The reasonableness and certainty of the Christian religion by Robert Jenkin ...

CHAP. VIII. Of Places of Scripture which seems to contradict each other.

I. THough the sacred Writers no where contradict themselves, or one another, yet they were not solicitous to prevent the being suspected to do so by injudicious and rash Men, as they would have been very cau∣tious of giving any pretence for such a Suspi∣cion, if they had written any thing but Truth. It could not be agreeable to the Sovereign Wisdom and Majesty of God to comply with the Humours and Fancies of Men; but rather, when he had by an infallible Guidance and Direction prevented the Pen-Men of the Holy Scriptures from writing any thing but Truth, to suffer them to write so, as that they might be liable to the Exceptions of the wilful and perverse. Because it is more (x) suitable to the simplicity of Truth, not to be over-nice and

solicitous about every Punctilio and smaller Circumstance; but to speak fully and intelli∣gibly, and then to leave it to Men, whether they will believe or not; especially in what is told them for their own Advantage, the Re∣lators having no end or design to serve by it, but only to do them the greatest Good they can, and bringing all the evidence for their Conviction, that Miracles and Prophecies can afford, which are the only Means of God's revealing Himself to Mankind, and then suf∣fering in Testimony of what they have de∣livered.

Thus our Saviour, when notwithstanding all his Mighty works, many would not be∣lieve in Him, but questioned His Authority, and reviled His Person, and blasphemed the Holy Spirit, by which they were wrought, was not concerned to work more Miracles, merely for the Satisfaction, or rather at the captious Demands of these Men, when they re∣quired him to do it. For if they would be convinced by any reasonable Means, he had given it them; if they would not, it would be to their own Prejudice, he was not solici∣tous what they thought of him. And thus it is likewise in the Government of the World; God has given Men sufficient Evidence of His Being and Providence; but if Men will dis•• believe His Providence and deny His Being, he doth not vouchsafe by any immediate 〈◊〉〈◊〉 particular Act of His Power to con•••••••• 〈◊〉〈◊〉

Pretences. And if, because of some places that are difficult in the Scriptures, Men will re∣ject the whole, rather than be at the pains to search out the true Meaning of these places, or than be so modest and humble, as to sup∣pose that there may be ways of Reconciling those, which appear to them, contradictions, tho' they have not yet found them out, they must fall under the same Condemnation with those, who will deny the Being of God, if they cannot satisfy themselves how he made and governs the world; or with those that would believe none of our Saviour's Miracles, unless he would work them when, and where, and just in what manner they pleased. But the wisdom of God sees that nothing would satisfy these Men, and that they only tempt God, and design no real Satisfaction to them∣selves: and therefore he cannot be obliged to new model the World, and alter the Scri∣ptures for their sakes, since there is enough in them for the Satisfaction of all that are sin∣cere in their Enquiries after Truth.

II. The only way to judge rightly of the particular places of any Book, is to consider first the whole Design, and Contrivance, and Method, and Stile of it, not to criticize upon some difficult Parts of it, without any regard had to the rest. This is the Method used by all, who would criticize with Judgment upon any Author. And some Passages of Scripture are explained to our hands, to be a Key, as it

were, and a Direction to us in the Explication of others. Thus, whereas in one place it is said, that Jesus baptized, in another it is said, that he baptized not, and the former place is expalined to be meant not of Baptism perform∣ed by Himself, but by his Disciples, who baptized in his Name. Joh. iii. 22. iv. 1, 2.

III. It is reasonable to observe whether the Objections be not such as do suppose Mis∣takes, which a Man, who could write such a Discourse, as they are imagined to be found in, could not run into. For if they be of this Nature, this very Consideration is enough to take off the force of the Objection against the Authority of any Book; and we must conclude that the Objections are capable of being answered, and that the Mistake lies not in the Book it self, but in the Readers, who without sufficient Skill or Attention, pass a rash Judgment upon it. For by all the Rules of Reasoning, an Objection may imply too much, as well as prove too little to be of any force: And the common Rules of Candor and Equity would prevent many Objections which are wont to be made against the Scri∣ptures. For if we will but suppose the wri∣ters of the Scriptures to have been Men of any tolerable Sense, even without Inspiration, they could never have committed such mistakes as some would fasten upon them. We read Exod. xxxiii. 11. And the Lord spake unto Mo∣ses, face to face, as a Man speaketh unto his

Friend: yet Vers. 20. the Lord answers Moses, who had besought God to shew him his Glory. Thou canst not see my face: for there shall no man see me and live. Would it not be impu∣dent Trifling to pretend any Contradiction in these two Verses, when they are easily under∣stood in a consistent Sense, and no Man of any Judgment can be supposed to write Con∣tradictions, and lay them so near together? When it is said, Act. ix. 7. that the Men, who journeyed with St. Paul, heard a Voice, but saw no man: and Act. xxii. 9. that they heard not the Voice of him that spake to St. Paul: be∣sides the Explications which are known and obvious to reconcile these Texts, those, who who will not be at the Pains to consult Expo∣sitors, or to consider the Importance of the Words, may be pleased to observe, that St. Luke was a Man bred to Learning, and this History of the Acts of the Apostles, shews him to have been, at least, a prudent and wise Man; and therefore he could never have writ∣ten so palpable a Contradiction, as the Obje∣ction must suppose, in so small a Compass, con∣cerning one of the most remarkable Things in his whole History, relating to a Person, with whom he constantly travelled and convers'd. I appeal to any Man, whether, if he had met with two such Passages, which seem to con∣tradict each other, in Thucidides or Xenophon, or, even in the very worst Historian, he would not be enclined rather to seek out for some

