Glory of God and the Firmament sheweth his handy works And again Psal. 14. 8. 3. Praise him Sun and Moon praise him ye Stars and Light which intimates that these Works of his afford matter to our reasons for religious acknowledgments And Reason proves the existence of God from the beauty and order and ends and usefulness of the Creatures for these are demonstrative Arguments of the being of a wise and omnipotent mind that hath framed all things so orderly and exactly and that mind is God This Article then Reason proves which was the first branch of the particular and I add that it is Reason only that can do it which was the other This you will see when you consider that there are but three things from whence the existence of any Being can be concluded viz. Sense Revelation or Reason For Sense it hath no more to do here but to present matter for our Reasons to work on and Revelation supposeth the Being of a God and cannot prove it for we can have no security that the Revelation is true till we are assured it is from God or from some Commissioned by him The knowledge of his Being therefore must precede our Faith in Revelation and so cannot be deduced from it Thus Reason befriends Religion by laying its corner stone And the next to this is the other Principle mentioned II. The Divine Authority of Scripture This also is to be proved by Reason and only by It. The great Argument for the truth of Scripture is the Testimony of the Spirit in the Miracles wrought by Christ and his Apostles Our Saviour himself useth this Argument to gain credit to his Doctrines Believe me for the works sake The works that I do bear testimony of me and if I had not done among them the works that no other man did they had had no sin Joh. XV. 24. And the Apostles continually urge that great Miracle the Resurrection of Christ from the dead for the conviction both of the Jews and Gentiles That he was the Son of God and his Doctrines true Now Miracles are an Argument to our Reasons and we reason from them thus Miracles are Gods Seal and they are wrought by his Power and He is true and good and would not lend these to Impostors to cheat and abuse mankind Therefore whoever works real Miracles for the confirmation of any Doctrine it is to be believed that He is taught of God and Commissioned to teach us And that Christ and his Apostles did those things which are recorded of them is matter of Testimony and Reason clears the validity of this by the aggregation of multitudes of Circumstances which shew that the first Relators could not be deceived themselves and would not deceive us nor indeed could in the main matters if they had designed it And the certainty of the conveyance of these things to us is evinced also by numerous convictive Reasons So that the matter of fact is secure and that such Doctrines were taught as are ascribed to those divine persons and those persons inspired that penned them are proved the same way And so it follows from the whole that the Gospel is the Word of God and the Old Testament is confirmed by that Thus Reason proves the Divine Authority of Scripture and those other Arguments that use to be produced for it from Its style and Its influence upon the Souls of men from the excellency of its design and the Providence of God in preserving it are of the same sort though not of the same strength Reason then proves the Scriptures and this only For that they are from God is not knâ—…wn immediately by sense and there is no distinct Revelation that is certain and infallible to assure us of it and so Reason only remains to deâ—…onstrate this other Fundamental Article These two great Truths The existence of God and Authority of Scripture are the first in our Religion and they are Conclusions of Reason and Foundations of Faith Thus briefly of those Principles of Religion that are Fundamentally such We have seen how Reason serves them by demonstrating their Truth and certainty I COME now to the SECOND sort of Principles viz. those that are formally so They are of two sorts mixt and pure The mixt are those that are discovered by Reason and declared by Revelation also and so are Principles both of Reason and Faith Of this kind are the Attributes of God Moral good and evil and the Immortality of humane Souls The Principles of pure Faith are such as are known only by Divine Testimony as the Miraculous Conception the Incarnation and the Trinity The first sort Reason proves as well as Scripture this I shew briefly in the alledged instances 1. That the Divine Attributes are revealed in the Holy Oracles 't is clear and they are deduced from Reason also For 't is a general Principle of all Mankind That God is a Being absolutely perfect And hence Reason concludes all the particular Attributes of his Being since Wisdom Goodness Power and the rest are perfections and imply nothing of imperfection or defect and therefore ought to be ascribed to the infinitely perfect Essence 2. That there is moral good and evil is discoverable by Reason as well as Scripture For these are Reasons Maxims That every thing is made for an end and every thing is directed to its end by certain Rules these Rules in Creatures of understanding and choice are Laws and the transgressing these is Vice and Sin 3. The Immortality of our Souls is plain in Scripture and Reason proves it by shewing the Spirituality of our natures and that it