there be some one thing at which as the mark and end all the Doctrine of Christianity doth aim whatever thing being known conduceth nothing to the attainment of that end all questioning about that thing wil be vain Wherefore it concerns us to see if there be any such end what it is and what those things be which may conduce thereunto Now John testifies that such an end there is and what it is in these words Many other signs also Jesus did which are not contained in this Book but these are written that ye may beleeve that Jesus is the Messiah the Son of God and that beleeving ye may obtain life by him By which words we are plainly taught that the end scope of Christian Doctrine is eternal life whereupon it follows that whatsoever may be of any use for the attaining of eternal life that thing may be accounted profitable to be known and whatsoever can confer nothing to that end ought not to be regarded How now may some man say not a word of the honor and glory of God in this consideration I answer whatsoever things make for the glory of God without doubt the knowledg of all such things further our salvation neither is the glory of God in any thing more manifested then in the salvation of man If so be then there be any thing that we are obliged to do to the end we may attain eternal life for as much as we cannot do that thing unless we shal understand that it is our duty so to do the same it is necessary that we know so much And for as much as God hath made a Law which who so keeps not exactly hath imposed upon him the punishment of eternal destruction which Law because a man cannot keep and there is some other thing which if he do he shall notwithstanding obtain salvation he ought to understand both that he cannot satisfie the Law and what that other thing is which if he shal do wil be a means to save him And seeing that same other thing is if he shal be perswaded that the Son of God being made man satisfied his Father in respect of the punishment due unto his sins and that he is by his blood made clean from all the defilement of sin howbeit holiness of life and innocency of conversation is required not that in confidence thereof we should promise our selves salvation but that our manners may be such as becomes the children and servants of God bought with so great a price These things I say being so it is necessary both that a man know the promises which are made concerning Christ and that he be not ignorant wherein holiness and innocency of life and conversation do consist And for as much as there are many things which may either induce us to place all hope of our salvation in Christ and according to our power to keep the commands of God or hinder us from so doing and delay us it is very profitable to know what those things are which may either help or hinder Now we are perswaded to place all our confidence in God and enflamed to love him by which love we are drawn to endeavor obedience to his Commandments by the knowledg of his nature not as Philosophers desire to know it that they may subtilly argue about it but so as to understand how he is beyond all conceit wise good gentle merciful how exact and punctual he is in keeping his promises That his nature is such his works witness viz. The Creation of the world and all things therein contained but especially examples of his care for such as have worshipped him with a pious and holy fear how he hath helped them in times of exigency how he is wont to defend them from the lying in wait of the Devil and the world also how great and grievous sinners he hath upon their repentance comforted and saved how great a hater nevertheless of sin he is wont to shew himself and the like To the knowledg of his nature the remembrance of his frequently repeated promises being joyned doth exceedingly confirm and strengthen faith and forcibly puts men upon a serious resolution of amendment of life Hereunto may be added the explication of Prophesies especially such as concern the present times which being a clear testimony of the providence of God make exceedingly to the confirmation of mens minds Whatsoever matters of this nature are very profitable to be known and discoursed of by all men at home and abroad in private and in publick And because we can perform none of those things lately mentioned unless assisted by the help and spirit of God and God wil have us ask this spirit and assistance of him we must both know that God would have us so to do and keep in mind the promises that he wil give us these things upon our asking in a word we must in no case be ignorant in what manner we ought to call upon God and how we ought to render to him thanks for benefits received Contrariwise we shal be much hindred concerning the premises if we shal judg otherwise concerning the nature of God concerning his wil and whatever may come to pass then his Word directs us A great hinderance too is the corruption of our nature which very forcibly withdraws our mind and thoughts yea ravishes us to contrary intentions Whereupon we being necessitated to wage perpetual war with our inbred pravity to the end we may render our nature subject to the divine wil it is in like manner very necessary that we know our natural sinfulness and whatever the Scripture shews us for the mitigation and subduing thereof And for as much as it is not sufficient that a man care for himself alone but every man is bound according to the measure of the spirit he hath received and the course of life whereunto he is called to seek the good of the whole Church not only of the Members thereof now living but likewise of posterity whatsoever is of that tendency as to make any doctrine profitable to life hard to be attained or may give occasion either to forsake or lightly to esteem the same it is of great consequence that we be not ignorant thereof And in as much as the Scriptures admonish us that we have a great and most cunning adversary who is named from his enmity who without ceasing plots against us whereby to ruin us and divert us from God who can doubt but that it wil be very profitable wel to understand his arts and by what wis om they are to be avoyded in a word no doctrin can be profitable unless it have some use if it consist only in speculation tend to no aâ—tion it is to be accounted vain and foolish Yea verily every doctrine that may any wise refer to the attainment of salvation is not to be counted profitable to as that it should be requisite to hanâ— e 〈◊〉 cuâ—â—â—usly oâ— diffeâ—â—â—ce â—â—ne â—hat 〈…〉 muâ—â—
