Selected quad for the lemma: scripture_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
scripture_n	faith_n	material_a	object_n	2,471	5	9.0623	5	false

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A32802	The rise, growth, and danger of Socinianisme together with a plaine discovery of a desperate designe of corrupting the Protestant religion, whereby it appeares that the religion which hath been so violently contended for (by the Archbishop of Canterbury and his adherents) is not the true pure Protestant religion, but an hotchpotch of Arminianisme, Socinianisme and popery : it is likewise made evident, that the atheists, Anabaptists, and sectaries so much complained of, have been raised or encouraged by the doctrines and practises of the Arminian, Socinian and popish party / by Fr. Cheynell ...	Cheynell, Francis, 1608-1665.	1643 (1643)	Wing C3815; ESTC R16168	87,143	88

know whether there were any Scripture or no chap. 2. pag. 65 66. I thought it had beene necessary to have received those materiall objects or Articles of our Faith upon the authority of God speaking in the Scriptures I thought it had beene Anabaptisticall to have expected any Revelation but in the Word of God for a Revelation nay a supernaturall revelation is necessary to help naturall reason as the same Mr. Chillingworth acknowledges Knot had very unhappily branded Mr. Chillingworth for a Socinian because he maintaineth That nothing ought or can bee certainly believed farther then it may be proved by evidence of naturall reason where I conceive saith Mr. Chillingworth naturall reason is opposed to supernaturall revelation and whosoever holds so let him be Anathema Sect. 28. in his Answer to Knots Direction to N. N. Now let Mr. Chillingworth say that either there is a Revelation to be expected out of the Word as the Enthyfiasts do or else let him acknowledge that God hath ordained the Scriptures as the meanes and instruments to reveale saving truths and let him teach men to depend upon the Ordinances of God and not make men stand at a gaze to expect a Revelation in an extraordinary way Or else let him speake plaine and say there is truth enough written in the hearts of every man by nature to save him or that it may be learnt from Philosophers writings let him say as Socinus doth that the substance of the promises is eternall life that the maine thing God lookes after is practise that Heathens and Christians have the same practicall rules written in their heart and so if a man doe but hope for eternall life by observing these practicall rules as many Heathens did witnesse that verse of Phocylides {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} and the Discourses of Socrates Plato Hermes c. hee may be eternally saved and then we shall know how free he is from Socinidnisme Or else let him confesse that naturall Reason being helped by a supernaturall Revelation in the Word is not able to discerne saving truths so as to beleeve them after a saving manner without the speciall assistance of the holy Ghost such assistance as is vouchsafed to none but the Elect of God and then I will acknowledge that he is no Socinian But otherwise if either he thinke as he seemes to thinke that all the materiall objects which are necessary to salvation may be knowne out of some other booke then Scripture or by some other meanes and that if a man beleeve them meerely as truths probable by reason and doe not receive those truths as the Oracles of God but dictates of Reason then sure he may be a Socinian still nay if he hold a supernaturall Revelation by the Word to be necessary it being the meanes which God hath ordained and so is made necessary to us by Gods ordinance yet if hee thinke this outward revelation to be sufficient without the inward and speciall revelation of the Spirit he may be a Socinian still But this by the way I shall say the lesse of Mr. Chillingworth when I come to touch upon his Booke sure I am such dangerous principles as these will beate greene heads from the study of the Scriptures if they be not censured upon every occasion I know Master Chillingworth protests that he is willing to stand to the judgement of the Catholique Church of this and former ages to the consent of Protestants the Church of England but if he put in the Papists into the Catholicke Church as I beleeve he will then he will say the Papists doe not agree and therefore the Catholick Church of this age is not against the Socinians nay the Fathers doe not all agree and so there is not a Catholick consent of the Ancients as Mr. Chillingworth I beeleeve did purposely shew at large in the eighteenth Section of his Answer to N. N. that so he might winde himselfe out the better in this 28. Section Nay peradventure he will put the Socinians in for to give a vote if you aske for the consent of the Catholique Church of this Age for hee cals them a company of Christians in the 