our Saviour imparted to his Disciples in private is now by Gods Providence plainly communicate unto us This is an Argument beyond exception that we are not in their Case who in that Parable are said to be Without but of their Number to whom it is given to know the Mysteries of the Kingdom of God unlesse we wil in Life and manners imitate Hypocrites rather then Christs Disciples And lest we should prove like these Jews which having ears to hear would not hear though invited thereto by our Saviour our Evangelists inculcate again and again the Causes of this Dulnesse in hearing or conceiving what is heard or Aversnesse from the Truth in some sort conceived They tell us the Jews sometimes for Ambition sometimes for Convetousnesse generally for Presumption Pride and Hypocrisie in saying they had Abraham for their Father did make themselves uncapable of saving Knowledge To what purpose do men guided by the Spirit of God inclucate these or like Admonitions so oft That the growth of such carnal Assections might in all succeeding Ages be prevented That Christian Parents fore warned by the lamentable Issue of this stubbornnesse in Abrahams Seed might teach their Children these heavenly Lessons which had been so distastfull to the Jews before these or other inveterate Humours had brought them to the same or like Distemper For as I observed before and this Parable directly proves might celestiall Seed take root in Childrens hearts before these Secular Weeds sprung up their Souls should continually receive Blessing from God and daily drink in these Streams of Life which found no entrance into such Jewish barren Soyl as did bear nothing but Thorns and Brambles whose end was to be burned as altogether unworthy of more watering 6 Shall either the World Devil or Flesh be able to breed the least Suspition in any Christian Heart whether God who enabled the Apostles and Evangelists to speak so plainly to the Capacitie of all sorts of men in every Nation cannot either by increasing internal Docilitie in succeeding Ages or sublevating their dull Capacitie by facilitie and plenty of external Means repair whatsoever the Injuries of time might detract from the Perspicuitie of Writings Apostolical or Evangelical So that although the decay of Dialects absolutenesse of Phrase or Alterations of Customes whereunto they allude as well known then because in use might breed some difficultie unto Posteritie yet unlesse true Faith be decayed with them or all Characters of Gods Providence worn out of our hearts how can we distrust whether He by whose Wisdom as well Divine Mysteries unheard before as skill to utter them in every Language were extraordinarily and immediately infused into illiterate Souls without the help or Ministery of Man cannot or will not by his good Blessing upon our endeavours in the ordinary Course of attaining skill in Sacred Tongues continue the use of Tongues and all other good Means whatsoever necessarie or expedient either for our right understanding or communicating the infallible Truth alreadie taught without any others infallible Assistance besides his who can teach us as infallibly by Means in themselves not infallible as he hath done others without any Means at all To doubt of Gods Providence in this Point were to doubt whether he were the same God still and if the same he will albeit by other Means perform the same Effects still unlesse the sins of the Christian World deserve the contrary and pull that Blindnesse which in our Saviours time reigned in those Jews upon themselves by like Hardnesse of heart Pride or Hypocrisie And if so they do what shall this supposed Infallibilitie of the Pope avail Is his Teaching more infallible then Christs was shall he Loose where God hath Bound shall he disanull what the Almighty hath ratisied shall he make the Scriptures clear to them before whose hearts the Lord hath laid a Veil Or shall he give Sight where he that made the eye hath called for Blindnesse Oh that they could remember this who have forgotten their God and cannot see that whosoever accuseth the Scriptures of Disheultie or Obscurity doth indict the Omnipotent of Impotencie in not being able to perform what by his Apostles he intended CAP. XVI That all the Pretences of Scriptures Obscuritie are but Mists and Vapours rising from the Corruption of the flesh and may by the pure Light of Scriptures rightly applied easilie be dispelled 1 UNto this and all Demands of like nature if the Scriptures be not Obscure how chanceth it that so many find such Difficulties in them even in those places which seem to contain in them matters of Faith The Answer is already given It was the Almighties good pleasure to Decree that the Scriptures should be plain and easie to such as faithfully practise their most plain and easie Precepts but hard and difficult to be understood aright of such as Wilfully transgresse them or knowing them to be Gods Word do not glorifie them as his Word Most difficult most impossible to be understood of such as acknowledging by what Spirit