concerning the truth of the stories of the Scripture then to reject them for want of such evidence is repugnant to the Reason of mankind I proceed therefore to my second assertion that the Belief of the Divine Authority of the Scriptures is most agreable to reason That the Divine Authority of all the Scriptures of the Old and New Testament are undeniably concluded from supposition of the truth of the Relation or History of matters of fact in the New Testament I have already shewn And that the rejection of all History is against the Reason of mankind is evident because all mankind receive some History or other wherefore I shall briefly shew 1. That the History of the New Testament hath all those advantages whereof any History is capable 2. That it hath greater advantages than any other History 1. The Arguments inducing men to the belief of any historical Relation are all of them Ab intra Internal from the 1. Credibility and Scibility of the Object 2. The Knowledge and Integrity of the Writers 3. The way and manner of writing Either Ab extra External from the 1. Reception of it in the world 2. Concurrent testimonies of strangers 3. Concessions of Adversaries and the like In all which particulars no History in the world can justly pretend any advantage above that of the New Testament 1. For the credibility of the Object and Cognoscibility of it 1. To say that instances of supernatural Power and wisdom are impossible is to deny the power of God and his providence in governing the world And to say that such things are incredible as are and have been actually believed in all times and by all sorts of persons Jews and Gentiles Christians and Mahometans a few Atheistical persons only accepted is an absurdity The History that we speak of pretends to no intrigues or Cabalistick Counsels or Myisteries of State but conteins it self within the limits of things Visible and Audible things that were done or spoken so that no History can have advantage over it respectu Objecti 2. As for Knowledge in the deliverers I shall shew it by a brief Induction The whole New Testament consists of the Books of the Revelation Epistles Acts of the Apostles and the Gospels The Authors of the Epistles and the Revelation in the Narrative parts of them deliver the things done or spoken to or by themselves and could not be ignorant of their own experiences The Book of the Acts contains some things done by or to the rest of the Apostles but chiefly the concernments of Paul and it was written by Luke who was an individual Companion of Paul and intimately conversant with the rest of the Apostles For the things Related in the Gospel of St. Luke he saith they were delivered to him by those who from the beginning were Eye witnesses of the works and Ministers of the Word and his History agrees with the other Evangelists The Gospel of St. Mark hath nothing which is not in St. Matthew or St. Iohn and was dictated by St. Peter the Head of the Apostles St. Matthew was an Apostle and St. Iohn the Bosom Apostle of Christ. The Apostles were chosen by him for Witnesses of his Words and Actions they were with him from the beginning of his Ministry continued with him till his death couversed with him till his ascension That which they had heard which they had seen with their Eyes which they had looked on which their hands had handled of the word of life that they delivered in writing to the World And more than this no Writer or Relater of History can pretend to 2. For Arguments of their sincerity they have left Precepts of Veracity and prohibitions of lying under pain of Hell torments the Lake that burneth with fire and brimstone They have protested that they did not follow cunningly devised Fables that they did things sincerely as in the sight of God They have appealed to the searcher of hearts The God and Father of our Lord Iesus Christ knoweth that I lie not The things which I write unto you behold before God I lye not Gal. 1 20. saith St. Paul They have left behind them various instances of their simplicity and Godly sincerity in representing their failings to the world and of candour and ingenuity in distinguishing the dictates of their own Reason from the inspirations of the Holy Spirit I speak by permission not by commandment of the Lord This say I not the Lord Thus it is according to my judgment c. 1 Cor. 7. But besides all this let the matter be estimated according to common reason If these men did devise a Fable and impose it upon the world what end could they propound to themselves in so doing was there any profit in being destitute of all things or pleasure in being persecuted afflicted and tormented or honour in being counted Fools and Mad-men Before they began to publish the Stories whereof we speak their Master was gone and all worldly hopes were gone away with him If they were not bound in Conscience and in Spirit what obligation had he laid upon them to labour and suffer for his honour as they did To omit the severity of his behaviour to them He