the autority of the Republic would not have bin so absolute if their injunction had bin to have committed Idolatry Mr. Hobbes is not of Seneca's mind who consulted nature as much as he Citius mori an tardius ad rem non pertinet bene mori an male ad rem peâ—tinet bene autem mori est effugere male vivendi perâ—culum But he is too much a Philosopher to be swaied by the dictates of other Philosophers Let us therefore resort to the Scriptures and put him in mind of the example of those three in Daniel who chose to be thrown into the hot fiery furnace rather then to fall down before the Image which Nebuchadnezzar had set up or of Daniel himself who would not only not pray to the King but would not defer praying to God only for thirty daies nor would be contented to pray to him in his heart or in a private corner which he might securely have don but would be found upon his knees when he knew the penalty was to be thrown into the Lions den as he was And Mr. Hobbes will tell you that tho they did well they might have don otherwise Yet methinks he should not so easily evade all the denunciations made by the Prophets of Gods judgments against Israel and Iudah for their Idolatry when they were only guilty of it under the power and by the command of their Idolatrous Kings And yet that was no excuse for them the judgments were pronounced against the People and they underwent the punishment But he will say it was because they had forsaken God in their hearts and were as great Idolaters as their Kings Yet still the fault was his who took not care that they should be instructed in the true knowledg of God But no objection out of the Scripture can weigh with him Let us therefore resort to himself and to his own reason to convert or confute him And he seems not so fully satisfied in this latitude which he hath given himself as in other his bold assertions but is more perplexed then he uses to be To pag. 360. worship God not as inanimating or present in the place or image but to the end to be put in mind of him or of some works of his if that place or image be dedicated or set up by private autority he saies it is Idolatry but if by the Soveraigns autority it is not As if the autority of setting it up could make that which in it self is Idolatry to cease to be Idolatry He doth acknowledg pag. 361. that a scandalous worship of Images tho it is but a seeming worship and may sometimes be joined with an inward and hearty detestation of the image and proceed only from the fear of death or other grievous punishment tho it be no Idolatry is nevertheless a sin and if it be a sin no man ought to commit it for the safety of his life by all the precepts which Christ and his Apostles have left to guide us towards the next world But that confession keeps him not long in pain for it is a sin he saies pag. 362. only in men whose actions are looked at by others as lights to guide them by whereas the example of those we regard not works not upon us at all If a Pastor lawfully called to teach and direct others or any other of whose knowledg there is a great opinion do external honor to an Idol for fear unless he make his fear and unwillingness to do it as evident as his worship he scandalizeth his brother by seeming to approve Idolatry for his brother arguing from the action of his teacher or of him whose knowâ—edg he esteemeth great concludes it to be lawful in it self And this scandal he saies is a sin and a scandal given Yet in the page before he saies as positively that pag. 360. it cannot be said that he that do's it scandalizeth or layeth any stumbling block before his brother because how wise or learned soever he be that worshippeth in that manner another man cannot from thence argue that he approveth it but that he doth it for fear and that it is not his act but the act of his Soveraign So hard a thing is it after such an excess to make any approch to truth without involving a mans self in contradictions He is very positive that pag. 362. in a Pastor who hath undertaken to preach Christ to all Nations by giveing such a worship to an Image it were not only a sinful scandal but a perfidious forsaking his charge And truly this obligation upon the Pastor to suffer in such a case is I think the only priviledg he grants him above other men for we shall find hereafter that he thinks himself qualified to preach as well as he And that he may not be thought too indifferent in the matter it self he doth confess that pag. 362. for an unlearned man that is in the power of an Idolatrous King or State if commanded upon pain of death to worship before an Idol he detesteth the Idol in his heart he doth well tho if he had the fortitude to suffer death rather then worship it he should do better And it is observable that tho he makes such a kind of worshipper the more or the less scandalous by his example he doth not presume tho he would be understood to do so to