29. Section and though he saith They are erroneous in explicating he doth not say in denying the mysteries of Religion allowing greater liberty in speculative matters so the Socinians call the Articles of the Christian faith then any other company of Christians doth or they should doe yet for their honour he saith they explicate the Lawes of Christ with more rigour and lesse indulgence to the flesh then the Papists doe and that is true but not much for their commendation because they thereby disgrace the Morall Law of God and say it was imperfect till Christ gave new Lawes but Mr. Chillingworth was willing to take any occasion to commend them Moreover if Mr. Chillingworth by the Church of England meane the Arch-Bishop of Canterbury and his faction then indeed there will not be a generall consent of the Church of England against the Socinians Once more if he take in all the Arminians and some Iesuited Papists that as Vertumnus Romanus prescribes come to Church and heare our Common prayers and receive the Sacrament in some Congregations in this Kingdome though they bee of Mr. Fisher or Mr. Flued his minde and ranke all these amongst Protestants for we have had strange kinde of Protestants for these twelve yeares last past then I beleeve there will not be a generall consent of such Protestants against the Socinians and so Mr. Chillingworth may oppose Socinianisme when all these agree together to oppose it But indeed hee hath one Argument which makes me beleeve that he and more of that faction who countenance many Socinian errors doe not agree with the Socinians in all points because Socinianisme if it be taken in all its demensions is such a Doctrine by which no man in his right minde can hope for any honour or preferment either in this Church or State or in any other Many men do indeed adventure as farre as they dare this way onely they are afraid of thwarting the great Designe as I shall hereafter shew I dare not excuse Mr. Chillingworths dangerous principles though I account him a very rationall man yet I beleeve him to be the more dangerous I dare not therefore give him that liberty which he gives others and cry Quisque abundet in sensusuo because they are not the words of S. Paul though Mr. Chillingworth father them upon him chap. 2. pag. 92. the words of the Apostle are Let every man be fully perswaded or assured in his own minde Rom. 14. 5. I goe on to shew the danger of Socinianisme It is an Hotch-potch of Gentilisme Turcisme Judaisme and I know not what they have put in some scruples of Christianity to make up the messe The Centuriatours say that Mahomet did compose his Alcoran by the helpe of the Iewes and Iohannes Antiochenus an Arian and

Faustus not grown up to his maturity Sabellius he saith was an Heretike for saying that the Father did not differ from the Son but he is not so forward to call them heretikes who deny that the Son hath the same nature with the Father he tells us that we must beleeve Christ to be the Sonne of God and to be made man but he doth not presse us to beleeve that Christ is God We need not wonder at his moderation when he is very tender even about Transubstantiation and unwilling to appear on either side Magna jamdudum fuit vere tragica controversia de Interpretatione verborum corum Accipite hoc est corpus meum non necesse est autem me hoc loco utrarum sim partium aperire tantum catenus quidem utrarumque esse me profiteor quod utrosque adveram Dei ecclesiam pertinere nihil prorsus dubitem lib. 3. and a little after De verborum sententiâ lis est non de veritate this is an excellent device indeed to help off the grossest Heretikes and say that they only differ from us about the meaning of some places of Scripture Christ saith he bids all come unto him that are heavy laden and what saith he will you of your own head say to any man that is comming to Christ Heus tu frustra accedis qui hoc illud non credas But if you reply that Acontius hath not reckoned some points of religion which are of high concernment and therefore you may safely tell a man unlesse he beleeve them he cannot be saved he hath endeavoured to prevent your reply by this excuse Si miraris inter ea quae recensuimus cognitu necessaria non numerari quosdam summo quamvis loco habitos Religionis apices evolve diligenter Examine saith he whether those high points could be known under the old Testament to the people of Israel c. This is just the Socinian Device I will not trouble you any longer with the unsavory discourse of that rotten Author whose main Stratageme was a pretended Moderation and feigned Charity Let us now passe on to some later Authours Doctor Francis White was a man countenanced by the Arch-Bishop to write against the Sabbath and in his Epistle Dedicatory to the Arch-Bishop well knowing what would please his Graces tooth he saith that we are beholding to the Testimony of the Bishops for the weightiest matters in religion