not properly an assent of Christian faith I prove thus To assent or dissent is an action of the Vnderstanding or of the Will if of the Vnderstanding the object of it is Truth or Falsehood if of the Will the object of it is goodnesse or evill For the assent of the Will the case is manifest that it doth never assent unto and allow of the goodnesse of the obiect or dissent from and disallow the evill of it untill there be knowledge and apprehension of both For this approbation or reprobation of any thing by the Will cannot bee without Election nor Election without foregoing deliberation and judgement of the understanding upon the thing that is chosen or refused Againe for the Vnderstanding how can it assent unto the Truth or dissent from the Falsehood of such things whereof it hath no apprehension at all For so here should be an Act without an Object at least an irrationall act of the rationall part of man For if the Vnderstanding assent or dissent without understanding of whereto or from what is not a non-ens the object of such an act and is not such an act more like the naturall propensions of senslesse creatures whereby they are carried to unknowne ends than the judiciall determination of a reasonable man Though the things beleeved exceed reason yet the revelations of them are not above our knowledge and our assent unto them must be so farre forth rationall that if wee cannot give a reason of the thing beleeved yet wee must give a reason of our beliefe A reason of our beliefe is then rendred when we understand that testimony and authority wherein the thing to be beleeved is revealed unto us This only makes our assent reasonable For as in Scientificall knowledge and opinion the understanding never assents till the nature of the thing it selfe be knowne either fully or in part so in beliefe the understanding assents not till the meaning of the relation or testimony be understood what that thing is distinctly whereto it must assent In the two former wee give the reason of our assent from the thing it selfe knowne in the last wee give the reason of our assent from the authority of the revealer In every one our assent presupposeth knowledge in the former of the thing it selfe in the later of the Revelation Wherefore that implicite faith of the ordinary Papist who following the doctrine of his Teachers contents himselfe that he gives his assent in grosse unto all what ever is in the Bible Churches traditions that it is true whilst yet he understands scarce any Article of his religion distinctly this their implicite assent is meerely bruitish and unreasonable Contrary to the expresse precept of the Apostle Paul Rom. 12. 1. commanding us to offer unto God 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 a reasonable service and Peter 1 Pet. 3. 15. bidding us be ready to give an answer 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 not a bare answer 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 but with a defence to every one that demandeth of us 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 a Reason of our Faith Now it would be knowne of the Romish Laiety what reason they can give for their faith what Apologie they are able to make for it when as they are utterly ignorant of Scriptures the only reason and defense of our Faith And is not their service and worship of God the very unreasonable motion of an unintelligent beast that 's ordered by his driver but understands not why and for what reason and ground Where particulars are not knowne there may be a generall kinde of beliefe But this generall beliefe is not an actuall assent to the truth of any particular thing revealed till that particular bee knowne and understood Actuall assent to particular truths is then only when they are knowne and according to the increase of distinct knowledge so this assent increaseth Before there is this distinct knowledge there can be no more but Praeparatio animi a resolution of the minde to yeeld assent to any particular if it bee once knowne Which though it be good when wee can doe no otherwise by reason of unavoydable ignorance yet to teach that this is sufficient to true faith is to teach men to be carelesse of all religion T is good where there is knowledge in part and when for the rest ignorance is seene bewayled and avoyded by all earnest desire and possible endevour to get knowledge in all points but t is monstrous flothfulnesse to bee content with this that in generall we beleeve all though we assent to nothing in particular This were indeed a short cut to heaven if no more were required to Christian faith but to force upon ones selfe such a resolution as this Here is the Bible I am resolved to beleeve all that it saith but for particulars I le looke no further let the Church and those that are learned looke to that How farre such a blinde resolution is from Christian faith and pietie besides experience which testifies that all those who have true faith in some things doe alwayes much lament their ignorance and eagerly desire the increase of distinct knowledge the Scriptures also doe abundantly witnesse unto us Wherein no exhortation more common then this unto the encrease of Knowledge yea 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 c. as the Apostle prayes for the Collosians Col. 2. 2. And for the Corinthians hee wisheth the like 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 2 Cor. 8. 7. How many prayers of the Saints doe wee finde they have made for knowledge every where mentioned How often is Faith and Knowledge coupled together Ioh. 10. 38. 1 Ioh. 4. 16. c. yea many times confounded and taken one for the other 2 Cor. 4. 14. Esa. 53 â—1 Ioh. 17. 3. c Againe this knowledge is easie to be had by the ayde of the holy Spirit inwardly inlightening and teaching the faithfull when they use such meanes as hee hath appointed See for that purpose Ier. 31. 33 34. 1. Cor. 2. 10. 12. 2. Cor. 4. 6. Ioh. 14. 21. where Christ promiseth to shew himselfe visibly 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 to those that love him Were knowledge a thing impossible or very difficult or unprofitable some pretence there were to pleade for ignorance but when t is so often commanded us when it may be so easily had when t is so usefull in the having so dangerous to want it it s now impudence to patronize ignorance as a friend to Religion which is a professed enemy to mans reason Wherefore it is a shamelesse assertion of Bellarmine De Iustif. l. c. 5. That Faith may better be defined by ignorance than by knowledge A pestilent conceit which once rooted in men breeds in them an horrible contempt distaste and neglect of Scriptures and all Religion as matters not possible nor necessary for them to comprehend But this is a gull put upon poore people by the Clergy thereby to excuse their owne idlenesse in not teaching them or to gaine the
certainely belieue such and such Articles of Faith His answere will bee Because the Church which can discerne what is what is not of God hath infallibly decreed such and such things to be belieued Against which impious doctrine we except and say That by this meanes our Faith is resolued either into nothing at all or at the furthest but only into humane Authority 1 That is resolued into iust nothing but runs round in a Circle like a mill-horse For aske a Roman Catholike why doe you belieue the Pope cannot erre His answere is because the Scripture saith so Tues Petrus c. and Orauipro te ne deficiat sides tua and Sum vâ—b scum ad consummationem saculs with such other places But how know you that those places are Scripture and that that is the right meaning of those places He answeres because the Councell of Trent and the Pope say so Yea but how know you infallibly they doe not erre in saying so Hee answeres Because the Scripture affirmes they cannot erre for Thou art Peter vpon this rocke c This is the Fayries dance wherein men smitten with the spirit of giddinesse are led round in a ring being neuer able to free them or finde any resting place whereon to fixe the assurance of their Faith 2 That at best their faith is resolued finally into Mans Authority Which appeares thus aske a Papist Why doe you belieue Purgatory He will say Because God in his word hath reuealed it as an Article of Faith Zach. 9. 11. I haue loosed thy prisoners out of the pit wherein is no water i. out of Purgatory and Luke 16. Lazarus was carried into Abrahams bosome i. into Purgatory with such like Well but why doe you infallibly belieue that this is Gods word and that this is the meaning of it Hee sayes Because the Church i. Counceis and Popes say so Hee can goe no further vnlesse hee will runne round Here then hee must stay resting his Faith on mans Testimony and Authority Which hee doth manifestly forasmuch as it appeares not by any argument from the Scriptures themselues that such a doctrine as Purgatory is contained in them and therefore he assents to the truth of it finally and onely because the Church for sooth hath conceiued the meaning of those places to be such Now this is not to belieue the Scriptures but to belieue the Opinion of the Church that is to say of men like our selues Heere Becanus helpes at a dead lift by a schoole distinction thus Fidesresoluitur Formaliter in Deumprimam veritatem reuelantem Directiuè in EcclesiaÌ„ propter infallililitateÌ„ proponeÌ„dt The shift of a Sophister What Faith is it that is thus resolued Theologicall or Humane Neither saith hee Theologicall Faith is resolued into Gods authority Humane is resolued into mans authority as to belieue an Article because Caluiâ— or Lutber teach it or say wee because Pope Paul the fift Gregory the 13. or any other Pope Cardinall Bishop or Bishops teach it What saith is it then which is resolued into the Churches authority It is saith the Iesuite neither saith neque purè diuina neque purè humana sed quasi media inferior is cuinsdam ordinis Iust so I take it men vse to speak when they cannot tell what to say It is Quasi and Aliquomodò and Alicuius generis c. It is something if they could