year and commands the Lictors as if he that can kill a man cannot but be infallible and if he be not why should I do violence to my conscience because he can do violence to my person Force in matters of Opinion can do no good but is very apt to do hurt for no man can change his Opinion when he will or be satisfied in his reason that his Opinion is false because discountenanced if a man could change his opinion when he lists he might cure many inconveniences of his life all his fears and his sorrows would soon disband if he would but alter his Opinion whereby he is perswaded that such an accident that afflicts him is an evil and such an object formidable let him but believe himself impregnable or that he receives a benefit when he is plundered disgraced imprisoned condemned and afflicted neither his sleeps need to be disturbed nor his quietness discomposed but if a man cannot change his Opinion when he list nor ever doth heartily or resolutely but when he cannot do otherwise then to use force may make him an hypocrite but never to be a right believer and so instead of erecting a Trophee for God and true Religion to build a monument for the Devil Infinite examples are recorded in Church story to this very purpose but Socrates instances in one for all for when Elucius Bishop of Cyzicum was threatned by the Emperor Valence with banishment and confiscation if he did not subscribe to the Decree of Ariminum at last he yeelded to the Arian Opinion and prosently fell into great torment of conscience openly at Cyzicum recanted the Error asked God and the Church forgiveness and complained of the Emperors injustice and that was all the good the Arian party got by offering violence to his conscience and so many families in Spain which are as they call them new Christians and of a suspected Faith into which they were forced by the Tyranny of the Inquisition and yet are secret Moors is evidence enough of the inconvenience of preaching a Doctrine more gladly Ceventandi for it either punishes a man for keeping a good conscience or forces him into a bad it either punishes sincerity or perswades hypocrisie it persecutes a truth or drives into an error and it teaches a man to dissemble and to be safe but never to be honest Thus far he Notwithstanding all which where can we see it otherwise with any Nation or people in any form of religious Worship but that they have drank so deep of that Whores cup as to thirst for the blood of their opposites especially if they shall but in the least discover to the world the unsoundness of the foundation on which their Babel is built All which the aforesaid Mr. G. well knowing and by experience finding that a little Light will much offend the tender sights of many who therefore like Owls in the dark will both skreech and strick at the meer shine of a Candle yet nevertheless in this Divine Authority of Scripture pag 10. he tells us If no Translation whatsoever nor any any either written or printed Copy whatsoever be the Word of God or foundation of Religion certainly our English Translations cannot challenge this honor And in pag. 18. of the same he saith Questionless no writing whatsoever whether Translations or Originals are the foundation of Christian Religion And in his Youngling Elder pag. 35. he saith It is very possible that either through negligence ignorance want of memory or the like in Scribes and Correctors of the Press some such Error may be found in every Copy of the Scriptures now extant in the world which will render this Copy contradictious to it self yea it is possible that many such errors as this may be found in the best and truest Copies that are And in the 36. page of the same Book he saith The true and proper foundation of Religion is intrinsecally essentially and in the nature of it unchangeable unalterable in the least by the wills pleasures or attempts of men But there is no Book or Books whatsoever Bible or other but in the contents of them may be altered or changed by men Ergo The major he proveth thus If the proper Foundation of Religion were intrinsecally and in the nature of it changeable and alterable by men then can it not be any matter of truth because the nature of truth is like the nature of God himself unchangeable unalterable by men Angels Devils or any creature whatsoever yea God himself cannot alter it any whit more then deny himself or change his own nature or being And for the minor saith he That also is no less evident experience teacheth us that Books or Bibles themselves are de facto changed and altered by men from time to time every new Edition or Impression almost commending it self for somewhat corrected or amended in it which was delinquent or defective in the former Yet this learned Author notwithstanding all the aforesaid passages of his in his Divine Authority of Scripture pag. 13. doth affirm If by Scripture be meant the matter and substance of things contained and held forth in the Books of the Old and New Testament commonly known amongst Protestants by the Name of Canonical he fully with all his heart and all his soul believes them to be of Divine Authority and none other then the Word of God And in the 26. page of his Youngling Elder he doth distinguish and lay down a double sense and acceptation of the word Scripture and in the one sense clearly acknowledgeth them to be of Divine Authority and so the foundation of Christian Religion onely denying them to be such in the other sense And in that sense here denyed by this Author his learned Oponent Mr. William jenkin doth affirm them to be both of Divine Authority and the Word of God disallowing that distinction made by our Author demanding How any can believe the matter and substance of the Scripture to be the Word of God when he must be uncertain whether the written Word or Scriptures wherein the matter is contained are the Word of God or no. Now although both these learned men do affirm the Scripture to be of Divine Authority the Word of God yet it is so that the one affirms it to be such in one sense and the other in another sense neither of them allowing it to be such in the others sense nor yet producing any competent proof to evidence it to be such in his own sense The truth of it in either sense must still therefore remain much the more to be doubted and that from these grounds and reasons following First Because the Scripture as it came from the Original Pen-men was then if at all of Divine authority the word of God to the world but it was not so then being in an unknown Tongue to the generality of man-kind and therefore according to St. Pauls Doctrine was both in form matter and substance so far from being
