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to do some more then ordinary service Secondly When something that hath been before established by Divine Law is to be repealed and some other way of worship established in stead of it First When any comes upon an extraordinary message to the world in the name of and by commission from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
ORIGINES SACRAE OR A Rational Account of the Grounds OF Christian Faith AS TO THE TRUTH AND Divine Authority OF THE SCRIPTURES And the matters therein contained By EDWARD STILLINGFLEET Rector of Sutton in Bedfordshire 2 Pet. 1. 16. For we have not followed cunningly devised Fables when we made known to you the power and coming of our Lord Jesus Christ but were eye-witnesses of his Majesty Neque religio ulla sine sapientia suscipienda est nec ulla sine religione probanda sapientia Lactant. de fals relig cap. 1. LONDON Printed by R. W. for Henry Mortlock at the sign of the Phoenâ—â— in St. Pauls Church-yard near the little North-door 1662. To his most Honoured Friend and Patron Sr. ROGER BURGOINE Knight and Baronet Sir IT was the early felicitie of Moses when exposed in an Ark of Nilotick papyre to be adopted into the favour of so great a personage as the Daughter of Pharaoh Such another Ark is this vindication of the writings of that Divine and excellent Person exposed to the world in and the greatest ambition of the Author of it is to have it received into your Patronage and Protection But although the contexture and frame of this Treatise be far below the excellency and worth of the subject as you know the Ark in which Moses was put was of bulrushes daubed with slime and pitch yet when You please to cast your eye on the matter contained in it you will not think it beneath your Favour and unworthy your Protection For if Truth be the greatest Present which God could bestow or man receive according to that of Plurarch 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 then certainly those Truths deserve our most ready acceptance which are in themselves of greatest importance and have the greatest evidence that they come from God And although I have had the happiness of so near relation to You acquaintance with You as to know how little You need such discourses which tend to settle the Foundations of Religion which you have raised so happy a Superstructure upon yet withal I consider what particular Kindness the souls of all good men bear to such Designs whose end is to assert and vindicate the Truth and Excellency of Religion For those who are enriched themselves with the inestimable Treasure of true Goodness and Piety are far from that envious temper to think nothing valuable but what they are the sole Possessors of but such are the most satisfied themselves when they see others not only admire but enjoy what they have the highest estimation of Were all who make a shew of Religion in the World really such as they pretend to be discourses of this nature vvould be no more seasonable then the commendations of a great Beauty to one vvho is already a passionate admirer of it but on the contrary vve see how common it is for men first to throw dirt in the face of Religion and then perswade themselves it is its natural Complexion they represent it to themselves in a shape least pleasing to them and then bring that as a Plea why they give it no better entertainment It may justly seem strange that true Religion which contains nothing in it but what is truly Noble and Generous most rational and pleasing to the spirits of all good men should yet suffer so much in its esteem in the world through those strange and uncouth vizards it is represented under Some accouting the life and practice of it as it speaks subduing our wills to the will of God which is the substance of all Religion a thing too low and mean for their rank and condition in the World while others pretend a quarrel against the principles of it as unsatisfactory to Humane reason Thus Religion suffers with the Author of it between two Thieves and it is hard to define which is more injurious to it that which questions the Principles or that which despiseth the Practice of it And nothing certainly will more incline men to believe that we live in an Age of Prodigies then that there should be any such in the Christian World who should account it a piece of Gentility to despise Religion and a piece of Reason to be Atheists For if there be any such things in the World as a true height and magnanimity of spirit if there be any solid reason and depth of judgement they are not only consistent with but only attainable by a true generous spirit of Religion But if we look at that which the loose and profane World is apt to account the greatest gallantry we shall find it made up of such pitiful Ingredients which any skilful rational mind will be ashamed to plead for much less to mention them in competition with true goodness and unfeigned piety For how easie is it to observe such who would be accounted the most high and gallant spirits to quarry on such mean preys which only tend to satisfie their brutish appetites or flesh revenge with the blood of such who have stood in the way of that ayery title Honour Or else they are so little apprehensive of the in ward worth and excellency of humane nature that they seem to envy the gallantry of Peacocks and strive to outvy them in the gayety of their Plumes such vvho are as seneca saith ad similitudinem parietum extrinsecùs culti vvho imitate the walls of their houses in the fairness of the outsides but matter not vvhat rubbish there lies within The utmost of their ambition is to attain enervatam felicitatem quâ permadescunt animi such a felicity as evigorates the soul by too long steeping it being the nature of all terrestrial pleasures that they do 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 by degrees consume reason by effeminating and softening the Intellectuals Must we appeal then to the judgement of Sardanapalus concerning the nature of Felicity or enquire of Apicius what temperance is or desire that Sybarite to define Magnanimity who fainted to see a man at hard labour Or doth now the conquest of passions forgiving injuries doing good self-denial humility patience under crosses which are the real expressions of piety speak nothing more noble generous then a luxurious malicious proud and impatient spirit Is there nothing more becoming and agreeable to the soul of man in exemplary Piety and a Holy well-orderd Conversation then in the lightness and vanity not to say rudeness and debaucheries of those whom the world accounts the greatest gallants Is there nothing more graceful and pleasing in the sweetness candour and ingenuity of a truly Christian temper and disposition then in the revengeful implacable spirit of such whose Honour lives and is fed by the Blood of their enemies Is it not more truly honourable and glorious to serve that God who commands the World then to be a slave to those passions and lusts which put men upon continual hard service and torment them for it when they have done it Were there nothing else to commend Religion
that perish If now the weight and consequence of the subject and the too great seasonableness of it if the common fame of the large spread of Atheism among us be true be not sufficient Apology for the publishing this Book I am resolved rather to undergo thy censure tben be beholding to any other The intendment therefore of this Preface is only to give a brief account of the scope design and method of the following Books although the view of the Contents of the Chapters might sufficiently acquains thee with it How far I have been either from transeribing or a design to excusse out of the hands of their admirers the several writings on the behalf of Religion in general or Christianity in particular especially Mornay Groâ—ius Amyraldus c. may easily appear by comparing what is contained in their Books and this together Had I not thought something might be said if not more fully and rationally yet more suitably to the present temper of this Age then what is already written by them â—thou hadst not been troubled with this Preface much less with the whole Book But as the tempers and Genius 's of Ages and Times alier so do the arms and wâ—npons which â—â—theists imploy against Religion the most papular pretences of the Atheists of our Age have been the irreconcileableness of the account of Times in Scripture with that of the learned and ancient Heathen Nations the inconsistency of the belief of the Scriptures with the principles of reason and the account which may be given of the Origine of things from principles of Philosophy without the Scriptures These three therefore I have particularly set my self against and directed against each of them a several Book In the first I have manifested that there is no ground of credibility in the account of ancient times given by any Heathen Nations different from the Scriptures which I have with so much care and diligence enquired into that from thence we may hope to hear no more of men before Adam to salve the Authority of the Scriptures by which yet was intended only as a design to undermine them but I have not thought the frivolous pretences of the Author of that Hypothesis worth particular mentioning supposing it sufficient to give a clear account of things without particular citation of Authors where it was not of great concernment for understanding the thing its self In the second Book I have undertaken to give a rational account of the grounds why we are to believe those several persons who in several ages were imployed to reveal the mind of God to the world and with greater particularity then hath yet been used I have insisted on the persons of Moses and the Prophets our Saviour and his Apostles and in every of them manifested the rational evidences on which they were to be believed not only by the men of their own Age but by those of succeeding Generations In the third Book I have insisted on the matters themselves which are either supposed by or revealed in the Scriptures and have therein not only manifested the certainty of the foundations of all Religion which lye in the Being of God and Immortality of the soul but the undoubted truth of those particular accounts concerning the Origine of the Universe of Evil and of Nations which were most lyable to the Atheists exceptions and have therein considered all the pretences of Philosophy ancient or modern which have seemed to contradict any of them to which mant ssae loco I have added the evidence of Scripture History in the remainders of it in Heathen Mythology and concluded all with a discourse of the excellency of the Scriptures Thus having given a brief view of the design and method of the whole I submit it to every free and unprejudiced judgement All the favour then I shall request of thee is to read seriously and judge impartially and then I doubt not but thou wilt see as much reason for Religion as I do THE CONTENTS BOOK I. CHAP. I. The obscurity and defect of Ancient History THE knowledge of truth proved to be the most natural perfection of the rational soul yet error often mistaken for truth the accounts of it Want of diligence in its search the mixture of truth and fâ—lshood Thence comes either rejecting truth for the errors sake or embracing the error for the truths sake the first instanced in Heathen Philosophers the second in vulgar Heathen Of Philosophical Atheism and the grounds of it The History of Antiquity very obscure The question stated where the true