tell what But be it what it may be if it be not a diuine Faith What shall become of the vulgar sort in their Church must they bee saued by such a middle kinde of Faith betweene Diuine and Humane This is a new way to heauen of the Iesuiâ—es inuention wherein it will bee a matter beyond his skill so to conduct a poore vnlearned Catholike that he step not aside leaning too much vpoÌ„mans authoriti whereon he should not trust at all and too little on Gods on whom he should altogether relie Plaine folke haue no skill in such nice distinctions of belieuing God Formaliter and the Church Directiuè and it will trouble the authors of them to giue a reasonable meaning of them For what is it to belieue the Church Directiuè is it to be drawne by the Churches direction in the ministeriall Preaching and application of the Scriptures vnto beleefe of the Articles of Faith Wee grant such a resolution of our faith into the Churches authority as a motiue to induce and persivade vs to belieue But Becames denies that the Church is to be reckoned inter motiua fidei and therefore he must needs account it inter formales rationes fidei as a case of reason and proper foundation of our faith whereinto it is resolued formaliter And so it is for there is neuer a Papist that wil belieue any thing that God saith but onely for this reason because the Church allowes of it It is not the light and Euidence of Gods word by it owne selfe Euincing its owne Diuinity and Interpreting its owne meaning t is not this they rest vpon if they did what need they goe further but it is meerely formally and directly the Testimony and Opinion of men whether Fathers Councels Popes or whomsoeuer they please to style the Church This impiery is horrible and so maine an errour in the foundation of Faith that it makes the whole frame to â—otter fastening the consolation and Hope of man vpon the vncertainty of another mans testimony therby throwing him into inextricable difficulties and doubts besides offering intollerable indignity vnto God in giuing such authority vnto his seruant and vassall as tends to the contumely of the Lord and Master For so it is when a few men met together in a Councell-house or one poore sinfull illeterate Pope shal be deemed of power sufficient and iudgement infallible to set themselues downe vpon the bench and to call that word which shall iudge them at the last day vnto the bar and there to interpret ratifie or nullifie what and how themselues best pleaseth Wee might wellbe ashamed of our religion when wee dispute with Athiests and infidels if wee had no better reason to confirme our Religion but our owne testimonie because we say it is the truth and the Romish Church might blush when she pleads for her infallibilitie from those places formerly mentioned yet in sine hath no other warrant from them but onely this it is so and it shall be so because shee her selfe hath decreed that onely to bee the true meaning of those Scriptures But to leaue these absurdities blasphemies and come to the truth that which we maintaine touching the Certaintie of the Scriptures Diuine authoritie is this viz. That we are infallibly ascertained of the Scriptures Diuinitie by the Scriptures themselues I or as in other Sciences there are alwayes some principles Per se not a indemonstrabiliâ— whence other things are proued so in Diuinitie all conclusions in point of Beliefe and Practise are proued by the Scriptures but for the Scriptures they
proue themselues by their owne naturall light manifesting their Diuine Originall whence they are and their right meaning how they must be vnderstood They are Primum â—â—sibile not like Colour which cannot be seene till light make it apparant but like Light it selfe which maketh all other things manifest it selfe too by it own proper Quality Wherefore when we are asked why we doe beleeue the Articles of the Creed we answer Because they are reuealed in Scripture Again How are you sure the Scriptures are the Word of God we answer we know it by the Scriptures themselues the Spirit of God opening our eyes to see those naturall and liuely caracters of Diuine truth which are imprinted vpon those sacred volumes Lastly If we be asked How know you that this is the right meaning of such or such a place We answer We know it by the Scriptures which being diligently examined and compared together plainly discouer their own right expesition In these answers we rest finally resoluing our Faith into the Word of God alone and nothing else As for the Authoritie of any one man or all men in the Church we giue it all due reuerence according to its place and degree We acknowledge the Decisions of Councels and Synods about controuersed Articles of Religion the continuall Preaching of the Word by the Ministers therof the manifold expositions of Doctrines of Diuinitie and Bookes of Scriptures by the Learned in their Writings all these we acknowledge with due regard thankefulnesse to be blessed meanes for the breeding and growth of Christian Faith because they all doe or should point vs vnto the Scriptures holding forth the light of them that we may the more cleerly diseern it in its true brightnesse Thus they are helpes to make vs see the truth but no causes why we beleeâ—e it this we do for its own sake not their saying And vnlesse what they teach doe appeare vnto vs cleerly out of the Scriptures we freely confesse that although their Reuerence will cause vs to Suspend our Iudgement and thorowly to examine the Cause yet their bare authoritie cannot command our assent to any article of Religion that shall be proposed vnto vs. The rule of the Apostle prohibits vs 1 Cor. 2. 5. Our faith may not stand in the Wisedome of Man but in the Power of God Our Aduersaries here thinke that they haue vs vpon an aduantage and caught vs in a circle too as if we also ran round from the Scriptures to the Spirit againe from the Spirit to the Scriptures thus How know you the Scriptures to be Gods Word By the Spirit reuealing the same to my heart and conscience But how know you this reuelation of the Spirit to be true By the Scriptures that testifie The secret of the Lord is reuealed to them that feare him Ps. 15. But how know you this the like places of Scriptures to be Gods Word By the Spirit again Thus they suppose we are intangled but they mistake vs and our doctrine greatly in this particular We teach indeed that we know the Scriptures to be the Word of God by the Spirit of God inwardly Reuealing and Testifying the truth of them vnto our Consciences But it must here be diligently obserued what kind of Reuelation or Testimonie of the Spirit it is wherby we may be said to be sertified assured of the Scriptures Diuine Truth It is not any inward suggestion and inspiration different from those reuelations that are in the Scriptures themselues as if the Spirit did by a second priuat particular reuelation assure me of the truth of those former reuelations made in the Scriptures We haue no warrant for any such priuat reuelations now nor is there any need of them and such as looke for them may easily embrace their own presumptuous fancies in stead of a Reuelation from heauen How then doth the Holy Ghost reueale vnto vs the truth of Scriptures I answer By remouing those impediments that hindred by bestowing those graces that make vs capable of this knowledge There is in vs a two-fold Impediment First Ignorance whereby our eyes are closed that we cannot see the light 〈◊〉 Second Corruption whereby although we see the light yet we cannot but naturally hate it and turne from it The Holy Spirit cures both by a double remedy First of Illumination restoring our decayed vnderstanding to some part of its primitiue perfection Second of Sanctification infusing into our desires and affections some degrees of their primitiue Holinesse and puritie By this worke of the Spirit Opening the eyes of our minds that we may Vnderstand the Scriptures see the wonders of Gods Law and also Rectifying our corrupt affections that we may loue and embrace the Holinesse of Diuine things by this meanes I say is the Diuine truth of Scriptures reuealed to vs. For presently vpon this Opening the eyes of our minds we see the glorious brightnesse and light of the Scriptures shining into our hearts and we discerne in them the apparant characters of heauenly Maiestie as cleerly as a seeing man beholds the Sunne Also after this renewing of our Sinfull inclinations we find presently that our Soules and those things which the Scriptures do reueale vnto vs haue a singular sympathy one towards another our loue that we beare to the beautie and Holinesse of the Word is strong that command which the Word hath ouer vs is most powerfull awfull so that now we haue as kindly a relish of the goodnesse and excellency of Scriptures as a healthfull stomacke hath of wholesome food By these things which we cleerly see in the Scriptures euidently feele in our selues we are fully ascertained in our soules that none but God is the Authour of so He menly Holy Mysteries In this sence we still pray for the Spirit of Reuelation Eph. 1. 17. so called in that place because it inlightens the eyes of our vnderstanding as in vers 18. that then we may see the excellency of Diuine mysteries reuealed to the Church Other inward and secret reuelation of the Spirit we acknowledge not in this businesse Now there is no such circle as our Aduersaries would driue vs into but a plain straight way How know you that the Scriptures are Gods Word We answer By the Scriptures themselues by that wonderfull light excellency of truth and Holinesse shining in them Here we would rest and goe no further But yet if we be asked How we come to see this Light We answer It is by the only worke of the Spirit of God giuing vs eyes to see and hearts to loue this Light If we be further vrged How know you that you doe indeed perceiue such a light as you speake of or how can you make it appeare to another that you are not deceiued therein To these questions we answer That the former is idle iust as if one should aske him that gaâ— then the sun How know you that you now see