Fides Divina The Ground of TRUE FAITH Asserted OR A useful and brief Discourse shewing the insufficiency of humane and the necessity of Divine Evidence for divine or saving Faith and Christian Religion to be built upon Being a Transcript out of several Authors extant Joh. 10.37 If I do not the works of my Father believe me not Joh. 15.24 If I had not done among them the works that none other man did they had not had sin but now have they both seen and hated both me and my Father 1 Cor. 2.4 5. My speech and my preaching was not with perswasible words of mans wisdom but in demonstration of the Spirit and of Power That your faith should not stand in the wisdom of men but in the power of God LONDON Printed for the Author 1657. A Just and necessary Vindication of all such as endeavour to be satisfied concerning the anthentickness and demonstrative authority and perfection of Copies or Translations of Scripture or any Expositions Doctrines or Conclusions drawn from them to be a ground sufficient for Divine and saving Faith scruples herein unavoidably arising from the Tongues and Pens even of the learned themselves who both in publike and private will ofâ—en tell us That this or that is not rightly translated but should be read out of the Hebrew or Greek word for word thus or thus much different from the Translation or that this or that word or sentence is not in some or most of their Greek Copies or here or there should be a Parenthesis or that the Comma is not rightly placed or the like something or other is usually amiss especially when from some Text of Scripture the unreasonable or doubtfulness of their Opinions or Doctrines are questioned In further prosecution hereof I shall not need to cite any of the learned Papists who urge many shrewd Arguments and Reasons to prove the corruption of our Scriptures and the insufficiency of any Scripture for the purposes aforementioned Nor need I insist on our learned Countreyman Mr. Hugh Broughton though a Protestant who being a great Linguist charged the Bishops with perverting the Text in the Old Testament in the English Translations in 848. places Nor on the Charge delivered to King JAMES by the Ministers of Lincoln Diocess telling him in the Abridgement of their grievances That the English Translation of the Bible was such as takes away from the Text and addes to the Text and that to the changing or obscuring of the meaning of the Holy Ghost Nor yet on the palpable differences and contradictions in Translations wherein some Texts are rendred with much suspition of Nonsense untruth or both observed by private men Nor will I at present descant Whether it was through negligence ignorance or design in the Translators or otherwise that all this was done yet that de facto it is so done may be seen and must be confest by all intelligent men not blinded with superstition like the Ephesians Acts 19.17 18. nor pindiced with worldly interest like the chief Rulers Joh. 12.42 43. But for the present among many other that might be cited I shall produce some few modern English Protestant Authors of most eminent learning whose concurrent Testimony herein together with the precedent and subsequent considerations may be more then sufficient to our purpose it being also back't with such Arguments and Reasons as are evident to our own understanding and experience THe Translators of King JAMES his Bible in their Epistle to the Reader do set forth how they wtre charged and upbraided by some of their Brethren as well as by the Papist in that they so often altered and changed the Bible by their new translating it thus viz. Many mens mouths have been open a good while and yet are not stopped vvith speeches about the translation so long in hand or rather perusals of Translations made before and ask vvhat may be the reason vvhat the necessity of the Employment hath the Church been deceived say they all this vvhile Hath her svveet bread been mingled vvith leaven her silver vvith dross her Wine vvith Water her Milk vvith Lime Lactè Gypsum malè incestur saith Jeremy We hoped that vve had been in the right vvay that vve had had the Oracles of God delivered unto us and that though all the vvorld had cause to be offended and to complain yet vve had none Hath the Nurse holden out the Breast and nothing but vvind in it Hath the bread been delivered by the Fathers of the Church and the same proved to be Lapidosus as Seneca speaketh What is to handle the Word of God deceitfully if this be not Thus certain Brethren Also the Adversaries of Judah and Hierusalem like Samballat in Nehemiah mock as vve hear both at the vvork and vvorkmen saying What do these vveak Jews c Will they make the stones vvhole again out of the heaps of dust vvhich are burnt Although they build yet if a Fox go up he shall even break dovvn their stony Wall Was their Translation good before Why do they novv mend it Was it not good Why then vvas it obtruded to the people Yea VVhy did