in those miraculous gifts or effects of the Holy Ghost now ceased the Minister while he prayes to God for his blessing that he may preach so is to be understood in the like allusion and meaning to wit that as God enabled the Apostles in their time to speak in the demonstration of the Spirit and of power whatsoever that was so he would assist him in such a way and manner now as is but sutable to the present work and his ordinary operation Thus much I say upon supposition of our second and this Debaters Interpretation but I must confess I do not find my self convinced in the reading the Text that this interpretation is indubitable 〈…〉 at leasâ— for Dr. Owens and his 〈…〉 from the place against it 1. I see not any thing that will restrain our sense 〈◊〉 nâ—cessity to that meaning and we are not to be 〈◊〉 in our allowances to the thoughts of others who keep to the analogy of faith without cogent reason 2. The demonstratiin of the Spirit and of power is opposed to the excellency of speech or enticing words of mans wisdom But the Apostles speaking with tongues or his miraculous gifts does not oppose the eloquence of man or excellency of words but rather agree with it That which does in the most direct sense oppose the excellency of speech and enticing words of mans wisdom is plain truth which the Spirit teaches 3. The Apostle proceeding on in the Chapter speaks not of himself only but of the whole Church Now we have received not the spirit of the world but the Spirit which is of God that we might know the things which are freely given to us of God That which all the faithful do know by the Spirit as well as the Apostles cannot be miraculous or extraordinary Such is the demonstration here Or thus That which is common to all the faithful and not peculiar to the Apostles and primitive times or to any particular person cannot be miraculous or extraordinary Such is the receiving the Spirit here and consequently the demonstration of it 4. Those things the Holy Ghost teaches a man by comparing one thing with another as spiritual things with Spirituals which is by way of study and discursive reason are not demonstrated in a way miraculous and extraordinary belonging only to the Apostles and not other Ministers of Christ But such was the Apostles speaking here Which things also we speak not in the words which mans wisdom teacheth but which the Holy Ghost teacheth comparing spiritual things with spiritual 5. The following comparison between the natural man and the spiritual man that one receives or relishes not the things of God as disagreeing to his judgement and the other does seems more aptly to be understood as it is ordinarily of the regenerate and unregenerate than of the extraordinarily inspired only unto which this most curious Interpreters thoughts must lead him 6. In the last place I humbly offer an interpretation of this expression which if it be not the very meaning of the Text as much of that which is urged here seems to attest yet will it be sufficient I hope to justifie our Prelates Universities Doctors with the most of the Ministers of the Church as well as the Assembly and the more plain and honest meaning Country-Preachers in their using the same so ordinarily as they do in their prayers It is this To speak in the demonstration of the Spirit is to deliver the very truth of Scripture or the plain sense of the Spirit in Scripture in opposition to humane conceit or invention and to speak so is to speak in Power because a man may expect that assistance of the Holy Ghost to accompany such Preaching which he cannot upon other The Preaching of the Cross is to them that perish foolishness but unto us which are saved it is the power of God I am not ashamed of the Gospel of Christ for it is the power of God unto salvation to every one that believes Ye received it not as the word of men but as it is in truth the word of God The receiving the word as the word of God and not of man is the receiving it in power and the preaching it accordingly so is the preaching it in power and what that power is does follow Which effectually worketh in you that believe Our Gospel came unto you not in word only but also in power and in the Holy Ghost This is my Covenant with them My Spirit which is upon thee and my words which I have put in thy mouth shall not depart out of thy mouth and of thy seed for ever CHAP. II. Of the Substance or Contents of the Authors four first Chapters wherein I make my self concerned but little farther I Return to the Doctors Opposer and I come now from his Introduction to his Book Of this Book there are two parts The first is to shew us what the Scriptures hold forth concerning the Spirits operations The second is to confute many pernicious Doctrines of Dr. Owen The first and second both is indeed to do this but the second shall do it all together And this part he hath reserved I suppose to come out hereafter The first part then having this subject The Spirits Operations does contain seven Chapters In his first Chapter he explains to us what he means by the Spirit and by its Operations The word Spirit saies he signifies three things The Mind the Temper of the mind the Holy Ghost and he understands it of the last I have two things to say here The one is as to his second signification The temper or disposition of the Mind is either of Nature only and belongs to the Spirit of man within him or of Grace and belongs to the Spirit of God that works it Of this Temper the