07. Chapter VII.
Chapter VII.
Inferences from the whole — Some objections answered.
Three things offer themselves for consideration from what has been discussed:
1. What the ground and reason is for why the lowliest and most unlearned sort of believers assent to this truth that the Scriptures are the word of God, with no less firmness, certainty, and assurance of mind, than the wisest and most learned of them. Indeed, often the faith of the former sort in this has the best growth and firmest consistency against oppositions and temptations. Now, no assent of the mind can be accompanied with any more assurance than the evidence will afford — whose effect it is, and which it is resolved into. Nor does any evidence of truth produce an assent to it in the mind, except as it is apprehended and understood. Therefore, the evidence of this truth, in whatever it consists, must be what is perceived, apprehended, and understood, by the lowliest and most unlearned sort of true believers. For as it was said, they no less firmly assent and adhere to it than the wisest and most learned of them. It cannot, therefore, consist in such subtle and learned arguments, whose sense they cannot understand or comprehend. But the things we have pleaded are of another nature. For those characteristics of divine wisdom, goodness, holiness, grace, and sovereign authority, which are implanted in the Scripture by the Holy Ghost, are as legible to the faith of the lowliest, as they are to that of the most learned believer. Also, they are no less capable of an experiential understanding of the divine power and efficacy of the Scripture, in all its spiritual operations, than those who are wiser and more skilful in discerning the force of external arguments and motives of credibility. Therefore, of necessity it must be granted that the formal reason of faith consists in those things of which the evidence is equally obvious to all sorts of believers.
2. This is why the assent of faith, by which we believe that the Scriptures are the word of God, is usually accompanied with more assurance than any assent which comes from the effect of science upon the most demonstrative principles. Those who affirm this, do not consider faith as it is in this or that individual person, or in all who sincerely believe; but as it is in its own nature and essence, and what it is fit and able to produce. The schoolmen160 distinguish between a certainty or assurance of evidence, and an assurance of adherence. In the latter, they say, the certainty of faith exceeds that of science; but it is less so in respect to the former. But it is not easily conceived how certainty of adherence should exceed the certainty of evidence, with respect to any object whatsoever. What seems to render a difference in this case, is that the evidence which we have in scientific things is speculative; it affects only the mind. But the evidence we have by faith effectively works on the will also, because of the goodness and excellence of the things that are believed. Hence the whole soul more firmly adheres to the objects of faith upon that evidence which it has of them, than to other things of which it has clearer evidence, and in which the will and affections are little or not at all concerned. Bonaventure gives a reason of no small weight, why faith is more certain than science — not with the certainty of speculation, but with the certainty of adherence.161 And whatever may be said of this distinction, I think it cannot modestly be denied that there is a greater assurance in faith than there is in any scientific conclusions, until there are as many good and wise men who would part with all their worldly concerns and their lives, by the most exquisite tortures, in the confirmation of any truth which they have received merely on the ground of reason acting in human sciences, as those who have so done on the certainty which they had by faith, that the Scripture is a divine revelation. For in bearing testimony to this, innumerable multitudes of the best, the holiest, and the wisest men ever in the world, have cheerfully and joyfully sacrificed all their temporal concerns, and ventured all their eternal concerns. For they did it under a full satisfaction that in parting with all temporary things, they would be eternally blessed or eternally miserable, according to whether their persuasion in faith proved true or false.
Thus, for the firmness and constancy which we have in the assurance of faith, three things concur:
(1.) That this ability of assent upon testimony is the highest and most noble power or faculty of our rational souls. And therefore, where it has the highest evidence of which it is capable — which it has in the testimony of God — it gives us the highest certainty or assurance of which we are capable in this world.
(2.) For the assent of divine faith, there is required a special internal operation of the Holy Ghost. This renders it of another nature than any mere natural act and operation of our minds. And therefore, if the assurance of it may not properly be said to exceed the assurance of science in degree, it is only because it is of a more excellent kind; and so it is not capable of comparison to it as to degrees.
(3.) The revelation which God makes of himself, of his mind and will, by his word, is more excellent, and it is accompanied with greater evidence of his infinitely glorious properties — in which alone the mind can find absolute rest and satisfaction (which is its assurance) — than any other discovery of truth is capable of, whatever sort it is. Nor is the assurance of the mind absolutely perfect in anything beneath the enjoyment of God. Thus, by faith the soul makes the nearest approaches it is capable of in this life, to the eternal spring of being, truth, and goodness. It has in this the highest rest, satisfaction, and assurance that it can attain in this life.
