2. But is it of this authority and efficacy in itself? See Luke xvi. 27-31, "Then he said" (the rich man in hell), "I pray thee therefore, father, that thou wouldest send him" (Lazarus, who was dead) "to my father's house: for I have five brethren; that he may testify unto them, lest they also come into this place of torment. Abraham saith unto him, They have Moses and the prophets; let them hear them. And he said, Nay, father Abraham : but if one went unto them from the dead, they will repent. And he said unto him, If they hear not Moses and the prophets, neither will they be per- suaded, though one rose from the dead." The question here be- tween Abraham and the rich man in this parable, — indeed between the wisdom of God and the superstitious contrivances of men, — is about the way and means of bringing those who are unbelievers and impenitent unto faith and repentance. He who was in hell appre- hended that nothing would make them believe but a miracle, one rising from the dead and speaking unto them; which, or the like marvellous operations, many at this day think would have mighty power and influence upon them to settle their minds and change their lives. Should they see one "rise from the dead," and come and converse with them, this would convince them of the immortality of
76 THE REASON OF FAITH. [BOOK VI., PART I.
the soul, of future rewards and punishments, as giving them suffi- cient evidence thereof, so that they would assuredly repent and chauge their lives ; but as things are stated, they have no sufficient evidence of these things, so that they doubt so far about them as that they are not really influenced by them. Give them but one real miracle, and you shall have them for ever. This, I say, was the opi- nion and judgment of him who was represented as in hell, as it is of many who are posting thither apace. He who was in heaven thought otherwise; wherein we have the immediate judgment of Jesus Christ given in this matter, determining this controversy. The question is about sufficient evidence and efficacy to cause us to believe things divine and supernatural ; and this he determines to be in the written word, "Moses and the prophets." If he that will not, on the single evidence of the written word, believe [it] to be from God, or a divine revelation of his will, will never believe upon the evidence of miracles nor any other motives, then that written word contains in itself the entire formal reason of faith, or all that evi- dence of the authority and truth of God in it which faith divine and supernatural rests upon ; that is, it is to be believed for its own sake. But saith our Lord Jesus Christ himself, "If men will not hear," that is, believe, "Moses and the prophets, neither will they be per- suaded, though one rose from the dead," and come and preach unto them, — a greater miracle than which they could not desire. Now, this could not be spoken if the Scripture did not contain in itself the whole entire formal reason of believing; for if it have not this, some- thing necessary unto believing would be wanting, though that were enjoyed. And this is directly affirmed, —
John xx. 30, 31, "Many other signs truly did Jesus in the pre- sence of his disciples, which are not written in this book : but these are written, that ye might believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God; and that believing ye might have life through his name." The si<ms which Christ wrought did evidence him to be the Son of God. But how come we to know and believe these signs? what is the way and means thereof? Saith the blessed apostle, "These things are written, that ye might believe;" — "This writing of them by divine inspiration is so far sufficient to beget and assure faith in you, as that thereby you may have eternal life through Jesus Christ:" for if the writing of divine things and revelations,be the means appointed of God to cause men to believe unto eternal life, then it must, as such, carry along with it sufficient reason why we should believe, and grounds whereon we should do so. And in like manner is this matter determined by the apostle Peter, —
2 Pet. i. 16-21, "We have not followed cunningly-devised fables, when we made known unto you the power and coming of our
CHAP. V.] THE ONLY FOUNDATION AND REASON OF FAITH. 77
Lord Jesus Christ, but were eye-witnesses of his majesty. For he received from God the Father honour and glory, when there came such a voice to him from the excellent glory, This is my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased. And this voice which came from heaven we heard, when we were with him in the holy mount. We have also a more sure word of prophecy ; whereunto ye do well that ye take heed, as unto a light that shineth in a dark place, until the day dawn, and the day-star arise in your hearts: knowing this first, that no prophecy of the Scripture is of any private interpretation. For the prophecy came not in old time by the will of man : but holy men of God spake as they were moved by the Holy Ghost." The question is about the gospel, or the declaration of the powerful coming of Jesus Christ, whether it were to be believed or no ; and if it were, upon what grounds. Some said it was a " cunningly- devised fable;" others, that it was a fanatical story of madmen, as Festus thought of it when preached by Paul, Acts xxvi. 24 ; and very many are of the same mind still. The apostles, on the contrary, averred that what was spoken concerning him were " words of truth and soberness," yea, "faithful sayings, and worthy of all acceptation," 1 Tim. i. 1 5 ; that is, to be believed for its worth and truth. The grounds and reasons hereof are two: — (1.) The testimony of the apostles, who not only conversed with Jesus Christ and were " eye- witnesses of his majesty," beholding his glory, "the glory as of the only -begotten of the Father, full of grace and truth," John i. 14, which they gave in evidence of the truth of the gospel, 1 John i. 1, but also heard a miraculous testimony given unto him immediately from God in heaven, 2 Pet. i. 17, 18. This gave them, indeed, suffi- cient assurance; but wherein to shall they resolve their faith who heard not this testimony? Why, they have "a more sure" (that is, a most sure) "word of prophecy," — that is, the written word of God, that is sufficient of itself to secure their faith in this matter, espe- cially as confirmed by the testimony of the apostles; whereby the church comes to be " built" in its faith " on the foundation of trie apostles and prophets," Eph. ii. 20. But why should we believe this word of prophecy? may not that also be a " cunningly- devised fable," and the whole Scripture be but the suggestions of men's private spirits, as is objected, 2 Pet. i. 20? All is finally resolved into this, that the writers of it were immediately "moved" or acted "by the Holy Ghost ; " from which divine original it carrieth along its own evidence with it. Plainly, that which the apostle teacheth us is, that we believe all other divine truths for the Scripture's sake, or because they are declared therein; but the Scripture we believe for its own sake, or because "holy men of God" wrote it "as they were moved by the Holy Ghost."