The wisdom of believing in two sermons preach'd at court, April 7, and 14. 1700 / by E. Young ...

The wisdom of believing in two sermons preach'd at court, April 7, and 14. 1700 / by E. Young ...

Table of contents

Title page

SERMON I.

SERMON II.

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THE Wisdom of Believing: IN TWO SERMONS Preach'd at COURT, April 7, and 14. 1700.

BY E. YOUNG, Fellow of Winchester-College, and Chaplain in Ordinary to His MAJESTY.

Publish'd by His MAJESTY's Command.

LONDON: Printed by J. M. for Walter Kettilby, at the Bishop's Head in St. Paul's Church-Yard. 1700.

SERMON I.

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ROM. i. 22.‘Professing themselves to be wise, they became Fools.’

WHatever Value we set upon being Wise, or whatever Affectation we have of being so accounted; yet there is no greater Argument of Human Weakness than This, That we rarely know what we mean by Wisdom; nor are our Notions any where more confused than upon this Question, What it is to be Wise?

To extricate our Thoughts in some measure out of this Confusion, we may distinguish Wisdom into Three Kinds, viz.

The Wisdom of Grace,

The Wisdom of Nature, and

The Wisdom of Imagination.

[Page]I. The Wisdom of Grace is called in Scripture; the Wisdom from above; because thence it cometh, and we cannot attain it without the Influence of God. Now the Power and Use of this Wisdom is to secure our Eternal Interest, by the Means of Holy Living and Conformity to the Divine Will: And because this is our main Concern, and all the rest is but Loss and Shame and Misery without it, the Style of the Holy Spirit allows nothing to be Wisdom but purely This, The Fear of God, that is Wisdom; And our Apostle, who had large Talents of other Knowledge, which he might have boasted of, if they could justifie the boasting; styles all Foolishness, none worth the owning, but to know Christ Jesus, and the power of his Resurrection. He that has this Wisdom has sufficient; and without it, the greater our pretences are to Wisdom, the more conspicuous is our Folly.

II. The second Kind of Wisdom is that of Nature, i. e. such as Men may have of themselves, thro' the Power of their native Faculties, and the Improvements of Industry [Page] and Observation. And from this Fountain has flow'd many commendable Fruits in all Ages; All Rules and Arts for the Conduct, Employment, and Accommodation of Life. But forasmuch as this Wisdom is often separate from that of Grace, so it as often turns to Subtilty and Artifice, to Doubling and Insincerity, to Deceiving and being deceived. This is that Wisdom whereby our Saviour says, The Children of the World are wiser in their Generation than the Children of Light: Wiser in their Generation, i. e. Wiser to serve themselves in reference to present Advantages. Not that Worldly Men are therefore esteemable to have the better Understandings: It were in a manner Blasphemous to think, That Godliness did ever occasion Stupidity; or that it ever was occasion'd by it. The Good Man knows as many Methods of Management; but the Worldly Man is bolder to make use of all he knows: The Good Man walks on simply in the Road of Providence, believing God's Blessing to be his best Portion; But the Worldly Man turns into every crooked Way; as if it were to make himself amends for the want [Page] of that Providence and Blessing he has no mind to trust upon: The Good Man looks upon the World as his Inn; and therefore is not so sollicitous for his Accommodations here, as he is for his Arrival at his Journey's End: But the Worldly Man looks upon it as his Home; and therefore imploys all his Care and Intention to make it as easie and entertaining to him as he can. For Example;

In the first Age of the World, Cain is said to have gone forth from the presence of God, i. e. To have cast off all Care of Religion; And this Personal Inclination of His form'd all his Posterity to be Profane: On the other side, Seth walked with God, and instituted his Posterity to the same pious Care of being Religious. In the mean time we may observe, That the Chief Inventions, which serve both to the Use and Divertisement of the present Life, as the Forming of Societies, Building of Cities, and finding out curious Arts and Manufactures are all attributed to the Profane Line: But it would be very Rash for all this to conclude, That these were the Men of better Parts and Capacities than the other. The Children [Page] of Seth accounted it sufficient for their Happiness to be contented with what was needful, and to pursue the favour of God as the Consummation of their Enjoyments which is undoubtedly the Supreme Wis'dom. Whereas the other being destitute of hopes from God, made it all their study to procure such Enjoyments to themselves as might be had without Him. But let us observe a little further, and see what the World it self was the better for all these issues of it's Wisdom: In the power of it Men brought in many agreeable Advantages; but thro' the Corruption of it they likewise brought in the Flood; wherein all were destroyed but those few that had escaped the common Depravation. And what then is the Wisdom of the World but, (as our Apostle calls it) Foolishness with God?

III. The Third kind is what I call the Wisdom of Imagination, that is, a Wisdom that has it's Being in Opinion and Conceit; and by which Men come to think well of themselves. Now this kind of Wisdom is a meer Shadow; for even they [Page] that are Fools pretend to it, as well as they that are of greater Talents; but neither are at all the wiser in truth, for this Opinion of their being so: And as it is in it self a Shadow; so it chiefly aims and catches at a Shadow, that is, at Vain-Glory and the Admiration of others. Now we may observe of this kind of Wisdom, That it is always attended with one mischievous Companion, and that is the Affectation of Singularity: They that are Wise in their own Conceit, always found their Conceit upon the Knowledge of somewhat that is Odd and out of the Way: They hate to think in the common Level; They value not themselves for knowing what is vulgarly known; but esteem it their Excellency to start Novelties, and to be the Originals of their own Opinions. From which it follows that this kind of Wisdom is always a direct Adversary to Faith: Because Faith is a simple Thing, and delivered purely with the Design that all should receive it Uniformly; In which case the Man that affects Singularity is never pleas'd till he can form some New Conception of the matter Revealed, whereby [Page] he may import that the Reach of his Understanding is above the common Measure. So that the main Characteristick of this Wisdom is to be ever Opposing, or Scrupling, or Refining upon Faith, and pretending to lead that revealed Light, which we all ought to follow with a ready and chearful Submission. From this busie Itch of pretended wise Men, to unsettle Religion, and mis-interpret the Messages of God, and to vend their own Imaginations in place of Divine Oracles, it was that the Prophet Is. 5. 21. Denounces Wo against them that are Wise in their own Eyes, and Prudent in their own Sight. And my Text is no less a warning against this kind of Wisdom from the exemplary Mischiefs that it has formerly brought upon others, who professing themselves to be Wise became Fools; The Truth that is pointed at in these Words and from this Example, I shall farther evince, and apply in these two Propositions.

(1.) That Human Wisdom is a dangerous Guide in Matters of Religion. And,

[Page](2.) That God has vouchsafed Faith as a necessary Expedient in order both to make and to keep Men Wise.

The first Proposition, (viz.) That Human Wisdom is a dangerous Guide in Matters of Religion; I shall evidence by shewing, that the greatest Mischiefs relating to Religion, that ever yet happen'd to Mankind, have ow'd their Original to this pretended Wisdom. And I need no more to prove this than the following Instances, viz.

(1.) That Wisdom first extinguish'd the common Worship of God and brought Idolatry into the World.

(2.) That Wisdom first wasted Man's Conscience, and brought Sin into the World.

(3.) That this Wisdom first corrupted Faith and brought all Heresies into the Church.

As to the first Instance (viz.) That Wisdom first extinguish'd the common worship of God and brought Idolatry into the World.

It is the express Intimation of the Text. For the Apostle is here treating concerning [Page] the Idolatry of the Gentiles; to what extravagance it proceeded and from what Cause it sprung; a Subject which cannot be duly consider'd without matter of Wonder. Noah the Preacher of Righteousness who had warn'd the old World and call'd them to Repentance in vain, had at least this Advantage by it, that he came with greater awe to Teach and Instruct the New: And he taught them in such a manner, both what they ought to Believe and to Do; that the Apostle says of them, v. 21. They all knew both God and his Worship; tho' it was a Knowledge they liked not to retain; but instead of that as v. 23. They changed the Glory of the Incorruptible God, into the Image of corruptible Man, and to Birds, and fourfooted Beasts, and creeping Things. And this Corruption of Faith and Worship together came on so fast, that the same Noah who had seen the Funerals of the old World, for their No Religion; saw likewise in his own days the new World overspread with a False Religion, more Absurd and Irrational than None. Now the Text tells us expresly that this State of things as strange and gross as it was, was introduced under [Page] the pretences of Wisdom, Professing to be Wise they became Fools; And then as an Instance of this it is added, They changed the Glory of the Incorruptible God, into the Image of Corruptible Man, and to Birds, and fourfooted Beasts, and creeping Things: From which it appears that their bringing in of Idolatry, altho' it was the Proof of their Folly, yet it was the Project of their Wisdom.

