Selected quad for the lemma: reason_n
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A28581
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A brief account of the first rise of the name Protestant and what Protestantism is ... / by a professed enemy to persecution.
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Bold, S. (Samuel), 1649-1737.
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1688
(1688)
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Wing B3477; ESTC R16825
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36,552
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Revelations which do contradict the Scriptures they cannot pretend to lay any Obligation on us to comply with them in those Matters which the Scriptures do contradict for we have every jot as good Authority to Believe and Practice in direct contradiction to them as they have to Believe and Act in express contradiction to us though we should condescend to an impossible Supposition viz. That a Divine Revelation may contradict the Scriptures Besides they have no need or occasion to trouble themselves to prevail with us to comply with them in their Points for supposing their Revelations to be as they prerend whether we comply or do not comply the Case is just the same for we are never the better if we do comply with them nor is our guilt and offence one jot the more if we do not comply But if what they call Divine Revelations be not really so and they will notwithstanding Believe or Act or both in contradiction to the Scriptures which are known owned and professed Divine Revelations let them seriously consider what is like to be the fruit of their so doing We have reason therefore to conclude that all those Doctrines and Practices which are inconsistent with and do contradict what is declared in the Holy Scripture have not a Divine Original but have their Rise from the fountain of Falshood and Untruth And therefore we cannot be justly blamed if we protest against and reject such Notions and Practices for we certainly have a good Foundation and just Authority for every part of our Religion which Scripture doth expresly and plainly warrant And they must needs be at a great loss for just Authority as to those Points which expresly contradict the Scripture whatever may become of those Points amongst them touching which they may conceive the Scripture is silent But lastly If the Holy Scriptures we are speaking of do contain the whole and intire Revelation of the Mind and Will of God which he hath designed for the constant and perpetual use of his Church and People and do furnish People with full Instructions and Directions in all Matters of Religion then Protestants have very good warrant to affirm and stedfastly adhere to this Point viz. That the Holy Scriptures are the only Rule we are to govern our selves by in all Matters of Religion And we are safe enough as to this part of our main Principle and cannot with any justice be reproached or blamed by our Adversaries on this Account till they can produce very good and substantial evidence for some other Divine Revelation really distinct from those we are discoursing of But this is a task so hard for them to undertake so impossible for them to perform that there is not one understanding person in that Communion I am perswaded who dares adventure to ingage in it For it will not serve the turn to talk honourably of Tradition in general nor to make a noise about Apostolical Traditions without mentioning particular Traditions and proving them to be Divine Revelations and that they are truly Apostolical and were by Divine Appointment set apart for the perpetual use of the Christian Church The Council of Trent speaks loud of Apostolical Traditions and advances them to the same degree with the Holy Scriptures and appears so resolv'd for these Traditions that she makes them necessary to compleat the Scripture in order unto its being a perfect Rule but alas her courage cool'd in a little time for she dared only to talk extravagantly and in excessive terms of Tradition in General she dared not to name particular Traditions which she would own and undertake to prove truly Apostolical and of Divine and constantly binding Authority to the Church And since she thought it not convenient to descend to particulars I am of opinion particular persons in that Communion will not care to meddle in the matter but rather chuse to refer it to another Council when they can get one because if they should undertake it it must only be for our sakes and those of that Communion cannot but know that nothing less will satisfie such cautious reasonable people as Protestants are in a matter of this nature than such evidence as is very substantial and proportionate to the thing to be proved And could they produce ever so good evidence for any particular they will call a Divine Revelation or Apostolical Tradition it would be of no use to those of their own Church who prefer particular Humane Testimony called by another Name before all sort of proper and suitable evidence And after all their pains though they could produce satisfactory evidence which I affirm to be utterly impossible in this case for some Tradition which would inforce some Point the Scriptures do not inforce yet this would not do them any service however it would weaken our Principle as touching the Perfect on of that Body of Divine Revelations we have For notwithstanding we should in obedience to a Divine Revelation though roughly proved and evidenced concur and joyn with them in some Point we did not imbrace before yet the difference betwixt them and us in that matter would be as great as before there would still remain a formal difference betwixt us touching this very particular because though we should Believe or Practice the same thing yet the formal Reason of Believing or Doing it would be totally different So that if any would attempt to produce substantial evidence for any Revelation distinct from the Scriptures their labour will be wholly useless with reference to their Church unless they can produce a Revelation relating to their Church like that Law the flattering Courtiers of an Eastern Prince told him they could find when they were at a loss for a particular Law to warrant some particular Practice the Prince was inclined unto though they knew of no Law relating to what was propos'd yet there was a Law that the Prince might Command and do what he pleased Such a Revelation our Adversaries must produce Indeed I am apprehensive they Act in that Communion as if they had such a Revelation but all the mischief is they cannot produce valid proof for it or else they must be at the trouble of providing distinct Revelations for the several Points in dispute and distinct Evidence unless they can make a shift to croud three or four of their Notions into a single Tradition and so make shorter work of it In short the Protestants do affirm That Divine Revelation is the only Rule of Christian Religion That the Holy Scriptures are confessedly Divine Revelations That these Holy Scriptures do contain all those Divine Revelations God hath appointed to be of perpetual standing obliging Use to his Church and People We acknowledge that were it possible for our Adversaries to produce solid proof that there is any Divine Revelation distinct from what these Holy Scriptures do contain which God hath appointed to be of constant perpetual binding Use to his Church they might thereby invalidate
