already towards us in its causes and will befall us in effect if by speedy repentance we prevent it not Wherefore though all promises of mercy that have not a condition specified are to be understood absolutely because they give an undeniable and universal right and all precepts of justice are to be understood absolutely because they have the nature of a rule or law to which the subject may not give an exception but must yield his obedience yet prophecies of vengeance are to be understood onely conditionally because they are not declarations of Gods will but onely of mans present state and condition that in the condition he now is he deservs destruction but if he repent and change his condition Gods will is still fulfilled though his threat be not for he therefore threatened destruction because he was willing to save not to destroy so that God is still unchangeable in his will and the change is onely in man who changeth his condition And so also the true Religion would have us change but will not change it self and consequently remains unchangeable in the wills of those that truly love and practise it for they do not desire that any thing of Religion should be otherwise then it is by Gods appointment they would not have it lawfull to transgress a commandment or disbeleeve an article and much less can they think it lawfull to corrupt or expunge either they cannot away with nice distinctions or quarrelsome disputations in Gods service to mispend that zeal in words which was given for actions conceiving them more willing to disclaim then to obey the rule who are desirous to distinguish or to dispute upon the command they cannot rely upon unwritten traditions as the ground of Religion they can as the ground of decency and order because they have altered and may alter after the will of men besides that some of them do directly oppose the revealed will of God for what tradition ever found such general reception as that which the Jews called the prophecie of Elias That the world should last 2000 years before the Law 2000 years under the Law and 2000 years under the Gospel yet very many and good Divines do not think this tradition of sufficient authority for any one to beleeve not onely because the computation of the time past confutes it but also because it directly opposeth that saying of Christ S. Mark 13. 32. But of that day and that hour knoweth no man no not the Angels which are in heaven neither the Son of man but the Father onely to which it is a vain reply That though the day hour be uncertain yet the time and the year may be known for the reason wherefore God will not have his coming to judgement revealed unto men is that being sure of the thing but not sure of the time they should be always prepared for his coming which reason is as forcible against the knowing of the year as it is against the knowing of the day or hour nor would our Saviour Christ so readily have owned the ignorance of that day if the year had been revealed before by one of his Prophets for S. Augustines answer is here most true Nescivit adrevelandum Christ said he knew it not because he would not have it revealed or known to us agreeable to which is Epiphanius his distinction of 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Haer. Arian Christ had a twofold knowledge one of Speculation another of Use his knowledge of Speculation concerned himself and by that he knew the day of judgement his knowledge of Use concerned us and by that he said he knew not the day of judgement because he would not have us to know it which distinction Melancthon hath turned into this rule of Theologie Dicta alialoquuntur de Officio Christi alia de essentia sic hoc dictum loquitur de Officio Officium Filii Dei est in hoc ministerio cohortatari ad vigilantiam non definire tempus horam nè homines reddantur securi Some sayings are verified of the office of Christ some of his essence this saying That he knew not that day and hour is verified of his office for it was the office of Christ in his ministery to exhort men to watchfulnes not to define times or hours which was in effect to invite them to security Thus we see this famous tradition so generally cried up by the Jews as the prophecie of Elias is upon examination found to be very uncertain which makes very sober men infer that there is or may be the same uncertainty in other traditions and therefore they that will be sure to serve God in faith must and will appeal to the written word which alone abideth one and the same for ever for Religion being Gods cause loves to be tried by Gods undoubted word and where she cannot say How readest thou she cannot but say Why beleevest thou that our Faith should not stand in the wisdome much less in the devices of men but in the power of God 1 Cor. 2. 5. for that faith which stands in the wisdome of men stands like a house built upon the sand tottering and shaking at every violent blast or storm but that faith which stands in the power of God stands firm and immoveable by vertue of that power Thirdly God is immutable in place whither shall I go from thy Spirit or whither shall I flee from thy presence Psal. 139. 