hath the generall custome and consent of the times and Church wherein wee live whereby men are they know not how nor upon what firme grounds drawne to beleeve those things which they see others hold and maintaine fortruth Lastly 3. Some extraordinary worke or event confirming the truth of Religion So did Miracles in the time of Christ and his Apostles perswade many to beleeve who were notwithstanding farre from being true beleevers as Ioh. 2. 23. Many beleeved in his name when they saw the miracles which hee did but t was not good crediting of them that beleeved only upon miracles therefore Christ would not commit himselfe to them ver 24. And thus the Magitian when he saw the signes and great wonders which were done by the Apostles he beleeved and wondred when yet his heart was not right in the sight of God Act. 8. 13. 21. By these and the like meanes is this imperfect and generall kinde of Faith wrought in men destitute of all inward grace and holinesse Such motives as these cause this assent but there is no Internum principium no roote in themselves as our Saviour speakes Mat. 13. 21. whence this beliefe springeth no thorough sanctification of the soule conforming all the powers thereof unto the puritie and holinesse of divine things and inclining the affections to a constant embracing thereof These men like Religion well and commend it as men doe costly Iewells set forth to sale but when it comes to the point that this Good Pearle of great price is to be bought then if God will let them have it at their owne rates there 's a match made they 'le beleeve and be religious if God withall will spare them the use of some sinnes and pleasures they love well but if it must be purchased at Gods price with the sale of all that they have they are no merchants for such a hard bargaine with the yongue man they shrinke away sorrowfull that heaven cannot be had at a cheaper rate Thus when it comes to the proofe in particular application and practice this kinde of faith vanisheth away and comes to just nothing Thus you have the explication of this first degree of Faith withall you see that this faith falls greatly short of that perfection which is required unto that saith which is saving and justifying Neverthelesse our Adversaries of the Romish Church maintaine that this assent is that justifying Faith whereof the Scriptures speake Their opinion touching this point is sufficiently declared by Becanus who followes the rest of that rabble Hee Theol. Schol. Tom. 3. cap. 8. q. 1. disputing of the act of justifying Faith rejects the Lutherans opinion who place Faith in the will and make it to be Fiduciam de misericordia Dei propter Christum and saith that the doctrine of the Catholikes is this that faith belongs to the understanding and is nothing else but Credere sive assentiri eis quae à Deo revelata sunt Thence hee setteth downe this Conclusion § 6. Actus fidei consistit in assensu quo quis assentitur alicui propositioni à Deo revelatae propter authoritatem revelantis In this definition there are two parts 1. the Object of this assent Propositions revealed by God 2. The essentiall difference of this act taken à formaliratione credendi and that is to beleeve propter authoritatem revelantis By this saith Becanus Cap. 8. q. 2. § 2. assensus fidei constituitur in sua specie essentiall that is the assent of Faith is made supernaturall and justifying when wee beleeve things because God hath revealed them for saith he if articles of faith be beleeved upon other motives as upon mans authority c. then this assent of faith is naturall as in Heritickes and Divells So then according to Popish doctrine that faith which justifies us is nothing but a bare assent of the minde to such things as God reveales because of Gods authority that revealed them Than which explication of the nature of justifying faith nothing can be poorer and more below the majestie of so high a grace as faith is I will trouble you but with two reasons proving that this kinde of assent is not that faith whereby wee are justified 1. The act of justifying faith must needs be supernaturall such as cannot bee done without the aide of speciall grace of Gods spirit But unto this assent there is required no such speciall grace therefore it is not an act of justifying faith The Major is evident and granted by the Schooleman Cap. 8. 4. 4. that something there is in faith above nature requiring a supernaturall cause whereto the Scriptures plainely inforce him Eph. 2. 8. By grace yee are saved thorough Faith and that not of ourselves it is the gift of God Phil. 1. 29. Vnto you it is given for Christ that not only yee should beleeve in him but also suffer for his sake So Ioh. 6. 45. Wherefore § 3. he teacheth that this act of assent must be supernaturall partly in regard of the Object id est divine revelations and partly in regard of the principium or cause by which it is produced id est non per solas naturae vires sed per auxilium gratiae Wee agree then in the Proposition For the assumption That there needes not any speciall grace of the Spirit to worke this bare assent unto the truth of divine revelations this wee prove out of the same Schoolemens doctrine who teach that the Vnderstanding assents not unlesse the Will command it because say they the act of beleeving is absolutely in our treewill Cap 8. q. 5. Well be it so But now say wee the Will may without the helpe of grace command the assent of the Vnderstanding which wee prove thus Whatsoever the Vnderstanding by the only light of Nature judges to be honest that the Will can desire by the only strength of nature But by the only light of Nature the Vnderstanding judges that it is an honest thing to beleeve Gods authority revealing any thing to us therefore the Will by the only strength of Nature may desire this act of beleeving and so consequently there 's no need of Grace to move the Will to command the Vnderstanding T is Becanus owne argument against himselfe cap. 8. q. 5. § 9. Whereto he would faine giue an answer if hee could tell how Something he sayes to that Minor proposition whereof he thus distinguisheth The Vnderstanding by the only light of Nature judges it a thing honest to beleeve Gods authority when hee reveales any thing Via ac modo naturali not when he reveales any thing Via ac modo supernaturali Beleeve it a rare distinction and full of mystery Divine Revelations are of two sorts supernaturall and naturall Againe when God reveales his will to us by naturall meanes then the very light of Nature teacheth us that 't is honest to beleeve his authority But if hee reveale things to us by supernaturall meanes the light of nature
wee affirme that for that other generall faith in assenting to the truth of divine things because of Gods authority this faith as he had when hee was a Catholike so hee still hath it in part now he is an Hereticke and by the same faith he beleeved matters of Religion before his Heresie by the same he beleeves them afterward And those that are Heretickes indeed or such whom wee stile by that name let them bee asked why they beleeve such and such points of religion they 'le answer truly and resolutely they beleeve them because of Gods authoritie that hath revealed them in his Word and for such things wherein they dissent could they be perswaded the Scripture did teach the contrary they would for the same authority sake beleeve the contrary The Iesuite is yet urgent upon us and tells us that no Calvinist or Lutheran beleeves Gods authority but doubts of it Wee tell him againe that 's a foule slander and more than hee can make good yes that he will by a distinction too Gods authority considered Abstractivè in it selfe so indeed we doubt not of But Gods authoritie considered practicé in respect of the Church as it is proposed unto us by the Pastors of the Church so we doubt of it because wee admit not the judgement of the Church but follow our owne phantasie ibid. § 7. To this we answer that we passe very little to be judged Infidells upon such a ground because wee call in question the supposed infallibility and authority of the Romish Church We finde in Scriptures no such straight relation betweene her authority and Gods authority that if wee call hers in question wee must needs doubt of his Wee doubt not of the authority of Scriptures but we denie that the Romish Church hath any infallible authority of judging and interpreting them No one man nor all men ought to usurpe such authority over our faith And let the truth be judge who be the greater Insidells Calvinists and Lutherans that beleeve the Scriptures authority for its owne sake or popish Catholikes that will not beleeve but for mans saying Thus you have this second reason somewhat largely that Faith which our Adversaries call Iustifying is in Divells and ungodly men therefore it is not that justifying faith which the Scriptures speake of and appropriate unto the Elect Tit. 1. 1. Here it is but a vaine shift our Adversaries make to runne unto that poore distinction of Fides Formata and Informis namely that Faith may exist two wayes 1. Vt est conjuncta cum charitate ut in homine iusto and then Faith is called formata viva because Charity is Vita animae In this case Faith can Elicere operationes vitales seu aeternae vitae moritorias Gal. 5. 6. Faith worketh by Charity 2. Vt est separata à charitate quod fit in homine peccatore qui amissa per peccatum mortale charitate retinet fidem quamdin Catholicus est This Faith is called Informis mortuâ— nec potest habere operationes vitales seu meritorias Iam. 2. 17. Faith if it have no workes is dead in it selfe and ver 26. as the body without the spirit c. Becan tom 3. cap. 10. § 4. 5. 