A SERMON Against the ANTI-SCRIPTURISTS ALSO Another concerning the Sinfulness Danger and Remedies OF INFIDELITY Preached at WHITE-HALL BY SETH Lord Bishop of Sarum LONDON Printed by J. M. for James Collins at the Kings-Head in Westminster-Hall MDCLXX Against the ANTI-SCRIPTURISTS A SERMON Preached at WHITE-HALL February 20. 1669 70. BY SETH Lord Bishop of Sarum Printed by His Majesties Special Command LONDON Printed by J. M. for James Collins at the Kings-Head in Westminster-Hall MDCLXX 2 Tim. 3.16 All Scripture is given by Inspiration of God IN the verse preceding it is said concerning the Scriptures of the Old Testament that they are able to make a man wise unto salvation 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 by the faith which is in Jesus Christ And it follows immediately All Scripture c. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 the Faith is often by a Metonymy taken for the Gospel which is the Object of the Faith of Christians We read often of the Preaching and Hearing of Faith of the Analogie of Faith the common Faith which was once delivered to the Saints in the preaching of Christ and the Writings of his Evangelists and Apostles and so I conceive it is to be taken in this place So that the meaning of the whole is this The Old Testament understood and expounded according to the Analogy of the New is able to make a man wise And the Pen-men of the Canonical Books of the Old Testament wherein Timothy had been instructed 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 and of the Books of the New Testament which except those of S. John were extant before the writing of this Epistle were inspired and directed by the Spirit of God The words of the Text are an entire Proposition asserting the Divine Authority of the Canon of Scripture and my endeavour shall be at this time to prove the truth of that Proposition Wherein that I may proceed with all plainness and clearness I shall premise two words by way of Petition Precaution 1. By way of Petition I suppose and take for granted 1. The great principle of the power of God and his providence in governing the world 2. That our Body of Canonical Books of the Old Testament is the same with that which was in Vse in the time of Christ and his Apostles And our body of the New Testament the same which was anciently received in the Church So that what shall be proved of those is applicable to the Original Scripture used in our time 3. That those Books of New Testament whose Authors were not anciently questioned were Written by those Authors whose Name they bear And that those few others which were sometimes questioned by some particular Churches and afterward Vniversally received contain in them no one point of Faith or Manners dissentient from the Contents of those Books which were never questioned 2. By way of Precaution and Admonition I must intreat you to take notice that I shall not now meddle with the Controversies concerning Apocrypha Translations Keri and Chetib Hebrew points various Lections dubious Authors or parts of Scripture But my endeavour at this time shall be to Assert the Divine Authority of the body and substance of the Original Books of the Canon of the Old and New Testament And this not in the way of common place but in a particular Examination or Refutation of the most dangerous Opinions of the Anti-scripturists which are these I. Of those who pretend to believe the truth of the New Testament and yet they deny the Divine Authority of the Old II. Of those who pretend to believe the truth but deny the divine Authority of the New Testament III. Of such as pretend to believe matters of fact to have been truly related in the New Testament but do not believe the truth of the Doctrinal parts relating to Faith and Manners IV. Such as deny the truth of the Relation of matters of Fact in the New Testament and in consequence reject the whole Body of Scripture Of these as briefly and plainly as I can I. The first Opinion is of those who pretending to believe the Truth of the New Testament deny the Divine Authority of the Old Testament The Severians and the Manichees Basilides and Carpocrates of old The Catabaptists of later times some Anabaptists Antinomians and other Fanatical Sectaries amongst our selves In opposition to these I shall shew that supposing the truth of the New Testament the Divine Authority of the Old Testament is to be acknowledged Because the Divine Authority of the Old Testament is asserted by Christ and his Evangelists and Apostles in the New 1. Next to the Redemption of the world the great business which Christ had to do upon Earth was to Convince men that he was the Messias and so to assert his Legislative Authority And the great Argument which he used for the conviction of the world was this All the Marks and the entire Character of the Messiah and of his Actions and Passions were prefigured and foretold by the Law and the Prophets and the Psalms i. e. in the Volume of the Old Testament And all things foretold or prefigured concerning the Messiah were accomplished by himself So that though the great Works of Christ and the purity and excellency of his Doctrine and of his Life were of themselves sufficient to justifie the Introduction of his Law into the World yet he was pleased to resolve as it were his own Authority into the Divine Authority of the Old Testament and to make use of those other manifestations of himself in a co-ordination with that principle And therefore we find him still pressing the Jews with this that if they did believe the Writings of Moses and their other Scriptures they