that made them. They carry about with them their own authority. By being what they are, they declare whose they are. To reveal God by his works, there is need of nothing, but that they be presented to the consideration of rational creatures.

The voice of God in nature, is, in like manner, effectual. It declares itself to be from God by its own light and authority. There is no need to convince a man, by substantial witnesses, that what his conscience speaks, it speaks from God. Whether it bear testimony to the being, righteousness, power, omniscience, or holiness of God himself; or, whether it call for that moral obedience, which is eternally and indispensably due to him, and so shows forth the "work of the law in the heart," it so speaks that, without farther evidence or reasoning, but what is supplied by itself-it discovers its Author, from whom it is, and in whose name it speaks. Those common notions and general presumptions of him and his authority, that are inlaid in the natures of rational creatures by the hand of God, are able to plead their own divine original, without the least assistance from without.

Now, the Psalmist says unto God, "Thou hast magnified over all thy name the word" thou hast spoken. The name of God is all that whereby he makes himself known. Over all this, God magnifies his word. 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 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 testimony, or authority, while that which is by God himself magnified above them, which is far more noble and excellent in itself, and hath far more divinely conspicuous and glorious impressions and characters of his goodness, holiness, power, grace, truth, than all the creation, should yet lie dead, obscure, and have nothing in itself to reveal its Author, until some superadded testimony be called in to its assistance. We esteem those to have done no service to the truth, who insist that there is not natural knowledge of God arising from the innate principles of reason, and the works of God: let the way to the progress of supernatural revelation be obstructed, by denying that it is able to demonstrate 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 result of this general induction. As God, in the creation of the world, and all things therein, hath so made and framed them-hath left such characters of his eternal power and wisdom on them, filled with such evidences of their Author, suited to the apprehensions of rational creatures, that without any other testimony than the naked consideration 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 "a wheel within a wheel," his church; he hath, by his Spirit, impressed on it such characters of his goodness, power, wisdom, holiness, love to mankind, truth, faithfulness, with all the rest of his glorious excellencies and perfec

tions, that at all times, and in all places, without any other witness or testimony given to 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 souls of men. This comparison is insisted on by the Psalmist, Psalm xix, where, as he ascribeth a

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voice," and "line" to the creatures; so he ascribeth light, power, stability, and permanency, like that of the heavens and sun, as constituting properties of 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, for any special or general end, that those to whom he intends to discover himself, may either be effectually instructed in his will, according to the degree and means of the revelation afforded, or be left inexcusable for not receiving the testimony which he gives of himself, by any pretence of want of clear, evident revelation; that, whatever it be, hath such an impression of his authority upon it, as undeniably to evince that it is from him.

CHAPTER III.

Of Miracles, their efficacy to beget Faith, compared with the Word.

HAVING declared the divine original and authority of the Scripture, way is now made for the considera

tion of those self-evidences of its divine rise, and, consequently authority, that it is attended with, on account of which we receive it as the word of God.

Both

Some

The arguments by which any thing is confirmed, are of two sorts; inartificial, by the way of testimony; and artificial, by the way of deductions and inferences. Whatever is capable of contributing evidence to truth, falls under one of these two heads. these kinds of proofs we shall make use of. profess they own the authority of the Scriptures, and also urge others so to do; but they dispute on what grounds they do so. With those we may deal in the first way, by testimony from the Scriptures themselves; which, upon their own principles, they cannot refuse. When they shall be pleased to inform us, that they no longer own the Scripture to be the word of God, we will withdraw the witnesses, whom, for the present, we make use of. Testimonies that are innate, and ingrafted in the word itself, used only as artificial arguments to be deduced from them, may be used to those who own not the authority of the Scripture, or who are desirous to try their skill in the management of a controversy against the word of God.

In both these cases, the testimony of the Scripture is pleaded, and is to be received, and cannot, with any pretence of reason, be refused; in the former, on account of the acknowledged authority and veracity of the witness, though speaking in its own case; in the latter, on account of that self-evidence which the testimony insisted on is accompanied with, made out by such reasonings and arguments, as persons who own not its authority cannot but admit. In

human things, if a man of known integrity and unspotted reputation bear witness in any cause, and give uncontrollable evidence to his testimony, from the very nature of the things of which he speaks, as it is expected that those who admit of his integrity and reputation should acquiesce in his assertion, so those to whom he is a stranger, who are not moved by his authority, will yet assent to what is witnessed by him; from the nature of the things he asserts, especially if there be a coincidence of all such circumstances as are any way needful to give evidence to the matter in hand.

For,

Thus it is in the case under consideration. those who profess to believe the Scriptures to be the word of God, and so own the credit and fidelity of the witness, it may reasonably be expected, yea, in strict justice demanded, of them, that they stand to the testimony. By saying that the Scripture is the word of God, and then commanding us to prove it so to be, they render themselves obnoxious to every testimony that we produce from it. This witness they cannot waive, without disavowing their own professed principles.

As for those with whom we have not the advantage of their own acknowledgment, it is not reasonable to impose upon them the bare testimony of that witness, concerning whom the question is, whether he be worthy the acceptation pleaded for; but yet arguments taken from the Scripture, from its nature and operation, by which the causes of all things are discovered, are not to be refused.

But it is neither of these, that principally I intend to deal with; my present discourse is rather