The possibility, expediency, and necessity of divine revelation a sermon preached at St. Martins in the Fields, Jan. 7. 1694/5 : at the beginning of the lecture for the ensuing year, founded by the honourable Robert Boyle, Esquire / by John Williams ...

The possibility, expediency, and necessity of divine revelation a sermon preached at St. Martins in the Fields, Jan. 7. 1694/5 : at the beginning of the lecture for the ensuing year, founded by the honourable Robert Boyle, Esquire / by John Williams ...

Table of contents

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Title page

TO THE Moſt Reverend Father in God, THOMAS Lord Archbiſhop of Canterbury. Sir HENRY ASHHURST, Knight and Baronet. Sir JOHN ROTHERAM, Serjeant at Law. JOHN EVELYN, Senior, Eſquire. TRUSTEES by the Appointment of the Honourable Robert Boyle, Eſquire.

HEB. I. 1, 2. God who at ſundry times, and in divers manners, ſpake in time paſt unto the Fathers by the Prophets, hath in theſe laſt days ſpoken unto us by his Son.

Books Printed for Richard Chiſwell and Thomas Cockerill.

HEB. I. 1, 2.
‘God who at ſundry times, and in divers manners, ſpake in time paſt unto the Fathers by the Prophets, hath in theſe laſt days ſpoken unto us by his Son.’

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THERE are Two ways by which Mankind may attain to the Knowledge of Divine Things; namely, Natural or Supernatural.

Natural is what we have ſpringing up with our Faculties, or what we attain by Natural means, by Sight, Obſervation, and Experience, by Tradition (which is the Hiſtory of others Knowledge and Experience); and laſtly, by Reaſon and Argument, deducing Effects from their proper Cauſes, or finding out the Cauſe by its Effects: As for inſtance; Thus we come to the Knowledge of God by obſerving the Frame of the World, by the Series, Order, and [Page] Courſe of Things, which could never be without ſome Cauſe to produce them, and that Cauſe no leſs than One Infinitely Powerful and Wiſe. Thus we Argue, That there is a Soul in Man diſtinct from the Body, and ſurviving a Separation from it; foraſmuch as there are ſuch Operations as are not Competent to Matter; and that there is ſuch a deſire of Immortality placed in Mankind, as would make the Flower and Choiceſt part of the Viſible Creation, the moſt Miſerable, if there was no Capacity in the Soul for ſuch a State, or no ſuch State for a Soul capable of it.

Such Inferences as theſe, are as Natural to a Reaſonable Mind, as thoſe Obſervations are which we make from the reports of Senſe; and are therefore deſervedly accounted Branches of Natural Religion.

Now this kind of Knowledge is more or leſs evident, is ſtronger or weaker, according to the capacities and diſpoſitions of Mankind, and according to the opportunities and means they have of Information. And therefore a Philoſopher that ſets himſelf to enquire into the Myſteries of Nature, and to obſerve the Curioſity, Order and Beauty of its Fabrick, may, in Reaſon be ſuppoſed to be more confirmed in the Belief of a [Page] God, and more diſpoſed to Serve and Adore him, than he that is ignorant; as he that underſtands Painting or Carving, can more obſerve and applaud the Ingenuity and Skill of the Artiſt, than he that is unacquainted with it.

But after all, ſo much is the Subject above our reach, and ſo dark and intricate are all our Reaſonings upon it, that the Sageſt Philoſopher, in the concluſion, is left as unſatisfied as the meaneſt Peaſant; and perhaps more unſatisfied with his Knowledge, and the deep and unfathomable Abyſs he ſees before him, than the other is with his Ignorance; ſo far making good what Solomon obſerves, He that increaſeth knowledge, increaſeth ſorrow, Eccleſ. 1. 18.

So that there needs ſome brighter Light than that of Nature, to conduct us to Happineſs, and bring us to a compleat and entire Satisfaction; and that is a Supernatural Knowledge, a Knowledge that is not to be obtained by the ways aforeſaid, by Enquiry and Obſervation, but by inſpiration and Revelation from Almighty God.

And this is the Subject of the Text.

God who at ſundry times, and in divers manners, ſpake in time paſt by the Prophets, hath in theſe laſt days ſpoken unto us by his Son.

[Page] In which Words we have,

1. A Deſcription given of Revelation, it's God's ſpeaking to the Fathers, &c. that is, it is God's delivering his Mind to Mankind by Perſons choſen for that purpoſe, and peculiarly fitted for it by Inſpiration. Such were the Prophets in time paſt, and the Son in the laſt days.

