Christianity the Great Mystery, Preface
THE PREFACE.
THere hath Lately Appeared in Print, A Book Entituled, Chriſtianity not Myſterious; And It Ʋndertakes to Shew, There is nothing in the Goſpel, Contrary to Reaſon, or Above it; And that no Chriſtian Doctrine can be call'd, A Myſtery.
The Writer Conceals his Name, and I do not deſire to make Enquiry after it; For it is not a Name, but Truth, and Weight of Diſcourſe I would Inſiſt upon; Nor would I, if I could, make Any Reflexion upon Perſons, Having All Reaſons in my ſelf for Humility, in Regard both of Conſciouſneſs of my own Weakneſs, and alſo of Ʋnworthineſs: I would deal onelyonly with Things, and Treat them, as They Require to be Treated; That All may Reſt on the Merit of True Reaſon, according to the Word of God, and not on Sallyes of Wit, or Satyre; And, that All may be Managed with a Gravity Condecent to the Myſteries of Chriſtianity, and with Reverence of Scriptures, as All, who Diſcourſe in their Defence, ought to Speak and Write: I deſire to obſerve the Apoſtolical Rule, To give the Apology of the Hope of Chriſtianity to Thoſe, who Ask for it, with Meekneſs, and Fear; and, in Meekneſs to Inſtruct, If Any oppoſe Themſelves; If God Peradventure will Give them Repentance to the Acknowledging the Truth.
I could Have Heartily wiſh'd, that even the Writer of the Treatiſe, I Deſign to Review, had Avoided any thing, that Looks ſo Like Ridiculing, and Expoſing, as that Dialogue between the Doctor and Pariſhioner, p. 112, &c. and Left his Reader to Bow before the Majeſty of Evidence, (as He expreſſes it) wherever he Found it: and had Forborn that, as Leaſt Indecorouſneſſe of Expreſſion, towards Perſons of ſo Great Veneration for their Accompliſhments of Holineſs, and Learning; as alſo their Early Profeſſion of Chriſtianity; I mean, The Fathers, whom He calls, p. 5. The Herd of the Fathers; as if becauſe of Their Reverence of the Myſteries of the Goſpel above the Pretenſions of Reaſon, They were to be Look'd upon as Irrational, not to ſay Worſe: A Vein of clear, unſullyed Reaſon, eſpecially Bowing before a Greater Majeſty, then what we are too ſuddenly prone to call Evidence; I mean the Authority of God in his Word; I value above All Flouriſhes, tha ſerve the Reader's Diverſion and Airyneſs, rather then his Inſtruction, and Benefit.
I am glad to find ſo many Reflexions on the Myſtery of Iniquity, and the Depths of Sathan, as I hope they will ſhortly be Ʋniverſally deem'd, and ſpoken of; I mean That of Popery, or Antichriſtianiſm, ſo Great an Eclipſe upon the Glory of True Chriſtianity; becauſe Scripture hath ſo often Doomed it to Impenitency, and Perdition: But I cannot but look upon it, as moſt Injurious, to Parallel, in any Degree with it, thoſe Forms of Sound Doctrine, ſo often Reproached under the Name of Syſtems, or Syſtematic Theology; wherein any have taken care to keep, eſpecially Cloſe to Scripture; and thoſe Intellectual Exercitations upon them are ſuited to Men of Thought and Contemplation, though not ſo Familiar to Common Readers, or Hearers; who may yet have thoſe Difficulties Maſticated, and Prepared for them, by more plain Diſcourſes.
I do not yet Plead for Binding Men's Faith and Conſciences to any Words, or Form of Words, that do not, eſpecially in Chriſtian Myſteries, Keep, as cloſe as may be, not onelyonly to Scripture-Senſe, but to Scripture-Expreſſions, with as little variation as is poſſible; Comparing Spiritual things with Spiritual; and that they who do this, come neareſt to the Thing, as the Author ſpeaks; though with what Deſign, in his Explaining of thoſe Words, p. 5. I will not undertake to Judge; Let him therein Stand or Fall to his own Maſter.
The Things that give me Scandal in the Treatiſe, are; Firſt, The Boldneſs, and Inſolency of the Frontiſpiece, ſo very Contemptuous, and even Contradictory to the Conſtant Language of the New Teſtament, Styling the Goſpel, Myſtery, and its Truths, Myſteries; whilſt that openly Bears out, Chriſtianity not Myſterious; this ſavours of Too mean an Eſteem of the Sacred Stamp, and Superſcription, and the Images it gives of Things, and Highly Countenances Antioſcripturiſm, which yet the Writer would Appear not to have any Favour for.
I look upon it, as a Juſt Occaſion for a Chriſtian Zeal againſt it; That the Deiſts, as the Men of Reaſon, and Virtuoſo's, as they would be Thought, in Religion, Take the Pretenſions of this Treatiſe, as Service to Themſelves; Finding ſo much ſettled, in what, They Account Their own Territory, and Demeſne; Reaſon, and Free-Will; And, in the mean time, they Act the Part of Ananias, and Saphira; They Keep Back, or Withdraw, ſome Nobleſt Principles of the Goſpel on theſe very Intereſts; To which Secret Service, one cannot, but Suſpect, this Diſcourſe is Devoted.
I cannot but be Troubled; The Obſerving Atheiſt, with whom the Deiſt is in a Cloſe Allyance, Rejoyces to find his Account in this Suppoſiting a Dead Child of Reaſon, and Free-will, as they now go amongſt Men, in the Room of that Living Spirituous Chriſtianity of the Scriptures; or at leaſt, That it is Divided between a Nominal Faith, and a Philoſophy, that is indeed Vain, and Science, Falſly ſo Called.
The Beaux-Eſprits, The Men of Ayr, and Wit, are pleas'd with Meeting the Sacred, and Awful Myſteries of Chriſtian Religion under Burleſque, and Railleny: which ought to Affect the Sincere Lovers of it with Sadneſs, and Lamenting ſuch a Prophane Temper of the Age.
I will not Deny, That ſome, not to be Looked upon with ſo Ill an Eye, as the Former, who do not Cloſely Inſpect, nor Penetrate the Scope, and Tendency of ſuch a Diſcourſe, but ſuffer Themſelves to be Impos'd upon by Palliations, and Pretences, think it Innocent: But even this Deſerves Lamentation, as ſhewing a Soft, and Tame Surrendry of the Faith of the Goſpel, or a Gallio-Like Spirit, that does not Generouſly, and Genuinely Care for theſe Things.
But All, who more Wiſely and Diſcerningly Conſider ſuch Diſſertations in their Spring, and Iſſue, are Aware, How Deſtructive to, and Subverſive of the Doctrines, Life, and Power, and even of the Profeſſion of the Goſpel, they are.
On the Whole, therefore I make this Solemn Profeſſion, with Appeal to Him, who Searches Hearts, That I have no other Deſign in this Anſwer, but the Glory of God in the Bleſſed, and Glorious Goſpel of his Son; the Salvation of Souls, That they may Buy the Truth, and not, on Any Fair Glozes, Sell it. And therefore I can with All Humble Supplications, and Aſſurance, Commend the Ʋndertaking to the Divine Acceptance, in, and through the Mediator, and to His Bleſſing upon it; to the Approbation of Sincere Chriſtians; and to the very Reaſon of the Adverſaries between God, and their own Conſciences.