believe without declaring any thing of his hidden Wisdom in their wonderful Production which therefore when we speak of we speak and understand as Children Indeed our knowledge in these things is much enlarg'd by the Revelation of the Gospel of Jesus Christ who hath brought Life and Immortality to light but yet there are still remaining many Mysteries in the Work of our Redemption far above the reach and capacity of our Natural Reason to comprehend which in this Life we must content our selves to view only in a Giass darkly and not expect to behold them now as we shall hereafter Face to Face and to see as we shall be seen And it is the high Privilege of the Gospel that we may behold these Wonders of the Lord in this Glass which the Law as the Apostle saith look'd upon thro' a Veil but it is our advantage to see those Promises of God fulfilled which our Forefathers beheld at a great distance from their Completion and by the Light of Prophecy only which shone in a dark place or else thro' Types and Figures But since it pleased God to require so strong a Proof of Abraham's Faith that hoping even against Hope and not staggering at the Promise of God thro' unbelief He rejoyc'd to see the day of the Lord and He saw it even thro' this thick and gloomy Veil and was glad much more reasonably may God expect from us that we should now be fully perswaded that what he hath promised he hath been able also to perform since it is given to us to see the performances of our God to adore his Goodness in the fulfilling all his Promises and in the completion of his Predictions and to read the Mysteries of our Redemption in the Gospels of Jesus Christ And this Information not coming otherwise unto us but from the Reveal'd Word of God gives us a sure Ground for our Belief and for our Knowledge likewise in these Mysteries in which we cannot with any shadow of Pretence complain that we have not a good Foundation for our Faith no more being requir'd to be believ'd concerning them but as much as is Reveal'd of them by God nor any thing farther necessary to be known of them but what is declar'd by him nor otherwise than as he hath declar'd In this assurance we stand unmov'd against all vain Suggestions of the impossibility of there being any such Mysteries in the Christian Religion and of our own incapacity to believe things which our Vnderstanding cannot comprehend Which assertions proceed from a bold but mistaken Philosophy ignorant of the great Power of God and not rightly distinguishing between the measure of Knowledge sufficient for Faith and for Demonstration nor knowing that where the Veracity of the Affirmer and the Power of the Author of any Miracle are unquestionable there we have a good Authority to believe his Relation of any thing tho' it shall be wonderful and far above our Capacity to comprehend Now what God hath affirm'd we have this reason to believe and as far as we are capable of apprehending the Truth of a Proposition in which any Mystery is revealed by him so far the Mystery becomes a necessary object of our Faith and we may be said to understand enough of it to believe even when we cannot comprehend the manner and way by which it was produc'd which when they are not Reveal'd we say remain a Mystery still and when they are Reveal'd they are often so likewise being above our Understanding in as much as the Power that wrought is infinitely superiour to all our Faculties of Reasoning For Example In the Incarnation of Christ because God hath declar'd this in the Gospel it is therefore an Article of the Christian Faith but because the incomprehensible Union of the two Natures of perfect God and perfect Man is not shewn and would have far surpass'd all our Knowledge if it had been Reveal'd it is therefore as the Apostle saith a Great Mystery without all Controversie God manifest in the Flesh Nevertheless we may say that we have some Notion in our Minds of what we believe herein for the Truth of this Proposition God took upon him the Nature of Man being there is no contradiction in the Terms may be conceiv'd in our Minds And since we can conceive the Truth of this Mystery and have a full assurance likewise of the Truth of that which the God of all Power and Truth hath declar'd we may affirm that we do understand what we believe in this great Article of our Faith and that we have a sufficient measure of Knowledge for our Belief and we may shew the Reasons why we do believe it It is I know impossible for the Eye of Natural Reason to look clearly and strongly into the Works and Counsels of Almighty God but this can be no Objection either against our apprehending the Truth of these Works and Counsels so far as they shall be Revealed nor can the weakness of of our Understanding be any hindrance to our believing them after they have been declar'd by God For Example It will not be deny'd I suppose that Almighty God hath Created this World out of Nothing and we conceive what we mean when we profess in our Creed that we do believe it But our