2. The certainty of it; it is by way of Declaration, God who at ſundry times, and in divers manners, ſpake, &c. The Apoſtle takes this for granted, as having been ſufficiently proved, and ſo needs no farther confirmation. So it was in times paſt, when God ſpake by the Prophets; and ſo it was in the laſt days in the Revelation of the Goſpel, which at the firſt began to be ſpoken by the Lord, and was, ſaith our Apoſtle, confirmed unto us by them that heard him: God alſo bearing them witneſs both with ſigns and wonders, and with divers miracles and gifts of the Holy Ghoſt, Chap. 2. 3, 4.

And therefore as Moſes did not think himſelf obliged at the entrance into his Divine Work, to prove there is a God, and that God made the World, when there is ſuch an inbred knowledge of a Deity implanted in human Nature, and ſuch clear and undoubted evidences of it throughout the Univerſe; but ſuppoſes and aſſerts it, In the beginning God created the heaven and the earth: &c.

[Page] So after ſuch manifeſt proofs of the Divine Authority of both the Prophetical and Evangelical Revelation, the Apoſtle would not ſo much as ſuppoſe any doubt in the minds of thoſe he wrote to; but begins his Epiſtle, with a certain Majeſty becoming an Inſpired Author, God who at ſundry times, &c.

3. The Order obſerved in delivering that Revelation, it was at ſundry times, and in divers manners.

At ſundry times, [...], or in ſeveral parts; which may refer either to the ſeveral Ages and Periods, viz. The Patriarchal, Moſaical, and Prophetical; or to the ſeveral Manifeſtations of Divine Revelation through thoſe Ages and Periods; from the firſt Embryo of it in Adam, to the cloſe of it in John the Baptiſt; in whom the time paſt ended, and the laſt days began.

In divers manners, [...], according to the manifold ways the Divine Spirit thought fit to communicate it ſelf; whether by Illapſes on the Perſons Inſpired, or by Raptures, Viſions, Voices, &c.

4. The Perfection and Completion of Divine Revelation; God hath in theſe laſt days ſpoken by his Son. So that what was gradually, and at ſundry times, delivered in time paſt to the Prophets, was at [Page] once intirely and perfectly Revealed by the Son of God, whom he hath appointed heir of all things.

Under the Firſt of theſe I ſhall ſhew,

1. What we mean by Revelation.

2. The poſſibility of God's Revealing himſelf ſo to the Creature, that the Creature ſhall certainly and evidently know that it is God that ſpeaketh.

3. The Expediency, Uſefulneſs, and Neceſſity of a Revelation, with reſpect to the Circumſtances Mankind are in.

Under the Second I ſhall ſhew,

1. That as it's poſſible for God to Reveal himſelf, and Expedient and Neceſſary for man that there ſhould be a Revelation; ſo God has actually thus Revealed himſelf at ſundry times, and in divers manners by the Prophets, through the ſeveral Periods before ſpoken of, and in the laſt days by his Son.

2. I ſhall conſider the difference between a real and pretended Revelation, and how we may diſtinguiſh the true from the falſe.

3. I ſhall ſhew, that the Scriptures of the Old and New Teſtament contain the matter of Divine Revelation, and have upon them the Characters belonging to it.

[Page] Under the Third,

1. I ſhall conſider the ſeveral ways by which God did Reveal himſelf in times paſt by the Prophets, as by Illapſes, Inſpirations, Viſions, &c.

2. I ſhall endeavour to ſhew the difference between Divine Inſpirations, and Diabolical Illuſions, Natural Impreſſions, and Deluſory Imaginations.

3. I ſhall conſider the ſeveral Periods before the Law, under the Law, and under the Goſpel; and the gradual progreſs of Revelation from firſt to laſt, from the lower to the higher degree, and the perpetual reſpect one had to the other.

4. I ſhall conſider why God did thus gradually, and at ſundry times, proceed in Revealing his Will to Mankind; and why he did not at the firſt Communicate his Will to them as fully, and perfectly, as he did in the laſt days by his Son.

Under the Fourth,

I ſhall ſhew the Perfection of the Goſpel-Revelation, and that there is not to be any other Revelation till the End cometh when our Lord ſhall be revealed from heaven, and ſhall deliver up the kingdom to the Father.

I have choſen thus at once to lay in Order the Scheme of what I intend (God granting Life and Aſſiſtance) to purſue; that ſo the dependance [Page] of one upon another, and the aſſiſtance each Point gives to the other throughout the whole, might be the better obſerved.

I. I am to begin with Revelation.

1. Where I am to conſider, What we mean by Revelation; which is nothing elſe in the firſt Notion, but the making known that which before was a ſecret; ſo things revealed and ſecret, are oppoſed, Deut. 29. 29.

