it is not necessary for them to have been transmitted to us by divine
inspiration, it may be replied, that these, as well as other parts
thereof, _were written for our learning_, Rom. xv. 4. so that what is
excellent in the character of persons, is designed for our imitation;
their blemishes and defects, to humble us under a sense of the universal
corruption of human nature; and the evil consequences thereof, to awaken
our fears, and dehort us from exposing ourselves to the same judgments
which were inflicted as the punishment of sin: and the account we have
of the providential dealing of God with his church, in the various ages
thereof, is of use to put us upon admiring and adoring the divine
perfections, as much as the doctrinal parts of scripture; and therefore
it is necessary that we have the greatest certainty that the inspired
writers have given us a true narration of things, and consequently that
the words, as well as the matter, are truly divine.
3. When, that they may a little palliate the matter, they allow that the
inspired writers, though left to the weakness of their memory, and the
impropriety of their style, were, notwithstanding, preserved, by the
interposure of divine providence, from committing mistakes in matters of
the highest importance; it may be replied, That it will be very
difficult for them to assign what doctrines are of greater, and what of
less importance, in all the instances thereof, or wherein providence has
interposed, to prevent their running into mistakes, and when it has not;
so that we are still in an uncertainty what doctrines are delivered to
us, as they were received by inspiration, and what are misrepresented by
the penmen of scripture; and we shall be ready to conclude, that in
every section or paragraph thereof, some things may be true, and others
false; some doctrines divine and others human, while we are left without
any certain rule to distinguish one from the other, and accordingly we
cannot be sure that any part of it is the word of God; so that such a
revelation as this would be of no real service to the church, and our
faith would be founded in the wisdom, or rather weakness of men, and our
religion, depending on it, could not be truly divine; so that this
method of reasoning is, to use the word inspiration, but to destroy all
the valuable ends thereof.
VI. Another argument, to prove the scriptures to be the word of God, may
be taken from their antiquity and wonderful preservation for so many
ages; this appears more remarkable, if we consider,
1. That many other writings, of much later date, have been lost, and
nothing more is known of them, but that there were once such books in
the world; and books might more easily be lost, when there were no other
but written copies of them, and these procured with much expense and
difficulty, and consequently their number proportionably small.
2. That the scripture should be preserved, notwithstanding all the
malice of its avowed enemies, as prompted hereunto by Satan, whose
kingdom is overthrown by it. Had it been in his power, he would
certainly have utterly abolished and destroyed it; but yet it has been
preserved unto this day, which discovers a wonderful hand of providence;
and would God so remarkably have taken care of a book, that pretends to
advance itself by bearing the character of a divinely inspired writing,
if it had not been really so? Which leads us to the next argument,
containing an advice, which is more convincing than any other; or, at
least, if this be added to those arguments which have been already
given, I hope it will more abundantly appear that the scriptures are the
word of God; since,
VII. The divine authority thereof is attested by God himself; and if, in
other cases, _we receive the witness of men_, surely, as the apostle
observes, _the witness of God is greater_, 1 John v. 9.
Now the testimony of God to the authority of scripture is twofold;
_First_, Extraordinary; _Secondly_, Ordinary; the extraordinary
testimony of God is that of miracles; the ordinary is taken from the use
which he makes of it, in convincing and converting sinners, and building
up in holiness and comfort, through faith, unto salvation.
1. As to the former of these, God has attested the truth hereof by
miracles. A miracle is an extraordinary divine work, whereby something
is produced, contrary to the common course and laws of nature: thus the
magicians confessed, that one of the miracles which Moses wrought was
the _finger of God_, Exod. viii. 19. Of these there are many undeniable
instances recorded in scripture, both in the Old and New Testament; and
these being above the power of a creature, and works peculiar to God,
they contain a divine testimony to the truth that is confirmed thereby,
for the confirmation whereof an appeal was made to them. Now when we say
that the divine authority of scripture was confirmed by miracles, we
mean,
(1.) That God has wrought miracles to testify his approbation of most of
the prophets and apostles, who were the inspired writers thereof,
whereby their mission was declared to be divine; and we cannot think
that God, who knows the hearts and secret designs of men, would employ
or send any to perform so great and important a work, if he knew them to
be disposed to deceive and impose on the world; or that they would in
any instance, call that his word which they did not receive from him.
