Doctrines which are affirmed to be absolutely necessary to be believed to make men Christians be Doctrines which Christ hath taught yet if he hath not taught that the Belief of them is absolutely necessary to make Men Christians but only requires them to be believed for other Purposes the requiring the Belief of them as absolutely necessary to make Men Christians must be built upon a Foundation and Authority distinct from Christ's and his Apostles which therefore at best can be but Humane Authority Till this Clause is agreed to the former Clauses in the Reason will not avail much to put a happy Conclusion to Religious Controversies Besides I cannot understand why the assumed Authority of the several Parties may not be yielded to for the deciding of particular Controversies in Religious Matters as well as for the determining and assigning what Points are to be be believed in order to any Peoples being Christians I leave it to others to enquire how much Men's assuming Authority to impose certain of Christ's Doctrines without his Warrant as absolutely necessary to be believed to make Men Christians hath contributed to their Stretching the like Authority further even to make some things Parts of the Christian Religion which Christ and his Apostles have not authorized which is infamously done in the Church of Rome and perhaps in some degree in most of the Parties truly termed Protestant It may be easy to prove to those who are Christians that they are to believe such or such Doctrines by shewing them plainly that Christ Jesus whom they have received to be their Lord hath taught them But when we require those who are not Christians to believe them as absolutely necessary to make them Christians we must undertake to prove to them the Truth of those Doctrines by some other Medium than Christ's Authority For it cannot rationally be expected that People who do not believe Jesus to be the Messiah or the Christ will assent to believe and receive Doctrines meerly because he they do not believe to be the Christ hath taught them And when they are brought to believe that Jesus is the Messiah so as to take him for their Lord and King if that do not constitute them Christians it will not suffice to make them Christians to prove to them that Christ hath taught such or such Doctrines which therefore they must believe but it must be proved to them that that same Jesus hath taught that these same Doctrines are absolutely necessary to be believed to make them Christians unless their believing this Branch upon some other Authority will serve the turn And if that will do the Business why may they not be required to believe that Jesus is the Messiah upon the same Authority and consequently all the other Doctrines the said Authority shall be pleased to avouch The Difference is not much in rational Discourse whether a Person believes a certain Doctrine to be Christ's which he never taught upon the Testimony of such a Person or Church or whether he believes a Doctrine Christ hath certainly taught to be absolutely necessary to a certain Purpose which Christ never declared to be absolutely necessary to that purpose upon the same Testimony or Authority For the Ground Foundation and Reason of the Belief in both Cases is the very same and is an Authority distinct from Christ's In the next place the Author of the Animadversions relates what he thought was the main Design of the Author of the Reasonableness of Christianity c. in these Words The main Design which the Author of the Reasonableness of Christianity c. seems to have had is to lay down such a Scheme of Faith only as he finds delivered in Scripture and not to rest satisfied with those Collections of Articles which are to be met with in the common Systems without any sufficient warrant from Scripture I will keep as near as I can to this Author's Words in relating what I conceive to be the Truth touching this Matter The main Design of the Author of the Reasonableness of Christianity c. seems to have had as to one main part of his Book was to lay down such a Scheme of those matters of Faith only that are absolutely necessary to be believed to make a Man a Christistian as he found delivered in the Scripture but not to lay down such a Scheme of those Matters of Faith as he found in Scripture which any Man after he is a Christian may be necessarily obliged to Believe The Reason why the Author of the Reasonableness did not rest satisfied with those Collections of Articles which are to be met with in the common Systems doth not appear to be because all or most or perhaps any of the Articles in some of those Systems were without any sufficient Warrant from Scripture Though it may be the Composers of those Systems might assert something concerning several of those Articles for which there might not be any sufficient Warrant from Scripture There might be sufficient Warrant from Scripture for the Articles themselves and not the like Warrant for every thing those Authors might deliver concerning them But the Reasons why he was not satisfied with those Collections seem to me to be 1. Because those Collections did not agree some of them consisting of more some of fewer Articles and those which had the greatest number left out some of the Articles which were insisted on or inserted in another 2. Because it was pretended by the Composers of those Systems of their Followers or both that all the Articles collected into those Systems were necessarily to be believed to make Men Christians Now according to that Notion what certainly could there be who were Christians or to be admitted and owned as such whilst there was so great a Disagreement concerning the Articles which were absolutely necessary to be believed to make Men Christians For those who were Christians according to the Composers and followers of one System were not Christians according to the Followers of another because they wanted something in their Judgment absolutely necessary to make them Christians The Design of those who write Systems of Christian Divinity I apprehend should be to collect those Articles which are mainly insisted on in the New Testament and to which most or all that is delivered in those Sacred Writings may be pertinently and conveniently reduced together with an account of the principal things there taught concerning those Articles And if the Composers of Systems did carefully distinguish the Articles those Sacred Writings teach are absolutely necessary to be believed to make men Christians from those which are of great Moment to be known and believed by them who are already Christians I am of Opinion the Author of the Reasonableness of Christianity would not think their doing so any Blemish to their Systems and that he would not be dissatisfied with any of those Articles of which their Systems should consist nor with any thing they should say concerning those