the Catholicks meaning Popish Romanists alvvayes go in Jeopardy for refusing to go to hear it Nay if it must be translated into English Catholicks are fittest to do it They have learning and they knovv vvhen a thing is vvell they can manum de tabula VVe vvill ansvver them both briefly The former being Brethren thus c. And after their ansvvering these they ansvver the Papists and retort as many or more faults of the same kind upon them in these vvords follovving viz. Yet before vve end vve must ansvver a cavil and objection of theirs against us for altering and amending our Translations so oft vvherein they deal hardly and strangely vvith us for to vvhom ever vvas it imputed for a fault by such as vvere vvise to go over that vvhich he had done and to amend it vvhere he savv cause Saint Augustine vvas not afraid to exhort St. Hierome to a Palmodia or Recantation The same St. Augustine vvas not ashamed to retractate vve might say revoke many things that had passed him and doth even glory that he seeth his infirmities If vve vvill be sons of the Truth vve must consider vvhat it speaketh and trample upon our ovvn credit yea and upon other mens too if either be any vvay an hinderance to it This to the cause Then to the persons vve say That of all men they ought to be most silent in this case for what variety have they what alterations have they made not only of their Service-Books Portesses and Breviaries but also of their Latine Translation The Service-Book supposed to be made by St. Ambrose Officium Ambrosianum was a great while in special use and request but Pope Hadrian called a Councel with the aid of Charls the Emperor abolished it yea burnt it and commanded the Service-Book of St. Gregory universally to be used Well
Officium Gregorianum gets by this means to be in credit but doth it continue without change or altering No the very Romen Service was of two Fashions the new Fashion and the old the one used in one Church the other in another as is to be seen in Pamilius a Romanist his preface before Micrologus The same Pamilius reporteth out of Radalphus de Rive That about the year of our Lord 1277 Pope Nicholas the third removed out of the Churches of Rome the more ancient Books of Service and brought into use the Missals of the Fryars Minorites and commanded them to be observed there insomuch that about an hundred yeers after when the above named Radulphus happened to be at Rome he found all the Books to be new after the new stamp Neither was this chopping changing in the ancient times only but also of late Pius Quintus himself confesseth That every Bishopprick almost had a peculiar kind of Service most unlike to that which others had which moved him to abolish all other Breviaries though never so ancient and priviledged and published by Bishops in their Diocesses and to establish and ratifie that only which was of his own setting forth in the year 1568. Now when the Father of their Church who gladly would heal the sore of the Daughter of his people softly and slightly and make the best of it finding so great fault with them for their odds and jarring we hope the children have no great cause to vaunt of their uniformity But the difference that appeareth in our Translation and our often correcting of them is the thing that we are specially charged with Let us see therefore whether they themselves be without fault this way if it be to be counted a fault to correct or whether they be fit men to throw stones at us o tandem major pareas minori they that are less sound themselves ought not to object infirmities to others If we should tell them that Valla Stapulensis Erusinus and Vives found fault with their vulgar Translation and consequently wished the same to be mended or a new one to be made they would answer peradventure That we produced their Enemies for Witnesses against them albeit they were in no other sort Enemies then St. Paul to the Galatians for telling them the truth and it were to be wished that they had dared to tell it them plainer oftner But what will they say to this That Pope Leo the tenth allowed Erasmus Translation of the New Testament so much different from the vulgar by his Apostolick Letter and Bull That the same Leo exhorted Pagnine to translate the whole Bible and bare whatsoever charges was necessary for the Work surely as the Apostle reasoneth to the Hebrews that if the former Law and Testament had been sufficient there had been no need of the later So we may say That if the old Vulgar had been at all points ollowable to small purpose had labour and charges been undergone about framing a new If they say it was one Popes private Opinion and that he consulted onely himself then we are able to go further with them and to aver That more of their chief men of all sorts even their own Trent-Champions Paiva Vega and their own Inquisitors Hierominus ab Oleastro and their own Bishop Isadorus Clarius and their own Cardinal Thomas a vio Caietan do either make new Translations themselves or follow new ones of other mens making or note the Vulgar Interpreter for halting none of them fear to dissent from him nor yet to except against him And call they this an uniform Tenor of Text judgement about the Text so many of their Worthies disclaiming the now received conceit Nay we will yet come a little nearer the quick doth not their Paris Edition differ from the Lovaine and Hentenius his from them both and yet all of them allowed by authority Nay doth not Sextus Quintus confess That certain Catholicks he meaneth certain of his own side were in such a humour of translating the Scriptures into Latine that Satan taking occasion by them though they thought of no such matter did strive what he could out of such uncertain and manifold a variety of Translations so to mingle all things that nothing