The Saints Everlasting Rest, Treatise 2 · Chapter 5
CHAP. V. The second Argument.
Argument. 2.SECT. I.
§ 1.I Come now to my second Argument, to prove Scripture to be the word of God. And it is this.
If the Scriptures be neither the invention of Devils,I take it for granted, that good Angels could not be guilty of forging the Scripture. nor of men, then it can be from none but God: But that it is neither of Divels, nor meerly of men, I shall now prove (for I suppose none will question the major proposition) First, Not from Divels; for first they cannot work Miracles to confirm them. Secondly, It would not stand with Gods Soveraignity over them, or with his goodness, Wisdome and Faithfulness in governing the world, to suffer Satan to make Laws, and confirm them with wonders, and obtrude them upon the world in the name of God, and all this without his disclaiming them, or giving the world any notice of the forgery. Thirdly, Would Satan speak so much for God? So seek his Glory as the Scripture doth? would he so vilifie and reproach himself? and make known himself to be the hatefullest, and most miserable of all creatures? would he so fully discover his own wiles? his Temptations? his methods of deceiving? and give men such powerfull warning to beware of his snares? and such excellent means to conquer himself? would the Devil lay such a design for mens salvation? would he shew them their danger? and direct them to escape it? would he so mightily labor to promote all Truth and goodness, and the happiness of mankinde as the Scripture doth? Let any man tell me, what book or project in the world, did ever so mightily overthrow the Kingdome of Satan, as this book, and this Gospell-designe? And would Satan be such an enemy to his own Kingdome? Fourthly, If Satan were the author, he would never be so unweariedly, and subtilly industrious, to draw the world to unbelief, and to break the Laws which this book conteineth, as his constant temptations do sensibly tell many a poor soul, that he is. Would he be so earnest to have his own words rejected? or his own Laws broken? I think this is all clear to any man of Reason.
SECT. II.§ 2.
SEcondly,Not of man. That no meer men were the inventers of Scriptures, I prove thus. If men were the devisers of it, then it was either good men, or bad: but it was neither good men nor bad: therefore none.
Though goodness and badness have many degrees, yet under some of those degrees do all men fall. Now I will shew you that it could be neither of these. And first, Good men they could not be. For you might better say that Murderers, Traytors, Adulterers, Parricides, Sodomites, &c. were good men, rather then such. To devise Laws and father them upon God: to feign Miracles, and father them upon God: to set themselves up in the place of God: to say their word is the word of the Lord; to promise eternal salvation to those that obey them: to threat damnation to those that obey them not: to draw the world into a course so destructive to all their worldly happiness, upon a promise of happiness in another world, which they cannot give; to endeavor so egregiously to couzen all mankind; If all this, or any of this, be consistent with common honesty, nay if it be not as horrible wickedness as can be committed, then I confesse I have lost my reason. Much lesse then could such a number of Good men in all ages, till … were finished, be guilty of such unexpressible crimes. … will it here be any evasion, to say, they were men of a … temper, partly good, and partly bad: for these are not … of a middle nature, nor such as will stand with any rem…nts of ingenuity or humanity. We have known wicked persons, too many, and too bad: yet where or when did we ever know any that attempted any so more-then-Hellish an enterprize? False Prophets have sent abroad indeed particular falshoods: But who hath adventured upon such a systeme as this? *Mah…m… was … by the Arabian soldiers for their commander. In his Alco…an he confesseth himself to be a sinner, an Idolater, an Adulterer, given to Lechery; His Laws run thus. Avenge your selves of your enemies: Take as many wives as you can keep, and spare not: Kill the Infidels, he that fighteth lazily▪ shall be damned, and he that killeth most shall be in Paradise. He saith that Christ had the Spirit and Power of God; and the soul of God; and that he is Christs servant, See Alcoran Azoar 2.3.6. Also Azoar 18.4.11.13. He confesseth that Christ is the Spirit, and word, and messenger of God; that his doctrine i… perfect, that it enlighteneth the old Testament, and that he came to confirm it: yet denyeth him to be God. Magnus fuit Sanctus, magnus Dei amicus, magnus propheta, &c. Vide Thom. Bradwardin. de Causa Dei, lib. 1. cap. 1. Corol. part 32.Mahomets example indeed comes neerest to such a villany: Yet doth not be pretend to the hundreth part so many Miracles, nor so great, as the Scripture relateth, nor doth pretend to be God, nor any more then a great Prophet: trusting more to his sword for successe, then to the Authority or truth of his pretended Revelations. Not denying the truth of much of the Scriptures; but adding his Alcoran, partly drawn from Scripture, and partly fitted with fleshly liberties and promises to his own ends. And doth not every man among us take that act of Mahomet to be one of the vilest that the Sun hath seen? And judg of the man himself accordingly? So that I think it beyond doubt, that no one good man, much lesse so great a number as were the penmen of Scripture, could devise it of their own brain, and thrust it on the world.
