Controversies But would it not seem odd for a Remonstrant or a Contra-Remonstrant to defend Christianiry or the particular Doctrines of Christianity against Jews or Heathens purely as a Remonstrant or a Contra-Remonstrant For what have their particular differences to do in matters wherein they all agreed and in maintaining of that for which both sides are equally concerned The main of the Controversy betwixt us and those of the Romish Communion is either whether the Holy Scriptures be the Only Rule in all Matters of Religion Or whether those particular Doctrines wherein they and we do differ have warrant from the Scriptures And what need we intreating on these points to interest any discriminating notions amongst our selves As far as we do agree let us walk by the same Rule Besides by concerning our selves for Protestantism and Protestant Doctrines even in opposition to our Adversaries in common as fixing the Scriptures to be the Only Rule and that our particular Doctrine have plain warrant from the Scripture and those we oppose are either contrary to the Scriptures or have no warrant at all from thence we are excused from any obligation to trouble our selves with defending any unwary or less proper expressions which may have slipt from particular Parties or particular Persons in declaring their sense of particular Doctrines for whether they exprest themselves properly or no or whether their opinion were right or no is not at all material to the Controversy betwixt those of the Church of Rome and us For if any Parties or single Persons have declared their sense and opinions concerning any Doctrine or matter of Practice either that their opinion doth accord with Scripture or it doth not if it do it is the Protestant Doctrine if it do not it is not a Protestant Doctrine and so it doth not at all affect us since we own that persons professing themselves Protestants may mistake as well as we do declare our assurance that those who have been named Infallible in another Communion have erred most grieviously But this we affirm that so far as any do keep strictly and closely to the Holy Scriptures they cannot mistake And Protestants have no real concern to vindicate any Party or Person any further than they do keep unto the Scripture But now to return from these digressions unto what was said before viz. That Protestants have such evidence as doth create certain assurance that the Holy Scriptures are fully perfect to instruct and direct Believers in all matters of Religion and do contain all those Divine Revelations God hath appointed to be of necessary and perpetual use unto his Church I need not relate the whole evidence that might be produced on this occasion I will therefore content my self with these two particulars relating to this matter which certainly must sway powerfully with them who are under an influence which is truly Religious The first is this 1. That the Holy Spirit of God hath expresly declared that the Holy Scriptures are compleat and perfect to all the ends and purposes of Divine Revelations Hear how large and particular the Holy Spirit of God is in declaring the Fullness and Perfection of the Scriptures 2 Tim. 3. 15 16 17. And that from a Child thou hast known the Holy Scriptures which are able to make thee wise unto Salvation through Faith which is in Christ Jesus All Scripture is given by Inspiration of God and is profitable for Doctrine for Reproof for Correction for Instruction in Righteousness that the Man of God may be Perfect throughly furnished unto all Good Works 2. The same Holy Spirit hath solemnly devoted to the most dreadful Curse of Almighty God whomsoever shall be so arrogant and presumptuous as to offer any other Doctrine besides what the Holy Scriptures do teach as a Divine Revelation Gal. 1. 8. But though we or an Angel from Heaven preach any other Gospel unto you than that which we have preached unto you let him be accursed Now if people will pretend to produce other Divine Revelations which God hath appointed to be of perpetual use to his Church either those must invalidate these Holy Scriptures or else these Holy Scriptures must invalidate them they cannot consist well together If we will own and stick to the Holy Scriptures we must reject whatever additional Discoveries shall be produced because the Spirit hath in these Scriptures excluded them What hath been discoursed concerning the evidence Protestants have for their great and main Principle may justly promt to take notice of two things 1. That they who would hinder and discourage people from reading and studying the Holy Scriptures do give them just occasion to suspect that they have none of the honestest and most commendable designs to manage We are very certain the Holy Prophets of God the Lord Jesus Christ and his Apostles were Persons beloved of God and Persons who were greatly concerned for Peoples Spiritual Welfare and we are as certain that these were very much and in good earnest in pressing exciting and perswading the common sort of People to read and study the Scriptures they command them in the Name of God to read and learn the Scriptures and those Revelations of the Mind of God which were communicated unto them read Deut. 31. 