might seem to be left certain and firm in them c. Nay further did not the same Sextus ordain by an inviolable Decree and that with the counsel and consent of the Cardinals That the Latine Edition of the Old and New Testament which the Councel of Trent would have to be authentick is the same without controversie which he then set forth being diligently Corrected and Printed in the Printing House of the Vatican thus Sextus in his Preface before his Bible And yet Clement the eight his immediate Successor to account of publisheth another Edition of the Bible containing in it infinite differences from that of Sextus and many of them weighty and material and yet this must be authentick by all means What is it to have the faith of our glorious Lord Jesus Christ with yea and nay if this be not Again what is sweet harmony and consent if this be Therefore as Dimaratus of Corinth advised a great King before he talked of the dissentions among the Grecians to compose his own domestick broils so all the while that our adversaries do make so many and so various Editions themselves and do jarre so much about the worth and authority of them they can with no shew of Equity challenge us for changing and correcting Thus far the said Translators From which may be observed At what great uncertainty the most wise and learned on both sides have been and are about the Scripture contesting which side hath the true not knowing that either side hath it 2. At what great uncertainty they likewise are in respect of those Scriptures which they have not certainly knowing the undoubted true sense and meaning thereof this plainly appears in that they do on each side so often alter change amend and new translate their respective Bibles wherein will be found many variations if not contradictions to the former and when they have done all they can it will be far from satisfying all the learned of the same party who having opportunity will alter and new translate it to their own minds which will as much displease others who will take their turn again to alter it and in this manner may it run ad infinitum from time to time and still upon like uncertainties and that the case is no better with us our next Author more fully sets forth 3. Jer. Taylor Dr. in Divinity and a great Schollar he in his Discourse of Liberty of prophesying pag. 61 62 63. shews and by many Reasons proves that which in effect amounts to an impossibility for any man to find out a true Copy or Translation or right sense of Scripture his words are these Viz. There are so many thousand of Copies that are writ by persons of
such that it was meer Barbarism to them 1 Cor. 14.11 And if any urge That it was afterward made of Divine Authority and the Word of God to all by its being translated into all Languages here I demand What humane Power could confer upon Translations that Prerogative which the Authograph never had especially since all Translations have many such Errors Mistakes and Contradictions in them as the Authographs had not and as the Word of God cannot have for to affirm any thing not perfectly true and infallible to be the Word of God implyes a flat contradiction Besides herein also is a great failer namely in that the most learned are at great variance not certainly knowing but much disagreeing about the right sense and meaning of words in Scripture this is evident by their often changing altering amending and new making of the Bible and by the palpable material differences and contradictions which still remain among Traaslations when all is done and the many exceptions taken by some or other of the learned against every Translation Nay if the original Language were the Mother-Tongue of some amongst us yet the Scripture would not be much the easier to them and a natural Greek or Jew can with no more reason or authority obtrude any Translation upon other mens consciences then any other man of any other Nation can do Consider further the infinite variety of Translations of the Bible that were in the primitive Ages of the Church as St. Hierome observes and never a one like another And can any man think but that the most learned of these later ages have differed erred and be mistaken as much in Translations as the other were ☞ and that the medium is as uncertain to these as it was to them which is evidently seen by the great variety of late Translations Commentaries which are too pregnant an Argument that the most learned neither agree in the understanding of the words nor of the sense and therefore Translations can bind no man to believe them to be of Divine Authority or the Word of God for an unknown or uncertain sense binds men as little to the belief thereof as an unknown tongue doth this also St. Paul plainly sets forth 1 Cor. 14.7 8. in these words Even things saith he without life giving sound whether Pipe or Harp except it give a certain distinction in the sound how shall it be known what is piped or harped for if the trumpet give an uncertain sound who shall prepare himself to Battaile Secondly Because the Word of God or Gospel of Christ which was of Divine Authority and which universally concern'd and bound all men to believe it so to be came not in any unknown Tongue nor upon any such uncertainties to any nor only in plainness of speech to be rightly understood of the meanest vulgar rational capacity but with divine and evident demonstration to attest the certain truth thereof as may be seen in St. Pauls expression to the Corinths besides many other places of like import 1 Cor. 2.4.5 where he tells them That his speech and his preaching came not to them with perswasible words of mans wisdom only intelligible to them all but with evidence and demonstration of the Spirit and Power of God that there faith might not stand in the wisdom of men but in the Power