VI.The third argument
purposely contrived by Christ, to convince the world that they were not the contrivers of the doctrine which they preached.
Sect. IV. Let us next, then, consider, how far short the learned philosophers have come of this. They that have spent all their days in most painful studies, having the strongest natural endowments to enable them, and the learned teachers, the excellent libraries, the bountiful encouragement, and countenance of princes, to further them, and yet, after all this, are very novices in all spiritual things.
They cannot tell what the happiness of the soul is, nor where that happiness shall be enjoyed; nor when, nor how long, nor what are the certain means to attain it; nor who they be that shall possess it.
They know nothing how the world was made, nor how it shall end; nor know they the God who did create, and doth sustain it: but, for the most of them, they multiply feigned deities.
But I shall have occasion to open this more fully anon, under the last argument.
CHAP. VI The Third Argument.
SECT. I. My third argument, whereby I prove the divine authority of the Scriptures, is this: "Those writings which have been owned and fulfilled in several ages by apparent extraordinary providences of God, must needs be of God: but God hath so owned and fulfilled the Scriptures: ergo, they are of God.
The major proposition will not surely be denied. The direct consequence is, that such writings are approved by God; and if approved by him, then must they needs be his own, because they affirm themselves to be his own. It is beyond all doubt, that God will not interpose his power, and work a succession of wonders in the
world, for the maintaining or countenancing of any forgery; especially such as should be a slander against himself.
All the work, therefore, will lie in confirming the minor: where I shall show you, First, By what wonders of providence God hath owned and fulfilled the Scriptures: and, Secondly, How it may appear that this was the end of providences.
1. The first sort of providences here to be considered, are those that have been exercised for the church universal. Where these three things present themselves especially to be observed: First, The propagating of the Gospel, and raising of the church: Secondly, The defence and continuance of that church: Thirdly, The improbable ways of accomplishing these.
And, First, Consider what an unlikely design, in the judgment of man, did Christ send his apostles upon. To bid a few ignorant mechanics, Go, preach, and make him disciples of all nations. To send his followers into all the world, to make men believe him to be the Saviour of the world, and to charge them to expect salvation no other way. Why, almost all the world might say, they had never seen him: and to tell them in Britain, &c. of one crucified among thieves at Jerusalem, and to charge them to take him for their eternal king: this was a design very unlikely to prevail. When they would have taken him by force, and made him a king, then he refused, and hid himself.
But when the world thought they had fully conquered him, when they had seen him dead, and laid him in his sepulchre, then doth he arise and subdue the world. He that would have said, when Christ was on the cross, or in the grave 'that within so many weeks many thousands of his murderers should believe him to be their Saviour; or within so many years, so many countries and kingdoms should receive him for their Lord, and lay down their dignities, possessions, and lives at his feet;' would have hardly been believed by any that had heard him: and I am confident, they would most of them have acknowledged, that if such a wonder should come to pass, it must needs be from the finger of God alone. That the kingdoms of the
world should become the kingdoms of Christ, was then a matter exceeding improbable. But you may object that, First, It is but a small part of the world that believes. And, Secondly, Christ himself saith, that his flock is little. I answer, First, It is a very great part of the world that are believers at this day, if we consider besides
Europe, all the Greek church, and all the believers that are dispersed in Egypt, Judea, and most of the Turks' dominions: and the vast empire of Prestor-John in Africa. Secondly, Most countries of the world have received the Gospel; but they had but their time: they have sinned away the light, and therefore are now given up to darkness. Thirdly, Though the flock of Christ's elect are small, that shall receive the kingdom; yet the called, that profess to believe his
Gospel, are many.
2. Consider, also, as the wonderful raising of the kingdom of Christ in the world, so the wonderful preservation and continuance of it. He sends out his disciples as lambs among wolves, and yet promiseth them deliverance and success. His followers are everywhere hated through the world; their enemies are numerous as the sands of the sea: the greatest princes and potentates are commonly their greatest enemies, who, one would think, might command their extirpation, and procure their ruin with a word of their mouths. The learned men, and great wits of the world, are commonly their most keen and confident adversaries; who, one would think, by their wit, should easily over-reach them, and by their learning befool them, and by their policy contrive some course for their overthrow. Nay, which is more wonderful than all, the very common professors of the faith of Christ are as great haters of the sincere and zealous professors almost, if not altogether, as are the very Turks and pagans; and those that do acknowledge Christ for their Saviour, do yet so abhor the strictness and spirituality of his laws and ways, that his sincere subjects are in more danger of them, than of the most open enemies: whereas, in other religions, the forwardest in their religion are best esteemed. Besides the temptations of Satan, the unwillingness of the flesh, because of the worldly comforts which we must renounce, and the tedious, strict conversation which we must undertake, these are
greater opposers of the kingdom of Christ than all the rest; yet in despite of all these, is this kingdom maintained, the subjects increased, and these spiritual laws entertained and obeyed: and the church remains both firm and stedfast, as the rocks in the sea, while the waves that beat upon it do break themselves in pieces.
