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A11789
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The high-waies of God and the King Wherein all men ought to vvalke in holinesse here, to happinesse hereafter. Deliuered in tvvo sermons preached at Thetford in Norfolke, anno 1620. By Thomas Scot Batchelor in Diuinity.
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Scott, Thomas, 1580?-1626.
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1623
(1623)
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STC 22079; ESTC S116969
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53,883
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90
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way and it is visible what were a man the better for these directions would he not thinke such a guide out of his wits Especially when he shall see both wayes alike old alike beaten both vvayes to haue passengers successiuely alike frequent both wayes to be intire and singular both wayes to be called old and both wayes to be visible Thus both wayes doubtlesse he would be wilde except he had better directions And yet this is the case of the Church which some would thus marke out to the beleefe and obedience of all men But to conclude all these are no true markes but the Scripture is the true and vnfallible Euidence to bound the Church out to him that vvill be heedfull to obserue and faithfull to beleeue and humble to obay as we hope to manifest Heere then it were meete I should giue you some infallible and inseperable note of the true way hauing showne or rather pointed at the defect of these which the Church of Rome produceth But then I should offer violence both to your patience and to the Text the time not permitting so large a discourse and my Text leading me to discouer the false way with seemes right but giuing no warrant to proceede farther Only to conclude all since it is within my Commission to manifest the false way I will giue you one note a sure one whereby you may know when you are out of the right way that so you may shun error and seeke truth and ensue it till death that in the end you may finde euerlasting life Briefly Christ himselfe saith I am the way the truth and the life Ioh. 4. no man commeth to the Father but by me He is the way to walke in the truth to guide you the life wherewithall you walke And if you would finde this way hee himselfe learnes you a rule Ioh. 5. 39. Search the Scriptures for in them you thinke to haue eternall life and those are they that beare witnesse of me And he there vpbraydes the Iewes because they gaue no credit or heede to the Scriptures but preferd the traditions and doctrines of their forefathers before it Iohn 5. 46. 47. saying Had yee beleeued Moses yee would haue beleeued me for he wrote of me But if you beleeue not his writings how shall yee beleeue my words Therefore the Apostle cals all Scripture 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 2. Tim. 3. 16 as a doctrine inspired by God to make men wise to saluation and so beleeuing himselfe and teaching others to beleeue he praiseth Timothy for being from a childe brought vp in them 2. Tim. 3. 15 and he exhorts all men to follow him as he keepes in this way and vvalkes after Christ Iesus and no otherwise For so long he is sure he goeth right and they may follow him with security Now then I do not say vvheresoeuer thou seest the Scripture set forth for a signe there Christ is vvithin there is the true way the true Church But I say wheresoeuer thou canst not see the Scripture be assured thou art out of the way for the Scripture must be euer in thy eye being that setled Land-marke by vvhich thou must try and know and to vvhich thou must reduce and bring all thy other coast-marks and sea-marks So it is that Antiquity vvhich agrees vvith the verity of the Scripture that multitude vvhich vvorship God according to the rules of the Scripture that Sucession vvhich suceeed in the truth of doctrine deliuered in the Scripture that vnity vvhich beleeues the Trinity taught in the Scripture that Catholique Church vvhich is founded vpon and vniuersally agreeth vvith the truth of the Scripture that visible congregation vvhich are seene to God and vvhich see God as he reueales himselfe in the Scripture that become notes by vvhich thou maist safely trauaile in this doubtfull vvay of mortality So that the Scripture must euer be present to make these infallible though perhaps it be not of absolute necessity that all these be euer present vvith the Scripture to make the Church true The Heathens of old burnt the books of Numa because he bewrayd therein the prophane misteries of their Idolatries The Turks at this day keepe their people in ignorance no man must see into no man must dispute or argue of their Sect. And thus our Adversaries of Rome deale vvith the Scriptures resembling heerin the Heathens Turkes vvould yet make the vvorld beleeue that they are the only Christians And lest they should seeme insanire sine ratione they haue a seeming reason why they permit not the Scriptures to be in the mother-tongue of euery Nation publiquely to be read by them lest forsooth as the Rhemists say in their preface they should hurt themselues as vvith fire or water or kniues or swords or the like And vvhy do they not put out the Sunne because it hurts the gazers eyes or why put they not out their eyes to preuent hurting especially since they mis-leade many a man to lust and vanity To argue from the abuse of things indifferent to remoue the lawfull vse of them is an abuseof sence and reason But in things of this kinde of absolute necessitie it is an intolerable and presumptuous foolery Nature cannot bee so blinde as to suffer any but naturals to beleeue this their doctrine and to vvalke in this their way Pro. 4. 18. 19. for Salomon saith The way of the wicked is as darknes they know not at what they stumble But the path of theiust is as the shining light that shineth more and more vnto the perfect day True but vvill some say All Heretickes hang out this flagge and all boast of the Scriptures how shall wee then know the true vvay from the false by that which is common to all vvayes or vvhich all vvayes at least chalenge and make shew of Obserue euen from this obiection the force and authority of the Scriptures vnder which falsehood aswell as truth seeks to shelter herselfe because falsehood by this glasse learnes to trimme herselfe vp like truth And looke as the Heathens by their Idolatries proued aswell that there vvas a God Act. 17. 23. Rom. 1. as the Iewes by their true vvorship because nature taught the most barbarous Nation to adore some Deity and rather to make a God of a Calfe a beast a bird a stone then to be a godlesse Atheist so all Heresies and falsehoods beare witnesse for the truth and authority of the Scriptures vvhilst they striue to iustifie themselues thereby knowing without the Scripture all other their arguments notes and pretences how plentifull or plausible soeuer they bee are nothing to the purpose and therefore they labour to wrest the Scripture to their fancie And could the Church of Rome by this euidence approue her present practise and doctrine I assure my selfe she would looke no farther but vvould permit euery man to reade the same at pleasure nay she would command the reading thereof vnder the paine of
