the Socinians of these dayes whose opinion was cried down at Paris and openly proclamed hereticall by the sound of a Trumpet 3. Or shall the Rule of interpretation of Scripture be the congruity of it to naturall reason as the Socinians make it This is most shamefull and unreasonable considering 1. That our naturall reason is much corrupt by the sin of Adam The things of God seem foolishness to the naturall man 1 Cor. 2.14 naturally we are all darkness 2. In the state of innocency do we think that Adam by naturall reason was able to find out or justifie the Trinity of Persons in the Unity of the Deitie We say God may be known by light of Nature Quod attinet ad Vnitatem naturae but not known quod attinet at Trinitatem Personarum God hath set the world in mans heart saith Solomon yet can he not finde out the works that he hath wrought from the beginning to the end Eccl. 3. and if he cannot finde out the works of God is he able to find out the nature of God himself we know he is said to dwell in a dark cloud Disc Obj. Some may object The Sects do not follow the Scriptures onely but they add the Papists their Traditions the Calvinists their Reasons the Anabaptists their Dreams I answer They do so in those things which are not cleerly taught in the holy Scriptures but in the controversies between them and Lutherans they proceed not so but by Scriptures they fight against Lutheran Tenents which are confirmed by the Scriptures and indeavour by the help of the Scriptures to sight for and defend their own which the Lutherans by Scriptures doe condemn Nay more there are some viz. the Anabaptists that urge the Scriptures in the very Letter more than the rest The Calvinists use their reason and out of the Scriptures draw Arguments which thing the Lutherans also doe never suffering any of theirs to reason against the Scriptures Consid This Author will have the making of his own bed and shapes his Reader at the first encounter to yeeld acknowledging the uncontradictable nature of his former one onely Argument which yet I have shewed to be both very weak very ridiculous and very untrue But we keep our ground professing to the world that the Scriptures alone being the Word of God are the rule of our faith and no word of man Papists add Traditions which yet they account the Word of God unwritten we abhor to make any thing the rule of our faith but the written Word of God It is falsly said that Calvinists add their Reason they rather suppose Reason than add it the Word of God being given to none but reasonable creatures Neither doe we make this Reason of ours a rule of faith added to Gods Word but it is that light which God hath given us wherewith to search into the meaning of his Word and by studious inquisition and observation to discover it and make it known to others and by good reason out of the Text to convict others of the truth And doth this Authors reason go to bed and sleep when he comes to read and studiously to consider the Word of God If it doth he will prove no better than a drowsie Student and I know no reason but such a one may be in love with dreams as well as Anabaptists 1. In his Answer he carrieth himself most absurdly and ridiculously For 1. Most insipidly he supposeth that the Controversies amongst Protestant Divines are about such things as are clearly taught in Scripture as if they agreed in those things which are not clearly set down in Scripture and differ onely about things which are clearly delivered there 2. He supposeth that Calvinists do not use reason in the controversies between them and the Lutherans but onely in other things which is most untrue and absurd withall for controversies cannot possibly be mannaged without reason both as touching the proof of their own Tenet and touching the disproof of the Tenet oposite And this must needs be the guise of the Lutherans also It is false which he saith of Anabaptists that they urge the very letter of Scriptures more than the rest For both Calvinists and Lutherans insist wholly upon the literall sense of Scripture and more than the Anabaptist in case they as formerly by this Author said did depend in dreams for so doe not Protestants but on Scripture only and that according unto sense literall not at all according to sense mysticall save onely in case the sense mysticall be expounded by some Apostle and thereby made literall 2. But herein this Authors ignorance discovers its self that hee confounds sense literall with the proper sense of the words We acknowledge sense literall to comprehend sense Metaphoricall as well as proper and to stand in contradiction onely to sense mysticall But in case we take that in a metaphoricall sense which our adversaries in any point take in a sense proper if we doe not prove the sense wherein we take it and disprove theirs by convincing Arguments we will allow the liberty to reject our Tenet and follow their own for we desire to make our faith evident to the consciences of all opposites and if they can make their Tenets in like manner evident to us we will renounce our own and imbrace theirs 3. And this Author speaks at random and he knows not what when he would have his Reader believe the Calvinists permit any to reason against the Scriptures for by reason to clear the meaning of Scripture is not I trust to reason against it but for it rather especially considering that by reason of Scripture onely we dispute the meaning of any place Disc Object 2. If it be objected unto them that they wilfully and against their consciences do condemn the Lutheran Tenets and confirm their own they will answer Ans This were a very grievous sin and that men ought not to presume that they would falsifie and corrupt the Letters and Commands of their Lord to his sons and subjects much less that they do maliciously erre and lead themselves and others into the dauger of their salvation and to say the truth it is not likely that so many hundred thousands of men would come to that pitch of malice though one should especially seeing they dare confirm their honest meaning with an Oath wherefore unless they be convicted of maliciously wilfull error we shall seem injuriously to slander them Consid I see no reason why such a censure should be passed upon the Calvinians more than upon the Lutherans more speciously it should be passed by them that are Orthodox upon them that are not though I justifie not this censure whosoever makes it and certainly there is no just cause to pass it upon them who are in the right and charity will forbid us rashly to pass this censure upon them who are in the wrong And as I finde defect of love in them who pass such censures hand over head upon
Truth speaking in any but by the Word of God so the Bereans tried the Doctrine of Saint Paul Act. 17. and the Apostles professed to preach nothing but what they confirmed by the Word of God And our Saviour referred the Jewes hereunto for the triall of himself Search the Scriptures for in them you think to have eternall life they are they that tâ—stifie of me Now we have a more compleat rule of triall the Books both of the Old Testament and of the New Saint Paul delivered the whole counsell of God to the Ephesians Act. 20. and doe we think that the whole Scripture doth fail in some necessary part thereof But I would Popery did not plainly contradict that Scripture which is generally received by us both if so I would bear with them for the rest though in two things we cannot indure that ought should be imposed upon us besides the written Word namely Articles of Faith and parts of Gods Worship Now by this course of triall wee finde that not the spirit of Truth but the spirit of Error hath possessed them in all points of difference between us Prayers I grant are the ordinary means to obtain any grace at the hands of God save one and that is the Spirit of Prayer and that is the Spirit of Faith of all the rest it is true fides impetrat lex imperat but with a limitation or two 1. All knowledge necessary to salvation according to that 1 Joh. 2.27 and Nider though a Papist his interpretation thereof in his Consolatory of an affrighted Conscience 2. Other graces also and that in such a measure also as shall be found fit for each mans calling And I think every Christian should rest contented with such an Indulgence If the whole body were an eye where were the hearing If the whole were hearing where were the smelling But now hath God disposed the members every one of them in the body at his own pleasure For if they were all one member where were the body but now are there many members yet but one body 1 Cor. 12.17 18 19. But men may draw neer to God with their lips when their hearts are estranged far from him and how their hearts stand affected we know not God alone beholdeth their heart nay we are not so much as privy to their prayers but we examine their Doctrines by Gods Word according to that Sunt certi libri dominici and it was a worthy saying of Martin Luther mentioned by Scultetus in his Story of the first ten years of Reformation Solis Canonicis debemus fidem caeteris omnibus judicium I do not deny but all the Regenerate who have the Spirit of God according to that Because ye are sons God hath sent the Spirit of his Son into your hearts whereby ye cry Abba Father Gal. 4.6 do seek unto God to inlighten their mindes and God hears them and grants their requests in his good time according to the limitations formerly mentioned but who they are we know not and we are bid to try the spirits nor what their fervency and zeal is are we acquainted with yet surely it is not for their fervency sake that God hears them but for Christs sake And are not they as far bound in charity to think of us as this Author would shape us to be obliged to think of them we acknowledge no Spirit of Faith but that which is the Spirit of Truth at least in all fundamentalls necessarily required unto salvation and to Gods holy Worship without Idolatry As for the Prayers of Papists they are well known to be shamefully foul they were wont more frequently to run to Saints than to God and the Bishop of Boss was to seek whether he should run to God in the name of Christs blood or in the name of the Virgins Milk for he was made to profess in the wall in certain verses that he knew not well which of the two he should prefer nay if of any prayers God saith though he make many prayers I will not hear Esa 1. surely he should say as much of these in my judgement Have not Turks their prayers as well as Papists and may they not be performed with great fervency and zeal and may they not be as expert in tricks of gesture as the Papists as I have heard once of a child trained up to it by her mother even unto admiration the countenance composed unto a sad and solemn disposition and the hands lift up first to an equall height with the breasts after a while to an equall height with the head and lastly above the head and all this in dumb shewes without one word of ejaculation As for hypocrisie here mentioned I doubt it is delivered hand over head For first Hypocrisie is most considerable in a right way and not in a wrong way the reason whereof is because naturall men are naturally apt to imbrace false wayes and lewd wayes too too truly and as apt they may be to imbrace the way of truth hypocritically and not only to profess Christ but to preach him in pretence that is not chastly even to add afflictions to the bonds of so holy an Apostle even as Paul was so we nothing doubt but Papists are true Papists without hypocrisie but I much doubt that the greatest part of them by far are too far off from being true Christians and this I willingly confess they pretend but very hypocritically this runs with them in a blood they have it from their Mother even the Mother of Whoredomes and her Arms are Babylon in a mystery And the second beast though he had two horns like the Lamb yet he spake like the Dragon we know all their proceedings in pretence are In Nomine Domini incipit omne malum neither is it necessary that by hypocrisie a man should think to mock God if God could be mocked for there is a secret hypocrisie which a mans own heart is not conscious of untill God be pleased in mercy to discover it and as for gross hypocrisie it makes a man a plain Atheist This Author seems to be taken with the beauty of the Whore of Babylon he is so much in love with Papists as to obtrude upon us an acknowledgement that they have the fruits of the Spirit and consequently without any deniall that they have the Spirit To proceed one degree further were to profess Antichrist to be Christ and Christ Antichrist To understand the Scriptures is but to acknowledge the true meaning of them and this we deny that Papists have as touching all the points of difference between us which they pretend to ground upon Scripture yea and in many other particulars they are wide of the right understanding of them so may our Divines be also and like enough that as M. Hooker saith there are some depths of Scripture the searching out whereof will hold us as long as the world lasts Yet I deny not but a Reprobate may have the knowledge of the
