|
Divine Revelation
350. Christian Religion. Divine Revelation. Were it
not for divine revelation, I am persuaded that there is no one doctrine
of that which we call natural religion, which, notwithstanding all
philosophy and learning, would not be forever involved in darkness,
doubts, endless disputes, and dreadful confusion. Many things, now they
are revealed, seem very plain, and as if we could easily have arrived at
a certainty concerning them, if we never had had a revelation of them.
It is one thing to see that a truth is exceedingly agreeable to reason,
after we have it explained to us and have been told of the reasons of
it. [It is] another, to find it out and clearly and certainly explain it
by mere reason. It is one thing to prove a thing after we are shown how,
and another to find it out and prove it of ourselves.
If
there never had been any revelation, I believe the world would have been
full of endless disputes about the very being of a God: whether the
world was from eternity or not, and whether the form and order of the
world did not result from the mere nature of matter. Ten thousand
different schemes there would have been about it. And if it were allowed
that there was a first cause of all things, there would have been
endless disputes and abundance of uncertainty, to determine what sort of
a thing that first cause was. Some, it may be, would have thought that
it was properly an intelligent mind and a voluntary agent. Others might
say that it was some principle of things, of which we could have no kind
of ideas. Some would have called it a voluntary agent [and] some a
principle exerting itself by a natural necessity. There might have been
many schemes contrived about this, and some would like one best and some
another. Amongst those that held that the original of all things was
superior intelligence and will, there probably would have been
everlasting doubts and disputes, whether there was one only or more.
Some perhaps would have said there was but one, some that there were two
(the one the principle of good and the other the principle of evil), and
others that there was a society or a world of them. And among those that
held that there was but one mind, there would be abundance of
uncertainty what sort of a being he was: whether he was good or evil,
whether he was just or unjust, holy or wicked, gracious or cruel, or
whether he was partly good and partly evil, and how far he concerned
himself with the world after he had made it. [There would also be
uncertainty] on how far things were owing to his providence or whether
at all, how far he concerned himself with mankind (what was pleasing to
him in them and what was displeasing, or whether he cared anything about
it), whether he delighted in justice and order or not, and whether he
would reward the one and punish the other, and how and when and where
and to what degree. There would have been abundance of doubt and dispute
concerning what this mind expected from us, and how we should behave
towards him, or whether he expected we should anywise concern ourselves
with him: whether we ever ought to apply ourselves to him any way;
whether we ought to speak to him, as expecting that he would take any
notice of us; how we should show our respect to him (whether we ought to
praise and command him in our addresses [and] whether we ought to ask
that of him which we need); whether or no he would forgive any after
they had offended him, when they had reason to think they were forgiven,
and what they should do that they might be forgiven; and whether it is
ever worth the while for them that are so often offending, to try for
it; whether there were not some sins so great, that God never would upon
any terms forgive them, and how great they must be in order to that. Men
would be exceedingly at a loss to know when they were in favor with him,
and upon what terms they could be in his favor. They would be in a
dreadful uncertainty about a future state: whether there be any, and if
there be, whether it is a state of rewards and punishments. And if it
is, what kind of state it is, and how men are to be rewarded and
punished: to what degree and how long, whether man’s soul be eternal or
not, and if it be, whether it is to remain in another world in a fixed
state or change often.
It
would be so also with respect to [the] abundance of moral duties which
respect ourselves and one another. Every man would plead for the
lawfulness of this or that practice, just as suited his fancy, and
agreed with his interest and appetites. There would be room for a great
deal of uncertainty and difference of opinion among those that were most
speculative and impartial. There would be uncertainty in a multitude of
instances: what was just and what unjust. It would be very uncertain how
far self-interest should govern men and how far love to our neighbor,
how far revenge would be right and whether or no a man might hate his
neighbor and for what causes, and what degree of passion and ambition
was justifiable and laudable. [It would also be uncertain] what sensual
enjoyments were lawful and what not, how far we ought to honor, respect,
and submit to our parents and other superiors, and how far it would be
lawful to dissemble and deceive. It seems to me, there would be infinite
confusion in these things, and that there would hardly be any such thing
as conscience in the world.