Belief and Knowledge of this must depend upon the Authority of Revetation and not upon the strength and powers of Natural Reason for from this we can have no Idea in our Minds of this beautiful Frame produc'd to be and arising up from the Term of not Being but we have from that an assurance of the Truth of it We do in like manner agree in believing the Omnipotence of our Creator but what Notion can our narrow Understanding receive of the ubiquity and plenitude of his Presence Now if these things do far exceed all the Limits and Powers of Natural Reason more especially so doth the wonderful Mystery of our Redemption by our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ the greatest Work by far of God's Power and Love to Mankind which in its full extent can never lye within the compass of Human Knowledge nor ever become naturally the Object of it being that which neither Eye hath seen nor Ear heard nor could it ever have entred into the Heart of Man without a particular Revelation from God From whence alone it is that we come to know the truth of this Mystery and to apprehend in some measure what is meant by the words of a Proposition wherein we profess our belief of a thing far above our Comprehension and from whence we have in like manner the same Notion of all the most marvellous workings of God's Love for the compleating our Redemption which are and will continue to be Mysteries so long as our Understanding is Finite and not commensurate to the Power of an Almighty Being and Infinite Spirit whose Mercies as well as Judgments are unsearchable and his Mightiness to save past finding out This may serve to
show in general the insufficiency of many Cavils against several Articles of the Christian Faith rais'd mostly by natural Men who have the Pride to think above what is written By one of which measuring the whole Power of God by the Scale of his own Reason it is affirm'd to be as Absurd to say that God hath taken upon him the Nature of Man as that a Circle should put on the nature of a Square Spinos Ep. 21. ad Oldenb If this is a Jest of the Philosophers 't is very unbecoming the seriousness of the Subject and all good Men will abhor his prophane Lightness in the main Article of our Redemption But if it shall be said in earnest by him 't is a weak proof of his Judgment to argue from the Comparison of a Square and Circle whose Properties do lye within the compass of our Knowledge to the Nature and Power of an Infinite Spirit which we cannot comprehend And to measure the extent of God's Power and Love to Mankind by a similitude of things natural and circumscrib'd is truly absurd This may be one Instance amongst many of the weakness and pride of those Men who set up without God to know and measure his Power assaying without Revelation to penetrate into the Counsels of Divine Providence and into the Mysteries of Man's Redemption which even the Angels are desirous to look into but cannot And when thou chargest thy Angels with Folly what have we O God to rely upon without thy assistance How uncertain a Guide to eternal Happiness purchas'd to Mankind by so many amazing Wonders of Infinite Love is the single Clue of Natural Reason in it self much deprav'd and so unequally divided amongst the Sons of Men that it is not of the same strength in any two Persons Living And yet how weak soever it may be in some and how unequal soever it is in all is it said that we must trust to it for the knowledge of our Salvation even before the Reveal'd Word of God For Socinus dares to say and that more than once That tho' a thing were not only once but oftentimes reveal'd in Holy Writ he would not believe it if it did not agree with his Reason proceeding upon Natural Principles for Reason laying aside Revelation goes upon no other Now granting to Socinus that his Reason ought to be the only Rule and supreme Judge to himself in these Matters about which he voucher it yet the Understanding of all Men is not alike good And therefore others who shall reason wrong must believe falsely and of consequence hazard their eternal Happiness if they go upon the same Principle and have no other Guide of their Faith to Salvation For Socinus's Reason tho' it should be right can never be a Rule to all because in those Persons unto whom it shall not appear so to be and there are many distemper'd Minds and differing Judgments in Mankind another Man's Judgment can have no Power over their Belief And how then can this Principle build us up in Unity of Faith and Spirit and in the Bond of Peace and make us all to speak the same thing and to be perfectly joyn'd together in the same Mind and in the same Judgment to which the Apostle doth passionately exhort us in the Name of our Lord Jesus Christ. We cannot be united in our Belief by that about which we shall perpetually contend and in which we do so far differ from each other But we may reasonably suppose that St. Paul had a greater Authority and better Grounds to prescribe Rules to our Faith than Socinus and that in