The reason why men sometimes employ unfaithful servants about their work
is, because they do not know them; they never do it out of choice; and
therefore we cannot suppose that God, who perfectly knows the hearts of
men, would do so; therefore, having not only employed the penmen of
scripture as his servants, but confirmed their mission, and testified
his approbation of them, by miracles, this is a ground of conviction to
us that they would not have pretended the scriptures to be the word of
God, if they were not so.
Now that miracles have been wrought for this end, I think, needs no
proof; for we are assured hereof, not barely by the report of those
prophets, whose mission is supposed to have been confirmed thereby, but
it was universally known and received in the church, in those times, in
which they were wrought, and it is not pretended to be denied, by its
most inveterate enemies; the truth hereof, _viz._ that Moses, and
several other of the prophets, and our Saviour, and his apostles,
wrought miracles, can hardly be reckoned a matter in controversy; for it
is a kind of scepticism to deny it: and it is certain, that herein they
appealed to God for the confirmation of their mission; as Elijah is said
explicitly to have done, when he prays to this effect; _Lord God of
Abraham, Isaac, and of Israel, let it be known this day that thou art
God in Israel, and that I am thy servant; and that I have done all these
things at thy word_, 1 Kings xviii. 36. and we read, that God answered
him accordingly, _By the fire from heaven consuming the
burnt-sacrifice_, &c. ver. 38.
(2.) Such appeals to God, and answers from him, have attained their end,
by giving conviction to those who were more immediately concerned; this
is evident from what is said; in that the same prophet, having had his
request granted him, when God wrought a miracle, in raising the dead
child to life, the woman of Zarephath confessed, that by this she knew
_that he was a man of God, and that the word of the Lord, in his mouth,
was truth_, 1 Kings xvii. 21-24. And it is not denied by the Jews, the
most irreconcileable enemies to Christianity, that what is related in
the New Testament, concerning our Saviour’s, and his apostles, working
miracles, was true in fact; but the only thing denied by them is, that
this was a divine testimony, or that they were wrought by the hand of
God; and therefore the common reproach which is cast on them is, that
they were wrought by magic art, as the Jews of old objected to our
Saviour, _that he cast out devils by Beelzebub, the prince of the
devils_, Matth. xii. 24. and his reply to them was unanswerable, when he
said, that this objection would argue _Satan divided against himself_;
intimating, that he would never take such a method as this to overthrow
the Christian religion, which he could not but know was more conducive
to the establishment of it, than any other that could be used.
_Object._ 1. But if it be objected, that though miracles were wrought to
confirm the mission of several of the prophets, yet none were wrought to
confirm the divine authority of the subject matter of the scriptures:
_Answ._ To this it may be easily answered; that it is sufficient, if we
can prove that God has given his testimony, that he made choice of those
prophets to declare his mind and will to the world; and that he has
accordingly deemed them fit to be credited, and that they were not men
liable to any suspicion of carrying on a design to deceive the world; so
that if God himself not only styles them holy men, as he does all the
inspired writers in general, when he says, 2 Pet. i. 21. _Holy men of
God spake as they were moved by the Holy Ghost_, but also wrought
miracles to prove that they were his servants and messengers, employed
in this work; this is as convincing a testimony, as though every part of
scripture wrote by them had been confirmed by a miracle. Besides, it is
not unreasonable to suppose, that the church lived in those ages, in
which the various parts of scripture were written, had some
extraordinary proofs of their divine authority; since, in many of them,
miracles were very common, and, at the same time that the penmen of
scripture had the gift of inspiration, others had, what the apostle
calls, a _discerning of spirits_, 1 Cor. xii. 10. so that they were
enabled, by this means, to know whether the prophet, that pretended to
inspiration, was really inspired: this, to me seems very probably, the
sense of the apostle, when he says, 1 Cor. xiv. 32. _The spirits of the
prophets are subject to the prophets_, for he is discoursing before of
prophets speaking by divine revelation, and others judging thereof: now
if there was this extraordinary gift of discerning of spirits in the
ages, in which particular books of scripture were written, they who were
favoured herewith, had a convincing testimony of the inspiration of the
prophets and apostles, from the same Spirit by whom they were inspired,
by which means the divine authority of scripture was infallibly known to
them, and so imparted to others for their farther confirmation as to
this matter.