And when it's applied to a Religious uſe, it's God's making known Himſelf, or his Will, to Mankind, over and above what he has made known by the Light of Nature and Reaſon.

Here we may obſerve, that there are Three Claſſes, into which whatever is the Object of our Knowledge may be reduced.

1. There are things of pure and ſimple Nature, and knowable by the Light of it, without Revelation; of this kind is the Knowledge of God by the Effects of a Divine Power and Wiſdom in the world (as has been ſhewed) of which the Apoſtle treats, Rom. 1. 20. The inviſible things of him, from the creation of the world are clearly ſeen, being underſtood by the things that are made, even his eternal Power and Godhead.

2. There are things of pure and ſimple Revelation, that are not knowable by the Light of [Page] Nature, but only by Revelation; and if not Revealed, are never in this ſtate (at leaſt) to be known or found out by Mankind; of this ſort is the Salvation of the World by Jeſus Chriſt, which was not diſcoverable by Men or Angels; ſo the Apoſtle deſcribes the Myſtery of it, Epheſ. 3. 9, 10. Which from the beginning of the world hath been hid in God,—to the intent that now unto the principalities and powers in heavenly places, might be known by the Church the manifold Wiſdom of God. So 1 Pet. 1. 12.

3. There are things partly of Nature, and partly of Revelation, diſcoverable by the Light of Nature, but imperfectly, which we ſee, as it were, through a glaſs darkly; and ſo they need Revelation to give them farther Proof and Evidence; of this the Apoſtle gives an inſtance, 2 Tim. 1. 10. when he ſaith our Saviour brought life and immortality to light through the Goſpel, [...], making it as evident as the Light; whereas before it was rather wiſhed for, than certain, as was the caſe of the Heathens; or much involv'd in Types, as among the Jews, Heb. 4. 3, &c. So that Revelation, of which ſort ſoever it is, is Supernatural, and is only from God.

[Page] 2. I ſhall ſhew the Poſſibility of a Revelation, and that Almighty God, if he ſo pleaſes, can ſo Reveal himſelf to the Creature, that the Creature ſhall certainly and evidently know that the Revelation comes from God.

This one would reaſonably think ſhould need no proof; and I ſhall therefore briefly touch upon it, tha [...] I may proceed to the Third, which I principally intend to make the Subject of this preſent Diſcourſe.

I ſay it's poſſible for God to Reveal himſelf to his Creatures.

(1.) Why ſhould this be queſtioned, when we every day ſee men mutually diſcover their Minds each to other; and by the uſe and direction of certain Organical Powers, ſignify their Intentions, Deſires, and Commands? And why may not the Creator Reveal his Will to the Creature, when one Creature thus can do it to another?

(2.) Why ſhould this be queſtioned, when we may be certain Evidences know that a perſon is ſent from God? And then certainly the perſon that produces ſuch Evidences as are to the ſatisfaction of others, may himſelf be ſatisfied of the truth of his own Commiſſion, and the certainty of a Divine Revelation. The former, that others may be ſatisfied concerning a Miſſion [Page] from God, is evident from ſuch things declared, which none but God could Reveal, as Prophecies; and ſuch things done, which none but God, in man, could do, as Miracles. Where theſe are, they are as evident Proofs of a Revelation and Miſſion from God, as the works of Creation are a Proof a Divine Agent. The works of Creation prove a God, becauſe they are worthy of ſuch an Infinite Cauſe, and what none but ſuch a Cauſe could produce: And when ſuch things are diſcovered, which none but an Omniſcient Being could diſcover, and ſuch things done, which none but an Almighty Power could do; we are, by a Parity of Reaſon, as ſure that there is ſuch a Revelation by which ſuch things are made known, and in confirmation of which ſuch mighty Works are done.

(3.) If this be queſtioned, it muſt be from a deficiency in God to impart ſuch a Revelation to man; or that there is an incapacity in man to receive it. But how can God's Power herein be queſtioned that he can Operate thus on the Soul, when he both Created it, and is thoroughly acquainted with all the ſecret ſprings of Motion, all the tendencies and inclinations, all the thoughts and deſires of it, and conſequently muſt be ſuppoſed to have a Power of directing it as he [Page] pleaſes? And how can there be any incapacity in man, when as to the matter he can both receive it, and deliver it as he received; and as to the manner, it's in a way ſuitable to his Faculties, and is therefore call'd here, God's ſpeaking to the Prophets, which is ſo as the other may underſtand.