the hearts of all men It is true the Author of the Book De Vocatione Gentium talks of such a manner of instruction by Gods VVorks but I pray do not compare that in clearness to the Word of God what ground have we for the right interpretation of signs and wonders beneath above Astrologers would make us believe they read strange things in the Constellations referred to mens Nativities but what ground have we for this Calculation what Abraham the father of the faithfull discoursed thereof in his Astronomicall Lectures read by him in the plain of Mamre we have received no tydings hereof from the hill Amarath in Aethiopia I know that in holy Scripture Thunder is called the voice of God I know also that the Lord-spake unto the Patriarks but that word is not written winds and storms also are said to fulfill his VVord by a Metaphor because what he will have done by them is done by them as if they were most obedient and faithfull servants unto their Master whom yet they know not any more than Ravens doe though in Scripture-phrase and by a figure of speech they are said to call upon him Now we are upon another point namely as touching the Scriptures the written Word of the Prophets and Apostles and the question is about the clearness of them or the intelligible nature of them to all such as will understand And to such faith Solomon knowledge is easie which I take to be spoken of the knowledge of God by the Scriptures whereunto I am sure our Saviour refers the Jewes and the Apostle would not have us affect to bee wise 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 above that which is written It is true when that was delivered thy Law is a Lanthorn unto my feet none of the later Prophets had committed their Prophecies unto writing much less were the Books of the New Testament written then But in reference to all the Books of the Old Testament our Saviour spake when he said Search the Scriptures for in them you think to have eternall life and they are they that testifie of me Joh. 5. And as for the Books of the New Testament the Gospels were written that men might acknowledge the certainty of those things whereof they had been instructed by word of mouth Luk. 1.4 which could not be were they not intelligible by a studious Reader and Paul was in bonds when he wrote of the whole Scripture that it was profitable to teach to convince to correct to instruct in righteousness that the man of God might be made absolute being made perfect to all good works 2 Tim. 3.16 17. Now if we deny the intelligible condition of Scripture the profitable nature of it therewithall must utterly be removed The Apostles we know by preaching converted many surely the Word preached was understood by the hearers otherwise it had wrought but a wilde conversion Now look what they preached that is committed to writing in the Acts of the Apostles and in their Epistles written unto severall Churches The knowledge of the figures of the Prophecies of the Revelation and the like is not necessary to salvation and great reason they should be carried in a mysterious way like as the mysteries of Christs Person and of his Office in breaking the Serpents head were carried a long time in the clouds of types and figures had it been known that the Messiah must be crucified before he reigned the Devill would not have been so forward to possess the heart of Judas with a project of betraying him into the hands of his enemies to procure his death So the Revelation in the New Testament and many of the like nature in the Old concerning the Devills and Antichrists practice no marvell if they be mysteriously carried that neither the Devill nor Antichrist should understand them untill they were accomplished Nevertheless the Lord by his Spirit which dictated them can inspire his servants with an understanding heart to know the meaning of them when the time comes appointed for the communication of this knowledge many shall pass to and fro and knowledge shall be increased as if the opening of the world by Navigation and Commerce and the increase of knowledge should meet together in one time and age as one wittily observeth we have seen of late yeers a strange progress made in opening the mysteries of the Revelation and other mysterious Prophecies of the Old Testament even to admiration The time when first Antichrist should be discovered and protested against is found out in Daniels Numbers lest we should wonder at the Fathers ignorance hereof For as Christians at their first conversion from Idolls to serve the living God did forthwith look for the Son of God his comming from heaven to deliver us from the wrath to come 1 Thes 1. last Yea and some were of opinion in the Apostles dayes that it should be within the age of a man whereupon Paul wrote his second Epistle to the Thessalonians wherein he gives to understand that an Apostacy must come first and the man of sin must be revealed and before that the Roman Empire must be broken 2 Thes 2. compared with 1 Thes 4.15 So in Austins dayes that good Father projects that the comming of Christ might be 400. years off nay suppose 500. he would not go further presuming that the Beast which slaughtered the Lords witnesses should not continue above three years and an half Now we have no cause to wonder at this when we consider what Daniel hath written concerning this and how blessed a thing it should be to live at that time when Antichrist should be proclamed to the world and revealed Dan. 11. For then nothing remained to be looked for but the blasting of him with the breath of the Lords mouth and the utter abolishing of him by the brightness of his comming The reconciling of Ezekiels measures of new Jerusalem with Johns measures in the Revelations is a great mystery and held to be desperate yet now it is made feisible nor so onely but cleared throughout So the number of the Beast 666. how long hath the Christian world groped after the meaning of it as a blind man after his way What various notions hath the investigation hereof produced in mens brains after that of Ireneus accommodated to the word 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 and at length for want of a better the best Stndents in these mysteries driven to come back thither again But now the vanity thereof nevvly discovered and that at full even by every Text calling us expresly to calculate this vvhich is not to rest in this number but by Calculation of this to finde out another number which will notably decipher unto us that Beast And indeed the number of the Beast 666. is opposed to the number of Christs Church 144. and the number most momentous arising by the Calculation thereof is the number 12. the root thereof and no other calculation belongs to a single number than that which is called
the cause of this mans perplexity was it not his own extreme superstition most abominable If the Author of this Discourse had proposed any thing on the other side to the Scripture and pretended ambiguity and perplexity which of them he preferred according whereunto to order his faith that Martialists resolution of the doubt might have been congruous enough But onely concerning the Scripture-doubts are here proposed how a man should ground his faith thereupon what he is I know not and whether this be res gesta or ficta I am to seek for the present world is full of jugling But when wee make such doubts unto our selves do we well consider the goodness and wisdom of God in giving us his holy Word to direct us in the wayes of everlasting life if still there were just cause to complain of a perplexed condition whereinto we were cast not knowing whether we shall take hold of it or run away from it as Moses did from his rod when it was turned into a Serpent But do we finde any the like Metamorphosis here yet when the Lord bid Moses take the Serpent by the tail he was bold to do it surely Gods Word is no Serpent but we rather and his Word alone hath power to charm us and make us vomit all our poyson of erroneous and unholy ways and the Lord Christ hath bid us to take hold of them saying Search the Scriptures yet if any thing in this my Answer seem amiss and not answerable to the Authors expectation but savouring as hee thinks of partiality prejudice or passion I confess prejudice against such discourses as these accompting them most vile and nothing becomming an understanding and godly Christian but as for the rest let him impute it to my ignorance that know not so much as what is the way of his passion for he seems to me to be neither Lutheran nor Calvinist and would not seem to bee a Papist though I am most prone to conceive it to be the trick of some Papist least of all doe I know his person or Countrey But let every sober Christian consider well and inquire whether that since the beginning that Gods Word was committed to writing there were at any time any such questions moved untill this last and worst Age of the world when Cajetan the Cardinall a great School-Divine first encountred with Martin Luther and found that no Authority prevailed with him but Scripturall hereupon hee was moved to study Scripture and wrote Commentaries upon it in his old age But Silvester Prierius of Rome he thought that way too far about and therefore took a shorter course and maintained that the Scriptures contained not all things necessary to salvation and therefore the rule of faith to be made compleat must be pieced up with the unwritten Word added to the written Word which unwritten Word they called Traditions Since that the Papists have strengthned themselves with the Authority of the Church yet confess the true Church cannot bee known to be a true Church nor the Authority thereof known but by the Scriptures and the issue of the resolution of the Church must bee the resolution of the Pope concerning the true interpretation of Scripture shamefully obtruding upon us that we make the resolution of our faith into our own private spirit whereas we to the contrary extend the testimony of the spirit onely to each private mans best satisfaction and teach no other herein than the Papists themselves acknowledge to be most true as touching the resolution physicall of our faith as I am able to prove by variety of pregnant evidences ready at hand without any more adoe than the bare transcribing of them Now this light being not of a nature communicable unto others we meddle not with it in disputing upon any other point of Divinity with Papists or any other But therein walk in all our disputations by way of Resolution Logicall either into some confessed principles as concerning the Attributes Divine or into express passages of holy Scripture the meaning whereof if it be excepted against we are ready to justify it by rationall discourse against any adversary nothing doubting but we shall either convict him of obstinacy in shutting his eyes against the clear evidence of truth and make him condemned in his own conscience or at least in the conscience of all sober Christians being well assured that whosoever resisteth the evidence of Gods Word upon pretence of inevidence that Word shall be found of evidence enough to judge him at the last day ¶ This Jesuiticall Question was sent out of Germany when the Assembly of Divines were sitting at Westminster and was translated out of High-Dutch FINIS
