not begin with a particular proof of each part It seems you would argue thus This and that text of Scripture are true therefore they are Gods word but reason telleth you you should argue thus This is Gods word therfore it is true If you set a boy at school to learn his Grammar will you allow him to be so foolish as to stay till he can reconcile every seeming contradiction in it before he believe it to be a Grammar or submit to learn and use its Rules Or will you not â—pect that he first know it to be a Grammar â—â— then make it his business to learn to understaâ—â— it and therein to learn to reconcile all sâ—em 〈…〉 contradictions And should he not in modesâ— and reason think that his Master can reconâ—â— that which may seem unreconcileable to him aâ— such unlearned Novices as he is For my part I am fully resolved That if 〈…〉 Reason could reach to none of the matters â—â—vealed in Scriptures so as to see them in the evâ—dence of the thing yet if I once see the evidenâ—â— of Divine Revelation I may well be assured thâ—â— it iâ— wholly true how far soever it mâ—y transcenâ—â— my Reason For I have Reason to believe all the God revealeth and assertâ—th and I have reâ—soâ— to acknowledge the imbeâ—illity of my Reasoâ— and its incompetency to censure the Wisdom oâ— God And thus I abhor both the doctrine of then that say We have no Reason to be Christians and that the truth of Scripture is an indemonstrable principle that must be believed without Reasons and not proved by them And also the Arrogant infidelity of them that will believe nothing to be a Divine Revelation unless their Reason can comprehend the thing it self or at least if there be any thing in it that seems contradictory to their Reason and so will begin at the wrong end and examine the particular matters by the test of their blinde Reason when they should first examine the attestations of the whole where the evidences are more fitted for the Reason even of the yonger Christians to discern I easily confess that no man should groundâ—esly believe any thing to be a Divine Testimony or believe any man that saith he speaks from God But when God hath given them sufficient Reason to believe that the Testimony and Revelation is indeed from himself if after that men will still be doubting because their Reason is stalled about the Manner and the Causes and Ends and will believe no more then is within the reach of their Reason in these respects nor confess that it is Gods Word unless they can vindicate it from all Objections and know why and how it is as well as that it is this is a meer unreasonable unbelief It is ordinary with Princes and other Law-givers in wisdom to conceal the Reason of their Laws Shall Subjects therefore presume to censure them as defective in Wisdom or Justice because that they know not the Reason of them I say again If there were nothing in Scripture but what the Reason of man could comprehend it were not so like to be the product of the infinite Wisdom of God Let Reason therefore stoop to the Wisdom of our Maker and when he hath let us know that it is he that speaketh let us humbly learn and not proudly expostulate with him about the rest Though I shall not undertake to set upon the resolution of all the Questions of incredulous men which they commonly raise against the Word of God for that would take up many large Volumns of it self yet as I have disswaded them from this Arrogancy of wit so I sh 〈…〉 make tryal of a few of their commonest a 〈…〉 greatest Objections to shew them that their Iâ—fidelity is capable of a Confutation as well 〈…〉 of a Dehortation Object 1. You tell us out of Scripture that therâ— are Devils most wicked malicious spirits addict 〈…〉 to do evil Who made these Devils or how can they to be so bad Certainly God is good and therefore made nothing but what was good and everâ— thing must have a first cause If they made themselves evil then they were the first cause of theiâ— own evil And then you deifie the will of the Devil in making it to be absolutely a first cause â—â— you say as some That sin is but a privation and therefore hath no efficient cause but a deficient 〈…〉 then either that deficiency must be first from Goâ— and then he should be the first cause of all sin or from the will of the Devil and then either he waâ— before bound non-deficere or not If not it was no sin if he were then first he could primo deficere though God did all that belonged to him to prevent it secondly and he could have stood without any more help then he had when he fell and so quoad determinationem propriae voluntatis should have been the first determining cause of his own perseverance or non-deficiency For if he could not stand it was no sin to fall being before innocent Moreover their sin was not a meer privation but materially an act whether velle or nolle and formally a relation of disconformity to the Law Answ. 1 The Devil himself was the first cause of his own pravity God made him not evil but he made himself so God gave him free-wil to be a self-determining principle by this he was enabled to stand or fall and left in the hands of his own counsel By a sinful act he averted himself from the chiefest good and became disposed to a further aversion which might quickly habituate him to all evil Nor is it any deifying of the Creatures will to say it is such a self-determining principle and so far a first cause while it had the power of self-determination from God and so absolutely is no first cause It was the excellency of the Creature as being to be governed to have freewil or a self-determining power to good or evil Though it be a higher perfection to be determined or determinable onely to good which in Patriâ may be enjoyed yet in viâ for one under Government in the use of means in order to the end it is most suitable to their condition to have a liberty of self-determination And therefore this was part of the beauty of the frame of Nature and therefore not derogatory from the workman As God intended sapientially or per potentiam sapientiae to govern the rational Creature by Laws and Objects So did he sapientially frame him in a capacity for such a Sapiential Government and that was by giving â—im a free that is a self-determining will Indeed the Angelical Nature and Soul of Man is so exquisit and subtile and sublime a â—hing that no man can exactly perceive and comâ—rehend the manner of its self-determination â—ut the thing it self is not to be doubted of though the manner of it be yet past our reach We may certainly concluâ—e therefore That