7. for by reason of his Immensity being in all places at once so as to fill them he cannot possibly change his place And so also is Religion immutable in place that is to say in its proper place the faithfull soul though not in its common place that is the Church or Congregation of believers or Religion is immutable in the Catholick Church though not in particular Churches that are members of it for the proper place of Religion where it may be found and where it is preserved is the holy Catholick Church which we believe in our Creed and that consists onely of the Elect for none are joyned in Communion with Christ but those that have the Spirit of Christ and they though never so far asunder have one Lord one Faith one Baptisme Eph. 4. 5. It is admirable to consider the great mutations that have befallen both Eastern and Western Churches how that in several ages they have more or less changed their Liturgies though in no age abolished them yet it is more properly said that these Churches have changed their Profession or Exercise of Religion then that they have changed their Religion for that still remains the same Christian Religion in all Churches that still remain Christian though under diverse and different professions The fourth incommunicable property of God is his Eternity which is a branch of Immutability as time is of motion for Eternity is a duration or continuance which hath neither beginning nor ending so Psal. 91. 2. Even from everlasting to everlasting thou art God
to do and not as an act of Custom we would all labour to be as unchangeable in our profession as we desire to be thought unchangeable in our Faith then would this distinction of Faith essentially accidentally Catholick come to nothing for as the Christian Faith is at all times equally Catholick in the Veracity of its perswasion so it would also all times be equally Catholick in the extent of its profession And good reason it should be so since it is grounded upon Gods Word which is as unchangeable as himself for so saith S. Paul Beleeving all things that are written in the Law and in the Prophets which is the reason or proof that his Faith is truly Catholick because it beleeves nothing but what is written Non credimus quia non legimus was S. Hieroms rule to confute Helvidius Mariam nupsisse post partum non credimus quia non legimus Hoc quia de scripturis non habet autoritatem câdem facilitate contemnitur quâ probatur We do not beleeve that the Blessed Virgin had any other childe after our Blessed Saviour because we do not reade it for what hath not its authority from the Scriptures is rejected with the same facility that it is alledged so S. Paul here urgeth the Scripture the written word as the rule of his Faith and the Law and the Prophets as the specification of that rule Out of this Rule our Saviour Christ confuteth the devil S. Mat. 4. nor doth the devil cavil with the manner of his confutation as some of late have done as if they thought it too little to be tormented by the devil unless they might also be condemned by him objecting the uncertainty of the Hebrew Points or the difference of the Greek and Latine Translations or the various readings of the Text and as various expositions of it yet it is observable that not one of those Texts there quoted by our Saviour Christ doth exactly agree with the original word for word not one Text is the same with the Original in words though every one be in sense As for example in Deut. 8. 3. no mention is made of Word yet our Saviour saith by every word that proceedeth out of the mouth of God so Deut. 6. 16. the Text speaks in the Plural number Ye shall not tempt Our Saviour quoteth it in the Singular Thou shalt not tempt So Deu. 6. 13. Moses saith Thou shalt fear the Lord thy God and serve him but our Saviour Christ quoteth him thus Thou shalt worship the Lord thy God and him onely shalt thou serve altering one word and adding another O that men would be ingenuous with God and rather then not learn this good lesson would learn it from this bad Master who durst not in Gods cause refuse to be tried by Gods Word but was far from loading himself with more sin by seeking to load the Word of Truth either with Cavils or with Calumnies for if it be written in the Law in the Prophets it is not to be gainsaid it is not to be contradicted if it be not written there as it was not in S. Pauls Religion so it may not be in ours But you will say the specification of this Rule is too narrowly confined to the Law and the Prophets I answer that by these words is meant whatsoever is comprised in the Canon of the Old Testament as it was established and received in the Jewish Church For the holy Ghost plainly saith that to them i. e. to the Jews were committed the Oracles of God Rom. 3. 2. now the Jews before and at the coming of Christ were of two sorts the one properly called Hebrews which lived in Jerusalem or Judea and understood the Hebrew tongue or else S. Paul would not have spoken to them in it Act. 21. 40. The other called Hellenists or Grecians either because they were dispersed among the Greeks as saith Baronius Judaeos in Graeciâ habitantes dictos Graecos in Palaestinâ Hebraeos or because they used in their Synagogues to read the Bible onely in Greek as Scaliger will have it Quia Biblia Graecè tantum legere soliti sunt We read of these two several sorts of Jews both together Act. 6. 