Ridiculous Petions to their Gods d Pers Sat. 2. Horat. l. 2. Sat. 3. Epist 16. l. 1. And for those places of this Chapter which are more liable to Exception if Mr. N. would have consulted what Learned Commentators have said upon them he would not have thought them so Useless and Trifling as he pretends But our Author himself seems to be at a loss for Objections since he is willing to take Advantage of Agur's modest Confession of his own Ignorance e Prov. 30.2 and concludes from thence that he can be a man of no Authority But I believe Mr. N. is the first that ever thought a man's Modesty a sign that he wanted Wisdom or that Humility made a man Unqualified for Receiving the Influences of God's Spirit Our Author objects nothing against Ecclesiastes and the Canticles but what has been Objected several times before and as often Answered for which reason I shall be more Brief in Refuting him 'T is certain that the Design of Ecclesiastes is to set forth the Vanity of Humane Life which Solomon does by shewing how Empty and Unsatisfactory all those Ends are which men usually propose to themselves as the greatest Happiness this World can afford such as are Knowledge f Eccles. 1. Pleasure g Ch. 2. Honour and Authority h Ch. 3. and 4. and lastly Riches i Ch. 5. and 6. Further he takes notice how men's Ignorance and the Obscurity in which the Great and Weighty Points concerning the Immortality of the Soul a Future State and the Methods of Providence are Involved do occasion a great deal of Misery and Trouble to Mankind Whilst Ill men take advantage of the Difficulties which may be objected against these Truths and from thence conclude that there 's no Providence nor Future Judgment and thereby harden themselves in k Ch. 8. 11 14. ch 9. 3. Wickedness or give themselves up to Sensuality and say Let us eat and drink for to morrow we shall die l Ch. 3. 18 c. And even good men are now and then in a great Perplexity about these things by reason of the Obscurity and Difficulties with which they are beset and begin to doubt and stagger in their Faith m Ch. 1. 13 -8 16 17. If men would therefore view the Scope and Design of the whole Book and not take it by Piece-meal or examine each Sentence apart they might easily see that when the Author proposes Doubts concerning Providence and a Future State he does not speak his own Sense for in several places he plainly asserts God's Ordering and Disposing of all things n Ch. 3. 11 14 -7 13 -9 1 -11 5. and speaks of another Life and a Future Judgment with the greatest Clearness and Assurance of any of the Canonical Writers of the Old Testament o Ch. 3. 17 -11 9 -12 7. 14. And therefore the Design of those other places which seem at first to contradict these is only to shew that the Obscurity of these Great Articles of Faith had often fill'd his own and other good Men's minds with Perplexing thoughts and that the Generality of Men took Incouragement from thence to mind only Sensual Pleasures and make no Conscience of Injuring and Oppressing others So that the uncertainty and Imperfection of Humane Knowledge as to these things was a great Ingredient in the Vanities of Life and one of those sore Travels which God hath given to the Sons of Men to be exercised therewith p Eccles. 1.13 And we may observe that when he mentions the Doubts concerning the Immortality of the Soul he Introduces them with this Preface q c. 3. 18. I said in my Heart 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 which may very properly be rendred According to the words or way of speaking used among the Generality of Men and 't is the very same Phrase as 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 which St. Paul uses r Rom. 3.5 in a like Case where he does not speak his own Sense but sets down an Inference which Wicked Men would be apt to make from what he had said But if any desire further satisfaction concerning this Book or the Song of Solomon I must refer them to that Excellent Commentary which the Reverend and Learned Bishop Patrick has Publish'd upon these two Books where he has with great Clearness explain'd the Sense and Design of them both and particularly as to the Latter has shewed ſ Preface how fitly the Mystical Vnion between Christ and his Church is Represented in it under the Persons of a Bridegroom and Bride that Allegory being agreeable to the Notions of all the Prophetical Writers of the Old Testament who constantly express God's being in Covenant with the Jews by his being Married and a Husband t Ps 45. Is 54 5.-62 4.5 Jer. 3 14.-31.32 Hos 2.2.7.16 Ezek. 16.8 to them and in pursuance of the same Metaphor reprove their Idolatry under the names of Adultery u Is 57.7.8 Jer. 3.1 c. Ezek. 16.15 c. ◠c. 23. Hos c. 1. 2. Fornication and going a Whoring after other Gods and the same Metaphor is alluded to by Christ and his Apostles in the New Testament x Matt. 22.2 Joh 3 28 29. 2 Cor. 1.2 Eph. 5.31 32 Rev. 19 7.-14.4 All which is made out by that Reverend and Excellent Author with so much Learning and Exactness and does so fully Vindicate this Book from the Rash Censures of those who have doubted of its Authority and from the Profane Interpretations which some Wanton Fancies have applied to it that 't would be Unpardonable Presumption for me to think I can add any thing upon this Subject to that Great Man's Judicious and Accomplisht Labours THE CONCLUSION ANd now I have Finish'd my Undertaking and have given a particular Answer to all the Arguments Mr. N. has advanc'd against the Divine Inspiration of the Holy Scriptures I have not to my Knowledge pass'd by any thing which is of Weight in any of the Letters nor dissembled the True Force of any of the Objections contain'd in them And upon the whole matter it appears that the Main Strength of the Book may be Compriz'd in this one Argument viz. That Book can't be of Divine Authority nor Written by God's Direction where there are any Marks of Humane Industry and of Men's making Vse of their Natural Talents of Memory or Invention in the Composure The Falseness of which Assertion I have shewed in several places of the Foregoing Discourse and at present I shall only make this further Remark upon it for a Conclusion of the whole Discourse viz. That at the same Rate of Arguing a Man might prove that God had no Hand in Governing the Ordinary Course of this World by his Providence nor Fitting Men for the Next by his Grace For we see nothing brought to pass in the World without the help of Natural Agents and God requires Men to work out their Salvation with as much
Order of Ministers and Church-Governours who have the Power of Dispensing them the Necessity of being Incorporated into the Church as a Society Founded upon a Divine Charter and to whose Members alone belong the Priviledges of the New Covenant the Meritorious Efficacy of Christ's Sacrifice and Intercession towards the Procuring men's Salvation these Doctrines I say they will by no means admit to be True because as they pretend they cannot see what Natural Force there is in these things toward their producing their intended Effects And when they have deprived Christ of his Titles of Saviour and High-Priest tho perhaps they may still be contented to acknowledge him a Prophet and a Teacher come from God yet they look upon his Coming into the World as a matter of no Great Consequence and which men do well to believe if they see good Reason for it or if after having used Reasonable Diligence they are not convinc'd that 't is True there 's no great Harm done since he came only to Reinforce the Principles and Duties of Natural Religion which men's Reason will sufficiently instruct them in and if they do but live up to its Directions and lead good Moral Lives they may be saved whatever their Opinions are as to what they call the Speculative Points of Religion These Opinions every body is sensible are very much in Vogue especially among those who value themselves for being Free Thinkers and Reasoners 'T is evident likewise that men of these Principles are apt to look upon the Bible as a Book of no great Value and which the World might very well be without and are ready to declare that the Disputes it has occasion'd have done more harm than the Book has done good and so from Vndervaluing its Worth they come to question its Authority From what has been said it appears very probable that the Prevailing of these Loose Notions concerning a Church-state and Revealed Religion at first gave Rise or at least hath since given Continuance to those Controversies that have been so much Debated of late concerning the Integrity and Authority of the Scriptures And the Atheistical Party have been Industrious to keep alive this Dispute as well knowing that 't is doing no small piece of Service to their Cause to weaken the Authority of the Holy Writings Mr. Hobbs and the Author of Theologo-Politicus are the Chief of that Party who have engag'd in this Controversie tho indeed they ought to pass but for one Writer since the latter has taken the Substance of what he says from the former and seems to have little of his own Invention unless it be the Quoting of a Text now and then in Hebrew which he does I suppose to raise in his Vnlearned Readers an Admiration of his Profound Reading and Schollarship And this Design of his has in some measure taken Effect for his Atheistical Admirers are generally Ignorant enough to take him for a Writer of Sense and Learning But to pass by these Profess'd Advocates of Atheism and Irreligion the most considerable Writers that have been concern'd in the Controversie about the Integrity and Authority of the Holy Writings are Mr. Simon and his Adversaries Whose Learning as I do not intend to disparage so neither will I take upon me to judge of their Secret Intention in the Management of this Dispute I acknowledge them to be men of Learning and as to their Design I am willing to think as Charitably as I can But yet I cannot forbear saying that tho they differ very much in their Notions as to other Matters yet they seem to agree in speaking slightly and irreverently of the Holy Writers they readily lay hold of any Difficulties which tend to weaken their Credit and do not take half so much pains to Improve any of the Arguments that may be produc'd for them as they do to Vrge Objections against them But however I must say thus much in behalf of Mr. Simon that many to shew their good Will to the Bible make him say much Worse things than he really does and such as they would fain have him say and would be glad if they could Vouch his Authority for They are Industrious to make the world believe that if we will take his Judgment there have been so many Corruptions and Alterations made in the Text of the Bible that 't is impossible to tell which is the True and which is the False Reading Mr. Dryden particularly in his Religio Laici makes this Comment upon Mr. Simon 's Critick and tells us as delivering that Author's sense that the Jews have Let in Gross Errors to corrupt the Text Omitted Paragrahs and With vain Traditions stop'd the Gaping Fence Now one would think by this Account of his Work that Mr. Simon had expresly asserted that the Jews had Wilfully and Designedly Corrupted the Original by Adding to and Taking away from it as they thought fit But in my Opinion 't is taking a greater Liberty than Poetry it self will allow to make a man speak quite contrary to his Sense and Meaning For Mr. Simon makes it his Business to prove in several places of his Book a Critique upon the O. T. l. 1. ch 17 18 19 l. 2. c. 4. that the Jews have not corrupted the Hebrew Text and answers the Arguments that are usually brought for that Opinion All that he affirms as to this matter is that the Bible has been obnoxious to the same Corruptions that other Books are through the Ignorance or Negligence of Transcribers and that such kind of Faults crept into the Text in those Ages chiefly that did not mind the Niceties of Criticism and therefore the proper way to Reform those Errors is by Correcting the Suspected Places according to the Rules of that Art and by diligent Comparing of Copies as Criticks correct other Books and the Massorets have already the Hebrew Text. And as for the Additions which are supposed by many to have been made to the Original Text he supposes them inserted by Prophets whereof there was a constant Succession whose Business 't was to take Care of the Publick Records How true this Hypothesis is 't is not my Business to examine 't is sufficient to my present Purpose that Mr. Simon does not represent these Additions as so many Corruptions of the Text. So that in this Case Mr. D. has Misrepresented Mr. Simon 's Text aswell as that of the Bible and put such a Gloss upon it as it does not appear that he ever intended as far as can be gathered from his Words But I shall pursue this Matter no further because Mr. D. may think it hard measure to urge any thing said in his Religio Laici against him at this time of day when he has alter'd his Mind in so many Particulars since the Writing of that Poem and has made Amends for his Former Incredulity by turning Advocate for Implicite Faith One of Mr. Simon 's Antagonists whom he and the rest of the World take to
God's Providence in their Minds p. 133 3 To foretell the times of the Messias p. 136 Why his Coming revealed so often and so particularly p. 137 By what Steps and Degrees God revel'd this Mystery p. 141 Some Prophecies more directly pointing to the Messias than others p. 145 Concerning the Literal and Mystical sense of Prophecies how reasonable to allow this Double Sense p. 146 An Instance of both these Senses in that Famous Prophecy Is 7.10 c. which is at large Exlain'd p. 149 The same proved by other Instances p. 151 There are Evident Marks whereby to discover a Mystical Sense wherever 't is involv'd under a Literal One p. 152 The reasons why Prophecies are written in such a Style as contains a Mystical Sense under a Literal One p. 155 Two Rules laid down as the Foundation of Mystical Interpretations p. 161 A Recapitulation of what has been said in this Chapter p. 163 CHAP. IV. Wherein some Difficulties are Resolv'd relating to the Prophets themselves or their Writings p. 167 Two Difficulties proposed the First concerning the Obscurity of Prophecies the Second concerning the Marks whereby to distinguish True Prophets from False Ibid The First Answer'd by proving these two things 1 That the Prophecies were not so much design'd to gratify Men's Curiosity in discovering to them what should come to pass hereafter as to Convince them when the things foretold were come to pass that 't was the Lord's doing p. 170 Dan. 12.4 and Revelat. 22.10 Explain'd p. 171 2 Assertion The fulfilling of Prophecies if deliver'd plainly inconsistent with the Freedom of Humane Actions p. 174 Three Rules laid down for the Clearing of Second Difficulty 1 Rule A Prophets endeavouring to Seduce Men to Idolatry a certain Sign of a False Prophet p. 183 2 Rule The Prophets usually when they first entred upon their Office gave such a Sign of their Mission that a little time would discover whether they were sent from God or not the fulfilling of which Sign establisht their Authority for the Future p. 185 3 Rule Three Criteria made use of to judge of a Prophet if he gave no Sign viz. Purity of Doctrine Holiness of Life and Agreement with other Prophets p. 188 CHAP. V. Concerning the Inspiration of the Canonical Books of the Old Testament in General and of the Historical and Poetical Books in Particular p. 139 Mr. N.'s Objections Proposed p. 194 Concerning the time when the Canon of the Old Testament was Compiled Several Reasons assign'd why it must have been Compiled in Ezra's time or not long after p. 195 To suppose it Compiled so Early adds great weight to it's Authority p. 199 The Canon doth not consist of all the Fragments of the Ancient Jewish Books which were Extant when that was made as Mr. N. supposes p. 201 Our Saviour approved the Canon of the Old Testament as it stood and was received by the Jews in his time p. 205 So did the Apostles 2. Tim. 3.16 Vindicated from the Gloss which Grotius and Mr. N. put upon it p. 209 The Jewish Division of the Old Testament into the Law Prophets and Chetubim does not favor Mr. N. p. 214 That Division proved not to be Ancient p. 216 Grotius's Authority in this Controversy consider'd p. 211 Concerning the Authority of the Historical Writings of the Old Testament 'T is probable they were Composed by Prophets p. 220 A passage in Josephus to that purpose clear'd from the Exceptions of Monsieur Huetius p. 223 The Book of Esther Vindicated from Mr. N.'s Objections p. 226 A Vindication of the Book of Job Why writ with so much Elegancy p. 228 An account of those passages in it which savour of Impatience p. 230 What Opinion Job maintain'd in the Dispute betwixt him and his Friends p. 233 In what sense this Book is Inspir'd p. 236 What excellent Uses may be made of this Book p. 239 The Divine Authority of the Book of Psalms proved p. 240 They made up the greatest part of the Publick Service first of the Jewish and afterward of the Christian Church in the Primitive times p. 242 An Answer to the Grand Objection taken from the Imprecations which are to be found in several of the Psalms consisting of Three Particulars viz. 1 Several of those Expressions do not really import so much as they seem to do p. 246 2 Most of them are rather Predictions than Imprecations p. 247 3 'T is lawful in several Cases to Pray against our Enemies This proved in four Instances p. 250 A Caution against Misunderstanding some Expressions in the Psalms p. 260 The Divine Authority of the Book of Proverbs asserted p. 261 M. N. guilty of a manifest Error p. 262 The Proverbs being Moral Instructions no Argument that they are not Inspir'd p. 264 In what respect this Book exeeeds the Moral Writings of the Heathen Philosophers p. 267 Mr. N's Objections against some particular Passages in this Book Answer'd p. 269 Concerning the Collection of Proverbs ascribed to Agur and an Answer to Mr. N's Objections against them p. 271 The Design of Ecclesiastes and of the Canticles explained and Vindicated from Mr. N's Objections p. 279 The CONCLUSION p. 281 ERRATA THat which most disturbs the sense is pag. 48. lin 20. where in stead of do not reach this Case by the Laws of Christ read the Laws of Christ do not reach this Case P. 26. in the Mar. for p. 11. 