of Satan in signs and lying wonders and in all deceivableness of unrighteousness 2 Thes 2.9 10. and by his cunning practices got at length as many heads to his body and horns to his head as the Dragon had and got him a mistress too like himself the Whore of Babylon whom John saw Rev. 17.6 drunken with the blood of the Saints and with the blood of the Martyrs of Jesus Witness the slaughters made and barbarous outrages committed upon the Waldenses who first proclamed to the world that Rome was the Whore of Babylon and the Pope Antichrist But in these later days the Lord hath blasted that Man of Sin with the breath of his mouth and broken off many horns of the Beast which hath provoked those Antichristian Generations in a very high degree Rev. 12. and the Devill undoubtedly hath now greater wrath than ever because he knoweth that he hath but a short time Now of late yeers his greatest Proctors the Jesuits have not spared to profess despair of prevailing in their cause by disputation as appears by Westons Preface to his Book De triplici hominis statu The Gordian knot of Controversies in Religion must be cut assunder by some Alexanders sword Belike this sect was privy to some intentions on foot for the raising of such Meteors as at length have broken forth into those storms which since have exercised all Germany if not all Christendom in the West And I have read a discourse written by one who was sometimes Secretary to the Pope discovering the practices of those times and relating a counsell for the propagating of Religion erected and instituted by Clemens Octavus that whining Pope thereby concealing the bloody and barbarous intention of his heart some say that for all his whining he was as impure as bloody Now these courses wherewith they travelled many years being now brought forth unto the light I wonder not a little that they persist in their motive learning which of all others is of the basest allay and hath more of the nature of a charm than of a medicine to cure Error in a rationall way For I cannot be perswaded otherwise but that some vile Jesuite hath an hand in this Argument to style himself a Preacher of the Gospell for though he holds the Pope to be Judge of Controversies yet I presume when he preacheth he doth not take his Text out of the Popes Canons but out of the Word of God and we know there are Dutch Jesuits as well as Spanish Jesuits and I have heard that when the Arminian quarrells were rife in the Netherlands some Jesuits have insinuated themselves amongst them and preached in their Congregations to promote the Arminian cause though not known to be any other than their own Ministers This Preacher of the Gospell shapes his discourse at pleasure calling it a Perplexing Question or a Doubtfull Case of Conscience whereas it contains nothing but a threed-bare and old worn-out Argument he was ashamed to say that it proceeds concerning the Scripture lest the conscience of every sober Christian should rise against it therefore he balks that and shapes it to proceed Concerning the foundation of the Religion of the Protestants and others which have made a separation from the Pope Now this foundation is no other than the Scripture of the Prophets and Apostles which S. Paul calls the foundation whereupon the Church is built And the Perplexing Question and Doubtfull Case of Conscience comes to this Whether the Scripture or the Pope be the foundation whereupon the Church is built I do not well understand what he means by distinguishing those who have made a separation from the Pope into Protestants and others for none separate from the Pope but by reason of the corruptions they finde in the Church of Rome in the way of Error and Heresie Superstition and Idolatry and their bloody and barbarous disposition against all those that cannot brook her abominations and Protestants have their name from their protestation against these their courses As for the Question Whether any Christian bee altogether and infallibly certain of his Faith and Religion by the holy Scriptures and safely rely upon it against all tentations and objections Is this the Perplexing Question Is this the Doubtfull Case of Conscience It is now above 1600. years since Christs Resurrection and the comming down of the Holy Ghost upon the Apostles on the day of Pentecost who ever was known to make question of this in the Church of God untill this last hundred years wherein so great and generall a separation hath been made not from the Church of God but from communion with the Church of Rome After Christs practice in incountring Satan and that after a manner competent to every simple Christian not discovering the Devills adulterating the Text Psal 91. He shall give his Angells charge over thee to keep thee in all thy wayes which last clause in all thy ways the Devill omitted but replying Mat. 4. It is written thou shalt not tempt the Lord thy God and reprehending the Sadduces for not knowing the Scriptures and the power of God imputing their error to this their ignorance and shewing how little need there is that any man should rise from the dead to tell men of that place of torment in case they have Moses and the Prophets and that who so will not believe Moses and the Prophets neither will they believe though a man rise from the dead Luk. 16. and counselling the Jews to search the Scriptures Joh. 5. and justifying them in their opinion thinking them to be sufficient to direct them unto everlasting life Afterwards the Apostles submitted their Doctrine to be examined by the Word of God The Bereans being commended for this Act. 7. and professing that the Scriptures are able to make us wise unto salvation through faith in the Lord Jesus Christ 2 Tim. 3.15 After the antient Fathers have called the triall of Controversies to the Word of God and Constantine at the Councill of Nice referred all the Bishops there assembled to proceed according to this and both Chrysostome and Austin have professed that all things necessary to salvation are clearly set down in Scripture and in the Controversie between Hierome and Austin about Pauls reproving Peter whether it were done seriously or in pretence onely Hierome pleading variety of Fathers for his way and Austin opposing the clear evidence of the Text against them all And Papists themselves many of the more ingenious sort of them having been found to confess that the last resolution of our faith ought to be made into the Word of God and the contradictory nature of the Popish Tenet in proving the true Church by the Scriptures and the Scriptures by the Church having been made manifest to the world by Divines After all this I say that a Preacher of the Gospell should be brought upon the Stage to propose such a Question as Whether any Christian can bee certain of his faith by the holy
mercy at Gods hands are all one Rom. 11.30 Now if it be granted that faith may be had in what degree of certainty soever what sober Christian can make doubt but that if question be made about the means whereby we may have it it may be had by holy Scripture as well as by any other means yea and far better considering that faith is in the proper notion thereof the assent to somewhat from the authority of the speaker and if the speaker is but a man it is no better than faith human if the speaker be God that and that alone makes it to be faith divine Now we all confess that the holy Scripture is the Word of God and therefore if by any word faith may be had in what degree of certainty soever sure it may be had by the Word of God yea and that no other way can Divine Faith be had but by the Word of God not by the word of the creature whether man or Angell And if faith may be wrought by the power of Gods Spirit in the heart of any man he that makes question whether this may be done by the holy Scriptures had need of some good measure of Ellebore to purge his brain for he seems to me to be in the next degree to a mad-man for seeing faith is no faith unless it depend upon some word that God should work his faith by another word than his own is as uncouth and contradictious assertion I should think as ever was heard among the learned But it may be this Author through the confusion of his wits hath not hitherto been so happy as to deliver himself fairly of his own meaning Therefore let us take notice of the Discourse it self whether it may bear any better state of the Question than yet we have been acquainted with For I guess that in the issue the state of the Question will come to this Whether it be possible for us by the holy Scripture to have any certain assurance of the meaning of it Disc The reason of our doubting is this Both Papists and Calvinists holding contrary opinions do maintain prove by the holy Scriptures as they suppose the contrary to that which the Lutherans hold seriously affirming that in the Scriptures the Lutheran Religion is condemned and theirs confirmed Which thing no man will deny to be an evident Argument of the obseurity of theholy Scriptures If there be two Physicians of equall learning and of the same intent in curing the sick that is alike desirous to cure the disease and if these Physicians should out of one and the same Book gather the one that a Fever is cured with wine and the other that wine is as bad as poyson to them that have the Fever how I pray shall we know which of these two to take part withall A man can gather nothing but that the remedy for that disease is obscurely expressed in that Book Consid The sum of all this is that the Scripture is obscure and that which the Author would infer from hence is this therefore it is impossible to be sure of the meaning of it whereby now I perceive the Perplexed Question and Doubtfull case of Conscience comes but to this in plain terms Whether it be possible for a man to be sure of the meaning of Scripture the Author maintains the Negative proves it because the Scripture is obscure and the obscurity of Scripture he proves by this that men differ in the exposition of it Now this I will examine in order and first observe the dodging disposition of this Author and manifest evidence of his corrupt affection and that he comes to this work with an intention not to seek the truth but to circumvent it rather For whereas the force of his Argument to prove that the Scripture is obscure is but this that Divines differ in the interpretation of Scripture yet it served his turn rather to instance in Papists and Calvinists joyning together in the interpretation of Scripture contrary to the Lutherans Might he not as well give instance in Papists and Lutherans holding together in interpretation of Scripture contrary to the Calvinists Might he not as well have instanced in Lutherans and Calvinists joyning together in the interpretation of Scripture contrary to the Papists undoubtedly he might for it is but an indefinite proposition and the matter is clearly contingent Now an indesinite proposition in a contingent matter is confessed in Schools to have no greater force than of a particular proposition As much as to say they differ one from another in the interpretation of some Scriptures Now this may very well be true not onely of Papists differing from Protestants but of Papists differing from Papists as Maldonate from Jansemus and Protestants from Protestants not onely Lutherans from Calvinists but one Lutheran from another and one Calvinist from another in the interpretation of some places of Scripture Nay doth not one Father differ from another after this very manner And do not Modern Divines even Papists as well as Protestants take liberty of dissenting from all the Antients in the interpretation of some places of Scripture Witness Maldonate in the interpretation of that Mat. 5. Blessed are the poor in spirit who takes a way of interpretation different from all the Antients by his own confession And Cardinall Cajetan when he was put upon the studying of Scripture by occasion of his conference with Martin Luther who would hear nothing but Scripture see what a profession he makes in his entrance upon writing Commentaries on the Scriptures Si quando occurrerit novus sensus Textui consonus nec à sacra Scriptura nec ab Ecclesiae Doctrina dissonus quamvis à Torrente Doctorum sacrorum alienum aequos se praebeant censores And when Austin takes notice of the multiplicity of translations of the Scripture he was so far from being offended thereat that he professed there was more profit than damage redounding thereby to the Church and why may it not be so by different interpretations also it being more easie to judge which of them is the right or by refuting them all to find out the true interpretation than at the first dash to find out the true meaning 2. Observe the absurd and malicious carriage of this Author 1. In shaping different Religions according to different interpretations of Scriptures whereas I have shewed that the force of the proposition is onely a particular namely that they differ in the interpretation of some places of Scripture which difference I have shewed may be found and ever hath been found more or less even amongst them that are of the same Religion as amongst none have been more different interpretations of Scripture found than amongst the Antients yet what Christian is found to be so impudent and immodest as to lay to their charge that they differed in Religion and look how many different interpretations of Scripture were found amongst them so many different