perswading all Christians to Unity the Apostle knew that there was one General Principle in which they might all agree a common Standard which would regulate their Belief and give Law to the diversity of their Judgments by delivering the same thing to their Faith notwithstanding the different Ways and unequal Strength of Mankind in their Reasoning And if this Rule shall be no other than the Reveal'd Word of God we may surely with more safety rely upon it for what is necessary to be known of our Salvation than upon Socinus's Reason or upon our own For it is certainly more becoming the Truth of God and more secure for Mankind that their Belief upon which depends their everlasting Happiness should rather be founded upon that which is stable and for ever fix'd as his most Holy Word is than upon the sagacity of Humane Reason which varies and encreases and declines with Age in all parts of which Salvation is alike necessary It is most befitting the Justice of God and most equitable to Mankind that their knowledge of Salvation should be deriv'd from thence wherein they all have a common Right and an equal Possession as they all have or ought to have in the Scriptures who are to be judg'd by them tho' unequal to each other in the strength of their Reasoning and differing much in the natural Endowments of their Mind But Justice and Equity will plead for us that this Knowledge shou'd rest in something wherein we are all alike Partakers as we all are of the Reveal'd Word of God and in something wherein no Man excels his Brethren as no Man naturally doth in the Power of believing the Scriptures nor with Grace in his Abilities of obeying God's Commands to lead an Holy Life and to order his Conversation aright And this seems to be the distinguishing Character of the Salvation of God by Jesus Christ as we may presume to infer from our blessed Saviour's passing by the Scribes and Pharisees and Preaching his Gospel chiefly to the Poor and Unlearned where not acuteness in Arguing and largeness of Knowledge but Probity of Life and Humility of Mind were the proper Vertues that fitted them of all Mankind to be the first and the readiest Receivers of the Salvation of God And it is very remarkable that the Cross of Christ which brought Redemption and Salvation to the Souls of these Men prov'd immediately after to the Learned Greeks Foolishness for they sought Wisdom but these the Kingdom of God their Philosophy taught them to admit the Belief of nothing which was not fetch'd from self-evident Principles and from thence deduc'd into demonstration and therefore no sooner did they hear St. Paul preach of the Resurrection of the Dead but they as some amongst us do Marked As to the Mysteries of our Holy Faith they receiv'd them with Contempt being harden'd by their Pride against acknowledging any thing too sublime for their Understanding or believing any thing which was not consistent with their fancied Schemes of Arguing But as to the Duties of our Religion which lay plain and obvious to the meanest Capacity These were overlook'd by the high-minded Philosophers their Heads were warm with Disputing but not so their Hearts with Charity they train'd and exercis'd their Reason as they proudly imagin'd but it was at the expence of their Humility and so together with the loss
of the Gospel-Duties they made Shipwrack of the Christian Faith and spent their time in nothing else as the Apostle saith but to tell and to hear some new thing Which brings me to my last particular to shew III. That it is an Holy Life which will render us the most capable of receiving this Knowledge For to him that ordereth his Conversation aright shall be shewn the Salvation of God But this may seem to raise the Objection still higher against us inasmuch as that sprightly Sence and Faith in the Gospel of Jesus Christ are not to be reconciled To be a true Believer is to quit our Reason to be seriously Religious is to be sunk deep in Melancholy or prejudic'd by Education or weaken'd with Age 'T is some way or other they tell us by impairing or prepossessing the Judgment and therefore we declaim so much against the use of Reason in our disquisitions of Religion It would be a most vain attempt to argue against the true use of Reason in any thing but more especially absurd would it prove to banish it from the Enquiries into the Christian Faith whose Truths have been Vindicated from the gross Errors of Superstition and Idolatry by asserting to Humane Reason and the Holy Scriptures their right use and free Liberty Yet this is the unjust Charge of our Adversaries taking their advantage from this Controversie to object it most unrighteously against those Divines of our Church who have appeared upon all occasions the forwardest and I may say the most successful Champions against blind Obedience and implicit Faith But it may be granted a suppose to be no hindrance to Knowledge in general to endeavour to assigh to Natural Reason its distinct Office and to confine it to its own Natural Objects