Author must be understood to speak when he speaks of the Spirit of Faith Fear and Love The other is that there are more significations of the word Spirit than these which himself knows Every spirit which confesseth seth Christ in John is I think as much as every Doctrine Which by the way does put me in mind to say thus much that when this Author comes to speak of things which are common heads and only require a grave and comprehensive Divine to marshal them he does methinks appear to me so lank as I cannot tell well whether that which he saies be solid or no because I am sure it is not full though when he falls upon several particular things he seems to look through them well By the operations of the Spirit he understands and defines them those which are on the mind to cause certain qualities promised in the Gospel and continued in all ages I have two things therefore to say here likewise One is that though this were never so much too short there is no body in the main of what is said is like to contradict him Dr. Owen by the Spirit understands the Holy Ghost as
PEACEABLE DISQUISITIONS Which Treat Of The Natural and Spiritual Man Preaching with the Demonstration of the Spirit Praying by the Spirit Assurance The Arminian Grace Possibility of Heathens Salvation The reconciliation of Paul and James The Imputation of Christ's Righteousness with other Incident Matters In some Animadversions On a Discourse writ against Dr. OWEN's Book of the Holy Spirit By JOHN HUMFREY Doing nothing by Partiality LONDON Printed for Thomas Parkhurst at the Three Crowns and Bible the lower end of Cheapside 1678. Peaceable Disquisitions CHAP. I. Of the right understanding of the Apostles Natural and Spiritual man and of Preaching with the Demonstration of the Spirit and of Power HAving met with a Book entituled A discourse concerning the operations of the Holy Spirit in confutation of Dr. Owen upon that Subject I cannot but be tempted to make some Animadversions upon it whether out of consent to the Authour in many things or dissent in others for a Resentment to see how nothing almost of this Doctor 's can come abroad though in matters onely practical and not polemical but there is a generation of men upon the wing ready to fly upon it as if they were never satisfied unless they could render that worthy person quite useless to the Church in all his Labours is enough to put me upon it I do acknowledge that this fresh Antagonist of his does appear to me to be a man of very smart abilities and of a masculine style regarding his conceptions without affectation of words for which I value him and I am beholding to him for the pleasure which he hath given me in the liberality of his notions yet do I think really that he and his consorts such as the Authour of the Ecclesiastical Polity and the like are to be blamed for two things The one is their Immorality as I judge of it in treating such men as Doctor Owen as they do with so much slighting and contempt and that without either any regret of conscience for the injustice and wrong which to speak unworthily of the worthy must be or due reflexion upon their own mortality and imperfections And who are we that enter into comparison The other is their intrenchment on things sacred with the same boldness and liberty of sarcasme as in things common whereby in their endeavor to expose a Party and this Doctor to scorn they do bring Religion it self into a lighter estimation I speak this chiefly in regard to some Books writ by way of Dialogue for I find this Gentleman restraining himself one place upon that account I will suppose this Authour to have studied Divinity about Ten years allotting his former life for other accomplishments and the Dr. to have studied these things Forty years I do think now if this Gentleman had had a little misgiving in his mind at the consideration of this imparity and thereupon expressed if not more Respect yet some more Modesty towards the Dr. it would have cast some better grace on his undertaking In this Preface the Dr. belike having said in one of his Books speaking to the people You are in a miserable condition if you have all this while relyed upon the authority of men in heavenly things This seems to imply saies the Gentleman that all men are in a state of damnation who rely upon the honesty and wisdom of their Spiritual Guides in matters of Faith But I hope some of those do so firmly believe the Truth upon the Testimony of God's Ministers as to live according to it which if they do God forhid that I should say they are in a damnable condition If I may take my conjecture from this less virulent passage in the Preface into what odious constructions the Drs. words are like to be wiredrawn still throughout the Book it will be to no purpose I count for me to go about the redeeming the Dr. from abuses which are so multiplied upon him of all sorts and on all occasions as pleases these Authours prejudicate minds but to attend rather other matters which shall administer occasion for the striking of light or the free pursuit and improvement of Truth that shall offer it self as we go along to our mutual edification This is my opinion that Dr. Owen is a man of that eminent Learning and all sorts of Worth both as a Sholar and Civil Gentleman that he deserves other Treatment from these men and is above my Vindication In this Book after the Preface we have an Introduction and Seven Chapters The Introduction presents us with a dissertation