they were written yet renounce their Authority or disclaim them for the Rule of their Faith All such though for the clearnesse of their understanding in other Speculations they may seem to have Angelicall Heads yet for Divine Mysteries have but Jewish or obscure Hearts and being Blinded in their mindes they imagine the Scripture wheron they look to be Obscure This Answer notwithstanding though most true will not satisfie all For seeing this Blindnesse in most men is not Voluntary at the least not Wilfull or affected the Captions will yet demand How shall they help it The Scriptures plainly teach how they may be holpen What can be more plain then that Rule If any man want Wisdom let him ask of God Yea many do so and yet go without it So they must as the Scripture telleth us if they ask amisse Doth the Scripture then serve as a streight Rule to direct them how they should ask aright Yes For what Rule can be more plain then that of Saint John Whatsoever we ask we receive of him because we keep his Commandements and do those things which are pleasing in his sight The Promise indeed is plain but the Condition hard for the first thing we would ask of God is Grace to keep his Commandements But what hope have sinners to receive this seeing he heareth onely such as keep his Commandements Will this or any other Rule of Scripture help us out of this Labyrinth It will not fail us nor forsake us For if we have but a desire to amend our lives Christs words are as plain as forcible He quencheth not smoaking flix a bruised reed he will not break And this is his Commandement that we trie the Truth of this and other like Sayings of Comfort by relying upon his mercy or if we do but seek after Repentance we do that which is pleasing in his sight For he is not pleased in the
intreat the Christian Reader to consider well upon whom their usual Objections of Scriptures Obscurity are most likely to fall Upon us for whose good they were given Or upon God the Father who gave them his Son that partly spake them his Holy Spirit who only taught them his Prophets Apostles Evangelists or other his blessed Ministers which wrote them CAP. XV. The Romanisis Objections against the Scriptures for being Obscure do more directly impeach their first Author and his Messengers their Pen-men then us or the Cause in hand 1 THat these Scriptures which our Church holds Canonical and we now maintain to be the Rule of Faith were given for the good of Christs Church or Multitude of faithful men throughout the World our Adversaries wil not deny or if they would the Scriptures which expresly to deny they dare not bear evident Testimony hereof Infinite places are brought to this purpose by such as handle that Question Whether the written Word contain all Points necessary to Salvation 2 Saint John saith he wrote his Gospel that we might Believe By what Authority did he undertake by whose Assistance did he perform this Work Undertaken it was by Gods appointment effected by the assistance of his Eternal Spirit to the end we might Believe the Truth what Truth That which he wrote concerning the Mysteries of mans Salvation But how far did he intend this our Belief of such Mysteries should be set forward by his pen Unto the first Rudiments only or unto the midway of our Course to Heaven Questionlesse unto the utmost Period of all our Hopes for he wrote these things that we might Believe yea so believe in Christ as by Believing we might have Life through his Name Was he assisted by the Eternal Spirit who then perfectly knew the several tempers and capacities of evey Age And did he by his direction aim at the perfect Belief of succeeding Ages as the end and scope of all his Writings And yet did he write so obscurely that he could not be understood of them for whose good he wrote Out of Controversie his desire was to be understood of all for he envied no man Knowledg nor taught he the Faith of our glorious Lord Jesus Christ with respect of persons He wished that not the great Agrippa's or some few choice ones only but all that should hear or read his Writings to the Worlds end might be not almost but altogether such as he was Faithful Believers From his fervent desire of so happy an end as the Salvation of all he so earnestly sought the only correspondent Means to wit Posterities ful instruction in the Mysteries thereto belonging And for better Symbolizing with the ignorant or men as most of us are of duller capacity in such profound Mysteries his Paraphrase upon our Saviours speeches is oft-times so copious as would be censured for polixity or Tautology in an Artist But seeing the common salvation of others not his own Applause was the thing he sought he disdains not to repeat the same thing sometimes in the same otherwhiles in different words becoming in speech as his fellow Apostle was in Carriage All unto all that he might at leastwise of every sort gain some oft-times solicitous to prevent all occasion of mistaking our Saviours Meaning though in matters wherein Ignorance could not be deadly nor