6. Thus they would have the quality and proper act of justifying Faith to be in reprobate men and divells but yet it doth them no good because t is without Charity Faith without Workes may be in its nature justifying Faith because t is an assent to the articles of Religion upon Gods authority but yet it justifies not because t is without workes Hereunto we reply that in this distinction there is not a syllable of sound doctrine nor yet of reasonable sense Thus much we grant that there is according to St. Iames. a kinde of â—aith without Workes namely a generall assent unto the truth of divine things but we denie that this kinde of Faith is for the substance one and the same with that Faith which is properly called Iustifying Faith without workes is of one kinde Faith with workes is of another not onely in regard of consequent because one hath workes the other hath not but in regard of their proper nature because the quality and acts of the one differ from the quality and acts of the other Wherefore in vaine doe they tell us that the same Faith is sometime with sometime without Charity Iustifying Faith is never without Charity and that which is is not Iustifying Vnto that conceit that Charity is the forme of Faith wee say t is Metaphysicall and such as no good construction can be made of it He saith Charity is Vita animae hee would say Vita fidei but take his meaning Faith lives by Charity as the body by the forme or soule Here 1. T is absurd to make one habite of the minde the forme of the other wee may as well say that Temperance is the forme of Liberality Each habite of the minde is distinguished by its proper object and actions and this the Schooleman cap. 18. quaest 2. § 3. grants in the strict sense 2. How doth Faith live by Charity We say it lives with Charity as its fellow-grace not by Charity as its soule We say without Charity it is dead yet t is not Charity that gives it life The Iesâ—it saith it doth for being joined with it Faith can elicere vitales operationes performe vitall acts Yea but what are these actions Faith hath but two acts 1. proper and immediate viz. Credere seu Assentiri 2. by consequent Iustificare Neither of these comes from Charity even by these mens owne doctrine Not the first for Catholickes without Charity may assent to the articles of Faith for Gods authority sake Not the second for to Iustifie in the Popish sense is to Sanctifie of a bad man to make a good Now how absurd is it to say Faith by Charity Iustifies i. e. Faith by the love of God and our neighbour sanctifies us or taking Charity for the Act not the Habite Faith by good workes of prayer fasting almes-deeds c. sanctifies us Both these are senselesse propositions for t is manifest that hee who hath Charity i. e. loves God and his Neighbour and doth good workes is not as yet to bee sanctified and made good of bad but is thereby sanctified already T is true that Faith is one part of our sanctification or inherent grace and Charity is another but neither doth Faith sanctifie by Charity nor Charity by Faith but we are sanctified by both together If there by any other vitall acts of Faith they should have beene named The glosse which the Iesuit addeth whereby he interpreteth what hee meaneth by vitall operations viz. aeternae vitae meritorias such as deserve eternall life carrieth with it as absurd a sense as the other Thus Charity is the forme and life of Faith i. e. Charity makes the acts of Faith to be Meritorious sâ—il our love of God and man or our good
Prophets in the famous Vniversity of Oxford yet I assure my selfe that whosoever reads this booke with good attention and understanding shall finde the Authors meditations therein so throughly digested and the nature properties and proper acts of Grace and Faith so distinctly layde downe and accurately distinguished that he shall reape to himselfe much profite and comfort thereby and shall with me admire the grace of God abounding toward the Author in all wisedome and in all knowledge lively sense and utterance of heavenly and supernaturall mysteries far above all which can be expected from or is ordinarily found in one of his age and yeares If as we know trees by their fruit so we may passe our sentence upon the composer of this Treatise by his work we cannot conceive or speake lesse of him but that as hee was from his childehood trayned up in the Schooles of learning and had profited above his equals in the studies of the best arts humane divine so undoubtedly he hath from his tender yeares beene throughly disciplined in the Schole of Christ and hath by much and daily experience of afflictions and manifold temptatiâ—ns in himselfe and of the inward sensible operations of Gods spirit and grace in his owne soule attained to this high measure of heavenly knowledge and understanding whereof he hath here given us a lively experiment It is not the most strong out stretched arme of humane reason nor the most swift and farre flying arrow of the sharpest naturall wit nor the farre extended lines of long continued studies which can reach so high to these heavenly and supernaturall mysteries It is onely the holy Spirit of grace comming upon all these taking possession of mans soule dwelling in him and making him a new creature which brings this kind and measure of profound wisedome and this distinct knowledge of divine things yea by the fiery tryall of inward temptations onely doth that blessed Spirit drive the thirsly soules of Gods militant Saints to digge and dive so deep into the fountaines of the sacred Scriptures and to draw such living waters from the very bottome of those Wells of salvation In a word as the Apostle saith of yongue Abel that by Faith having offered up a more excellent sacrifice than his elder brother Cain he by it obtained witnesse that he was righteous God testifying of his gifts by it he being dead yet speaketh Heb. 11. 4. so I will not doubt nor bee affraid to say of the godly and learned Author of this Booke who having offered up to God in a publike place these exercises as the first fruits of his heavenly learning did not long after leave this world in the flower of his age and ascended up into that supercelestiall glory towards which he had ever bent all his studies and desires and which alwaies hee had sought after in the whole course of his life that by faith hee though yongue in yeares hath offered up a more excellent sacrifice than many of his elder brethren by which hee being dead yet speaketh and shall speake to future ages And as hereby he shall obtaine witnesse of all Gods surviving Saints that hee himselfe was a righteous and faithfull servant of Christ excelling in grace and vertue in the dayes of his pilgrimage here on earth So God also will testifie of this his gift that it is holy and acceptable in the eyes of his Majestie by making it powerfull and effectuall to the begetting and increasing of saving grace faith and knowledge in all such as reade and peruse it with true Christian docilitie diligence and humble devotion To the blessing of which gracious God I leave this worke and to his grace commend you all desiring in my daily prayers to be and continue Your brother companion and fellow souldier in seeking the glory of Gods grace defending the truth of the Gospell and fighting against the spreading errours and springing heresies of this age George Walker The Table of the chiefe matters contained in this Treatise ABilities of man are not to be measured by his own partiall iudgement page 145 Actions of grace and holinesse how far they are in a godly mans owne power 147 Admonition three-fold about searching the Scriptures 217. c. Affections two-fold sensuall rationall described 125 Affections not quickned nor stirred vp to loue of goodnesse before conuersion 125 Not rightly moued towards Spirituall things but when thoy are affected spiritually 130 Articles of the Arminian faith 53 Arminians how they erre about vniuersall grace 54 Their errors about the worke of Gods Word and mans calling 99 Their obiections and reasons answered 106. 107. c. Their errors about the subiection of mans naturall affections to his reason discouered 125. c. They giue large allowance of grace to men vnregenerate 127 Their absurdities therein 128 Their grosse errors about mans will discouered 132 c. Their errors in holding that conuersion doth begin and consist in the act onely of beleeuing 134 135. c. The dangerous issue and conclusion of their errors 136 Assent differs in degree according to the diuersity of the obiects assented vnto 169 Assistance effectuall why denied by God at some times to the regenerate 153 B BAptizing of Infants lawfull 47 Beleefe how it differs from faith and trust 170 C CAlumnies of Arminians and Iesuites 155 Calling outward and inward described 94 How the Arminians conceiue of Calling 99 Catechizing needfull and vsefull in the Church of Christ Preface page 6 Certaintie of assent in Faith springs from three grounds The first 206 The second 220 The third 222 Communion with Christ two-fold 15 Conuersion of a sinner to God 6. 7 The causes of it 16. 24 The subiect 37 The manner how it is wrought 27 It goes before Faith 4 It signifies First Gods infusing of habituall grace Second The regenerate mans actuall imploying of grace infused 89. 144 Conuersion mistaken by Arminians which is a cause of confusion in their writings 92 Conuersion how to be truly discerned 115 Preparatiue meanes vnto it 137. 138 How weake they are and in a man vnregenerate how they are said to be sinfull 139 That they may be resisted and how 140. c. Cooperation of Gods Spirit necessarie in all holy actions of men regenerate 151 Corruption of nature what it is 5 D DEsire of spirituall things after a naturall manner is a corrupt desire 130 E ELect men onely are the proper subiect of true conuersion vnto God 41 Euidence of the Scriptures declared proued 175. 176 Conclusions touching it The first 176 The second 182 The third ibid. 183 F FAlling from grace and finall resistance described 142 Faith in Christ a part of sanctification 10 The habit and act of it and when it is wrought ibid. It is not properly the root of all grace 12 There is some Spirituall life before it 13 and some participation with Christ 15. 23 It helps forward and increaseth grace and all gracious actions 14 Faith is commanded in
