greek Historians were Archiloâ—us Aristeas Proconnesius Hecataeus Milesius Charon Lampsacenus c. but nothing of their Writings is preserved Herodotus is the Ancientest Greek Historian we have extant and therefore is called the Father of History but he begins his Historical Relations but a little before the Prophetick Histories of Ezra Nehemiah and Daniel make an end You will find this Argument prosecuted by Clemens Alexandrinus who shews that the Learning and Knowledge of the Hebrews was before that of the Greeks as much as the Iewish Nation was before the Seven Wise Men and the Sacred History before the Argolick He shews that Thales and Solon two of their Wise Men lived about the forty sixth and the fiftieth Olympiad and Pythagoras about the sixty second than which the Iews were much older by the confession of Philo Pythagoreus Aristobulus Peripateticus and Megasthenes He compares the Age of Moses with Bacchus the Seven Wise Men and some of the Grecian Gods and proves that he was above six hundred years before any of these He demonstrates from Chronological Computations that Hâ—ggai aâ—d Zachary were Elder than Pythagoras and that Solomon was much Seniour to the Wise Men. And all this is in order to this that the Greeks as well as the Chaldeans and Egyptians had their Knowledge from the Hebrews and not these from them Seeing then that the Ancientest Pagan Writers are short of the Holy Scriptures seeing all Authors and Writers are after Moses for he indeed was before all the Great things that are in Pagan History 400 years before the Trojan War which is the first starting of History with the Greek and Roman Authors His Laws had the precedency of all others whatsoever yea the very name of Law was scarce extant at that time in all Homer you can't find the word 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 they had no written Rules to direct their Manners by the will of their Princes was the only Law since these things are thus the Transcendant Antiquity of the Writings of the Old Testament is hence undeniably proved These are the ancientest Memorials in the World these are the oldest Monuments of Truth and consequently the Iews were the first People that had these things set before them and as a consequent of that all others took from them From this comparing the Antiquity of Writers it is clear that Moses's Laws and the Customs of the Patriarchs were not borrowed from the Pagans as some have imagin'd but that the Chaldeans Phaenicians and Egyptians yea that the Arabians and Persians as might have been shewn and as the Learned Dr. Stillingfleet now a worthy Prelate of our Church hath proved in his Admirable Discourse on this Subject and that the Greeks and Latins have derived their Mysteries from the Hebrews and that all the Gentile Theologers borrowed their Great Truths from the Books of the Old Testament for these being the ancientest and first Records it is most reasonable to believe that those that came after them took from them and that these Sacred Writings yielded matter to those others This is the first Reason to prove that the Pagan Historians Philosophers and Poets were beholding to the Scriptures Secondly I will prove it from the way of Communicating those Scriptural Truths and Histories to them 1. This happen'd by reason of the Commerce which the Iews had with the Neighbouring Nations Chaldeans Phaenicians Egyptians and others Especially in King Solomon's time there was a great Commerce between the Hebrews and these latter and then it is probable the Egyptians learnt many things of the Iews As Solomon Married a Wife thence so it is likely they affected some of the Rites and Manners of his People and espoused their Customs and Usages together with their Notions and Opinions It must be remembred also that the Chaldeans Phaenicians and Egyptians were the Nations which Greece Traded with and so this Country had an opportunity of receiving the Iewish Traditions and Customs at the second hand and hence it is that you have the footsteps of them so frequently in the Greek Authors as well Poets as others Nay to speak more generally Iudea was very well â—ituated for the propagating of Laws and Usages to all other Nations for it was placed in that Climate of the World which was fit for this purpose viz. in the middle of the then Inhabited Earth To which convenient situation perhaps the Psalmist refers in Psal. 74. 12. God worketh Salvation in the midst of the Earth And so that of Ezekiel concerning Ierusalem I have set it in the midst of the Nations Ch. 5. v. 5. Secondly A great part of the Hebrews being dispersed over all the World by Divine Providenâ—e had an opportunity of Communicating these things to the Gentiles The main Body of them were sent into Assyria and Babylon by Nehuchadnezzar where they had converse with those Sâ—rangers seventy years and a part of them were carried at the same time into Egypt with Ieremiah It is not to be doubted that they carried with them the Holy Writings which were then extant and out of them they daily imparted the passages of the History of the Creation of the World and Noah's Flood and the Propagation of Mankind and other the like particulars contained in those Books Afterwards when they were beaten by Pompey and made Slaves they were carried Captive into Egypt Syria Greece Rome Besides that in the times of the Maccabees some had freely left their Country and went into Egypt to make Proselytes there When they were thus scattered into these Foreign Countries it is no wonder that the People in these parts attain'd to some knowledge of the Sacred Books and of the Traditions of the Iews They must needs hear and learn something of those Matters Conversing familiarly with the Iews 3. The Iewish Notions and Customs might easily be Communicated to the Gentiles seeing Moses's Writings were Translated into Greek in the time of the Persian Monarchy if not before it as Eusebius reports from Megasibenes a Man well Skill'd in History and who
Renowned Acts of several of the Patriarchs and first Worthies c. It is a great establishing of our Faith that those Pagans derived so many things from Scripture The Gentile Writers vouch a great part of our Religion Wherefore we must needs imbrace it when it is attested by such Disinteressed Persons 3. We ought to take notice of the Wonderful Providence of God in this matter Behold the Scripture is attested by those who never owned its Authority yea the very Enemies of these Holy Writings ratiâ—ie the Truth and Certainty of them The Heathen Poets whilst they Corrupt Divine Truth assert it Their very Lies and Fictions bear witness to the Sacred Verities their Fables confirm the Infallibility of the Bible This is the Lord 's doing here the Great and Over-ruling Wisdom of God is seen Here his Almighty Power in baâ—â—ing Satan's Contrivances and Designs may be discern'd He as was said before intended the Corruption of the Scriptures the silencing of the Truth the Exalting of himself and the Advancing of his Kingdom But the All-Wise and Powerful Moderator of the World disappointed his Designs and made this thing we are speaking of serviceable and beneficial to Religion he made it become an Argument of its Antiquity Reasonableness and Certainty against the Cavils of Atheists and Infidels 4. Henceforth we are reconciled to the Writings of Prophane Authors We have this considerable advantage by reading the Works of the Ancient Heathens and by perusing their Stories and Fables that we shall find some Greater Thing couched in them than