12. r. p. 17. p. 50. in the Mar. for 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 r. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 p. 121. l. 26. for ther'e 's r. there 's p. 123. l. 26. for 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 r. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 p. 145. Marg. for v. Cels r. c. Cels p. 160. l. 20. del likewise p. 212. Mar. put a comma after citatur p. 250. l. 18. for ef r of p. 259. l. 20. for of notorious r. of his notorious p. 262 l. 23. for sebject r. subject CHAPTER I. General Considerations concerning the Inspiration of the Writings of the New Testament I Do not dislike our Author's a French Edit p. 222. English p. 13 Division of the Scripture-Writings into Prophecies Histories and Doctrines and I do so far agree with him as to grant that all the Holy Books have not an equal degree of Inspiration but have more or less of it according as the matters they contain are more or less Adequate to the Writers Understanding and Capacities For I cannot but think that God made use of their Natural Talents as far as they could be subservient to his designs the Reasons of which Opinion I shall have occasion hereafter to mention But yet notwithstanding my agreement with him thus far I must desire leave not to follow his Method because I think 't will contribute much to the Clearness and Strength of the following Discourse if I treat of the Inspiration of the New-Testament-Writings in General in the first place For in this Method we begin with what is most Known and Certain
and from thence proceed to explain what is more Doubtful and Obscure And if the Divine Authority of the Writings of the New Testament be once proved that of the Old must follow as a necessary Consequence because the former gives Testimony to the latter and most of the Arguments which prove the one may be easily applied to the other Mr. N. allowes the Histories of the N. Testament to be exact and true Relations of the matter of Fact but supposes that there 's no need of Inspiration to Write a true History b Fr. p. 231 c. Engl. p. 28. c. He grants likewise that the Apostolical Epistles contain nothing but what is conformable to the Doctrine of Christ but yet that the Apostles had no need of an extraordinary Inspiration for Writing their Epistles c Fr. p. 282 283. Eng. p. 112 113. But all this while he takes no notice that these Writings were design'd by God for the Perpetual Use and Instruction of the Church and to be a Rule of Christian Faith to all Ages Which one thing if it be made out will prove their Divine Original and sufficiently distinguish them from all other Writings purely Humane where Providence cannot be supposed to have had such an extraordinary Hand in the Composure since it neither can be pretended that the Authors were the Immediate Instruments of God in publishing his Will nor that their Works were design'd for so general a Use as the Instruction of the Universal Church I shall therefore in the first place give a definition of an Inspir'd Writing and then prove that the Writings of the New Testament are truly such An Inspired Writing I take to be a Book that is writ by the Incitation Direction and Assistance of God and design'd by him for the Perpetual use of the Church The Proof of the Inspiration of the New-Testament-Writings I shall comprise in these following Propositions I. God design'd to provide a means for the preserving the Doctrine of Christ to the end of the World II. This could not be done so well in any Ordinary way or Humane means as by committing this Doctrine to Writing III. 'T is more reasonable to suppose that God would make use of this way than any other because he made use of the same means before for the Instruction of the Jewish Church IV. He has actually made use of no other way for the conveying down the Christian Doctrine that can be assign'd V. The Apostles themselves design'd their Writings for the Perpetual use of the Church and lookt upon them of equal Authority in the Christian Church as the Writings of the Old Testament were in the Jewish VI. The Age immediately after the Apostles lookt upon the Writings of the New Testament as the standing Rule of Faith to the Christian Church I think the making out these Propositions some of which need very little proof will fully prove the Divine Authority of the Books contain'd in the Canon of the New Testament and when they are made out such Consequences may be drawn from them as will silence most of the Cavils and Objections which the Author of these Letters and some others have raised against the Inspiration of the Scripture I. The first Proposition to be proved is this God design'd to provide a means for the preserving the Doctrine of Christ to the end of the World This Proposition I think any Christian will take for granted and my design at present is not to dispute with Infidels but to lay down those Principles upon which the Divine Authority of the Scriptures is built the truth of Christianity being presupposed because the Author I am to deal with professes the Belief of Christianity and yet has raised Objections against a great many of those Writings which Christians have all along lookt upon to be of Divine Authority I say therefore that no Christian can doubt of the truth of this Proposition for every Christian believes the Gospel to be the last and most perfect Revelation of the Will of God which he intends to afford to the World he believes that Christ will be with his Church to the end of the World Mat. 28.20 16.18 and that the gates of Hell shall not prevail against it i. e. it shall never be so far weakned as that the Profession of Christianity should cease or the Church be perfectly deprived of the Knowledge of saving Truth Nothing further being needful for the illustrating this Proposition I proceed to the II. Proposition God could not preserve the Knowledge of Christianity in an Ordinary way or by any Humane means so well as by conveying the Doctrine of it to after Ages by Writing I do not pretend to prescribe to God Almighty what method he shall use to discover his Will to the World or confine him to any one way of doing it but thus much I think I may safely say that a standing Rule of Faith committed to Writing is liable to less inconveniencies and difficulties than any other way of conveying down Divine Truth Whereas all other ways that can be assign'd of transmitting Divine Revelation are incumbred with so many difficulties that without a constant series of Miracles they can never attain their end And therefore we can't reasonably suppose that God will make choice of any such methods to Reveal his Will by For this is to be laid down for a certain truth that God never works more Miracles than needs must nor ever suspends or overbears the force of natural Agents without evident necessity but allways uses second Causes and Humane means as far as they will go And therefore that method which offers least violence to Nature is more likely to be made choice of by God Some Men indeed are apt to think that the Hand of God can't shew it self without a constant series of Miracles but they that consider things more exactly rather judge that a continued succession of Miracles would really be a reproach to God's Ordinary Providence for often to interrupt the course of Nature must needs be a reflection upon the Wisdom that first contrived it We can imagine but two ways of God's Communicating his Will to several successive Ages without the help of Writing either Oral Tradition or making a Particular Revelation to every single Person or at least to all those whose business 't is to teach and instruct others in their Duty Now both these ways are liable to such difficulties and do suppose so many immediate interpositions of God's Power to prevent those errors which must of necessity attend them considering the present state of Humane Nature as are not suitable to the methods which God uses in Governing the World I shall not pursue this matter any further nor give a particular account of the inconveniencies to which both these Methods are obnoxious and to correct which a constant Interposition of Miracles will be necessary The Absurdity of the former has bin abundantly demonstrated by the e Dr. Tillotson's
g Ezek. 13.18 that they may sleep on securely in their Sins The True Prophets accuse the False Ones of several Vices in their Conversation and Manner of Living of making h Jer. 6.13 Ezek. 13.19 Mich. 3.5 11. This was one of the Arguments made use of to prove Montanus his followers False Prophets because they took Mony for Prophesying beside that they were guilty of Theft and other Crimes v. Euseb H. E. l. 5. c. 18. a gain of their Profession and speaking smooth things for advantage i Is 30.10 of Adultery k Jer. 23 14.-29.23 and Riot l Is 28.7 Mic. 2.11 of being Fearless and Unconcern'd at God's Judgements and not indeavouring by Prayers or other eminent Acts of Piety to avert them m Ezek. 13.5 Jer. 27.18 And as to the other Mark of True Prophets viz. their Agreement with other Prophets we find Jeremy Appealing to it in the Contest between him and Hananiah who Prophesied n Jer. 28 3 4. of the return of Jechoniah's Captivity contrary to what Jeremy had foretold Upon which Jeremy tells him o Ib. ver 8 9. The Prophets that were before me and before thee of old prophesied of War and Evil and Pestilence the Prophet that prophesieth of Peace when the word of the Prophet shall come to pass then shall the Prophet be known that the Lord hath sent him Where Jeremy argues against the Truth of Hananiah's Prophecy and proves that what himself had prophesied was much more Credible of the two because many other Prophets agreed with him in prophesying evil against the Jews and several other Countries whereas he being single in his Prophecy concerning Peace nothing but the Punctual Answering of the Event could give him the Authority of a Prophet and people must Suspend their judgments till Time shouuld discover whether he were in the Right or no. Which place seems likewise to imply that Hananiah had never before given a Sign to attest his Mission and therefore his Credit would justly be questionable till men could see whether his Sign came to pass or not From what has been said we may conclude it probable that where a Prophet gave no Sign whereby men might make Tryal of the Reality of his Pretensions they made a judgment of it by considering his Education whether he had been brought up in the Schools of the Prophets which were the Seminaries of Inspir'd persons by examining his Manner of Life his Doctrine and his Agreement with other Prophets and the more any of these was liable to Exceptions the more need was there that he should give a Sign to attest his Mission So for Example 't was more requisite that Amos should give a Sign who was no Prophet by Education or Prophets Son but a Herdman p Amos 8.14 by Profession than any of those Prophets who were of the Priestly Order or brought up among the Sons of the Prophets CHAP. V. Concerning the Inspiration of the Canonical Books of the Old Testament in General and of the Historical and Poetical Books in Particular THe Two Preceding Chapters concerning Prophecy being a Digression with respect to the Book which I undertook to Answer tho not with Respect to the General Design of this Treatise which is to Vindicate the Authority of the Scriptures I return to Mr. N's Memorial as 't is Communicated by the Author of the Letters and shall Examine in this Chapter the Exceptions which he makes against the Authority of the Old Testament Writings Which are of two sorts General and Particular The General Exceptions are levell'd against the Authority of the Old Testament Canon which this Author supposes a Fr. p. 279. En. p 106. to consist of all the Ancient Writings whether Perfect or Imperfect whether Inspir'd or not which were remaining among the Jews at the time when this Collection was made The Particular Exceptions relate to Particular Books which he supposes not to be Inspir'd either because the matter of them is such as Men may know and faithfully relate without Inspiration such as are the Historical Books b Fr. p. 233. En. p. 31. or else because they contain something in them which is Vnworthy of God being its Author which Exception he advances against several Passages in the Psalms and the Proverbs and against the Intire Books of Job Ecclesiastes and the Song of Solomon c Fr. p. 271 c Eng. p. 93 c. In Answer to these Twofold Exceptions I shall I. Say something concerning the Authority and Inspiration of the Old-Testament Canon in General II. I shall make a Reply to his Objections against the Particular Books which are part of this Canon 1. As to the First it must be confess'd that we cannot give an Exact Account by whose Authority the Canon of the Old Testament was setled for we have no Writings extant that give us a History of that Affair But 't is very probable the Collection of the Canonical Books was made in Ezra's time or not long after 1. Because the Scripture-History ends about that time I know nothing of later date in it than the mention of Jaddus by Nehemiah d Neh. 12.10 22. who was Contemporary with Ezra which Jaddus was High Priest at the Beginning of Alexander the Great 's Reign And whatever others may have objected to the contrary the mentioning of this Jaddus is very reconcileable with the time when Nehemiah writ as a Great Prelate has lately made out with Incomparable Learning and Clearness e Letter to Dr. Sherlock about a passage in Josephus c. 2. Because Malachi the Prophet that lived much about the same time seems to Seal up the Vision and Prophecy among the Jews by referring them to the Law of Moses as their standing Instructor till the Gospel should be revealed and pointing out to Elias the Forerunner of the Messiah as the next great Prophet that was to be reveal'd f Mal. 4.4 5. And indeed his Prophecy looks as if it were design'd to Connect the Old and New Testament together by putting a period to the Old Testament Revelation and directing men to the New for further Instruction This Argument will appear more probable if we consider 3ly That under the Maccabees the Jews look'd upon the Gift of Prophecy as wholly ceased and were of Opinion it had been so for a considerable time g See 1 Macc. 4 46.-9.27.-14.41 The same Opinion is confirm'd not long after by the Author of Ecclesiasticus h Ecclus. 36.14 15 16. 4. If we suppose the LXX Interpreters Translated all the Old Testament which is an Opinion that Learned men i Walton Prolegom 9. in Bibl. Polygl n. 11. Vales. in Eus H.E. l. 5. c. 8. have brought good Reasons for then 't is plain the Canon must have been settled before the time when that Version was made which was done under Ptolomee Philadelphus and as 't is very probable at the Beginning of his Reign k