Errour so easie or dangerous as in those other Profundities of greatest moment which he so dilates and works upon as if he would have them transparent to all Christian eyes 2 Do not all the Evangelists aim at the same end do they not in as plain 〈◊〉 as they could devise or we would wish divulge to all the world the true Sense and Meaning of our Saviours Parables which neither the promiscuous Multitude to whom he spake nor his select Disciples or Apostles themselves until they were privately instructed understood aright as they themselves testifie so little ashamed are they to confesse their own so they may hereby expel or prevent like ignorance in others Tell me were not our Saviours Parables expounded by his blessed mouth as plain Rules of Life as may without prejudice to his all sufficiency be expected from any other mans Are not his similitudes wherein notwithstanding are wrapt the greatest Mysteries of the Kingdom drawn from such matters of common Use as cannot change whilest Nature remains the same for the most part so plain and easie as wil apply themselves to the attentive or wel-exercised in Moralities Strange it seemed unto our Saviour that his Disciples should not at the first proposal understand them Perceive ye not this Parable how should you then understand all other Parables Yet happy were they that they were not ashamed to bewray their Ignorance by asking when they doubted though in a point of little Difficulty This good desire of progresse in their course begun brought them within the Hemisphere of that glorious light whereby they were enabled afterward to discern the greatest Mysteries of the Kingdom And unto their Question concerning the meaning of that great Parable of the Sower which is one of the Fundamental Rules of Life Our Saviour immediately replies To you it is given to know the Mysteries of the Kingdom of God but unto them that are without all thing are done in Parables that they hearing may hear and not understand lest at any time they should turn and their sins should be forgiven them 4 Had our Evangelists only set out the Text and concealed the Comment it might have ministred matter of suspicion whether all Christians throughout all generations whilest this Gospel shal endure should be taught of God from the greatest to the least of them or whether Christ had not appointed some great infallible Teacher as his Vicar general to supply the same place successively in the Church that he himself had born amongst his Disciples One on whose living Voice all the Flock besides were in all Doubts or Difficulties to rely as the Apostles did on Christs in the unfolding of this Parable But seeing they have plainly revealed to us in writing what was revealed to them concerning the Meaning of this and other Parables of greatest Use from our blessed Saviours Mouth Their written Relations of these mysteries with their Expositions must be of the same Use and Authority unto us as Christs living Words were unto them And as they were not to repair unto any other but their Master alone for the Word of Eternal Life not to omit any other infallible Teacher for declaration of his Meaning so may not any Christian to this day infallibly rely upon any mans Expositions of his Words already expounded by himself and related by his Apostles these laid up like precious seed in our hearts the diligent labours of Gods ordinary Ministers only supposed would bring forth the true and perfect Knowledge of other Precepts of life in abundance competent to every man in his rank and order 5 For seeing what
mocked him 3 That all honest-minded men should be able to understand all Places of Scriptures we never affirmed that without the Ministerie or help of others they should ordinarily understand any aright we never taught This notwithstanding we constantly avouch Without this Condition of doing Gods Will not men otherwise furnished with the best Gifts of Art and Nature can ever be competently qualified for spiritual Instructors By performing it the simple and illiterate shall be made capable of good Instructions and enabled to discern true Doctrine from false By our Saviours Rule in the very next words more infallible than any other pretended Infallibilitie can be we may discern the Pope of all others to be no true much lesse any infallible Teacher unlesse of Lies and Antichristian deceit For he that seeketh his own glory as what Pope is there doth not so many seek the Popedome by their predecessors bloud he speaks of himself not the Word of him whose Viear he boasts himself to be 4 To place the Apostle S. Pauls Authority next in sile unto our Saviours Fashion not your selves saith he unto his beloved Romans like unto this present world but be ye changed by the nenewing of your mind that ye may prove what is the good Will of God and acceptable and perfect Being fashioned like unto the present World they were altogether disproportionable unto the Kingdom of heaven uncapable of heavenly Mysteries but being renewed in their minds they might prove taste and