James Acontius a Reuerend Diuine SATANS STRATAGEMS OR THE DEVILS Cabinet-Councel DISCOVERED Whereby he endevors to hinder the Knowledg of the Truth through many Delusions Wherein is laid open an easie way to end Controversies in Matters of Conscience by setting down the right order of Disputation in Points of Religion that so Truth may be known from Error Worthy to be perused by all Christians of different Judgments in this juncture of time Together with Arguments to each Book for the ease of the Reader By Jacobus Acontius a Learned and Godly Divine banished for the Gospel As also the Testimonies of some Ancient Divines Together with an Epistle written by Mr John Goodwin And Mr. Durte Letter touching the same LONDON Printed by John Macock and are to be sold by G. Calvert 1648. To the Right Honorable The Lords and Commons of England in the High Court of Parliament assembled THis Discourse Lords and Commons of England deserves and desires your perusal and Patronage It deserves the former forasmuch as the welbeing of the Common wealth is therein much concerned it desires the latter as being like to meet with such measure as he met with who found cause to say to the reverend and learnned sons of Abraham that sate in Moses Chair Ye seek to kill me a man that hath told you the truth which I have heard of God If it seem in some places knotty be pleased to remember the Author was an Italian to which Nation subtilty in reasoning seems natural and let the goodness of the Kernel excuse the hardness of the Shell If any particular persons or any sort of men now upon the Stage shall seem to be pointed at herein be pleased to take notice that it is now eighty four yeers since this Treatise was penned It hath been twice or thrice Printed beyond the Seas in the Original Latine and once in this Kingdom This is the first time it hath endevored to speak English If this essay shall finde acceptance the Translator intends to go in hand with the remaining Books God affording life and opportunity In the mean time and ever his humble and hearty suit to the mighty Councellor and Prince of Peace shall be that he will be pleased by his Spirit to be present at all your Consultations and to grant That forasmuch as you have hitherto prudently steered the Ship of the Common-wealth through tempestuous Seas and magnanimously defended the same against the Assaults of many cunning strong and furious Pirates You may not come to let her split upon the shore but that she may be by you safely landed in the fair Haven of Righteousness and Peace Your Honors humble servant in reference to the Publike The Translator To his Excellency Sir Thomas Fairfax Capt. General And the Right Honorable Oliver Cromwel Leiut General of all the Forces in ENGLAND raised by Authority of Parliament for defence of the Common-wealth Far renowned Commanders COnsidering the Honorable use which divine Providence hath made of your High Valor and Prudencies in perserving the Liberties of this Nation and how much it concerns the Common-wealth that Personages of such eminency be rightly informed in Matters wherein the Common good is so highly interessed The Translator of this Discourse thought it his duty in reference to his end in this Work which was onely common profit and which he thought he might better advance by translating an Excellent then making a bad or mean Book to present the same to your serious perusal and withal to testifie his thankfulness for some favors formerly received upon occasion of a particular address This is all he hath to say save that he is Your Excellencies and your Honors most humble servant in reference to his Countreys good The Translator To the R t. Honorable John Warner Lord Mayor of the City of LONDON Right Honorable THe benefit which the City of London and consequently the Nation hath reaped and is like yet farther to injoy by your Lordships prudent and wel-tempered Government hath incouraged the Translator of this profitable Discourse to commend the same unto your Honors perusal whereby your Lordship may be confirmed in that same Christian Moderation which is so commended in you and be directed how to steer your course in respect of different opinions in point of Religion so as may be most for the general good of the City committed to your care for your Lordships honor with peace of conscience here and the facilitating of your account at the day of Christ which is the prayer of Your Honors most humble servant in reference to the publike good The Translator TO THE READER Good Reader AMongst the many strains of that unreasonableness in men which renders the days we live in so calamitous and sad there is scarce any more deplorable or comporting with our misery then for men to have their mouths wide open in declaiming against what they are pleased to call Errors and Heresies and their ears fast shut against all Christian means and directions either for the discovery and eviction of them to be such or for the suppression of them being so evicted There is no question to be