divinely revealed and set down in the New Testament 3. He is then to set down the particular Doctrines he hath a regard to in this place And 4. He must prove that from the very First Ages of Christianity the Church hath confest that every one of those Doctrines is absolutely necessary to be explicitely believed to make Men Christians or to Salvation It is not the bare saying that the Church hath such an Authority nor the bare affirming such a Matter of Fact concerning the Church that will prove the Business in Hand The explaining and full proving the Particulars already named will require some time and Consideration And when they are fully cleared and substantially confirmed there will not be any need to inquire whether or how the Church was imposed on In the mean time I shall lay down a few Considerations which I conceive are true and consonant with the Judgment of the Author of the Reasonableness of Christianity c. 1. That which makes a Doctrine of supernatural Revelation absolutely necessary to be believed to make a Man a Christian is not its being placed in one part of the New Testament or in another but the Divine Determination that it must be necessarily believed for that purpose 2. That our knowing that such a Doctrine is absolutely necessary to be believed to make Men Christians depends upon God's declaring that the Belief of it is absolutely necessary to make Men Christians let this Declaration lie in what part of the New Testament soever 3. That what is revealed to be absolutely necessary to be believed to make Men Christians may be better discerned in the Gospels and Acts than in the Epistles though the same Doctrines are likewise to be found in them And this for the Reasons the Author of the Reasonableness of Christianity c. hath assign'd 4. The New Testament comprehends the entire Revelation the Lord Jesus Christ hath made of the Mind of God In which Sacred Writings our Blessed Saviour declares what Articles are absolutely necessary to be believed to make Men his Disciples and Subjects or Christians and in these Holy Scriptures he hath also delivered or declared all the Laws of his Kingdom by which those he admits for his Subjects must be govern'd so that they are not to admit or receive any thing for a Part of their Religion as Christian but what he hath taught and delivered in some part of these Holy Writings 5. The enquiry is not how many are the Laws of Christ's Kingdom or how many Articles he hath taught and delivered which those who are his Subjects are obliged to endeavour to understand believe and observe but what are those Articles he doth require to be believed as absolutely necessary to make Men his Subjects or Christians 6. All the Doctrines delivered in the New Testament are equally Divine Revelations and are therefore to be received with equal Degrees of Assent by all those Christians who do understand them and know that they are revealed or delivered in those Sacred Writings But these Doctrines are not absolutely necessary to be believed to make Men Christians Indeed there are several Doctrines which I know are delivered in the New Testament which have not the like Effect and Influence on me at present in proportion to their Nature that other Doctrines have which I know are taught there But this Difference ariseth not from the Nature of the former Doctrines which is always the same and unalterable nor from my not receiving them with equal Degrees of Assent for I do receive them with equal Degrees of Assent being as firmly persuaded they are Divine Revelations as the other but this Difference spoken of now ariseth from something else viz. my present State and Circumstances or the like Now saith this Author if several of the Doctrines contained in those parts of Revelation viz. the Epistles have all along down from the Apostles Times been reputed necessary to be believed to Salvation then certainly they ought not to be denied to be absolutely subservient to that end without the Proof of one or all these things which are Five in Number Answ. 1. It is not particular Persons or Churches reputing things to be absolutely necessary to be believed to Salvation that makes them absolutely necessary to be believed to Salvation In the very early times of Christianity even long before the Apostles decease there were People professing themselves Christians and who set up for Teachers in the the Church who affirmed certain things were absolutely necessary to Salvation which were not so as is undeniably evident from Act. 15. 1. 2. When this Author shall be pleased to set down plainly the Doctrines his Words seem to have a Secret Relation to a Judgment may be made whether they were justly reputed absolutely necessary to be believed explicitly to make Men Christians or not by considering whether Christ and his Apostles reputed them absolutely necessary or not 3. If the Church did originally repute any Doctrines to be absolutely necessary to be explicitely believed to Salvation without warrant the successive continuance of that Reputation cannot make those Doctrines to be absolutely necessary Length of Time and reiterated Applause cannot advance an original Mistake into Truth The Second Concoction will not in this case rectify the Error of the First 4. A Person who doth suppose yea acknowledge that several Doctrines delivered in the Epistles which are distinct from any taught in the Gospels and Acts have been justly reputed necessary to be believed to Salvation may regularly and with good Warrant deny that they are absolutely necessary for that I suppose this Author