which were not so The Reasons which Confute this Opinion of our Author concerning the Collection of the Canon of the Old Testament I thought fit to represent all together when I was upon this Subject tho I am sensible that 't is only the first of these Considerations which can be inferr'd as a Corollary from what has been said concerning the Early Date of the Old Testament Canon What I have hitherto said concerning the Authority and Antiquity of the Old Testament Canon I cannot call Absolutely Certain or Demonstrative but I may safely say thus much that it carries in it a greater Degree of Probability than any thing the Adversaries of the Canon have advanc'd to the Contrary So that tho we should grant what our Author says d Fr. p. 276. Eng. p. 102. That there is no proof at all that Esdras and the Great Sanhedrim of that time among whom were Haggai Zachary and Malachi Compil'd the Canon yet still 't is probable 't was made by those that were so near their time that they knew what their Sentiments were in this Matter and made this Collection accordingly But if this Proof be not thought Satisfactory I should think any Christian ought to acquiesce in the Judgement of our Saviour and 't is plain he lookt upon the Jewish Canon which was Undoubtedly the same in his time which is now received in the Protestant Churches I say he lookt upon it as a Collection of Holy Writings design'd by God for the Instruction of his Church and the Rule the Jews were to have recourse to when they would inform themselves what was the Will of God He bids them e Jâ—h 5.39 Search the Scriptures without distinguishing as our Author does f Fr. p. 277 279 285. Eng p. 10â— 106 116. the Truly Inspir'd Books from those which are not so for in them saith he ye think and so far ye are in the right that ye have Eternal Life 'T is strange our Saviour should not correct this Mistake of theirs if some of the Books they had such a great Veneration for favour'd such Dangerous Doctrines as our Author thinks the Book of Ecclesiastes does g Fr. p. 272. Eng. p. 96. and contain'd Expressions very like Blasphemies as he is pleas'd to speak concerning the Book of Job h Fr. p. 275. Eng. p. 101. For if this were true 't was certainly very dangerous for Men to Search or be too much Conversant in these Books especially since they came Recommended under the Character of a Divine Inspiration 'T is strange our Saviour i Luk. 24.44 should prove the Passion and Resurrection of the Messias not only out of Moses and the Prophets but also out of the Psalms by which our Author k Fr. p. 277. Eng. p. 123. understands those Writings which the Jews call Chetubim if these Books be of so little Authority as he would perswade us they are Mr. N. would fain Evade the Force of this Argument taken from our Saviours Authority by telling us l Fr. p. 278. Eng. p. 104 105. that Christ never design'd to Criticize upon the Sacred Books or to Correct those Errors of the Jews which were of small Importance But since our Saviour Criticiz'd so far upon the Sacred Books as to Confute the false Glosses m Matt. 5. c. 23. which the Scribes and Pharisees had made upon them and to Reject the Traditions n c. 15.1 which they had Equall'd to the Word of God and in some Cases Prefer'd before it it seems as necessary for him to have distinguisht between the True Scriptures and those Books which were Undeservedly esteem'd such Especially if these Latter advance Doctrines that do not well agree with the Former as our Author o Fr. p. 272 c. Eng p. 95 c. indeavours to prove concerning several places of the Proverbs Ecclesiastes and Job for then the Admitting the Authority of such Writings is of as Ill Consequence as the Receiving the Traditions of the Pharisees could be Nay with his leave I think it an Error of more dangerous Consequence to Equal a Book that is not Inspir'd when it contains False Doctrine with one that is truly Divine than to Equal such Traditions as the Pharisees held with an Inspir'd Writing Because a Tradition will probably in time be forgotten and so lose all its Authority which we see has been the Fate of most of the Pharisaical Traditions whereas a Book that has once been generally Reputed of Divine Authority 't is likely will maintain that Character for ever For its very Character will make Men careful to preserve it and the Older it grows the Stronger will the Plea of Prescription be for its Divine Original and Consequently the More will be Impos'd upon by it as we see hath Actually happen'd in the Case we are now speaking of if our Author's Opinion be true For the whole Christian and Jewish Church hath time out of mind lookt upon the Books contain'd in the Jewish Canon to be Inspir'd and have upon all Occasions appeal'd to their Authority as such From whence it appears that our Saviours taking notice of this Error if it had been one would have been much more beneficial to after Ages than his Confuting an Unwritten Tradition could be But further we find the Apostles Judgment does evidently concur with our Saviours in this matter St. Paul says a Rom. 3.2 that the Jews were intrusted b 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 with the Oracles of God but surely he would have told us that they were not True to their Trust if he had thought they had mix'd Prophane Books with the Sacred ones But that Text of the same Apostle c 2 Tim. 3.16 All Scripture is given by Inspiration of God is so clear a Proof of the Apostles Judgment in this matter that 't will admit of no Evasion For the Apostle tells Timothy in the foregoing Verse that from a child he had known the Scriptures by which he must mean the Body of Writings which the Jews look'd upon as such for in that Religion he had been Educated by the Care of his mother who was a Jewess d Act. 16.1 Then it follows in this verse All Scripture is given by Inspiration of God where the Apostle certainly understands the word Scripture in the same sense which he took it in the Verse before viz. for that Collection of Writings which the Jews received as the Word of God But pray let us hear our Authors Paraphrase e Eng. p. 192. Fr. p. 270. upon these two Verses It is as if he had said to Timothy that he ought to keep close as he had done hitherto to the Study of the Old Testament which would instruct him sufficiently in the way of Salvation by joyning thereunto Faith in Christ Jesus because all Scripture Inspired AS IS A GREAT PART OF THE OLD TESTAMENT Is profitable for Instruction I think I may appeal to any Indifferent Man
Histories committed to them But that Learned Man seems not to have attended to the whole Scope and Design of Josephus in that place For that Historian does not say that the Writing of the Publick Histories was committed to the Chief Priests as well as the Prophets but that the Care of the Publick Records was committed to them * 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 And if we take an Intire view of that Section we shall find that Josephus speaks not only of the manner how the Histories of Former times were written but likewise how they were Preserved after they are writ The Care of writing them was committed to the Prophets as the other Passage assures us not Excluding those Priests who had the Gift of Prophecy the Preserving them he here tells us was particularly the Business of the Priests who likewise exactly Preserved the Genealogies of their Nation and renewed them when the Copies were Impair'd and in danger to be all lost by Wars and other Accidents and therefore were lookt upon as the Keepers of the Publick Records Whence is it that the same Author usually calls the Holy Writings 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 m Antiq. p. 73. G. p. 140. A. p. 176. G. The Books laid up in the Temple under the Custody of the Priests Which was agreeable to the Customs of the Neighbouring Countries for so Philo Byblius n Ap. Euseb Praep. Evang. l. 1 says of Sanchuniathon that he Collected the Phenician Antiquities 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 out of the Records laid up in their Temples But to return to our Subject From those many Instances I have given which shew 't was a Custom among the Jews for the Prophets to be their Historians we may conclude that the Historical Books of the Old Testament were writ by Men who had the Gift of Prophecy and Inspiration and tho we suppose them to be but Abridgements of the larger Commentaries of the Prophets yet they are really of as much Authority as those very Annals would be which were writ by the Prophets themselves if they were extant For if an Epitome be faithfully made and I suppose Mr. N. does not question the Fidelity of the Sacred Historians whatever is contained in it hath the same Authority and Credibility with the Original Writing So that if we lay all these things together the Character of the Compilers of these Historical Books the Matter and Design of them the Authority of the Jewish Canon and above all that of Christ and his Apostles these are sufficient Inducements to believe these Books to be Written by God's Direction for the Benefit of the Church And this I think is enough to give Divine Authority to an Historical Book tho neither the Matter nor Words of it be indited by Inspiration As for the History of Esther Mr. N. has taken much pains o Fr. p. 164 c. Eng. p. 249. and shewed a great deal of Skill in the Rules of Dramatick Poesy and all to prove that this Book looks like a Fiction and a piece of Tragi-Comedy He indeed tells us that he affirms nothing in this matter and does not intend to make himself a Party in the Dispute But a man would hardly take so much pains to make anothers Opinion look probable if he did not think it so himself But whatever his own Sentiments be to shew himself Impartial and that he is resolv'd not to conceal any thing that may be said on the other side he Critically remarks p Eng. p. 169. Fr. p. 252. that one Condition necessary to be observ'd in Dramatick Writings is wanting viz. Vnity of Time and Place which must needs seem a considerable Objection to so nice a Judge But besides this there 's another Objection which I confess has more Weight with me and seems quite to turn the Scales and make his Remarks appear meer Fancy and Fiction viz. that the Feast of Purim was really observed by the Jews in memory of the Deliverance recorded in this Book And 't will be a hard matter to make me believe that a whole Nation should keep an Anniversary Feast as 't is certain they did q 2 Macâ— 15.36 without some real Ground for it And if this was not the true Occasion of it as he seems to insinuate r Eng. p 170. Fr. p. 253. I desire either he would prove the Feast to be as very a Fiction as he supposes the History is or else inform us how the whole Nation of the Jews came to be so far impos'd upon as to observe it for till he does one of these two things I shall still be of opinion that the one was a Real Feast and the other a True History But tho this Play does not succeed he is resolved not to give over but try his Skill upon another Subject and turn the Book of Job into a Tragi-Comedy Å¿ Fr. p. â—â—4 Eng. p. 99. And I confess this Book is made according to the Rules of Poetry and with all the Beauties of it too as an Ordinary Reader may easily discover under all the Disadvantages of a Translation And therefore methinks our Author who understands the Rules and Decorums of Poetry so well should not be offended with those Pathetic Strains that are in the third Chapter and some other places of that Book for tho we should grant that they would not become a grave Philosophical Discourse yet I believe he might have found several Speeches in the Old Tragedies written with as much Vehemence and Warmth And yet the severest Philosophers commended those Writings and look'd upon them as containing very useful Instructions of Life And I see no Reason why God might not in this as well as other things suffer the Holy Writers to comply so far with their own Genius and the Humour which then prevail'd among the grave Sages of the World as to deliver Great and Weighty Truths in Poetical numbers and Expressions both to recommend them to the more Curious and Nice Readers and to convince the Wise men of the World who are apt to despise the Plainness of the Scriptures that there are to be found as Elevated Thoughts and as Noble Expressions in the Holy Writings as any Greece or Rome can boast of and therefore when they use a plain popular Style 't is not out of Necessity but Choice and because they rather aim at the Instruction of the ignorant than to gain Applause from the Learned t V. Orig. c. Cels p. 275 371 372. Ed. Cant. But still men perhaps will be ready to say that these Expressions may do well in a Profane Poem but are not so proper for a Sacred one and do not become the mouth of a Person eminent for Piety and Patience In answer to which I would desire the Objectors in the first place to consider that the Substance of the 3d Chapter of this Book which so much offends Mr. N. u Fr. p. 275. Eng. p. 100 when 't is taken in
A VINDICATION Of the DIVINE AUTHORITY and INSPIRATION of the Writings Of the OLD and NEW TESTAMENT In Answer to a Treatise lately Translated out of French Entituled Five Letters concerning the INSPIRATION of the Holy SCRIPTURES By William Lowth B. D. Fellow of St. John's College in Oxford OXFORD Printed at the THEATER And are to be sold by John Wilmot Bookseller An. Dom. 1692. Imprimatur JONATH EDWARDS Vice-Can OXON June 13. 1692. TO THE Right Reverend Father in God PETER Lord BISHOP of WINCHESTER AND PRELATE of the Most Noble ORDER of THE GARTER May it Please Your Lordship IT is the Misfortune of our times to have Religion at once assaulted by a Rude and Ignorant Profaneness by a Confident pretence to reason and by Sceptical Sophistry Its Foundations are attack'd by the Profess'd Enemies of God and Goodness Its Mysteries are Ridicul'd by Hereticks as if they intended to invite Atheists to their Assistance to joyn a Helping Hand to the Carrying on so Good a Work as the Exposing Religion and making it appear Absurd and Contemptible And as if it were not Task enough to Encounter Open Enemies it hath the Hard Fate of it's Blessed Author to be Wounded in the House of it's Friends whilest many of those who seem to Embrace it are much more Industrious to Raise Doubts and Scruples about it than to Establish the Fundamental Truths of it or else lay down such Loose Principles that Wicked Men may deduce their own Conclusions from them and can't but please themselves to see their Work done to their Hands and Christianity Undermin'd by the Imprudence or Treachery of it's own Votaries Thus by Degrees Men have proceeded from Arguing about Obscure and Nice Matters to question Known and Certain Truths and from Disputing about the Points and Tittles of the Law to Reject the Divine Authority of the whole from thence to Decry all Revelation because they cannot exactly Comprehend how God's Spirit Influences and Cooperates with Man's Understanding and at last to cast off Religion in General So True is that which a Great Man has Observ'd That the Disesteem of the Scriptures is the Decay of Religion and through many Turnings and Windings at last leads Men into the very Depth of Atheism My LORD The Design of the Letters which I have Undertaken to Answer is to Perplex Men's minds with Difficulties about the Nature of Inspiration and thereby render the Divine Authority of those Writings suspected which the Church has always lookt upon as the Sacred Depositum of Divine Truth which God has committed to it's Trust and Design'd for it's Guide and Oracle When first I saw this Treatise turn'd into English I was in Hopes that some of our Eminent Divines whose Writings are so Deservedly Admir'd for their Strength and Clearness would have Vindicated the Authority of the Scriptures and Clear'd their Title to Inspiration from those Difficulties with which Men that are Better at Pulling down than Building up have perplexed it The Subject has never yet been throughly Handled and is Worthy the Thoughts of those Great Masters of Learning Reason and Judgement But after I had waited some time and could not hear that any Abler Person Intended to take this Work in hand I resolved to do my Best Endeavour toward the Defence of so Good a Cause and give a Check to those Opinions which tend to Undermine all Revelation And when I had finished my Design there were many Considerations moved me to present it to your Lordship not doubting but your Known Candor and Goodness would pardon the Confidence of this Address Your Eminent Dignity in the Church makes You deservedly Esteem'd a Pillar of Religion and Truth Your Constant Residence in Your Diocess and Your Care and Vigilance to keep up the Good Orders and Discipline of the Church there preserve the Purity of it's Doctrine and give a Due Lustre to it's Constitution and your Generous and Obliging Temper Charms Men into a Complyance with your Good Counsel and their own Duty And as these Considerations Embolden'd me to Present this Treatise to your Lordship which is writ in Vindication of those Sacred Truths for the Defence and Confirmation of which your Lordship is Placed in that High Station so Your Signal Courage in Opposing the Enthusiasts of the Late Times whose Vile Hypocrisy and Lewd Pretences to Inspiration have made way for Open Profaneness and Contempt of all Revel'd Religion Encourages me to hope that your Lordship will favourably accept this Work how mean soever whose Design 't is to put some stop to those Lasting Ill-Effects which have proceeded from such Pernicious Principles And beside these Publick Considerations this Work does Implore your Lordship's Protection as being Visitor and Patron to the College of which the Author is a Member who readily Embraces this Opportunity of Declaring to the World how Happy that Society esteems it Self in having the Honour of your Lordships Patronage whose Government they formerly found to be so Great a Blessing and withal is glad of so good an Occasion of making this Publick and Grateful Acknowledgement of those Favours wherewith your Lordship has been pleased to Oblige My LORD Your Lordship 's Most Dutiful Servant WILLIAM LOWTH THE PREFACE THE Age we live in deservedly bears the Character of a Curious and Inquisitive Age which does not love to take things upon Trust or blindly follow the Determinations of others And I must profess for my own part that I reckon a free use of Reasoning and Judging as Valuable a Blessing as the Injoyment of our Civil Liberties and look upon no sort of Tyranny so grievous as that of forcing Persons of Ingenuous and Inquisitive Tempers exactly to square their Sentiments of things to other mens Opinions But as the Best things are liable to be abus'd so this Freedom of Enquiry has been made use of to Ill Purposes and has Accidentally produced very bad Effects For men have been so Fond of this Liberty as to think no Bounds or Limits ought to be set to it and at last to believe the Submitting to the Authority of God himself to be an undue Restraint upon the Vse of Humane Reason and the very pretending to such an Authority to be one of the Arts of Designing Priests who by this Device endeavour to Enslave the rest of the World and make them Think and Act just as they would have them Thus many men have Reason'd themselves first into Socinianism and then which is but one Remove from the former into Deism or at least into a Coldness and Indifferency to all Reveal'd Religion They think 't is to Impose upon them to Oblige them to Believe or Practise any thing unless they can see a Reason why it should be so and cannot be perswaded that they owe God so much service as to submit to those Laws which seem to them to have no other ground but his Arbitrary Will and Pleasure Vpon this account they reject the Use of the Sacraments the