about one place of the Apostle which is much canvassed in the Arminian Controversie and does therefore require our first attendance The words are these The natural man receiveth not the things of the Spirit of God for they are foolishness to him neither can he know them because they are spiritually discerned By the Natural man this worthy person understands one that is governed onely by Reason and by the Spiritual man he understands him that receives and judges of things by the Scriptures The natural man now saies he receives not those Doctrines of Christianity the truth whereof is not discoverable by natural reason because they are foolishness to him in that they cannot be proved hereby and he cannot know them because they are spiritually discerned that is because they are made known onely by Revelation which the natural man either hath not or rejects See here an interpretation which looks grave and solid as well as ingenious but whether it be indeed the right or no we are to judge by the consistency of it with the place In the twelfth verse before the Text the Apostle saies That we have received the Spirit of God that we may know the things which he had before called the deep things of God And in the verse next after the Text he tells us The spiritual man judgeth all things It is apparent then that the spiritual man in the one verse and he that hath received the Spirit in the other must be one But the Revelation of the Scriptures without us to judge of things by and the Spirit of God within either inspiring these things or operating on the mind to understand them are two things and consequently if the Spiritual man be him that hath received the Spirit within to know the things of God it must not be him that hath onely received the Scriptures and rejects them not Besides this a man may receive the Scriptures as the Revelation of God and judge of Doctrines by it and be much skill'd in the letter of it as the Socinians are and yet not receive the great mystery thereof God manifested in the flesh And how does the spiritual man judge of all things if this be the spiritual man Nay how can it be said of him that he is judged of none seeing as he judges all things by these Scriptures so is he judged of all in what he holds by the same There is another interpretation
tell moreover whether the Apostle meant by his comparing spiritual things with spiritual the comparing one inspiration with another which belongs to the second or one Scripture with another that is the revelations of the New with those of the Old Testament which is proper to the first interpretation The man who had a Revelation within must have the truth of it and meaning both confirmed to him by that inspiration so that to distinguish of the truth and meaning of a doctrine inspired that is as to such is certainly of no signification And as for those who judge of any doctrine by the Scriptures they are but rightly to understand the meaning and they have the truth by that understanding Where the Revelation or Doctrine is divine the truth and meaning are one another As for the confirmation of Christianity by miracles and more particularly by the effusion of Gifts in the Primitive times it does not belong to this Author's but the second interpretation And from hence arises another objection against the Doctor It is from the demonstration of the Spirit we read of in the fourth verse by which this quick Divine I suppose after the famous Author of that book entituled the Friendly Debate does understand the miraculous operation of the Spirit in those times When the Apostle preached the Gospel at first the Holy Ghost fell on the hearers and they spake with tongues underhood mysteries and could do miracles This was an undenyable testimony to the divinity of their Doctrine so that no man can Preach out of doubt with such demonstration now in our dayes If this then be the meaning of the Spirit in that verse it must be the meaning of it in the verses following that is to judge tightly and the defect of this ready man is here that he hit not on our intimation before Consequently as this demonstration of the Spirit if it be so is by those miraculous gifts the receiving the Spirit there must be in those gifts and particularly the gift of discerning so the spiritual man must be him that had that gift the Natural man him that had it not whereby the one could judge of all things that is those things in the Text the other could not know them upon that account And this is both against the Authors and the Doctors interpretation The Doctor understands the Text so as no man can discern the things of God spiritually unless he be regenerate this Gentleman to oppose this will have all understanding Christians be able to understand them spiritually because they have the revelation of the spirit in the Scriptures and why not demonstrate them so by the Spirit likewise And yet is he unhappily lead I apprehend by the Friendly Debater to give such an exposition of one of the verses of this Chapter as the rest being carried on accordingly his own interpretation and the Doctors both are quite gone That is when this ingenious man hath offered so handsom a sense of this Text as to render the place gratefully applicable to all Christians and in so much larger a capacity than the Doctor as the unregenerate are more than the regenerate he does by one inadvertant leading concession fall into theirs as does make this place proper only to the primitive