History of ancient times to be found in Heathen Histories or only in Scripture The want of credibility in Heathen Histories asserted and proved by the general defect for want of timely records among Heathen Nations the reason of it shewed from the first Plantations of the World The manner of them discovered The Original of Civil Government Of Hicroglyphicks The use of letters among the Greeks no elder then Cadmus his time enquired into no elder then Joshua the learning brought into Greece by him page 1 CHAP. II. Of the Phoenician and Aegyptian History The particular defect in the History of the most learned Heathen Nations First the Phoenicians Of Sanchoniathon his Antiquity and Fidelity Of Jerom-baal Baal-Berith The Antiquity of Tyre Scaliger vindicated against Bâ—chartus Abibalus The vanity of Phoenician Theology The imitation of it by the Gnosticks Of the Aegyptian History The Antiquity and Authority of Hermes Trismegistus Of his Inscriptions on Pillars transcribed by Manetho His Fabulousness thence discovered Terra Seriadica Of Seths Pillars in Josephus and an account whence they are taken pag. 25 CHAP. III. Of the Chaldean History The contest of Antiquity among Heathen Nations and the ways of deciding it Of the Chaldean Astrology and the foundation of Iudicial Astrology Of the Zabiâ— their Founder who they were no other then the old Chaldees Of Berosus and his History An account of the fabulous Dynastyes of Berosus and Manetho From the Translation of the Scripture history into Greek in the time of Prolomy Of that translation and the time of it Of Demetrius Phalereus Scaligers arguments answered Manetho writ after the Septuagint proved against Kircher his arguments answered Of Rabbinical and Arabick Authors and their little credit in matter of history The time of Berosus enquired into his writing co-temporary with Philadelphus pag. 40 CHAP. IV. The defect of the Graecian History That manifested by three evident arguments of it 1. The fabulousness of the Poetical age of Greece The Antiquity of Poetry Of Orpheus and the ancient Poets Whence the Poetical Fables borrowed The advancement of Poetry and Idolatry together in Greece The different censures of Strabo and Eratosthenes concerning the Poetical age of Greece and the reasons of them 2. The eldest historians of Greece are of suspected credit Of Damastes Aristeus and others of most of their eldest Historians we have nothing left but their names of others only the
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 Barchochebas 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 necâ—ssary 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 Hâ—athen Gods 6. God makes it evident to all impartial judgments 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 pag. 334 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 pag. 360 CHAP. II. Of the Origine of the Universe The necessity of the belief of the creation of the world in order to the truth of Religion Of the several Hypotheses of the Philosophers who contradict Moses with a particular examination of them The ancïent tradition of the world consonant to Moses proved from the fonick Philosophy of Thales and the Italick of Pythagoras The Pythagorick Cabbala rather Aegyptian then Mosaick Of the fluid matter which was the material principle of the universe Of the Hypothesis of the eternity of the world asserted by Ocellus Lucanus and Aristotle The weakness of the foundations on which that opinion is built Of the manner of forming principles of Philosophy The possibility of creation proved No arguing from the present state of the world against its beginning shewed from Maimonides The Platonists arguments from the goodness of God for the eternity of the world answered Of the Stoical Hypothesis of the eternity of matter whether reconcilable with the text of Moses Of the opinions of Plato and Pythagoras concerning the praeexistence of matter to the formation of the world The contradiction of the eternity of matter to the nature and attributes of God Of the Atomical Hypothesis of the Origine of the Universe The World could not be produced by a casual concourse of Atoms proved from the nature and motion of Epicurus his Atoms and the Phaenomena of the Universe especially the production and nature of Animals Of the Cartesian Hypothesis that it cannot salve the Origine of the Universe without a Deity giving motion to matter pag. 421 CHAP. III. Of the Origine of Evil. Of the Being of Providence Epicurus his arguments against it refuted The necessity of the belief of Providence in order to Religion Providence proved from a consideration of the nature of God and the things of the world Of the Spirit of nature The great objections against Providence propounded The first concerns the Origine of evil God cannot be the author of sin if the Scriptures be true The account which the Scriptures give of the fall of man doth not charge God with mans fault Gods power to govern man by Laws though he gives no particular reason of every Positive precept The reason of Gods creating man with freedom of will largely shewed from Simplicius and the true account of the Origine of evil Gods permitting the fall makes him not the author of it The account which the Scriptures give of the Origine of evil compared with that of heathen Philosophers The antiquity of the opinion of ascribing the Origine of evil to an evil principle Of the judgment of the Persians Aegyptians and others about it Of Manichaism The opinion of the ancient Greek Philosophers of Pythagoras Plato the Stoicks the Origine of evil not from the necessity of matter The remainders of the history of the fall among the Heathens Of the malignity of Daemons Providence vindicated as to the sufferings of the good and impunity of bad men An account of both from natural light manifested by Seneca Plutarch and others pag. 470 CHAP. IV. Of the Origine of Nations All mankind derived from Adam if the Scriptures be true The contrary supposition an introduction to Atheism The truth of the history of the flood The possibility of an universal deluge proved The flood universal as to mankind whether universal as to the earth and animals no necessity of asserting either Yet supposing the possibility of it demonstrated without creation of new waters Of the fountains of the deep The proportion which the height of mountains bears to the Diameter of the earth No mountains much above three mile perpendicular Of the Origine of fountains The opinion of Aristotle and others concerning it discussed The true account of them from the vapours arising from the mass of subterraneous waters Of the capacity of the Ark for receiving the Animals from Buteo and others The truth of the deluge from the Testimony of Heathen Nations Of the propagation of Nations from Noahs posterity Of the beginning of the Assyrian Empire The multiplication of mankind after the flood Of the Chronology of the LXX Of the time between the flood and Abraham and the advantages of it Of the pretence of such Nations who called themselves Aborigines A discourse concerning the first plantation of Greece the common opinion propounded and
rejected The Hellens not the first inhabitants of Greece but the Pelasgi The large spread of them over the parts of Greece Of their language different from the Greeks Whence these Pelasgi came that Phaleg was the Pelasgus of Greece and the leader of that Colony proved from Epiphanius the language of the Pelasgi in Greece Oriental thence an account given of the many Hebrew words in the Greek language and the remainders of the Eastern languages in the Islands of Greece both which not from the Phaenicians as Bochartus thinks but from the old Pelasgi Of the ground of the affinity between the Jews and Lacedaemonians Of the peopling of America pag. 533 CHAP. V. Of the Origine of the Heathen Mythology That there were some remainders of the ancient history of the world preserved in the several Nations after the dispersion How it came to be corrupted by decay of knowledge increase of Idolatry confusion of languages An enquiry into the cause of that Difficulties against the common opinion that languages were confounded at Babel Those difficulties cleared Of the fabulousness of Poets The particular ways whereby the Heathen Mythology arose Attributing the general history of the World to their own Nation The corruption of Hebraisms Alteration of names Ambiguity of sense in the Oriental languages Attributing the actions of many to one person as in Jupiter Bacchus c. The remainders of Scripture history among the Heathens The names of God Chaos formation of man among the Phaenicians Of Adam among the Germans Aegyptians Cilicians Adam under Saturn Cain among the Phaenicians Tubalcain and Jubal under Vulcan and Apollo Naamah under Minerva Noah under Saturn Janus Prometheus and Bacchus Noahs three sons under Jupiter Neptune and Pluto Canaan under Mercury Nimrod under Bacchus Magog under Prometheus Of Abraham and Isaac among the Phaenicians Jacobs service under Apollo's The 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 from Bethel Joseph under Apis. Moses under Bacchus Joshua under Hercules Balaam under the old Silenus pag. 577 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 discoveries of Gods nature which are in Scripture Of the goodness and love of God in Christ. The suitableness of those discoveryes 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 most 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 Covenant of Grace in order to mans Salvation pag. 599 ERRATA PAge 11. l. 15. r. existence p. 17. l. 28. r. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 p. 21. l. 19. r. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 p. 22. l. 21. r. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 p. 27. l. 14. r. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 p. 31. l. 2. r. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 p. 35. l. 16. r. Anebo p. 36. l. 1. r. Sebennyta p. 37. l. 9. r. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 p. 52. l. 28. r. accederent And Causaubon p. 57. l. 26. r. others p. 61. l. 14. r. Pisistratidae p. 63. l. 35. r. Hierocles Apollonius p. 64. l. 11. r. Acusilaus p 83. l. 29 30. r. the Patriarch Tarasius p. 91. l. 3. r. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 p. 94 l. 23. for but r. by p. 96. l. 26. for to r. and. p. 104. l. 22. r. Hecataeus p. 105. l. 33. r. Panchotis p. 112. l. 15. r. as to p. 120. l. 14 r. he for we p. 125. l. 4. r. provided l. 20. r. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 p. 126. l. 15. r. Peteseph p. 132. r. deceived p. 140. l. 19 r. continued p. 150. l. 16. r. Deut. 18. p. 149. l. 12. r. An order p. 156. l 5. r. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 p 167. l. 21. r. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 p. 171. r. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 p. 180 l. 11. r. are p 182. l. 3â— r. ordinat 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 p. 184. l. 39. before those insert though p. 201. l 18. r. imploy l. 35. r. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 p. 202. l 14. r. Vorstius p. 209. l. 9. r 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 p. 226. l 5. r. meanness p. 254. l. 26. r. Table p. 267. l. 17. r. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 p. 293. l. 17. r. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 p. 302. l. 28. r. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 p. 323. l. 19. for it r. they p. 328. l. 9. r. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 p. 334 l. 11. r. Barchochebas p. 346. between us and in insert a. p 348. l. 21. r. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 p. 349. l. 29. r. incredibilia p. 364. l. 17. blot out the comma between Euhemerus and Messenius l 29 and elsewhere r. salve for solve p. 365. l. 20. r. Elastical p. 395. l. 3. r. Toupinamboults p. 409. l. 21. r. Peristaltic p. 424. l. 15. for it r. them p. 425. l. 7. r. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 p. 427. l. r. insert â—â— between 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 and 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 l. 32. r fluidane p. 443. l. 10. r. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 l. 32. for Col r. l. nomine appellasse p. 464. l. 26. r. whose surface is supposed to be p. 488. l. 36. r. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 p. 493. l. 5. r. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 l. 28. r. coaeterna p. 502. l. 29. r. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 p 518. l. 35. r. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 p. 520. l. 10. r. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 l. 13. r. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 ORIGINES SACRAE The Truth of Scripture-History asserted BOOK I. CHAP. I. The obscurity and defect of Ancient History The knowledge of truth proved to be the most natural perfection of the rational soul yet error often mistaken for truth the accounts of it Want of diligence in its search the mixture of truth and falshood Thence comes either rejecting truth for the errors sake or embracing the error for the truths sake the first instanced in Heathen Philosophers the second in vulgar Heathen Of Philosophical Atheism and the grounds of it The History of Antiquity very obscure The question stated where the true History of ancient times to be found in Heathen Histories or only in Scripture The want of credibility in Heathen Histories asserted and proved by
reason of this diversity but that they thought them not so authentick but they might cut off alter and transpose as they saw occasion which is most plain and evident in Eusebius who makes no difficulty of â—utting of one whole Dynasty and dividing another into two only to reconcile the distance between Thuoris the Egyptian King and Tentamus the Assyrian Emperour and the destruction of Troy and therefore leaves out 4. Assyrian Kings and a whole Dynasty of the Egyptians to make a Synchronisme between those three But yet there hath been something very fairly offered to the world to clear the truth if not Manetho in order to his Dynastyes viz. that the subtle Egyptian to inhance the antiquity of his own Country did take implicite years for solid and place those in a succession which were cotemporary one with another This indeed is a very compendious way to advance a great sum of years with a very little charge Wherein he hath done saith Cappellus as if a Spaniard in the Indies should glory of the antiquity of the Dynastyes of Spain and should attribute to the Earles of Barcinona 337. years to the King of Arragon 498. to the King of Portugal 418. to the King of Leo 545. of Castile 800. years and yet all these Dynastyes rise from the years of our Lord 717. when the Saracens first entred Spain There are very few Nations but will go near to vie antiquity with the Egyptians if they may thus be allowed to reckon successively all those petty royalties which antiently were in most Nations as might be particularly instanced in most great Empires that they gradually rise from the subduing and incorporating of those petty royalties into which the several Nations were cantonized before And there seems to be very strong ground of suspition that some such thing was designed by Manetho from the 32. Dynasty which is of the Diospolitan Thebans for this Dynasty is said to begin from the tenth year of the 15. Dynasty of the Phaenician Pastours in the time of Saites now which is most observable he that begins this Dynasty is of the very same name with him who begins the very first Dynasty of Manetho who is Menes and so likewise his son Athothis is the same in both Which hath made many think because Menes is reckoned first not only in both these but in Diodorus Eratosthenes and others that this Menes was he who first began the Kingdom of Egypt after whose time it was divided into several Dynastyes Which makes Scaliger say illa vet ustissima regna fuerunt instar latrociniorum ubi vis non lex aut successio aut suffragia populi reges in solio regni collocabant This opinion of the coexistence of these Dynastyes is much embraced by Vossius both Father and Son and by the Father made use of to justifie Scaliger from calumniatours who made as though Scaliger did in effect overthrow the authority of the Scriptures by mentioning with some applause the Dynastyes of Manetho But to this opinion how plausible soever it seems I offer these exceptions First As to that Menes who is supposed to be the first founder of the Aegyptian Kingdom after whose death it is supposed that Aegypt was divided into all these Dynastyes I demand therefore who this Menes was was he the same with him whom the Scripture calls Misraim who was the first Planter of Egypt this is not probable for in all probability his name must be sought among the Gods and not the mortals that raigned If we suppose him to be any other after him it will be hard giving an account how he came to have the whole power of Egypt in his hands and so soon after him it should be divided For Kingdoms are ofttimes made up of those petty royalties before but it will be very hard finding instances of one persons enjoying the whole power and so many Dynastyes to arise after his decease and to continue coexistent in peace and full power so long as these several Dynastyes are supposed to do Besides is it not very strange that no Historian should mention such a former distribution of several principalities so antiently in Egypt But that which to me utterly overthrows the coexistence of these Dynastyes in Egypt is by comparing with them what we finde in Scripture of greatest antiquity concerning the Kingdom of Egypt which I cannot but wonder that none of these learned men should take notice of When the Egyptian Kingdom was first founded is not here a place to enquire but it is evident that in Abrahams time there was a Pharaoh King of Egypt whom Archbishop Usher thinks to have been Apophis not Abimelech the first King of Egypt as Constantinus Manasses reports in his Annals by a ridiculous mistake of the King of Gerar for the King of Egypt This Pharaoh was then certainly King of all the Land of Egypt which still in Scripture is called the Land of Misraim from the first planter of it and this was of very great antiquity and therefore Funccius though improbably thinks this Pharaoh to have been Osiris and Rivet thinks Misraim might have been alive till that time here then we find no Dynastyes coexisting but one Kingdom under one King If we descend somewhat lower to the times of Iacob and Ioseph the evidence is so undoubted of Aegypts being an entire Kingdom under one King that he may have just cause to suspect the â—yes either of his body or his mind that distrusts it For what more evident then that Pharaoh who preferred Ioseph was King of all the Land of Aegypt Were not the seven years of famine over all the Land of Aegypt Gen. 41. 55. Was not Joseph set by Pharaoh over all the Land of Aegypt Gen. 41. 41 43 45. And did not Joseph go over all the Land of Aegypt to gather corn Gen. 41. 46. Nay did not he buy all the Land of Aegypt for Pharaoh Gen. 47. 20. Can there possibly be given any fuller evidence of an entire Kingdom then these are that Egypt was such then Afterwards we read of one King after another in Egypt for the space of nigh two hundred years during the children of Israels slavery in Egypt and was not he think we King over all Egypt in whose time the children of Israel went out thence And in all the following history of Scripture is there not mention made of Aegypt still as an entire Kingdom and of one King over it Where then is there any place for these co-temporary Dynastyes in Aegypt Nowhere that I know of but in the sancies of some learned men Indeed there is one place that seems to give some countenance to this opinion but it is in far later times then the first Dynastyes of Manetho are supposed to be in which is in Isai. 19. 2. Where God saith he would set the Aegyptians against the Aegyptians and they shall fight every one against his brother City against City and Kingdom
then these were Had there been any ground of suspicion concerning the design of Christ why could not the Iews prevail with Iudas to discover it as well as to betray his person Iudas had done but a good work if Christ had been such an impostor as the Iews blasphemously said he was what made Iudas then so little satisfied with his work that he grew weary of his life upon it and threw himself away in the most horrid despair No person certainly had been so fit to have been produced as a witness against Christ as Iudas who had been so long with him and had heard his speeches and observed his miracles but he had not patience enough to stay after that horrid fact to be a witness against him nay he was the greatest witness at that time for him when he who had betrayed him came to the Sanhedrim when consulting about his death and told them that he had sinned in betraying innocent blood What possible evidence could have been given more in behalf of our Saviour then that was when a person so covetous as to betray his Master for thirty pieces of silver was so weary of his bargain that he comes and throws back the money and declares the person innocent whom he had betrayed And this person too was such a one as knew our Saviour far better then any of the witnesses whom afterwards they suborned against him who yet contradicted each other and at last could produce nothing which in the judgement of the Heathen Governour could make him judge Christ worthy of death 3. The Apostles were freer from design then any counter-witness at that time could be we have already proved the Apostles could not possibly have any other motive to affirm what they did but full conviction of the truth of what they spake but now if any among the Iews at that time had asserted any thing contrary to the Apostles we have a clear account of it and what motive might induce them to it viz. the preserving of their honour and reputation with the people the upholding their traditions besides their open and declared enmity against Christ without any sufficient reason at all for it now who would believe the testimony of the Scribes and Pharisees who had so great authority among the people which they were like to lose if Christs doctrine were true before that of the Apostles who parted with all for the sake of Christ and ventured themselves wholly upon the truth of our Saviours doctrine 4. None ever did so much to attest the negative as the Apostles did to prove their fidelity as to the affirmative Had sufficient counter-witness been timely produced we cannot think the Apostles would have run so many continual hazards in Preaching the things which related to the person and actions of Christ. Did ever any lay down their lives to undeceive the world if the Apostles were guilty of abusing it 5. The number of such persons had been inconsiderable in comparison of those who were so fully perswaded of the truth of those things which concern our Saviour who were all ready as most of them did to seal the truth