be Mr. Le Clerc publish'd those Letters which I have undertaken to answer the Two First of them in his Sentimens de Theologiens de Hollande sur l' Histoire Critique c. the Rest in the Defence of the Sentiments Who is the Author of these Letters whether Mr. Le Clerc himself or as he pretends a Friend of his whom he calls Mr. N. signifies little to the Controversie it self and therefore I do not think it worth while to enquire And as to the Author's Design in writing these Tracts whether they were writ by way of Enquiry only or out of a Design to undermine the Authority of the Scriptures I shall not take upon me to Determine but shall leave that to the Searcher of Hearts Charity that believes all things prompts me to believe the Author's solemn Protestation which he makes b Eng. Ed. p. 38. French p. 229. that he disowns the ill Consequences which some have drawn from his Principles and his Arguments for the Christian Religion which are contain'd in the Last Letter incourage me to persist in that Christian Perswasion However when I found the Author earnestly desirous c Fr. p. 245. Eng. p. 51. that some body would fairly answer him and indeavour to give further Light to this Matter and withall was sensible that he has laid down several Assertions which tend to lessen the Authority and Credit of the Sacred Writers and that Ill men have made use of them to this purpose as 't is their constant Method to run away with any thing that seems to favour their side but to overlook what makes against them all these Considerations perswaded me to Vndertake a particular Examination of all those Passages in these Letters that reflect upon the Holy Pen-men or their Writings I know Mr. Simon has made a brief Answer to all the Material Objections of this Author the Substance of which is inserted in the Fourth Letter together with Mr. N's Reply But I must freely profess I am not at all satisfied with Mr. Simon 's Performance and his Answers seem to have been drawn up in Hast without a thorow Examination of the Force of the Objections Perhaps Mr. Simon is not so well vers'd in the Subtilties of Reasoning as he is in the Nicities of Criticism And indeed Both his Answers to Mr. Le Clerc discover as much where he spends most of his time in Railing against the Protestants which might much better have been imployed in Vindicacating his own Principles from his Adversaries Objections or Defending those Common Truths in which the Generality both of Protestants and Papists agree tho neither he nor his Adversaries seem to have any great regard for them But this is the usual Fault of such Zealots as Mr. Simon hath of late discover'd himself to be that they are more concern'd for the particular Opinions of their own Party than for the Fundamental Articles of our Common Christianity and therefore they very often advance such Arguments in Defence of their own particular Doctrines which if they are pursued further undermine the Foundation of Christianity it self or it may be of Religion in General Of which Mr. Simon himself is an Instance who has taken a great deal of Pains to weaken the Authority of the Scripture Text on purpose to set up the Certainty of Tradition in its place But I believe another Reason may be assign'd of Mr. Simon 's Fierceness against the Protestants and that is because he lives in a Country where Heresy now-adays is reckon'd a greater Crime than Infidelity and 't is less dangerous to be thought no Christian than no Catholick And consequently it more nearly concern'd Mr. Simon to clear himself from the Suspicion of Heresy than to prove himself a good Christian tho perhaps in the Judgment of the World he stands in need of an Apology in that respect as much as in the other And perhaps he could not take a better Method to atone for his Disrespect towards the Scriptures and to regain the Favour of his Superiours whose Displeasure he has felt upon that Account than by crying up in Opposition to them the Infallibility of Tradition and the Authority of the Church and Inveighing against the Protestants with a great deal of Bitterness and Virulency And since Mr. Simon 's Answer gives so little satisfaction to the Difficulties which this Author has started concerning the Inspiration of the Scriptures I thought it might be an useful thing to examine the Substance of these Letters over again and Vindicate the holy Writings from this Author's Objections I must leave it to the Reader to judge of the Performance All I shall say for my self is That I have manag'd the Dispute with all the Calmness and Freedom from Passion which becomes an Impartial Searcher after Truth and in that respect I hope I have fully satisfied the Desire of my Antagonist d Fr. p. 245. Eng. p. 51. I have kept my self close to his main Design which is not to question the Veracity of the Holy Writers or the Truth of the Doctrine or Matters of Fact which they deliver but only to propose some Doubts and Questions How far they were Inspir'd either with the Matter or Words which they writ So that in this Discourse men must not expect I should handle all the Arguments for the Truth of the Scriptures and the Christian Religion which are proper to be alledg'd a-against Atheists and Infidels This as 't is forreign to the present Design so it has been done so Often and so Fully by several Learned men and amongst others by this very Author in his Fifth Letter that nothing more need or can be said upon this Subject And if men will still shut their eyes against all Conviction we must e'en despair of doing any good upon them and can only say to them in the words of the Apostle He that is ignorant let him be ignorant and If our Gospel be hid 't is hid to them that are lost whose minds the God of this world hath blinded However to do what Service I am able to the Cause of Religion and to make this Discourse as useful as I can I have ventur'd to go a little beyond the Bounds which my Adversary hath set me and have indeavour'd briefly to explain the Nature and Design of the Prophetical Writings where I have discours'd upon some things not commonly treated of the Explaining of which I hope may tend to Illustrate that noble part of the Scripture and remove some Prejudices against the Authority of the Prophets which have been greedily entertain'd by such persons as are apt to be unreasonably Suspicious and Jealous of being Impos'd upon and because there have been False Prophets think 't is impossible there should be True ones If I have been guilty of any Mistakes I hope the Reader will the more easily pardon them when he considers the Niceness of the Subject and that it has never yet been purposely treated of by any
Writer that I know as our Author himself observes e Ubi sup so that as he truly adds A man must fetch all out of his own Stock that intends to Answer him However if this Discourse do not prove satisfactory I hope 't will be the occasion of Engaging some Abler Pen in this Cause and if that be the only Good it does it will not be altogether Vnserviceable In the last place I must desire of those who think I have not carried the Inspiration of the Scriptures so high as I ought not to be Angry with me or uncharitably Censure me as if I design'd to Betray the Cause which I pretend to maintain but if they are not satisfied with my Performance to Vndertake the Argument themselves and do Justice to so Good a Causa I assure them I shall heartily wish them Success in their Vndertaking and shall be glad if my Arguments appear weak because theirs are stronger for I can do nothing against the Truth but for the Truth The Contents CHAP I. General Considerations concerning the Inspiration of the writings of the New-Testament THe Method of the whole Treatise proposed Pag. 1 The Proof of the Inspiration of the New-Testament Writings contain'd in Six Propositions p. 3 I. Proposition God design'd to provide a means for Preserving the Doctrine of Christianity to the End of the World p. 5 II. Prop. The best means of preserving Christianity in an Ordinary way was by conveying the Doctrine of it to after Ages by Writing p. 6 III. Prop. 'T is reasonable to think that God would deliver the Christian Doctrine in Writing because he used the same means formerly for the Instruction of the Jewish Church p. 10 The Reasons which enduced St. Matthew and St. Mark to write their Gospels as they are related by the Ancient Church-Writers p. 12 IV. Prop. God has actually made use of no other way for the Conveying the Doctrine of Christianity but the Writings of the New Testament p. 13 V. Prop. The Apostles themselves design'd their Writings for the Perpetual Use of the Church and lookt upon them to be of equal Authority with the Divine Writings of the Old Testament p. 15 The Reasons which moved St. Luke and St. John to write their Gospels p. 16 The Apostolical Epistles were design'd for General Use tho many of them writ upon Particular Occasions p. 17 Reflections upon the Style and way of writing used by St. Paul p. 18 Concerning the General Epistles p. 21 VI. Prop. The Age immediately following that of the Apostles lookt upon their Writings as the Standing Rule of Christian Faith p. 22 Reflections upon a Passage in Mr. Hobs's Leviathan concerning the Date of the New Testament Canon p. 26 An Answer to Mr. N.'s Objection That some Books are received into the New Testament Canon whose Authors are not known p. 28 Four Corollaries or Inferences drawn from the whole 1 Inference That the Holy Ghost Assisted the Apostles as fully when they Writ as when they Preach'd p. 29 2 Inference The Holy Ghost in several Cases Dictated to the Apostles the Words and Style they should Use and in all Cases preserved them from using such Expressions as would naturally lead men into Error p. 31 What Cautions are to be observed in Interpreting the Style of the Apostles and arguing from the Terms they use p. 35 3 Inference Since the Writing of the New Testament is owing to God's Providence and Care of his Church the Composing the several parts of it does not exclude the Use of Natural Means no more than other Acts of Providence do p. 37 4 Inference 'T is no Argument against a Book 's being design'd by God for the Perpetual Use of the Church that 't was at first Written upon a particular Exigency and with respect to the Circumstances which were peculiar to that time p. 40 CHAP. II. A More Particular Enquiry into the Nature of the Apostolical Gifts and Inspiration p. 42 The General Heads treated of in this Chapter p. 44 In what Cases the Apostles deliver'd their Judgements as Men and did not speak by Inspiration Three Instances of this Nature propos'd p. 45 1 Cor. 7.12 at large Explain'd p. 46 To grant that the Apostles spoke some things without Inspiration does not prejudice their Authority as to others p. 53 In all other Cases beside those before Excepted the Apostles Preach'd and Writ by the particular Direction and Assistance of the Spirit p. 55 The Scripture Notion of an Apostle p. 57 1 Cor. 2.10 c. and 1 Thes 4.8 considered p. 58 The Assistance which the Spirit gave the Apostles did not consist only in bringing to their remembrance what Christ had said to them p. 62 This proved 1. From those Discourses of our Saviour's concerning the Kingdom of Heaven where he represents it as a Temporal State in Complyance with the prejudices of his Disciples p. 63 2 From his Parables concerning the Future State of the Gospel p. 65 3 From the Gift which the Apostles had of Explaining the Types and Prophecies of the Old Testament p. 68 The Apostles had an Extraordinary Assistance when they were summon'd to appear before Magistrates upon the account of their Religion p. 73 S. Matt. 10.20 Vindicated from the Gloss of Mr. N. p. 74 Several Instances given of his and other Modern Writers Arts to Evade the true force of Scripture Expressions Ibid. Mr. N.'s Unsincerity in passing by the plain Instances which are in Scripture of the Boldness and Courage of the Apostles p. 78 St. Paul's Behaviour before the Council Acts 23. Clear'd from Mr. N.'s Aspersions p. 80 St. Stephen's Behaviour Acts 7. Vindicated p. 84 Mr. N.'s Objections against the Inspiration of the Apostles particularly Answer'd 1 Objection That the Apostles Disputed and Conferr'd with each other Answer'd p. 88 2 Objection That St. Peter after the Descent of the Holy Ghost had need of a Vision to instruct him Answer'd p 95 3 Objection That St. Paul and St. Barnabas were forc'd to go to Jerusalem to have that Controversy decided Whether the Gentile Converts were bound to observe the Law Answer'd p. 97 4 Objection St. Peter's Dissimulation at Antioch Answer'd p. 104 5 Objection That the Spirit of Prophecy mention'd in the New Testament was only a Disposition of Mind which made men fit to Instruct Answer'd p. 104 1 Tim. 4.13 14. Clear'd p. 106 Why St. Paul gave Directions to the Prophets and Inspir'd Persons at Corinth p. 110 A brief Answer to some Lesser Cavils p. 112 CHAP. III. Concerning the Inspiration of the Prophets p. 115 The Personal Qualifications of the Prophets consider'd both as to their Intellectual Accomplishments p. 116 and their Moral Ones p. 121 The Original design of God's sending Prophets to the Jews was to hinder them from having recourse to Heathen Oracles and Divinations p. 126 The Prophetical Office design'd for Greater Purposes p. 129 1 To admonish the People of their Duty p. 130 2 To keep up a sense of
Rule of Faith Dr. Stillingfl Defence of A. B. Laud. Dr. Sherlocks Protestant Resolution of Faith Learned Defenders of the Protestant Resolution of Faith against those Popish Writers that set up Tradition in Opposition to it and the Absurdity of the latter is evident at first sight and none but meer Enthusiasts ever made any Pretence to it But on the other side for God to communicate his Will by Writing implies nothing in it but what is Natural and Easie there is nothing requisite to continue this to Posterity but God's preserving the Writings themselves by the ordinary Methods of Providence and then men may as well learn his Will from thence as they can know the Histories of former Ages the Opinions of Philosophers the Laws of their own and other Countries from the Writings which record each of these particulars unless we will say that God cannot order a Book to be writ in as Intelligible a manner as men can indite it when they are left to themselves But 't will further appear that 't is more reasonable to suppose that God should preserve the Knowledge of Christianity by appointing a written Rule of Faith than by any other means if we consider III. That he made use of the same means formerly for the Instruction of the Jewish Church With God is no variableness and what he once approves of he does not afterward lay aside but upon some great reason Moses wrote his Law in a book by God's direction e Exod. 34.27 the Prophets appeal to the Law and to the Testimony f Is 8.20 as the only safe Guide and by which men must judge whether a Doctrine come from God or not Our Saviour bids the Jews g Joh. 5.39 search the Scriptures for in them they were perswaded and so far they were in the right was contain'd the way to Eternal Life and in all his Contests with the Jews he desired no other Vouchers for the Truth of what he said but Moses and the Prophets And 't will appear very reasonable to believe that God should use the same Method to instruct the Christian Church which he did the Jewish if we consider that our Saviour and his Apostles conform'd the External parts of their Religion to the Customs received among the Jews as much as they could being resolv'd to give no offence by studiously affecting Novelties The Two Sacraments were taken from Jewish Rites the Government of the Christian Church was framed after the Pattern of the Jewish Hierarchy the Apostles as 't is natural for all men to do being willing to retain the Customs they had been bred up in wherever the Nature of Christiany did not oblige them to the contrary From whence 't is natural to suppose that the Apostles should take care before they left the world to provide some certain means of Instruction for the Christian Church in Conformity to the Jewish which might supply their place when they were dead and gone or else they would