Secondly, And it is as certaine, that no bad men did devise the Scriptures. Could wicked deceivers so highly advance the glory of God? and labour so mightily to honour him in the world? Would they have so vilified themselves, and acknowledged their faults? Could such an admirable undeniable spirit of holiness, righteousness, and self-deniall, which runs through every veine of Scripture, have been inspired into it from the invention of the wicked? Would wicked men have been so wise, or so zealous for the suppressing of wickedness? Or so earnest to bring the world to Reformation? Would they have been such bitter adversaries to their own wayes? and such faithfull friends to the ways that they hate? Would they have vilified the ungodly, as the Scripture doth? And pronounced eternall damnation against them? Would they have extolled the godly, who are so contrary to them? And proclaimed them a people eternally blessed? Would they have framed such perfect and such Spirituall laws? And would they have laid such a design against the flesh? And against all their worldly happiness, as the scope of the Scripture doth carry on? Its needless sure to mention any more particulars: I think every man of the least ingenuity, that considers this, or deliberately vieweth over the frame of the Scriptures, will easily confesse, that it is more then probable, That it was never devised by any deceiving sinner; much less, that all the penmen of it in severall Ages were such wicked deceivers.
So then, if it was neither devised by good men, nor by bad men; then sure, by no men: and consequently must of necessity proceed from God.
SECT. III.§ 3.
SEcondly, That it proceeded not meerly from man, I also prove thus. That which was done without the help of humane learning, or any extraordinary endowments of nature, and yet the greatest Philosophers could never reach neer it, must needs be the effect of a Power supernaturall: But such is both the doctrine and the Miracles in Scripture: therefore, &c.
It is only the Antecedent that here requires proof: which consists of these two branches, both which I shall make clear.
First,Vid. Wigandum in Method. ante comment. in mino prophetas. That the doctrine of Scripture was compiled, and the Miracles done, without the help of much humane learning, or any extraordinary naturall endowments.
Secondly, That yet the most learned Philosophers never could reach neer the Gospel Mysteries, nor ever work the Miracles that were then done.
But I shall say most to the Doctrine. For the proof of the former, consider;
First, The whole world was in the times of Moses, and the Prophets comparatively unlearned. A kinde of learning the Egyptians then had (and some few others) especially consisting in some small skill in Astronomy: But it was all but barbarous ignorance, in comparison of the Learning of Greece and Europe. Those Writings of greatest Antiquity, yet extant, do shew this. See also Dr. Hackwell, as before.
2. As rare as Learning then was, yet did God chuse the unlearned of that unlearned time, to be instruments and Penmen of his choisest Scriptures: David, who was bred a Shephard, is the Penman of those divine unmatchable Psalms. Amos is taken from a Heardsman to be a Prophet.
3. But especially in those latter Ages when the world was grown more wise and learned, did God purposely chuse the weak, the foolish, the unlearned to confound them; A company of poor Fishermen, Tentmakers, and such like, must write the Laws of the Kingdom of Christ; must dive into the Spiritual Mysteries of the Kingdom; must silence the Wise, and Disputers of the world; and must be the men that must bring in the world to believe. Doubless, as Gods sending David, an unarmed Boy, with a Sling and a Stone against an armed Gyant, was to make it appear, that the victory was from himself: So his sending these unlearned men to Preach the Gospel, and subdue the world, was to convince both the present and future generations, that it was God, and not man that did the work.