of them with their lives Whence should so many men grow so suddenly confident of the truth of such things which were contrary to their former perswasions interest education had they not been delivered in such a way that they were assured of the undoubted truth of them which brings me to the last proposition which is Matters of fact being first believed on the account of eye-witnesses and received with an universal and uncontrouled assent by all such persons who have thought themselves concerned in knowing the truth of them do yeild a sufficient foundation for a firm assent to be built upon I take it for granted that there is sufficient foundation for a firm assent where there can be no reason given to question the evidence which that there is not in this present case will appear from these following considerations 1. That the multitudes of those persons who did believe these things had liberty and opportunity to be satisfied of the truth of them before they believed them Therefore no reason or motive can be assigned on which they should be induced to believe these things but the undoubted evidence of truth which went along with them I confess in Mahumetisme a very great number of persons have for some centuries of years continued in the belief of the doctrine of Mahomet but then withall there is a sufficient account to be given of that viz. the power of the sword which keeps them in aw and strictly forbids all the followers of Mahomet to dispute their religion at all or compare it with any other Therefore I can no more wonder at this then I do to see so great a part of the world under the Tyranny of the greâ—t Turk Neither on the other side do I wonder that such a multitude of those professing Christianity should together with it believe a great number of erroneous doctrines and live in the practice of many gross superstitions because I consider what a strange prevalency education hath upon softer spirits and more easie intellectuals and what an aw an Inquisition bears upon timerous and irresolved persons But now when a great multitude of persons sober and inquisitive shall contrary to the principles of their education and without fear of any humane force which they beforehand see will persecute them and after diligent enquiry made into the grounds on which they believe for sake all their former perswasions and resolvedly adhere to the truth of the doctrine propounded to them though it cost them their lives if this give us not reason to think this doctrine true we must believe mankind to be the most miserable unhappy creatures in the world that will with so much resolution part with all advantages of this life for the sake of one to come if that be not undoubtedly certain and the doctrine proposing it infallibly true It is an observable circumstance in the propagation of Christian Religion that though God made choice at first of persons generally of mean rank and condition in the world to be Preachers of the Gospel God thereby making it appear that our faith did not stand in the wisdom of men but in the power of God and therefore chose the weak things of the world to confound the strong yet soon afâ—er the Gospel was preached abroad in the world we finde persons of great place and reputation of great parts and abilities engaged in the profession of the Christian faith In the History of the Acts we read of Sergius a Proconsul of Dionysius the Areopagite converted to the faith and in the following ages of the Church many persons of great esteem for their excellent learning and abilities such was Iustin Martyr one who before he became a Christian was conversant with all sects of Philosophers Stoicks Peripateticks Pythagoreans and at last was a professed Platonist till he
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
reason enough to reject the Laws of Moses and Christ because Celsus calls them 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Galen Christianity 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 that they were such doctrines which require faith and obedience without giving mens reason an account of the things commanded As though the authority of a Legislator sufficiently manifested were not enough to enforce a Law unless a sufficient account were given of the thing required to the purblind reason of every individual person acted by passions and private interests as to the justice and equity of it And so the primary obligation on mans part to faith and obedience must arise not from the evidence of Divine authority but of the thing it self which is revealed to the most partial judgement of every one to whom it is proposed Which those who know how short the stock of reason is at the best in men and how easily that which is is fashioned and moulded according to prâ—judices and interests already entertained will look upon only as a design to comply with the carnal desires of men in that thereby none shall be bound to go any further then this blind and corrupted guide shall lead them Now these being the terms on which the Gospel of Christ must have expected entertainment in the Gentile world how impossible lâ—ad it been ever to have sound any success among men had there not been sufficient evidence given by a power of miracles that however strange and incredible the doctrine might seem yet it was to be believed because there was sufficient means to convince men that it was of Divine revelation Neither were the matters of saith only contrary to the inclinations of the world but so were the precepts of life or those things in Christianity which concerned practice There are two things which are the main scope and design of Christianity in reference to mens lives to take them off from their sins and from the world and of all things these are they which mens hearts are so bewitched with Now the precepts of the Gospel are such which require the greatest purity of heart and life which call upon men to deny themselves and all ungodliness and worldly lusts and to live soberly and righteously and godly in this present world that all that name the name of Christ must depart from iniquity that all true Christians must be cleansed from all filthiness of flesh and spirit and must perfect holiness in the fear of God And the Gospel enforceth these precepts of holiness with the most terrible denunciations of the wrath of God on those who disobey them that the Lord Iesus Christ shall be revealed from heaven with his mighty Angels in flaming fire taking vengeance on them that know not God and that obey not the Gospel of Iesus Christ. That the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men who hold the truth in unrighteousness That no persons who live in the habitual practice of any known sin shall inherit the Kingdom of God That no man should deceive them with vain words for because of these things comes the wrath of God upon the children of disobedience that men do but vainly flatter themselves when they seek to reconcile unholy lives with the hopes of future happiness for without holiness no man shall see the Lord. And then in reference to the things of this present life which men busie themselves so much about the Gospel declares that they who love this world the love of the Father is not in them that the friendship of this world is enmity with God and whosoever will be a friend of the world is an enemy to God That Christians must not set their affections on earth but on things in heaven That the conversation of true Christians is in heaven That we ought not to lay up our treasure on earth but in heaven That we must not look at the things which are seen but at the things which are not seen for the things which are seen are temporal but the things which are not seen are eternal Now the whole design of the doctrine of Christ being to perswade men to lead a holy and heavenly life while they are in this world and thereby to be made meet to be partakers of the inheritance with the Saints in light can we think so many men whose hearts were wedded to sin and the world could so suddenly be brought off from both without a divine power accompanying that doctrine which was preached to them And therefore the Apostle saith 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 I am not ashamed of the Gospel of Christ i. e. though the Gospel of Christ be the only true mysterie yet I do not by it as the Heathens are wont to do with their famous Eleusinian mysteries which were kept so secret by all the mystae and 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 but saith he I know no reason I have to be ashamed of any thing in the Gospel that I should labour its concealment to advance its veneration but the more publike the Gospel is the more it manifests its power for through it God is pleased mightily to work in order to the salvation both of Iew and Gentile And of all the success of the Gospel that upon the hearts and lives of men deserves the greatest consideration The great efficacy and power of the Gospel was abundantly seen in that great alteration which it wrought in all those who were the hearty imbracers of it The Philosophers did very frequently and deservedly complain of the great inefficacy of all their moral precepts upon the minds of men and that by all their instructions politiora non meliora ingenia fiunt men improved more in knowledge then goodness but now Christianity not only enforced duties on men with greater power and authority For the Scriptures do as Saint Austin speaks Non tanquam ex Philosophorum concertationibus strepere sed tanquam ex oraculis Dei nubibus intonare not make some obstreperous clamours like those tinkling Cymbals the Philosophers but awe the souls of men with the majesty of that God from whom they came Neither was it only a great and empty sound which was heard in the preaching of the Gospel but when God thundred therein he broke down the stately Cedars and shook the Wilderness and made the Hinds to Calve as it is said of Thunder called the voice of the Lord in Scripture he humbled the pride of men unsettled the Gentile world from its former foundations and wrought great alterations on all those who hearkened to it The whose design of the Gospel is couched in those words which Saint Paul tells us were spoken to him by Christ himself when he appointed him to be an Apostle to open mens eyes and to turn them from darkness to light and from the power of Satan unto God that they may receive forgiveness of sins and inheritance among
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