3. It follows from this that those who would deny either of these two things, or separate them so as to exclude the necessity of either to the duty of believing — namely, the internal work of the Holy Spirit on the minds of men, enabling them to believe, and the external work of the same Holy Spirit, giving evidence in and by the Scripture to its own divine origin — endeavor to expel all true divine faith from the world, and to substitute in its place, a probable persuasion. For a close to this discourse, which has now been drawn out to a greater length than was intended at first, I will consider some objections that are usually pleaded in opposition to the truth asserted and vindicated:
Obj. 1. It is objected in the first place that,
"The plea insisted on here, cannot be managed without great disadvantage to Christian religion. For if we take away the rational grounds on which we believe the doctrine of Christ to be true and divine, and the whole evidence of its truth is laid on things that are not only derided by men of atheistic spirits, but cannot be discerned by anyone except believers, then on what grounds can we proceed to convince an unbeliever?"
Ans. 1. By the way, it is one thing to prove and believe that the doctrine of Christ is true and divine; and another to prove and believe that the Scripture is given by the inspiration of God, or by the divine authority of the Scripture; this alone is what was proposed for consideration. A doctrine that is true and divine may be written down and proposed to us in writings that were not divinely and infallibly inspired; and so the doctrine of Christ might have been written — but not without unspeakable disadvantage to the church. And there are various arguments which forcefully and effectively prove that the doctrine of Christ was true and divine, which have no efficacy to prove the divine authority of the Scriptures. Though, on the other hand, whatever does prove the divine authority of the Scriptures, equally proves the divine truth of the doctrine of Christ.
Ans. 2. There are two ways of convincing unbelievers — the one insisted on by the apostles and their followers, and the other by some learned men since their days. The way principally insisted on by the apostles was by preaching the word itself to them in the evidence and demonstration of the Spirit. By the power of this, manifesting the authority of God in it, unbelievers were convinced, and falling down, they acknowledged God to truly be in it, 1Cor 2.4-5, 14.24-25.162 It is likely that in their proposal of the gospel to unbelievers (of the doctrine and truths contained in it), those of atheistic spirits would deride both the apostles and the gospel. And so indeed it came to pass that many considered them to be babblers, and their doctrine to be arrant folly.163 Yet the apostles did not desist from pursuing their work in the same way; and God gave success to it. The other way is to prove to unbelievers that the Scripture is true and divine by rational arguments; in which some learned persons have labored to very good purpose, especially in these last ages. And certainly their labors are to be greatly commended while they attend to these rules:
(1.) That they produce no arguments except those which are cogent, and not liable to just exceptions. For if, to manifest their own skill or learning, they plead those reasons which are capable of disproof and other solutions, they overly prejudice the truth by subjecting it to dubious disputes — because in itself, the truth is clear, firm, and sacred.
(2.) That they do not pretend their rational grounds and arguments are the sole foundation faith has to rest upon, or which it is resolved into; for this would be the ready way to set up an opinion, instead of supernatural and divine faith.
Accept these two limitations, and it is acknowledged that the rational grounds and arguments intended may be rationally pleaded (and ought to be) for the conviction of gainsayers. For no man so pleads the self-evidencing power of the Scripture, as to deny that the use of other external motives and arguments is necessary to close the mouths of atheists, and to further establish those who believe. These things are subordinate, and in no way inconsistent. The truth is, if we attend to our own experience and that of the whole church of God, this is ordinarily the way by which we come to believe that the Scripture is the word of God, and no other. God, having first given his word as the foundation of our faith and obedience, has appointed the ministry of men — at first extraordinary and afterward ordinary — to propose to us the doctrines, truths, precepts, promises, and threatenings contained in it. Together with this proposition, they are appointed to declare that these things are not from themselves, nor of their own invention, 2Tim 3.14-17.164 And this is done variously. The word of God in this ministry is thus proposed, preached, or declared to some, while they are in a condition not only utterly unacquainted with the mysteries of it, but filled with contrary apprehensions of it; and consequently, they are prejudiced against it. Thus it came of old to the pagan world, and it must do so to those persons and nations which are still in the same state as them. The first preachers of the gospel did not produce the book of the Scriptures to these people, and tell them that it was the word of God, and that it would evidence itself to them as such. For this would have been to despise the wisdom and authority of God in their own ministry. Rather, they preached its doctrines to them, grounding themselves on the divine revelation contained in it. And this proposition of the truth, or preaching of the gospel, was not left by God to work itself into the reason of men by its suitableness to their reason. But the gospel being of his own institution for their illumination and conversion, God accompanied it with divine power, and made it effectual for the ends designed, Romans 1:16. And the event of this among mankind was that this new doctrine was derided and scorned by some; and it was embraced and submitted to by others, whose hearts God opened to attend to it. Among those who, after the propagation of the gospel, are born within the pale of the church, as they say, the same doctrine is variously instilled according to the several duties and concerns of others to instruct them. Principally, the ministry of the word is ordained by God to that end, upon which the church is the pillar and ground of truth. Those of both sorts to whom the doctrine mentioned is preached or proposed, are directed to the Scriptures as the sacred repository of it — for they are told that these things come by revelation from God, and that that revelation is contained in the Bible, which is his word. Upon this proposal, inquiring into it and considering it, God co-operating by his Spirit, there is such evidence of its divine origin communicated to their minds through its power and efficacy, with the characteristics of divine wisdom and holiness implanted on it (which they are now enabled to discern), that they believe it, and rest in it, as the immediate word of God.