1. There arose a murmuring of the Grecians against the Hebrews that is of the Jews that used the Greek Bibles against those Jews that used the Hebrew Bibles in their Synagogues And hence it came to pass that as the Jews themselves were of two sorts so they did use a twofold Text of Scripture in their Synagogues the one in Hebrew the orher in Greek whence Tertullian in his Apology cap. 18. advising even Painims to search the Old Testament whereby they might be drawn to the Christian Faith saith That it was to be seen in Ptolemies library or to be heard in Rome and other places in the Jewish Synagogues who by paying a standing tribute did purchase this liberty of openly reading the Scriptures and that not onely in Hebrew but also in Greek in the same tongue wherein they were translated in Ptolemie's library as appears by a supplication of the Jews unto the Emperour Iustinian Authenti 146. Col. 10. quod sic incipit Aequum sanè wherein they make request That it might be lawful for them to read the Greek translation of the seventy Interpreters in their Synagogues as their custome before had been for in all probability the Jews of the dispersion made this petition because they understood not the Hebrew text as did not the Jews of Palestine who did partly understand it in it self but fully as it was translated in the Chaldee Paraphrase which was therefore read with the text in their Synagogues and hence it came to pass that the Greek text was first generally received by the Christian Church because those Jews which used it were dispersed among the Gentiles and the Greek was now become the common language of the world and this Greek text or translation having been used in the Apostles times for these reasons to wit for the uniting of the Jews and Gentiles into one communion and for the common edification of both being so united did happily cause Saint Luke to continue the name of Cainan in the genealogy of Christ because he found it in the Greek though it was not in the Hebrew Bible lest if he should have altered the long received translation he should have discountenanced the newly received Religion which evangelical condescension of his did no more authorize the Greek translation to justle with the Hebrew text then the Apostles condescension before of abstaining from bloud and meats offered to idols did authorize the Gentiles to turn Jews or the Jews to continue in their Judaisme But however sure we are the Greek Translation was first generally received because it was generally understood both by Jews and Christians whereas the Hebrew text was then fully understood onely by some few Jews and scarce at all by any Christians And thus did the Jews use
the reconciliation would be easily effected as to what concerns Gods interest were it not impeded and hindred by our own Hence it is also that many under a pretence of settling and regulating Religion do indeed disturb and disorder it and in stead of rightly guiding the Christian do indeed misguide him whiles they stand so much upon ceremonals which are of their own making as that they much more neglect morals which are Gods undoubted commands and so desire to have their converts be some of Paul some of Appollos some of Cephas as they little regard and less care to see they be truly all of Christ. And yet amidst all these grand miscarriages of men which no Rhetorick can sufficiently express no repentance can sufficiently bewail though we finde much that may trouble us in the practise of Religion yet we finde nothing that can excuse us if we practise it not for there is matter enough uncontroverted on all sides to engage the whole soul of man if we would take notice of that engagement Satis ampla pietatis exercendae materia est in iis rebus de quibus utrinque convenit nam de side in Christum mortuum resuscitatum pro nobis collocandâ de charitate Deo proximo exhibendâ controversia nulla est at in his duobus capitibus pietatis summa consistit saith the most judicious and pious Cassander in his book De officio pii viri What pitie is it that there should be the greatest defect where is the least controversie amongst Christians This made the forenamed Authour profess that he was nothing at all satisfied with those men who pretended that the contentions of Christians hindred their progress in Christianity for saith he There is matter enough for the exercise of piety which is quite exempted from all controversie for all sides agree that we must be saved by faith in Christ crucified for our sins and raised again for our justification and by the love of God for his own sake and of our neighbour for Gods sake and in these two heads saith he of faith and charity is comprised the sum of all true Christianitie Saint Paul had said no less before him 1 Tim. 1. 