This is a matter ſo evident, that it has been generally believed throughout the world among the Heathens; and therefore nothing more common than to have Oracles, Places where they were wont to conſult their Deities, as well as the Jews had theirs: A Subject I am not at preſent concerned in, but it's ſufficient to ſhew what has been the ſenſe of all Ages in this caſe: And which even thoſe that would call this in queſtion, in part conſent to, while they grant ſomewhat equivalent to it, if not a branch of it, I mean Prophecy; which when it falls not within the Power of any Natural Cauſes, is the product of what is Supernatural, and what the Prophet muſt then receive from a higher hand, God.

Grant this, and the whole will follow; for if it be poſſible in one caſe, it's poſſible in all, to one and the ſame Infinite Power.

[Page] 3. I am to Conſider the Expedience, Uſefulneſs, and Neceſſity of a Revelation; for that is here ſuppoſed, when it's ſaid, God ſpake in time paſt, and in theſe laſt days; that is, from the beginning of the world to that time.

Now Revelation is a means extraordinary (as has been ſhewed) and conſequently ſuch as the means are, ſuch muſt the caſe be, extraordinary; for God, not doing any thing in vain, cannot be ſuppoſed to uſe extraordinary means, where the caſe is ordinary, and may as well be ſerved by ordinary means. Thus it is in Miracles, which are acts above the common ſtandard of Nature, and are then only exerted, when nothing leſs will engage the Attention of Faith of Mankind. And ſo it is in Revelation, which is to the Light of Reaſon, what Miracles are to the common Law of Nature, Supernatural and Extraordinary; and conſequently where Almighty God takes that courſe for the Information of Mankind, it ſhews that there is ſome deficiency or corruption that calls for it, and makes it expedient and neceſſary. As it was with Adam at his firſt Creation, who being an utter ſtranger to himſelf, and the world he was at once brought into, without ſome further kind of Information, inſtead of a pleaſure he might have taken in viewing the glorious [Page] Fabrick of the Heavens, and the variety of Creatures in the Earth, muſt have been full of Amazement and Confuſion. For in ſo wide a Scene as was before him, Where muſt he begin, or where could he hope to end? How divided muſt he be in his own Mind? What a cold and dry Speculation would it have been, if he had hit upon it, to have concluded, with that Modern Philoſopher, Cogito, ergo ſum; I think, therefore I am?

He indeed felt himſelf to be, but how he came to be, he knew not; for he ſaw nothing about him that could either be ſuppoſed to have given him that Being, or could tell him how he came by it. He ſaw he had a Body, and a Body that obſequiouſly moved as he pleaſed to direct and determine; but what that Body was originally made of, he could not poſſibly tell: For how could he ſuppoſe ſuch warm, ſoft, and tender Fleſh, thoſe firm and well compacted Joynts, thoſe radiant and ſparkling Eyes (which he had as other living Creatures) that moveable and limber, and well-complexioned matter of which his Body conſiſted, ſhould be formed out of cold, moveleſs, crumbling, and ſhapeleſs Earth?

He felt his Body move, and pliable in all its motions to his Will, and quick as Thought to anſwer [Page] his Mind, but what that inward Principle was that moved it, he was wholly ignorant; nor could he poſſibly, of himſelf at that inſtant, conceive that there was an inward Immaterial Spirit that was vitally United to a Groſs and Material Body, that was the Principle of all, and was as diſtinct from the Body in it's Nature and Subſiſtence, as if it were not United at all to it. He might obſerve the Creatures about him of different ſorts, that there were certain Notes that each Kind had, and all were known and underſtood among themſelves; but that notwithſtanding they were all dumb to him, and he to them; and what it was that made the difference, he could not underſtand. When he pleaſed himſelf in the Contemplation of the Heavens above, and that glorious Luminary that gave (as he perceived) Light to all about him; he could not tell whether it was an intelligent Being, and that as it gave Light to all, ſo it was Superior to them: And when that ſet, he knew not but he was to be incloſed in perpetual Darkneſs. When a heavy Stupidneſs began to ſeize himſelf, and he was forced to ſubmit to the power of it, he knew not but it was to end that Life, which was that day began, and that he was to cloſe his Eyes, and conclude his Life together.

[Page] So that though he had what we call Reaſon, and ſuppoſe it as his Body, in its prime; yet even that Reaſon muſt have been his Torment for a while; when it made him inquiſitive, but could not give him ſatisfaction.

To prevent which diſorder and confuſion he would otherwiſe be in, at the firſt opening of his Eyes and his Mind together, as it was neceſſary that he that was to begin the world, ſhould be Created in a full Age and Strength; and that he that was alone, ſhould have a preſent power and faculty of Elocution and forming of Words for the Converſation he was to have with the Help deſigned for him; ſo it was requiſite that he ſhould have ſome immediate Inſpiration, to inform him of what was neceſſary for him to know as to God, himſelf, and the World; and which he could not have known without ſuch Inſpiration, or the ſlow and tedious compaſs of Obſervation; and ſo muſt have waited for ſatisfaction till time and experience had formed his Judgment, and made him a wiſe Philoſopher.

