As things are proposed unto us to be believed as true, faith in its assent respects only the truth or veracity of God ; but whereas this faith is required of us in a way of obedience, and is considered not only physically, in its nature, but morally also, as our duty, it respects also the authority of God, which I therefore join with the truth of God as the formal reason of our faith : see 2 Sam. vii. 28. And these things the Scripture pleads and argues when faith is required of us
CHAP. IT.] WHAT IT IS TO BELIEVE THE SCRIPTURE. 1 9
in the way of obedience. " Thus saith the Lord/' is that which is proposed unto us as the reason why we should believe what is spoken, whereunto oftentimes other divine names and titles are added, signi- fying his authority who requires us to believe: " Thus saith the Lord God, the Holy One of Israel," Isa. xxx. 15; "Thus saith the high and lofty One that inhabiteth eternity, whose name is Holy," chap, lvii. 15;" Believe in the Lord your God," 2 Chron. xx. 20. " The word of the Lord" precedeth most revelations in the prophets, and other reason why we should believe the Scripture proposeth none, Heb. i. 1,2; yea, the interposition of any other authority between the things to be believed and our souls and consciences, besides the authority of God, overthrows the nature of divine faith ; — I do not say the in- terposition of any other means whereby we should believe, of which sort God hath appointed many, but the interposition of any other authority upon which we should believe, as that pretended in and by the church of Rome. No men can be lords of our faith, though they may be " helpers of our joy."
5. The authority and truth of God, considered in themselves abso- lutely, are not the immediate formal object of our faith, though they are the ultimate whereinto it is resolved; for we can believe nothing on their account unless it be evidenced unto us, and this evidence of them is in that revelation which God is pleased to make of hirnself, for that is the only means whereby our consciences and minds are affected with his truth and authority. We do, therefore, no otherwise rest on the truth and veracity of God in any thing than we rest on the revelation which he makes unto us, for that is the only way whereby we are affected with them; not " The Lord is true" absolutely, but, "Thus saith the Lord," and, "The Lord hath spoken," is that which we have immediate regard unto. Hereby alone are our minds affected with the authority and veracity of God ; and by what way soever it is made unto us, it is sufficient and able so to affect us. At first, as hath been showed, it was given immediately to some persons, and preserved for the use of others in an oral ministry ; but now all reve- lation, as hath also been declared, is contained in the Scriptures only.
6. It follows that our faith, whereby we believe any divine, super- natural truth, is resolved into the Scripture, as the only means of divine revelation, affecting our minds and consciences with the autho- rity and truth of God ; or, the Scripture, as the only immediate, divine, infallible revelation of the mind and will of God, is the first imme- diate formal object of our faith, the sole reason why and ground whereon we do believe the things that are revealed with faith divine, supernatural, and infallible. We do believe Jesus Christ to be the Son of God. Why do we so do? on what ground or reason? It is because of the authority of God commanding us so to do, and the
20 THE REASON OF FAITH. [BOOK VL, PART I.
truth of God testifying thereunto. But how or by what means are our minds and consciences affected with the authority and truth of God, so as to believe with respect unto them, which makes our faith divine and supernatural? It is alone the divine, supernatural, in- fallible revelation that he hath made of this sacred truth, and of his will that we should believe it. But what is this revelation, or where is it to be found ? It is the Scripture alone, which contains the entire revelation that God hath made of himself, in all things which he will have us to believe or do. Hence, —
7. The last inquiry ariseth, How, or on what grounds, for what rea- sons, do we believe the Scripture to be a divine revelation, proceeding immediately from God, or to be that word, of God which is truth divine and infallible? Whereunto we answer, It is solely on the evidence that the Spirit of God, in and by the Scripture itself, gives unto us that it was given by immediate inspiration from God ; or, the ground and reason whereon we believe the Scripture to be the word of God are the authority and truth of God evidencing themselves in and by it unto the minds and consciences of men. Hereon, as, what- ever we assent unto as proposed in the Scripture, our faith rests on and is resolved into the veracity and faithfulness of God, so is it also in this of believing the Scripture itself to be the infallible word of God, seeing we do it on no other grounds but its own evidence that so it is.