means for otherwise the Consequence he draws is not to his Purpose though he useth the Word Subservient to be believed to Salvation without being obliged to prove either one or Five Negatives For many Doctrines may be very justly reputed necessary to Salvation which are not absolutely necessary to Salvation And therefore when it is inferred that such and such Doctrines are absolutely necessary to be explicitely believed to Salvation if they have all along been reputed necessary to be believed to Salvation the Consequence may be regularly denied and no necessity follow thereupon that the Person denying it must be obliged to prove 1. That the Authors of the Epistles were not divinely inspired 2. c. And for that Reason I suppose it is that this Author applies himself in the Remainder of this part of his Animadversions to prove these Five Points 1. That the Authors of the Epistles were Divinely Inspired 2. That the Apostles had Authority or Commission to deliver some things for necessary Articles of Faith 3. That some of their Doctrines were writ with a Design that all Christians should be necessarily required to believe them to Salvation 4. That there is no Contradiction in the Epistles to the other parts of Scripture 5. That some of those Doctrines are of equal Necessity to be explicitely known to make a Man a Christian with
this that Jesus is the Messiah But First of all the fullest Proof imaginable of every one of these Points will not in the least confirm the Proposition or Argument they are immediately designed to confirm viz. That all those Doctrines delivered in the Epistles which are distinct from any that are taught in the Gospels and Acts which the Church from the first Ages of Christianity hath confest to be absolutely necessary to be explicitely believed to make Men Christians are absolutely necessary to be explicitely believed to make Men Christians For there is not any Connection between the Truth of any or all of these Five Points and the Churches Authority by her continual Confession to make any Doctrines which are only to be found in the Epistles absolutely necessary to be believed to make Men Christians If it shall be said that it is not pretended that the Churches Confession makes them absolutely necessary to be believed but discovers and proves that they are absolutely necessary to be believed to make Men Christians I answer 1. The Proof of the forementioned Points is no Proof at all of the Churches Confession but must be supposed and is Antecedent to the Churches Confession 2. That the Churches Confession doth not discover or prove that those Doctrines are absolutely necessary to be believed to make Men Christians it discovers or proves no more but that the Church did think those Doctrines were absolutely necessary to be believed explicitely to make Men Christians Now when the Question is whether the Church hath thought right concerning this Matter that Question must be determined if she have not Authority to make at least revealed Doctrines absolutely necessary to be believed to make Men Christians by ascending higher and seeing what Jesus Christ and his Apostles have declared is absolutely necessary to be believed to make Men Christians which is the way the Author of the Reasonableness of Christianity c. took to discover what Doctrines are absolutely necessary to be believed to the aforesaid purpose without making any Hubbub concerning the Church in the matter The Author of the Reasonableness of Christianity c. hath not writ one Word that I can find that hath any Tendency to the Disadvantage of the Christian Church but very much that would contribute greatly to her Honour and Interest were People generally of the Mind to attend her greatest Concernments heartily without suffering themselves to be swayed by their own petty Interests and peevish Humours which they sacrilegiously dignify with her Name She might enjoy a profound Rest and become daily more and more truly Glorious would other People let her be quiet and not disturb her Repose by a rude abusing her Name to justify their espousing and talking for Matters both Scripture and Reason do disclaim Secondly The exactest Proof of the Four First Points will not afford any Proof of what this Author declares shall be his Business to prove in this First Part of his Book viz. That there are Doctrines in the Epistles distinct from those which are delivered in the Gospels and Acts which are absolutely necessary to be believed to make Men Christians The Truth of the Four First Points is agreed on on both Sides especially some allowance being made for that Latitude of Expression in which the third is laid down So that it is only the Fifth and Last Point on which the Controversy doth depend It will therefore be needless to make any Observations on what this Author offers for the Proof of his Four First Points unless he happens to mistake any thing in the Reasonableness of Christianity c. which he brings in under these Heads or misapplies what he hath to say on these Points to that Treatise or some Passages in it This Author bestows his Seventh Page in setting down an Objection that hath some Relation to his Two First Points I think the Objection is not accurately expressed but that I shall pass over and only take notice of his speaking of Doctrines proposed to be believed upon the Absolute Promise of Salvation This is a Passage I confess I do not well understand I know there are at this time many amongst us who make a great Noise in affirming That Salvation is absolutely promised to some Persons and the Stir they have made about or with that Notion I apprehend was an occasion of the Author of the Reasonableness of Christianity c. applying himself to search with particular exactness into the Holy Scriptures to find out in what Manner Salvation is there promised But I do not conceive that this Author of the Animadversions is one of that Party Now I think there is not an absolute Promise of Salvation in all the Scripture And that if there were such a Promise there could not be any thing absolutely necessary to be believed unto Salvation For an Answer to this viz. Objection spoken of before it will saith this Author be material to examine First whether