to the mainetenance of true Protestancye with their faith and quality therof Faith in holy Scripture is taken either for the quality and habit of Faith or for the doctrine of Faith The holy Scripture deciphereth the quality and habit of our Christian Faith by arguments taken out of all Theologicall places as followeth The principall efficient cause of the quality or habit of Faith is God Phil. 1. 29. The instrumentall cause is the word of God Rom 10. 17. The material cause is an assent vpon knowledge Ioh 6. 69. The formall cause is a sure and settled assent grounded vpon a sure setled kgowledge Iohn 17. 8. Col. 1. 6. The finall cause is the excluding of all glorying in our selues and the ascribing of all glory vnto God Eph. 2. 8. Rom. 3. 27. The effects of Faith are as all other divine graces and fruits of the spirit Acts 26. 18. so an holy considence and an assurance of God's loue and a comfortable boldnesse to come vnto God as vnto a gracious and loving Father Eph. 3. 12. 2 Pet. 1. 10. The subiect wherin it is seated is the mind For the mind is the eye of the soule and Faith is the true sight thereof Ioh. 8. 56. Act. 26. 18. the object thereof is all diuine truths Rom. 15. 4. especially the Covenant of grace founded vpon Christ Ioh. 20. 31. 1 Pet. 1. 21. the attributes are that it is â—ound orthodoxe and Catholicke that is one and the same in all the true servants of God which haue bin are or shall be to the end of the world Heb. 11. 2. Eph. 4. 5. Things divers are a sleight opinion Act 26. 28. and a temporary Faiâ—h Mat. 13. 20. Things contrary are presumption fleshly security either bred by confidence in teÌ„porall prosperity Isa 28. 15. or in the outward pledges of God's loue Iâ—rm 7. 4. or in the outward shew of good workes Rom. 9. 32. 10. 3. Things privately opposite are ignorance Eph 4. 18. a blind Faith Mat. 13. 19. sophisticall infidelity 1 Cor. 1. 23. That which is plain contradictory is flat Atheisme Sap. 2. 1. Act. 23. 8 things like are a bodily eye Ioh. 9. 39. a bodily hand 1 Tim. 6 12. a bodily mouth Ioh. 6. 53. a bodily foot 2 Cor. 5. 7. bodily wings Luke 17. 37. Things vnlike are vnstable childishnesse Eph. 4. 14 and wauering doubtfulnes Iac. 1. 6. The coniugates are to beleeue in God and in Christ Ioh. 14. 1 and to be one of the houshold of Faith Gal. 6. 10 the notation or interpretation of the name is a sure and Vides quia fiet quod dictum est certaine accomplishment of that which Faith beleeueth Math. 8. 8. The definition or description thereof is this Sauiâ—g Faith is diuine wisdome or a certain knowledge and a settled assent and adhaerence to all diuine verities necessary to saluatioÌ„ especially to the couenant of grace as to the meanes of the chiefest good and highest happines 2 Tim. 3. 15. the diuision thereof is into a weake and strong Faith Rom. 14. 2. The testimonies are the confessions of the Martyrs and Confessors that haue liued doe and shall liue to the end of the world Apocal. 7. 10. This is the delineation of the whole body of Faith as it is drawne out by the pensill of the Prophets and Apostles the parts members whereof which are most controuersed are further lightned and cleared in the first part of this Treatise As in the second part thereof the reasons and arguments produced to open and iustifie the seueral doctrines of Faith are referred to all the Topick places as being the rich mines out of which they are digged The doctrines of Faith set down in the bookes of the Prophets and Apostles are Logicall reasonable wise and the very first principles and grounds thereof are 1 Pet. 2. 2 without any mixture of sophisticall deceit The high Priests pectorall wherein the Vrim and Thummim was put and by the which God gaue answer vnto his peoâ—le was called by the Hebrewes Hosen and by the Greekes See Alsted Praecog Theolog. fol. 230. Logeïon and by the Latines Rationale for that the Lord's doctrines had in them the most pure holines of most exact Logick or reason The Logick places which I follow in this Treatise are deliuered by Petrus Ramus who concerning the vse of Logick hath very much cleared the rules of Aristotle our grand Master The exempliâ—ying of Logick places by the Theologicall positions I haue taken from Amandus Polanus but with this difference in that he setteth downe his arguments declaratiue and demonstratiue in bare sentences and propositions without further discourse whereas in this Treatise they are further opened by other arguments and reasons For as learned and iudicious Doctour Feild anouncheth in his Dedicatory Epistle to his first Booke of the Church the doctrines wherein we differ from the Church of Rome are grounded not only vpon the greatest authority that is but also vpon the most preuailing reasons that euer perswaded men And verily if that most famous Oratours iudgment be â—ound there is no reason to giue credit to that reason whereof there cannot bee yeelded a sufficient reason Câ—… lib. 4. ad Herennium The great Antichrist of these last times as testifieth 2 Thess 2. 8. the Apostle which hath brought in a great Apostacy froÌ„ the Faith shal be consumed with the Spirit of the Lord's mouth and shal be abolished with the brightnesse of his comming and so shall his Armies also which as Chrysostome Chrys â—om 49. in Mat. saith are impious Heresies For whereas the time of miracles is now long since expired whereby the Apostles and their successours in the Primitiue Church got credit to the diuine doctrine of the Gospel of Christ and Heb. 2. 4. 2 Cor. 10. 4. made it most powerfull to the ouerthrowing of all Heathenish Idolatries and impious Heresies it remaineth now that the Professours of the Gospel by the glorious light of powerfull arguments taken out of God's booke and iustifiable by the exact rules of â—ound reason make Truth victorious against Antichrist and all his impious Heresies For where Truth is clearely demonstrated and rightly apprehended it cannot otherwise be but that it 1 Esd 3 12. will mightily preuaile Our most wise and learned Solomon hath already by his penne begun this regall and Princely worke and hath iustified by cleare and demonstratiue arguments that the supreme authority to command aswell in Ecclesiasticall as in ciuill causes resteth in the ciuill Magistrate in his own Dominions and Countries and hath sent his Booke to all Christian Princes the which no doubt shall preuail at that time when he that hath the hearts of all Kings in his own hand shall know it to be most â—it And why should it not then highly please especially the Ecclesiastick Peeres of his Kingdomes to follow so worthy supereminent an example in causing all Theologicall doctrines in this
childe Lord I beleeue helpe mine vnbeleefe Yea as Saint Austine admonisheth Tota opera nostra in hac vita est sanare oculum cordis vnde videtur Deus Aug. de verb. Dom. ser 18. Our whole worke in this life must be continually imploied about the cure of the eye of our heart whereby God is seene that is our faith The which lesson he learned of our Sauiour Christ who when the people demanded of him What they should doe that they might worke the workes of God Answered them saying This is the worke of God that ye beleeue Iohn 6. 26. on him whom he hath sent and so his beloued Disciple hath taught vs also This is the commandement of God 1 Iohn 3. 23. that ye beleeue in the name of the Sonne of God and loue one another as he gaue commandement Wherefore the calumination of the carnall professour and of the Romane Catholike made against the doctrine of the Gospell is vniust and vntrue which is that an easie way is laid open by the professours of the Gospell to life euerlasting and heauen set at a very small rate for that they teach that God so loued the world that he gaue his only begotten Sonne to the end that Ioh. 3. 16. whosoeuer beleeueth in him should not perish but haue life euerlasting Yea our Catholike Romanists may iustly bee challenged for doing great and intollerable wrong to our Christian â—aith in that they so viliâ—ie and debase the same that they make it common not onely to the reprobate but also to the very Deuils themselues whereas in Tit. 1. 1. Act. 13. 43. very truth it is proper and peculiar to Gods elect yea euen to such as are ordained to life euerlasting THE SECOND PART OF THEOLOGICALL LOGICKE The questions that are handled in this second part concerning the doctrines of faith and are cleered by arguments drawne from all Topicke places Are these QVEST. I. The Church is not alwayes glorious and notorious as a City seated vpon an high hill Arguments drawne from the efficient cause GOD would haue all men saued and come to the knowledge of the truth and by the voice of truth vttered by the Church 1 Tim. 2. 4. 1 Tim. 3. 15. the pillar and ground of truth he doth call to him such as are to be of the truth doth cause theÌ„ to hearken vnto the truth and to be led thereby into the euerlasting habitations Psal 43. 3. Now truth and falshood are nigh neighbours and dwell neere each to other for where God hath his Church the deuill hath his Chappell and their houses in outward shew differ little sauing that for the most part the fore-front of falshoodes habitation is gloriously set out garnished and trimmed whereas the doore of truth is plaine and homely Whereby it commeth to passe that falsehood hath many guests those also many times of the highest 1 Cor. 1. 27. esteeme wheras truth findeth few that will lodge with her and those most commonly of the meanest reputation Moreouer falshood teacheth doctrines more sutable to mens peruerse iudgements and more fauourable to their corrupt affections and thereby findeth kinde entertainment both with Obsequium amiâ—…s Veritas 〈◊〉 parâ—… great and small whereas truth crosseth the corrupt humours and opinions of all naturall men and that in plaine and direct manner for she is simple and plaine Tom-tell truth and therefore goeth commonly with a scracht face and is banished both from countrey and Court Yea she is oftentimes most shamefully slandered and grieously persecuted by those that Cant. 5. 7. call themselues the Patrons and Pillars of truth This was well knowne and acknowledged by the Heathen Veritas vbique est mater sâ—…ctâ—tatis Chrys hom 9 in Psal 118. Veritas temporis Filia Veritas in profundo demeâ—si themselues For their Poets faine that Truth the Mother of vertue and the daughter of time doth often and that for a long time lye hid in caueâ— and darke places vnderneath the earth and that she is hated of many and defaced with slaunders and oppressed with crosses and yet not so but that sometimes she doth arise and come into light And hence is it that they paint her naked flying out of a Caue by the helpe of Saturne and that vpon a sodaine that so it may appeare that shee is sent of God And verily with how great a mist throughout the whole world was truth darkened vntill the Incarnation of Christ Act. 17. 30. surely so long and so great was that darkenesse that the space there of is iustly called by the Apostle the time of Ignorance And hath not the like happened in these last times by Antichrists Apoc. 12. 6. driuing the Church into the Wildernesse that so hee might bring in a great Apostacy from the faith wherefore 2 Thes 2. 3. seeing the doctrine of the truth which is the pure seed whereby the Church doth bring forth her children to God is often Iac. 1. 18. darkened and obscured and after a sort a banished person here on earth it cannot be that the Church the professor of Truth should bee generally and for the most part bright and glorious and as a Citie or Tower seated vpon an hill QVEST. II. All the workes of the faithfull are stained with sinne and therefore no man in this life doth perfectly fulfill the Law of God No worke can exceed the skill and hability of the workeman happily it may be inferiour thereto but none of the faithfull are full and perfectly iust none of them are wholly renewed in this life none is come vnto perfection For the best Phil 3. 12. Viatores sumus non comprehensores quantum quid intelligitur tantum dilâ—gitur Aug in Ioh. tract 41. Aug de peccat mer. remiss lib. 2. cap. 7. are but trauellers towards it they are not as yet come to the end of their way We know but in part and therefore we loue but in part and therefore can but imperfectly bring forth the fruits of sincere loue We are sincere but in part seeing wee are still ready to be misled with some by and sinister respect or other There is in vs as Saint Austin saith freedome in part and bondage in part and not as yet a totall pure and perfect freedome Our inward man saith he is not throughly renewed and so farre forth as it is not renewed it remaineth still in it's olde estate Wherefore seeing in one man there is but one vnderstanding and one will from whence proceeds all his actions and seeing that this his vnderstanding and will is partly lightned and partly darkened partly new and partly Rom. 7. 14. Ioh. 13. 10. Ier. 17. 14. Cant. 1. 4. Gal. 5. 17. old partly bond and partly free partly washed and partly still to be washed partly whole and partly still to be healed partly faire and partly blacke partly flesh and partly spirit therefore we cannot performe