Thus it was in the case of the woman of Samaria and the inhabitants of Sychar with respect to their faith in Christ Jesus, John 4.42.165 This is the way by which men ordinarily are brought to believe the word of God, Rom 10.14, 15, 17.166 And that is neither by external arguments nor motives, which no soul was ever converted to God by; nor by any mere naked proposal and offer of the book to them; nor by miracles; nor by immediate revelation or private subjective testimony of the Spirit. Nor is their faith a persuasion of mind that they can give no reason for, except that they are so persuaded.
Obj. 2. But it will be still further objected that,
"If there is such clear evidence in the thing itself, that is, in the divine origin and authority of the Scriptures, that none who freely use their reason can deny it, then it lies in the naked proposal of the thing to the understanding — and if this is so, then everyone who assents to the proposition that, ’The whole is greater than the part,’ must likewise assent to this proposition that, ’The Scripture is the word of God.’ Otherwise, the evidence must not lie in the naked proposal, but in the efficacy of the Spirit of God in the minds of those to whom it is proposed."
Ans. 1. I know of no divine, ancient or modern, popish or protestant, who does not assert that there is a work of the Holy Ghost on the minds of men that is necessary to a due belief that the Scripture is the word of God; and the consideration of this should not be excluded by any Christian. But they do not say that this is the objective testimony or evidence on which we believe that the Scripture is the word of God, which alone is what our inquiry concerns.
Ans. 2. We do not dispute how far or by what means this proposition, "The Scripture is the word of God," may be evidenced not merely to our reason, but to our understanding, as capable of giving an assent upon testimony. And it is not said that this is a first principle of reason, though it is a first principle of faith. Nor is it said that it is capable of mathematical demonstration. It is self-evident to our reason on its first proposal, that the whole is greater than the part; but none pretends such self-evidence is in the Scripture, because it is not a subject capable of it. Nor do those who deny the self-evidence of the Scripture pretend, by their arguments for its divine authority, to give such an evidence of it to reason, as there is in first principles or mathematical demonstrations. Rather, they content themselves with what they call a "moral certainty." But it is by faith that we are obliged to receive the truth of this proposition. This respects the power of our minds to assent to truth upon testimony — infallibly on that which is infallible. It evidences its own truth to the mind, not with the same, but with an evidence and certainty of a higher nature, and a nobler kind, than that of the strictest demonstration in natural things, or the most forcible argument in moral things.
3. It will be objected that,
"If this is so, then none can be obliged to receive the Scripture as the word of God who does not have faith; and none has faith but those in whom it is worked by the Spirit of God; and all will be resolved into this at last."
Ans.1. Indeed, there is no place for this objection, for the whole work of the Spirit is pleaded only as he is the efficient cause of believing, and not the objective cause, or reason why we believe. But —
Ans. 2. We must not be ashamed to resolve all that we do well spiritually, and in obedience to the command of God, into the efficacious operation of the Holy Ghost in us, unless we intend to be ashamed of the gospel. But this still makes his internal operation to be the efficient cause, and not his internal testimony to be the formal cause, or reason of our faith.
Ans. 3. It is another question whether all obligation to duty is and must be proportionate to our own strength, without divine assistance. We deny this, and affirm we are obliged to many things by virtue of God’s command which we have no power to answer, except by virtue of his grace.
