they indifferently pay to all Men for that which is due to God only whereby they obey God rather than Man so this Obedience was embraced by them before the other For 't is indeed an argument of no little discretion but of a quick and most piercing Judgment if we can discern what Opinion is to be followed and what is rather to be rejected In a word our Lord himself in the Gospel says Beware of them which come to you in sheeps cloathing but inwardly are devouring wolves Therefore a watchful Soul and setled Mind are required in order to our discovering the plain simplicity of Sheep or the more hidden malice and greediness of Wolves Whence we may learn what great danger they are in who neglect the study of the Holy Scriptures from which only they can be furnished with such a knowledge and discretion St. Austin has an Expression which makes a great bluster in the World I would not believe the Gospel says he if the Authority of the Catholick Church did not move me to it Upon this the Authority of the Church is magnified above the Authority of the Scriptures But if St. Austin did not intend any such thing where are we then He express'd himself once to this purpose Thou O God hast assur'd me that not they who Aug. Conf. l. 6. c. 5. believ'd thy Books which with so great Authority thou hast establish'd in almost all the World but they who did not were culpable Neither are they to be heard who shall ask me how I know that those Books are given to Men by the Spirit of One most true God. Which shews that he did not altogether rely on the Testimony of the Church which was only outward but chiefly the inward Witness of the Holy Ghost in his Conscience But we may know more of his Mind by more of his Words We says he do not bring a false Ballance that we may make things Idem cont Donat. l. 2. c. 6. weigh what we please and how we please and so give judgment what is light and what heavy But we give you the divine Ballance of the Holy Scriptures the Treasures of the Lord and by that we tell you what is heavy yet not we but the Lord himself who having weighed all things already we tell you from him what is heavy c. And can we think that Great Father ever intended to set up the Authority of the Church above the Scriptures He does not say We tell you from the Church what is light and what heavy but we tell you from the Scriptures And thus again There are says he certain Books of the Id. de unit Eccl. c. 3. Lord to whose Authority we wholly assent which we firmly believe and in all things obey In them let us seek the Church by them let us discuss our Cause Now if St. Austin did really believe the Scriptures on no other account than barely the Churches Testimony why does he say He must find the Church in the Scriptures This would be to run round in an indeterminate circle first to look for the Church in the Scriptures and then to search for the Scriptures in the Church I don't see how these can stand together But let it be as it will we may with more safety give credit to what a Man is constant in than to what he says but once or it may be never at all and so we may assure our selves of the concession of this Holy Father to what we assert That the Scriptures are the supreme Decider of Controversies The only thing needful to be added to what has been already produc'd is That nothing ought to be put to or taken from the Word of God. Bellarmin acknowledges the Scriptures to be a Rule but says 't is only partly so for the Scriptures joyn'd with Traditions make one perfect Rule But we have seen that the Scriptures alone are a perfect Rule and An Infallible Rule says St. Basil ought to be so without addition or diminution And Basil cont Eunom l. 1. Id. Conf. Fid. further That it is a manifest departing from the Faith and an evidence of Pride either to take away any thing from what is written or to add any thing that is not written for our Lord has said My sheep hear my voice And says St. Jerom Whatever does not come from the Jerom. in Matth. 23. Holy Scriptures is as easily condemn'd as approv'd Eusebius tells us That after the Death of the Euseb Hist l. 3. c. 32. Apostles though the Scriptures were extant yet the Church did not long continue an unspotted Virgin but Heresies and Corruptions of the Gospel encreased apace And then I would fain know what method the Orthodox Doctors took to purge and refine the Church again I suppose it may be answer'd that A General Council was to represent the whole Church and to determine the Points in Controversie Granting this the next Question will be which way the Doctors assembled in Council proceeded in this great Affair Did they appeal to the Church The most impious Hereticks would confidently affirm That only they were of the True Church Wou'd they appeal to the Fathers There were many Learned Men who in their Writings maintain'd the worst of Heresies Wou'd they appeal to Apostolical Traditions The Founders of many of the greatest Heresies lived in the Times of the Apostles and on that score had as good a plea for their knowing their Sentiments as any of the Orthodox Fathers could have I am certain the first Nicene Council took no such way but on all occasions urg'd the Scriptures against the Opinions of those Hereticks they were to deal with as