_Object._ 2. We are not now to expect miracles to confirm our faith, as
to the divine original of scripture; therefore how can we be said to
have a divine testimony.
_Answ._ As miracles are now ceased, so such a method of confirming
divine revelation is not necessary in all succeeding ages: God did not
design to make that dispensation too common, nor to continue the
evidence it affords, when there was no necessity thereof. Thus when the
scribes and Pharisees came to our Saviour, desiring to _see a sign_ from
him, Matt, xii. 38. he would not comply with their unreasonable demand;
and the apostle Paul takes notice of humour prevailing among the Jews in
his time, who then _required a sign_, 1 Cor, i, 22. but, instead of
complying with them herein, he refers them to the success of the gospel,
which is _the power of God to salvation_, as the only testimony to the
truth thereof that was then needful; and our Saviour, in the parable,
intimates, that the truth of divine revelation has been so well
attested, that _they who believe not Moses and the prophets, would not
be persuaded, though one rose from the dead_, Luke xvi, 31. Therefore,
since we have such a convincing evidence hereof, it is an unreasonable
degree of obstinacy to refuse to believe the divine authority of
scripture, merely because miracles are not now wrought; since, to demand
a farther proof of it, is no other than a tempting God, or disowning
that what he has done is sufficient for our conviction; and to say, that
for want of this evidence, our faith is not founded on a divine
testimony, is nothing to the purpose, unless it could be proved that it
is not founded on such a testimony formerly given, the contrary to which
is undeniably evident, since we have this truth confirmed by the
confession of the church in all the ages thereof, and therefore we have
as much ground to believe this matter, as though miracles were wrought
every day for its confirmation. This will farther appear, if we consider
the abundant ground we have to conclude that God has formerly given such
a testimony to his word; which leads us to enquire how far the testimony
of the church, in all the ages thereof, is to be regarded.
The church has given its suffrage, throughout all the ages thereof, to
the divine original of scripture, how much soever it has perverted the
sense of it. That this argument may be set in a true light, let us
consider what the Papists say to this matter, when they appeal to the
church, to establish the divine authority of scripture; and wherein we
differ from them; and how far its testimony is to be regarded, as a
means for our farther conviction. We are far from asserting, with them,
that the church’s testimony alone is to be regarded, without the
internal evidence of the divine authority of scripture, as though that
were the principal, if not the only foundation on which our faith is
built. If, indeed, they could prove the infallibility of the church, we
should more readily conclude the infallibility of its testimony; but all
their attempts of this nature are vain and trifling.
Moreover, we do not mean altogether the same thing by the church as they
do, when they intend by it a council convened together, to decree and
establish matters of faith, by him whom they pretend to be the visible
head thereof; and so a majority of votes of a body of men, every one of
whom are liable to error, must determine, and, according to them, give a
divine sanction to our faith. Nor do we think that those, whom they call
the fathers of the church, are to be any farther regarded, than as they
prove what they assert, since there is scarce any error or absurdity,
but what some or other of them have given into. We also distinguish
between the churches testimony, that the scripture was given by divine
inspiration, and the sense they give of many of its doctrines; as to the
latter of these, it has given us ground enough to conclude, that its
judgment is not much to be depended upon; however, we find that, in all
ages, it has given sufficient testimony to this truth, that the
scriptures are the word of God, and that they have been proved to be so,
by the seal which God has set thereunto, to wit, by the miracles that
have been wrought to confirm it. If therefore God has had a church in
the world, or a remnant whom he has preserved faithful; and if their
faith, and all their religion, and hope of salvation, has been founded,
without the least exception, on this truth, that the scriptures are the
word of God, we cannot altogether set aside this argument. But there is
yet another, which we lay more stress on, namely, the use which God has
made of it, which is the second thing to be considered, _viz._
2. His ordinary method of attesting this truth; it appears therefore, as
is farther observed in this answer, that the scriptures are the word of
God, from their light and power to convince and convert sinners, and to
comfort and build up believers to salvation. Here let us consider,
1. That the work of conviction and conversion is, and has been at all
times, experienced by those who have had any right or claim to
salvation; of which there have not only been various instances, in all
ages, but the very being of the church, which supposes and depends
thereon, is an undeniable proof of it.