the Pope notwithstanding all his Letters and Stratagems to destroy Luther and hinder the spreading of that Light which was now broken forth could not effect his design but knowledge increased every day and the authority of the Scripture was much insisted on to the great damage of the Pope and his Adherents 'T is true the Pope by his Letters and Nuncio's did prevail with the Emperour and some of the Princes of Germany to make an Edict when they were assembled at Worms which forbad Luther Fire and Water and the commerce of all the World it extended also to all his Favourers and Followers and Complices but the more violent the Pope and and his people were against Luther and the greater stir they kept with the Princes to see the Edict of Worms strictly executed the greater number of Friends God raised up for Luther and his Followers For the Princes assembled at Nuremberg declared they could not put the Pope's Bull nor the Edict of Worms in execution without involving themselves in great dangers and that the generality of the people were so sensible how matters stood having their eyes opened by the writings of the Lutherans that if they should execute those Sentences the people would believe they were only made to overthrow the Truth of the Gospel and to maintain and defend their evil abuses and impieties c. And having drawn up this their Answer in form of an Edict they sent their grievances to the Pope to the number of an hundred Articles which they call'd Centum Gravamina After this another Assembly of the Princes publish'd another declaration in form of an Imperial Edict which extreamly provok't the Pope and all his Creatures Upon this the Pope complained to the Emperour by Letters and to animate him the more he perswaded him that that was a manifest breach of his Authority and a form and design to withdraw themselves intirely from his Obedience the Emperour is hereby prevailed with to concern himself in the matter and accordingly writes very preremptorily to the Princes requiring them to execute the Edict of 〈◊〉 and make void that of Nuremberg And this brings me to to the very Rise of the Name Protestant an Account of which I will give you in the englished words of a Forreign Divine who hath very faithfully collected his Relation out of the most celebrated and authentick Historians who have writ the Affairs of those Times His Account is thus In the Month of April in the Year 1529 an Assembly of the Princes and other States of Germany was held at Spire whether Pope Clement did not sail to send a Nuncio the first thing they did there was to reject the Assembly at the City of Strasburgh under pretence that it had abolished the use of the Mass without waiting for the Imperial Diet. This violent procedure was quickly after followed by a Decree that Ferdinand Arch-Duke of Austria and some other Princes who took part with the Court of Rome made and whom the Emperour had expresly chozen for his Deputy Commissioners They ordained therefore in the first place that those who till then had observed the Edict of Worms that is to say who not only had not received the Reformation but who had persecuted it with all their might should for the future do the like and force their Subjects to do the same And that as for those in whose Countries those new Doctrines had been spread abroad provided they could not extirpate them without putting themselves into manifest danger of stirring up Troubles it should be their part at least to hinder any thing more from being Innovated till the calling of a Council Secondly They ordained that above all things the Doctrine which opposed the Substantial Presence should neither be propounded nor received by any in all the compass of Germany and that the Mass should not be abrogated In the Third place they decreed that they should not allow Preachers in any place to explain the Gospel otherwise than by the Interpretation of the Fathers In fine they ordained grievous penalties against the Printers and Booksellers who should print or vend for the future the Books that contained that new Doctrine The other Princes and States of the Empire beholding this manifest Oppression thought themselves bound to make an Act of Protestation to the contrary They Remonstrated therefore that that new Decree contradicted that which had been passed in the preceding Assembly where every one was to be free in respect of his Religion that they did not pretend to hinder the other Princes and States from enjoying that Liberty but that on the contrary they pray'd God that He would give them the knowledge of His Truth That they could not with a good Conscience approve of the Reason for which they would allow them to retain the Evangelical Doctrine to wit least they should fall into new Troubles for that would be to confess that it would be good to renounce that Doctrine if it could be done without Tumult which would be a criminal and wicked Confession and a tacit Denyal of the Word of God. That as to the Mass those who had abolish't it and who had re-established in its place the lawful use of the Supper of our Lord were led by the Institution of our Lord Jesus Christ That as for the Doctrine that opposed the Real Presence they did not believe that they ought lightly to condemn those who held it without hearing them and that proceeding was against Equity especially in a matter of so great consequence In fine that they could not consent to that Decree offering the Reasons of their carriage to the Emperour and all the World. That they did appeal to a Free Council and that in waiting for it they would do nothing for which they should justly deserve any blame This Act of Protestation was made at Spire the 19th of April 1529. And from thence came the Name of Protestants which has been since given to all those who have embraced the Reformation This is the true Account of the first Rise of this Name Protestant which was used by way of reproach by those who adhered to the Romish Corruptions and asserted the Pope's Authority above the Scripture towards them who renounced those Corruptions and protested against the Pope's Supremacy and for the Sufficiency and sole Authority of the Scripture And this Name hath ever since been applied to and appropriated by them who have renounced Popish Corruptions and especially that great Fundamental Article of the Supremacy because of their contradiction to and derogating from the Holy Scriptures The best Historians both Protestant and Popish do confirm the Truth of this Relation and that all people have promiscuously past in all Countries under the Name of Protestants who have renounced the Pope's Authority and that Body or System of false Doctrines and superstitious Practices which are maintained and justified in the Romish Church because of their contradiction unto Scripture For the