mysteries our faith stands upon this twofold bottom First that the being understanding and power of God doth infinitely transcend ours and therefore he may reveal to us matters above our reach and capacity Secondly that whatever God doth reveal is undoubtedly true though we may not fully understand it for this is a most undoubted principle that God cannot and will not deceive any in those things which he reveals to men Thus our first supposition is cleared that it is not repugnant to reason that a doctrine may be true which depends not on the evidence of the thing it self The second is That in matters whose truth depends not on the evidence of the things themselves infallible testimony is the fullest demonstration of them For these things not being of Mathematical evidence there must be some other way found out for demonstrating the truth of them And in all those things whose truth depends on Testimony the more creditable the Testimony is the higher evidence is given to them but that testimony which may deceive cannot give so pregnant an evidence as that which cannot for then all imaginable objections are taken off This is so clear that it needs no further proof and therefore the third follows That there are certain ways whereby to know that a Testimony delivered is infallible and that is fully proved by these two Arguments 1. That it is the duty of all those to whom it is propounded to believe it now how could that be a duty in them to believe which they had no ways to know whether it were a Testimony to be believed or no. 2. Because God will condemn the world for unbelief In which the Justice of Gods proceedings doth necessarily suppose that there were sufficient arguments to induce them to believe which could not be unless there were some certain way supposed whereby a Testimony may be known to be infallible These three things now being supposed viz. that a doctrine may be true which depends not on evidonce of reason that the greatest demonstration of the truth of such a doctrine is its being delivered by infallible Testimony and that there are certain ways whereby a Testimony may be known to be infallible Our first principle is fully confirmed which was that where the truth of a doctrine depends not on evidence of reason but on the authority of him that reveals it the only way to prove the doctrine to be true is to prove the Testimony of him that reveals it to be infallible The next principle or Hypothesis which I lay down is That there can be no greater evidence that a Testimony is infallible then that it is the Testimony of God himself The truth of this depends upon a common notion of humane nature which is the veracity of God in whatever way he discovers himself to men and therefore the ultimate resolution of our faith as to its formal object must be alone into the veracity of God revealing things unto us for the principium certitudinis or foundation of all certain assent can be fetched no higher neither will it stand any lower then the infallible verity of God himself and the principium patefactionis or the ground of discovery of spiritual truth to our minds must be resolved into Divine Testimony or revelation These two then not taken asunder but joyntly God who cannot lye hath revealed these things is the only certain foundation for a divine faith to rest its self upon But now the particular exercise of a Divine faith lies in a firm assent to such a particular thing as Divinely revealed and herein lyes not so much the Testimony as the peculiar energy of the Spirit of God in inclining the soul to believe peculiar objects of faith as of Divine revelation But the general ground of faith which they call the formal object or the ratio propter quam credimus is the general infallibility of a Divine Testimony For in a matter concerning divine revelation there are two great questions to be resolved The first is Why I believe a Divine Testimony with a firm assent The answer to that is because I am assured that what ever God speaks is true the other is upon what grounds do I believe this to be a Divine Testimony the resolution of which as far as I can understand must be fetched from those rational evidences whereby a Divine Testimony must be distinguished from one meerly humane and fallible For the Spirit of God in its workings upon the mind doth not carry it on by a brutish impulse but draws it by a spiritual discovery of such strong and perswasive grounds to assent to what is revealed that the mind doth readily give a firm assent to that which it sees such convincing reason to believe Now the strongest reason to believe is the manifestation of a divine Testimony which the Spirit of God so clearly discovers to a true believer that he not only firmly assents to the general foundation of faith the veracity of God but to the particular object propounded as a matter of Divine Revelation But this latter question is not here the matter of our discourse our proposition only concerns the general foundation of faith which appears to be so rational and evident as no principle in nature can be more For if the Testimony on which I am to rely be only Gods and I be assured from natural reason that his Testimony can be no other then infallible wherein doth the certainty of the foundation of faith fall short of that in any Mathematical demonstration Upon which account a Divine Testimony hath been regarded with so much veneration among all who have owned a Deity although they have been unacquainted with any certain way of Divine revelation And the reason why any rejected such a Testimony among the Heathens was either because they believed not a Deity or else that the particular Testimonies produced were meer frauds and impostures and therefore no Divine Testimony as it was given out to be But the principle still remained indisputable that on supposition the Testimony were what it pretended to be there was the greatest reason to believe it although it came not in such a way of probation as their sciences proceeded in From which principle arose that speech of Tully which he hath translated out of Plato's Timaeus Ac difficillimum factu à Diis ortis sidem non haber◠quanquam nec argumentis nec rationibus certis eorum oratio confirmetur By which we see what a presumption there was of Truth where there was any evidence of a Divine Testimony And no doubt upon the advantage of this principle it was the Devil gained so great credit to his oracles for therein he did the most imitate Divine revelation From hence then we see what a firm bottom faith in the general stands upon which is nothing short of an Infallible Divine Testimony other things may conduce by way of subserviency for the discovery of this but nothing
eorum qui eam non putamus in manibus esse plumbatis The accusation for treason lay in their refusing to supplicate the Idols for the Emperors welfare 2. Because they would not swear by the Emperors Genius Thence Saturnius said to the Martyr Tantum jura per genium Caesaris nostri if he would but swear by the Genius of Caesar he should be saved Yet though they refused to swear by the Emperours genius they did not refuse to testifie their Allegiance and to swear by the Emperors safety Sed juramus saith Tertullian Sicut non per genios Caesarum it ae per salutem corum quae est augustior omnibus geniis 3. Because they would not worship the Emperours as Gods which was then grown a common custom Non enim Deum Imperatorem dicam vel quia mentirinescio vel quia illum deridere non audeo vel quia necipse se Deum volet dici si homo sit as the same Author speaks Nay the primitive Christians were very scrupulous of calling the Emperours Dominus hoc enim Dei est cognomen because the name Lord was an attribute of Gods and applied as his name to him in Scripture The reason of this Scrupulosity was not from any question they made of the Soveraignty of Princes or their obligation to obedience to them which they are very free in the acknowledgement of but from a jealousie and just suspicion that something of Divine honour might be implyed in it when the adoration of Princes was grown a custom Therefore Tertullian to prevent misunderstandings saith Dicam plane Imperatorem Dominum sed more Communi sed quando non cogor ut Dominum Dei vice dicam They refused not the name in a common sense but as it implyed Divine honour 4. Because they would not observe the publick festivals of the Emperors in the way that others did which it seems were observed with abundance of looseness and debauchery by all sorts of persons and as Tertullian smartly sayes malorum morum licentia piet as erit occasio luxuriae religio deputabitur Debauchery is accounted a piece of loyalty and intemperance a part of religion Which made the Christians rather hazard the reputation of their loyalty then bear a part in so much rudeness as was then used and thence they abhorred all the solemn spectacles of the Romans nihil est nobis saith the same author dictu visu auditu cum insania Circi cum impudicitia Theatri cum atrocitate arenae cum Xysti vanitate They had nothing to do either with the madness of the Cirque or the immodesty of the Theatre or the cruelty of the Amphitheatre or the vanity of the publick wrestlings We see then what a hard Province the Christians had when so many Laws were laid as birdlime in their way to catch them that it was impossible for them to profess themselves Christians and not run into a Praemunire by their Laws And therefore it cannot be conceived that many out of affectation of novelty should then declare themselves Christians when so great hazards were run upon the professing of it Few soft-spirited men and lovers of their own ease but would have found some fine distinctions and nice evasions to have reconciled themselves to the publick Laws by such things which the Primitive Christians so unaenimously refused when tending to prophaness or Idolatry And from this discourse we cannot but conclude with the Apostle Paul that the weapons whereby the Apâ—stles and Primitive Christians encountered the Heathen world were not fleshly or weak but exceeding strong and powerfull in that they obtained so great a conquest over the imaginations and carnal reasonings of men which were their strong holds they secured themselves in as to make them readily to forsake their Heathen worship and become chearful servants to Christ. Thus we see the power of the doctrine of Christ which prevailed over the principles of education though backt with pretended antiquity universality and establishment by civil Laws But this will further appear if we consider that not only the matters of faith were contrary to the principles of education but because many of them seemed incredible to mens natural reason that we cannot think persons would be over forward to believe such things Every one being so ready to take any advantage against a religion which did so little flatter corrupt nature either as to its power or capacity in so much that those who preached this doctrine declared openly to the world that such persons who would judge of the Christian doctrine by such principles which meer natural reason did proceed upon such one I suppose it is whom the Apostle calls 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 one that owned nothing but natural reason whereby to judge of Divine truths could not entertain matters of faith or of Divine revelation because such things would seem but folly to him that owned no higher principle then Philosophy or that did not believe any Divine inspiration neither can such a one know them because a Divine revelation is the only way to come to a through understanding of them and a person who doth not believe such a Divine revelation it is impossible he should be a competent judge of the truth of the doctrine of Christ. So that the only ground of receiving the doctrine of the Gospel is upon a Divine revelation that God himself by his Son and his Apostles hath revealed these deep mysteries to the world on which account it is we are bound to receive them although they go beyond our reach and comprehension But we see generally in the Heathen world how few of those did believe the doctrine of Christ in comparison who were the great admirers of the Philosophy and way of learning which was then cryed up the reason was because Christianity not only contained far deeper mysteries then any they were acquainted with but delivered them in such a way of authority commanding them to believe the doctrine they preached on the account of the Divine authority of the revealers of it Such a way of proposal of doctrines to the world the Philosophy of the Greeks was unacquainted with which on that account they derided as not being suited to the exact method which their sciences proceeded in No doubt had the Apostles come among the Greeks 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 with a great deal of pomp and ostentation and had fed mens curiositiâ—s with vain and unnecessary speculations they might have had as many followers among the Greeks for their sakes as Christ had among the Iews for the sake of the loaves But the matters of the Gospel being more of inward worth and moment then of outward pomp and shew the vain and empty Greeks presently finde a quarrel with the manner of proposing them that they came not in a way of clear demonstrâ—tion but stood so much upon faith as soon as it were delivered Thence Celsus and Galen think they have
will unto the true Prophets The grand question propounded how it may be known when predictions express Gods decrees and when only the series of causes For the first several rules laid down 1. When the prediction is confirmed by a present miracle 2. When the things foretold exceed the probability of second causes 3. When confirmed by Gods oath 4. When the blâ—ssings fore-told are purely spiritual Three rules for interpreting the Prophâ—cyes which respect the state of things under the Gâ—spel 5. When all circumstances are foretold 6. When many Prophets in several ages agree in the same predictions Predictions do not express Gods unalterable purposes when they only contain comminations of judgments or are predictions of temporal blâ—ssings The case of the Ninivites Hezekiah and others opened Of repentance in God what it implyes The jewish objâ—ctions â—bout predictions of temporal blâ—ssings answered In what cases miracles were expected from the Prophets when they were to confirm the truth of their religion Instanced in the Prophet at Bethel Elijah Elishah and of Moses himself Whose divine authority that it was proved by miracles is demonstrated against the modern Iews and their pretences answered p. 177 CHAP. VII The eternity of the Law of Moses discussed The second case wherein miracles may be expected when a Divine positive Law is to be repealed and another way of worship established in stead of it The possibility in general of a repeal of a Divine Law asserted the particular case of the Law of Moses disputed against the Iews the matter of that Law proved not to be immutably obligatory because the ceremonial precepts were required not for themselves but for some further end that proved from Maimonides his confession the precepts of the Ceremonial Law frequently dispensed with while the Law was in force Of the Passover of Hezekiah and several other instances It is not inconsistent with the wisdom of God to repeal such an established Law Abravanels arguments answered Of the perfection of the Law of Moses compared with the Gospel Whether God hath ever declared he would never repeal the Law of Moses Of adding to the precepts Of the expressions seeming to imply the perpetuity of the Law of Moses Reasons assigned why those expressions are used though perpetuity be not implyed The Law of Moses not built upon immutable reason because many particular precepts were founded upon particular occasions as the customs of the Zabii many ceremonial precepts thence deduced out of Maimonides and because such a state of things was foretold with which the observation of the Ceremonial Law would be inconsistent That largely discovered from the Prophecies of the old Testament CHAP. VIII General Hypotheses concerning the Truth of the Doctrine of Christ. The great prejudice against our Saviour among Iews and Heathens was the meaness of his appearance The difference of the miracles at the delivery of the Law and Gospel Some general Hypotheses to clear the subserviency of miracles to the Doctrine of Christ. 1. That where the truth of a doctrine depends not on evidence but authority the only way to prove the truth of the Doctrine is to prove the Testimony of the revealer to be infallible Things may be true which depend not on evidence of the things What that is and on what it depends The uncertainty of natural knowledge The existence of God the foundation of all certainty The certainty of matters of faith proved from the same principle Our knowledge of any thing supposeth something incomprehensible The certainty of faith as great as that of knowledge the grounds of it stronger The consistency of rational evidence with faith Yet objects of faith exceed reason the absurdities following the contrary opinion The uncertainty of that which is called reason Philosophical dictates no standard of reason Of transubstantiation and ubiquity c. why rejected as contrary to reason The foundation of faith in matters above reason Which is infallible Testimony that there are wayes to know which is infallible proved 2. Hypoth A Divine Testimony the most infallible The resolution of faith into Gods veracity as its formal object 3. Hypoth A Divine Testimony may be known though God speak not immediatly Of inspiration among the Iews and Divination among the Heathens 4. Hyp. The evidences of a Divine Testimony must be clear and certain Of the common motives of faith and the obligation to faith arising from them The original of Infidelity CHAP. IX The rational evidence of the Truth of Christian Religion from Miracles The possibility of miracles appears from God and providence the evidence of a Divine Testimony by them God alone can really alter the course of nature The Devils power of working miracles considered Of Simon Magus Apollonius The cures in the Temple of Aeseulapius at Rome c. God never works miracles but for some particular end The particular reasons of the miracles of Christ. The repealing the Law of Moses which had been setled by miracles Why Christ checked the Pharisees for demanding a sign when himself appeals to his miracles The power of Christs miracles on many who did not throughly believâ— Christs miracles made it evident that he was the Messias because the predictions were fulfilled in him Why John Baptist wrought no miracles Christs miracles necessary for the everthrow of the Devils Kingdom Of the Daemoniaeks and Lunaticks in the Gospel and in the Primitive Church The power of the name of Christ over them largely proved by several Testimonies The evidence thence of a Divine power in Christ. Of counterfeit dispossessions Of miracles wrought among Infidels Of the future state of the Church The necessity of the miracles of Christ as to the propagation of Christian Religion that proved from the condition of the publishers and the success of the Doctrine The Apostles knew the hazard of their imployment before they entred on it The boldness and resolution of the Apostles notwithstanding this compared with heathen Philosophers No motive could carry the Apostles through their imployment but the truth of their Doctrine not seeking the honour profit or pleasure of the world The Apostles evidence of the truth of their doctrine lay in being eye-witnesses of our Saviours miracles and resurrâ—ction That attested by themselves their sufficiency thence for preaching the Gospel Of the nature of the doctrine of the Gospel contrariety of it to natural inclinations Strange success of it notwithstanding it came not with humane power No Christian Emperour till the Gospel universally preached The weakness and simplicity of the instruments which preached the Gospel From all which the great evidence of the power of miracles is proved pag. 252 CHAP. X. The difference of true miracles from false The unreasonableness of rejecting the evidence from miracles because of impostures That there are certain rules of distinguishing true miracles from false and Divine from diabolical proved from Gods intention in giving a power of miracles and the providence of God in the world The inconvenience of taking
so great uncertainty and confusion so much partiality and inconsistency with each other It remains now that I proceed to demonstrate the credibility of that account of ancient times which is reported in the Sacred Scriptures which will be the second part of our Task BOOK II. CHAP. I. The certainty of the Writings of Moses In order to the proving the truth of Scripture-history several Hypotheses laid down The first concerns the reasonableness of preserving the ancient History of the world in some certain Records from the importance of the things and the inconveniences of meer tradition or constant Revelation The second concerns the certainty that the Records under Moses his name were undoubtedly his The certainty of a matter of fact enquired into in general and proved as to this particular by universal consent and settling a Common-wealth upon his Laws The impossibility of an Imposture as to the writings of Moses demonstrated The plea's to the contrary largely answered HAving sufficiently demonstrated the want of credibility in the account of ancient times given by those Nations who have made the greatest pretence to Learning and Antiquity in the world we now proceed to evince the credibility and certainty of that account which is given us in sacred Screptures In order to which I shall premise these following Hypotheses It stands to the greatest reason that an account of things so concerning and remarkable should not be always left to the uncertainty of an oral tradition but should be timely entred into certain Records to be preserved to the memory of posterity For it being of concernment to the world in order to the establishment of belief as to future things to be fully setled in the belief that all things past were managed by Divine providence there must be some certain Records of former ages or else the mind of man will be perpetually hovering in the greatest uncertainties Especially where there is such a mutual dependence and concatenation of one thing with another as there is in all the Scripture-history For take away but any one of the main foundations of the Mosaical history all the superstructure will be exceedingly weakened if it doth not fall quite to the ground For mans obligation to obedience unto God doth necessarily suppose his original to be from him his hearkening to any proposals of favour from God doth suppose his Apostacy and fall Gods designing to shew mercy and favour to fallen man doth suppose that there must be some way whereby the Great Creator must reveal himself as to the conditions on which fallen man may expect a recovery the revealing of these conditions in such a way whereon a suspicious because guilty creature may firmly rely doth suppose so certain a recording of them as may be least liable to any suspicion of imposture or deceit For although nothing else be in its self necessary from God to man in order to his salvation but the bare revealing in a certain way the terms on which he must expect it yet considering the unbounded nature of Divine goodness respecting not only the good of some particular persons but of the whole society of mankind it stands to the greatest reason that such a revelation should be so propounded as might be with equal certainty conveyed to the community of mankind Which could not with any such evidence of credibility be done by private and particular revelations which give satisfaction only to the inward senses of the partakers of them as by a publick recording of the matters of Divine revelation by such a person who is enabled to give the world all reasonable satisfaction that what he did was not of any private design of his own head but that he was deputed to it by no less then Divine authority And therefore it stands to the highest reason that where Divine revelation is necessary for the certain requiring of assent the matter to be believed should have a certain uniform conveyance to mens minds rather then that perpetually New revelations should be required for the making known of those things which being once recorded are not lyable to so many impostures as the other way might have been under pretended Revelations For then men are not put to a continual tryal of every person pretending Divine revelation as to the evidences which he brings of Divine authority but the great matters of concernment being already recorded and attested by all rational evidence as to the truth of the things their minds therein rest satisfied without being under a continual hesitancy lest the Revelation of one should contradict another For supposing that God had left the matters of Divine revelation unrecorded at all but left them to be discovered in every age by a spirit of prophecy by such a multitude as might be sufficient to inform the world of the truth of the things We cannot but conceive that an innumerable company of croaking Enthusiasts would be continually pretending commissions from heaven by which the minds of men would be left in continual distraction because they would have no certain infallible rules given them whereby to difference the good and evil spirit from each other But now supposing God to inspire some particular persons not only to reveal but to record Divine truths then what ever evidences can be brought attesting a Divine revelation in them will likewise prove the undoubted certainty and infallibility of those writings it being impossible that persons employed by a God of truth should make it their design to impose upon the world which gives us a rational account why the wise God did not suffer the History of the world to lye still unrecorded but made choice of such a person to record it who gave abundant evidence to the world that he acted no private design but was peculiarly employed by God himself for the doing of it as will appear afterwards Besides we finde by our former discourse how lyable the most certain tradition is to be corrupted in progress of time where there are no standing records though it were at first delivered by persons of undoubted credit For we have no reason to doubt but that the tradition of the old world the flood and the consequences of it with the nature and worship of the true God were at first spread over the greatest part of the world in its first plantations yet we see how soon for want of certain conveyance all the antient tradition was corrupted and abused into the greatest Idolatry Which might be less wondered at had it been only in those parts which were furthest remote from the seat of those grand transactions but thus we finde it was even among those families who had the nearest residence to the place of them and among those persons who were not far off in a lineal descent from the persons mainly concerned in them as is most evident in the family out of which Abraham came who was himself the tenth from Noah yet of them it is said that they
Now if we prove that Moses had no interest to deceive in his History and had all rational evidence of Divine revelation in his Laws we shall abundantly evince the undoubted fidelity of Moses in every thing recorded by him We begin then with his fidelity as an Historian and it being contrary to the common interest of the world to deceive and be deceived we have no reason to entertain any suspitions of the veracity of any person where we cannot discern some pecâ—liar interest that might have a stronger biass upon him then the common interest of the world For it is otherwise in morals then in naturals for in naturals we see that every thing will leave its proper interest to preserve the common interest of nature but in morals there is nothing more common then deserting the common interest of mankind to set up a peculiar interest against it It being the truest description of a Politician that he is one who makes himself the centre and the whole world his circumference that he regards not how much the whole world is abused if any advantage doth accrue to himself by it Where we see it then the design of any person to advance himself or his posterity or to set up the credit of the Nation whose History he writes we may have just cause to suspect his partiality because we then finde a sufficient inducement for such a one to leave the common road of truth and to fall into the paths of deceit But we have not the least ground to suspect any such partiality in the History of Moses for nothing is more clear then that he was free from the ambitious design of advancing himself and his posterity who notwithstanding the great honour he enjoyed himself was content to leave his posterity in the meanest sort of attendance upon the Tabernacle And as little have we ground to think he intended to flatter that Nation which he so lively describes that one would think he had rather an interest to set forth the frowardness unbelief unthankfulness and disobedience of a Nation towards a Gracious God then any wayes to inhance their reputation in the world or to ingratiate himself with them by writing this History of them Nay and he sets forth so exactly the lesser failings and grosser enormities of all the Ancestours of this Nation whose acts he records that any impartial reader will soon acquit him of a design of flattery when after he hath recorded those faults he seeks not to extenuate them or bring any excuse or pretence to palliate them So that any observing reader may easily take notice that he was carried on by a higher design then the common people of Historians are and that his drift and scope was to exalt the goodness and favour of God towards a rebellious and obstinate people Of which there can be no greater nor more lively demonstration then the History of all the transactions of the Iewish Nation from their coming forth of Aegypt to their utter ruine and desolation And Moses tells them as from God himself it was neither for their number nor their goodness that God set his Love upon them but he loved them because he loved them i. e. no other account was to be given of his gracious dealing with them but the freeness of his own bonnty and the exuberancy of his goodness towards them Nay have we not cause to admire the ingenuity as well as veracity of this excellent personage who not only layes so notorious a blot upon the stock of his own family Levi recording so punctually the inhumanity and cruelty of him and Simeon in their dealings with the Shechemites but likewise inserts that curse which was left upon their memory for it by their own Father at his decease And that he might not leave the least suspition of partiality behind him he hath not done as the statuary did who engraved his own name so artificially in the statue of Iupiter that one should continue as long as the other but what the other intended for the praise of his skill Moses hath done for his ingenuity that he hath so interwoven the History of his own failings and disobedience with those of the Nation that his spots are like to continue as long as the whole web of his History is like to do Had it been the least part of his design to have his memory preserved with a superstitious veneration among the Iews how easie had it been for him to have left out any thing that might in the least entrench upon his reputation but we finde him very secure and careless in that particular nay on the other side very studious and industrious in depressing the honour and deserts of men and advancing the power and goodness of God And all this he doth not in an affected strain of Rhetorick whose proper work is impetrare fidem mendacio and as Tully somewhere confesseth to make things seem otherwise then they are but with that innate simplicity and plainness and yet withall with that Imperatoria brevit as that Majesty and authority that it is thereby evident he sought not to court acceptance but to demand belief Nor had any such pittiful design of pleasing his Readers with some affected phrases but thought that Truth it self had presence enough with it to command the submission of our understandings to it Especially when all these were delivered by such a one who came sufficiently armed with all motives of credibility and inducements to assent by that evidence which he gave that he was no pretender to divine revelation but was really imployed as a peculiar instrument of State under the God and Ruler of the whole world Which if it be made clear then all our further doubts must presently cease and all impertinent disputes be silenced when the supream Majesty appears impowring any person to dictate to the world the Laws they must be governed by For if any thing be repugnant to our rational faculties that is that God should dictate any thing but what is most certainly true or that the Governor of the world should prescribe any Laws but such as were most just and reasonable If we suppose a God we cannot question veracity to be one of his chiefest Attributes and that it is impossible the God of truth should imploy any to reveal any thing as from him but what was undoubtedly true So that it were an argument of the most gross and unreasonable incredulity to distrust the certainty of any thing which comes to us with sufficient evidence of divine revelation because thereby we shew our distrust of the veracity of God himself All that we can desire then is only reasonable satisfactisn concerning the evidence of Divine revelation in the person whose words we are to credit and this our Gracious God hath been so far from denying men that he hath given all rational evidence of the truth of it For it implying no incongruity at all to any notions of
