Sivut kuvina
PDF
ePub

Judges vi. 21, 37.

vii. 13, 14.

concerned to establish ourselves in the Belief and Practice of what is contained in the holy Scriptures.

Q. What are the peculiar Characters of a Divine Revelation?

A. The Proofs of a Divine Revelation vary according to the different Cases of those it doth concern; For they may relate either to the Person himself that is inspired, or to those that receive the Matter revealed immediately from the Persons inspired, or to those that live remote from the Age of the inspired Persons, as in the Case of all Christians since the Times of our Saviour and his Apostles.

Q. How can the Person inspired be satisfied himself of the Truth of such a Revelation?

A. When God Almighty thinks fit to make a Revelation to any Man, to manifest and discover any Truth or Thing to him of which he was before ignorant; it is not unreasonable to think, but that he will, some Way or other, satisfy the Person concerning the Reality of it; for it cannot possibly signify any Thing, or have any Effect upon the Man, unless he be satisfied it is such; and the Assurance of a divine Revelation, as to the Person himself, is most probably wrought by the great Evidence it carries with it of its Divine Original; for no Man can doubt but that God, who made our Understandings, and knows the Frame of them, can accompany his Revelations with so clear and overpowering a Light as to discover to us the Divinity of them, and that they came from him. Consequently, in God's manifesting himself to the Prophets, there was such a powerful Representation on the Part of the divine Agent, and that Clearness of Perception on the Part of the Person inspired, as did abundantly make good those Phrases of Vision and Speaking, by which it is described in Scripture. Yet sometimes there was added some Sign or supernatural Proof; for when Gideon has some Doubt of what the Angel said when he knew not who he was, and betrayed some Fear when required to go on a difficult Enterprize, he was

3. 6.

confirmed by the Fire out of the Rock that consumed the Flesh, and by the Fleece, and by the Soldier's Dream, and the Interpretation thereof. And Moses was convinced not only of his own Mission Exod. iv. from God, but of the Acceptance and Authority he3 should have upon it with the People, when the Rod in his Hand was turned into a Serpent; and his Hand, by putting it into his Bosom, was made leprous, and cured again in a Moment by taking it out.

Q. But doth not this make a stubborn Belief and obstinate Conceit of a Thing to be a Divine Revelation?

A. I think not; because a good Man, when he is inspired, and reflects upon it, and diligently considers the Assurance which he finds in his Mind concerning it, can give a rational Account of it to himself, he must have reason to believe himself inspired, which the deluded Person wants; and therefore the Positiveness of the Pretender may arise from Pride and Self-conceit; which have no small Influence: but more especially from a disordered Imagination or Fancy, which interrupts the Operations of the Mind; whereas a true Inspiration will bear the Test of the Prophet's Reason, which will give him Satisfaction concerning it. Thus he finds it a foreign Impression, that it doth not spring from himself, nor hath its Rise from thence; and therefore ascribes it to some Spirit without himself, and believing that there is a God that can communicate himself to the Minds of Men, and that his Goodness is such, that he will not suffer them to be under the Necessity of a Delusion, which they must be, if when they have the highest Assurance and Satisfaction that such a Thing is a divine Revelation, they may be deceived. Farther, he considers the Matter of the Revelation, and if it neither contradicts any essential and fundamental Notion of his Understanding, nor any other former Revelation, he thinks himself obliged to entertain it. The Confidence of Enthusiasts in their imaginary Inspirations arising from a Defect of their Reason and

Judgment, is in itself no more an Argument against this, than because Sense is sometimes deceived and imposed upon, that therefore it is never certain; or because there are Errors and Disputes among Mankind, that therefore there is no Truth. Confidence in imaginary Inspirations may be great, but the Perception, and so the Assurance, cannot be equal to what is real.