the way Genes 45. 24. In via out per viam non pro via or propter viam such are our hot alterations not for the way but in the way And thus such as the Papist cals Lutherans and Puritans walke the one vpon the one hand and the other vpon the other the Protestant in the midst shunning both the Extreames Via Regia temperata est nec plus in se habens nec minus Hier in Esai cap. 57 Wherein whilst the other walke with most violent and obstinate auersenesse they thinke themselues only safe and become seuere and supercillious censurers of vs and all men who in the least circumstance dislike their Criticismes or in the least ceremony vary from their rigide rules But for the way it selfe all of vs agree in one with vs the whole Catholike Church both Grecians and Abissins as the learned know and as it were easie to demonstrate to the vnderstanding of the simplest if time would permit so long a discourse in defect whereof I referre them ouer to a booke called Catholique Traditions collected by a Frenchman written in English and dedicated to our late Prince Henry of blessed Memory The only materiall difference vndecided hangs betwixt vs and the Church of Rome they holding themselues to be only in the way as persons that cannot possibly erre from it and all others to be out of the way that in all points walke not step by step and hand in hand with them Like a man who vvould perswade all England there were no other way to London but through his ground that so he might exact a generall toll of the Passengers for his priuat benefite Now whilst I say wee vvith all the Catholique Church agree about the way and our only difference is vvith Rome I neither intend to affirme that either our agreement with all is so intite nor our variance from those of Rome so distant as some of ours and some of theirs would beare the world in hand Only whilst some Churches ioyne with vs in the Articles of our faith and in all the fundamentall points of Religion absolutely necessarie to saluation we dare not judge them for erring in some matters of lesser moment For what haue wee to doe to iudge another mans seruant he stands or fals to his owne Master Yet whilst I say vvee vvill not iudge I shew there is cause and feare of iudgement which they may auoyd vvho vvisely leauing ambiguous and vnnecessarie questions rest and build vpon that which is generally and vndoubtedly agreed vpon These such like I forbeare to iudge because I heare Christ say Iudge not lest you be iudged Mat. 7. 1. And I know well it is the presumptuous pride of Antichrist and an infallible note of that man of sinne who sits in the seate of God and exalts himselfe aboue all that is called God 2. Thes 2. to presse with Lucifer into Christs Office and to iudge the quicke and dead before his comming condemning all for Heretiques vvho vvalke not in his vvay I know it is the only desperate error not to see and acknowledge our error but to proceede erring with a presumptuous opinion that we cannot erre These brands therefore I leaue to him vvho only by these if there were no other might be knowne to be out of the right vvay And yet in the eyes of these men led by flesh and blood and the outward apparance how vvell doth their vvay seeme how indirect and crooked seemes ours Let vs a little behold them comparatiuely Doth it not seeme right to a man who hath but naturall reason flesh and blood to direct him to follow that faith vvhich his forefathers professed time out of minde And doth it not seeme ill to adhere to a faith vvhich they say had no being till about these hundred yeeres and vvas neuer heard of before Luther Doth it not seeme right vvhilst wee fancie God like our selues or something better like a good old King troubled vvith many imployments that wee should goe to Saints and Angels and other spirituall fauorites to intercede for vs and prefer our petitions And doth it not seeme ill that vvee vilde sinners dare presse euen to the Throne of grace it selfe and refuse to vse any other meanes to obtaine our suites then the name ayde and mediation of the Prince himselfe Christ Iesus Doth it not seeme right vvhilst vvee keepe the pictures of our earthly Parents and friends that wee should vvith greater reuerence and care preferre the pictures of God the Father Sonne and Holy Ghost the Parent of our soules of the Virgin Mary and other Saints our celestiall friends And doth it not seeme ill that vve should not only neglect these but also cast them out of our Churches and houses breake and burne them And the more pretious account vvee haue of the persons dignity by so much the more to hold the picture perillous Doth it not seeme right to flesh and blood that man should satisfie for his owne sinnes by suffering penance affiction chastisements fastings and the like that man should merit his owne saluation by vowes pilgrimages workes of charity chastity voluntary pouerty obedience and other free-will offerings of superrogation And if heere there were any thing vnpaide is it not according to reason that after this life it should be taken out in Purgatory before wee goe to heauen And seemes it not as ill to deny flesh and blood these sensible satisfactions to teach that all proceedes out of Gods mercy that wee must doe good but not trust to it that man cannot satisfie much lesse merit that the chastisements wee suffer or the best actions wee doe are not worthy of heauen either ex condigno or ex congruo and that as there is no third way heere but a right way or a wrong way so there is after this life no third place but men presently passe either into eternall ioy or eternall paine Doth it not seeme right that since Christ is God and God is Omnipotent able to doe whatsoeuer he saith that therefore when he saith This is my body that wee should then beleeue the bread in the Sacrament to be transubstantiated into his body and the wine into his blood And doth it not seeme ill that wee who graunt this power of his should vnderstand these words spiritually sacramentally figuratiuely and mistically All these things and many more like these appeare thus to the naturall Man But apparance and seeming are no infallible notes of veritie as we shall manifest when wee come to speake of the Opposition or the publique Iudgement of verity and now will partly shew comming by order to treate of the Iudge of these controuersies vvho is heere said to bee man guided by his owne imagination and the giddy spirit of Priuacie 3. The Iudge A Mans selfe To a Man Man iudgeth of things either by his Sense or by his Reason for I speake of the naturall man that is of Nature corrupted not