05. Chapter V.

Chapter V.

Divine revelation itself is the only foundation and reason of faith.

What we have thus far made way for, and what is now our only remaining inquiry is this: What is the work of the Holy Ghost with respect to the objective evidence we have concerning the Scripture — that it is the word of God — which is the formal reason of our faith, and into which our faith is resolved? That is, we come to inquire and to give a direct answer to the question, Why do we believe the Scripture is the word of God? What is it that our faith rests upon in this? And what is it that makes it the duty of every man to whom it is proposed, to believe that it is the word of God? I will be briefer in this, because I have long since, in another discourse, cleared this argument. And so I will not go over again here, anything that was delivered in the other. This is because what has been questioned or excepted against it up to this day, has been of little weight or consideration. To this great inquiry, therefore, I say —

We believe the Scripture is the word of God with divine faith, for its own sake only; or, our faith is resolved into the authority and truth of God only, as he has revealed himself to us in and by his word. And this authority and veracity of God infallibly manifest or evince themselves to our faith, or to our minds in the exercise of faith, by the revelation itself in the Scripture, and not otherwise; or, "Thus says the Lord," is the reason why we ought to believe, and why we do believe — why we believe at all in general, and why we believe anything in particular. And we call this the formal object or reason of faith.

It is evident that this object is not God himself, absolutely considered; for he is only the material object of our faith: "He that comes to God must believe that he exists," Hebrews 11:6. Nor is it the truth of God absolutely; for we believe that, just as we believe other essential properties of his nature. But it is the truth of God, revealing himself — his mind and will — to us in the Scripture. This is the sole reason why we believe anything with divine faith.

It is or may be inquired, why we believe Jesus Christ is the Son of God; or believe that God is one in nature, subsisting in three persons, the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. I answer, it is because God himself, the first truth, who cannot lie, has revealed and declared these things to be so; and the one who is our all, requires us to believe them. If it is asked how (in what or by what) God has revealed or declared these things to be so, or what revelation God has made of this, I will answer: It is the Scripture and that only. And if it is asked how I know this Scripture is a divine revelation, that it is the word of God, I will give these answers—

Ans. 1. I do not know it demonstratively, upon rational, scientific principles, because such a divine revelation is not capable of such a demonstration, 1Cor 2.9.113

Ans. 2. I do not assent to it, or think it is so, only upon arguments and motives that are highly probable, or morally compelling, as I am assuredly persuaded of many other things of which I can have no certain demonstration, 1Thes 2.13.114

Ans. 3. But I believe it is the word of God, with divine and supernatural faith, resting on and resolved into the authority and veracity of God himself, evidencing themselves to my mind, soul, and conscience, by this revelation itself, and not otherwise.

Here we rest, and we deny that we believe the Scripture is the word of God formally for any other reason than itself, which assures us of its divine authority. If we do not rest here, we must run onto the rock of a moral certainty only, which shakes the foundation of all divine faith; or we must fall into the gulf and labyrinth of an endless circle, in proving two things mutually by one another, such as proving the church by the Scripture and the Scripture by the church, in an everlasting rotation. Unless we intend to wander this way, we must come to something in which we may rest for its own sake; and that is not with a strong and firm opinion, but with divine faith. Nothing can rationally pretend to this privilege, except the truth of God manifesting itself in the Scripture. And therefore, some of those who will not allow it on this basis, wisely deny that the Scripture’s being the word of God, is the object of divine faith directly. Rather, it is only the object of a moral persuasion from external arguments and considerations. I believe they will grant that if the Scripture is believed to be the word of God, it must be so for its own sake. There are those who would have us believe that the Scripture is the word of God on the authority of the church —proposing and witnessing to us that it is so, even making a fair appearance of a ready and easy way to exercise faith.115 Yet, when things come to be sifted and tried, they so confound all sorts of things, that they do not know where to stand or abide. But it is not now my business to examine their pretenses; I have done it elsewhere. I will therefore prove and establish the assertion laid down, after I have made a way to it by one or two previous observations:

1. We suppose in this, all the motives of credibility mentioned before — that is, all the external arguments (ab extra) which vehemently persuade us that the Scripture is the word of God, and with which it may be protected against objections and temptations to the contrary. All of them have their use, and they may be insisted on in their proper place. They should especially be pleaded when the Scripture is attacked by an atheism arising from the love and practice of those lusts and sins which are severely condemned in Scripture, and which are threatened with the utmost vengeance. With other arguments, they may be considered as previous inducements to believing, or as concomitant means to strengthen faith in those who do believe. In the first way, I confess, to the best of my observation of things past and present, their use is not great, nor has it ever been in the church of God. For assuredly, most who sincerely believe the divine origin and authority of the Scripture, do so without any great consideration of such arguments, or being much influenced by them. There are many who, as Austin puts it, are saved by simple faith, "simplicitate credendi," and not by subtle arguments, "subtilitate disputandi" — arguments that, when proposed to them, they are not able to inquire much into, nor apprehend much of their force and efficacy.