must of necessity believe him also Moses wrote of me saith he wherefore did ye believe Moses ye would believe me The Scriptures testifie of me therefore search them diligently 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 For the attaining of everlasting life he refers the Lawyer to the Law What is written in the Law how readest thou For the avoiding of the place of torments he makes Abraham refer the Relations of Dives to Moses and the Prophets In all his Disputations with the Pharisees and Sadduces the Lawyers and the Scribes he makes his appeal to the Scriptures of the Old Testament And lest any one should think that in all this he did only argue ad homines that disputing with the Jews he only proceeded upon their own Hypothesis we find him in the course of his Ministration positively asserting that the Scriptures must be fulfilled that they cannot be broken that he came not to destroy the Law and the Prophets but to fullfil them and that Heaven and Earth shall pass away before one jot or tittle of these should perish until all was fulfilled Thus he asserted the Authority of the Old Testament before his death And after his Resurrection he made a real demonstration that the Old
Father hath taught me so I speak I have not spoken of my self but the Father that sent me he gave me a Commandment what I should say and what I should speak Whatsoever I speak therefore even as the Father said unto me so I speak Heaven and Earth shall pass away but my words shall not pass away Thus did our Saviour assert the Divine Authority of his Words 2. And so likewise the Apostles are very frequent in asserting the Divine Authority of the things which they delivered In the 15. of the Acts we find them assembled about the question of Circumcision and they accounted it no robbery to entitle their Decrees to the Holy Ghost It seemed good to the Holy Ghost and to us v. 18. Nor do they pretend to revelation when gathered in Council only but each one severally for himself S. Peter professes of himself that he was a partaker of the glory which was revealed And of his Gospel that it was revealed from Heaven S. John declares that he had 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 with the Father and the Son as for his other writings that they contained the things which he had heard and seen with his eyes which he had looked on and his hands had handled of the Word of life As for the Apocalypse he professes that being in the Spirit in the Isle of Patmos he received it and was commanded to write it in a Book The greatest writer among the Apostles was S. Paul and the greatest Question hath always been amongst Unbelievers concerning his Calling and the Authority of his Gospel He knew this very well and therefore we find him asserting both his Calling and his Gospel with abundant care and diligence He affirms himself to have been an Apostle not of man neither by man but by Jesus Christ and God the Father That by God himself he was separated to preach constituted a Preacher an Apostle and a Defender of the Gospel As concerning his Gospel he professes to have received it by Revelation of God As for the Spirit wherewith he wrote and preached he professed himself ready to give a proof of Christ speaking in him He appealed to the Prophetick Spirit then in the Church If any man think himself a Prophet or Spiritual let him acknowledge the things which I write to be the Commandments of God Out of this assurance it was that he enjoined his Epistles to be read in the Churches of Coloss Laodicea Thessalonica and i excommunicates such as should be disobedient in that particular And lest any one should here repeat the Objection made against our Saviour Thou bearest witness of thy self thy witness is not true S. Paul speaking of all the Apostles affirms that God had set them in the Church and that the Mystery of the Gospel was revealed to the holy Apostles by the Spirit Particularly notwithstanding that dispute betwixt S. Peter and S. Paul from the first Ages of the Church to our own Times objected by Unbelievers to the prejudice of Religion it is remarkable that in the same place where S. Paul gives an account how Peter was to be blamed and how and wherefore he withstood him to his face at Antioch he doth expresly affirm that the Gospel of the Circumcision was committed to Peter and that God wrought effectually in Peter to the Apostleship of the Circumcision On the other side S. Peter in that very place where he may seem to complain of the 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 of S. Paul yet even there he owns him as his beloved Brother acknowledges his Wisdom to have been given him of God and numbers all his Epistles inter 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 amongst the other Scriptures 3. Lastly for such as would put a difference of degrees betwixt the Authority of the words of Christ and the writings and Sermons of the Apostles they may take notice that the Authority of these resolves it self into the veracity of Christ himself He it was who being to leave the World promised his Disciples again and again that he would send down upon them the Holy Spirit that should instruct them and teach them all things that should Lead them into all truth Bring to their remembrance all things which he himself had spoken that should shew them things to come that with this Spirit they should not be lightly dash'd or sprinkled but that they should be Baptized and as it were plunged into it How all these Promises were performed and how the Assertions of the Divine Authority of the Words of Christ and the