Truth of Gods revelations which they cannot tell how to answer themselves they presently begin to stagger at the whole Truth and question it on every such slight occasion If any new difficulty arise in their way they are in the case of Nicodemus saying How can these things be Though they have heard never so many Arguments to confirm them and have been long receiving them and seen an evidence of Truth in them yet every new cavil or hard Objection doth seem to enervate all this evidence If men were as foolish and incredulous in the matters of the World their folly would easily appear to all men When a man hath studied Physick seven years or twenty years he shall meet with many new difficulties and doubtful câ—ses and many old difficulties will never be ovâ—rcoâ—e And yet he will not therefore throw away all and forsake his study or profession Wâ—â—l a Student in Law give over all his study upon eâ—ery occurring difficulty or seeming contradiction in the Laws If any Students in the Universities should follow this example and doubt of al that they have learned upon every Objection which they are unable to answer they would be bu 〈…〉 Proficieâ—â—s Or if every Apprentice that is learning his trade will forsake it every time that he is staâ—led and at a loss he would be long before he set up shop On this course all men should lose all their time lives and labor by doing all in vâ—iâ— and undoing again by going forward and backward and so know nothing nor resolve of any thing It is most certain that all men are very imperfect in knowledge and especially in the highest mysteries and there is none so high as those in Theology about God and Mans Soul and our Redemption and our Everlasting State And doubtless where men are so defective in knowledge there must still be difficulties in their way and many knots which they cannot untie Can you expect till you are perfect in knowledge to see the whole frame of Truth so clearly as to be able to answer every Objection that is made against it Why do you not lay together the evidences on both sides and consider which of the two is the clearer case What if you cannot answer all that is brought by the Devil and Cavillers against the Truth Can you answer all that Christ and his Servants say for it I dare say you cannot unless you take every impertinent vanity or falshood for an answer God needs not you to be the Defenders of his Truth He is able to vindicate it himself against all the enemies in the World Otherwise if he had called you chiefly to this work he would have furnished you for it But he first calleth you to be Schollars to learn that truth that he may help you over all difficulties in his time and way We are next to shew the Causes of this unhappy distemper why it is or whence it comes to paâ—s that men are so prone to doubt of Gods Truth upon every difficulty or mysterie that is in their way And to question all when they are stalled in any thing and to deny the very things that are certain when they are puzzled and at a loss but about the Manner Cause Reason or Ends of them And among others the Causes of this great Sin are these following 1. Man is naturally desirous of Knowledge and to see things in their own Evidence And therefore he is oft an unmannerly impatient suiter to be presently admitted into the presence Chamber of Truth and to see her naked without delay Nature will hardly be satisfied with believing which is a receiving of Truth upon trust from another no though he give us the most convincing Arguments of his Veracity no though it be God himself Nothing will satisfie Nature but seâ—ing Iâ— the wisest men in the World tell them that they see it or know it if the workers of miracles Christ and his Apostles tell them that they see it if God himself tells them that he sees it yet all this doth not satisfie them unless they may see it themselves They think this is but to be kept at a distance without door and what may be within they cannot tell Every man hath an understanding of his own and therefore would have a sight of the evidence himself and so have a neeâ—er knowledge of the thing and not onely a knowledge of the Truth of the thing by the Testimony of another how infallible soever And therefore we are all prone when difficulties seem great to say with Thomas Except I see I will not believe John 20. 25. Buâ— blessed are they that have not seen and yet have believed v. 29. How far this desire of knowledge is in nature as from God and how far it is in Nature as corrupted I will not stand to debate but that it is in us we feel And this is a preparative Reason of our doubting and dis-satisfaction if not a proper cause 2. This nature of man is yet so much more desirous to know that though it do see things in their own proper evidence yet is it not satisfied unless it also see the whole and comprehend all things with all their Reasons Causes and Modes Man affecteth a certain infiniteness in knowledge he would know all that is knowable and so would be as God in knowing And if he be ignorant of any part he remaineth unsatisfied and so is ready to quarrel with all and like froward children that throw away their meat or cloaths or what else they have because they cannot have what more they would have Every little childe will be asking you not onely what is this or what is that but also why is this so or so and to what use is it And so do men in the matters of God And if you satisfie them not in all they will scarce be satisfied in any thing Thirdly Besides this there is indeed a great dependance of one truth upon another and they are in Morality as a well framed Building or as a Clock or Watch or the like Engine where no one part can be missing without gâ—eâ—t wrong to the whole Now when these men cannot see all they do indeed want those helps that are necessary to the perfect seeing of any part and then they have not the skill of making use of an imperfect knowledge but are ready to take it for none till they conceit it full and perfect and thus are still detained in unbelief and quarrelling with that which they did or might know because of that which they did not or could not know Fourthly Moreover it is most certain that when God calls us at first to the knowledge of his truth he findeth us in darkness and though he bring us thence into a marvellous light Acts 26. 18. 1 Pet. 2. 9. yet he doth this by degrees and not into the fullest light or measure of knowledge at the first so that we are at the beginning but Babes