doth from the nature of Sense and our perception of spiritual Beings and Universals Of Logical Metaphysical and Mathematical Notions From our compounding Propositions and drawing Conclusions from them From the vastness and quickness of our Imaginations and Liberty of our Wills all which are beyond the powers of matter and therefore argue a Being that is spiritual and consequently immortal which inference the Philosophy of Spirits proves Also the Moral Arguments of Reason from the goodness of God and his Justice in distributing rewards and punishments the nature of virtue and tendencies of religious appetites conclude I think strongly That there is a life after this Thus in short of the Principles I called mixt which Reason demonstrates BUT for the others viz. II. Those of pure Revelation Reason cannot prove them immediately nor is it to be expected that it should For they are matters of Testimony and we are no more to look for immediate proof from Reason of those things than we are to expect that abstracted Reason should demonstrate That there is such a place as China or that there was such a man as Julius Caesar All that it can do here is to assert and make good the credibility and truth of the Testimonies that relate such matters and that it doth in the present case proving the Authority of Scripture and thereby in a
remoter way It demonstrates all the Mysteries of Faith which the Divine Oracles immediately discover And it is no more disparagement to our Reasons that they cannot evince those Sacred Articles by their own unaided force than it is a disgrace unto them that they cannot know that there are such things as Colours without the help of our eyes or that there are Sounds without the faculty of hearing And if Reason must be called blind upon this account because it cannot know of it self such things as belong to Testimony to discover the best eyes in the world may be so accounted also because they are not sagacious enough to see sounds and the best Palate dull and dead because it cannot taste the Sun-beams But though I have said that Reason cannot of it self immediately prove the truths of pure Revelation Yet 1. it demonstrates the divine Authority of the Testimony that declares them and that way proves even these Articles If this be not enough I add the second Assertion II. That Reason defends all the Mysteries of Faith and Religion and for this I must desire you to take notice that there are two ways whereby any thing may be defended viz. Either 1 By shewing the manner how the thing is or if that cannot be done by shewing 2 That it ought to be believed though the manner of it be not known For instance if any one denies all sorts of Creatures were in the Ark under pretence that it is impossible they should be contained within such a space He that can shew how this might be by a distinct enumeration of the kinds of Animals with due allowance for the unknown Species and a computation of the particular capacity of the Ark he defends the Sacred History the first way But if another denies the conversion of Aaron's Rod into a Serpent upon the same account of the unconceivableness of the manner how it was done this cannot indeed be defended the former way But then it may by representing that the power of God is infinite and can easily do what we cannot comprehend how it is effected and that we ought to believe upon the credit of the Testimony that being well proved to us though the manner of this miraculous performance and such others as it relates be unknown And aâ—… it is in this last case so it is in all the mysteries of Faith and Religion Reason cannot defend them indeed the first way But then it doth the second by shewing that the Divine Nature is insinite and our Concepâ—…ions very shallow and sinite that 't is therefore very unreasonable in us to indeavour to pry into the secrets of his Being actions and to think that we can measure and comprehend them That we know not the Essence and ways of acting of the most ordinary and obvious things of Nature therefore must not expect throughly to understand the deeper things of God That God hath revealed those holy Mysteries unto us and that 't is the highest reason in the world to believe That what He saith is true though we do not know how these things are These are all considerations of Reason and by the proposal of them it sufficiently defends all the Mysteries that can be proved to be contained in the Sacred Volume and shews that they ought to be received by us though they cannot be comprehended Thus if any one should ask me How the Divine Nature is united to the Humane and declare himself unwilling to believe the Article till he could be satisfied how My answer would be in short That I cannot tell and yet I believe it is so and he ought to believe the same upon the credit of the Testimony though we are both ignorant of the manner And I would suggest that we believe innumerable things upon the evidence of our senses whose nature and properties we do not know How the parts of matter cohere and how the soul is united to the body are questions we cannot answer and yet that such things are we do not doubt And why saith Reason should we not believe Gods revelation of things we cannot comprehend as well as we do our senses about matters as little understood by us 'T is no doubt reasonable that we should and by proving it is so Reason defends all the Propositions of Faith and Religion And when some of These are said to be Above Reason no more is meant than that Reason cannot conceive how those things are and in that sense many of the affairs of nature are above it too Thus I have shewn how serviceable Reason is to Religion I am next to prove II. That Religion befriends it and here I offer some Testimonies from the holy Oracles to make that good and in them we shall see how GOD himself and CHRIST and his APOSTLES do owne and acknowledge Reason 〈◊〉 consider then that GOD Isa. 1. 