Billeder på siden
PDF
ePub

Ghoft had placed in Disorder. Nor does Mr. WHISTON herein much differ from many other great Divines; who feem to pay little Deference to the Books of the New Teftament, whofe Text they are perpetually mending in their Sermons, Commentaries, and Writings, to ferve Purposes; who pretend (pp) we should have more of the true Text by being lefs tenacious of the printed one, and in Confequence thereof prefume to correct, by critical (q) Emendations, feveral capital Places in the Sacred Writers; and who, by requiring Men's Affent to, and urging the Belief of, traditionary Explications of Scripture, and of Catechifms, Creeds, Confeffions of Faith, and fuch like Compofitions, which Men, under Penalties every where, are obliged to believe the Scripture fupports, do virtually set aside the Authority of the Scripture, and place those Compositions in its stead.

IV.

That it is a common and necessary Method for new Revelations to be built and grounded on precedent Revelations.

TH

HIS Method of introducing Christianity into the World by building and grounding it on the Old Teftament, is agreeable to

(pp) Hare's Clergyman's Thanks to Phil. Lipfienfis, &c. p. 37. (2) Id. Scripture Vindicated, &c. p. 150.

the

the (r) common Method of introducing new Revelations (whether real or pretended) or any Changes in Religion, and alfo to the Nature of Things. For if we confider the various Revelations, and Changes in Religion, whereof we have any tolerable Hiftory, in their Beginning, we fhall find them for the most Part to be grafted on fome old Stock, or founded on fome preceding Revelations, which they were either to fupply or fulfil, or retrieve from corrupt Gloffes, Innovations, and Traditions, with which by Time they were encumber'd; and This, which may seem Matter of Surprise to thofe, who do not reflect on the changeable State of all Things, has happen'd; tho' the old Revelations, far from intending any Change, Engraftment, or new Difpenfation, did for the moft Part declare they were to laft for ever, and did forbid all Alterations and Innovations, they being the laft Difpenfations intended.

This we fee by Experience to be the Cafe of all the Sects, which alike and according to the natural Course of Things, rife up in the feveral great and domineering Religions of the World. Nor is it lefs true of the domineering Religions themselves; fome of which we know to have been originally but fuch Sects themselves.

Thus the Miffion of MOSES to the Ifraelites fuppofed a (s) former Revelation of God

(r) Stanhope's Charron of Wisdom, 1. 2. c. 5. p. 103, &c. (s) Exod. 3..

C 2

(who

(who from the Beginning feems to have been conftantly giving a Succeffion of Difpenfations and Revelations) to their Ancestors; and (t) many of the religious Precepts of MOSES were borrow'd, or had an Agreement with the religious Rites of the Heathens, with whom the Ifraelites had Correfpondence, and particularly with the religious Rites of the Egyptians, (who upon that Account feem (u) confounded with the Ifraelites by fome Pagans, as both their religious Rites were equally and at the fame Time (w) prohibited by others; } to whofe religious Rites the Ifraelites feem to have been (x) Conformists during their Abode in Egypt; not excepting (y) JOSEPH himself, who by his Poft in the Adminiftration of the Government, his Match with the Prince or Priest of On's Daughter, made up by PHAROAH himself, his Manner of Swearing, his Eating with the Egyptians, his Practice of Heathen Divination, and, above all, by his political Conduct, feems to have been a moft true Member of, and Convert to the establish'd Church of Egypt.

The Miffion of ZOROASTER to the Perfans, fuppofed the Religion of the Magians; which (x) had been for many Ages past, the

(t) Simon. Hift. Crit. du Vieux Teft. p. 50. Spencer de Legibus, &c. Stanhope's Differt. in Charron of Wisdom, Vol. 2. p. 93, 97. Markam Canon Chronicus, &c. p. 181.

(u) Strabo. 1. 16. & 17.

Sueton. in Tiber.

Acts 7: 43:

·15, 32. Ib. 44.5

(w) Taciti Annales. 1. z. (x) Jof. 24. 14. Amos 5. 26. (y) Gen. 41. 40, 45. Ib. 42. (z) Prideaux's Connect

Vol. 1. p. 214. Pocock, Spec. Hift. Arab. p. 147-149.

antient

antient national Religion of the Medes as well as Perfians.

The Miffion of MAHOмET fuppofed Chriftianity, as That did Judaifm.

And the (a) Siamese and (b) Brachmans both pretend, that they have had a Succeffion of incarnate Deities among them, who, at due Distances of Time, have brought new Revelations from Heaven, each fucceeding one depending on the former; and that Religion is to be carry'd on in that Way for ever; which is agreeable to the Practice, tho' 'not to the Notions of others.

And if we confider the Nature of Things, we shall find, that it must be (c) difficult, if not impoffible, to introduce among Men (who in all civilized Countries are bred up in the Belief of fome reveal'd Religion) a reveal'd Religion wholly new, or füch as has no Reference to a preceding One; for That would be to combat all Men in too many Refpects, and not to proceed on a fufficient Number of Principles neceffary to be affented to by those, on whom the first Impreffions of a new Religion are proposed to be made,

Perfect Novelty (d) is a great and just Exeeption to a religious Inftitution; whereof religious Sects of all Kinds have been so fenfible, that they have ever endeavour'd to give

(a) Gervaife, Hift. de Siam. 3d. pt. c. 1. Tachard, Voyage de Siam. Vol. 1. p. 396, &c.

(b) Delon Des Dieux Orient. p. 10-30. Philof. Tranfac. Ann. 1700, p. 734, &c. (c) Charron of Wisdom, 1. 2. c. 5. (d) Defenfio S. Auguftini contra J. Phereporum. p. 185, 187.

[ocr errors]

C 3

themselves,

themselves, in fome Manner or other, the greatest Antiquity they well could, and generally the utmost Antiquity. Thus St. LUKE fays, that (e) God fpake of the Redeemer by the Mouth of all his Prophets, which have been fince the World began. St. PAUL defends himfelf and the Chriftian Religion from the Charge of Novelty, when he says, (ƒ) after the Way, which ye call Herefy, fo worship I the God of my Fathers, believing all Things that are written in the Law and the Prophets; declaring hereby, that Christianity was fo far from being Herefy, or a new Opinion, that it was the Doctrine of the Old Testament. And Christian (g) Divines date the Antiquity of Christianity from the Time of the Fall of ADAM, afferting; that CHRIST was then promifed in thefe Words, (b) the Seed of the Woman fhall break the Serpent's Head, which they fay contain (i) the Gospel in Miniature; and that, from that Time, Men have been faved by Faith in the faid Promife of CHRIST to come, who was (b) the Lamb flain from the Foundation of the World; CHRIST'S (1) Death looking backward as well as forwards.

And an eminent Divine thinks he can with great Probability fettle the precife Time, when the Chriftian Covenant began. He fays, (m)

(e) Luke 1. 70.

(f) Acts 24. 14.

(g) Taylor's Prefervat. against Deism. p. 213, &c. Whiston's Sermons and Efays. p. 59-78. Stillingfleet's Sermons. fol. 187. (b) Gen. 3. 15, (k) Heb. 9. 24, 25, 26. Ib. 11. 7, 13. Vol. 5. p. 66, 67.

P. 1324.

(i) Taylor: Ib.

(1) Tillotfon's Sermons. (m) Lightfoot's Works. Vol. 2.

that

« ForrigeFortsæt »