nothing is absolutely necessary to be believed to salvation but what is declared to be so or whether any Doctrine upon which Salvation is proposed is singly of it self sufficient for it P. 8. He immediately adds This seems to be a Query of no small Importance Here I will 1. Propound some Reasons why it may be justly affirmed that a due believing Jesus to be the Christ or Messiah doth constitute and make Men Christians 2. I will consider what this Author propounds to be examined 3. I will take Notice of what this Author hath here writ upon this Point First I will lay down some Reasons why it may be justly affirmed that a due believing that Jesus is the Messiah or Christ doth constitute and make a Man a Christian. As 1. Because Jesus Christ and his Apostles did admit Persons to be his Disciples and owned them for Christians upon their believing this Doctrine without requiring the Belief of any other Doctrine to this purpose provided they did believe in the True and Living God as every where appears in the Accounts given of their admitting Disciples 2. Because they have promised salvatition to the due Belief of this Doctrine without requiring the explicite Belief of any other Gospel-Doctrines together with this as absolutely necessary to Salvation 3. Because Salvation is not promised to the Belief of any one or Number of Doctrines separately from this Doctrine 4. Because no other Doctrine Christ or his Apostles have taught can be believed aright but by virtue of the Persons believing this Doctrine Let a Man believe all the Doctrines delivered in the New Testament upon Considerations purely distinct from this that they are Doctrines taught by Jesus Christ whom he hath received for his Lord he does not believe them as a Christian ought to believe them nor will his Belief of them on those Accounts at all avail him as to Salvation by virtue of any Promise in the Gospel He that believes any of these Doctrines with the Faith of a Christian or
not sincere in their Profession as they give of the Mistake of their Judgment in the present Point This Author certifies he will endeavour hereafter to shew there are Some Doctrines in the Epistles distinct from those contained in the Gospels or Acts which are of that Nature without the Belief of which though we may grant Men might be saved before they were known yet when they were divulged they could no more be stiled true Christians without the Belief of them than if they had not at all believed p. 17. Answ. When our belief of a Doctrine is grounded purely upon the Nature of the Doctrine we believe it only as we are rational Creatures and do imploy our Reason about the Doctrine it self considering it's Nature and not as Christians for the only Ground of our Belief as Christians is Divine supernatural Revelation And let the Nature of the Doctrine be what it will Revelation is the Ground and Reason of our believing it If you will therefore produce Doctrines absolutely necessary to be believed to make Men Christians because of the Nature of them you must fetch them from Natural Religion and they are to be judged of as to their Nature and the Reason of our believing them by Natural Reason without any regard to Revelation which is a Notion that will do Christianity I doubt but little Service Hitherto it hath done no inconsiderable Hurt The divulging of more Doctrines to be believed by Christians as they should attain the Knowledge of them did not make more Doctrines absolutely necessary to be believed to make Men Christians than were asolutely necessary to that purpose before they were divulged For if it did every new Doctrine when it was divulged became a new Condition to be explicitely consented to in order to any Man's admission into the Covenant of Grace and consequently there were so many New Covenants Yet these other Doctrines when they were divulged were necessarily to be believed by those particular Christians who did understand and know them and so they are now not to make them Christians but by Virtue or Reason of that Obligation they are under by being Christians to believe whatsoever they shall know their Lord hath revealed The Difference between those who were Christians before these Doctrines were divulged and those who become Christians since is this They were obliged by their being Christians or believing Jesus to be Messiah to believe whatsoever he had or should reveal when they should know the same now his Revelation is compleated those who believe him heartily to be the Messiah are thereby obliged to believe whatsoever he hath Revealed as they attain the Knowledge thereof For a more clear and full understanding of these things see Second Vindicat. of the Reasonableness c. p. 82 83 252 c. 337 c. 343 344. Whereas this Author saith p. 17. It will be necessary to consider an Objection or rather an Evasion of the Author of the Reasonableness of Christianity c. since it intimates that he believes as much of the Epistles and in as true a Sense as any Man whatsoever And then relating some Passages in p. 299. of the Reasonableness of Christianity c. afterwards saith They do not seem altogether unexceptionable p. 18. I shall observe that the Author of the Reasonableness c. doth in p. 298. begin his Answer to an Objection concerning the Epistles or to this Question Whether the Truths delivered in the Epistles may be believed or disbelieved by a Christian without any Danger To which he answers That the Law of Faith being a Covenant of Free Grace God alone can appoint what shall be necessarily believed by every one whom he will justify what is the Faith which he will accept and account for Righteousness depends wholly on his good Pleasure For it is of Grace and not Right that this Faith is accepted and therefore he alone can set the Measures of it Where we have the most Rational Evidence for that Point that I think Words can express Afterwards in p. 299. he answers directly to the Question affirming that the other Parts of Divine Revelation are Objects of Faith and are so to be received they are Truths whereof none that is once known to be such may or ought to be disbelieved c. Yet notwithstanding he affirms the Doctrines in the Epistles are Divine Truths very weighty to us now