have eyes and sight For he that hath not eyes and eye-sight can see nothing at all so the intellective Soul was not made directly to understand it self and itâ— own intellection but to understand other things and thereby to know that we have an intellectual Soul For he that understandeth doth understand something and thereby he understandeth that he doth understand and so that he hath an intellectual faculty For he that hath not an intellectual Soul can understand nothing at all yet I will not presume to determine the controversie Whether the Intellect do know its own and the Wills elicit acts by direct intuition of the act it self It s as unreasonable a thing then to doubt whether we have such intellectual Souls because they know not themselves directly oâ— fully as long as they know other things as it iâ— to doubt whether we have eyes because they sâ—â— not themselves as long as they see external Objects 2. Moreover this corruption doth often diâ—cover it self in that men will not believe the truâ—â— of the thing revealed because they cannot reaâ—â— to understand the causes of it so many w 〈…〉 question Gods decrees of Predestination and P 〈…〉 terition because they cannot reach the cau 〈…〉 And many will deny the very work of Creatio 〈…〉 because they cannot know the way of Creatio 〈…〉 They will question whether they have immor 〈…〉 Souls because they cannot tell how they â—â—â— caused whether by seminal traduction and p 〈…〉 pagation or by immediate Creation They 〈◊〉 deny the work of Gods differencing effect 〈…〉 Grace because they know not how it is given o 〈…〉 or wrought in the Soul And as well might they deny that they have flesh or bones till they better know how they were caused in the Womb And they may as well deny that they have any blood in their bodies any nutrition or augmentation till they better know the mystery of Sanguification and other nâ—triâ—ive works And as well may they say That the Sun doth not shine or warm us till they know how it is that these are caused by the Sun They know not how the Plants are animated and specified nor how they suck their nutriment from the Earth and yet they know that such things are They know not how the silly Snail doth form her Shell or Nature for her nor how the Feâ—thers of the Peacock are so beautified and the several sorts of Birds Beasts Plants Fruits are so diversified and adorned and yet they know that such things are Or as Christ telleth Nicodemus here The wind bloweth where it listeth and you hear the sound thereof but know not whence it cometh c. And do we therefore say That there is no winâ— because we know not whence it cometh or what is the inferior cause of it Will you say That the Sea doth not ebbe and flow or there are no Earthquake Thunder and Lightning because men do so little know the causes of them Faelix qui potuit c. It is not every mans lot to reach such causes nor any mans on Earth to know the causes of all things which he knoweth to be nor fully the causes of any one 3. Moreover This folly of mans heart doth discover it self thus In that men will not believe the truths revealed by God because they cannot see Gods Ends and Reasons and the use of the things Many an evident Truth is rejected by the proud wit of foolish man because God hath not told them why he hath so determined and ordered the business or if he have told it yet they understand it not So many Infidels and Socinians do deny Christs Satisfaction as a Ransom and Sacrifice for sin because they cannot see any reason for it or necessity of it They cannot see but God may pardon sin without satisfaction And then what need of all this ado or what likelihood that God would lay so much on his Son or make so great a business of this work for our good and his glory if all was needless And thus many deny the Universal extent of his satisfaction as being for all mankinde because they are not able to see the reason and use of it They thrust in their dead quorsum as a sufficient answer to the most express words of God And ask what good will it do men to be ransomed and not saved They fear not to say That this is a thing unbeseeming God and such a weakness as men would not be guilty of So that if we can prove that such a thing there is they will not fear to charge it on God as his unreasonable weakness The like we might shew in many other points And must God unlock to us the Reasons Ends and Uses of his Truths and Works before we will believe that such things are We will alloâ— Parents to conceal the Reasons and Ends of many precepts from their Children and a Prince to conceal the Reasons of many Laws and to keeâ— to himself the Aâ—cana Imperii the mysteries of State and must God open all before he can be believed Is not the Wisdom and the Will of God the most satisfying Reason in the World Must you have proper Reasonings and Intentions in God or will you have a cause of the first cause or an end of the ultimate end of all Alâ—s how little do the wisest men know of the use and ends of many a Creature over their heads and under their feet which their eyes behold yea how little know they of the use and ends of many a part of their own bodies And yet they know that such things there are What abundance of why's hath an Arrogant Infidel upon the reading of Scripture from the beginning of Geneâ—â—s to the end of the Revelation which must all be satisfied before he will believe Of all which God will one day satisfie them but not in the manner as they would have prescribed him 4. Another expression of this Arrogant Ignorance is When men will not believe the several truths of God because they are not able to reconcile them and place each one in its own order and see the Method and Body of Truth in its true Locations and Proportion Nay perhaps they will believe none because they cannot discern the harmony What abundance of seeming contradictions in Scripture do rise up in the eyes of an Ignorant Infidel as strange apparitions do to a distracted man or as many colours do before the inflamed or distempered eye These self-conceited ignorant Sâ—uls do imagine all to be impossible which exceedeth their knowledge and because they cannot sâ—e the sweet consent of Scripture and how those places do suit and fortifie â—â—ch other which to them seemed to contradict each other therefore they think that no one â—lsâ— can see it no not â—od himself They are like an ignorâ—nt fellow in â— Watch-makers shâ—p that thinks no body can â—â—â— all the loose â—eeces together and make a Watâ—h of them because he cannot When
