and understood: thus the grace of God in Chrift to mankind, and that the Gentiles should be sharers in this grace, is call'd a mystery, which had been hid from ages and generations, but now was made manifeft by the preaching of the gofpel. Thirdly, Any thing which was a mystery, before we did apprehend it, is likewife improperly call'd a mystery, after we do apprehend it; not that it is then really fo, but because it was fo, antecedent to our apprehending of it. But when the word mystery is applied to any thing that we do actually understand, I think it is fo only in an improper fenfe, and that, ftrictly speaking, a mystery is properly that which our understandings do not actually conceive or apprehend. Fourthly, Whether a mystery is the object of faith? Note, By the object of faith, in this place, I do not mean with refpect to what a man ought to believe, nor what he can, or is capable of believing, fuppofing all impediments were remov'd; but only with refpect to what a man does believe, or is capable of believing, in the prefent circumftances of things, which fuppofe the impediments to faith ftill remaining. This being premifed, in answer to the enquiry, I fay, we need only make application of what hath been observed already, under the former heads. For 'tis evident, first, when the word mystery is ufed in a proper fenfe, then a mystery is not the object of faith, a mystery being that which we do not apprehend, and the object of faith being always that which we do apprehend. Indeed, that, which is a myftery, may become the object of faith, when it is apprehended, but then it ceases to be a mystery properly fo call'd. Secondly, When the word mystery is ufed in an improper fenfe, then it may be the object of faith, or it may not. If it be improperly ufed to fignify a thing difficult to be understood, then, if we do actually ap prehend that difficult thing, it is the object of faith, because we do actually apprehend it; but if we do not apprehend it, then it becomes a mystery in a proper fenfe, and fo is not the object of faith. Again, if the word mystery be improperly used to fignify that which was not difcoverable by human reafon alone, without the help of divine revelation; if the propofition is apprehended by us, it is the object of faith; but if it is not actually apprehended by us, it is then a mystery in the proper fenfe, and fo is not the object of faith at all, whilft it thus continues hid from us. Again, if the word mystery be improperly used to fignify that which was a mystery, before it was apprehended, and is fo called after it is apprehended, upon that account, then it is the object of faith always. So then upon the whole it appears, that a mystery, properly and ftrictly speaking, is not the object of faith, while it continues fo; and likewife what a weak excufe men make, when they excuse the obfcurity, absurdity, and contradiction of their opinions with this plea, that 'tis a mystery, and that, as fuch, it is our duty to believe it, and not curiously to fearch into it; because, fay they, myfteries, at least mysteries in religion, are above the reach of human understandings, and therefore to be believed, and not reafon'd upon.

If to what is here faid it fhould be replied, that there are feveral articles of faith, which, as christians, we are obliged to affent to, and which we do actually exercise our faith upon, and yet we do not apprehend them, fo that they are myfteries in a proper fenfe; fuch as the conception of our Saviour in the

Y 2

womb

womb of the Virgin, by the power of the Holy Ghoft, the refurrection of the body, and the like. For how the bodily part of our Saviour was generated in the womb of the Virgin, by the power of the Holy Ghoft, without the concurrcence of a man, and how our scattered duft shall be gather'd and united to compofe the fame body, are myfteries which we are not able to fee thorough; and yet the conception of our Saviour, and the refurrection of the body, are articles of our common creed, and fuch as we all profefs to give our assent to; and confequently a mystery, properly fo called, is the object of faith. I anfwer, that there are many things related, which contain in them what is above the reach of human understanding, and which we do not actually apprehend, and fo are myfteries in a proper fenfe, I readily grant; but that the mysterious parts of thofe truths are the object of faith, this I deny. Faith, as I faid before, is the affenting to any thing as truth, barely upon the credit of the revealer. Now we can never be faid to affent to that which we have no idea of To affent to we understand not what is abfurd. Therefore when any thing is declar'd to us which hath a mystery contain'd in it, or that which is not, or cannot be apprehended by us, it is not the myfterious part, but the reveal'd part which we are required to give our affent to. Thus, that the bodily part of our Saviour was conceived in the womb of the Virgin, by the power of the Holy Ghoft; this is what is reveal'd, and what we apprehend, and fo is not a mystery, properly fo call'd, and this is what we are requir'd to give our affent to. But the mysterious part, viz. how, or in what manner the Holy Ghoft did perform this operation, this is not reveal'd, and this we cannot conceive or apprehend, and this we are not required to give our affent to. So again, that there will be a refurrection of the dead, this is reveal'd, and this we apprehend or have an idea of, and this we are requir'd, and can give our affent to: but the mysterious part, viz. how God, by his almighty power, will gather our fcatter'd duft, and unite it in the fame body, this is not reveal'd, and this we cannot conceive or apprehend, and this we are not requir'd, nor can we give our affent to it. Befides, knowledge and faith ftand upon the fame foot in this matter, fo that we may, as properly, be faid to know myfteries as to believe them. Thus, that one grain of feed is encreas'd into many, this is. what we know, that is, we know that the feed is caft into the earth, and that it takes root downward, and bears fruit upward, first the blade, then the ear, then the full corn in the ear; this we know, that is, our understandings by obfervation are inform'd of this truth, by the external fenfe of feeing; and yet how nature does perform its office, in this matter, is a mystery, at least it is fo to the greatest part of mankind. For as it is not vifible to their fight, and as it is not reported unto them, fo alfo they do not discover it by reflection, and confequently cannot properly be faid to know it: and yet they do as truly, and as properly, know this myftery, as they do believe the mysterious part of the refurrection. From all which it appears, that myfteries, properly fo call'd, are not the object of faith; and that 'tis a moft unjuft mifreprefentation, when men, who cannot perceive that fuch or fuch a particular doctrine is at all revealed in holy fcripture, are charged with denying their affent to such a doctrine, merely because they cannot, by their reafon, comprehend how it can be.