and amongst the rest he saith for the eternall Deity of the blessed Saviour It seemes if the Christian world had not given credit to the testimony of Bishops the eternall Deity of Christ had not been acknowledged by Christians what if Bishops had lost their Votes and credit some ages since must Christ have lost his Deity or at least the honour of it Is there nothing written in Scripture concerning the eternall Deity of Christ this is just indeed as Tertullian saith Nisi Deus homini placuerit Deus non erit This book was printed in the year 1635. I need say nothing of that little Pamphlet about Schisme printed not long since because other men have said so much of it I am credibly informed that when the Author of it was asked by a great person in this Kingdome what he thought of the Socinians he answered If you could secure my life I would tell you what I think and truly he hath told us what he thinkes in this little tract viz. that Arianisme was but a Rent in the Church upon matter of opinion p. 9. that those passages in our publique formes which offend the Arians are but private fancies and therefore he desires there may be such a Leiturgy as the Arians may not dislike p. 10. and then the Socinians and Protestants might joyn in one congregation But must we not say that Christ is very God of very God that he is the great God the true God God blessed for ever for fear we offend the Arians Socinians c. must we not worship the Trinity of persons in the unity of the Godhead His Grace will peradventure thinke it long till he heare what I have to say to his own learned book I must confesse there is good learning in that book of his which was printed 1624. I should doe him wrong if I should deny it and though there are some passages which sound ill yet I have charity enough to put a good construction upon most of them but if a prudent Reader will but compare that book and the enlargement of it together which was printed in the yeare 1639. he will find a great deale of alteration in that second Edition or rather second book for it is indeed another book I shall give you a taste of some passages in the latter book which are not in the former that you may see how much his Grace had altered his Religion in those 15. yeares In the 76. Page he saith the Mysteries of Faith doe not contradict Reason for Reason by her own light can discover how firmly the principles of Religion are true He doth not say reason by the light of Scripture or by the light of the Spirit but reason by her own light can discover how firmly the Principles of Religion are true The Socinians lay this principle as their foundation and keep so close to it that they reject the weightiest Articles of the Christian faith because Reason cannot discover them to be true by her own light that is reason ante Spiritus sancti illustrationem before the illumination of the Holy Ghost as they explain themselves in their Brevis Disquisitio cap. 3. de Spiritu Sancto And upon the same ground they doe reject the Received interpretations of Scripture because Reason cannot discover how firmly they are true Can the Arch-Bishop make it appeare by the light of Reason that there shall be a Resurrection of these selfe same bodies that there are three persons and one God that the Word was made flesh that God was made man that Christ was born of a Virgin that God justifies many thousands of the ungodly by the obedience and satisfaction of one man must we not beleeve these Articles till Reason by her own light without the illumination of the Holy Ghost doth discover them to be true and how firmly they are to be beleeved because true for that I suppose the Arch-Bishop means when he saith Reason can discover how firmly these principles of Religion are true Why doe the Socinians so often challenge us to be tryed by reason by common sense by the Judgement of all men but because they conceive Reason by her own light can discover how firmly the principles of religion are true I know the Socinians doe talk much of the offices of Christ but they receive nothing from the Scripture concerning Christs offices but what is as they say agreeable to Reason They say likewise that it is necessary to salvation to know the promises of God but they affirme that it will