Christ and his Apostles were sufficient evidences of a divine spirit in them and that the Scriptures were recorded by them to be an infallible rule of faith here we have more clear reason as to the primary motives and grounds of faith and withall the infallible veracity of God in the Scriptures as the last resolution of faith And while we assert such an infallible rule of faith delivered to us by such an unanimous consent from the first delivery of it and then so fully attested by such uncontroulable miracles we cannot in the least understand to what end a power of miracles should now serve in the Church especially among those who all believe the Scriptures to be the Word of God Indeed before the great harvest of Converts in the primitive times were brought in both of Iews and Gentiles and the Church sully setled in receiving the Canon of the Scriptures universally we find God did continue this power among them but after the books of the New Testament were generally imbraced as the rule of faith among Christians we find them so far from pretending to any such power that they reject the pretenders to it such as the Donatists were and plead upon the same accounts as we do now against the necessity of it We see then no reason in the world for miracles to be continued where the doctrine of faith is setled as being confirmed by miracles in the first preachers of it There are only these two cases then wherein miracles may justly and with reason be expected First when any person comes as by an extraordinary commission from God to the world either to deliver some peculiar message or to do some more then ordinary service Secondly When something that hath been before established by Divine Law is to be repealed and some other way of worship established in stead of it First When any comes upon an extraordinary message to the world in the name of and by commission from God then it is but reason to require some more then ordinary evidence of such authority Because of the main importance of the duty of giving credit to such a person and the great sin of being guilty of rejecting that divine authority which appears in him And in this case we cannot think that God would require it as a duty to believe where he doth not give sufficient arguments for faith nor that he will punish persons for such a fault which an invincible ignorance was the cause of Indeed God doth not use to necessitate faith as to the act of it but he doth so clearly propound the object of it with all arguments inducing to it as may sufficiently justifie a Believers choice in point of reason and prudence and may leave all unbelievers without excuse I cannot see what account a man can give to himself of his faith much less what Apology he can make to others for it unless he be sufficiently convinced in point of the highest reason that it was his duty to believe and in order to that conviction there must be some clear evidence given that what is spoken hath the impress of Divine authority upon it Now what convictions there can be to any sober mind concerning Divine authority in any person without such a power of miracles going along with him when he is to deliver some new doctrine to the world to be believed I confess I cannot understand For although I doubt not but where ever God doth reveal any thing to any person immediately he gives demonstrable evidence to the inward senses of the soul that it comes from himself yet this inward sense can be no ground to another person to believe his doctrine divine because no man can be a competent judge of the actings of anothers senses and it is impossible to another person to distinguish the actings of the divine Spirit from strong impressions of fancy by the force and energy of them If it be said that we are bound to believe those who say they are fully satisfied of their Divine Commission I answer First this will expose us to all delusions imaginable for if we are bound to believe them because they say so we are bound to believe all which say so and none are more confident pretenders to this then the greatest deceivers as the experience of our age will sufficiently witness Secondly Men must necessarly be bound to believe contradictions for nothing more ordinary then for such confident pretenders to a Divine Spirit to contradict one another and it may be the same person in a little time contradict himself and must we still be bound to believe all they say If so no Philosophers would be so much in request as those Aristotle disputes against in his Metaphysicks who thought a thing might be and not be at the same time Thirdly The ground of faith at last will be but a meer humane testimony as far as the person who is to believe is capable of judging of it For the Question being Whether the person I am to believe hath divine authority for what he saith What ground can I have to believe that he hath so Must I take his bare affirmation for it If so then a meer humane testimony must be the ground of divine faith and that which it is last resolved into if it be said that I am to believe the divine authority by which he speaks when he speaks in the name of God I answer the question will again return how I shall know he speaks this from divine authority and so there must be a progress in infinitum or founding divine faith on a meer humane testimony if I am to believe divine revelation meerly on the account of the persons affirmation who pretends unto it For in this case it holds good non apparentis non existentis eadem est ratio if he be divinely inspired and there be no ground inducing me to believe that he is so I shall be excused if I believe him not if my wilfulness and laziness be not the cause of my unbelief If it be said that God will satisfie the minds of good men concerning the truth of divine revelation I grant it to be wonderfully true but all the question is de modo how God will satisfie them whether meerly by inspiration of his own spirit in them assuring them that it is God that speaks in such persons or by giving them rational evidence convincing them of sufficient grounds to believe it If we assert the former way we run into these inconveniences First we make as immediate a revelation in all those who believe as in those who are to reveal divine truths to us for there is a new revelation of an object immediately to the mind viz. that such a person is inspired of God and so is not after the common way of the Spirits illumination in Believers which is by inlightning the faculty without the proposition of any new object as it
resolve the particular emergent cases concerning predictions The prediction of future events is no further an argument of Prophetick spirit then as the fore-knowledge of those things is supposed to be out of the reach of any created understanding And therefore God challengeth this to himself in Scripture as a peculiar prerogative of his own to declare the things that are to come and thereby manifests the Idols of the Gentiles to be no Gods because they could not shew to their worshippers the things to come Isaiah 44. 6 7. From this hypothesis these two Consectaries follow 1. That the events which are foretold must be such as do exceed the reach of any created intellect for otherwise it could be no evidence of a Spirit of true Prophecy so that the foretelling of such events as depend upon a series of natural causes or such as though they are out of the reach of humane understanding yet are not of the Diabolical or such things as fall out casually true but by no certain grounds of prediction can none of them be any argument of a Spirit of Prophecy 2. That where there were any other evidences that the Prophet spake by Divine Revelation there was no reason to wait the fulfilling of every particular Prophecy before he was believed as a Prophet If so then many of Gods chiefest Prophets could not have been believed in their own Generations because their Prophecies did reach so far beyond them as Isaiahs concerning Cyrus the Prophet at Bethel concerning Iosias and all the Prophecies concerning the captivity and deliverance from it must not have been believed till fulfilled that is not believed at all for when Prophecies are accomplished they are no longer the objects of faith but of sense Where then God gives other evidences of Divine inspiration the credit of the Prophet is not suspended upon the minute accomplishment of every event foretold by him Now it is evident there may be particular Divine revelation of other things besides future contingencies so that if a reason may be given why events once foretold may not come to pass there can be no reason why the credit of any Prophecy should be invalidated on that account because every event is not exactly correspondent to the prediction It is most certain that what ever comes under Divine knowledge may be Divinely revealed for the manifestation which is caused by any light may extend its self to all things to which that light is extended but that light which the Prophets saw by was a Divine light and therefore might equally extend it self to all kind of objects but because future contingencies are the most remote from humane knowledge therefore the foretelling of these hath been accounted the great evidence of a true Prophet but yet there may be a knowledge of other things in a lower degree then future contingencies which may immediately depend upon Divine revelation and these are 1. Such things which cannot be known by one particular man but yet is certainly known by other men as the present knowledge of things done by persons at a remote distance from them thus Elisha knew what Gehezi did when he followed Nâ—aman and thus the knowledge of the thoughts of anothers heart depends upon immediate Divine revelation whereas every one may certainly know the thoughts of his own heart and therefore to some those things may be matters of sense or evident demenstration which to another may be a matter of immediate revelation 2. Such things as relate not to future contingencies but are matters of faith exceeding the reach of humane apprehension such things as may be known when revealed but could never have been found out without immediate revelation such all the mysteries of our religion are the mystery of the Trinity Incarnation Hypostatical union the death of the Son of God for the pardon of the sins of mankind Now the immediate revelation of either of these two sorts of objects speaks as much a truly Prophetical spirit as the prediction of future contingencies So that this must not be looked on as the just and adequate rule to measure a spirit of Prophecy by because the ground of judging a Prophetical spirit by that is common with other things without that seeing other objects are out of the reach of humane understanding as well as future events and therefore the discovery of them must immediately flow from Divine revelation 3. The revelation of future events to the understanding of a Prophet is never the less immediate although the event may not be correspondent to the prediction So that if it be manifest that God immediately reveal such future contingencies to a Prophet he would be nevertheless a true Prophet whether those predictions took effect or no. For a true Prophet is known by the truth of Divine revelation to the person of the Prophet and not by the success of the thing which as is laid down in the hypothesis is no further an evidence of a true Prophet then as it is an argument a posteriori to prove Divine revelation by If then the alteration of events after predictions be reconcileable with the truth and faithfulness of God there is no question but it is with the truth of a Prophetical spirit the formality of which lies in immediate revelation The Prophets could not declare any thing more to the people then was immediately revealed unto themselves What was presently revealed so much they knew and no more because the spirit of Prophecy came upon them per modum impressionis transeuntis as the Schools speak and not per modum habitus the lumen propheticum was in them not as lumen in corpore lucido but as lumen in aëre and therefore the light of revelation in their spirits depended upon the immediate irradiations of the Divine Spirit The Prophets had not alwayes a power to Prophecy when they would themselves and thence it is said when they Prophesied that the Word of the Lord came unto them And therefore the Schools determine that a Prophet upon an immediate revelation did not know omnia prophetabilia as they speak in their barbarous language all things which God might reveal the reason whereof Aquinas thus gives the ground saith he of the connexion of diverse objects together is some common tie or principle which joynes them together as charity or prudence is in moral vertues and the right understanding of the principles of a science is the ground why all things belonging to that science are understood but now in Divine revelation that which connects the objects of Divine revelation is God himself now because he cannot be fully apprehended by any humane intellect therefore the understanding of a Prophet cannot comprehend all matters capable of being revealed but only such as it pleaseth God himself freely to communicate to the Prophets understanding by immediate revelation This is further evident by all those different degrees of illumination and Prophecy which the Iews and other
not executed upon him So Ahabs humiliation Hezekiah his earnest prayer the Ninivites repentance all interposed between sentence and execution whereby we may be fully satisfied of the reason why these denunciations did not take effect But where the persons continue the same after threatnings that they were before there is no reason why the sentence should be suspended unless we should suppose it to be a meer effect of the patience and long-suffering of God leading men to repentance and amendment of life Which is the ground the Iews give why the not fulfilling of denunciations of judgement was never accounted sufficient to prove a man a false Prophet to which purpose these words of Maimonides are observable in his Iesude Thâ—rah where he treats particularly on the subject of prophecies If a Prophet foretel sad things as the death of any one or famine or War or the like if these things come not to pass he shall not be accounted a false Prophet neither let them say hehold he hath foretold and it comes not to pass for eurblessed God is slow to anger and rich in mercy and repenteth of the evil and it may be that they repent and God may spare them as he did the Ninivites or defer the punishment as he did Hezekiah's Thus we see that Prophetical comminations do not express Gods internal purposes and therefore the event may not come to pass and yet the Prophet be a true Prophet 2. Predictions concerning temporal blessings do not always absolutely speak the certainty of the event but what God is ready to do if they to whom they are made continue faithful to him For which we have sufficient ground from that place of Ieremiah 18. 9 10. At what instant I shall speak concerning a Kingdom to build and to plant it if it do evil in my sight that it obey not my voice then will I repent of the good wherewith I said I would benefit them So Isaiah 1. 19 20. If ye be willing and obedient ye shall eat the good of the Land but if ye refuse and rebel ye shall be devoured with the sword for the mouth of the Lord hath spoken it Whereby we see it evident that all promises of temporal blessings are not to be taken absolutely but with the condition of obedience But this the Iews can by no means digest whose rule is that all prophecies of good things to come must necessarily come to pass or he was no true Prophet who spake them For saith Maimon Whatever good thing God hath promised although it be promised under a condition he never revokes it and we never find that God repented him of any good thing promised but in the destruction of the first Temple when God had promised to the rightâ—ous they should not die with the wicked but it repented him of his words But it is very plain to any one that considers the Iewish Interpretations of Scripture that in them they have always an eye to themselves and will be sure not to understand those Scriptures which seem to thwart their own interest as is most apparent in the present case for the grand reason why the Iews insist so much on the punctual accomplishment of all promises of good to be the sign of a true Prophet is to uphold their own interest in those temporal blessings which are prophecyed of concerning them in the old Testament although one would think the want of correspondency in the event in reference to themselves might make them a little more tender of the honour of those Prophecies which they acknowledge to be divine and have appeared to be so in nothing more then the full accompllshmenâ— of all those threatnings which are denounced against them for their disobedience even by the mouth of Moses himself Deut. 28. from the 15. to the end Can any thing be more plain and evident then that the enjoyment of all the priviledges conferred upon them did depend upon the condition of their continuing faithful to Gods Covenant The only place of Scripture produced by them with any plausibility is that Ierem. 28. 9. The Prophet which prophecieth of peace when the word of the Prophet shall come to pass then shall the Prophet be known that the Lord hath truly sent him For reconciling of which place with those already mentioned we are to understand that here was a particular contest between two Prophets Hananiah and Ieremiah Ieremiah he foretold evil to come though unwillingly v 6. Hananiah he prophecied peace Now Ieremiah according to Gods peculiar directions and inspiration appeals to the event to determine whose Prophecie was the truest Now saith Jeremiah if the Prophecy of Hananiah concerning peace be fulfilled then he is the true Prophet and I the false And in this case when two Prophets Prophecy contrary things it stands to reason that God will not reveal any thing by the mouth of his own Prophet which shall not infallibly come to pass that thereby the truth of his own Prophet may be fully manifested Besides Ieremiah refers not meerly to the event foretold but gives a sudden specimon of his own truth in another Prophecy concerning the death of Hananiah which was punctually accomplished the same year ver 17. And which is most considerable to our purpose both these Prophets considered the same people under the same circumstances and with the same conditions and so Ieremiah because of their incorrigibleness foretells desolation certainly to come notwithstanding this Hananiah foretells peace and safety which was contrary directly to Gods method of proceeding and so the falsity of his Prophecy would infallibly be discovered by the event So that notwithstanding this instance it appears evident that predictions of temporal blessings do suppose conditions and so have not alwayes the event fulfilled when the people do not perform their condition of obedience And thus we have now laid down the rules whereby the truth of Prophecyes was to be judged by which it appears what little need the constant Prophets had to appeal to miracles to manifest the certainty of Divine revelation in them So we have finished our first proposition concerning the manner of trying Divine revelation in the Prophets God sent among his people We now come to the second general proposition concerning the Prophets Those Prophets whom God did imploy upon some extraordinary message for confirming the truth of the religion established by him had a power of miracles conferd upon them in order to that end So that we must distinguish the ordinary imployment of Prophets which was either instruction or prediction of future events among Gods own people from their peculiar messages when they were sent to give evidence to the truth of that way of religion which was then setled by Gods own appointment Now the Prophets generally did suppose the truth of their religion as owned by those they were sent to and therefore it had been very needless imploying a power of miracles among them to
sarcastically answer the argument from the common consent of men quasi verò quidquam sit tam valdè quam nihil sapere vulgare as though nothing men did more generally agree in then in being fools yet as it is evident that the ground of that scoffe was from the several manners of Divination then in use so it cannot be thought to be a general impeachment of humane nature in a thing so consequent upon the being of a God which as himself elsewhere proves is as clear from reason as from that Testimonium gentium in hac una re non dissidentium as the Christian Cicero Lactantius speaks the consent of Nations which scarce agree in any thing else but that there is a God That which we now infer from hence is that God may make known his mind in a way infallible though not immediate for in case of Inspiration of meer men it is not they so much which speak as God by them and in case that God himself should speak through the vail of humane nature the Testimony must needs be infallible though the appearance of the Divinity be not visible Those evidences whereby a Divine Testimony may be known must be such as may not leave mens minds in suspense but are of their own nature convincing proofs of it For although as to the event some may doubt and others disbelieve the Testimony so proved yet it is sufficient for our purpose that in the nature of the things supposing them to be such as we speak of they are sufficient for the eviction that the testimony attested by them is divine and infallible I know it is a great dispute among many whether those things which are usually called the common motives of faith do of their own nature only induce a probable perswasion of the truth of the doctrine as probable which they are joyned with or else are they sufficient for the producing a firm assent to the doctrine as True I grant they are not demonstrative so as to inforce assent for we see the contrary by the experience of all ages but that they are not sufficient foundation for an unprejudiced mind to establish a firm assent upon is a thing not easie to be granted chiefly upon this account that an obligation to believe doth lie upon every one to whom these evidences of a Divine Testimony are sufficiently discovered And otherwise of all sins the sin of unbelief as to God revealing his mind were the most excusable and pardonable sin nay it would be little less then a part of prudence because what can it be accounted but temerity and imprudence in any to believe a doctrine as true only upon probable inducements and what can it be but wisdom to withhold assent upon a meer verisimilitude considering what the Lyrick Poet hath long since truly told us 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 That a falshood may frequently seem truer to common understandings then truth its self and as Menander speaks 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 that a meer verisimilitude may have more force on vulgar minds then truth hath If therefore there be no evidences given sufficient to carry the minds of men beyond meer probability what sin can it be in those to disbelieve who cannot be obliged to believe as true what is only discovered as probable I cannot therefore see how an obligation to believe a Divine Testimony is consistent with their opinion who make the utmost which any outward evidences can extend to to be only the bare credibility of the doctrine attested by them I can very well satisfie my self with the ground and reason why the more subtle wits of the Church of Rome do essert this for if nothing else can be produced by all motives of faith but only a probable perswasion of the truth of Christian doctrine then here comes in the fairest pretence for the Infallibility of their Church for otherwise they tell us we can have no foundation for a Divine faith for how can that be a foundation for Divine faith which can reach no higher then a moral inducement and beget only a probable perswasion of the credibility of the doctrine of Christ But on what account those who disown the Infallibility of the Church of Rome in the proposal of matters of faith should yet consent with those of it in an hypothesis taken up in probability meerly out of subserviency to that most advantagious piece of the mysterie of iniquity is not easie to resolve Unless the over-fondness of some upon the doctrine of the Schools more then of the Gospel hath been the occasion of it For how agreeable can that opinion be to the Gospel which so evidently puts the most defensive weapons into the hands of unbelief For doubtless in the judgement of any rational person a meer probable perswasion of the credibility of the doctrine of Christ where an assent to it as true is required can never be looked on as an act of faith for if my assent to the truth of the thing be according to the strength of the arguments inducing me to believe and these arguments do only prove a probability of Divine Testimony my assent can be no stronger then to a thing meerly probable which is that it may be or not be true which is not properly assent but a suspending our judgements till some convincing argument be produced on either side And therefore according to this opinion those who saw all the miracles which Christ did could not be bound to believe in Christ but only to have a favourable opinion of his person and doctrine as a thing which though not evidenced to be true by what he did yet it was very piously credible but they must have a care withall of venturing their belief too far only on such moral inducements as miracels were for fear they should go farther then the force of the arguments would carry them Had not this opinion now think we been a very probable way to have converted the world upon the Preaching of Christ and his Apostles when Christ saith though ye believe not me believe the works that ye may know and believe that the Father is in me and I in him Nay saith this opinion that is more then we are bound to do though we see thy works we are not bound to believe thy Testimony to be Divine and certainly true but we will do all we are bound to do we will entertain a favourable opinion of thy person and doctrine and wait for somewhat else but we do not well know what to perswade us to believe When the Apostles Preach the danger of unbelief because the doctrine of the Gospel was confirmed by signs and wonders and divers miracles and gifts of the Holy Ghost what a fair answer doth this opinion put into the mouths of Infidels that notwithstanding all these signs and wonders they were never bound to believe the Gospel
as a certain Truth and therefore they hope the danger is not so great in neglecting the salvation promised by the Gospel I cannot conceive that men otherwise learned and sober should with so much confidence assert that the rational evidences of a Divine Testimony are insufficient to prove a doctrine true unless it be from hence that they find that notwithstanding the strongest evidences many persons continue in unbelief For say they if these arguments were scientifical and demonstrative as they speak of the truth of the doctrine attested by them then all persons to whom they are propounded must certainly believe But this is very easily answered for we speak not of internal but outward evidence not of that in the subject but of the object or more fully of the reason of the thing and not the event in us for doubtless there may be undoubted truth and evidence in many things which some persons either cannot or will not understand If Epicurus should contend still that the Sun and stars are no bigger then they seem to be will it hence follow that there can be no rational demonstration of the contrary Nay if the way of demonstration be offered him and Telescopes put into his hands yet if he be resolved to maintain his credit and therefore his opinion and will not use the Telescopes or suspect still they are intended only to deceive his sight what possible way will there be of convincing such a person though the thing be in its self demonstrable Now if the strength of prejudice or maintaining of credit can prevail so much in matters of Mathematical evidence to withhold assent what power may we think a corrupt interest may have upon the understanding as to the arguments which tend to prove the truth of that doctrine which is so repugnant to that carnal interest which the heart is already devoted to Our Blessed Saviour hath himself given us so full an account of the original and causes of unbelief in the persons he conversed with that that may yield us a sufficient answer to this objection He tels us the ground of it was not want of light nay there was light sufficient to convince any but that those to whom the light came loved darkness rather then it because their deeds were evil That they could not believe while they received honour one of another and sought not the honour which was of God only i. e. That they were so greedy of applause from each other that they would not impartially search into the truth of that doctrine which did touch their sores so to the quick that they had rather have them fester upon them then go to the trouble of so sharp a cure That the reason so few followed him was because the way was narrow and the gate straight which men must go in at and therefore no wonder so few of the rich and proud pharisees could get in at it they were partly so sweld with a high opinion of themselves and partly so loaden with their riches that they thought it was to no purpose for them to think of going in at so straight a gate while they were resolved to part with neither That the final ground of the rejection of any was not want of evidence to bring them to believe nor want of readiness in Christ to receive them if they did but it was a peevish wilful obstinate malicious spirit that they would not come to Christ nor believe his Doctrine for those import the same but when the most convincing miracles were used they would rather attribute them to the Prince of Devils then to the power of God And though our Saviour presently by rational and demonstrative arguments did prove the contrary to their faces yet we see thereby it was a resolution not to be convinced or yield to the Truth which was the cause why they did not believe Now from this very instance of our Saviours proceedings with the Pharisees by rational arguments I demand whether these arguments of our Saviour were sufficient foundations for a divine assent to that truth that our Saviour did not his miracles by any Diabolical but by Divine power or no If they were then it is evident that rational evidence may be a foundation for Divine faith or that some motives to believe may be so strong as to be sufficient evidence of the truth and certainty of the Doctrine If these arguments were not sufficient proofs of what our Saviour spake then well fare the Pharisees it seems they said nothing but what might be thus far justified that the contrary to it could not be demonstrated And if the evidence of our Sâ—viours miracles were so great as some suppose that the Pharisees could not but be convinced that they were divine but out of their malice and envy they uttered this blasphemy against the Holy Ghost to keep the people from following Christ then we hence infer two things First how strong an evidence there was in the miracles of Christ when it convinced his most resolute enemies that they were divine Secondly what power a corrupt will may have over a convinced understanding For although the will may not hinder conviction yet it may soon stifle it by suggesting those things to the mind which may divert it from those convictions of Truth and seek to find out any ways to disgrace it It would be no difficult task to discover in all those instances wherein the unbelief of men is discovered in the New Tâ—stament that the persons guilty of it did not proceed like rational men or such as desired Truth but were wholly carried away through passion interest prejudice disaffection or some other cause of that nature which may give us a sufficient account why those persons did not believe although there might be clear and undoubted evidence to perswâ—de them to it But although I assert that these rational evidences are sufficient arguments of the truth of the doctrine they come to manifest yet I would not be so understood that I thereby resolve all Religion into a meer act of reason and knowledge and that no more power is required in the understanding to believe the Gospel then to believe a Mathematical demonstration which is another objection some lay in the way of this opinion but it isâ— ot difficult getting over it For the sufficiency which I attribute to rational evidence is not absolute and simple but in suo genere as an objective evidence Notwithstanding this the whole work of the Spirit of God in its peculiar energy and way of operation upon the soul is left entire to its self But then when the spirit works as to the planting of a truly divine faith I do not think that it only perswades the soul of the Truth of a Divine Testimony but withall represents the Truths revealed by that Testimony with all that excellency and suitableness that there is in them that by the most agreeable yet effectual influence of the spirit upon the soul it cheerfully embraceth that Truth which is revealed and cordially yields up its self in obedience to it This is the Divine faith which
