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ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A57956	A discourse of the use of reason in matters of religion shewing that Christianity contains nothing repugnant to right reason, against enthusiasts and deists / written in Latin by the Reverend Dr. Rust ; and translated into English, with annotations upon it by Hen. Hallywell.	Rust, George, d. 1670.; Hallywell, Henry, d. 1703?	1683 (1683)	Wing R2361; ESTC R25530	47,282	92

A DISCOURSE OF THE Use of Reason IN Matters of Religion Shewing That CHRISTIANITY Contains nothing Repugnant to RIGHT REASON Against ENTHUSIASTS and DEISTS Written in Latin by the Reverend Dr. RVST late Lord Bishop of Dromore in Ireland AND Translated into English with Annotations upon it By HEN. HALLYWELL LONDON Printed by Hen. Hills Jun for Walter Kettilby at the Bishop's-Head in St. Paul's Church-yard 1683. TO THE Reverend and profoundly Learned Dr. Henry More Fellow of Christ's-Colledge in Cambridge Honoured Sir THat I presume to intitle this Discourse with it s affixed Annotations to your Great Name proceeds from a real sense that it is but your just due who have merited so much of the Learned World and whose Labours and Pains to advance all useful Knowledge have been so indefatigable more especially in rendring the Christian Doctrine in all its Parts such as it ought to be that is Rational and Unexceptionable bringing the Glories both of Greek and Barbarick and whatever other piece of Ancient Wisdom was ever esteemed to adorn and beautifie the new Jerusalem and partly because you were an intimate Friend of the Reverend Author whose Great Soul could not take up with little and dwindling Conceipts but strove to enlarge his own Mind with noble and important Truths and became a Happy Instrument in promoting the same generous Temper in others And now Sir give me leave among the other Motives which persuaded me to this Address to add this as none of the least that I may testifie to the World to be what I really am An humble Honourer of your Virtues HEN. HALLYWELL The PREFACE to the READER READER THat I may do right to that Great and Excellent Person the Author of this Discourse I have adventured to publish and likewise obviate all Cavils and Mistakes which freakish Wits may make upon the Account of giving a Reason of our Faith it will be needful to suggest somthing by way of Preface as 1. That this Discourse is principally level'd as is intimated by the Reverend Author himself against Enthusiasts and Deists The one pretending to immediate Inspiration and so taking the various Impulses of their own Private Spirits as the sole Criterium to know and discern the Will of God though they be never so extravagant and Contrary to the common Reason of Mankind And the other pleading only for a Natural Religion in opposition to any Particular Mode or Way of Divine Revelation And hence though they profess to acknowledge a God and Providence yet have withal a mean and low esteem of the Scriptures and Christianity as if the Christian Religion were a thing that could not well be Apologized for nor any fair and rational Account given of it Wherefore Theism being so opposite to Christian Religion as Christian and the Natural Current of Enthusiasm falling at last into down-right Atheism it became necessary to Assert a Modest and Discrcet use of Reason in Things of Religion and to shew that the Christian Religion will bear the strictest and severest Tryal of Right and unprejudic'd Reason 2 ly That our Learned Author had no Intent or Design to abet or countenance Capricio's of such pert persons as think themselves obliged to believe and profess nothing more then they can maintain by their own solitary Reason applying it self to the Scriptures Which Presumption what strange work it hath made in the World is evident from the Socinians and other Sectarists who upon this very Ground are really bewildred in their Speculations of Things and under Pretence of Reason have obtruded their own Fancies upon the World and vented such crude and indigested Notions as are not only inconsistent with the clear Current of Scripture but contrary to the sense of the best and purest Antiquity Wherefore 3 ly according to the intention and meaning of the Author in this Discourse the Authority of the Primitive Church before the Times of Apostasie and of Reformed Churches in such Things wherein they generally agree with the Primitive times wherein the Church was Symmetral is to be taken in as one solid Reason of our Faith and Belief For the Spirit of Prophesie which is the Testimony of Jesus having so clearly predicted the Times of the Apostasie of the Church it is manifest