not have been so faithful in their office as Moses was who delivered the Book of the Law to the Priests before his Decease h Deut. 31 9 26. And 't is likely the Christians themselves would expect to be provided with as good and sufficient means of knowing their duty as the Jews enjoyed or else they would have had just cause to complain that they came behind them in the Advantages of Knowledge and Instruction And that this is not a meer Conjecture but the real Sense of the first Christians is plain from the Account which the Ancient Writers give us of the occasion of St. Matthew and S. Mark 's writing their Gospels Eusebius tells us i H. E. l. 3. c. 24. that St. Matthew wrote his Gospel particularly for the use of the Jews to whom he had preached because going into other parts he would supply the Want of his Presence by Writing Clemens Alexandrinus saies k Ap Eus H. E. l. 2. c. 15. That St. Mark wrote his Gospel at the Request of the Christians at Rome who were not satisfied with an unwritten Tradition of the Word and therefore desir'd him to commit it to Writing Which St. Peter coming to understand approved and confirmed this Gospel for the use of the Church And when these and the other Apostolical Writings came into the hands of Christians there was no need of a particular Command from God to make them be received as the Rule of the Christian Faith For the Character of the Persons who wrote them the Example of the Jewish Church and the Parity of Reason why these Writings should be of equal Authority among Christians as the Writings of the Old Testament were among the Jews and lastly the Necessity of having some Standing and Settled Rule of Faith these were all sufficient Inducements to Christians to look upon the Apostolical Writings as ordained by God for the Perpetual Use and Instruction of the Church And this will further appear if we consider IV. That God has actually made use of no other way for the conveying down the Doctrine of Christianity that can be assign'd but the Writings of the N. Testament 'T is a very weak Argument to infer that things must be so because we think it Convenient they should be so This is indeed to prescribe to God Almighty and tell him he ought to have ask'd our Advice in the Managing of things And therefore tho the Arguments for the Infallibility of Tradition for an Infallible Judge of Controversies or whatever other Guide men have set up in opposition to the Scriptures were never so plausible and were as real Demonstrations as the Authors of them fancy them to be yet as long as 't is plain by Experience that Tradition is not Infallible and that there is no Infallible Judge of Controversies all these Pretences to Demonstration signify nothing for a man may demonstrate his heart out before he will be able to confute Experience And that neither the Authority of the Church Representative nor the Tradition of the Church Diffusive neither Pope nor Council jointly or separately are Infallible Guides to Christians or equivalent to the Scriptures has been made out with such admirable Clearness and unanswerable Strength of Reason by the Learned Defenders of the Protestant Cause against Popery that without further insisting upon this Point I shall refer to them for further Satisfaction and proceed to the V. Proposition That the Apostles themselves design'd their Writings for the Perpetual Vse of the Church and look'd upon them of Equal Authority with the Writings of the Old Testament The Supernatural Assistance which attended the Apostles in every thing of Moment and tending to the Edification of the Church was so Extraordinary and even their Private Judgment as men was so Upright and void of all Self-interest and Corruption that 't will very much illustrate this matter to consider what Judgment and Opinion they themselves had of their own Writings The very Design of the
Apostles thought of their own Writings and what Authority they challeng'd as due to them Irenaeus one of the Greatest men of the Church in that Age sufficiently shews the Sense of the Christians of his own time concerning the Authority of these Writings The Hereticks against whom he writes pretended that their Opinions came originally from the Apostles and that whatever the Apostles might say to the contrary in their Writings yet they taught those very things by word of mouth which these Hereticks since maintain'd In answer to this Irenaeus does not only confute their Pretences by shewing that there was Clear and Undoubted Tradition for the Catholick Faith which in those early Times could easily be trac'd up to the very Apostles g Iren. l. 3. c. 3. but likewise proves that 't is in vain to set up Oral Tradition in Opposition to the Writings of the Apostles h Ibid. l. 3. c. 1. because the very same Gospel which they at first preach'd they afterwards by the Will of God committed to Writing to be the Foundation and Pillar of our Faith In pursuance of which Testimony we may further observe that the very Arts which those Hereticks used either to Undermine or Evade the Authority of the Apostolical Writings plainly shew their Authority was look'd upon as Sacred and Decisive in the Christian Church The Writers of the same Age do fully bear witness to the Canon of the New Testament The Learned Mr. Dodwell has observ'd i Dissert in Irenaeum l. n. 40 41. that St. Paul's Epistles were generally known and received in the Church soonest of any of the New Testament Writings and accordingly besides the Testimony which St. Peter gives them which we have already mention'd we we may observe that Ignatius the earliest Writer of the second Age is very industrious in imitating St. Paul's Style and using his Expressions as if he had a mind his Readers should take notice that he had studied his Epistles The Authority indeed of the Epistle to the Hebrews hath been call'd in question because the Author 's not having set his Name to it has given occasion to doubt whether it were S. Paul's or not But as this Epistle must be of Apostolical Authority being older than Clemens Romanus who plainly alludes to it in two places of his Epistle to the Corinthians k N. 17 36. so the style the way of Arguing and the Genius of the work discover it to be S. Paul's but S. Peter puts an end to the dispute for the saying which he quotes in his second Epistle as S. Paul's is certainly taken out of the Epistle to the Hebrews l 2 Pet. 3.15 compar'd with Hebr. 10.37 The first Epistle of S. Peter is quoted by S. Polycarp who writ just after Ignatius's death About the same time certain Pious Men Travell'd from place to place on purpose to communicate the Writings of the Gospels as Eusebius informs us m 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 H. E. l. 3. c. 37. which he to be sure understood of the Four Gospels now extant which only were reckon'd Authentick in his time And 't is plain they were esteem'd so in the Middle of the Second Age because Justin Martyr quotes them generally whenever he has occasion to mention any thing belonging to the History of our Saviour But in Irenaeus's time their Authority was settled beyond all dispute for he says positively n Iren. l. 3. c. 11. that there are Four Gospels neither more nor less And indeed the Authenticalness of Four Gospels seems to be owing to St. John himself who made them into one Complete Code as I observed before o p. 11. 12. The same Iraeneus gives a large Testimony to the Revelations and often quotes the first Epistle of S. John p ap Euseb H. E. l. 3. c. 18. l. 5. c. 8. I thought it not improper to give this brief Account of the Testimonies which are given by the earliest Christian Writers to the most considerable Books of the New Testament to shew how good a Foundation there is for the Authority of the New-Testament Canon and how little ground there is for Mr. Hobb's Insinuation to the contrary who tell us q Leviathan part 3. c. 33. that the Writings of the Apostles were not received nor acknowledged as such by the Church till the Council of Laodicca which was held in the Year 364. recommended them to Christians As if all Christians did not agree in acknowledging such particular Books for the Writings of the Apostles till they were Recommended to them as he speaks and Enumerated by a Council Which has as little truth in it as what he says just afterward that at the time of this Council all the Copies of the New Testament were in the hands of Ecclesiasticks which if it be not a downright and wilful falsity in him is such a piece of ignorance as a grosser cannot be found in all the Kingdom of Darkness which he has described I find Men generally agree in believing Mr. Hobbs to be the Author of the Leviathan and several other ill Books and I fear too many have a great deference for their Authority tho the Parliament which according to him hath a juster right to declare what Books or Doctrines are to be received than a Council hath not yet given us a Catalogue of his Writings or Recommended them to the World neither of which could be true if this Argument of his be good But to return I don't pretend to have Collected all that can be alledged to prove the Antiquity of the New-Testament-Canon nor will I go farther upon a Subject that is already undertaken by that Learned Person who will shortly Publish an Elaborate Collection of all the Various Readings of the New Testament from whom the World may expect full satisfaction as to this matter However I can't but just take notice that 't is no prejudice to the Divine Authority of the N. Testament as our Author intimates a Fr. p. 266. Eng. p. 85. that some Books are received into it whose Authors are not certainly known and therefore as he argues of whose Inspiration we can't be certain He instances in the Epistle to the Hebrews But there is sufficient proof that S. Paul was the Author of that Epistle as I have shewed already And as to the whole New-Testament Canon 't was certainly the design of those that Compiled it only to gather together the Writings of the Apostles or of such as writ by their direction as the Ancients tell us S. Mark did by S. Peter's b Clem. Alex. ap Eus H.E. l. 2. c. 15. S. Luke by S. Paul's c Iren ap eund l. 5. c. 8. Grot. in Luc. 21.34 1 Cor. 11.23 24 25. comparâ—d with Luk. 22.19 20. So that the only reason why some Books were doubted of was because it did not clearly appear whether they were Writ by Apostles or not and assoon as that point was cleared
the whole College of Apostles agreed in came with greater Authority and Evidence of it's being God's Will than what was deliver'd by one Apostle only Just as we are more assur'd of the Truth of those Doctrines which are often repeated by different Writers in the Holy Scripture than of those which are only mention'd by one because the Authority of several Writers adds weight to the matter it self and the comparing them together prevents our mistaking the sense of the Scripture concerning it whereas what is but once mention'd is more liable to Ambiguities and the Sense of it more easily mistaken From what has been said I hope it appears that there is sufficient reason why Inspir'd persons should consult each other and that this is no prejudice to their Inspiration 2. The second Objection is ſ Fr p. 249. Eng p 58. That the Holy Ghost which the Apostles received on the day of Pentecost had not taught them all they ought to know so far was it from rendring them at first dash Infallibe so that St. Peter needed a Vision to learn that he ought not to scruple Preaching the Gospel to the Gentiles I do not know any body that ever yet maintain'd that the Spirit once for all instructed the Apostles in all things that were needful for the Discharge of their Office 'T is certain several things were reveal'd to them by Degrees and in proportion to the Exigences of the Church and this Author himself owns as much when he tells us t Fr. p. 252. Eng. p. 62. That the Apostles had MANY Immediate Revelations and DIVERS Heavenly Visions And as for the Descent of the Holy Ghost upon them in a visible manner on the day of Pentecost the chief Design of that was publickly to Authorize them to preach the Gospel and to Initiate them into the Body of Christ's Church which was then founded and to do this by more solemn Tokens of the Divine Presence among the first Professors than any other Institution could ever pretend to according to what the Baptist foretold u Matth. 3.11 and our Savior promis'd x Act. 1.5 that John indeed baptized or admitted Proselytes with the bare Ceremony of Water which had been a Rite made use of by the Jews long before upon such occasions but the Apostles should be Baptized or admitted into the Church with the Holy Ghost and with fire 3. The third Objection is that a Fr. p. 248. Eng. p. 57. When the Dispute arose whether the Gentiles that were Converted were to be Circumcised or not tho St. Paul and St. Barnabas were against this yet their Authority was not sufficient to put to silence the Judaizing Christians which was a sign they did not look upon them as Infallible To the same purpose he urges b Fr. p. 249. Eng. p. 58. The Believers that were of the Circumcision contending with St. Peter for going to men uncircumcised and conversing with them c Act. 11 2 3. To begin with the latter part of the Objection to the instance of St. Peter I answer that the Converts of the Circumcision were throughly perswaded that the Laws and Institutions of Moses were of perpetual Obligation and therefore 't is no wonder if at first they were surpriz'd to see any of them laid aside and a door open'd to let in the Gentiles to the same Privileges with the Jews and to take away that Discrimination which the Law makes between the Jews and the rest of the world d Exod. 19.5 6. Deut. 7.6 And since this Action of St. Peter's touch'd them so nearly in their Privileges and Prerogative or at least was contrary to the Traditions they had received from their Teachers and held as sacred as the Law it self * Matt. 15.2 Mat. 7.3 Joh. 18.28 't is no wonder they were not easily satisfied about it till they examin'd the reasons upon which St. Peter acted in this matter And the Apostles never laid so much stress upon their Infallibility as to require their Disciples to believe them upon their own word as Mr. N. himself e Fr. p. 283. Eng. p. 112. observes or without demanding a reason why they did so But if we should grant all this Objection contends for certainly 't is but a weak Argument that the Apostles were not Infallible because some new Converts f See Mr. Dodwel of Schism ch 19. sect 18 19. did not think so who 't is plain did not well understand the Principles of their own Religion and had not as yet intirely submitted to the Authority of the Apostles And by the same reason we may argue that our Saviour was not Infallible which yet Mr. N. himself looks upon g Fr. p. 257 260 281. Eng. p. 70 75 109. as a certain Truth because his Disciples seem not to be satisfied sometimes of the Truth of what he sayes h Matth. 16.22 and demand of him a reason i Matth 15.15 of those Doctrines of his that look'd like Paradoxes to them A great deal of what has been said will hold much stronger in the case of St. Paul and Barnabas k Act 15. for the admitting the Gentiles into the Church without Circumcision must needs be thought a great Violation of the Law of Moses by those that look'd upon it to be of perpetual Obligation in the Church of God To which may be added that St. Paul and Barnabas had not so clear and indisputable an Authority as the rest of the Apostles not being of the number of the Twelve whose Commission was so solemnly seal'd and ratified on the day of Pentecost And they who were of a different Perswasion from them would in all likelyhood lay hold of this Objection against their Authority as Men are willing to take advantage of any Exception to an Authority that is against them And accordingly we find in after times when the Judaizing Christians found St. Paul zealous in asserting the Liberties of the Gentile Converts and teaching men every where to Apostatize from Moses as they term'd it l 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Act. 21.21 that they did what they could to lessen his Authority and represented him as far Inferiour to the rest of the Apostles and therefore that no great stress was to be laid upon his Doctrine which forc'd him to vindicate himself and his Apostleship at large Galat. 1. and 2. Chapters 4. The fourth Objection is m Fr. p. 250. Eng. p. 60. St. Peter's Dissimulation at Antioch for which St. Paul reproved him as he tells us n Gal. 2.11 And here I agree with our Author that St. Peter acted contrary to his Judgment and dissembled his Opinion for he that had been warned by a Vision o Act. 10.28 that he should not call any man common or unclean and but just before had a great hand in making the Decree at the Synod of Jerusalem p Act. 15 7. whereby the Gentiles were made Members of the Church upon