the Scripture acquaints us with and not such a one as meerly believes the truth of a Divine Testimony and as to the production of this faith I acknowledge meer rational evidence to be insufficient because they proceed in 2â— very different ways the one is to satisfie mens minds of the truth of the doctrine the other is to bring them effectually to adhere unto it The asserting of the one therefore doth no more tend to destroy the other then the saying that a Telescope will help us to discover very much of the heavenly bodies doth imply that a blind man may see them if he makes but use of them Although therefore the natural man cannot savingly apprehend the things of God yet there may be so much rational evidence going along with Divine revelation that supposing reason to be pure and not corrupted and steeped in sense as now it is it would discover spiritual evidence to be the most real and convincing evidence Thus far we have proved that where there is any infallible Testimony there is sufficient rational evidence going along with it to make it appear that it is from God CHAP. IX The rational evidence of the truth of Christian Religion from Miracles The possibility of miracles appears from God and providence the evidence of a Divine Testimony by them God alone can really alter the course of nature The Devils power of working miracles considered Of Simon Magus Apollonius The cures in the Temple of Aesculapius at Rome c. God never works miracles but for some particular end The particular reasons of the miracles of Christ. The repealing the Law of Moses which had been setled by miracles Why Christ checked the Pharisees for demanding a sign when himself appeals to his miracles The power of Christs miracles on many who did not throughly believe Christs miracles made it evident that he was the Messias because the predictions were fulfilled in him Why John Baptist wrought no miracles Christs miracles necessary for the overthrow of the Devils Kingdom Of the Daemoniacks and Lunaticks in the Gospel and in the Primitivâ— Church The power of the name of Christ over them largely proved by several Testimonies The evidence thence of a Divine power in Christ. Of counterfeit dispossessions Of miracles wrought among Infidels Of the future state of the Church The necessity of the miracles of Christ as to the propagation of Christian Religion that proved from the condition of the publishers and the success of the Doctrine The Apostles knew the hazard of their imployment before they entred on it The boldness and resolution of the Apostles notwithstanding this compared with heathen Philosophers No motive could carry the Apostles through their imployment but the truth of their Doctrine not seeking the honour profit or pleasure of the world The Apostles evidence of the truth of their doctrine lay in being eye-witnesses of our Saviours miracles and resurrection That attested by themselves their sufficiency thence for preaching the Gospel Of the nature of the doctrine of the Gospel contrariety of it to natural inclinations Strange success of it notwithstanding it came not with humane power No Christian Emperour till the Gospel universally preached The weakness and simplicity of the instruments which preached the Gospel From all which the great evidence of the power of miracles is proved OF all rational evidences which tend to confirm the truth of a Divine Testimony there can be none greater then a power of working miracles for confirmation that the Testimony which is revealed is infallible The possibility of a power of miracles cannot be questiond by any who assert a Deity and a Providence for by the same power that things were either at first produced or are still conserved which is equivalent to the other the course of nature may be altered and things caused which are beyond the power of inferiour causes For though that be an immutable Law of nature as to Physical beings that every thing remains in the course and order wherein it was set at the Creation yet that only holds till the same power which set it in that order shall otherwise dispose of it granting then the possibility of miracles the subject of this Hypothesis is that a power of miracles is the clearest evidence of a Divine Testimony which will appear from these following considerations God alone can really alter the course of nature I speak not of such things which are apt only to raise admiration in us because of our unacquaintedness with the causes of them or manner of their production which are thence called wonders much less of meer juggles and impostures whereby the eyes of men are deceived but I speak of such things as are in themselves either contrary to or above the course of nature i. e. that order which is established in the universe The Devil no question may and doth often deceive the world and may by the subtilty and agility of his nature perform such things as may amuse the minds of men and sometimes put them to it to find a difference between them and real miracles if they only make their sâ—nses judges of them And such kind of wonders though they are but spaâ—ingly done and with a kind of secrecy as though they were consulting with Catiline about the burning Rome yet the Devil would have some especially when Ignorance and Superstition are Ascendents to keep up his interest in the world Or else when he is like to be dispossessed and thrown out of all he then tryes his utmost to keep as many to him as may be thus when the Spirit of God appeared in the miracles of our Saviour and his Apostles and the Primitive Church he then conjured up all the infernal powers to do something parallel to keep possession of his Idolatrous Temples as long as he could Thus we find Simon Magus dogging the Apostles as it were at the heels that by his Magick he might stagger the faith of people concerning the miracles wrought by the Apostles after him Apollonius appeared upon the Stage but his wonders are such pittifull things compared with those wrought by Christ or his Apostles that it could be nothing but malice in Hierocles to mention him in competition with Christ. But those things which seem a great deal more considerable then either of these were the cure of a blind man by Vespasian in Egypt mentioned by Tacitus and Suetonius wherein there was a palpable imitation of our Saviours curing the blind man in the Gospel for the man told Vespasian restituturum oculos si inspuisset that he should receive his sight by his spittle so Spartianus tells us of a woman that was cured of her blindness by kissing the knees of the Emperour Adrian and Boxhornius hath produced an old Fable in the Temple of
it to attest the truth of such things by any real miracles For so it would invalidate the great force of the evidences of the truth of Christianity if the same argument should be used for the proving of that which in the judgement of any impartial person was not delivered when the truth of the doctriâ—e of Christ was confirmed by so many and uncontrouled miracles But hereby we see what unconceivable prejudice hath been done to the true primitive doctrine of the Gospel and what stumbling-blocks have been laid in the way of considerative persons to keep them from embracing the truly Christian faith by those who would be thought the infallible directors of men in it by making use of the broad-seal of Heaven set only to the truth of the Scriptures to confirm their unwritten and superstitious ways of worship For if I once see that which I looked on as an undoubted evidence of divine power brought to attest any thing directly contrary to divine revelation I must either conclude that God may contradict himself by sealing both parts of a contradiction which is both blasphemous and impossible or that that society of men which own such things is not at all tender of the honour of Christain doctrine but seeks to set up an interest contrary to it and matters not what disadvantage is done to the grounds of Râ—ligion by such unworthy pretences and which of these two is more rational and true let every ones conscience judge And therefore it is much the interest of the Christian world to have all such frauds and impostures discovered which do so much disservice to the Christian faith and are such secret fomenters of Atheism and Infidelity But how far that promise of our Saviour that they which believe in his name shall cast out Devils and do many miracles may extend even in these last ages of the world to such generous and primitive-spirited Christians who out of a great and deep sense of the truth of Christianity and tenderness to the souls of men should go among Heathens and Infidels to convert them only to Christ and not to a secular interest under pretence of an infallible head is not here a place fully to enquire I confess I cannot see any reason why God may not yet for the conviction of Infidels employ such a power of miracles although there be not such necessity of it as there was in the first propagation of the Gospel there being some evidences of the power of Christianity now which were not so clear then as the overthrowing the Kingdom of Satan in the world the prevailing of Christianity notwithstanding force used against it the recovâ—ry of it from amidst all the corruptions which were mixed with it the consent of those parties in the common foundations of Christianity which yet disagreâ— froâ— each other with great bitternâ—ss of spirit though I say it be not of that necessity now when the Scriptures are convâ—yed to us in a certain uninterrupted manner yet God may please out of his abundant provision for the satisfaction of the minds of men concerning the truth of Christian doctrine to employ good men to do something which may manifest the power of Christ to be above the Dâ—vils whom they worship And therefore I should far sooner believe the relation of the miracles of Xaverius and his Brethren employed in the conversion of Infidels then Lipsius his Virgo Hallensis and Asprecollis could it but be made evident to me that the design of those persons had more of Christianity then Popery in it that is that they went more upon a design to bring the souls of the Infidels to heaven then to enlarge the authority and jurisdiction of the Roman Church But whatever the truth of those miracles or the design of those persons were we have certain and undoubted evidence of the truth of those miracles whereby Christianity was first propagated and the Kingdom of Satan overthrown in the world Christ thereby making it appear that his power was greater then the Devils who had possession because he overcame him took from him all his armour wherein he trusted and divided his spoils i. e. dispossâ—ssed him of mens bodies and his Idolatrous Temples silenced his Oracles nonplust his Magicians and at last when Christianity had overcome by suffering wrested the worldly power and Empire out of the Devils hands and employed it against himself Neither may we think because since that time the Devil hath got some ground in the world again by the large spread of Mahometism the general corruptions in the Christian world that therefore the other was no argument of divine power because the truth of Christianity is not tyed to any particular places because such a falling away hath been foretold in Scripture and therefore the truth of them is proved by it and because God himself hath threatned that those who will not receive the truth in the love of it shall be given up to strong de'usions Doth not this then in stead of abating the strength of the argument confirm it more and that nothing is fallen out in the Christian world but what was foretold by those whom God employed in the converting of it But we are neither without some fair hopes even from that divine revelation which was sealed by uncontrouled evidence that there may be yet a time to come when Christ will recover his Churches to their pristine purity and simplicity but withall I think we are not to measure the future felicity of the Church by outward splendor and greatness which too many so strongly fancy but by a recovery of that true spirit of Christianity which breathed in the first ages of the Church whatever the outward condition of the Church may be For if worldly greatness and ease and riches were the first impairers of the purity of Christian Religion it is hard to conceive how the restoring of the Church of Christ to its true glory can be by the advancing of that which gives so great an occasion to pride and sensuality which are so contrary to the design of Christian Religion unless we suppose men free from those corruptions which continual experience still tells the world the Rulers as well as members of the Christian society are subject to Neither may that be wonderd at when such uneveness of parts is now discovered in the great Luminaries of the world and the Sun himself is found to have his maculae as though the Sun had a purple feaver or as Kiroher expresseth it Ipse Phoebus qui rerum omnium in universo naturae Theatro aspectabilium longè pulcherrimus omnium opinione est habitus hoc seculo tandem fumosa facie ac infecto vultu maculis prodiit diceres eum variolis laborare senescentem I speak not this as though an outward flourishing condition of the Church were inconsistent with its purity for then the way to refine it were to throw it into the flames of persecution but that
was converted from Plato to Christ and then found that true which he speaks of in his Dialogue with Trypho that after all his enquiries into Philosophy speaking of the doctrine of Christ 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 I found this at last to be the only sure and profitable Philosophy And when Trypho after derides him as a man of very easie faith who would leave the doctrine of Plato for that of Christ for it seems by him the Iews then had a more favourable opinion of the state of Platonists then Christians Iustin is so far from being moved with such reproaches that he tells him he would undertake to demonstrate to him 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 that the Christians did not give credit to empty fables and unprovable assertions but to such a doctrine as was full of a Divine spirit and power and flourished with grace The proving of which is the subject of that discourse At Alexandria we meet with a succession of excellent persons all which were not only embracers themselves but defenders of the Christian faith for setting aside there Abilius Iustus Cerdo Eumenes Marcus Celadion Agrippinus Iulianus Demetrius and others who flourished about the second Century I shall only fix on those persons who were famous enquirers after truth and noted for excellency in Heathen learning yet these persons after all their inquiries found nothing to fix on but the Christian faith and valued no other discovery of truth in comparison with that Such was Pantaenus who as Eusebius tells us was an excellent Stoick before he became a Christian and was after so eminent a one that in imitation of the Apostles he wenâ— into India to convert the inhabitants to the Christian faith and at his return was made Rector of the School at Alexandria which as the same author tells us was much frequented by such who were 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 well skild in humane as well as Divine learning How excellent Pantaenus was in humane learning may appear in that Origen and Hierome both make his example their plea for the studying of it After him succeeded Clemens Alexandrinus Pantaenus his Schollar a person of great depth of learning and exquisitly skild in all Heathen Antiquities as appears by his remaining writings The Learning of Origen is sufficiently known which was in such great reputation in his own time that not only Christians but Philosophers flocked to his Lectures at Alexandria as Eusebius tells us wherein he read the Mathematicks and other parts of Philosophy as well as the Scriptures and the same author informs us that the Philosophers did dedicate their books to him and sometimes chose him as arbitrator between them in matters of dispute and Porphyrie himself in his books against the Christians vouchsafed a high encomium of Origen for his excellent learning In Origens time Heraclas a Presbyter of Alexandria for five years together frequented the Schools of the Philosophers and put on the Philosophick pallium 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 and was very conversant in the books of the Grecian Learning Besides these we read of Pierius and Achillas two Presbyters of Alexandria who were 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 as Nicephorus Callistus speaks persons well skild in the Grecian learning and Philosophy If from Alexandria we go to Caesarea there we not only meet with a School of learning among the Christians but with persons very eminent in all kinds of learning such were the famous Pamphilus and Eusebius so great an admirer of him that ever since he is called Eusebius Pamphili At Antioch was 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 as Nicephorus speaks a person versed in all kind of ingenuous literature Anatclius Bishop of Laodicea one versed in Geometry Astronomy and all kind of Philosophy as well as in the doctrine of Christ. Thus we see how in those early dayes of the Greek Church what excellent persons many of those were who were zealous Professors of Christianity and concerning those of the Latin Church I shall only mention that speech of St. Austin who was himself an instance of the same nature and a star of the first magnitude among them Nonne aspicimus quanto auro argento vâ—ste sâ—ffarcinatus exierit de Aegypto Cyprianâ—s Doctor suavissimus Martyr beatissimus quanto Lactantius quanto Victorinus Optatus Hilarius ut de vivis taceam quanto innumerabiles Graeci quod prior ipse fidelissimus Dei servus Moses fecerat de quo Scriptum est quod eruditus fuerit omni sapientia Aegyptiorum To whose catalogue of learned persons among the Latin Christians Tertullian Arnobius and several others may be deservedly added But as St. Austin there well observes though the Israclites went rich out of Aegypt yet it was their eating the Passover which saved them from destruction so though these were accomplished with those perfections and riches of the soul the ornaments of learning yet it was their eating the true Passover which was Christ by their adhering to his doctrine was that which would be of more advantage to them then all their accomplishments would be Now then since in the first ages of the Christian Church we find not only innumerable multitudes of persons of great integrity and sobriety in their lives embracing the doctrine of Christ but so many persons that were curious enquirers after the truth of things we can certainly have no reason to distrust such a Testimony which was received in so unanimous a manner by persons as able to judge of the truth of things and as fearful of being deceived in reference to them as any now in the world can be 2. As this testimony was received by persons inâ—uisitive after the truth of things so the doctrine conveyed by it was a matter of the highest moment in the world and therefore we cannot conceive but persons ordinarily inquisitive about other things would be more then ordinarily so about this because their eternal welfare and happiness did depend upon it All persons that are truly religious must at least be allowed to be persons very inquisitive after the state and condition of their souls when they shall be dislodged from their bodyes And if we do but grant this can we in any reason think that such a multitude of persons in so many ages should continue venturing their souls upon a Testimony which they had no assurance of the truth of And that none of all these persons though men otherwise rational and judicious should be able to discover the falsity of that doctrine they went upon if at least any upon consideration of it can imagine it to be so It is not reconcileable with the general presumption of humane nature concerning Divine providence and the care God takes of the welfare of men to suffer so many persons who sincerely desire to serve God in the way which is most pleasing to him to go on in such a continual delusion and never have it at all discovered to them If all then who
have believed the doctrine of Christ to be the only way to salvation have been deceived either we must deny altogether a Divine Providence or say the Devil hath more power to deceive men then God to direct them which is worse then the former or else assert that there are no such things at all as either God or Devils but that all things come to pass by chance and fortune and if so it is still more inexplicable why such multitudes of rational and serious men and the most inquisitive part of the world as to such things should all be so possessed with the truth and certainty of these things and the more profane wicked and ignorant any persons are the more prone they are to mock and deride them If such men then see more into truth and reason then the sober and judicious part of mankind let us bid adieu to humanity and adore the brutes since we admire their judgement most who come the nearest to them 3. The multitude of these persons thus consenting in this Testimony could have no other engagement to this consent but only their firm perswasion of the truth of the doctrine conveyed by it because those who unanimously agree in this thing are such persons whose other designs and interests in this world differ as much as any mens do If it had been only a consent of Iews there might have been some probable pretence to have suspected a matter of interest in it but as to this thing we find the Iews divided among themselves about it and the stiffest denyers of the truth of it do yet inviolably preserve those sacred records among them from which the truth of the doctrine of Christ may be undoubtedly proved Had the Christian Religion been enforced upon the world by the Roman Emperours at the time of its first promulgation there would have been some suspicion of particular design in it but it came with no other strength but the evidence of its own truth yet it found sudden and strange entertainment among persons of all Nations and degrees of men In a short time it had eaten into the heart of the Roman Empire and made so large a spread therein that it made Tertullian say Hesterni sumus vestra omnia implevimus urbes insulas castella municipia conciliabula castraipsa tribus decurias palatium senatum forum sola vobis relinquimus Templa We have but newly appeared saith he yet we have filled all places with our company but only your Temples and before speaking of the Heathens Obsessam vociferantur civitatem in agris in castellis in insulis Christianos omnem sexum aetatem conditionem etiam dignitatem transgredi ad hoc nomen quasi detrimento moerent All sorts and conditions of men in all places were suddenly become Christians What common tye could there be now to unite all these persons together if we set aside the undoubted truth and certainty of the doctrine of Christ which was first preached to them by such who were eye-witnesses of Christs actions and had left sacred records behind them containing the substance of the doctrine of Christ and those admirable instructions which were their only certain guides in the way to heaven 4. Because many persons do joyn in this consent with true Christians who yet could heartily with that the doctrine of Christianity were not true Such are all those persons who are sensual in their lives and walk not according to the rules of the Gospel yet dare not question or deny the truth of it Such who could heartily wish there were no future state nor judgement to come that they might indulge themselves in this world without fear of another yet their consciences are so far convinced of and awed by the truth of these things that they raise many perplexities and anxieties in their minds which they would most willingly be rid of which they can never throughly be till instead of having the name of Christians they come to live the life of Christians and become experimentally acquainted with the truth and power of Religion And withall we find that the more men have been acquainted with the practice of Christianity the greater evidence they have had of the truth of it and been more fully and rationally perswaded of it To such I grant there are such powerful evidences of the truth of the doctrine of Christ by the effectual workings of the Spirit of God upon their souls that all other arguments as to their own satisfaction may fall short of these As to which those verses of the Poet Dante 's rendred into Latine by F. S. are very pertinent and significant for when he had introduced the Apostle Peter asking him what it was which his faith was founded on he answers Deinde exivit ex luce profundâ Quae illic splendebat pretiosa gemma Super quam omnis virtus fundatur i. e. That God was pleased by immediate revelation of himself to discover that divine truth to the world whereon our faith doth stand as on its sure foundation but when the Apostle goes on to enquire how he knew this came at first from God his answer to that is larga pluvia Spiritûs Sancti quae est diffusa Super veteres super novas membranas Est syllogismus ille qui eam mihi conclusit Adâ—ò acutè ut prae illâ demonstratione Omnis demonstratio alia mihi videatur obtusa i. e. That the Spirit of God doth so fully discover its self both in the Old and New Testament that all other arguments are but dull and heavy if compared with this It is true they are so to a truly inlightened conscience which discovers so much beauty and glory in the Scriptures that they ravish the soul although it be unable to give so full an account of this unto others who want the eyes to see that beauty with which a heart truly gracious hath We see ordinarily in the world that the attraction of beauty is an unaccountable thing and one may discern that which ravisheth him which another looks on as mean and ordinary and why may it not be much more thus in divine objects which want spiritual eyes to discover them Therefore I grant that good men enjoy that satisfaction to their own Consciences as to the truth of the Doctrine of Christ which others cannot attain to but yet I say that such do likewise see the most strong rational and convincing evidence which doth induce them to believe which evidence is then most convincing when it is seconded by the peculiar energy of the Spirit of God upon the souls of true Believers But yet we see that the power and force of the truth of these things may be so great even upon such minds which are not yet moulded into the fashion of true goodness that it may awe with its light and clearness where it doth not soften and alter by its heat and influence Now whence can it be that such
convictions should stick so fast in the minds of those who would fain pull out those pierâ—ing arrows but that there is a greater power in them then they are mnsters of and they cannot stand against the force whereby they come upon them nor find any salve to cure the wounds which are made within them but by those weapons which were the causes of them And therefore when wicked persons under conflicts of conscience cannot ease themselves by direct Atheism or finding reasons to cast off such convictions by discerning any invalidity in the Testimony whereon the truth of these things depends it is a certain argument that there is abundant truth in that Testimony when men would fain perswade themselves to believe the contrary and yet cannot 5. The truth of this consent appears from the unanimity of it among those persons who have yet strangely differed from each other in many controversies in Religion We see thereby this unanimity is no forced or designed thing because we see the persons agreeing in this do very much disagree from each other in other things And the same grounds and reasons whereon they disagree as to other things would have held as to these too were there not greater evidence of the certainty of these things then of those they fall out about It hath not yet become a question among those who differ so much about the sense of Scripture whether the Scripture its self be the Word of God although the very accounts on which we are to believe it to be so hath been the subject of no mean Controversies All the divided parts of the Christian world do yet fully agree in the matters of fact viz. that there was such a person as Iesus Christ and that he did many great miracles that he dyed on the Cross at Jerusalem and rose again from the dead now these contain the great foundations of Christian faith and therefore the multitude of other controversies in the world ought to be so far from weakning our faith as to the truth of the doctrine of Christ which men of weak judgements and Atheistical spirits preâ—end that it ought to be a strong confirmation of it when we see persons which so peevishly quarrel with each other about some inferiour and less weighty parts of Religion do yet unanimously consent in the principal foundations of Christian faith and such whereon the necessity of faith and obedience as the way to salvation doth more immediately depend And this may be one great reason why the infinitely wise God may suffer such lamentable contentions and divisions to be in the Christian world that thereby inquisitive persons may see that if Religion had been a meer design of some few politick persons the quarrelsom world where it is not held in by force would never have consented so long in the owning such common principles which all the other controversies are built upon And although it be continually seen that in divided parties one is apt to run from any thing which is received by the other and men generally think they can never run far enough from them whose errours they have discovered that yet this principle hath not carryed any considerable party of the Christian world out of their indignation against those great corruptions which have crept into the world under a pretence of Religion to the disowning the foundation of Christian Faith must be â—artly imputed to the signal hand of divine providence and partly to those strong â—vidences which there are of the truth of that Testimony which conveyes to uâ— the foundations of Christian Faith Thus we see now how great and uncontrouled this consent is as to the matters of fact delivered down from the eye-witnesses of them concerning the actions and miracles of our blessed Saviour which are contained in the Scriptures as authentical records of them and what a sure foundation there is for a firm assent to the truth of the things from so universal and uninterrupted a tradition Thus far we have now manifested the necessity of the miracles of Christ in order to the propagation of Christianity in the world from the consideration of the persons who were to propagate it in the world the next thing we are to considâ—r is the admirable success which the Gospel met with in the world upon its being preached to it Of whâ—ch no rational account can be given unless the actions and miracles of our Saviour were most undoubtedly true That the Gospel of Christ had very strange and wonderful success upon its first preaching hath been partly discovered already and is withall so plain from the long continuance of it in these European parts that none any wayes conversant in the history of former ages can have any ground to question it But that this strange and admirable success of the doctrine of Christ should be an evidence of the Truth of it and the miracles wrought in confirmation of it will appear from these two considerations 1. That the doctrine its self was so directly contrary to the general inclinations of the world 2. That the propagation of it was so much opposed by all worldly power 1. That the doctrine its self was so opposite to the general inclinations of the world The doctrine may be considered either as to its credenda or matters of faith or as to its agenda or matters of life and practice both these were contrary to the inclinations of the world the former seemed hard and incredible the latter harsh and impossible 1. The matters of faith which were to be believed by the world were not such things which we may imagine the vulgar sort of men would be very forward to run after nor very greedy to imbrace 1. Because contrary to the principles of their education and the Religion they were brought up in the generality of mankind is very tenacious of those principles and prejudices which are sucked in in the time of Infancy There are some Religions one would think it were impossible that any rational men should believe them but only on this account because they are bred up under them It is a very great advantage any Religion hath against another that it comes to speak first and thereby insinuates such an apprehension of its self to the mind that it is very hard removing it afterwards The understanding seems to be of the nature of those things which are communis juris and therefore primi sunt possidentis when an opinion hath once got possession of the mind it usually keeps out whatever comes to disturb it Now we cannot otherwise conceive but all those persons who had been bred up under Paganism and the most gross Idolatry must needs have a very potent prejudice against such a doctrine which was wholly irreconcileable with that Religion which they had been devoted to Now the stronger the prejudice is which is conveyed into mens minds by the force of education the greater strength and power must there needs be in
possibility of existence what is it then which gives actual existence to it that cannot be its self for it would be necessarily existent if another then give existence this existence must wholly depend upon him who gave it for nothing can continue existence to its self but what may give it to its self for it gives it for the moment it continues it and what gives existence to its self must necessarily exist which is repugnant to the very notion of a created Being So that either we must deny a possibility of non-existence or annihilation in a creature which follows upon necessity of existence or else we must assert that the duration or continuance of a creature in its Being doth immediatly depend on Divine providence and Conservation which is with as much reason as frequency said to be a continued Creation But yet further was an Infinite Wisdom and power necessary to put things into that order they are in and is not the same necessary for the Governing of them I cannot see any reason to think that the power of matter when set in motion should either bring things into that exquisite order and dependence which the parts of the world have upon each other much less that by the meer force of that first motion all things should continue in the state they are in Perpetual motion is yet one of the desiderata of the world the most exquisite Mechanism cannot put an engine beyond the necessity of being looked after can we then think this dull unactive matter meerly by the force of its first motion should be able still to produce the effects which are seen in the world and to keep it from tumbling at least by degrees into its pristine Chaos It was an Infinite Power I grant which gave that first moâ—ion but that it gave power to continue that motion till the Constagration of the world remains yet to be proved Some therefore finding that in the present state of the world matter will not serve for all the noted and common Phoenomena of the world have called in the help of a Spirit of Nature which may serve instead of a Man-midwife to Matter to help her in her productions of things Or as though God had a Plurality of worlds to look after they have taken care to substitute him a Vicar in this which is this Spirit of Nature But we had rather believe God himself to be perpetually Resident in the world and that the power which gives life and being and motion to every thing in the world is nothing else but his own providence especially since we have learnt from himself that it is in him we live and move and have our being Thus then we see a necessity of asserting Divine Providence whether we consider the Divine nature or the Phaenomena of the world but yet the case is not so clear but there are two grand objections behind which have been the continual exercise of the wits of inquisitive men almost in all Ages of the world The one concerns the first Origine of evil the other concerns the dispensations of providence whence it comes to pass that good men fare so hard in the world when the bad triumph and flourish if these two can be cleared with any satisfaction to reason it will be the highest vindication of Divine Providence and a great evidence of the Divinity of the Scriptures which gives us such clear light and direction in these profound speculations which the dim reason of man was so much to seek in I begin with the Origine of evil for if there be a hand of providence which orders all things in the world how comes evil then into it without Gods being the Author of it Which is a speculation of as great depth as necessity it highly concerning us to entertain the highest apprehensions of Gods holiness and how far he is from being the author of sin and it is likewise a matter of some difficulty so to explain the Origine of evil as to make it appear that God is not the author of it I easily then assent to what Origen saith on this subject when Celsus upon some mistaken places of Scripture had charged the Scripture with laying the Origine of evil upon God 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 If any thing which calls for our enquiry be of difficult investigation that which concerns the Origine of evils is such a thing and as Simplicius well begins his discourse on this subject 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 The Dispute concerning the nature and origine of evil not being well stated is the cause of great impiety towards God and perverts the principles of good life anâ— involves them in innumerable perplexities who are not able to give a rational account of it So much then is it our great concernment to fix on sure grounds in the resolution of this important question in which I intend not to lanch out into the depth and intricacyes of it as it relates to any internal purposes of Gods will which is beyond our present scope but I shall only take that account of it which the Scripture plainly gives in relating the fall of the first man For the clearing of which I shall proceed in this method 1. That if the Scriptures be true God cannot be the author of sin 2. That the account which the Scripture gives of the Origine of evil doth not charge it upon God 3. That no account given by Philosophers of the Origine of evil is so clear and rational as this is 4. That the most material circumstances of this account are attested by the Heathens themselves 1. That if the Scriptures be true God cannot be the author of sin For if the Scriptures be true we are bound without hesitation to yeild our assent to them in their plain and direct affirmations and there can be no ground of suspending assent as to any thing which pretends to be a Divine Truth but the want of certain evidence whether it be of Divine Revelation or no. No doubt it would be one of the most effectual wayes to put an end to the numerous controversies of the Christian world especially to those bold disputes concerning the method and order of Gods decrees if the plain and undoubted assertions of Scripture were made the Rule and Standard whereby we ought to judge of such things as are more obscure and ambiguous And could men but rest contented with those things which concern their eternal happiness and the means in order to it which on that account are written with all imaginable perspicuity in Scripture and the moment of all other controversies be judged by their reference to these there would be fewer controversies and more Christians in the world Now there are two grand principles which concern mens eternal condition of which we have the greatest certainty from Scripture and on which we may with safety rely without perplexing our minds about those more nice and subtile speculations