such an impress of Gods authority on the Scriptures that any who consider them as they ought cannot but discern I still further enquire whether this impress lies in the positive assertions in Scripture that they are from God and that cannot be unless it be made appear to be impossible that any writing should pretend to be from God when it is not or else in the written books of Scripture and then let it be made appear that any one meerly by the evidence of the writings themselves without any further arguments can pronounce the Proverbs to be the Word of God and not the book of Wisdom and Ecclesiastes to be Divinely inspired and not Ecclesiasticus or else the self-evidence must be in the excellency of the matters which are revealed in Scripture but this still falls very short of resolving wholly the question whether the Scripture be the Word of God for the utmost that this can reach to is that the things contained in Scripture are of so high and excellent a nature that we cannot conceive that any other should be the author of them but God himself all which being granted I am as far to seek as ever what grounds I have to believe that those particular writings which we call the Scripture are the Word of God or that God did immediately imploy such and such persons to write such and such books for I may believe the substance of the doctrine to be of God and yet not believe the books wherein it is contained to be a Divine and infallible testimony as is evident in the many excellent devotional books which are in the world But yet further if the only ground on which we are to believe a doctrine Divine be the self-evidencing light and power of it then I suppose there was the same ground of beliâ—ving a Divine testimony when the doctrine was declared without writing by the first Preachers of it So that by this method of proceeding the ground of believing Christ to be sent as the Mâ—ssias sent from God must be wholly and solely resolved into this that there was so much self-evidence in this proposition uttered by Christ I am the light of the world that all the Iews had been bound to have believed him sent from God for light manifests its self although our Saviour had never done any one miracle to make it appear that he came from God And we cannot but charge our Saviour on this account with being at a very unnecessary expence upon the world in doing so many miracles when the bare naked affirmation that he was the Messias had been sufficient to have convinced the whole world But is it conceivable then upon what account our Saviour should lay so much force on the miracles done by himself in order to the proving his testimony to be Divine that he saith himself that he had a greater witness then that of John who yet doubtless had self-evidencing light going along with his doctrine too for the works which the Father hath given me to finish the same works that I do bear witness of me that the Father hath sent me Can any thing be more plain or have greater self-evidence in it then that our Saviour in these words doth lay the evidence of his Divine testimony upon the miracles which he wrought which on that account he so often appeals to on this very reason because they bear witness of him and if they would not believe him on his own testimony yet they ought to believe him for his works sake Doth all this now amount only to a removing of prejudices from the person of Christ which yet according to the tenour of the objection we are considering of it is impossible the power of miracles should do if these miracles may be so far done or counterfeited by false Christs that we can have no certain evidence to distinguish the one from the other Which the objection pretends and was the great thing wherein Celsus the Epicurean triumphed so much that Christ should foretell that others should come and do miracles which they must not hearken to and thence would infer as from Christs own confession that miracles have in them 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 nothing divine but what may be done by wicked men 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Is it not a wretched thing saith he that from the same works one should be accounted a God and others deceivers Whereby those who would invalidate the argument from miracles may take notice how finely they fall in with one of the most bitter enemies of Christian religion and make use of the same arguments which he did and therefore Origens reply to him will reach them too For saith he our Saviour in those words of his doth not bid men beware in general of such as did miracles 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 but bids them beware of that when men gave themselves out to be the true Christ the Son of God and endeavour to draw Christs Disciples from him by some meer appearances in stead of miracles Therefore Christ being evidently made appear to be the Son of God by the powerful and uncontrouled miracles which he wrought what pretence of reason could there be to hearken to any who gave themselves out to be Christs meerly from some strange wonders which they wrought And from hence as he further observes may be justly inferd contrary to what Celsus imagined that there was certainly an evidence of Divine power in miracles when these false Christs gave themselves out to be Christs meerly from the supposal that they had this power of doing miracles And so it is evident in all the false Christs which have appeared they have made this their great pretence that they did many signs and wonders which God might justly permit them to do to punish the great infidelity of the Iews who would not believe in Christ notwithstanding those frequent and apparent miracles which he did which did infinitely transcend those of any such pretenders Such among the Iews were Ionathas who after the dâ—struction of Jerusalem as Iosephus tells us drew many of the people into the Wilderness of Cyrene 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 promising to shew them many prodigies and strange appearances Not long after in the times of Adrian appeared that famous blazing-star Barchochebas who not only portended but brought so much mischief upon the Iews his pretence was that he vomited flames and so he did such as consumed himself and his followers after him many other Impostors arose in Aegypt Cyprus and Crete who all went upon the same pretence of doing Miracles In latter times the famous impostor was David el-David whose story is thus briefly reported by David Ganz David el-David pretended to be the true Messias and rebelled against the King of Persia and did many signs and prodigies before the Iews and the King of Persia at last his head was cut off and the Iews fined an hundred talents of Gold in the Epistle
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
religion lie in two things that there is a God who rules the world and that the souls of men are capable of subsisting after death for he that comes unto God must believe that he is and that he is a rewarder of them that seek him so that if these things be not supposed as most agreeable to humane reason we cannot imagine upon what grounds mankind should embrace any way of religion at all For if there be not a God whom I am to serve and obey and if I have not a soul of an immortal nature there can be no sufficient obligation to religion nor motive inducing to it For all obligation to obedience must suppose the existence of such a Being which hath power to command me and by reason of the promisâ—uous scatterings of good and evil in this life the motives engaging men to the practice of religion must suppose the certainty of a future State If these things be sure and the foundations of religion in general thereby firmly established it will presently follow as a matter most agreeable to reason that the God whom we are to serve should himself prescribe the way of his own worship and if the right of donation of that happiness which mens souls are capabâ—e of be alone in himself that he alone should declare the termes on which it may be expected For man being a creature endued with a free principle of acting which he is conscious to himself of and therefore not being carried to his end by necessity of nature or external violence without the concurrence of his own reason and choice we must suppose this happiness to depend upon the performance of some conditions on mans part whereby he may demonstrate that it is the matter of his free choice and that he freely quits all other interests that he might obtain the enjoyment of it Which conditions to be performed being expressions of mans obedience towards God as his Creator and Governour and of his gratitude for the tenders of so great a happiness which is the free gift of his Maker we cannot suppose any one to have power to prescribe these conditions but he that hath power likewise to deprive the soul of her happiness upon non-performance and that must be God himself But in order to mans understanding his duty and his obligation to obedience it is necessary that these conditions must not be locked up in the Cabinet Council of Heaven but muâ—â— be so far declared and revealed that he may be fully acquaâ—ted with those terms which his happiness depends upon else his neglect of them would be excusable and his misery unavoidable Had man indeed remained without offending his Maker he might still have stood in his favour upon the general terms of obedience due from the creature to his Creator and to all such particular precepts which should bear the impress of his Makers will upon them beside which the whole volume of the Creation without and his own reason within would have been sufficient directors to him in the performance of his duty But he abusing his liberty and being thereby guilty of Aâ—ostacy from God as is evident by a continued propensity to sin and the strangeness between God and the souls of men a particular revelation is now become necessary that mankind may thereby understand on what terms God will be pleased again and by what means they may be restored into his favour And lastly it not agreeing with the free and communicative nature of Divine goodness which was the first original of the worlds Creation to suffer all mankind to perish in their own folly we must suppose this way for mans recovery to be somewhere prescribed and the revelation of it to be somewhere extant in the world So that from the general principles of the existence of God and immortality of the soul we have deduced by clear and evident reason the necessity of some particular Divine revelation as the Standard and measure of religion And according to these principles we must examine what ever pretends to be of Dâ—vine revelation for it must be suitable to that Divine nature from whom it is supposed to come and it must be agreeable to the conditions of the souls of men and therefore that which carries with it the greatest evidence of Divine revelation is a faithful representation of the State of the case between God and the souls of men and a Divine discovery of those wayes whereby mens souls may be fitted for eternal happiness A Divine revelation then must be faithful and true in all its narrations it must be excellent and becoming God in all its discoveries And therefore all that can with any reason be desired for proof of the Divine authority of the Scriptures will lie in these three things First That the foundations of religion are of undoubted certainty or that there ie a God and that mens souls are immortal Secondly That the Scriptures do most faithfully relate the matters of greatest antiquity therein contained which do most concern the history of the breach between God and man Thirdly That the Scriptures are the only authentick records of those Terms on which happiness may be expected in another world I begin with the first of them which concerns the existence of God and immortality of the soul both which seem to be supposed as general Prolepses in the writings of Moses and as things so consonant to humane nature that none to whom his writings should come could be supposed to question them And therefore he spends no time in the operose proving of either of these knowing to how little purpose his writings would be to such who denyed these first principles of all religion But beside this there may be these accounts given why these main foundations of all religion are no more insisted on in the first books of the Scripture which contain the originals of the world First Because these were in the time of the writing of them believed with an universal consent of mankind In those more early dayes of the world when the tradition of the first ages of it was more fresh and entire it is scarce imaginable that men should question the Being of a God when the history of the flood and the propagation of the world after it by the Sons of Noah and the burning of Sodom and Gomorrab were so fresh in their memories as having been done so few Generations before them And by what remains of any history of other Nations in those elder times men were so far from Atheism that Polytheism and Idolatry were the common practice of the world as is most evident in all relations of the antient Chaldeans Aegyptians Phaenicians and other Nations who all supposed these two principles as well as those who served the true God And in all probability as men are apt to run from one extream to another Polytheism was the first occasion of Atheism and Idolatry of irreligion And thence we finde the