the bare Narrative For these Writers borrow'd many things from the Holy Book their broken Stories are often-times an imperfect account of Scripture Relations Sundry things in their Writings are gather'd out of the Divine Volume but are strangely wrested pervertrd and obscured by having new Names and â—eigned Circumstances affix'd to them Almost all the Gentile Fables and Theology flowed from a depraved sense of the Sacred Writings The Poets disguise true Stories with many Fictions and some Reliques of Divine Truth are buried under their ingenuous Fancies and Fabulous Narrations Ovid Transcribed the Greek Theology from Orpheus Homer Hesiod and other Ancient Poets and these had it from the Bible The very Poetick Fictions refer unto real Story and are drawn from the Divine Source of Truth So that we are reading the Holy Scripture in a manner whilst we are turning over Pagan Writers In these we meet with Truths Transplanted from the Sacred Book we find many passages stollen from the Hebrew Fountains It is not to be denied then that Scholars and Students yea the very Candidates of Sacred Theology may with great profit prie into these Writings of the Pagans for here are the footsteps of Divine Verities Prophane and Sacred Learning are to be joyn'd The Gentile Monuments illustrate the inspired ones We may notwithstanding the disguise which Poets have put upon the Stories see the foundation of them and perceive that those vain Figmentsâ— are grounded on some Solid Truth and that a Sacred Treasure lies hid under those confused Fables For this is not to be denied that Palestine afforded Greece matter of fancy and invention the Pagan Poets were befriended by the Iews Athens was indebted to Ierusalem Parnassus was beholding to Sinai and Helicon to Iordan You see then the advantage we may reap by being acquainted with Prophane Writers whilst we look further than the outward shape which they have given to many things and search into that Truth which lies hid under it even the Sacred and undoubted History of the Old Testament Thus we may make them serviceable to far higher and better ends than they are intended This is the best improvement that can be made of them to see the true Source of what is written by them to understand whence they borrowed their matter and to confirm our selves in the belief of the Truth of the Sacred Writings by perusing these which are Prophane 5thly and lastly then See the Authority Truth and Certainty of the Holy Scriptures of the Old Testament which is the main thing I have been aiming at I had proved this before by several Arguments and those perhaps on some accounts more Forcing and Convictive than this but I thought good to add this to them as no contemptible way of proving the Antiquity and Authority of the Sacred Book The Truth of the Historical part of the Old Testament is evidenced from Heathen Writers not only Historians but Philosophers and Poets A Man may by comparing these with the Sacred Volume find out the Original of the Pagan Traditions and Fictions and observe the Lineaments of true and unquestionable History among them Hence we shall have no reason to doubt that there were such Persons and Things in being as are spoken of in the Old Testament and that the Passages and Transactions there mention'd were real and true This admirably serves to evince the Authority of those Writings this proves the Truth of the Records of Holy Writ and that they ought to be received as the Oracles of God i. e. as Infallible CHAP. X. The Authority of the Books of the New-Testament confirmed by Pagan and Iewish Writers who speak of a King or Lord that should come out of the East and particularly out of Judaea An Enumeration of the Opinions of the Learned concerning the Sibylls with the particular Sentiment of the Author viz. That the Contents of their Verses were horrow'd from the Old-Testament and that those Women were not Prophetesses but only related what they found in the Inspired Writings or heard of thence A full Answer to the Objections of those who hold the Sibylline Writings to be Spurious NExt I am to shew how the Scriptures of the New-Testament are vouched and confirmed by an External Testimony i. e. how professed Pagans â—nd Iews Enemies to Christianity have related â—nd asserted the very same things that are set down â—n those Evangelical Writings First I will begin with that which is of a middle nature between what I have been discoursing of before and what â— am now to ingage in which therefore may aptâ—y serve as a Transition from one to the other I â—ean the belief and report recorded in Pagan Writers that a King or Lord should come from the â—ast and do great and mighty things This was deâ—ived from the Scriptures of the Old Testament and 〈◊〉 belongs to the former Discourse but becaâ—se it is mentioned by Historians that were after Christ's time and the Application is with all reason to be made to Him I rightly bring it in here It was I say a constant Report that prevail'd about the time of our Saviour's Birth and afterwards that some eminent Person or Persons should rise out of those Eastern Nations and be Lords of the World We find Tacitus asserting this and that great Politician and Statesman would needs have it fulfilled in Vespasian and Titus because they were called out of Iudea unto the Empire of Rome Suetonius
If these had been Prophesies in a strict sense they would have been communicated by God to his peculiar People to whom were committed his Oracles rather than to common Pagans It is ceâ—tain that these were too Choice Secrets to be râ—â—eal'd to them Wherefore it is reasonable to conclude they were taken out of the Prophesies of the Old-Testament which were spread abroad among the Gentiles The Sibylls only recite those Prophesies but by no means are you to think that they were Prophesies of their own It is true the Pagans hearing of these Predictions and not knowing the rise of them attributed them to their Prophetesses the Sibylls and so they passed for the Sibylls Oracles as if those Women made and â—ndited them of their own Heads But they are the Oracles of the Holy Prophets and not of any Persons among the Pagans The Sibylls are not the original Authors of them but they were borrowed from the Sacred Volume of the Bible This is the true Account of the Sibylls Writings and by this we are rid of all the hard Consequences which may be drawn from the fore-going Assertions We need not trouble our selves to enquire whether they had these things by Divine Aâ—â—lation or by the help of some evil Daemon We need not dispute whether they could be endued with the Gift of Prophecy and yet be Pagans in their Persuasions and vitious in their Lives or whether if they were acted by a Diabolick Spirit they could foretel things of this sacred nature For there is no necessity of maintaining either of these because we can solve the matter before us without supposing any thing of this kind viz. by holding that these Sibylls as many others before them took these things from the ancient Prophets in Holy Scripture and dress'd them up after their own fashion All things agree very well with this Opinion and we are press'd with no Absurdities insomuch that I have wondred sometimes that this hath not been thought of by the Inquisitive This is yet a farther Evidence of what I so largely pursued before that the Gentiles insert into their Writings several particularâ— of the Old-Testament and at the same time it 's a Confirmation of the Truth and Certainty of the Evangelical Writings which