subjects they treated of and some fragments 3. Those that are extant either confess their Ignorance of eldest times or plainly discover it Of the first sort are Thucydides and Plutarch several evidences of the Graecians Ignorance of the true original of Nations Of Herodotus and his mistakes the Greeks ignorance in Geography discovered and thence their insufficiency as to an account of ancient history page 56 CHAP. V. The general uncertainty of Heathen Chronology The want of credibility in Heathen History further proved from the uncertainty and confusion in their accounts of ancient times that discovered by the uncertain form of their years An enquiry into the different forms of the Aegyptian years the first of thirty dayes the second of four Months of both instances given in the Aegyptian history Of the Chaldaean accounts and the first Dynastyes mentioned by Berosus how they may be reduced to probability Of the Aegyptian Dynastyes Of Manetho Reasons of accounting them fabulous because not attested by any credible authority and rejected by the best Historians The opinion of Scaliger and Vossius concerning their being cotemporary propounded and rejected with reasons against it Of the ancient division of Aegypt into Nomi or Provinces and the number of them against Vossius and Kircher Page 73 CHAP. VI. The uncertain Epocha's of Heathen Chronology An account given of the defect of Chronology in the â—ldest times Of the Solar year among the Aegyptians the original of the Epacts the antiquity of Intercalation among them Of the several Canicular years the difference between Scaliger and Petavius considered The certain Epocha's of the Aegyptian history no elder then Nabonasser Of the Graecian accounts The fabulousness of the Heroical age of Greece Of the ancient Graecian Kingdoms The beginning of the Olympiads The uncertain Origines of the Western Nations Of the Latine Dynastyes The different Palilia of Rome The uncertain reckoning Ab. V. C. Of impostures as to ancient histories Of Annius Inghiramius and others Of the characters used by Heathen Priests No sacred characters among the fews The partiality and inconsistency of Heathen bistories with each other From all which the want of credibility in them as to an account of ancient times is clearly demonstrated page 89 BOOK II. CHAP. I. The certainty of the Writings of Moses In order to the proving the truth of Scripture-history several Hypotheses laid down The first concerns the reasonableness of preserving the ancient History of the world in some certain Records from the importance of the things and the inconveniencies of meer tradition or constant Revelationâ— The second concerns the certainty that the Records under Moses his name were undoubtedly his The certainty of a matter of fact enquired into in general and proved as to this particular by universal consent and settling a Common-wealth upon his Laws The impossibility of an Imposture as to the writings of Moses demonstrated The plea's to the contrary largely answered page 107 CHAP. II. Moses his certain knowledge of what he writ The third Hypothesis concerns the certainty of the matter of Moses his history that gradually proved First Moses his knowledge cleared by his education and experience and certain information His education in the wisdom of Aegypt what that was The old Aegyptian learning enquired into the conveniences for it of the Aegyptian Priests Moses reckoned among them for his knowledge The Mathematical Natural Divine and Moral learning of Aegypt their Political wisdom most considerable The advantage of Moses above the Greek Philosophers as to wisdom and reason Moses himself an eye witness of most of his history the certain uninterrupted tradition of the other part among the fews manifested by rational evidence p. 119 CHAP. III. Moses his fidelity and integrity proved Moses considered as an Historian and as a Lawgiver his fidelity in both proved clear evidences that he had no intent to deceive in his History freedom from private interest impartiality in his relations plainness and â—erspicuity of stile As a Lawgiver be came armed with Divine authority which being the main thing is fixed on to be fully proved from his actions and writings The power of miracles the great evidence of Divine revelation Two grand questions propounded In what cases miracles may be expected and how known to be true No necessity of a constant power of miracles in a Church Two Cases alone wherein they may be expected When any thing comes as a Law from God and when a Divine Law is to be repealed The necessity of miracles in those cases as an evidence of Divine revelation asserted Objections answered No use of miracles when the doctrine is setled and owned by miracles in the first revelation No need of miracles in reformation of a Church pag. 134 CHAP. IV. The fidelity of the Prophets succeeding Moses In order of Prophets to succeed Moses by Gods own appointment in the Law of Moses The Schools of the Prophets the original and institution of them The Cities of the Levites The occasion of their first institution The places of the Schools of the Prophets and the tendency of the institution there to a Prophetical office Of the Musick used in the Schools of the Prophets The Roman Assamâ—nta and the Greek Hymns in their solemn worship The two sorts of Prophets among the jews Lieger and extraordinary Ordinary Prophets taken out of the Schools proved by Amos and Saul pag. 149 CHAP. V. The tryal of Prophetical Doctrine Rules of trying Prophets established in the Law of Moses The punishment of pretenders The several sorts of false Prophets The case of the Prophet at Bethel discussed The tryal of false Prophets belonging to the great Sanhedrin The particular rules whereby the Doctrine of Prophets was judged The proper notion of a Prophet not foretelling future contingencies but having immediate Divine revelation Several principles laid down for clearing the doctrine of the Prophets 1. That immediate dictates of natural light are not to be the measure of Divine revelation Several grounds for Divine revelation from natural light 2. What ever is directly repugnant to the dictates of nature cannot be of Divine revelation 3. No Divine revelation doth contradict a Divine positive Law without sufficient evidence of Gods intention to repeal that Law 4. Divine revelation in the Prophets was not to be measured by the words of the Law but by the intention and reason of it The Prophetical office a kind of Chancery to the Law of Moses pag. 165 CHAP. VI. The tryal of Prophetical Predictions and Miracles The great difficulty of the trying the truth of Prophetical predictions from Jerem. 18. 7 8 c. Some general Hypotheâ—es premised for the clearing of it The first concerns the grounds why predictions are accounted an evidence of divine revelation Three Consectaries drawn thence The second the manner of Gods revelation of his will to the minds of the Prophets Of the several degrees of Prophecy The third is that God did not alwayes reveal the internal purposes of his
truths but contrary to their pre-conceptions or interests have been forbidden entrance Prejudice is the wrong bias of the soul that effectually keeps it from coming near the mark of truth nay sets it at the greatest distance from it There are few in the world that look after truth with their own eyes most make use of spectacles of others making which makes them so seldom behold the proper lineaments in the face of Truth which the several tinctures from education authority custom and predisposition do exceedingly hinder men from discerning of Another reason why there are so few who find truth when so many pretend to seek it is that near resemblance which Error often bears to Truth It hath been well observed that Error seldom walks abroad the world in her own raiments she always borrows something of truth to make her more acceptable to the world It hath been always the subtilty of grand deceivers to graft their greatest errors on some material truths to make them pass more undiscernable to all such who look more at the root on which they stand then on the fruits which they bring forth It will hereafter appear how most of the grossest of the heathen errors have as Plutarch saith of the Egyptian Fables 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 some faint and obscure resemblances of truth nay more then so as most pernicious weeds are bred in the fattest soyls their most destructive principles have been founded on some necessary and important truths Thus Idolatry doth suppose the belief of the existence of a Deity and superstition the Immortality of the souls of men The Devil could never have built his Chappels but on the same ground whereon Gods Temples stood which makes me far less wonder then many do at the meeting with many expressions concerning these two grand truths in the writings of ancient Heathens knowing how willing the devil might be to have such principles still owned in the world which by his depraving of them might be the nourishers of Idolatry and Superstition For the general knowledge of a Divine nature supposing men Ignorant of the true God did only lay a foundation to erect his Idolatrous Temples upon and the belief of the souls surviving the body after death without knowledge of the true way of attaining happiness did make men more eager of imbracing those Rites and Ceremonies which canie with a pretence of shewing the way to a blessed immortality Which may be a most probable reason why Philosophy and Idolatry did increase so much together as they did for though right reason fully improved would have overthrown all those cursed and Idolatrous practises among the Heathens yet reason only discerning some general notions without their particular application and improvement did only dispose the most ordinary sort of people to a more ready entertainment of the most gross Idolatry For hereby they discerned the necessity of some kind of worship but could not find out the right way of it and therefore they greedily followed that which was commended to them by such who did withall agree with them in the common sentiments of humane nature Nay and those persons themselves who were the great maintainers of these sublimer notions concerning God and the soul of man were either the great instruments of advancing that horrid superstition among them as Orpheus Apollonius or very forward Complyers with it as many of the Philosophers were Although withall it cannot be denied to have been a wonderful discovery of Divine providence by these general notions to keep waking the inward senses of mens souls that thereby it might appear when Divine Revelation should be manifested to them that it brought nothing contrary to the common principles of humane nature but did only rectifie the depravations of it and clearly shew men that way which they had long been ignorantly seeking after Which was the excellent advantage the Apostle made of the Inscription on the Altar at Athens to the unknown God Whom saith he ye ignorantly serve him I declare unto you And which was the happy use the Primitive learned Christians made of all those passages concerning the divine nature and the Immortality of the souls of men which they found in the Heathen Writers thereby to evidence to the world that the main postulata or suppositions of Christian Religion were granted by their own most admired men and that Christianity did not race out but only build upon those common foundations which were entertained by all who had any name for reason Though this I say were the happy effect of this building errors on common truths to all that had the advantage of Divine revelation to discern the one from the other yet as to others who were destitute of it they were lyable to this twofold great inconvenience by it First for the sake of the apparent rottenness of the Superstructures to question the soundness of the foundations on which they stood And this I doubt not was the case of many considerative heathens who observing that monstrous and unreasonable way of worship obtaining among the heathen and not being able by the strength of their own reason through the want of divine revelation to deduce any certain instituted worship they were shrewdly tempted to renounce those principles when they could not but abhor the conclusions drawn from them for there is nothing more usual then for men who exceedingly detest some absurd consequence they see may be drawn from a principle supposed to reject the principle its self for the sake of that consequence which it may be doth not necessarily follow from it but through the shortness of their own reason doth appear to them to do so Thus when the Intelligent heathen did apparently see that from the principles of the Being of God and the Immortality of souls did flow all those unnatural and inhumane Sacrifices all those absurd and ridiculous Rites all those execrable and profane mysteries out of a loathing the Immoralities and impieties which attended these they were brought to question the very truth and certainty of those principles which were capable of being thus abused And therefore I am very prone to suspect the Apology usually made for Protagoras Diagoras and such others of them who were accounted Atheists to be more favourable then true viz. that they only rejected those heathen Deities and not the belief of the Divine nature I should think this account of their reputed Atheism rational were it any wayes evident that they did build their belief of a Divine nature upon any other grounds then such as were common to them with those whose worship they so much derided And therefore when the Heathens accused the Christians of Atheism I have full and clear evidence that no more could be meant thereby then the rejection of their way of worship because I have sufficient Assurance from them that they did believe in a Divine nature and an instituted Religion most suitable to the most common received notions
of God which they owned in opposition to all heathen worship Which I find not in the least pretended to by any of the forementioned persons nor any thing of any different way of Religion asserted but only a destruction of that in use among them And although the case of Anaxagoras Clazomenius and the rest of the Ionicke Philosophers might seem very different from Diagoras Theodorus and those beforementioned because although they denied the Gods in vulgar repute to be such as they were thought to be as Anaxagor as call'd the Sun 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 a meer globe of fire for which he was condemned at Athens to banishment and sined five talents yet the learned Vossius puts in this plea in his behalf that he was one that asserted the creation of the world to flow from an eternal mind although therefore I say the case of the Ionick Philosophers may seem far different from the others because of their asserting the production of the world which from Thales Milesius was conveyed by Anaeximander and Anaximenes to Anoxagoras yet to one that throughly considers what they understood by their eternal mind they may be sooner cleared from the imputation of Atheism then irreligion Which two certainly ought in this case to be distinguished for it is very possible for men meeting with such insuperable difficulties about the casual concourse of Atoms for the production of the world or the eternal existences of matter to assert some eternal mind as the first cause of these things which yet they may imbrace only as an hypothesis in Philosophy to solve the phoenomena of nature with but yet not to make this eternal mind the object of adoration And so their asserting a Deity was only on the same account as the Tragedians used to bring in their 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 when their Fables were brought to such an issue and perplexed with so many difficulties that they saw no way to clear them again but to make some God come down upon the Stage to selve the difficulties they were engaged in or as Seneca saith of many great Families when they had run up their Genealogies so high that they could go no further they then fetched their pedegree from the Gods So when these Philosophers saw such incongruities in asserting an infinite and eternal series of matter they might by this be brought to acknowledge some active principle which produced the world though they were far enough from giving any religious worship to that eternal mind Thus even Epicurus and his followers would not stick to assert the being of a God so they might but circumscribe him within the heavens and let him have nothing to do with things that were done on earth And how uncertain the most dogmatical of them all were as to their opinions concerning the being and nature of their geds doth fully appear from the large discourses of Tully upon that subject where is fully manifested their variety of opinions and mutual repugnancies their self contradictions and inconstancy in their own assertions which hath made me somewhat inclinable to think that the reason why many of them did to the world own a Deity was that they might not be Martyrsâ—or â—or Atheism Which Tully likewise seems to acknowledge when speaking of the punishment of Protagoras for that speech of his De diis neque ut sint neque ut non sint habeo dicere Ex quo equidem existimo tardiores ad hanc sententiam profitendam multos esse factos quippe cum poenam ne dubitatio quidem effugere potuisset So that for all the verbal asserting of a Deity among them we have no certain evidence of their firm belief of it and much less of any worship and service they owed unto it And though it may be they could not totally excuss the notions of a Deity out of their minds partly through that natural sense which is engraven on the souls of men partly as being unable to solve the difficulties of nature without a Deity yet the observing the notorious vanities of Heathen Worship might make them look upon it as a meer Philosophical speculation and not any thing that had an influence upon the government of mens lives For as in nature the observing the great mixture of falshood and truth made the Academicks deny any certain 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 or rule of judging truth and the Scepticks take away all certain assent so the same consequence was nnavoidable here upon the same principle and that made even Plato himself so ambiguous and uncertain in his discourses of a Deity sometimes making him an eternal mind sometimes asserting the whole world Sun Moon Stars Earth Souls and all to be Gods and even those that were worshipped among the heathens as Tully tells us out of his Timaeus and de Legibus which as Velleius the Epicurean there speaks Et per se sunt falsa sibi invicem repugnantia This is the first inconvenience following the mixture of truth and falshood for the sake of the falshood to question the truth its self it was joyned with The other is as great which follows when truth and falshood are mixed for the sake of the truth to embrace the falshood Which is a mistake as common as the other because men are apt to think that things so vastly different as truth and falshood could never blend or be incorporate together therefore when they are certain they have some truth they conclude no falshood to be joyned with it And this I suppose to have been the case of the more credulous and vulgar Heathen as the other was of the Philosphers for they finding mankind to agree in this not only that there is a God but that he must be worship'd did without scruple make use of the way of worship among them as knowing there must be some and they were ignorant of any else And from hence they grew to be as confident believers of all those fables and traditions on which their Idolatry was founded as of those first principles and notions from which the necessity of divine worship did arise And being thus habituated to the belief of these things when truth it self was divulged among them they suspected it to be only a corruption of some of their Fables This Celsus the Epicurean on all occasions in his Books against the Christians did fly to Thus he saith the building of the Tower of Babel and the confusion of Tongues was taken from the fable of the Aloadae in Homers Odysses the story of the Flood from Deucalion Paradise from Alcinous his gardens the burning of Sodom and Gomorrah from the story of Phaeton Which Origen well resutes from the far greater antiquity of those relations among the Iewes then any among the Greeks and therefore the corruption of the tradition was in them and not the Iews Which must be our only way for finding out which was the Original and which the corruption by
of Nabonasser Which if we should be so greedy of all empty conjectures which tend to our purpose as to take them for truths would be a very strong evidence of the falshood and vanity of the Chaldeans in their great pretences to antiquity But as the case stands in reference to their history we finde more evidence from Scripture to assert their just antiquity then ever they are able to produce out of any undoubted records of their own Which yet hath been endeavoured by an Author both of some credit and antiquity the true Berosus not the counterfeit of Annius whose vizard we shall have occasion to pull off afterwards This Berosus was as Iosephus and Tatianus assure us a Priest of Belus and a Babylonian born but afterwards flourished in the isle of Co and was the first who brought the Chaldean Astrology in request among the Greeks in honour to whose name and memory the Athenians who were never backward in applauding those who brought them the greatest news especially i suitable to their former superstition erected a statue for him with a guilded tongue A good emblem of his history which made a fair and specious shew but was not that within which it pretended to be especially where he pretends to give an account of the most antient times and reckons up his two Dynastyes before the time of Belus but of them afterwards It cannot be denyed but some fragments of his history which have been preserved from ruine by the care and industry of Iosephus Tatianus Eusebius and others have been very useful not only for proving the truth of the history of Scripture to the heathens but also for illustrating some passages concerning the Babylonian Empire as making Nabopolasser the Father of Nebucadonosor of which Scaliger hath fully spoken in his notes upon his fragments Far be it from me to derogate any thing even from prophane histories where they do not enterfere with the Sacred history of Scripture and it is certainly the best improvement of these to make them draw water to the Sanctuary and to serve as smaller Stars to conduct us in our way when we cannot enjoy the benefit of that greater light of Sacred history But that which I impeach these prophane histories of is only an insufficiency as to that account of antient times wherein they are so far from giving light to Sacred records that the design of setting of them up seems to be for casting a cloud upon them Which may seem somewhat the more probable in that those monstrous accounts of the Aegyptian and Chaldean Dynastyes did never publickly appear in the world in the Greek tongue till the time that our Sacred records were translated into Greek at Alexandria For till that time when this authentick history of the world was drawn forth from its privacy and retirement being as it were lookt up before among the Israelites at Iudea into the publick notice of the world about the time of Ptolomaeus Philadelphus these vain pretenders to antiquity thought not themselves so much concerned to stand up for the credit of their own Nations For till that time the onedulous world not being acquainted with any certain report of the creation and propagation of the world was apt to swallow any thing that was given forth by those who were had in so great esteem as the Chaldean and Aegyptian Priests were Because it was supposed that those persons who were freed from other avocations had more leasure to inquire into these things and because of their mysterious hiding what they had from the vulgar were presumed to have a great deal more then they had But now when the Sun of righteousness was approaching this Horizon of the world and in order to that the Sacred history like the day-star was to give the world notice of it by which the former shadows and mists began to fly away it concerned all those whose interest lay in the former ignorance of mankind as much as they could to raise all their ignes fatui and whatever might tend to obscure that approaching light by invalidating the credit of that which came to bespeak its acceptance It is very observable to consider what gradations and steps there were in the world to the appearance of that grand light which came down from heaven to direct us in our way thither how the world not long before was awakened into a greater inquisitiveness then ever before how knowledge grew into repute and what methods divine providence used to give the inquisitive world a taste of Truth at present to stay their stomacks and prepare them for that further discovery of it afterwards In order to this that Nation of the Iews which was an inclosed garden before was now thrown open and many of the plants removed and set in forraign Countries not only in Babylon where even after their return were left three famous Schools of learning Sora Pombeditha and Neharda but in Aegypt too where multitudes of them by Alexanders favour were setled at Alexandria where they had opportunity to season those two great fountains whence the current of knowledge ran into the rest of the world And now it was not in Iewry only that God was known but he whose name was great in Israel did make way for the knowledge of himself among all the Nations of the earth And that allwise God who directed the Magi by a star to Christ making use of their former skill in Astronomy to take notice of that star which came now on a peculiar errand to them to lead them to their Saviour The great God condescending so far to mankind as to take advantage of particular inclinations and to accommodate himself to them for which purpose it is very observable that he appeared in another way to the Wisemen then to the poor Shepherds the same God made use of the curiosity and inquisitiveness after knowledge which was in Ptolomaeus Philadelphus which he is so much applauded for by Athenaeus and others to bring to light the most advantageous knowleage which the world ever had before the coming of Christ in the slesh And that great Library of his erecting at Alexandria did never deserve that title till it had lodged those Sacred records and then it did far better then the old one of Osymanduas of which Historians tells us this was the Inscription 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 The shop of the souls Physick But this being a matter of so much concernment in order to our better understanding the original of these vast accounts of time among the Chaldaeans and Aegyptians and a subject not yet touched by any we shall a little further improve the probability of it by taking a more particular account of the time when the Scriptures were first translated and the occasion might thereby be given to these Aegyptians Chaldaeans to produce their fabulous account into the view of the world Whether the Scriptures had been ever before translated into the Greek
served other Gods How unlikely then was it that this tradition should be afterwards preserved entire when the people God had peculiarly chosen to himself were so mixed among the Aegyptians and so prone to the Idolatries of the Nations round about them and that even after God had given them a written Law attested with the greatest miracles what would they have done then had they never been brought forth of Aegypt by such signs and wonders and had no certain records left to preserve the memory of former ages Thus we see how much it stands to the greatest reason that so memorable things should be digested into sacred records We have as great certainty that Moses was the author of the records going under his name as we can have of any matter of fact done at so great a distance of time from us We are to consider that there are two very distinct questions to be thought of concerning a Divine revelation to any person at a considerable distance of time from us and those are what evidences can be given that the matters recorded are of a true divine revelation and what evidence we have of the truth of the matter of fact that such things were recorded by such persons They who do not carefully distinguish between these two questions will soon run themselves into an inextricable labyrinth when they either seek to understand themselves or explain to others the grounds on which they believe the Scriptures to be the Word of God The first step in order to which must be the proving the undoubted certainty of the matter of fact or the truth of the History that such persons were really existent and did either do or record the things we speak of After this succeeds the other to prove not only the real existence of the things but that the persons who recorded the things were assisted by an infallible spirit then there can be no reason at all to doubt but those records are the Word of God The first of these is that which at present we enquire after the certainty of the matter of fact that the records under the name of Moses were undoubtedly his And here it will be most unreasonable for any to seek for further evidence and demonstration of it then the matter to be proved is capable of But if they should I suppose we have sufficient reason to demonstrate the folly of such a demand and that on these accounts 1. Whoever yet undertook to bring matters of fact into Mathematical demonstrations or thought he had ground to question the certainty of any thing that was not proved in a Mathematical way to him Who would ever undertake to prove that Archimedes was kild at Syracuse by any of the demonstrations he was then about or that Euclide was the undoubted Author of the Geometry under his name or do men question these things for want of such demonstrations Yet this is all we at present desire but the same liberty here which is used in any thing of a like nature 2. I demand of the person who denyes this moral certainty to be sufficient for an assent whether he doth question every thing in the world which he was not present at the doing of himself If he be peremptorily resolved to believe nothing but what he sees he is fit for nothing but a voyage to Anticyrae or to be soundly purged with Hellebore to free him from those cloudy humours that make him suspect the whole world to be an imposture But we cannot suppose any man so destitute of reason as â—o question the truth of every matter of fact which he doth not see himself if he doth then firmly believe any thing there must be supposed sufficient grounds to induce him to such a belief And then what ground can there be to question the certainty of such things which have as great evidence as any of those things have which he most firmly believes and this is all we desire from him 3. Do we not see that the most concerning and weighty actions of mens lives are built on no other foundation then this moral certainty yet men do not in the least question the truth of the thing they rely upon As is most evident in all titles to estates derived from Ancestors either by donation or purchase In all trading which goes upon the moral certainty that there are such places as the Indyes or France or Spain c. In all journyings that there is such a place as that I am going to and this is the way thither for these we have but this moral certainty for the contrary to both these are possible and the affirmatives are indemonstrable In eating and drinking there is a possibility of being poisoned by every bit of meat or drop of drink do we therefore continually doubt whether we shall be so or no Chiefly this is seen in all natural affection and piety in Children towards Parents which undoubtedly suppose the truth of that which it was impossible they could be witnesses of themselves viz. their coming out of their Mothers wombs And doth any one think this sufficient ground to question his mother because the contrary is impossible to be demonstrated to him In short then either we must destroy all Historical faith out of the world and believe nothing though never so much attested but what we see our selves or else we must acknowledge that a moral certainty is a sufficient foundation for an undoubted assent not such a one cui non potest subesse falsum but such a one cui non subest dubium i. e. an assent undoubted though not infallible By which we see what little reason the Aâ—heist on one side can have to question the truth of the Scriptures to the History of it and what little ground the Papists on the other side have to make a pretence of the necessity of infallibility as to the proposal of such things where moral certainty is sufficient that is to the matter of fâ—ct Which I now come to prove as to the subject in hand viz. that the writings of Moses are undoubtedly his which I prove by a twofold argument 1. An universal consent of persons who were best able to know the truth of the things in question 2. The setling of a Commonwealth upon the Laws delivered by Moses 1. The universal Consent of persons most capable of judging in the Case in hand I know nothing the most scrupulous and inquisitive mind can possibly desire in order to satisfaction concerning any matter of fact beyond an universal Consent of such persons who have a greater capacity of knowing the truth of it then we can have And those are all such persons who have lived nearest those times when the things were done and have best understood the affairs of the times when the things were pretended to be done Can we possibly conceive that among the people of the Iews who were so exceedingly prone to transgress the Law