The
world has had a great deal of experience of the necessity of a
revelation. We may see it in all ages that have been without a
revelation. In what gross darkness and brutal stupidity have such
places, in these matters, always been overwhelmed! And how many and how
great and foolish mistakes, and what endless uncertainty and differences
of opinion, have there been among the most learned and philosophical!
Yet there never was a real trial [of] how it would be with mankind in
this respect, without having anything from revelation. I believe that
most of those parts of natural religion that were held by the heathens
before Christ, were owing to tradition from those of their forefathers
who had the light of revelation. And many of those being most evidently
agreeable to reason, were more easily upheld and propagated. Many of
their wise men who had influence and rule over them, saw their rectitude
and agreeableness to reason better than others. Some of them traveled
much and would gather up remains of truth, which they found scattered
about in other parts of the world, preserved in the same manner by
tradition… Those things among them which appeared most agreeable to
their reason, they transplanted to their own country. Judea was a sort
of light among the nations, though they did not know it. The practice
and principles of that country had this influence, [in] that it kept the
neighboring nations in remembrance of their traditions, which they had
from their forefathers [who] professed the same truths, and so kept them
from degenerating so much as otherwise they would have done.
In
fact, the philosophers had the foundation of most of their truths from
the ancients, or from the Phoenicians, or what they picked up here and
there of the relics of revelation.
How
came all the heathen nations to agree in the custom of sacrificing? The
light of nature did not teach it them. Without doubt they had it from
tradition, and therefore, it needs not seem strange that what of natural
religion they had amongst them came the same way. And I suppose that
most of the principles of justice and the right rules they had of
behavior toward themselves were also by tradition… I am persuaded that
mankind would have been like a herd of beasts, with respect to their
knowledge in all important truths, if there never had been any such
thing as revelation in the world, and that they never would have risen
out of their brutality. We see that those who live at the greatest
distance from revelation, as to time and place, are far the most
brutish. The heathens in America and in some of the utmost parts of Asia
and Africa, are far more barbarous than those who formerly lived in
Rome, Greece, Egypt, Syria, and Chaldea. Their traditions are more worn
out, and they are more distant from places enlightened with revelation.
The Chinese, descended probably from the people of Noah, that holy man
(being much separated from other nations), have held more by tradition
from him than other nations and so have been a more civilized people.
The increase of learning and philosophy in the Christian world, is owing
to revelation. The doctrines of revealed religion are the foundation of
all useful and excellent knowledge. The Word of God leads barbarous
nations into the way of using their understandings. It brings their
minds into a way of reflecting and abstracted reasoning and delivers
from uncertainty in the first principles, such as, the being of God, the
dependence of all things upon him, being subject to his influence and
providence, and being ordered by his wisdom. Such principles as these
are the basis of all true philosophy, as appears more and more as
philosophy improves. Revelation delivers mankind from that distraction
and confusion, which discourages all attempts to improve in knowledge.
Revelation is that light in the world from whence has beamed forth not
only the knowledge of religion, but all valuable truth. It is the
fountain of that light which has enlightened the understandings of men
with all sorts of knowledge. Revelation actually gives men a most
rational account of religion and morality, and the highest philosophy,
and all the greatest things that belong to learning concerning God, the
world, human nature, spirits, providence, time, and eternity. Revelation
brings nations to rational studious consideration, and there is nothing
else [that] will do it. For nothing else will convince them that it is
worth the while to be at the pains of it. Revelation not only gives us
the foundation and first principles of all learning but it gives us the
end, the only end, that would be sufficient to move man to the pursuit.
If it were not for revelation, nations and public communities would see
no reason to encourage such speculations and to uphold an order of men
who should make speculation the business of their lives.
Revelation redeems nations from a vicious, sinful, and brutish way of
living, which will effectually keep out learning. It is therefore
unreasonable to suppose that philosophy might supply the defect of
revelation. Without revelation, there would be no such thing as any good
philosophy, that is, except now and then in some rare instances and
those attended with abundance of darkness and imperfection.
We
hardly can have a conception [of] how it would be if there never had
been any revelation. For we are bred up in the light of revelation from
our very infancy. If there was a nation of philosophers, where all were
taught philosophy as soon as they came to be capable of understanding
anything, and so they were bred up in it, they would be surprised at the
ignorance, the thoughtlessness of a people that did not meddle in it.