18. calls the rebellious Israelites to reason with him Come now and let us reason together saith the Lord and by Reason he convinceth the people of the vanity of Idols Isa. 44. 9. And he exposâ—…ulates with their Reasons Ezâ—…k 18. 31. Why will ye die ye house of Israel And Mich. 6. 3. O my people what have I done unto thee And wherein have I wearied thee Testisie against me He appeals unto their Reasons to judge of his proceedings Isa. 5. 3. And now O inhabitants of Jerusalem and men of Judah judge I pray you beâ—…ween me and my vineyard are not my ways equal and are not your ways unequal In this he intimates the competency of their Reasons to judge of the equity of his ways and the iniquity of their own And OUR SAVIOUR commands the Disciples of the Pharisees to give unto Caesar the things that are Caesars and to God the the things that are Gods implying the ability of their Reasons to distinguish between the things that belonged to God and those that appertained to Caesar. And he in divers places argues from the Principles and Topicks of Reason From that which we call à majori ad minus from the greater to the less John 13. 14 He shews it to be the duty of his Disciples to serve their brethren in the meanest Offices and to wash one anothers feet because he had washed theirs Vers. 14. inâ—…cing it by this consideration of Reason for the Servant is not greater than his Lord Vers. 16. and useth the same John 15. 20. to shew that they must expect persecution because He their Lord was persecuted And Luke 12. 23. He endeavours to take them off from carking care and solicitude about meat and raiment by this consideration from Reason that the life is more than meat and the body than raiment intimating that God having given them the greater there was no doubt but he would bestow the less which was necessary for the preservation of that To these instances I add some few from the Topick à minori ad majus from the less to the greater in the
advantage and promotion of the Affairs of Religion Thus we see that the Real knowledge and search into Gods works puts Philosophers at great distance from that fond Principle of Enthusiasm That Reason is an Enemy to Religion and we may learn from the Discourses cited That it may be happily and proâ—…itably used in the proof of many of the greatest Articles of Faith and that Philosophy doth much assist it in that service And so it doth SECT V. II. IN defending other points of Faith which are purely of Revelation and immediately discoverable no other way For this is a Maxim of Reason that whatever God saith is to be believed though we cannot comprehend the manner of it or tell how the thing should be By this Axiom whoever hath proved the Revelation may desend the Article and 't is an absurdity in Philosophick reasoning to argue against the being of a thing that is well attested from the unconceivableness of the manner how it is According to which principle even the Trinity and Incarnation may be as well defended as the existence of matter and motion and upon the same grounds In these there are many modes which are perfectly unaccountable and full of seeming contradictions which if they should be urged against the existence of these most sensible Beings we could not make our defence by untying those knots but may well do it by recourse to this Maxim That what is an evident object of Sense or clearly proved by Reason ought to be believed though there are many things in the Theory and manner of it unconceivable And by using the same we are safe in all the Mysteries of Faith that are well proved to be so But this I have more fully handled else where and shall only adde now That the Free Experimental Philosophy begets the deepest perswasion of the truth of this modest Proposition by acquainting the Philoâ—…opher every day with innumerable things in the works of God oâ—… which he can give no account though he know by his senses that they are really existing And by this means Reason assisted by Philosophy cuts off all the Cavils and silencâ—…th the Objections of bold Inâ—…idelity which for the most part are raised from the difficulties that are in our conception of the Articles of Religion And thus the Free Philosophy lays a foundation for defence of the greatest sublimities of Faith and common Reason doth the best by shewing the certainty and divine Original of the Testimony that acquaints us with those sacred Mysteries This it doth by aggregating those multitudes of circumstances that shew the Infallible truth of Scripture History and twists such a cord as is as strong as any thing in Geometry or Nature And therefore I cannot chuse but wonder what it is that inclines some men who are otherwise sober enough to let slye so lavishly and indiscreetly against Reason and Philosophy especially in an Age so