subsequent or for want of understanding the designs of the chief instruments of action but when the person himself who was the chief in all shall undertake to write an exact History of it what evidence can be desired more certain then that is that there could be no defect as to information concerning what was done The only seruple then that can be made must be concerning the passages of former times which Moses relates And here I doubt not but to make it appear that insisting only on all that can be desired in a bare Historian setting aside Divine revelation he had as true and certain information of the History of those former ages as any one can have of things at that distance from themselves and that is by a certain â—â—interrupted tradition of them which will appear more clear and evident in that Nation of which Moses was then in any other Nation in the world And that on these two accounts first the undoubted linâ—al deseent from Father to Son in the Iâ—wish Nation Secondly Their intâ—rest lying so much in the preserving this tradition entire First That there was a certain unmixed linâ—al descent from Father to Son in the Iewish Nation the great â—ause of most of the confusion in the tradition of other Nations was the frequent mixing of several families one with another now that God might as it were on purpose satisfie the world of the Israelites capacity to preserve the tradition entire he prohibited their mixture by marriages with the people of other Nations and families So that in Moses his time it was a very easie matter to run up their lineal descent as far as the flood nay up to Adam for Adam conversed sometime with Noah Sem his Son was probably living in some part of Iacobs time or Isaac's at least and how easily and uninterruptedly might the general tradition of the ancient History be continued thence to the time of Moses when the number of families agreeing in this tradition was increased and withall incorporated by a common ligament of Religion I demand then where can we suppose any ignorance or cutting off this general tradition in so continued a succession as here was Can we imagine that the Grand-children of Iacob could be ignorant of their own pedigree and whence they came into Egypt can we think a thing so late and so remarkable as the account of their coming thither should be forgotten which was attended with so many memorable circumstances especially the selling and advancement of Ioseph whose memory it was impossible should be obliterated in so short a time Could Iacob be ignorant of the Country whence his Grand-father Abraham came especially when he lived so long in it himself and married into that branch of the family that was remaining there when he had served his Uncle Laban Could Abraham when he was cotemporary with Sem be ignorant of the truth of the flood when Sem from whom he derived himself was one of the persons who escaped it in the Ark Could Sem be ignorant of the actions before the flood when Adam the first man lived some part of his time with Noah and could Noah then be ignorant of the Creation and the fall of man Thus we see it almost impossible that any age among them then could be ignorant of the passages of the precedent which they were so few Generations removed from that they could with ease derive themselves from the first man What then can we say that any of these had a design of deceiving their posterity and so corrupted the tradition but besides that it could be hardly possible at that time when there were so many remaining testimonies of former times what end can we imagine that any Parents should have in thus deceiving their Children or what advantage should come to them by such a deceit Nay I shall now manifest in the sicond place that the whole interest of their children lay in preserving this tradition certain and entire For their hopes of possessing Canaan and title to it depended upon the promise made to Abraham 400 years before which would not only keep awake their sense of Divine Providence but would make them careful during their bondage to preserve their Genealogies because all the right they could plead to their pâ—ssessions in Canaan was from their being of Abrahams seed And besides this on purpose to be a memorial to them of passâ—ges between God and Abraham they had in their flesh a badge of circumcision which would serve to call to mind those transactions which had been between God and their forâ—-fathers These things then do fully demonstrate that insisting only on rational evidence the Israelites were the most certain conservatours of the ancient History of the world and can we then think that Moses who was the Ruler among them should not fully understand those things which every Israelite could scarce be ignorant of and might correct the mistakes of Moses in his History if he had been guilty of any such These things I suppose have made the first proposition evident that it was morally impossible Moses should be deceived himself or be ignorant of the things which he reports to others both because he had abilities sufficient to discover truth from falshood and sufficient information of the passages of former times CHAP. III. Moses his fidelity and integrity proved Moses considered as an Historian and as a Lawgiver his fidelity in both proved clear evidences that he had no intent to deceive in his History freedom from private interest impartiality in his relations plainness and perspicuity of stile As a Lawgiver he came armed with Divine authority which being the main thing is fixed on to be fully proved from his actions and writings The power of miracles the great evidence of Divine revelation Two grand questions propounded In what cases miracles may be expected and how known to be true No necessity of a constant power of miracles in a Church Two Cases alone wherein they may be expected When any thing comes as a Law from God and when a Divine Law is to be repealed The necessity of miracles in those cases as an evidence of Divine revelation asserted Objections answered No use of miracles when the doctrine is setled and owned by miracles in the first revelation No need of miracles in reformation of a Church THE second proposition contains the proof of Moses his fidelity that he was as far from having any intent to deceive others as he was being deceived himself Two wayes Moses must be considered as an Historian and as a Law-giver the only inducement for him to deceive as an Historian must be some particular interest which must draw him aside from an impartial delivery of the truth as a Law-giver he might deceive if he pretended Divine revelation for those Laws which were only the issues of his own brain that they might be received with a greater veneration among the people as Numa Pompilius and others did
therein should be afterwards confirmed Was the Scripture an infallible rule of faith while this was wanting in it Did Christ and his Apostles discharge their places when they left something unrâ—vealed to us Was this a duty before these miracles or no if it was what need miracles to confirm it if not Christ hath not told us all necâ—ssary conditions of salvation For whatever is required as a duty is such as the neglect of it runs men upon damnation Lastly mens faith will be left at continual uncertainties for we know not according to this principle when we have all that is necessary to be beliâ—ved or do all that is necessary to be practised in order to salvation For if God may still make new articles of saith or constitute new duties by fresh miracles I must go and enquire what miracles are wrought in every place to see that I miss nothing that may be necessary for me in order to my happiness in another world If men pretend to deliver any doctrine contrary to the Scripture then it is not only necessary that they confirm it by miracles but they must manifest the falsity of those miracles on which that doctrine is believed or else they must use another miracle to prove that God will set his seal to confirm both parts of a contradiction to be true Which being the hardest task of all had need be proved by very sufficient and undoubted miracles such as may be able to make us believe those are miracles and are not at the same time and so the strength of the argument is utterly destroyed by the mâ—dium produced to prove it by By this discourâ—e these two things are clear First that no pretences of miracles are to be hearkened to when the doctrine we are to believe is already established by them if those miracles tend in the least to the derogation of the truth of what was established by those former miracles Secondly that when the full doctrine we are to believe is established by miracles there is no necessity at all of new miracles for confirmation of any of the truths therein delivered And therefore it is a most unreasonable thing to demand miracles of those to prove the truth of the doctrine they deliver who do first solemnly profess to deliver nothing but what was confirmed by miracles in the first delivery of it and is contained in the Scriptures of the Old and New Testament and secondly do not pretend to any immediate Commission from heaven but do nothing but what in their consciences they think every true Christian is bound to do much more all Magistrates and Ministers who believe the truth of what they profess which is in their places to reform all errours and abuses which are crept into the doctrine or practice of Christianity through the corruption of men or times And therefore it is a most unjust and unreasonable demand of the Papists when they require miracles from our first reformers to prove the truth of their doctrine with Had they pretended to have come with an immediate commission from heaven to have added to the Doctrine of the Gospel there had been some plea for such a demand but it was quite otherwise with them Their only design was to whip the buyers and sellers out of the Temple to purge the Church from its abuses And although that by Ierome was thought to be one of our Saviours greatest miracles yet this by us is conceived to be no other then the duty of all Magistrates Ministers and private Christians these by their prayers Ministers by their doctrine and Magistrates by their just authority CHAP. IV. The fidelity of the Prophets succeeding Moses In order of Prophets to succeed Moses by Gods own appointment in the Law of Moses The Schools of the Prophets the original and institution of them The Cities of the Levites The occasion of their first institution The places of the Schools of the Prophets and the tendency of the institution there to a prophetical office Of the Musick used in the Schools of the Prophets The Roman Assamenta and the Greek Hymns in their solemn worship The two sorts of Prophets among the Jews Lieger and extraordinary Ordinary Prophets taken out of the Schools proved by Amos and Saul BUt although now under the Gospel the revelation of Gods will being compleated by Christ and his Apostles we have no reason either to expect new Revelations or new miracles for confirming the old yet under the Law God training up his people by degrees till the comming of Christ there was a necessity of a new supply of Divine Messengers called Prophets to prepare the people and make way for the comming of Christ. As to whom these two things are considerable First Those Prophets whose work was to inform the people of their duties or to reprove them for their sins or to prepare them for the comming of the Messias which were their chief tasks had no need to confirm the truth of their doctrine or commission from heaven by the working of miracles among them And that on these two accounts First Because God did not consummate the revelation of his mind and will to the Jews by the Ministry of Moses but appointed a succession of Prophets to be among them to make known his mind unto them Now in this case when the prophetical â—ffice was established among them what necessity was there thaâ— every one that came to them upon an errand from God should prove his testimony to be true by miracles when in the discharge of his office he delivered nothing dissonant from the Law of Moses It is one argument God intended a succession of Prophets when he laid down such rules in his Law for tâ—e judging of them and to know whether they were truly inspired or no Deut. 15. 21 22. And in that same place God doth promise a succession of Prophets Deut. 18. 15 18. A Prophet will the Lord God raise up unto thee like unto me to him shall ye hearken Which words though in their full and compleat sense they do relate to Christ who is the great Prophet of the Church yet whoever attends to the full scope of the words will easily perceive that the immediate sense of them doth relate to an order of Prophets which should succeed Moses among the Iewes between whom and Moses there would be a great similitude as to their Birth Calling and Doctrine though not a just equality which is excluded Deut. 34. 10 11. and the chief reason why it is said there that the other Prophets fell so much short of Moses is in regard of the signs and wonders which he wrought as is there largely expressed Nor may it seem strange that by a Prophet should be understood an order or succession of Prophets when it is acknowledged by most Protestants that by 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 the Antichrist is understood a rank and succession of several persons in the same name function And that it is
them but Astronomers by the help of their Optick tubes and Telescopes do easily discern the just magnitude of them so the Iews ordinarily thought there was no more in those types and shadows then was visibly represented to them but such as had the help of the Divine Spirit the best Telescope to discern the day-star from on high with could easily look through those prospectives into the most glorious mysteries of the Gospel of Iesus Christ. These types being like triangâ—lar Prismes that must be set in a due light and posture before they can represent that great variety of spiritual mysteries which was contained in them Now the great office of the Prophets was to administer this light to the people and to direct them in those excellent pieces of Perspective wherein by the help of a Prophetick glass they might see the Son of God fully represented to their view Besides this the Prophetical office was a kind of Chancery to the Mosaick Law wherein the Prophets did interpret the Pandects of the Law ex aequo bono and frequently shewed in what cases God did dispence with the outward letter of it to exalt the more the inward sense and reason of it Hence the Prophets seem many times to speak contemptibly of the outward prescribed Cerâ—monies when their intent is not to condemn the observation of them but to tell the people there were greater things which God looked at then the outward observation of some Ceremonial precepts and that God would never accept of that by way of commutation for real and internal goodness Hence the Prophets by their own practice did frequently shew that the Law of Moses did not so indispensably oblige men but that God would accept of those actions which were performed without the regularity required by the Law of Moses and thus he did of sacrificing upon high places not only before the building of the Temple but sometimes after as he accepted of the sacrifice of Elijah on Mount Carmel even when high places were for bidden Which the Iews are become so sensible of that they grant that a true Prophet may sometimes command something to be done in violation of the Law of Moses so he doth not draw people to Idolatry nor destroy the obligation of Moses his Law But this they restrain to 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 something done in case of necessity and that it should not pass into a precedent or a perpetual Law and therefore their rule is 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 The Prophet was to be hearkened to in every thing he commanded in a case of necessity But by this it is clear that the Prophets were not to be tryed by the letter of the Law of Moses but by the end and the reason of it Thus much I suppose will make it clear what rules the people had to try the Prophets doctrine by without miracles CHAP. VI. The tryal of Prophetical Predictions and Miracles The great difficulty of the trying the truth of Prophetical predictions from Jerem. 18. 7 8 c. Some general Hypoâ—heses premised for the clearing of it The first concerns the grounds why predictions are accounted an evidence of divine revelation Three Consectaries drawn thence The second the manner of Gods revelation of his will to the minds of the Prophets Of the several degrees of prophecy The third is that God did not alwayes reveal the internal purposes of his will unto the true Prophets The grand question propounded â—ow it may be known when predictions express Gods decrees and when only the series of causes For the first several rules laid down 1. When the prediction is confirmed by â— present miracle 2. When the things foretold exceed the probability of second causes 3. When confirmed by Gods oath 4. When the blessings fore-told are purely spiritual Three rules for interpreting the prophecyes which respect the state of things under the Gospel 5. When all circumstances are foretold 6. When many Prophets in several ages agree in the same predictions Predictions do not express Gods unalterable purposes when they only contain comminations of judgements or are predictions of temporal blessings The case of the Ninivites Hezekiah and others opened Of repentance in God what it implyes The Iewish objections about predictions of temporal blessings answered In what cases miracles were expected from the Prophets when they were to confirm the truth of their religion Instanced in the Prophet at Bethel Elijah Elishah and of Moses himself Whose divine authority that it was proved by miracles is demonstrated against the modern Iews and their pretences answered THe next thing which the rules of tryal concerned was the predictions of the Prophets Concerning which God himself hath laid down this general rule Deut. 18. 22. When a Prophet speaketh in the name of the Lord if the thing follow not nor come to pass that is the thing which the Lord hath not spoken but the Prophet hath spoken it presumptuously thou shalt not be afraid of him Grotius understands this place of the Prophets telling the people he would do some miracles to confirm his doctrine but saith he if those miracles were not done as he said it was an evident demonstration of a false Prophet It is certain it was so for then his own mouth told him he was a lying Prophet but these words seem to referr rather to something future then present and are therefore generally understood concerning the truth of predictions which was a matter of very difficult tryal in regard of the goodness or the justice of God so frequently interposing between the prediction and the event That place which makes it so difficult to discern the truth of a prediction by the event is Ierem. 18. 7 8 9 10. At what instant I shall speak concerning a Nation and concerning a Kingdom to pluck up and to pull down and destroy it If that Nation against whom I have pronounced turn from evil I will repent of the evil I had thought to do unto them And at what instant I shall speak concerning a Nation and concerning a Kingdom to build and to plant it if it do evil in my sight that it obey not my voice then will I repent of the good wherewith I said I would benefit them By which place it seems clear that even after the predictions of Prophets God doth reserve a liberty to himself either to repent of the evil or the good that was foretold concerning any people how then can the fidelity of a Prophet be discovered by the event when God may alter the event and yet the Prophet be a true Prophet This being a case very intricate and obscure will call for the more diligence in the unfolding of it In order to which we shall first premise some general Hypotheses and then come to the particular resolution of it The general Hypotheses will be concerning the way and method of Gods revealing future contingencies to the Prophets without which it will be impossible to
there may be clear perception where the object its self is above our capacity Now whatever foundation there is in nature for such a perception without comprehension that and much more is there in such things as are revealed by God though above our apprehension For the Idea of God upon the soul of man cannot be so strong an evidence of the existence of a being above our apprehension as the revelation of matters of faith is that we should believe the things so revealed though our understandings lose themselves in striving to reach the natures of them and the manner of their existence Secondly that which is the only foundation of a scruple in this case is a principle most unreasonable in its self that we are to imbrace nothing for truth though divinely revealed but what our reason is able to comprehend as to the nature of the thing and the manner of its existence on which account the doctrine of the Trinity Incarnation Satisfaction and consequently the whole mysterie of the Gospel of Christ must be rejected as incredible and that on this bare pretence because although many expressions in Scripture seem to import all these things yet we are bound to interpret them to another sense because this is incongruous to our reason But although Christianity be a Religion which comes in the highest way of credibility to the minds of men although we are not bound to believe any thing but what we have sufficient reason to make it appear that it is revealed by God yet that any thing should be questioned whether it be of divine revelation meerly because our reason is to seek as to the full and adaequate conception of it is a most absurd and unreasonable pretence And the Assertors of it must run themselves on these unavoidable absurdities First of believing nothing either in nature or Religion to be true but what they can give a full and satisfactory account of as to every mode and circumstance of it Therefore let such persons first try themselves in all the appearances of nature and then we may suppose they will not believe that the Sun shines till they have by demonstrative arguments proved the undoubted truth of the Ptolomaick or Copernican hypothesis that they will never give credit to the flux and reflux of the Sea till they clearly resolve the doubts which attend the several opinions of it That there is no such thing as matter in the world till they can satisfactorily tell us how the parts of it are united nor that there are any material beings till they have resolved all the perplexing difficulties about the several affections of them and that themselves have not so much as a rational soul till they are bound to satisfie us of the manner of the union of the soul and body together And if they can expedite all these and many more difficulties about the most obvious things about which it is another thing to frame handsome and consistent hypotheses then to give a certain account of them then let them be let loose to the matters of divine revelation as to which yet if they could perform the other were there no reason for such an undertaking for that were Secondly to commensurate the perfections of God with the narrow capacity of the humane intellect which is contrary to the natural Idea of God and to the manner whereby we take up our conceptions of God for the Idea of God doth suppose incomprehensibility to belong to his nature and the manner whereby we form our conceptions of God is by taking away all the imperfections we find in our selves from the conception we form of a being absolutely perfect and by adding infinity to all the perfections we find in our own natures Now this method of proceeding doth necessarily imply a vast distance and disproportion between a finite and infinite understanding And if the understanding of God be infinite why may not he discover such things to us which our shallow apprehensions cannot reach unto what ground or evidence of reason can we have that an infinite wisdom and understanding when it undertakes to discover matters of the highest nature and concernment to the world should be able to deliver nothing but what comes within the compass of our imperfect and narrow intellects And that it should not be sufficient that the matters revealed do none of them contradict the prime results or common notions of mankind which none of them do but that every particular mode and circumstance as to the manner of existence in God or the extent of his omnipotent power must pass the scrutiny of our faculties before it obtains a Placet for a Divine revelation Thirdly it must follow from this principle that the pretenders to it must affirm the rules or maxims which they go by in the judgment of things are the infallible standard of reason Else they are as far to seek in the judgement of the truth of things as any others are They must then to be consistent with their principle affirm themselves to be the absolute Masters of reason Now reason consisting of observations made concerning the natures of all beings for so it must be considered as it is a rule of judging viz. as a Systeme of infallible rules collected from the natures of things they who pretend to it must demonstrate these general maxims according to which they judge to be â—ollected from an universal undoubted history of nature which lies yet too dark and obscure for any to pretend to the full knowledge of and would be only a demonstration of the highest arrogance after so many succesless endeavours of the most searching wits in any society of persons to usurp it to themselves especially if such persons are so far from searching into the depths of nature that they suffer themselves very fairly to be led by the nose by the most dogmatical of all Philosophers and that in such principles which the more inquisitive world hath now found to be very short uncertain and fallacious And upon severe enquiry we shall find the grand principles which have been taken by these adorers of reason for almost the standard of it have been some Theories which have been taken up meerly from observation of the course of nature by such persons who scarce owned any hand of providence in the world Now it cannot otherwise be conceived but that these Theories or principles formed from such a narrow inspection into the natures of things must make strange work when we come to apply those things to them which were never looked at in the forming of them Whence came those two received principles that nothing can be produced out of nothing that there is no possible return from a privation to a habit but from those Philosophers who believed there was nothing but matter in the world or if they did assert the existence of a God yet supposed him unconcerned in the Government of the world Whence come our Masters
people in a condition to be fed by Manna as they were in the wilderness God graciously suiting the discoveries of his power to the peculiar advantages of the people which they were made to and the dispensation they ushered in Those terrible signs at Mount Sinai being very suitable to the severity and rigour of the Law and the gracious miracles of our Saviour to the sweetness and grace of the Gospel And on this account our Saviour charged the Iews with hypocrisie in requiring a 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 as something above 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 a prodigy rather then a miracle An evil and adulterous generation seeketh after a sign and there shall no sign be given it but that of the prophet Ionas i. e. this people which are so far from the faith of Abraham and therefore are supposititious Children that no miracles which I do will convince them but they seek only to have their humours gratified more then their faith confirmed by some prodigy from heaven shall not by me be thus gratified but having done enough already to perswade them if they had any heart to believe instead of a sign from heaven they shall have only one from the earth and that not so much intended for the conversion of such wilfull unbelievers as for the testifying my Innocency to the world viz. his resurrection from the dead And so elsewhere when the Iews demand a sign it was upon the doing of that which if they had attended to had been a sufficient sign to them viz. his driving the buyers and sellers out of the Temple Which being a thing permitted by the Sanbedrim and the Priests how could they think so mean a person in appearance as our Saviour was could ever have effected it had it not been for a Divine Majesty and power which appeared in him It was not then the expectation of miracles which our Saviour rebuked in the Iews but being unsatisfied with the kind and nature of our Saviours miracles It was their hypocrisie and unbelief which Christ condemned notwithstanding the frequent miracles which he wrought among them For we plainly find our Saviour very often appealing to his miracles as the evidences of his Divine Commission If I had not done the works among them which no man else did they had not sin i. e. in not believing me Whereby Christ both sets forth the necessity of his working miracles in order to the câ—nviction of the woâ—ld and the greatness of the miracles which he wrought he did those no man else had done no not Moses and Elias in curing all manner of diseases by the word of his mouth and those miracles which they had done he exceeded them in the manner of doing them Moses fed them with bread from heaven but Christ multiplied on earth some few loaves and fishes to the feeding of many thousands Elias indeed raised one from the dead but Christ raised more and one after he had been four days in the grave And upon this very evidence of our Saviours miracles we find many believing on him And even of those who were not so far wrought upon as to become followers of Christ as the only Messias yet we find them so far perswaded by the power of his miracles that they looked upon him as a great Prophet or one that was sent from God So Nicodemus who came first to Christ more as a rational enquirer then a believer yet we see he was perswaded that he was a teacher come from God because no man could do the miracles which Christ did unless God were with him And before him many of the Iews at Ierusalem believed in his name when they saw the miracles which he did yet these persons Christ would not trust himself with because he knew their hearts were not subdued to his doctrine though their understandings were convinced by his miracles And after this others of the Iews that looked not on him as the Messias yet it is said they believed on him on the account of his miracles And many of the people believed on him and said When Christ cometh will he do more miracles then these which this man hath done Although herein they were most unreasonable in believing the evidence and not the truth attested by it in believing Christ to be one sent from God by his miracles and yet not believing him to be the Messias which was the thing attested by them Not that meer miracles would prove the person to be the Messias who did them but the miracles proved the testimony to be Divine now that which Christ delivered to them as a Divine Testimony was his being the Messias and therefore by the same reason they believed him to be one sent from God they ought to have believed him to be the Messias for one sent from God could never falsifie in the main of his message as this was of our Saviours preaching And thence it is observable our Saviour did not shew forth his Divine power till he entred upon his office of preaching thereby making it appear he intended this as the great evidence of the truth of the doctrine which he preached to them And herein the blind man in the Gospel saw more truth and reason then the whole Court of Sanhedrin before which in probability he was convented about his cure by Christ for when they sought to get something out of him in disparagement of our Saviours person and miracle he sharply and roundly tells them when they said they knew God spake to Moses but for this fellow we know not from whence he is Why herein saith he is a marvellous thing that ye know not from whence he is and yet he hath opened mine eyes If this man were not of God he could do nothing as though he had said is it not plain that this man is imployed by God in the world by the miracles which he doth for otherwise God would not so readily assist him in doing such great works for we know that God heareth not sinners but if any man be a worshipper of God and doth his will him he heareth i. e. If this man pretended a Commission from heaven falsly whereby he would be the greatest of sinners can we think God would so miraculously assist him but we know by our Law if one comes with a Commission from God and draw men not to Idolatry which is meant by a worshipper of God such a one God is present with and we are bound to believe him And for this very miracle of curing one born blind was the like ever heard of before did ever Moses or the Prophets do it Thus we see what strong rational evidence there was in this miracle of Christ in the judgement of this blind man which he uttered with so much reason before the Court of Sanhedrin when he knew how like he was to be excommunicated for it and yet this very person was as yet ignorant that Christ was the