3. Consider, also, in what way Christ doth thus spread his Gospel, and preserve his church. First, Not by worldly might and power, nor by compelling men to profess him by the sword. Indeed, when men do profess themselves voluntarily to be his subjects, he has authorised the sword to see in part to the execution of his laws, and to punish those that break the laws which they have accepted. But to bring men in from the world into his church, from paganism,
Turkism, or Judaism, to Christianity; he never gave the sword any such commission: he never levied an army to advance his dominion; nor sent forth his followers as so many commanders to subdue the nations to him by force; and spare none that will not become
Christians; he will have none but those that voluntarily list themselves under him; he sent out ministers, and not magistrates or commanders, to bring in the world. Yea, though he be truly willing of men's happiness in receiving him, and therefore earnestly inviteth them thereto, yet he lets them know that he will be no loser by them; as their service cannot advantage him, their neglect cannot hurt him; he lets them know that he hath no need of them, and that his beseeching of them is for their own souls, and that he will be beholden to none of them for all their service; if they know where to have a better master, let them take their course; even the kings of the earth shall stoop to his terms, and be thankful too, or else they are no servants for him: his house is not so open, as to welcome all comers, but only those that will submit to his laws, and accept of him upon his own conditions; therefore hath he told men the worst, as well as the best, that if they will be discouraged or frighted from him, let them go; he tells them of poverty, of disgrace, of losing their lives, or else they cannot be his disciples. And is not this an unlikely way to win men to him; or to bring in so much of the world to worship him?
He flatters none, he humoureth none; he hath not formed his laws
and ways to please them. Nay, which is yet more, he is as strict in turning some men out of his service, as other masters would be ready to take them in. Therefore he hath required all his followers to disclaim all such as are obstinate offenders, and not so much as to cat, or be familiar with them. How contrary to all this is the course of the great commanders of the world, when they would enlarge their dominions, or procure themselves followers! They have no course but to force men, or to flatter them. How contrary was Mahomet's course in propagating his kingdom! he levieth an army, and conquers some adjoining parties; and, as his success increaseth, so doth his presumption; he enticeth all sorts to come to his camp; he maketh laws that would please their fleshly lusts; he promiseth beautiful sights, and fair women, and such carnal delights in another world: in a word, as his kingdom was planted, so hath it been preserved by no other ways, but force and flattery. But Christ hath not one word for either of these: his compelling men to come in, is but rational persuading.
2. Nay, yet more than this, he makes his church to grow by sufferings; when others increase their dominions by the destroying of their enemies, he increaseth his by suffering them to kill his subjects; an unlikely way, one would think, to make the world either love or serve him. There have been few ages, since the first appearing of the Gospel in the world, wherein the earth hath not drunk in the blood of believers. In the beginning it was a rare case to be a faithful pastor, and not a martyr. Thirty-three Roman bishops successively are said to have been martyred; thousands, yea, ten thousands slaughtered at a time; insomuch that Gregory and Cyprian cry out, that the witnesses who had died for the truth of the Gospel, were to men innumerable, that the world was all over filled with their blood; and they that were left alive to behold it, were not so many as those that were slain; that no war did consume so many: and the histories of the enemies acknowledge almost as much.
Now, whether this be a likely course to gain disciples, and to subdue the world, you may easily judge. Yet did the church never thrive
better than by persecution; what they got not in number, yet they got in zeal and excellency of professors; and seldom hath it lost more than in prosperity: yea, when the vulgar professors have enjoyed prosperity, yet persecution hath almost ever been the lot of the zealous and sincere.
And thus I have showed you those wonders of Providence, which have been exercised for the church universal.
Sect. II. Secondly, Consider, next, what strange providences have been exercised to particular churches. I cannot stand to heap up particular examples; you may find them frequent in the histories of the church; what deliverances cities and countries have had, what victories those princes have had, who have been their defenders; as Constantine the Great, and many since: and what apparent manisfestations of God's hand in all. Yea, he that reads but the histories of latter times, where wars have been managed for defence of the doctrine of this Scripture, and obedience thereto, against the corruptions and persecutions of Rome, may see more apparent discoveries of the hand of God; yea, even in those wars where the enemy hath at last prevailed, as in Bohemia, in Zisca's time, in France, at Merindol and Cabriers. The history of Belgia will show it clearly: so will the strange preservation of the poor city of Geneva.