others Bâ—cause he findes himself both fallible and fallacious he is ready to think that God himself is so too For corrupt man is prone to question wheâ—her there be any higher vertue then he hath experience of in himself 14. Also it is a great occasion of this sin of Infidelity and Arrogancy and questioning all that men do not understand that they know not the true nature of the Christian State and Life and build not in the order that Christ hath prescribed them Christs method is this That they should first understand and believe those Essentials of Christianity without which there is no Salvation and then engage themselves to learn of him as his Disciples and so to set themselves to School to him and live under his teaching that they may know by degrees the rest of his will And his teaching is joyntly by his Word Ministers and Spirit Men must first lay the Foundation in an explicite faith and hold to those Fundamentals as of inâ—allible certainty and not expect to know the rest in a moment nor without much diligence and patience but wait on Christ in the Condition of Disciples to learn all the rest All this is expressed in Christs Commission to his Apostles Matth. 28. 19. â—0 21. Where he first bids them disciple the Nations which contains the convincing them at age of the fundamentals and procuring their consent and then to baptize them that they may be solemnly engaged and then teach them to observe all things whatsoever he commanded them and this must be the work of all their lives Now here are two gross Errors contrary to this stablished order of Christ which Professors do oft run into to their own perdition The one is when they do not first lay the Fundamentals as â—ertainâ—ieâ— but hold them loosly and are ready on all occasions to reduce them to doubtful and uncertain points or to question them though their evidence be never so full because of some defect of evidence in other points A most foolish and perverse course which will hinder any man that useth it from the true understanding of any Science in the World For in all Sciences there are some undoubted Principles which must be first laid and it must not be expected that all points else should be of equal necessity or evidence as they But if we should meet with never so much doubtfulness in any of the superstructure yet these principles must still be held fast For he that will be still pluâ—king up his Foundation upon every error in the building is never like to perfect his work The second common Error is That as Professors do not lay the Foundation as certain so they do not unseignedly sâ—t themselves in the true posture of Disciples or Schollars to learn the â—est but think themselves past Schollars when they have gone to School and engaged themselves to Christ their Teacher This is the undoing of the greatest part of the visible Church If they come to the Congregation it is not as Schollars to School but as Judges to pass sentence of the Doctrine of their Teachers before they understand it And if they reade the Scripture it is in the same sort When they are at a loss through any occurrent difficulty they do not go to their Teachers as humble Schollars to learn the true sence of the Word and the solution of their doubts But they go as confident cenâ—urers and as boys that will go to School to dispute with their Master and not to learn and therefore no wâ—nder if they turn self-conceited Hâ—râ—tâ—ckâ— or â—nfidâ—lâ— For Christ hath resolved that the most learned and worldlâ—-wâ—se if they will come to Scâ—oâ—l to â—im as his Disciples mu 〈…〉 come â—s little Children consâ—ious oâ— their ignorance and humble enough to submit to his Instructions and not proudly conceited that they are wise enough already And they must wait upon his Teaching year after year and not think that they are capable of a present understanding of each revealed Truth 15. Lastly Besides all the former causes of this Sin some men are judicially deserted and left to the power of their Arrogancy and Infidelity When God hath shewed men the light of Fundamental verities and instead of hearty entertaining and obeying them they will imprison them in unrighteousness and receive not the truth in the love of it that they may be saved God oft gives them over to believe a lie and to reject that Truth which would have saved them if they had received it I have noted many Professors that have lived in pride flesh-pleasing or secret filthiness or unrighteousness or worldliness and would not see nor forsake their sin but hold on in their profession and their lusts together that these are most commonly given over to gross Heresies or Infidelity For when they are once captivated to their fleshly lust and inâ—erest and yet reade and know the damâ—ableness of such a staâ—â— they have no way left to quiet theâ—r Conscience but either to believe that Scripture is false and then they need not fear its threatnings or else to leave their sins with confession and contrition which their carnal hearts and interest will not permit From what hath been said already in the opening of this point we may see what a corrupt and froward heart is in man as to the matters of God and his own Salvation Three notable corruptions are together comprehended in the disteâ—peâ— which we have here described and exâ—â—â—ssâ—d in the common incrâ—dulous questioning How can these things be First You may hear in this question the voice of Ignorance Men have lost the true knowledge of God and of his works especially in Spirituals The natural man discerneth them not for they are spiritually discerned 1 Cor. 2. 14. We are as blind men gâ—oaping in the dark at a loss upon every difficulty that occurs Evidence or truth is no evidence to us because our understandings are unprepared to receive it and be shut against it When we should love the â—ruth we cannot finde it when we should glorifie the God of Truth we know him noâ— but in our hearts say as Pilate What is Truth And as Pharaoh Who is the Lord We are grown strangers to the way that we should go home in and strangâ—râ— to the voice that should tell us the way and to the hand that should guide us in it and strangers to the everlasting home that we should go to So that instead of a chearful following our Guide we are crying out at every turning How can these things be 2. And here is comprehended and manifested also the perverseness of mans understanding that will needs begin at the wrong end of his Bâ—ok and read backwardâ— And when he should be first inquiring Whether these things be so or not He will needs be first resolved How they can be so And he will not believe that they can be so till he knows how they can be so whereas common reason would