eate the flesh of the Sonne of Man and drinke his Bloud yee shall haue no life in you may be more rightly vnderstood of the receiuing of Christ in the Word then in the Sacraments And verily how was the whole world perswaded to imbrace Christ by the preaching of the Gospell or by the administration of the Sacraments The truth is that our most louing and gracious God by his Euangelicall couenant made with Abraham the Father of the faithfull and in him with all his spirituall â—eed doth giue vnto them Christ Iesus their Sauiour and in him eternall life and blessednesse and doth open and manifest the same by causing this his graunt to be set downe in the Gospell written in the bookes of the Old and New Testament as in the authenticall euidences thereof and to be sealed by the Sacraments as by his owne seales the which he hath ordained to be deliuered to his people as his owne deedes by the hands of his faithfull and painfull Ministers Now which is the chiefe instrument to ratifie vnto the faithfull this gracious graunt the deeds and euidences themselues or the seales annexed thereto that is the Word or the Sacraments Vndoubtedly the Word seeing without the graunt written the seale added to a blancke is nothing worth And yet the word it selfe doth not profite vnlesse it be mixed with faith the true sense thereof being rightly Heb. 4. 2. apprehended and a setled assent yeelded thereto and so neither can the Sacraments profit vnlesse the vse of them be rightly 1 Cor. 11. 29. apprehended and discerned by a true saith Moreouer heere also we may perceiue who in the execution of their Ecclesiasticall function come nearer to Christ and to his Apostles whether the Ministers of the Gospell in their painfull â—reathing or the Popish Priests in their continuall saying of Massâ— QVEST. XLVI No Images are to be worshipped with diuine worship If any images and representations of God are to be worshipped with diuine worship then the best and truest images of God euen such as were framed by God himselfe were so to be worshipped but men which are the best and truest images and representations of God made and framed by God Gen. 1. 26. himselfe are not to be worshipped with diuine worship much lesse any images of God made by man The Church of Rome maketh images of three faces to represent thereby the glorious Trinity but the Apostle teacheth that we which are the generation of God viz. in our soules rather then in our bodies Act. 17. 29. ought not to thinke that the Godhead is like to gold or siluer or stone grauen by the art or inuâ—…tion of Mâ—n Wherefore the Church of Rome which worshipâ—eâ—h such Images doth not therin so much as worship the 〈◊〉 of God but the inuentioÌ„ and fiction of her owne braine Now â—f the Images of God are not to be worshipped with Diuine worship inuâ—… lesse the Images of any men Nay if holy men themselues may not be worshipped with Diuine worship much lesse may their Images and Pictures be QVEST. XLVII The word of God is not to be read vnto people in an vnknowne tongue Such as in the Primitiue Church vttered Diuine Mysteries in strange tongues which were giuen them by the miraculous working of the Holy Ghost were commanded by the Apostle 1 Cor. 14. 28. to be silent in the Church vnlesse the meaning of the words were presently expounded that so the hearers might receiue instruction and edification thereby much more now such are to be silenced in the Church which vtter Diuine mysteries in an vnknowne tongue which they haue not receiued by the miraculous gift of the Holy Ghost where there is no exposition thereof QVEST. XLVIII In all matters that concerne the worship and seruice of God nothing ought to be taught or to be beleeued which is not warranted by the testimony of the Canonicall Scriptures If Saint Paul himselfe taught nothing concerning Christ but that which was deliuered by Moses and the Prophets Act. 26. 22. then ought none other of meaner gifts and priuiledges teach any thing that he hath not receiued from the Canonicall Scriptures So reasoneth Origen Paul as his custome is saith he will auouch that which he teacheth out of the holy Scriptures wherein he giueth an ensample to the teachers in the Church that they should produce such things as they teach the people not grounded vpon their own opinions but strengthened with the testimonies of God For if such and so great an Apostle did not thinke that the authority of his owne word might suffice vnlesse he knew that those very things were written in the Law and in the Prophets which himselfe deliuered â—how much more should we little ones obserue this that when we teach we vtter not our owne but the meaning of the Holy Ghost Against the which most wise aduertisement if we presume to offend albeit we were such as the glorious Angels Saint Austin is bold out of the penne of the Apostle to denounce against vs a most terrible curse If saith he I will Aug. cont lit Pelag. l. 3. c. 6. not say we our selues but if an Angell from Heauen shall teach coÌ„cerning Christ and his Church or concerning any thing else that doth belong to faith and life any other doctrine then that which is contayned in the Legall and Euangelicall Scriptures let him be accursed Accursed then is the Church of Rome and her children who affirme that their vnwritten traditions are of equall authority with the doctrine of the Canonicall Scriptures and command them with the like reuerence to be imbraced and receiued QVEST. XLIX The naturall man hath no free will to that which is religiously good If the Church her selfe had need still to pray to her deare Bridegroome Draw me after a sort vnwilling that thou maist Bernard in Cant. Serm. 2. make me willing draw me drowping that thou maist cause me to runne then certainly all such as are not indued with such spirituall graces as the Church is may iustly be challenged for persons not almost but altogether vnwilling to follow God and to walke in his wayes And if euery one of the true members of the Church had need to confesse vnto God and to pray Thou hast corrected me and I haue receiued thy correction Ier. 31. 18. as an vntamed Bullocke conuert thou me and I shall be conuerted for thou art my God Then how farre off from any willingnesse and readinesse to turne vnto God are all such as are not yet effectually called to the estate of Grace but are strangers from God and from the Couenant of mercy QVEST. L. Not the suffering much lesse the vowing of wilfull pouerty is the way to perfection The possession of riches which are yet Gods good blessings and testimonies of his goodnesse and loue is not the way Act. 14. 17. to perfection much lesse the vow of pouerty or pouerty it selfe which is the rod
giue in sincerity entertainment in the best roomes of thy soule to the Word of God and thou dost Ioh. 14. 23 Eph. 3. 17. withall giue entertainment to Christ For Christ doth dwell in our hearts by Faith He is not receiued and eaten with our bodily mouthes because he is not our bodily food but with the mouthes of our soules when sweetly and profitably we lay vp in our memories that his flesh was wounded and pierced for Aug. de doct Christian l. 3. c. 10. vs. So Tertullian Tertul. de resur carniâ— Christ is deuoured by hearing chewed by vnderstanding and digested by beleeuing For reall things are not in our mindes by any corporall contiguity of their reall substances but by a spirituall participation of them by their Res non sunt in animis sed rerum notiones reall notions Neither doe our Sacraments auouch a mingling of persons or an vniting of substances but after a spirituall and a mysticall manner And therefore Christ's Body being not a bodily but a ghostly food is not receiued but by the powers of our soules being indued with a â—rue Faith For the Lord doth bestow his seuerall gifts and blessings Cyp. de coâ—a â—om Quicquid recipitur ad modum recipientis recipitur vpon his seuerall creatures according vnto their seuerall natures and powers whereby he hath made them capable thereof causing them all to moue and to worke according to those powers and faculties where withall he hath indued them Hee nourisheth nourishable things by their nourishing powers doth minister many comforts to his creatures that haue sense and motion by causing them to apprehend the same by their sensitiue and motiue faculties So likewise doth he bestow his gifts proper to men which are reasonable creatures by making them knowne vnto them by the discourse of reason by causing them to apprehend and embrace the same by their vnderstandings and wâ—ls which are the proper faculties of reasonable creatures As for example the Lord worketh a care in many naturall men to lead a ciuill and a righteous life by causing them to apprehend and embrace those arguments and reasons which are of force to perswade to a ciuill and a righteous life As in like manner hee opâ—neth the hearts of such as he calleth to the estate of grace by causing them carefully to attend to the diuine Acts 16. 14. doctrines of the Word of grace For the Spirit of God leadeth them not as blind men which are led by their guides in the way that they see not themselues but he openeth their eyes that they may turne from darknes to light from the power of Satan to God that they may receiue remission of sinnes inheritance among them that are sanctified by Faith in Christ Insomuch that the minds of the Faithfull are first sanctified Acts 26. 18. by a true and right apprehension of the loue of God in Christ made manifest vnto them by the light of the Gospell and their wills are inflamed with a seruent desire to be partakers thereof before they be made the sincere Seruants of Christ For as Austin Aug. de peccat meriâ— remiss l. 2. cap. 3. Aug. hom 15. de verb. Apost saith God worketh our saluation in vs not as in stones that haue no sense or as in those creatures to whom he hath not given reason wiâ—l For as the same Father also teachetâ— elsewhere He that made thee without thee doth not make thee Iust without thee He made thee not knowing what was done vnto thee but he maketh thee iust being willing and witting to that worke which is wrought in thee There are two parts of our saluation or deliuerance from sinne whereof the one is a deliuerance from the very being and Heb. 1. 