that the Authority and Profession of the Ancient Church while it was Symmetral and Apostolical ought to be had in the greatest Esteem and Veneration and stand as a light whereby to steer ●…afe from those dangerous Rocks of Errors upon which they that have neglected this and ventured wholly to their own Reason have split themselves Nor is the Authority of our own Church to be less regarded for the being with the rest of Reformed Christendom so plainly indigitated and pointed at by the Rising of the Witnesses in that Divine Book of the Apocalypse immediately upon which follows that joyful Acclamation in Heaven The Kingdoms of this World are become the Kingdoms of our Lord and his Christ it cannot be but a mighty Confirmation and strengthning to any Man's Faith to see so clear a Testimony and Approbation of that Church whereof he is a Member given by the Spirit of Prophesie that it is really emerged and risen into the state and condition of the Church when it was Symmetral and Apostolical And this will further appear to be of huge Consequence to private men and of but mean Capacity in the dicussing of Things For they being neither Philosophers nor guiding themselves by that Synosura of the Unapostatized Church nor of our own Church reformed into the Condition of the Church while it continu'd Symmetral if they be pert and confident or follow such pert confident Guides into what Errors may they not run Wherefore here such of the Populacy will find a solid and sure Rule for their safe conduct and guidance in rendring an Account or Reason of their Faith These things I have hinted as well to prevent all sinister Interpretations of the Sense of that Pious and Learned Prelate now with God as to free my self from all Suspicion in my Annotations of setting up Private Reason against the Authority of the Ancient and Unapostatized Church or our own Church so excellently well temper'd and reformed according to the Primitive Pattern H. H. 1 PET. 3. 15. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 NOn me pudet Evangelii Christi dixit ille magnus Apostolus Gamaliele Praeceptore gaudens omni tum Judaicâ tum Graecâ Doctrinâ instructissimus Adeóque Religione Christianâ undique oppressâ despicatui habitâ Judaeis scandalo Graecis ludibrio nihilominus spretâ ignominiâ cruce contemptâ Paratus sum inquit Vobis qui Romae estis apud egregios Urbis istius non Armorum magis quam Artium Magistrae Philosophos Oratores Evangelium praedicare Quippe etiamsi non defuere sibimet de suâ sapientiâ magnificè plaudentes ●…aecitatis interea Ignorantiae tenebris obducti qui Doctrinam Evangelicam stultitiae insimulant deridendam exhibent Veruntamen

it seems most of all to make use of Reason But it were Impious to imagine that God who is most wise can be deceived or being most Veracious can deceive It is confest that nothing could be spoken truer for no Man is so incredulous or self-conceited but he will presently give credit to Divine Attestation But the Question is how we shall know when a thing is confirmed by Divine Testimony Will it appear from Miracles alone We shall find Pythagoras Apollonius Tyanoeus who endeavoured by Magick to keep up the Credi●… of decaying and sinking Idolatry was famous for these whose Contemporaries durst oppose him to Christ as may appear from the Books of Hierocles and Philostratus written of this subject I might likewise introduce the Magicians of both Worlds all which have acted diverse things exceeding the Powers of Nature only by Demoniacal Assistance If any one therefore shall pretend a Divine Commission there are Three things which he ought to prove his Authority by Miracles Holiness of Life and a Doctrine worthy of God and every way useful to Mankind If he bring all these things he is to be believed as sent from God But it no way comports with Divine Goodness and Veracity to bear witness to a Falsehood or to expose men in things of the Greatest moment to an Everlasting and inevitable Delusion Wherefore we are not only to look at Miracles but at the Life and Doctrine of the Person who pretends them to gain to himself the Belief of Divine Authority To this purpose our Saviour made use of an invincible Argument against the Pharisees who objected to him that he cast out Devils by the help of the Prince of Devils viz. That a Kingdom divided against it self is brought to desolation Therefore since he both by his Doctrine and the mighty works that he did set himself wholly to pull down and overthrow the Kingdom of Satan it could not be that he should cast out Devils by the Assistance of Satan Therefore to make up a Right Judgment concerning a Divine Testimony the matter it self which is attested ought to come into