relâ—… aright the Meaning of Gods Word revealed Of such as disanul the Scriptures for being the Rule of Faith and transfer this Canonical Dignity upon the Pope I would gladly be resolved whether this his Holinesse Infallibility can take away the Veil which is laid before the Jews hearts or this Desire which raigns in most men of fashioning themselves unto this present World whether he can in all such as professe Christianity root out those Lusts and Concupiscences those corneae fibrae stiff and stubborn heart-strings as are the very the eeds whereof this Veile is made which makes the Scriptures so Difficult and so eclipseth their Light in respect of men If he cannot well may he make them understand or believe his own Decrees but never rightly apprehend or stedfastly embrace the Spiritual Mysteries of their Salvation That Rule of S. Pauls is still most infallible The Natural or Carnal Man is altogether uncapable of the things of Gods Spirit of those things which are in themselves most evident Neither can be know them If you wil not believe his Authority as infallible he gives you a Reason for the truth of the Conclusion for they are spiritually discerned Is it then the Popes Infallibility or the framing of our lives according to Gods holy Word that must purge the Errours of our young and wanton dayes and make us cease to be homines 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Natural or Carnal men and become Spiritual If the Popes infallibility cannot perform this to what use doth it serve The Scriptures wil be difficult stil and their sense insipid to such as have not their hearts thus cleansed If without his Infallibility by the Industry of faithful Pastours attentive Hearing and serious Meditation of his sacred Word our lives may be amended and we of Carnal men become Spiritual we shal discern the things of God what is his Wil and mercy towards us in Christ we shal know of every Doctrine necessary unto our Salvation whether it be of God or no much better then the Pope and his Cardinals can do if they be Carnals For our Apostle adds The Spiritual man judgeth or discerneth all things and is judged of none The sense of which words some of your School-men much mistake when they hence gather that the Pope may judge Princes but the Spirituality so in common talke we cal the Clergie may not be judged by any Temporal or Lay Power Our Apostle means nor wil a learned Interpreter though a Papist deny it that in matters of Faith and in the Truth of Divine Mysteries the truly spiritual that is such as are renewed in the inner man not such as bear the Name or Title of Spiritual men in their corrupt language see and understand those things which the Wisdom of God hath hidden from the wisest and most glorious Teachers of the World from all Carnal men of what Gifts soever they may be in other matters as appears by our Apostles Discourse in that place Which Doctrine of our Apostle how truly it is verified in the wise men of Rome the Jesuites I mean to give them what by our Proverb we are bound to give their Master their due men of famous industry and excellent reach in all subtile and profound Arts but how ignorant and besotted in matters of Faith and Mysteries of mans Salvation their Doctrine in this present Controversie being compared with this Axiom of our Apostle may abundantly witnesse to the Astonishment of all sober-minded Christian Readers 5 They cannot deny That matters of Faith and Christian Life the Mysteries of mans Salvation are matters belonging to the Spirit of God and that a lewd naughty ambitious luxurious man an Heretick is homo 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 a Carnal Man they will not offer to call in question Again that many of their Popes be such as I have said naughty wicked luxurious men they openly confesse Some of them grant that Honorius was an Heretick Valentian will not dispute this particular de facto whether he were one or no but that the Pope or Popes may hold Heretical Opinions he granteth albeit thus tainted with Heresie they cannot propose their Heresies ex Cathedra to be Believed by others believe Valentian herein who list for God by his Providence would prevent this Mischief But howsoever the Pope and his Cardinals may by their own Confession be Carnal Men with a witnesse Now S. Paul saith plainly Homo animalis non potest cognoscere ea quoe sunt Spiritus Dei No Carnal or Natural man can conceive the things of the Spirit of God 1 Cor. 2. 14. for this indefinite Proposition in materia necessaria may have this Universal Note Homo animalis non potest cognoscere no Carnal Man can perceive The Jesuites affirm the Contradictory unto S. Pauls Doctrine as an undoubted Article of Faith The Pope say they albeit homo animalis though a most wicked man though otherwise an Heretick the worst of Carnal Men cannot but discern the things that belong unto the Spirit all the Mysteries of Mans Redemption all points whatsoever necessary to Mans Salvation For he cannot erre in deciding such Matters if he speak ex Cathedra More unhappy man Honorius more Fools have the whole generation been that ever would shut their mouthes or cease to speak ex Cathedra even to the last gasp 6 That sundâ—y lewd and wicked men may learnedly discourse of spiritual matters and deduce necessary Consequents out of Truths supposed or