and it wou'd prove the greatest advancement to Human Learning in particular to perform the same thing in its several Sciences Now in all these it may be demonstrated that tho' all things fall under our Understanding by the intermediate help of our Senses yet that there are many things thro' want of a fit Medium or due distance which cannot be rightly judged of unless an appeal shall be made from our Senses unto our Reason And the same Subordination that there is in our Senses to our Reason may be said to be in our Reason to Revelation where it is own'd For as in the knowledge of things Natural we cannot be satisfied and determin'd by the Information from Sense alone but our Mind rests in a demonstration from our Reason notwithstanding it may seem repugnant to our Senses so in matters of Faith being led to the knowledge of God's Word by our Reason we appeal from its final Judgment to the higher authority of Revelation in all the Mysteries which that shall declare and herein doth our Faith acquiesce notwithstanding the Word of God shall propose to our Belief great Wonders seemingly disagreeable to our Reason Now in the one we do not reject our Senses tho' we are not determin'd by them in the last Resort nor do we in the other reject our Reason but we make use of both in gaining the Knowledge proper for them to comminicate within their respective Spheres and proceed from thence in referring the several Objects to be judg'd and determin'd at their right Bar the Objects of Science by Reason and the Objects of Faith by Revelation with submission to the Sentence which shall there be pronounc'd upon each And herein if we may argue from the Judgments of Almighty God which are unsearchable by Human Reason to the Mysteries of our Redemption that which Salvian saith of our Submission to the Justice of Divine Providence may be fitly applied concerning the Resignation of our Reason to the Revelation of God That thing says Salvian is not therefore not just which God hath brought upon me because I cannot penetrate into the Method of its Equity for as God is more than Man's Reason so that thing ought to be unto me more than Reason which I know proceeds from God It is agreeable to God's Reason tho' not to Mine and because his Knowledge and Wisdom and Providence do infinitely surpass my Knowledge and Wisdom and Reason I submit because God hath done it it is just because God hath said it it is true Now in all these Matters a sound Mind is certainly one of the greatest Blessings from Heaven and never more needful than to pass a right Judgment upon things of this Moment Nor can an Inquisitive Head be ever imploy'd to better purpose than in examining what the true Religion of the Gospel is and what is reveal'd by God For as I have said our Reason brings us to the knowledge of that which is Reveal'd to which I may add that a sound Mind is never at odds with true Religion that is a Mind possess'd with Humility and Innocence of Life and a stedfast relyance upon the Word of God which are the Mediums thro' which our Reason is to judge of all things Reveal'd by Him Without these Qualifications Fancy and Ostentation too often usurp the place of good Judgment and solid Reason and not seldom doth it happen that the most pregnant Parts when accompanied with Prophaneness and Pride and Impiety serve only to set the Owners of them so much the farther out of their way from serious Knowledge and Divine Truths For the understanding of these things doth not arise so much from high Speculations as from Conscientious Practice and receives Improvement from keeping the Commandments of God And as to every Science a particular Genius and aptitude are requir'd in the Learner so there is to this Piety Humility and Uncorruptness of Life always necessary without which Knowledge puffeth up as the Apostle of Christ telleth us but will never edifie unless to our Faith we add Vertue and then and after that Knowledge to Vertue And even still we must be adding to our Knowledge adding unto it Temperance Patience Godliness Brotherly Kindness and Charity For if these things be in you and abound they will make you that you shall neither be barren nor unfruitful in the knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ But he that lacketh these things he the Apostle saith is blind 2 Pet. 1.5 Indeed a full and clear perception of all the great Mysteries of our Redemption is never to be attain'd in this Life being as we may humbly presume reserv'd to make up the greatest part of our Beatitude in Heaven nor even in that Estate shall the knowledge of all Men be equal but proportion'd to the Capacity of the Vessel yet theirs we may reasonably believe will have the most degrees of Perfection whom exalted Love and eminent Piety shall place in the highest Stations of Glory and that the same Vertues will in the best manner prepare and enlarge our Souls in this Life for the Reception of all Heavenly Wisdom For a Good Man Experiences that a Life spent in Justice and Integrity tends more to