Grace and his adherents are sufficiently knowne nor a true teaching Church as shall evidently be demonstrated in the next Chapter CHAP. VI The Religion so violently contended for by the Archbishop of Canterbury and his adherents is not the true pure Protestant Religion I Intend not to transcribe overmuch out of Bishop Mountague Shelford Pocklington Dr. Potter Mr. Chillingworth Dr. Dowe Dr. Heylin c. Their Books are commonly sold and I have given a taste already in the third and fourth Chapters of some of these Authors ex ungue leonem as they say there are a great many passages collected and published already by severall men so that I am forestalled and by some happily prevented there is a Booke entituled Ladensium {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} closely penned and never answered in which their Heresies are filled up by dozens There will come forth a Booke very shortly in which the Designe of Reconciling or rather uniting Rome and Canterbury for there was no great quarrell betweene them will be more fully discovered for these reasons I may well shorten my journey Let any man that desires satisfaction but peruse those Bookes which were Printed in England betweene 1630. and 1639. and compare them with the Harmony of Confessions of the Reformed Churches and then hee may easily judge Mr. Chillingworth proves undeniably that the Church of Rome is not Infallible but to what end and purpose why that Rome and Canterbury may shake hands the Pope may abate something in point of Supremacy his Primacy being grounded upon his Infallibility but if the Pope Cardinals c. the Archbishop of Canterbury and his adherents were united the people would be unwilling to part with their Masse why for that if they will but yeild thus farre as to turne their Masse into English the good men are agreed for Mr. Chillingworth tels the Papists that no Godly Lay man that is an ignorant Papist that is well conceited of the Masse who is verily perswaded that there is neither impiety nor superstition in the use of their Latine Service shall be damned as he hopes for being present at it Excellent Divinity A strong perswasion will turne superstition and impiety into godlinesse Yet he saith there is some danger as long as the Service is in Latine because the want of that devotion which the frequent hearing the offices understood might happily beget in them the want of that instruction and edification which it might afford them may very probably hinder the salvation of many which otherwise might have beene saved that is might have beene saved if the Service had beene in English this is plaine dealing the men are likely to agree the Masse in English may beget such devotion afford such instruction and edification as is sufficient for salvation Can the Papists desire fairer quarter or a foller acknowledgement Is not this doctrine sufficient to effect an Accommodation betweene Rome and Canterbury I dare say all the Papists in England will fight for such a Protestant Religion Mr. Chillingworth in his Epistle Dedicatory gives his Majesty to understand That the Papists allow Protestants as much charity as Protestants allow them and therefore such Protestants and true Papists will easily be reconciled or indeed are already reconciled I cannot stand to reckon up Mr. Chillingworths principles consider these that follow 1. God is not offended with us for not doing what hee knowes we cannot doe Whiles we are unregenerate God knowes we cannot repent and beleeve is not God offended with us even then for our impenitence and unbeleefe besides he conceives that unaffected ignorance joyned with Implicite faith and generall repentance is not damnable 2. Mr. Chillingworth is verily perswaded that God will not impute errours to them as sinnes who use such a measure of industry in finding truth as humane prudence and ordinary discretion their abilities and opportunities their distractions and hinderances and all other things considered shall advise them unto in a matter of such consequence Sure God will judge men with more then ordinary discretion and therefore though we may justifie our selves when our opinions and practises are scanned by humane prudence yet God may justly condemne us for not attending upon him without distraction Such loose principles as these will nurse men up in security and ignorance or else betray them to indifferency in religions to that * Arminian Libertinisme which hath been so much admired of late dayes and cryed up as the only way to maintain peace For if a man poysoned with this principle be seduced by a Papist Arminian Socinian he need use but ordinary discretion and therefore take but ordinary care to resist the seducer Alas his abilities are not great his distractions not few and his hinderances many besides if he have time to consider the Arguments propounded yet hee wants opportunity and therefore all things considered he had as good yeeld as stand out for it is in the eye of humane prudence a matter of no great consequence for Mr. Chillingworth saith a Papist may be saved especially if he have the Masse in English and Socinians are a company of Christians which though they are erroneous in explicating mysteries and take too great a liberty in Speculative matters yet they explicate and maintaine the Lawes of Christ with lesse indulgence to the flesh then the Papists 3. Mr. Chillingworth thinkes it sufficient to beleeve all those bookes of Scripture to be Gods Word of whose Authority there was never any doubt made in the Church hee cannot in reason beleeve the * other bookes