but like Lessons got by rote It must be quite forgotten at least utterly renounced and laid aside before we can be admitted into the School of Christ in which all in this life are but parvuli petties or children for their simplicity and harmlesse minds for Lowlinesse and Nullity of self-conceit Hence saith our Apostle If any man think himself wise let him become a fool that he may may learn wisdom aright And our Saviour Christ saith unto his disciples except ye be converted and become like litle children ye shall not enter into the Kingdom of heaven that is they cannot be capable of this Heavenly Doctrine For true and sanctifying Grace must be ingrafted in this harmlesse simplicity and child-like Disposition 9 It is the Nature and Property of Gods Word to be plain and facile unto such as are of Disposition semblable to it as to the sincere of heart single in life and plain in dealing but obscure and difficult unto the worldly-wise The simplicity of It and the subtilty of the Politician or secular Artist parallel as ill as a straight Rule or Square with a distorted crooked stick The testimony of the Lord saith the Psalmist is sure and giveth wisdom to the Simple The word in the Original silly or credulous such as in worldly affairs are more easie to be deceived then apt to deceive and is rendred by the Septuagint 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 parvuli which word it pleased our Saviour to use when he intimates this Perspicuity of Gods Word unto such little ones I thank thee O father Lord of heaven and earth because thou hast hid these things from the wise and men of understanding and hast opened them unto Babes It is so O father because thy good pleasure was Such Such as in this whole discourse we have supposed and this place doth prove that is Such as had decreed that the Doctrine of Life should be most difficult and hard to proud disobedient or craftily-minded men but most perspicuous because to be revealed by God unto such little ones And again lest any man should presume upon his Wisdom or Dexterity of Wit he tels us expresly no man knoweth the Father but the Son and he to whom the Son will reveal him And his Will is to reveal himself and his Word unto all and only such as we have said to little Ones or such as become little Children casting off the burthen of Age which hath brought such Faintnesse and wearinesse upon their Souls that they cannot hope for any good successe in the Course which tends to everlasting Life until they be disburthened of all former Cares And hence in the next verse his words are general Come unto me all ye that are weary and heavy laden So they will take up his Yoak which is easie and his Burthen which is light he wil free them from all the grievances and discommodities of their former Yoak learning but this one Lesson of Humility and Meeknesse of him it wil teach them all the rest for by it they shal find rest unto their Souls which Christ wil refresh not as the Pope doth with Anathema's binding unto Negatives but with the true taste of this Water of Life 10 Nor wil any of our Adversaries I hope be so perverse as to say our Saviours Doctrine in this place did hold true only for that time wherein the Knowledge of Christ and Doctrine of his Gospel was to be first published For such perversity would bewray so great ignorance in Scriptures and little experience in the course of Christianity as they would be ashamed to be suspected of For who sees not this Opposition between worldly wisdom and heavenly knowledge to continue stil in their several Professours throughout all Ages Nor can any man be sure his Faith is not humorous or Hypocritical unlesse he be transformed into such a little One as Christ here speaks of and have true Humility surely planted in his heart This is the Fundamental or first Principle whereinto Faith must be resolved even all those Graces or Pledges of Gods favour whereon most rely in trial of their Spiritual Estate must be apparantly seated in this Lowlinesse and Simplicity or else eveâ—y man through the Multiplicity and Subtilty of his own heart shal be over-seen in his perswasions 11 A lively Experiment of our Saviours Doctrine and our Assertion in this point we have in S. Austin as himself witnesseth I purposed to look into the sacred Scriptures that I might see what manner of Writings they were And â—o 〈◊〉 light on a matter altogether hid from the proud and yet not laid open unto children in progresse lowly in processe or issue stately and wrapped in mysteries Finally such as my quality made me uncapable of entrance unto it For the property of it was to grow up with little ones but I disdained to be a little one and swolne with fastuous conceit in mine own eyes I seemed a