hee had rather enter upon the Church by undermining the Faith with Heresies than at an open breach upon good manners Ill manners finde more resistance there 's feare of lawes and rod of discipline to curbe them they want their apologies and colourable excuses so lye open to the reproofe and hatred of morall honesty they come accompanied with shame and disgrace following at the heeles which hinders their appearing and entertainment in publike But Heresie easily enters and quickly spreads abroad it findes favourers enough having the advantage of mens common infirmity who are apt to entertaine novelties and take a pride to bee singular it comes armed with reason and such justifications as it thinkes it needs not blush being painted over with the colour of truth lastly it aimes at the fairest the Leaders of the flocke whose authority and example speedily infects the rest With this weapon hath the Dragon made warre with the woman raising up even of her owne children such as have fought against her by damnable Heresies against all the Articles of Faith Of which part have been cut asunder by the sword of the Spirit and yet some againe reviving have been brought into the field under new colours part though convicted condemned yet stand it out under the support of tyrannicall violence remain to this day in that Augean stable that sink or common sewer of the Romish Synagogue whereto all Heresies almost of former latter times have made their confluence Besides a new breed of Hereticall opinions not plainly denying but by consequent overturning sursum vorsum the maine Articles of Christian beleefe and therefore are so much the moâ—e dangerous by how much the lesse easily they are discernable in their damnable issues So as the Doctrine thereof is no lesse perplexed with strange disputes and difficulties than the Grace it selfe is continually assaulted by fearefull doubting and distrust Whether it bee mans infelicity to be ignorant of that which stands him in most stead or the divells malice to lessen our comforts in the vse of Faith by confounding our understanding in the knowledge of the nature thereof that so we might either dangerously erre or discomfortably doubt touching the truth of it in our selves or Writers misexplication of that excellent grace through their own weaknes or want of faith sure I am if any point of Divinity this touching faith is full of much obscurity and contention T is much men should have a grace so divine and powerfull and yet know not what it is but as the Apostle speakes of men Faith is not of all so may wee say of Writers All have not faith that write of it especially Popish Doctors who speaking of faith but by imagination have profanely censured the faith of Gods elect expounded by Protestants according to Scripture to bee but a very fancy Among whose curious and Metaphysicall discourses of this subject he that wants faith shall never finde it and hee that hath faith may chance lose it at least the life and powerfull practice of it whilst his head is intangled in subtile and nice speculations about it For our selves let it be our care so to speake and judge of faith as that most precious grace which is given us to save our soules not exercise our wits the knowledge whereof by contemplation is most empty and vain without the reall inhabitation of it within our soules It shall be my weake and yet best endeavour by the helpe of Gods assistance to give you the knowledge thereof so farre as the word in manifold precepts and examples of the Saints together with the paines of the learned have discovered it to my poore understanding In the unfolding of the nature of it I must spend more time than at first I purposed to doe because in this point some other parts of Divinity are so enterwoven and linked one with another that without the knowledge of all wee shall not cleerly discerne of any alone Such are our Vocation the forerunner and our Iustification the follower of our faith All that I have to say I will reduce to these foure generalls 1. Touching the antecedents of faith namely our Conversion Vocation of which so much as shal serve to discover unto us the generation and birth of faith 2. Touching the nature of faith it selfe wherein the being of that most heavenly vertue consists 3. Concerning the consequents and concomitants of faith both in regard of God as Iustification and our selves as Obedience whereby we may be able to judge as of the benefit so of the truth of our faith 4. Concerning the opposites and enemies of faith the knowledge whereof may arme us against them For the first namely our Conversion the knowledge thereof will give us some light to finde out how faith is wrought in us which by Divines is made the first degree of our Conversion and last Terminus of our effectuall Vocation However a part it is and that a principall one too of our first resurrection from the death of sinne to the supernaturall life of grace Which that it may appeare we must distinctly consider of the threefold difference of such qualities as are in the reasonable soule and doe either help or hinder it in its operations This difference is according to mans triple estate 1. In the state of innocency man was created right or upright Eccl. 7. 29. and very good Gen. 1 ult endowed with such strength and integrity in all parts as did wholly dispose them to all operations conformable to Gods will His understanding so farre as was needefull before his translation had a cleer apprehension of the Deity in his nature attributes and worship as also of the creatures in their essence and qualities His will embraced and clave fast unto God whom Adam knew to be the author of his being and happinesse His affections and all inferiour faculties obeyed without all resistance the rule of reason and motions of the sanctified Will This universall holinesse and perfection in the whole man was that Image of God or originall justice wherein Adam was created but continued not For in the second place 2. After his fall for a punishment of his wilfull transgression God withdrew from Adam this his Image and stript him naked of that habite of grace and perfect holinesse wherewith he was before in all parts qualified leaving onely here and there some few traces or lines of that excellent Character unblotted out And now in place of originall justice succeeds originall corruption being an universall depravation and disability of mans whole nature to work well and conformably to the law of his first creation The understanding is dark erroneous confused in the apprehension of naturall stark blinde in perceiving spirituall things The will froward averse from affecting or choosing its chief good The affections and lower faculties disorderly violent untameable And this universall corruption of mans nature is that which we call the image of Satan to whom Adam
that prayer To give a reason of this different working why grace is bestowed on some presently at baptisme in others t is deferred till a long time after is to unlocke the treasurie of Gods secret counsells onely this wee may say that God will shew that no age is uncapable of grace and that he will bee glorified aswell in sauing some from falling into the fire as by pulling others out of it by the gentle and easie deliverance of one and by the more violent torments and panges of the New-birth in another that both wayes he may have the Thankes and wee the Benefit of this his grace and power 3. A Defence of the salvation of Infants dying before Baptisme against the Popish assertion to the contrary For this ground being certaine No uncleane thing shall enter in the kingdome of Heaven it followes by the law of contraries that whatsoeuer is cleane may enter thereinto But Infants such as are elect may be cleane and holy before their Baptisme as is manifest whether we respect the guilt of Sin or the corruption of it They are cleane from the guilt of originall sinne by the death of Christ which God hath accepted to their perfect justification long before they were borne They are likewise made cleane in part from the Corruption of originall sinne by the infusion of Habituall sanctity into their soules For being justified by Christ from the guilt and punishment of sinne what should hinder why they may not be sanctified by the Holy Ghost in part whilst they live and perfectly upon the severing of the Soule and Body when originall corruption is in a moment done away and the soule invested in the robes of righteousnesse fit for its entrance into happinesse Cannot this worke of Sanctification be wrought in them before Baptisme it may as well as after seeing it is not baptisme but the Spirit is the cause thereof whose worke is free and not so to be tyed unto that ordinance as they of the Romish Synagogue would make us beleeve but that hee may sanctifie the Elect sometime before sometime after and not alwaies at the present celebration of it Now if Infants thus justified and sanctified depart this life what should stoppe their passage to heaven It will bee vaine to object that they have not actuall Faith and therefore must be excluded Wee may aswell say they want repentance and therefore cannot be saved seeing the Scriptures make alike necessitie of both graces to our salvation And the objection holds aswell after Baptisme as before when yet all grant the salvation of Infants For t is a thing inconceivable and inexplicable how Infants should have Actuall Faith whilst they are not yet able to exercise any one faculty of their reasonable soule The truth is that the Habits of Faith and Repentance they have as of all other Spirituall graces infused into them which if they lived would also appeare by their actuall opperations but for that time they have not the Acts of those graces nor are they capable of them nor is it simply needfull they should have them The case is extraordinary and God as before they were hath pardoned them of their originall righteousnesse by the bloud of Christ so can hee aswell bestowe Holinesse and Happinesse on them without any actuall faith of theirs comming betweene as an instrument to receive both If this may not bee said touching