so undoubtedly as those books which were never questioned and he hath the example of Saints in heaven to justify or excuse his doubting nay his denyall Sect. 38. There is no necessity of conforming our selves to the judgement of any Church concerning the rest that were never questioned for that also he urges the Authority of some Saints in Heaven ancient Fathers whole Churches by their difference about this point shewed that they knew no necessity of conforming themselves herein to the judgement of any Church Sect. 34. and yet of this controversy whether such or such bookes be Canonicall the Church is to judge Sect. 35. And the Churches testimony is though no demonstrative Enforcement yet an highly probable inducement and so a sufficient ground of faith What kind of faith this is like to prove I know not which is grounded upon a probable testimony to which no man need to subseribe or conform 4. It is enough to beleeve by a kind of Implicite faith that the Scripture is true in Gods own sense and meaning though you know not what God meant if you use such industry as ordinary discretion shall advise for the knowing of Gods meaning of which I have said enough already this may suffice for a taste Dr. Potter is very charitable to the Papists because they receive the Apostles Creed but whether they receive it in the Apostles sense

is the question Whether Mr. Rouse or Dr. Potter hath answered that subtile booke most like a Protestant let the learned judge I have said enough of Dr. Potter already I referre the Reader to Ladens {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} I am even ashamed to repeat what Dr. Pocklington hath printed in his Sermon Sunday no Sabbath See the first edition p. 48. 50. We must have an Altar with a Crosse upon it if we will beleeve Dr. Pocklington Altare Christianum cap. 21. pag. 143. We may comply with the Jewes in phrase and other respects cap. 22. pag. 147. I hope he doth not mean in Caspar Barlaeus his sense or as the Socinians mean he hath a vain conceit that the Christian Church of the Iewes had Altars I hope they did not bow all to or towards the Altar when they met Act. 15. We must if we will beleeve this Dr. agree with the Iewes in externall Rites Ceremonies p. 147. Give me leave to throw away this book and Dr. Kellet his Tricenium When the Arch Bishop of Canterbury was to assigne what errours in Doctrine might give just cause of separation he would not adventure to set them down in particular lest in these times of discord he might be thought to open a doore for Schisme he knew full well that some who were countenanced by him had brought in errours enough which gáve just cause of separation Knot the Jesuite spoke plaine English to Mr. Chillingworth when he told him that the Doctrine of the Church of England began to be altered in many things for which our Progenitours forsooke the Romane Church For example it is said that the Pope is not Antichrist Prayer for the dead is allowed Limbus Patrum Pictures it is maintained that the Church hath Authority in determining controversies of faith and to interpret Scripture about Free-will Predestination universall grace that all our workes are not sinnes Merit of good workes Inherent Justice Faith alone doth not justify Traditions Commandements possible to be kept Your thirty nine Articles are patient nay ambitious of some sense in which they may seeme Catholique Calvinisme is accounted Heresy and little lesse then treason Men in talke use willingly the once fearfull names of Priests and Altars What saith Mr. Chillingworth to this bold charge Why some things he excuses and grants the rest As for the Popes not being Antichrist the lawfulnesse of some kinde of prayers for the dead the Estate of the Fathers soules before Christs Ascension Free-will Predestination universall grace the possibility of keeping Gods Commandements and the use of pictures in the Church these are not things fit to be stood upon we must not break charity for such matters these points have been anciently disputed amongst Protestants if you will beleeve an Arch-Priest Brearley and so he leaves that point here is a faire compasse a long rope for a Papist Arminian c. to dance in But Mr. Chillingworth saith the Protestants have constantly maintained and doe still maintain that good workes are not properly meritorious and that faith alone justifies but either this is false or else men that are counted Protestants have changed their Religion Franciscus de Sancta Clara wil inform him of the extravagancies of some in these points who passed for such Protestants as England hath been guilty of entertaining of late yeares I have heard it publikely maintained in Oxford by Mr. Wethereld of Queenes Colledge that Bona opera sunt Causae Physicae Vitae Aeternae he had said before that they were Morall Causes by that he meant Meritorious but that expression would not content him It is well