and which no Christians who know them may disbelieve This Author Saith these Passages are not altogether unexceptionable For though these allow the Truths contained in the Epistles to be Objects of our Faith yet they do not suppose them or any Parts of them to be more so than any other Places of Scripture which have no Relation to the Salvation of Mankind and which we are only bound to believe to be true upon the Veracity of God that revealed them p. 18. Answ. The Author of the Reasonableness of Christianity c. teacheth That the Truths contained in the Epistles are Objects of our Faith because they are Divine Revelations or Divine Truths And this Author p. 11. teacheth That the only End for which God hath revealed any thing to us is the Eternal Benefit and Happiness of Mankind The Author of the Reasonableness c. doth not detract from the Honour due to any part of Divine Revelation But asserts That as they are all equally Divine Revelations so they are all equally Objects of our Faith when known and have all a Relation to the Salvation of Mankind But how this Author will reconcile his teaching That the only End for which God hath revealed any thing to us is the Eternal Benefit and Happiness of Mankind with his saying That some Places of Scripture have no Relation to the Salvation of Mankind I cannot tell without a very singular Account of what is meant by Doctrines having a Relation to the Salvation of Mankind Some Doctrines acquaint us with the Gracious Purpose of God towards Sinners and with the Ways and Methods how Jesus Christ obtained Salvation for Mankind which may be said to have an Historical Relation to the Salvation of Mankind Some Doctrines are absolutely necessary to be explicitely believed to make and constitute Men Christians and entitle them to that Salvation Which Doctrines may be said to have a Conditional Relation to our Salvation There are Doctrines which those who are Christians must endeavour to understand and explicitely believe as they attain to know them Such are those which belong to the First Head and a great many more delivered in the New Testament These have not an Immediate Relation to our Salvation But they may be said to have a Consequential and Obediential Relation to our Salvation The Doctrines we are now discoursing of are those which pertain to the Second Head And if any Man think there are Doctrines in the Epistles distinct from those laid down by the Author of the Reasonableness c. that are absolutely necessary to be explicitely believed
Ghost was not given to the Apostles to empower them to make a New Covenant with People by making more Articles absolutely necessary to be believed to Make Men Christians than Christ himself had made so though they were to produce more Proof and Evidence of what he had made absolutely necessary to be believed than was given before and were to furnish Christians with a more compleat Body of the Laws of that Kingdom they were Members of than was before published See Second Vindic. of the Reasonab p. 89 90 325 330. It may therefore with great Truth and I think for that Reason without any absurdity be affirmed that all things which are absolutely necessary to be explicitely believed to Salvation are fully and clearly contained in the Gospels See Second Vindic. of the Reasonableness of Christianity c. p. 73. In p. 30. This Author discourses concerning the Apostles Creed and saith That The Articles of that Creed are not to be looked on as the only Fundamentals unless we also firmly believe the natural Consequences and Conclusions from them and the frequent Explanations of them which are set down in the other Parts of Revelation That is those Explanations of them which are set in the Epistles distinct from what is said of them in the Gospels and Acts. Answ. I will wave taking Notice of several things which might be observed here from the Generality and Extensiveness of the Expressions here used And shall only put this Author in mind that the Question he should peremptorily answer to is this Whether all that is absolutely necessary to be explicitely believed by Christ's and his Apostles Appointment to make Men Christians be contained in that Creed If those who answer this Question Negatively be in the Right let them talk what they please of the great Esteem and Veneration they have for this Creed and the Church of England there is no help for it but both the one and the other must unavoidably fall under a very ugly Reflection for the more full clearing of which and answer to what this Author hath further writ on this Subject I shall refer to the Second Vindic. of the Reasonab p. 74 c. 77 163 169 c. In p. 31 and 32. This Author offers considerations in answer to a Passage he quotes out of p. 297. of the Reasonab of Christianity c. I shall here only observe First That these Considerations are grounded upon Two great Mistakes 1. A Supposition that the Force of the Argument he opposeth depends upon the time when the Gospels and Acts and when the Epistles were writ viz. which were writ first Whereas the Force of the Argument lies in this That those Truths delivered in the Epistles cannot be absolutely necessary to be explicitely believed to make Men Christians which were not revealed till after the Decease of many who were Christians By the Epistles we understand what Doctrines the Apostles were intrusted to instruct Christians in but supposing the Acts and every one of the Gospels had been writ after all the Epistles they acquaint us most clearly and distinctly what were the Doctrines which Christ and his Apostles proposed as absolutely necessary to be explicitely believed by Unbelievers to make them Christians 2. A Supposition that the Author of the Reasonableness of Christianity c. rejects the Epistles from being part of that Rule of Faith that Christ hath given to Christians for which I cannot perceive the least Ground Secondly that this Passage this Author pretends to answer hath the full Evidence of Demonstration with respect to the Words immediately before it Having declared that the Authors of the Epistles were inspired from above and writ nothing but Truth and in most Places very weighty Truths to us c. He adds But yet every Sentence of theirs must