times Such need have they who are too forward in charging others with inconsistencies to look to themselves that their own writings be consistent with a mature judgement and the fear of God in doing to others as they would be done to by others I will therefore now turn to some words of the Friendly Debater himself and in the mean time make this stand The revelation which a man hath from without and the understanding accordingly this receiving the Spirit by having the Scriptures and judging all things by them is one thing and the revelation which he hath from within and understanding the receiving the Spirit by the miraculous gift of discernment by which he judges of these things so as indeed he can be judged of none is another Either let this Author cleave to his own Exposition and forsake the other or let him forsake his own and cleave to the other And hereby shall all arguments gathered from this place of Scripture about any point in dispute in our dayes such as are the doctrines of free grace and free will and of the subject of this Authors Book the operations of the holy Spirit be laid to sleep and give us no trouble The words I mean of the Friendly Debate are these because they afford us some farther necessary matter The Assembly of Divines when they direct men how to perform their Ministry doe not speak so in their Directory as to be understood since they cannot prophesie nor speak with tongues nor demonstrate their doctrine by miracles as the Apostles did I would gladly know what they mean by delivering the truth in the demonstration of the Spirit and of power I am apt to think it would puzzle a new Assembly to tell us in plain words what they intended by that phrase Let me desire you not to use words without sense belonging to them and to entreat your Minister that he would hereafter forbear to pray to God he may speak so as no body now can hope to do I wonder at you that you should not discern the Apostle speaks there of the wonderful work of the Holy Ghost I doubt your Minister is not inlightned because he doth not instruct you better in the Scripture I do not here dislike this liberty of conception in so well-studied an Interpreter of Scripture as I take that Writer to be that when the Apostle speaks of his own Preaching in the demonstration of the Spirit and of power he accounts it to be understood of that confirmation of the Christian Doctrine by the miraculous gifts as was in those times yet when he proceeds to so universal an adventure as to forbid every Minister to use that expression henceforward any more in his prayer the singularity offends In the Liturgy we have these words in a prayer Almighty God who alone workest great miracles send down upon our Bishops and Curates the helpful Spirit of thy grâ—ace This expression does allude to the mission of the Holy Ghost at first on the Apostles when there appeared eleven tongues and fâ—r on eaâ—h of them and the Church does pray here in this sense that God who wrought that great marvel on the Apostles in sending down his Spirit and gifts at first in that extraordinary manner and way as he did upon them for sitting them for their Office would be pleased to vouchsafe the grace and gifts of the same Spirit on our present Ministers whether superiour or inferiour in that ordinary manner and measure full as is sit for such as do succeed them in that great imployment I may presume I doubt not to say the same here that suppose the Apostles Preaching in the demonstration of the Spirit and of power to lye only
doth in that manner work his graces in us that they are still the genuine effects of the Evidence and Motives of the Gospel Of the natural use of our faculties the understanding and will and of our own care and diligence in using the external means of grace His operations in us make us capable of recovering our selves by degrees and all the while there is no sensible difference between them and the natural operatious of our minds and yet we are sure we have his assistance and help in all the good we do and without it we can do nothing at all to saving purposes This is the Doctrine which if no inferences but Orthodox be drawn from it I take to be sound We have then some Vse of it which is also very good There is but a little of it but if he had been more in that and less in quarrels with the Doctor it had yet been all better And so God bless the hopeful Author in his Studies CHAP. VI. Of the Authors Calumniations of Dr. Owen and some reply to them Having thus done with the Book there are some passages require my reflection upon them for the Doctors vindication The Doctor is accused of Nonsense of Contradiction of Error It is fit that some thing should be said in reference to the two latter though it be but a rudeness to go about to answer any thing to the former For the first therefore I will say this only If the Doctor hath expressed any thing darkly that this Author cannot make sense of it such a place or passage as to him is to go for nothing That is all in civility to be said of it For the second There is one instance I will mention about Election The Doctor in one place of his Book speaking I suppose to a prophane person yet presuming on his Election tells him He cannot believe his Election any otherwise but as God reveals it by the effects that is untill he believe and repents he cannot conclude he is Elected In another place speaking I suppose to the tender serious Christian who is yet in trouble about his