made but that there are many vile imaginations of men which exalt themselves against the knowledg of God walking up and down amongst us which their fathers and friends have baptized by the names of New Lights On the other hand as little question there is but that there are many ancient Truths also pleading restitution after a long and injurious ejectment unto their native Honors which because they plead in form a pauperis paucorum are not onely denied Christian audience to their Pleas but reproached also with the opprobrious terms of old accursed Errors and Heresies Now when men make no scruple or Conscience to binde up God and Belial Christ and the Devil together in one and the same bundle of condemnation because they are both alike troublesom and offensive unto them do they not provoke both the powers of Heaven and the powers of Hell at once against them Or are such men like to prosper in their days In vain do they blow a Trumpet to prepare the Magistrate to battle against Errors and Heresies whilest they leave the judgments and Consciences of men armed with confidence of Truth in them If men would call more for light and less for fire from Heaven their warfare against such enemies would be much sooner accomplished For he that denied the one hath promised the other Prov. 2.3 4 5. Jam. 1.5 And amongst all Weapons there is none like unto light to fight against darkness But whilest men arm themselves against Satan with the material sword they do but insure his victory and triumph They that desire to serve as good souldiers of Jesus Christ against Errors and Heresies must first conscienciously study the Christian Art and Method of this Warfare otherwise they may easily build up what they go about to pull down and make Balaams expedition yet upon worse
a man that every opinion he takes up is a most serious and weighty point without the knowledg wherof there can be no salvation Rules to distinguish curious unprofitable questions that are to be avoided from sober serious and profitable ones that ought to be handled The End of all Christian Doctrine What ever is profitable to that end is useful to be known An enumeration of useful Doctrines A Doctrine that reaches no further then speculation is vaine Every Doctrine that any ways makes for the attainment of the aforesaid end is not of such moment as that a controversie should be raised therabout forasmuch as some other Doctrines unquestioned may perform the same service Passion in the Persons dissenting makes a point in controversie seem far weightier then in truth it is which may be seen in the eager bickering of the Ancient Christians about Easter day and other matters of smal moment The right way to bring men from vain and unprofitable questions What Ministers Professors in Vniversities Writers of books ought to do to that end To stand long upon and to affect to make many Sermons upon one text a great occasion of starting curious and unprofitable questions Large Commentaries guilty in the like kind LIB I. THe best way to find out the divels Stratagems is to taâ—e into serious consideration what the end is at which all his consultations aime which is not Very hard to tel For seeing that he is defined in Scripture A MAN-SLAYER from the very BEGINNING what can we think he should rather aime at then the DEATH of MAN and that ETERNAL Being therefore as the oldest so the craftiest fox in the world wee may assure our selves that nothing can escape his indeavours which may prove pernitious to mankind to be put upon and as certain it is that he endeavours to divert them from whatsoever may prove conducible to their Salvation Now the Salvation of Man consists in obeying God as his death and misery in disobedience Wouldst thou obtain life said our Lord keep the Commandments by Commandements or Law in this place we understand whatsoever we are commanded not only to do or not to do but to beleive whence it follows that the MAN-KILLERS grand design is to keep us from obeying the commands of God Now the Commands of God may be violated as soon by those that know them not as by those that know them for though he be much the greater delinquent who disobeys that command of God known then he that through ignorance transgresseth yet shal not ignorance make any one guiltless for it is almost impossible that any one should be ignorant without his own fault Howsoever certain it is the ignorance of Gods Law and the violation thereof are so nearly allyed that the one is mutually the others cause By not knowing the mind of God thou doest that which moves his anger oft times when thou thinkest highly to please him for which cause amongst the rest thou art deprived of all light of sound judgment and dayly overwhelmed with more gross and palpable darkness If thou knowest his law and doest not obey it it wil by the just judgment of God come to pass that thou shalt fall from the knowledg thereof and slip into some great errors This then being the end of all Sathans Counsels forasmuch as it is MAN-KIND he labours to undoe that we way more easily understand his deceits let us diligently consider the nature of MAN Though MAN at the first was created of a good right and every ways perfect Nature and disposition yet breaking the command of God he became of another NATURE quite contrary exceedingly corrupt and lyable to all manner of vice Hence it is that 1 he loves himself immeasurably but with a kind of blind and intemperate affection wherewith being led he loaths his true good and seeks his own hurt and dammage 2 As our first Parents credited the Serpent when he said as soon as ye shal taste the fruit ye shal be as it were Gods knowing good and evil so hath there ever since stuck such a perswasion in Mankind that every man takes himself to be a kind of Diety