That which I shall first inquire into is, the way how, and the ground whereon, we come to believe the Scripture to be the word of God in a due manner: for that this is required of us in a way of duty, namely, that we should believe the Scripture to be the word of God with faith divine and supernatural, I suppose will not be denied, and it shall be afterwards proved ; and what is the work of the Spirit of God herein will be our first inquiry.
Secondly, Whereas we see by experience that all who have or enjoy the Scripture do not yet understand it, or come to an useful, saving knowledge of the mind and will of God therein revealed, our other inquiry shall be, how we may come to understand the word of God aright, and what is the work of the Spirit of God in the assistance which he affordeth us unto that purpose.
With respect unto the first of these inquiries, whereunto the pre-
CHAP. II. J WHAT IT IS TO BELIEVE THE SCRIPTURE. 15
sent discourse is singly designed, I affirm, That it is the work of the Holy Spirit to enable us to believe the Scripture to be the ivord of God, or the supernatural, immediate revelation of his mind unto us, and infallibly to evidence it unto our minds, so as that we may spiritually and savingly acquiesce therein. Some, upon a mistake of this proposition, do seem to suppose that we resolve all faith into private suggestions of the Spirit or deluding pretences thereof; and some (it may be) will be ready to apprehend that we confound the efficient cause and formal reason of faith or believing, rendering all rational arguments and external testimonies useless. But, indeed, there neither is nor shall be any occasion administered unto these fears or imaginations; for we shall plead nothing in this matter but what is consonant to the faith and judgment of the ancient and present church of God, as shall be fully evidenced in our progress. I know some have found out other ways whereby the minds of men, as they suppose, may be sufficiently satisfied in the divine authority of the Scripture; but I have tasted of their new wine and desire it not, because I know the old to be better, though what they plead is of use in its proper place.
CHAPTER II.
What it is infallibly to believe the Scripture to be the word of God, affirmed.
My design requires that I should confine my discourse unto as narrow bounds as possible, and I shall so do, showing, —
I. What it is in general infallibly to believe the Scripture to be the word of God, and what is the ground and reason of our so doing; or, what it is to believe the Scripture to be the word of God, as we are required to believe it so to be in a way of duty :
II. That there are external arguments of the divine original of the Scripture, which are effectual motives to persuade us to give an unfeigned assent thereunto:
III. That yet, moreover, God requires of us that we believe them to be his word with faith divine, supernatural, and infallible:
IV. Evidence the grounds and reasons whereon we do so believe, and ought so to do.
Unto these heads most of what ensues in the first part of this dis- course may be reduced.
It is meet that we should clear the foundation whereon we build, and the principles whereon we do proceed, that what we design to prove may be the better understood by all sorts of persons, whose edification we intend ; for these things are the equal concernment of
16 THE REASON OF FAITH. [BOOK VI., PART I.
the learned and unlearned. Wherefore, some things must be insisted on which' are generally known and granted ; and our first inquiry is, What it is to believe the Scripture to be the word of God with faith divine and supernatural, according as it is our duty so to do.
1. And in our believing, or our faith, two things are to be consi- dered:— (1.) What it is that we do believe; and, (2.) Wherefore we do so believe it. The first is the material object of our faith, — namely, the things which we do believe; the latter, the formal object of it, or the cause and reason why we do believe them. And these things are distinct. The material object of our faith is the things revealed in the Scripture, declared unto us in propositions of truth ; for things must be so proposed unto us, or we cannot believe them. That God is one in three persons, that Jesus Christ is the Son of God, and the like propositions of truth, are the material object of our faith, or the things that we do believe ; and the reason why we do believe them is, because they are proposed in the Scripture. Thus the apostle expresseth the whole of what we intend : 1 Cor. xv. S, 4, " I delivered unto you first of all that which I also received, how that Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures; and that he was buried, and that he rose again the third day according to the Scriptures." Christ's death, and burial, and resurrection, are the things proposed unto us to be believed, and so the object of our faith; but the reason why we believe them is, because they are declared in the Scriptures: see Actsviii. 28-38. Sometimes, indeed, this expres- sion of " believing the Scriptures," by a metonymy, denotes both the formal and material objects of our faith, the Scriptures themselves as such, and the things contained in them : so John ii. 22, " They be- lieved the Scripture, and the word which Jesus said;" or the things delivered in the Scripture and farther declared by Christ, which before they understood not. And they did so believe what was de- clared in the Scriptures because it was so declared in them. Both are intended in the same expression, " They believed the Scripture," under various considerations. So Acts xxvi. 27. The material object of our faith, therefore, are the articles of our creed, by whose enume- ration we answer unto that question, "What do we believe?" giving an account of the hope that is in us, as the apostle doth, Acts xxvi. 22, 23. But if, moreover, we are asked a reason of our faith or hope, or why we believe the things we do profess, as God to be one in three persons, Jesus Christ to be the Son of God, we do not answer, " Be- cause so it is, for this is that which we believe," which were senseless; but we must give some other answer unto that inquiry, whether it be made by others or ourselves. The proper answer unto this ques- tion contains the formal reason and object of our faith, that which it rests upon and is resolved into; and this is that which we look after.