Most persons, therefore, are effectively converted to God, and have saving faith — by which they believe the Scripture, and virtually all that is contained in it — before they have ever once considered such arguments. And God forbid that we should think no one can rightly believe the Scriptures except those who are able to apprehend and manage the subtle arguments of learned men produced in their confirmation! We affirm, on the contrary, that those who believe the Scriptures on no other grounds, indeed, have no true divine faith at all. Hence these arguments were not insisted on of old for ingenerating faith in those to whom the word was preached; nor are they ordinarily so used to this day by any who understand what their work and duty is. But in the second way, wherever there is occasion from objections, oppositions, or temptations, they may be pleaded to good use and purpose. And those who are unavoidably exposed to trials of that nature, may do well to be furnished with them. As for that course which some take in all places and at all times to dispute about the Scriptures and their authority, it is a practice that gives countenance to atheism, and it is to be abhorred by all who fear God; the consequents of it are sufficiently manifest.

2. The ministry of the church, because it is the pillar and ground of truth, upholding and declaring it, is necessary in an ordinary way prior to believing. For "faith comes by hearing, and hearing by the word of God." Romans 10:17 We believe the Scripture is the word of God for itself alone, but not by itself alone. The ministry of the word is the means which God has appointed for declaring and making known the testimony which the Holy Spirit gives in the Scripture as to its divine origin. And this is the ordinary way by which men are brought to believe that the Scripture is the word of God. The church in its ministry owns, witnesses, and avows that it is the word of God, and it instructs all sorts of persons out of it. Together with a sense and apprehension of the truth and power of the things that are taught and revealed in it, faith in it as the word of God is ingenerated in them.

3. Here we also suppose the internal effectual work of the Spirit producing faith in us, as declared before, without which we can believe neither the Scriptures nor anything else with faith divine — not for lack of evidence in them, but for lack of faith in ourselves.

These things being supposed, we affirm that it is the authority and truth of God, manifesting themselves in the supernatural revelation made in the Scripture, that our faith arises from and is resolved into. And in this consists that testimony which the Spirit gives to the word of God, that it is his word — for it is the Spirit that bears witness, because the Spirit is truth. The Holy Ghost being the immediate author of the whole Scripture, he testifies to the divine truth and origin of it in and by this: by the characteristics of divine authority and veracity impressed on it, which evidence themselves in its power and efficacy. Let it be observed that what we assert respects the revelation itself, the Scripture, the writing,116 and not merely the things written or contained in it. The arguments produced by some to prove the truth of the doctrines of the Scripture, do not reach the cause in hand. For our inquiry is not about believing the truths revealed, but about believing that the revelation itself, the Scripture itself, is divine. And we believe this only because of the authority and veracity of the revealer, that is, of God himself, manifested in it. To manifest this fully, I will do two things:

1. Prove that our faith is resolved into the Scripture as a divine revelation, and not into anything else. That is, we believe the Scripture is the word of God for its own sake, and not for the sake of anything else whatsoever, either external arguments or the authoritative testimony of men.

2. Show how or by what means the Scripture evidences its own divine origin; or show that the authority of God is so evidenced in and by the Scripture, that we need no other formal cause or reason of our faith, whatever motives or means of believing we may make use of. As to the first of these —

1. The formal reason on which we believe, is that which the Scripture proposes as the only reason why we should believe, why it is our duty to do so; and it requires our assent to this. Now, what it proposes, is itself as the word of God, and because it is the word of God — or it proposes the authority of God in itself, and that alone, as what we are to acquiesce in. And the truth of God, and that alone, is what our faith is to rest on and be resolved into. It does not require us to believe it upon the testimony of any church, or any other arguments that the church gives us to prove that it is from God; but it speaks to us immediately in his name; and upon that, it requires faith and obedience.