Lord of glory 1 Cor. 2.8 but this wisdom of God in a mystery was hid from them 1 Cor. 2.7 and because they knew him not nor the words of the Prophets which were read every Sabbath day they fulfilled them in condemning him Acts 13.27 But if all things necessary to salvation are plainly set down in holy Scripture as both Chrysostom a Greek Father and Austin a Latine Father have concurrently delivered what are we the worse for the obscurity of the same 2. But suppose all were obscure yet are there not degrees of obscurity Amongst Writers in all Languages there is this difference some write more obscurely some more clearly as amongst the Greeks what difference between Chrysostome and Epiphanius this way among the Latines between Tertullian and Cyprian yet who doubts but even Tertullian may be understood and that by Cyprian who was wont to call for him in these terms Da mihi Magistrum so amongst School-Divines Aquinas and Durand are perspicuous and clear not so with Scot or Cajetan so Alvares fair and clear Navarrettus à Dominicanto but all along labours of obscurity as a man doth of the Gout whether he understood himself or no I know not sure I am he torments his Reader yet by pains and intention of study the difficulty may be overcome as I have found in part but I do not think any knowledge in him worthy to be redeemed with the like labour never any thing tormented me more unless it were the construing of Dr. Jacksons English yet no where els that I know save in treating of the Divine Essence Prov. 14.16 Now the Word of God hath taught us that knowledge is easie to him that will understand If thou callest after knowledge and criest for understanding If thou seekest her as silver and searchest for her as for hid treasures Then shalt thou understand the fear of the Lord and finde the knowledge of God Prov. 2.3 4 5. especially as touching all things necessary unto salvation 2. But suppose it were very obscure throughout is not God the Author able to instruct us in his own meaning and make us assured of it And hath not our Saviour assured us that if earthly Fathers know how to give good things to their children much more shall the heavenly Father give the holy Spirit to them that ask him The holy Apostle teacheth us this saying 1 Joh. 2.27 That annoynting which ye received of him dwelleth in you and ye need not that any man teach you but as the same annoynting teacheth you all things Hereupon Nider a Papist in his Consolatorium timoratae Conscientiae acknowledgeth that every childe of God hath the direction of the Spirit to lead him into all truth necessary to salvation And certainly the truth of Gods Word is infallible Cui non potest subesse falsum As for the certainty ex parte Scientis 1. That God can work in such a measure as he pleaseth 2. Yet we know in the best there is the flesh lusting against the Spirit and that swayes to infidelity but the better part masters it 3. And as for doubting that is rather on the part of fiducia than of fides and those doubts are mastered and that is the best faith that masters doubts and overcometh tentations Thus I presume the sober Reader may observe the rotten condition of this Discourse throughout yet we have spoken nothing of the Scripture in comparison to other means of assurance which this Author subdolously or simply conceals because to leave Scripture and to seek forth for assurance elswhere he perceives that this would manifestly appear in the end to be no better than to leave the fountain of living water and to dig unto our selves pits even broken pits that can hold no water Jer. 2. For consider shall we fly to the voyce of the Church consider the voyce of God it is the voyce of the Church and more 1. It is the voyce of the Church yea of the best Church and purest Church namely the voyce of the Propheticall and Apostolicall Church For Deus loquitur per Prophetas Apostolos And this is that Church into whose voyce the last resolution of our Faith ought to be made in the opinion of Durand then it is more than the voyce of the Church for holy men speak 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 as they were moved by the Holy Ghost 2 Pet. 1. ult You will say but all the question is about the meaning of it I answer 1. May there not be as much question about the meaning of the voyce of the Church as about the meaning of Gods Word Where doth the Church speak more authentically than in generall Councills See the Councill of Trent the Pope was unwilling to confirm it Hist of the Councill of Trent till Cardinall Bon Compagio Bishop of Befirice urged him thereunto upon this ground That withall he should publish an EDICT forbidding all men to take upon them the interpretation thereof and commanding them to seek that from him and then saith he let us alone to devise a convenient interpretation of it without prejudices to the advantages of the Court of Rome 2. Again Generall Councills may erre as Austin observes the former have been corrected by the later in some things 3. Such Councills never went about to write Commentaries upon the Scripture if they should Cajetan confesseth an interpretation may be given congruous to the Text yet different from the Torrent of Doctors notwithstanding which we ought to receive it 4. Lastly after what sense soever I interpret Scripture in any Argument if I am not able to make it good by convincing arguments to every sober conscience let my proofs be rejected but withall let him look to it after what manner he resists the evidence brought as he will answer for it at the day of Judgement according to that of our Saviour Joh. 12.48 He that refuseth me and receiveth not my words hath one that judgeth him the word that I have spoken it shall judge him at the last day 5. It were easiy to produce variety of testimonies even of Papists acknowledging the last resolution of our faith ought to be made into the VVord of God and that the true Church and the power which it hath is not known but by the Word of God 2. Or will they say the Pope is to resolve us as touching the meaning of Scripture To this I answer 1. That I care not who interprets Scripture to me so he performs the part of an Interpreter indeed and make it appear to be the meaning of it 2. And if I doe not so I am content to suffer the loss of that Argument whatever it be 3. Then it hath been a very rare thing for Popes to set themselves to interpret Scripture 4. It is well known that Liberius Pope of Rome subscribed to Arianism Honorius was a Monotholite Pope John the 22. denied that the souls of men lived after separation from the body like to
THE Scriptures Sufficiency To Determine All Matters of Faith Made good against the PAPIST OR That a Christian may be infallibly certain of his Faith and Religion by the Holy Scriptures By that Great and Famous Light of Gods Church William Twisse D.D. And Prolocutor of the late Assembly of Divines LONDON Printed for Matthew Keynton at the Fountain in S. Pauls Church-yard 1656. SIR I Have read this learned and satisfactory Answer to the Perplexing Question and Doubtfull Case of Conscience in the life time of D. Twisse and if you shall please to give it your Imprimatur I think it may be advantageous in this juncture of time I rest Yours Ja. Cranford May 3. 1652. Imprimatur Edm. Calamy THE APPROBATION OF That Reverend Father of the Church Joseph Hall Bishop of NORWICH In a Letter to his worthily respected friend Mr. W. S. Worthy Sir I Return you many thanks for the favour you have done me in affording me the view of this solid and seasonable piece of Dr. Twisse in full answer to this pretended Questionist who under the colour of a Perplexing Case of Conscience from a Preacher of the Gospell sends forth a foolish kind of challenge to all Protestant Divines Had you not named the Author of the satisfactory Answer and seconded it by anothers attestation I could both have known and avouched him There is a face of a style by which we Scholars know one another no less than our persons by a visible countenance whosoever hath read the witty accute exercitations of this Author upon the writings of Doctor Jackson will easily finde him in this Tractate both for form and matter This sculking and disguised Chalenger could not have met with a meeter Combatant a man so eminent in School-Divinity that the Jesuits have felt and for ought I see shrunk under his strength in their Scientia Media and whom the States of the Netherlands out of the fame of his worth would fain have tempted away with large profers to a Publick Professorship in one of their Universities I onely wish he had met with a more able Adversary For certainly as I intimated to you in my last this Beagle whosoever he be whether out of misprision or craft hunts counter and runs all the while upon a wrong ground vainly supposing that differences in points not fundamentall make a diversity of Religions and weakly conceiving that because there are many false claims to Truth in the world God hath not left us means enough in his revealed Will to distinguish Truth from Error as if because there are store of counterfeit coyns abroad it could not be safe for a man to receive or possible to discern currant money whereas if his wit would have served him he might have considered that all both Agenda and Credenda necessary to salvation which only can difference Religion are clearly laid down in the sacred Oracles of Scripture with which if any refractory soul will unjustly quarrell he may by those helps which God hath left to his Church be either convinced or shamed in the mean while it is no reason that his absurd obstinacy should cast any blemish upon the clear face of truth or be any prejudice to others who are blessed with better apprehensions whose not-forestalled souls out of that judgment of discretion which God hath endowed all wise Christians withall upon due search may by those good means which God hath held forth to us give himself so ful satisfaction in all important Truths as wherein he may securely rest with a resolute defiance of all oppositions Had this Questionist but consulted with learned Bishop Davenant's irrefragable Discourse De judice ac norma fidei he had forborn the blurring of his Paper and spared the labor of this his perplexed and shuffling proposall of his pretend edly-perplexing Question which in very truth is no other than a stale and often exploded Cavill newly furbushed over with a false colour of a tenderly-conscientious irresolution The man will finde himself here over-answer'd and receive too much honour from such an Antagonist in that it may be said of him Aeneae magni dextrâ cadis Now since you are pleased to desire my Opinion of the whole work to speak freely One or two passages I confess to meet with in this learned and weighty Discourse as concerning the name and number of the Apocalypticall Beast 666. which doe not altogether carry my assent That Mysterie must and will lye still close after all the scanning of the sharpest Wits and Judgements But for all the Doctrinall points I cannot but applaud them as worthy of the Authour and satisfactory to the Reader and convictive of the Adversary Farewell from your much devoted J.H.B.N. Higham April 29. 1652. A Perplexing Question OR A doubtfull Case of CONSCIENCE Of a certain Preacher of the GOSPEL OVR Religion is our Faith Faith either saves or condemns justly ought we therefore to be able to understand and prove our Faith But now there ariseth a great doubt to me and other of the simpler sort of Christians Whether it be possible for us to have an infallible certainty of our Faith out of the holy Scriptures and so consequently to rely on and trust to this faith as to an unshaken foundation The reason of our doubting is this Both Papists and Calvinists holding contrary opinions do maintain and prove by the holy Scriptures as they suppose the contrary to that which the Lutherans hold seriously affirming that in the Scriptures the Lutheran Religion is condemned and theirs confirmed Which thing no man will deny to be an evident Argument of the obscurity of the holy Scriptures If there be two Physicians of equall learning and of the same intent in curing the sick that is alike desirous to cure the disease and if these Physicians should out of one and the same Book gather the one that a Fever is cured with wine and the other that wine is as bad as poyson to them that have the Fever how I pray shall we know which of these two to take part withall A man can gather nothing but that the remedy for that disease is obscurely expressed in that Book Some may object The Sects doe not follow the Scriptures onely but they add their traditions the Calvinists add their reason the Anabaptists their dreams I answer They do so in those things which are not cleerly taught in the holy Scriptures but in the controversies between them and Lutherans they proceed not so but by Scriptures they fight against Lutheran Tenents which are confirmed by the Scriptures and indeavour by the help of the Scriptures to sight for and defend their own which the Lutherans by Scriptures doe condemn Nay more there are some viz. the Anabaptists that urge the Scriptures in the very Letter more than the rest The Calvinists use their reason and out of the Scriptures draw Arguments which thing the Lutherans also doe never suffering any of theirs to reason against the Scriptures 2.