great one Here Valentian â—ucking poyson out of this reverend Fathers Hony demands importunatly whether it be a matter of no difficulty to procure our freedom from this tumour of viciousnesse To have our hearts purged from that Soot which is as the Jewish veil unto them And finally whether it be so easie a matter as we to his seeming make it to become Humble and meek without which vertues the Scriptures were obscure and difficult unto Austin himself otherwise A man of excellent wit 12 Me thinks this cumbersom Jesuites cholerick strain and Fool-hardy passionate carriage in this whole Controversie doth lively resemble a Strong Sturdy Lubber that had thrust himself unawares into a Quarrel which he is no way able to make good yet so stubborn that he wil not give over but fights and winks and cries and hit he misse he laies about him For can any man think he sees where these fierce Blows would light As much as we have said is most clear out of this very place of Austin which he would throw upon us Most clear it is that unto such as follow our Saviours Method set down before that is unto such as wil become like little Children and begin as it were anew again the Scripture which for the present seems hard to all far entred into the Worlds School is perspicuous clear and easie to be learned â—ut whether it 〈◊〉 hard to become Such a One or whether it be a difficult matter to lay aside all Pride and Self-conceit is no part of the Point now in question nothing at all to this intended Purpose To Man no doubt it is most Hard or rather altogether Impossible But what it is to man once made partaker of the Grace of God and Power of his Spirit let Christ Jesus the Fountain of Grace be Judge He hath told us that his Yoak is easie and his Furthen light Or wil they reply that his Yoak is easie indeed to bear when it is taken up but hard to
Nor doth the excesse of glory ascribed unto the new Testament in respect of the old argue greater authority in Christian then was in ordinary legal governours whether temporal or spiritual much lesse doth in infer greater authority in any Christ only excepted then Moses had 2 If we take Christs Church as consisting both of Priests and people it is a congregation far more royal and glorious then the Synagogue so taken was If we compare our High Priest or mediator of the new Covenant with theirs the Apostles comparison is fittest Consider the Apostle High Priest of 〈◊〉 profession Christ Jesus who was faithful to him that hath appointed him even as Moses was in all his house For this man is counted worthy of more glory then Moses in as much as he which hath builded the house hath more honour then the house Now Moses verily was faithful in all his house as a servant for a witnesse of the things which should be spoken after but Christ iâ— as the Son over 〈◊〉 own house whose house we are If severally we sort our people or Ministers with theirs as the Apostles successors with Aarons the preheminence both wayes is ours Notwithstanding this excesse of our Ministers glory whether ordinary or extraordinary compared with the like of theirs is not so great as the preeminences of Christs flock above the people of the Synagogue Yet must all excesse in spiritual graces which the ordinary hearers of the Gospel have of the ordinary hearers of the law be subducted from that prerogative which we that are Christs messengers have in respect of Aarons successors ere we can take a right account of our own authority over our flock committed to us in comparison of theirs over the ancient people Computatis computandis our soveraignty wil prove lesse not greater 〈◊〉 our adversaries confusedly reckon without their hoste Their pretended glosses that all such places of Scripture as make for the authority of Moses chair conclude à fortiori for S. Peters because the New Testament is more glorious then the old are as if a man should argue thus The ancient Roman and modern German are States far more noble then the Turkish or Moscoviâ—ish therefore the Roman Consuls had more absolute authority over the people or the present Emperour over the Princes and States of Germany then the Turk hath over his Bashawâ— or the Moscovit over his Vassals 3 The glory of a common-weal or praise of government consists in the ingenuity or civil liberty not in the slavery or servile condition of the governed or in their voluntary obsequiousnesse to wholesome laws proportioned to common good not in their absolute subjection to the omnipotent wil of an unruly Tyrant subject to no law but the law of sin Our Saviours authority over his Disciples was more soveraign then is befitting any to usurp or challenge over his fellow servants his kingdom more glorious after his resurrection then before yet a little before his suffering he saith to his Disciples Ye are my friends if ye do whatsoever I command you Hence for thâ—… I you not servants for the servant knoweth not what his master â—oth but I have called you friends for all things that I have heard of my Father have I made known to you It