which disposition upon the least occasion presently discovers it self For as soon as he is a little advanced in dignity or hath but scraped together some considerable heap of Earth he judges every body bound to give him all the respect that may be yea to seek his commodity with their own loss If he get a little Learning presently he imagins he knows all things and he alone so that the whole world ought to be governed by his wisedom leaving nothing undone which may beget such an opinion of him not knowing or little caring how unjust he is in so doing 3 He is wonderfully addicted to bodily pleasures and exceeding intemperate in the use of such things as are thereunto conducing 4 He loves this life and thereabout spends all his thoughts not so much as thinking of the life to come He dreams this life wil last for ever and though he see daily millions of men fall before his eyes he cannot be brought seriously to be perswaded that himself came into the world upon like terms of mortality 5 And since he sees that riches wil furnish him with what ever he desires and while they do so they must needs wast and that an infinite quantity is requisite towards the expence of an endless life hence it is that he hath an insatiable desire to gather wealth Some such conceit it was together with a strange weakness of mind that made the Soveraignty of the whole world seem too too little for Alexander the great 6 In reference to the knowledg of God and his wil of his own proper good and evill which consists wholy in the favour or offence of God he is altogether blind thinking himself in the mean time as quick-sighted as an Eagle To give assent unto truths of this nature and to reject the contrary errors is as repugnant to his disposition as it is for heavy things to fall Heaven-ward Not that he hates truth as truth or is delighted with lies as lies but because of the corruption of his Judgment in things of this nature taking truth for falshood and falshood for truth it self 7 And look how he himself is disposed though he perceive it not so he imagins the blessed God to be worshipping him accordingly with Gold Silver Precious stones and Jewels with great costly and magnificent buildings yea and sometimes with such things as should one man honour another with it would be interpreted a great reproach and mockery He wil needs have him to be a visible God and therefore paints him and shapes him out according to his own fancy He cannot in good earnest perswade himself that God knows cares for or moderates the affairs of mankind that he wil give rewards or inflict punishments whence it is that neither by pious affection to God nor through fear or punishment can
better in other things haply he may seem to preferr thee before himself but he doth not do it indeed and in Truth for if each of you shal reckon up his opinions in such points wherein you shal both agree he wil approve his own judgment as much as thine and in such wherein he shal differ from thee he wil questionless preferr his own judgment before thine and so wil take himself to be the wiser of the two This is most manifest in our passing of our judgment concerning writers For so far thou wilt praise any Author as he shal satisfie thy judgment and so far thou wilt dislike him as he shal not content thee so that every mans rule whereby he measures what is right or wrong is his own judgment Which being so who ever the Controversie be with suppose he be the most ignorant fellow in the world and suppose thou takest thy self to be one that can speak Oracles look how ill thou canst bear it to be contemned by him as ill wil he take it to be contemned by thee and peradventure he will take it so much the worse by how much he hath bin less ingenuously brought up Shal I tel thee in a word how thou oughtest to deal with him so as to avoid bitterness Imagine the case to be quite contrary suppose him to be such an one as thou takest thy self to be thy self to be such as thou deemest him and then look what behaviour of thine would become each of you if the case so stood endeavour with all thy might to express If thou shalt not thus do a thousand to one thou shalt not avoid insolently to carry thy self Whosoever shal daily meditate of these things and carefully exercise his mind in the practise of them he doubtless if I am not mistaken shal become an excellent disputant very fit by way of reasoning to resist the growth of Errors Of which way of resistance by Reason seeing we have sufficiently treated we are in the next place to speak of Authority Satans Cabinet Counsel The Third Book The Argument WHat Course a Church of Christ may take to resist the spreading of false Doctrine Great care to be had no person or Doctrine be unjustly condemned Smal Errors ought not to be so severely censured as greater Most men account him a patron of Errors that wil not make a Mountain of a Mole-hill Of what ill Consequence it is to account a point to be fundamental and necessary to be known to salvation when it is not such The truth of a point one thing the weight and consequence thereof another Scriptures asserting the truth do not consequently assert the weight of a point The Scriptures can only declare the weight of a point and how we are to improve them to that end Whether in case it appear that such or such a thing must needs be so or so it follow that that thing must needs be known to salvation In Case it appear from Scripture that a Point ought of necessity be known to salvation whether are all truths following therefrom of like necessity to be known and acknowledged A man may firmly hold a position and deny such things as necessarily follow therefrom so long as be shal not discover the necessity of such Consequences What Points are in the Scriptures held forth as