absolve him from sin For tho the notoriety and example may be an aggravation of the sin yet it cannot make that a sin that was in it self no sin nor can the secrecy of committing it make that which in it self is sin become no sin And therefore whether it amount to Idolatry or no no terror of death ought to prevail over any Christian to commit that sin Whether his Pedigree of Idolatry be well derived from the Gentiles is not worth the inquiry since he takes so little care for the shutting it out of the Christian Church For the Canonizing of Saints and the Popes assuming the title of Pontifex Maximus the remembrance of which office in the Roman State might have put him in mind to have retracted what he said before of the admitting the exercise of all Religions in that Republic and the abridging his Universal Jurisdiction tho he gives him more then ever Constantine is suggested to have granted to him and for the Procession of Images and the original of Wax-candles and Torches lighted and the information he gives us of Holy-water and some Processions I shall refer him to some of his friends of the Roman Church who in truth are in too great an arrear to him for which they make no excuse that I have heard but that they never think themselves concern'd to write against a Mahometan The Survey of Chapter 46. UPon his Forty sixth Chapter I shall not enlarge but heartily wish that he himself had enlarged more upon it as an argument which he understands more then most that he hath handled yet I think he knows more
they would have understood him better if he had said that sight is a faculty that God hath given to living creatures who keep their eies open However whether it be clear or no it serves his turn by his skill in Optics and the unskilfulness he concludes most other men have in that science to examine that part of the Religion of the Gentiles which was called Demonology And by the credit that kind of learning had got among the Jews he finds a way to controul the literal sense of the Scripture in the most important places and to undermine the miracles which were wrought by our Saviour himself Rather then he will have his Geography and Geometry contradicted and because there pag. 354 is not any Mountain high enough he saies to shew him one whole Hemisphere he will have the Devil 's carrying our Saviour unto a high Mountain and all that relates thereunto to be nothing else but a vision or dream then which no Jew could more undervalue it or Christ be more dishonour'd then to have his conflict with the enemy of mankind to be look'd on only and consider'd as a dream And that his Philosophy may be preserved unhurt which assures him that no corporeal Spirit may be in a body of Flesh and Bone full already of vital and animal Spirits he will not believe that our Saviour ever cast the Devil out of any man only pag. 354. that he cured those persons of madness or Lunacy which cures have bin wrought by many other Persons and so would be unworthy to be reckon'd amongst the Miracles of Christ. Nor will he admit that Satan otherwise entred into Iudas then that he had a traiterous intention of selling his Master I wonder he doth not impute his hanging himself afterwards or hanging in the air to nothing but a fit of Melancholy Under pretence of informing and reforming the Church of Rome in their worshipping of Images which he saies and it may be reasonably is a relique of Gentilism and rather left then brought into the Church he could not avoid persecuting it to Idolatry which he doth not think well enough defin'd nor well enough defended by Christian Divines And remembring how he preserved himself from renouncing our Saviour when he denied that he believed in him by believing in him in his heart at the same time that he denied him upon his Soveraigns command he will not deprive his Soveraign of that prerogative nor be without the benefit of his own fear in the liberty to commit Idolatry And therefore that he may not be thought to do any thing out of ignorance of wickedness he is not so tender he declares frankly that pag. 360. to pray to the King for fair weaâ—her or for any thing which God only can do for us is divine worship and Idolatry on the other side if the King compel a man to it by the terror of death or other great corporal punishment it is not Idolatry for the worship which the Soveraign commandeth to be don unto himself by the terror of his Law is not a sign that he that obeieth him doth inwardly honor him as a God but that he is desirous to save himself from death or from a miserable life and that which is not a sâ—gn of internal honor is no worship and therefore no Idolatry The sum is that there is no wickedness for there can be no greater wickedness then Idolatry which a man may not commit to save his life or to avoid pain which is a Thesis in Mr. Hobbes's Religion suitable to the rest of his policy and piety and might properly