3. 1. Pet. 2. 24 Isa 63. 3 1 Cor. 1. 13. Act. 20. 28 1 Pet. 1. 19 bondage of sinne and the other from the guilt and punishment thereof Now albeit concerning our deliuerance from the guilt punishment of sinne our most mighty Sauiour hath performed that alone by himselfe euen by the shedding of his owne most precious blood yet concerning that other part which consisteth in the dâ—liuerance from the being and bondage of sinne he doth effect it by diuers moâ—iues set downe in his holy Word whereby through the effectuall operation of his holy Spirit he doth make his Elect desirous and willing to cast off the grieuous yoake of Satan to haue all their very thoughts brought vnto obedience to the commandements of God Wherefore it was not without cause that the Prophet Daniel Dan. 4. 24. exhorted Nebuchadnezzar to redeeme his sins with righteousnes and his iniquities with mercy towards the poore that so there might be an healing of his errour For as hee that is ouercome of sinne is in bondage to sinne so he that breaketh 2 Pet. 2. 19. the bonds of sinne and casteth off the yoke thereof may rightly be said to redeeme and to saue himselfe from the same Take Redime to captum quam queâ—…s minimo 1 Tim. 4. 16. heed saith the Apostle to Timothy to thy selfe and to thy doctrine and continue therein for in so doing thou shalt saue thy selfe and them that heare thee Verily as sinne is the sicknes death of the soule so righteousnesse is the health and life thereof And therefore whereas contraries are cured by contraries Contraria curaÌ„tur contrarijs by righteousnes our soules are cured of their sinnes As it is apparent by the words of Daniel before-mentioned Redeeme thy sinnes with righteousnes and thine iniquities with mercy towards the poore loe let there be an healing of thine errour by which words we are taught that by righteousnes our souls are healed of their sinnes Wherefore all such as hearken attentiuely to the doctrine of the Gospell and are thereby brought to saith and righteousnes Luc. 1. 17. whereby they are purged from their sinnes may rightly be said to worke out their owne saluation to redeeme and saue Phil. 2. 12. their owne soules for that they are iâ—struments vnder the grace of Christ for the effecting of this so worthy a worke And verily as the ignorance of the powerfull truths of the Gospell breedeth folly and folly leadeth into all iniquity and Eccl. 7. 27. is the porter that openeth the doore to all impleâ—y â—o the true knowledge of the mysteries of godlines breedeth wisedome 2 Tim. 3. 15. wisedome deliuereth from the euill way and from the man that speaketh froward things and from them that leaue the Prov. 2. 10. wayes of righteousnes to walke in the wayes of darknes and so is an entrance and portall to piety and to all other diuine Prov. 4. 7. vertues So then in the worke of regeneration deliuerance from the being and bondage of sinne both the â—aithfull teacher of 1 Cor. 3. 9. 2 Cor. 6. â— Phil. 2. 12. the Gospell and
doe we hereby disgrace the nature of man but shew how man by his owne fault hath disgraced himselfe and into what misery he is fallen by his owne folly And this wee teach only concerning the estate of the naturall man before he be renewed by the Spirit of God Whereas the Church of Rome forbiddeth the faithfull theÌ„selues Rom. 15. 4 to search the Scriptures which yet were written for their learning and keepeth them from them vnder the locke key of an vnknown â—onâ—ue and in her diuine seruice readeth them vnto them in a strange language and iâ—…oyneth them to receiue their Fatih vpon their Preachers word and credit without all examination and try all commanding them to beleeue blindfully as the Church beleeueth Yea a greaâ— Cardinall is bold to avouch that it belongeth no more to thâ— people to aske a reason of their teacher doctrine then it doth to an house to know Cusan exercit 6. pag. 547. why his Master turneth his head this way or that way Whereâ—…re it is the Church of Rome that maketh the very Faithfull themselues like to the horse and mule in whom there is no vnderstanding contrary to the precise commandement of the Holy Prophet it is the Church of Rome by sorceing the Psal 32 9 people to pray in an vnknowne tongue that causeth them to offer vp to God the lips of calâ—es and to pattâ—r like pyes and parrets yea whereas by nature all men being degenerate and turned into lions beares wolues and tigres are not recouered out of this their wretched estate but by the sanctisied knowledge of the diuine Writers of the most powerfull Gospell of Iesus Christ the Church of Rome keeping theÌ„ from the same keepeth them from that whereby they should be recouered out of this their miserable brutish condition And for the iustifying of her doing so there is alleaged by some of her followers this Commandement of Christ Giue not holy things to dogs nor cast pearles before swine Mat 7. 6 Now then let all indifferent men iudge who maketh men beasts whether the Professors of the Gospell of Christ or the followers of the Church of Rome And let all such persons labour both to vnderstand and put in practise the diuine mysteries of Faith and godlines who will not be condemned by God himselfe to be brutish and vnreasonable Creatures CHAP. III. The meanes whereby we are to come to the right vnderstanding of the Word of God is the light of true reason for the opening of the truth whereof these propositions following are explained QVAEST 1 2 3 c. 1 All Questions humane and diuine are to be determined by the rules of reason 2 The testimony of no Author humane or divine is farther to be approued then as it agreeth with the grouÌ„ds of right reason 3 The holy Scriptures doe declare the greatest mysteryes of godlinesse by arguments and reasons 4 The Law the Gospell are founded vpon most forcible reasons yea the permission by God of the fall of Adam being the occasion of the strange meanes of man's recovery which is opened in the Gospell is grounded vpon most forcible reasons 5 The Professors of euery Religion alleage reasons for the iustifying of their severall devotions 6 The soundnes substance as it were the very quintessence of all divine reason is most plentifully to be found in the Canonicall Scriptures 7 No truth in Philosophy is contrary to any truth in Divinity 8 Testimonies may bee taken out of Philosophy to giue witnes vnto truths in Divinity reasons may be produced out of the booke of Nature to cleare the doctrines of the booke of Grace 9 Where there is no reason that may perswade to faith there ordinarily is no faith 10 Where there is a clearer apprehension of the reasons that perswade to faith there is a more setled assent a more strong â—aith 11 The doctrines of faith and godlines are often repeated the reasons that perswade thereunto are vrged and inculcated againe and againe in the bookes of the old new testament that we may thereby vnderstand that the clearer and fuller apprehension of them doth beget a clearer and fuller faith 12 We may by supernaturall reason ascend aboue the reach of naturall reason 13 That faith is not the best and strongest that hath the lesse number of reasons and the lesse perspicuous arguments to stay it vp but rather that which hath the greater number and the more perspicuous WHereas the Word of God profiteth not vnlesse it bee Heb. 4. 2 mingled with Faith that is vnlesse it being rightly vnderstood procure a wise and a settled assent it standeth all in hand to seeke out the true meanes whereby they may come to the right vnderstanding thereof if that they desire to reape any benefit thereby The truth is that the Prophets Apostles and Euangelists being the Lord's Secretaries or Registers to set down in writing all diuine and heauenly doctrines necessary to saluation were instructed by the immediate revelation of the Spirit of God that so they might be frâ—ed therin from all errour But for any other person to challenge the same priuiledge were but a phantasticall and an Anabaptisticall illusion For euen the Bishop of Rome himselfe who is magnified by his followers as the only man that hath all diuine and humane Lawes locked vp in his brest and is by them accounted the only vnerring Interpreter of holy Scripture and the infallible Iudge of the right sense and meaning thereof yet is by his chiefest Vpholders â—…strained to the meanes without the which he must not looke to attaine to the right and true vnderstanding thereof The high Bishop saith Bellarmine must not expect revelations but vse Bellar. de concil l. 1. c. 11. Canus locor theolog l. 5. c. 5. ordinary meanes For as Canus affirmeth the holy Writers only set downe Catholick doctrines by the immediate revelation and inspiration of God and therefore needed not outward helpes thereunto Whereas it behoueth Bishops to vse the ordinary course by weighing of reasons and by imploying their diligence Yea Cameracensis is bold to avouch that both it is impossible Cam sent quaest 1. art 2. to assent without a reason to perswade thereto oâ— to giue any other manner of assent then the force of the reasons are that procure the same And therfore whereas we ought to giue the fullest assent to all doctrines of piety and godlines which are deliuered in the Word of God we ought most diligently to search out the strongest reasons that may throughly induce perswade thereunto For as S. Ierome testifieth the Gospell Hier. in c. 5. ep ad Gal. doth not consist in the leaues of the Words but in the root of reason And vndoubtedly by arguments and reasons all truths are not only lightned and cleared but also iustified and confirmed For when is any proposition true but when one part Vera est propositio quando pradicatum
himselfe to be instructed by the Prince of darkenesse Whereby it came to passe that he fell from truth to falshood from faith to fancy from the knowledge of good to the knowledge of euill from the light of Diuâ—ne logicke and reason to divellish sophistry Yea hereby the wâ—ly and crafty Serpent stored him and his posterity with all manner of captious and deceâ—uable sophismes and so enabled him not onely to know but also colourably to defend all falshood and vntruth Against the which so desperate a mischiefe the Lord prouided a soueraigne remedy by causing all Diuine verities necessary to saluation lightned fortified with all manner of sound arguments and reasons to be deliuered to his Church first by word of mouth and afterward by writing in the bookes of the Canonicall Scripture that so when the enemy should come ready furnished and prepared with strong delusion and with all deceiueablenesse of vnrighteousnesse the desender of the Truth on the contrary side might also be armed with all manner of weapons offensiue and defensiue that so he might be enabled to stand fast and firme against all the assaults of the enemy and to get ouer him a glorious victory And hereof it is that the booke of the holy Scripture is called the Bible that is the booke of boâ—kes or the onely booke for that all manner of Divine wisdome is contayned therein The reasons and argument set downe in this booke for the clearing and fortifying of all Diuine verities are of such validity and strength that therefore this booke is called by Saint Hierome a reasonable mountaine where wee may Hieron in Hag. cut downe choice and sit timber for the building vp of the house of Wisedome Yea the first rudiments and principles thereof are of such soundnesse and solidity that Saint Peter 1 Pet. 2. 2. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 2 Pet. 1. 16. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 2 Thes 3. 2. Chrysost hom 9. in ep ad Col. calleth them reasonable and vndeceiueable milke In which words he opposeth them to the principles of all erronious professions which the same Apostle tearmeth sophisticall fables For the which cause the maintayners of those sophisticall positions are called by the Apostle Saint Paul absurd or vnreasonable men as the sincere imbracers of the Doctrines of the Scriptures are tearmed by Saint Chrysostome reasonable sheepe for that they are able to discerne the voyce of their shepheard from the voyce of a stranger And hereof also it is that the Apostle Saint Paul calleth the seruice of God prescribed in this booke a reasonable seruice For that as Tertullian 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Non exigebat Deus quae fiebant sed propter quod fiebant Tert. l. 3. cont Marc. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Heb. 11. 19. teacheth God doth require therein not so much the worke wrought as the doing it vpon those grounds and reasons for the which it should be done One most singular worke of this seruice of God being done by one of the most singular seruants of God that euer liued euen the offering vp of Isaac by his father Abraham was as the Apostle saith performed by him as a Logiâ—ian by the helpe of Metaphysicall and supernaturall reason And no maruell seeing as in the same place the Apostle teacheth 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 D. Downam l. 2. c. 7. Of Christian Warfare the true Christian faith is grounded vpon such a demonstratiue syllogisme that is able as Austin expoundeth the words to convince the iudgement and after a sort to force the minde to yeeld therevnto a most setled assent whoÌ„ one of our learned and religious Doctors followeth saying that faith is called 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 that is a manifest demonstratioÌ„ for that it doth not onely shew a thing probably but doth convince it with strong argumentâ— and maketh that cleare and manifest which was otherwise obscure and secret and therefore is called a demonstration of things not seene And if it be not reason that doth season our seruice done vnto God and make it sauory and well tasting vnto him why Leu. 12. 13. Mar. 9. 50. Coloss 4. 6. was salt to be added to euery sacrifice and why are all the faithfull commanded to haue salt in themselues Yea and that their very words should be poudred with salt And was it not for this cause that one Eccholius in the Primitiue Church when he had fallen away againe and againe from the true faith and reasonable seruice of God vnto absurd and impious Idolatry at his last returne cast himselfe downe flat vpon the ground before the Congregation saying trample vpon me vnsauery salt That reason should be our guide not onely in such things as concerne the Divine seruice of God but also in all our actions whatsoeuer Iesus the sonne of Siracke teacheth saying Eccl. 37. 16. Let reason goe before euery enterprise and counsell before euery action Yea Aristotle saw thus much by the light of naturall reason that is that euery vertuous action must be done vpon knowledge and vpon good advise had with right reason Scienter consultò constanter and vpon a setled purpose to be constant therein Wherefore there was great reason that the great and wise G O D should enrich his owne booke with all manner of divine and heauenly reason that so it might be able rightly to guide all his sincere and faithfull seruants in the performing of all manner of vertuous and Religious actions And verily it is in that aboundant manner so filled and furnished with this heauenly treasure that as Luther saith it were no great matter if all other bookes contayning the doctrines of faith and an holy life were on a light fire if this one booke were rightly vnderstood For there is more Diuine learning wisedome and reason in this little booke then in all the large volumnes that euer were written Witnesse not only the explications of the divine doctrines hereof made by our blessed Sauiour himselfe the which if they were written the Ioh. 21. 25. whole world would sâ—…rcâ—ly be able to containe them but also the Sermons of the Apostles and the huge number of Treatises made vpon the same by all the learned in the Church that haue written since the Apostles times the which exceed all the Commentaries made vpon all other books that are to be found in the whole world The seuen Catholicke or generall Epistles are but a little part of this little booke yet in the iudgement of Saint Hierome they being short in words are large in substance The Lords Prayer is but a few lines of this little booke and yet it contayneth such a depth and profundity of Divine wisedome that the wisest that are cannot sound the bottome thereof And verily it is the wisedome of God and the grace of the Dr. Abbotâ— in Ionam Scriptures as our most Reuerend Metropolitan hath most elegantly taught to say much in little to be in words compendious but in
life are doubled and trebled in holy Scripture that they might procure of vs a fuller faith So and so good is our gracious God vnto vs which are so and so vnworthy of the least of his mercies that as he hath stored the earth with great variety of bodily food and physicke for the preseruing and recouering of the life health of our bodies so he hath prouided in the Scriptures great abundance of spirituall food and physicke for the maintenance and restitution of the life and health of our soules One kinde of bodily food and one kinde of dressing doth not sauour alike to euery stomacke and therefore God hath prouided variety of both so one motiue to faith and repentance nor the deliuery thereof after one manner doth fit euery ones spirituall taste and stomacke therefore hath the Lord ordained great abundance of both Yea as the Lord gaue sundry signes and wonders to be done by the hands of his seruant Moses before the eies of the children of Israel that therby they Exod. 4. 8. might vnderstand that he was called sent of God to be their deliuerer out of the bondage of Aegypt that to this very end and purpose that if they would not beleeue nor obey the voice of the first signe yet they might be induced thereto either by the second or the third So doth the Lord furnish the Preachers of the Gospell whom he hath appointed to bee ministers of his mercy for the deliuerance of his people out of the spirituall captiuity of sinne and Satan with great variety of forcible and powerfull motiues and perswasions to repentance and faith that if some of the same will not worke and preuaile with them yet other may For the which purpose also he hath caused the mysteries of godlinesse to be set downe not onely in common and vsuall phrases but also in Metaphores and Allegories and hath lightned them with similitudes and resemblances apparent and manifest to the most simple So the Apostle teacheth that the 1 Cor 15 36. dead shall rise to life and glory by the resemblance of seed that after a sort rotteth and death in the ground before it springeth vp and groweth to maturity and ripenesse So elsewhere he prooueth the vnprofitablenesse of speaking in an vnknowne 1 Câ—… 14. â— tongue by the trumpet which if it giue an vncertaine sound none shall be prepared to the warre and by some oâ—her the like things So he likewise proueth that the faithfull ought not to seeke for life and saluation by the works of the Law seeing Gal. 3. 15. God hath couenanted to giue it to them in Christ Iesus seeing to a mans couenant or testament when it is once made nothing ought to be added or detracted from the same much lesse to the Couenant of God So our Sauiour teacheth that they are Matth. 13. 23. the holy doctrines of his good and gratious Word that causeth our hearts to be good and gracious euen as it is pure and good feed that maketh the ground bring forth pure and good fruit And verily our blessed Sauiour did illustrate with parables all Matth. 13. 34 his diuine instructions which he gaue vnto the people as being the best meanes to bring them to the knowledge of the truth and to their euerlasting saluation which is procured thereby For as our Sauiour himselfe speaking thereof saith if I teach Iohn 3. you earthly things that is heauenly doctrines by earthly similitudes and ye beleeue not how should ye beleeue if I tell you of heauenly things that is after an high and heauenly manner It is impossible saith Saint Denis that the diuine beame Dion de coeles hierar l. 1. cap. 1. should shine vnto vs but vnder the variety of sacred couerings for parables are couerings vntill they be vnfolded and expounded but being expounded and laid open they make manifest and lay open vnto vs spirituall things Christ saith Chrsostome did set out his doctrine by parables that he might Chrys in Mat. hom 45. in Ioh. hom 33. speake more significantly and set it plainer before our eyes for by the resemblance of familiar things the minde is more stirred vp and doth apprehend the thing the better being set foorth as it were in a picture This kinde of opening things is most pleasing and sticketh faster for a similitude or relemblance if it be apt oâ— sit doth shew forth much wisedome Yea no man doubteth as saith Saint Austine but by parables Aug. de doct Christiana lib. 2. cap. 6. things are more readily learned and being sought out with some difficulty are the more acceptable when they are found Wherefore our blessed Sauiour and his Apostles vsed often parables and resemblances taken from earthly things for the better manifesting of their heauenly doctrines and other like arguments also taken out of the booke of nature well knowne to euery intelligent man that is found and entire in his outward senses As whâ—n our blessed Sauiour appeared to his Disciples after his resurrection and they supposed that they had seene a spirit our Sauiour appealeth to the outward senses saying handle me and see me for a spirit hath not flesh and bones as ye see me to haue And when Thomas would Luke 24. 39. not yet beleeue the testimony of his fellow Apostles concerning the resurrection of Christ when he appeared vnto them againe he spake vnto Thomas saying put thy finger here and see my hands and stretch foorth thy hand and put it into my side and be not faithlesse but beleeue The which thing when Iohn 20. 28. Thomas had done he was so conuinced euen by the censure of his outward senses that immediatly he crieth out saying my Lord and my God So the Apostle Saint Paul to conuince the idolatrous Athenians of error for the worshipping of their gods with materiall images alleageth this naturall reason taken out of one of their Act. 17. 29. owne heathenish Poâ—ts saying Seeing we are the generation of God resembling God by our immoâ—tall spirits which cannot be resembled by any materiall image much lesse can the immortall and incorruptible God be reâ—embled by any such meanes So among the Corinthians when there was an abuse 1 Cor. 11. 14. in some of them in wearing long â—aire the Apostle to redresse the same appealeth to the iudgment of nature it selfe saying What doth not nature it selfe teach you that it is a shame for a man to haue long haire So our blessed Sauiour to perswade his Disciples to doe good to their very enemies saith that nature doth teach the Gentiles themselues to be good to their friends and that Christians being aduanced aboue them by Matth. 5. 45. grace should learne thereby to doe good to their enemies especially seeing that sense and experience did plainly teach them that God maketh his Sunne to rise on the euill and on the good and his raine to fall on the iust and vniust Wherefore errours