of necessity to be known and believed to salvation Men may be saved though they mis-understand some points and hold some Errors It is very remarkable that our Lord gave the tokens of his body and blood to his Disciples when as yet they knew not that his Kingdom was a spiritual Kingdom nor yet that the Gentiles should be saved by him and that in a peculiar sort before the Jews An enumeration of such points as the Scriptures account needful to be known and believed to salvation and of such as to the ignorance whereof damnation is threatned What points they be which following from the former by way of consequence are like wise needful to be known In all other differences we are to hold a brotherly peace and union It is needless and endless to reckon up such points as are not necessarily to be known to salvation To believe a point is not to repeat the words but to embrace the sense of them Of what moment that Controversie is between the Lutherans and Calvinists as they are termed about the presence of Christs body in the Sacrament whether the erring party err damnably Before we condemn any man for an Error we must be very wel assured that it is such an Error as deprives of salvation Many points held necessary to be known to salvation which cannot by any Text of Scripture beproved to be such What did the believing thief the Eunuch baptized by Philip the harlot that washed our Lords feet the Palsied person that was healed know and believe concerning Christ A person that errs damnably and cannot be reclaimed ought to be excluded a Christian Congregation whether he promise not to seduce or do not so promise He that errs in a point not fundamental if after admonition he cease not by spreading his Error to trouble the Church he ought to be cast out He that errs an Error not damnable and makes no stirr by seducing must be retained in Communion All means must be used to reduce a person that errs fundamentally before he be cut off from Communion of the Church Care must be taken that they Arrogate not unto themselves the judgment of any doctrine or person to whom it belongs not in such cases to judg It belongs to the whale Church to judg in such a Case What the Magistrate may do to resist Errors When it is once grown in use to determine Controversies by the sword what ever Doctrine comes to be the Doctrine of the major part and stronger side who ever shal oppose the same wil be counted an Heretick and all his Arguments and Scriptures produced shal be answered by none but the Hangman Better never any Heretick be punished by the sword then such a door set open to the bloodshed of professors of the Truth Putting Hereticks to death in stead of suppressing oft times encreases them Pastors are thereby made lazy and unlearned and to lose the use of their spiritual weapons Afflicting Hereticks hardens them in their Errors because afflicting is the portion of those that profess the Truth Of putting a seducer to death under the old Testament and of the beating down the City that falls to Idolatry Of the reason of that Law that all Israel may fear and do no more so The Parable of the Tares discussed It cannot be understood of Adulterers Thieves and such like offenders It must be understood of false Teachers We cannot justifie the breach of a manifest Vniversal Law against bloodshed by our interpretations of an obscure particular Command Great difference between an Heretick and an Apostate from the true God and true Religion The Magistrate cannot doubt of a mans
of others howbeit profitable to be understood and such as are no ways to be slighted yet are they not altogether so necessary yea rather although there happen to be some Error concerning them the person so erring may notwithstanding be saved And our Lord himself professes that he teaches nothing John 17. but such things as he had received from his father and look what he had received from his Father that he delivered to his Disciples and that they imbraced it and did believe that he was sent from his Father and therefore he prays for their salvation and for the salvation of all those likewise who should believe through their preaching And to the Apostles this command was given Go ye through the whole world declaring the Gospel to all persons and teaching them to observe whatsoever I have commanded you he that shal believe and shall be baptized shal be saved he that shal not believe shal be condemned In which words is implyed that unless a man shal understand and believe all these things he shal not be saved so Paul when to the Jaylor asking what he should do he bad him believe in the Lord Iesus and so he should be saved and his family is afterward said to have instructed him in the Doctrine of the Lord So that the meaning of those words believe in the Lord Iesus and thou shalt be saved must be this imbrace the faith and Doctrine of Christ and thou shalt be saved And that this is so seems especially proved by what the same Apostle elsewhere writes If any one shal teach you otherwise then we have taught let him be accursed For he teacheth otherwise who mis-interprets any part of that Doctrine On the contrary even as Paul to prove that righteousness was not by the Law among others uses this Argument If so be the inheritance belonged to them that kept the Law since no man could keep the same no body could be saved wherefore since the promise must not be void there must needs be another righteousness then that by the Law In the very self same manner we may reason in this place that forasmuch as no man can rightly understand all that the Lord hath commanded and it is necessary to salvation that a man understand all things rightly and err in nothing therefore no man shal be saved But certain it is Rev. 7. a very great and innumerable company