is the next thing I offered Secondly then I will consider the Sibylls Oracles and Verses as they are a signal Attestation and Confirmation of the Authority of the New-Testament Behold here the main things relating to our Blessed Saviour plainly spoken of by these Pagans whose witness in this case is very considerable They declar'd in these Writings that there should be a great Change in the World and that a New Governor or King should arise and be very Eminent Cicâ—ro frequently takes notice of this passage of the Sibylls and the Roman Senate was mightily allarm'd with it and was affraid their Common-wealth would be turned into a Monarchy Yea Lentulus began to take heart from this Prophecy if you will believe Tully and Salust and fancied he was the King the Sibylls spoke of And others afterwards imagin'd that Iulius Caesar or Augustus or as some thought Vespasian or Titus were intended whereas the plain truth is that the Sibylls had only divulged in their Verses the ancient Prophesies concerning the Coming of the Messias which were found by them in the Holy Writings of the Iews and began to be known at that time to the World If we had no more to alledge but this this were sufficient to prove the Authority of the Sibylls Writings They tell us in their Mystick Verses that a Little Child should throw down Idolatry with his hand and stop the Mouths of the Delphick Daemons this was no other than the Bleâ—sed Babe Iesus It were endless to transcribe particular passages in these Writings as concerning Christ's Miracles 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Which is only a Paraphrase on that Prophesie concerning our Blessed Lord in Isai. 35. 5 6. and many other Texts in the same Prophet which speak of the miraculous Acts which he was to exert here upon Earth So what is said of his Sufferings 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 is borrowed from that Prediction in Isai. 5â— which is no other than a Description of the Messias's Sufferings And that passage reâ—â—ting to the Resurrection and his coming to Jugdment 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 is founded on some peculiar Texts in the Old Testament which speak of the Messias's last Advent and glorious Reign Certainly it is of great moment that these Persons attest these things the very same which were predicted in the Old-Testament and which are recorded in the Holy Writings of the Evangelists and Apostles This may be serviceable to refute the Objections and Cavils of the most professed Adversaries of Christianity Accordingly the ancient Christians especially the Fathers made use of these Heathen Writings against the Heathens themselves beating them with their own Weapon Peruse Athenagoras and Theophilus of Antioch and you will â—ind these Womens Verses highly commended by them Peruse Iustin and Clemens Alexandrinus and you will see that they frequently quote those Writings and rely on them in their disputes against the Pagans for Christianity So doth Tertullian so doth Origen arguing out of these Pagan Books for the Religion which they had espoused In Imitation of these Learned Fathers Constantine the Great in one of his Orations speaks very reverently of the Sibylls Predictions and vindicates them as no contemptible Proof of Christianity Lactantius and Arnobius alledge them to prove the same St. Augustin quotes the Acrosticks of Sibylla Erythraea and turns them into Latin Thus the Fathers used to convince the Gentiles out of the Sibylline Oracles and the Old Christians constantly read these Writings and appeal'd to them in their Discourses with the Heathens From which practise of theirs the Gentiles as Origen testifies stiled the Christians Sibyllists yea the ancient Christians were so addicted to the reading these Books of the Sibylls that they were strictly forbid by the Laws to do it for the future upon pain of Death And we are told what was the Reason why the Emperors prohibited the reading of these Books namely because they thence fetch'd many things that made for their Cause These Writings of Heathen Women were in those days reckoned to be a notable Testimony to the Truth of Christianity Whence it appears that they were no Forgeries for the Anciâ—ntest and Learnedest Fathers as well as other Christian Brethren would not have quoted them to confirm the Christian Religion if they had been such But we see they did frequently alledge them to that end and especially in their Disputes with the Gentiles As they made use of the Heathen Philosophers and Poets for attesting the Scâ—iptures of the Old-Testament as hath been shewed you so they cited these Gentile
reason no Man can rationally think that such Notable Concomitants of our Saviour's Nativity as the General Taxing and the Appearing of the Star could be recorded by this Historian And as for Tacitus who is the other Celebrated Historian there is as little reason to expect any of these notorious Matters in his Writings because he goes not back so far as Augustus His Annals begin with Tiberius and continue to the death of Nero and his Books of History begin where his Annals left off and go on to the end of Titus Vespasian's Expedition against the Iews and there have their Period L. Florus is but an Abbreviator of Livy and therefore we can look for nothing there So Velleius Paterculus though he goes something farther is an Epitomizer a Scantling of an Historian As for Iustin who flourished in the Emperor Antoninus Pius's time he was but an Epitomizer of Trogus Pompeius and goes no farther than he went therefore we cannot expect any thing of him concerning the Christian Affairs Thus you see what are the boundaries of these Chief Historians and what you may look for or rather not look for from them and also you have the Reasons given you why but few things which have reference to the History of the Gospel are found recorded in Pagan Writers But all that could be rationally look'd for is recorded as I have shew'd you by the best Historians among the Pagans These are the several Considerations which I undertook to offer and I question not but that they will fully satisfie the Scruples and Objections before started and abundantly clear up this Truth to us that we have sufficient Testimony from Pagan and Iewish Writers concerning the Gospel-History This Proposition is evident that the New-Testament is confirmed by Prophane Writers that the Evangelical Records are attested by the authority even of those who were without These have transmitted to us many of those things which are registred by the holy Evangelists The Memoirs of these things are in Prophane Story in the Writings of those that opposed the Christian Religion Thus I have finish'd what I attempted that is I have proved the Truth and Authority of the Scriptures from the suffrage and attestation of Strangers I have let you see that the Confession of our Adversaries agrees with that of our best Friends We appeal to the Iews and to the Gentile-World even these bear witness to the Sacred Writings And their witness cannot be rejected by any reasonable Person because a Testimony is least to be suspected when it comes from an Enemy yea because such a Testimony is reputed firm and solid because it is worthy to be believed bâ—cause it is most valid for the Commendation and Establishment of the Truth This then rendâ—rs the Books of the Old and New-Testament worthy of all Acceptation viz. that they are vouched by Profesâ— d Adversaries And this is that which I have been urging in this Discourse viz. that Iews and