first appearance of Atheists to be in the most blind and superstitious age of Greece when the obscene Poets had so debauched the common understandings of the people as to make them believe such things concerning their Gods which were so incongruous to humane nature that all who had any sense of goodness left could not but loath and abhor such Deities And therefore we finde all the flouts and jears of the reputed Atheists among them such as Dionysius Diagoras Theodorus Euhemerus Messenius and others were cast upon their venerable Deities which they so solemnly worshipped who had been before as Euhemerus plainly told them poor mortal men and those not of the best reputation neither and therefore as the Epicurean in Tully well sayes omnis eorum cultus esset in luctu the most suitable devotion for them had been lamenting their death Now when these common Deities were so much derided by intelligent men and yet the order of the world seemed to tell them there was really a God though those were none those who had Philosophical wits such as Democritus and Epicurus set themselves to work to see if they could solve the Phaenomena of nature without a Deity and therefore asserted the origine of the universe to be only by a fortuitous concourse of infinite little particles but herein they befooled themselves and their greedy followers who were glad to be rid of those anxieties of mind which the thoughts of a Deity and an immortal soul did cause within them And although Lucretius in a bravado tells us of his Máster that when mens minds were sunk under the burden of religion Humana ante oculos faede cum vita jaceret In terris oppressa gravi sub religione Primum Graius homo mortalis tollere contrâ— Est oculos ausus primusque obsistere contrà that Epicurus was the first true Gyant who durst encounter the Gods and if we believe him overthrew them in open field Quare religio pedibus subjecta vicissim Obteritur nos exaequat victoria caelo Yet Cotta in Tully reports the issue of this battel quite otherwise for although the greatest triumph in this victory had been only to become like the beasts that perish yet if we believe Cotta Epicurus was so far from gaining any of his beloved case and pleasure by his sentiments that never was School-boy more afraid of a rod nor did any enemy more dread a Conqueror then Epicurus did the thoughts of a God and death Nec quenquam vidi qui magis ea quae timenda esse negaret timeret mortem dico Deos. So hard it is for an Epicurean even after he hath prostituted his conscience to silence it but whatever there be in the air there is an Elactical power in conscience that will bear its self up notwithstanding the weight that is laid upon it And yet after all the labours of Epicurus he knew it was to no purpose to endeavour to root out wholly the belief of a Deity out of the world because of the unanimous consent of the world in it and therefore he admits of it as a necessary Prolepsis or Anticipâ—tion of humane nature quod in omnium animis deorum notionem impressisset ipsa natura that nature its self had stamped aâ— Idea of God upon the minds of men cum enim non instituto aliquo aut more aut lege sit opinio constituta manet at que ad unum omnium firma consensio intelligi necesse est Deos esse quoniam insitas eorum vel potius innatas cognitiones habeamus de quo autem omnium natura consentit id verum esse necesse est as Velleius the Epicurean argues Since the belief of a Deity neither rise from custom nor was enacted by Law yet is unanimously assented to by all mankind it necessarily follows that there must be a Deity because the Idea of it is so natural to us If it were thus acknowledged in the Philosophical age of Greece when men bent their wits to unsettle the belief of such things as tended to religion how much more might it be esteemed a general principle of humane nature in those elder times when not so much as one dissenter appeared that we read of among the more antient Nations But Secondly it was less needsul for Moses to insist much on the proof a Deity in his writings when his very imployment and the history he wrote was the greatest evidence that there was one Could any of them question whether there were a God or no who had heard his voyce at mount Sinai and had received a Law from him who had been present at so many miracles which were done by Moses in Aegypt and the Wilderness What more evident demonstration of God could be desired then those many unparalleld miracles which were wrought among them And those who would not be convinced by them that there was a God would certainly be convinced by nothing Thirdly It was unsuitable to the purpose of Moses to go about to prove any thing he delivered by the meer force of humane reason because he writ as a person imployed by God and therefore by the arguments on which they were to believe his Testimony in what ever he writ they could not but believe there was a God that imployed him And from hence it is that Moses with so much Mâ—jesty and Authority begins the History of the Creation with In the beginning God created the Heaven and the Earth There could be no greater evidence that there was an infinitely wise good and powerful God then that the Universe was produced out of nothing by him and what reason could there be to distrust his Testimony who relates it who manifested not only that there was a God but that he was imployed by him by the miracles which he wrought so that all our former discourse concerning the evidences of Divine revelation are a most palpable demonstration of a Deity for if there be such a power which can alter the course of nature when he please the Being wherein it is must needs be infinite which is the same which we mean by God But yet for those whose minds are so coy and squeamish as to any thing of Divine revelation we want not sufficient evidence in point of reason to prove to them the existence of a Deity In order to which I shall clear these following propositions 1. That the true notion of a Deity is most agreeable to the faculties of mens souls and most consonant to reason and the light of nature 2. That those who will not believe that there is a God do believe other things on far less reason and must by their own principles deny some things which are apparently true 3. That we have as certain evidence that there is a God as it is possible for us to have considering his nature That the true notion of God is most agreeable to the faculties of mens souls and most consonant to
which it may be are uncapable of full and particular resolution and those are That the ruine and destruction of man is wholly from himself and that his salvation is from God alone If then mans ruine and misery be from himself which the Scripture doth so much inculcate on all occasions then without controversie that which is the cause of all the misery of humane nature is wholly from himself too which is sin So that if the main scope and design of the Scripture be true God cannot be the author of that by which without the intervention of the mercy of God mans misery unavoidably falls upon him For with what authority and Majesty doth God in the Scripture forbid all manner of sin with what earnestness and importunity doth he woo the sinner to forsake his sin with what loathing and detestation doth he mention sin with what justice and severity doth he punish sin with what wrath and indignation doth he threaten contumacious sinners And is it possible after all this and much more recorded in the Scriptures to express the holiness of Gods nature his hatred of sin and his appointing a day of judgement for the solemn punishment of sinners to imagine that the Scriptures do in the least ascribe the Origine of evil to God or make him the Author of Sin Shall not the judge of all the world do right will a God of Infinite Iustice Purity and Holiness punish the sinner for that which himself was the cause of Far be such unworthy thoughts from our apprehensions of a Deity much more of that God whom we believe to have declared his mind so much to the contrary that we cannot believe that and the Scriptures to be true together Taking it then for granted in the general that God cannot be the author of sin we come to enquire whether the account which the Scripture gives of the Origine of evil doth any way charge it upon God There are only two wayes which according to the history of the fall of man recorded in Scripture whereby men may have any ground to question whether God were the cause of mans fall either first by the giving him that positive Law which was the occasion of his fall or secondly by leaving him to the liberty of his own will First The giving of that positive Law cannot be the least ground of laying mans fault on God because 1. It was most suitable to the nature of a rational creature to be governed by Laws or declarations of the Will of his Maker For considering man as a free agent there can be no way imagined so consonant to the nature of man as this was because thereby he might declare his obedience to God to be the matter of his free choice For where there is a capacity of reward and punishment and acting in the consideration of them there must be a declaration of the will of the Law-giver according to which man may expect either his reward or punishment If it were suitable to Gods nature to promise life to man upon obedience it was not unsuitable to it to expect obedience to every declaration of his will considering the absolute soveraignty and Dominion which God had over man as being his creature and the indispensable obligation which was in the nature of man to obey whatever his Mâ—ker did command him So that God had full and absolute right to require from man what he did as to the Law which he gave him to obey and in the general we cannot conceive how there should be a testimony of mans obedience towards hâ—s Creator without some declaration of his Creators Will. Secondly God had full power and authority not only to govern man by Laws but to determine mans general obligation to obedience to that particular positive precept by the breach of which man fell If Gods power over man was universal and unlimited what reason can there be to imagine it should not extend to such a positive Law Was it because the matter of this Law seemed too low for God to command his creature but whatever the matter of the Law was obedience to God was the great end of it which man had testified as much in that Instance of it as in any other whatsoever and in the violation of it were implyed the highest aggravations of disobedience for Gods power and authority was as much contemned his goodness slighted his Truth and faithfulness questioned his Name dishonoured his Majâ—sty affronted in