Ans. 4. Where the proposal of the Scripture is made in the way described before, those to whom it is proposed are obliged to receive it as the word of God, upon the evidence which it gives of itself as such. Yes, every real, true, divine revelation made to men, or every proposal of the Scripture by divine providence, has that evidence accompanying it (of its being from God) that is sufficient to oblige those to whom it was made, to believe it on pain of His displeasure. If this were otherwise, then God would either be obliged to confirm every particular divine revelation with a miracle (which does not lack its difficulty as to its obliging us to believe);167 which he did not do in many of the prophets; nor does he do so at this day in the first proposal of the gospel to the heathen. Or else, when he requires faith and obedience in those ways which, in his wisdom, he judges fit — that is, in the ordinary ministry of the word — they are not obliged by it; nor would it be their sin to refuse to comply with his will.168
Ans. 5. If this difficulty cannot be avoided other than by affirming that the faith which God requires of us with respect to his word, is nothing but a natural assent to it, upon rational arguments and considerations which we have an ability for, without any spiritual aid of the Holy Ghost or any respect to his testimony, as described before (which overthrows all faith, especially that which is divine), I would rather allow ten thousand times, all the just consequences that can follow on the supposition mentioned, than admit this relief. But this has none of those consequences that would exempt anyone to whom the Scripture is proposed, from an obligation to believe it. In like manner, there is no difficulty in the usual objection that respects particular books of the Scripture, as to why we receive some as canonical and reject others — such as receiving the Book of Proverbs, and not of Wisdom, Ecclesiastes and not Ecclesiasticus: for —
1. As to the books of the Old Testament, we have the canon of those books given to us in the New, where it is affirmed that the oracles of God were committed to the church of the Jews. This both confirms all that we receive, and it excludes all that we exclude. And for the New Testament, there are no pretenders to it, nor were there ever, to the least exercise of the faith of anyone in them.
2. All books whatever, that have either pretended to a divine origin, or have been pleaded by others to be of that extraction, have been evicted by falsehood in that pretense (and may be of themselves, without further help). All of them up to now, in matter or manner, in plain confessions or on other sufficient evidence, have manifested that they are of a human origin. And not much danger is to be feared from any in the future, that will be presented with the same pretense.
3. We are not bound to refuse the ministry of the church, or the advantages of providence by which the Scripture is brought to us, along with the testimonies which any one part of it gives to another, either directly or collaterally. Although the Scripture is to be believed for itself, it is not ordinarily to be believed by itself, without the help of other means.169
4. On these suppositions I do not fear to affirm that there are on every individual book of the Scripture, particularly those named, those divine characteristics and criteria which are sufficient to differentiate them from all other writings whatsoever, and to testify of their divine authority to the minds and consciences of believers. I say of believers, for we do not inquire on what ground unbelievers, or those who do not believe, would believe the word of God, nor yet directly on what outward motives such persons may be induced to do so. Our sole inquiry at present is, what the faith of those who do believe is resolved into. We acknowledge that the reason for first giving out divine revelations, is the same as for the Scripture. Therefore, it is not said that when our Lord Jesus Christ came and preached to the Jews, that these mere words, "I am the light of the world," or the like, had all this evidence in them or with them — for nothing he said of that kind may be separated from its circumstances. But supposing the testimonies given in the Scripture beforehand — as to his person, work, time, and manner of coming, combined with the evidence of the presence of God with him in the declaration he made of his doctrine and of being the Messiah — the Jews were bound to believe what he taught, and to believe that he was himself the Son of God, the Savior of the world. And many of them did so, upon his preaching only, John 4:42; John 8:30. In like manner, they were bound to believe the doctrine of John Baptist, and to submit to his institutions, even though he worked no miracle. And those who did not, rejected the counsel of God for their good, and perished in their unbelief. But although our Lord Jesus Christ worked no miracles to prove that the Scripture then extant was the word of God — seeing that he worked miracles only among those by whom that was firmly believed170 — the wisdom of God saw it necessary to confirm his personal ministry by them. And without a sense of the power and efficacy of the divine truth of the doctrine proposed, miracles themselves will be despised; so they were despised by some who were afterward converted by the preaching of the word, Acts 2.13.171 Or they will produce only a false faith, or a ravished172 assent upon an amazement; that will not abide, Acts 3.7-8, 8.13, 21.173