Some, it may be, will ask whether this proves that the Scripture is the word of God, just because it says so about itself, when any other writing may say the same. But we are not now giving arguments to prove to others that the Scripture is the word of God, but only proving and showing what our own faith rests on and is resolved into, or at least, what it ought to rest on. We will declare afterwards how it evidences itself to our faith that it is the word of God. It is sufficient for our present purpose that God requires us to believe the Scripture for no other reason than because it is his word, or a divine revelation from him. And if it is, then his authority and truth are the formal reason why we believe the Scripture, or anything contained in it. A general attestation is given to it in this sole preface to divine revelations, "Thus says the Lord;" and therefore they are to be believed. Besides this, particular testimonies abound to this purpose. We must mention some of them:

Deuteronomy 31:11-13, "When all Israel has come to appear before the Lord your God in the place which he will choose, you shall read this law before all Israel in their hearing. Gather the people together, men, and women, and children, and your stranger that is within your gates, that they may hear, and that they may learn, and fear the Lord your God, and be careful to do all the words of this law: and that their children, which have not known anything, may hear, and learn to fear the Lord your God."

Here it is plain that God requires faith and obedience of the whole people — men, women, and children. The question is, what he requires it to. It is to this law, to this law written in the books of Moses, which was to be read to them out of the book. Upon hearing it, they were obliged to believe and obey it. To evidence that the law is His, God proposes nothing but itself. But it will be said, "That generation was sufficiently convinced that the law was from God by the miracles which they beheld when it was given." But more than this, it is ordered to be proposed to children of future generations, who knew nothing, so they may hear it and learn to fear the Lord. By the appointment of God, what is proposed to those who know nothing, so that they may believe, is the formal reason of their believing. And this is the written word: "You shall read this law to those who have not known anything, that they may hear and learn," etc. Therefore, whatever use there may be for other motives or testimonies to commend the law to us (the ministry of the church especially), what is required here, to propose the word to men, is the law itself, or the written word. This is the object of our faith, and what we believe for its own sake. See also Deuteronomy 29:29, where "revealed things" are said to "belong to us and our children, that we might do them," — we who receive them on account of their divine revelation.

Isaiah 8:19-20, "When they say to you, ’Seek those who have familiar spirits, and wizards that peep and mutter’ — should not a people seek their God? Should the living seek the dead? To the law and to the testimony! If they do not speak according to this word, it is because there is no light in them." The question is, By what means may men be satisfied in their minds and consciences, or what is their faith or trust in? Two things are proposed to this end:

(1.) Immediate diabolical revelations, real or pretended; or (2.) The written word of God, "the law and the testimony."

We are sent to the written word of God on account of its own authority alone, in opposition to all other pretenses of assurance or security. And the sole reason why anyone does not acquiesce by faith in the written word, is because he has no mornings or light of truth shining on him. But how will we know that the law and testimony, this written word, is the word of God, and believe that it is, and distinguish it from every other pretended divine revelation that is not? This is declared —

Jeremiah 23:28-29, "The prophet that has a dream, let him tell a dream; and he that has my word, let him speak my word faithfully. What is the chaff to the wheat? says the Lord. Is not my word like a fire? says the Lord; and like a hammer that breaks the rock in pieces?"

Suppose there are two persons reputed to have divine revelations, and esteemed as "prophets." One of them only pretends to be, and declares as the word of God, the dreams of his own fancy, or the divinations of his own mind. The other has the word of God, and declares it faithfully. Yes, but how will we know one from the other? — even as men know wheat from chaff: by their different natures and effects. Being false, pretended revelations are like chaff, which every wind will scatter. But the true word of God is like a fire and a hammer; it is accompanied with such light, efficacy, and power, that it manifests itself to the consciences of men that it is his word. God calls us to rest our faith on this, in opposition to all other pretenses whatever.

2. But is it of this authority and efficacy in itself?

Luke 16:27-31 :"Then he said" (the rich man in hell), "I pray you therefore, father, that you would send him" (Lazarus, who was dead) "to my father’s house — for I have five brethren — that he may testify to them, lest they also come into this place of torment. Abraham says to him, They have Moses and the prophets; let them hear them. And he said, No, father Abraham: but if one went to them from the dead, they will repent. And he said to him, If they do not hear Moses and the prophets, neither will they be persuaded, though one rose from the dead." The question here between 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, to faith and repentance. The one who was in hell apprehended that nothing would make them believe but a miracle, one rising from the dead and speaking to them. Many at this day think this or similar marvellous operations would have mighty power and influence upon unbelievers, to settle their minds and change their lives.