teach us in other things to know first Whether it be so oâ—nâ— before we come to the How can it be so We may easily be certain of the Being of a thousand things when we cannot be certain How they be 3. And lastly here is manifested also the unreverent Arrogancy of man that will presume to call his Maker to account and to know of him the Reasons of his works and how they can be before he will believe them and so he will needs question the very power of God For to say How can it be is as much as to say How can God do it As if we were fit Judges of his ways and able to comprehend his infinite power and the several paths of his unsearchable counsels He is great in counsel and mighty in work Jer. 32. 19. He made the Heaven and the Earth by his great power and nothing is too hard for him Vers. 17. The Prophet Isaiah's answer should suffice to all such incredulous questions Isai. 28. 29. This cometh from the Lord of hosts who is wonderful in counsel and excellent in working Hence also we see what unteachable Schollars Christ hath in his School and consequently how patient and gratious a Master he is When we should be submissively enquiring we are incredulously disputing and we will needs be wiser then our Master and question whether he teach us right or wrong It is a wonder of mercy that he should pardon so great dulness and unprofitableness in us and shall we after this be so insensible of that sin of ours and of that grace of his as to fall a questioning him and his truth and lay the â—lame on him from our selves Object But we must not believe all things and therefore we must enquire and try the spirits whether they be of God or not even the Spirit of Christ himself Answ. The Spirit of Christ fears not a just tryal Had not Christ brought sufficient evidence of his truth he would not have condemned the unbelieving world for not receiving it I have shewed you already how fully he hath sealed â—is Testament and with what attestations he hath delivered his Doctrine to the world But why do you not acquieâ—ce in these confirmed verities when once Christ hath given sufficient proof of his Doctrine must it be questioned again because it is wonderful and because that the manner of it is beyond your reach Inquire first whether it be a Revâ—lation from God or not and if it had no divine attestation or evident that it is of God then you might reject it without sin or danger when you finde it to contein things so far beyond your reach But when God hath put his Seal to it and proved it to be hâ—â— own if after this you will be questioning it because of the seeming contâ—adictions or improbabilities you do but question the wisdom and power of the Lord As if he had no more wisdom then you can reach and fathom yea theâ— you can censure and reprove Or as if he could do no more then you can see the way and reason of and are fit to take an account of I do therefore exhort alâ— that fear the Great Name of God and love their own Souls That they take special heed against this daâ—gerous sin Think not the Proved-Sealed Word of God is ever the more to be suspected because that the matters in it do seem strange and unlikely to your Reason And think not that you should comprehend the mysterious counsels and ways of God Let your understandings meditate on Scriptuâ—e difficulties that you may learn to resolve them but suffer not the apprehension of those dâ—fficulties to make you once question the Truth of God but abhor such a thought as soon as it ariseth and cast it with detestation out of your hearts To perswade you the more effectually I beseech you do but weigh impartially besides what is said before these following consideratioâ—s 1. Consider who that God is whose ways thou dost so presumptuously pass thy censure of and whose Word thou callest to the Bâ—r oâ— thy Judgment â—â— Is Infinite wisdom fit to be examined by thee or tâ—e Works of Infinite power to be tryed by thee If there were nothing wonderful in his Word or Works they would not believe the Mâ—jesty of God nor the Saviour of the World whose Name is Wonderful Counsellor the Mighty Gâ—d Isai. â— 6. Gods Name muâ—t be written upon his Word and Works and all must bear some part of his Image and therefore have somewhat in them that is incomprehensible Shall the Infinite God have no Word or Work but what may be comprehended by such as we I seriously profess that it oft amâ—â—eth me to think that we should know so mucâ— of God his Will and Ways as we do When I consider the infinite distance between him and us I must admire that we are made so much acquainted with his minde and that he hath told us so much of his mysteries as he hath done and must say What is man that thou art mindful of him and the Son of Man that thou so vi test and regardest him Psal. 8 4. Job 7. 17. When I considâ—r how little a poor Worm or Bâ—rd or â—east knows of me thâ—t am made of the same flâ—sh with him and how much man knows of the minde of God who is infinitely distant from him it makes me admire at the Proviâ—ence that hath so ordered it If a Beast could so far consider and discouâ—se would it not be fâ—lly in him to call my writings words and ways to the Bar and to suspect those as false that are beyond his reach and to say How can these things be Why alas they are ten thousand thousand times neerer to us then we are untâ— God O then let us thankfully open his books and look upon his words and works and bless him that hath condescended so far to man and lifted up man so neer to himself in knowledge in comparison of other inferior creatures and make much of that measure of knowledge which we have But do not think to measure the Creation of God not to comprehend his secrets much less himself Methinks the reading of those four Chapters in Job before cited containing Gods expostulation with him might do much to humble an Arrogant wit and to make it submit to infinite wisdom Alas the very Angels cannot comprehend God and whether aâ—â— Creature can immediately see his Essence we cannot now affirm Admirations do better beseem the highest of his Creatures then bold expostulations The flaming Mount might not be touched You cannot endure to gaze upon the Sun which is Gods Creature Should you approach too near it you would be consumed by its heat And dare you be so bold with the highest Majesty It were not greater folly to imagine that you can span the Earth in your hand or that you can reach the Sun with your finger then to imagine that you are meet to expoâ—â—ulate