If it be objected unto them that they wilfully and against their consciences doe condemn the Lutheran Tenents and confirm their own They will answer That this were a very grievous sin and that men ought not to presume that they would salsifie and corrupt the Letters and Commands of their Lord to his sons and subjects much less that they do maliciously erre and lead themselves and others into the danger of their salvation and to say the truth it is not likely that so many hundred thousands of men would come to that pitch of malice though one should especially seeing they dare confirm their honest meaning with an Oath wherefore unless they be convinced of maliciously-wilfull error we shall seem injuriously to slander them 3. It may be objected Perhaps they be fore-stalled with preconceived opinions I answer How You will say they accustom themselves from their cradles to their own Religion forsaking the Bible and other Books I answer This is true in Popery but not in Calvinists and others which urge the Bible more than we do These have more freedom than we have to the other Religions Do not the children of the Lutherans also inure themselves to their Religion from their childhood Do they learn a Popish or Calvinisticall Catechism before they have learned a Lutheran one Is not that a mans Religion to which he accustoms himself How doth a child or a Lay-man that hath been taught no Religion know what is Lutheranism or Calvinism Doth he not take that Religion which is first offered to him Besides no fore-conceited Opinion is so fast rooted but that it will give place to clear demonstrations which is confessed among all Therefore we shall never be able to confute any Religion with the Objection of fore-conceived opinions What shall I say more Doe other Religions want civill learning There are found amongst them sufficiently learned and ingenious men and oftentimes they have much better and fitter means for the advancement of Learning than the Lutherans have especially the Papists who make choice of the best wits whom they imploy in a manner from their cradles to their full age in nothing else but study meditation and continuall exercises and do abundantly supply them with all things which serve or seem to serve for their furthering and forwarding and with all care and diligence do remove and take away whatsoever causeth or seems to cause any hindrance of their course They study the Scriptures and Fathers night and day and refuse no labour in learning the foundation of their own Religion and in knowing and understanding the Errors of others Nay the method and manner of learning of comparing the Scriptures of interpreting according to the 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 of Faith of bringing no sense to the Scriptures and such other rules cannot be unknown to them Obj. But perhaps God hath not granted them his Spirit and this grace I answer God being sought unto and solicited by prayers denies to no man his grace and Spirit of Truth Now men of other Religions crave of God the inlightning of their minde and direction in a right way no less than our selves nay as far as we can discern perhaps with a greater fervency and zeal neither are we to think that they ask it out of hypocrisie and with dissimulation and that so they would mock God Therefore it is to be taken for granted that the Spirit is where the fruits of the Spirit are found of which none ought to boast above others Nay more the knowlege of understanding the Scriptures is a peculiar gift of the Spirit which is granted no less to others than to us It is true indeed that he onely understands the Scriptures which hath the Spirit that dictated them and as it is in worldly Laws no Doctors interpretation or deciding doth justifie till the Law-giver approve that deciding Yet he that boasteth of such approbation of the Spirit is bound to shew it unless he will be counted but an ordinary Doctor Obj. If any should here object that the Scriptures themselves bear witness of their own cleerness according to that Thy Word is a Lanthorn to my feet c. and you have a more sure Word c. I answer All the Commands of God are his Word and so are all his Works which are through his Word for it is confessed by all that God sets forth his Word by Nature the Creature Signs Wonders beneath above and by infinite wayes also the Scriptures witness that many things neither are nor can be written Therefore the VVord of his Voice is taken diversly in the Scriptures and so by consequence all that is called Gods Word is not necessarily to be understood of the Scriptures Hereunto add that at that time many parts of Scripture were not yet written wherefore the evidence of the thing manifestly proveth that this is not spoken of the whole Argument and Letter of the Scripture for as much as the Figures of the Prophecy of the Apocalyps and infinite other things belonging to the fulfilling of those Prophecies were hidden from the Prophets themselves and the Fathers much more then from others and are yet hidden Christ himself speaks in parables to the end that men may hear with their ears and not understand The Scripture it self in very many places witnesseth that the Word of God is secret obscure hidden and discovered onely to the Spirit or to the Godly onely to whom God reveals it so that in the Scriptures there are more testimonies of their obscuritie than of their clearness yet is not the Scripture hereby either rejected or slighted For even before the Law was given and written men had a certain light by the help whereof they might if they would have found out the truth more clearly than we and although in the New Testament a great light be risen yet must we not think that in the Old Testament there was a meer blindness Whence we may reason that God thought it not usefull for us to reveal all things to us but though all things perhaps be not necessary to be known yet nevertheless there may be had a certain and infallible way of interpreting by the help whereof the most and most necessary Controversies may be decided of which if triall be made a cleer light and meer harmony may be shown in such Scriptures as according to the opinion of many are obscure It is possible also that there should be not a few other wayes of illustrating that which is obscure although this ill tried way be not used alone for there may both be admitted and used agreements coming from the same Spirit and word sometimes where there is no demonstration Nor am I moved with that Objection that it is enough for the Lutherans that they are assured of the truth of Lutheranism though others cannot see and believe it For this is not that which I would have I enquire how a man may be sure not of his own opinion but of the truth
Now if I believe and determine that such a thing is true this is my opinion yet is it not therefore the truth seeing truth and opinion have nothing in them alike A stedfast perswasion changeth not the essence of the thing whereof a man is perswaded For then might melancholick persons whose opinion is unmovable work miracles and make all their conceits essentiall The nature of true knowledge is this to be demonstrable not to me or some men but to all and to win a consent from any man as two and three makes five A thing controverted and which some understand one way some another can never make me certain and free from doubt whether I have the truth or no and he that knowes no other than what he determines may be excused of malice and hypocrisie But this reasoning I and my follower are sure of this thing therefore it is true is unreasonable reasoning Lastly If we build our Religion onely upon the Scripture the learned shall have a great Prerogative above the unlearned in the matter of Faith and Religion and shall be more ingaged in thankefulness to God than they and so Religion shall favour and cleave to good wits Also many have their senses exercised in the Scripture or are more inventive and ingenious than others therefore if a man could by disputing and reasoning confute some Thesis and as it were take away a mans opinion from him and become Conqueror he should also take away his Religion and the other should be constrained either to take up this Conquerors Religion or against his conscience to keep his own Nor will that Answer serve the turn Our Divines and Pastors can answer you though I cannot for then should I believe with another mans saith but faith must bee mine not another mans else should salvation also be another mans If Religion be the service of God surely it is necessary that I understand that service which I must perform to my Lord. Seeing God will not reckon another mans service for mine and cannot be served by a Substitute it remains that wee conclude Controversies are to be left to learned men and are not so very necessary It may be answered Then also Religion is to be left to learned men for Controversies are our very Religion for saving the consideration of them there is no difference but Papists are Protestants and Protestants are Papists look how much a man knowes of Controversies so much doth he know of his own Religion The state of a mans salvation is such as is his Religion and his Faith Now there is but one salvation nor but one faith But if Controversies belong to the learned onely wherefore have the Lay-men indured so many afflictions distresses nay and death it self for those Controversies sake I know indeed that a Calvinist Doctor one Doctor Bergius a Preacher at Bremen affirms in his late published Sermons that Controvrsies are not meerly necessary to salvation That the Scripture is plain and clear in those things which are necessary to salvation and that there was never any contrariety between the Religions themselves At which also the Leipsich-Collation between the Lutherans and Calvinists seems to aim This I am perswaded is very true that had the Holy Ghost judged those Controverted Questions necessary to salvation it would have expressed and propounded them in the holy Scripture clearly and plainly seeing those Epistles were sent to simple and Lay-men especially Nor doth it seem likely to be true that ever there were so many Articles of Faith drawn out of them as are now to be read in the Catechisms Common-places and Compends of Divines As yet there is no certain number of them determined seeing some Divines have propounded more and some fewer and some Religions have in process of time either added or abated whole Articles and after many miseries indured for the defence of some of them entring a way of moderation they have determined that for tolerable and indifferent which before they thought damnable But howsoever there are so many of them that a man may deservedly call in question the precise necessity of them And this seems the best Solution to disintangle and appease perplexed doubtfull and erring Consciences But could so many thousand Divines of former Ages be ignorant of this Have there not so many Wars been undertaken for this cause Could those learned men suffer so many thousands of men to run headlong both by doing and suffering into