It was the Wise amongst them that form'd the Design, and addrest to the Multitude with a grave appearance, and prevail'd (as we may conceive) by some such Form of Arguing as this. ‘We are all aware, ye Sons of Noah, that Religion is our Chief Concern, and therefore it well becomes us to improve and advance That as much as possible: And altho'd we have receiv'd Appointments from God for the Worship that he requires, yet if these appointments may be alter'd for his greater Glory, who doubts but it will be a commendable Piety so to alter them? Now our Father Noah has instituted us in a Religion, which in truth is too Simple, and too Unaffecting; It directs [Page] us to worship God abstractedly from all Sense, and under a confus'd Notion; under the formality of Attributes, as Power, Goodness, Justice, Wisdom, Eternity, and the like; an Idea which we neither sufficiently reach, nor does that sufficiently reach our Affections: whereas in all Reason we ought to worship God more pompously, and more extensively too, than in his own Essence. We ought not only to adore his Personal Attributes, but likewise all the Emanations of them, and all those Creatures by whom they are eminently represented; this will stir up and quicken and direct our Devotion. Nor let any say that this Method will derogate from the Honour of the Creator; certainly it is most expressive of his Honour, when we acknowledge, that not only Himself but even his Creatures are Adorable. We ought therefore (if we will be Wise) to worship the Host of Heaven; or rather to worship God through them, because they are eminent Representations of his Glory and Eternity: We ought to worship the Elements because they represent [Page] his Benign, and Sustaining and ubiquitary Presence: We ought to worship the Ox and the Sheep, and whatever Creatures are most beneficial, because they are the Symbols of his Love and Goodness: And with no less Reason, the Serpent, the Crocodile and other noxious Animals, because they are the Symbols of his awful Anger. Thus it is that we shall worship him more intensly, and feel and be affected with our Worship.’

Now to Men dispos'd with a Desire to be wise in Religion above what was prescrib'd, there is no doubt but such Arguments as these would soon seem wise and weighty enough, to enforce their Design. But there was another part of Idolatry which obtain'd first, and spread farthest, that Wisdom had yet more moving Pretences to establish it upon. The first Fruits of Idolatry was offered up to Men; as we learn in this Chap. from the Verse following, and more at large from Wisd. 14. where we are told that Princes were worshipp'd; whether Present, in their Persons; or Distant, by their Statues and Pictures; [Page] And then that Men Inferiour to Princes, but emenient in their Generation for any beneficent or obliging Qualities, were worshipped after their Death. As for the worship of Princes we have no reason to doubt but it was as high and as early as Nimrod himself: Belus and Jupiter, Names by which he was known in other Regions, import no less than his Deification: So that tho' he fail'd in building his Tower to Heaven; which was a haughty attempt, that God thought fit to check and repress; yet he fail'd not to build up himself to to Heaven in the Estimation of his Admirers; which was a Judgment that God thought fit to permit upon those that so boldly sought it.

As for the Deifying of Princes, Wisdom suggested that They were the Representatives of God's Power upon Earth; to which Character worship was reasonably due: And not only so, but because such an Adoration would best conduce to the good Government of the World, forasmuch as it added a new Obligation to Peace and Submission; and made it of Religious, as well as Civil Importance.

[Page]As for the Worshiping of those among the Dead, who had been famous in their Generation (such as former Ages vulgarly stiled Heroes, and Modern the Beatify'd, or the Saints) Wisdom had abundance to alledge for this establishment. As

(1.) That such an Honour bestow'd upon the Vertuous was but a proper Incitement to others to imitate the same Vertue.

(2.) That to Honour those that were eminent in such a manner, was chiefly to honour God, whose distinguishing Communications made them so.

(3.) That to Address and Supplicate to such as Mediators, was a more Modest and Reverential Address to God, than if we applyed immediately to himself.

(4.) That by applying to those who had been so nearly touched with our Infirmities, and our Sins themselves not excepted, we were sure to find the more Compassionate and tender Advocates. I doubt not but Men in that Age were qualified to argue for their Humours as well as they can now; and we know that Wisdom has carried this point in the Church of Rome, even [Page] at this day, this day of Meridian, that is of Gospel-Light.

Thus Wisdom brought Idolatry into the World.

The second Instance I proposed to evince it a dangerous Guide in Matters of Religion, was this: That Wisdom (or let me indifferently call it Reason, a Name more in vogue and more used in reference to the present Subject, but it means purely the same thing; I say) It was Wisdom or Reason that first wasted Man's Conscience, and brought Sin into the World.

There has been a time when Human Wisdom or Reason had a fairer pretence to Conduct than ever it will have again. In Paradise where it was without the Opposition of Appetite, without the Byass of Prejudice, without the Cloud of Perturbations, who can think but that it had then more Power and Freedom to conduct wisely, than ever it could pretend to since? But therefore if it failed then in point of Conduct; this must needs pass for an Argument to abate some of that Veneration, which the Opinionative are willing should be ascrib'd to it, under this State of so [Page] unhappy a Change; Let us then consider the Scene of things as it lay at that time.

God then charged our first Parents not to eat of the Tree in the midst of the Garden; binding his Charge with this Sanction, That they should dye when they did it: Now at that time there was not any [...], No Law of the Members warring against the Law of the Mind; no Rebellion of Appetite against the Dictates of Understanding: To suppose there was, would be to suppose our first Parents faln even before the Fall, and to have been made under the same Disorder, that their Posterity now complains of. And accordingly we find in holy Scripture that the Sin of our first Parents in that case is distinguished from those of all their Off-spring: For whereas other Mens Sins are generally called [...] Lusts; we may observe that their Sin is always called [...], Deception: The Apostle calls it so no less than thrice [...], that is, a Deception or Imposture that they sufferd to pass upon their Understanding: Whereof we may take an Illustration from a Scriptural Passage, 1 Kings 13. where we find a young Prophet of Judah [Page] sent to denounce God's Judgments against Jeroboam in Bethel; who withal received a Command that he should neither Eat nor Drink in that Place. Now it no way appears that the violence of this young Prophet's Appetite did raise in him any desire to disobey this Command; on the contrary, he was upon his return resolvedly and contentedly, without either Eating or Drinking; so that 'tis plain his Appetite did not constrain him to transgress: But an old Prophet of the Place (moved probably with Envy that the Honour of this Message had been conferr'd on a Prophet of Judah, and not on himself) addresses to him with an Imposture; telling him that God did reverse his former Order, and did now give him Liberty to Eat and Drink in Bethel: As consequently he did, and thereupon received the Reward that is due to him who disobeys a certain Command, for the sake of an uncertain Suggestion. With the like Imposture and Fiction it was that the old Serpent address'd himself to our first Parents; implying by the Tendency of all his Discourse that God had either dissembled his real Will in his former [Page] Order, or at least that he had now Revers'd it; So that now they should not Dye, but on the contrary receive great advantage from the Eating of the Fruit: And hereupon they proceeded to Eat it, being drawn aside to do so, not from the violence of Appetite, but from the temerity of Reason; which suffered them to believe an uncertain Suggestion, in opposition to a certain Command. From which I observe that it was Reason not Appetite, that made the first false Step in Nature, and withal open'd an inlet to the succeeding violence of the Passions. And how little cause have we then to lay such a stress upon that Faculty; or to be so fond of its Guidance? For if Reason betrayed in the most perfect State, how much more easily will it do so Now; if ever it be permitted to argue against the obvious Sense of what has been Revealed?