have bin controuled by his own love of Justice of which he would be thought to be an Idolater for he saies pag. 74 that which gives to human action the relish of Iustice is a certain nobleness and gallantness of courage rarely found by which a man scorns to be beholding for the contentment of his life to fraud or breach of promise And sure he hath as great obligations to preserve him from Idolatry and therefore I wish that to the great bulk of scorn of which he is possess'd he had that scorn likewise added to be beholding to such an expedient for the preservation of his life That this Doctrine of Mr. Hobbes is very pernicious and destructive to the very essence of Religion cannot be doubted by Pious and Religious men But what kind of arguments to apply towards the information or conversion of him is very difficult to find That which is got by reasoning from the autority of Books will work nothing upon him pag. 367. because it is not knowledg but faith So that the example of Socrates who scorned to redeem his life by the least trespass against truth or ingenuity or the Precepts and Judgments of Seneca will be of no force with him tho both great and confessed Philosophers What would Seneca have thought or said of any corrupt way for the prolongation of life if he had known any thing of the obligations of Christianity when only upon the strength of natural reason he could so much undervalue it Non est vita tanti ut sudem ut aestuâ—m O quam contemta res est homo nisi supra humana se erexerit What shall we say when a Heathen Philosopher valued life only as it was a way to somwhat more precious tho he could not comprehend it and when a Christian Philosopher who pretends to have a full prospect of all that is most precious will redeem his life at the price of disclaiming to have any share in it when Philosophy disswaded men from an over affectation of death that there might not be ad mâ—riendum inconsulta animi inclinatio but that they should patiently attend Natures pleasure and Christianity shall be perswaded that it may prolong life by the basest submissions and by the most unworthy and unrighteous condescentions Mr. Hobbes is of the Venetian Curats mind of whom Cardinal Iâ—yeuse makes mention in his Letters When Paul the Fifth had issued out his Interdict against the Republick whereby any Priest who should say Mass or perform any other part of his Function stood excommunicated and the Republic had publish'd an Edict that the Magistrates upon any Priests refusal to say Mass or to do any thing else that his duty obliged him to do should cause every such Priest to be hanged a Magistrate demanded of his Neighbor Curate whether he would say Mass and he making some pause the Magistrate told him that if he refused he must presently hang him The Curate replied with more resolution that he had rather be excommunicated thirty years then hanged a quarter of an hour and that Princes did at last make an end of all quarrels by Treaties of Peace and then their Subjects on both sides had the benefit of the Articles only he had heard that they who were hang'd had never the benefit of any Articles therefore for his part he would say Mass. Yet it is probable
in Religion which lie scatter'd through those other two parts that men may take a view of the consequences and bethink themselves whether Christianity be advanc'd and consequently whether the peace and happiness of mankind be provided for and secured by such Doctrines 1. Those Books of Scripture only are Canonical and ought to be looked upon as the word of God in every Nation which are established for such by the Soveraign autority of each Nation pag. 199. 2. None can know that the Scriptures are Gods word tho all true Christians believe it but they to whom God himself â—ath revealed it supernaturally pag. 205. 3. Men ought to consider who hath next under God the autority of governing Christian men and to observe for a rule that Doctrine which he commandeth to be taught that is all Subjects ought to profess that Religion which the Soveraign enjoines whether he be Christian or Heathen pag. 232. 4. By the Kingdom of Heaven is meant the Kingdom of the King that dwelleth in Heaven and that the Kingdom of God is to be on Earth pag. 240 241. 5. The immortal life beginneth not in man till the Resurrection and day of Iudgment and hath for cause not his specifical nature and generation but promise pag. 241. 6. Gods Enemies and their torments after Iudgment appear by the Scripture to have their places upon Earth pag. 242. The fire shall be unquenchable and the torments everlasting after the Resurrection But it cannot therefore be inferr'd that he who shall be cast into that fire or be tormented with those torments shall endure and resist them so as to be eternally burned and tortured and yet never be destroied or die pag. 245. 