their genuine followers they instead of the common and rude name of impostors gave them a more civil title of Philosophers and looked upon their doctrine as a sublimer kind of Philosophy non utique divinum negotium existimant sed mag is Philosophiae genus as Tertullian tells us because the Philosophers pretended so much to moral vertues which they saw the Christians so excellent in but as Tertullian there replies nomen hoc Philosophorum Daemonia non fugat The Devil was never afraid of a Philosophers beard nor were diseases cured by the touch of a Philosophick pallium There was something more Divine in Christians then in the grave Philosophers and that not only in reference to their lives and the Divine power which was seen in them but in reference to the truth and certainty of their doctrine it being a true character given of both by that same excellent writer in behalf of the Christians of his time Veritatem Philosophi quidem affâ—ctant possident autem Christiani what the Philosophers desired only the Christians enjoy which was Truth and as he elsewhere more fully speaks mimicè Philosophi affectant veritatem affectando corrum punt ut qui gloriam captant Christianieam necessariò appetunt integri praestant ut qui saluti suae curant Truth is the Philosophers mistress which by courting he vitiates and corrupts looking at nothing but his own glory but truth is the Christians Matron whose directions he observes and follows because he regards no glory but that to come And to let them further see what a difference there was between a Christian and a Philosopher he concludes that discourse with these words Quid adeo simile Philosophus Christianus Graeciae Discipulus et coeli famae negotiator et vitae verborum et factorum operator rerum aedificator et destructor amicus et inimicus erroris veritatis interpolator et integrator furator ejus et custos As much distance saith he as there is between Greece and Heaven between applause and eternal glory between words and things between building and destroying between truth and error between a plagiary and corrupter of truth and a preserver and advancer of it so much is there between a Philosopher and a Christian. The Heathens might suspect indeed some kind of affinity between the first Preachers of the Gospel and the antient Sophists of Greece because of their frequent going from place to place and pretending a kind of Enthusiasm as they did but as much difference as there is between a Knight Errant and Hercules between a Mountebank and Hippocrates that and much greater there is between a Greek Sophist and an Apostle Socrates in Plato's Euthydemus hath excellently discovered the vanity and futility of those persons under the persons of Euthydemus and Dionysodorus and so likewise in his Protagoras their intent was only like the retiaries in the Roman Spectacles to catch their adversaries in a net to intangle them with some captious question or other but how vastly different from this was the design of the Apostles who abhord those endless contentions which then were in the Heathen world and came to shew them that Truth which was revealed with an intent of making them better men We see the Apostles were not carried forth by any mean and vulgar motives neither did they drive on any private ends of their own all that they minded was the promoting of the doctrine which they preached Nay they accounted no hazards comparable with the advantage which the world enjoyed through the propagation of the Christian Religion This shewed a truly noble and generous spirit in them which would not be hindred from doing the world good though they found so bad entertainment from it yea they rejoyced in their greatest sufferings which they underwent in so good a cause wherein those Primitive Christians who were the genuine followers of the Apostles did so far imitate them that etiam damnati gratias agunt they gave the Iudges thanks that they thought them worthy to lose their lives in a cause which they had reason to triumph in though they died for it And when any of them were apprehended they discovered so little fear of punishment ut unum solummodo quod non ante suerint paeniteret that nothing troubled them so much as that they had been Christians no sooner as one of their number speaks And when the Heathens usually scoffed at them and called them Sarmentitii and Semaxii because they were burned upon the Cross one of them in the name of the rest answers hic est habitus victoriae nostrae haec palmata vestis tali curru triumphamus the Cross was only their triumphant chariot which carried them sooner to Heaven Now this courage and resolution of spirit which was seen in the first planters of Christianity in the world made all serious and inquisitive persons look more narrowly into those things which made men slight so much the common bug-bears of humane nature sufferings and death Quis enim non contemplatione ejus concutitur adrequirendum quid intus in re sit quis non ubi requisivit accedit ubi accessit patiexoptat These sufferings made men enquire this enquiry made them believe that belief made them as willing to suffer themselves as they had seen others do it before them Thus it appeared to be true in them 〈◊〉 qâ—â—que crudelitas illecebra magis est sectae plures â—fficimur quâ—â—ties metimur a vobis semen est sanguis Christianorum The cruelty of their â—nemies did but increase their number the harvest of their pretended justice was but the seed-time of Christianity and no seed was so fruitful as that which was steeped in the blood of Martyrs Thence Iustin Martyr ingenuously saith of himself that while he was a Platonick Philosopher he derided and scoffed at the Christians but when he considered their great courage and constancy in dying for their profession he could not think those could possibly be men wicked and voluptuous who when offers of life were made them would rather choose death then deny Christ. By which he found plainly that there was a higher spirit in Christianity then could be obtained by the sublime notions and speculations of Plato and that a poor ignorant Christian would do and suffer more for the sake of Christ then any of the Academy in defence of their master Plato Now since all men naturally abhor sufferings what is it which should so powerfully alter the nature and disposition of Christians above all other persons that they alone should seem in that to have forgot humanity that not only with patience but with joy they endured torments and abode the flames What! were they all pâ—ssessed with a far more then Stoical Apathy that no sense oâ— pain could work at all upon them or were they all besotted and infatuated persons that did not know what it was they underwent â—t is true some of the
was the great Seal of our Saviours being the Son of God therefore we find the Apostles so frequently attesting the truth of the resurrection of Christ and that themselves were eye-witnesses of it This Iesus saith Peter hath God raised up whereof we all are witnesses And again And killed the Prince of life whom God hath raised up from the dead whereof we are witnesses and both Peter and Iohn to the Sanhedrin For we cannot but speak the things which we have seen and heard And the whole Colledge of Apostles afterwards And we are his witnesses of these things and so is also the Holy Ghost whom God hath given to them that obey him In which words they give them that twofold rational evidence which did manifest the undoubted truth of what they spake for they delivered nothing but what themselves were witnesses of and withall was declared to be true by the power of the Holy Ghost in the miracles which were wrought by and upon believers Afterwards we read the sum oâ— the Apostles Preaching and the manner used by them to perswade men of the truth of it in the words of Peter to Cernâ—lius and his company How God annointed Iesus of Nazareth with the Holy Ghost and with power who went about doing good and healing all that were oppressed of the Devil for God was with him And we are witnesses of all things which he did both in the land of the Iews and in Hierusalem whom they stew and hanged on a tree Him God raised up the third day and shewed him openly not to all the people but unto witnesses chosen before of God even to us who did eat and drink with him after he rose from the dead And he comâ—anded us to â—reach unto the people that it is be which was ordained of God to be the Iudge of quick and dead By all which we see what care God was pleased to take for the satisfaction of the world in point of rational evidence as to the truth of the matters which were discovered concerning our Saviour Christ because he made choice of such persons to be the preachers and writers of these things who were the best abâ—e to satisfie the world about them viz. such as had been eye witnesses of them Now in order to the making it more fully evident what strength there was in this Testimony given by the Apostles to the miracles of Christ we shall more fully manifest the rational evidence which attended it in these following propositions Where the truth of a doctrine depends upon a matter of fact the truth of the doctrine is sufficiently manifested if the matter of fact be evidently proved in the highest way it is capable of Thus it is in reference to the doctrine of Christ for the truth of that is so interwoven with the truth of the story of Christ that if the relations concerning Christ be true his doctrine must needs be Divine and infallible For if it be undoubtedly true that there was such a person as Christ born at Bethlehem who did so many miracles and at last suffered the death of the Cross and after he had lain three dayes in the grave rose again from the dead what reason imaginable can I have to question but that the Testimony of this person was certainly Divine and consequently what ever he preached to the world was most certain and undoubted truth So that if we have clear evidence as to the truth of these passages concerning our Saviour we must likewise believe his doctrine which came attested with such pregnant evidences of a Divine commission which he had from God to the world No Prince can think he hath any reason to refuse audience to an Embassador when he finds his Credentials such as he may rely upon although himself doth not see the sealing of them much less reason have we to question the truth of the doctrine of the Gospel if we have sufficient evidence of the truth of the matters of fact concerning Christ in such a way as those things are capable of being proved The greatest evidence which can be given to a matter of fact is the attesting of it by those persons who were eye-witnesses of it This is the Foundation whereon the firmest assent is built as to any matter of fact for although we conceive we have reason to suspect the truth of a story as long as it is conveyed only in a general way by an uncertain fame and tradition yet when it comes to be attested by a sufficient number of credible persons who profess themselves the cye-witnesses of it it is accounted an unreasonable thing to distrust any longer the truth of it especially in these two cases 1. When the matter they bear witness to is a thing which they might easily and clearly perceive 2. When many witnesses exactly agree in the same Testimony 1. When the matter it self is of that nature that it may be fully perceived by those who saw it i. e. if it be a common object of sense And thus it certainly was as to the person and actions of Iesus Christ. For he was of the same nature with mankind and they had as great evidence that they conversed with Iesus Christ in the flesh as we can have that we converse one with another The miracles of Christ were real and visible miracles they could be no illusions of senses nor deceits of their eyes the man who was born blind and cured by our Saviour was known to have been born blind through all the Countrey and his cure was after as publike as his blindness before and acknowledged by the greatest enemies of Christ at the time of its being done When Christ raised up the dead man at Naim it was before much people and such persons in probability who were many of them present at his death But least there might be any suspition as to him that he was not really dead the case is plain and beyond all dispute in Lazarus who had been to the knowledge of all persons thereabouts dead four dayes here could be no deceit at all when the stone was rowled away and Lazarus came forth in the presence of them all And yet further the death and passion of our Saviour was a plain object of sense done in presence of his greatest adversaries The souldiers themselves were sufficient witnesses of his being really dead when they came to break his bones and spared him because they saw he was dead already At his resurrection the stone was rowled away from the Sepulchre and no body found therein although the Sepulchre was guarded by souldiers and the Disciples of Christ all so fearful that they were dispersed up and down in several places And that it was the same real body which he rose withall and no aëreall vehicle appears by Thomas his serupulosity and unbelief who would not believe unless â—e might put his hands into the hole of his sides and see
aut sine Deo corum tantas animorum ficri conversiones ut cum carnisices unci aliique innumeri cruciatus quemadmodum diximus impendeant credituris vâ—luti quadam dulcedine atque omnium virtutum amore correpti cognitas accipiant rationes atque mundi omnibus rebus praeponant amicitias Christi That no fears penalties or torments were able to mâ—ke a Christian alter his profession but he would rather bid adiâ—u to his life then to his Saviour This Origen likewise frequently takes notice of when Celsus had objected the novelty of Christianity the more wonderful it is saith Origen that in so short a time it should so largely spread its self in the world for if the cure of mens bodies be not wrought without Divine Providence how much less the cure of so many thousands of souls which have been converted at once to humanity and Christianity especially when all the powâ—rs of the world were from the first engaged to hinder the progress of this doctrine and yet notwithstanding all this opposition 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 The Word of God prâ—vailed as not being able to be stopt by men and became master over all its enemies and not only spread its self quite through Greece but through a great part of the world besides and converted an innumerable company of souls to the true worship and service of God Thus we have now manifested from all the circumstances of the propagation of the doctrine of Christ what evidence there was of a divine power accompanying of it and how useful the first miracles were in order to it CHAP. X. The difference of true miracles from false The unreasonableness of rejecting the evidence from miracles because of impostures That there are certain rules of distinguishing true miracles from false and Divine from diabolical proved from Gods intention in giving a power of miracles and the providence of God in the world The inconvenience of taking away the rational grounds of faith and placing it on self-evidence Of the self-evidence of the Scriptures and the insufficiency of that for resolving the question about the authority of the Scriptures Of the pretended miracles of Impostors and false Christs as Barchochelas David el-David and others The rules whereby to judge true miracles from false 1. True Divine miracles are wrought to confirm a Divine testimony No miracles necessary for the certain conveyance of a Divine testimony proved from the evidences that the Scriptures could not be corrupted 2. No miracles Divine which contradict Divine revelation Of Popish miracles 3. Divine miracles leave Divine effects on those who believe them Of the miracles of Simon Magus 4. Divine miracles tend to the overthrow of the devils power in the world the antipathy of the doctrine of Christ to the devils designs in the world 5. The distinction of true miracles from others from the circumstances and manner of their operation The miracles of Christ compared with those of the Heathen Gods 6. God makes it evident to all impartial judgements that Divine miracles exceed created power This manifested from the unparalleld miracles of Moses and our Saviour From all which the rational evidence of Divine revelation is manifested as to the persons whom God imployes to teach the world HAving thus far stated the cases wherein miracles may justly be expected as a rational evidence of Divine authority in the persons whom God imployes by way of peculiar message to the world and in the prosecution of this discourse manifested the evidences of Divine authority in Moses and the Prophets and in our Saviour and his Apostles the only remaining question concerning this subject is how we may certainly distinguish true and real miracles from such as are only pretended and counterfeit For it being as evident that there have been impostures and delusions in the world as real miracles the minds of men will be wholly to seek when to rely upon the evidence of miracles as an argument of Divine authority in those persons who do them unless a way be found out to distinguish them from each other But if we can make it appear that unless men through weakness of judgement or incogitancy deceive themselves they may have certain evidence of the truth of miracles then there can be nothing wanting as to the establishment of their minds in the truth of that doctrine which is confirmed by them There hath been nothing which hath made men of better affections then understandings so ready to suspect the strength of the evidence from miracles concerning Divine testimony as the multitude of impostures in the world under the name of miracles and that the Scripture its self tells us we must not hearken to such as come with lying wonders But may we not therefore safely rely on such miracles which we have certain evidence could not be wrought but by Divine power because forsooth the Devil may sometimes abuse the ignorance and credulity of unwary men or is it because the Scripture forbids us to believe such as should come with a pretence of miracles therefore we cannot rely on the miracles of Christ himself which is as much as to say because the Scripture tells us that we must not believe every spirit therefore we must believe none at all or because we must not entertain any other doctrine besides the Gospel therefore we have no reason to believe that For the ground whereby we are assured by the Scriptures that the testimony of Christ was Divine and therefore his doctrine true is because it was confirmed by such miracles as he did now if that argument were insufficient which the Scriptures tell us was the great evidence of Christs being sent from God we cannot give our selves a sufficient account in point of evidence on which we believe the doctrine of the Gospel to be true and Divine But the only rational pretence of any scruple in this case must be a supposed uncertainty in our rules of judging concerning the nature of miracles for if there be no certain 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 or notes of difference whereby to know Divine miracles from delusions of senses and the impostures of the Devil I must confess that there is an apparent insufficiency in the evidence from miracles but if there be any certain rules of proceeding in this case we are to blame nothing but our incredulity if we be not satisfied by them For the full clearing of this I shall first make it appear that there may be certain evidence found out whereby we may know true miracles from false and Divine from diabolical And Secondly Enquire into those things which are the main notes of difference between them First That there may be certain evidence whereby to know the truth of miracles I speak not of the difference ex parte râ—i between miracles and those called wonders as that the one exceed the power of created agents and the other doth not for this leaves the enquirer as far to
seek for satisfaction as ever for granting that a Divine power is seen in one and not in the other he must needs be still dissatisfied unless it can be made evident to him that such things are from Divine power and others cannot be Now the main distinction being placed here in the natures of the things abstractly considered and not as they bear any evidence to our understandings in stead of resolving doubts it increaseth more for as for instance in the case of the Magicians rods turning into scrpents as well as Moses his what satisfaction could this yeild to any spectator to tell him that in the one there was a Divine power and not in the other unless it were made appear by some evidence from the thing that the one was a meer imposture and the other a real alteration in the thing it self I take it then for granted that no general discourses concerning the formal difference of miracles and wonders considered in themselves can afford any rational satisfaction to an inquisitive mind that which alone is able to give it must be something which may be discerned by any judicious and considerative person And that God never gives to any a power of miracles but he gives some such ground of satisfaction concerning them will appear upon these two considerations 1. From Gods intention in giving to any this power of doing miracles We have largely made it manifest that the end of true miracles is to be a confirmation to the world of the Divine commission of the persons who have it and that the testimony is Divine which is confirmed by it Now if there be no way to know when miracles are true or false this power is to no purpose at all for men are as much to seek for satisfaction as if there had been no such things at all Therefore if men are bound to believe a Divine testimony and to rely on the miracles wrought by the persons bringing it as an evidence of it they must have some assurance that these miracles could not come from any but a Divine power 2. From the providence of God in the world which if we own we cannot imagine that God should permit the Devil whose only design is to ruine mankind to abuse the credulity of the world so far as to have his lying wonders pass uncontrouled which they must do if nothing can be found out as a certain difference between such things as are only of Diabolical and such as are of Divine power If then it may be discovered that there is a malignant spirit which acts in the world and doth produce strange things either we must impute all strange things to him which must be to attribute to him an infinite power or else that there is a being infinitely perfect which crosseth this malignant spirit in his designs and if so we cannot imagine he should suffer him to usurpe so much tyranny over the minds of men as to make those things pass in the more sober and inquisitive part of the world for Divine miracles which were only counterfeits and impostures If then the providence of God be so deeply engaged in the discovering the designs of Satan there must be some means of this discovery and that means can be supposed to be no other in this case but some rational and satisfactory evidence whereby we may know when strange and miraculous things are done by Satan to deceive men and when by a Divine power to confirm a Divine testimony But how is it possible say some that miracles should be any ground on which to believe a testimony Divine when Christ himself hath told us that there shall arise false Christs and false Prophets and shall shew great signs and wonders in so much that if it were possible they should deceive the very elect and the Apostle tells us that the coming of Antichrist will be with all power and signs and lying wonders How then can we fix on miracles as an evidence of Divine testimony when we see they are common to good and bad men and may seal indifferently either truth or falshood To this I reply 1. Men are guilty of doing no small disservice to the doctrine of Christ when upon such weak and frivolous pretences they give so great an advantage to infidelity as to call in question the validity of that which yeilded so ample a testimony to the truth of Christian religion For if once the rational grounds on which we believe the doctrine of Christ to be true and Divine be taken away and the whole evidence of the truth of it be laid on things not only derided by men of Atheistical spirits but in themselves such as cannot be discerned or judged of by any but themselves upon what grounds can we proceed to convince an unbeliever that the doctrine which we believe is true If they tell him that as light and fire manifest themselves so doth the doctrine of the Scriâ—ture to those who believe it It will be soon replyed that self-evidence in a matter of faith can imply nothing but either a firm perswasion of the mind concerning the thing propounded or else that there are such clear evidences in the thing it self that none who freely use their reason can deny it the first can be no argument to any other person any further then the authority of the person who declares it to have such self-evidence to him doth extend its self over the mind of the other and to ones self it seems a strange way of arguing I believe the Scriptures because they are true and they are true because I believe them for self-evidence implyes so much if by it be meant the perswasion of the mind that the thing is true but if by self-evidence be further meant such clear evidence in the matter propounded that all who do consider it must believe it I then further enquire whether this evidence doth lie in the nâ—ked proposal of the things to the understanding and if so then every one who assents to this proposition that the whole is greater then the part must likewise assent to this that the Scripture is the Word of God or whether doth the evidence lie not in the naked proposal but in the efficacy of the Spirit of God on the minds of those to whom it is propounded Then 1. The self-evidence is taken off from the written Word which was the object and removed to a quite different thing which is the efficient cause 2. Whether then any persons who want this efficacious operation of the Spirit of God are or can be bound to believe the Scripture to be Gods Word If they are bound the duty must be propounded in such a way as may be sufficient to convince them that it is their duty but if all the evidence of the truth of the Scripture lie on this testimony of the Spirit then such as want this can have none at all But if â—astly by this self-evidence be meant
of Rambam or R. Moses Maimon It is said that the King of Persia desired of him a sign and he told him that he should cut off his head and he would rise again which he cunningly desired to avoid being tormented which the King was resolved to try and accordingly executed him but I suppose his resurrection and Mahomets will be both in a day although Maimonides tells us some of the Iews are yet such fools as to expect his resurrection Several other Impostors Maimonides mentions in his Epistle de Australi regione One who pretended to be the Messias because he cured himself of the leprosie in a night several others he mentions in Spain France and other parts and the issue of them all was only a further aggravation of the miseries and captivities of the poor Iews who were so credulous in following Impostors and yet such strange Infidels where there were plain and undoubted miracles to perswade them to believe in our blessed Saviour as the true Messias We freely grant then that many pretended miracles may be done in the world to deceive men with but doth it hence follow that either there are no true miracles done in the world or that there are no certain rules to distinguish the one from the other But as Origen yet further replyes to Celsus as a Woolf doth very much resemble a dog yet they are not of the same kind nor a turtle Dove and a Pigeon so that which is produced by a divine power is not of the same nature with that which is produced by Magick but as he argues Is it possible that there should be only deceits in the world and magical operations and can there be no true miracles at all wrought Is humane nature only capable of Impostures or can none work miracles but Devils Where there is a worse there may be a better and so from the impostures counterfeits we may inferr that there are true miracles wrought by a divine power otherwise it were all one as to say there are counterfeits but no Iewels or there are Sophisms and Paralogisms but no lâ—gitimate demonstrations if then there be such deceits there are true miraclâ—s too all the business is 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 strictly and severely to examine the pretâ—nders to do them and that from the life and manners of those that do them and from the effâ—cts and consequents of them whethâ—r they do good or hurt in the world whâ—ther thâ—y correct mens manners or bring men to goodness holinâ—ss and truth and on this account we are neither to reject all miracles nor embrace all pretâ—nces but carefully and prudently examine the rational evidences whereby those which are true and divine may be known from such which are counterfeit and Diabolical And this now leads us to the main subjâ—ct of this Chapter viz. What rules we have to â—roceed by in judging miracles to be true or false which may be these following True Divine miracles are wrought in confirmation of some Divine Tâ—stimony Because we have manifested by all the precedent discourse that the intention of miracles is to seal some divine revelation Therefore if God should work miracles when no divine Tâ—stimony is to be confirmed God would set the broad Seal of heaven to a blank If it be said no because it will witness to us now the truth of that Testimony which was delivered so many ages since I answer 1. The truth of that Testimony was sufficiently sealed at the time of the delivery of it and is conveyed down in a certain way to us Is it not sufficient that the Chartâ—r of a Corporation had the Princes broad Seal in the time of the giving of it but that every succâ—ssion of men in that Corporation must have a new broad Seal or else they ought to question their Patent What ground can there be for that when the original Seal and Patent is preserved and is certainly conveyed down from age to age So I say it is as to us Gods Grand Charter of Grace and Mercy to the world through Iesus Christ was sealed by divine miracles at the delivery of it to the world the original Patent viz. the Scriptures wherein this Charter is contained is conveyed in a most certain manner to us to this Patent the Seal is annexed and in it are contained those undoubted miracles which were wrought in confirmation of it so that a new sealing of this Patent is wholly needless unless we had some cause of suspicion that the original Patent it self were lost or the first sealing was not true If the lattâ—r then Christian Religion is not true if the miracles wrought for confirmation of it were false because the truth of it depends so much on the verity and Divinity of the miracles which were then wrought If the first be suspected viz. the certain conveyance of the Patent viz. the Scriptures some certain grounds of such a suspicion must be discovered in a matter of so great moment especially when the great and many Societies of the Christian world do all consent unanimously in the contrary Nay it is impossible that any rational man can concâ—ive that the Patent which we now rely upon is supposititious or corrupted in any of those things which are of concernment to the Christian world and that on these accounts 1. From the watchfulness of Divine providâ—nce for the good of mankind Can we conceive that there is a God who rules and takes care of the world and who to manifest his signal Love to mankind should not only grant a Patent of Mercy to the world by his son Christ and then sealed it by divine miracles and in order to the certain conveyance of it to the world caused it by persons imployed by himself to be recordâ—d in a language fittest for its dispersing up and down the world all which I here suppose Can we I say conceive that this God should so far have cast off his care of the world and the good of mankind which was the original ground of the Grant it self as to suffer any wicked men or malignant spirits to corrupt or alter any of those Terms in it on which mens eternal salvation depends much less wholly to suppress and destroy it and to send forth one that is counterfeit and supposititious instead of it and which should not be discovered by the Christians of that age wherein that corrupt Copy was set forth nor by any of the most learned and inquisitive Christians ever since They who can give any the least entertainment to so wild absurd and irrational an imagination are so far from reason that they are in good disposition to Atheism and next to the suspecting the Scriptures to be corrupted they may rationally suspâ—ct there is no such thing as a God and providence in the world or that the world is governed by a spirit most malignant and envious of the good of mankind Which is a suspicion only becoming those Heathens among