Christian sauing saith whereby he turneth from darkenesse to light and from the power of Satan to God and Acts 26. 18. 2 Cor. 3. 18. worketh in him a reuerent feare to offend the Lord and a louing care to performe all duties that doe belong to piety and godlinesse Behold saith Saint Iohn what loue the Father hath shewed vs that we should be called the sonnes of God For this cause the world knoweth vs not because it knowoth not him Dearely beloued now we are the sonnes of God but yet it doth not appeare what we shall be but this we know that when he shall appeare we shall be like him for wee 1 Ioh. 3. 1. shall see him as hee is And euery one that hath this hope in him purgeth himselfe euen as he is puâ—e In which words the Apostle auoucheth that the Lord making himselfe knowne by the doctrine of the Gospell not to the world but to his Elect and causing theÌ„ therby not onely faithfully to beleeue and embrace his great loue whereby hee hath adopted them for his sonnes in Christ but also by hope firmely to expect their full and finall glorification at his comming to iudgement doth thereby purge euery one of them from the pollutions of sinne and so doth reforme and renew them The which reformation because it doth begin in the minde and from thence proceedeth to the whole man is called a renewing or a changing of the minde and a returning to a 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Resipiscentia wiser course For when the vnderstanding is truely rectified and reformed by the sure and certaine knowledge and apprehension of heauenly things it will master and ouer-rule the will and the affections and cause them to be imployed about Coll. 3. 2. heauenly actions The illumination of the minde saith a learned Author Morton of the three fold estate of man being the first part of regeneration is the cause of all the rest of that holinesse that is to be seene in the regenerate man euen as our Saviour Christ himselfe teacheth saying The light of the Mat. 6. 22. body is the eye if then thine eye be single thy whole body shall be light but if thine eye be wicked all thy bodie shall be darke So likewise if the minde which is the eye of the soule Coll. 3. 10. be truely sanctified and renewed with knowledge there followeth holinesse in all the faculties of the soule but if it be darkened with blindnesse and ignorance there is nothing but sinne in the whole man Neither can it be otherwise For as it is impossible that a man should either trust or hope in God loue feare and obey him or performe any other duty of holinesse to God whom hee doth not know in his loue mercy goodnesse power iustice and the rest of his attributes so it is no lesse impossible that a man should know and be fully perswaded that God is true in his promises mercifull gratious and iust and not be affected to him accordingly He that knoweth thee O God saith Austin louâ—th thee more then himselfe August soliloq cap. 1. and leaueth himselfe that he may come vnto thee and delight in thee Wherefoâ—e if any one make profession of true wisedome and Iac 3. 13. knowledge we may will him with Saint Iames to make demonstration thereof by his good conversation and by his workes performed in meeknesse of wisedome or which is all one if he make profession of the true Christian Faith we may say vnto him Shew mee thy faith by thy workes and I will Iac. 2. 26. shew thee my faith by my workes seeing that faith that is without workeâ— is not a liuing but a dead faith For a liuing faith doth engraffe vs into Christ and so maketh vs good trees Rom. 11. 19. which cannot be without good fruit And verily so farre forth Mat. 7. 17. Tantum possumus quantum credimus Cyp. ad Quirit Tantum diligimus quantum credâ—mus Orig. in Eze. hom 22. 1 Ioh 2. 4. Qui non facit bonum non credâ—t bonum Isa 11. 6. Pro. 2. 10. as the grace of God enableth vs to beleeue so farre it enableth vs also to worke and so farre forth as it enableth vs to apprehend Gods loue towards vs so farre forth it enableth vs to loue God and to make the same euident and manifest by our carefull endeauour to doe such things as are well pleasing in his sight He therefore that saith I know God and keepeth not his Commandements is a lyer and the truth is not in him For he that doth not well beleeueth not well and he whose knowledge bridleth not in some good measure his brutish affections he hath not attained to that wisedome and knowledge which the Spirit of God fore-told should be in all true and sincere Christians For when wisedome entreth into thine heart and knowledge delighteth thy soule then shall counsell preserue thee and vnderstanding shall keepe thee and deliuer thee from the euill way Of the infallible certainty and truth whereof Lactantius was so throughly perswaded that he was bold to make this challenge to any that would except against the same by instancing in the most vnbridled affections of all Giue me saith hee Lact. diuin Instit l. 3. c. 26. a wrathfull man and a slanderer and one that is of vnbridled affections and with a few words of God I will make him as weake as a Lambe Giue me a greedy and a couetous pinch-penny and I will make him liberall giuing out his money with whole handfuls giue me one that is afraid of griefe and death and he shall presently contemne the Gallowes and the fire and the Bull of Phalaris also giue me a libidinous and an adulterous person and thou shalt see him straight way sober chast and continent giue me a cruell and a blood-thirsty person and presently his fury shall be turned into mercy giue me an vniust person and an vnwise and a sinner and by and by he shall be made iust prudent and innocent and with one washing all his sinfulnesse shall be clensed Such is the force of divine wisedome that it being once admitted into the heart of man it will at once dispossesse folly the very mother of all trangressions This truth was knowne to the Heathen themselues who not onely auouched that Pallas the Lady of wisedome subdued the giants when they rebelled against God but also that Persâ—us by the helpe of Minerva the Lady of learning and all one with Pallas did cut off the head of Medusa who by her lookes did turne men into stones Vnder the which fabulous fictions this truth was deliuered that they are the most powerfull instructions of diuine wisedome that can subdue our rebellious and Giant-like affections and can make soft and meeke our hard and stony hearts If ye continue in my word saith our blessed Sauiour ye shall know the truth Ioh. 8. 31. and the truth shall make you
called our whole sanctification for that it worketh our whole sanctification as infidelitie is called the proper and after a sort the only sinne because it is the originall of all vnrighteousnesse Aug. cont Ep. Relag lib. 3. cap. 〈◊〉 For what good thing is there that is not obtained by faith By faith we are iustified Rom. 5. 1. By faith we are saued Ephes 2. 8. By faith we are made the sonnes of God Gal 3. 26. By faith we are incorporated into the heauenly Ierusalem and by it as by a cognizance or badge we are distinguished from all other societies The Catholike Faith saith Saint Austine doth distinguish the iust from the vniust not by the Law of workes but of faith without the Aug. ad Bonif. lib. 3. cap. 5. which those very workes which seeme to be good are turned into sinne Now if it were but in these respects faith might challenge the chiefest place of precedency and honour in the assembly of all her princely Peeres but much more may she doe it for that in her owne proper worke she is imploied in beholding imbracing and magnnifying of all the diuine excellences and perfections that be in God wherein consisteth the most proper and peculiar glory and honour of God By workes saith Chrysostome we obey God but faith Chrysost hom 8. in Ep. ad Rom. entertaineth a meet opinion of God and glorifieth him and maketh him much more to be admired then doth the shewing forth of good workes Works commend the doer but faith commendeth God only and what it is it is wholly his for it reioiceth in this that it conceiueth great things which redound to his glory Wherefore no maruell that the Lord himselfe hath such a respect to faith that all his gracious and glorious workes and wordes tend either to the begetting or strengthening of the same For why hath the Lord accomplished his most glorious workes of the Creation Redemption and sanctification but that they might be testimonies of his goodnesse mirrours of his mercy seales of his speciall Act. 14. 17. 2 Cor. 3. 18. Apoc 7. 2. Ephes 1. 14. Cant 1. 3. Hos 11. 4. 2 Pet. 1. 13. grace and fauour pawnes and pledges of his fatherly kindenesse and loue that so he might draw vs and binde vs vnto himselfe and cause vs to trust perfectly in this his fauour and grace which is thus and thus ratified and confirmed vnto vs So why did our most blessed Sauiour send forth his Apostles into the whole world to preach and publish to all creatures these so ioifull tidings of such inestimable fauours as are contained in the Gospell but that the whole woâ—ld might be conuerted to the faith and might beleeue and â—o be saued As for the same end hath he caused the same to be â—…ned for all posterities that thereby there might be wrâ—…t a sauing Marke 16. 16. Iohn 20. 31. faith in the hearts of all the children of God euâ—… to the worlds end Wherefoâ—e without 〈…〉 most singular gift of God sâ—eing 〈…〉 meaâ—es for the effecting and working thereof yea 〈◊〉 most rare blessing and hardly gotten seeing where theâ—…â—…gular meanes are best vsed euen thereof 〈◊〉 appeareth little fruit When 〈◊〉 more 〈◊〉 an Euangelist then a Prophet had published this doctrine of faith euen to the Lords own people whâ—… waâ— his owne testimony concerning his successe thereof Esay 53. 1. but thâ—… Lord who hath beleeued our report to whomis the arme of the Lord 〈◊〉 Nay when our blessed Sauiour himself came in his own person to preach these glad ridings of the Gospell euen with the mouth tongue of the Son of God after so wise and powerfull a manner that his very enemies did wonder at the gracious words that came out of his mouth and were forced to confesse That neuer man spake as he did Yea Luke 4 22. Ioh. 17. 46. after he had wrought many strange and wonderfull signes for the further confirmation thereof yet all this tooke so small effect that by the testimony of Saint Iohn being an eie witnesse of all these things then also was fulfilled the former prophesie Lord who hath beleeued our report Yea their infidelity Iohn 12. 37. Marke 6. 6. was so great that our Sauiour Christ maruelled thereat And yet behold a thing more to be maruelled at that the Apostles themselues who continually heard our Sauiours diuine and heauenly doctrine and daily saw his wonderfull workes were yet so hardly brought to the faith that our Sauiour after his resurrection forced to reprooue them most bitterly for it saying Oh ye fooles and â—low of heart to beleeue all that the Prophets haue spoken No maruell then that albeit Luke 24. 25. the Gospel be published and reuiued in these last daies before the comming of Christ to iudgement by many singular and excellent instruments yet when the Sonne of man commeth he shall not finde faith on the earth Luke 18. 8. The truth is that it is an easie matter to beleeue lies because they are agreeable to our corrupt nature but the doctrine of truth teaching the assurance of Gods loue in Christ is a strange paradox contrary to the common opinion of men We saith the Apostle â—each Iesus Christ crucified a stumbling 1 Cor. 1. 23. bâ—ocke to the â—ew and foolishnesse to the Gâ—ecian Or be it that a slender assent and a formall approbation of the doctrine of faith proceeding from some slight apprehension thereof may bee somewhat generall where it hath beene long time taught by the Preacher and commanded by the Prince yet a settled perswasion proceeding from a sure and sound apprehension is vndoubtedly a strange and wonderfull worke of God Without aâ—… controuersie saith the Apostle great is 1 Tim. 3. 16. this mystery of godlinesse God manifested in the flesh iustified in the Spirit seene of Angels preached vnto the Gentiles and beleeued on in the world yea the agreement of faith with the heart of man is esteemed by Saint Austine to be one of the greatest miracles of our Christian profession And verily if either we looke vpon the prophane worldlings we shall see them scorning at the assurance of the faithfull Sap. 2. 13. which causeth them to glory that God is their Father and hath adopted them for his Sonnes Or if we cast our eyes vpon the faithfull seruant of God himselfe when he is in any great spirituall conflict we shall soone see how ready he is to let loose the sure hold of his hope and to plunge himselfe into the gulfe of despaire because he is guiltie to himselfe of offending so good and so gracious a God by his owne manifold and great iniquities and sinnes Wherefore albeit we haue attained to such a measure of faith as was giuen by Christ to his owne Apostles yet had Luke 17. 5. Marke 9 24. we need continually to pray O Lord increase our faith and to say with the Father of the possessed