11 12 13. Deut. 6. 6 7 8 9. John 5. 39. Col. 3. 16. Nay does not the design and end for which God hath made his Will known and caus'd it to be committed to Writing manifest and prove our Duty evidently enough For what end hath God given the Holy Scriptures unto his Church and People Are we not assured that the Scriptures were written for our Learning for our Instruction for our Admonition c. And must we not read them then How will they answer these ends if we must not consult them Were not the Scriptures written for our Learning that we through patience and comfort of the Scriptures might have Hope Read and consider Rom. 15. 4. Have we not then too much ground to suspect that those who would take or keep our Bibles from us are Enemies to our Faith Patience Comfort Hope and Happiness Is not the Word of God that Sword of the Spirit with which we are to defend our selves and worst our Spiritual Enemies Ephes 6. 17. And now what reason have we to take them for our Friends who would lay us open and expose us Naked to the Assaults of Sathan and his Instruments The Holy Penmen of the Scriptures did by the direction of the Blessed Spirit commend People for applying themselves to the Holy Scriptures and endeavouring to improve in the knowledge of them See Psal 1. 2. Act. 17. 11. Act. 18. 24. 2 Tim. 3. 15. And it is certain that the People of God of every rank and condition under the Old Testament Dispensation were obliged by Especial Appointment from God to take care to read and labour after a continual Increase in the knowledge of the Scriptures Now can we imagine that God having given
through the Ignorance Superstitions and Impurity which they had given way to and the just infatuation which God suffered to crawl on and over-power them that for a long time very few either of the Princes or People did make any considerable attempts to extricate themselves out of that Bondage or get rid of the Tyranny and Apostacy into which they were sunk But the time hastening on when God would deliver his People out of of that wretched estate The Head and principal Instruments of the Romish State were grown so secure and fearless of danger they gave up themselves to their Lusts and minded nothing but how to invent new ways to impoverish the people by which means they occasioned the people to awake and suggested to their minds the most powerful and justest prejudices against the way they were in and that Church they did then adhere to For though there were many beams of light which shone up and down in the world yet two things did principally dispose the people to cast off that Spiritual and Civil Yoke which had mightily gall'd both their Consciences and their Necks and to inquire after the Truth and Purity of Religion The first was the obvious prodigious Ignorance Sloth and beastly Sensuality and Debauchery of the generality of those who pretended they had the keeping of the people's Souls and Consciences the Wickedness Tyranny and Unsatiableness of the greatest part by far of the Clergy was such as struck most violently on the outward senses of the People So that they were forced to conclude God would not intrust any extraordinary Depositum with such persons A German Bishop in the year 1519 which was not long before the Reformation complains as in Museccle I find him quoted in this manner I am afraid the Doctrine of the Apostle touching the Qualifications of a Bishop is but very ill observed in these days or rather that we are fallen into those Times which he noted when he said I know that after my Departure Ravenous Wolves will come among you not sparing the Flock Where may one see a good Man chosen to be a Bishop One approved by his Works and his Learning And any one who is not either a Child or Worldly or ignorant in Spiritual things They have no love for ony but Sinners they despise the Poor they keep about their persons Pimps Debauchers of Women Flatterers Buffoons Players when they should have wise and holy Men. The Revenues of the Church are given not to the Servants of God but to those of the Devil to Debauchers of Women to Adulterers Gamesters Hunters Flatterers and such like Men. And hence it is that the House of God is become Tributary to the Devil Matthew Paris I remember speaking in his History of the corruption and wickedness of the Clergy saith It was risen to so infamous a height the Devil sent them Letters of Thanks because of the extraordinary service they did him in sending Souls to Hell in greater Troops than ever came thither before You may find large accounts of and complaints against their notorious wickedness in the Writings of Nic. de Clemang and others Several of the Popish Writers do acknowledge their Debauchery and Wickedness was such as did necessitate the people to seek after a Reformation And truly saith Meceray the extream Ignorance of the Clergy many of them scarce able to read the