Pagans testifie the same things which the Inspired Writers deliver A great part of the memorable Passages set down in these Sacred Writings are left on Record in those others This is a mighty Confirmation of the Truth of these holy Books this is a clear Evidence that they are not forged and supposititious but that the Matters contain'd in them are real and certain that they give a just and faithful Account of the things they treat of in brief that they are the Word of Truth and endited by the Spirit of Truth And thus much in pursuance of the First General Head concerning the Holy Scriptures viz. the Truth and Authority of them FINIS ADDENDA Refer this to Page 261. Line 15. THe English Iay from the Hebrew Ajaâ— pica cornix To abash is taken from the Hebrew â—ush puduit And from the Greek we borrow many words with the omission of a Letter or two in the beginning as Licourice for Glicourice from 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Emonies vulgarly so call'd for Anemonies from the Flower 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 whence the Latin Anemone Sciatica for Ischiatica ab 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 the Hip or Huckle-bone Scaroticks among Physicians for Escharoticks Scar from 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 crusta cauterio in carne facta Sol from 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Rice from 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 oryza Star from 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Box from 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Maurâ—s a Moor from 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 obscurus Tanâ—ie from 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 To gaze from 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 admiror stupeo Gay from 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 elegans and perhaps Trull from 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 laena And I have taken notice of several Words from the Latin with the first Letter or more cut off in the beginning as Uncle from avunculus qu. avuncle Tills as they are call'd in some Countries from Lentils Lenticula Story from History Historia Bishop qu. Pischop from Episcopus Spain from Hispania Sparagus for Asparagus A Plaister from Emplastrum Stum from mustum Dropsy from Hydrops Gypsy for Egypsy of Latin original Pouch for Capouch a Cowl or Hood whence the Capuchin Friars have their Name from Caputium a Hood worn on the Head Picked i. e. sharp at the end qu. spiked from Spica an Ear of Corn Or if it comes from a Pike then that seems to come from Spiculum a Pike or Spear and that is from Spica it is likely Sides men corruptly for Assisting-men it being their Office to Assist the Church-Wardens unless you will rather understand by them Testes Synodales Synods-Men who were anciently joined with the Church-Wardens There are other English Words derived after the same manner from the English Saxon and French Thus Poppy with the p left out in the beginning and middle seems to give the denomination to Opium which is now a Word that may pass for English and signifies the Juice of Poppy as if Popium were the Word Sterling for Easterling Bour or Bowr from Arbour Spittle or Spital for Hospital Valis for Avail Vantage for Advantage Say for Essay Grees Stairs for Degrees Cantle in Heraldry quasi Scantling Prentice vulgarly for Apprentice Stover for Cattle from the French Estover Squire for Esquire à Gall. Esâ—uyer Quiry or Querry for Equerry a Place a Stable where Race-Horses are set To Ply for Employ Instead of Sacristan we corruptly say Sexton For God be with you we say Good By For Koningstable or Kingstable we say Constable the Officer that is appointed and establish'd by the King or to conserve the King's Peace We vulgarly a say Spice for a Specimen Hogo for Haut-goust Carfax for Quatre voix the place were Four Ways meet in Oxford Some have thought that Elphs and Goblins with which they frighted Children heretofore are derived from the famed and so â—alked of Feud between the Guelphs and Guibilines Saragosa in Spain is most corruptly pronounced for Caesar Augusta The Emperor of the Abyssines is called Prestor-Iohn
Kingdom though from very small Beginnings compares them to a Grain of Mustard-seed and by a Lessening Hyperbole calls this the Least of all Seeds though in exact speaking it be not so But if this way of interpreting Christ's Words which I now offer be not approved of then you may expound them thus that this Seed is oâ—e of the least of all Seeds or you may understand them spoken Respectively that is it is the Least of all such Seeds as extend to large Productions no Seed so little sendeth forth Branches so wide or bringeth forth its Fruit after that plentiful manner Thus you may understand the Words but in my Judgment the resolving them into an Hyperbole is the best way though it be not made use â—f by Expositors And how indeed could it when they took the Seed of Mustard to be Absolutely the least of all Grains whatsoever That of our Saviour in Luke 19. 44. They shall not leave in thee one Stone upon another which is spoken of the Last and Final Devastation of Ierusalem is generally supposed to be an Hyperbolical Expression and consequently not true in Strictness of Speech for can we think say some that the Roman Armies had nothing else to do but to pick out all the Stones in the Foundations and throw them away Those who talk thus do not remember what was done at several times towards the compleat and total Destruction of that Place This Passage of our Blessed Lord seems to refer particularly and signally to the digging up the Foundations of the City and Temple and the very ploughing up the Ground by Titus's Command which the Jews themselves do not deny and also to that Prodigious Earthquake in Iulian's time whereby the remaining Parts of the Foundations were wholly broken up and scattered abroad Here was an Exact fulfilling of Christ's Prediction without any Hyperbole As for that Close of St. Iohn's Gospel Even the Woâ—ld it self could not contain the Books that should be written chap. 21 25. Eusâ—bius and St. Aâ—gustin of old and others more lately understand it thus The World that is the Men of the World could not contain that is conceive comprehend and digest the Books that should be written concerning our Saviour's Deeds Their Understandings are weak and must needs have been oppressed with so many Books on that Subject So 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 the word here used is to be taken in Matth. 19. 11. All Men cannot receive or contain this Saying and in this Sense it is used by Philo who speaking of the Knowledge of the Nature of God and how unsearchable it is saith that neither Heaven nor Earth are able to contain i. e. to comprehend it But a modern Critick thinks 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 here signiâ—ies to entertain and approve of and accordingly his Gloss on the Words is this The whole World would scorn reject and slight all the Books which should be writ of Christ it having despised these that are already writ The World hath other Employment it would not read and peruse such Writings This seems to be the meaning of the Verb in 2 Cor. 7. 2. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 receive entertain approve of us And Dionys. Halicarn uses the word thus saying 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 the City admits not of i. e. scorns good Men. But though this and the other be the meaning of the Word sometimes yet it is very Rare and Unusual besides that it is Improper and Metaphorical and in such a case it is more reasonable to choose and imbrace that Sense of the Word which is common and usual as also genuine and proper and then the meaning is that the World as capacious and wide as it is is not able to hold oâ— contain all the Books that might have been written concerning Christ and his Works But this cannot be the Sâ—nsâ— here you will say because then our Saviour'â— Words would not be true for the World is able is wide enough to contain to hold those Books and many more besides I answer I grant this to be true in the strict way of speaking but the Evangelist St. Iohn had a mind to conclude his Book with some Great Word concerning his Dear Master and Saviour and therefore expresseth himself thus in a High and Hyperbolical manner The World it self could not contain the Books that should be written of him As if he had said Though I and otherâ— have recorded the Sayings and Doings of the Blessed Jesus yet this is nothing in comparison of what might be said on this vast Subject Theâ—e is unspeakably much more reâ—naining than hath been told you What he said and did was so Great and so Admirable that Innumerable Volumes might be filled with enlarging on that copious Matter I may say to you the Whole World as wide and ample as it is is not able to contain those Immense Treatises those Infinite Discourses which might be written in relating all the Passages that concern'd our Blessed Lord and in commendation of them Observâ— it the Evangelist saith the World it self i. e. this Material Local World therefore it cann't be understood of the Men of the world as those of the former Opinions fancied Besides it is observable that he speaks not Absolutely here but in a Qualified Manner I suppose I think I conceive the World it self cannot contain c. which plainly shews that the Words cannot be meant in the former Senses For what Sense can you make of this I suppose I think that all the Men in the World cannot comprehend the Books which should be written or I suppose all the Men in the World cannot entertain and approve of them Whether he supposed it or not it would be so and this is a thing not to be supposed but really believed and directly asserted if it be true But if you admit of the plain Sense of the Words which I have propounded then his supposing may be very pertinent and consisâ—ent here for it is but a kind of a Supposition not an Exact and Strict Truth which he here uttereth it is a Lofty Strain or Hyperbole which he shuts up his Gospel with I think in a manner â—aith he that the Whole World it self cannot contain the Books that might be composed and written on this Glorious Theme which is so Various so Voluminous Thus you see the Words must be understood in this way for the others are not reconcilable to good Sense And indeed this manner of Stile is but parallel with other Passages in Scripture as Gen. 13. 6. The Land was not able â—o bear them viz. Lot and Abraham and their Flocks which expresses how exceeding Numerous they were So some understand Luke 2. 1. There went out a Decree that all the World should be taxed which sets forth the Largeness and Vast Extent of the Emperor's Dominions not that all the World strictly speaking was to be taxâ—d for 't was not all in his Power It was said of our
Excellency Preeminence and Authority And this is yet more clear from our Saviour's words Ioh. 5. 27. where he assigns the Reason why the Judgment of the World is committed to him by the Father He hath saith he given him Authority to execute Iudgment because he is the Son of Man because he is Head and Ruler of the Church because all Government and Authority in this lower World are devolv'd upon him because he hath all Rule and Dominion put into his Hands This is the true account as I conceive of the Expression this Title was attributed to him to signify his Authority and Exaltation and not as is commonly said and believ'd and as the Learned Grotius defends it his Meanness Condescension and Humility though I will not exclude Other Reasons which may be consistent with this as that he is call'd the Son of Man to attest the reality of his Manhood to ascertain us of the Truth of his Suffering in our Humane Nature to assure us of his Sympathy with us and that he is touch'd with the feeling of our Infirmities I will only add this That whereas it is generally said by Writers and even by the Critical 〈◊〉 among the rest that this Epithet is given to our Saviour by Himself only and not by any other in the New Testament this is a Mistake for in Acts 7. 56. he is call'd by St. Stephen the Son of Man and so he is twice by St. Iohn Rev. 1. 13. Chap. 14. 14. The Original of which must be fetch'd as I have shew'd from the Hebrew Stile in the Old Testament And so must that Expression which the Apostle uses 2 Cor. 4. 17. a Weight of Glory 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 here answers to the Hebrew cabod a Weight and yet is rendred Glory Gen. 31. 1. and the Tongue is call'd cabod Glory Psal. 57. 8. So the Verb cabad signifies both to be weighty and to be glorious or honourable Isa. 66. 5. Prov. 13. 18. And the Adjective cabed approaches to this sense as is clear from Gen. 13. 2. Thus it is with the word jakar gravis fuit but it is understood in a treble sense as if there were a threefold Gravity viz. of Weight Price and Honour Accordingly it signifies 1. To be heavy weighty 2. To be precious Isa. 43. 4. 3. To be in Honour and Glory Job 31. 26. as also to glorify and honour and therefore the word is rendred by 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 in the Version of the 70. Thus you see that after the manner of the Hebrews Glory or Greatness is express'd by words that denote Weight and thence it is that 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 is here us'd by the Apostle to denote that Superlative Glory which is the attainment of the other World And 't is not improbable that 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 1 Thess. 2. 6. is to be understood thus and should not be rendred to be Burdensom but to be Honourable or to be in Authority or Dignity which our English Translators were sensible of when they rendred it in the Margin to use Authority This I take to be of Hebrew extraction and in imitation of the use of the words â—abad and jakar And hence also in the Seventy's Translation of the Old Testament 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 imports Grandeur or Glory and is applied in several places to a Royal Train and to a Mighty Host 1 Kings 10. 2. 2 Kings 6. 14. Chap. 18. 7. 2 Chron. 9. 