with God and that all must be unreasonable in his Word or Works where your wit is not able to discern the Reason Surely His thoughts are not as our thoughts nor his ways as our ways but as far as the Heaven is above the Earth so far are his thoughts and ways above ours Isai. 55. 7 8 9 And as you cannot comprehend the thoughts and ways of God so you are surely unfit to contradict them The childe will submit to the wisdom of his Father and the Schollar of his Master and will believe them when they cannot reâ—ch the reason of their sayings They will not set their wits against them thought they be reasonable Creatures as well as they It was the humble expression of men of old when they would contemn themselves in comparison of their superiors to call themselves A dead dog or a flea 1 Sam 24. 14. and â—0 20. David himself doth so to Saul What may we then call our selves in comparison with the Lord but even nothing and less then nothing and lighter then vanity and should nothing contend with immensity and Eternity Should a Flea dispute with a Learned man and say How can these things be How much less should we sâ— dispute with God If a man do but look up to the height of the visible Heaven or look down into some exceeding depth it will make him be ready to tremble with what dread and submissive reverence then should our mindes look to the height and depth of the Counsels of the Lord Dâ—re not therefore any more â—o quarrel with his wisdom but say as Job when God had non-plus'â— him Job 42. 2 3. I know that thou canst do every thing and that no thought can be withholden from thee who is he that hideth counsel without knowledge Therefore have I uttered that I understood not things too wonderful for me which I know not 2. Consider also what we are our selves as well as what that God is with whom we do expostulate The Lord knows we are silly Creatures for such an undertaking Can sâ—ch breathing lumps of earth such walking dust such bags of filth be fit to enter a dispute with God And though they are noble souls that are thus meanly housed yet never endowed or fitted for such a task A spoon or shell may as well contain the whole Ocean as our narrow understandings comprehend the counsels of God Are our understandings infinite that we should think to comprehend the Reasons of the words and ways of the Lord any further then he hath condescended to reveal them Our eyes may as well expect an unlimited vision and think to see beyond the Sun â—s our understandings expect such a boundless intellection It 's a wonder that so much knowledge as we have should be found in a soul that'â— housed in clay and shall we presume that we have so much more then we have It was the sinful Arrogancy of our first parents to desire to be as Gods in Knowledge and shall we go so far beyond them in our Arrogancy as to presume that we are actually such indeed And its observable what contradictions there be among sâ—â—ful principles and how proud infidelity doth condemn it self These unbelievers have such low thoughts of mens soul that they think it doth but gradually differ in its rational power from the soul of a bruit and therefore think it cannot be immortal and yet the very same men that think not the soul so noble as to be immortal do think it so capable of disputing with God and compreâ—ending the reasons of his Truths and ways that they are ready to deny the most confirmed Truth if they do not reach the maner and Endâ— and Reasons of it and God shall not be believed unless their Reasons be satisfyed in all these and unless they are able to take so full a view of the whole body of Truth as to answer all gain-sayers and reconcile all seeming contradictions they will not take Gods word to be his word Yea with the wretched Atheist God shall not be God because he cannot comprehended him He shall not be infinite in Immensity and Eternity because that he cannot comprehend this Immensity and Eternity And so with the Infidel Christ shall be no Christ and the Trinity no Trinity because his shallow brain cannot compreâ—end the mysteries of the incarnation the Hypostatical Union and the Trinity So that the same man will have his soul to be but as the soul of a dog foâ— kind and yet will have it more comprehensive then the very Angels in Heaven and think it so competent a Judge of Gods Counsels that he will presume to condemn them if he see not the Reasons of them 3. Consider Doth not certain experience tell you that you are utterly unable fully to understand the nature and reasons of those works of God that are daily visible before your eys I will not say onely of the greater and more distant but even of the least or of any one of them I am confident that there is not the least flie or worm or pile of grass much more the Sun and other Planets but that which we know of them is much less then that which no man knows And should such poor understandings then be so Arrogant as to think to fathom the Counsels of God and reject his plain revealed Truths because they see not How such things can be 4. Consider What a stream of experience do you sin against in this Arrogancy Doth not every Study that you fall upon and every days business that you are engaged in most plainly discover the weakness of your understandings Why else do you learn no faster and know no more Why are you not yet absolnte masters in all Sciences and Arts Yea why are you so defective in all And yet will you presume to dispute with God and reject his Truths as unreasonable after all this experience of your own infirmity and of your unfitness for works that are so much lower 5. Consider Whether by this sinful Arâ—ogancy you do not equal your understandings with Gods For if you must be able to see the Reason of all his Truths and ways and will control them because you see not the reason of them doth not this imply that you suppose your self to equal him in understanding And what greater madness can you be guilty of then such a conceit So also when you quarrel with the word as if it contained things that are unrighteous and strengthen your unbelief by such conceits what do you but say that you are more righteous then God Oh think not that the foolâ—shness of man is wiser then God or that our darkness is comparable to his incomprehensible light or our unrighteousness to his perfect Justice or that we are fit Judges of these his perfections Hear that voice that Eliâ—haz heard from the Spirit that passed before him in the Visions of the night Job 4. 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21. Shall
