The State of the Question.
No 1. THERE is nothing that Men make a greater Noise about, in our Time especially, than what they generally profess least of all to understand. It may be easily concluded, I mean the Mysteries of the Christian Religion. The Divines, whose peculiar Province it is to explain them to others, almost unanimously own their Ignorance concerning them. They gravely tell us, we must adore what we cannot comprehend: And yet some of 'em press their dubious Com∣ments upon the rest of Mankind with more Assurance and Heat, than could be tolerably justify'd, tho we should grant them to be absolutely infallible. Page 2 The worst on't is, they are not all of a Mind. If you be Orthodox to those, you are a Heretick to these. He that sides with a Party is adjudg'd to Hell by the Rest; and if he declares for none, he receives no milder Sentence from all.
2. Some of 'em say the Mysteries of the Gospel are to be understood only in the Sense of the Antient Fathers. But that is so multifarious, and inconsistent with it self, as to make it impossible for any Body to believe so many Contra∣dictions at once. They themselves did caution their Readers from leaning up∣on their Authority, without the Evi∣dence of Reason: And thought as lit∣tle of becoming a Rule of Faith to their Posterity, as we do to ours. Moreover, as all the Fathers were not Authors, so we cannot properly be said to have their genuine Sense. The Works of those that have written are wonderfully corrupted and adultera∣ted, or not entirely extant: And if they were, their Meaning is much more obscure, and subject to Contro∣versy, than that of the Scripture.
Page 3 3. Others tell us we must be of the Mind of some particular Doctors, pro∣nounc'd Orthodox by the Authority of the Church. But as we are not a whit satisfy'd with any Authority of that Nature, so we see these same particular Doctors could no more agree than the whole Herd of the Fathers; but tra∣gically declaim'd against one another's Practices and Errors: That they were as injudicious, violent, and factious as other Men: That they were for the greatest part very credulous and super∣stitious in Religion, as well as pitifully ignorant and superficial in the minutest Punctilios of Literature. In a word, that they were of the same Nature and Make with our selves; and that we know of no Privilege above us be∣stow'd upon them by Heaven, except Priority of Birth, if that be one, as it's likely few will allow.
4. Some give a decisive Voice in the Unravelling of Mysteries, and the In∣terpretation of Scripture, to a General Council; and others to one Man whom they hold to be the Head of the Church Universal upon Earth, and the infalli∣ble Judg of all Controversies. But we Page 4 do not think such Councils possible, nor (if they were) to be of more Weight than the Fathers; for they consist of such, and others as obnoxious altoge∣ther to Mistakes and Passions: And besides, we cannot have Recourse, as to a standing Rule, for the Solution of our Difficulties, to a wonder by God's Mercy now more rarely seen than the secular Games of old. As for the one Judg of all Controversies, we suppose none but such as are strongly pre∣possess'd by Interest or Educat•…on can in good earnest digest those chimerical supreme Headships, and Monsters of Infallibility. We read no where in the Bible of such delegate Judges ap∣pointed by Christ to supply his Office: And Reason manifestly proclaims them frontless Usurpers. Nor is their Power finally distinguish'd from that of Coun∣cils to this Hour, by the miserable Ad∣mirers of both.
5. They come nearest the thing who affirm, that we are to keep to what the Scriptures determine about these Matters: and there is nothing more true, if rightly understood. But ordinarily 'tis an equivocal Way of Page 5 speaking, and nothing less than the proper Meaning of it is intended by many of those that use it: For they make the Scriptures speak either ac∣cording to some spurious Philosophy, or they conform them right or wrong to the bulky Systems and Formularies of their several Communions.
6. Some will have us always believé what the literal Sense imports, with lit∣tle or no Consideration for Reason, which they reject as not fit to be em∣ploy'd about the reveal'd Part of Reli∣gion. Others assert, that we may use Reason as the Instrument, but not the Rule of our Belief. The first con∣tend, some Mysteries may be, or at least seem to be contrary to Reason, and yet be receiv'd by Faith. The se∣cond, that no Mystery is contrary to Reason, but that all are above it. Both of 'em from different Principles agree, that several Doctrines of the New Testament belong no farther to the Enquiries of Reason than to prove 'em divinely reveal'd, and that they are properly Mysteries still.
Page 6 7. On the contrary, we hold that Reason is the only Foundation of all Certitude; and that nothing reveal'd, whether as to its Manner or Existence, is more exempted from its Disquisi∣tions, than the ordinary Phenomena of Nature. Wherefore, we likewise maintain, according to the Title of this Discourse, that there is nothing in the Gospel contrary to Reason, nor above it; and that no Christian Doctrine can be properly call'd a Mystery.
