Imágenes de página
PDF
ePub

But, though the Nature and Reasons of the Things to be believed do not fall within our Compafs of Apprehending, and Therefore 'tis not Demanded, or Expected, that we should Apprehend them; yet the Reasons and Obligations of Belief it felf are Obvious, and Eafy to be Understood. 'Tis implied in our Natural notions of God's Perfection, that he cannot lye; and 'tis evident unto Natural Reafon, that Miracles and Prediction are an Abundant proof, that the Holy Scriptures are the Word of God: Infidelity therefore, in the Ultimate Refolution of it, is at once a Violation of God's Honour, and our own Reafon. And hence it follows, that all those Unbelievers are under a Plain and Dangerous mistake, who attempt to Skreen themselves from Blame and Danger, under a notion, that they are not Capable of Believing; that all men cannot Think alike; and that 'tis no more in their Power, to be of one Judgment and Opinion, than of one Size and Complexion.

Thus do they Delude themselves, and confirm one another in the Delufion,

not

not confidering, That God does as plainly Require the Submiffion of our UnderStandings, as of our Wills and Affections, to the Word of Truth: That 'tis not incumbent upon us, to determine the Nature of any Mystery; for then the State of it must needs rife Differently upon Several mens minds, from their Different and Imperfect ways of Thinking: That we are not to Debate, whether the Laws of Faith are Juftly Affigned by God, and whether the Things which he Commands us to Believe are Proper for us to Believe; for whofoever takes upon him to do this, Judgeth the Law, but if thou Judge the Law, thou art not a Doer of the Law, but a Judge: That 'tis not our Business, to give in our Opinions, concerning the Objects of Faith, but our Affent unto them: That to declare it Inconfiftent with our Faculties, to Believe, is, to offer unto the All-feeing God, a Groundless and Audacious Pretence: That God, who Revealed the Scriptures, needed not, that any should teftify of man; for he knew what was in man: That he who beftow'd our Faculties upon us, and

Knows

Knows their Capacity and Extent, hath Pofitively enjoyn'd us to receive those Holy Scriptures, as His Own Infallible Word, and Stedfaftly to Believe them, because they are fo; and, That whofoever Refuseth to Believe, refufeth at his utmost Peril, even at the Peril of Everlasting Destruc

tion.

When Natural Reason hath exerted its proper Power, in concurrence with God's Spirit, and answer'd its neceffary Obligation of Embracing, and Depending on the Credibility of Scriptures, and by consequence the Truth of Every thing therein deliver❜d; its Whole Office, with relation to Pure Affent, is Accomplished. If we fall Short of This, we do too Little; if we attempt More, we run beyond our Juft Length. For it would not be Duty, but Presumption, to fcruple any Particular Truth, becaufe 'tis in its Nature Intricate and Abftrufe, or to meafure God's Infinite Knowledge, by the narrow Scantling of our Own. His Teftimony is an Abundant reason of our Dependence; and a Firm dependence upon That Teftimony is, not only Needful, but also

highly Commendable on our Part. The Belief of Myfteries is the more Excellent, and Acceptable unto God, for this very reason, That although they do lie too deep for our Understandings to fathom, and we cannot fully Comprehend them; yet we do humbly, and Freely, and Readily, Check and Restrain our own moft Towering Conceptions, and submit them to the Infallible Spirit of God, * Cafting down Imaginations, † and every high thing that exalteth it felf against the knowledge of God, and bringing into Captivity every thought to the Obedience of

Chrift.

Whilst we Affent to any thing, which we plainly see the Nature and Reasons of, when it is Related; we do not Affent to it, out of Regard to the Teftimony of him who Relates it, but fhould be under the fame conviction, if we had no good Opinion of his Veracity. When we Affent unto fuch Particulars only, in the Scripture, as we can form Full notions

2 Cor. x. 5.

‡ NOHMA.

† ΛΟΓΙΣΜΟΥΣ ΚΑΙ ΠΑΝ ΥΨΩΜΑ.

of,

fo

of, and do carry their own Reasons so plainly along with them, that we should Depend upon the Truth of them, from our own Reasonings concerning them, though they had not been Established upon the foundation of Divine Teftimony, we do not pay much Honour to God, by Affenting to them. But when the Scripture proposeth to us certain Doctrines, which, though they imply no Contradiction, and therefore are not Impoffible, nor by Confequence Incredible, are yet so Difficult and Mysterious, that they are unaccountable by Us, and we can by no means raise Adequate conceptions of them; if we do firmly Believe fuch Truths as Thefe, for This reafon alone, that they are Deliver'd in the Word of God, we. do then teftify a profound Senfe of Honour for God, fubmitting our Beloved Reason it self to His Teftimony, and Relying Intirely upon Him, as the Author of Truth, out of pure Duty and Deference to Him, in Cafes which we are abfolutely Unable to refolve our felves.

But after all, neither the Neceffity, nor the Excellency of any Single Duty does

« AnteriorContinuar »