mortal man be more just then God shall a man be more pure then his Maker Behold he put uâ— trust in his servants and his Angels he charged with folly how much less on them that dwell in houses of clay whose foundation is in the dust which are crushed before the moth They are destroyed from morning to evening they pâ—rish for ever without any regarding it doth not their excellency which is in them go away they die even wiâ—hout wisdâ—m 6. Consider further that it is the very nature of Faith to believe the thing revealed or testifyed upon the meer credit of the testifyer or revealer If therefore you will have no such implicite belief in God you will have no faith at all To see a thing in its own Evidence is not to Believe The formal object of faith is the veracity of God Reason assures us first that God cannot lye and next it discerneth by evidence that This is Gods word or a Divine Revelation and then we may well build upon this foundation that each particular of this Revelation is true So that it is no true Belief if the credit of the Testifyer be not the reason of your Assent If therefore you must see the reason of Gods revealed truths and the very manner and end of all his works before you will believe this is as much as openly to proclaim that you will be no believers at all You will Assent to the words of the falseâ—t Lyar as long as you see the Evidence of truth in the things themselves which they report And will you give no more credit to God then to such a one Will you believe God no further then you see a Cogent Evidence in the thing asserted which shews that he cannot deceive you therein if he would Why thus far you will believe the worst of men For indeed this is no beliâ—ving at all If you do not first believe that God cannot lye and so that all that he saith is true you have no belief in him at all 7. If you are Christians you are Christs Disciples and therefore must wait on him in the humble posture of learners And he that will no wâ—it credit this teacher is not like to learn If you will not believe him but assent onely to that which is evident of it self without his word then how are you his Scholars 8. Will you allow your own children or Scholars to do so by you If they should dispute with you instead of believing you and so should reject all that you tell them as false that is beyond their capacity as to the reasons and manner you would not think that they did their duty When a schoolmaster is teaching his scholars their lesson shall they instead of learning dispute it with their master and in every difficulty or seeming contradiction unbelievingly say How can these things be Be not guilty of that towards God which you would not have a child be guilty of to a man 9. Consider aso if this course be taken whether ever you be like to come to knowledge For the knowledge of things whose Evidence is all in the Revelation and the credit of the Testifyer can be no other way attained but by believing All things seem strange and difficult at first to those that have not learned them If you understand all things already what need you to learn any more If you do not then all that you understand will appear to you at first as darkness or contradiction If now you will be so confident of your own understandings as to cast away all that you understand not already because it seems contradictory or unlikely how are you like to know any more If you will conclude that all is false which you understand not already you are like to make but unprofitable scholars Well therefore saith Solomon Prov. 6. 12. Seest thou a man wise in his own conceit there is more hope of a fool then of him For certainly it is a double degree of folly for a man not onely to be ignorant of the things of God but also to be so ignorant of his own ignorance And we must be at more pains to make such proud men know that they do not know then to make the humble to know the truths themselves which they perceive that they yet know not And therefore Paul doth not only bid us Be not wise in your own conceits Rom. 12 16 But also intimates that ignorance is the cause of such conceits of wisdom Rom. 11. 25. For I would not brethren that ye should be ignorant of this mystery lest ye should be wise in your own conceits As Solomon saith of the foolish sluggard that He is wiser in his own conceit then seven men that can render a reason Pro. 26 16. 10. Consider Whether in this case you joyn not impudency and inhumane ingratitude to your Arrogancy When Christ condescendeth to become your teacher and you are loyterers and dullards and will not learn but have lost the most of your time in his schoole is it not a great mercy now that he will yet entertain you and instruct you and doth not turn you out of his schoole And will you instead of being thankful for this mercy fall a quarrelling with his truth and take on you to be wiser then he when you have so provoked him by your ignorance and unprofitableness Will you flye in his face with audacious unbelieving questions and say How can these things be As if it were he that knew not what he said and not you that did not understand him 11. Consider How easily can God evince the verity of those passages which you so confidently reject and open your eyes to see that as plain as the high-way which now seems to you so contradictory or improbable And then what will you have to say for your unbelief and Arrogancy but to confess your folly and sit down in shame You know when any difficult case is propounded to you in any other matter which you can see no probable way to resolve yet when another hath resolved it to your hands in a few words it is presently all plain to you and you wonder that you could not see it before You are as one that wearyeth himself with studying to unfold a Riddle and when he hath given it over as impossible another openeth it to him in a word Or as I have seen boys at play with a â—aâ—r of tarrying Irons when one hath spent many hours in trying to undo them and casts them away as if it could not be done another presently and easily opens them before his face So when you have puzzelled your brains in searching out the reasons of Gods ways and seeking to reconcile the seeming contradictions of his word and say How can these things be in a moment can God shew you how they can be and make all plain to you and make you even wonder that you saw it not sooner and ashamed that you opened