Opinion that 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 in the Conclusion of the Letter which he finds so much fault with is for all that a very elegant Expression He has printed the Close of this Synodical Epistle in great Letters as if it had something more than ordinary in it and were a manifest argument of his side but as Big as the words look whoever considers them will find there 's very little sense in his Application of them CHAP. III. Concerning the Inspiration of the PROPHETS I Do not see much in our Author that reflects upon the Authority or Inspiration of the Prophets But since I am engag'd in the Subject of Inspiration and those persons who have no great esteem for the Sacred Books fancy there are many things relating to the Prophets liable to Exception I think it will not be altogether impertinent or beside my main Design which is to Vindicate the Authority of the Holy Writings if I take a short View of those Considerations which tend to establish the Authority of the Prophets and to answer some of the most Popular Objections against them I shall therefore I. Consider the Personal Qualifications of the Prophets II. I shall consider the chief Design of their Prophecies III. I shall resolve some Difficulties which relate to the Prophets themselves or their manner of Writing I. As to the first 't would in a great measure take off mens Prejudices against the prophetical Writings if they would but consider what manner of men the Prophets were and what excellent Qualifications they were indowed with Men that are glad of any Argument that makes Religion look like a Cheat think they have a great Advantage against all sorts of Prophecy because there have been so many Cheats of this kind and they find that usually the persons that pretend to a prophetick Spirit are in all other respects of such shallow Intellectuals and such mean Qualifications that no wise man would take their Advice in any thing of ordinary concern and therefore 't is very unlikely God should make choice of such persons to be his Messengers and the Conveyers of his Will to men But if they would likewise consider how unlike the Prophets of the Old Testament were to these Pretenders both as to their Intellectuals and their Morals 't would go a great way to discover how vastly different they are from each other and the Truth and Excellency of the one would more evidently appear by comparing it with the evident marks of Imposture and Meanness which are found in the other As to the Intellectual Accomplishments of the true Prophets they had usually an Ingenuous and liberal Education as appears by the Institution of the Schools of the Prophets so often mention'd in the History of the Kings And we find 't was reckon'd a wonder that Saul should be among the Prophets a 1 Sam. 10 11 -19.24 because he had not been Educated suitably to that Profession So God's calling Amos to this Office from being a Herds-man was extraordinary and unusual as he himself intimates b Amos 8.14 And indeed the style of the Prophets plainly discovers them to have been Men of a good Education and therefore the Criticks have all observed what great difference there is between Amos's style and that of the other Prophets which they justly impute to their different Education Isaiah's style is Elegant c Isaiae dictio purissimaâ—ntor omnes qui post Mosen scripserunt ejus 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 pulcherrimae Grot. in Is 50 4. and Lofty Jeremy's shews him to have been a great Master of Rhetorick d Mirus in affectibus concitandis Jeremias Idem Ezekiel plainly discovers in his way of writing great skill in Architecture and Geography Daniel's Wisdom was so famous even when he was young that it became a Proverb among the Chaldeans to say Art thou wiser than Daniel e Ezek. 28.3 And not to descend to any more particulars we find that all their writings are full of Powerful Exhortations to Vertue of weighty and Pathetick Representations of the heinousness of those Vices which were then prevailing and the miseries which would attend them We find they set forth the absurdity of Pagan Idolatry f Is 40.18 c. 44.9 c with great strength and smartness of Argument and endeavour to give Men clear and distinct Notions of Gods Spirituality g Is 40.12 c. Unity h Jer. 10.11 12. Is 44.6 Omnipresence i Jer. 23.23 24. Is 66.1 Universal Providence of which the foretelling how Free Agents will determine themselves is a signal instance and Justice in rewarding Men according to their works k Jer. 18.7 c. Ezek. 18. They unfold the methods of Providence in disposing of Kingdoms l Jer. 25. and making use of wicked Princes and Nations to be the Instruments of God's Justice in punishing the sins of others m Is 10.6 c. Ezek. 29.18 19. Such discourses don't look like the idle dreams of a Melancholy and disturb'd fancy but do indeed answer the Character they pretend to And those Men who will not believe them to be of Divine Original ought in reason to allow them to be the Product of a settled Judgement and can't in Justice but grant that if the Prophets did not foresee what was to come by a Prophetical Spirit yet they made very probable Conjectures by a Natural Sagacity since the event has so plainly justifyed a great part of their Predictions And if they will not be perswaded that God inlightned the minds of the Prophets by an extraordinary Revelation yet they can't in Justice deny but that they discourse of the Nature of God and of his Providence and of the Obedience which he requires with as great a degree of clearness and certainty as Men's Natural Faculties can arrive to And therefore 't is not without reason that Origen does often in his Books against Celsus n P. 18 -177.-260.-359 Ed. Cant. insist upon this That Moses and the Prophets instructed Men in the nature of God and of their duty much better than the acutest Philosophers among the Heathens So malicious and groundless is that pretence of Spinoza where he tells us o Theol. Polit. c. 1. p.m. 21. that the Prophets did not agree in their Notions about the Nature of God because forsooth different Prophets saw different Signs of the Divine Presence As if they could not distinguish between a Symbol of God's Presence and the Divine Nature it self And he may as well say that Moses took the Cloudy Pillar to be God himself and by the same reason he must conclude that Moses thought the Cherubims and the Cloud upon the Mercy-seat which he himself order'd to be made to be God or at least to resemble his Essence and then I think he would have been guilty of greater Idolatry than Aaron was in making the Golden Calf 2. If we consider the Moral Indowments of the Prophets we shall find
Vales. ibid. 5. However that be yet 't is certain that when the Book of Ecclesiasticus was writ the Canon of the Old Testament was settled for he makes mention of the Twelve Prophets altogether l Ecclus. 49.10 which is an Argument that the Smaller Prophets were then Collected and Compil'd into one Book which Book was afterward call'd the Book of the Prophets m See Act. 7.42 Justin M. c. Tryph. p. 45.50.57 Ed. Steph. Cyprian Epist 59. Ed. Oxon. Nay further the Author of the Prologue to that Book speaks of the Law Prophets and other Books of Scripture as then Translated into Greek which is an Undeniable Argument that the Canon was then Completed And tho we suppose that Prologue to be made by the Grandchild of the principal Author Jesus the son of Syrach which Younger Syracides lived in the time of Euergetes II. commonly called Ptolomee Physcon yet it appears by the Beginning of that Prologue that his Grandfather studied the same Holy Books which he afterwards says were turn'd into Greek And this Elder Siracides speaks of Simon the son of Onias the High Priest as one whom he very well remembred n c. 50. 1 c. now that Simon was High Priest in the Beginning of Philopator's Reign o See 3 Macc. 2.1 com with c. 1.1 who was next in Succession but one to Philadelphus So that the Canon of Scripture will appear to be as old as Philadelphus's time because 't is evident from hence that 't was Translated all into Greek in a little time after tho we should not suppose the whole work performed by the LXX Lastly to these Considerations we may add the Concurring Testimony of all the Ancient Writers both Jewish and Christian who agree in supposing the Canon of the Old Testament to have been Compil'd in or about Ezra's time and who probably had the Authority of some Ancient Writers for what they say which now are lost And if these Considerations taken all together have any Force in them to prove the Canon of the Old Testament to have been settled in Ezra's time or in the next Age I say if it were settled so early this very thing will add great Weight to its Authority For 1. 't is agreed on all hands that Ezra who calls himself a Ready Scribe in the Law of Moses p Ezr 7.6 Revis'd the Holy Writings Retriev'd them from the Corruptions which the Scarcity of Copies and the Disuse of the Hebrew Language during the Captity had brought into them supplied and completed many of them and put them into Order and Method And when a man of so great Authority as Ezra was had done all this so lately it cannot be imagin'd but that the Compilers of the Canon must have had a particular Regard to his Judgment and admitted no Books into their Collection but what were allow'd of by Ezra or if they were of Later date than his time the Writing of them must have been within the Memory of these Compilers so that they were proper Judges whether a Book deserv'd to be esteem'd Sacred or not So that from hence 't will follow that the Authority of the main Body of the Canon bottoms upon the Judgment and Authority of Ezra whom if we should grant to have been no Prophet yet we canot think but in a matter of such Moment as the Revising and putting in order the Holy Writings he would not only use the best Skill he had himself but likewise consult with Haggai Zechary or Malachi the last of which must needs have been alive in his time and possibly the other Two also and do nothing without their Advice For we find that at the first Return from the Captivity in a matter of much less moment viz. where some that pretended to the Priesthood could not prove their Pedigree the Governour would determine nothing but left the matter undecided till a Priest should arise who had Vrim and Thummim q Ezr. 2.62 63. And if any such Priest did arise afterward as if we believe Josephus there did for he tell us that that Oracle ceas'd but 200. years before his time r Antiq. Jud. l. 3. c. 9. p. 90. C. Ed. Gen. 't is very probable that the Judgment of the Canonical Books was left to him to determine which were such as the Learned Mr. Dodwell has made appear in the Appendix Å¿ Sect. 9. to his Lectures now in the Press 2. This Early date of the Canon of the Old Testament quite destroys that Fancy of our Authors x Fr. p. 279. Eng p. 106. that the Jews put together all the Fragments that remain'd of their Ancient Books so that the Canon of Scripture was their whole Library For in the First place 't is plain that the Chronicles are Extracts out of larger Records which they often Refer to and yet these Books were Compil'd after the Captivity as appears by several passages y 1 Chr. 3.17 〈…〉 c. in them and 't is not likely that the Originals which escaped the Destruction of Records occasion'd by the Ruine of the Commonwealth and the Captivity which ensu'd should be lost in so little a time as was between the Compiling the Chronicles and making the Canon Especially since Josephus z L. 1. c. App. p. 136. D. tells us that the Genealogies of the High-Priests and their Succession for above Two Thousand years past were preserved in the Publick Records and remain'd to his own time Again several Books which never were in the Canon were Extant when the New Testament was writ and are Cited there as Writings of Credit and Antiquity such as are the Prophecy of Enoch and the Assumption of Moses both referr'd to by St. Jude a Jude 〈◊〉 and 14. as also several other Ancient Books from whence both Christ and his Apostles take many Passages concerning Historical Matters which are not Extant in the Canonical Writers b â—ee Matth. 23 3â— Luk. 4.25 Jam. 5.17 Act. 7.22 52. Heb. 11 37.-12.21 2 Tim. 3.8 V. Orig. Epist and African And 't was from such Ancient Writings probably that Josephus took some Stories which he relates of Moses c Antiq. l. 2. c. 5. and of other Persons Besides we find Apocryphals quoted by Barnabas in every Page of his Epistle almost by Clemens Alexandrinus and other Ancient Writers in several places many of which 't is likely were Written Originally in Hebrew since by the Matters they Treat of we may reasonably judge them to be as old as the Collection of the Canon and were certainly lookt upon as Books of great Antiquity or else they would not have been Cited by these Authors under the Venerable name of Scripture From all which it appears that the Compilers of the Canon did not take in Promiscuously whatever Hebrew Writings they could find but used all possible diligence to distinguish Sacred Writings and such as were design'd by God for the Use of the Church from those
whether those words of this Paraphrase As is a great part of the Old Testament be not added meerly to serve the present Turn without the least Intimation of such a Restriction from the Text it self and whether the Coherence of these two Verses be not plainly this Continue in the Study of the Old Testament because all the Books which that consists of are Divinely Inspir'd But I supposes he grounds this Interpretation of his upon that Reading of the Text for which Grotius f In locum contr Rivetum vouches the Syriack and Vulgar Translations Omms Scriptura Divinitùs Inspirata utilis est But if we should admit of this Reading still the Sense will come all to one and the Words as they lie then tho they do not in Express terms assert that all the Old Testament Writings are Divinely Inspir'd yet they Imply it and take it for granted For if we read the Greek thus 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 the word 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 will be an Explicative Epithet to 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 just as if we add the Epithet Rationalis to Homo in such a Proposition as this Homo Rationalis creatus est ad colendum Deum In which Proposition tho it be not expresly asserted that Homo is Rationalis yet so much is Implied and if it were not true 't would make the whole Proposition false as Monsieur Nicol has observed in his Ars Cogitandi g Pars 2. c. 5. And just so in the Proposition we speak of 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 signifies the Scriptures of the Old Testament in which sense the word is always taken in the New Testament and 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 is added for a fuller Explication of that term I know Grotius h Votum pro Pace prout citatur Fr. p. 270. Fn. p. 193. will needs have the word 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 taken here in its General Sense and signify simply a Book or Writing But I can't forbear saying that this gloss is Unworthy of Grotius and 't is a sign of a Bad Cause when so Great a Man is fain to betake himself to such Pitiful Sophistry as is to be seen in the fore-cited Place For he can't produce one Instance in all the New Testament where the word is used in that Sense and if he could yet 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 added to 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 sufficiently Restrains the General sense of it and makes one Complex Term which must signify the same with 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 in the Verse before both which Expressions signify the Old Testament because 't is a Collection of Inspir'd Writings and consequently the Phrase it self asserts so much by way of Implication or else it would be an Improper Expression I think it appears from what has been said what was the Judgement of Christ and his Apostles concerning the Canon of the Old Testament and since 't is certain that they approved the Canon of the Old Testament as it was received by the Jewish Church of their own time I can't guess what evidence of Reason can be sufficient to perswade a Christian to Oppose such an Authority And therefore I can't be of our Author's mind when he tell us i Eng. p. 188. Fr. p. 267. He knows not why we may not doubt of the Books of the Old Testament as well as of some of the New the Authority of several of the Latter having been question'd But there is a visible Difference between the Authorities that confirm the Old Testament Canon and those which give Testimony to the New To the Former Christ and his Apostles bear Witness whereas the Credit of the Latter depends upon the Consent and Testimony of much the Greater part of the Church in the Ages succeeding that of the Apostles which tho it be sufficient for any Wise and Unprejudic'd Man to ground his assent upon yet it hath not that Sacredness and Infallibility in it which the other hath For those Ages made use only of Humane Means for settling the New Testament Canon which was sufficient for that purpose considering the Nearness of those times to the Writing of the Books to which they give Testimony Nor does the name of Chetubim which the Jews give to those Writings of the Old Testament which Mr. N. calls in question at all justify his Opinion He fancies k Fr. p. 276. En. p. 102. they were call'd Chetubim i. e. Simply Writings as he Interprets it to signify that they were like other Humane Writings and had nothing at all of Inspiration in them But the Jewish Writers say not one Syllable to confirm this Opinion that I can find On the contrary by their placing Daniel among the Chetubim it appears that they look upon the Writers of that Class to have been Inspir'd for the Jews all agree that Daniel had really the Gift of Prophecy tho they fancy it to be in a lower Degree Further Maimonides saith expresly l More Nevoch p. 2. c. 45. that they are called Chetubim quia scripta sunt per Spiritum Sanctum And tho he reckons that Impulse which he calls Spiritus Sanctus inferiour to the Degree of Inspiration which Isaiah and the other Prophets properly so call'd had yet 't is plain that he looks upon it as a proper kind of Inspiration for the instances he gives of it are by his own Confession real Inspirations m See Mr. Smiths Discourse of Prophecy c. 7. So that I do not see how Maimonides take his Explication altogether gives any Advantage to this Opinion tho Grotius n Votum pro pace prout citatur Fr. p. 231. Eng. p. 141. quote him for it The Jews do indeed acknowledge a Difference between the Inspiration of the Hagiographa and the Prophetical Writings but this doth not prove them to be no part of the Scripture for I think there is no body that considers the manner of the Spirit 's Operation upon the Minds of Inspir'd Persons but will readily acknowledge that there 's no need of the same Degree of Inspiration to write a History or a Book of Morality as is requisite to make a Prophet But concerning the different Degrees of Inspiration I have discours'd already in several places of this Treatise and shall have Occasion to speak of it hereafter But if the Jewish Division of the Old Testament favour'd Mr. N's Opinion never so much I do not see any Force at all in the Argument taken from thence for that Division is not of so early a Date as to be able to vye with the much Ancienter Opinion concerning the Inspiration of the whole Jewish Canon St. Jerom is the first that I find takes notice of this Division o Prolog Galeat Praef. in Daniel the placing the Prophet Daniel among the Chetubim in this Division besides that there is no shadow of Reason for it except it be that the Jews bear him a Spight for Prophecying so plainly of our Saviour discovers that