known what Dr. Duncan maintained at Cambridge what Shelford printed there what Dr. Dow and Dr. Heylin have since maintained and to their power justifyed you may read their words at large in Ladensium {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} the fifth Chapter The Arch-Bishop of Canterbury hath given us the reason why the Jesuites refused to come to our Churches it seems he had invited them since they themselves acknowledge that there is no positive errour in our Liturgy and it is briefly this Because though our Liturgy had in it nothing ill yet it wanted a great deale of that which was good and was in their Service I can now give at least a probable conjecture why his Grace altered the Service-book which he sent into Scotland why surely to please the Jesuites for he put in something which the Jesuites counted good and so in his apprehension made up the defect Mr. Newcomen in his learned Sermon hath shewen at large how punctuall his Grace was in observing the Jesuites instructions for the alteration of our Religion How truth hath been sold at a low rate by the highest Priests is clearely discovered by Mr. Hill in his accurate Sermon Revend Dr. Hakewill hath set forth Dr. Heylin to the life and therefore I will not presume to adde any thing to his happy observations The Ministers Remonstrance will give sufficient light to this point I hope it will be published ere long There is a Book which passeth from hand to hand as a pretious manuscript called Romano-Catholicus Pacificus in which there are many faire offers made for a Reconciliation between Rome and Canterbury the Arch-Bishop of Canterbury shall enjoy the Cyprian priviledge and be subject to no Patriarch of which you may read at large in the supplement of the Canterburian selfe-conviction a passage well worthy the serious consideration of all Statesmen I might make my book swell if I should but reckon up the tithe of Bishop Mountague his Popish expressions and therefore I leave men to peruse his writings there are few points of Popery which you may not find in his bookes or in his Articles at visitation It seemes our guides were gone so farre that the Papists thought they might accept of all Propositions of Accommodation which were tendered to them by our gentle Reconcilers Dr. Featley hath excellently discovered what a good opinion the Romanists conceive of some who professe themselves members of the Church of England Protestants are now counted Heretiques no longer if you will speak properly and strictly saith that Popish Priest and therefore sure Protestantisme is waxed weary of it selfe as Knot speaks you may well know what Protestants this Vertumnus meanes such as have been cited in this sixth Chapter Concerning the book called Jesuitica Negotiatio the Ministers have said enough already I admire at the impudence of divers men who have thus freely expressed themselves for the encouragement of the Arminian Socinian and Popish party and yet are not ashamed to say that they stand for the Protestant religion I have seen a letter under Mr. Chillingworths own hand in which he doth excite Dr. Sheldon of All-soules and Dean Potter c. to stand in defiance of the Parliament and advises them to stir up the youth the young laddes of the University as he

that is say they to make the Law perfect and they overthrow the Gospel by saying that we are justifyed by the workes of the Law and by their confounding of the Law of Faith and the Law of workes they say as the Jewes say that the great work of the Messiah is to proclaime and confirme the Law only they adde that it w●● his in●ent legem Mosaicam ceu minus perfectam perficere locupletare and therefore they say Christ and his Apostles did so often presse obedience to the Law to shew that we are to be justifyed by the works of the Law and hence it is that they call our blessed Saviour Mosen Mosissimum as if Christ had not preached the Gospel the Law of Faith as the Apostle calls it Rom. 3. 27. And by this meanes the Law of Justification by faith alone without the works of the Law which is the scope of the Gospel is quite overthrown They set open a wide gap to Atheisme by denying that the soule of man can possibly so subsist by it selfe after this life as to be capable of joy or torment of reward or punishment they may when they please speak plain English and say that there is neither Heaven nor Hell Animadvertendum est say they Christum Apostolos coactos fuisse quodammodo hominum opinionibus quae tunc plerunque vigebant se accommodare quemadmodum satis aperte docet parabola Divitis Lazari Nam aliquem in inferno fuisse ibi torqueri in sinu Abrahae decumbere sunt plane fictitia similia illis quae Poetae de Ixione Sisypho Tantalo scribunt hâc etiam prudentiâ hodie apud vulgus Christianorum in hac materiâ utendum c. I have transcribed this out of Doctor Josuah Stegman the Reverend Superintendent of Scawenburg and when ever