7. There shall be a second death of every one that shall be condemn'd at the day of judgment after which he shall die no more The Scriptures affirm not that there shall be an eternal life therein of any individual person but to the contrary an everlasting Death pag. 245. 8. The Salvation we are to look for is to be upon the Earth For since Gods Throne is in Heaven and the Earth is his Footstool it is not for the dignity of so great a King that his Subjects should have any place so high as his Throne or higher then his Foot-stool pag. 247. 9. If we be commanded by our lawful Prince to say we do not believe in Christ we may obey such his command pag. 271. 10. None can be Martyrs for Christ but they that conversed with him on Earth and saw him after he was risen for a witness must have seen what he testifieth or else his testimony is not good pag. 272. 11. None can be a Martyr who hath not a warrant to preach Christ come in the Flesh and none but such who are sent to the conversion of Infidels pag. 273. 12. To teach out of the old Testament that Iesus was Christ and risen from the Dead is not to say that men are bound after they believe it to obey those who tell them so against the Laws and commands of their Soveraigns but they do wisely to expect the coming of Christ hereafter in patience and faith with obedience to their present Magistrates pag. 274. 13. The autority of Earthly Soveraigns being not to be put down till the day of Iudgment it is manifest we do not in Baptism constitute over us another autority by which our external actions are to be governed in this life pag. 274. 14. They who received not the Doctrine of Christ did not sin therein pag. 286. 15. Christian Kings have power to Baptize to Preach to administer the Lords Supper and to Consecrate both Temples and Persons to Gods service c. 297. 16. No man shall live in torments everlastingly pag. 345. 17. To pray voluntarily to the King for fair weather or for any thing that God only can do for us is divine worship and Idolatry but if a King compel a man to it by the terror of death or other great corporal punishment it is not Idolatry pag. 360. 17. If one being no Pastor or of eminent reputation for knowledg in Christian Doctrine do external honor to an Idol for fear and an other follow him this is no scandal given for he had no cause to follow such example pag. 362. And now I hope he hath made an ample Paraphrase upon Religion according to the definition he gâ—ve of it in the first entrance of his Leviathan when he defines pag. 26. Religion to be fâ—ar of power invisible feigned by the mind or imagined from tales publicly told and when the seed he sows for Religion to grow from or to consist in are opinion of ghosts ignorance of second causes devotion towards what men fear and taking things casual for Prognosticks These amongst others are the Doctrines of Mr. Hobbes in his two last parts which I believe in the judgment of most Christians are assoon renounc'd as pronounc'd and which indeed need little other confutation then the reciting them yet I doubt not many men will say how scandalous soever the assertions seem to be since he appeals to the Scripture and cites several Texts out of the same for the making good the worst of his Opinions it is pity that his ignorance or perverseness in those Interpretations had not bin made appear by manifesting that those places of Scripture could not admit that Interpretation and what the genuine sense thereof is Which consideration had bin more reasonable and necessary if these Errors had bin publish'd and those Glosses made and own'd by any National Church or any Body of Learned men but it may be thought too great a presumtion for a private man a stranger to Divinity to take upon him to put unnatural Interpretations upon several Texts of Scripture the better to apply them and make them subservient to his own corrupt purposes and opinions contrary to the whole current of Scripture and to the Doctrine thereof and without the least autority or shadow that the like Interpretation was ever made before by any other man I say such a person cannot reasonably expect that any body should too seriously examine all his frivolous and light suggestions and endeavor to vindicate those Texts from such impossible Interpretations Yet if any man thinks it worth his pains I am well content that he receive that honor and will still hope that Mr. Hobbes may be so well instructed in the true sense and end of the Scripture that he may better discern the eternity of the reward and punishment in the next World And so we conclude our discourse upon his Book and examine what he saies in his Conclusion The Review and Conclusion is only an abridgment and contracting the most contagious poison that runs through the Book into a less vessel or volume least they who will not take the pains to read the Book or reading it may by inadvertency and incogitancy not be hurt enough by it may here in less room and more nakedly