't is of no long standing since 't is contrary to the Sense of the Ancient Jews For Josephus often calls Daniel a Prophet p Antiq. l. 10. c. 12. nay one of the greatest q Ib. p. 353. G. Ed. Genev Prophets And agreeably to the Received Opinion our Saviour gives him the same Title r Matth. 24.15 But further the same Josephus Å¿ L. 1. c. App. p. 1036. G. makes use of another Division of the Old Testament Writings viz. into the Books of Moses the Prophetical under which he comprehends the Historical because they were writ by Prophets as he with very good Reason supposes and the Poetical Books as they are commonly call'd or those which contain Hymns to God and Precepts of good Life Which Division agrees much better with that mention'd by our Saviour t Luke 24.44 viz. into the Books of Moses the Prophets and the Psalms than the other which the Jews have since that time Invented Thus far I have shew'd that Mr. N. by rejecting some of the Receiv'd Books of the Jewish Canon rejects the Authority of the whole Jewish and Christian Church nay and of Christ and his Apostles too What Reasons he has for this we shall see by and by but at present let us examine what Authority he has to oppose to such a Powerful one as all these join'd together amount to And I can find no body that stands by him in this Opinion but Grotius and him he calls in to his Assistance at every Turn But tho I have a great value for Grotius's Judgment yet I think if it be laid in the Balance to counterpoise that of Christ and his Apostles 't will be found too Light That Great man's Extraordinary Learning and Merits and particularly his having so well deserv'd of several Parts of Scripture and given such Light into their true Sense and Design makes me willing to pass over his Failures and not be severe upon his Memory for those False Glosses and some of them deserve a Harder Name which he has made upon other Books of it Only I can't but observe that this Opinion of his concerning the Old Testament Canon is very Inconsistent with the Main Design of his Votum pro Pace and those other Treatises where he has asserted it For the Great Design of those Projects for Peace is to magnify Antiquity Tradition and the Authority of the Church and to shew that Catholick Unity is never to be restor'd but by submitting all Controversies to the Decision of these three as so many Arbitrators or Umpires between the different Parties And yet at the same time when he Pleads for the Authority of the Church of Antiquity and Tradition he Rejects those Books which have all the Authority that the Universal Church Uninterrupted Tradition and the Consent of all the Ancients both Jews and Christians can give them II. I come now in the Second Place to consider the Exceptions which our Author makes against Particular Books of the Old Testament and the Books he Excepts against are either Historical or those they commonly call Poetical As to the Historical Writings I agree with him thus far that the Sacred Historians were not usually Inspir'd with the things themselves which they relate nor with the Words by which they Express the things But I think I have prov'd in the First Chapter u P. 37. of this Treatise that a Book may be written by God's Direction and yet not without the Use of Humane means And as there is no Reason to think that God Inspir'd the Evangelists with the Knowledge of those Passages of our Saviour's Life which they themselves were Eye-witnesses of or might easily learn from those that were so so 't is every whit as groundless to suppose that God Reveal'd those Particulars to the Writers of the Old Testament History which they could come to the Knowledge of by Consulting the Records and Ancient Monuments in which these Matters were related But notwithstanding this 't will appear that these Books were writ by God's Direction and Design'd by him for the Use of the Church if we consider what Mr. N. himself grants x Fr. p. 231. En. p. 28. That they were not writ meerly to satisfy our Curiosity but to be a standing proof of a Providence to after Ages to shew us the Care that God always takes of Good People and the Punishments he inflicts upon the Wicked to give us Examples of Piety and Vertue and lastly to inform us of several Matters of Fact which tend very much to confirm our Faith as containing many Types and Predictions of our Saviour To which we may add that setting aside the Squabbles between F. Simon and his Adversaries about the Scribes and Keepers of the Publick Registers of the Jews 't is highly probable that the Prophets usually writ the Histories of their Kings and those Books which are so often quoted under the name of the Chronicles of the Kings of Judah and Israel and were Annals from whence the Substance of the Books of Kings and Chronicles are taken For we find a Considerable part of the History of Hezekiah Incorporated into Isaiah's Prophecy a Is c. 36 37 38 39. which is a Strong Presumption that the whole History of that King's Reign was Recorded by the same Hand And indeed so much is expresly asserted 2 Chron. 32.32 So the Acts of David were Recorded by Samuel the Seer by Nathan the Prophet and by Gad the Seer b 1 Chr. 29.29 The Acts of Solomon were written in the Book of Nathan the Prophet in the Prophecy of Ahijah the Shilonite and in the Visions of Iddo the Seer c 2 Chr. 9.29 The History of Rehoboam's Reign was written by Shemaiah the Prophet and by Iddo the Seer in his Genealogies d 2 Chr. 12.15 the last of these Recorded likewise the Acts of Abijah Rehoboam's Son e Chap. 13.22 Jehu the Son of Hanani who was a Prophet f 1 King 16.1 2 Chron. 19.2 writ the History of Jehoshaphat g 2 Chr. 20.34 The Acts of Vzziah were Recorded by the Prophet Isaiah h Ch. 26.22 and those of Manasses among the sayings of the Seers i Ch. 33.19 To the same purpose I think we may most probably Interpret those words of Josephus k Joseph c. Appion l. 1. p. 1036. Ed. Genev. which have been so often quoted of late upon this Subject where he tells us that the Histories of the Jewish Nation were writ only by Prophets and therefore they look upon none of them as Authentick which were writ after Artaxerxe's time because there was no Clear and Vndoubted Succession of Prophets in the following Ages Nor is Huetius's Objection l Demon. Evangel p. 161. against this Passage of Josephus of any Weight who affirms that Josephus Contradicts what he had said but just before viz. That the Chief Priests as well as the Prophets had the Care of Writing the Publick
Reason to believe that either Job or his Friends spoke every thing which they say by Inspiration As to the Latter the Case is plain for God himself says that they had not spoken of him the thing that is right l Job 42.8 And even Job himself tho he maintain'd the Right side in the Controversy yet now and then is guilty of too vehement Expostulations m c. 7.11 c. 10.2 with God Almighty he stands too much upon his own Justification n c. 9 17.-10.7.-16.17.-13.23 See c. 33.9 10 11 -34.5 6. and Vindication of his Innocency and takes upon him to Censure the Methods of Providence too freely o c. 9.22 23 -19.7.-23.13 for which Faults we find afterwards he earnestly begs God's Pardon and p c. 42.3 c. Repents of them in Dust and Ashes I willingly acknowledge what the Jews themselves allow q See Bp. Patrick's Appendix to his Paraphrase tho they are very Jealous of giving this Honour to any that are not of their own Nation that Job and his Friends were Prophets among the Gentiles And indeed there 's reason to grant this for we find Eliphaz himself professes that he had a Night-vision r Job 4.13 which was not altogether Å¿ See c. 33.15 16. unusual in those days But Job had the Gift of Prophecy in a more Eminent manner as appears not only from that Famous Passage of his t Job 19.25 26 27 I know that my Redeemer lives c. which St. Jerom u In locum justly calls a Prophecy of the Resurrection but also because God spake x Job 31.8 to him by a Voice from Heaven and 't is probable he saw a Shekinah y c. 42.5 or Visible Appearance of the Divine Glory But allowing all this I see no proof that the Discourses set down in this Book ought to be lookt upon as spoken by the Spirit of Prophecy and therefore the Inspiration of the Book it self seems to me to consist in this viz. As 't is an Historical account of Job's Behaviour before and under his Afflictions and of his happy Issue out of them all together with his reflections and the discourses he had with his Friends upon that Occasion written by God's Direction for the Use of his Church to be an Example of Patience under Sufferings and a Vindication of God's Providence in permitting the Righteous to be Afflicted And since by Reason of the Antiquity of the Book the Author is not certainly known and Consequently we cannot Argue that 't is Inspired from the Character of its Author the Evidence for its being Inspired or Written by God's Direction for the Use of the Church must be Resolved into the Authority of the Jewish Canon as that is confirmed to us by Christ and his Apostles and this Book particularly Recommended by St. James z James 5.11 to the Use of Christians especially since the Design of it does exactly Answer the Character which St. Paul a Rom. 15.4 gives of the Old Testament Writings in General viz. That they were written for our Instruction that we thro Patience and Comfort of the Scriptures might have Hope And thus much I think may suffice in Answer to Mr. N's Objections against the Book of Job I shall only add that besides the Powerful Comforts this Book affords to the Afflicted and the submission it teaches us to yield to God's Will and to Adore the Unsearchableness of his Judgements which are the principal and obvious Designs of this Book 't is likewise of excellent Use upon another account viz. as it gives us a True Idea of Natural Religion b See c. 31. when it was in its Prime and as it was practis'd in those early Ages before the Tradition of the Creation was lost or the World quite overrun with Idolatry I proceed in the next place to consider what our Author alledges against the Book of Psalms His Opinion concerning these in general is b Fr. p. 230. Eng. p. 27. That there was no need of Inspiration but only of Piety and Zeal for the composing them and he further says That any Devout man may easily now-a-days praise God in that manner But all the Pious men that ever were in the Christian Church have been of another mind and never look'd upon their own Composures as Equal to the Psalms whereas if the Authors of the Psalms were assisted only with an Ordinary Degree of Piety and Devotion I can not see why the members of the Christian Church should not think themselves as well qualified to make Hymns to God as any of the Jewish that were no more than Pious and Devout men But saith Mr. N. c Ubi sup Fr. p. 277. Eng. p. 104. David never saith Thus saith the Lord as the Prophets who speak by God's Authority use to do Now tho it be false that David never uses this Expression for in several places he uses those very Words or such as are Equivalent d 1 Sam. 23.2 Psal 2.7.110.1 yet if 't were true I do not see what Service 't would do Mr. N. unless he can prove that Praising God by Inspiration is the same as Delivering a Message from him and Instructing the people in his Name which is the only proper occasion to usher in what is said with Thus saith the Lord e see Mr. Smith of Prophecy c. 7. Sure Mr. N. thinks that because we grant Prophecy to be the Highest Degree of Inspiration therefore there can be really no other sort But I am much mistaken if St. Paul was not of another mind when he said with Relation to the Diversity of Spiritual Gifts Are all Apostles are all Prophets f 1 Cor. 12.29 And If the foot shall say because I am not the hand I am not of the body is it therefore not of the body g Ib. v. 15. And we may easily apply the Apostles Reasoning to our present Case on this manner If Mr. N. shall say Because Composing of Psalms and Hymns is not Prophecying nor bringing a Message from God 't is not Inspiration is it therefore not Inspiration On the contrary 't is plain that the Holy Writers look'd upon Praising God by Spiritual Songs when 't was perform'd by Gifted Persons as a Real and Distinct sort of Inspiration and therefore call'd it Prophesying h 1 Sam. 10.5 1 Chr. 25.1 1 Cor. 11.5 Exod. 15.20 See Mr. Smith of Prophecy ch 7. and 8 And Dr. Hammond up on St. Luke 1.67 as that word is taken in a large Sense for Inspiration in General And methinks without Descanting so Nicely upon the several Degrees of Divine Inspiration and Weighing God's Gifts in a Balance to try it they can be found Wanting as our Author does this might be sufficient to convince Men that God Design'd the Book of Psalms for the Perpetual Use of the Church viz. That the Psalms have been one of the most considerable parts of