whom it was very frequent who worshipped the devils instead of Gods 2. Because of the general dispersion of Copies in the world upon the first publishing of them We cannot otherwise coâ—ceive but that records containing so weighty and important things would be transcribed by all those Churches which believed the truth of the things contained in them We see how far curiosity will carry men as to the care of transcribing antient MSS. of old Authors which contain only some history of things past that are of no great concernment to us Can we then imagine those who ventured estates and lives upon the truth of the things revealed in Scripture would not be very careful to preserve the authentick instrument whereby they are revealed in a certain way to the whole world And besides this for a long time the originals themselves of the Apostolical writings were preserved in the Church which makes Tertullian in his time appeal to them Age jam qui voles curiositatem melius exercere in negotio salutis tuae percurre Ecclesias Apostolicas apud quasipsae adhuc cathedrae Apostolorum suis locis praesidentur apud quas ipsae authenticae corum literae recitantur sonantes vocem representantes faciem uniuscujusque Now how was it possible that in that time the Scriptures could be corrupted when in some of the Churches the original writings of the Apostles were preserved in a continual succession of persons from the Apostles themselves and from these originals so many Copies were transcribed as were conveyed almost all the world over through the large spread of the Christian Churches at that time and therefore it is impossible to conceive that a Copy should be corrupted in one Church when it would so speedily be discovered by another especially considering these three circumstances 1. The innumerable multitude of Copies wh ch would speedily be taken both considering the moment of the thing and the easiness of doing it God probably for that very end not loading the world with Pandâ—cts and Codes of his Laws but contriving the whole instrument of mans salvation in so narrow a compass that it might be easily preserved and transcribed by such who were passionate admirers of the Scriptures 2. The great number of learned and inquisitive men who soon sprung up in the Christian Church whose great care was to explain and vindicate the sacred Scriptures can we then think that all these Watch-men should be asleep together when the â—vil one came to sow his Tares which it is most unreasonable to imagine when in the writings of all these learned men which were very many and voluminous so much of the Scripture was inserted that had there been corruption in the Copies themselves yet comparing them with those writings the corruptions would be soon discovered 3. The great venâ—ration which all Christians had of the Scripture that they placed the hopes of their eternal happiness upon the truth of the things contained in the Scriptures Can we then think these would suffer any material alteration to creep into these records without their observing and discovering it Can we now think when all persons are so exceeding careful of their Deeds and the Records whereon their estates depend that the Christians who valued not this world in comparison of that to come should suffer the Magna Charta of that to be lost corrupted or imbezzeled away Especially considering what care and industry was used by many primitive Christians to compare Copies together as is evident in Pantaenus who brought the Hebrew Copy of Matthew out of the Indies to Alexandria as Eusebius tells us in Pamphilus and the Library he errected at Caesarâ—a but especially in Origens admirable Hexapla which were mainly intended for this end 3. It is impossible to conceive a corruption of the copy of the Scriptures because of the great differences which were all along the several ages of the Church between those who acknowledged the Scriptures to be Divine So that if one party of them had foisted in or taken out any thing another party was ready to take notice of it and would be sure to tell the world of it And this might be one great reason why God in his wise providence might permit such an increase of heresies in the Infancy of the Church viz. that thereby Christians might be forced to stand upon their guard and to have a special eye to the Scriptures which were alwayes the great eye-sores of hereticks And from this great wariness of the Church it was that some of the Epistles were so long abroad before they found general entertainment in all the Churches of Christ because in those Epistles which were doubted for some tâ—me there were some passages which seemed to favour some of the heresies then abroad but when upon severe enquiry they are found to be what they pretended they were received in all the Christian Churches 4. Because of the agreement between the Old Tâ—stament and the New the Prophesies of the Old Testament appear with their full accomplishment in the New which we have so that it is impossible to think the New should be corrupted unless the old were too which is most unreasonable to imagine when the Iews who have been the great conservators of the Old Testament have been all along the most inveterate enemies of the Christians So that we cannot at all conceive it possible that any material corruptions or alterations should creep into the Scriptures much less that the true copy should be lost and a new one forged Supposing then that we have the same authentick records preserved and handed down to us by the care of all Christian Churches which were written in the first ages of the Church of Christ what necessity can we imagine that God should work new miracles to confirm that dâ—ctrine which is conveyed down in a certain uninterrupted way to us as being seâ—led by miracles undoubtedly Divine in the first promulgation and penning of it And this is the first reason why the truth of the Scriptures need not now be sealed by new miracles 2. Another may be because God in the Scripture hath appointed other things to continue in his Church to be as seals to his people of the truth of the things contained in Scriptures Such are outwardly the Sacraments of the Gospel baptism and the Lords Supper which are set apart to be as seals to confirm the truth of the Covenant on Gods part towards us in reference to the great promises contained in it in reference to pardon of sin and the ground of our acceptance with God by Iesus Christ and inwardly God hath promised his Spirit to be as a witness within them that by its working and strengthning grace in the hearts of believers it may confirm to them the truth of the records of Scripture when they finde the counter part of them written in their hearts by the singer of the Spirit of God It cannot then be with any reason at all supposed
that when a Divine testimony is already confirmed by miracles undoubtedly Divine that new miracles should be wrought in the Church to assure us of the truth of it So Chrysostome fully expresseth himself concerning miracles speaking of the first ages of the Christian Church 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Miracles were very useful then and not at all useful now for now we manifest the truth of what we speak from the Sacred Scriptures and the miracles wrought in confirmation of them Which that excellent author there fully manifests in a discourse on this subject why miracles were necessary in the beginning of the Christian Church and are not now To the same purpose St. Austin speaks where he discourseth of the truth of religion Accepimus majores nostros visibilia miracula secutos esse per quos id actum est ut necessaria non essent posteris because the world believed by the miracles which were wrought at the first preaching of the Gospel therefore miracles are no longer necessary For we cannot conceive how the world should be at first induced to believe without manifest and uncontrouled miracles For as Chrysostome speaks 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 It was the greatest miracle of all if the world should believe without miracles Which the Poet Dante 's hath well expressed in the twenty fourth Canto of Paradise For when the Apostle is there brought in asking the Poet upon what account he took the Scriptures of the Old and New Testament to be the Word of God his answer is Probatio quae verum hoc mihi recludit Sunt opera quae secuta sunt ad quae Natura Non candefecit ferrum unquam aut percussit incudem i. e. the evidence of that is the Divine power of miracles which was in those who delivered these things to the world And when the Apostle catechiseth him further how he knew those miracles were such as they pretend to be viz. that they were true and Divine his answer is Si orbis terrae sese convertit ad Christianismum Inquiebam ego sine miraculis hoc unum Est tale ut reliqua non sint ejus cente sima pars i. e. If the world should be converted to the Christian faith without miracles this would be so great a miracle that others were not to be compared with it I conclude this then with that known saying of St. Austin Quisquis adhuc prodigia ut credat inquirit magnum est ipse prodigium qui mundo credente non credit He that seeks for miracles still to induce him to faith when the world is converted to the Christian faith he needs not seek for prodigies abroad he wants only a looking glass to discover one For as he goes on unde temporibus erudit is omne quod fieri non potest respuentibus sine ullis miraculis nimium mirabiliter incredibiliter credidit mundus whence came it to pass that in so learned and wary an age as that was which the Apostles preached in the world without miracles should be brought to believe things so strangely incredible as those were which Christ and his Apostles preached So that by this it appears that the intention of miracles was to confirm a Divine testimony to the world and to make that appear credible which otherwise would have seemed incredible but to what end now when this Divine testimony is believed in the world should miracles be continued among those who believe the doctrine to be Divine the miracles wrought for the confirmation of it to have been true and the Scriptures which contain both to be the undoubted Word of God To what purpose then the huge outery of miracles in the Roman Church is hard to conceive unless it be to make it appear how ambitions that Church is of being called by the name of him whose coming is after the working of Satan with all power and signs and lying wonders and with all deceivableness of unrighteousness in them that perish because they received not the love of the truth that they might be saved For had they received the Love of the Truth of the Gospel they would have believed it on the account of those miracles and signs and wonders which were wrought for the confirmation of it by Christ and his Apostles and not have gone about by their juglings and impostures in stead of bringing men to believe the Gospel to make them question the truth of the first miracles when they see so many counterfeits had we not great assurance the Apostles were men of other designs and interests then Popish Priests are and that there is not now any such necessity of miracles as there was then when a Divine testimony revealing the truth of Christian religion was confirmed by them Those miracles cannot be Divine which are done now for the confirmation of any thing contrary to that Divine testimony which is confirmed by uncontrouled Divine miracles The case is not the same now which was before the coming of Christ for then though the Law of Moses was confirmed by miracles yet though the doctrine of Christ did null the obligation of that Law the miracles of Christ were to be looked on as Divine because God did not intend the Ceremonial Law to be perpetual and there were many Prophesies which could not have their accomplishment but under a new state But now under the Gospel God hath declared this to be the last revelation of his mind and will to the world by his Son that now the Prophesies of the old Testament are accomplished and the Prophesies of the New respect only the various conditions of the Christian Church without any the least intimation of any further revelation of Gods mind and will to the world So that now the Scriptures are our adaequate rule of faith and that according to which we are to judge all pretenders to inspiration or miracles And according to this rule we are to proceed in any thing which is propounded to us to believe by any persons upon any pretences whatsoever Under the Law after the establishment of the Law its self by the miracles of Moses the rule of judging all pretenders to miracles was by the worship of the true God If there arise among you a Prophet or a dreamer of dreams and giveth thee a sign or a wonder and the sign or the Wonder come to pass whereof he spake to thee saying Let us go after other Gods which thou hast not known and let us serve them thou shalt not hearken unto the words of that Prophet or that dreamer of dreams for the Lord your God proveth you to know whether you love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul. Whereby it is plain that after the true doctrine is confirmed by Divine miracles God may give the Devil or false Prophets power to work if not real miracles yet such as men cannot judge by the things themselves whether they be real or no and
pimple any the most trivial thing with a word speaking or the touch of the hand Upon this Arnobius challengeth the most famous of all the Heathen Magicians Zoroastres Armenius Pamphilus Apollonius Damigero Dardanus Velus Iulianus and Baebulus or any other renowned Magician to give power to any one to make the dumb to speak the deaf to hear the blind to see or bring life into a dead body Or if this be too hard with all their Magical rites and incantations but to do that quod à rusticis Christianis jussienibus factitatum est nudis which ordinary Christians do by their meer words So great a difference was there between the highest that could be done by Magick and the least that was done by the Name and Power of Christ. Where miracles are truly Divine God makes it evident to all impartial judgements that the things do exceed all created power For which purpose we are to observe that though impostures and delusions may go far the power of Magicians further when God permits them yet when God works miracles to confirm a Divine Testimony he makes it evident that his power doth infinitely exceed them all This is most conspicuous in the case of Moses and our blessed Saviour First Moses he began to do some miracles in the presence of Pharaoh and the Aegyptians turning his rod into a Serpent but we do not finde Pharaoh at all amazed at it but sends presently for the Magicians to do the same who did it whether really or only in appearance is not material to our purpose but Aarons rod swallowed up theirs The next time the waters are turned into blood by Moses the Magicians they do so too After this Moses brings up Frogs upon the Land so do the Magicians So that here now is a plain and open contest in the presence of Pharaoh and his people between Moses and the Magicians and they try for victory over each other so that if Moses do no more then they they would look upon him but as a Magician but if Moses do that which by the acknowledgement of these Magicians themselves could be only by Divine Power then it is demonstrably evident that his power was as far above the power of Magick as God is above the Devil Accordingly we finde it in the very next miracle in turning the dust into Ciniphes which we render lice the Magicians are non-plust and give out saying in plain terms This is the finger of God And what greater acknowledgement can there be of Divine Power then the confession of those who seemed to contest with it and to imitate it as much as possible After this we finde not the Magicians offering to contest with Moses and in the plague of boyles we particularly read that they could not stand before Moses Thus we see in the case of Moses how evident it was that there was a power above all power of Magick which did appear in Moses And so likewise in the case of our blessed Saviour for although Simon Magus Apollonius or others might do some small things or make some great shew and noise by what they did yet none of them ever came near the doing things of the same kind which our Saviour did curing the born blind restoring the dead to life after four dayes and so as to live a considerable time after or in the manner he did them with a word a touch with that frequency and openness before his greatest enemies as well as followers and in such an uncontrouled manner that neither Iews or Heathens ever questioned the truth of them And after all these when he was laid in the grave after his crucifixion exactly according to his own prediction he rose again the third day appeared frequently among his Disciples for forty dayes together After which in their presence he ascended up to heaven and soon after made good his promise to them by sending his holy Spirit upon them by which they spake with tongues wrought miracles went up and down Preaching the Gospel of Christ with great boldness chearfulness and constancy and after undergoing a great deal of hardship in it they sealed the truth of all they spake with their blood laying down their lives to give witness to it Thus abundantly to the satisfaction of the minds of all good men hath God given the highest rational evidence of the truth of the doctrine which he hath revealed to the world And thus I have finished the second part of my task which concerned the rational evidence of the truth of Divine Revelation from the persons who were imployed to deliver Gods mind to the world And therein have I hope made it evident that both Moses and the Prophets our Saviour and his Apostles did come with sufficient rational evidence to convince the world that they were persons immediately sent from God BOOK III. CHAP. I. Of the Being of God The Principles of all Religion lie in the Being of God and immortality of the soul from them the necessity of a particular Divine revelation rationally deduced the method laid down for proving the Divine authority of the Scriptures Why Moses doth not prove the Being of God but suppose it The notion of a Deity very consonant to reason Of the nature of Idea's and particularly of the Idea of God How we can form an Idea of an infinite Being How far such an Idea argues existence The great unreasonableness of Atheism demonstrated Of the Hypotheses of the Aristotelian and Epicurean Atheists The Atheists pretences examined and refuted Of the nature of the arguments whereby we prove there is a God Of universal consent and the evidence of that to prove a Deity and immortality of souls Of necessity of existence implyed in the notion of God and how far that proves the Being of God The order of the world and usefulness of the parts of it and especially of mans body an argument of a Deity Some higher principle proved to be in the world then matter and motion The nature of the soul and possibility of its subsisting after death Strange appearances in nature not solvable by the power of imagination HAving in the precedent book largely given a rational account of the grounds of our faith as to the persons whom God imployes to reveal his mind to the world if we can now make it appear that those sacred records which we embrace as Divinely inspired contain in them nothing unworthy of so great a name or unbecoming persons sent from God to deliver there will be nothing wanting to justifie our Religion in point of reason to be true and of revelation to be Divine For the Scriptures themselves coming to us in the name of God we are bound to believe them to be such as they pretend to be unless we have ground to question the general foundations of all religion as uncertain or this particular way of religion as not suitable to those general foundations The foundations of all
Atoms Or is it because we find in natural beings how much these particles of matter serve to solve the Phoenomena of nature But doth it at all follow because now under Divine providence which wisely orders the world and things in it that these particles with their several affections and motion may give us a tolerable account of many appearances as to bodies that therefore the Universe had its original meerly by a concretion of these without any Divine hand to order and direct their motion But of this more when we come to the creation of the world our design now is only to compare the notion of a Deity and of the Atheists Hypothesis in point of perspicuity and evidence of reason of which let any one who hath reason judge Thus we see how the Atheist in denying a Deity must assert something else instead of it which is pressed with the same if not greater difficulties and proved by far less reason The Atheist by the same principles on which he denyes a God must deny some things which are apparently true Which will be evident by our running over the most plausible pretences which he insists upon 1. Because the Being of God cannot be demonstrated But how doth the Atheist mean it is it because God cannot be demonstrated to sense that we cannot digito monstrari dieier hic est point at him with our fingers It is a sign there is little of reason left where sense is made the only Umpire of all kinds of Beings Must all Intellectual Beings be proscribed out of the order of Nature because they cannot pass the scrutiny of sense And by the same reason all colours shall be dashed out because they cannot be heard all noises silenced because they cannot be seen for why may not one sense be set to judge of all objects of sense with far more reason then sense its self be set as judge over intellectual Beings But yet it is wisely done of the Atheist to make sense his judge for if we once appeal to this he knows our cause is lost for as he said of a Physician when one asked him whether he had any experience of him no said he Si periculum fecissem non viverem If I had tryed him I had been dead ere now so here If God were to be tryed by the judgement of sense he must cease to be God for how can an infinite and spiritual Being be discerned by the judgement of sense and if he be not an infinite and spiritual Being he is not God But it may be the Atheists meaning is not so gross but he intends such a demonstration to reason as that two and two make four or that the whole is greater then the parts with such a demonstration he would sit down contented But will no less then this serve him what becomes then of the worlds being made by a sortuitous concourse of Atoms is this as evident as that two and two make four And will the Philosophical Atheist really believe nothing in nature but what is as evident to him in material Beings as that the whole is greater then the parts By any means let Atheists then write Philosophy that at last the clocks in London may strike together and the Philosophers agree for I suppose none of them question that But yet it is possible the Atheist may in a good humour abate some thing of this and mean by demonstration such a proof as takes away all difficulties If he means as to the ground of assent we undertake it if as to the object apâ—rehended we reject it as unreasonable because it is impossible a Being infinite should be comprehended by us for if it could it were no longer infinite But let us try this principle by other things and how evident is it that on this account some things must be denyed which himself will confess to be true for instance that osprobrium Philosophorum the divisibility of quantity or extended matter into finite and infinite parts let him take which side he please and see whether by the force of the arguments on either side if he hold to this principle he must not be forced to deny that there is any such thing as matter in the world and then we may well have an infinite empty space when by the force of this one Principle both God and matter are banished quite out of the world But if the Atheist will but come one step lower and by his demonstration intend nothing else but such a sufficient proof of it as the nature of the thing is capable of he will not only speak most consonantly to reason but may be in some hopes of gaining satisfaction For it is most evident that all things are not capable of the like way of proof and that in some cases the possibility of the contrary must be no hindrance to an undoubted assent What these proofs are will appear afterwards I come to the next ground of the Atheists opinion which is 2. The weakness of some arguments brought to prove a Deity But let us grant that some arguments will not do it doth it therefore follow that none can do it What if some have proved the Sun to be the center of the world and the motion of the earth by very weak arguments will the Atheist therefore question it what if Epicurus hath proved his Atomical hypothesis by some silly Sophismes will the Atheist therefore rather believe the creation of the world then it What if the Atheist may make himself sport at some stories of apparitions insisted on to prove a Dâ—ity doth it therefore follow there is no God because some persons have been over-credulous What if some having more zeal then knowledge may attribute such things to Gods immediate hand which may be produced by natural causes doth it thence follow that God hath no hand in governing the world at all What if fears and hopes and perswasiâ—ns may depend much on principles of education must conscience then be resolved wholly into these What if some devont melancholist may embrace the issues of his own imagination for the impressions of the Divine Spirit doth it therefore follow that religion is nothing but strength of fancy improved by principles of education what if some of the numerous proofs of a Deity were cut off and only those made use of which are of greatest force would the truth suffer at all by that I grant advantage is often taken against a thing more by one weak argument brought for it then for it by the strongest proofs but I say it is unreasonable it should be so and were men rational and ingenuous it would not be so Many times arguments may be good in their order but they are misplaced some may prove the thing rational which may not prove it true some may shew the absurdity of the adversaries rejecting the thing which may be not sufficient to prove it now when men number and not weigh their arguments
wise and free who dispenseth this goodness of his in such a way and manner as is best pleasing to himself though ever agreeable to his Nature As God is infinitely good in himself so whatever he doth is suitable to this nature of his but the particular determinations of the acts of Gods beneficence belong to the Will of God as he is a most free and Independent Agent so that goodness as it imports the necessary rectitude of the Divine Nature implyes a perfection inseparable from the true Idea of God but as it is taken for the expressions of Divine bounty to somewhat without as the object of it it is not implyed in our conception of God as to his nature but belongs to the free determinations of his Will We cannot then neither ought we to determine any thing concerning the particular ways of Gods bounty towards the whole universe or any part of it any further then God himself hath declared it to us Now we see the world exists we have cause to adore that goodness of God which not only gave a Being to the Universe but continually upholds it and plentifully provides for all the Creatures which he hath made in it Which the Heathen was so sensible of that the Stoick in Tully taking notice of the abundant provision which is made in the world not only for mans necessity but for delight and ornament cryes out ut interdum Pronaea nostra Epicurea esse videatur Gods providence doth abundantly exceed mans necessity We see then from this discourse how unsafe and unsatisfactory that I may not say bold and presumptuous those arguments are which are drawn from a general consideration of the Divine nature and Goodness without regard had to the determinations of his Will as to the existence of things in the world It cannot certainly then be an argument of any great force with any candid enquirers after Truth and Reason which hath been lately pleaded in the behalf of that Pythagorean hypothesis of the praeexistence of souls viz. That if it be good for mens souls to be at all the sooner they are the better but we are most certain that the Wisdom and Goodness of God will do that which is best and therefore if they can enjoy themselves before they come into these terrestrial bodies it being better for them to enjoy themselves then not they must be before they come into these bodies Wherefore the praeexistence of souls is a necessary result of the Wisdom and Goodness of God who can no more fail to do that which is best then he can to understand it I now seriously enquire of such who love reason above Plato and Pythagoras whether if the eternity of the world were put into the argument instead of the Praeexistence of souls this argument would not hold as strongly for that as it doth for Praeexistence and if I am bound to believe Praeexistence on this ground I be not likewise bound to believe at least the souls of men eternal if not the Universe But how reconcileable the eternity of the world is to the Pythagorick Cabbala of the Creation I am yet to understand But if this Argument doth not at all infer the eternity of the world as we have shewed it doth not much less doth it praeexistence of souls We have thus far considered the first hypothesis which is repugnant to Moses concerning the Origine of the Universe which is that which asserts the eternity of the world as it is we come now to the second which attributes the Formation of the world as it is to God as the efficient cause but attributes eternity to the matter out of which the world was framed I am not ignorant that some who would be taken for the Masters of reason are so far from conceiving this Hypothesis to be repugnant to the text of Moses that they conceive it to be the genuine sense of it viz. that there was a praeexistent matter out of which God formed the World But I would willingly understand how Moses would have expressed that matter its self was created supposing it had been his intention to have spoken it for although the word 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 may not of its self imply necessarily the production of things out of nothing i. e. out of no praeexistent matter yet it is acknowledged by all that no word used by the Iews is more proper to that then 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 is and P. Fagius cites it from R. Nachmani that the Hebrew Language hath no other word to signifie such a production out of nothing but 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 It is therefore a very weak manner of arguing that because 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 is sometimes used for no more then 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 therefore the world was created out of praeexistent matter all that can rationally be inferd is that from the meer force and importance of that word the contrary cannot be collected but if other places of Scripture compared and the evidence of reason do make it clear that there could be no praeexistent matter which was uncreated then it will necessarily follow that creation must be taken in its proper sense And in this sense it is evident that not only Iews and Christians but even the Heathens themselves understood Moses as is plain by Galen where he compares the opinion of Moses with that of Epicurus and ingenuously confesseth that of Moses which attributed the production of things to God to be far more rational and probable then that of Epicurus which assigned the Origine of things to a meer casual concourse of Atoms But withal adds that he must dissent from both and sides with Moses as to the Origine of such things as depend on Generation but asserts the praeexistence of matter and withall that Gods power could not extendits self beyond the capacity of the matter which it wrought upon Atque id est saith he in quo ratio nostra ac Platonis tum aliorum qui apud Graecos de rerum natura recte conscripserunt à Mose dissidet How true these words are will appear afterwards Chaleidius in his Commentaries on Plato's Timaeus where he speaks of the Origine of 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 which in him is still translated sylva and enquires into the different opinions of all Philosophers about it takes it for granted that according to Moses this 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 had its production from God Hebraei sylvam generatam esse confitentur quorum sapientissimus Moyses non humana facundia sed divina ut ferunt inspiratione vegetatus in eo libro qui de genitura mundi censetur ab exordio sic est profatus juxta interpretationem LXX prudentium Initio Deus fecit coelum terram Terra autem erat invisibilis incompta Ut vero ait Aquila Caput rerum condidit Deus coelum terram terra porro inanis erat nihil vel nt Symachus Ab exordio condidit
from eternity together with matter it must necessarily exist as matter doth and so evil will be invincible and unavoidable in the world which if once granted renders Religion useless makes Gods commands unrighteous and destroyes the foundation of Gods proceedings in the day of judgment 3. This opinion makes God not to be the author of good while it denyes him to be the Author of evil For either there was nothing else but evil in this eternal matter or there was a mixture of good and evil if nothing else but evil which did necessarily exist it were as impossible for God to produce good out of it as to annihilate the necessarily existent matter If thâ—re were a mixture of good and evil they were both there either necessarily or contingently how could either of them be contingently in that which is supposed to be necessarily existent and no free agent If they be both there necessarily 1. It is hard conceâ—ving how two such contrary things as good and evil should both necessarily be in the same uniform matter 2. Then God is no more the Author of good then of evil in the world for he is said not to be the Authâ—r of evil because it comes from matter and so it appears good doth too and so God according to this opinion is no more the Author of good then he is of evil But if it be said that good is not in matter but God produced that out of nothing Then I reply 1. If God did produce good out of nothiâ—g why did he not produce matter out of nothing too iâ— he were so powerful as to do the one there could be no de ect of power as to the other What insufficiency is there in Gods nature for producing all things out of nothing if he can produce any thing out of nothing 2. If God did produce good out of evil why could he not have removed all evil out of matter for good could not be produced but by the removing of some evil which was before that good and so God might have removed all evil out of matter And so by not doing it when he might this opinion gives not the least satisfaction in point of reason for acquitting God from being the Author of sin nor for clearing the true Origine of evil Thus we have now compared the account given of it in Scripture with that given by the Heathen Philosophers and find it in every thing more clear rational and satisfactory then theirs is Which doubtless is the reason why the more modern Philosophers such as Hierocles Porphyrie Simplicius and others though otherwise great opposers of Christianity did yet in this side with the Scriptures and attribute the original of evil not to matter but to the Will of man And whoever is seriously conversant with the writings of those Philosophers who were 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 of the sacred succâ—ssion out of the School of Ammonius at Alexandria such as Plotinus Porphyrius Iamblichus and Hierocles will find them wriâ—â— in a higher strain concerning many weighty and importan◠〈◊〉 as of the degeneracy of mens souls from God and tâ—e way of the souls returning to him then the most sublime of the ancient Philosophers had done Which speculations of theirs no doubt arose not so much from the School of Plato and Pythagoras as of that great restorer oâ— Philosophy Ammonius of Alexandria whose Sâ—bolars Herâ—nnius Origen and Plotinus were Who living and dying a â—hristian as Eusebius and Hierom assure us whateveâ— Porphyrius suggests to the contrary did communicate to his Sâ—holars the sublimer mysteries of Divine revâ—lâ—tion togeâ—her wâ—â—h the speculations of the ancienâ— Philoâ—ophers which Holstenius conceives he did with an adjuration oâ— secrecy which he tells us Porphyrius himself acknowledgeth that those three Scholars of Ammonius Herennius Origen and Plâ—tinus were under an obligation to each other not to reveal and discover though it were after violated by them It is an easie matter to conceive what an excellent improvement might be made of the ancient Platonick Philosophy by the advantage of the Scriptures by one who was so well versed in both of them as Ammonius is supposed to have been and how agreeable and becoming would that Philosophy seem which had only its rise from Plato but its height and improvement from those rich and truly divine Truths which were inlaid with them The want of observing this viz. whence it was that those excellent discourses in the later Platonists had their true original hath given occasion to several mistakes among learned men as first the over valuing of the Platonick Philosophy as though in many of the discourses and notions of it it seemed to some who were more in Love with Philosophy then the Scriptures to outgo what is discovered therein concerning the same things A most groundless and unworthy censure when it is more then probable and might be largely manifested were it here a fit opportunity that whatever is truly generous and noble in the sublimist discourses of the Platonists had not only its primitive rise but its accession and improvement from the Scriptures wherein it is still contained in its native lustre and beauty without those paintings and impure mixtures which the suâ—â—â—mest truths are corrupted with in the Platonick writiâ—â— The reason of which is though these Philosophers grew â—â—ddenly rich through the spoyles they had taken out of the Scriptures yet they were loth to be known from whence they had them and would seem to have had that out of their own gardens which was only transplanted from the Sacred writings Therefore we find them not mentioning the Scriptures and the Christian doctrine without some contempt of its meanness and simplicity what ever improvement they had gained by them they would have it less taken notice of by professing their opposition to the Christians as is notorious in those great Philosophers Porphyrius Iamblichus Hierocles Simplicius and oâ—hers It being their design to take so much and no more out of the Christian doctrine as they could well suite with their Platâ—nick notions by which means they so disguised the faces of the Truths they stole that it were hard for the right owners of them to know them again Which was the grand artifice of their great Master Plato who doubtless by means of his abode and acquaintance in Aegypt about the time when the Iews began to flock thither had more certain knowledge of many truths of grand importance concerning the Deity the nature of the soul the Origine of the world then many other Greek Philosophers had but yet therein lay his great fault that he wrapt up and disguised his notions in such a fabulous and ambiguous manner that partly it might be less known from whence he had them and that they might find better entertainment among the Greeks then they were ever like to do in their plain and native dress Which Plato himself seems somewhere to intimate when he saith that what