might be shewn at large if it was absolutely necessary to our purpose At present let us content our selves with a few Testimonies of the Fathers against such proceedings And first against Appealing to the Churches Custome St Cyprian says a Custome which some have taken up Cypr. ad Pomp. cont Steph. Pap. ought not to prevail against the Truth for Custome without the Truth is but the Ornament of an Error For which Reason let us forsake the Error of such a Custome and follow the Truth And when S. Austin bids us seek the Church in the Scriptures he cannot intend in my Opinion That we should follow the Church in any thing repugnant to the Scriptures But besides A Rule of Faith ought to be Perfect But Origen tells us That as Orig. in Ezech. hom 1. on every Floor there is Chaff as well as Wheat so is the Church on Earth some part Wheat and the rest Chaff And upon Matth. 21. 14. where it is said Id. in Matth. hom 15. That the blind and the lame came into the Temple to Christ and he healed them The Moral Construction of this says he is That in the Church all cannot see neither can all walk Upright but some are Blind and others Lame To which he immediately applies this Remedy as
That the Rule of Faith is fixed and terminated in the Books of the Prophets and Apostles It was the constant Opinion of this great Doctor of the Gentiles That the Scriptures were of themselves able to make Men Wise unto Salvation Neither is he alone for St. James assures us That they are able to save our Souls Jam. 1. 21. And therefore St. Peter calls 'em a more sure word of Prophecy than a Voice from Heaven and says That all Men would do well that they take good heed to 'em as unto a Light that shineth in a dark place 2 Pet. 1. 19. And our Lord himself in the Parable brings in Abraham telling the Rich Man in Hell That his Brethren had Moses and the Prophets whom let 'em hear says he for if they will not hear them neither will they be persuaded though one rose from the Dead Luk. 16. 29. 31. Upon which words St. Chrysostom's Inference was That we should believe the Scriptures Though the Dead should rise and though Angels should descend from Heaven we must prefer the Testimony of Scriptures before them According to the Apostle Gal. 1. 8. Though we or an Angel from Heaven preach any other Gospel unto you than that which we have preached unto you let him be accursed All which I take to be Indications plain enough of the sufficiency of the Scriptures as to all things pertaining to Salvation But besides this I said they were also in themselves sufficient to determin Points of Controversie The Psalmist says of the Word of God That it is a Lamp to his Feet and a Light to his Path Psal 119. 105. And therefore it was that he so often speaks of ordering himself according to this Word and prays so earnestly to God to enable him to do it And thus the Prophet expostulates with the Jews Isa 8. 19 20. When they shall say unto you Seek unto them which have familiar spirits and unto wizards that peep and mutter Should not a people seek unto their God for the living to the dead To the law and to the testimony if they speak not according to this word it is because there is no light in them It was the way of the Apostles on all occasions to have recourse to the Scriptures Thus St. Peter in his Sermon to Cornelius to confirm his Doctrin of the Messias says To him give all the Prophets witness that through his Name whosoever believeth on him shall receive remission of sins Act. 10. 43. And that it was the constant practice of St. Paul no Man can deny that has had the least converse with his Writings especially that great Axiom of his which has never been contradicted That the Scriptures are given by Inspiration of God and are profitable for Doctrin for Reproof for Correction for Instruction in Righteousness is a more than ordinary instance of his Opinion in this particular And as it is written was the only refuge of those Primitive Builders of the Church And it was the very same method that our Lord himself took to reprove the Tempter Matth. 4. 4. It is written Man shall not live by bread alone c. And Vers 7. It is written Thou shalt not tempt the Lord thy God. And Vers 10. It is written Thou shalt worship the Lord thy God. And thus he us'd always to bring the Testimonies of Moses and the Prophets against the impious Objections of the Jews very often telling them That he did not speak his own Words but the Word of him that sent him that is the Word of God. And now would it not be a thing to be wonder'd at if the Holy Fathers of the Church should be ignorant of this way of arguing Or if they did know it that they would not chuse to follow his Example whom they pretended to worship and obey But we have no cause to wonder at this but rather at their ignorance or wilful stubbornness who pretend to be acquainted with them and yet seemingly at least assert their Sentiments and Practice in this matter to be contrary to their Predecessors It was usual with Basil thus to express himsel 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Epist ad Eustath 80 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Let the Scriptures which are divinely inspir'd be Judge between us For says he Whatsoever Idem Etb. Defin. 80. c. 22. 