Election he saies He cannot justly doubt of his Election until he be in such a condition as wherein it is impossible that the effects of Election should be wrought in him This the Author makes a contradiction but it is only the distinguishing between these two things A not concluding and A concluding not and the Doctor is cleared The man who sees not the effects of Election on his heart and in his life cannot conclude that he is elected here is the not concluding which ought to be And the man that sees them not cannot conclude for all that that he is not Elected because they may be wrought in him before he dies here is the concluding not which must be avoided So the one is rebuked and the other supported as they should both be Such are the Doctors contradictions For the third which is the Doctors Errors I must distinguish of Error There is Human Error Error common to man It is the nature of man to be subject to mulake to be deceived to err saies the Orator and there are Pernicious Errors This Gentlemans accusations are of both sorts For the former sort There is two or three places where this Author is very confident upon the Doctor for his saying that the Spirit is given to us in his Person as well as in his Effects which methinks I cannot pass because I do not know well whether the Error be in the Doctor or in this Author or in my self I am apt to think that it is too much to say that the Spirit dwelleth personally in any man though we are said to be the Temples of the Holy Ghost and that it is too little to say he is given only in his gists graces or effects I would say rather that the Spirit is given it self for these Effects I look upon the Spirit of Christ to be given to us for a principle of life and union with our Head from whom we have through this Spirit the communication of all saving influence unto a holy life It is the received opinion that there is an habitual righteousness infused by God in the soul for our justification according to the Schools or according to our Divines for our Regeneration and that this is the principle of life and power in the soul unto holy operations I must confess here I do not receive this Doctrine I have it somewhere in my Mediocria I think more cautiously but I do really believe no infusion of habits I count that the Spirit by a motion on the Will exciting it to act does incline it to farther acts by the impression which is made and that the habit then is acquired by the iteration of those acts and delight in them or love to them shed abroad in our hearts by the same Holy Ghost given to us I do believe consequently that it is the Spirit it self dwelling in us as the Scripture understands its own expression which is that principle of life from whose constant secret and unperceptable aid does proceed all those actions which are holy and good and acceptable to God I do believe there is a time when Christ gives his Spirit to every one of his Elect for uniting him to himself as his head and that this union is effected immediately by that communication and that through this Spirit all vital influence must be derived to us I cannot frame my self to say the Spirit is personally in us but he is in Christs members as a principle of life and spiritual action and as the formal band of that union which we have with him Now ye are the body of Christ and members in particular As the body is one and hath many members and all the members of that body are one body so also is Christ I cannot tell well therefore how to brook some expressions as I find somewhere in this Author and in another before him that when the Scripture speaks of our having the Spirit of Christ and having it so as to be led by him and if we have not the Spirit of Christ we are none of his they are willing to interpret the having Christs Spirit to be only the being of his temper and and disposition which is the bringing down the Scripture to our ordinary converse and seems to me unholy I hope these men do believe the Christian faith and do reverence his mysteries And there are these three of them The mysterie of the Trinity The mysterie of the Incarnation and the Mystical Union between Christ and his Church It is true that Christ is not a Natural head but a Political as opposed to natural but not as opposed to mystical He is a Political head as he governs us and as we are in subjection to him but he is also a Mystical head vouchsafing to us that spiritual influence which enables us to obey him He governs us and so
is our head but he governs us by his Spirit which is infused though I think no habit be and when we are lead by this Spirit as there is Rule there is Influence and this Union must be Real and Mystical and not that which is Political only Suppose a man whâ—se head was high as the Heavens yet so long as the same soul animates all the members the feet as in the head it is one man Christ our head is in Heaven and we on earth yet as the same Spirit is in us which is in him the head and members make one dy nay in the words of the Scripture one Christ O Agrippa believest thou the Prophets O thou Author of this Book against Dr. Owen Believest thou these mysteries of the Christian Religion I know that thou believest For the later sort There is one place in his Book where we have two of his pernicious errors together The Doctor belike hath said that though a man should reform his life and be changed from vice to vertue and that by hearing the word preached This is the most I