12.5 6. Jam. 4.6 1 Pet. 5.5 and other places plainly alluded q 2 Cor. 8.21 1 Pet. 4.18 to by them I say one would be apt to conclude that all these Considerations added to the Intrinsecal Worth of the Book it self might be a sufficient Inducement to look upon it as a Book compos'd by God's Appointment for the Benefit of the Church But before I proceed any further upon this Sebject I cannot but reflect by the way upon a Passage of our Author which the observing that this Book is quoted by the Apostles puts me in mind of and that is this He tells us r Fr. p. 278. Eng. p. 105 That the Apostles never cite the works of Solomon or the Book of Job What he says touching the former I have just now shewed to be manifestly False and there is as little truth in the later part of his words for the Book of Job is as formally quoted by St. Paul Å¿ 1 Cor. 3.19 as any Book of the Old Testament The Wisdom of the world is Foolishness with God FOR IT IS WRITTEN He taketh the Wise in their own Craftiness Which Citation as 't is certainly taken out of Job t c. 5. 13. so it shews withal a great Deference given by the Apostle to the Authority of the Book from whence 't is taken I thought fit just to observe this Mistake of Mr. N.'s tho it be of no great consequence on purpose to take down the Confidence of this Gentleman a little and shew him that he is not so exactly vers'd in the Scripture as a man that undertakes to Criticize upon it with so much Capriciousness and so little Reverence and Regard to its Authority ought to be But to return to the Matter in hand The Sum of the General Charge which our Author has advanc'd against the Divine Authority of the Book of Proverbs is a Fr. p. 271. En. p. 94. That they are Moral Sentences which a Good Man may pronounce without Inspiration As if no Book could be writ by God's Direction but where the matter is such as exceeds the reach of Humane Invention and cannot be the Product of our Rational Faculties And then by the same Reason no work must be ascribed to God but what exceeds the Power of Natural Agents and so God must be accounted the Author of nothing that happens in the World but what is purely Miraculous Now this Argument if it prove any thing at all it proves not only that this Book is not written by Divine Inspiration but farther that no Book of Moral Instructions can be For Morality is nothing but the Law of Right Reason instructing us how to govern our Actions and I suppose the Law of Reason contains nothing in it above Reason and Consequently nothing which is above the Capacity of a Wise and Good Man to think or speak from all which it will follow by our Authors Principles that whatever Book contains nothing in it but what is deducible from the Principles of meer Reason must be purely Humane and can have nothing Divine or of the Hand of God in it But is not Mr. N. sensible that the Corruption of Humane Nature the Degeneracy of the World the Uncertainty of Humane Reasoning and especially the Imperfect Knowledge we have of the Nature of God and our own Souls have so far Obscur'd a great many branches of this Law of Nature or Reason that there was need of a more than Ordinary Illumination to recover some Truths which were in a manner lost to the World and to set them in a True Light so as to Convince others of their Certainty and Excellency Sure our Author will grant that the Unity of the Godhead is a Truth that is Adequate to Humane Reason nay a Truth so Evident that one would wonder that Men of Searching Heads could miss of it and yet we find there were very few among the Heathens that had their Reason so throughly purg'd from the prejudices which Education and the Establisht Religion of the World had infected it with as to assent to this Truth And I think this is a sufficient Proof that Men may stand in need of a Teacher Divinely Inlightned to Discover such Truths to them as may indeed be deduced from the Principles of Reason when 't is in its true perfection but yet are such as few Men's Reason hath arrived to because of the Degeneracy and corruption to which 't is obnoxious And many such Truths are to be found in this Book which tho they are so reasonable that Men can't but assent to them assoon as they hear them yet 't is in vain to search for them in the Writings of the Best and Acutest Philosophers For Instance we may challenge them to shew such a Wise Instruction in any of their Books as Solomon lays down for the foundation of Morality b Prov. 1.7 The fear of the Lord is the beginning of Wisdom or this c Prov. 3.5 6 Trust in the Lord with all thy Heart and lean not to thy own Vnderstanding In all thy ways acknowledge him And indeed thro the whole Book the Duties of Morality are inforc'd upon Men from Religious Considerations and by Arguments taken from the Duty we owe to God and the Rewards and Punishments we must expect from him according as we behave our selves Which makes this Book differ very much from the Moral Writings of the Philosophers where we shall find little or nothing said concerning our Duty to God his Authority over us our Dependance upon him and the Submission we owe to him the Methods of Providence and the Rewards or Punishments of another Life all which are often insisted upon in this Book For this is a visible Defect in the Writings of the Philosophers that as they never inforce our Duty by Arguments which are taken from the Principles of Religion so their disswasives from Vice are taken from these Topicks viz. That 't is below the Dignity of Humane Nature and a Contradiction to Reason rather than from this Consideration That 't is displeasing to God a Breach of his Law and an Act of Disobedience which he will Punish I Confess some Philosophers that lived since the Appearance of Christianity especially the Emperor Antoninus have very Excellent Sayings concerning God's Providence and the Submission we owe to him But I am apt to think that as the Light of the Gospel Diffus'd it self over the World it in some measure Inlightned the minds even of those who Refus'd to imbrace it as the Sun gives Light before it reaches our Hemisphere My meaning is that the very Account which Inquisitive Men received of the Principles of Christianity helped to Clear up their minds and gave them more distinct Apprehensions of the Principles of Natural Religon than they had before But to return Beside the Precepts I have already mention'd there are many Excellent Advices given in the Proverbs to all sorts and Degrees of Men from Princes
and Magistrates to the meanest of their Subjects And 't is meer Cavilling in this Author to say d Ubi supr That the Directions about Good Husbandry and House-keeping Country People know without Inspiration as if it were below the Wisdom of an Inspired Teacher to admonish the meanest of their Duty as certainly 't is every Man's to be Diligent in his Calling and incourage them to attend upon it e See Tit. 3.14 where the Apostle gives the same sort of Advice or as if People had not need to be put in mind of their Duty altho they knew it before As little weight is there in what he saith f Ubi sup concerning the Caution which this Book so often gives Men against Suretiship or being bound for others as if it amounted to a total forbidding Men the Exercise of this sort of Charity I grant him this may be in some Cases a very good Act of Charity but if we consider it as 't is generally practis'd and Proverbial Sayings are to be understood only to hold true in Most cases we shall find such ill Effects of it that 't is not only Wise but Religious Advice to warn men against it Experience tells us that men are often bound for more than they are able to pay which is the very Case Solomon speaks of g Prov. 22.26 27. in some of those places Mr. N. refers to and so injure the Creditor as well as undo themselves and intail Misery upon their Families which a man is bound in Justice as well as Charity to provide for in the first place And Suretiship when it brings men to Beggary at the same time exposes them to those dangerous Temptations to sin which always accompany extreme Want Upon these accounts Suretiship is oftner the occasion of a great deal of Injustice and other Wickedness than the Exercise of Charity And since these are the usual Consequences of it 't is very good Advice to warn men against it and as proper for this Book as any whatsoever since the Rules of it as I observ'd just now are design'd only for Wise Observations grounded upon Experience which are generally True but are not to be taken so strictly and rigorously as if they never fail'd in any one Instance h v. Grot. in Matth. 12.30 As to what Mr. N. objects i Ubi supra against the Collection of Proverbs ascribed to Agur k Prov. 30. if I should grant him that they have nothing of Inspiration in them I do not see how it prejudices the Authority of Solomon's Proverbs at all For Solomon's Character will go a great way to Intitle his Proverbs to Inspiration whereas these are the Sayings of an Unknown Author who does not pretend to have been bred up in the Schools of the Prophets l See Bp. Patrick's Paraph. upon Pro. 30.3 which were look'd upon as the Nurseries of Inspir'd Writers I know some Learned Men fancy both this and the 31st Chapter to be Sayings of Solomon as well as the foregoing but as they bring no Proof for what they say so 't is altogether unaccountable why Solomon should disgiuse himself under two such different Names neither of which have the least Affinity with his own Now supposing the two last Chapters of the Proverbs to have been writ by Uncertain Authors and added to Solomon's by some Private hand and afterward to have been continued by those that Copied the Holy Writings as we see Additions have been made to Daniel and Esther in the Greek Bibles and as 't is probable the Hellenists join'd these and the other Apocryphal Writings with the Canonical as early as our Saviour's time upon this Hypothesis Mr. N.'s Objections against this part of the Proverbs fall short of the Mark and do not prejudice the Authority of Solomon's Proverbs at all And this Supposition I think has nothing of Absurdity in it nor can any Consequences be drawn from hence to weaken the Authority of the Jewish Canon For if we should suppose these two Chapters to be Apocryphal it will neither follow that we cannot tell what is Canonical and what not nor that there may have been Additions made to Books which are all of a piece and go all under one and the same Author's name We can conclude nothing from hence but this that wherever we find a Writing bearing the name of an Unknown Author added to a Book whose Author is known without any necessary Dependance upon or Connexion with the Book that goes before or that comes after in such a Case only 't will follow from this Hypothesis that we have no Reason to think both those Writings to be of an Equal Authority And since this is the only Instance that can be given in all the Old Testament of a small Writing made an Appendix to a greater meerly because of the Affinity of the Subject whatever Hypothesis we admit concerning these Two Chapters it can be no Prejudice to any other part of the Old Testament Canon because there 's no Instance can be given of a like nature But whatever I have said upon this Point I propose only by way of Supposition and meerly out of a Design to shew that whatever Objections Mr. N. thinks he can make against these Additions to the Proverbs they do not at all diminish the Authority of Solomon's Writings For indeed the Authority of the Jewish Canon weighs so much with me and the Jews seem to have been so scrupulous of admitting any Writing into their Canon without due Examining whether it deserv'd to be receiv'd into it or not that I must confess I cannot easily bring my self to think there are any Apocryphals among the Hebrew Writings of the Old Testament As for the Greek Writings and Translations we know that the Hellenists were much more Easie and Remiss as to this matter and allowed great Liberty to Transcribers and Commentators to make such Additions to the Text which in their Opinion did tend to Illustrate it But the Jews being Scrupulous of Adding to or Diminishing from the Text even to Superstition I think it Unjust to conclude that any part of their Canon is of doubtful Authority from one single Instance which some may fancy looks suspicious And therefore taking this Prophecy or Collection a 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 of Agur's to have the same External Authority with the rest of the Jewish Canon I cannot see that the Internal Matter of it affords any Reason to the Contrary For there are many wise Observations and a great deal of good Advice contain'd in it and his Prayer to God for a Competency b Prov 3. ◠8 9. is a very Excellent one and is so much the more to be valued because all the Heathen Philosophers were puzzl'd how to advise others about the matter of their Prayers c See Platon Alcibiad 2. Juvenal Sat. 10. what Blessings 't was proper to ask of God and the Vulgar put up very Absurd and
their Authority was immediately Establisht And so much for the proving the Sixth Proposition And I think supposing these Six Propositions proved this Conclusion will plainly follow from what has been said that the Books of the New-Testament were Written by God's Direction and design'd by Him for the Perpetual use and Instruction of the Church and are the only Fixt Rule which he has appointed for this purpose I shall draw some Conclusions from these Premises which will tend to illustrate and explain the Divine Inspiration of the Holy Writings 1. It follows from hence that the Holy Ghost assisted the Apostles as fully when they Writ as when they Preached How far this assistance extended and wherein it consisted I shall examine particularly in the next Chapter at present I intend only to shew that we may presume there is as great a degree of Inspiration to be found in their Writings as was in their Preaching For since the reason why this Assistance accompanied them in their Preaching was the benefit of the Church that they might Guide it into all Truth without any danger of mixing error with it the same reason holds much stronger for their Writings which do not serve for the Instruction of One Age only as their Preaching did but of Many And therefore tho we should suppose that they use Arguments ad Hominem sometimes and proceed upon such Principles as were generally admitted in the Age they lived without nicely examining whether they were true or not yet this only shews that they thought fit to explain Divine Truths in such a manner as was most suitable to the Capacity of the persons they were immediately to Instruct And as we must grant that tho the New Testament was design'd for the use of future Ages yet the Phrase and Style and Argumentation used in it is wholly accommodated to the Sentiments and Usage of that Age in which 't was writ so S. Paul himself does plainly imply that he does not always use the Best Arguments but sometimes such as are best fitted to the Capacities and Notions of those he Writes to For thus we find him express himself by way of excuse for the Argument he makes use of d Rom. 6.19 I speak after the manner of men because of the infirmity of your flesh which is as much as if he had said I could bring a better argument to prove what I say but this which I make use of is more suitable to your Capacities and may perhaps more effectually convince you than a better 2. It follows secondly that since the Books of the New Testament and the same reason holds as to any other Writings of the same rank and use were design'd to be a standing rule of Faith to Christians the Holy Ghost tho he did not generally Dictate the words which the holy Writers used yet directed them to express their minds in such a manner that those who have a regard to the Dialect and way of speaking in which they write might rightly understand them or at least the Holy Spirit prevented their giving just occasion for Men's errors and mistakes in matters of Consequence by their Phrases and Expressions And such a degree of assistance is absolutely necessary to make these Books a standing Rule of Faith For tho we suppose the Holy Writers used a Popular style and consequently made use of such Hyperboles and Metaphors and other Improprieties of Speech which common practise allows of in all Languages especially where they occasionally speak of Philosophical matters and things not immediately relating to Religion yet unless we suppose them to speak properly in those Terms of Art which are of fundamental use in the explaining the Doctrines of Christianity and upon the sense of which whole Controversies turn and as they are differently taken they alter the very face of the Christian Religion I say except we suppose the Apostles to speak properly i. e. agreeably to their own Simplicity and Plainness of Speech and in such a manner as was most likely to be understood by those they writ to when they treat of matters of great Importance and such as are justly to be reckon'd Fundamental Doctrines the New Testament will not answer the ends of a Rule of Faith For a Book is of no use to explain or decide any Controversy if we can have no sixt rule whereby to judge of its style so as to be in some measure certain what is its true sense And 't is very strange if a Book writ by persons who had an extraordinary assistance from God and which was design'd for Universal use should not be worded with that care which Humane Industry uses in matters of Importance And therefore we have reason to rely upon the assistance of the Holy Spirit even with relation to the Phrase and Letter of the Scripture and to believe that he has so far directed the holy Pen-men that their Phrases and Expressions should not lead Men into error in matters of Consequence but may be rightly understood by those that acquaint themselves with the Dialect in which they writ and consult the Ages nearest the Apostles who must needs be next to their own style the best Judges of their sense If indeed the Socinian Doctrines concerning the Nature and Satisfaction of Christ were true it must be confessed there would be little reason to believe that the Holy Ghost had a hand in wording the Scriptures nay then the Scriptures will appear to be written in such a style as if the Writers design'd to lead Men into error And the Socinians themselves when they make Reason the sole Judge of Sripture and tell us they will not believe any thing contrary to Reason tho it were never so plainly asserted in Scripture do in effect confess that the expressions of Scripture taken in their natural and most obvious sense do not at all favour their Opinions e Socin de Christ Servat l. 3. c. 6. And therefore 't is no wonder to find these Gentlemen warn their Readers so often not to make Inferences from the Phrases of Scripture as if they were used strictly and properly that they so often tell us of the Improprieties and Metaphors which the Eastern Writers and those who imitate them abound with that the Apostles play with Words as Socinus with Reverence speaks f Amavit Paulus in Execrationis verbo esse argutus Socm de Chr Serâ— l. 2. c. 1 and take them sometimes in one sense and sometimes in another Our Author follows them in this as well as in some other things g v Fr. p 234. Eng p. 146. and often cautions h Eng. p 107 111. Fr. p. 280 281. En. p. 11â— Fr. p. 285. Eng. p. 145 146. Fr. p. 233 234. us not to subtilize about the expressions nor stick too close to the Letter of the Scripture since the style of Scripture is so far from being exact that 't is very careless and tells us i Eng. p. 107 116.