your mouth in unbelief How plain is that to a man of knowledge which to the ignorant seems impossible If the certain event did not convince them you should never perswade the ignorant vulgar that learned men know so much of the motions of the Planets and can so long before tell the Eclipse of Sun or Moon to a Minute But when they see it come to pass they are convinced Thus can God convince thee of the verity of his word either by a merciful illumination or by a terrible execution For there is not a soul in Hell but doth believe the truth of the threatnings of God And the Devils themselves Believe that would draw thee to unbelief 12. Lastly Take heed of the very beginnings of this sin for it is the ordinary way to total Apostasy when men have once so far lost their humility and modesty and forgot that they are men or what a man is as to make their shallow Reason the censurer of Gods Word because of certain seeming improbabilities and when they will not rest satisfyed in the bare Word of God that thus it is but they must needs know why anâ— how it can be this opens the flood-gate of temptations upon them for the envious Serpent wilâ— quickly shew them more difficulties then their shallow brains can answer and will cull out all those passages of Scripture which are hard to be understood which the unlearned and unstable dâ— wrest to their own destruction 2 Pet. 3. 18. He will shew them all the knots but never shew them how to untye them Such arrogant questioners censurers of Gods word do oft run on to utter infidelity while they are incompetent Judges and do not know it what can be expected from them but a false judgement For though the light shineth in darkness yet the darkness comprehendeth it no Joh 1. 5. and therefore presumeth to condemn the light O therefore let all young raw students and unsetled wits take heed in the fear of God that they exalt not themselves and that they think not their weak understandings to be capable of comprehending the counsels of God and passing a censure upon his word upon the nature of the matter as appearing unto them Nay let the sharpest wits and greatest scholars stoop down before the wisdom of God and be have themselves as humble learners and enter as little children into his schoole and Kingdom and submissively put their mouths in the dust and take heed of setting their wits against heaven or challenging the infinite wisdom to a disputation If they love themselves let them take this advice and remember that God delighteth to scatter the proud in the imagination of their own hearts Luke 1. 51. and to pull down â—spiring sinners to the dust As they that would set their power against God would soon be conâ—inced of their madness by their ruine so they that will set their wisdom against him are like to escape no better Let no man deceive himself if any man among you seemeth to be wise in this world let him become a fool that he may be wise for the wisdom of this world is foolishness with God For it is written he taketh the wise in their own craftiness And again The Lord knoweth the thoughts of the wise that they are vain 1 Cor. 3 18 19 20. Object But would you not have men satisfyed of the reasonableness of what they believe shall men believe that which is unreasonable this were to make us mad and not Christians Answ. You must believe nothing but what you have sufficient reason to believe But then you must know what is sufficient reason for Belief Prove but the thing to be the Testimony of God and then you have sufficient reason to believe it whatsoever it be For Faith proceedeth by this Argumentation whatsoever God testifyeth is True But this God testifyeth Therefore it is true You have as good reason to believe the Major as that there is a God and he that acknowledgeth not a God is unworthy to be a man All that you have to look after therefore is to prove the Minor that this or that is the word of God And as concerning the Scripture in general it carryeth sufficient Reason to warrant and oblige any man that readeth or heareth it to believe it in the forehead of it It shineth by It shineth by its own light and it beareth the certain seal of Heaven So that we have gooâ— Reason to believe the Scripture or Doctrine oâ— Christ to be the word of God And then we havâ— as good reason to believe it and every part of â—â— to be true And then what ground is there for any further exceptions or objections When yoâ— have seen the seal of God affixed and perceiveâ— sufficient evidence of the verity of the whole what room is left for cavils against any parâ— of it Object But it is certain that God never spokâ— contradictions Therefore if I finde contradictions in the Scriptures may I not rationally argue that they are not the Word of God Answ. Yes if you could certainly and infallibly prove your Minor that Scripture hath such contradictions But that 's not a thing that a sober man can be confident of proving because all things that men understand not may seem to them to have contradictions And you have far more reason to suspect your own shallow understanding then the Word For those things as I have shewed may be easily reconcileable by others that understand which seem most unreconcileable to you Are you sure there can be no way of reconciliation but you must know it It 's easie therefore to see that your Minor cannot possibly be proved Yea it may be easily and certainly disproved even by him that cannot reconcile those seeming contradictions For God attesteth no contradictions but God attesteth the holy Scripture Therefore the holy Scriptures have no contradictions The Major is most evident to the light of nature and granted by your selfe The Minor â—s proved at large before and elsewhere Gods attestation is discernable to Reason It is therefore a preposterous course to begin â—t the quality of the word and to argue thence that God revealed it not when you should begin at the Attestation or seal of God and argue thence that he did reveal it and indeed the very quality beareth or containeth his Image and Seal For you are more capable of discerning the seale of God attesting it in the spirit of Miracles and Holiness c. then you are of discerning presently the sense of all those passages that seem contradictory to you You may easily be ignorant of the true interpretation for want of acquaintance with some one of those many things that are necessary thereto But I can be certain that God hath astested the Scripture to be his Word And indeed common reason tells us that we must first have a general proof that Scripture is Gods word and argue thence to the verity of the parts