count he saies and which may be exemplified in Herod who heard John and did many things yet if there be not an habitual righteousness infufed it signifies nothing to regeneration To this purpose is it only and altogether the Doctor speaks Hereupon this Gentleman breaks out and challenges him before his own party as he speaks and before the world for contradicting the Scripture He that doeth Righteousness is born of God and then charges him with Pelagianism He professes he is in earnest and that this is rank Pelagianism that the Doctor allows so much to be done without saving grace I have the more reason to be moved at this because a certain person of quality and of a ready judgement having this Author by him turned me to this place as if the Doctor was much to be blamed when I must needs say that this Gentleman hath no where exposed himself so much in his Book as here where he endeavours to expose the Doctor There is no man that reads practical Divines that lay down characters of the truly godly man the sound Believer and how far the Hypocrite may go but does know they speak commonly as the Doctor does and there are few one would think so inconsiderate or raw but should also know here how to distinguish so easily as between the matter of what is done and the manner of the performance Good works may be considered quoad operis substamtiam or quoad modum quo ordinaniur id vuam aevernam There is no good act no not the least that can be done is performed in that manner as it ought or as it is required to be accepted in order to salvation but a man must be born of God according to his text and have the assistance of the Spirit But for the matter of the work or of our duty this Author must consider better that the Regenerate and Unrepenerate are alike as to that One can hear and pray and give alms and abstain from evil as well as the Other and many times the veryest Hippocrite pretends most Nay what saies this Gentleman to Socrates Aristides Epimomdas Plato Plutark Cato What saies he to Almanzor that Mahomet in Einperor whose life is set out by Sir Walter Rayleigh in a little Book for such singular vertues especially as to his goodness and righteousness that I find him not paralleld by any Christian Will this Author censure Sir Walter for a Pelagian for such a narration or will he make me one if I believe it Or will he come over here and when he hath placed such in a state of Nature and so out of a state of Grace will he allow an Heathen or Mahometan to be a regeherate person Hath the Gentleman read Ruiz or one such a kind of Schoolman as he all over Let him see when they have denied against pelagius all ability in man to do any thing even but to give an occasion which is active and not passive only to infuse in us their justifying grace whether they are also ignorant of some such distinction It is no Pelagianism in the Schools to say a man can do many things civily morally good through the power of nature education custome for company sake for glory but it is so to say he can do any thing without preventing grace in order to his justification There is no need therefore of such vehemence nor of any such expressions he uses otherwhere I will desire the Doctor to consider whether the Father of lies be not the representative of such shameful Writers as he is the example of These kind of words are not well There is a great deal of acrimony I see with a little truth mixt methinks like the fire and hail that ran together in one of the Egyptian Plagues in the Books of many late rising adversaries to this learned pious and reverend person It were happy if the opprobrious words of the prejudicate would make thewise mend their faults It were well also if such an inconsiderate confident piece of elation of mind as here indeed is be but repressed with the shame and blushes of another Let the righteous smite me it shall be a kindness and let him reprove me it shall be an oyle and not break my head CHAP. VII Of Dr. Owen's Book of Justification and of the reconciliation of St. Paul and St. James and the Imputation of Christ's righteousness upon his account HAving said this for the Doctor I have a little now also to say to him I was reading his later Book of Justification when this Author came to my hands and I had thought of making some remarks upon it I am not satisfied with what he hath offered for the reconciliation of St. James and Paul on that subject This is the reason I suppose that is the most solid why so many do choose here of late to go with the mediocrian or steer the middle way in that point I perceive that Dr. Tully with our first Reformed Divines and this excellent Doctor are for distinguishing of Faith and Justification but will not let us by no means distinguish of Works for the reconciliation of the Apostles I do wonder at this The Apostle James and the Apostle Paul do both agree that we are justified by Faith The one saies we conclude that a man is justified by Faith and the other saies also it is by Faith Their seeming difference is only about works when one saies by Faith without Works and the other by Faith and Works also And how then comes it to pass that we must not distinguish of Works but of Justification and Faith to compose the difficulty I will offer the Doctor therefore here one Argument under his favour which shall be but one and that not as others have so far as I know for then it were like he had already weighed it It is this That Justification which St. Paul