of God evidently implying That if it had come to them only in never so great plainness and wisdom of speech and they had thereupon believed it that then their Faith had stood meerly in the wisdom of men and not in the Word and Power of God Now let it be considered whether St. Pauls meer preaching so as aforesaid be not of as much Divine Authority and the Word of God as any of his own or other mens writings in Scripture are or ever were Thirdly Because the Word of God is powerful Heb. 4.12 Jer. 23.29 for God did but say Let there be light and there was light Gen 1.3 Christ did say Lazarus come forth and the dead came forth bound hand and foot Joh. 11.44 These words actions were afterwards recorded and so became Scripture The words and acts of the Kings of Israel were afterwards recorded so became Scripture The words and acts of the Devil in his tempting of Christ in the Wilderness were afterwards recorded and so became Scripture But as the record of the words and acts of the Devil are not the words and acts of the Devil and as the record of the words and acts of the Kings of Israel are not the words and acts of the Kings of Israel so the writing or recording of Gods Words is not Gods Word but only a Declaration what was Gods Word whereby he created the Light not that it is Gods VVord so written or so read or so spoken by us for if it continue truly and indeed Gods VVord in our mouths it must then still powerfully produce Light when spoken by us as then it did when it was spoken by God himself And the like evident difference was in the Power that followed the Faith that was built upon the very VVord of God above any faith that is built upon the Scripture in any sense These signs followed the first namely The stopping the mouths of Lyons quenching the violence of fire casting out of Devils speaking with new Tongues healing of the sick by meer laying on of hands c. Heb. 11.33 34. Mark 16.17 18. But no such signs follow the Faith built upon the Scripture or on the matter and substance contained therein nor on the Doctrines drawn from them by any men who usually borrow or steal the words of God of Christ of the Prophets of the Apostles or any other which they there find recorded and then by the help of some Commentor whereof there are divers and many devise some Doctrines c. which they afterwards deliver as from God to the people But such would appear to deal more ingenuously if they did follow the Prophets advice He that had onely a dream should tell it but as a dream and not as the Word of God for what is the chaff to the wheat Jer. 23.28 29 30 31 32. And especially I conceive it would be much more pleasing to God beneficial to men comfortable to themselves not to trouble the world with any sublime and mysterious Doctrine as that of Trinity Election Predestination Reprobation the Nature or Essence of God the order or number of his Decrees the nature or extent of Christ his death Justification or any other matters in Divinity so much controverted among School-men and other of the learned and are but doubtfully and uncertainly known to the wisest of them all as is evident in that each opposite among them with great confidence maintains the verity of their several contradictory Propositions in these Points which is no marvel since we see them likewise at no small variance even about the very Principles of the Doctrine of Christ which
circumcize all his male-servants whether born in his house or bought with money of any stranger though not of his seed as well as his natural seed Gen. 17. but these baptize no servant from that ground which they may as warrantably do as baptize any Infant Nor are the Anabaptists who deny the baptizing of Infants excusable upon the same account in pretending to derive divine authority to preach and baptize from the meer recital of that authority which was by Christ given personally to the eleven Apostles who both received and exercised the same long before the recital thereof in Matth. 28. from which no such authority can be derived to any because on that recital no authority at all was conferred by the eleven Apostles themselves there mentioned nor was their authority the more for it 's being there recited nor had it been the less if it had never been recited either there or any where else and therefore no such authority can be derived from that or any other Text. Besides these are very partial in that they assume such great and sublime authority to themselves from the meer recital of such authority given by Christ to his Apostles and not withall judge themselves also as well bound by the recital of that prohibition given also by Christ to the same Apostles viz. That they should not go out in the excercise of that Ministerial Function until they were indued with power from on high by the coming down of the Holy Ghost upon them Luke 24.49 Act. 1.4.8 And therefore upon due consideration of the whole matter it will be found That these do assume to themselves from meer recitals more authority then that which Christ gave to the Apostles themselves and whereof the Scriptures are but bare recitals Some other there are who disowning all the former wayes of conveyance yet to keep on foot that divine authority and that reverence accommodation which usually they received thereby in the world would by another trick both cozen themselves and all others their own consciences only excepted by telling the people that this divine authority which hitherto they have mist of must needs be in them and that they by their free election and bountiful contribution may convey it on whom they will and on them if they please but this also will be found a meer shuffle and as vain as any of the former for we finde both by Scripture and reason That a true Ministry divinely authorised and impowered did