But this Adam was at the firſt, and ſo forthwith knew whom it was that he was to own as the Author of his Being, and of what his Body was made, and by what means an Intelligent [Page] Spirit came to be incloſed in a Material Body; and could as ſoon reſolve all thoſe perplexing doubts, which otherwiſe he would have been aſſaulted with, as he underſtood at firſt ſight that Eve was bone of his bone; and knew how to give Names to the Creatures ſuitable to their Natures, Gen. 2. 19, 23.

But now the reaſons for ſuch an Inſpiration to Adam were perſonal, belonging to him alone; but after what manner the Divine Wiſdom would have imparted the Knowledge of it ſelf to Adam's Poſterity, if he and they had ſtood and continued in a ſtate of Primogenial Innocency; or whether there would, in thoſe Circumſtances, have been any need of a Supernatural Inſpiration after the Revelation made to Adam, from whom they might have Infallibly received it; no more concerns us, than it doth to know how Mankind would then have been diſpoſed of when they were not to Dye, but to have ſubſiſted in the ſame State, Body and Soul inſeparably United: Thoſe are among the ſecret things which belong unto God; but things revealed belong unto us.

We muſt therefore alter the Scene, and conſider Mankind in a State of Imperfection and Depravation; and there we ſhall find Revelation [Page] abſolutely neceſſary as a remedy againſt a fourfold Miſchief, which, without it, would unavoidably enſue; As with reſpect to the Confuſion Adam was in by reaſon of Guilt; The Danger he was in from his Enemy, The Subtile and Malicious Serpent; The Ruin that threatned him from the impotency and diſorder he found in his Faculties; which like a Diſlocation in the Limbs, though fit in themſelves for Action, yet being removed out of their Sockets are not capable of diſcharging their Functions.

This being the State of Fallen Man, there was need of a Supervenient Revelation to recover him, as well as it was the determination of the Divine Goodneſs to deſign it.

There was need of this to comfort him under the ſenſe of his Apoſtacy and the Guilt he had contracted, to prevent his Deſpair: To fortify him againſt the power of his inſolent and triumphant Adverſary, and to aid him under his contracted diſability, for preventing his Diſcouragement: And to caution him againſt the ſad effects of his Depravation, or the falling into a repetition of a new diſobedience, for preventing his Preſumption.

[Page] For theſe Reaſons Almighty God ſo ſoon interpoſed in the Garden by a new Revelation of Himſelf, and Inſtructed him in his gracious deſign to reſtore him to Favour, and in the method he would obſerve for that purpoſe, inwhat he ſaith to the Serpent, Gen. 3. 15. I will put enmity between thee and the woman, and between thy ſeed and her ſeed: it ſhall bruiſe thy head, and thou ſhalt bruiſe his heel.

Thus the Goſpel was Preached to Adam, who was the firſt Prophet to whom the Myſtery of Salvation was revealed; to which thoſe places in the New Teſtament ſeem to refer, Luke 1. 70. As he ſpake by the mouth of his holy Prophets ſince the world began; [...], from the beginning, ſo Acts 3. 21.

This was the caſe of Adam, and the exigence he would have been in, without this immediate and comfortable Revelation.

And the Condition of his Poſterity would have been worſe than his, without a Revelation; had this Revelation died with this their Progenitor, and not have been tranſmitted to them.

For beſides the ſtate of Guilt, which muſt equally have invaded them as it did him, and what Conſcience in them could no more quietly digeſt, than in him; there were ſeveral diſadvantages [Page] they laboured under, which he did not.

As if we conſider Adam in a bare State of Nature (without any Supernatural proviſion) he had this advantage above his Poſterity, that being Created in a full Age, he was free from all prepoſſeſſions of Senſe or Education; and in the firſt moment of his Being, had his Reaſon clear in the fountain of it, like the Sun in its Meridian Glory; and all his Faculties bright, and as ripe at once for Obſervation and Reflection, as his Body was for Action.

But his Poſterity growing up from their Infancy among ſenſible Objects, from thence would (in a meer courſe of Nature) have received all their Information; and by ſlow degrees from things Viſible, muſt have argued themſelves into the Belief of things Inviſible; and from the Effects of a Supreme Cauſe, to the Supreme Cauſe it ſelf; which in the Apoſtle's Words, Acts 17. 27. would be to ſeek the Lord, if haply they might feel after him, [ [...], as men blundering in the dark] and find him.