Q. How can they that receive the Revelation from the Persons inspired, judge of the Truth of such a Revelation?

A. From the Credibility of the Persons pretending to Inspiration, that they be of known Probity and approved Integrity, and that they be endowed with Prudence and Understanding; for God's Choice of Persons for so peculiar a Service, doth, in that Way, either find or make them fit. From the extraordinary Evidence and Testimony they give that they are inspired, as working of Miracles, which must be unquestionable as to their Number and Quality, and to the public Manner of doing them; and the Prediction of future Events, which God claims as a Prerogative to himself, because such Things, being out of the Reach of any created Understanding, are a more certain Proof of a divine Power, than even the working of Miracles themselves. From the Matter of the Revelation, which, when it concerns Mankind in general, must be worthy of God, as proceeding from him, and must tend to the Advantage and Satisfaction, and Happiness of Mankind, to whom the Revelation is made: for Justice, Holiness, and Goodness, are as necessary and as essential to our Idea of God as Power; and consequently, a Revelation that contradicts these Attributes cannot come from God. This Evidence is very necessary, and may reasonably be expected, and is a Proof of the highest Nature; and what, as every Man can judge of, being a Master of Sense and Reason; so it is what every Man ought to be concluded by.

Q. What Evidence is necessary for those who live at a great Distance from the Age of those Persons that

were inspired, to satisfy them of the Truth of that Revelation they are obliged to believe?

A. The credible Report of Eye and Ear Witnesses concerning the Miracles that have been wrought, and the Predictions that have been foretold to prove Persons inspired, conveyed down to us in such a Manner, and with such Evidence, as that we have no Reason to doubt of the Truth of them; which is all the Evidence that can be had in such Circumstances, and which must be presumed necessary, and therefore is sufficient.

Q. But since the Proof of Revelation at a Distance depends upon the Truth of Matters of Fact, what general Rules are there, that when they all meet, Matters of Fact cannot be false?

Method

Deist.

A. There are four Rules that make it impossible Short for Matters of Facts to be false, where they all and easy concur. First, that the Matters of Fact be such with a as that Men's outward Senses, their Eyes and Ears, may be Judges of it. Secondly, that it be done publicly, in the Face of the World. Thirdly, that not only public Monuments be kept in Memory of it, but some outward Action to be performed. Fourthly, that such Monuments, and such Actions or Observances, be instituted, and do commence from the Time that the Matter of Fact was done. Q. Wherein appear the Advantages of these Rules for the Proof of Matters of Fact?

A. The two first Rules make it impossible for any such Matter of Fact to be imposed upon Men, when such Matter of Fact was said to be done; because every Man's Eyes and Senses would contradict it. And the two last Rules make it impossible that any such Matter of Fact should be invented some Time after, and imposed upon the Credulity of Afterages; because, whenever such Matter of Fact came to be invented, if not only Monuments were said to remain of it, but likewise that public Actions and Observances were constantly used ever since the Matter of Fact was said to be done, the Deceit must be detected by no such Monuments appearing,

and by the Experience of every Man, Woman, and Child, who must know that no such Actions or Observances were used by them.

Q. Pray give an Illustration of the Force of the two first Rules?

A. To illustrate the two first Rules; suppose any Man should pretend that Yesterday he divided the Thames in the Presence of all the People in London, and carried the whole City, Men, Women, and Children, over to Southwark on dry Land, the Waters standing like Walls on both sides; I say, it is morally impossible, that he could persuade the People of London that this was true, when every Man, Woman, and Child, could contradict him, and say that this was a notorious Falsehood. Therefore it may be taken for granted, that no such Imposition could be put upon Men, at the Time when such public Matter of Fact was said to be done.

Q. How may the two last Rules be illustrated? A. Suppose a Story should be invented of a certain Thing done a thousand Years ago, perhaps some might be prevailed upon to believe it: But if it be said that not only such a Thing was done, but, that, from that Day to this, every Man at the Age of twelve Years, had a Joint of his little Finger cut off, and that every Man in the Nation did want a Joint of such a Finger; and that this Observation was said to be Part of the Matter of Fact done so many Years ago, and vouched as a Proof and Confirmation of it, and as having descended without Interruption, and having been constantly practised in Memory of such Matter of Fact, all along from the Time that such Matter of Fact was done; it is impossible, in such a Case, that the Story could be believed, because every one could contradict it, as to the Mark of cutting off a Joint of the Finger, and that being Part of the Matter of Fact, must demonstrate the Whole to be false.

[ocr errors]

Q. What may we learn from those frequent Discoveries God hath made of his Will to Mankind?

« EdellinenJatka »