Apostles were proved to be true I am next to shew In the interim I conclude that supposing the truth of the words of Christ and his Apostles they are to be esteemed of Divine Authority III. The third Opinion is of such as pretend to believe matters of fact to have been truly related in the New Testament but they do not believe the truth of the Doctrinal parts relating to Faith or Manners Of these there have always been too great a number not only pretenders who under a form of Christianity deny the power thereof but generally all sorts of Hereticks When Porphyrius had revolted from Christianity to Platonism and had bent all his Forces against the Scripture-History he was refuted not only by Lactantius and Methodius men Orthodox in Doctrine but by Eusebius and Apollinaris and of late days Socinus and others have well asserted the truth of the Scripture-History who yet have been offended at the dogmatical parts of the Gospel and concerning the Faith have made shipwrack In Opposition to these I shall endeavour to demonstrate that Supposing Matters of Fact to be truly related in the New Testament it is unreasonable to suspect the truth of any of the Doctrines delivered by Christ or his Apostles Amongst the various fancies concerning Religion wherewith the whole world hath been always embroiled Two things there are wherein all the Sons of Adam have agreed namely 1. That that is to be believed which hath received the testimony of God And 2. That this testimony is to be gathered from instances of supernatural Wisdom and Power In the study of natural and Philosophical Theologie the Speculativi amongst the Greeks and Romans and other Nations sought after Wisdom Reason and Demonstration But to reduce the People to the forms of religious Rites and Sacrifices prescribed them they were made to believe the Epiphanies of the Gods and the manifestations of their Wisdom and Power by Oracles and Works supernatural To these even Mahomet preâ—â—â—â—ded though his great Argumeâ—◠〈…〉 the Sword and of the Jews I need not speak For a Foundation of Religion and in our inquisition after that short of this Testimony we ought not to stay further we cannot go And herein is the utmost of humane wisdom to consider well those Evidences upon which we adventure the interest
Testament was given by inspiration of God for on the day of his Resurrection falling into company of two of his Disciples going to Emmaus He began at Moses and all the Prophets and expounded to them in all the Scriptures the things concerning himself And afterward when the Eleven were come together as a recapitulation of this his method and that he might instruct his Disciples in it he said unto them These were the words which I spake unto you while I was yet with you that all things must be fulfilled which were written in the Law of Moses and in the Prophets and in the Psalms in the Volume of Old Testament concerning me He opened their understandings and said thus it is written and thus it behoved And as a short Idea of whâ—t they were to do he tells them and ye are Witnesses of these things 2. In pursuance of this method we find the Evangelists very curious and very frequent in observing the accomplishment of the Prescriptions of the Old Testament reciting sometimes the speeches of Christ saying that he did such or such a thing to the end that the Scriptures might be fulfilled I will not eat of the fruit of the Vine till all things be fulfilled Sometimes in their own Persons observing the accomplishment of particulars and noting either particular portions of Scriptures which were fulfilled or the fulfilling of the Scriptures cited at large without any particular Quotation Thus the Evangelists writing of the Conception Nativity Name of Christ of his coming out of Egypt dwelling at Nazareth migration to Capernaum riding to Jerusalem Say that these things were done that the Scriptures or the saying of the Prophet at large might be fulfilled So likewise for the circumstances of his Passion the flight of his Disciples casting lots upon his Garments Vinegar given him to drink piercing his side bones remaining unbroken c. Other times they note the particular Prophet Christ healed Diseases spoke in Parables and that the saying of Isaiah the Prophet might be fulfilled When Herod slew the Children then was fulfilled that which was spoken by Jeremy the Prophet Rachel weeping for her Children c. and once we find a quotation of the second Psalm and the like This for the Evangelists 3. Lastly the Divine Authority of the Old Testament is asserted by the Apostles Whom we find every where in their Writings citing the Testimonies of the Law and the Prophets and the Psalms appealing to them what saith the Scripture the Scripture hath concluded so or so Aâ—guing out of them oft times directly thus not only the Apostles but Apollos mightily convinced the Jews sometimes ab absurdo do ye think the Scripture speaks in vain In a word the Apostles followed the way and method which their Master taught them they asserted that the Gospel was promised by the Prophets witnessed by the Law and the Prophets by all the Prophets Affirming of themselves that they believed all things written in the Law and in the Prophets and that they continued testifying and saying no other things than the Prophets and Moses did say should come Finally lest any place should be left for doubting concerning any part of the Old Testament the Apostles have expresly asserted concerning the Law that it is holy just and good that the Prophets are holy and the Scriptures holy that they are the Oracles of God lively