In ſuch danger would the fundamental Principles of Natural Religion have been, if there had been no Revelation to prevent it: And this was the reaſon of ſuch a proviſion by Inſpired Perſons, to preſerve thoſe Principles alive and [Page] ſafe; of the number of whom Abel is accounted, and therefore called a Prophet, Luke 11. 50. and Enoch, Jude 14. and Noah 2 Pet. 2. 5.

But now as the Rays of the Sun, the farther they are projected, grow weaker and weaker; ſo it was in the derivation of theſe Principles, which loſt very much of their primitive luſtre; and notwithſtanding the certainty of the evidence, the credibility and authority of thoſe Holy Patriarchs; Vice, like a deluge, broke in upon the world, ſo that every imagination of the thoughts of their hearts (generally ſpeaking) was only evil continually, Gen. 6. 5.

And if now when there was a Revelation, and a Revelation ſeconded by the Authority of ſuch Eminent Perſons, the World ſo ſoon grew Corrupted, What would it not have been, if there had been no ſuch Revelation, or no ſuch Curators of it?

And this the World was ſoon ſenſible of after the Flood; for notwithſtanding ſo late and aſtoniſhing an inſtance of the Divine Vengeance, yet in their ſeveral Diſperſions, for want of a Revelation, they loſt the ſenſe of the true and great Principles of Religion; ſome, as the Chaldeans, turning it into a vain Inquiry into the Influences of the Heavenly Bodies; others placing [Page] their Religion in ridiculous and opprobrious Superſtitions, as the Egyptians; others pleaſing themſelves in nice Diſputations, and the Vanity of new-diſcovered Deities and Religions, as the Greeks: And all acting in Divine matters, as if they were in inextricable Labyrinths, being diſtracted, and eternally divided about the Origine of the World, whether it were Eternal, or Accidental, or the Product of a Divine Power; about the Origine of Evil; about the Government of the World, whether it be by different Deities, Good or Evil; or whether by none, but be wholly Acted by the levity of Chance, or the immutable Law of Deſtiny and Fate.

So that in proceſs of time the World was brought into the condition of Elymas, Acts 13. 8, 11. that once had the advantage and pleaſure of Sight, but upon the oppoſition made to St. Paul, immediately there fell on him a miſt and a darkneſs, that he went about ſeeking ſome to lead him by the hand. Too cloſe a Repreſentation of the condition of Mankind in that Degenerate State, who becauſe that when they knew God, they glorified him not as God—but became vain in their imaginations; their fooliſh heart was darkned, Rom. 1. 21. Of which darkneſs and confuſion in matters of the greateſt importance, the World, the Commonalty as well as the Philoſophical [Page] part of Mankind, was ſenſible, and of the neceſſity of a Revelation, or ſomewhat beyond Nature, Reaſon and Argumentation, to remove theſe difficulties, to inform them of what they could not otherwiſe know, and to clear up to them what they did know but imperfectly.

Of which I ſhall offer ſome undeniable Inſtances.

1. They univerſally complained of the loſs they were at, and of the inſufficiency of all their Maxims and Principles, of all their Enquiries and Speculations, to give them any tolerable ſatisfaction; ſo that they were in nothing more divided, than about what Happineſs is, as St. Auſtin from Varro has ſhew'd: And therefore there was ſomewhat further neceſſary to ſatisfy them, or elſe they muſt for ever remain unſatisfied.

2. There was nothing more deſired than a Revelation, and therefore they were prone to hearken to all pretences to it; and when they conceived, or were made to believe it was a Revelation, they were in nothing more obſequious and pliable. So that to gain Authority to his Laws, and to keep the People Quiet and Orderly, Numa Pompilius did then (as Mahomet of [Page] latter years) pretend he had all by Revelation from the Nymph Egeria. And of ſuch Authority was this pretence, that as Tully ſaith, There was nothing ſo abſurd which was not maintained by ſome of the Philoſophers; ſo I may ſay, There was nothing ſo fooliſh, or wicked, which was not an ingredient in the Worſhip they gave to their Deities. Inſomuch, as the nature of things ſhould be perverted, Reaſon and Humanity ſhould be abandoned, and God himſelf be made worſe than thoſe that Worſhipped him, in compliance with their pretended Revelations. What Beaſtiality and Lewdneſs! what Savage and Barbarous Practices and Rites were allowed and required! The Blood of Captives, and of their own Children, muſt be a Libation; nay, even Suicide was not only Honourable, but a Religious Martyrdome, if the Oracle commanded it; and they choſe rather to be unnatural to the higheſt degree, than not to be Obedient to Divine Revelation. Now of what authority muſt that be, which ſhould over-rule the Laws of Nature, and ſo infatuate Mankind, that they ſhould not be able to eſpy the Impoſture? And what could thus impoſe upon them, if they were not ſenſible of the imperfect ſtate they were in, and the need they [Page] ſtood in of ſome higher Principle and, greater Light to direct them, than that of Nature?