and alwayes must precede beget and constitute a true Church divinely authorised and that no Church or people whatsoever who are not so begotten and indued with divine power and authority themselves can possibly convey any such divine authority on any other this is evidently seen a truth by all the empty vain and fruitless laying on of hands used as well in particular Churches as by others in their Ordination of Ministers in imitation of the Apostles laying on their hands whereby the manifest and powerful gifts of the Spirit as that of tongues and prophesie c. were conveyed Act. 19.6 This form is still retained generally throughout Christendome as well as amongst us but where 's the power that should follow here 's the shell but where 's the kernel Might not little children or Apes in imitation of these lay hands one upon one another to as good purpose and with as much success Nor want we many amongst us who would needs have this whole Nation governed meerly by the Lawes and Ordinances of the Jews recited in Scripture and by Scriptural precepts onely pretending its divine authority to be alike over us as the Lawes and Ordinances given by Moses were over the Jews but how by this our case would be better then now it is I cannot imagine unless our Lawyers could which is not likely and would against their own profit which is not to be hoped make more certain and undoubted Translations Commentaries and Expositions of Scripture then ever any of the most Orthodox Divines have hitherto done But these men as it seems deeming themselves Saints and to be divinely authorized from Scripture to make this Nation the Kingdome of Christ and to set up and enthronize themselves to rule and raign for Christ and in his stead do declare it now their duty to effect all this by force and power * In their Standard set up pag. 10. inviting all the upright in heart to follow and joyn with them in this the work of the Lord * I wish that all Christians besides such as do jump with them were not to be numbred among the Heathen upon whom they would execute vengeane if they had power in their hands to do it To execute vengeance upon he Heathen and punishment upon the people c. and for this take their warrant from Psal 50.5 Psal 94.15 Psalm 149.7 applying these and very many other Scriptures of like import now unto themselves which do properly belong to other times persons and not to be fulfilled until the times of restoration of the Jews and the personal coming of Christ to set up his Kingdome But these mistakes at least as I conceive do arise from their deeming as many others inconsiderately do that the coming of Christ and his Kingdome is to be meerly spiritual by his grace coming and ruling in mens hearts without his personal coming whereas the Scripture plainly sets forth his personal coming in power and great glory visible to all men Act. 1.11 Act. 3 20 21. Matth. 24.30 Luke 21.27 Esa 40.5 after which he will gather together his ancient and elect people the Jews out of all Countreys where they are dispersed Luke 21.28 Matth. 24.31 compared with Esa 11.12 c. after which he will set up his Kingdome Luke 21.30 31. Luke 19.11 12 13. which shall be upon the earth and at the end of this world when he will gather and destroy out of his Kingdome the earth all the wicked and them that work iniquity Matth. 13.39 40 41. Then and not till then shall the righteous shine forth as the Sun in the Kingdome of ther father vers 23. and then Christ will be King over all the earth Zach. 14.9 which will not be until his personal coming on the earth as ver 4 5. do manifest And then will be fulfilled the promise to Abraham and his seed to inherit the land of Canaan for an everlasting possession Gen. 17.8 wherein whilest he lived he did but so journ and dwell as in a strange Countrey with Isaac and Jacob heirs with him of the same promise Heb. 11.8 9. Act. 7.4 5. these all died in faith and expectation of that promise nevertheless to be performed to them afterward Hebr. 11.13 Then will the Kingdomes of this world become the Kingdomes of our Lord and his Christ wherein he shall reign for ever and ever Rev. 11 15. having the Heathen for his inheritance and the utter parts of the earth for his posession Psal 28. And
place the land of Canaan and would cause them to dwell safely and would give them one heart and one way that they should fear him for ever for the good of them and their children after them Which plainly sets forth the conversion of the Jews to the true fear of God and never more to depart from him and their being gathered out of all Countreys into their own land again to be there safely planted assuredly both they and their children after them to fear the Lord for ever which was never yet performed to this people It cannot be meant that this Covenant is promised to be made with any Gentile believers or Churches already converted whose fathers were never led by the hand out of Egypt nor planted in the land of Canaan to be there again re-planted much less can it be meant of every Gentile Church or Congregation of supposed believers as it is usually expounded and applied by the several Pastors and Ministers to their respective Congregations but they may as soon make me believe that all they say is truth as to believe this exposition of theirs or that this is not meant of Israel and Juda the very natural seed of Jacob or that it doth not mean the general conversion and gathering of that people into their own land again out of which they have been driven even the natural Israelites whose conversion Saint Paul also positively asserts Rom. 11. by the name of Israel the natural branches and his kinsmen according to the flesh affirming them to be holy and beloved for their fathers sake even when they were broken off and in the state of unbelief