And if Wisdom were thus Originally the Parent of Sin; we may less wonder that in after Ages it has become so indulgent a Nurse to it; as we may prove it to have been by one Instance I shall offer; from which it will appear that this pretension [Page] to Wisdom or Reason has given a greater blow to Vertue, and settled and Empire of Sin upon a firmer Establishment in the Christian World, than either Ignorance or natural Pravity was ever able to do in the Heathen. For Example;

When the State of a general Idolatry (but now mention'd) had brought Men to desert God, and God in Justice to desert them to the mischief of their Option; when in consequence to this affected Blindness, Men in most cases came to be at a doubt what it was to do well; and more uncertain of what advantage it would be to do so: One would have thought that Sin Then, if ever, was like to get the Field; and that the Kingdom of Satan had been settled without Reluctancy: And yet it was not so: The Heathens still found an Invincible Check from the Bodings of their Conscience, and the Apprehensions thereupon that there was to be a future Reckoning: And by this very Bridle many amongst them liv'd under great Restraint, and were Men of Virtue; and they that were otherwise could not escape Remorse and Affrightment for their Guilt.

[Page]The Wisdom of the World to arm it self against these Fears, did, (1.) (from Countenance of the palpable Mistake concerning the Gods then in Worship) start the Opinion, That there was no God at all.

But the Notion of Atheism did seem so Monstrous and Irrational, that few would receive it; and They who profess'd it were lookt upon as not believing themselves; but as speaking rather what they wish'd, than what they thought. And of this the Psalmist gives us Notice, Psal. 14. 1.

Others (proposing to offer less Violence to the common Conceptions of Mankind) taught That indeed there were Gods; but that they were Regardless of Human Affairs; and that such a State of Incuriousness in them was necessary to their own Happiness and Quiet: But neither could this Notion work far; because it seem'd to the Generality, as absurd and more affronting to the Divine Nature, to believe that God was Indifferent and Regardless, than to believe there was no God at all. And of this Doctrine the Psalmist gives us Intimation, Psal. 94. 7.

[Page]A Third, and that the strongest Barrier against such ill Bodings, was drawn from the Philosophy of our Constitution, whereby the Soul was represented as necessarily Mortal as the Body, and thereupon secure against all future Accounts. Of which Doctrine Solomon gives us a large Notice, Wisdom, chap. 2.

Perhaps I had been more in the Mode, had I mention'd Greece for the School of these Doctrines, and Diagoras, Protagoras, and Epicurus for the Doctors: But I am sensible what great Disrespect has been shewn to the Holy Scriptures, by this Affectation. In which Scriptures (during the Period they pretend to, which is much above half of that Time the World has hitherto lasted) we meet with the best Account of all things even Civil as well as Sacred. And how absurd would it be for me, in this particular Matter, to ascribe the Fortuitous Being, and the Perishable State of the Soul, and the Regardlesness of the Deity, to Epicurus; when we find these Notions recorded in Holy Writ, as espous'd long before Greece had ever opened a School to any of this vain Philosophy?

[Page]But, these Circumstantials set aside, my main Point was to shew, That these several Arguments had not power to shelter the Heathen World from frightful apprehensions concerning the future ill consequences of Sin: They still doubted that forasmuch as their Souls had a Notion of Eternity, they had likewise an Essential Relation to Eternity; And therefore they thought that their own inward Hopes and Fears spoke better Sense about the issues of such a Duration, than they could meet with from the Reasonings of those that pretended to be wiser. And here the Heathens were forc'd to stop; and tho' their Wit and Will were heartily joyn'd to serve the cause of Vice as far as they could, yet they could never remove this awful Barrier. Whereas, in a more Illuminated time, (as we must allow that of the Gospel to be;) The most Illuminated of that time (as they would have us allow the Socinians to be) have with great Ostentation, and as great Applause of their Wisdom, done the cause of Vice more effectual Service, than ever could be done it before.

[Page]Abating the Outrage they have done the Scripture, (about which they are not very Sollicitous) they have made their Hypothesis Plausible as well as Grateful: They speak respectfully of God; and not disrespectfully of the Soul; They determine not How, or of What it is made; but they determine that, as it is a Creature of Gods, so it is either Mortal or Immortal at his discretion: And thereupon to reward the Pious with Eternal Happiness, is what well suits with Gods Goodness and Benignity: But it would not do so, to punish the Sinful with Eternal Torments: That could neither suit with Goodness nor Justice it self: Because that between Temporal Guilt and Eternal Punishment, there is no Proportion: And therefore all that the sinful Soul may fear from God, is a Declaration of its Incapacity for Heaven, and a Sentence for its extinction and loss of Being.

Never such an Amulet as this was offer'd to quiet all the bodings of Conscience; Never did Sin sleep upon so soft a Pillow as is made up of this Hypothesis; which carries careless Souls, beyond all [Page] former Hope, ev'n into the Lap of their own Wish; which is, Never to be acquainted with Eternity, so they may undisturbedly enjoy their present Inclinations.

Juvenal the Poet speaking of that Notion that the Heathens had form'd of a future State, That there was a Boat, and a Ferryman, and a black Lake, and frightful Frogs in it, which careless Souls were to pass over to a miserable Abode; Cries out—Quis puer hoc credat? i. e. (In Hypothesi) in it's circumstantial Dress, It were Childish to believe this— But adds (in Thesi) At tu vera puta—: Do thou who ever thou art, believe This, at least something like this, to be true.

And who can say but Juvenal was a wise Man in this Reflection? But then is it not surprizingly strange that a more elevated Wisdom should set it self to prove, That nothing like This ought to be believ'd? And that all fears of Futurity are Groundless, except that of being made Insensible? It was Wisdom to believe Hell Torments in those that neither knew God nor his Revelation; And can it be Wisdom too, for any not to believe Hell Torments, who are sure [Page] that God has revealed them? And is it not farther surprizingly strange, that those Men who pretend their Zeal for Morality is above that of all others, should open such a Sluice to the Flood of Immorality? Alas! what a Contradictory thing is professed Wisdom, when once it affects to lead in Matters of Faith? It is much more both absurd and mischievous than confessed Folly.

Thus much for the second Charge of Wisdom, (viz.) That it brought Sin into the World.

The last I proposed to warn us against fondness for its Guidance is This, (viz.) That it first corrupted Faith, and brought all Heresies into the Church.

Suitably to this—It is commonly observed of that sect of Men, who in the earliest days of Christianity invented so many various Corruptions of Faith, that they hardly left room for the Invention of subsequent Ages to find out any New; That they affected for a distinguishing Name to be call'd Gnostici, i. e. the Knowers, or such as understood more than their Neighbours. And we cannot doubt but that our Apostle had an Eye to some of these, and their [Page] wild Opinions, as well as the Principle that occasion'd them, 1 Tim. 6. 20. where charging Timothy to stand firm in the Faith, and to keep that Depositum, i. e. that Scheme of Christian Doctrine which had been deliver'd, prescribes to him this Means as necessary to his purpose (viz.) That he should avoid the opposition [...] of Science (or Wisdom) falsly so call'd; which some professing have erred concerning the Faith: We know the Scripture meddles not with the Impeachment of any Science, or with calling it false, but barely as it intrenches upon Faith, and opposes that which it ought to follow: And therefore this Science is here specifi'd by it's Opposition, i. e. it's Inclination to oppose the Faith commonly receiv'd; accounting it a restraint (as I have intimated already) to think or believe with the Vulgar.

And to evidence that this Kind of Science did make Men erre concerning the Faith, as the Text alledgeth; Let us but consider those Heresies that are mentioned in Scripture as first obtaining in the Church, and we shall soon see how they took their Rise, [Page] at least all their Pretence from this very Principle.

Some there were (we know) who erred concerning the Resurrection, saying it was already past; and no doubt but it was a start of Wisdom and Affectation of extraordinary Reach that first form'd this into a Heresie. For Example;

Some of the Heathen Philosophers who were grown to dress up their Doctrines for Ostentation, and not so much to instruct, as to surprize and make themselves admired; Had pronounc'd of Vertue, That it was a sufficient Reward to it self; and that a good Man was Happy enough in being Good, and leading a Life according to Reason, altho' there were no Expectations of a future Recompense. Whereupon some Christian Proselytes pleasing themselves with the vain Glory of this Notion, adopted it into Christianity, and held that it was a Poor and Mercenary thing to practise Godliness for the Expectation of another World; And that therefore altho' God had in the Gospel declared a Resurrection, yet this Resurrection was to be understood in a Figurative and Moral [Page] Sense, i. e. to import no more than a rising from the State of Sin to the State of Righteousness: And that the Christian Vertue would then be more glorious, and more worthy of God, when it shall appear that he obeys for God's sake, rather than for his own? Thus those of the Anti-Anastasie were pleased by dint of Wisdom to void the Promises of Heaven; which wild Conclusion we may wonder at the less, since the wise Socinians have at this day with no less contradiction to Scripture been pleased to void the Threatnings of Hell.