2. As this work is truly divine, so the scriptures have been the
principal, if not the only direct means, by which it has been brought
about; so that we have never had any other rule, or standard of faith,
or revealed religion; nor has the work of grace been ever begun, or
carried on, in the souls of any, without it; from whence it evidently
appears, that God makes use of it to propagate and advance his interest
in the world, and has given his church ground to expect his presence
with it, in all his ordinances, in which they are obliged to pay a due
regard to scripture; and, in so doing, they have found that their
expectation has not been in vain, since God has, by this means,
manifested himself to them, and made them partakers of spiritual
privileges, which have been the beginning of their salvation.
3. It cannot be supposed that God would make this use of his word, and
thereby put such an honour upon it, had it been an imposture, or borne
the specious pretence of being instamped with his authority, if it had
not been so; for that would be to give countenance to a lie, which is
contrary to the holiness of his nature.
Thus we have considered the several arguments, whereby the scripture
appears to be the word of God; but since multitudes are not convinced
hereby, we have, in the close of this answer, an account of the means
whereby Christians come to a full persuasion as to this matter, and that
is the testimony of the Spirit in the heart of man, which is the next
thing to be considered. By this we do not understand that extraordinary
impression which some of old have been favoured with, who are said to
have been moved by the Holy Ghost, or to have had an extraordinary
unction from the Holy One, whereby they were led into the knowledge of
divine truths, in a way of supernatural illumination. This we pretend
not to, since extraordinary gifts are ceased; yet it does not follow
from hence, that the Spirit does not now influence the minds of
believers in an ordinary way, whereby they are led into, and their faith
confirmed in all necessary truths, and this in particular, that the
scriptures are the word of God; for we may observe, that no privilege
referring to salvation, was ever taken away, but some other, subservient
to the same end, has been substituted in the room thereof; especially,
unless a notorious forfeiture has been made of it, and the church, by
apostacy, has excluded itself from an interest in the divine regard; but
this cannot be said of the gospel-church in all the ages thereof, since
extraordinary gifts have ceased; therefore we must conclude, that being
destitute of that way, by which this truth was once confirmed, believers
have, instead of it, an inward conviction wrought by the Spirit of God,
agreeable to his present method of acting; otherwise this present
gospel-dispensation is, in a very material circumstance, much inferior
to that in which God discovered his mind and will to man in an
extraordinary way.
But that we may explain what we mean by this inward testimony of the
Spirit in the hearts of men, whereby they are fully persuaded that the
scriptures are the word of God, let it be considered,
(1.) That it is something more than barely a power, or faculty of
reasoning, to prove the scriptures to be divine, since that is common to
all; but this is a special privilege, given to those who are hereby
fully persuaded of this truth. Moreover, there may be a power of
reasoning, and yet we may be mistaken in the exercise thereof; and
therefore this is not sufficient, fully to persuade us that they are the
word of God, and consequently something more than this is intended in
this answer.
(2.) It is something short of inspiration; therefore, though the
scripture was known to be the word of God, by the Spirit of inspiration,
so long as that dispensation continued in the church, yet that privilege
being now ceased, the internal testimony of the Spirit contains a lower
degree of illumination, which has nothing miraculous attending it, and
therefore falls short of inspiration.
(3.) It is not an enthusiastic impulse, or strong impression upon our
minds, whereby we conclude a thing to be true, because we think it is
so; this we by no means allow of, since our own fancies are not the
standard of truth, how strong soever our ideas of things may be;
therefore,
(4.) This inward testimony of the Spirit contains in it a satisfying and
establishing persuasion, that the scriptures are the word of God, not
altogether destitute of other evidences, or convincing arguments: and
that which is more especially convincing to weak Christians, is taken
from the use which God makes of the scripture, in beginning and carrying
on the work of grace in their souls, who are thus convinced; and this
firm persuasion we find sometimes so deeply rooted in their hearts, that
they would sooner die ten thousand deaths than part with scripture, or
entertain the least slight thought of it, as though it were not divine;
and certainly there is a special hand of God in this persuasion, which
we can call no other than the inward testimony of the Spirit, whereby
they are established in this important truth.[45]
Footnote 20: