the Object of all belief in Credibility, it will clearly follow, that diverfity of Credibility in the Object, will proportionably cause a distinction of Affent in the Understanding, and confequently a feveral kind of Faith, which we have fuppofed to be nothing else but fuch an Assent. Now the Credibility of Objects, by which they appear fit to be believed, is diftinguishable according to the diverfities of its foundation, that is, according to the different Authority of the Teftimony on which it depends. For we having no other certain means of affuring our felves of the truth, and confequently no other motives of our Affent in matters of mere Belief, than the Teftimony upon which we believe; if there be any fundamental distinction in the Authority of the Teftimony, it will caufe the like difference in the Affent, which muft needs bear a proportion to the Authority of the Teftimony, as being originally and eflentially founded upon it. It is therefore neceffary next to confider, in what the Authority of a TeftiAstoria - mony confifteth, and fo to defcend to the feveral kinds of Teftimonies founded upon feveral Authorities. Τῷ γδ ποίον τινα φαίνεας, τέτο δ' ἐσιν, ἄν ἀδα Ariftot. Rhet. l. I. c. 8. humanum. Divinum, ut oracula, ut θος φαίνηται, ἢ The strength and validity of every Testimony muft bear proportion with Uves nauda. the * Authority of the Teftifier; and the Authority of the Teftifier is founded upon his Ability and Integrity: his Ability in the knowledge of that which Teftimoni- he delivereth and afferteth; his Integrity in delivering and afferting acorum qua cording to his knowledge. For two feveral ways he which relateth or funt genera? Divinum & teftifieth any thing may deceive us; one, by being ignorant of the truth, and fo upon that ignorance mistaking, he may think that to be true which is not fo, and confequently deliver that for truth, which in it self is false, and fo deceive himself and us; or if he be not ignorant, yet if he be difhoneft or unfaithful, that which he knows to be falfe he may propound onfa facer- and affert to be a truth, and fo, though himself be not deceived, he may dotum, aru- deceive us. And by each of these ways, for want either of Ability or jectorum: Integrity in the Teftifier, whofo grounds his Affent unto any thing as a Humanum, truth, upon the teftimony of another, may equally be deceived. aufpicia, ut vaticinatio nes, & re fpicum, con-. tur ex autho ex oratione quod fpecta- But whofoever is fo able as certainly to know the truth of that which ritate, & ex he delivereth, and fo faithful as to deliver nothing but what and as he voluntate, & knoweth, he, as he is not deceived, fo deceiveth no man. So far therefore aut libera aut as any perfon teftifying appeareth to be knowing of the thing he teftifies, expreffa; in and to be faithful in the relation of what he knows, fo far his teftimony is acceptable, fo far that which he teftifieth is properly Credible. And promifla, ju- thus the Authority of every Teftifier or Relater is grounded upon these rata, quæfita. two foundations, his Ability and Integrity. quo infunt fcripta, pacta, Partit. quia non vi dimus; quo certos fibi cffe Cicero. Orat. Now there is in this cafe, fo far as it concerns our prefent defign, † a douNon dicant ble Teftimony: the Teftimony of man to man, relying upon humane Authonon credimus rity, and the Teftimony of God to man, founded upon divine Authority: which two kinds of Teftimony are refpective grounds of two kinds of Creniam fi hæc dibility, Humane and Divine; and confequently there is a two-fold Faith tur fateri in diftinguish'd by this double Object, a Humane and a Divine Faith. Humane Faith is an Affent unto any thing Credible merely upon the Parentes fuos. Teftimony of man. Such is the belief we have of the words and affectiDe fide rerum ons one of another. And upon this kind of Faith we proceed in the ordinary affairs of our life; according to the Opinion we have of the ability. and fidelity of him which relates or afferts any thing we believe or disbelieve. By this a friend affureth himself of the affection of his friend: by this the Son acknowledgeth his Father, and upon this is his obedience wrought. By virtue of this Humane Faith it is that we doubt nor at all of those things which we never faw, by reafon of their diftance from us, either by time or place. Who doubts whether there be fuch a Country as Italy, or fuch a City as Conftantinople, though he never pafs'd any of our four Seas? invifib. amonst the works of St. Auguftin. ἐγένετο. 'Αλλ' Manander apud Stob. Who . Who queftions now whether there were fuch a Man as Alexander in the Eaft, or Cafar in the Weft? and yet the latest of these hath been beyond the poffibility of the knowledge of man thefe fixteen hundred years. There is no* Science taught without original belief, there are no † Letters learnt * Yobále without preceding faith. There is no Juftice executed, no Commerce μύτοι καὶ κλη πὶς ἢ ἐπιση maintained, no Bufinefs profecuted without this; ‡ all fecular affairs are iss. tranfacted, all great atchievements are attempted, all hopes, defires and Theodor. Theinclinations are preserved by this Humane Faith grounded upon the Te-toi à y rà ftimony of man. rap. I. πρῶτα τοιχεία τρίων ἢ ἐκκλη Cyril. In which cafe we all by eafie experience may obferve the nature, gene- μαθεῖν οἷόν τε мой теб удамration and progrefs of Belief. For in any thing which belongeth to more μais than ordinary knowledge, we believe not him whom we think to be igno- . ibid. - Πάντα τα ἐν rant, nor do we affent the more for his affertion, though never fo confi- κόσμῳ τε dently delivered: but if we have a strong opinion of the knowledge and skill of any perfon, what he affirmeth within the compafs of his know-ledge, that we readily affent unto; and while we have no other ground rias wisd but his affirmation, this Assent is properly Belief. Whereas, if it be any The Catech. V. matter of concernment in which the intereft of him that relateth or affirOrig. cont. meth any thing to us is confiderable, there it is not the skill or knowledge celfum, lib. 1. of the Relater which will fatisfie us, except we have as ftrong an opinion of Euf. de prep. his fidelity and integrity; but if we think him so just and honest, that he has no design upon us, nor will affirm any thing contrary to his knowledge for Arnob, adver. any gain or advantage, then we readily affent unto his affirmations; and this Affent is our Belief. Seeing then our Belief relies upon the ability and integrity of the Relater, and being the knowledge of all men is imperfect, and the hearts of all men are deceitful, and fo their integrity to be fufpected, there can be no infallible univerfal ground of Humane Faith. Evang. l. 1. c. 5. Gent. l. 2. 1 John 5.9 manis tefti Dei oraculis But what fatisfaction we cannot find in the the teftimony of man, we may Rom. 3. 4. receive in the testimony of God, *If we receive the witneß of man, the Quam indig witneß of God is greater. Yea, let God be true, the ground of our num, nt huDivine, and every man a liar, the ground of our Humane Faith. moniis de alio As for the other Member of the Divifion, we may now plainly perceive credamus. that it is thus to be defined; Divine Faith is an Affent unto fomething de fe non creas Credible upon the Teftimony of God. This Affent is the highest kind of Faith, because the object hath the higheft Credibility, becaufe grounded upon the Teftimony of God, which is infallible. Balaam could tell Balak thus much, God is not a man, that he should lye; and a better Prophet confirm'd the fame truth to Saul, The ftrength of Ifrael will not lye; and because he will not, because he cannot, he is the ftrength of Ifrael, even my God, my ftrength, in whom I will trust. b a C damus! S. Abraham c. 3. Artegy, πάντων ἢ ἀν θρωπίνων πό σεως ἐκείνων, μᾶλ λον τις δύειν την Jew; Orig. ad as new IS SUGAR THE celf. 1. 1. 1 Sam. 15.29. γνώσεων κύ For fift, God is of infinite knowledge and wisdom, as Hannah hath taught us, the Lord is a God of knowledge, or rather, if our Language will bear it, of knowledges, which are fo plural, or rather infinite in their plurality, that the Pfalmift hath faid, Of his understanding there is no pfal. 18. 2. number. He knoweth therefore all things, neither can any truth be hid 1 Sam. 2. 3. from his knowledge, who is effentially truth, and effentially knowledge, and, as fo, the cause of all other truth and knowledge. Thus the under- Lxx. Ods standing of God is infinite in refpect of comprehenfion, and not so only,. but of certainty alfo and evidence. Some things we are faid to know Pfal. 147. 5. which are but obfcurely known, we fee them but as in a Glafs or through a Cloud: But God is light, and in him is no darkness at all: he feeth without any obfcurity, and whatsoever is propounded to his understanding entia fimpli is most clear and evident; neither is there any Creature that is not mani- citer multiplex, & uniformiter multiformis, incomprehenfibili comprehcnfione omnia incomprehenfibilia comprehendit. S. Augustin. de Civit. Dei, lib. 12. cap. 18. di John 1. 5. © Heb. 4. 13. fest Η Διών ) τα ὁ Θεὸς ἄπερ dfalds sivas, is. Orig. contra Cel fum. omnipotens di- a non poteft. S. Auguft. de Civ. Dei. l. 22. c. 25. a 2 Tim. 2. 13. b Heb. 6. 17 18. b fest in his fight; but all things are naked and open unto the eyes of him with whom we have to do. Wherefore being all things are within the compafs of his knowledge, being all things which are fo, are most clear and evident unto him, being the knowledge he hath of them is most certain and infallible, it inevitably followeth that he cannot be deceiv'd in any thing. Secondly, The juftice of God is equal to his knowledge, nor is his Deat. 32. 4. holiness inferior to his wifdom: a God of truth, * faith Mofes, and without iniquity, juft and right is he. From which internal, effential and infinite rectitude, goodness and holiness, followeth an impoffibility to deduá, Ts clare or deliver that for truth which he knoweth not to be true. For if it Odseve, be against that finite purity and integrity which is required of man, to lye, and therefore finful, then must we conceive it abfolutely inconfiftent with that tranfcendent purity and infinite integrity which is effential unto God. Although therefore the power of God be infinite, though he can do all things; Si velint in- yet we may fafely fay, without any † prejudice to his Omnipotency, that he venire quod cannot fpeak that for truth which he knoweth to be otherwise. For the non poteft, perfections of his will are as neceffarily infinite as those of his understanding; habent pror- neither can he be unholy or unjuft more than he can be ignorant or unwife. fus ego entiri *If we believe not, yet he abideth faithful, he cannot deny himself. Which words of the Apostle, though properly belonging to the promifes of God, yet are as true in refpect of his affertions; neither fhould he more deny himself in violating his fidelity, than in contradicting his veracity. 'Tis true, that God willing more abundantly to fhew unto the Heirs of Promife the immutability of his counfel, confirmed it by an oath; that by two immutable things, in which it was impoffible for God to lye, we might have a strong confolation: but 'tis as true, that all this confirmation is only for our confolation; otherwise it is as impoffible for God to lye, withc Heb. 6. 13. out an oath, as with one; for being he can wear by no greater, he fweareth only by himself, and fo the ftrength even of the Oath of God relieth upon the veracity of God. Wherefore being God, as God is of infinite rectitude, goodness and holiness, being it is manifeftly repugnant to his *Ut fit om- purity, and inconfiftent with his integrity, to deliver any thing contrary mori non po- to his knowledge, it clearly followeth that he cannot deceive any man. teft, falli non It is therefore most infallibly certain, that God being infinitely wife, * cannot be deceived; being infinitely good, cannot † deceive: and teft. Auguft. these two immovable pillars ftandeth the Authority of the Teftimony of God. de Symb. ad For fince we cannot doubt of the witnefs of any one, but by questioning his Deus facere ability, as one who may be ignorant of that which he affirmeth, and fo fraudem nef- deceived; or by excepting against his integrity, as one who cit, pati non that which he knoweth to be falfe, and fo have a purpose to deceive us : may affirm fol. Serm. 62. where there is no place for either of thefe exceptions, there can be no Authoritas doubt of the truth of the Testimony. But where there is an intrinsical in intrinfeca repugnancy of being deceived in the understanding, and of deceiving in repugnantia the will, as there certainly is in the understanding and will of God, there feu falfitatis can be no place for either of thofe exceptions, and confequently there can be quam habet no doubt of the truth of that which God teftifieth. And whofoever thinketh divinum judi- any thing comes from him, and affenteth not unto it, muft neceffarily deny intrinfeca re- him to be wife or holy: He that believeth not God, faid the Apostle, bath pugnantia made him a liar. That truth then which is teftified by God, hath a Di actus volun- vine Credibility: and an affent unto it as fo credible, is Divine Faith. In tis teftimo- which the material Object is the Doctrine which God delivereth, the for nium extrin- mal Object is that Credibility founded on the * Authority of the deliverer. confentiens And this I conceive the true nature of Divine Faith in general. nium potens, poteft, mentiri non po Catechum. poteft. Chry Dei confiftit deceptionis cium, & in tatis imperan fecum non upon judicio interno; quæ per terminos pofitivos actûs intellectûs infallibiliter veri, & actûs voluntatis intrinfecè & neceffariò recti, poterit explicari. Francif. de Ovied. Traft. de Fide. Contr. 2. pun. 2. d 1. John 5.10. * Divina • eft auctoritas cui credimus; divina eft doctrina quam fequimur. Leo, Serm. 7. in Nativ. 1 I Now Now being the Credibility of all which we believe is founded upon the Teftimony of God, we can never be fufficiently inftructed in the notion of Faith, till we first understand how this teftimony is given to those truths which we now believe. To this end it will be necessary to give notice that the Teftimony of God is not given unto truths before queftioned or debated; nor are they fuch things as are firft propounded and doubted of by man, and then refolv'd and confirm'd by interpofing the authority of God: but he is then faid to witnefs when he doth propound, and his Teftimony is given by way of Revelation, which is nothing else but the delivery or fpeech of God unto his creatures. And therefore upon a diverfity of delivery muft follow a difference, though not of Faith itself, yet of the means and manner of Affent. *Sicut duplex Wherefore it will be farther necessary to obferve, that Divine Revelation is of two kinds, either immediate, or mediate. An immediate Revelation is that by which God delivereth himself to man by himself, without the intervention of man. A mediate Revelation is the conveyance of the counsel of God unto man by man. By the first he spake unto the Prophets; by the fe- eft auditus & cond in the Prophets, and by them unto us. Being then there is this diffe- locutio, scilirence between the revealing of God unto the Prophets and to others, being cet exterior the Faith both of Prophets, and others, relieth wholly upon Divine Reve- lis, & interior lation, the* difference of the manner of Affent in these several kinds of Belie- ac fpiritualis; vers will be very obfervable for the explanation of the nature of our Faith. ita duplex eft five corpora itâ fides,una quæ oritur in cordibus fidelium per auditum exteriorem, cùm fcil. Deus per aliquos homines aliis credenda proponit; & ifta eft fides quæ nobis five communi ftatui fidelium convenit, ex eo quod adhæremus revelationibus Prophetis & Apoftolis factis: alia eft quæ oritur in aliquibus per fpiritualem locutionem, quâ Deus aliquibus per internam infpirationem credenda revelat, nullo hominis minifterio utens; ficut eft fides Apoftolorum & Prophetarum, qui ab ipfo Deo per intrinfecam illuminationem funt de credendis inftructi. Francif. Ferrarienfis in Thom. cont. Gent. cap.40. a which word Marlous), с Mofcopulus. di Sam. 3.7. Those then to whom God did immediately fpeak himself, or by an Angela Heb. 11.7. reprefenting God, and fo being in his stead, and bearing his name, (of which * nises xen I fhall need here to make no diftinction) thofe Perfons, I fay, to whom, God did fo reveal himself, did by virtue of the fame Revelation, perceive, comes from the know, and affure themselves, that he which fpake to them was God; fo original xew, that at the fame time they clearly understood both what was delivered, and appropriated by the Greeks by whom: otherwise we cannot imagine that Abraham would have flain his to an Oracle, Son, or have been commended for fuch a refolution, had he not been moft or Answer gi ven by God, i affured that it was God who by an immediate Revelation of his will clearly commanded it. Thus by faith Noah being warned of God of things not feen and w as yet, moved with fear, prepared an Ark, to the faving of his house: which *warning of God was a clear Revelation of God's determination to b Ifai. 22.14. drown the world, of his will to fave him and his family, and of his command 1 Sam.3.21. for that end to build an Ark. And this Noah fo received from God, as that he knew it to be an Oracle of God, and was as well affured of the Author as informed of the Command. Thus the judgments hanging over Judah were revealed in the ears of Isaiah by the Lord of Hofts. Thus the Lord re-vervealed himself to Samuel in Shiloh: at first indeed he knew him not; that is, when the Lord fpake, he knew it not to be the voice of God, & Now Samuel did not yet know the Lord, neither was the word of the Lord yet revealed unto him; but after that he knew him, and was affured that it was He which spake unto him, the Scripture teaching us that the tears of Samuel were revealed, and the ‡ word of God revealed, and *God himself revealed to him. By all which we can understand no lefs, than that Samuel was fo illuminated in his Prophecies, that he fully understood the words or things themselves which were delivered, and as certainly knew that the deliverer was God: fo Samuel the Seer, fo the reft of thofe Prophets believed those truths revealed to them by fuch a faith as was a firm affent unto an object credible upon the immediate Testimony of God. זיהוה גלה את און שמואר κάλυψε τὸ εντ τίον Σαμαήλ, Sam. 9.15. + טרם יגלה אליו רבר יהוה πρὶν ἢ ὅτικα v ave I Sam. 3. 7. * נגלה הוה אל שמואל απεκαλύφθη κύριο προς Σαμαήλ, But I Sam. 3:21 Exod. 3.2. Exod. 4. I. But thofe faithful people to whom the Prophets fpake, believed the fame truth, and upon the teftimony of the fame God, delivered unto them not by God, but by thofe Prophets, whofe words they therefore affented unto as certain truths, because they were affured that what the Prophets fpake was immediately revealed to them by God himself, without which affurance no faith could be expected from them. When God appeared unto Mofes in a flame of fire out of the midst of a Bufh, and there immediately revealed to him firft himself, laying, I am the God of thy Fathers, the God of Abraham, the God of Ifaac, and the God of Jacob, and then his will to bring the children of Ifrael out of the Land of Egypt, Mofes clearly believed God both in the Revelation of himself and of his will, and was fully fatisfied that the Ifraelites fhould be delivered, because he was affured it was God who promised their deliverance: yet notwithstanding still he doubted whether the Ifraelites would believe the fame truth, when it fhould be delivered to them, not immediately by God, but by Mofes, And Mofes answered and fard, But behold they will not believe me, nor hearken unto my voice; for they will fay, The Lord hath not appeared unto thee. Which words of his firft fuppofe, that if they had heard the voice of God, as he had, they would have affented to the truth upon a teftimony Divine; and then as rationally affirm, that it was improbable they fhould believe, except they were affured it was God who promifed, or think that God had promised by Mofes, only becaufe Mofes faid fo. Which rational Objection was clearly taken away, when God endued Mofes with power of evident and undoubted miracles; for then the Rod which he carried in his hand was as infallible a fign to the Ifraelites, that God had appeared unto him, as the flaming Bush was to himfelf; and therefore they which faw in his hand God's Omnipotency, could not fufpect in his Tongue God's Veracity; infomuch as when Aaron became to Mofes Ex d. 4. 30, instead of a Mouth, and Mofes to Aaron inftead of God, Aaron pake all the words which the Lord had spoken unto Mofes, and did the figns in the fight of the people, and the people believed. For being perfuaded by a lively and active prefence of Omnipotency that God had appeared unto Mofes, and what was delivered to them by him came to him from God, and being fufficiently affured out of the very fenfe and notion of a Deity, that whatfoever God fhould fpeak, muft of neceffity be true, they presently affented, Exod. 14. 31. and believed the Lord, and his Servant Mofes; Mofes, as the immediate propounder, God, as the original revealer: they believed Mofes that God had revealed it, and they believed the Promife, because God had revealed it. So that the Faith both of Mofes and the Ifraelites was grounded upon the fame Testimony or revelation of God, and differed only in the propofition or application of the Teftimony; Mofes receiving it immediately from God himself, the Ifraelites mediately by the miniftry of Mofes. Exod. 4.16. It was In the like manner the fucceeding Prophets were the inftruments of Di vine Revelation, which they firft believed as revealed to them, and then the people as revealed by them: for what they delivered was not the teftimony of man, but the teftimony of God delivered by man. he who spake by the mouth of his holy Prophets which have been fince the world began: the mouth, the inftrument, the articulation was theirs 1 Sam. 23.2. but the words were God's. The Spirit of the Lord Spake by me, 1 King. 8. 53. David, and his word was in my tongue. It was the word of the Lord, King. 14.18. Which he spake by the hand of Mofes, and by the band of his fervant Luke 1.70. faith Ahijab the Prophet. The band the general inftrument of man, the mouth the particular inftrument of fpeech, both attributed to the Prophets as merely inftrumental in their prophecies. The words which Balaam's Afs Numb.22.28. fpake were as much the Afs's words, as thofe which Balaam spake were Numb. 23.5. his; for the Lord opened the mouth of the Afs, and the Lord put a word |