Oracles that God spake by the Prophets that holy men of God spake as they were moved by the Holy Ghost Lastly in the Text that the 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 wherein Timothy had been instituted by his Mother were given by inspiration of God This is the sense of the New Testament concerning the Old Testament supposing therefore the Truth of the New Testament the Divine Authority of the Old Testament is to be acknowledged contrary to the first Opinion of the Anti-scripturists II. The Second Anti-scriptural Opinion is of those who pretend to believe the Truth but they deny or doubt the Divine Authority of the New Testament either of the whole body of the New Testament or at least of that part which delivers the Speeches and Writings of the Apostles Of this sort there are said to be many who by the power and influence of their Education are restrained from denying or dis-believing the Truth of the New Testament and yet through the infelicity of corrupt conversation are fallen from that Veneration which is due to writings supposed to be of Divine Authority For the History of the New Testament they have the same respect which they have for Tacitus or Salust or some such other History for the Mystery of the Gospel the same which they have for some parts of Plato or remnants of Pythagoras For the practical parts the same which they have for some parts of Cicero or Seneca or Epictetus All which writings they believe to be true but no man believes them to be Divine And some there are who pretend a great veneration for the speeches of Christ but have a meaner esteem for the words and writings of the Apostles In opposition to these Opinions I shall shew that supposing the words of Christ and the Apostles to be True it will follow that they are to be esteemed to be of Divine Authority Because Christ and the Apostles did profess and declare that what they delivered to the world was of Divine Authority And because our Lord Christ did undertake not only for himself but for the Inspiration of his Apostles also 1. In the examination of the next Opinion I shall be obliged to lay before you some of the evidences of Divine Authority in Christ and his Apostles here it is sufficient to produce their assertions of it The time of our Lord Christs ministration betwixt three and four years was spent in preaching and working and his Authority was often questioned In Luke 20.1 and in the parallel places While he was in the Temple teaching the People and preaching the Gospel the Chief Priests and the Scribes and the Elders came upon him saying tell us by what Authority thou dost these things preachest to the people and who gave thee that Authority Knowing the perversness of their minds he was not pleased to gratifie them at that time with a direct answer but confounded them with a question concerning the Baptism of John But at Other times upon Other occasions we find the Divine Authority of his teaching abundantly declared and asserted by him I am the way the truth and the life The words which I speak unto you they are spirit and they are life The words which I speak I speak not of my self but of the Father which dwelleth in me My Doctrine is not mine but his that sent me I do nothing of my self but as my
1667 68. BY SETH Lord Bishop of Sarum LONDON Printed for James Collins at the Kings-head in Westminster-hall 1670. THE SINFULNESS OF INFIDELITY Heb. III. 12. Take heed brethren lest there be in any of you an evil heart of unbelief in departing from the living God Exhort one another daily I Shall not spend time in a disputation concerning the Author of this Epistle viz. whether it were Paul or Barnabas or Luke or Clemens or Apollos c. but shall with the Church of England suppose S. Paul to have been the Author of it If the Author of it be not infallibly knowen this ought not to detract from its Authority Most of the other Epistles have been acknowledg'd to be of divine Authority because they were known to have proceeded from Apostolical writers This on the contrary hath been concluded to be an Apostolical Epistle propter 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Characterem by reason of that divine and Apostolical Spirit which to those who have had their Senses exercised hath manifestly appeared in it If it were lawful in this sense to compare spiritual things with spiritual I should not fear to affirm that this Epistle hath in it some peculiar advantages Compared with some other of the Epistles Advantages I mean of usefulness not of Authority seeing all of them issued from the same Spirit The design of it is General Fundamental Comprehensive not Private Circumstantial Occasional And it hath peculiarly conveyed to the Church two great treasures 1. A Compleat Model or System of Christian Divinity And 2. the Way of that Analogy and manner of ratiocination whereby the true Spirit and meaning of the Types and Prophesies of the Old Testament is to be found out and applied It was directed to the Hebrews That is to those of the Jewish Nation who had received the Gospel and made a Profession of Christianity And the main Scope and design of it is to preserve the Professors of Christianity from Apostacy and Infidelity The means used to this purpose are partly Didactical and partly Protreptical Demonstrating the truths of the Gospel and then urging the Professors of those truths to be stedfast in the faith and to beware of Infidelity The Method here used is a mixt method of Doctrine and Application Dogmatical truths and pathetical Exhortations continually interwoven He begins with the Great foundation