such elect Infants I must confesse that unto me the knowledge of the salvation of their soules is as inscrutable as the fashioning of their tender bodies in their mothers wombe And this which hath beene said of Infants may be also applied to such as are Deafe or â—ooles having such naturall defects as make them uncapable of Discipline 4. A just apologie for the lawfulnesse of Childrens Baptisme against Hereticall impugners of the same For how can the Signe be denied unto them which have and enjoy the thing signified That which is signified in Baptisme is our Iustification by the blood of Christ our Sanctification by the Spirit of Christ. Baptisme is the Scale of both unto us and Infants may be partakers of both being washed from the guilt of sinne by the blood of Christ in whom they are reconciled to God and actually justified before him and also purified in partfrom the uncleannesse of sinne by the infusion of Grace from the Holy Ghost What then should hinder why these Infants should not also be washed with the water of the Sacrament thereof If it be demanded how wee can presume that Christian Infants have a part in the graces of Iustification and Sanctification I answer we have good warrant so to thinke from the Covenant and Promise of God that hee will be the God of the faithfull and of their seed But for Heathens and Infidells wee haue no such promise whereon to ground our judgement of Charity and therefore albeit some of them who are out of the Church may bee within the compasse of God selection yet seeing God hath excluded them by an apparant barre wee may not venture to give them the Sacrament of Baptisme till such time as they shall make profession of their faith and that by their appearing conversion wee may charitably judge they belong to the Covenant of Grace Now although of such as live within the Church we know for a certainty in the generall that many both of Christian parents are not faithfull and of Christian children that they have no part in Christ yet we may not exclude them from Baptisme because no man dares be so hardy as to passe his peremptory censure of this or that persons rejection in particular This is one thing if wee did know infallibly now that any one were certainely excluded out of Gods election and should never have benefit by Christs death such a one be hee Infidell or borne of the most Christian parents in the world wee ought by no meanes to baptize no more than wee may admit of that person to come to the Lords Supper that hath apparantly sinned against the Holy Ghost or as the Church doth with such as are justly Excommunicated who for the time of their open inpenitencie declare themselves publikely to have no Faith nor part in Christ. For it were a manifest mockery and abuse of this sacred institution to apply this Seale to a Blanke and to dip them in the water of Baptisme whom wee know shall never be washed with the Holy Ghost Further it helpes not the Caâ—abaptists a jot that when Christian Infants come to age and ability to make profession then wee may discerne and judge of their estate For that 's impossible no man can infallibly perceive by any words or actions what the Heart is whether there be in it true faith or not And so in this case if Baptisme should never bee administred till other men may judge of their Faith it shall bee afforded to none at all or if it be given to every one that professeth and saith hee
ascribes unto mans Heart corruption and grace as much nay more than to any other part of man That the Heart of man is the root of all evill workes out of it come evill thoughts murders adulteries and such other things as defile a man Mat. 15. 18 19. That the Heart is deceitfull and wicked above all things Ier. 17. 9. That in regeneration the Heart must bee renued made cleane softened of stony made fleshy That the Heart is the seate of all Spirituall gifts as Vprightnesse Purity Goodnesse and Honesty Faith Lowlinesse and many more spoken of in every chapter of the Bible almost In which places by the Heart to understand our Sensuall and brutish affections were most absurd And if as it is the Soule of man be there meant it cannot be but a nice subtilty beyond the intention of Scriptures to exclude the Will from having any part in that good or evill which is attributed to the Heart as if by the Heart were meant only the understanding part of the Soule 3. Wee preferre the uniforme judgement of all the learned hitherto above the opinion of one Arminiâ—â— and his followers who as they make the Vnderstanding the seate of all speculative Habits so for all practicall Habits whether Morall or Theologicall they place them in the Will With whom agreeably to Scripture and sound reason we maintaine that there was in Adams will besides the liberty thereof an Habituall holy inclination to all that was good though with a possibility of embracing evill again there is in our wills since the Fall besides some kind of liberty an Habituall vitious quality making them averse and froward in choosing the good prone and inclinable to embrace the â—vill so that man now doth naturally drinke iniquity like water Iob 15 16. and make a pastime of doing evill Prov. 2. 14. And therefore as Adams will was truly good not onely in the actions but in the inward qualities thereof so our will is truely and properly corrupt not onely in its evill actions but also the inward vitious disposition thereof This is the fourth errour the fifth is but a consectary of the former namely 5. That the wll of a man Vnregenerate hath a naturall freedome to choose any Spirituall good thing as soone as it is made knowne vnto him For say they the Will of man hath no other property but onely liberty when man fell and lost other good qualities his will had no hurt but retained its liberty perfect and entire So that an Vnregenerate man after once hee knowes any Spirituall good thing offered unto him hath naturally as much freedome of will to embrace it even as Adam had in his Innocency or as any man can have after his Conversion But this opinion falls to the ground with the former upon which it is built presupposing that there is no vitious quality in the will drawing it to evill But we know that to be false and therefore we confesse that untill such time as God doe heale that disease and replant in our wills their primitive integrity they are utterly dead in sinne captives and bond-slaves of corruption So that however they have some liberty in Naturall Civill or Externall Spirituall things yet in regard of true Grace and Holinesse they have no liberty at all to will and choose that but are wholly enthralled unto sinne according to that of the Apostle Rom. 6 20. When yee were the servants of sinne yee were free from righteousnesse and Rom. 8. 7. The carnall minde is enmity against God for it is not subject to the Law of God neither indeede can bee Doe they not then manifestly give the Scripture the lie that affirme a man in the state of unregeneration who without doubt is if any be a servant of sinne and carnally minded is notwithstanding free unto righteousnesse and may be even of his owne naturall power subject to the Law of God commanding him faith and obedience There are yet other errors the sixth therefore is this 6. That mans Conversion begins in the Act of Beleeving not in the Habit of Faith infused I have heretofore touched upon this point in shewing the falshood of that assertion of theirs That Conversion begins in some worke that we do not in a worke that God first doth Here you are further to note whereto tends this opinion and that is to establish their other opinion of Falling away from grace For seeing Conversion is nothing but the Act of Beleeving this Act is freely in our power as not to do it at first so when it is once done not to repeat it often for the continuance of our Conversion it follows thence that as it was in our power not to become Converts by not doing that Act so being Converted t is in our power to relapse by not continuing to doe it For which purpose they deny that there is any such thing as the grace of Faith infused into the heart yea that there is any constant habit of Faith at all and that a man is not termed a Beleever from the Habit but from the Acts of Faith which being transient and vanishing Faith ceaseth when they cease So that belike when a godly man is asleepe he hath no faith when Noah and all his Family were asleepe in the Arke then Faith ceased in the Church and seeing by faith we please God men asleepe or dying in a Lethargy doe not please God T is wonder but these men will deny all other Habits too and say that David had no skill in Musicke but that his right hand had forgot her cunning as soone as he had layd his Harpe aside They may aswell denie the one as the other both are alike ridiculous There is yet one Error more and that is this 7. That mans Conversion is properly nothing but the Act of Beleeving the Promise of Grace This restraint of our Conversion unto so narrow a compasse as first to bring it from the Habit of Faith to the Act of Beleeving and then to appropriate it to that Act without so much as once mentioning any other graces this narrow conceit touching our Conversion is that which hath filled the writings of many learned about this point with much darknesse and confusion They so speake and write of Conversion as if it began in that one and only Action of mans will Consenting to the promise of mercy in Christ. But this is without all ground To convert is not only to beleeve but to repent to love God and our Neighbour to abstaine from every evill way to practise all duties of Piety and Goodnesse these acts are as proper and immediat parts of true Conversion as Faith Nor doth the Scripture so much as intimate any such limitation as to appropriate our Conversion to the Act of Faith nay t is manifest that the Scriptures when they speake of manâ— Turning unto God doe joyne repentance and other godly Acts together with Faith as appeares by that solemne invitation of
