Selected quad for the lemma: scripture_n
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A54036
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Reason regulate[d], or, Brief reflections upon a l[ate] treatise of human-reason by T.P.
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T. P.
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1675
(1675)
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Wing P117; ESTC R25516
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24,178
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78
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Conversion of Nations Fulfilling of Prophesies which baffles all Cavils and strikes all Objections dumb a Miraculous Propagation Now he who prefers the Dictates of his own Private and naked Reason and Understanding in matters that concern Religion before the Guidance of a Church thus Adorn'd thus Mark'd thus Signaliz'd deserves not nor truly has he either the one or the other Nothing certainly can be more contrary to Humane Reason than to think we ought to believe nothing above it For there are Truth 's Un-intelligible by the most Exalted and Sublimated Souls in Heaven viz. The Total and Perfect Quality of the Divine Essence which nothing Created nothing Inferiour to God himself can Comprehend The Saints and Angels enjoy Eternity without knowing what it is the most Towring Wisdom and Depurated Reason can no more reach or fathom that Inscrutable Infinity than Ten Millions of Oceans can be crowded into the smallest Cockle-Shell For it drowns or rather as a Bottomless Abysse swallows up all Philosophy and Learning 'T is the Philosophers-Stone in Divinity too hard to be Penetrated by the Knowledge of Men or Angels In fine We know that such a thing there is but never shall it 's full and perfect Definition it being no less than the Eternal Tri-Une God whose Deep brief Character of Himself was Sum qui Sum. Whence I inferr That Men are not endued with Understanding Presumptuously to stretch beyond it's Strength and Power or to use it as they themselves list But according to the Will and Pleasure of the Divine Donor who certainly gives Man Reason not absolutely but Conditionally that in Matters of Faith at least it should retribute and pay Homage to Him I mean be Regulated by His Beloved Spouse the Church For as that is no true Liberty which has no Limit so that is no true Reason which has no Restriction Besides if most Men are allowed and granted to have Reason certainly the Church do's not want it Vis unita fortior but has in it a more Ample Perfect and incorrigible manner because more immediately and perpetually accompanyed and Assisted by the Holy Ghost And this is true nay infallibly true if Scripture be not false How those Headless-Members the Acephalists would answer here I cannot tell but am certain that As that is not true Reason but Delusion which flowes not from the right Fountain So a Visible Congregation or Body of Men without a Visible Head or with more than one is equally Monstrous But those Spiritual Privateers who slight the Ecclesiastical Hierarchy or Convoy contemn the Doctrine of the Church and resolve to believe no more than their Understandings can Chew and their Reason Digest there being many things in Nature which pose Mortality as the Flux and Re-flux of the Sea the Effects of the Loud-Stone c. will live Infidels and dye Atheists Nor is this said To remove the Cognizance of Divine Truths out of the Court of Reason but to quell it's Pride and Arrogance and bring it to Submit and stoop by an Humble Faith to those Divine Truths for certainly a mans Reason may Rebell against his Faith as well as his Passion against Reason and this Limitation or Coaction does not at all deprive man of his Power nor abridge him of the Liberty and natural priviledge of Election or Choice Religion says he appears and what Christian dares deny it to be the Principal End of mans Creation and therefore as if Horses are made for Burthen they have a Natural ability given where-with to do it If Birds do fly they have Wings given them for that purpose because where an end is Natural the means are so too So if Religion be the End of Man as he is Partaker of a Rational Soul that Reasonable Soul hath some Power naturally placed in it for the excercise judgment and choice of Religion All this is Undeniably true But yet the Author may please to consider That the Horse may be over-loaded and the Bird fly too high and so certainly Reason may soar above it's Natural Pitch Meridian Altitude and Consequently into a Region where 't is a mere Stranger and cannot subsist without some stronger Principle than it 's own proper Strength to support it And so granting the Antecedent I deny the Consequence That because GOD gives man Reason as I have said to light or introduce him into the right Entrance of Religion therefore being once initiated he needs not to ask any more questions or be guided by others but let him follow his own Reason I might as well have said his Nose and he cannot possibly go astray Briefly In the Search or Choice of our Way Reason I grant must rule but that once found Obey For that private Spirit which is not first quickned or animated and then constantly Actuated by that of God's Church which was Authoriz'd and Sanctify'd by the Divine Breath of JESUS is a False Conception no true or lawful Issue of the Understanding but a Spurious or Abortive Embrion of the Brain a Falle Light a Deceitful Phantasm But the Author says If this Doctrine that is for every Man to believe ad libitum were Generally planted in the Minds of men both the Reality and Pretence of Fighting for Religion were utterly Cancell'd Truly so far I should like his Doctrine especially if he could warrant men that Intellectual or Religious Differences should never come to Blowes But Alas Experience makes me more than doubt 't is but an Airy or imaginary Notion For as I do not deny but that those who endeavour an Establishment of Unity and Uniformity in Faith and Religion may possibly occasion War So those I fear of contrary Principles can never long prevent it But I hope that GOD who rules the unruly Ocean will Thus far I do most willingly agree with him That I would have none who disturbe not the publick peace tranquility of the Government be persecuted upon a purely conscientious score For I think it a most uncharitable and unreasonable method because impossible to reduce mens Judgments 't is but one remove from convincing them with Beetles and Halters by taking away their Estates and Starving their Bodies But against those who are found any way machinating against our true and lawful Governours especially the Supream with all Severity and Rigour Currat Lex But yer let every man smart for his proper Fault and not a whole Community or Body of men be made the very Buttocks of the Nation to be kick lash'd and slander'd for the Crimes of Particulars For that certainly is as remote from Reason Equity and Justice as it would be To Pistol a man because his Nose stands awry or knock his Brains our because he Squints Or indeed because the Serpent seduced Eve and she Adam whose Original Guilt corrupted and deprav'd their whole Progeny By the very same Crooked Rule the Apostles themselves might be call'd Traytors because Judas betray'd his Lord and Master Nor can or shall I ever believe
