Selected quad for the lemma: faith_n
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A56485
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A methode to gain satisfaction in religion proposed occasionally in a letter to a friend / J.P. Philologos.
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J. P.
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1673
(1673)
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Wing P59; ESTC R22480
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5,795
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12
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so furiously imitated by some amongst us I was on the other side fully convinc'd that the light of the Private Spirit alone was no infallible Director in this case neither since we see by too too sad experience multitudes of those to differ one from another as before in essential points of Religion as in the Trinity and Godhead of Christ c. and yet every one affirming that they are inspired by that unerring Light which leads them into all truth and their Interpretations are all of them from the evidence and Demonstration of the Spirit Now the cause of all this seemed to me to be nothing else but their furious Rejecting of Reason with the only means in this case to Rectify it viz. Tradition and their accepting insteed thereof an inward self-conviction which is nothing else but a sence or perswasion wrought gradually upon them by the strength of their several Educations to be a sufficient perswasion to assure them of the Divine Authority of S. Scripture and of its sense too which is extreamly groundless and irrational and the Mahumetans have as much to say for their Alcoran and Religion as this comes to 11. Neither the Letter of Jeremias his Prophesy nor that Portion of the Spirit which Daniel had bestowed upon him was sufficient to make him understand the Number of the years there mentioned but we find there was somthing else necessary Dan. 9.2 So that neither the Letter nor the Light of the private Spirit alone being able to assure me of the true sense of S. Scriptures there needs but common Reason to discern that the same Rule which I had for the Authority or Canon of the Word of God it selfe if it be sincerely followed according to Right-Reason was the only sufficient means to assure me of its true meaning and sense It appear'd to me greatly rational to receive the sense as well as the Words of S. Scriptures from those that were either contemporary with or immediately succeeded the Apostles And in all controversial points this Rule hath proved to me the only satisfactory refuge I could ever yet meet with It is the only means to convince my Judgment what Christ and his Apostles taught and practised what was the Doctrine and Discipline of the Apostolick and Primitive Church 12. This Rule of Faith if I may so call the means to know the true sense of S. Scripture will certainly convey down the true Faith unchang'd to all after Ages By which Touchstone is to be tried which is the true Church For a Church is a Congregation of the Faithful and the Faithful are those which have the true Faith If the true Faith cannot be had without this Rule then they only that have this Rule are the true Church 13. Having found the Rule of Faith there remain'd to find out which body of men in the World do follow this Rule For those and only those I conceived could be assured of the true meaning and sense of S. Scripture could only have the true Faith could only be the true Church My Zeal was on fier till I was satisfied that I was a member of that Catholick Church whereas all the rest of men in the World since they have but fallible grounds of their Faith cannot have true Faith but Opinion only 14. I had a strong presumption and indeed a firm assurance that the Church of England doth hold her Doctrine and Discipline by this infallible Tenure since She alone owns this Rule and demonstratively proves that she doth now stick by it For I satisfied my self that her Doctrine and Discipline which she hath not been ashamed to confess but to evidence to the open veiw of the World in her Articles and Canons is squared according to the Testimony of the Primitive Age and unmuddied Fountain of Christianity and therefore I concluded her to be the true Church and so to be possest both of the true Letter and sence of S. Scripture And if any particular Text be ambiguous and perhaps not cleared by any Primitive Writter She is in a capacity by the word written in her heart viz. Right Reason to assigne a sense agreeable to the Rule of Faith being assisted by that infallible Guide which leads into all Truth 15. Oh! how highly rational did it appear to me to bring the sence of S. Scripture where it seems dubious to the Apostolick Primitive sense and Practice rather then to make it fadg to any preconceived Notion whatsoever By which very consideration how easily might the fearful stirs about Controversiall Points be avoyded how strangely short might the large Debates about the meaning of particular Texts become and in what peace quiet and Satisfaction might they end What if the Letter of S. Scripture in the opinion of some doth seem as much to favour some other Doctrine or Discipline as that of the Church of England yet since it doth as fairely speak if not more manifestly as is unanswerably proved by Judicious Hooker in his Ecclesiasticall Policy for that as for any other among the many that are contended for Methinks upon this very consideration she might be allow'd to stand if not upon higher yet upon as even termes as any of the other But when I