3. There was no Nation without a Revelation, that is, without ſome pretence to it, and which they generally vouched for their Rites and Religious Obſervances; from whence it was that there was ſcarcely a People of any note in the more Civilized parts of the World that had not their Sibyls, ſuch as were accounted to be the mouth of their God; to be ſure none in any part of the known world without an Oracle, that they repaired to, and whoſe Injunctions they readily Obeyed. The uſe I make of all this is to ſhow, what a ſenſe Mankind had of a Revelation, and what all the World has thought Expedient, if not Neceſſary, which was the thing to be proved.

From what has been ſaid, we may obſerve,

I. What a Happineſs it is to have a Revelation, by which Mankind are brought out of darkneſs into a marvellous light; and from an endleſs and fruitleſs Enquiry, Who will ſhew us my good? are placed in a quiet and full poſſeſſion of it. If there be no Revelation, we [Page] are, as it were, with ut God in the world; and know not whether that Divine Power be our Friend or our Enemy; or whether it ſhall be exerted to our Good or our Ruine. If there be no Revelation, we are ſtill in our ſins, and have no Sanctuary againſt the accuſation of our own embittered Conſciences, the fears of our own guilty Minds, or the Juſtice of an incenſed Deity. If there be no Revelation, we have no hope, and can have no comfort in our Death, and no aſſurance of Immortality after it. If there be no Revelation, we are in a perpetual maze, as if we were at Sea without Star or Compaſs, and knew not what courſe to take to gain our Harbour. So thoughtful and penſive, ſo confounded and loſt is Mankind without this, that if I were to chuſe whether I would have no Revelation, or a falſe one, for the quiet of my own mind (did I believe the falſe one to be true) I would rather chuſe the content of the latter, than the diſtraction of the former, and leave it to my own reaſon to rectify the manifeſt miſtakes in it, rather than have my hovering Reaſon to be my conſtant affliction under the want of Revelation.

But Bleſſed be God that there is no cauſe for ſuch a ſuppoſition, and that we have all the reaſon in the world to believe there is a Revelation; [Page] a Revelation that is ſuch as all Mankind would deſire, that touches upon all points neceſſary to our comfort and entire ſatisfaction, as to the Nature and Will of God, the Preſent and Future State of Mankind, the Providence that Governs this World, and the Rewards of another. A Revelation, where all the parts of it agree together, and bear a conformity to the Nature of things, to the Holineſs, Juſtice, and Mercy of God, and to the Reaſon of Mankind; where there is a Syſtem of the beſt Principles, and a Scheme of the beſt Rules and Directions; and which, like the Book of Nature, the more it's viewed and conſulted, the more do the lively Characters of a Divine Hand and Wiſdom appear in the Compoſure.

A Character this is that the Book of Scripture exactly anſwers. For what holy Precepts! what heavenly Promiſes! what uſeful Examples! what excellent Encouragements do the Sacred Pages abound in! Such as are ſufficient to direct us in every point of our Duty, to inform us in every neceſſary Truth, to eſtabliſh our Hearts in every condition of Life, to enable us to encounter all the difficulties of it with Reſolution, and to bear all the evil of it with Patience. Here behold God Reconciled to Mankind, the [Page] trembling Sinner Pardoned, the Weak ſuſtained, the Doubtful ſatisfied, and nothing wanting on God's part to make us Happy, if we are not wanting in a fit diſpoſition of Mind to receive it.

So that if there be any Revelation, it is the Chriſtian; if that be not a Revelation from God, there is no Revelation in the World; And if that be a Revelation, that only is ſo, and there can be no other.

II. Such as the Revelation is, ſuch is the Obligation; the Authority it receives from God, the Obligation lies upon us to Obey as well as Believe it. The times of ignorance God winked at, and overlook'd; but now he commandeth all men every where to repent, Acts 17. 30▪ He hath commanded them by a Revelation, which is of univerſal concernment, and extends its Authority over the World. So that a Bad man is no better or ſafer for a Revelation, how perfect ſoever it be, and how great ſoever the advantages of it are, than he that is without Revelation; nay, ſo much the worſe, as the latter is a ſtate of Unbelief, the former of Diſobedience; this errs without his will, but the other with it. And therefore if the Heathens, who had only the Book of Nature to read, and a blundering Reaſon [Page] for their Guide, were yet ſo far inexcuſable, becauſe that when they knew God, they glorified him not as God, Rom. 2. 21. How ſhall we eſcape if we neglect ſo great Salvation? which at the firſt was ſpoken by the Lord, and was confirmed by thoſe that heard him; God alſo bearing them witneſs, &c. Heb. 2. 3, 4.