shal be saved it must needs therefore follow that men may be saved though they do not rightly understand some part of that which the Lord hath delivered and be possessed with some Error And Paul witnesseth that in this life we know things but in part and not fully 1 Cor. 13. and we prophecy but in part But what could we desire more plain then this Our Lord before his death testified that his Disciples had imbraced all those things which he having received of his Father had declared unto them and prayeâ— for them howbeit they did not as yet understand that Christs Kingdom was spirituall not worldly neither did they know that the benefits purchased by Christ did belong unto the other nations of the world as wel as to the Iews Which things notwithstanding he had taught them and they were matters of very great concernment It is manifest therefore that when our Lord said his Disciples had received such things as he had taught them his meaning was such of them as were of necessity to salvation not that they had wholly attained to the knowledg of all that he had taught them Hence it must be concluded that all things which Christ taught were not so necessary to salvation as that if a man were ignorant of some part of them he could not be saved And it is very wel worth our observation that when as the Disciples did not as yet understand that Christs Kingdom was spiritual and that the Gentiles were in a special manner to be shaters in the salvation purchased by him he did notwithstanding distribute unto them the representative figures of his body and blood Inasmuch therefore as it is out of all question that every Truth of God is not of like condition and rank but that some must of necessity be known and perfectly understood some may be without inevitable damnation unknown doubtless it is necessary either that we should have some mark of difference whereby to distinguish the one from the other or we must take it for granted that those points of Christian doctrine are only necessary to be known concerning which there are special and particular testimonies of Scripture signifying the necessity of their knowledg As for any general note or difference though I have diligently enquired into the matter yet have I not been able to find one For if any man shal say that all the principal heads of doctrine are to be reckoned among the necessary points his saying wil be very true yet not a whit satisfactory For I shal presently demand which are those principal points And if any doctrine be called into question I shal desire to know whether it be one of those principal ones I shal ask him by what note or mark I may know whether it be to be reckoned among the principal or not So that we are stil as far to seek as ever For it is all one to be in doubt which are those points of doctrine that ought of necessity to be known and to doubt which are the chief heads of Religion both are alike obscure so that the one cannot receive light from the other We must therefore make diligent enquiry what things they are by name which must be of necessity known and beleeved Our Lord says Herein consists life eternal if they shal know thee the only true God John 17. Ioel 2. and him whom thou hast sent Jesus Christ And the Prophet says Whosoever shal cal upon the name of the Lord shal be saved And the Apostle This is that doctrine of Faith which we publish abroad that if thou shalt both confess with thy mouth that Jesus is the Lord and shalt beleeve with thy heart that God hath raised him from the dead thou shalt be saved But that place of John is very remarkable and many other miracles did Jesus in the presence of his Disciples which are not contained in this Book But these are written that ye might beleeve that Jesus is the Messias the Son of God and that beleeving ye might obtain I fo by his name In which place we may observe First That whatsoever things are written of Jesus are written to this end that men might beleeve that Iesus is the Messias the Son of God Secondly That if any man shal beleeve that through him he shal obtain salvation that man shal not be frustrated of his hope Iohn 11. So that when Peter had confessed that Jesus was the Christ the Son of the living God he was pronounced Blessed forasmuch as that knowledg of his was not from Man
Lord hath a true humane body and yet that the same body maybe in divers places at one thesame time Forasmuch therefore as they believe and that most strongly that Christ is true man the Son of God and raised from the dead and all other things which the Scripture holds forth as necessary to be believed what reason hast thou to deny that they may be saved even in this their Error It is clear therefore that as wel those which hold Christs body to be in the Sacramental bread as those which deny the same although it must needs be that one side err yet are they both if otherwise conscionable observers of our Lords commands in the way of Salvation In which regard they are bound to love and reverence one another as brethren the servants of God and members of Christ If they shal mutually vex one another with revilings reproaches cursings if they shal go on to exercise enmity one against another they shal not escape the just judgment of God Wherefore I pray and beseech both parties by Christ Jesus that laying aside all hatred and rash judgments they would strive to go beyond one another in offices of Love Let us abandon bad language scoffs contempt so wil it certainly fall out that such as err shal at the length be brought to acknowledg the Truth If we shal but once be united in heart and affection the Lord wil not deny us any favour or success neither wil he ever suffer that such as out of true love endeavour to draw their bretheren out of Error shal reap no fruit of