We are told of another Sect in that Age, who erred concerning the Condition of the Gospel-Covenant; Resting upon a naked Faith as the entire Qualification; and thereby voiding the Law, vilifying Obedience, and turning the Grace of God into Wantonness. One would not think indeed that Wisdom could have much of pretence towards this Project, and yet it had: The Antinomians alledg'd, That whereas it was the peculiarGlory of God to be infinitely Merciful; and the Glory of Christ's Satisfaction to be infinitely Valuable; The more Guilt Men had, the more abundant [Page] opportunity they gave to God to discover the Riches of his Pardon; and the more Men were in Debt, the greater appeared to be both the Value of their Ransom, and the Credit of their Redeemer.

No doubt but this Arguing seemed Wise to them that used it; And at least we have this to alledge for the support of its pretence, That the Antinomians were not more extravagant in asserting that Christ's Satisfaction was sufficient to save without the care of Good Living, than the Socinians are in asserting that the Care of Good Living is sufficient to save without the Satisfaction of Christ: For so their Scheme runs;

That Christ neither made nor intended any Satisfaction at all; and yet every Impartial Man may convince himself, That it is not more evident in Scripture, That God requires us to be Holy, than that Christ shed his Blood for our Redemption; Redemption I say, not in the Exemplary, but in the Expiatory Sense.

We have another Mass of Heretical Corruption spoken of by our Apostle, 2 Thess. 2. not indeed as then reigning, but [Page] rather foretold as that it should reign, through occasion of a Certain Man of Sin sitting as God in the Temple of God: Even The Papists allowing that the Scene of this grand Corruption of Faith is Rome; and we may without prejudice affirm it to be Popery it self. Now to see how Wisdom has contributed to bring this Mass of abuses into that Church, Let us but consider this single One; which we may look upon as the most Charactistical (viz.) The setting up of a Human Infallible Guide: Whereby every Bishop of that See, seems to effect the pretence of Montanus, and would be held for a Holy Ghost Incarnate; And what can come nearer to one sitting as God in the Temple of God?

What hand Wisdom had in hatching this Conceit we may learn from the wisest of that Communion, when they alledge that the Belief of This is the sure and onely Method to end all Controversies, and establish that Peace and Union which all good Christians desire. And as for the Means made use of to bring this Conceit into Credit, they have carried in them the most pompous Semblance of Wisdom Imaginable: [Page] While its particular Champions, the Jesuits, (the Artificial Petavius and others) have contriv'd with elaborate Pains and Study, to weaken the Authority of the Scriptures, as being of Uncertain Interpretation, and of Uncertain Reception; and to puzzle the Sense of all the distinguishing Articles of Christianity; by alledging the Opposition of Hereticks, and the difference of Conciliary Decrees; and by raking up all the Dissonancies of Expressions that are to be met with in the Writings of the Ancients.

As indeed how can the same Truth be delivered without Dissonancies of Expression, supposing it to be delivered upon different Occasions, and for different Respects? Let the Expressions of St. Paul and St. James upon the Article of Justification pass for an Instance of Appeal.

In the mean time the Wisdom of the Church of Rome thought fit to do all this Insidiously, and with purpose to Deceive, so they might serve this Important End, (viz.) To make Christians believe that they must needs be bewildred while they were under such an unstable Conduct [Page] as that of the Scriptures, Councils and Fathers; and therefore to conclude themselves obliged to repair to the standing Infallible Guide.

Ask the Socinians themselves Whether there were not admirable Wisdom in this Contrivance: For even they themselves make use of the same Means, and borrow their boasted Armes of Learning from the Jesuit's Shop; not indeed to the same End, in Form; but to the same, in Mischief; Not to establish the Pope for an Infallible Guide; but to establish Reason for an Infallible Guide; which in effect is to set up as many Popes in the World, as there are Men of an assuming Imagination.

What I have said hitherto has been in order to evince the Truth of my first Proposition, (viz.) That Wisdom is a dangerous Guide in Matters of Religion.

I offer'd a Second, (viz.) That God has vouchsafed Faith as a necessary Expedient both to make and to keep Men Wise: Which I reserve for the Subject of another Discourse.

SERMON II.

[Page]

ROM. i. 22.‘Professing themselves to be Wise, they became Fools.’

FRom these Words consider'd, together with their Occasion, I have before inferr'd these Two Heads of Discourse:

I. That Human Wisdom (or Reason) is a dangerous Guide in Matters of Religion. And this I have proved already, by shewing, How strangely Wisdom has fail'd in all her Conduct about such Matters. The Second is,

II. That God has ordained Faith as a Necessary Expedient, both to Make and to Keep Men Wise. The Proof whereof I am now to pursue.

[Page]I suppose there is no Man in the World of what Perswasion soever, but will be ready to grant, That what God vouchsafes to reveal, must be abler to make us Wise, than what we can conceive of our selves: Nor (in consequence) will any deny, That Faith to what is Revealed is a Due which we owe not only to God for the Honour of his Truth; but likewise to our selves, for the sake of our safe Conduct: And therefore there is like to be no Dispute whether Faith (in general) can make Men Wise; The Dispute is only upon this Point, What kind of Faith (in particular) it must be that makes Men Wise: And we shall find that the Judgment of Mankind lies under a common Prejudice against what is true in reference to this Point. For we may observe it to obtain in the World, That the Faith adapted to make a Wise Man, must be a Cautious and Reserved Faith, because all Forwardness in Believing exposes Men to be deceived: And yet in Holy Scripture we are taught clean contrary, That God is only pleased with an Humble and Ready Faith, and every Abatement of Forwardness is a Diminution [Page] of its Value. Our Saviour in his Walk to Emmaus calls his Disciples Fools, because they were slow of Heart to Believe. And soon after he tells Thomas, That the Tardiness of his Faith had robb'd it of its Blessing, For Blessed are they that have not seen, and yet have believed.

And because I am falln upon the mention of this Apostle, I will choose to insist a little upon his Character; which may serve both for an Example and an Illustration of the matter I am upon.

Thomas (as far as we may learn by all the mentions made of him in Holy Writ) was a Man Bold in Reasoning, and extreamly Nice in Believing: Which is a Character that by the standard of the present Age has Licence to pass for an Indication of Wisdom.

Joh. 14. 2, 3, 4. We have a Passage of Discourse wherein this Apostle was wholly concern'd: There our Saviour says very obligingly to those about him: In my Father's House are many Mansions—I go to prepare a place for you—And whither I go you know, and the way you know: To this obliging Declaration Thomas answers very peremptorily, Lord, we know not whither thou [Page]goest, and how should we know the Way? We see the Answer is directly contradicting to that which our Saviour alledged; and yet no doubt but the Apostle thought himself to have Reason on his side for making such an Answer. Let us imagine what that Reason might be: 'Tis possible he might form his arguing on this manner.

‘Lord, Thou sayest, Thou art going to thy Father's House to provide Mansions for us: Now we know thy Father's House, according to natural Generation, is that of Joseph and Mary; in which many Mansions are not to be had: But if thou meanest a Father by any other kind of Generation; or any other Inheritance which thou hast a Title to recommend us to: This is what we do not understand; and what we do not understand, it is impossible for us to Believe: And therefore say to us something that we may believe; or in the mean time permit us to be Incredulous, and to say, We know not whither thou goest.’

If I have in this Form, Argu'd any thing contrary to the Sentiments of the Apostle; I have whereof to Retract in reverence [Page] to his subsequent better Understanding: But I fear I have said nothing that the present Age will require me to Apologize for; Because they who set up for a leading Genius, please themselves to argue in the very same Method to justifie a like Incredulity. Thus runs the common Argument, ‘We cannot believe what we please; we must comprehend both the Matter and its Credibility, or else it were Rash and Foolish to believe it.’