TREA

A N

ENQUIRY

CONCERNING

The Ufe of Reafon in Matters of Revelation.

B

Y reafon, or the reafoning faculty, I understand that reflecting power of the mind, by which we are enabled to discern and judge of the fitness or unfitnefs, of the agreement or difagreement, of the good or evil, and of the truth or falfhood of things. This being premised, I fay, that reafon and faith are always to be exercised in their proper places, and ne ver to interfere one with another, or to be fet up one above, or one against the other; fo that we are always to render to reafon the things that are reafon's, and unto faith the things that are faith's. There are fome truths which are in reafon's province, and faith has nothing to do with them; fuch as the first propofition in religion, viz. that there is a God. When we would fatisfy our. minds of the truth of this propofition, we confult our reflecting reasoning faculty, as the only means to obtain that fatisfaction by; because to pretend to feek fatisfaction, from the written word of God, is to take the thing for granted which we feek for, viz. that there is a God. We must first be perfuaded that God is, before we can be perfuaded that he has any revelation for us to feek fatisfaction from, in any cafe whatever. Now this is not a fetting up reason above, or in oppofition to faith, but only an exercifing of reafon in its proper place and it appears, from what has been already obferved, that faith hath nothing to do in this matter. Again, there are fome truths which are in faith's province, and reafon has nothing to do with them, that is, reason is not employ'd in fatisfying our understandings of the truth of them; fuch as that the bodily part of our Saviour was not produced into being by the agency of a man, in the ordinary courfe of generation; but by the power of the Holy Ghost, in an extraordinary way. Now, if we would fatisfy our minds of this truth, we must have recourfe to revelation, as the only means to obtain fatisfaction; it being utterly impoffible for our reflecting powers to fatisfy our minds of the

truth.

truth of such matters of fact as this is. And this is not fetting up faith above, or in oppofition to reafon; but only an exercifing of faith in its own province. And it is plain, that reafon is unconcern'd in this matter.

But tho there are fome truths, the certainty of which depends wholly upon revelation, and reafon is unconcern'd in perfuading our minds of the truth of them, yet ftill reafon is of a two-fold ufe in all matters of revelation. First, To difcern and judge of the Evidence that is given to prove any revelation to be from God; for if our reafon is not to be exercifed in this cafe, then we are laid open to every impofer; and it would be our duty to receive every thing for divine truth, that the reporter has the impudence to affirm is the word of God. Secondly, Our reafoning powers are to be exercis'd in difcerning and judging what is the mind of God, contained in that revelation which we own to be his word; for otherways we fhall be obliged to contrary practices, and to believe contradictions, and the like. Thus, Proverbs xxvi. 4. Solomon forbids, saying, Answer not a fool according to his folly, left thou be like unto him: and then in the next verfe he commands, faying, Answer a fool according to his folly, left be be wife in his own conceit. Here we fee, according to the strict letter of the text, we are forbidden and commanded the fame practice; and if we may not exercise our reafon, to discern and judge of Solomon's meaning in this place, we are under a neceffity of tranfgreffing. Thus again, in Mark xiv. 22. it is written, Jefus took bread, and blessed it, and brake it, and gave it to them (the difciples) faying, take, eat; this is my body which is given for you; when at the fame time his body was actually and vifibly prefent with them in the performance of this very action. Here we fee, if our Lord's Difciples were not to exercise their reafon in difcerning and judging what our Lord meant by these words, but were to believe them in the literal fenfe; then they were obliged to believe that it was his body, when at the fame time they faw it was not, which would have been a contradiction. From which it appears, that there is a neceffity for us to make ufe of our reason, in order to know the mind of God contain'd in his revelation.

Farther, That we ought to exercife our reafon in difcerning and judging what is the mind of God contain'd in his revelation, appears from this, viz. because reafon is planted in us for this end, and because we have no other means to difcern the mind of God by; fo that, without this, the written word of God is but as fo many words or empty founds which to us are of no fignification. And if we should admit the Pope, or any other man, or body of men, to be the infallible interpreters of fcripture, which we deny, yet still the cafe is the fame; because we must exercife our reafon to difcern and judge what is the fenfe and meaning of their interpretation. Or, if we should fuppofe a divine affiftance, by which the fpirit of God informs us what is the mind of God contain'd in his revelation; then this affiftance, or work of the spirit in us, is either an affifting of our reafon in its use and exercise, as aforefaid, or elfe it is an immediate informing of our understandings, by infpiration or otherways, of thofe truths which are contain'd in that revelation. If the former, this is just the same with what I faid, viz. it is in the exer

cife of our reason that we discover the mind of God, as aforefaid; only here it is fuppos'd, that God by his fpirit affifts and helps our reafon in its use and exercife, and this he may do in all thofe cafes where truth is discover'd by reafon, for ought that we know. If it be the latter, viz. by immediately informing our understandings, by inspiration or otherways, without the use of reafon, as aforefaid, then this is not a helping us to understand a former revelation, but it is itself a new revelation to us; for tho the truths we are inform'd of are fuch as are contain'd in, but not understood by, the written word; yet they are as much a new revelation to us, as if they had not been contain'd in it. From hence I conclude, that it is in the ufe and exercife of our reafon that we difcover the mind of God contain'd in his revelation, there being no other means, that we know of, but this, for us to discover it by. And thus we see that reafon has its ufe, even in matters of faith.

TREA