What remains then, but ſince the Grace of God, in the Revelation of the Goſpel, hath appeared unto all men, that we be thereby taught to deny ungodlineſs and worldly luſts, and to live ſoberly, righteouſly, and godlily in this preſent world. And then we may comfortably look for that bleſſed hope and the glorious appearing of the great God, and our Saviour Jeſus Chriſt, who gave himſelf for us, that he might redeem us from all iniquity, and purifie unto himſelf a peculiar people, zealous of good works, Tit. 2. 11.

FINIS.

§

[Page]

[Page]

Dr. WILLIAMS's FIRST SERMON AT Mr. BOYLE'S Lecture. 1695.

§

[Page]

IMPRIMATUR,

Jan. 26. 1694/5;.

Guil. Lancaſter.

§

THE remaining Sermons for this Year will be Preach'd at St. Martins, the Firſt Mondays of February, March, April, May, September, October, and November.

§

[Page]

The Poſſibility, Expediency, and Neceſſity of Divine Revelation.

A SERMON Preached at St. Martins in the Fields, Jan. 7. 1694/5. AT THE Beginning of the LECTURE For the Enſuing YEAR. Founded by the Honourable ROBERT BOYLE, Eſquire.

By JOHN WILLIAMS, D. D. Chaplain in Ordinary to His Majeſty.

LONDON: Printed for Ric. Chiſwell, at the Roſe and Crown in St. Paul's Church-Yard: And Tho. Cockerill, at the Three Legs in the Poultrey. M DC XC V.

TO THE Moſt Reverend Father in God, THOMAS Lord Archbiſhop of Canterbury.
Sir HENRY ASHHURST, Knight and Baronet.
Sir JOHN ROTHERAM, Serjeant at Law.
JOHN EVELYN, Senior, Eſquire.
TRUSTEES by the Appointment of the Honourable Robert Boyle, Eſquire.

[Page]

[Page]

MOST HONOURED,

HAving by your Generous Election entred this Year upon the Lecture founded by the Honourable Robert Boyle, the Great Encourager of Piety and Learning, it becomes me in Obedience [Page] to your Order, and according to the Intent of the Deceaſed, to Preſent You with the Firſt-fruits of my Labour. The Subject I treat of is of Ʋniverſal Concernment to the Chriſtian World, and is to be handled with Reverence and Care: The former I ſhall all along keep in my eye, and the latter I ſhall not neglect, as far as in me lies: But whatever Defects your Better Judgments ſhall eſpy throughout theſe Compoſures, I hope the ſame Goodneſs that diſpoſed you to place me in this Sphere, will incline you to overlook; and to accept of the Sincere Endeavours of,

MOST HONOURED,

Your moſt Faithful and Humble Servant, JOHN WILLIAMS.

Books Printed for Richard Chiſwell and Thomas Cockerill.

[Page]

RƲſhworth's Hiſtorical Collections: The Third Part in Two Volumes: Containing the Principal matters which happened from the Meeting of the Parliament, November 3, 1640. to the end of the Year, 164 [...] Wherein is a particular Account of the Riſe and Progreſs of the Civil War to that Period. Fol. 1692.

Dr. John Conant's Sermons, Octavo. Publiſhed by Dr. Williams.

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Title statement

The possibility, expediency, and necessity of divine revelation a sermon preached at St. Martins in the Fields, Jan. 7. 1694/5 : at the beginning of the lecture for the ensuing year, founded by the honourable Robert Boyle, Esquire / by John Williams ...

Williams, John, 1636?-1709.

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1695

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2008-09 (EEBO-TCP Phase 1).

ID [DLPS]

A66409

ID [STC]

Wing W2718

ID [STC]

ESTC R2129

ID [EEBO-CITATION]

12498271

ID [OCLC]

ocm 12498271

ID [VID]

62586

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(EEBO-TCP ; phase 1, no. A66409)

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— The possibility, expediency, and necessity of divine revelation a sermon preached at St. Martins in the Fields, Jan. 7. 1694/5 : at the beginning of the lecture for the ensuing year, founded by the honourable Robert Boyle, Esquire / by John Williams ..., Williams, John, 1636?-1709., Boyle, Robert, 1627-1691..

Extent

[4], 29, [1] p.

Printed for Ric. Chiswell ... and Tho. Cockerill ...,. London :: 1695.. (Reproduction of original in Huntington Library.) (Half title: Dr. Williams's first sermon at Mr. Boyle's lecture, 1695.)

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