6. is contrary to them is not of Faith and therefore sinful Every Word or Cause ought to be tried and confirm'd by the Holy Scriptures Neither does St. Cyprian come behind him in this Cypr. ad Pomp. cont Steph. Pap. particular If says he the Pipes through which Water is conveyed into the City should be suddenly deficient should we not go presently to the Spring that thence we may know the cause of the defect whether the Spring it self is dry or whether the Pipes are stopt by any thing which may hinder the course of the Water And so the Pipes being clear'd the City may be supplied with Water as before So ought the Ministers of the Gospel to do In matters of Doubt they should go to our Lord and his Apostles that they may model their Actions by their Doctrin as the Fountain and Original of Divine Truth Tertullian likewise would accept of no Argument that was not drawn from the Scriptures And by this Tertul. de carne Christ Idem de Resur mort he confuted the Hereticks of his time For says he take away the Sophistry of the Heathen Philosophers which the Hereticks make use of and when they come to argue from the Scriptures they will not be able to stand St. Chrysostom says That if any thing is asserted without the authority of the Scriptures to back it on it leaves Chrys in Psalm 95. the Hearers in doubt 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 says Clemens Alexandrinus We say nothing against the Scriptures Cl. Al. de Pet. Strom. lib. 6. Theod. dial 1. cap. 6. Id. Hist lib. 1. cap. 3. And Theodoret 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 I confide in the Scriptures only To which we may add his Testimony of the Saying of Constantine the Great That the Books of the Evangelists and Apostles and the Oracles of the the ancient Prophets do evidently teach us what we are to think of the Divine Power Therefore in every seditious Controversie let us discuss the Point in question by the Testimony of those divinely inspir'd Writings Whence we may see that all the Fathers are not against us in this matter I think Origen may come in for one on our side For in his Comment upon the Sixteenth Chapter of the Epistle to the Romans having explained those Admonitions of the Apostle vers 17 18. and coming to vers 19. where the Apostle tells the Romans That their Obedience is come abroad unto all Men And that he is therefore glad on their behalf The Apostle says he therefore rejoyces over those that were obedient being sure that as he had taught them not to use that general Obedience which
way And to this end the best advice I can give him is Before he presumes to read to beg the Asistance of God's Holy Spirit to direct and enlighten his Understanding And when he meets with an obscure Text let him pray again and besides that communicate his Doubt to some learned Minister of whose Integrity he is in some learned Minister of whose Integrity he is in some Measure assured and by these means he may be fully satisfied And thus he will shew himself an humble Enquirer and manifest to the World That his Proceedings are from a Principle of Honesty that he searches only for a right Information and on these Accounts he has a Right to that encouraging Precognition of S. Cyril in his Preface to his Comments on S. John's Gospel The Doctrin of all the Evangelists says he is most excellent and of Divine Extraction For as it overlooks all things as it were from the top of a high Tower It so amply accommodates it self to all that follow it that whoever thirsts after Divine Truth if with an honest Mind he enquires into the Sense of the Scriptures he may easily meet with whatever concerns him But this gracious Satisfaction is not conferred on those who make a rash Search and are rather led by Human Reasons than the Authority of the Scriptures forasmuch as the Holy Ghost does not dwell with a depraved Soul nor does he throw his precious Jewels before Swine to be trodden under foot but pours out his Truth into the Hearts of all Religious Searchers after it who not affecting Cavils and Disputes pursue the ready Road to the Kingdom in sincerity To conclude That true Meat and Drink which we have from the Word of God says S. Jerome is the true Knowledge Hier. in Eccl. c. 3. of the Scriptures And all Men having the greatest Encouragement imaginable to read those Holy Writings if they read them to good Purposes and not to wrest them to their own Ends let us go to that Fountain of Divine Truth from whence the meanest Reader may learn whatever is necessary for him to know For says the Royal Psalmist The law of the Lord is perfect converting the soul the testimony of the Lord is sure making wise the simple The statutes of the Lord are right rejoycing the Heart The commandment of the Lord is pure enlightening the eyes The fear of the Lord is clean enduring for ever The judgments of the Lord are true and righteous altogether more to be desired are they than gold yea than much fine gold sweeter also than honey and the honey-comb Moreover by them are his Servants warned and in keeping of them there is great reward Psal 19. 7 8 9 10 11. And our Blessed Saviour himself bids us Search the Scriptures Joh. 5. 39. I shall conclude therefore with that Pathetick Exhortation of S. Chrysostome That all Men would read the Scriptures and that not cursorily but with the greatest Diligence Chrys in Col. 3. hom 9. that they would get them Bibles as Physick for their Souls And if they will not read the whole let them turn to the New Testament and read the Gospels Acts of the Apostles and Epistles those excellent Teachers If any Mischance befall us come hither as to a Store-house full of wholesome Remedies hence take Relief and Comfort in all Afflictions whether loss of Goods or Friends or Life it self let them not only read once but turn over these Writings again and again and fasten what they read to their Minds that they may be sure to remember it For this is the Cause of all Evils That Men are ignorant in the Scriptures If we go to War without Weapons how can we be Safe Men that are armed may overcome at least in a Capacity to secure themselves but those who are unarmed must fall Therefore do not lay all the Burthen upon the Ministers Shoulders be Sheep but not as Creatures void of Reason but as Men that know something c. And as many Gal. 6. 16. as walk according to this Rule Peace be on them and Mercy and upon the Israel of God. Amen A Letter to a Lady c. MADAM THe Tenderness of the Female Sex renders it more obnoxious to the Sophistry of the Times and the desire of Information in Matters of Religion may make them the more earnest in reading the Pieces sent abroad in the present Controversie And I presume I need not tell you of the subtilty of some Men who to make their Proceedings the more effectual direct their Insinuations especially to those they think are least able to withstand them Your own Experience I suppose may be Evidence sufficient as to this Particular There are a sort of Men in the World who live by their Wits and will neglect no opportunity to insinuate strange fancies into the Minds of the weaker sort of People to make them believe a thing is White upon no other ground than because it is not Black though it may be Crimson in grain Of this sort are they says the Apostle 2 Tim. 3. 6. who creep into houses and lead captive silly women c. And he would have us know That in the last days by means of these Men perilous times shall come The whole Prophecy is interpreted of the Jesuites by Men of Learning in the Church of Rome as you may see at large in a little Book call'd The Moral Practice of the Jesuites publish'd by the Doctors of the Sorbon And these Men have Impudence enough to intrude themselves into Ladies Closets and venturing on their good nature to use their skill and sophistical endeavours to cajole them into a decoy They 'll Reform the Church of Rome in a quarter of an hour and wipe off all Imputations of Error while one may say What 's this if you 'll believe their Stories They 'll tell you that the things which have so often been prov'd against that Church are all Lies That no such Errors are embrac'd by her but that the Church of England if their bold Assertions will do the business has only been guilty and if She had not given her Sons Learning enough to defend her Innocence their Forgeries must have past for current But I hope Madam you know the Church of England better than to give credit to every mouth that is open against Her. And I know you have a discerning faculty beyond many of your Sex whereby to judge of Opinions right and wrong However give me leave to present you with a small parcel of Scripture Testimonies against some of the Principal Errors of the Roman Church I say Scripture Testimonies because though there are many excellent Pieces publish'd by our Learned Divines yet they are too full of Learning for most Female capacities and the Treatises large on every Subject when as I think the Scriptures the Supreme Judge in Matters of Religion so I suppose a short Catalogue of Texts from thence directly opposite to such Tenets as we
justly charge upon the Church of Rome and by that means a Refutation of most of those Tenets in one short Essay will be more profitable as I hope it will be more acceptable to an ordinary Understanding So that upon this account as you will hereby with more ease be furnish'd with what you may be sure is true being drawn from the Fountain of Truth you will I hope be the more easily induc'd to pardon my Undertaking as designing nothing but Honesty I have chosen this way of Writing to you Madam First because I know you delight in conversing with the Holy Writings and so I shall be more conformable to your Inclinations And Secondly though I reverence the Judgment of the Fathers of the Church and General Councils duly assembled and not sway'd by popular Insolence yet as I once objected to one by word of mouth without receiving a satisfactory Answer The Church of Rome says That we have False Copies of the Fathers and we answer That they have corrupted the True so that one of us must needs be in the wrong And how shall we be satisfied in this without comparing them to the Testimonies of the Scriptures And as for General Councils they have of late been purg'd or rather perverted by the Over-ruling Power of Popes and their Popular Factions insomuch that when they began to act against the Interest of the See of Rome though never so justly they were no longer allowed the liberty due to General Councils And