see the Church of England to write so neerly after the Original Coppy to teach and practice the same things which those first and unmuddied times did this this very consideration clearly turns the Scale and so alters the case that she if but permitted to be weighed in the ballance of common Reason would prove too pondrous for any Rival there was never yet any pretended Church that ever came in competition with her but was found too light 16. By the help of these Considerations I became clearly sensible that the eye of the understanding of those that urge that nothing ought to be established in the Church of God more then what is positively or interminis commanded in the S. Scriptures did look through a fallacious Prospective Besides the Jewish Church the Particulars of whose Worship were so exactly particularized in their Revelation that with far greater reason they might have pretended such an assertion did not think it self bound up in such strict limits as not to have power to recede from the Letter of their Law and therefore as occasion offered did ordain and practice many things which their Law did not enjoyn yet had the open approbation of God himself As for instance 1 their Building of Tabernacles 2 their hours of Prayer 3 their sections of the Law and the Prophets 4 their keeping the Passover 14 dayes by Hezechias when as the Law enjoyned but 7 dayes 5 their feast of Purim by Esther 6 their Feast of Dedication by the Maccabees 7 their Fast of 4 5 and 10 months under the Captivity 8 their use of baptising Proselites 9 their Washing of feet before the Passover imitated by our Saviour c. These things considered I knew not why the Christian Church should be deprived of the like Priviledge Besides there being many things for which though there are no indisputably express texts yet finding them allowed enjoyned and practised by the Apostles or their Immediate Successors I thought my self obliged to receive them not knowing but they might have nay rationally concluding that they must have Divine Authority Such as the Change of the Sabboth from Saturday to Sunday the Baptising of Infants the use of Godfathers and Godmothers as Stipulatores Confirmation Publick Lythurges as the Greek Lythurgie composed by St. Paul the Indian by St. Thomas the Ethiopian by S. Mark the Muscovian by St. Andrew c. the Observation Anniversary of Christs Nativity and of other Feasts and Fasts the Hierarchichall Policy of Church Government and the like 17. As these Considerations have been helpful to build me up to a firm Settlement in Religion so I have hopes that they will have the like influence on all unless it be either on those of Rome or on others among our selves who being brought up to a certain Sect and addicted to a particular Party have so irresistably espoused certain Opinions that right or wrong they are resolved not to bring them to this Test And such persons are in a dangerous condition Strangers to Christianity Turks and Infidells may sooner be perswaded to give a Bill of Divorse to their whoring after strang Inventions and be sooner gayn'd to make use of their Reasons the only Distrimination between men and Bruites then such as these Lastly To conclude with the Resolution of a Quere which it may be is here as necessary as it is likely to be made to the aforesaid Method viz If Reason be the Foundation of Religion and Tradition be absolutely necessary to rectify it how shall illiterate persons be satisfied whose educations and stations in the World do incapacitate them to be informed by such means The Answer is this there is no man though never so illiterate if he will be true to himself and lay aside all manner of prejudice of imbibed Principles and Parties c. But will easily confess the aforesaid Hypothesis in general to be consentaneous to his Reason and though he is not in a capacity himself to search Tradition for the truth of things yet he must acknowledg that the only way left for his satisfaction is to have recourse to that sort of People in the world and to only them that hold that Method And as I have before hinted the Church of England are they and only they that build upon this Rational foundation So that that Faith is to be received from thence which being hatched by Gods H. Spirit in mens hearts brought forth by Reading cherished by hearing of the Word sealed by Baptism and strongly confirmed by their partaking of the Sacraments will prove the only Saving Faith FINIS
A METHODE To Gain Satisfaction IN RELIGION Proposed Occasionally in a Letter to a FRIEND 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Hierocles By J. P. Philologos London Printed by T. M. for Barber Tooth at the White-Horse by York-House in the Strand 1673. March 12. 1672 3. SIR NO sooner did sleep this morning peep out of the door of my Senses but you opened the door of my Chamber about the time when the ushering beams of the Sun began to guild our Heavens my vigilant Soul then taking her place to actuate all my faculties she no sooner darted out a short Ejaculation to her Maker but what was casually discoursed of last night was presented to my thoughts I considered how uncouth and strang that very methode of searching after the truths of Religion seem'd to you which to me hath been the Pool Star to direct my trembling mind and from which no other Arguments I could yet meet with could ever entice my Reason to make any variation which made me again reflect that God is as much to be admired for the various genius of men as for their different Physiognomy that there may be Garments of divers fashions cut out of one peice of Stuff the same faith