Surely, if they were to see one "rise from the dead," and come and converse with them, this would convince them of the immortality of the soul, and of future rewards and punishments. It would give them such sufficient evidence of this, that they would assuredly repent and change their lives. As things are stated [in the gospel], their evidence of these things is merely insufficient, and their doubt about them is such that they are not really influenced by them. But give them one real miracle, and you will have them forever.

This, I say, was the opinion and judgment of the one who was presented as being in hell, just as it is the opinion of many who are posting there apace.117 The one who was in heaven thought otherwise of this; we have the immediate judgment of Jesus Christ given in this matter, thus determining this controversy. The question is about sufficient evidence and efficacy to cause us to believe things that are divine and supernatural; and he determines this is found in the written word, "Moses and the prophets." If someone will not, on the single evidence of the written word, believe that it is from God, or that it is a divine revelation of his will, he will never believe it on the evidence of miracles or any other motives. That written word contains in itself the entire formal reason of faith, or all that evidence of the authority and truth of God, on which divine and supernatural faith rests — that is, it is to be believed for its own sake. But our Lord Jesus Christ himself says, "If men will not hear," that is, if they will not believe, "Moses and the prophets, neither will they be persuaded though one rose from the dead," and came and preached to them — a greater miracle than that, they could not desire. Now, this could not be said if the Scripture did not contain in itself the whole entire formal reason of believing. For if it does not have this, then something necessary to believing would be lacking, even though that were enjoyed. And this is directly affirmed —

John 20:30-31, "Truly Jesus did many other signs in the presence of his disciples, which are not written in this book: but these are written, that you might believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God; and that believing you might have life through his name." The signs which Christ worked, evidenced that he is the Son of God. But how do we come to know and believe these signs? What is the way and means of it? The blessed apostle says, "These things are written, that you might believe;" — "This writing of them by divine inspiration is so far sufficient to produce and assure faith in you, that by this you may have eternal life through Jesus Christ." For if the writing of divine things and revelations is the means appointed by God to cause men to believe unto eternal life, then as such, it must carry with it sufficient reason why we should believe, and the grounds on which we should do so. And this matter is determined by the apostle Peter in like manner —

2 Peter 1:16-21, "We have not followed cunningly-devised fables, when we made known to you the power and coming of our Lord Jesus Christ, but were eye-witnesses of his majesty. For he received from God the Father, honor 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 we heard this voice which came from heaven, when we were with him in the holy mount. We also have a more sure word of prophecy; to which you do well to take heed, as to a light that shines in a dark place, until the day dawns, and the day star arises in your hearts: knowing this first, that no prophecy of the Scripture is of any private interpretation. For the prophecy did not come in olden times by the will of man: but holy men of God spoke as they were moved by the Holy Ghost." The question about the gospel, or the declaration of the powerful coming of Jesus Christ, is whether it should be believed or not; and if it should, then on what grounds? Some said it was a "cunningly-devised fable." Others said it was a fanatical story of madmen, as Festus thought of it when it was preached by Paul, Acts 26:24; and very many are still of the same mind. The apostles, on the contrary, averred that what was spoken concerning him were "words of truth and soberness," indeed, "faithful sayings, and worthy of all acceptance," 1 Timothy 1:15; that is, it is to be believed for its worth and truth. The grounds and reasons for this are two:

(1.) The testimony of the apostles, who not only conversed with Jesus Christ and were "eyewitnesses of his majesty," beholding his glory, "the glory as of the only-begotten of the Father, full of grace and truth," John 1:14 — and which they gave in evidence of the truth of the gospel, 1 John 1:1 — but they also heard a miraculous testimony given to him immediately from God in heaven, 2 Peter 1:17-18. This, indeed, gave them sufficient assurance. But into what will those persons resolve their faith, who did not hear this testimony?

(2.) 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, especially as confirmed by the testimony of the apostles. By this, the church comes to be "built" in its faith "on the foundation of the apostles and prophets," Ephesians 2:20. But why should we believe this word of prophecy? May that not also be a "cunningly-devised fable," and the whole Scripture be only the suggestions of men’s private spirits, as it is objected in 2 Peter 1:20?