himselfe and therefore he onely is able to reueale them Wherefore seeing the works of the creation redemption and Sanctification which are the most gracious and glorious workes of God are plainely reuealed in the bookes of the Holy Scriptures therefore the doctrines of the holy bookes are faithfully to be embraced as vndoubtedly proceeding from diuine reuelation And verily who could so distinctly and particularly set downe the manner of the creation of man and of all the rest of the creatures but he that hauing the fulnesse of being in himselfe could giue such a manner and measure of being to them all as should manifest his great power wisedome and goodnesse towards man for whose sake principally the world was made And who could lay open the fall of man from his estate of holinesse and happinesse wherein he was created and the manner thereof but he onely from whose obedience albeit man could depart yet he could not depart from his presence nor so much as dazle his sharpe and cleare eyes albeit he could cleane put out his owne but who could open a meanes of mans recouery from this his miserable and wretched estate whereinto he is fallen by his owne folly but he that was onely able to worke his recouery It is euident that sinne being an offence committed against the infinite Maiesty of the most glorious Deity requireth a satisfaction no lesse then infinite Now who could so much as imagine that God being so grieuously prouoked and so highly offended with man should send his owne Sonne to become man that in mans nature he might suffer death for mans deliuery from death and condemnation For doubtlesse one will scarce die for a righteous man for a good Rom. 5. 7. man it may be that one dare dye that then such a person who when he was in the forme of God thought it no robbery to be equall with God should die for such persons as were not onely neither righteous nor good but aboue measure vnrighteous and euill and that he should die such a death as proceeded from the intollerable wrath of so highly incensed a God against most execrable and cursed sinnes Isay 53. 1. Who hath beleeued our report and to whom is the arme of the Lord reuealed Surely the Gospell wherein this worke is reuealed is Diuine and supernaturall exceeding all humane and naturall apprehension and could not be reuealed but by him that could worke beyond the power of nature The which thing doth more euidently appeare hereby in that wheresoeuer it is plainely reuealed and sincerely imbraced it doth deliuer all such from the most grieuous bondage of sinne and Satan and doth most effectually bring them backe againe vnto God For as Lactantius saith Let humane wisedome stretch it selfe to the vttermost yet it can but cause men to couer their sinnes it cannot enable them to cast them out whereas the Gospell which is the Law of the Spirit of Life not onely freed Saint Paul from the Law of sinne and death but also conuerted Rom. 8. 2. the world and that in short time from infidelity to faith from sinne to righteousnesse from Satan to God albeit it was most mightily resisted not onely with all the wisedome and learning but also with all the power and authority of all the wisest and greatest men of the world and therefore it cannot be denyed but that it is the most mighty and powerfull word of the most mighty and powerfull God The heauens declare themselues to be the workes of God in that they cause the earth which is so bare and barren at Winter to be cloathed in Summer with all manner of hearbes flowers and graine and to abound with all variety of fruit and doth not the doctrine of the holy Scriptures much more euidently declare it selfe to be the most powerfull word of the most powerfull God in that it beautifieth the bare and barren soile of our soules with true wisedome righteousnesse and holinesse and with all manner of spirituall graces It was an euident effect of the diuine power of the mighty word of the omnipotent God that thereby in the Creation all things receiued their essence and being but of an euill man to make a good man yea to make one that is bruitish and diabolicall to become reasonable and Angelicall is a farre greater worke then the Creation of the whole heauen and earth as Saint Austin teacheth And therefore seeing this so strange a Aug. in Iob. tract 72. Isay 11. 9. worke is wrought as Isayas saith by the doctrine of the Canonicall Scriptures hereby it is sufficiently proued that the booke of the Scriptures is the booke of God Wherefore no maruell that the Apostle Saint Paul when 2 Cor. 3. 1. the truth of his Apostleship and Apostolicall doctrine was questioned by some among the Corinthians so confidently auoucheth that he standeth not in need of any testimoniall from men for his approbation and iustification seeing their owne conuersion wrought by that word which was written in their hearts by his Ministery was a most sufficient demonstration that his Apostleship and doctrine was from God The great works wrought here by our blessed Sauiour in the time of his being on earth did sufficiently declare him to be the true Matth. 11. 5. Ioh. 5. 36. Messiah and shall not the greater workes wrought by his word since his departure out of this life plainely demonstrate it to be the very word of the Sonne of God himselfe Wherefore if the blind Papists the most sightfull and spitefull enemies of the sincere Professors of the Gospell of Christ shal still auouch that they cannot know that the doctrine of the Scriptures is the doctrine of God but by the testimony of the Church we answer them as the man cured of his blindnesse by our most blessed Sauiour answered the blind Pharisies when they made protestatiō that they knew not whence our Sauiour was Doubtlesse saith he this is a maruellous thing that yee Ioh 9. 30. know not whence he is and yet he hath opened mine eyes So doe we also answere Doubtlesse this is a maruellous thing that ye know not whence the Scriptures are but by the testimony of the Church and yet they haue doe and shall open the eyes of the mindes and sanctifie the affections of the hearts of all Ioh. 17. 17. Ioh. 7. 17. such as haue beene are or shall be the people of God and shall thereby make them know that they are of God Wherefore hereby these blind Papists plainly manifest themselues to be none of the Lords people seeing they openly professe that they neither know nor can know the graces of sanctification wrought in their hearts by the Spirit and word of God giuing thereby testimony to it's selfe and to the conscience sanctified therewith that it it of God but that they receiue the same so to be onely vpon the testimony of the Church QVEST. XX. That the soule of our blessed Sauiour after his death
that his body was not left in the graue being the place appointed for bodies subiect to corruption And doth not the Apostle Saint Peter teaching the same truth alleadge the same place of the Psalmist for the confirmation thereof Psal 16. 10. Act. 2. 27. For albeit it belongeth to the body properly to arise yet that there may be a resurrection of any dead person from death to life the soule departed must also be brought from the place whither it was before conueyed and placed againe in the body or else there can be no resurrection thereof to life Wherefore the Apostle to proue the truth of our Sauiours resurrection sheweth out of the Prophet that as his body was raised out of the place of corruption so his soule was not left in hell but brought backe againe from thence that his resurrection might be wrought thereby For Nephesh properly and principally signifying the soule why should it not be so taken in this place where there Analogum per se positum â—…at pro famosiori significatione is nothing to restraine it to a signification that is lesse proper And specially seeing the Apostle Saint Peter who well knew the meaning of the Prophet and was to expound him in a plaine manner for all the New Testament is but a plainâ—… explication of the doctrines that were before deliuered more darkly in the Old interpreteth Nephesh not by 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 or 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 but by 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 that is not by person body or dead body but by soule Act. 2. 27. Obiect 2. But it is auouched that Christs soule was presently vpon his death carried vp into heauen and therefore could not descend into hell because Christ saith to the penitent theife To day shalt thou be with me in Paradise Luc. 23. 43. Solut. I answere that our Creed teacheth vs that Christ dyed and then when he was dead and his soule was departed out of his Body what became of them both viz. that his Body was buried and that his soule descended into hell And now must this plaine Article be inuerted both in words and in sense and we willed to belieue that at that very time he ascended into heauen when our Creed saith that he descended into hell But some will say doth not our Sauiour say to the thiefe To day shalt thou be with me in Paradise With me therefore with my soule How followeth that The inference rather should be this With me therefore with my Diuine Nature Seeing the principall Denominatio sequitur principalem partem part giueth the name and not the lesse principall And especially whereas concerning the humane nature of Christ he himselfe after this time wherein these words were spoken testifyeth saying I haue not as yet ascended to my Father Ioh. 20. 17. Moreouer how should our blessed Sauiour haue so fitly parallel'd his type Ionah who was both in body and soule in the belly of the Whale if he had not beene after the same manner as well in soule as in body in the belly of hell and in the bowels of the earth Matth. 12. 