is the very conceit of the base degenerate dissolute sottish later heathen Roman more delighted in such gaudy shews as his luxurious Emperours made happily once or twice in their whole raign then in the valor and vertue of his victorious free-born Ancestors that to this day swims in the Jesuites brain and makes him dream the royaltie of Christian Priest-hood or glory of the Gospel should consist wholly or chiefly in the magnificent pomp of one visible high Priest or Oecumenical Bishop for garnishing of whose Court the whole Body of Christ besides must be content to spend their lives goods or substances and as his occasion shall require to pawn their very souls as younglings wil be at any cost or pains they can devise to deck up a Lord of the Parish a victor in a Grammer school or as merry fellows wil be ready to spend more then their incomes wil defray to have a gallant Lord of misrule of their own making 4 But they demand Wherein doth the Pope aspire above the pitch of Moses throne He desires but to be reputed an infallible teacher and was not Moses such yet not such after the same manner He approved himself perpetually infallible because alwayes found most faithful in all affairs belonging to God but had it been possible for him to have worshipped the golden Calâ— to have eaten the offerings of the dead or to have joyned himself to Baal-Peor The Levites and such as clave unto the Lord in these Apostasies would have sought Gods will at more sanctified lips then his at least for that time were If then we consider him not as he might have been but as indeed he proved the peoples obedience unto him was de facto perpetual and compleat yet but conditionally perpetual but conditionally compleat or perpetually compleat upon their sight and undoubted experience of his extraordinary familiarity with God of his intire fidelity in all his service The Pope would be proclaimed so absolutely infallible by irrevocable patent or inheritance as no breach of Gods commandments no touch of disloyaltie to Christ in actions might breed a forfeiture of his estate or estrange Christian consciences from yielding obedience to him every way as compleat and absolute as that which the people of God performed unto Moses or Christians do yet unto their Saviour Whence though we admit Moses infallibility and his to be the same yet the difference between the absolutenesse of their authority or the tenour or holds of the same infallibility would be such as is betwen a Tenant at wil or one that enjoyes a fair estate perhaps all his life time yet only by continuance of his Lords good liking of his faithful service and a Freeholder that cannot by any act of fellony murther treason or the like forfeit his interest in as large possessions 5 Again albeit the authority gotten or manner of holding it were the same yet the manner of getting it in Moses and the Pope is not alike The one profers no miracle for the purchase no sign from heaven no admirable skil in expounding Gods word his calling he professeth to be but ordinary and in this respect say his followers he was to succeed Saint Peter Moses not such nor so affected his miracles were many and great the signs and tokens of his especial favour with God almost infinite his calling extraordinarily extraordinary otherwise that obedience the people performed to him had been no lesse then desperate Idolatry as the challenge of the like without like proof and evidence of such favour with God is no better then blasphemy or Apostasie Hence saith S. Austin the people of Israel did believe Moses laws were from God after
Come and see a man that hath told me all things that ever I did is not he The Christ Upon their like experience fully consonant to the same common notion on conceit of the Messias did a many of that City conceive Faith from the womans report but moe because of his own words And they said unto the woman Now we believe not because of thy saying for we have heard him our selves and know that This is indeed The Christ the Saviour of the World From the like but more lively experience of his discovering secrets did his Disciples make that confession Now know we that thou knowest all things and needest not that any man should ask thee By this we believe that thou art come out from God 16 The manifestation of this Prophetical Spirit did give life unto his greatest miracles in working Faith for his Disciples believed in him after his resurrection because he had foretold his reedifying the Temple in three dayes space Which speech of his the foolish Jews not knowing His Body to be the true Temple wherein their God did dwell after a more excellent manner then between the Cherubins take as meant of the materiall Temple which had been fourty six yeers in building But saith Saint Iohn Assoon as he was risen from the dead his Disciples remembred that he thus said unto them and they believed the Scripture and the word which Iesus had said Nor did they compare these two together by chance for our Saviour often inculcated this Method as of