Joh. 11. We have another Passage wherein Thomas was wholly concern'd, There (verse 14.) our Saviour says to his Disciples Our Friend Lazarus is Dead, and I am glad for your sakes that I was not there, to the intent you may believe: This we see our Saviour urged expresly for an Encouragment of their Faith; and yet Thomas his Reasoning turned it immediately into an Argument of Distrust: As is apparent from what he said to his Fellow Disciples upon this Occasion, (verse 16.) Let us also go, That we may Dye with him: The Key of his meaning in this Sentence we may take from the Narration in the beginning of the Chapter: Where 'tis sai'd That our Saviour [Page] being then in Galilee, upon the News of Lazarus his Sickness, proposed to go into Judea to visit him: Whereupon the Disciples answer'd, (V. 8.) Master, the Jews of late sought to Stone thee, and goest thou thither again? Now this Thought made a deep Impression upon the wary Imagination of Thomas; and therefore when he saw his Master resolved to go; he wound up all into this sort of Reasoning Despair. ‘Lazarus is Dead, and all his Pains and Fears are over; and better it were for us, if ours were so too: The Jews Malice is bent upon the Destruction of us all; and if our Master could not save his principal Friend from Death; what hopes is there of his saving us? Let us go then and meet our Doom as patiently as we can.’ This is the natural Paraphrase of what Thomas meant by that Sentence, Let us also go that we may Die with him: And altho' nothing could be more contrary to the Faith he ow'd his Master, or more affronting to the importance of what he had then said; yet still he lookt upon this as sound Reasoning: And indeed it was as sound as any other Man's is; and brought forth [Page] as good Fruits as any other Man's does, when it once takes Licence to Scruple, what it ought to believe.

The last mention of this Apostle is in the Instance of the Resurrection. He had been told that our Saviour was Risen from the Dead; and the truth of it had been attested to him by Evidences beyond Exception: Several Companies who had seen him, and converst with him several times; to whom he had expos'd the sight and feeling of his Wounds; to whom he had Expounded the Scriptures concerning himself; with whom he had broken the Sacramental Bread; and conferr'd on them the operative Benediction of, Receive ye the Holy Ghost: All these, with all these convincing Tokens, had told Thomas that Christ was Risen: But yet Thomas (in pure Wisdom) would not believe. He was also called Didymus, says the Text: And I think that Allegation how casual soever it may seem, is Argumentative to my purpose: (viz.) Thomas had a Greek Name, as well as a Hebrew one; which is a probable Argument that he had had a Conversation [Page] with the Greeks; and perhaps had learnt from them That [...] Have a care of being Credulous, was the grand Advice of one of their Sages; and thereupon he resolved not to believe without farther Conviction than all this. And no doubt but he conceiv'd Reason to be on his side for all this Behaviour: Reason suggested that a wise Man ought to be cautious to the utmost, least he be impos'd upon: Reason suggested that when he had his Choice of several Matters to believe, he ought to choose that for the Matter of his belief which was in it self most Credible: Now it was more Credible that such a number of Witnesses might be Deceiv'd; or (as Honest as they once were) might be drawn into Confederacy to Deceive; Then that One should rise from the Dead: Because This was naturally Impossible; It could not be done without a Miracle; and wise Men will never have recourse to Miracles, so long as nature may solve the Appearance.

Now suppose that Thomas proceeded Th us far with Reason on his side; and acted like a Wise that is to say, a Cautious [Page] Man (as for ought I see, the standard of many Men's Judgments at this day will allow him to have acted:) Yet let me observe one thing more from his Example, and that is This (viz.) That Human Reason is very subject to be partially Blind: For while it is Hunting after those Arguments that make for its present Purpose, it never takes notice of those that make more strongly against it.

As for Instance: When Thomas refus'd to admit Conviction from the Sense and Attestation of so many credible Witnesses; Yet at the same time he declared it fit to be determin'd by the Verdict of his Own Sense: Where he never consider'd what a haughty Piece of Injustice it was to imply that his own single Sense was less Fallible, then the joynt Experience of such a Number. Again, while he imagin'd it possible that so many good Men should conspire to deceive him; he never consider'd how many Arguments there were to prove that this Censure of his was Absurd, as well as Uncharitable: For had he not Converst now three Years under the Conviction of all sorts of Miracles, [Page] and could he not extend his Faith to believe that One more might be done? After he had seen his Lord raise more than One from the Dead; could he not think it possible that he himself might be rais'd by the same Power? Nay (what was yet more culpable than all the rest) after he had heard his Lord publickly averring before hand, that Thus it must be, and that he should Rise again the Third Day; He never consider'd that to distrust the Event after such a prediction of such a Person, as had sufficiently prov'd himself able to do, whatever he thought fit to be done, was a distrust absolutely Irreligious and Prophane. And yet thns it was—Thus the wise Pretences of Incredulity could betray Thomas to be Irreverent, Uncharitable, Absurd and Irreligious, and all under the colour of being Reasonable. These extravagant Effects Niceness in believing could produce in him; And who can Question but that they are likely to produce the same in any one else?

This single Example serves to inform us, into what a Labyrinth Reason will lead Men, when once it declines the Conduct [Page] of an humble and ready Faith; and upon This my Assertion is founded that such a Faith is our only Guide unto Wisdom.

But I shall proceed to evidence the same by a black Cloud of Instances.

I doubt not but they who scruple or oppose or depart from the Common Faith at this day, will readily allow, That in whatever they except against the Received Form, they do it from this same principle of Wisdom and Caution, (viz.) Lest they should be impos'd upon by the Mistakes of others; and therefore they resolve to adhere to some Sense of their own, which they look upon as more Rational and less obnoxious to Absurdity or Deceiving. And there are Two Parties of Men who have made themselves very notorious for this Pretence.

(1.) The First is of Those who will not allow any Revelation, i. e. Not any Scripture dictated from God.

(2.) And the Second is of those who will not admit the received Interpretation of that Scripture, which they allow to have been Revealed.

[Page]Now it may be made appear from the Instances of these very Parties; That no Man ever departed from the Common Faith upon pretence of avoiding any Absurdities therein supposed; but that he ran himself upon the necessity of believing greater Absurdities, than any he pretended to avoid.

I. The first Party consists of Those who deny all Revelation; who profess a Religion of Nature's Teaching, but none that God has taught: Who distinguish themselves by the name of Deists, because they own a God, but barely a God; and not those dispensations which are most suitable to the Goodness of the God they own: Of which Revelation is the Cheif.

Now however the Wisdom of such Men may please it self with this cautious Inffidelity, which they pretend to take up as a Guard against Imposture; Yet would it not be wiser for every Man to suspect his particular Reason when he does, or may, observe it to clash with the common Reason of Mankind? And certainly to deny Revelation is a Conceit that clashes with the Universal Reason and Perswasion of Mankind [Page] in all Ages of the World. For there is nothing wherein Men have consented more freely (next to the Being of a God) than in this Belief That it is suitable to the Goodness of God to hold a Correspondence and Commerce with Men, and to exert himself in a Providence that extends as well to the Conduct of Actions, as to the disposal of Events; that is, a Providence for Man's better Part, as well as for his Worse.

So long as Men continu'd in the Worship of the true God, They had this Notion riveted upon their Minds by the vouchsafement of frequent Messages, and of such Oracular Directions, as demonstrated themselves to come from God: And when Men departed from the true Worship, yet they could not depart from this rooted Expectation: Insomuch that the Devil could not maintain the Reputation of his Worship among them without a pretence to the same Commerce. And this was the Original of all the Heathen Oracles: Which altho' they were Delusory, yet they afford an Evidence that there were others True [Page] and Divine, and that Mankind always hoped for such from the God they Worshipp'd.

The Deist will submit his Faith to a Heathen Evidence, tho' he will not to a Christian; And therefore he will not deny these Oracles to have been, and to have been frequent among the Gentiles: He readily grants that Socrates (which he is willing to prefer above Christ and his Apostles) got his Reputation of being counted the wisest Man of his Country, from the Response of an Oracle: (In which Response, by the way, we must presume either that God over-rul'd the Voice of the evil Spirit (as he did in Balaam's Case) and so forc'd him to speak on Virtue's side; Or else that the Devil found himself necessitated sometimes to do so, in Reverence to Men's Consciences; over whom he was not always able to maintain his awe without some semblance of approving Virtue.) Now if such Oracles were; Let any one likewise tell us how they came to cease all together, as tis own'd they did, at the Time of the Revelation by our Lord Jesus: How came they thus to cease on a [Page] sudden, if it were not from the design of Providence to make that event give Testimony both to Jesus and his Revelation: To Jesus, that he was one who had Power over the Devil; and to his Revelation, That it was Plenary and Consummate, so that for the future Men needed not seek any farther to learn what is the full and acceptable and perfect Will of God.

