2. The excellency of the doctrine, or things revealed in the Scrip- tures, respects not so much the truth of them in speculation as their goodness and suitableness unto the souls of men as to their present condition and eternal end. Now, things under that consideration respect not so much faith as spii'itual sense and experience. Neither can any man have a due apprehension of such a goodness suitable unto our constitution and condition, with absolute usefulness in the truth of the Scriptures, but on a supposition of that antecedent assent of the mind unto them which is believing ; which, therefore, cannot be the reason why we do believe.
But if this opinion proceed not upon the aforesaid supposition
54 THE REASON OF FAITH. [BOOK VI., PART I.
(immediately to be proved), but requires no more unto our satisfac- tion in the truth of the Scriptures, and assent thereon, but the due exercise of reason, or the natural faculties of our minds, about them when proposed unto us, then I suppose it to be most remote from the truth, and that amongst many other re?.sons, for these that ensue : —
1. On this supposition, the whole work of believing would be a work of reason. " Be it so," say some ; " nor is it meet it should be otherwise conceived." But if so, then the object of it must be things so evident in themselves and their own nature as that the mind is, as it were, compelled by that evidence unto an assent, and cannot do otherwise. If there be such a light and evidence in the things themselves, with respect unto our reason, in the right use and exer- cise of it, then is the mind thereby necessitated unto its assent : which both overthrows the nature of faith, substituting an assent upon na- tural evidence in the room thereof, and is absolutely exclusive of the necessity or use of any work of the Holy Ghost in our believing, which sober Christians will scarcely comply withal.
2. There are some doctrines revealed in the Scripture, and those of the most importance that are so revealed, which concern and con- tain things so above our reason that, without some previous super- natural disposition of mind, they carry in them no evidence of truth unto mere reason, nor of suitableness unto our constitution and end. There is required unto such an apprehension both the spiritual ele- vation of the mind by supernatural illumination, and a divine assent unto the authority of the revelation thereon, before reason can be so much as satisfied in the truth and excellency of such doctrines. Such are those concerning the holy Trinity, or the subsistence of one singular essence in three distinct persons, the incarnation of the Son of God, the resurrection of the dead, and sundry others, that are the most proper subjects of divine revelation. There is a heavenly glory in some of these things, which as reason can never thoroughly appre- hend, because it is finite and limited, so, as it is in us by nature, it can neither receive them nor delight in them as doctrinally proposed unto us, with all the aids and assistance before mentioned. Flesh and blood reveals not these things unto our minds, but our Father which is in heaven ; nor doth any man know these mysteries of the kingdom of God, but he " unto whom it is given ;" nor do any learn these things aright, but those that are taught of God.
3. Take our reason singly, without the consideration of divine grace and illumination, and it is not only weak and limited, but depraved and corrupted; and the carnal mind cannot subject itself unto the authority of God in any supernatural revelation whatever.
Wherefore, the truth is, that the doctrines of the gospel, which are
CHAP. IV.] MOEAL CERTAINTY INSUFFICIENT. 55
purely and absolutely so, are so far from having a convincing evi- dence in themselves of their divine truth, excellency, and goodness, unto the reason of men as unrenewed by the Holy Ghost, as that they are " foolishness" and most undesirable unto it, as I have else- where proved at large. We shall, therefore, proceed.
There are two things considerable with respect unto our believing the Scriptures to be the word of God in a due manner, or according to our duty. The first respects the subject, or the mind of man, how it is enabled thereunto ; the other, the object to be believed, with the true reason why we do believe the Scripture with faith divine and supernatural.
The first of these must of necessity fall under our consideration herein, as that without which, whatever reasons, evidences, or motives are proposed unto us, we shall never believe in a due manner : for whereas the mind of man, or the minds of all men, are by nature depraved, corrupt, carnal, and enmity against God, they cannot of themselves, or by virtue of any innate ability of their own, under- stand or assent unto spiritual things in a spiritual manner; which we have sufficiently proved and confirmed before. Wherefore, that assent which is wrought in us by mere external arguments, consisting in the rational conclusion and judgment which we make upon their truth and evidence, is not that faith wherewith we ought to believe the word of God.