the Greeks received from the Barbarians 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 they put it into a better fashion i. e. they disguise it alter and change it as they please and put it into a Greek habit that it might never be suspected to have been a Forraigner Thence Tertullian speaks with a great deal of truth and freedom of such Philosophers who did ingenii sitim de prophetarum fonte irrigare as he expresseth it that quenched their thirst after knowledge with the waters of Iordan though they did not like Naaman cure the leproâ—ic of the head by washing in them for as Tertullian saith theâ— came only ex negotio curiositatis more to please the i tch oâ— their curiosity then to cure it And wherein they seemed most to agree with the Scriptures their difference was beyond their agreement Siquidem vera quaeque consonantia Prophetis aut aliunde commendant aut aliorsum subornant cum maxima injuria veritatis quam efficiunt aut adjuvari falsis aut patrocinari Whatever the Philosophers speak agreeable to the Scriptures either they do not own whence they had it or turn it quite another way whereby they have done the truth a great deal of injury by mixing it with their corruptions of it and making that little truth a plea for the rest of their errors Neither was this only among the ancient Philosophers but the Primitive Christians began to discern the underhand workings of such who sought to blend Philosophy and Christianity together for Tertullian himself takes great notice of such who did Veritatis dogmata ad Philosophicas sententias adulterare suborn Christianity to maintain Philosophy which makes him cry out Viderint qui Stoicum Platonicum Dialecticum Christianismum protulerunt by which we see what tampering there was betimes rather to bring Christianity down to Philosophy rather then to make Philosophy truckle under the truth and simplicity of the Scriptures Whether Ammonius himself and some others of the School of Alexandria might be guilty in this kind is not here a place to enquire though it be too evident in the writings of some that they rather seek to accommodate the Scriptures to the Sentiments of the School of Plato then to reform that by the Scriptures but I say however it were with those who were Christians yet those who were not but only Philosophers made their great advantage by it For when they found what was reconcileable with the doctrine of Plato in the Scriptures done already to their hands by the endeavours chiefly of Ammonius and Origen they greedily embrace those improvements of their Philosophy which would tend so much to the credit of it and as contemptuously reject what they found irreconcileable with the dictates of their Philosophy Now what an unreasonable thing is it when what ever was noble and excellent in the Heathen Philosophy was derivative from 〈◊〉 Scriptures as the sacred Fountâ—in of it that the meeting with such things should in the least redound to the prejudice of the Scriptures from whence it was originally derived when on the other side it should be a great confirmation to our faith as to the Scriptures that they who were professed Philosophers and admirers only of reason did so readily embrace some of those grand Truths which are contained in the word of God For which we need no other instance then that before us concerning the Origine of evil the making out of which will tend to the clearing the last thing mentioned concerning it which was that the most material things in it are attested by the Heathens themselves And this honey which is gained out of the Lions mouth must needs tast sweeter then any other doth For it is a weak and groundless mistake on the other side which is the second which ariseth from meeting things consonant to the Scriptures in the writings of Philosophers presently to conclude from such things that they were Christians as it is said some have lately done in the behalf of Hierocles For there being such clear accounts given in Scripture of the grand difficulties and perplexities which the minds of men were troubled with when these came to the knowledge of such who were of Philosophick and inquisitive heads we cannot but think they would meet with acceptation among them especially if they might be made consistent with their former speculations Thus it was in our present case concerning the Origine of evil we have already beheld the lamentable perplexities the ancient Philosophers were in about it what Maeanders they were lost in for want of a clue to guide them through them now it pleased God after the coming of Christ in the flâ—shâ—o â—o declare to the world the only way for the recovery 〈◊〉 souls and their eternal salvation the news of which being spread so far that it soon got among the Philosophers could not but make them more inquisitive concerning the state and condition of their souls and when they had searched what the Philosophers had formerly discovered of it their curiosity would presently prompt them to see what account of things concerning the souls of 〈◊〉 delivered by the preachers of this New Doctrine B◠〈◊〉 they could not but presently understand that they declared all mens souls to be in a most degenerate and low condition by being so continually under the power of the most unreasonable and unruly passions that they were estranged from God and prone to fix on things very unsuitable to their nature as to all which their own inward sense and experience could but tell them that these things were notoriously true and therefore they enquire further how these things came to be so which they receive a full account of in Scripture that mans soul was at first created pure and holy and in perfect friendship with God that God dealt bountifully and favourably with man only expected obedience to his Laws that man being a free agent did abuse his liberty and disobeyed his Maker and thence came the true 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 the feathers of the soul whereby it soared up to heaven moulted away and the soul sunk below its self into a degenerate and apostate condition out of which it is impossible to be recovered without some extraordinary expression of Divine Favour Now what is there in all this account but what is hugely suitable to principles of reason and to the general experience of the world as to those things which were capable of being tryed by it And those Philosophers who were any thing ingenuâ—us and lovers of truth could not but confess the truth of those things which we are now speaking of viz. That mens souls are in a very degenerate condition That the most rational account of it is that man by the act of his own will brought himself into it and that in order to the happiness of mens souls there was a necessity of recovery out of this condition As to the degeneracy of the souls of men This
goodness to all and by his forbearance of so many teach the world more meekness and gentleness towards each other For if offences rise by the quality of the person against whom they are committed no injuries can be so great in one man to another as those affronts are men put upon God by their continual provocations of him And if God then be of so infinite patience to forbear such who have offended him what justice and reason is there but that men should express more lenity and patience towards each other So Hierocâ—â—â— excellently speaks 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 A good man imitates God in the measures of friendship who hates no man and extends his loving kindnesse to all mankind Of which Seneca likewise somewhere speaks Ne Deos quidem immortales ab hac tam effusa benignitate sacrilegi negligentesque corum deterrent utuntur natura sua cuncta interque illa ipsos munerum suorum malos interpretes juvant The Divine Benignity extends its self to all even to such as affront and dishonour them and abuse the gifts they bestow upon them And since there is so much truth and reason in that of Plato 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 It is the height of goodnesse to be like to God we see what excellent reason there is for thaâ— command of our Saviour Love your enemies and do good and lend hoping for nothing again and your reward shall be great and ye shall be the children of the highest for he is kind unto the unthankful and to the evil Be ye therefore mercifull as your Father is mercifull 2. God forbears presently to punish wicked men to give them time to become better This the same excellent Moralist gives as another account of Gods patience that thereby he gives them 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 a space to repent as the Scripture calls it For men saith Plutarch in their punishments look at nothing further then meer satisfying their revenge and malice and that makes them pursue those that have offended them with so much rage and eagerness but God saith he aims at the cure of those who are not utterly incurable To such he gives 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 a time to reform in Here he brings in the examples of such who were bad at first and came afterwards to be changed from what they were for which he instanceth in Cecrops who was thence called 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 because from a cruel severe Prince he became gentle and mild and so Gelon and Hieron of Sicily and Pisistratus the son of Hippocrates who from being Usurpers became excellent Princes If Miltiades saith he had been cut off while he acted the part of a Tyrant or Cimon in his Incest or Themistocles in his debaucheries what had become of Marathon Eurymedon Dianium by which the Athenians got so great glory and liberty and as he well observes 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Great Spirits do nothing mean 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 That sharp and active spirit that is in them can never lye at rest by reason of its vigour but they are tossed up and down as it were in a Tempest till they come to a setled composed life But as the multitudes of weeds argues the richness and softness of the ground though for the sake of those weeds one not skild in husbandry would not account such ground worth looking after so saith he 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 great spirits usually bring forth no commenaable fruits at first which we considering the danger and hurtfulness of are presently for cutting them down but one that more wisely considers the generous nature which may lye under this ill fruit waits time and leasure till reason and age begins to master these head-strong passions And therefore according to the prudent Law of the Aegyptians the woman with child must be reprieved till the time of her delivery 3. God spares some wicked men from punishment to make them instruments of his justice in punishing others Evâ—ol◠〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 as Plutarch goes on God spares some from punishment that by them he might punish others Which he supposeth to be the case of all Tyrants and thereby Cotta's difficulty concerning Marius Cinna Sylla and those other cruel and Tyrannical persons who had usurped authority among them is clearly taken off For Divine Providence might let those trees grow from whence he intended to take his rods to scourge others with all God makes the same use of Tyrants saith Plutarch to common-wealths that Physitians do of the gall of a Hyaena and other hurtful creatures which may be good for curing some dangerous diseases so may the Tyrannical severity and sharpness of such persons be continued 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 till the diseases of the Political body be cured by these sharp Medicines Such a one was Phalaris to the Agrigentines and Marius to the Romans and the Oracle told the Sicyonians in express terms 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 the City wanted some severe discipline Thence Totilas when he found what strange success he had in his enterprises called himself Flagellum Dei and thought God raised him up on purpose to be a scourge for the sins of the world And no doubt those strange passages of the Roman Common-wealth which made Cato at least dispute providence and say res divinas multum habere caliginis when he saw Pompey successful as long as he served his ambition but presently overthrown when he stood for the Common-wealth these things I say had a higher end then they looked at which was to make both Pompey and Caesar the instruments of Divine justice to punish the Romans for their lusts ambition and cruelty which were never greater then in that age Now then if God may justly punish offenders why may he not spare some to make them his instruments in the punishing of others especially since after he hath used his rods he may cast them into the fire too as was evident in the instance of Caesar who after all his slaughters and triumphs was murdered in the Senate and that by some who had been as active as any for him And herein divine justice both as to the punishment of the persons and the means of it hath been very remarkable in multitudes of instances which every ones reading may afford him 4. Therefore another account why God may spare wicked men a great while is That divine providence might more remarkably be observed in the manner of their punishment afterwards Plutarch tells us of Callippus who was stabd by his enemies with the samd Dagger with which he had kild Dion under a pretence of friendship And when Mitius the Argive was kild in a tumult afterwards upon the day of a solemn shew a brass statue in the market place fell upon his murderer and kild him there But most remarkable is the story of Belsus recorded by the same author who having kild his Father and a long time concealed it goes one night to supper to some
the Indians were in darkness while the Bacchae enjoyed light which circumstances considered will make every one that hath judgement say as Bochartus doth ex mirabili illâ— concentu vel coecis apparebit priscos fabularum architectos e scriptoribus sacris multa â—sse mutuatos From this wonderful agreement of Heathen Mythology with the Scriptures it cannot but appear that one is a corruption of the other That the memory of Iâ—shua and Sampson was preserved under Hercules Tyrius is made likewise very probable from several circumstances of the stories Others have deduced the many rites of Heathen worship from those used in the Tabernacle among the Iews Several others might be insisted on as the Parallel between Og and Typho and between the old Silenus and Balaam both noted for their skill in divination both taken by the water Num. 22. 5. both noted for riding on an ass 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 saith Lucian of the old Silenus and that which makes it yet more probable is that of Pausanias 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 which some learned men have been much puzled to find out the truth of and this conjecture which I here propound may pass at least for a probable account of it but I shall no longer insist on these things having I suppose done what is sufficient to our purpose which is to make it appear what footsteps there are of the truth of Scripture-history amidst all the corruptions of Heathen Mythology CHAP. VI. Of the Excellency of the Scriptures Concerning matters of pure divine revelation in Scripture the terms of Salvation only contained therein The ground of the disesteem of the Scriptures is tacite unbelief The Excellency of the Scriptures manifested as to the matters which God hath revealed therein The excellency of the discoveryes of Gods nature which are in Scripture Of the goodness and love of God in Christ. The suitableness of those discoveries of God to our natural notions of a Deity The necessity of Gods making known himself to us in order to the regulating our conceptions of him The Scriptures give the fullest account of the state of mens souls and the corruptions which are in them The only way of pleasing God discovered in Scriptures The Scriptures contain matters of greatest mysteriousness and mest universal satisfaction to mens minds The excellency of the manner wherein things are revealed in Scriptures in regard of clearness authority purity uniformity and perswasiveness The excellency of the Scriptures as a rule of life The nature of the duties of Religion and the reasonableness of them The greatness of the encouragements to Religion contained in the Scriptures The great excellency of the Scriptures as containing in them the Coveâ—ant of Grace in order to mans Salvation HAving thus largely proved the Truth of all those passages of sacred Scripture which concern the history of the first ages of the world by all those arguments which a subject of that nature is capable of the only thing leâ—t in order to our full proving the Divinity of the Scriptures is the consideration of â—hose matters contained in it which are in an especâ—al maâ—neâ— said to be of Divine Revelation For those historical pâ—ssages though we believe them as contained in the Scripture to have been Divinely inspired as well as others yet they are such things as supposing no Divine Revelatiâ—n might have been known sufficiently to the world had not men bâ—en wanting to themselves as to the care and means of preserving them but those matters which I now come to discourse of are of a more sublime and transcendent nature such as it had been impâ—ssible for the minds of men to reach had they not been immediately discovered by God himself And those are the terms and conditions on which the soul of man may upon good grounds expect an eternal happiness which we assert the book of Scriptures to be the only authentick and infallible records of Men might by the improvements of reason and the sagacity of their minds discover much not only of the lapsed condition of their souls and the necessity of a purgation of them in order to their felicity but might in the general know what things are pleasing and acceptable to the Divine nature from those differences of good and evil which are unalterably fixed in the things themselves but which way to obtain any certainty of the remission of sins to recover the Grace and Favour of God to enjoy perfect tranquillity and peace of conscience to be able to please God in things agreeable to his will and by these to be assured of eternal bliss had been impossible for men to have ever found had not God himself been graciously pleased to reveal them to us Men might still have bewildred themselvs in following the ignes fatui of their own imaginations and hunting up and down the world for a path which leads to heaven but could have found none unless God himself taking pitty of the wandrings of men had been pleased to hang out a light from heaven to direct them in their way thither and by this Pharos of Divine Revelation to direct them so to stear their course as to escape splitting themselves on the rocks of open impieties or being swallowed up in the quicksands of terrene delights Neither doth he shew them only what shâ—lves and rocks they must escape but what particular course they must steâ—re what star they must have in their eye what compass they must observe what winds and gales they must expect and pray for if they would at last arrive at eternal bliss Eternal bliss What more could a God of infinite goodness promise or the soul of man ever wish â—or A Reward to such who are so â—ar from deserving that they are still provâ—king Glory to such who are more apt to be ashamed of their duties then of their offences but that it should not only be a glorious reward but eternal too is that which though it infinitely transcend the deserts of the receivers yet it highly discovers the infinite goodness of the Giver But when we not only know that there is so rich a mine of inestimable treasures but if the owner of it undertakes to shew us the way to it and gives us certain and infallible directions how to come to the full pâ—ssession of it how much are we in love with misery and do we court our own ruine if we neglect to hearken to his directions and observe his commands This is that we are now undertaking to make good concerning the Scriptures that these alone contain those sacred discoveries by which the souls of men may come at last to enjoy a compleat and eternal happiness One would think there could be nothing more needless in the world then to bid men regard their own welfare and to seek to be happy yet whoever casts his eye into the world will find no counsel so little hearkned to as this nor any thing which is more generally looked on
of that God who reveals it whose authority extends over the soul and conscience of man in its most secret and hidden recesses 3. In a pure and unmixed manner in all other writings how good soever we have a great mixture of dross and gold together here is nothing but pure gold Diamonds without flaws Suns without spots The most current coynes of the world have their alloyes of baser mettals there is no such mixture in divine Truths as they all come from the same Author so they all have the same purity There is a Urim and Thumim upon the whole Scripture light and perfection in every part of it In the Philosophers we may meet it may be with some scattered fragments of purer mettal amidst abundance of dross and impure oare here we have whole wedges of gold the same vein of purity and holiness running through the whole book of Scriptures Hence it is called the form of sound words here have been no hucksters to corrupt and mix their own inventions with Divine Truths 4 In an uniform and agreeable manner This I grant is not sufficient of its self to prove the Scriptures to be Divine because all men do not contradict themselves in their writings but yet here are some peculiar circumstances to be considered in the agreeableness of the parts of Scripture to each other which are not to be found in meer humane writings 1. That this doctrine was delivered by persons who lived in different ages and times from each other Usually one age corrects anothers faults and we are apt to pitty the ignorance of our predecessors when it may be our posterity may think us as ignorant as we do them But in the sacred Scripture we read not one age condemning another we find light still increasing in the series of times in Scripture but no reflections in any time upon the ignorance or weakness of the precedent the dimmest light was sufficient for its age and was a step to further discovery Quintilian gives it as the reason of the great uncertainty of Grammar rules quia non analogia demissa coelo formam loquendi dedit that which he wanted as to Grammar we have as to Divine Truths they are delivered from heaven and therefore are alwayes uniform and agreeable to each other 2. By persons of different interests in the world God made choice of men of all ranks to be enditers of his oracles to make it appear it was no matter of State policy or particular interest which was contained in his word which persons of such different interests could not have agreed in as they do We have Moses David Solomon persons of royal rank and quality and can it be any mean thing which these think it their glory to be penners of We have Isaiah Daniel and other persons of the highest education and accomplishments and can it be any trivial thing which these imploy themselves in We have Amos other Prophets in the old Testament and the Apostles in the New of the meaner sort of men in the world yet all these joyn in consort together when God tunes their spirits all agree in the same strain of divine truths and give light and harmony to each other 3. By persons in different places and conditions some in prosperity in their own country some under banishment and adversity yet all agreeing in the same substance of doctrine of which no alteration we see was made either for the flattery of those in power or for avoiding miseries and calamities And under all the different dispensations before under and after the Law though the management of things was different yet the doctrine and design was for substance the same in all All the different dispensations agree in the same common principles of religion the same ground of acceptance with God and obligation to duty was common to all though the peculiar instances wherein God was served might be different according to the ages of growth in the Church of God So that this great uniformity considered in these circumstances is an argument that these things came originally from the same Spirit though conveyed through different instruments to the knowledge of the world 5. In a perswasive and convincing manner and that these wayes 1. Bringing divine truths down to our capacity cloathing spiritual matter in familiar expressions and similitudes that so they might have the easier admission into our minds 2. Propounding things as our interest which are our duty thence God so frequently in Scripture recommends our dutyes to us under all those motives which are wont to have the greatest force on the minds of men and annexeth gracious promises to our performance of them and those of the most weighty and concerning things Of grace favour protection deliverance audience of prayers and eternal happiness and is these will not prevail with men what motives will 3. Courting us to obedience when he might not only command us to obey but punish presently for disobedience Hence are all those most pathetical and affectionate strains we read in Scripture O that there were such a heart within them that they would fear me and keep all my commandments alwayes that it might go well with them and with their children after them Wo unto thee O Jerusalem wilt thou not be made clean when shall it once be Turn ye turn ye from your evil wayes for why will ye dye O hâ—use of Israel How shall I give thee up Ephraim how shall I deliver thee Israel how shall I make thee as Admah how shall I set thee as Zâ—boim mine heart is turned within me my repentings are kindled together O Jerusalem Jerusalem how often would I have gathered thy children together as a hen gathered her chickens under her wings and ye would not What Majesty and yet what sweetness and condescension is there in these expressions What obstinacy and rebellion is it in men for them to stand out against God when he thus comes down from his throne of Majesty and wooes rebellious sinners to return unto him that they may be pardoned Such a matchless and unparalleld strain of Rhâ—torick is there in the Scripture far above the art and insinuations of the most admired Orators Thus we see the peculiar excellency of the manner wherein the matters contained in Scripture are revealed to us thus we have considered the excellency of the Scripture as it is a discovery of Gods mind to the world The Scriptures may be considered as a rule of life or as a Law of God which is given for the Government of the lives of men and therein the excellency of it lies in the nature of the dutyes and the encouragements to the practice of them 1. In the nature of the dutyes required which are most becoming God to require most reasonable for us to perform 1. Most becoming God to require as they are most suitable and agreeable to the Divine nature the imitation of which in our actions is the
is in the work of Grace So that according to this opinion there must be immediate inspiration as to that act of faith whereby we believe any one to have been divinely inspired and consequently to that whereby we believe the Scriptures to be the Word of God Secondly Doth not this make the fairest plea for mens unbelief For I demand Is it the duty of those who want that immediate illumination to believe or no If it be not their duty unbelief can be no sin to them if it be a duty it must be made known to be a duty and how can that be made known to them to be a duty when they want the only and necessary means of instruction in order to it Will God condemn them for that which it was impossible they should have unless God gave it them And how can they be left inexcuseable who want so much as rational inducements to faith for of these I now speak and not of efficacious perswasions of the mind when there are rational arguments for faith propounded But lastly I suppose the case will be cleared when we take notice what course God hath alwayes taken to give all rational satisfaction to the minds of men concerning the persons whom he hath imployed in either of the fore-mentioned cases First for those who have been imployed upon some special message and service for God he hath sent them forth sufficiently provided with manifestations of the Divine power whereby they acted As is most clear and evident in the present case of Moses Exodus 4. 1 2 3 4 5. where Moses puts the case to God which we are now debating of Supposing saith he that I should go to the Israelites and tell them God had appeared to me and sent me to deliver them and they should say God had not appeared unto me how should I satisfie them God doth not reject this objection of Moses as favouring of unbelief but presently shews him how he should satisfie them by causing a miracle before his face turning his rod into a Serpent and God gives this as the reason of it vers 5. That they may believe that the Lord God of their Fathers the God of Abraham the God of Isaac the God of Jacob hath appeared unto thee It seems God himself thought this would be the most pregnant evidence of Gods appearing to him if he wrought miracles before their faces Nay lest they should think one single miracle was not sufficient God in the immediate following verses adjoyns two more which he should do in order to their satisfaction and further verse 21. God gave him a charge to do all those wonders before Pharoah which he had put into his hand And accordingly we find Pharoah presently demanding a miracle of Moses Exodus 7. 9. which accordingly Moses did in his presence though he might suppose Pharoahs demand not to proceed from desire of satisfaction but from some hopes that for want of it he might have rendred his credit suspected among the Israelites Indeed after God had delivered his people and had setled them in a way of serving him according to the Laws delivered by Moses which he had confirmed by unquestionable miracles among them we find a caution laid in by Moses himself against those which should pretend signs and wonders to draw them off from the Religion established by the Law of Moses And so likewise under the Gospel after that was established by the unparallel'd miracles of our Saviour and his Apostles we find frequent cautions against being deceived by those who came with pretences of doing great miracles But this is so far from infringing the credibility of such a Testimony which is confirmed by miracles that it yields a strong confirmation to the truth of what I now assert For the doctrine is supposed to be already established by miracles according to which we are to judge of the spirits of such pretenders Now it stands to the greatest reason that when a Religion is once established by uncontrouled miracles we should not hearken to every whiffling Conjurer that will pretend to do great feats to draw us off from the truth established In which case the surest way to discover the imposture is to compare his pretended miracles with those true and real ones which were done by Moses and Christ and the ground of it is because every person is no competent judge of the truth of a miracle for the Devil by his power and subtilty may easily deceive all such as will be led by the nose by him in expectation of some wonders to be done by him And therefore as long as we have no ground to question the oertainty of those miracles which were wrought by Christ or Moses I am bound to adhere to the doctrine established by those miracles and to make them my rule of judging all persons who shall pretend to work miracles Because 1. I do not know how far God may give men over to be deceived by lying wonders who will not receive the truth in the love of it i. e. those that think not the Christian Religion sufficiently confirmed by the miracles wrought at the first promulgation of it God in justice may permit the Devil to go further then otherwise he could and leave such persons to their own credulity to believe every imposture and illusion of their senses for true miracles 2. That doctrine which was confirmed by undoubted miracles hath assured us of the coming of lying wonders whereby many should be deceived Now this part of the doctrine of the Gospel is as certainly true as any of the rest for it was confirmed by the same miracles that the other was and besides that the very coming of such miracles is an evidence of the truth of it it falling out so exactly according to what was foretold so many hundred years since Now if this doctrine be true then am I certain the intent of these miracles is to deceive and that those are deceived who hearken to them and what reason then have I to believe them 3. To what end do these miracles serve Are they to confirm the truths contained in Scripture But what need they any confirmation now when we are assured by the miracles wrought by Christ and his Apostles that the doctrine by them preached came from God and so hath been received upon the credit of those miracles ever since Were these truths sufficiently proved to be from God before or no If not then all former ages have believed without sufficient ground for faith if they were then what ground can there be to confirm us in them now certainly God who never doth anything but for very great purposes will never alter the course of nature meerly for satisfaction of mens vain curiosities But it may be it will be said It was something not fully revealed in Scripture which is thus confirmed by miracles but where hath the Scripture told us that anything not fully revealed