it either Pious or Politick to use any other Force but that of Arguments for the Conviction and Reduction of Disputers One may as well try to tame a Tyger with Rational Arguments as by Threats or Violence for a man may be sooner frighted out of his Wits than his Opinion to conquer long-setled Judgments and therefore as the best Physick to cure a Quartane is To be kind to it So if Rational Discourse gentle Perswasions cannot operate upon the intelect mind of man rougher Applications for what 's Reason to one may be Non-Sense to another shall never work a free or plenary assent for those that are perforce Proselyted may become Dissembling Hypocrites but never Real-Converts What Wise or Worthy Spirits therefore would proceed so Irrationally so Ignobly or what advantagious Acquisition or Glory can there be in such a Conquest But this is a point already most amply discuss'd by much abler penns Reply to the Answer of the Catholick-Apology and Advocate of Conscience-Liberty To them therefore I refer the Reader and I le return to the Author Who maintains constantly that sole Reason in all Streights and Exigences must Guide and Steer us in our Course to our Haven Heaven For says he when I ask Why you believe any Mystery of Faith You will answer perhaps Because the Present Church Commands you If I proceed and ask Why do you believe what the Present Church Commands you You will say Because the Former Church Teaches the same Why do you believe the Former Church Because GOD Commands you so to do Why do you believe that God Commands it Because you find it in the Scripture Why do you believe the Scriptures to be the Word of GOD Because they were confirm'd by Miracles Why do Miracles confirm that Because they are Workes which can proceed from nothing but the Absolute and Immediate Power of the Deity Why so Because nothing contrary to or above the Course of Nature can be done by Natural Agents And why should I or any man else say any thing against all this Since he has so pertinently and solidly answer'd all the Why 's himself but I suppose he imagin'd that Syllogistically sounding the depth of the Catholick method or rule of Faith with this chain of Questions and finding Reason at the bottom of it which methinks should make him the sooner embrace it therefore he had invincibly fortifi'd his own arguments for an absolute and independent guidance of private reason in all contingencies but alas 't is triumphing before the Victory because as inconsequent as if one should say my Rulers are no more than rational men and I being a man of reason too therefore my obligation ceaseth to be rul'd by them neither ought any man in reason to command or obey others but is not this cum ratione insanire A Doctrine which if prevalent would in a short time destroy not only Ecclesiastical but all secular Oeconomy and Jurisdictions and in the end leave nothing but outward shape to distinguish Men from Beasts which have no other Superiority or Mastership amongst them but what they get Vi Armis with their Horns and Heels Certainly this is very prodigious I had almost said monstrous Reason and so truly I think is the greatest part of his discourse which in effect teaches that Divinity cannot stand unless Philosophy support it nor St. Peter and St. Paul instruct unless Aristotle and Plato comment consequently no man can be a good Christian that is not a good Philosopher which certainly is a very false and Anti-Christian assertion Authority and Obedience are Correlatives there must be both or neither and therefore his mysterious discourse of Obedience in Spirituals which he calls the most pleasing smell in the Sacrifice I shall never understand which totally invalidates all Ecclesiastical Regiment and Power St. Augustine who I presume wanted not for Humane Reason said peremptorily Ego verò Evangelio non crederem nisi me Ecclesiae Catholicae commoveret Authoritas And to the same Authority leaving the Scepticks to their Identities Idities and Quiddities will I ever submit both my understanding my reason for would it not be very pleasant to hear a man Catechise or Preach to himself and a pretty riddle for Master Schollar Preacher and Auditour to be all in the same man who without some external conveyance or outward aid can no more properly or safely indoctrinate himself than he can possibly put his mouth to his own ear and whisper in it Witty men no doubt may frame arguments against natural and experimental Demonstrations as for example Oral Loquution or Local Motion but certainly none though few perhaps can solve every particular objection will be perswaded that we can neither speak nor move The same I say as to the Church when men are as certainly they may be indisputably satisfi'd that it is and must necessarily be infallible in its Conciliar-Definitions whatsoever riseth in opposion they consequently know though perhaps not precisely How must necessarily be inconclusive fictitious and false without descending to particular disputes which is not only a toilsome but endless labour For I have often thought that since our Revolt from Rome there have been written pro and con-books enough I should not exceed if I said to fill ten Vaticans and yet we are in the same or a worse condition the reason is because Corrosives are apply'd instead of Lenitives Vinegar instead of Oyle wherefore I compare Controversie to Physick which as it cures many that would have dy'd so it kills more that would have recover'd and liv'd without it Whether what I have hitherto said will have the good or ill fortune to be thought Reason or not I am not Prophet enough to know nor concern'd enough to care the principal motive being to employ some spare hours but if it be esteem'd wholly insignificant Solamen miseris c. I am not the first by forty who have written to no purpose yet this I 'le boldly say is to some whatever arguments or engins of Wit are invented and directed to undermine and subvert the Power and Authority of God's Church will but deceive and at last recoile and ruine the Inventor And all these glittering words and gilded reasons which I confess are drest in graceful language this Author has rally'd together against it can be at most but Verisimilities they may possibly delight some amuze and puzle others but solidly and indubitably can inform none for I should take it very kindly from him or any man else that would tell me candidly what those imperative words Feed my Sheep feed my Lambs spoken to St. Peter signifie if not that there should constantly be in God's Church which is essentially compos'd of Docentes discentes Pastors i e. Instructors and Teachers of others For Christ our Lord who never made or said any thing in vain did not speak plurally as this Author interprets Feed ye my Sheep feed ye my Lambs even where your selves