the hazard of body and soul for Religions sake and so many unspeable mischiefs to arise whenas it is possible for a man to be saved without the Controversies of Religion But if this be the command of God under pain of temporall and everlasting punishment to fight for those Controversies how can we excuse those shuffling agreements of Faith Religion and Gods Worship A Servant may not abate any thing of his Lords due Let this thing be considered seeing it is so intricate and leads me and many others into disquiet of minde for which perplexities of Conscience none will deny that a remedy is to be sought at the hands of those that have Christian fellow-feeling and might be found if all the Divines of those sides that have left Popery would vouchsafe to afford me a wise milde and solid Answer in writing not savouring of partiality prejudice or passion THE Doubting Conscience Resolved In Answer to a pretended Perplexing Question Consideration IT is an old saying that Vniversus Mundus exercet histrioniam but I think never more verified in any Age than in this There was a time when the Devill plaid his part in the shape of a Dragon with seaven heads and ten horns Rev. 12.3 7 9. But after the war in heaven between Michael and his Angells on the one side and the Dragon and his Angells on the other the Dragon was cast out into the earth and his Angells were cast out with him But he continued to play the part of an old Serpent still which deceiveth the whole world Leo Serm. 6. de Epiphan Adversarius qui in apertis inefficax persecutionibus tecta nocendi arte desaevit and no marvell if intelligent spirits are very subdolous and full of craft Bernard in Quadrag Serm. 5. Eum nimis astutum fecit tam natura subtilis quam longa exercitatio malitiae ejus And afterwards he found as powerfull means to doe mischief to the Church of God Gladio oris by the sword of the mouth as formerly he had done ore Gladii by the mouth or edge of the sword even by another Beast who had two horns like the Lamb Rev. 13.11 13. but spake like the Dragon And this Beast first was operative by deceit For he did great wonders so that he made fire to come down from heaven on the earth in the sight of men and deceived them that dwelt on earth by the means of his miracles This is that Man of Sin St. Paul speaks of whose comming was in the effectuall power
Scriptures nor propose it onely but to call it A Perplexed Question and a Doubtfull Case of Conscience is so unshamefast a course as in my judgment it becometh none but such an one as hath a mores forehead and cannot be ashamed Yet I consider the condition of these present times in Germany where the Antichristian Congregations have confederated themselves and taken counsell against Gods Secretaries and as Pharaoh pursued the Israelites thinking to overtake them and that their lust should be satisfied upon them so these have not onely thought so but done so it is not impossible but that some weak Preacher of the Gospell may fall into their hands and be so charmed with fears or hopes or both as to be drawn unto their lure and brought to do them this piece of service as to propose such a Question and name the child after this manner For these times are the very hour and power of darkness and Satan is not yet bound though we trust his binding is not far off And it is not strange that men should be given over to believe lies and to become some Jesuits Proctor calling men to relieve a scrupulous and perplexed conscience and to intreat all Christians especially the Calvinists Divines and Preachers with all due respect to give a Solution to this proposed Question and this in Dutch whereas I had thought that this Question had neither being life or motion in any other part of the Christian world but onely in this our England Well let us consider wherein the perplexity of this Question consists or what it is that makes it Disc Our Religion is our Faith Faith either saves or condemus justly ought we therefore to be able to understand and prove our Faith Cansid The first proposition That our Religion is our Faith is brought in to no purpose the Argument here used subsists well enough without it such as it is The faith that saves is an act in man but that which is to be proved is no act in man but the object of that act the thing believed what conscience the Author of this discourse had I know not but I doubt he will appear to be but of little wit Disc But now there ariseth a great doubt to me and others of the simpler sort of Christians Whether it be possible for us to have an infallible certainty of our Faith out of the holy Scriptures and so consequently to rely and trust to this faith as to an unshaken foundation Consideration Let my Faith be never so certain and my Repentance and good works never so sincere I trust neither to the one nor to the other Christ is the Rock and foundation whereupon Gods Church is built upon which we are built by the knowledge of Christ and faith in Christ and in him alone I trust both for the keeping of me in this knowledge and faith of Christ and for the bringing of me thereby unto salvation as Paul saith 1 Cor. 1.20 I know whom I have trusted and I know that he is able to keep that which I have committed to him And 1 Cor. 1.30 God hath made him unto us wisdom and righteousness sanctification and redemption Who so doubts whether it be possible to have any certainty of faith out of the holy Scriptures I demand of him whether he doubts of the possibility for a man to have any certain faith at all or no if he doubts whether this be possible who seeth not that it is more fit this Question should be proposed in the first place and upon the solution thereof and not afore to proceed to inquire by what this certainty may be had if he doubts not but that this is possible let him shew us how or by what means he is assured hereof as namely whether by naturall reason or by the word of the Pope or by the word of an Angell And indeed if the Question were proposed indifferently and fairly with distinction we should soon perceive how little cause there is to call this a Perplexed Question or a Doubtfull case of Conscience though these forms savour of no learning nor judgement for the perplexity that is found in this Argument is not in the Question if it be it is the meer fault of the propounder exhibiting it in perplexed terms the meaning whereof cannot be easily unfolded but rather in finding out the truth thereof and that is onely in case the reasons be of equall moment on both sides wherewith the truth is incombred so that the light and convincing evidence thereof cannot easily break forth and appear Then as for a case of Conscience that is a very alien notion and ill applied in this place for cases of Conscience are onely touching what we ought to doe in a certain case but this is onely touching possibility of assurance as Whether we can have any certain faith by the holy Scriptures But let us proceed distinctly And 1. Let us inquire Whether a man can have any certain faith at all I answer 1. They may for many have had it as it is defined by S. Paul Heb. 11. to be the evidence of things not seen the ground of things hoped for and there the Apostle reckons up a Catalogue of many that had such a faith I presume the propounder of this if he be a Christian makes no question hereof And that Abraham the Father of the faithfull Rom. 4.18 19 20. was such a one who against hope believed in hope and being not weak in faith he staggered not at the promise of God through unbelief but was strong in faith giving glory to God and that all the true children of Abraham have the like faith as Abraham had 2. But then let us distinguish when we treat of possibility this may be understood either in reference to the power of Nature or in respect of the power of God and according to this distinction I answer That it is utterly impossible to believe this by power of Nature Mat. 16. Flesh and blood hath not revealed this unto thee but my Father which is in heaven and 1 Cor. 2.14 The naturall man perceives not the things of God for they are foolishness unto him neither can he know them because they are spiritually discerned And Esa 53.1 Who hath believed our report and to whom hath the arm of God been revealed And Joh. 12.39 Therefore they could not believe because Esaias saith again he hath blinded their eyes and hardned their hearts that they should not see with their eyes nor understand with their heart and be converted and I should heal them And Rom. 8.8 They that are in the flesh cannot please God and consequently they cannot have faith for surely by faith we please God But then on the other side it is most true that by the power of God a man may believe Act. 18.27 They believed through grace And Phil. 1.29 To you it is given not onely to believe in him but to suffer for him and to believe and find
Religions there were amongst them he might as well profess that the Papists amongst themselves the Lutherans amongst themselves and the Calvinists amongst themselves are of different Religions 3. We acknowledge different opinions between Lutherans and Calvinians so no doubt there are different opinions among the Lutherans themselves and the Calvinians themselves but we utterly deny there are different Religions The Lutherans we hold to be true Churches agreeing with us in the fundamental points of faith and likewise in being free from Idolatry for albeit they have Images in their Churches which we conceive to be a very dangerous thing yet they doe not worship them and although they hold reall Presence in the Sacrament yet they do not adore it So that albeit we think some of their opinions are contrary to the Scripture and they think the like of some of ours yet neither we say of their Religion nor they of ours I trow that it is contrary to the Scripture much less that it is condemned in Scripture But come we to the main scope of this Authors Discourse which is to prove that the Scriptures are obscure and from thence to infer that we can have no assurance of the true meaning of it To this we answer 1. By denying the consequence which is this Divines differ in the interpretation of Scripture therefore the Scripture is obscure And I prove the absurdity and untruth and weakness of it 1. It is weak for at the uttermost it proves that it is obscure but in some places For this difference of interpretation is but of some places as I have shewed and the force of the proposition I have shewed to be no greater than the force of a particular 2. It is absurd for by the same reason I may proue that the Scripture is clear thus That Scripture is clear in the interpretation wherein men of different opinions and different Religions doe agree But men of different opinions and Religions do agree in the interpretation of divine Scripture therefore the divine Scripture is clear and indeed it will be found that we agree in the interpretation not of some onely but of many places of holy Scripture Now what absurd a course is it for a Disputant so to dispute as that his Argument may be retorted with as good force against him yea and much