not be taken up and looked on as a Fundamental Article necessary to Salvation without an explicite Belief whereof no Body could be a Member of Christ's Church here nor be admitted into his Eternal Kingdom hereafter Where we see what he means by Fundamental Articles in the very next Sentence which is the Passage reflected on by this Author and delivered in these Words If all or most of the Truths declared in the Epistles were to be received and believed as Fundamental Articles what then became of those Christians who were fallen asleep as St. Paul witnesses in his First to the Corinthians many were before these things in the Epistles were revealed to them To this Passage in the Reasonableness of Christianity c. p. 294. The Epistles being all written to those who were Believers and Christians the Occasion and End of writing them could not be to instruct them in that which was necessary to make them Christians This Author replies in these Words This seems rather to strengthen than lessen the Force of the Argument That the Apostles had taught those same Doctrines for Fundamentals before which they afterwards communicated as sacred Depositums of their Faith p. 33. Answ. Supposing they had taught the very same Doctrines before to the Christians or Churches they afterwards writ to and so they were Fundamentals to those Christians who had been instructed in them yet there is no force in the Argument that these Doctrines are absolutely necessary to be explicitely believed to make Men Christians or were so to them till it be proved that they had propounded these Doctrines to be explicitely believed to make them Christians In answer to another Passage quoted out of the same Page of the Reasonableness of Christianity c. this Author propounds this Question How can it be proved that all those the Epistles were written to understood all the Fundamentals of Religion Answ. The Question is whether they were Christians though they did not understand all those Doctrines you call Fundamentals here If they were Christians then those you call Fundamentals were not absolutely necessary to be explicitely believed to make them Christians If any shall say they were not Christians to whom the Apostles writ their Epistles they may if they please excuse my want of Complaisance in declaring I shall chuse to believe the Apostles rather than them Again saith this Author May there not be supposed to be some less knowing amongst them In answer to which I ask Were those less knowing Persons Christians if not how came they to be concerned in the Epistle or how came they to be Members of the Church to which the Epistle was writ The latter part of the Question And some who would not throughly believe several Doctrines of Christianity without such an Authority the Apostles had c. seems not to bear a propitious Aspect to what this Author formerly advanced as the way to distinguish Fundamental Truths from other Parts of Divine Revelation What this Author further saith on this Subject is no more than what I think is sufficiently answered in my Animadversions p. 26 27. But I do not perceive how it will follow from what
Jews or Gentiles can be obliged to believe are laid down in the New Testament They are not limited to one particular part of those Sacred Writings And all Christians must endeavour to know as many of them as they can and then believe them But there is not a precise Number of Doctrines set down in any one Part of Scripture as absolutely necessary to be believed by any Christian or beyond which a Christian is not to endeavour to extend his Belief In p. 47. This Author by way of Reply to what he hath quoted out of the First Vindication of the Reasonableness of Christianity c. p. 14. where that Author declares the Reason why he did not go through the Epistles to collect the Fundamental Articles of Faith c. propounds certain Questions whereof the principal is this But how are these Fundamental Points to be found in the Gospels and Acts better than in the Epistles Answ. Though I think a very solid strong rational and invincible Answer is given to this and the other Questions in those very Lines this Author hath quoted out of the First Vindic. from which he hath taken occasion to propose these Questions yet because the same Author hath expressed himself more largely concerning this Matter in his Second Vindication of the Reasonableness of Christianity c. I shall refer the Reader to p. 141 142. of that Book where I think he may find as compleat Satisfaction to these Queries as can reasonably be desired But since this Author doth here as well as in several other places speak of Truths revealed or delivered or taught in the New Testament Which he saith have no respect to Man's Salvation and which are things indifferent I shall take leave to ask a few Questions For what End were those Truths taught in the New Testament which have no respect to Man's Salvation Which be those Truths Christ hath taught which have no respect to those Peoples Salvation who do believe them purely because they know he-hath taught them Is it indifferent whether Christians believe or do not believe any thing which they know Jesus Christ hath taught Are they to govern themselves in their Submission to and believing of what Christ hath taught by the Apprehensions they or other Men shall be pleased to cherish of the Respect or no Respect his Doctrines have to Man's Salvation Will not such a Notion if it take place make shrewd Work when dexterously managed both with the Truths which are taught and the Rules of Practice which are laid down in the New Testament As for those Truths which have a nearer or more remote Connexion with what is absolutely necessary to be explicitely believed to make Men Christians the Reader may advance himself much both in Knowledge and Piety by an attentive serious perusing what the Author of the Reasonableness of Christianity c. hath writ concerning the same in his Second Vindic. of the Reasonab c. p. 74 75. The Terms of Salvation saith this Author are as plainly and clearly set down in the Epistles as in the Gospels p. 47. Answ. Those Doctrines which are absolutely necessary to be believed to Salvation may be as plainly and clearly set down in the