way of reconciling them, than to suspect that he could so soon forget what he had written so little a while before, in an Account of a Thing of that Nature. Of the same kind is that Difference, which is between the Genea∣logy of Christ in St. Matthew, and that in St. Luke. For there is no doubt but the Genealogies of the Jews were then, and long after, extant in the Publick Registers, (x) they could repeat them by heart with as much readiness as they could their own Names; and to insert a wrong Genealogy had been to give up all the Argu∣ments that could be alledg'd for our Saviour's being the Christ: Nothing could be more de∣structive to their Cause, than for the Evange∣lists to produce a false Pedigree, when the True one might be so easily produced by any who had a mind to disprove them. The Me∣rits of their Cause wholly depended upon the Proof of Christ's Descent from Abraham and David; and therefore whatever Difficulties there may now be thought to be in this Two∣fold Genealogy; it was certainly acknow∣ledged by those of that Age, and beyond all Dispute, or else it would never have been pro∣duced by the Evangelists, or had for ever ruined their Cause, if they had produced it.

Some Crimes are too great to charge upon Men of any Credit or Reputation; and some Errors are so notorious that no Man of com∣mon Prudence can be supposed to commit them: And therefore when we find an Au∣thor

rational and consistent in other parts of a Discourse; the ordinary Ingenuity and Con∣dor of Mankind will hinder us from suppo∣sing him to commit gross and palpable mi∣stakes, and it is great disingenuity and folly to shew the less Respect to any Author, be∣cause he is at least believed to have written by Inspiration, or to deny him the Respect due to a Man, because God has enabled him to write Infallible Truth.

IV. If any Contradictions be framed or forced from the various Readings, the difficul∣ties in Chronology, or whatever elsé of this Nature is to be found in the Disputes of Criticks; they prove no more against the Authority of the Scriptures, than they do a∣gainst the Authority of all other Books in the World, unless it could be shewn that these Difficulties could not happen in a Book written by Divine Inspiration, but that it must be first written in such a manner as to afford no occasion for Disputes, and that it must be ever after so preserved by a constant Miracle, that it may be subject to none of the Accidents and Casualties, to which all o∣ther Books are liable. On the contrary it can never be proved that God might not permit Books written by Inspiration, to be obnoxi∣ous to any such Casualties as are not prejudi∣cial to the End and Design of a Revelation. But if the necessary points of Doctrine be pre∣served entire, and the Evidence of Matters

of Fact be sufficient to prove the Truth of the Miracles and Prophecies in Confirmation of that Doctrine; all lesser Matters may be lest to the same contingencies which befall all other Books in the World.

That the Evidence is very clear and full in Proof both of the Prophecies and Miracles, which demonstrate to us the Divine Autho∣rity of the Scriptures, has been already shewn, and if no more could be produced than has by me been brought to prove their Authori∣ty; yet unless this can be proved to be in∣sufficient from some mistakes or defects in it, no such Objections can invalidate it. Because no Man can prove that God might not suffer a Book written by his own Appointment and Authority, to be encumbred thro' length of Time, and the frailty and negligence of Men, with insuperable Difficulties, if it be supposed still to retain the visible Marks and Characters of a Divine Original in all the Evidence neces∣sary to prove it from Matter of Fact, and in the Doctrines delivered by it. For as long as these two things are secured, all the rest tho' it be of never so great Use and Excellen∣cy, yet cannot be necessary in order to the ends of a Divine Revelation. And therefore a Book of Divine Revelation might be per∣mitted by God for the Sins, and by the Fault and Ignorance of Men, to become perplext with abundance of divers Readings, and e∣ven with Contradictions in the Chronologi∣cal

and less material Points of it. For so long as it cannot be proved Defective as to the ends and purposes of a Divine Revelation, ei∣ther for want of evidence to make it appear to be such, or thro' defect of the Matter and Doctrine contained in it; all other Difficulties will never prove it not to be of Divine Au∣thority, because so long as there is no Defect, but what might be in any Book, tho' we sup∣pose it to be of Divine Authority.

Notes

• (x)

  Mul∣tum enim refert, ut est in Epi∣stola Adri∣ani, quam recitatcal∣listratus L. Test••u•• D. De Te∣••tibus, qui. simpliciter visi sunt di∣cere, utr••m unum eun∣d••••••q•••• me••tiatum sermo em attulerint, an ad ea, quae inter∣rogati sunt▪ ex tempore veri••milia respo••de∣ri••t. Grot. in Adject. ad Dan. c. xiii. 51.
• (x)

  Ab ex∣ordio A∣dam usque ad extre∣mum Zo∣robabel, omnium genera∣tiones ita memori∣ter veloci∣terque precur runt, ut eos suum putes re∣ferre no∣men Hie∣ron in Tit. iii. 9.