more For when men of different opinions are found to differ about the interpretation of a Scripture it may be this ariseth from the love of their own opinions which makes the Scripture seem to sound the same way but when they agree in the interpretation of Scripture notwithstanding their other differences this argues the Scripture to be clear enough Nay we know Bellarmine will dislike an opinion and Maldonate an interpretation of Scripture for Calvins sake striving to differ from such as they hate though without all just cause and to wrest the Scriptures to serve their turns 3. Lastly the Consequence is as untrue as it is weak and absurd for the cause of this difference may be in the darkness of their understanding who take upon them to interpret it rather than in the darkness of the Scripture it self which whether we consider the Law or the Gospell each of them is termed light by the Spirit of God Thy Law is a Lanthorn to my feet and a light unto my pathes saith David Psal 119. And of the Gospell our Saviour speaks Light came into the world but men loved darkness rather than light Joh. 3. the greater will be their condemnation And as for the instance proposed to prove the Consequence of two Physicians 1. The particular proposed is most inficete and a meer fiction without all colour 2. Yet I doubt not but Galen and Hipocrates in divers places may admit different interpretations Therefore I answer 1. This also may arise not so much from the obscurity of the Text as from the fault of the Interpreter 2. It is a most alien course to compare the Word of God and the word of Man together for man may contradict himself God cannot man may forget one time what he delivered at another God cannot 3. There is a vast difference between the things of men and the things of God so that whereas naturall reason and naturall instruction may be sufficient to inable a man to understand the writing of another man yet onely supernaturall illumination is sufficient to inable a man to discern the things of God yet I confess on this particular some judicious reader may think to find a flaw yet I presume that upon serious consideration that attempt will prove but vain and none but a Socinian will oppose in this who denies all fides infusa and acknowledgeth none but acquisita faith naturall and shrewd suspicions that way are betrayed by Mr. Chillingsworth as if he acknowledged no faith but faith naturall 2. But be it granted that the Scripture is obscure 1. Consider the force of this proposition it is but an indefinite and the matter is apparently contingent for undoubtedly it was at the good pleasure of God to speak after what manner he thought good Hence it followeth that the force hereof is but the force of a particular proposition as much as to say that the Scripture in some places is obscure or some places of Scripture are obscure And indeed Gregory of old hath professed that the holy Scripture is like unto a ford wherein a Lamb may wade and an Elephant may swim and before him S. Paul tells us that it contains both milk for babes and strong meat for men there is enough and that plain enough to satisfie the hungry and there is also enough and that obscure enough to prevent non-sealing especially in the Prophecies for the times to come The first promise of the Covenant of Grace was this the seed of the woman shall break the Serpents head Here is a double mystery in general notions carried the one the mystery of Christs Person expressed by the seed of the woman but implied to be somewhat more yea much more even such a one as should break the Serpents head the other the mystery of his Office carried onely in this generall notion of breaking the Serpents head In this time of grace we know this to have been brought to pass by his dying for our sins and his rising again for our justification Had this been known to Satan as now it is to us is it credible that hee would have perswaded Judas as he did to contract with the high Priests to betray him into their hands that were Judas like after he had betrayed his Master to goe forth and hang himself For we know that upon the Cross he spoiled Principalities and Powers and made a shew of them openly and triumphed over them The day of Christs Resurrection undoubtly was a day of extreme confusion to the Devill and all his Angells of darkness So the Jewes had they known this mystery of his Person they would not have crucified the
their opposites so I finde wnat of judgment in this Author who puts it upon a mans Oath to clear himself of going against his conscience in the Tenets he maintaineth for he that saith a thing against his conscience is next door by to the swearing of it But these are such idle and addle conceits that it causeth no small indignation in me to wast precious time in them which might be better spent on worthier subjects Disc Obj. 3. It may be objected Perhaps they may be forestalled with preconceived opinions Ans I answer How You will say they accustome themselves from their cradles to their own Religion forsaking the Bible and other Books I answer This is true in Popery but not in Calvinists and others which urge the Bible more than we do These have more freedom than we have to trie other Religions Do not the children of the Lutherans also inure themselves to trie Religion from their childhood Do they learn a Popish or Calvinisticall Catechism before they have learned a Lutheran one Is not that a mans Religion to which he accustoms himself How doth a child or a Lay-man that hath been taught no Religion know what is Lutheranism or Calvinism Doth he not take that Religion which is first offered to him Besides no fore-conceited Opinion is so fast rooted but that it will give place to clear demonstrations which is confessed among all Therefore we shall never be able to confute any Religion with the Objection of fore-conceived opinions What shall I say more Doe other Religions want civill learning There are found amongst them sufficiently learned and ingenious men and oftentimes they have much better and fitter means for the advancement of Learning than the Lutherans have especially the Papists who make choice of the best wits whom they imploy in a manner from their cradles to their full age in nothing else but study meditation and continuall exercises and do abundantly supply them with all things which serve or seem to serve for their furthering and forwarding and with all care and diligence do remove and take away whatsoever causeth or seems to cause any hindrance of their course They study the Scriptures and Fathers night and day and refuse no labour in learning the foundation of their own Religion and in knowing and understanding the Errors of others Nay the method and manner of learning of comparing the Scriptures of interpreting according to the 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 of Faith of bringing in sense to the Scriptures and such other rules cannot be unknown to them Consid Who is not forestalled with preconceived opinions Is not every one brought up in the Religion of his Parents which yet breeds but a naturall complying with it be it the best Religion untill God by his Spirit of Regeneration opens their eyes to apprehend the power of God and the wisdom of God therein without which in their most zealous profession of it for their fathers sake and their education sake they will prove no better than hypocrites and factious rather than conscionable in the maintenance of it which yet may be done with as great strength of learning as a naturall man is capable of And though it be a false way wherein they have been brought up and bred and they as zealous and factious in maintaining it as ever Saul was who made havock of the Church and entred into every house and drew out both men and women and put them in prison yet the Lord in the middest of his persecutions met with him in the way and confounded him and struck him with blindness naturall to minde him thereby of his blindness spirituall but afterwards opened his eyes and brought him out of darkness unto light and made him not onely a Professor of that way of the Gospell which before he persecuted but a famous Preacher of it also even the great Doctor of the Gentiles So saith Peter of the Jewes to whom hee wrote that they were redeemed from their vain consersation received by Tradition of their Fathers And as this was true of the Jewes so of the Gentiles also as Jeremiah prophesied Jer. 16.19 The Gentiles shall come unto thee from the ends of the world and shall say surely our fore-fathers have inherited lies and vanity wherein there was no profit And Isaiah also I have been sought of them that asked not I was found of them that sought me not I said Behold me behold me to a Nation that was not called by my Name Some while the Apostles and Evangelists abstained from preaching to the Gentles and Peter was called in question for going in and preaching Christ unto the Gentiles Act. 11.19 And they that were scattered abroad because of the persecution that arose about Stephen went throughout till they came unto Phenice and Cyprus and Antioch preaching the Word to no man but the Jews only v. 20. Now some of them were men of Cyprus and Cyrene which when they were come to Antioch spoke unto the Grecians and preached the Lord Jesus v. 21. And the hand of the Lord was with them so that a great number believed and turned unto the Lord. See how suddenly they turned from Idolls to serve the living God quite contrary to the Traditions received of their fore-fathers So true is that of Leo Vbi Deus Magister est quam citò dissitur quod docetur So that these were as little trained up in the Bible and other Books of Christian Religion as the Papists yea and far less Any man hath freedom to try other Religions have not we Christians freedom to try the Religion of the Jews and of the Turks and God abandons some to turn Turks and Papists have liberty to try our Protestant Religion Vergerius did so a Popish Bishop with a purpose to refute it but the hand of God was with him to open his eyes as with Saul and he turned Protestant By these words Calvinists and others urge the Bible more than we doe it appears this Author is no Calvinist so by the words following Do not the children of the Lutherans also inure themselves to their Religion from their childhood also do argue that this Author is no Lutheran so that what to make of him I know not for he would not seem to be a Papist it seems he is yet to choose his Religion And yet if this course of his be serious it is considerable but he needs not go far for an Answer to so superficiary a Discourse as this It is true naturally every one is apt to be of the Religion he received of his Fathers but without illumination divine though he be in the right way yet shall he have no comfortable apprehension of it and by illumination divine Saul of a Persecutor shall become a Preacher and the Gentiles shall have their eyes opened and be brought out of darkness into light and from the power of Satan unto God though blindness come upon Israel as they have been held under it now for 1600.