exceeding prone to Phantastry and Madness and that hath been ruined in all its concerns by Enthusiasm and vain pretences to the Spirit 'T is true the discourses of some who have talk't much of Philosophy and Reason have been bold and sawcy and no doubt of evil tendency to the interest of Religion But true Philosophy and well manag'd Reason vindicate Religion from those impudent abuses and shew that there was Sophistry and imposture in those pretensions So that they are no more to be blamed for the insolencies and riots of those that usurp their name then Religion it self is for the Immoralities of those that cloath themselves in the garments of external Piety and Saintship Thus of the services of Philosophy against ENTHUSIASM I come now to the last Instance CHAP. VI. Philosophy serves Religion against the Humour of Disputing Some of the mischiâ—…fs of that Spirit briefly reciâ—…ed Six ways whereby Philosophy destroies the disputing humour The main things that may be urged in behalf of disputes Answer'd SECT I. V. IT helps Religion against the Humour of Disputing by which I mean that which believes uncertain opinions sirmly assâ—…rts them confidently and clamorously conteâ—…ds against every different appâ—…ehe siâ—…n This is that pestilâ—…nt Spirit that turns Religion into air of notion and makes it intricate and uncertain subject to eternal quarrels and obnoxious to Scepticism and Infidelity That which supplants charity modesty peace and Meekness and substitutes in their room Rage Insolence Pride Bitter Zeal Clamours and Divisions and all the opposites of the Spirit of Christ and the Gospel So that it depraves Religion and makes it 's sacred name an instrument to promote the projects of the Kingdom of darkness by cankring men one against another and inflaming their Spirits and crumbling them into Sects and disturbing Societies and so it hinders the Progress of the Gospel and lays it open to the scorns of unbelievers it turns men from the desire of practising to the itch of talking and abuses them into this dangerous belief that Godliness consists more in their beloved Orthodoxy then in a sober vertue and the exercise of Charity it makes them pert and pragmatical busie about the Reformation of others while they neglect their own Spirits fancying a perfection in the fluency of the tongue while the worst of passions have the Empire of their Souls These are some of the sad effects of the humour of disputing which hath done deplorable execution upon Religion in all places and times and therefore 't is none of the least services that can be afforded it to destroy this evil genius and there is nothing meerly humane that contributes more towards the rooting of it out of the world than the Free and Real Philosophy For SECT II. I COnverse with Gods works gives us to see the vâ—…st difficulties that are to be met with in the speculation of them and thereby men are made less conâ—…dent of their sentiments about Nature and by many considâ—…tions and observations of this kind are at length brought to such 〈◊〉 â—…itual modesty that they are 〈◊〉 to pass bold judgments upon those opinions in Religâ—…n of which there is no 〈◊〉 assurance And II By the freqâ—…t exercises of our minds we 〈◊〉 to be made sensible how 〈◊〉 and how oft we are deceived through the fallibility of sensâ—… and shortness of our undâ—…rstandings by Education Authority Interest and our Affections and so are disposed to a more prudent coldness and dâ—…ffidence in things of doubtful speculation by which the dispâ—…ting humour is destroyed at the bottom Besides which III. The Real Philosophy brings men in love with the Practical knowledge the more we have imployed our selves in notion and Theory the more we shall be acquainted with their uncertainty and our â—…steem and regard of them will abate as that sence increaseth and by the same Degrees our respect and loâ—…e to operative knowledge will advance and grow which disposition will incline us also to have less regard to niceties in Religion and teach us to lay out our chief cares and
of It destroys the pretensions of both I COME now IV. to the Inferences that may be raised from the whole 1. Reason is certain and inâ—… This follows from the state I gave of the Nature and notion of Reason in the beginning It consists in First Principles and the Conclusions that are raised from them and the observations of sense Now first Principles are certain or nothing can be so for every pâ—…ssible Conclusion must be drawn from those or by their help and every Article of Faith supposeth them And for the Propositions that arise from those certain Principles they are certain likewise For nothing can follow from truth but truth in the longest series of deduction If error creep in there is ill consequence in the case And the sort of Conclusions that arise from the observations of sense if the sense be rightly circumstantiated and the inference rightly made are certain also For if our senses in all their due circumstances deceive us All is a delusion and we are sure of nothing But we know that first Principles are certain and that our senses do not deceive us because God that bestowed them upon us is true and good And we are as much assured that whatever we duely conclude from either of them is as certain because whatever is drawn from any Principle was vertually contained in it 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 That Reason is in a sense the Word of God viz. that which he hath written upon our minds and hearts as Scripture is that which is written in a Book The former is the Word whereby he hath spoken to all Mankind the latter is that whereby he hath declared his Will to the Church and his peculiar people Reason is that Candle of the Lord of which Solomon speaks Prov. 20. 