of our faith Christ is the Son of God the brightness of his glory better then the Angels Wherefore if the Word spoken by Angels was stedfast how shall we escape if we neglect so great salvation From the Comparison of Christ with Moses he concludes against Hardness of Heart and Infidelity He demonstrates the Priesthood of Christ to be more Excellent then that of Aaron and in the midst of his argument he falls into an Application or Corollary concerning the dreadful Condition of them that fall away This is his design and method thorowout the Epistle Whatever Doctrine he is upon this is still the drift and aim of all his Applications namely to preserve the Professors of Christianity from Apostacy and Infidelity The words which I have chosen are a Reiteration or Reinforcement of an Application or Corollary arising from the Consideration of the Excellency of Christ above Moses Moses was faithful in the house as a Servant Christ as a Son over his own house This house are we if we hold fast our faith Wherefore as the Holy Ghost saith Harden not your hearts Take heed brethren lest I say the words are an Use of Exhortation and in them are considerable 1. The Persons to whom directed Professors of Christianity expressed in the Word Brethren 2. Matter or Object about which it is conversant Unbelief heart unbelief 3. Form of Exhortation by way of Caveat 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 take heed Now every Caveat implies 1. Evil in the thing 2. Danger of the thing 3. That there are wayes and means to prevent it This is implyed in the Caveat and expressed in words following My design at this time will be to enforce the Exhortation of the Text And seing that every Application is a Consequence or Corollary arising from some Antecedent Proposition and the force of it is finally resolved into the truth and evidence and concernment of that Antecedent Therefore it will be necessary to draw out that Antecedent by reflecting briefly upon the Text as it lies in the Series of the Epistle I. Then â—or the Persons They are here styled Brethren and elsewhere Holy Brethren Partakers of the heavenly Calling â—hey were 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 baptized into the Profession of the Gospel they had tasted of the Word of God and the power of the world to come II. The Matter Unbelief or rather Disbelief not Negative Infidelity but a positive Revolting from the faith which they had professed Generally a Disbelief of the Word of God Particularly a Disbelief of the Gospel as to the Doctrines or Promises or Threatnings thereof III. For the Form that which is here expressed by 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 look to it is in the other forms of Exhortation thorowout the Epistle expressed by termes of the greatest Emphasis and earnestness imaginable Let us Fear lest we fall short 4.1 Labour to enter 4.11 Use diligence not be slothful 6.11 12. Press earnestly draw near hold fast 10.22 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Let us give more diligent heed lest by any means we should let it slip 2.1 So that the Summe of the Apostles Argumentation is this The last resolution of all the Obligation of men is into reasons of Duty and of Interest If there be Wickedness in Infidelity it is matter of Duty if there be Danger in it and Danger of it it is matter of Interest and Concernment to Beware of it This Heart of Unbelief is an Evil heart 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 there is Wickedness in it It grieves the Spirit of God It provoked him So that he sware in his wrath that he would take Vengeance for it there is Danger in it Yet it was a thing Ordinary and common amongst the Fathers of these Hebrews it was neque Novum neque Rarum There is Danger of it It is the Duty and Concernment of every one Professing Christianity to take heed lest there be in them an heart of Unbelief and to use all means to prevent it This is the Antecedent Wherefore take heed brethren c. which is the Exhortation by way of Caveat Exhort one another dayly c. which is the way to prevent it So then for the enforcement of the exhortation upon the whole matter I am to speak I. Of the Evil of Infidelity II. Of the Danger of falling into it III. Of the meanes of preventing it And then to conclude with IV. The Exhortation of the Text. In speaking of the Evil of Infidelity I shall not discourse at large but confine my self to an enquiry into two pretenses Which having been broached in the late times of
is that 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 whereby the Heinousness of any sin is to be estimated Is it the denunciation of Future Vengeance The Lord Jesus shall be revealed from heaven with his mighty Angels in flaming fire taking Vengeance upon Unbelievers and they shall be punished with everlasting destruction from the presence of the Lord and from the presence of his power Is it Old or New Past or present Instances of Vengeance Were not the body of this people newly cut off for unbelief And of ancient dayes whose were the Carcasses that fell in the Wilderness and to whom did God swear in his wrath that they should not enter into his rest but to them that believed not Consider but the story from whence the Exhortation of the Text arises How God was provoked through unbelief The text tells us that he was Moved he was Tempted he was Grived he was Provoeked till he sware in his wrath The words are taken out of the 95 Psalm to which the 78. is parallel They were saith the Psalmist a stubborn and rebellious Generation They tempted God and spoke against him