They would wonder that they could have so little reflection and that
they should be so plain and easy to them. Knowledge is easy to us that
understand by revelation, but we do not know what brutes we should have
been, if there never had been any revelation.
382. Divine Revelation. If there be any such thing needful,
or at all proper and suitable, that God should reveal himself to
mankind, it is perhaps impossible that he should do it in any other way,
or with any other kind of evidence, than he has done it. There are no
other ways possible but these: either inspiration, or God’s appearing
(causing some visible appearance and audible voice), or sending of his
angels, or his own assuming a body and becoming incarnate. And there are
all the kinds of evidence of this revelation, that it is possible [that]
a revelation should have. There are all kinds of internal evidences from
the majesty, holiness, sublimity, and harmony of the Scriptures, and
there are all kinds of external evidences: prophecy and miracles. No
kind of miracle can be thought of, that would be more evidential, than
those by which Christianity has been confirmed.
519. Divine Revelation. If there must be a revelation, it is
convincing that the Christian revelation is the true one: that it has
been by means of this revelation, and this only, that the world has come
to the knowledge of the one only true God. Till this came, all the world
lay in ignorance of him. But when this came, it was successful to bring
the world to the acknowledgment of him. It is from hence that all that
part of the world that owns the only true God, whether Christians, Jews,
Mahometans, or Deists, have received knowledge. If there be a true
revelation in the world, it is not to be supposed that God would so
order things that it should not be by that true revelation, but by a
false one (an impostor), that the world should come to the knowledge of
the true God.
And
this is evidential, that the Christian revelation is that which God
designed as the proper means to bring the world to the knowledge of
himself, rather than any other revelation and rather than human reason.
For it is unreasonable to suppose that God would so order it that
another means, and that only, which God did not design as proper means
for the obtaining this effect, should actually obtain it. If the
Christian revelation be not the proper means to bring the world to the
knowledge of the true God, it is strange that the world, which was
before ignorant of him, should be brought to the knowledge of him by it,
and no part of it ever be brought to the knowledge of him by any other
means, which may be supposed to be the means which God designed for this
end.
652. Divine Revelation. I once told a boy of about thirteen
years of age that a piece of any matter two inches square was eight
times as large as one of but one inch square, or that it might be cut
into eight pieces, all of them as big as that of but one inch square. He
seemed at first not to think me in earnest, and to suspect that I only
meant to make game of him. But when I had taken considerable pains to
convince him that I was in earnest and that I knew what I said to be
true, he seemed to be astonished at my positiveness and exclaimed about
the impossibility and absurdity of it, and would argue: how was it
possible for two inches to be eight inches? And all that I could say did
not prevail upon him, to make him believe it. I suppose it seemed to him
as great a contradiction, that what was but just twice so long and twice
so broad and twice so thick, should yet be eight times so big, as that
twice one should make eight, or any other absurdity whatsoever. And when
I afterwards showed him the truth of it, by cutting out two cubes, one
an inch and another two inches square, and let him examine the measures
and see that the measures were exact, and that there was no deceit. And
[we] cut the two inch cube into eight equal parts, and he counted the
parts over and over, and took the parts one by one and compared them
with the one inch cube and spent some time in counting and comparing. He
seemed to be astonished, as though there were some witchcraft in the
case and hardly to believe it after all. For he did not yet at all see
the reason of it. I believe it was a much more difficult mystery to him,
than the Trinity ordinarily is to men; and seemed to him more evidently
a contradiction, than any mystery of religion to a Socinian or deist.
And why should not we suppose that there may be some things that are
true that may be as much above our understandings and as difficult to
them, as this truth was unto this boy? Doubtless there is a vastly
greater difference between our understandings and God’s, than between
this boy’s and that of the greatest philosopher or mathematician.
752. Divine Revelation. If there be a revelation from God to
the world, it is most reasonable to suppose, and natural to expect, that
he should therein make known not only what manner of being he is, but
also that he should lead mankind to an understanding of his works of
creation and providence (that he should give them some account how the
world came into being, and some account of his works of providence), so
that mankind may understand something of God’s scope and design in
continuing the world in being for so many ages [with] the great changes
and revolutions, and many strange things that are brought to pass in it,
in the successive stages of it. [This is also] so men may know something
of God’s scheme of providence, and so much of his scope and design, as
to be able to see something of the wisdom and other perfections of God
in the course of things, and that may be of some direction to them how
to regulate themselves, so man may concur with and not contradict the
holy and wise scheme of the Governor of the world.