scandalons Lives of the Pastors most of them Concubinaries Drunkards and Userers and their extream negligence gave him viz. Luther a fair advantage to perswade the people that the Religion they taught was corrupt since their Lives and Examples were so bad A second thing which very much awaken'd the Princes and People and prepar'd them to cast off and renounce the Romish Trumpery was the Pope's Bishop's and other Ecclesiastical Officers most enormious prostituting those very things wherein they pretended to place very much of their Religion and by which they pretended to impart to the people the Merits of Jesus Christ and of the Saints For Leo the Tenth having a mind to raise great Summs of Mony to satisfie his own profuse humour and make large Provisions for his Kindred sent abroad his Agents through the Empire but especially in Germany to sell the pardon of Sins publickly under pretence to build the Church of St. Peters at Rome The Sellers of these Indulgencies did prostitute them at the strangest rate imaginable for they would sell them for any thing wherewith they might satisfie their Lusts They would play them away at Taverns at a Game at Dice they would stake a Man against so much Money the Pardon of his sins or a power to deliver Souls out of Purgatiry And when this was complained of and wrote against by Luther the Pope sent his Bull to confirm these Indulgencies asserting his power to give and divulge them in this manner By the power of the Keys given to St. Peter and his Successors the Bishops of Rome had a right to pardon the Faithful all the guilt and punishment of their Actual Sins to wit the guilt by means of the Sacrament of Pennance and the temporal Punishment by means of Indulgencies whether in this life or in Purgatory and that by those Indulgencies he could apply to the Living and the Dead the superabundance of the Merits of Jesus Christ and the Saints either by way of Absolution or by way of Suffrage So that the Living and the Dead participating of those Indulgencies were delivered from the punishment that the Divine Justice would inflict on them for their Actual Sins But Luther's contending this point with the Romish Agents put him and others on a more strict Inquiry into other Corruptions in that Church by which means Light broke forth dayly with more power to the full satisfaction of very many that there was an absolute necessity of a Reformation And the Agents being not able to contest the matter fairly with Luther Eccius and others being quite worsted and baffled in their arguings Sylvester Prierias positively insisted on the Pope's authority acknowledging the Scriptures did not warrant those Indulgencies but that the Pope did whose authority he asserted was above the Scriptures And thus he brought that point on the stage which upon examination appearing to be a meer cheat and gross untruth the people hastened to imbrace the Sufficiency of the Scripture and that the Holy Scriptures were the only Rule God had appointed Christians to guide themselves by in all matters of Religion in opposition to the Pope's pretended authority This of the Pope's authority being the point for which both Head and Members of that Church were mainly concerned and which supports and keeps all the other corruptions in that Church in life when the vanity and ungroundedness the absurdity and wickedness of that claim came to be exposed and laid open to the World the Interest of that Church did very mueh sink and the authority of Scripture was much advanced amongst people So that
Faith hath outward Honours Preferment Carnal Pleasures and Ease accompanying it it will not want Followers and Attendants but when Storms and Persecutions do arise and it is separated from these external Allurements they will soon shake hands with Religion and court whatsoever shall be drest up in its former Robes Such as espouse the True Religion not for its native Excellency but for its gorgeous Attire and great Dowry in this World will in all probability when Persecutions arise part with their Faith rather than their Pleasures Wealth and Ease they will sooner throw away their Bibles rather than their Bottles 1 Joh. 2. 19. Mat. 13. 20 21. Now if there be such danger of people's Apostatizing from the True Faith after they have made a profession of it it must certainly very importantly concern all who profess the Protestant Religion that is True Christianity as taught and delivered in the Holy Scriptures and as purged and reformed by the guidance and direction of this Divine Rule from all those Errours and Corruptions which have either through people's heedlessness crept into the profession of Christianity or through design have been slily ushered into it or by imperiousness have been forc't upon it I say it very highly concerns them to take care that their Minds and Hearts be so fixed and settled in the Faith of the Gospel that they may never be removed from their Constancy that they may not be as Children tossed to and fro and carried about with every wind of Doctrine by the slight of Men and cunning craftiness whereby they lye in wait to deceive Eph. 4. 