Selected quad for the lemma: reason_n
Text snippets containing the quad
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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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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