All is finally resolved into this: that its writers were immediately "moved" or activated "by the Holy Ghost." From this divine origin, it carries along its own evidence with it. Plainly, what the apostle teaches us is that we believe all other divine truths for the Scripture’s sake, or because they are declared in it. But we believe the Scripture for its own sake, or because "holy men of God" wrote it "as they were moved by the Holy Ghost." The whole object of our faith is thus proposed by the same apostle, in 2 Peter 3:2, "That you may be mindful of the words which were spoken before by the holy prophets, and by the commandment of the apostles of the Lord and Savior." And because our faith is resolved into them, we are said to be "built upon the foundation of the apostles and prophets," as it is said in Ephesians 2:20. That is, our faith rests solely — as on a proper foundation which bears its weight — on the authority and truth of God in their writings. To this we may add this statement of Paul —

Romans 16:25-26, "According to the revelation of the mystery, which was kept secret since the world began, but now made manifest, and by the scriptures of the prophets, according to the commandment of the everlasting God, made known to all nations for the obedience of faith." The matter to be believed is the mystery of the gospel, which was kept secret since the world began, or from the giving of the first promise — not absolutely, but with respect to that full manifestation which it has now received. God commands that this is to be believed. The everlasting God, the one who has sovereign authority over all, requires faith by way of obedience to this. But what ground or reason do we have to believe it? This alone is proposed: namely, the divine revelation made in the preaching of the apostles and the writings of the prophets; for "faith comes by hearing, and hearing by the word of God," Romans 10:17. It was this course and no other that our Savior took, even after his resurrection, to produce and confirm faith in the disciples.118 I will not plead in particular that great testimony to this purpose in 2Tim 3.15-17,119 because I have so fully insisted on it in another discourse. From these and many other testimonies to the same purpose which might be produced, it is evident,

1. That it is the Scripture itself, the word or will of God as revealed or written, which is proposed to us as the object of our faith and obedience, and which we are to receive and believe with divine and supernatural faith.

2. That no other reason is proposed to us either as a motive to encourage us, or as an argument to assure us that we will not be mistaken, except its own divine origin and authority, making our duty necessary and securing our faith infallibly. To me, those testimonies have a thousand times more weight than the plausible reasonings of any to the contrary. With some, indeed, it has grown into a matter of contempt to quote or cite the Scripture in our writings, such a reverence have they for the ancient fathers — some of whose writings are nothing but a perpetual contexture of Scripture. But for those who pretend to despise those testimonies in this case, it is because they either do not understand what they are produced to confirm, or they cannot answer the proof that is in them. For it is not unlikely that some persons, well-conceited about their own understanding in things which they are most ignorant of, will pride and please themselves in the ridiculousness of proving that the Scripture is the word of God, by testimonies taken from it. But, as was said, we must not forego the truth because they either will not or cannot understand what we are discussing. Our assertion is confirmed by the uniform practice of the prophets and apostles, and all the penmen of Scripture, in proposing those divine revelations which they received by immediate inspiration from God. For, the reason of the faith of those to whom those divine revelations were first declared, is the reason of our faith now: that they are recorded in the Scripture. For the writing of it being by God’s appointment, it comes into the room, and supplies the place, of their oral ministry. On whatever ground men were obliged to receive and believe divine revelations when these were made to them by the prophets and apostles, we are obliged, on the same ground, to receive and believe them now that they are made to us in the Scripture. The writing is by divine inspiration, and it is appointed as the means and cause of our faith. It is true, God was pleased sometimes to bear witness to their personal ministry by miracles or signs and wonders, as in Hebrews 2:4, "God bearing them witness;" but this was only at some times, and only with some of them. What they universally insisted on, whether they worked any miracles or not, was that the word which they preached, declared, and wrote, was "not the word of man." It did not come by any private suggestion, or from any invention of their own, but it was "indeed the word of God," 1 Thessalonians 2:13; and it was declared by them as they were "acted by the Holy Ghost," 2 Peter 1:21.

Under the Old Testament, the prophets sometimes referred persons to the word already written, as that which their faith was to acquiesce in, Isaiah 8:20, Mal 4.4.120 They set out its power and excellence for all the ends of faith and obedience, Psalms 19:7-9; Psalms 119:121 They set out nothing else, nor any other motives or arguments to produce and require faith, except its own authority. Yet as to their own special messages and revelations, they laid the foundation of all the faith and obedience which they required in this alone: "Thus says the Lord, the God of truth." And under the New Testament, its infallible preachers and writers propose, in the first place, that the writings of the Old Testament are to be received for their own sake, or on account of their divine origin: see John 1:45; Luke 16:29; Luke 16:31; Matthew 21:42; Acts 18:24-25; Acts 18:28; Acts 24:14; Acts 26:22; 2Pet 1.21.122