14. It should therefore be our care to get our Minds furnished with clear distinct Notions of those Truths in which the Scriptures do instruct people It is not enough that we can talk over in a general way the Doctrines of Religion we ought to labour for an explicite knowledge of Divine Revelations so that we may be able to prove and confirm every part of our Profession by express and clear Scriptures 1 Pet. 3. 15. The Ignorant Man will be always wavering Yea we should strive to get the Truths we profese and understand very strongly indeared unto our Hearts so as to prefer them above all Worldly and Carnal Interests and to have our Affections yea our whole Souls brought under their Power and Influence their Government and Soveraignty our Souls should so cleave unto them they should be so precious and dear unto us that neither Frowns nor Smiles Promises nor Threats may make any unhappy impression on us but the more blustering any Storms may be which can arise the deeper root we may take and grow the more firm and stable Phil. 1. 27 28. For 1. We must expect to meet with Tryals and Sufferings for the Faith of the Gospel which will overwhelm and ruine us if we be not well provided against them Our Passage to Glory is through many Tribulations We have many and various Enemies who will mischief us and obstruct us all they can who will do their utmost to prevail with us both by fair and foul means to make shipwrack both of Faith and a good Conscience We are not only exposed to the malice rage and spite of absurd and unreasonable Men but to the craft and fury too of those infernal Fiends who prompt and excite their carnal and earthly Tools and Instruments to vent and vomit forth their rancour and spleen against the True Faith and its Professors See Eph. 6. 12 13. 1 Pet. 5. 8 9. Rev. 2. 10. If you be not well fixed in the Truth how can you expect to hold out when temptations and sufferings shall come When you shall be in danger of loosing Estate Liberty all that is dear to you in the World yea Life it self for your Religion Did not the House built upon the Sand fall when the Rain descended and the Winds blew and beat upon it Mat. 7. 26 27. 2. Apostacy from the True Faith is a very hainous provoking sin is not this to offer God the utmost affront we can and in effect to say all manner of evil of him Do we not hereby charge him with being the greatest Impostor that ever was Is not this to throw the foulest dirt that is possible upon Religion yea openly to avow that Sathan and his drudgery are much better more ligible than Christ and his most Holy Faith That God is not to be trusted and that his Religion is not what he represents it O what abominable what innumerable what monstrous wickednesses are bred in the womb of Apostacy And what direful consequences and fruits may those expect who thus affront and incense the Almighty God against themselves He will not have a gracious regard for such He will cast off and punish severely all those that cast him off and deal treacherously with Him. The Just shall live by Faith but if any Man draw back my Soul shall have no pleasure in him Heb. 10. 38. The Lord Jesus Christ will reject them and be ashamed of them when he shall appear in all his Glory Whosoever shall be ashamed of me and of my words in this adulterous and sinful Generation of him also shall the Son of Man be ashamed when he cometh in the Glory of his Father with the Holy Angels Mark 8. 38. Though you set no value on Christ's Love at present and care for no more but that you may have the Countenance of great Persons and injoy the Pleasures and Wealth of the World yet remember that it will not be long before ye shall have other apprehensions of things than now you have It will not be long before you shall perceive all these things you prefer before the Faith of the Gospel to be very empty and void of all satisfaction and full of torment and horrour when Christ shall appear in Glory with his Holy Angels all these things will fail you and how you will howl and roar and complain then What tears will you then shed How will you curse your Apostacy and all that helpt it forward And now when your Case is thus helpless thus dreadful and all your Comforters are gone the Lord Jesus and his Mercy will fail you too he will send you to them whose favour you prefer'd before his who will tremble and quake as much as you and to your Wealth which will then disappear and to your beloved Pleasures which will then be bitterer than Gall and Wormwood you must only expect to behold his frowns and to feel the terrible discoveries of his insupportable displeasure you can expect no favour at his Hands See Prov. 1. 24. to the end 2 Thes 1. 7 8 9. Nay you have no good ground to hope you shall prosper in any of those designs you intend to drive forward by or under your Apostacy God doth very often notably blast such projects He causeth some remarkable and very fatal Curse to accompany those who relinquish his Cause and Truth What was Judas