Consideration which if it contain any thing contrary to the setled Principles of Nature those Miracles are not to be looked upon as Divine but as Diabolical Delusions The Beroeans were commended by the Spirit of God to be more Noble then those in Thessalonica i. e. of a more ingenuous and pliable Temper in that they searched the Scriptures whether those things spoken by Paul and Silas were so Why should not the same Commendation belong likewise to us if we put to a severe Scrutiny Trial whatever is deliver'd to us by any Person for a Divine Law 3. A third Argument may be drawn from the Nature of Religion which ought to be matter of Choice and Delight But now it is impossible that any one should please himself in that which is contrary to the Principles of his very Nature And indeed to know Conclusions themselves unless we likewise are ascertain'd from what Principles they flow yields but a slender Delight to the Understanding As the Pleasure of a Mathematical Genius results not from having Geometrical Problems as undoubted Axioms by Heart but ●…rom the being able to comprehend their Demonstrations deduced by a long Series of Propositions Wherefore it is most agreeable to the Divine Goodness so ●…ar to indulge and have regard to the Nature of Man under the Gospel that he may find the Harmony and Agreement of those things with Reason which are propounded to him as Objects of Faith For here lies the Principal Difference between Mankind and Bruits in their being capable of Religion And it is a thing abhorrent from all Reason that that which is most Natural and the sole Propriety of Man should yet be contradictory to his own Faculties Can it be imagined that God intended to perplex Humane Intellect with inexplicable subtleties Or is any thing the more excellent and Venerable because it exceeds all Understanding Is he to be deemed the fittest subject for Religion who is most Bigotical and carelesly credulous Are we to put off Humane Nature that we may become Religious Surely to entertain the least suspicion of such a thing were the very Reproach of all Religion Such ought to be every Man's Judgment of his Religion that it contain nothing in it absurd unbecoming or Repugnant to Right Reason for what a shame were it for Religion to be afraid of the Tribunal of Reason I have always looked upon that Religion most worthy of my choice which comes off Victorious when called to the Bar of strictest Reason Wherefore should a Gracious God bestow upon us the Faculty of Reason if we must not suffer it to do its Office when our concern is most in Question Or what other Faculty is there left by who●…e conduct we can search into the Truth of Religion If we once forsake the Guidance of Reason must not all Religion be owing either to Education Superstition or some Fanatical Impulse But you will say our Reason since the Fall is too much darkned and therefore we are not competent Judges of Divine things But are the faint and more languishing Rays of the declining Sun therefore contemptible and to be reputed Darkness because we are deprived of his Meridian and more Exalted Light Must he whose Eyes are somewhat dull be therefore accounted stark blind Or must we quite shut our Eyes because they want the sharpness and Perspicacity of Eagles Is not Religion of such a Nature as requires our greatest Care and Diligence as of a thing of the highest moment and in which to have erred were our greatest Infelicity And to what Purpose were our Faculties given if they be of no use in those things wherein we most need them Shall another Judge for us Or shall the Understanding of another direct my will Shall I fee with other mens Eyes Or walk only by the light that another carries before me Shall I mortifie my irregular Affections with Arguments that I do not understand Or govern my life by the mea●…ure of another Man's Principles Are not all these things to be done by a Man 's own proper Judgment Intellect and Light And can this be effected without the use of Reason Nay further is there need of any other Faculty in the choice of Religion and such Principles as tend to the Regulation of Life but only of Reason Religion is a free and ingenuous thing that forceth none but Captivates the Understanding with its own solitary Beauty Pulchritude And he that thinks otherwise falsly accuses Religion introduces Superstition into its Place 4. A Fourth Argument I take from the Nature of Right Reason from whence arises a clear Demonstration that no Divine Revelation can be contrary to it For the Souls of Men are derived from the D●…vine Mind and Right Reason is of a Celestial Original framed after the Image of Uncreated Wisdom and Knowledge It is a certain Beam