1. So 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 a Weight or Burden is equivalent with Honour or Splendor in one of St. Chrysostom's Homilies I could remark that 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 gravis and 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 gloria differ but in the Accents and among the Latins honos and onus are not unlike Vir gravis is used by the Latin Orator for a Person of Authority and Worth And Graves viri in the old Roman way of Speaking are Men of Authority and Eminency And Baro which comes from 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 is used by Tully as a Name of Dignity and is as much as Patricius a Nobleman though I know some Criticks interpret the word in another sense Thence our word Baron a Lord a Person of Greatness and Authority And Grave answers to Baron whence Palsgrave Landgrave Margrave Burgrave for Grave among the Germans signifies a Magistrate a Ruler And we in England heretofore used the word Grave or Greve in the same sense thus Portgreve was the Name of the Chief Magistrate of the City of London till King Iohn's time who turn'd it into that of Mayor These things I here mention only to intimate the Affinity that is to be observ'd in Languages not only the Learned ones as they are call'd but others and to shew you the particular cognation betwixt Gravity and Honour or Authority betwixt Weight and Glory which it is probable was derived first of all from the Hebrews The Writers of the New Testament sometimes make use of the word 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 in the same sense that the Hebrews use the word gnanah respondere that is not to signify a Person 's Answering or Replying to what another had said but only to denote his going on with his Speech his proceeding in what he had said before Persons are said to Answer though there be no Question put to them though there be no Reply intended as Iesus answer'd and said Mat. 11. 25. Then answer'd Peter and said Mat. 17. 4. The Angel answer'd and said Mat. 28. 5. One of the Elders answer'd saying Rev. 7. 13. which is as appears from the Context no more than this They spake and said for this oftentimes is the acceptation of that word in the Hebrew Writings and particularly in the Book of Iob Chap. 3. ver 2. Job answer'd and said though no body had spoke to him or asked him any Question The words therefore import no more than this Job spake and said and so our Translators render it I might further observe that the Preposition 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 in the New Testament hath by an Hebraism the force of all the Prepositions it answering to the Hebrew 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Lastly I am inclined to think that what is said of St. Paul in Acts 9. 15. is spoken after the Hebrew manner for the Hebrews call any thing that is Choice and Delectable 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 vas desiderii and the Rabbins accordingly call the Law by this Name viz. a Desirable Vessel or a Desirable Instrument or Utensil for Cheli is of a vast Latitude and signifies whatever is for the use of Man Answerably to which St. Paul is said to be 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 a chosen Vessel or Instrument It is spoken after the Propriety of the Hebrews with whom a Thing or Person that is made use of to some Excellent Purpose is not only stiled a Vessel but to denote yet further the Worth of it is called a Vessel of Desire
Church's Hands by the Prophets and Apostles shall by her be deliver'd over to her Children to the World's End which way of Transmission is the great Prop of our Religion Besides the Apostle enjoins the Thessalonians to hold fast the Traditions which they had been taught whether by Word or his Epistle for he had used two ways of delivering the Truth to them namely Preaching and Writing and other Apostles committed the chief and necessary Heads of their Doctrine to Writing So that the Traditions meant here are the Revealed Truths of the Gospel delivered by the Apostles and Evangelists and are no other than what Christ deliver'd to them according to that of St. Paul I delivered to you that which also I received whence they have the Name of Traditions i. e. they are Evangelical Doctrines delivered to us from those that were taught them by Christ. And whether they were imparted by Word or by Epistle by Preaching or Writing they are the same the same as to substance the otherwise there may be some difference But that which we condemn and that most justly the Papists for is this that they magnify and rely upon Traditions which have no affinity with the Doctrine of Christ and the Apostles yea which contradict it in many things and yet they equalize these with the Word of God and sometimes prefer them and the Authority of the Church before that of the Sacred Writings of the Old and New Testament Thus One saith The Church sometimes doth things contrary to the Scriptures sometimes besides them therefore the Church is the Rule and Standard of the things that are delivered in the Scriptures and therefore we believe the Church though she acts counter to the formal Decisions of the Scriptures And an other Famous Doctor gives it for good Divinity that the Decrees and Determinations of a Council are binding though they be not confirmed by any probable Testimony of Scripture nay though they be beyond and above the Determination of Scripture Thus the Holy Writings of the Bible are most impiously disparaged and vilisied by the Pontificians Whereas there is nothing defective or redundant nothing wanting or superfluous in these Writings they assert in the open face of the World that they are short and imperfect and therefore have need of being supplied by Traditions which in some things are of greater Value and Authority than they Again that the Church of Rome oppugneth or rather denieth the Perfection of the Scriptures might be evinced from their constant care and endeavour to keep them in an Vnknown Tongue It is true they have translated them But 1. There was a kind of necessity of doing it the Protestants having turned them into so many Tongues By this means they were compelled as it werâ— to let some of their people see what the Bible was in their own Language But 2. It is so corruptly translated that it is made to patronize several of their Superstitious Follies and Errors And yet 3. They dare not commit these Translations to common View Although in all Countries where People were converted to Christianity in elder times the Scripture was turned into their Language and every one was permitted yea exhorted to read it as is proved by many Writers the Learned Dr. Stillingfleet particularly yet the Church of Rome denieth the common People the Use of it as a thing hurtful and pernicious The Bible as some Bad Book is tolerated to be read with great Caution and Restriction in some Countries only and by some Persons It is like the Sibyls Prophecies of old among the Romans not to be look'd into without the permission and Authority of the Senate none can read it without a Licence from their Superiours so dangerous a thing is the Bible From this Practice the People generally imbibe a strong Prejudice against the Scriptures and believe they cannot be good for them because the Pope and their Pastors tell them they are not Wherefore as one who was once of the Communion of the Church of â—ome hath well observed As soon as ever any Man imbraces Popery he presently throws the Bible out of his Hands as altogether useless to say no worse Which unreasonable and wicked Behaviour of theirs was one great Reason or Motive as he professeth of his returning to the Church of England again For what Considerate Man can think That to be a True Church which teacheth its Members to slight and reject the Word of God which is the Source of all Divine Truth and without which we can neither believe nor practise aright we can neither have Comfort here nor arrive to Happiness hereafter This indeed is not only to null â—â—e Perfection of Scripture but to abolish the whole Body of Scripture it self A third sort of Persons that are Opposers of the Perfection of Scripture are Enthusiasts and such who act out of a truly Fanatick Principle Such were the Familists heretofore whose Pretences to the Spirit were so high that they excluded and renounced