When the Deist confirms his prejudice against the Christian Revelation from this Argument, That all Religions do equally pretend to the fame Original, that is, to come from God: I allow that Reason has Here a proper Province; Let it therefore be call'd in: Let Reason enquire, and then Judge, and say whether there is any other Religion so worthy of God as the Christian is? Whether there is any whose Doctrines are so convincing: And whose Miracles are so Demonstrative: Nay, whether ever there was any thing of Human Faith, that came so attested as our Religion does, and fail'd of Belief in the World: And what singular Perversness is it then that this should not be believed? Let any one say especially, How the Gospel Truth, that asserted [Page] it self so effectually in its beginning, at that time when any possibility of fraud could best have been discover'd, after it had asserted it self against all the Malice of Satan, and the Opposition of all Worldly Powers; can after 1600 Years be given up as a Fiction, or be affected with any such discredit, from the perfidiousness of a company of bold and loose and weak Deserters? Let any one reflect upon theseConsiderations, and he shall find that the Deists Opinion runs them upon a multitude of Absurdities; besides all the fatal mischief of it's unconsidered Consequences.

The several Religions received among the Gentiles, were so full of gross Superstitions, and palpable Errors, that many particular Men among those Gentiles, of sounder Judgments and better Spirits than the common, were scandalized at their Religions and had them in Contempt: So that, altho' for Decency's sake and Submission to the Laws, they gave occasional countenance to the vulgar Rites of Worship, Yet their private Religion consisted in forming to themselves a more rational Notion of God, abstracted from all the received Idols; And [Page] the Worship they deemed most suitable to such a God, was placed in following Reason, and reverencing their Consciences, and cultivating their Minds in the study of Knowledge and Practice of Virtue: And these were such as among the Greeks they first call'd Philosophers. They whom we modernly call Deists, are the Apes of those Philosophers; and that they may be thought like them, set up to treat Christian Religion with the same Contempt as those did the Vulgar Heathen. But as it is observ'd of the Ape, that altho' of all Creatures it most resembles Man, yet it is the ugliest of all Creatures, because the Honour of that resemblance is abated by many ridiculous Deficiencies; So we may say of the Deists, that they are the most absurd and foolish of Men; because they Ape the wise under such great difference of Circumstances, and such great deficiencies of Purpose.

For the Philosophers were such as in the Night of Gentile Darkness, set up their Candle (so Solomon calls the Spirit of Man, The Candle of the Lord); they strictly attended the improvement of their Minds, and so set up their Candle, and walked commendably [Page] by the Light of it: Now these Men were truly Wise, none under their Circumstances could possibly be Wiser. But on the contrary the Deists are such, as at Noon-Day shut up their Windows, and keep out the Sun; and then set up their Candle, and say that That is the most agreeable Light, and the best Guide to their houshold Business. Now what can be alledg'd for the Wisdom of These? There have been some carried away with this phantastical and mistaken Admiration of the Philosophers Religion in former times of Christianity; but they were rare as Monsters, and so accounted of: But they never grew Numerous and in heart till of late, since they took their Growth and Apology from the Conduct of the Socinians; The second Party I proposed to instance in.

II. The Conduct of the Socinians was this; They own'd the Scriptures to be the Word of God, but would not abide by the received Interpretation of that Word; nor admit that Explication of the principal Doctrines therein contain'd, which had been delivered down by the Universal [Page] Church; but instead of this, usurped a Liberty of Interpreting all a-new at their own discretion, and to make them speak their own prejudicated Sense. In conformity to this Design, Socinus, after he had form'd his new Scheme of Divinity, to make it pass upon the World with all the Advantage he could, Introduces his Exposition upon St. John, with this Sentence, Multa sunt profecto in quibus Christianus orbis adhuc caecutit, & fortasse plura quam quis vel credere, vel etiam cogitare possit, i. e. There are undoubtedly many Truths, and perhaps more than any one can either believe or imagine, in respect of which the whole Christian World has been hitherto quite Blind and Ignorant: Which Sentence (and several such like accompanying it) makes it appear, That never any Man more fill'd up each Member of that Character which our Saviour gives of the Pharisee, (viz.) Of thinking well of himself and despising others, than Socinus did. For it implies that altho' the Scriptures were the Oracles of God, yet they resembled those of the Gentiles in this; That they were Dark and of a doubtful Sense, and of no authoritative Interpretation, and that hitherto [Page] they had been quite mistaken, till such time as this new Illumination had been vouchsafed to himself. Now since this Imagination past upon Socinus from his Caution of being impos'd upon by the former Interpreters of Scripture: Let us consider how palpably he must have impos'd upon himself, before this Imagination could take place.

If he believed it himself, can any one else in Reason believe, That the whole Christian World had been Blind down to his days, and Ignorant in the most important Truths, which it was reserved for his honour to Reveal; So that the Light of the Word had not yet enlightned Mankind, till his Comments had dispell'd the Cloud that lay upon it? Can any one believe with Reason, that all the Assertors of our Religion in the Primitive Ages, Men Holy, Studious, Learned, Signalized and Distinguish'd with all the Gifts of God, both Gracious and Miraculous; had yet none of that Knowledge of the Mind of God, as might now be learnt at the feet of Socinus? Can it appear agreeable to the Providence of God, and his good Will for Human Salvation, [Page] after he had required Faith to please him as well as Obedience; and that, Faith in Doctrines as well as in Promises; yet to let 15 Centuries pass without making it commonly known what it was he required Men to believe? Can it appear consistent with God's Promise to his Church, That his Spirit should lead them into all Truth, and yet for such a Tract of time the whole multitude of Christians should account it impious to believe That, which now the Polish Catechism says, It is damnable not to believe, when it is propos'd: So that if Christians were saved before that time in the Common Faith, it was from the Apology of their Ignorance; as their Ignorance was, because they had not a Socinus to instruct them.

Say rather why the Deists may not as colourably Reject the Scriptures, as the Socinians Own them, with so many contradictions to God's Truth and Goodness. In due Reverence to both these Attributes of God we are obliged to affirm that the Sense as well as the Letter of the Scripture, in all Matters necessary either to be done or believed, hath been the Depositum of the [Page] Church, and Faithfully Preserv'd under it's Keeping: That the whole Faith, which (as the Apostle says) was [...], at once delivered unto the Saints, had at the same time its Meaning delivered; which from them has been derived by indubitable Testimony, as the Matter of our uniform Belief: That the different Opinions, Sects and Factions in the World, are no Argument against This; Because as St. Peter has warn'd us, They who diversifie the Common Faith, do not Interpret but Wrest the Scriptures; and (as St. Paul has observ'd) Divisions and Heresies spring not from Ignorance, but from Carnality; not from want of Light, but want of Love: Pride and Envy and Contention and Vanity, and such contrarious Passions, have in all Ages, not been at a Loss for Truth, but have been contriving and setting up somewhat they liked better. And let us see, in the next place, what it was that the particular Affections of Socinus liked better than the received Interpretations.

He and his Party are pleas'd to take offence that there are any Mysteries in Religion; They will have nothing for the [Page] Object of our Faith but what is plain to our Understanding, and easy to our apprehension; and altho' they will not affirm that Reason has the Measure of what is or what may be; yet they resolve Reason to have the Measure of what ought to be believed: Which I think is Absurdity sufficient.

They conclude thereupon that the Doctrine of the Incarnation, that is, of God Taking our Flesh, and dwelling among us, must not be believed, because it is Irrational: And as for the Doctrine of the Trinity it would be offensive to pious Ears to repeat those expressions of Reproach, with which they load it. They say that these Doctrines do justly scandalize Jews and Turks, and hinder them from coming in to our Religion. But as it is no Office of Civility to complement away our Faith; so neither is it any Office of Charity in the Socinians to go off from the Foundation to meet Jews and Turks; and to turn Half-Infidels, that They may turn Half-Christians. But after all, when by the grossest wresting of Words, and abuse of plain Sense, they have shewed themselves as much Friends to Fancy, as they are Enemies [Page] to Faith; after that they have interpreted all Mysteries out of Religion, and so made their new Hypothesis familiar and inoffensive, and therefore Credible, as they would have us imagine; We must pronounce upon it, what Minucius sometimes did in the like Case, In Incredibili Verum, in Credibili Mendacium; Truth still lies on the Incredible, and Falshood on the Credible side.