then what dependence can we have from them And Lastly the Infallibility of the Church of Rome can be no better a Decider of Controversies than the other two because that must be prov'd if possible from the Scriptures So that when all other Instruments have been tried the Scriptures will prove the only Infallible Touch stone From these and the like Considerations this Piece was at first conceiv'd and is now produc'd for your Service and for such of your Female Companions or Acquaintance as you shall think fit to communicate it to and I hope it will give Satisfaction Be pleas'd therefore to consider that 't is the duty of every Christian to read and be acquainted with the Holy Scriptures And though the Council of Trent denied the reading of them to the Laity pretending that the Vulgation of them was the cause of so many Heresies abroad in the World yet by the leave of the Fathers assembled in that Particular General Council we cann't conceive how a Country Plough-Jobber should by reading the Scriptures be the Author of an Opinion either Orthodox or Erroneous But as might easily be prov'd if it were to the present purpose the Original of all Sects were Men who to shew their Parts and Learning took upon them to scrutinise and enquire into the Sense of Holy Writ and so spread the prime Infection I will trouble you with but an Instance or two to this purpose and so proceed Arius that known Heretick as well for his Learning as the many Proselites he gain'd to his Party meeting with that Text Joh. 17. 3. This is life eternal to know thee the only true God and Jesus Christ whom thou hast sent thought of a trick by misplacing a Point to seclude Christ from being True God. In the Original 't is This is life eternal 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 c. To know thee only to be true God and Jesus Christ whom thou hast sent But he puts the Comma after the Particle 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 only and so corrupts the Sense by misplacing the Point a trick which certainly none but a Scholar could have thought on Thus we find Gregory the Great openly asserting That whoever should call himself Universal Bishop was Antichrist but the succeeding Bishops of Rome disputed the contrary and arrogated to themselves the Title I might likewise urge the Feuds of the Franciscans and Dominicans and other Orders of the Church of Rome to prove that all Quarrellings and jangling Disputes about Matters of Religion have in all Ages been broach'd by Men of Learning But to come nearer home would it not be very absurd to imagin that such a silly fancy as Quakerism could ever have been heard of or so long upheld among us if some such Man as Penn who is thought no great stranger in a College of Fame had not at first insinuated it into some poor ignorant People who were not able to resist his Logick or it may be were more taken up in their worldly Employments than the Study of Holy Scriptures And indeed it is not probable that one who is better skill'd in the management of a Plough than a Logical Argument should be able to define in Matters of Faith and Doctrin It may be sooner prov'd that the principal Authors and Abetters of most of our Divisions came from Rome than that they sprung from ignorant People reading the Scriptures And if you please to peruse these Papers you 'll find that the Chuch of Rome in that Council had other Ends in denying the Scriptures to the Common People than the Suppressing of Sectaries as they pretended I come therefore to the business I propos'd to your Consideration the Duty incumbent on every Christian to read and understand the Holy Scriptures This I present to your Meditation in the first place as Preparatory to that which is to follow It being my intent in this Undertaking to have to do with nothing but Scripture Quotations And so I begin Deut. 6. 6. And these words which I command thee this day shall be in thine heart And thou shalt teach them diligently unto thy children and shalt talk of them when thou sittest in thine house and when thou walkest by the way and when thou lyest down and when thou risest up And thou shalt bind them for a sign upon thine hand and they shall be as frontlets between thine eyes And thou shalt write them upon the door posts of thy house and on thy gates The words were spoken to the whole Congregation of Israel and need not be explain'd Deut. 17. 18. And it shall be when the king of Israel sitteth upon the throne of his kingdom that he shall write him a copy of this Law in a book out of that which is before the Priests the Levites and it shall be with him and he shall read therein all the days of his life c. Where give me leave to take Notice That it being impossible to keep the Scriptures from the Eye of the more Ingenious Gentry they have been furnished with a Vulgar Latin Translation of the Bible which they call though falsly enough St. Jerome's and lest the Corruptions wherewith they had prudently loaded it should be discovered Pope Sixtus the V. in the Year 1578 published a Greek Copy purposely forg'd by Cardinal Carapha to make Men believe That the Latin was agreeable to the Original Josh 1. 8. This Book of the law shall not depart out of thy mouth but thou shalt meditate therein day and