And thus is it with those things. Now, the Psalmist says unto God, (Ps. cxxxviii. 2,) "Thou hast magaified"^^^? ^9*^'"^|"^J; "over all thy name, thy Word " [which] thou hast spoken. The name of God is all that whereby he makes himself known. Over all this God magnifies his Word. It all lies in a subserviency thereunto. The name of God is not here God himself, but every thing whereby God makes himself known. Now, it were very strange, that those low, dark, and obscure principles and means of the revelation of God and his will, which we have mentioned, should be able to evince themselves to be from him, without any external help, assistance, testimony, or authority ; and [that] that which is by God himself magnified above them — which is far more noble and excellent in itself, and, in respect of its end and order, hath far more divinely conspicuous and glorious imj^ressions and characters of his goodness, holiness, power, grace, truth, than all the creation — should lie dead, obscure, and have nothing in itself to reveal its Author, until this or that sui^eradded testimony be called in to its assistance. We esteem them to have done no service unto the truth, who, amongst innumerable other bold denials, have insisted on this also — that there is no natural hioidedge of God, arising from the innate principles of reason, and the works of God proposing them- selves to the consideration thereof Let now the way to the progress oi sujyernatural revelation be obstructed, by denying that it is able to
312 THE DIVINE ORIGINAL OF SCRIPTURE.
evince itself to be from God, and we shall quickly see what banks are cut, to let in a flood of atheism upon the face of the earth.
Let us consider the issue of this general induction : As God, in the creation of the -sv^orld, and all things therem contained, hath so made and framed them, hath left such characters of his eternal power and wisdom in them and upon them, filled them with such evidences of their Author, suited to the apprehensions of rational creatures, that without any other testimony from himself, or any else — under the naked consideration and contemplation of what they are — they so far declare their Creator, that they are left wholly inexcusable who will not learn and know him from thence ; so in the giving out of his Word to be the foundation of that world which he hath set up in this world, as iDisn "^ina JSit^n, " a wheel within a wheel " — his church — he hath, by his Spuit, implanted in it and impressed on it such characters of his goodness, power, wisdom, holiness, love to mankind, tnith, faithfulness, with all the rest of his glorious excellencies and perfections, that at all times, and in all places, when ypy], " the expansion " of it, is stretched over men by his providence — without any other witness or testimony given unto it — it declares itself to be his, and makes good its authority from him ; so that the refusal of it upon its own evidence brings unavoidable condemnation on the soids of men. This comparison is insisted on by the Psalmist, Ps. xix. ; where, as he ascribeth ^ip and 1p, a "voice" and "line," to the creatures, so niS, &c., light, power, stability, and permanency, like that of the heavens and sun, (in com- mutation of properties,) to the Word, and in an inexpressible exaltation of it above them ; the light of one day of this sun being unspeakably more than that of seven others, as to the manifestation of the glory of God.
This, then, is fixed as a principle of truth : Whatever God hath appointed to reveal himself by, as to any special or general end — that those whom he intends to discover himself unto may either be effec- tually instructed in his mind and will, according to the measure, decree, and means of the revelation afforded, or be left inexcusable for not receiving the testunony that he gives of himself, by any plea or pretence of want of clear, evident, manifest revelation — that, whatever it be, hath such an impression of his authority upon it, as undeniably to evince that it is from him. And this, now, concerning his Word, comes further to be confirmed by testimonies and arguments.
ARGUIiIENTS FOR DIVINE AUTHORITY OF SCRIPTURE. 313
CHAPTER III.
Arguments of two sorts Inartificial arguments, by way of testimony to the truth —
To -whom these arguments are valid — Of S-toTviuirria — The rejection of a plea of ^m-jrvivffTia, wherein it consists — Of miracles, their efficacy to beget faith com- pared with the word.
Having declared the divine original and authority of the Scripture, and explained the position laid down as the foundation of our ensuing discourse, way is now made for us to the consideration of those seJf- evidences of its divine rise, and consequently authority, that it is attended withal, [and] upon the account whereof we receive it, as (believing it to be) the Word of God.
The arguments whereby any thing is confirmed are of two sorts ; inartificial, by the way of testimony ; and artificial, by the way of deduc- tions and inferences. Whatever is capable of contributing evidence unto truth falls under one of these two heads. Both these kinds of proofs we make use of in the business in hand. Some profess they own the authority of the Scriptures, and also urge others so to do ; but they will dispute on what grounds and accounts they do so. With those we may deal, in the first way, by testimony from the Scrip- tures themselves ; which upon their own principles they cannot refuse. When they shall be pleased to inform us that they have relinquished those principles, and do no longer own the Scripture to be the word of God, we will withdraw the witnesses, upon their exceptions, whom for the present we make use of Testimonies that are innate and ingi'afted in the Word itself, used only as mediums of artificial argu- ments to be- deduced from them, (which are of the second sort,) may be used towards them who at present OAvn not the authority of the Scripture on any account whatever, or who are desirous to put on themselves the persons of such men, to try their skill and abihty for the management of a controversy against the Word of God.