purpose to imprint the former Oracle of Isaiab in their hearts To assure them of his going to his Father he expresly tels them Now I have spoken unto you before it come that when it is come to passe ye might believe Foretelling the persecution of his Disciples he addes These things have I told you that when the hour shall come ye might remember that I told you them That glory likewise which God had professed he would not give to any other he foretels should be given Him and so demands it as if He that did glorifie and He that was glorified were both One Father Glorifie thy Name Then came there a voice from heaven saying I have both glorified is and will glorifie it again How had he glorified it before By glorifying this great Prophet who did fully expresse but for exceed Moses in all things wherein Former Prophets did resemble him but came far short of him When was he so glorified At his transfiguration upon Mount Tabot which none without Sacrilegious impiety could have foretold as likely to befall him self save he alone that had not as Moses onely seen the Similitude of the Lord but being in the Forme of God thought it no robbery to be Equal with him Yet this Prophet of whom we speak though like to his Brethren in shape and substance to assure them he should come in the Glory of his Father foretells his Disciples that some of them should not die untill they had seen the Kingdom of God come with Power which was accomplished in that Transfiguration where as Saint Peter witnesseth He received of God the Father honour and glory when there came such a voyce unto him from the excedent glory This is my beloved Son in whom I am well pleased Yea so well pleased as for his sake the world might henceforth know how ready he was to hear all that through faith in his Name should call upon him even such as had displeased him most For this cause the Codicil annexed to the divine Will and Testament here signified immediately after to be sealed with the bloud of this Best Beloved Son was that reciprocal duty before intimated in the Law Hear Him as is specified by three Evangelists For more publick manifestation of his Majesty as then revealed but to a few was that glorious commemoration of it lately mentioned celebrated again in the audience of the multitude This voice saith our Saviour came not because of me but for your sakes And in that place again after his wonted predictions of things should after come to passe as of his victory over death he testifies aloud to all the people that he was the great Prophet foretold by Moses sweetly paraphrasing upon his words And Jesus tried and said He that believeth in me believeth not in me but in him that sent me And if any man hear my words and believe not I judge him not for I came not to judge the world but to save the world He did not accurse such as would not acknowledge his authority or derogated from his person or miracles nor needed he so to do for he that refuseth him and receiveth not his words hath one that judgeth him the word which he had spoken it shall judge him in the last day This was that which Moses had said And whosoever will not hearken unto my words which he the great Prophet shall speak in my Name I will require it of him to wit in the last day of accompts For I have not spoken of my self but the Father which sent me he gave me a commandement what I should do and what I should speak And I know that his commandement is life everlasting the things therefore that I speak I speak them so as the Father said unto me What is this but that speech of Moses improved to it Full Value according to the circumstances and signes of those times and as it concerned the Lord and Prince of Prophets I will raise them up a Prophet from among their brethren like unto thee and will put my words in his mouth and he shall speak unto them all that I shall command him 17 This being the last conference our Saviour was willing to entertain with the Jews this his last farewell given in Moses words warrants me to construe that speech of Saint Iohns though he had done so many miracles before them yet believed they not on him as I have done the like before to wit That not his miracles considered alone but with Mosaical and Prophetical writings or common notions of the Messias thence conceived or especially as they concurred with his own predictions did immediately condemn the Jews Under the name of works his words are comprehended such at the least as foretell his admirable works or in generall all those solemn invocations of his Fathers name in such predictions as had he not been the Son of God would rather have brought speedy vengeance from heaven upon his head then such glorious testimonies of his Divinity And to me our Saviour seems to call his very words works in that speech to philip Believest thou not that I am in the Father and the Father in me the words that I speak unto you I speak not of my self but the Father that dwelleth in me he doth the works Howsoever as all the works of God were created by this Eternall Word so