admiration to themselves for being the only oracles of Religion that so they may beare rule over the peoples faith Or else the god of this world hath blinded these Leaders eies and they not willing to goe to hell alone put out also the eyes of the people to the end they may not know more than themselves or all that themselves doe and so their knavery be discovered For us let us detest a doctrine so contrary to the profession of Christianity that takes away all care and study after godly knowledge and makes way for the entrance of Heresies Profanenesse and Irreligion nor rest we in our seach after divine things till wee bee able to say with the Apostle I know whom I have beleeved 2. Tim. 1. 12. and with the true worshippers of God Wee worship that which wee know Ioh. 4. 22. Hitherto of the First Part proposed to bee handled in the Definition of Faith generally taken namely the Obiect of it which are all Reuelations of what kind soeuer made by God vnto the Creature We come vnto the Second point namely the Subiect in which this Quality of Faith is inherent which in the Definition was expressed to be the Reasonable Creature Within which Latitude wee comprise all created vnderstanding whether of men or of Angels Of liuing men there is no Question not of the best of men that euer were Adam in his innocency and Christ. That Adam had Faith it cannot be doubted by any who knowes that the cause of his fall was his not perseuering in a firme beliefe of that threatning In the day that thou eatest thou shalt die When his ascent to the truth of this reuelation once tottered Satan presently closes in vpon him and so plyes him vpon the aduantage that he leaues him not till he had laid the Happinesse and Honour of that glorious creature in the dust For the Humanity of Christ what was in innocent Adam was also in him as is apparant by those Prayers and Supplications which in the dayes of his flesh he offered vp with strong crying and teares vnto him that was able to saue him from death Heb. 5. 7. and that complaint vpon the Crosse in his greatest agony My God my God why hast thou forsaken mee Mat. 27. 46. Those prayers were made in Faith and so Hee was heard in that which hee feared nor was his complaint though very pitiful and fetcht from the lowest depth of Misery without much strength of Faith whilst yet he cals him his God whom for the present hee found his enemy Moreouer though Christ as the Son of man was ignorant of the time of the end of the world yet no question but he did perfectly belieue the Article of the last iudgement Touching Angels wee haue S. Iames testimony of the euill Spirits Iam. 2. 19. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 They belieue that those chaines of darknesse in which they are now imprisoned shall bee euerlasting and that they shall bee made much heauier vpon them by a multiplication of their torments in the iudgement of that great Day as Iude speaketh Iude 6. This they belieue with such horror besides a world of other particulars which by reuelation of Scripture they know will fall out For there is no doubt but the diuels though they tempt men to vnbeliefe yet doe themselues belieue the truth of the Scriptures which they know well enough to bee of God Their rage and malice against them proues it euidently For the blessed Angels we cannot deny vnto them nothing what wee grant vnto the accursed but as their knowledge of many things is more cleare and exact then it is in the Diuels so is their faith vnto others much more firme and resolued Whence though they know not the day and houre of the end of the world Mar. 13. 32. yet they belieue it with ioy expecting the augmentation of their owne happinesse by accesse of the Churches accomplished glory Nor doe the Spirits of iust men who liued by Faith in this life vtterly cease to liue by Faith after their translation into heauen for euen when they are there they yet still belieue many things both past and to come as the resurrection of their bodies euerlasting life c. And that prayer which the Saints in heauen make for auengment of their bloud-shed vpon the Earth How long Lord Holy and true doest thou not iudge and auenge our blood on them that dwell on the Earth Reu. 6. 10. is certainely a prayer made in Faith Wherefore you see that euery part of the world hath faith in it Faith on earth Faith in heauen and Faith in Hell too Whereas there is Created Reason there also there is Faith The reason is this because Perfect Vision only takes away all Faith and where all things that may be knowne are euidently seene and looked vpon being comprehended in their proper nature there is no faith at all But now there is no Created Intellectuall Nature but it may vnderstand more by reuelation then it can comprehend Intuitiuè by beholding the thing it selfe And therefore all Future things which doe nor naturally depend vpon necessary causes cannot be knowne vnto the Angels themselues but onely by reuelation from God Whence the Apostle Peter speaking of the mystery of mans redemption by Christ 1 Peter 1. 11. affirmeth that euen the Angels were greatly desirous to behold that wonderfull mystery 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 to stoâ—pe downe and looke into it as wee doe into darke and obscure places For such was the mystery of the Gospell euen secret and hidden from the knowledge of Angels till God by reuealing it vnto the Church made it knowne also vnto them as the Apostle shewes Eph. 3. 10. In like sort for matters of Fact long agoe past euen the Saints in heauen haue no euident knowledge by Uision but onely by reuelation they must still belieue the stories of the Bible know them they cannot by sight vnlesse we should belieue that vaine opinion De Speculo Trinitatiâ— that the Saints beholding the face of God doe as in a glasse behold in Sin all things present to their view which is iustly reiected by the learned as an impossible thing Wee dare not be curious in these things pressing too farre into those matters which wee haue not seene thus much wee may with reason affirme that God alone is without all beliefe whatsoeuer because hee onely is Perfect in knowledge most distinctly comprehending at once all things past present and to come calling the things that are not as if they were in whose sight all things are manifest yea 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Heb. 4. 13. stripped starke naked and presented to his view in their proper shapes Only such an absolute infinite knowledge takes away all Faith in any kinde whatsoeuer As for the creature it knowes but in part and therefore it mâ—st in part bee alwaies bound to belieue whatsoeuer the creator shall reueale vnto it Thus in the generall you see that
our assent vnto Diuine Truths springs from these three fountaines 1 From the Infallible Authority of the Reuelation 2 From the excellent greatnesse and worth of things Reuealed 3 From the manifest experiment of some part of their Truth knowne vnto vs. Of these in order The first and chiefest ground whereon is built the Certainty of faiths assent is The Infallible truth and Authority of Diuine Reuelations I call this the chiefest ground because it is that whereunto finally all our Beliefe is resolued For aske the question wherefore do you firmely belieue the Articles of the â—reed The answere is Because God hath reuealed them in Scriptures to be belieued The reason of which answere is this because What euer God saith istrue Now this is a principle in Nature aswell knowne to the reasonable creature as that they haue reason it is grauen deepe vpon the conscience of euery one which tels him That God is so infinitely Wise that hee can be ignorant of nothing that none can circumuent and ouer each him And againe that he is so infinitely good holy and Iust that no â—ie can come of this truth as Iohn speaketh Iohn 2. 21. Wisedome it selfe cannot bee deceiued Truth it selfe cannot deceiue and God is both Wherefore none but a Iesuite like Becaâ—… whose wits haue serued an apprentiship in the mystery of lying and aequiuocation vnder the Father of â—ies would haue affirmed that the Prophets and Apostles though they knew it was God that reuealed heauenly mysteries vnto them yet they knew not Euidently whether God was not deceiued himselfe or would not deceiue them Alying surmise much like that of the Serpent when hee tempted the Woman Yea saith he hath God indeed said so Yes the woman answeres God hath said so and we know it But Satan replies Are you sure that God spake true when hee said it The Diuell then denyed it and Becanus staggers at it as a thing very doubtfull telling vs that when God speakes man cannot be euidently certaine whether he speaks true or false But we reiect with abomination such a suggestion to Infidelity that strikes at the roote of all Christian Faith and shakes the lowest foundation-stone in all that building we know and are euidently assured That God is truth and in him or of him there is no Lie From this first ground of faith in Gods Essentiall truth wee draw another that whersoeuer any Reuelation is certainely known or belieued to be of God there the reasonable creature doth fully assent to the truth of things reuealed Whence all the holy Pen-men of Scriptures did for themselues most certainely belieue the truth of all things they deliuered though sometimes they vnderstood but darkely what was the meaning of that which they spake and wrote because they knew that they were taught them immediatly from God Yea the diuels themselues when they know as they doe these reuelations to be from God howeuer they tempt men to distrust and out of malice raises vp lies and slanders vpon Gods truth yet in the meane time are themselues cleerely conuinced of this truth and doe assent vnto it in their consciences The diuell knew well that Gods threatning to Alam was a certaine truth euen whilst he perswaded him it was but a lie And when he inspired the Pharisies to call Christ. Samaritan Belzebub a possessed Daemoniacke a Deceiuer and all to nought euen then himselfe could not but confesse that he was that Christ Iesus the Sonne of the most high God Mar. 5. 