called them off from their Vocations Peter and Andrew Iames and Iohn from their Fishing Matthew from his Customers place the rest accordingly They forsook their Nets their Ships their Relations and all their interests and followed him And this they did clearly and plainly believing that he was to be a Great Temporal Prince and in hopes of preferment under him In this Expectation they continued to the last minute of his conversation with them upon Earth and he permitted them so to do Their last words to him were delivered in this question Lord wilt thou at this time restore the Kingdom unto Israel Of the thing it self they never doubted they only desire to be informed of the time Now after so long expectation Consider his Answer His Answer was this It is not for you to know the times c. but ye shall receive power when the Holy Ghost is come upon you and ye shall be witnesses of me unto the utmost parts of the earth and immediately he vanished away Was this an answer to their Question or a satisfaction to their expectation Was this an Obligation laid upon them If he had not sent down the Holy Ghost this would have moved them indeed but it would have been to rage and indignation this would have obliged them indeed but it would have been to detest and abhor the name and memory of him that had abused them But for the honour of his name not their own they did and suffered all things and gloried in it An irrefragable argument of their sincerity in the things which they delivered 3. Of the internal Arguments for the belief of History there remains only the Consideration of the way and manner of
duly executed to conserve all estates orders and degrees in the greatest happiness whereof any society is capable conducting us by the hand of Moses and Aaron and their subordinate Ministers to the great ends of the great ordinance of God in the world and apt to enable and to dispose well-minded men by the means of grace and motives to sobriety righteousness and godliness which we enjoy by peace and plenty by liberty and prosperity in all which we exceed all others to produce effects of noble courage and magnanimity such as we read of in the stories of our Ancestors and of Piety and Devotion in proportion answerable to those of our glorious Predecessors that is not inferiour in their kind to any nation in the world Surely this also hath been of the Lords doing in reference to Society Civil and Sacred it is he that hath made us and not we our selves Now let us pass to the second enquiry 2. Hath he not redeemed us and that also in both capacities personal and national 1. For our persons spiritually and temporally hath he not bought our souls at a price hath he not offered us a plenteous redemption by the blood of the everlasting Covenant redeemed us from the curse of the Law the bondage of Sin the power of Satan the wrath of God Again is there any one single person to whom he hath not given many a temporal deliverance known and unknown or at least-wise unconsidered Hath not he redeemed us from the prison of the womb from the hazards of our infancy from the perils of our childhood from the wildness and precipitancy of youth from the snares and entanglements of our riper years Is there any one whom he hath not redeemed from six troubles and from seven in our bodies estates liberty reputation whom he hath not powerfully and frequently rescued from the folly and perverseness of our selves from the malice of our neighbours from the rage of Devils Hath he not redeemed us in our personal capacities 2. Hath he not redeemed our nation again and again in all its interest civil and sacred Who else was it that delivered our fathers and our selves from Barbarisme and Idolatry from Tyranny and Superstition from fanatical Anarchy and Irreligion To omit former deliverances can we forget how it is but a little while since the wrath of God was poured out upon this Kingdome to the uttermost since our Sun was turned into darkness and our Moon into blood our stars ravisht from their Orbs the Royal father Martyred the Son banished the Nobles confounded the State dissolved the Church destroyed our Religion Laws Liberty Property torn away our bones were dryed our hope was gone and we thought we had been clean cut off Then when we cried unto the Lord in our trouble he delivered us out of our distress He sent redemption to his people he turned our captivity as the Rivers of the South then was our mouth filled with laughter and our tongue with Ioy. The Symptoms of joy and triumph were heard and seen in all the corners of the land nay the Sea roared and the floods clapped their hands the hills and the heavens resounded because of the redemption for he cometh for he cometh c. And now I say unto you hath he not redeemed us 3. Hath he not established us that is to say the Estalishment which we enjoy is it not all from him and hath not he done his part for our establishment our spiritual and temporal our private our publick establishment Doth not the God of all