And to justifie this Censure, let us confider, That the Mystery of any thing, or (what is all one) The Abstruse or Incomprehensible Nature of any thing, is no Argument against our believing it.

This is a Rule, I am sure, that holds true in Nature, and then with what Face can we deny it to hold true in Religion? We surrender our Faith to the state of all Visible things, without comprehending them; and what Obstinacy is it then to refuse our Faith to the Things of God under the same Condition? It would be an affront and calumny to Nature, to affirm that Those things which are before us, those Works of God which lie every Moment under our Senses, are simply Credible; that is, such as our Reason would Perswade us could be, [Page] if we had not seen them to be: How short is our Plummet from Fathoming, the Essence, Mode, Powers, Operations, Productions of the most common Beings? Undoubtedly had we the Knowledge of this World we live in, as we have that of its Maker only from a Book, I say, had we the Knowledge of this World we live in only from a Book, we should be Tempted to treat that Book with as little Reverence, as the Socinians or Deists have done the Holy Scriptures: And conclude that most of the things that are in it were as Incomprehensible, Impossible and therefore Incredible, as they fancy any thing to be that God has revealed concerning himself.

Let me produce an Instance or two, and those out of the Holy Scriptures, to inculcate by the way, That the Philosophical Truths we meet with there, are Venerable as well as the Divine.

In the beginning God created the Heavens and the Earth, says the Sacred History: Where the Word Created is interpreted by all to mean, That God made the World without any Pre-existent Matter to make it of; Now this Production of the World [Page] we believe from the Authority of the Report; and likewise because of the Absurdities that necessarily follow from the Supposal of the contrary: And yet Human Reason could never form any Idea whereby to conceive the Possibility of such a Production: And let any one say whether it be harder to believe, That the Divine Essence did from everlasting emanate or flow into Three Social and Co-eternal Subsistences, than to believe, That in the Beginning of Time All things were made out of Nothing: Or whether-Reason has more Arguments to plead for the One, than for the Other.

Holy Job to exemplifie the Power of God, pitches upon this Instance, ch. 26. 7. He hangeth the Earth upon Nothing; or (as his Expression points elsewhere) He maketh it stand firm without a Foundation: Now when we find it impossible for the utmost Art of Man to make a small Clod of Earth hang in the Air, It is naturally Impossible for Man to conceive, how the whole Mass should hang in the Air: Tis true when we see how things are, we Pride our selves in assigning of Reasons why they must be so, but all fall short of solving the Difficulty: Center [Page] or Magnetism or whatever Notions have been espoused, will not Solve it in the present Instance: No Cause could make the Earth hang upon Nothing, but the Omnipotence of that Will that ordered it to be so. Nor could we ever believe it, but from a Submission of our Faith to that Omnipotence; Or from a Submission to our Senses, even while they control and muzzle the Reluctancy of our Reason.

For another Instance of the Incomprehensible Works of God, The Sea is alledg'd in the same Book (cap. 38.) Of which tis said, That God has establisht its place by his Decree, and set Barrs and Doors before it, and said to it, Hitherto shall thy proud Waves come, and no farther. Which Observation is founded upon the convexity or roundness of the Surface of those Waters; in respect of which (as the Psalmist naturally expresses it) They stand upon a heap: A heap as miraculous, were it not more common, as That the Israelites past thro' in the Red Sea: For in this heap the Waters are bound up, that (as the Psalmist expresses it) They turn not again to cover the Earth; which by the common Laws [Page] of Motion, they otherwise must necessarily do, and pour in upon every Shore a Deluge instead of a Tide. Reason uninform'd by Experience of this state of things could not possibly believe it, and yet how wild would the Man be thought that should not believe it?

Once more—The Psalmist for an Instance of the same kind, takes it from the frame of our own Being, I am fearfully and wonderfully made: To consider the Curiousness of our Frame is amazing and to reflect upon the Power that orders it to be so, is no less than Tremendous. Let me instance but in one Particular, whereof I will borrow the Hint from Solomon in his description of old Age, Eccl. 12. 6. Or ever the Wheel be broken at the Cistern: Which Expression cannot be interpreted so Genuinly of any thing, as of that Spring and Pulse in the Heart, which begins the Circular Motion of our Blood; Let us consider, in this Instance, How our Blood a ponderous Body, (contrary to the Laws of common Nature) ascends without reluctancy, and descends without Precipitation; is of so many different Colours, under so many Forms of digestion, moves so many Years [Page] without any influence of our Thought or Reflection, and when it ceases takes Life away with it self. Let any weigh these Circumstances, and he may well cry out with the same Holy Writer, Such Knowledge is too Great and Excellent for me, I cannot attain unto it. And yet none of this Mystery is an Argument against believing it.

I need Instance no farther: Nature is full of Mysteries and Incomprehensible Things, and may we think then that the Nature or Subsistence of God can be Reveal'd to us, and not admit a Mystery? We account those Israelites were very gross Logicians, who thus argu'd Psal. 78. He smote the stony Rock indeed, that the Waters gushed forth; But can he give Bread also, and provide Flesh for his People? That is, although we acknowledge that God has done this Miracle, we will not believe he can do another: But it is yet more gross arguing for any one to say, I believe the Works of God, altho' they are Incomprehensible; But I will not believe any thing of God himself, unless I comprehend it.

'Tis true, we believe these Incredible things in Nature, because we see them: [Page] But then, may not our Ears bring in as good Evidence as our Eyes? Certainly we are less obnoxious to Deception in hearing what God speaks, than we are in seeing what Nature exhibits.

But this still is the Question which the Socinians will not suffer to be begg'd: They affirm that God has not spoken any Mysteries concerning either himself, or his Methods of our Redemption; They say our Interpreters have coin'd these Mysteries: Whereas Their Interpretation has voided them, and made them all plain.

And here (I confess again) Reason has a proper Province to act in; For altho' Reason is not to prescribe the Matter of our Belief; Revelation is to do That; yet Reason is a proper Judge whether such or such a Matter is Revealed or no: For this consists only in apprehending the Sense of plain Words; which every Man's understanding has an equal Right to pretend to.

Whereas therefore Socinus says he had a favourable regard to Jews and Turks in his Interpretation of the Scripture; let them fairly be call'd in, and suffered to Interpret [Page] for themselves. They are Scandaliz'd at the Belief of a Trinity; Be it so: But when they see in the Scriptures, That there are Three to whom we are devoted in our Baptismal Covenant; Three in whom we must believe; To whom we must pray; By whom we must bless, to whom we must give Worship and Glory: Undoubtedly they will believe a Trinity, as soon as they will believe that the Scriptures do not Teach One.

They are averse from believing that Jesus was God; Be it so: But when they see it express in Scripture, That he, who in time was Jesus, was God from everlasting; that when he took our Flesh upon him, He thought it no Robbery to be equal with the Father; That He it is, who in the beginning laid the Foundations of the Earth, and the Heavens are the work of his hands: Undoubtedly they will as soon believe that Jesus is Truely God, as they will believe that the Scriptures do not say he is.

Let them see How when our Blessed Lord was charged with Blasphemy for making himself Equal with God; he denyed not the matter, but only absolved it from [Page] the Crime: How at his most Solemn Devotion, when about to leave the World, he prayed on this manner: And now (O Father) Glorifie me with the Glory which I had with thee before the World was: Undoubtedly they will conclude, That if what the Socinians say be True, (viz.) That he was not God, Neither was he a Good Man: For all this deportment can imply no less than, that he affected to be accounted God, and so he was ambitious (ev'n sacrilegiously ambitious) of that Honour to which he had no Title; and this no Good man could be.

In fine. Let Jews and Turks be admitted of the Jury, and they will undoubtedly give Verdict; That if we are deceived in our Common Faith, that Spirit that dictated the Scriptures could design no less than that we should be deceived. Let those who have given occasion to such Reflections as these, find out a Reply whereby to stave off their Reproach.