But all these are further from us; God hath brought such experiments home to our hand. If we should overlook the strange providences that produced the Reformation in the times of Henry the Eighth,
Edward the Sixth, Queen Mary, Queen Elizabeth, and King James; yet even the strange passages of these years past, have been such that might silence an atheist, or an anti-scripturist: to see the various straits that God hath brought his people through; the unlikely means by which he still performed it; the unexpected events of most undertakings; the uncontrived and unthought-of ways which men have been led in; the strange managing of councils and actions; the plain appearance of an extraordinary providence, and the plain interposition of an almighty arm, which hath appeared in almost all our public affairs, in all which God hath not only manifested a special
providence, but also notably disowned men's sins, encouraged prayer, and fulfilled promises; though as to the particular exposition of some of his providences, we may hear him say to us, as sometimes to Peter, "What I do thou knowest not now, but hereafter thou shalt know."
Sect. III. Thirdly: Consider, also, of the strange judgments which in all ages have overtaken the most eminent of the enemies of the Scriptures. Besides Antiochus, Herod, Pilate, the persecuting emperors, especially Julian; church-histories will acquaint you with multitudes more: Fox's Book of Martyrs will tell you of many undeniable remarkablee judgments on those adversaries of pure religion, whose greatest wickedness is against these Scriptures, subjecting them to their church, denying them the people, and setting up their traditions as equal to them. Yea, our own times have afforded us most evident examples. Surely God hath forced many of his enemies to acknowledge in their anguish the truth of his threatenings, and cry out, as Juiian, Vicisti Galilæe.
Sect. IV. Fourthly: Consider, also, the eminent judgments of God which have befallen the vile transgressors of most of his laws.
Besides all the voluminous histories that make frequent mention of this, I refer you to Dr. Beard's 'Theatre of God's Judgments,' and the book intitled 'God's Judgments upon Sabbath Breakers:' and it is likely your own observations may add much.
Sect. V. Fifthly: Consider, further, of the eminent providences that have been exercised for the bodies and states of particular believers.
The strange deliverance of many intended to martyrdom, as you have many instances in the 'Acts and Monuments;' besides those in Eusebius, and others, that mention the stories of the first persecutions. If it were convenient here to make particular mention of men's names, I could name you many, who, of late, have received such strange preservations, even against the common course of nature, that might convince an atheist of the finger of God therein.
But this is so ordinary, that I am persuaded there is scarcely a godly-
experienced Christian that carefully observes and faithfully recordeth the providences of God toward him, but is able to bring forth some such experiment, and to show you some strange and unusual mercies, which may plainly discover an Almighty Disposer, making good the promises of this Scripture to his servants: some, in desperate diseases of body, some in other apparent dangers, delivered so suddenly, or so much against the common course of nature, when all the best remedies have failed, that no second cause could have any hand in their deliverance.
Sixthly, and lastly: Consider the strange and evident dealing of God with the souls and consciences both of believers and unbelievers.
What pangs of hellish despair have many enemies of the truth been brought to! How doth God extend the spirits of his own people: bruising, breaking, killing them with terrors, and then healing, raising, and filling them with joys which they cannot utter! How variously doth he mould them! Sometimes they are brought to the gates of hell, sometimes they are ravished with the foretastes of heaven: the proudest spirits are made to stoop; the lowest are raised to an invincible courage. In a word, the workings of God upon the souls of his people, are so clear and strange, that you may trace a supernatural causality through them all. Besides the admirable efficacy of them in changing men's hearts, and making them to differ from what they were, and from all others, in all holiness, righteousness, and self-denial.
Sect. IV. Secondly: But though it be undeniable that all these are the extraordinary working of God; yet how do they confirm the authority of Scripture! How doth it appear that they have any such ends?
Answer: that is it I come to show you next.
First: Some of these works do carry their end apparently with them, and manifest it in the event. The forementioned providences for raising and preserving the church, are such as show us their own ends.
Secondly: They are most usually wrought for the friends and followers of Scripture, and against the enemies and disobeyers of it.
Thirdly: They are the plain fulfilling of the predictions of Scripture.