5 6. The end of the commandment is charity out of a pure heart and a good conscience and of faith unfained which Aquinas thus proves most substantially Omnes enim virtutes de quarum actibus dantur praecepta ordinantur vel ad purificandum cor à turbationibus passionum sicut virtutes quae sunt circa passiones vel saltem ad habendam bonam conscientiam sicut virtutes quae sunt circa operationes vel ad habendam rectam sidem sicut illae quae pertinent ad divinum cultum haec tria requiruntur ad diligendum Deum nam cor impurum à Dei dilectione abstr ahitur propter passionem inclinantem ad terram conscientia vero mala facit horrere divinam justitiam propter timorem poenae fides autem ficta trahit affectum ad id quod de Deo fingitur separans à Dei Veritate 22 ae qu. 44. art 1. All the vertues whose acts are commanded in the Law directly tend either to the purging of the heart from the disturbances of the passions as those vertues which teach us to order our affections or they tend to the getting and keeping of a good conscience as those vertues that concern our works and operations or they tend to the getting and keeping of a true Faith as those vertues which immediately concern the worship of God and all these three are required to the true love of God 1. A pure heart for that else will cleave to the earth by its impurity 2. A good conscience for that else will run from God because of its guiltiness 3. an unfained faith for that else will follow a fiction in stead of God and falsities in stead of his truth This being taken for granted which cannot rationally be denied the meanest man that is will finde little cause to be discouraged or disheartened in the Christian Religion by reason of 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 or 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 or 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 from all which S. Paul so exceedingly dehorts S. Timothy that there are amongst Christians so many strifes about words and so many vanities and novelties and emptinesses in those strifes for if he will have a diligent care of his own heart that it may be pure of his own conscience that it may be good and of his own faith that it may be unfained he will not dangerously neglect his duty either towards himself or towards his neighbour or towards his God but will always finde matter enough to busie his soul here and take a sure course to save his soul hereafter it is evident from the ensuing words that none but they who swerve from these three scil a pure heart a good conscience and a faith unfained do turn aside unto vain janglings And for this cause our blessed Saviour chides not onely the Scribes and Pharisees but also the meanest of the common people for not following and embracing the undoubted truth though there were at that time as great contentions in the Jewish as are now in the Christian Church S. Luke 12. 54 56 57. And he said also unto the people Ye hypocrites can ye discern the face of the sky and of the earth But how is it that ye do not discern this time yea and why even of your selves judge ye not what is right He chides them for being quick-sighted in matters of earth but as it were pur-blinde in the things of heaven that they could of themselves judge rightly of the seasons for their profit not so for their amendment and notwithstanding he professeth that he came not to give peace on earth but rather divisions such as should divide the nearest and dearest relations from and against themselves yet he gives no writ of ease to any man that he should leave off being a judge in matters of his salvation for if divisions hinder them not from judging what is right in husbanding their lands why should they hinder them from judging what is right in husbanding their souls To apply this to our present purpose since 't is not in our power to doubt either of Christian faith or Christian Charity as necessarily required and immediately conducing to salvation why should it be in our will to neglect them both for this is in effect to proclaim that we had rather with Martha be troubled about many things then with Mary choose that good part which shall not be taken from us it is in effect to declare that we will have a Religion rather to serve our selves then to serve our God rather agreeable with mens present humours then with Gods eternal truth otherwise our whole labour would be to conform our selves to that eternal truth in our understandings by faith in our wills by charity which two would make us
dragged them to Babylon He that can make light of an Oath not onely God but also the Heathen that know not God will expose him to shame because he hath exposed himself to all manner of wickedness And this much or rather this little for in this argument non tam copia quà m modus quaerendus est concerning the positive Act of Allegiance To keep the Kings commandment and the reason of it Because of the Oath of God Come we next to the privative act thereof which is Not to be guilty of Disallegiance vers 3. Be not hasty to go out of his sight stand not in an evil thing c. wherein is forbidden all manner of Disallegiance and disloyalty not onely in the Action but also in the Affection Be not not hasty to go out of his sight there 's forbidden Disallegiance in the Affection and stand not in an evil thing there 't is forbidden in the Action and the reason of both For he doeth whatsoever pleaseth Him First here is forbidden Disloyalty in the Affection Be not hasty to go out of his sight 1 Be not easily induced to take dislike or distaste against Him by undervaluing his Person and misjudging or misrendring his Actions for either of these will bring thee in time to undervalue if not to undermine his Authoritie therefore saith God himself Exod. 22. 