the breach of that as of any other Law whatsoever it had been If the Law were easie to be observed the greater was the sin of disobedience if the weight of the matter was not so great in its self yet Gods authority added the greatest weight to it and the ground of obedience is not to be fetched from the nature of the thing required but from the authority of the Legislator Or was it then because God concealed from man his counsel in giving of that positive precept Hath not then a Legislator power to require any thing but what he satisfies every one of his reason in commanding it if so what becomes of obedience and subjection it will be impossible to make any probative precepts on this account and the Legislator must be charged with the disobedience of his subjects where he doth not give a particular account of every thing which he requires which as it concerns humane Legislators who have not that absolute power and authority which God hath is contrary to all Laws of Policy and the general sense of the world This Plutarch gives a good account of when he discourseth â—o rationally of the sobriety which men ought to use in their inquiries into the grounds and reasons of Gods actions for saith he Physitians will give prescriptions without giving the patient a particular reason of every circumstance in them 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Neither have humane Laws alwayes apparent reason for them nay some of them are to appearance ridiculous for which he instanceth in that Law of the Lacedaemonian Ephori 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 to which no other reason was annexed but this 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 they commanded every Magistrate at the entrance of his office to â—have himself and gave this reason for it that they might learn to obey Laws themselves He further instanceth in the Roman custom of manumission their Laws about testaments Solons Law against neutrality in seditions and concludes thence 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Any one would easily find many absurdities in Laws who doth not consider the intention of the Legislator or the ground of what he requires 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 saith he 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 What wonder is it if we are so puzled to give an account of the actions of men that we should be to seek as to those of the Deity This cannot be then any ground on the account of meer reason to lay the charge of mans disobedience upon God because he required from
was the common complaint of those Philosophers who minded the government of themselves and the practice of vertue especially of the Platonâ—sts and Stoicks Seneca in all his moral Discourses especially in his Epistles may speak sufficiently in behalf of the Stoicks how much they lamented the degeneracy of the world And the Platonists all complain of the slavery of the soul in the body and that it is here by way oâ— punishment for something which was done before which makes me somewhat incurable to think that Plato knew more of the lapse of 〈◊〉 then he would openly discover and for that end disguised it after his usual manner in that hypothesis of prae-existence which taking it Cabbalistically for I rather think the opinion of prae existence is so to be taken then the history of the Fall of man may import only this That mens souls might be justly supposed to be created happy but by reason of the Apostacy of mans soul from God all souls now come into their bodies as into a kind of prison they being enslaved to the brutish part within them there having been such a true 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 the soul being now deprived of her chiefest perfections in this her low and degenerate condition And it seems far more rational to me to interpret those persons opinions to a Cabbalistical or an Allegorical sense who are known to have designedly writ in a way obscure and ambiguous then to force those mens expressions to Cabbala's who profess to write a plain History and that with the greatest simplicity and perspicuity But it cannot but seem very strange that an hypothesis capable of being reconciled to the plain literal sense of the Scriptures delivered by a person who useth great artifice and cunning to disguise his opinions and sueh a person withall who by such persons themselves who make use of this opinion to that end is supposed to have been very conversant with the writings of Moses should be taken in its literal sense as it really imports prae-existence of each particular soul in the gâ—ossest manner and this should be made to be a part of the Philosophick Cabbala of the writings of such a person who useth not the least artifice to disguise his sense nor gives us anywhere the least intimation that he left behind him such plaited pictures in his History of the beginning of the world that if you look straight forward you may see a literal Cabbala on the one side a Philosophical and on the other a Moral But now if we remove the Cabbala from Moses to Plato we may finde no incongruity or repugnancy at all either as to Plato his way of writing or the consonancy of the opinion so interpreted to the plain genuine sense of Moses if by Plato his opinion of the Prae-existence and descent of souls be understood by the former the happy state of the soul of man in conjunctâ—â—â— with God and by the latter the low and degenerate condiâ—â—on which the soul is in after Apostacy from him Which â—he later Platonists are so large and eloquent in expressing Porphyrie where he speaks of somethings he counsels men to do hath these words But if we cannot do them let us at least do that which was so much lamented of old 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 which is 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Let us at least joyn with our Fore-fathers in lamenting this that we are compounded of such disagreeing and contrary principles that we are not able to preserve divine pure and unspotted Innocency And Hierocles fully expresseth his sense of the degeneracy of mankind in these words 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 The most of men in the world are bad and under the command of their passions and grown impotent through their propensity to earth which great evil they have brought upon themselves by their wilfull Apostacy from God and withdrawing themselves from that society with him which they once enjoyed in pure light which departure of mens souls from God which is so hurtfull to the minds of men is evident by their strong inclination to the things of this world The same Author mentions with much approbation that speech of Heraclitus speaking of those souls which are 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 which I cannot better render then undeclinably good he saith 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 We live their death and die their life 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 for man is now fallen down from that blessed Region and as Empedocles the Pythagorean speaks 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Which words cannot be better rendred then in the words the Scripture useth concerning Cain and he went from the presence of the Lord and was 〈◊〉 fugitive in the earth and under continual perplexitiâ—s For the soul of man having left 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 it is Hierocles his own expression the pleasant meadow of truth a fit description of Paradise 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Through the violence of her moulting or deplumation she comes into this earthly body deprived of that blessed life which she before enjoyed Which he tells us is very consonant to Plato's senâ—e oâ— the 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 or descent of souls that when by reason of their impotency of fixing wholly â—on God they suffer 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 some great loss and a deprivation of former perfâ—ctions which I suâ—pose is meâ—nt by the 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 the â—â—uls impotency of flying up above this earthly world then they lapse into these terrestrial and mortal bodies So Hierocles concludes with this excellent and Divine speech 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 As therefore by Apostacy from God and the moulting of those feathers of our souls whereby we may be raised up above this world we have fallen into this place of mortals which is compassed about with evils So by the casting off carnal affections and by the growth of vertues like new Feathers to the Soul we shall ascend to the place of pure and perfect good and to the enjoyment of a divine life So much more becoming Christians do these excellent Philosophers speak of the degeneracy of mens souls and the consequents of it then some who would be accounted the followers of reason as well as of Christ who make it so much of their business to extenuate the fall of man Which we find those who were meer Philosophers far more rational and ingenuous in then those who pretend so highly to reason but I think with as little of it as any supposing the Scriptures to be of Divine authority But it is not here our businesse to consider the opinions of those who pretend to Christianity but only of such who pretending only to reason have yet consented with the doctrine of the Scriptures as the 〈◊〉 of the Souls of men that it lyes in an Apostacy from 〈◊〉 and have lost those perfections which they had before That mans will is the cause of his Apostacy this we have already manifested at large from
the Iews in Gen. 2. we may likewise believe that there was a new Creation of man and woman in that Chapter distinct from that mentioned in the former Again further if there had been any such persons in the world before Adam no doubt Adam himself was ignorant of them or else it had been a false and ridiculous account which he gives of the name of his wife 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 because she was 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 the mother of all living Not of all living things for that had been a more proper description of a Ceres or Magna Mater or Diana multimammia of our Grand-mother the earth but certainly it extends to all of the kind that all living creatures that are of humane nature came from her So the Chalde◠Paraphrast understands it she was called Hava because she was 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 the mother of all the sons of men And so the Arabick version quia ipsa fuit mater omnis viventis rationalis To which purpose our Learned Selden cites the version of the Mauritanian Iews and the Persick of Tawasius But what ever the credit or authority of these versions be this is most certain that Adam had no reason at all to have given this name to his wife as being the mother of all living if there had been any of mankind existing in the world from other mothers which had been long before Eve was formed So that we find it plain and clear that if the report given of things in Scripture be true the hypothesis of Prae-Adamites is undoubtedly false And certainly who ever seriously considers the frequent reflections on the authority of the Scriptures which were cast by the author of that Fiction and his endeavouring on all occasions to derogate from the miracles recorded in it may easily suspect the design of that Author was not to gain any credit to his opinion from those arguments from Scripture which he