4. Also the course they took in silencing the learned adversaries, doth shew us how little use they made of these Humane helps. They disputed not with them by the precepts of Logick: Their Arguments were to the Jews the Writings of Moses and the Prophets; and both to Jews and Gentiles, the miracles that were wrought; They argued more with deeds, then with words: The blinde, the lame, the sick that were recovered, were their visible Arguments. The Languages which they spake, the Prophesies which they uttered, and other such supernatural gifts of the holy Ghost upon them; these were the things that did convince the world. Yet this is no president to us, to make as little use of Learning as they, because we are not upon the same work, nor yet supplied with their supernatural furniture.
5. The reproaches of their enemies do fully testifie this, who cast it still in their teeth, that they were ignorant and unlearned men. And indeed this was the great rub that their Doctrine found in the world: it was to the Jews a stumbling block, and to the Greeks foolishness, and therefore it appeared to be the power of God, and not of man: This was it that they discouraged the people with,Joh. 7 48.49. Do any of the Rulers, or Pharisees believe on him? but this people that know not the Law are accursed
6. To conclude, The very frame and stile of these sacred Writings, doth fully tell us, that they were none of the Logicians, nor eloquent Orators of the world that did compose them. This is yet to this day, one of the greatest stumbling blocks in the world, to hinder men from the reverencing and believing the Scriptures. They are still thinking, sure if they were the very words of God, they would excell all other Writings in every kinde of excellency, when indeed it discovereth them the more certainly to be of God, because there is in them so little of man: They may as well say, If David had been sent against Goliah from God, he would sure have been the most compleat souldier, and most compleatly armed. The words are but the dish to serve up the sense in: God is content that the words should not onelyonly have in them a savor of Humanity, but of much infirmity, so that the work of convincing the world may be furthered thereby. And I verily think, that this is Gods great design▪ in permitting these pretious spirits of divine Truths, to run in the veines of infirm Language, that so men may be convinced in all succeeding ages, that Scripture is no device of Humane Policy. If the Apostles had been learned and subtil men, we should sooner have suspected their finger in the contrivance. Yea, It is observable, that in such as Paul, that had some Humane Learning, yet God would not have them make much use of it, least the excellency of the Cross of Christ should seem to lye in the inticing words of mans wisdom; and least the success of the Gospel should seem to be more from the ability of the Preacher, then from the Arm of God.
Besides all this, It may much perswade us, that the Apostles never contrived the Doctrine which they Preached, by their sudden and not premeditated setting upon the work. They knew not whether they should go, nor what they should do, when he calls one from his Fishing, and another from his Custome; They knew not what course Christ would take with himself or them, no not a little before he leaves them. Nay, they must not know their imployment till he is taken from them. And even then is it revealed to them by parcels and degrees, and that without any study or invention of their own; even after the coming down of the Holy Ghost; Peter did not well under stand that the Gentiles must be called.Acts 10. All which ignorance of his Apostles, and suddenness of Revelation, I think was purposely contrived by Christ, to convince the world that they were not the contrivers of the Doctrine which they Preached.
§ 4.SECT. IV.
2. LEt us next then consider, how far short the learned Philosophers have come of this. They that have spent all their days in most painful studies; having the strongest natural endowments for to enable them, and the learned Teachers, the excellent Libraries, the bountiful incouragement, and countenance of Princes to further them; and yet after all this, are very Novices in all spiritual things. They cannot tell what the happiness of the Soul is, nor where that happiness shall be enjoyed; nor when, nor how long, nor what are the certain means to attain it; nor who they be that shall possess it. They know nothing how the world was made, nor how it shall end; nor know they the God who did create, and doth sustain it: but for the most of them, they multiply feighned Deities.
But I shall have occasion to open this more fully anon, under the last Argument.