grace continually press upon us the means of grace calling us to his Eternal glory endeavouring to make us perfect to establish strengthen and settle us in his truth to establish us in the faith and in holiness to strengthen our inward man that we may be rooted and grounded and built up in him to a lively hope and an humble assurance of eternal life All spiritual Establishment is it not from God is there any person within the verge of his Majesties Dominions for whom God hath not provided plentiful means foâ— this Establishment Again for our temporal private condition is there any one of us destitute of some sort of provision subsistance some sort of settlement or Establishment Is there any one that hears or hears me not for whom God hath not provided some honest way of Establishment by donation of pious Founders and Benefactors by legal desâ—â—â—â— by voluntary Bequest 〈◊〉 which they builded not c. by labour of the hand or contrivance of the brain by assistances of Alliances or friends by charitable benevolence by the bounty of contingency or the like Are not every one of these from the Lord is any one destitute of one or more of these ways of establishment or that can answer that God hath made no provision for them hath he not given us our temporal establishment Lastly hath not God done his part towards a National and a publick establishment of this Church and Kingdom Hath he not in order thereunto resetled our gracious Sovereign in the throne of his Royal Predecessors Re-established the Church upon its rightful Basis and foundation Restored all orders and degrees to their legal rights proprieties privileges and liberties Reinforced our Religion and our Laws in the due administration of Discipline and Justice Reduced all things into that ancient frame and constitution which had from many Generations derived happiness and glory to the people of England Finally for preservation and continuance of all these hath he not restored the actual strength of the Kingdom our Forts and Castles our stores and magazines our Towns and Cities our Armies and Navies lately rescued out of the hands of rebellious Usurpers to those Royal hands to which they do of right belong In one word therefore to conclude this first enquiry hath not God dealt with us as he did with Israel hath he not made us redeemed us established us The next consideration ought to be whether we have not so requited the Lord as they requited him Whether our behaviour hath not been answerable to that of Israel in reference both to the foolish part and the unwise And here alas how clear and conspicuous is the parallel in respect of their ingratitude and imprudence Have we not dealt do we not deal ungratefully with the Author and instruments of all our mercies Have all Gods methods and various dealings with us prevailed so far as to bring out persons to repentance or our Kingdom to a Reformation Have we been convinced or have we not been hardened by his wonders converted to his fears or sealed up into a sottish stupidity and senseless contempt of Religion a spirit of Atheism and downright infidelity Do we not murmur against Moses and Aaron do not some amongst us still abet the cause of Corah Dathan and Abiram are not some of us ready to make them a Captain and to return into Egypt Have we not soon forgot God our saviour have
that in the last days perilous times shâ—â—ld come that there should be heady high-minded Traytours having a form of godliness but denying the power thereof Saint Peter that there should be false Teachers which should privily bring in damnable heresies presumptuous self-willed not afraid to speak evil of Dignities Now if all this be not sufficient Saint Iude hath taken up this Prophesie of Saint Peter and given us two clear Characters of these Persons whereby they might be known He tells us 1. That they shall be Separatists from the Church and 2. false-pretenders to the Spirit These are they which separate themselves being sensual having not the spirit I shall say no more to the Pretences relating to that Head which concerns the matter of Religion 2 ly Neither shalll I enlarge upon that other Head referring to matters Civil where I instanced in two Pretences taken from I. Harsh Administration in the Magistrate II. Competition as to power in Subjects I. Neither the Time nor the Design which I have propounded nor indeed my Profession nor Abilities do allow me to enter into the depths of the Politicks or to discourse of the limitations of Sovereign Powers Thus much is obvious to every man That there is no Cruelty so great as laxness of Government nor any Tyrany in the World like the rage of Subjects let loose and that the little â—inger of Licentiousness is harder then the Loyns of the severest Laws and stâ—ictest Government I shall briefly shew that the Scripture foreseeing the easiness by reason of the Self-love and partiality of men of this Pretence and the danger of it hath directly opposed it self against it I shall not mention particular