28. Thou shalt not revile the Gods nor curse the Ruler of the people 't is in the Hebrew 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Deos nè vili pendas Thou shalt not think or speak lightly of the Gods that is of Princes and Governours who are called Gods because they are his Vice-gerents Deos Dei ipsius agentes vicem so Tremellius He calleth those Gods who are Governours in Gods stead and S. Paul acknowledgeth this Text to be a part not of the Judicial but of the Moral Law saying for himself and all after him It is written Thou shalt not speak evil of the Ruler of thy people Act. 23. 5. The same command which is more particularly expounded by our Preacher Eccles 10. 20. where the very same word 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 that was used Exod. 22. 28. indefinitely concerning any Governour is particularly joyned with 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 the King as the chiefest for 't is said Curse not the King no not in thy thought Be not hasty to think amiss of Him for suspicion is a diminution of reverence and therefore 't is not safe if it be lawfull to suspect them whom we are bound to honour But Tremellius gives us another gloss Nè perturbatè à facie ejus abito most significantly to the Hebrew Do not turn away from Him as if thou wert angred or troubled Thus Sheba and the Israelites turned away from King David after their expostulations 2 Sam. 19. 41 43. And more then thus they turned away from Him in the next chapter 2 Sam. 20. 1 2. At first it was why have our brethren the men of Judah stollen thee away 2 Sam. 19 41. A meer groundless surmise of the Kings being addicted to a private partie if not of his being misled by it but at last the trumpet is blown and they say shame upon them Miscreants for so saying We have no part in David neither have we inheritance in the son of Jesse and to speak Gods truth in Gods cause It is very difficult if not impossible for any man to have the least tincture of disloyaltie in his affections and not to shew it in his words and actions since out of the abundance of the heart both the mouth speaketh and the hand acteth which brings me to the second part of this prohibition that forbids all disloyaltie in the action Stand not in an evil thing For who is it that is not too hasty in his affection to err there sometimes by hatred sometimes by anger Let such a one be far better then a man let him be an Angel but he that without consideration or conscience can put all his hasty affections of hatred or anger into actions let him be worse then the worst of men let him be a Devil Humanum est errare diabolicum perseverare 'T is the part of a man to fallinto errour but 't is the part of a Devil to persist in it hasty affections of evil may go for errours or infirmities common to man of which Who can say I have made my heart clean I am pure from my sin Prov. 20. 9. But premeditated consultations and actions of mischief have too long a continuance in the soul not to defile the heart and too great a sway there not to harden it wherefore if thou think an evil thing yet abide not in that thought however do not so think it as to do it and if thou hast done an evil thing yet abide not in that doing do not so do it as to stand in it Stand not in an evil thing It should not get into thy mind to think it nor into thy affection to desire it much less into thy action to perform and least of all into thy resolution to approve it and all these do more particularly concern that evil thing of Disloyaltie for it is much to be observed that amongst all the affections no one is reciprocal betwixt God and man but onely Love not Fear for we must fear him but he cannot fear us not hatred for he may hate us but we may not hate him but love so proceeds from God to man as that it may lawfully or rather must dutifully be returned back again from man to God and just so is it with Kings and Princes we may safely return them love for love both in our affections and in our actions but we must take heed of making other returns suppose hatred for hatred because they are called Gods And it is a most remarkable historie that is recorded concerning Saul a wicked King the same Samuel that saith unto Him God hath rejected thee durst not himself reject Him He that tells Him God hath rent the kingdom of Israel from thee this day had not withall rent his own Allegiance from his King For though he came no more to see Saul till the day of his death nevertheless he heartily mourned for him 1 Sam. 15. 35. Nay observe yet more David himself after He was anointed King yet waits Gods time and way to be actually invested in the kingdom and is very tender concerning the point of Disallegiance to his yet surviving Sovereign His heart smote him because he had cut off Sauls skirt 1 Sam. 24. 5. what would it have done if He had cut off His head Nay he would not let any of his servants touch Him vers 6 and 7. and gives the reason of it vers 10. I said I will not put forth mine hand against my Lord for He is the Lords Anointed Nay yet further He refuseth not to swear Fealtie and Allegiance to Him and kindness to his posterity after him v. 21 22. and did exactly