the Letter of Scripture which according to their Stile was a dark Lanthorn a liveless Carcass a Book shut up and seal'd with seven Seals the Scabbard not the Sword of the Spirit or if it be a Sword it is the Sword of Antichrist wherewith he kills Christ. This was the impious Jargon of these High-flown Men who made no other Use of the Bible than to Allegorize it and to turn it all into Mystery These have been followed by Others of a like Fanatick Spirit who have made it a great part of their Religion to despise and reproach the Sacred Writ A late Enthusiast or rather one that pretends to be such but designs the Overthrow of all Religion tells the World that the Bible is founded in Imagination that God's Revelations in Scripture are ever according to the Fancy of the Prophets or other Persons he spoke to and that all the Phrases and Speeches all the Discoveries and Manifestations yea all the Historical Passages in the Old and New Testament are adapted to these The Quaker comes next and refuseth to own the Scripture to be the Word of God and the Perfect Rule by which we are to direct our Lives It is a great Error and Falsity saith one of the most considerable Persons of that Perswasion that the Scriptures are a filled up Canon and the only Rule of Faith and Obedience in all things and that no more Scriptures are to be writ or given forth from the Spirit of the Lord. With whom agrees another of as great Repute among that Tribe I see no Necessity saith he of believing that the Canon of Scripture is filled up And again The Scriptures saith he are not to be esteemed the Principal Ground of all Truth and Knowledg nor yet the Adequate Primary Rule of Faith and Manners but they are only a Secondary Rule subordinate to the Spirit And accordingly he adds That the inward Inspirations and Revelations which Men
a long time after in the first and most uncorrupted Ages this was the Entertainment of the Greatest Persons In those more innocent Times of the World the Wealthiest Men imbraced this kind of Life as mean as it is accounted now Some of the Old Patriarchs were plain honest Grasiers and the richest of them as Abraham Isaac and Iacob were busied in looking to their Grounds and their Flocks Moses the Great Law-giver was a Shepherd Nabal and Absdlom were Sheep-masters Elisah when he was busy at the Psough with twelve Yoke of Oxen was call'd thence to the Prophetick Dignity and office and Amos of a Herdsman became a Divine Messenger and Preacher Shamgar was taken from the Herd to be a Judg in Israet and with the same Goad that he drove his Oxen slew six hundred Men. Gideon's Seat of State and Justice was a Threshing-floor and he had no other Mace than a Flail Iudg. 6. 14. The renowned Iair and Iephthah kept Sheep and were fetch'd from that Employment to be Judges David the Son of Iesse a Worthy Parent in Israel was took from the Sheep-folds from following the Ewes great with young to feed Jacob to rule Israel Psal. 78. 71. Thus the Pastoral Art hath been a Preâ—â—dâ—â— to Empire and Government the taking care of these tame Creatures hath made way for the presiding over the stubborn Flock of Mankind We read that Crowned Heads have not disdained this Art King Vzziah or as he is call'd elsewhere Azariah for I have shewed in another Place that it was common with the Jews to have two Names was a Lover of Husbandry 2 Chron. 26. 10. And one of the Greatest Kings that ever swayed a Scepter acknowledgeth that as the Profit of the Earth i. e. of Agriculture 〈◊〉 for all is of universal Advantage so more especially the King himself is a Servant to the Field Eccles. 5. 9. for so it is according to the Hebrew It is worthy of his Royal Care and Study to support Tillage and Husbandry which were heretofore the Employment of those of the highest Rank And thus it was also among the Profane Nations of old Knowledg and Skill in Rustick Affairs ushered in Rule and Command The Gordian Knot was but Plough-tackling hamper'd in a Knot and he that untied it was to be Monarch of the World Araunah King of Iebus condescended to be a Thresher 2 Sam. 24. 18. 1 Chron. 21. 20. and which is aâ— unparallell'd Exaltation of this Primitive Husbandry his Threshing-floor was the Spot of Ground which King David made choice of to build an Altar to God upon 2 Sam. 24. 25. and this was the very Place where Solomon's Temple was afterwards erected 2 Chron. 3. 1. Mesha King of Moab was a Sheep-master 2 Kings 3. 4. Noked is the Hebrew Word and it is simply and barely used for a Shepherd Amos 1. 1. Spartacus the dreaded Enemy of the Romans was of the same Calling Dioclesian the Emperor left his Throne and turned Gardiner After he had laid down the Empire he took up Husbandry Attalus abdicated his Kingly Government and applied himself wholly to the same Employment The Great Scipio left his Commands to exercise and enjoy the Pleasures of Agriculture In the Old Roman History we read that the Chief Men among them studied and practised this by the same Token that several of them were fetch'd from their Tillage to Arms from their Country Carts to Triumph from Harvest-work to the Senate from the Field to the Camp from the Plough to bear the high Offices of Consuls and Dictators They that were sent from the Roman Senate to desire Attilius to take upon him the Government found him sowing in his Grounds They tell us that Romulus the Founder of the Roman Empire was bred up first to the Sheep-hook and we know that the Riches of the Antient Romans was Plenty of Cattel From the Country-Exercise of feeding of Beasts came the Sirnames of the Families of the Vituli Porcii Tauri Caprae and others And here by the by let me insert that it may be Eglon the Name of a Man and so Rachel and Dorcas the Names of Women in Scripture which sighnify a Calf a Sheep a Deer were given at first on the like Account Women as well as Men being imployed of old in looking after Cattel From their sowing of Beans Pease c. arose the Names of the Fabii Pisones â—â—cerones Lentuli c. And it is not to be denied that the Exercises of Husbandry have been treated of and applauded by the Wisest Men as Cato Varro Cicero Pliny Columella Virgil. And when among the Pagans their very Deities are represented as Lovers of a Country-Life when Pan was said to be the God of Shepherds and Mercury and Apolâ—â— fed Sheep and the last of these was cried up for the Chief Patron of this Calling they intended to signify to us that this and the like Country-Employments are Princely and Divine Which very thing we are assured of from the Word of Truth the Infallible Records of the Bible which tell us that these were the Early Business and Practice of the Greatest and the Best Men. The Greatest Princes heretofore were esteemed according to the Numbers of their Cattel Among the First and Necessary Employments and Advantages of humane Life may be justly reckon'd the Preparing of Food and the Scriptures alone can furnish us with the certain Knowledg of this It is undeniable from those plain and express Words in Gen. 1. 29. that there was no Food allow'd at first to Mankind but Plants and Herbs Corn and all other Fruits of the Earth I have wondred sometimes that any who believe the Sacred Text can question this for the Words are positive and downright utterly excluding all other kind of Sustenance but this Yea unless you can prove that Milk is no part of any Living Creature but is a Fruit of the Earth you have reason to think that they were debarr'd of this also But after the Flood which had much impaired the Virtue of the Earth and exhausted somewhat of its Seminal Power there was a Licence to eat Flesh Every moving thing that liveth shall be Meat for you Gen. 9. 3. in which is included the Product of Flesh Milk which was denied to the Antediluvians But now all are at liberty to feed on it and that was not all they were so skilful as to make it afford them Cheese and Butter neither of which we read of before the Deluge And questionless they that fed not on Milk knew not the Use of these but among the Post-diluvians Charitze hachalab 1 Sam. 17. 18. Cheeses of Milk were a common Food which are without doubt meant by Shephoth bakar 2 Sam. 17. 29. Coagulationes bovis as Pagnine renders it Cheeses of the Milk of Cows according to the Targum and they are called by the Hebrews in their peculiar way of speaking the Sons of Milk And in Iob 10. 10. gebinah is the Word for