The judgments on the offenders are the plain fulfilling of its threatenings, and the mercies to believers are the plain fulfilling of its promises. As for example; as unlikely as it was, yet Christ foretold his apostles that when he was lifted up he would draw all men to him. He sent them upon an errand as unlikely to be so successful as any in the world; and yet he told them just what success they should find, how good to their message, and how hard to their persons. The promise was of old, to give Christ "the heathen for his inheritance, and the uttermost parts of the earth for his possession." (Psal. 2:2–
5.) Christ promiseth to be with his messengers to the end of the world. Why now how punctually doth he accomplish all this! What particular prophecies of Scripture have been fulfilled, and when, and how, hath already been discovered by others, and therefore I shall overpass that.
Fourthly: These judgments have been usually executed on offenders, at the very time when they have been either opposing or violating
Scripture: and these mercies bestowed chiefly upon believers at such a time, when they have been most engaged in defence of or obedience to the Scriptures.
Fifthly: They usually proceed in such effectual sort, that they force the enemies and ungodly to confess the cause: yea, and ofttimes the very standers-by; so do they force believers also to see, that God makes good his word in all their mercies.
Sixthly: They are performed in answer to the prayers of believers; while they urge God with the promises of Scripture, then doth he appear in these evident providences. This is a common and powerful argument, which most Christians may draw from their own experiences. Had we no other argument to prove Scripture to be the word of God, but only the strange success of the prayers of the saints,
while they trust upon, and plead the promises with fervency, I think it might much confirm experienced men. What wonders, yea what apparent miracles, did the prayers of former Christians procure! hence the christian soldiers, in their army, were called the thundering legion; they could do more by their prayers, than the rest by their arms. Hence Gregory was called Θαυματουργος, from his frequent miracles among the heathen. And Vincentius reporteth, that Sulpitius Bituricensis did expel the devils, heal the sick, and raise the dead, by praying to God for them. When Myconius, a godly divine, lay sick of that consumption, which is called phthisis, Luther prayed earnestly that he might be recovered, and that he might not die before himself. And so confident was he of the grant of his desire, that he writes boldly to Myconius, that he should not die now; but should remain yet longer upon this earth. Upon these prayers did
Myconius presently revive, as from the dead, and live six years after, till Luther was dead: and himself hath largely written the story, and professed, that when he heard Luther's letters, he seemed to hear that voice of Christ, "Lazarus, come forth." Yea, so powerful and prevailing was Luther in prayer, that Justus Jonas writes of him, iste vir potuit quod voluit, that man could do what he would.
What was it less than a miracle in Baynam the martyr, who told his persecutors, 'Lo! here is a miracle; I feel no more pain in this fire than in a bed of down: it is as sweet to me as a bed of roses?' So Bishop Farrar, who could say before he went to the fire, 'If I stir in the fire, believe not my doctrine;' and accordingly remained unmoved. Theodorus the martyr, in the midst of his torment, had one in the shape of a young man, as he thought, came and wiped off his sweat, and cased him of his pain.
But what need I fetch examples so far off; or to recite the multitudes of them which church history doth afford us? Is there ever a praying
Christian here who knoweth what it is importunately to strive with God, and to plead his promises with him believingly, that cannot give in his experiences of most remarkable answers? I know men's atheism and infidelity will never want somewhat to say against the
most eminent providences, though they were miracles themselves.
That nature which is so ignorant of God, and at enmity with him, will not acknowledge him in his clear discoveries to the world, but will ascribe all to fortune or nature, or some such idol, which indeed is nothing. But when mercies are granted in the very time of prayer, and that when to reason there is no hope, and that without the help of any other means or creatures, yea, and perhaps many times over and over, is not this as plain as if God from heaven should say to us,
'I am fulfilling to thee the true word of my promises in Christ, my Son?' How many times have I known the prayer of faith to save the sick, when all physicians have given them up for dead? (James 5:13–
16.) It hath been my own case more than once, or twice, or ten times: when means have all failed, and the highest art or reason has sentenced me hopeless, yet have I been relieved by the prevalency of fervent prayer, and that, as the physician saith, 'tuto, cito, et jucunde;' 'My flesh and my heart failed, but God is the strength of my heart, and my portion for ever.' And though he yet keep me under necessary weakness, and wholesome sickness, and certain expectation of further necessities and assaults, yet am I constrained by most convincing experiences, to set up this stone of remembrance, and publicly, to the praise of the Almighty, to acknowledge that certainly God is true to his promises, and that they are indeed his own infallible word, and that it is a most excellent privilege to have interest in God, and a spirit of supplication to be importunate with him. I doubt not but most Christians that observe the spirit and providences, are able to attest this prevalency of prayer by their own experiences.
Object. Perhaps you will say, If these rare examples were common, I would believe.
Answ. 1. If they were common, they would be slighted, as common wonders are.
Secondly: Importunate prayer is not common, though formal babbling be.