Imatges de pàgina
PDF
EPUB

fome Miftake, and ought to be rejected, as infignificant, p. 508. This is fhewn in Particulars, p. 509.

The

way of Reafoning, which is made use of to difprove the Truth and Authority of the Scriptures, confider'd in cafes of another nature, p. 511. Difficulties can never alter the nature of things, p. 514.

CHAP. XXXVI.

The Conclufion; containing an Exhortation to a ferious Confideration of these things, both from the Example of the wifeft and most learned Men, and from the infinite Importance of the things themselves.

S wife and learn'd Men, as any that ever liv'd in the World, have fuffer'd Perfecutions and Martyrdom for the Chriftian Religion, p. 515. The Caufes of Unbelief among Chriftians; Immorality, a Spirit of Contradiction, and Singularity of Opinion, p. 516. is at every Man's own Peril, if he makes a rash and partial Fudgment, p. 518. This is too ferious a Subjest to jeft and trifle withal, p. 519.

THE

[ocr errors][merged small][merged small][ocr errors][merged small][merged small][merged small]

H

СНАР. І.

"

Of Humane Reason.

Aving in the former Book proved the Divine Authority of the Scriptures, I proceed in this to clear fuch Points, as are commonly thought most liable to exception in the Christian Religion, and to propose fome confiderations which may ferve to remove fuch Prejudices, and obviate fuch Cavils, as are usually raised against the Holy Scriptures. But before Men venture upon making Objections against the Scriptures, they would do well first to confider the compass and strength of their own Parts and Faculties, and to obferve in how many things they daily find themselves deceived; how many Men there are who understand much more than themselves, and how much folly and ignorance there is in the wifest

[blocks in formation]

Men. Thofe commonly that raise Objections against the Scriptures, are as confident in the management of them, as if they understood all things befides, and therefore conclude, that must needs be falfe, which they do not understand; not confidering, how very reasonable it is to fuppofe, that God should command and reveal many things, the Natures and Reasons of which we may not be able to comprehend. This must be granted by every Man who believes God to be infinitely wife, but doth not think himself to be fo, and acknowledgeth God's Sovereignty over him. For as he is infinitely wife, he may reveal things above our Capacities; and as he is the fupream Lord and Governour of the World, he may command us what in his infinite Wisdom he shall fee fitting, tho' we may not perceive the Reason and Defign of it. And yet this is the utmost, that upon a due Examination, many of the Objections against the Authority of the Scriptures amount to, that there are feveral things in them, of which fome Men think no clear account can be given, and others, which feem to them unworthy of God.

[ocr errors]

Now, what is the meaning of this way of objecting? and where lies the force of fuch Arguments but in this, that it is not to be conceived, that God would reveal or command any thing, with which they are not fatisfied, or which they cannot perfectly underftand? This is all the ftrength of this fort of Objections. There is all the Reafon in the World to believe the Scriptures to be the Word of God, if they did not contain things, which thefe Men in their great Wifdom think should not be there, if they were his Word; which is to make their own Understanding Wthe measure and Criterion of Divine Revelation. And fome have turned Scepticks for as good Reafons, and others have been Atheists upon the fame Principles; finding as much fault with the Syftem of the World, and the order and contrivance of the Parts of it, as

the

[ocr errors]

the Deift doth with the Scriptures; they have renounced all Belief of a God, upon the fame grounds upon which he disbelieves the Chriftian Religion. To convince Men therefore of the Narrownefs and Weakness of Humane Reason, I fhall fhew, I. That in some things, each fide of a Contradiction feems to be demonftrable. II. That every Man believes and experiences feveral things which in the Theory and Speculative Notion of them, would seem as incredible as any thing in the Scriptures can be fuppofed to be. III. That thofe who reject the Myfteries of Religion, must believe things much more incredible.

I. In fome things, eacli fide of a Contradiction feems to us demonftrable. Several inftances might be given of this. I fhall inftance only in the divifibility of Matter. Nothing feems more evident than that divifibility is essential to Matter, and that therefore all Matter is divisible, fo that the least part of Matter is as divisible as the biggeft, because the leaft Particle of Matter is Matter, that is, it is of the fame Nature and Effence with the whole: and all Matter differs only in Bulk, or Figure, or Place, or Reft, or Motion. It being then of the Nature of Matter to be divisible, it must ever be divifible, tho' it be never fo often divided; fince it can never be fo divided, as to lofe its own Nature, or cease to be Matter. On the other fide, it is demonftrable that Matter cannot be infinitely divisible; becaufe, whatever is divisible is divisible into Parts, and no Parts can be infinite, be'cause no Number can be fo. For all Number is neceffarily in it self capable of being counted or numbred, tho'no Finite Being may be able to number it; a num berlefs Number is a contradiction, it is a Number which is no Number: therefore all Number must be even or odd, and must be capable of Addition and Subtraction, which is contrary to the Nature of Infi nite. For what is lefs or greater, has certain bounds or limits, and therefore cannot be infinite, or withB 2

out

out any end or bounds. Matter therefore cannot be divifible in Infinitum, fince all Divifion is into Parts, and all Parts are capable of being numbred, that is, they are more or fewer, even or odd. And it will not fuffice to fay, that Matter can never actually be divided into infinite Parts, tho' it be capable of infinite Division, fo as that there can be no end of its divifibility. For the Parts into which it is divisible, must be actually exiftent, tho' nct actually divided: for nothing can be divisible into Parts which it hath not, and all Parts actually exiftent, whether they be divided, or only divifible, are capable of being numbred, or must have a determinate Number, and therefore cannot be Infinite. But to say that thefe Parts of Matter are indefinite, but not infinite, is only to confefs, that we know not what to fay of them: for they are indefinite in respect to us, not in their own Nature; we cannot determine their Number, or what End there can be of dividing them; but this is an Argument of our own Ignorance, and proves nothing as to the nature of the thing.

Again, nothing is clearer to every Understanding, than that all the Parts into which the whole is divided, being taken together, are equal to the Whole: yet it feems many ways demonftrable, that any fingle Part is equal to the Whole. I fhall give but one fuch Proof of this, as may be most obvious. It must be granted, that in any Circle a Line may be drawn from every Point of the Circumference to the Center. Suppose then the Circle to be the Equator, or a Line drawn round the Globe of the Earth, and that Ten thousand leffer Circles are drawn within the Equator round the fame Center, and that a right Line is drawn from every Point of the Equator to the Center of the Globe; every fuch Right Line drawn from the Æquator to the Center, muft of neceflity cut thro' the Ten thousand leffer Circles drawn about the fame Center, and confequently there must be the fame number of Points

« AnteriorContinua »