Epistles as in the Gospels and yet not be as clearly distinguished in the former as in the latter from other Doctrines which are not absolutely necessary to be explicitely believed to Salvation This Author hath I think in his 50th Page overturned all that he hath writ against the Reasonableness of Christianity c. in this First part of his Book especially if he will allow that the Persons he speaks of before he comes to the middle of that Page were Christians before they explicitely believed every particular Truth they were taught during their Lives For if they were the Question will not be how many Articles they did believe in all But what those Articles were the Belief of which made them Christians If they were not Christians till they did explicitely believe the very last Articles which were taught them during their Lives their Belief of those Articles joyn'd to those they had learned before whatever they were made them Christians And if they did not every one happen to learn and believe the very same Article in the last place or one that made each Man's Faith exactly the same the explicite Belief of one Article made one Man a Christian and the explicite Belief of another Article made another Man a Christian which is utterly impossible For no Man can be a Christian without that which is absolutely necessary to make a Man a Christian. Could I meet with a Passage in the Reasonableness of Christianity c. which I could justly think to have a Tendency to impair the Divine Authority of the Epistles or lessen Peoples Esteem for them I hope I should as heartily dislike it and be as ready to caution People against it as another Person notwithstanding I make so great account of the Book it self And though I have writ so many Pages in order to the clearing some Mistakes as I conceive in this First part part of the Animadversions on the Reasonableness of Christianity c. yet I fully concur with the worthy Author of them in what I apprehend was his principal Design There are many very excellent and useful things in this part of his Book He writes very well and like a very good Man and had not his misapprehending the Reasonableness of Christianity c. led him out of his way and somewhat bewildred him his Discourse according to my Judgment would have been without a Blemish unless his using sometimes a greater Latitude in his Expressions than is rigidly justifiable may be reckoned one notwithstanding it is but a keeping Pace with the most Applauded and Learned Writers Our enjoying the Epistles as well as the Gospels and Acts is a Mercy for which we can never be sufficiently thankful May we all set a just Value on them read them attentively study them diligently and make that Improvement we ought of our being favoured with so inestimable a Blessing then we shall reap singular Benefit from them and one End aimed at in the Reasonableness of Christianity c. will be greatly advanced Observations on the Reason of Christ's coming into the World THE Title this Author hath given to the Second Part of his Animadversions is Of the Reason of Christ's coming into the World I will pass over this Part very briefly because this Author seems to find fault with some Passages in the Reasonableness of Christianity c. on purpose to take Occasion to discourse of Christ's Satisfaction whereas the Author of the Reasonableness c. hath laid down very good Reasons I think why he did not think it proper for him to insist on that point in his Book I do not find that the Author of the Reasonableness c. hath declared it was his Design to discourse of the Reason of Christ's coming into the World
to Salvation 5. The Author of the Reasonableness c. did search the Scriptures to find what are the Articles the Belief of which God hath made absolutely necessary to Salvation and he hath given a full Account of what he found there concerning this Matter 6. It is an eminent Demonstration of the Condescention and Goodness of God towards Man that whereas he might have made the explicite Belief of incomprehensible Articles absolutely necessary to Salvation he hath not made the explicite Belief of any but that plain and intelligible Proposition the Author of the Reasonableness c. hath set down as absolutely necessary to Salvation This Discovery of the Divine Condescention and Goodness ought to be taken Notice of by those who have a Sense of it and the Reflection the Author of the Reasonableness c. hath made on this Occasion is so pertinent and so pious I do a little wonder that Pious and Good Men can prevail with themselves to make invidious Animadversions upon it But Secondly Why all this Concern for the Illiterate and Men of weak Capacities as though it would be so very prejudicial to them to be obliged to believe what they cannot comprehend p. 96. Answ. If God is pleased to shew his Concern for the illiterate and Men of weak Capacities it is very fit that Writers and Good Men should take Notice of it And though we are obliged to believe explicitely whatsoever we shall attain to know God hath revealed be matters discoursed of ever so much above our Comprehension yet it may be very prejudicial to the illiterate Men and some Offence against Jesus Christ to require of them the Belief of Articles they cannot comprehend as absolutely necessary to their Salvation when Jesus Christ doth not require the explicite Belief of any such Articles as absolutely necessary to that Purpose and more particularly because it is a Subjecting their Faith to some other Authority than his who is their only Lord. For the Misteries of Religion which are incomprehensible are equally so to all p. 96. Very true But some learned Men can say a great many things whether they understand what they say or not concerning the Mysteries of Religion which illiterate Men cannot comprehend And their Authority may as well oblige them to believe their incomprehensible Speeches as absolutely necessary to Salvation as Mysteries which Jesus Christ hath not made absolutely necessary to that purpose But lastly since our Author is of Opinion that it would be very advantageous to Mankind in general to have only such a Religion as is very easy to be understood by all sorts of Men we ought to consider how very intelligible