Therefore the Lord heard this and was wroth So a fire was kindled against Jacob and anger against Israel Because they believed not in God and trusted not in his Salvation When God heard this he was wroth and greatly abhorred Israel he gave way to his Indignation wrath anger displeasure and Jealousy I conceive now the first Question to be stated viz. Whether according to the tenor of the Scripture Infidelity were sinful and dangerous in the time of the delivery of the Scriptures I proceed to the second Question viz. However it was in antient times 2. Whether Infidelity be not in such times as ours Excusable My meaning is this Whether speaking according to Scriptural grounds and reason Now that Miracles extraordinary gifts and Prophesies are ceased Infidelity be not become Excusable however it might be Sinful and inexcusable during the time when Prophesies and Miracles were in use The first verse of this Epistle to the Hebrews tells us what powerful and noble motives to believe God had afforded to the Fathers God himself was pleased to speak to them 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 at sundry times and in divers manners In the Times of the Patriarchs Judges Kings and Prophets by the Wayes of Visions Dreams Voices â—imilitudes Vrim and by divers miracles and wonders So likewise for those that are here exhorted About the time of the Writing of this Epistle God had spoken to them by his Son the brightness of his Glory the image of his person And by the Apostles to whom also he bare Witness by mighty signes and wonders by divers miracles and gifts of the Holy Ghost Now that Such men as these who had so great advantages to bring them to believe should be severely punished for Infidelity I am perswaded there is hardly any man but thinks it very just and reasonable That such as had seen the wonders of God in Egypt and the Wilderness so manifestly miraculous so often repeated and yet for all this would not believe that their Carcasses should fall in the Wilderness That Ananias and Sapphira who had known the miracles which had been done by the Apostles should think to Cousen the Apostles it deserved the Judgment that befell them As for our selves had we lived in the times of Miracles or Prophesies we doubt not but we should have believed Or as Philip said shew us the father and it sufficeth Could we but once see a miracle or talk with one returning from the dead it should suffice we would believe But seing it is now many hundreds of yeares Since these things are ceased and we have nothing left us Praeter miraculorum famam If we shall not believe the Gospel by some it is openly pretended and by many it is secretly iamgined that in this case we may be Excused I could wish that the time would serve Clearly to rid away this phantasm In order to it I shall briefly doe three things 1. Shew that this Phantastical imagination is no new invention but that it hath of old been the conceit of Abominable Hypocrites 2 ly I shall inquire a little into the grounds of this Conceit and shew the mistake of those suppositions into which it is resolved 3 ly I shall shew that our Saviour Knowing the thoughts of men hath taken particular care to prevent this Imagination and hath clearly decided the matter in Question I. Though the present age be fruitful in inventions tending this way yet this hath been Anticipated by the Wits of former times In the 11 of Luke 47. We finde the Scribes and Pharisees building the Sepulchers of the Prophets whom their fathers had killed If we would know what they pretendâ—d in so doing we shall find it in the parallel place of Matthew They said if we haâ— been in the dayes of our fâ—thers we would not have been partakers with them in the blood of the Prophets That these men did not believe the Prophets it is manifest Christ tells them if they had believed the Prophets they would have believed him for they wrote of him But that they would have beleived the Prophets and not have murthered them had they lived in their times this they pretend and it is very probable they had that opinion Yes Verily had they lived in the dayes of Miracles and Prophesies they would have believed the very conceit wnich is now Pretended But the Truth is these men were abominable Hypocrites and the cause of their Unbelief was not the want of miracles and Prophesies but Carnal prejudice and interest and the Vile affections of their hearts Did not Christ work miracles Was not he that Prophet which was to come Yet they took him and with wicked hands they slew him and brought upon themselves the bloud of all the Prophets But 2 ly If we shall examine the bottom of this fancy and resolve it into its Principles we shall finde that it supposes these things 1. That the want of the sight of miracles is sufficient to Justifie unbelief 2. That to live in the very age of miracles is apter to create beleif then to be born and educated in a believing nation after the world hath been convinced by the miracles of former times which is our Case 3. That the bare sight of miracles is of it self alone sufficient to create belief in every person that should see them Of which suppositions the first is contrary to common Reason and the two later are contrary to Scriptural Reason and to the experience of the world 1. If the want of the sight of miracles were enough to justifie Infidelity then for every Dogma to be believed Every Individual person were to expect the sight of miracles which if it should happen the wonder would cease and miracles become No miracles by the frequency of the performances of them and so they would be inept