the extraction of roots and the number 25. found to be the root of 666. so far as it comes to be said in the usuall way of Arithmetick to have a root discovering strange mysteries concerning the delineating of that Beast the body of Antichrist in a wonderfull manner No marvell if these mysteries were hidden from the Prophets themselves who wrote those Prophecies for first the knowledge of them was nothing necessary to their salvation 2. God had appointed a certain time when the light of them should break forth to irradiate his Church with unspeakable consolation when they stood most in need thereof the accomplishment of those Prophecies drawing neer Christ spake in parables to some not to all yet some of his parables were understood by them even against whom they were spoken in particular Those that were not understood by the multitude our Saviour revealed to his Disciples as often as they sought it yea and other mysteries too namely the signs fore-going the destruction of Jerusalem his own coming and the end of the world Mat. 24. It is true the Scriptures contain the mysteries of godliness which are not apprehended according to their condition but by the Regenerate but as for the meaning of the Scripture it is quite of another nature which this Author considers not and is incident to a reprobate yea in such a measure as to make him an able Doctor in the Church and Orthodox throughout which may tend to the edification of others when in the mean time such a one shall fall short of the salvation of his own soul The secrets of the Lord which he reveals to them that fear him is the secret of his Covenant Psal 25. There is a secret also in Faith-Catholike and in all the mysteries of godliness which is peculiar to the Regenerate only and it is to discern the wisdom of God and the power of God in them which have true Faith A reprobate may believe the same things by a naturall faith onely yea believe it and carry themselves like good scholars too while they instruct others therein Still we say that the Scripture is plain and clear enough as touching all things necessary to salvation and all this discourse is plausible onely through distinction and to deny the Scripture to be fairly intelligible to one that is desirous to know the meaning of it is a great disparagement to the Word of God and dishonor to God himself disparaging either his goodness that would not or his wisdom that he knew not how to order it so that by searching the Scriptures they might have eternall life If before the Law men had a light whereby they might finde the truth more clearly than we then the former times were times of greater light and grace than the later but this is contrary both to the generall judgment of the Christian world and to universall experience For as light naturally increaseth more and more untill it be perfect day so it hath been with light spirituall yet the Sun the fountain of light naturall hath sometimes gone backward ten degrees not so the sun of rigteousness men have gone backward I confess in the course of their obedience but God hath gone forward rather than backward in the course of administration of his grace We doe not say there was a meer blindness or blindness at all in Gods children although in present discourse not of mans blindness but of Gods progress in causing the irradiation of his light but this we say that the word of the Prophets was a most sure word to which our fore-fathers did well to take heed as to a light that shineth in a dark place but now a long time day hath dawned and the Gospell is the day-star that ariseth in our hearts 2 Pet. 1.19 For that God who commanded the light to shine out of darkness is he which hath shined in our hearts to give the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ 2 Cor. 4.6 And in these dayes of grace we all behold as in a mirror the glory of the Lord with open face and are changed into the same Image from glory to glory as by the Spirit of the Lord 2 Cor. 3.18 To say that though all things be not necessary to be known yet nevertheless there may be had a certain and infallible way of interpreting whereby the most and most necessary Controversies may be decided is to represent a shew of Antithesis where there is none But that is little materiall but here is a declination to the contrary extreme hitherto the clearness of Scripture hath been opposed here an infallibility of interpreting is introduced but Medio tutissimus ibis and vertue usually consists in a mediocrity which Horace calls auream Mediocritatem Since the Apostles days the true Church of Christ challengeth to her self no infallible authority of interpreting Scripture 't is enough that in things necessary to salvation the Lord assures us by his Spirit that we are not deceived that is sufficicient for the state of grace and as for infallibility let us be content to have that condition reserved for the state of glory I nothing doubt but by study and care and pains most Controversies may be so clearly decided as shall be sufficient either for the converting of a capable Hearer to the imbracing of it or for the convicting him of obstinacy in withstanding it but I little looked that the beginning of this discourse would have so unsutable an end Mr. Dury as I remember is occupied about some such methode as this I wish heartily it may succeed well but take heed we do not cry down all performances that have gone before us as if they were palpable insufficiencies in comparison to our own new inventions whether in clearing truths controversial or obscure places of Scripture Well we shall rest contented with that measure we are arrived unto untill a greater measure of light arise above the Horizon of our Sphere and whensoever it comes I trust we shall give it that respect which it deserves and right thankfully entertain it whether in the way of illustration which best pleaseth the sense or in the way of demonstration which most justifieth the judgment Disc Nor am I moved with that Objection that it is enough for the Lutherans that they are assured of the truth of Lutheranism though others cannot see and believe it for this is not that which I would have I enquire how a man may be sure not of his own opinion but of the truth Now if I believe and determine that such a thing is true this is my opinion yet is not therefore the truth seeing truth and opinion have nothing in them alike and stedfast perswasion changeth not the essence of the thing whereof a man is perswaded for then should melancholick persons whose opinion is unmoveable work miracles and make all their conceits essentiall The nature of true knowledge is this so be demonstrable not to
they might proceed one step further and say I my self alone think this to be true and therefore it is true but the Spirit of illumination is given onely to satisfie them that have it not to boast of it but to comfort themselves with it rather much less to obtrude it upon others onely light naturall is communicable unto others by rationall discourse light spirituall is not I cannot more communicate that to another than my seeing or hearing or smelling or tasting Disc Lastly If we build our Religion only upon the Scriptures the learned shall have a great prerogative above the unlearned in the matter of Faith and Religion and shall be more ingaged in thankefulness unto God than they and so Religion shall favor and cleave to good wits Also many have their senses exercised in the Scriptures or are more inventive than others therefore if a man could by disputing and reasoning consute some Thesis and as it were take away a mans opinion from him and become conqueror he should also take away his Religion and the other should be constrained either to take up his Conquerors Religion or against his conscience to keep his own Nor will that Answer serve the turn our Divines and Pastors can answer you though I cannot for then should I believe with another mans faith but saith must bee mine not another mans else should salvation also be another mans If Religion be the service of God certainly it is necessary that I should understand that service which I must perform to my Lord. Seeing God will not reckon another mans service for mine and cannot be served by a Substitute it remains that wee conclude Controversies are to be left to learned men and are not so very necessary It may be answered Then also Religion is to be left to learned men for Controversies are our very Religion for saving the consideration of them there is no difference but Papists are Protestants and Protestants are Papists look how much a man knowes of Controversies so much doth he know of his own Religion The state of a mans salvation is such as his Religion and his Faith Now there is but one salvation and but one faith But if Controversies belong to the learned onely wherefore have Lay-men indured so many afflictions distresses nay and death it self for these controversies sake I know indeed that a Calvinist Doctor one Doctor Bergius a Preacher at Breme affirms in his late published Sermons that Controversies are not meerly necessary to salvation that the Scripture is plain and clear about those things which are necessary to salvation and that there was never any contrariety between the Religious themselves At which also the Leipsich Collation between the Lutherans and the Calvinists seems to aim Consid In all professions whether liberall or mechanicall the learned have a prerogative above the unlearned and what inconvenience is there if it be so in Christian Religion also Doth not S. Peter tell us that the unlearned pervert the Scripture to their own destruction 2 Pet. 3. yet this prerogative is in learning onely not in holiness the unlearned may be as holy as the learned and have as great an interest both in sanctifying grace and in saving glory What said Austin of himself and such like Scholars in comparison of his mother Monica and such like holy though simple women Mulierculae istae lacrimis suis caelum nobis praeripiunt when we have done all we can with all our learning these women with their tears will get heaven before us And as for holiness so for faith an unlearned man may have faith as wel as the learned nay that faith which is called fides infusa may be found in a man unlearned when the faith of him that is learned is found to be no better than fides acquisita a faith naturall and they that have true faith by the inspiration of the holy Ghost shall not want gracious wits howsoever that Religion which is by faith naturall be accompanied with better naturall wits yet an idle wit be it never so good will hardly prove learned and be it never so learned if it be without grace such a mans Religion will prove but vain and though he be able to worst another in disputation yet shall he never pull true Religion in any childe of God be he never so weak and unlearned out of socket because our Faith and Religion consists not in wisdom of words but in the power of the Spirit as S. Paul speaks saying My word and my preaching stood not in the inticing speech of Mans wisdom but in plain evidence of the Spirit and Power That your Faith should not bee in the wisdom of Men but in the power of God 1 Cor. 2.4 5. Nay were my Faith only naturall and I had good evidence out of the Scripture for it though that knowledge be no other than such as is annexed to the common profession of Christianity yet the Philosopher tells me that I must not be beaten out of my hold in such a case because I am not able to answer every Sophism or Argument that is brought against it Nay the Philosopher in his Ethicks teacheth me that some are as tenacious of their opinions for which they have but weak reasons as others are of their opinions which they hold confirmed with great strength of Argument so that every way it is an inficete fiction that the most learned must always conquer the Faith and the Religion of the unlearned without flying to any such sculking hole as to say Our Divines and Pastors can answer you though I cannot But I wonder much that any sober Christian upon any pretence should dispute against the building of our Religion onely upon Scripture unless with Papists hee would bring in Traditions or rely on the Church or on the decision of the Pope For if we fly from the Word of God we must rest either upon the word of Man or upon naturall reason A Christian I conceive should think the Scripture sufficient to direct us in the Service of God Our Saviour directs the Jews to the searching of Scripture for the discerning of him And if Controversies be left to learned men yet there is no cause why our Religion should but onely the defence of it controversially maintaining it by variety of Arguments and deductions out of holy Scripture and solving contrary Arguments brought against it in any particular point of Faith but the profession of it surely shall belong to him that sits at Gamaliels feet as well as to Gamaliel himself nor onely to such as sit at his feet but to such also as follow the plow-tail yea and to the weaker sex of women and to children too for even to such belongeth the Kingdom of God And were there no book at all written or Sermon preached in any point of Controversies or difference between us yet Papists should be Papists still and not Protestants and Protestants should be Protestants still and not Papists and