makes shew of which are pittifully weak and ridiculous but having by the help of such arguments made his opinion more plausible his hope was that his opinion would in time undermine the Scriptures themselves When he had made it appear that the account given in the Scriptures of the plantation of the world was unsatisfactory since there were men before Adam which the Scriptures to please the Iewish Nation take no notice of So that after he had attempted to prostitute the Scriptures to his opinion his next work had been to have turned them out of doors as not of credit to be relyed on by any when they were so common to every opinion But how impious absurd and rude that attempt was upon the sacred and inviolable authority of the Scriptures hath been so fully discovered by his very many not unlearned adversaries that it might seem needless so much as to have taken notice of so weakly grounded and infirmly proved an opinion had it not thus far lain in my way in order to the clearing the true Origine of Nations according to the Scriptures The main foundations of which fabulous opinion lying chiefly in the pretended antiquities of the Chaldaeans Egyptians and others have been fully taken away in our first bsok where our whole design was to manifest the want of credibility in those accounts of ancient times which are delivered by Heathen Nations in opposition to the Scriptures There is nothing at all in Scripture from the Creation of Adam to the flood which seems to give any countenance to that figment but only what may be easily resolved from the consideration of the great conciseness of the Mosaick History in reporting that long interval of time which was between the fall of Adam and the Flood By means of which conciseness such things are reported as speedily done because immediatly succeeding in the story which asked a very considerable time before they could be effected and besides all things which were done before the Flood being all quite obliterated by it and all the numerous posterity of Adam being then destroyed only Noah and his Family excepted to what purpose had it been any further to have reported the passages before the Flood otherwise then thereby to let us understand the certainty of the succession of persons from Adam and such actions in those times which might be remarkable discoveries of Gods providence and mans wickedness in it which being most apparent at first in Cain and his posteriry did by degrees so spread its self over the face of the then inhabited world that the just God was thereby provoked to send a Deluge among them to sweep away the present inhabitants to make room for another Generation to succeed them This therefore we now come to consider viz. the History of the flood and the certainty of the propagation of the world from the posterity of Noah after the Flood I begin with the History of the Flood its self as to which two things will be sufficient to demonstrate the truth of it 1. If there be nothing in it repugnant to reason 2. If we have sufficient evidence of the truth of it from such who yet have not believed the Scriptures There are only two things which seem questionable to reason concerning the flood the first is concerning the possibility of the flood its self the other is concerning the capacity of the Ark for preserving all kinds of Animals The only ground of questioning the possibility of such a Flood as that is related in Scripture hath been from hence that some have supposed it impossible that all the water which is contained in the ayr supposing it to fall down should raise the surface of water upon the earth a foot and a balf in height so that either new waters must be created to overflow the earth or else there must be supposed a rarefaction of the water contained in the Sea and all Rivers so that it must take up at least fifteen times the space that now it doth but then they say if the water had been thus rarified it could neithe◠have destroyed man nor beast neither could Noabs Ark have been born up by it any more then by liquid ayre To this therefore I answer First I cannot see any urgent necessity from the Scripture to assert that the Flood did spread its self over all the surface of the earth That all mankinde those in the Ark excepted were destroyed by it is most certain according to the Scriptures When the occasion of the Flood is thus expressed And God saw that the wickedness of man was great upon earth and that every imagination of the thoughts of his heart was only evil continually And the Lord said I will destroy man whom I have created from the face of the earth It could not be then any particular deluge of so small a Country as Palestine which is here expressed as some have ridiculously imagined for we find an universal corruption in the earth mentioned as the cause an universal threatening upon
is no reason at all to suppose either with Origen and others to have been the Geometrical cubit which contains six ordinary cubits or nine feet both because we find no mention at all of any such cubit in Scripture and because the Fabrick of the Ark would have been of too vast a proportion Neither yet is it probable which Sir W. Rawlegh supposeth that this cubit must be of a proportion as much exceeding ours as the stature of a Gyant doth ours both because there is no certain evidence either from Scripture or reason that the proportion of men then did generally exceed what is now and besides this tends not in the least to make the thing more plain For according to that proportion we must then have imagined beasts to have been as well as men for the horse must have been proportionably as great to have been serviceable to men of that stature and so the Animals would have taken up as much more room in the Ark as the cubit is supposed to be bigger I suppose then that Moses speaks of the cubit most in use in his own time for he writ so that they for whose use he writ might be easily able to understand him now this cubit by the consent of writers contained a foot and a half in length according to which proportion supposing the Ark by Moses his description to have 300. cubits in length 50. in breadth and 30. in height the whole capacity of the Ark according to the computation of Ioh. Buteâ— comes to 450000. solid cubits For the length of 300. cubts being multiplyed into the breadth of 50. cubits and the product by the height of 30. cubits makes the whole Concavity 450000. Which Matthaeus Hostus reducing to the German measure makes the longitude of the Ark to be 31. perches 4. cubits 5. fingers the latitude 5 perches 2. cubits and 11. fingers the altitude 3 perches 1. cubit 9. fingers allowing to every perch 15. Roman feet So that if we take a perch to contain 10. Hebrew cubits which exceeds the former 11. fingers the whole capacity of the Ark will be 450. cubical perches And as he saith Hujusmodi sane aedificii amplitudo capacissima est quamlibet magno animantium numero haud dubie sufficere pot uit the Ark of so large a capacity might easily contain the several kinds of animals in it Which will be easily understood if according to our former supposition only the animals of the inhabited part of the world were preserved in the Ark but admitting that all kinds of animals were there there would be room enough for them and for provision for them For which Sir W. Rawlegh gives a prudent caution that men ought not to take animals of a mixt nature as Mules and Hyaena's nor such as differ in size and shape from each other as the eat of Europe and Ownce of India into the several species of animals Sir W. Rawlegh following Buteo reckons 89. or least any be omitted a 100. several kinds of beasts and undertakes to demonstrate from a triple proportion of all beasts to the Ox Wolf and Sheep that there was sufficient capacity for them in the Ark. Hostus allows 150. several kinds of animals yet questions not the caepacity of the Ark but these things are so particularly made out by those learned Authors especially by Buteo that I shall rather refer the reader for further satisfaction to the Authors themselves then take the pains to transcribe them I come now therefore to the evidence of the truth and certainty of this universal deluge of which we have most clear and concurring Testimonies of most ancient Nations of the world For which purpose Grotius and others have at large produced the testimony of Berosus the Chaldean out of Iosephus concerning the flood and the Ark in which Noah was preserved of Abydenus out of Cyrill and Eusebius concerning Xisuthrus or Noahs sending out of the birds to see if the flood were asswaged and of Alexander Polyhistor concerning the preservation of animals in the Ark of Plutarch concerning the sending out of the Dove of Lucian de Dâ—a Syria concerning the whole story and so of Molon and Nicolaus Damascenus Besides it is manifested by others how among the Chaldeans the memory of Noah was preserved under the Fable of Oannes which had parâ— of a fish and part of a man as is evident from the fragments of Apollodorus Abydenus and Alexander Polyhistor preserved in Eusebius his Greek Chronica among the Chineses under the name of Puoncuus who by them is said to have escaped alone with his Family out of the universal Deluge saith Isaac Vossius who supposeth Pu or Pi to be only a Prefix to the name and so that Puoncuus is the same with 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Martinius tells us de diluvio mulâ—a est apud Sinicos Scriptores mentio that the ancient writers of the Sinick history speak much of the flood Iohannes de Lact tells out of Lescharbotus how constant the tradition of the flood is among the Indians both in new France Peru and other parts This being therefore so fully attested by the evident and apparent consent of so many writers and historians which did not own the authority of the Scriptures I shall suppose this sufficiently proved and proceed to the main thing which concerns the Origine of Nations which is the certainty of the propagation of mankind from the posterity of Noah Of which there is this strong and convincing evidence that in all that account which the Scripture gives of the propagation of Nations from the Sons of Noah there is some remainder in the history of that Nation to justifie the reason of the imposition of the name from the names of the Nations themselves which have preserved the original name of their founder in their own as the Medes from Madai the Thracians from Thiras the Ionians from Iavan the Sidonians from Sidon the Philistins from Pelisthim â—the Arcaeans Aradians Elymaeans Assyrians Lydians from Arki Arrad Elam Assur and Lud and many others produced by Grotius Montanus Iunius and especially Bochartus who with admirable industry and learning hath cleared all this part of sacred history which concerns the reason of the imposition of the names of the people which were propagated from the posterity of Noah and given a full satisfactory account of the several places where the posterity of Noah seated themselves after the deluge In stead of that therefore I shall consider the pretences which can be brought against it which are chiefly these three 1. That the Chaldean Empire seems to have greater antiquity then can be attributed to it by the history of Moses 2. That the most learned Heathen Nations pretend to be self-originated and that they came not from any other Country 3. That no certain account is given from whence America should be peopled 1. The History of the Assyrian Empire seems inconsistent with the propagation
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