wherein they yet remain unto this day terming the Christian Romans though their faith was then famous throughout the whole world Gentiles and in comparison of them but wild branches cut out of the wilde Olave-tree and then after many hints of their coversion of their being received and graffed in again at last affirms that all or the whole house of Israel shal be saved and proves it by that which is written in Esa 59.20 which is That the Redeemer shall come to Sion and to them which turn from transgression in Jacob saith the Lord As for me this is my Covenant with them saith the Lord my spirit that is upon thee and my words which I have put in thy mouth shall not depart out of thy mouth nor out of the mouth of thy seed nor out of the mouth of thy seeds seed saith the Lord from henceforth and for ever Hence it is evident by Saint Paul's exposition that the great deliverance blessing and mercy intended and meant in this text properly belongeth unto Jacob or natural children of Israel whence it will follow That the great exaltation permanent glory security and peace prophesied and spoken of in the chapter immediately following appertains to them also none whereof being fulfilled when Saint Paul wrote that Epistle nor at any time since it is all yet to be fulfilled to them And therefore whosoever expounds this Scripture otherwise thwarts Saint Paul to the deceiving both of themselves and others which is much and often done by such as turn the true and plain sense of this and other Scriptures into mystical or allegorical meanings the meer inventions of mens brains whereby many excellent passages of Scripture yea in effect the whole Scripture hath been and is perverted and made not helpful but hurtful to many which if rightly understood would be of excellent use and benefit to all men but by such and the like misinterpretations and blind senses put upon the Scriptures by our blinde guides and * And have we not seen Curse ye Meroz displayed nor heard them cursed bitterly who came not out to help the Lord nor yet known many honest and sincere hearts extreamly cheated on all sides and by none more then by such charms and charmers who though they knew little of the right application of that text yet it bearing a sound for their purpose it was made use of by them meerly upon design interest for no sooner did they perceive the waters begin to run besides their Mill i.e. their ambitions covetous domineering ends were not served but they turned cat in paâ— cursed as fast the contrary way this at pleasure upon occasion can they do viz. bless curse curse and bless one the same person one and the same cause one and the same opinion with one and the same mouth and possible from one the same text corrupt interessed men as it may seem the honest zeal and good meaning of these men I speak as charity bindes me hath been so much misled as to conceive themselves divinely authorized to make this rash and un-advised attempt so dangerous both to themselves and the whole Nation But if instead thereof they had imployed all the power interest they had in a lawful way upon a civil account to have procured for the honest and good people of the Nations the performance of such honest and righteous things as of right do belong unto them and are but the just return of all the blood treasure laid out and spent by them for the purchase or rather for the redemption of them and which have been so much and so often promised to them and that upon most-solemn sacred appeals to heaven and yet hitherto most unjustly * But we be to them and him by whom these offences come deteined from them I conceive they had been far less if at all blamable then in that which they have attempted For can they think it just for them to domineer over their fellows and brethren meerly by a supposed divine authority from Scripture and may not any other upon the same account by a contrary exposition put upon the Scripture challenge the like superiority over them and must not we then needs fight it out and after conclude the strongest to have expounded truest for the weakest must to the wall perhaps into some castle or prison or into the bottome of some dungeon as erroneous or heretical persons whilst all such as have but the power over castles and prisons are alwayes orthodox all the world over and who may say to the contrary Or can they think it reasonable or feasable for them to set up that Kingdome of Christ to prevent and save him the labour of coming and so to rob him of the glory of doing it himself by the mighty power of his own arm without the arm of flesh Esa 63.1 to 7 whereby he will exalt his great name and glory to all eternity more then by any of his former archievements The bringing the children of Israel thorow the red Sea out of the hands of Pharaoh was indeed a very wonderful and glorious work whereby God made his Name great in all the earth yet this his deliverance and restoring of them yet to come and his setting up of his Kingdome will so far and so much exceed that