These things the Christian revelation opens to us in such a manner as
might be expected. This alone gives any tolerable account of the work of
creation, and this reveals to us the scheme of providence, and what is
God’s main design in the whole, a design worthy of himself. What great
work that is, which is his main work, the main design of providence, to
which all events and revolutions of providence are subordinate. What is
the thing that God is doing? What contrivance is he accomplishing? What
has God done in order to it, from the beginning of the world in the
several ages of it? And we are shown how these events all point to this
main work of power, wisdom, and grace, that is the hinge of all. We have
been wrought in the fullness of time, as to those great acts which are
the main ground of it; and how that was foretold in the several ages of
the world. We have these prophecies still extant in this revelation. We
have a history of the series of events down from the creation of the
world and the time preparatory to it, and then after that the great
events of God’s providence consequent to it, establishing the first
fruits of it in the world, and then with a prophecy of the main events
yet to be accomplished in the pursuance of the same great scheme and a
description of the end of the world: an account of the winding up of all
things, his great design and scheme consummated, and all things settled
in their ultimate state to remain throughout all eternity.
These things are exceedingly agreeable to a most natural and rational
supposition, in case God make a revelation to mankind. But if the
Scriptures are not a revelation of God, then man, the principal creature
God has made in this world, the only intelligent creature to whom he has
subjected this lower part of the creation, is left wholly and entirely
in the dark about God’s works both of creation and providence, and has
nothing whereby to judge what God’s scheme is, in all the great changes
he sees come to pass in the world, or what he aims to accomplish. Every
thing lies in darkness and confusion before him, without any possibility
of his determining anything, or to direct him what to think of God’s
works which he beholds, or what affection he should exercise towards the
supreme Governor, on occasion of them. How shall he, in the course of
his practice, inform himself of God’s scope, admire and adore him,
submit to him, serve him, and praise him as the supreme Lord of the
world and orderer of all things, as becomes a rational and intelligent
subject of his kingdom.
837. Divine Revelation. The whole of Christian divinity
depends on divine revelation. For though there are many truths
concerning God and our duty to him that are evident by the light of
nature, yet no truth is taught by the light of nature in that manner in
which it is necessary for us to know it. For the knowledge of no truth
in divinity is of any significance to us, any otherwise, than as it some
way or other belongs to the gospel scheme or has relation to Christ the
Mediator. It signifies nothing for us to know anything of any one of
God’s perfections, unless we know them as manifested in Christ. So it
signifies nothing to us to know any part of our duty unless it bear some
relation to Christ. It profits us not to have any knowledge of the law
of God, unless it be either to fit us for the glad tidings of the gospel
or to be a means of our sanctification in Christ Jesus, and to influence
us to serve God through Christ by an evangelical obedience. And
therefore, we stand in the greatest necessity of a divine revelation,
and it was fit and proper that when God did give us a revelation, it
should not only contain those peculiar truths, which purely and in every
respect depend on revelation, as the doctrines of Christ’s mediation and
justification through him, but that this revelation should contain
everything that belongs to divinity, needful either to be known or to be
practiced. For it all depends on revelation in the way in which it is
necessary for us to know it.
1158. Divine Revelation. It is of itself a great proof of
revealed religion that the Jews should, for so many ages, retain the
knowledge of the true God and notions of him (his nature, attributes,
works and worship), agreeable to the most refined reason, when all the
other nations about them, and all the rest of the world, were enveloped
in the grossest idolatry. It was not owing to anything peculiar in the
genius of that people, any distinguishing taste they had for learning
beyond other nations. They were unacquainted with the sciences that were
in vogue in Greece and Rome and seemed to have been as prone to idolatry
in themselves as other nations.
1170. Divine Revelation. The slow progress the world makes in
the investigation of truth in things that seem pretty obvious, as in the
instance of the roundness of the earth, may evince the necessity of a
revelation to guide men into the knowledge of truth in divine things
that are needful to be known in order to our being happy in the
knowledge, favor and enjoyment of God. |