27. That light whereby Christ hath enlightned every one that cometh into the world John 1. 9. And that Law whereby the Consciences of the Heathen either accuse or excuse one another Rom. 2. 15. So that Hiâ—…rocles spoke well when he said 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 To be perswaded by God and right Reason is one and the same thing And Luther called Philosophy within its own bounds The Truth of God 3. The belief of our Reasons is an exercise of Faith and Faith is an act of Reason The former part is clear from the last particular and we believe our Reasons because we have them from God who cannot mistake and will not deceive So that relying on them in things clearly perceived is trust in Gods veracity and goodness and that is an exercise of Faith Thus Luke 12. The not belief of Reason that suggests from Gods cloathing the Lillies that He will provide for us is made by our Saviour a defect of Faith vers 28. O ye of little Faith And for the other part that Faith is an act of Reason that is evident also For 'T is the highest Reason to believe in God revealing 4. No Principle of Reason contradâ—…ts any Articles of Faith This follows upon the whole Faith befriends Reason and Reason serves Religion and therefore They cannot clash They are both certain both the truths of God and one truth doth not interfere with another 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 saith Aristotle Truth agrees with all things that are Whatsoever contradicts Faith is opposite to Reason for 't is a fundamental Principle of that That God is to be believed Indeed sometimes there is a seeming contradiction between them But then either something is taken for Faith that is but Phansie or something for Reason that is but Sophistry or the supposed contradiction is an error and mistake 5. When any thing is pretended from Reason against any Article of Faith we ought not to cut the knot by denying Reason but endeavour to untye it by answering the Argument and 't is certain it may be fairly answered For all Hereticks argue either from false Principles or fallacioâ—…ly conclude from true ones So that our Faith is to be defended not by declaiming against Reason in such a case which strengthens the enemy and to the great prejudice of Religion allows Reason on his side But we must endeavour to defend it either by discovering the falshood of the Principles he useth in the name of Reason or the ill consequence which he calls proof 6. When any thing is offered us for an Article of Faith that seems to contradict Reason we ought to see that there be good cause to believe that this is divinely revealed and in the sense propounded If it be we may be assured from the former Aphorisms that the contradiction is but an appearance and it may be discovered to be so But if the contradiction be real This can be no Article of Revelation or the Revelation hath not this sense For God cannot be the Author of Contradictions and we have seen that Reason as well as Faith is his I mean the Principles of Natural Truth as well as those of Revelation 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 saith Aristotle Truth is throughout contrary to falshood and what is true in Divinity cannot be false in Reason 'T is said indeed in the Talmud If two Rabbins disfer in Contradictories yet both have thâ—…ir Opinions from Moses and from God But we are not obliged to such a non-sensiâ—…al kind of Faith And ought not to receive any thing aâ—… an Article in a sense that palpably contradicts Reason no more than we may receive any in a sense that contradicts other Scriptures Faith and Reason accord as well as the Old Iestament and the New and the Analogy of Reason is to be â—…ded also because even that iâ—… Divine and Sacred 7. There is nothing that God hath revealed to oblige our Faith but he hath given us reason to believe that he hath revealed it For though the thing be never so clearly told me If I have not reason to think that God is the Revealer of what is so declared I am not bound to believe except there be evidence in the thing it self For 't is not Faith but vain credulity to believe every thing that pretends to be from God So that we ought to ask our selves a Reason why we believe the Scripture to be the Revelation of Gods Will and ought not to assent to any sense put upon it till we have ground to think that that sense is his mind I say we must have ground either from our particular Reasons or the Authority of the Church otherwise our Faith is vain credulity and not Faith in God 8. A man may hold an erroneous opinion from a mistaken sense of Scripture and deny what is the truth of the proposition and what is the right meaning of the Text and yet not erre in Faith For Faith is belief of God revealing And if God have not so revealed this or that as to give us certain ground to believe this to be his sense he hath not sufficiently revealed it to oblige our Faith So that though I deny such or such a sense while