may be held upon different Ratiotinations But since Sir by this method I reaped so great satisfaction my self I could not choose out of a sence of your zealous enquiery after the same truths and your seeming Concessions to them but to offer these whereby my meaning may be more intelligible Discoursings being often liable to misapprehensions My Relative Respect due to you hath been a further enforcement to acquaint you with what hath proved so satisfactory to me though not so methodically as perhaps I might have done if I had took more time or so strongly as if I had had the conveniency of those helps I have sometimes had However upon the aforesaid Considerations I present you with the following Severalls 1 I at first considered with my self that all Superstructures must needs be sandy and weak whose foundation is not surely layed And he that desires to be satisfied in Religion ought to begin with searching out and establishing the grounds on which Religion is built 2 There are two things from whence the Existence of Religion is to be concluded viz. Revelation and Reason by Reason I understand a natural inbread Principle of Truth wrought upon the Soul by Revelation the Mind or Will of God comming immediately from himself or from those who were divinely inspired by him 3. The Being of a God is to be presupposed to Faith in Revelation Revelation supposes the being of a God but cannot prove it For we can have no security that the Revelation is true till we are assured it is from God 4. The Fundamental Proof of the Being of a God is Right Reason the Apostle acknowledgeth the Existence of God to be proved by those inbred Notices which God hath naturally planted in the Soules of all mankind the Heathen not excepted Rom. 1.19 what matter the Beauty Order and usefulness of the Creatures do afford us for Religious acknowledgment is naturally rational And whatsoever Revelation yeilds us for the same is as truly rational as that for when we are once convinc'd of the Divine Authority of the Revelation meer Reason will force us to its assent Why God is to be believed when he hath Revealed any thing is not a Task for a Rational Creature however for any that owne Christianity 5. So that the first and main thing that my inquisitive Mind sought to be satisfied in was to assure my self of the Divine Authority of S. Scripture which was Divine Revelation what it was Christ hath taught 6. Though Scripture be Sufficient for its end yet Reason must be presupposed to it As I take Reason which is nothing else but another part of Gods word to be the foundation of Religion so I take Tradition which is the Universal Consent of those Ages immediately succeeding the Apostles before the Emperours turn'd Christian to be hugely serviceable if not absolutely necessary to inform and rectify my Reason as being the only means to convince my Reason of the Divine Authority of that Book we call the Bible and I did not think my self bound to believe what is there declared till I had Reason to think that God was the Revealer otherwise it had not been Faith but vain Credulity 7. Therefore applying my self to the Test of Tradition I became thereby convinc'd and perswaded that the Books which we call the Bible were the only-truly-divine Revelation as they are numbered in the 6th Article of Religion set forth by the Church of England 1562. So that by the care of those that lived at the Fountain-head of Christianity God by his Providence so disposing and preserving it through all succeeding Ages I came to know the Word of God not knowing of any other way left to yeild me the like satisfaction 8. Now being to be fully perswaded of the Divine Authority of the Bible my next undertaking was to satisfie my self how I should come to understand the Right Sense or be assured of the true meaning of the Text. That they are the Words of God my Reason assents and that which I was next to enquire after was how to be assured of their true meaning 9. And first I concluded with my selfe Negatively That the Letter alone was not a sufficient means to assure me of the true Sense of the Scripture Since not to insist that if it should be denied in whole or in part as most of the Books of the new Testament have been by some or other the Letter could not evidence it self the experience of so many erring thousands is a lamentable but a convincing Proof of it As to instance let any unprejudiced Person set himself impartially to examine severally and by themselves the Interpretations and Glosses the Independents Presbyterians Papists Socinians c. do severally give upon the Letter of the Text. And they shall every one fairly seem to give a likely Sence answerable to their several Hyphothses of their Religion perhaps for ought as some though uninteressed can collect from the Letter only one possibly appears as probable as the other And the Reason why each particular Perswasion so dearly espouses its own Interpretations seems to be the primary Tincture which at first being imbibed for want of a more Rational Foundation is uncontroulably retain'd for ever after containing a prejudice against all other Senses whatsoever And it cannot be denied but every one of these are really perswaded of the truth of their own meaning since they profess to reverence Gods-Word as much as any read it frequently study it diligently quote it constantly and zealously defend the sense which they conceive of it so far that many are even ready to die for it notwithstanding they all contradict one another and that in Fundamental Points 10. Considering with my self the endless Enthusiasms and Popish Phanattismes which are