40. Obiect 3. Now if it be further obiected that our Sauiour needed not in soule to descend into hell seeing all things belonging to mans saluation were finished by him when he hanged on the Crosse Solut. the answere is that when our blessed Sauiour spake these words all things are finished all his very sufferings were not then ended For he was not then dead nor buried nor had continued three dayes and three nights in the bowels of the earth in the state of a dead man Besides the circumstance of the place doth plainly conuince that our blessed Sauiours meaning in these words was that all things were foretold by the Prophets that should be done vnto the Messiah before his death were done vnto him and so finished excepting this one They gaue me gall to eate and when I was thirsty they gaue me vineger to drinke and therefore that this Prophesie might also be fulfilled he said I thirst Whereupon when they had giuen him vineger mingled with gall and hee had tasted thereof he said All things are finished that is all things that were to be done to the Messiah before his death euen all these things saith our blessed Sauiour are done now to me And verily it is most euident and plaine that the principall drift and scope of the Euangelists is to demonstrate and to make euident that all things that were foretold by all the Prophets concerning the true Messiah were fulfilled in our most blessed Sauiour Jesus Christ Ioh. 20. 31. and therefore that he was the true Messiah QVEST. XXI Fasting or any outward thing doth not sanctifie any but onely the inward graces of the Spirit and all such things as do enter into the heart of man Arguments drawne from the subiect Matth. 15. 11. That which goeth into the mouth defileth not the man but that which commeth out of the mouth defileth the man For whatsoeuer goeth into the mouth goeth into the belly and is cast out into the draught but those things that come out of the mouth proceed from the heart and they defile a man For out of the heart proceed euill thoughts murders adulteries fornications thefts false witnessing slanders and the like and these are the things that defile a man Hence we thus reason that as meates doe not defile a man because they enter not into the soule but sinnes that enter in and dwell there and there contriue all their euill designes so meates nor any other such outward thing doth sanctifie the heart because they enter not in there but onely the diuine graces of Gods Spirit and the spirituall meanes appointed by God for the effecting of these holy and heauenly graces QVEST. XXII There is no such place appointed to the faithfull after this life as Purgatory is saiâ— to be The faithfull are pilgrimes here in this world and haue 2 Cor 5. 6. heauen for their home and countrey whether they come when their pilgrimage here in this world with their liues commeth to an end they passe not then from hence to Purgatory but to Heauen as it may appeare by the history of Lazarus and Luke 16. 22 23 43. of the penitent thiefe And of the comfortable assurance hereof are all the faithfull partakers as the Apostle testifieth speaking in the name of them all and saying Wee know that if our 2 Cor. 5 1. earthly house of this Tabernacle be destroyed we haue a building Heb. 11. 10. giuen of God that is not an house made with hands but eternall in heauen And verily our most blessed Sauiour at his departure out of this world ascended vp into heauen there to prepare a place for all the faithfull For he did not this for the Apostles Ioh. 14. 2. onely as he prayed not for them alone but also for all
power For his goodnesse being vnchangeable and his power vncontrouleable if hee ordained all to life why did he not bring them all to that happy estate whereunto he had ordayned them all To say that he could not disableth his power to say that he would not impeacheth his goodnesse to say that he desposeth of them neither this way nor that way but left them to their owne disposition derogateth from his supreame wisedome yea that he being the Potter should not dispose of his owne Clay but leaue it to the Clay to dispose of it selfe himselfe being as a neuter neither bending this way nor that way taketh away from him all diuine prouidence Wherefore it ought not to be denyed but that as God electeth some to saluation in Christ and calleth them to be partakers thereof by a true faith and preserueth them thereby through his mighty power that they neuer fall away from that happy estate to the end that they should ascribe vnto him the whole glory of their eternall blessednesse so likewise it cannot be iustly denyed but that God leaueth other in their Inâ—idelity and sinne to runne on wilfully and obstinately in their owne damnable wayes that so they might be forced to acknowledge and confesse God to be most iust herein and themselues to be the totall cause of their owne destruction Sap. 5. 5. For as euents which in themselues may or may not come to passe are called coÌ„tingent for that they proceed froÌ„ contingent causes albeit they could not but come to passe as they were fore-seene and fore-appointed by the vnchangeable wisedome and will of God euen so all sinfull actions albeit they be ordained of God to come to passe by his permission yet they are not to be said to be wrought by his operation and albeit they may be said to be willed by him yet none of them all is instilled by him For God made man according to his owne image and instilled into his soule all diuine and heauenly graces and gaue him hability to continue therein and left him to his owne choice to stand or to fall at his owne free will but he did not so stablish him with his grace that he could not become willing to fall away because he was no way indebted vnto him and bound to performe vnto him that fauour Much lesse when all mankinde fell away in Adam was God bound to restore all but some according to his owne good pleasure he calleth by his Spirit and Word to the estate of Grace and giueth them faith to embrace his endlesse goodnes in Christ Iesus so maketh them partakers of euerlasting blessednes other he iustly leaueth in their own wretchednesse whereinto they are fallen by their owne fault and suffereth them to perish in their owne sinnes And why might not the Lord iustly doe so An earthly Father may giue to his son some Stock to Trade withall then leaue him to his own gouernment to try whether he will play the good husband or no and might not our heauenly Father giue to Adam and in him to vs all that were then in his loynes some portion of his heauenly grace and so leaue him and vs in him to our selues to try whether we would settle our selues to continue in his loue or whether we would set light by his goodnesse and fall from him to sinne and Satan to our vtter ruine and destruction Vndoubtedly as God in his eternall Counsell did appoint that bodily diseases should come into the world to detect on the one side the weakenesse of the creature and his folly in abusing many things to his hurt and destruction that are of themselues profitable for his preseruation and on the other side to make manifest his owne wisedome and goodnesse in that he hath prouided great variety of helpes to man both for the preuenting and also for the full curing of all manner of noisome maladies so did hee in like manner decree that hee would permit man to cast himselfe into many spirituall diseases to detect on the one side his frailty and weaknesse who taketh occasion many times thereby to fall whereby he might haue been staied vpright and on the other side to make manifest his owne wisedome and goodnesse by appointing many Antidotes against sinne and such a strange restoratiue to cure sinnes as man himselfe could noâ— so much as dreame thereof There must be Haeresies saith the Apostle that they which are approued may be knowne euen that they may be knowne 1 Cor. 11. 19. whether they be as chaffe which will be carried away with euery blast of vaine doctrine or whether they be as found and good Corne and will abide setled and constant in the truth And verily the grounds of truth are neuer better sifted by her followers and friends nor sound and solide reasons more diligently sought out for truthes defence then when she is most mightily and cunningly oppugned with many erronious and haereticall vntruthes Neither are the Lords spirituall Captaines and Souldiers euermore watchfull ouer their owne soules and carefull to prouide all manner of spirituall munition and to giue themselues to all manner of holy and religious exercises and to craue continually in their feruent prayers the helpe of God then when they fâ—ele most of all their owne weakenesse and the great force of Satans temptations and his powerfull prouocations to draw them into sinne Yea they are neuer more grieued and offended with themselues for their sinnes then when they feele themselues most grieuously wounded with the dangerous strokes thereof And verily the Lord would neuer haue suffered the euill of sinne to haue been vnlesse he had knowne it meet and conuenient to make manifest his great wisdome and power in drawing good out of euill yea the greatest good out of the greatest euill The Lord I say would not haue suffered man to haue fallen into sinne vnlesse he had purposed to haue magnified his goodnesse towards his Elect to the highest extent that possibly could be by giuing his onely Sonne to take mans nature vpon him that therein he might make satisfaction for their sinnes and after that manner recouer them to Gods fauour and loue that they should neuer fall away from the same In respect of this so matchlesse a mercy that God should giue his onely Sonne to be such a supersufficient satisfaction for all our sinnes and to be such an vnaâ—â—erable pledge of his endlesse loue we may with that ancient Father make this strange exclamation saying O vnhappy sinne how happy hast thou been to vs in that thou hast been the occasion that such a Sauiour hath been giuen vnto vs Wherefore God forbid that it should be thought to be any disparagement to God to say that God decreed in his eternall counsell to permit sinne to come into the world seeing in his eternall Counsell Christ was a Lambe slaine from the beginning of the world that in him all the faithfull might haue a most soueraigne remedy
doth not conceiue and vnderstand For rightly to consent vnto another is to thinke and approue the very selfe-same thing which another thinketh and approueth and so to be of the same minde and iudgement with another He then that doth Consentiâ—… cum alio idem sentire not at all conceaue and vnderstand what the doctrine of the Church is cannot giue a right consent thereto nor faithfully beleeue and embrace the same And verily a blind faith is a foolish faith and doth more harme then good For as the Wiseman 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 quasi 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Pro. 19. 2. saith Without knowledge the minde is not good But a blind faith is without knowledge and therefore neither is it good it selfe neither can it make the minde good no more then bodily blindnesse can make a good bodily eye Wherefore as the Wiseman saith A wise heart getteth Pro. 18. 16. knowledge and the care of the wise seeketh learning For wisedome restâ—th in the heart of him that hath vnderstanding Yea right vnderstanding is wisedome it selfe and is one of Wisedomes proper names For the wisedome of the prudent is to vnderstand 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Pro. 14. 8. Pro. 14. 15. his way whereas the 〈◊〉 of fooles is deceit And why A foole beleeueth euery thing and is carelesse to try his owne standing and therefore his footing must needs faile and his fall is without all hope of recouery but the prudent will consider his steppes and see sure ground before hee will set forward one foot And so the Apostle aduiseth saying Take heed that yee walke circumspectly not as fooles but as wise redeeming the time and for that it is a matter of great moment so to doe he doubleth his exhortation saying Wherefore be yee not vnwise but Eph. 5. 