their labour Now look how we have discussed these two points viz. the Error of Sabellius and the Controversie about the corporal pre-presence in the Sacramental bread it wil be easie for any man in like manner to judg of what ever other points shal come into Controversie For concerning what ever Error shal be questioned we must enquire whether or no the person so erring may not believe all such things as to the belief whereof Salvation is promised that in case he may we may perswade our selves that he errs not in a point necessary to be known unto salvation but if not that he errs in a necessary Doctrine Howbeit whosoever would condemn any man for any Error ought to consider again and again what assurance he hath that such an Error cannot stand with salvation Do but consider when as our Lord says come unto me all ye that labour and are heavy laden and I wil give you ease Shal any man be so fool-hardy as to dare to pul back him that is coming and of his own head to say to him Oh! do you hear it wil be in vain for you to go unto Christ who do not believe this or that point Who art thou that wilt hinder another mans servant from coming at his Masters call With what confidence takest thou upon thee to divine at the wil of God not being very clearly manifested unto thee Must you according to your fancy set bounds to the goodness mercy and kindness of God He unto whom it belongs to give life calls all unto him and wilt thou by I know not what exceptions of thine own devising limit those graces which he promiseth but limits not What dost thou in so doing Doubtless as much as in thee lies thou robbest a man of his life not of this life which is rather a death then life but of eternal life and the Kingdom of Heaven adjudging him to eternal torments neither is it to one alone thou art so injurious but to thousands haply Thou maimest Christ in so many members thou rendest the Church into Sects and pavest a way to infinite mischiefs And if our Lord so severely menace such as offend the least what thinkest thou shal become of them who by their rash judging have drove men to make Sects without any necessary cause so requiring Wo unto them And if so be the way which we have set down to distinguish between points necessary to be believed and not necessary seem not to be sufficient do thou if thou canst produce a better one more sure firm and constant If thou wonderest that among such points which we have reckoned up as necessary to be known thou dost not find certain other points of Religion very highly accounted of Read over diligently the whole Old and New Testament and search throughly by what Texts thou canst prove that those points are so necessary to be known that he that understands them not cannot be saved Consider what knowledg the People of Israel could have of them from the Old Testament who were notwithstanding to be saved by the same faith that we are Consider again what the thief could know when it was said to him this day shalt thou be with me in Paradise Or the Eunuch when Philip baptized him Or that woman to whom when she had washed our Lords feet it was said thy faith hath saved thee Or she that was wasted away by the bloody issue or the Palsied man with many others whose sins were forgiven them meerly upon their confessing the name of the Lord. It is also observable what the reason should be that whereas these points which we have set down as necessary are so frequently repeated in Scripture and required of necessity to be known those points which some men so highly account of are not in like manner required If those books had bin written by the wit of man which we account as indeed they are sacred we should say that honest Homer had took a nap and forgot himself But they are indicted by the Holy Spirit This therefore is not come to passe by chance but by the sure counsell of God who had he intended that those points should have been of like estimation he would at least in some one place plainly have signified his mind Which since he hath not done what is man that he should be able to conjecture Gods mind These things ought not to be measured by our wit or judgment but by the wisdom of God revealed unto us from heaven it alone must be regarded what ever reason may dictate But if so be any one shall erre in a point that ought necessarily to be known and cannot be reduced to a right judgment no man ought to question but that such a person may be justly condemned and cast out of the society of the godly And that not only if being admonished he shall go on to seduce others but also though he will be silent for what participation can the Church of God have with him unto whom eternal life is not promised But if the point about which some man erres be not in the number of those that must needs be known in this case I conceive we must use a distinction For if he that thinks amisse and cannot be reduced shall likewise endevour to seduce others having been often admonished to desist I see no reason but that he may and