Commands let us have recourse to the main Foundations the Body and Substance of Christianity the MISHPATHAMELEK the Ius Regium the Fundamental Law of the Kings of Israel 1. Christianity obligeth us to believe not only that Christ is God and that the Gospel is from God but that all the Circumstances of the Ministery of Christ and his Apostles were ordered by his Providence Why then were the times of Tiberius and Caligula and Claudius and Nero out of the Series of the Time spun out from the Creation chosen and selected for the promulgation of the Doctrine of Obedience If harsh Administration of Power will exempt men from Obedience at that time when Claudius or Nero was Roman Emperour why should the Holy Ghost move Saint Paul to write to the Romans They that resist shall receive to themselves Damnation So much briefly for the Gospel 2. As for the Ius Regium in the eighth of the first Book of Samuel we find the Israelites desiring a King and God though rejected by this motion commands Samuel to hearken to their voice Yet that they might know what they did and not be surprized believing they might cast of again their King at pleasure he charges him to protest solemly and shew them 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Our Translation renders it The manner of the King The Septuagint and all ancient Eastern and Western Translations render it by words of signifying the Law or the Right of the King Ius Regium This saith Samuel shall be 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 He shall take your Sons and Daughters your Vine-yards your Fields and your Flocks c. He tells them of harsh Administrations Was it the meaning of the Holy Ghost that 〈◊〉 â—ure Princes ought to do or that it was lawful for them to do after the manner there described In the seventeenth Chapter of Deuteronomy we find the Duty of the Kings of Israel described in a way directly contrary to this they were to fear the Lord and not to turn aside to the right hand or to the left from his Commandments Bewise now therefore O ye Kings be instructed ye Iudges of the Earth serve the Lord with fear and rejoyce with trembling Was it a Prediction of what would be their condition what would be the manner of their Kings Not that neither We do not read of any of the Kings of Iudah or Israel that proceeded to the height there expressed Even Aâ—ab who sold himself to work wickedness did not take Naboth's Vinyard by force he would not seise on it till Iezebeâ— had brought about the pretence of a Legal Forfeiture What then is the meaning of 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Surely it imports thus much that if all this hard usage should come upon them they might cry unto the Lord Verse 18. but that it would not dissolve Ius Regium the right of Sovereignty or enable them to resist their Kings or rebel against them II. There remains yet one Pretence to speak to it concerns Competition of Power either on 1. Pretences of Succession into the Magistrate's place in case of failour of Duty or upon supposals of forfeiture of Power 2. Pretences of the last resolution of Power into the people the diffused multitude or the peoples Representative and the like Concerning which kind of Pretences I must repeat what hath been said of the other If they be admitted they are destructive to Magistracy If they be encouraged by Religion there will be reason that Magistrates be jealous over it But now is the Spirit of the Scriptures and the tendency of it entirely bent another way The New Testament affords no Instance in this kind As to the Old I shall desire that two Instances may be considered 1. The Case of David and Saul 2. The Case of Corah and Moses which two Instances if the time would bear it would take in the Substance of all that may be alledged in this kind 1. It is I conceive impossible to carry the first sort of Pretences higher then they were stated in the Case of David and Saul Saul was at first declared and constituted King by Samuel acting in the Name of the Lord and when he had reigned two years the same Samuel in the Name of the same God before the same people denounces publickly that his Kingdom should not continue and that God had sought a man after his own heart because he invaded the Priests Office After this he limits a certain day he tells him This day the Lord bath rent the Kingdom of Israel from thee and given it to thy neighbour because of his rebellion against God in the Case of Amalek The pretence of Failour and Forfeiture can go no higher Now for the pretences of David to step into his Government and wrest it from him He was anointed by Samuel for ought appears without reservation for the life of Saul He was qualified for Government a valiant man a man of War prudent in matters a comely Person and the Lord was with him He had received Testimony from God of his Election the Spirit of God departed from Saul and rested upon him He had power in his hand he was set over the men of War accepted by all the people all Israel nd