his Rule of Faith is if compared with that of our Church and how agreeable his one Article is to the Comprehension of Vulgar Capacities p. 98. Answ. To this the Author of the Reasonableness c. hath given a very full Reply I think in these Words He should have remembred that I speak not of all the Doctrines of Christianity nor all that is published to the World in it but of those Truths only which are absolutely required to be believed to make any one a Christian c. First Vindication of the Reasonableness c. p. 30. Here I expected some Discovery that our Church had taught somewhat contrary or exceedingly different touching this Matter from what is delivered in the Reasonableness c. concerning it But that Comparison is not pursued I shall therefore say no more but that our Church doth require the explicite Belief of all that Christ and his Apostles have made absolutely necessary to be believed to make Men Christians and presses to a serious dilligent care and endeavour to understand as much as may be of what Christ and his Apostles have taught without limiting People to a precise Number of Articles beyond which they must not dare to stir and if she had not done so I should not have that high Esteem for her I most justly have This Author bestows his 99th Page and most of the Two following Pages in shewing that this Proposition Iesus is the Messiah is not easy to be understood I will not undertake to declare what his Design is in this I suppose he doth not make a Question whether the Belief of that Proposition is absolutely necessary to make Men Christians and therefore that it must be understood For he contends That there are many more Propositions together with this equally necessary to be explicitely known and believed to make Men Christians So that he doth not exclude but acknowledge that the Belief of this Proposition is absolutely necessary Now this Proposition is like easy to be understood whether the due believing of it doth make a Man a Christian or the explicite believing of a great many more Propositions together with it be absolutely necessary to make a Man a Christian. For I suppose it will not be denied that it is as easy to understand this one Proposition standing alone as to understand this same Proposition when it is joined with a great many others which are also to be believed The making the explicite Belief of more Propositions distinct from this that Jesus is the Messiah absolutely necessary together with the explicite Belief of it to make Men Christians doth not make that Proposition more easy to be understood than it would be if the explicite Belief of those other Propositions were not made absolutely necessary to make Men Christians The Way this Author takes to shew that this Proposition is not easy to be understood is by supposing an inquisitive labouring illitera'e Man who knows many things which are delivered in the New Testament and who understands what it is for Books to be Divinely inspired but is ignorant what is meant by a Saviour asking several Questions concerning this Proposition and another much more Ignorant than him answering to every one of these Questions I neither like the Questions nor the Answers as they are set down in these Pages therefore I shall only observe 1. That whoever will reply directly to an impertinent Question must unavoidably give an impertinent Answer Wherefore when Questions are not rightly propounded he that puts them must be made sensible of his Mistakes and assisted to form them aright 2. That if a Person is Inquisitive concerning the Sense of this Proposition That Jesus is the Christ or only Saviour of Sinners and doth acknowledge the true God make him but throughly sensible of his own Sin and Guilt and he will then easily understand what is meant by a Saviour Then his Inquiries will be how he may be satisfied that the Person discoursed of is by God's Appointment the only Saviour of Sinners and on what Terms he may with good warrant expect Salvation from him To which Questions there are very proper clear and plain Answers to be given 3. Most of the Questions proposed in this Author's Pages when rightly formed must have such Answers made to them as Christ doth authorize us in the Scriptures to give to them But what Entertainment can you expect his Answers will have with them who are not truly convinced and therefore do not really believe he is the Messiah Convince your Querist though roughly of that viz. That Jesus is the Christ or Messiah so that he does truly receive him to be his Lord and King and then you will find him in a fair way and very well disposed to receive Satisfaction when you make him perceive that your Answers to his Questions are the very same which Christ himself has given to them or such as he doth warrant you to offer for Peoples Satisfaction in those Cases This Author concludes his Book with observing That those Parts of the Reasonablenes of Christianity c. which treat of the Necessity of Revelation the Conditions of Repentance Good Works c. seem to carry an Air of Piety along with them and to be writ with such Strength of Iudgment as may be supposed that the Author had thought more upon them than upon any other parts of that Treatise As I think those parts of the Reasonableness of Christianity c. here approved by this Author have a very pious Relish and are writ with a Strength Vivacity and Fineness very much above what is common so I fully concur with this Worthy Anthor in all or most of the Points he hath treated of in his Book which I have not made some Remark on in these Papers I will conclude with taking Notice that as we are very apt to Imagine a Person hath thought well on a Point when he treate it to our liking so we are very prone to fancy he is defective or in an Error when his Discourse upon a Subject is not such as we would have it to be Yet the Mistake may really be in our selves and may arise from our having not exactly enough considered the Matter when we impute Neglect or Remisness in Study to him whose Sentiments are opposite to ours In such a Case People are not to be concluded by the Opinions of those who are for the one side or the other but ought to descend into and impartially weigh the Merits of the Cause FINIS