I cite Stegman briefly in the margin I intend that learned Author and not Ioachimus Stegman the grand Socinian The Socinians desire to take us off from giving any heed to the received interpretations of a Fathers or Councells that so they may obtrude their own fancies and conceits upon us as solid and Rationall most accurate but very moderate Interpretations vide Brev. Disq. p. 7. They of all men doe most affect the conduct of their own private spirit which they call Right Reason and though they pretend that we are more busie in enquiring after the unanimous consent of Fathers and Councels then the true sense of the Scriptures yet they doe not endeavour by this out-cry to extoll and enthrone the Scriptures but to set their own private spirit or b judgement in the chaire which is indeed to make every man a Pope This conceit of theirs cannot but take well with the multitude for every man as Luther saith is born with a Pope in his belly and with a Pope in his braine too for every one would faine have his reason his fancy to sit Judge in all controversies every man is apt to think himself infallible and that his Private Iudgement ought to be the Publike Standard Finally every one desires to give a Toleration or a Dispensation to himselfe that he may be allowed to maintain such opinions and goe on in such courses as are generally condemned by the judgement of Learned and Pious men There is another quarrell that they pick with the Reformed Churches and that is for extolling their Doctours too highly such as Luther Brentius Melancthon Bucer Chemnitius Calvin Beza Zuinglius and the rest but they would pardon this errour if they did not oblige other men to stand to the Judgement of these and such like Reverend Authours if they might have but their liberty of prophecying according to their own private spirit or judgement they would be content but that the Churches passe their censures upon such as dissent from the most received interpretations of Fathers Councels and the Reformed Divines though such interpretations seem unreasonable to the Private Judgement of our acute Socinians But there is a third fault greater then any of the former that is that the Reformed Divines make the Holy Spirit speaking in the Scriptures and shining into the hearts and minds of men by a glorious light to enable them to understand the Scriptures the Judge of controversies for by this means say they the judgement of sound Reason is made uselesse and of none effect or Authority before the illumination of the Holy Ghost this is an high fault indeed we are it seemes in great danger of being seduced from the dictates of blind carnal reason to follow the light and voice of the Scriptures the Holy Spirit Besides there is another greater danger if we follow the Spirit so much we shal not be able to answer that Seraphique Doctour Valerianus Magnus his book de Acatholicorum credendi Regulâ Iudicio set forth at Prague 1628. but it may be the book needs no answer or they that follow the Spirit and the Scriptures are not at leisure they have better imployment But let the Socinians speak their minde clearely then what is it they would have why they would throw the Pope out of his chaire and they would sit there themselves by turnes that so they may be Popes round for every man say they hath reason enough before he is inlightned by the Holy Ghost to judge of the authority of Scriptures by Histories and other principles and to collect out of the Scriptures compared and the foresaid principles not onely all things necessary to salvation but many profitable truths besides though not so necessary I should be very glad to learne what those other Principles are besides the Scripture out of which we may collect truths necessary to salvation for this you must look into the seventh Chapter of this Brevis disquisitio Caterùm ad sacrarum literarum anctoritatem genuinam mentem dignoscendam principia etiam illa quae Philosophica appellant advocanda esse But if a man be no Scholar why then those principles which are knowne to him by nature and his owne observation are the Rules whereby hee must examine first whether the Scriptures be the word of God and then what is the true sense and meaning of them if such a man have but a good wit a little experience saith hee will serve the turne Nay he affirmes that it will serve the turne if by the helpe of those good principles his owne good wit and conference with others he do but heare the summe of those few things which the Socinians conceive necessary to salvation though he never heare or know that there is any such booke as the booke of God Mr. Chillingworth comes very neere this Disquisition-monger in his accurate Treatise for he saith The Scripture is not to be believed finally for it selfe but for the matter contained in it so that if men did believe the doctrin contained in the Scripture it should no way hinder their salvation not to