17. vnderstand what the will of the Lord is That if any will not yet be aduised hereby but will blindfully goe on in such wayes that he knoweth not he may iustly blame his owne folly when he falleth into the pit of his owne destruction QVEST. LXXXI The breaking of a Popish vow is no sinne Sinne is as it were a shooting awry from the marke that 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 1. Ioh. 3. 4. God hath set vp vnto vs in his commandements wherevnto we ought to ayme in all our actions or it is a passage ouer those bounds and limits that God hath set out vnto vs to keep vs within our compasse in performing those duties that he requireth at our hands but Popish vowes are not commanded by God neither in the Old nor in the New Testament but are the ordinances of Frier Francis Dominicke Loyola and the like therefore the breach of them is no sinne QVEST. LXXXII Popish Monkes as now for a long time they haue demeaned themselues are no Monkes That is Monkes are such as liue solitarily and apart from all 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 quasi 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 company but our Popish Monkes liue not solitarily but in great Citties and dwell together in great troupes and companies And hereof it was that S. Ierome writing to Paulinus that tooke vpon him the profession of a Monk thus reasoneth with him If thou desirest to be indeed that which in name thou art Si Monachi cur toâ—…si tot iam quomodo soli O turba é solis quae simulas monadem called a Monke that is one that liueth alone why dost thou dwell in Citties which are not habitations of solitary men but of many that liue together Therefore seeing that popâ—sh Monkes liue not alone they cannot be true Monks QVEST. LXXXIII All the faithfull are saued by meere mercy through the redemption that is in Christ Seruants as S. Austine saith had their names at the first for that they were saued aliue in warre by the meere mercy of the Aug. de Civ dei lib. 19. cap. 15. Servus quasi in bello servatus Conquerour when as by the Law of armes they might haue beene iustly slaine Wherefore all men by nature being Gods enemies fighting vnder the banner of Satan against God iustly deserued to be destroied by the sharp sword of the Lords iustice And therefore seeing the faithfull when they were worthie to be destroyed were not only spared by Christ but also ransomed with the losse of his owne life they must acknowledge themselues by a double right to be his servants and must ascribe the whole glory of their saluation only to him QVEST. LXXXIV The faithfull are well witting to themselues both of Gods loue and fauour towards themselues and of their owne faith and loue towards God Arguments drawne from the definition or description of a thing Friendship as Aristotle defineth it Amicitia est mutua benevolentia non lateâ—… is a mutuall beneuolence not lying hid For true and sincere friends doe communicate Counsells shew kindnesses bestowe gifts each vpon other as testifications and prouocations of their mutuall and reciprocall kindnesse and loue each to other Wherefore sith God doth vouchsafe to enter into a league of amity and friendship with all his true and faithfull seruants being fully reconciled vnto them in Christ doth become their intire fast friend therefore hee doth make manifest his loue and good will towards them by opening vnto them all his counsells and by bestowing vpon them the manifold gifts and graces of his spirit that thereby he may kindle in their hearts reciprocall loue cause them to make manifest the same by their faithfull acceptance of so great fauours and by their carefull performance of that diuine worship and seruice which they knowe to bee acceptable in his â—ight And verily all such as sincerely loue are most carefully busied about this euen how they may make their good will and loue surely and certainely knowne to them whom they loue And here of it is that our Sauiour Christ speaking vnto his disciples in them to all his faithfull seruants saith Hence forth call I you not Seruants for the seruant knoweth not what his master Ioh. 15. 16. doth but I haue called you friends for all things that I haue heard of my Father haue I made manifest vnto you Now if Christ doth make manifest vnto the faithfull all things especially that belong to the confirmation of their faith and to the strengthning of their loue and obedience then vndoubtedly he doth make knowne vnto them their election to eternall life their sanctification wrought in them by his Spirit and Word and the certaintie of their glorification in the life to come For otherwise they cannot trust in God and loue him vnlesse they first feele in their owne hearts the sure and certaine pledges of Gods loue towards themselues So the Apostle Saint Iohn We loue him because he loued vs first and haue 1 Ioh. 4. 16. â—… 19. knowne and beleeued his loue towards vs. QVEST. LXXXV The bare testimony of the Church cannot make knowne vnto the
people any doctrine of Faith Sciâ—e est pâ—… causas scire Quaestio ansit alia est à quaestione quid sit To know a thing is to vnderstand the causes and reasons thereof A man may know by the testimony of another that there is such or such a thing but he cannot know what it is vnlesse he know the definition thereof wherein are set downe Definitio explicat quid sit res the true causes of the thing whereby the thing it selfe is made knowne It is not then the bare testimony of the Church that can make knowne vnto vs any doctrine of faith vnlesse the causes and reason thereof be opened and cleared vnto vs out of the word of God QVEST. LXXXVI A Bishop may be a ciuill Magistrate or any other sufficient Ecclesiasticall person A ciuill Magistrate is such an one as is placed to gouerne in the Temporall estate by such as haue power by the Lawes and customes of the Land to giue vnto him that authority And a good ciuill Magistrate is he that is indued with those qualities which God requireth in euery good Magistrate viz. That he be a man of courage fearing God dealing truely and Exod. 18. 21. hating couâ—tousnesse And he that is thus qualified is called of God to be a Magistrate seeing Gods calling of any person vnto an office is nothing else but his induing of him with those gifts whereby he is made fit to execute the same Whosoeuer then is thus called by GOD and by man Heb. 5. â— to be a Ciuill Magistrate may lawfullie take vpon him this authority But our Bishops and some other Ecclesiasticall persons are called by our Prince to this place of gouerment and if they be also such as the Apostle requireth Bishops and Pastors to be then they are likewise called of God And such 1 Tim 3. 2. Tit. 1. 7. an one as Mr. Foxe in his booke of Martyrs doth sufficiently proue was Cranmer Archbishop of Canterbury a patterne for all Pastors yea an Idea for all Bishops to imitate and expresse And verily albeit the offices of Ciuill and Ecclesiasticall gouernours be distinct and diuers in themselues yet they may be co-incident in one person For otherwise God himselfe would not haue made Eli and Samuel being Ecclesiasticall persons the chiefe Temporall gouernours among his owne people nor made the high Priests to be ordinary Assistants vnto the Ciuill Gouernours in managing the affaires that did belong to that Kingdome as Aaron was to Moses and Iehoiada was to Deut. 17. 9. Mich. 6 4. 2 Reg. 11. Ioash who was also his Protector and the chiefe gouernour of his kingdome while Ioash was in his minority QVEST. LXXXVII The signe of the Crosse is not absolutely euill but may be lawfully vsed at the administration of Baptisme Arguments drawen from the diuision of a thing All things are either absolutely good or absolutely euill or indifferent that is such as may haue either a good vse or an euill Now this being a true diuision or distribution none of the parts or members thereof can take the nature or place one Membra diuidentia non coincidant of the other And therefore such things as are by nature indifferent as the Crosse is can neuer by any meanes be made absolutely euill vnlesse we will also thinke that the act of a creature can alter and change the ordinance of God Wherefore all such things as by Gods appointment are indifferent remain in their owne nature still indifferent neither can the good vse of them exclude the abuse neither can the abuse vtterly exclude the good vse It is in History recorded and may also still by sense and experience be found true that the Crosse is euen at this very time well vsed in Constantinople being placed vpon the toppe of the Archbishops Pallace whereby he doth make open profession that he is a Christian and that he placeth the whole hope of his happinesse in the death of Christ who was crucified on the Crosse And therefore seeing as yet the Crosse retaineth a good vse vndoubtedly it cannot be a thing that is absolutely euill And why also is not the vse thereof good with vs in the administration of the Sacrament of Baptisme seeing it is ordained to helpe the vnderstanding in apprehending and the memory in recoâ—ding the meanes whereby our blessed Sauiour accomplished the worke of our redemption And if it be thus profitable still why is it not lawfull still seeing the profitablenesse of a ceremony doth confirme the lawfulnesse thereof especially when by authority it is commanded to be vsed and that in that vse onely wherein it is profitable Verily nothing ought to be added to the substance of the Word of God as it layeth open the worke of our redemption wrought by our Sauiour Christ and yet the Sacraments are added by God himselfe for the better explication of the very selfe-same doctrine and for the further confirmation of our faith therein yea many things may be taken out of Ecclesiasticall Writers and out of prophane Authors also for the better opening and explaining of those very selfe-same doctrines which are yet according to their substance perfectly deliuered in the Canonicall Scriptures And why may not some ceremonies be taken also to the very same end and purpose especially such as haue beene best vsed by the best persons in the best times as it is most certaine that the signe of the Crosse hath been In truth I cannot but heartily wish that the most worthy worke of our redemption were so duely and diligently taught in euery Congregation by a sufficient Preacher that this very ceremony might be needlesse altogether but yet as long as they that haue authority to ordaine Ceremonies doe command the obseruation thereof I cannot conceiue but that it ought to be obserued of vs vnlesse we will willingly and wittingly resist authority QVEST. LXXXVIII Matrimony is lawfull for the Cleargy euen after the vow of single life Arguments drawne from the whole to the pâ—…ts or from the generall to the speciall Heb. 13. 4. Marriage is honourable among all men and the bed vndefiled but whoremongers and adulterers God will iudge For as whoredome is vnlawfull for all and especially for such as be of the Cleargie so Matrimony is lawfull for all and especially in this respect for the Cleargy seeing they aboue all other are most carefully to vse the meanes which God hath appointed for the eschewing of fornication and adultery as well as of all other sinnes And therefore seeing the Lord hath ordained Matrimony to be the means for the auoiding of â—ornicatioÌ„ and adultery all such of the Cleargie as hâ—ue not the gift of Continencie ought to vse the remeâ—ie of lawful Matrimonie yea after the taking of the vowâ— of single 〈◊〉 For if â—o promise vowe compact or couenant made against Law is oâ— any validitie or ought to be kept then the vow of single life made by all such that