Hence are they called "The oracles of God," Romans 3:2. And oracles always required an assent for their own sake; they pleaded no other evidence. And for the revelations which they superadded, they pleaded that they had them immediately from God "by Jesus Christ," Galatians 1:1. And this was accompanied with such an infallible assurance in those who received them, as to be preferred above a supposition of the highest miracle that would confirm anything to the contrary. For if an angel from heaven were to preach any other doctrine than what they revealed and proposed in the name and authority of God, they were to esteem him accursed, Galatians 1:8. For this cause, they still insisted on their apostolic authority and mission (which included infallible inspiration and direction) as the reason of the faith of those to whom they preached and wrote. And as for those who were not themselves divinely inspired, or did not act by immediate inspiration, they proved the truth of what they delivered by its consonancy with the Scriptures already written, referring the minds and consciences of men to them for their ultimate satisfaction, Acts 18.28, 28.23.123

It was granted before, that subservient to believing, and as a means of it — or to resolve our faith into the authority of God in the Scriptures — what is required is the ministerial proposal of the Scriptures and the truths contained in them, with the command of God for obedience to them, Rom 16.25-26.124 God has appointed this ministry of the church, either extraordinary or ordinary, to this end; and ordinarily it is indispensable to it:

Romans 10:14-15, "How will they believe in him of whom they have not heard? And how will they hear without a preacher? And how will they preach, unless they are sent?"

Ordinarily, without this, we cannot believe that the Scripture is the word of God, nor that the things contained in it are from him, though we do not believe either one or the other because of it. I grant that in extraordinary cases, outward providences may supply the place of this ministerial proposal. For it is all the same, as to our duty, by what means the Scripture is brought to us. But supposing this ministerial proposal of the word, which ordinarily includes the whole duty of the church in its testimony and declaration of the truth, I desire to know whether those to whom it is proposed are obliged to receive it as the word of God, without further external evidence — to rest their faith on it, and submit their consciences to it? The rule seems plain that they are obliged to do so, Mark 16.16.125 We may consider this under the distinct ways it is proposed: extraordinary and ordinary.

Upon the preaching of any of the prophets by immediate inspiration of the Holy Ghost, or on their declaration of any new revelation they had from God, by preaching or by writing (e.g., Isaiah or Jeremiah), I desire to know whether or not all persons were bound to receive their doctrine as being from God — to believe and submit to the authority of God in the revelation made by Him, without any external motives or arguments, nor the testimony or authority of the church witnessing to it?

If they were not, then those who refused to believe the message these prophets declared in the name of God — despising the warnings and instructions which they were given — were all excused as guiltless, for they did not use external motives; and the existing church mostly condemned these prophets and their ministry, as plain in the case of Jeremiah. Now, it is impious to imagine that those to whom they spoke in the name of God were not obliged to believe them; it tends to overthrow all religion. If we say that they were obliged to believe them, under the penalty of divine displeasure, and so they were to receive the revelation made by them — i.e., on their declaration of it as the word of God — then that word must contain in it the formal reason of believing, or the full and entire cause, reason, and ground of why they ought to believe with divine and supernatural faith.126 Or else, let another ground of faith be assigned in this case.

Suppose the proposal is made in the ordinary ministry of the church. Hereby the Scripture is declared to men to be the word of God. They are made acquainted with it, and with what God requires of them in it, and they are charged in the name of God to receive and believe it. Does any obligation to believe arise from this? Maybe some will say that, immediately, there is not; they will only grant that men are bound, on this, to inquire into those reasons and motives which are proposed to them for its reception and admission. I say there is no doubt that men are obliged to consider all things of that nature which are proposed to them, and not to receive it with brutish, implicit belief — for receiving it is to be an act of men’s own minds or understandings, on the best grounds and evidences which the nature of the thing proposed is capable of. But suppose that men do their duty in their diligent inquiries into the whole matter. I desire to know whether, by the proposal mentioned, an obligation to believe comes upon men? If there does not, then all men are perfectly innocent who refuse to receive the preaching of the gospel, with respect to that preaching — but to say so, is to overthrow the whole dispensation of the ministry. If they are obliged to believe upon the preaching of it, then the word has in itself those evidences of its divine origin and authority which are a sufficient ground of faith, or reason of believing. For whatever God requires us to believe, always has such evidences. As the issue of this whole discourse, it is affirmed that our faith is built on and resolved into the Scripture itself, which carries with it, its own evidence of being a divine revelation. And therefore, that faith ultimately rests on the truth and authority of God alone, and not on any human testimony such as that of the church, nor on any rational arguments or motives that are absolutely fallible.