7. But this is the malice of Hell to sight against the Light and furiously to oppose what we cannot but acknowledge to be truth Well Thus far then our Faith goes vpon a sure ground That whatsoeuer God saith is true And againe When wee know euidently that God sayes it wee are ready to belieue it without further question But here in the next place is all the doubt How know wee infallibly that God is the Author of the Scriptures and that such things as therein are proposed for vs to belieue are reuealed by God himselfe This is a fundamentall Question wherein it greatly behoues euery Christian to be rightly informed It would require a large discourse to bee prosecuted through euery particular I shall but onely touch vpon the generall and giue occasion to each one carefully to bethinke himselfe that his faith be built on the rocke and not vpon the Sand. The Question is How is it knowne certenly that the Scriptures are the very word of God it hath two braÌ„ches 1 Toaching each seuerall part of Scripture as it was reuealed and giuen to the Church of God How did the People of the Iewes know that what was deliuered by Moses and other Prophets after him from time to time was the word of God To which I answere they knew the writing and Preaching of Moses and the Prophets to be of diuine Inspiration partly by the holinesse of the Doctrine which they taught the liuely power and worke whereof the hearts of the godly then felt partly by the miracles which they wrought for confirmation of their propheticall office partly by the certaine and infallible accomplishment of all their prophecies Of which triall of Prophets and their prophesies wee haue a generall rule set downe Deut. 18. 18. c. I will raise them vp a Prophet from among their brethren like vnto thee and will pur my words in his mouth and hee shall speake vnto them all that I command him 19. And whosoeuer will not hearken vnto my words which hee shall speake in my name I will require it of him 20. But the Prophet that shall presume to speake a word in my name which I haue not commanded him to speake or that speaketh in the name of other gods euen the same Prophet shall die 2â— And if thou thinke in thine heart How shall wee know the word which the Lord hathnot spoken 22. When a Prophet speaketh in the name of the Lord if the thing follow not nor come to passe that is the thing which the Lord hath not spoken but the Prophet hath spoken it presumptuously thou shalt not so be afraid of him By the same meanes were the preaching of Christ also the preaching and writing of the Apostles knowne in their times 2 Touching the whole Scripture as it is now compleatly deliuered vnto vs in writing How can it euidently and infallibly appeare vnto vs that what wee finde written in the Bible is of diuine inspiration the very oracles of God not mans Inuentions In the solution of this Question our aduersaries of the Romish and wee of the Reformed Churches differ irreconcileably Wee affirme that the Scriptures are knowne to be of God by themselues they maintaine that we cannot bee certaine of the Scriptures Diuinity by any other argument then the testimony of the Church which say they doth infallibly propose vnto vs what is to be belieued what is not to be belieued So that ask a Roman Catholike Wherfore do you
In the like manner the Revelations of Scripture are like a cleere well polished glasse free from dust â—lawes crackes or other deformities in them wee may behold all the mysteries of Religion cleerly represented in their shapes and proper colours so farre forth as is needfull for us to see them in this life and when attentively we marke what is shewne unto us wee may take distinct notice of every thing that is to be beleeved by us in all articles of Christian Faith And this knowledge is in it selfe distinct and cleere though compared with that other proper immediate beholding of the things themselves face to face as the Apostle speakes it may justly be termed Darke and 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Let one instance make all plaine in Gal. 3. 1. the Apostle saith that Christ was described unto the Galatians 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 before their eyes 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 being crucified among them Why this was not possible that what was done at Ierusalem on mount Golgatha should bee seene in Galatia many hundred miles from it How then was Christ described and crucified in the sight of these Galatians It was in the cleere and manifest declaration of him by the Apostles preaching Which though it could not make the sufferings of Christ so evident unto the Galatians as they were unto such as stood by the crosse of Christ and saw him suffer yet so cleere and distinct was the representation thereof 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 in the mirrour of the Apostles preaching that the Galatians faith in this case was not an assent to things obscure which they understood not It s one thing then for a matter to be present unto us in it owne nature another for it to be perspicuously plainly set forth in a narration in which latter sense we affirm against the Romanist that all objects of Faith are not Obscure but Evident in those Revelations of them which are made in Scriptures 2. Ex parte Dei Revelantis For non constat nobis clarè evidenter revelationemillam propter quam credimus articulas fidei à Deo factam esse No is it not evident to us that the Scriptures are of God To whom then was it evident to the holy men of God to whom they were first inspired Yes the Iesuite grants that but yet heare his words Num. 12. Prophetae Apostolâ— saith hee habuerunt tantùm evidentiam revelationis non autemevidentiam Primae veritatis Tamet si enim evidenter cognoscerent Deum esse qui ipsis revelabat mysteria fides non tamen evidenter cognoscebant Deum esse summè veracem qui nec falli possit nec fallere Vnde sequitur assensum illorum quem habuerunt circa mysteria fidei fuisse obscurum ejusdem speciei cum assensu fidei nostrae See ye this Iesuite how hee would blow away with one blast all the certainty of Christian faith and so bring the matter about that there shall be no sure footing for it unlesse it be in the authority of the Church and the Popes infallible fancy Revelations of Scripture are not evident to us that they are of God to the Prophets and Apostles they were indeed evidently knowne to bee of God but yet see the mischiefe the Truth of God the Revealer was not evidently knowne unto these holy men nor were they infallibly certaine but that God might and would tell them a lie A foule blasphemy and I know not whether hee doe deserve the name of a Reasonable creature who is not himselfe or thinkes there is any that is not infallibly evidently and most certainly convinced of this truth that God cannot bee deceived himselfe nor will deceive any But touching this point that wee have no such obscure tottering foundation for our faith but a most sure and cleere word full of brightnesse and majesty like light shining into our soules and by it owne characters discovering it owne divine originall of this hereafter more fitly in handling the certainty of Faiths assent Now in the meane time for conclusion of this first point touching the Objects of Faith How farre forth they are Evident or Inevident these two confectaries may be noted out of what hath been said 1. Knowledge by sight takes away Faith that is so far as sight goes but no further for as we said of Beliefe in generall so here Evident Experience of the truth in some things doth helpe our Faith in other Whence t is usuall with the godly to strengthen their faith in the promises for time to come by calling to minde Gods mercies of old and that evident triall of them they have had in time past And Thomas because hee saw the Evident truth of Ghrists Resurrection did more firmely beleeve the rest of the mystery of mans Redemption by him But otherwise in the same things as sight waxeth so Faith waineth the greater light certainty drownes the lesse where Knowledge is perfect the Faith though it remains in the Habit yet it ceaseth in the Act. This is manifest by that opposition which the Apostle makes betweene Faith and Sight 2. Cor. 5. 7. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 what this walking by Faith is is plaine Chap. 4. 18. We looke not on the things which are seene but on the things which are not seen for the things which are seene are temporall but the things which are not seene are eternall 2. A distinct explicite knowledge of divine things in the Revelations of them in Scripture is necessary to the being of Christian Faith By explicite knowledge I meane the understanding of the articles of Beliefe so farre forth as they are plainly declared in Scriptures This Historicall knowledge for so we may terme it synecdochicâ—â— of the letter and meaning of the Scriptures in such things as it proposeth to be beleeved is required to the being of Christian Faith as a necessary antecedent thereof For though this knowledge may be where Faith is not yet Faith can never be where this knowledge goes not before Ignorant in this sense and Vnbeleeving are termes reciprocall As perfect knowledge by sight excludes Faith of the thing seene so doth perfect ignorance of any thing destroy all Faith of the same thing I say of the same thing for a man may bee absolutely ignorant in some things yet a beleever in others and therefore wee doe not meane that such an explicite knowledge is necessary to faith as that wee must distinctly apprehend all points of Faith before wee beleeve for the Apostles when yet they were true beleevers were ignorant in many articles of Faith as Christs Resurrection Ascention c. But this wee affirme that where there is totall ignorance of any one article of Faith there can be no Beliefe at all of that article as for example Hee that saith I beleeve a holy Catholike Church and yet knowes not what a holy Catholike Church is what ever hee say hee doth not beleeve it That such a blinde credo is