which were agreeable to the words indeed but far from the scope and purpose of that Text. In lâ—ke sort those words of Solomon need an exposiâ—ion The condition of man and beast is the same as these did so do they both die alike neither is a man better then a beast Now the exposition to be understood is that thus it is not absolutely but for ought which a mans reason can observe to difference them Which exposition being excluded he that shall press the words of Solomon shall pluck up all Religion by the roots Those add unto the true sentence of Scripture who say That those shall obtain eternal life who believe that their sins are forgiven for Christs sake provided they shall recount all their sins unto the Priest and obtain absolution from him He changes somewhat of the true sentence who says That the Law is therefore holy because the knowledg thereof makes a man holy for it is not therefore holy but because it makes a man to despair of his own strength and brings him unto Christ the onely means of salvation and because it shews what things please or displease God to the end we may worship him not after our own inventions and constitutions but according to his command A third means whereby a false sentence is thrust into the doctrine of Religion appearing to be true onely instead of that which is true indeed is when from some true sentence a false one is by a wrong inference collected which collection shall be used in place of the true one from which it was drawn So when the Bishop of Rome hath gathered out of those words Whatsoever thou shalt binde on earth shall be bound in heaven and whatsoever shall be loosed by thee on earth shall be loosed in heaven this sentence That he hath power to make new laws and to constitute new heads of doctrine or as they call them new articles of Faith and to compel men to keep and observe the one and to believe the other This collection or inference of his he makes account of as of a sentence of Scripture Now there is a kinde of false inferences or collections very hidden and obscure forasmuch as they are partly drawn from suppositions which are neither expressed nor perhaps once thought of by the collectors yet are such collections admited without any question even as if they did arise out of most certain and clear grounds This may be seen in that collection we last named For that it may be infered That power to make laws was given to Peter it is requisite that the word binde should signifie to make laws For so you shall rightly collect to binde is to make laws power of binding is given to Peter and consequently of making laws In like maner you may collect to loose is to repeal laws now power to loose was given to Peter therefore power to abrogate laws was given to him And since it is said Whatsoever thou shalt bind and whatsoever thou shalt loose it will follow that Peter may make or revoke what laws he please yea the Ten commandmenâ—s he may abrogate if he think fit Again That all this may appear to belong to the Pope another supposition must be made viz. Whatsoever authority was given to Peter the same is given to the Roman Bishop since therefore Peter had authority givâ—n him to make or abrogate what laws he please the same authority is given to the Roman Bishop But this conclusion is infered without any mention of those suppositions That to binde and to loose is to make and revoke laws and that Whatever authority was given to Peter is given to the Bishop of Rome Neither is every man able to mark in the making of such collections what that is which is omited and passed over with silence as out of all question true though it be indeed as false as false may be Furthermore easie it is for any to understand That the obscurity of sentences or doctrines of Religion is a cause that if any mutation be made it cannot easily be discerned Now the obscurity of Christian doctrine springs from these grounds First because it handles the things of the spirit and therefore cannot be understood without the spirit which spirit being wanting though there be a great corruption of doctrine yet can it not be discerned Another ground is because being written in one tongue we are forced to learn it in another tongue into which it is not very aptly translated And although a man should give himself to study the Hebrew and Greek yet seeing they are not now used by any Nation but have their Being onely in Books he will never be able to leaâ—n them so perfectly but that the proper signification and various use of many words and phrases will be hid from his knowledg Howbeit this obscurity we speak of is not so great but that where some portion of the Spirit is present those things at least which are necessary to be known for salvation may easily be understood And so much for the causes of not discerning a change in doctrine which are in the doctrine it self we are now to handle such Causes as are in the maner of the change Now the manner of the change makes it undiscerned for as much as the change is made by little and little for if so be as we said before out of some great heap of grain every day some few grains should be taken and as many of another sort be put in the room of them who could be able to discover the mutation Who is able to discern how much it is that a boy grows daily or how much a man declines and waxes old Now the very self-same thing is to be seen in the mutation of doctrine for we shall have a man to day suppose who if he make no other change will at least invent some generall name for to call such things by as agree in nature or in some common reference or respect which name will be afterward applied to things very different and it shal by this means come to passe that the nature and notion of the former things will be obscured thus did they that first called the holy washing and the Supper of our Lord Sacraments What hurt could any one so much as suspect from so small a matter Howbeit in process of time there were those who supposing that any sacred and holy rite was intended by the terme Sacrament began to give that name to laying on of hands Marriage Penitence Confirmation Extreme Unction Whence it is come to passe that Baptisme and the Supper having a name common to them with other things of much different nature their true notion is rendred dark and obscure For there remained with the generall name a notion in like manner generall and common to those other things whereas the proper notion which ought ever to be kept in mind is forgotten Hence also it came to pass that as it was manifest that