that it will swallow it up and cause it to vanish as the light of a candle will do at the presence of the Sun and so far bury it in oblivion that it shall never more be remembred for ever Jer. 23 from 3 to 9. This whole life is the time for the Saints and righteous to suffer in for and in hope of reward and rest in that Kingdome with Christ at his coming 2 Thess 1 4 to 9 but these men would fain be reaping before harvest and before the time of sowing is ended and be reigning in that Kingdome before the blessed Patriarchs and Apostles who yet sleep in the dust and who are to be the prime heirs and inheritours with Christ of that Kingdome Matth 8 11 Luke 22 30 yea and without and before Christ there raigns himself and before that Kingdome or the time of setting it up be come which may not be But the authority assumed and now attempted by these men seems at least to me to be much like to that which is exercised by his Holinesse the Pope as Christs Vice-gerent upon earth over all both persons and causes for which he pretends divine authority and that from Scripture also for from Ps 91.13 which sayes thus Thou shalt tread upon the Lion and Adder the young Lion and Dragon thou shalt trample under feet By pretence of divine authority from this Scripture he most presumptuously tramples under foot all civil Magistracy and sets his feet upon the necks of Emperours Like as I my self once heard Psa 45.16 expounded from a Pulpit in Pauls the Text runs thus Instead of thy Fathers shall thy children be whom thou shalt make Princes thorow all the earth By Fathers said he are meant the Patriarchs and Apostles and by Children are meant the Lords Bishops who are their successors Hence this learned Preacher in further prosecution of this his Text with great confidence asserted the principality of Bishops and their superiority over other Ministers to be of Divine Right And there 's no doubt but these called fifth Monarchy-men may prove their dominion over all others to be of Divine right as well as this Nay who can doubt but that Presbyters Independents Separatists Anabaptists yea and Mahometan Priests also can prove their several authorities to be of divine right as well as either of the former and that from Scripture too and if they can not they are very unworthy such offices of dignity and such places of profit as to be Masters and Heads of Colledges c. and if the Revenues of the best Bishopricks were also added thereto there 's no doubt but that these would easily swallow it up without making any bones thereat the name being onely changed Nay have we not had some who lately riding on hors-back into Bristol received such honour acclamations and attributes as were given to Christ when he rode into Jerusalem and no doubt but all this was done by some divine authority drawn from the Scripture Mat. 21. where the manner of Christs so riding into Jerusalem is recited And why might not the horse have run and bruised the riders foot against a wall by divine authority likewise from that Scripture which recites how that Balaams Asse dealt so by that false prophet Numb 22 25. But I shall at present forbear to trace this divine Goddess and great Idol any further but shall now leave her to the view of all men as she is set forth in Rev. 17. like a Queen sitting upon her Throne most sumptuously arraied in purple and scarlet and gilded with gold and precious stones and pearls having a cup in her hand full of abominations and filthiness of her fornication upon whom the more I look the more I wonder even with greatest admiration when I consider how such a counterfeit painted strumpet as this hath so much so long and so universally beguiled in effect the whole world and intoxicated many such men as are otherwise most exquisite wise and exact in far smaller matters I shall now conclude removing onely a scruple which from this Discourse may arise in some honest hearts to this effect Object Since there is no name given under heaven whereby men can be saved but by the name of Iesus Christ and none can be saved by that name but such as truly believe therein and none can have a sufficient ground for true and Christian faith but by a true Ministry evidencing the truth and divine authority of their doctrine by demonstration of the Spirit and power of God And if the case be so as by this Discourse it seems to be In what condition are all such who never enjoyed such a Ministry is not their case necessarily damnable Answ I say no for although it be granted That none are saved but by Christ yet many millions of thousands may be and are saved and that by Christ who never enjoyed any such Ministry never believed in Christ nor heard of him for what else think we should become of all infants since Adam who died in their infancy whose salvation at least their freedome from condemnation cannot upon any good ground be doubted of for they have suffered death the natural effect of Adams transgression from which at the resurrection they shall be redeemed and discharged by Christ for what or for whose sin can they then be condemned at the day of Judgement since they have committed none themselves and shall have already suffered death for Adams sin and from which they shall then be acquitted by Christ And their salvation as I conceive is as little to be doubted of because that condition or sort of mankinde which Christ himself did put as a president and example for his Disciples to conform themselves to for to become inheritours of the Kingdome of heaven must needs be inheritours of the Kingdome of heaven but such are little children and Christ affirmed that of such is the Kingdom of heaven and who then hath need or reason to doubt thereof The same may be deemed the case of all born Ideots living and dying so And what may be thought of all the Heathen nations people in the world since Adam that have lived to years of discretion can any man reasonably think that God hath left all these quite destitute of all means of salvation and of acceptance with him did God afford them or any of them such an ample excuse at the day of judgement as they might then have upon that account No surely for then all mens mouths will be stopped and no such reasonable and just excuse shall be found in the mouth of any What meaneth Saint Paul when he saith in Act. 17.25 26 27. That God had made of one blood all Nations to dwell on the face of the earth giving to all life breath and all things as rain from heaven and fruitful seasons filling their hearts with food and gladness chap 14 17 and to what end did God all this but that they might seek him and