In the mean time I may observe that the Socinians have been Unlucky in the execution of their main design: For they have not purged Mystery out of the Scripture [Page] They have only changed its Place: They have taken Mystery out of the Doctrine of the Scripture, Where it was Venerable, and Worthy the Majesty of God; and they have placed it in the phrase of the Scripture where it is opprobrious and repugnant to God's Sincerity. For Example, Expounding Joh. 1. 1. They say, That, In the beginning was the Word, signifies no more than that Christ was, when he was born: That, The Word was with God, signifies nothing else, but That Christ was taken up into Heaven to receive Instructions for his subsequent Errand; That, The Word was God, signifies no more than, That he was God's Messenger; That, All things were made by him, and without him nothing was made, that was made; signifies only, That he was to preach the Gospel, by Virtue whereof Men were to be made New Creatures. What Mystery and Riddle do they make of these Expressions; and how remote is that Meaning from the Reach of a Rational Conjecture?

Amidst this Romantick Pains of Interpreting, They met with a Text in the [Page] General Epistle of St. John, (viz.) There are Three that bear witness in Heaven, the Father, the Word, and the Holy Ghost, and these Three are One; which so bafled their Invention, that they despair'd of ever accomodating it to their Scheme. Whereupon the Brethren of Transylvania thought it their wisest way to Vote this Epistle out of the Canon; But being instructed that there were some Copies of the Bible wherein this Text was not found, they concluded it for their Advantage to let the Epistle pass for Canonical, but the Text for Spurious and Forged: And hereupon there grew a great Triumph over the Trinitarian Cause; but a Triumph without any possible Victory; For the Cause does not want ev'n the Text, much less a Forgery of it to support it self withal.

Tis alledg'd that this Text was not read in those Copies that were in vulgar Use at the time of the Council of Nice; because otherwise it would certainly have been cited against the Arians: However this be, tis as certain that this Text was read in those Copies that were in use before [Page] the Council of Nice; For St. Cyprian asserting the Unity of the Church, notwithstanding it consisted of several Congregations, Argues it from the Unity of the Godhead altho' consisting of several Persons, And cites This Text for his Proof.

And Tertullian asserting This to be the Christian Doctrine, That the Father, Son and Holy Ghost, were each of them God, and yet the God-head not Divided, proves it from This Text, Hi tres Unum sunt. And then he remarks from the Gender that they were not Unus but Unum, i. e. not One in Person, but One in Essence.

Thus it was before the Council of Nice, and within half an Age after that Council Damasus Bishop of Rome (perceiving from common Complaints, that many Differences were crept into the several Copies of the Scripture) imploy'd St. Jerome, the most expert Man in Biblick Learning that was in the World, to bestow his Pains in rectifying those Errors. And he having Copies sent to him from all Parts of the World (as himself expresses it) and conferring them together, among many other [Page] Emendations from the Authority of those Copies that were most Ancient and Authentick, he restored this Text, with a Brand of Unfaithfulness upon those who first omitted it: So that all the Fault concerning this Text can lie only on those who first left it out; And what side of the Controversie that Fault can affect, let any one Judge.

I mention this by the By, and only to give some Caution against the Artifice of the present Socinian Factors; who insinuate with Hands lifted up that the Trinitarian Cause must needs be desperate, when it could be reduc'd to such mean shifts as the forging of a Text for its support: Which as it is a Calumny that may indeed shock the Surpriz'd; so all that are at leisure to open their Eyes, may see it has no Foundation.

Upon the whole, we find that the Trinitarian Cause asserted it self sufficiently against Arius, altho' his Opposition was more formidable than any others can be: Because his Hypothesis came by little and [Page] little to be so finely spun, that many Good Men professed they could hardly see that the Difference of the Controversie lay more than in Words; and that Erat quando erat, which they only insisted upon (being applyed to the Term of a Rational duration not a Temporary one) was not competent to justifie such Uncharitable Divisions.

But as for the Socinians, their Hypothesis is Grosser and Looser, more Absurd and more Precarious, and therefore neither their Arts nor Arguments can ever be so formidable. God averting the Judgment of removing the Candlestick from an unworthy Age: For under that Determination the Weakest Means will be sufficient to undo us.

I insisted upon Thomas (at the beginning of this Discourse) as a Pattern of the Socinians Incredulity: But Thomas being vouchsafed an irresistible Conviction, made what amends he was able, by Crying out My Lord, and my God! Which the Christian World has hitherto lookt upon as the Orthodox Confession of our Faith in Christ. But the Socinians, to avoid this [Page]part of his Example, are pleas'd to expound his Confession in this Mysterious manner, They say, that the First Compellation My Lord, was directed to Christ; implying that Thomas acknowledg'd him to be his very Lord and Master; But the second Compellation My God, was only an effect of Admiration, and was directed by an Apostrophe to God in Heaven, and meant no more than Men ordinarily do, when admiring they Cry, O God! what a wonderful thing is this?

Alas! That these Men would let Reason and Modesty work on them so far as to restore Mystery to its proper Place in the Book of God! To let it be in Things, where it is Adorable, and to remove it from Words, where it is Ridiculous! That they would allow Thomas to have spoken Truth, and plain Sense in the Form of his Confession! And That he is through all Ages more wisely Imitable in his Retractation, than in his Unbelief! That they would not give Covert to their Obstinacy under this deluding Axiom, We cannot believe what we Will, We must have Reason for what we believe! [Page] Since it is the highest Act of Reason to submit our Assent to that Testimony that cannot deceive us: And since it is the next Act of Reason to receive that Testimony in the most natural Sense of the Words wherein it is deliver'd: And since it is equally an Act of Reason to believe, that whatsoever is Revealed relating to God, The more Incredible it seems, the more Credible it is: Because if what is Revealed concerning God were always adapted to our Comprehension, how could it reach, or with any fitness represent that Nature, which we allow to be Incomprehensible?

But farther to evince the Deceit of that Axiom, We cannot believe what we Will, we must have Reason on our side: Experience will make it appear that Will has frequently more influence upon our Belief than Reason has. Tis an old Rule built upon just Observation; That What we would willingly have, we easily Believe. And let any one assign a Cause why most Men should think so Particularly concerning [Page] themselves, concerning their own Talents, Properties and Opinions, so that no in different By-stander is able to think the same, If it be not This, That Fondness can carry it above Reason; and where Affection takes Place, their Judgment becomes partial and blind and pronely Seducible. And as Will has such an Influence upon our Belief, so be sure it has the same upon our not Believing: There is no cause assignable for our not believing many Things so eminent as this that we are not Willing to believe them: We refuse our Assent as often for want of Inclination as we do for want of Argument: And looking into the bottom of Motives and Pretences, we shall find a Truth well worth our Observing, (viz.) That what Men at first call Reason, and afterwards Conscience; is oftentimes no other then Affection and Prejudice and Willfulness crept into the Chair.

I have neither time nor need to insist any farther for the Proof of that thing I purposed. From the Considerations already [Page] offer'd, I think we may safely conclude, That an humble and ready Faith (Casting down Imaginations, and every thing that exalts it self against the Knowledge of Christ) is the only Expedient both to make and to keep Men Wise.

To the Author and Finisher of our Faith God blessed for ever, be all Glory and Thanksgiving World without End.

FINIS.

Information about this book

Title statement

The wisdom of believing in two sermons preach'd at court, April 7, and 14. 1700 / by E. Young ...

Young, Edward, 1641 or 2-1705.

Edition statement

1700

Publication

Publisher

Text Creation Partnership,

Place of publication

Ann Arbor, MI ; Oxford (UK) :

Date

2003-01 (EEBO-TCP Phase 1).

ID [DLPS]

A67834

ID [STC]

Wing Y72

ID [STC]

ESTC R517

ID [EEBO-CITATION]

12126731

ID [OCLC]

ocm 12126731

ID [VID]

54624

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Early English books online.

Notes

(EEBO-TCP ; phase 1, no. A67834)

Transcribed from: (Early English Books Online ; image set 54624)

Images scanned from microfilm: (Early English books, 1641-1700 ; 907:18)

Source

— The wisdom of believing in two sermons preach'd at court, April 7, and 14. 1700 / by E. Young ..., Young, Edward, 1641 or 2-1705..

Extent

75 p.

Printed by J.M. for Walter Kettilby ...,. London :: 1700.. (Reproduction of original in Union Theological Seminary Library, New York.)

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