be great Moral and Religious Qualifications likewise for this is the Book of God and therefore we must come to it with agreeable Inclinations Wills and Affections Men complain that there is a great Contention about the interpreting of Scripture and Different Parties can't agree whence they proceed to blame the Obscurity and Uncertainty of the Scripture it self But herein these Persons themselves are very blameable for this Disagreement in the interpreting of Sacred Writ arises not wholly from the Obscurity of it nor doth it proceed from the Uncertainty of it as some would suggest but from Mens Depraved Minds and Passions Wherefore our main Care ought to be 1st To free our selves from all Wilful Prejudice and Perverseness which have been the first and original Causes of misunderstanding the Scriptures Thus the Infernal Spirit when he tempted our Saviour most perversly quoted Psal. 91. 11. and misapplied it to his purpose And from him Hereticks and Seducers have learnt to cite and make use of Scripture to evil Designs viz. to uphold some Error or Vice What an Antient Writer of the Church saith of one sort of Heretical Teachers that they interpret the Sense of the Holy Writ according to their own Pleasure is true of them all their constant Practice is to strain and distort these Sacred Writings to construe them according to their own Fancies and to make them like an Echo speak what they please Their great Work in consulting and turning over this Volume is to find something they may misinterpret for their own Ends. Their Affection to a particular Cause makes them believe and assert any thing though never so improbable and then they alledg Scripture to back it though it be wholly foreign to the purpose These Persons are of the Number of those Depravers of Truth who as One of the Antient Fathers gives us their Character do not accommodate their Minds to the Scripture but pervert and draw the Mind of the Scripture to their own Wills This glossing and expounding of the Bible according to Mens corrupt Fancies is as M. Luther hath expressed it like straining Milk through a Colesack it blackens and deâ—iles the pure Word of God it depraves and falsifies the Mind of the Spirit Those Men are to be abhorr'd that submit not their Thoughts and Conceptions to this Sacred Standard who compel the Scripture to serve their Private Opinions who make no conscience of putting a Text upon the Rack to make it speak what it intended not of miserably torturing it that they may force it to confess what it never meant These Persons should be reminded how great a Sin it is to distort and deprave the Holy Writ and designedly to draw it to another Sense than it naturally bears And the Penalty is as grievous as the Crime for as the Apostle St. Peter informs us this Generation of Men wrest the Scripture unto their own Destruction 2 Pet. 3. 16. Wherefore let none presume to be guilty in this Nature and dare to follow their own sinister Imagiâ—ations in the interpreting of the Inspired Writings but let them attend to that Advice of a Pious and Learned Author We should be more willing to take a Sense from Scripture than to bring one to it Let us strive to know the naked and pure Meaning of the Spirit and in order to that read the Bible with an Unprejudiced and Sincere Mind which is an Excellent Interpreter Whereas 't is a certain Truth that Perverse Minds will pervert the Scriptures 2dly We ought to read these Divine Writings with great Modesty and Humility Let it not trouble us that some Parts of them are not level to our Understandings And where we cannot solve some things let us not arrogantly pretend to do it It is no Disgrace to confess our Ignorance here I can assure you this hath been done by the Learnedest Heads There is a Learned Ignorance as St. Augustin terms it and we need not be ashamed to be Masters of it These four things mention'd in Eccles 12. 6. I understand not saith Castellio I scarcely understand the thousandth Part of this Book saith he concerning the Apocalypse And 't is frequent with this Learned Man to say I know not the Meaning of this Place That Man is impudently rash who dares profess that he understands one single Book of the Bible in all its Parts saith Luther I own it that I am so blind that I cannot see any thing at all in that dark Place of Scripture Amos 5. 26. saith the Great Selden But the contrary Temper and Spirit have swell'd some with proud Conceits of their understanding some Passages of this Book when they have no true Apprehension of them in the least and accordingly they have endeavour'd in a supercilious manner to impose their crude Sense upon others not craving but commanding Assent to what they have propounded These bold Men forget what the Wise King saith It is the Glory of God to conceal a Matter to speak sometimes in so dark and hidden a manner that there is need of great searching studying and enquiring into the things that are said and yet at last they remain abstruse and unintelligible It hath pleased God the Wise Governour of the World that the Scripture should have Difficulties and Obscurities in it that there should be some things hard to be understood But as Socrates said of Heraclitus's Writings What he understood of them was very good and so he believed that to be which he understood not the like may we with more Reason pronounce concerning the Sacred Scriptures The Matters which we have Knowledg of which are the main Body and Substance of the Book are Excellent and Divine and so there is Reason to conclude that those Parts of it which are hidden from us are of the same Nature There is no occasion to find fault with the Sovereign Wisdom of God but it is our apparent Duty to lay aside Pride and to exercise Humility which will capacitate us to understand even those Great Mysteries and Abstrusities when we have with much Diligence and frequent Study search'd into them 3dly We must think our selves concern'd to purge our Hearts and Lives from all Deâ—ilements of Vice For 't is certain that a quick Brain a subtile Head and a nimble Wit are not so much required to the understanding of Divine Truth as an Honest Mind and a Religious Practice To Men of polluted Consciences and profane Manners the Scriptures seem dark and mysterious but to those of sanctified Minds and holy Lives they are as to the most part plain and clear These Qualifications render them as bright as a Sun-beam What the Turks are said to write on the back-side of the Alcoran Let none touch this Book but he that is pure may with great Reason and Justice be written on the Holy Book of Scripture and that only for a Pure Life is the best Commentator on these Writings A wonderful measure of