year and commands the Lictors as if he that can kill a man cannot but be infallible and if he be not why should I do violence to my conscience because he can do violence to my person Force in matters of Opinion can do no good but is very apt to do hurt for no man can change his Opinion when he will or be satisfied in his reason that his Opinion is false because discountenanced if a man could change his opinion when he lists he might cure many inconveniences of his life all his fears and his sorrows would soon disband if he would but alter his Opinion whereby he is perswaded that such an accident that afflicts him is an evil and such an object formidable let him but believe himself impregnable or that he receives a benefit when he is plundered disgraced imprisoned condemned and afflicted neither his sleeps need to be disturbed nor his quietness discomposed but if a man cannot change his Opinion when he list nor ever doth heartily or resolutely but when he cannot do otherwise then to use force may make him an hypocrite but never to be a right believer and so instead of erecting a Trophee for God and true Religion to build a monument for the Devil Infinite examples are recorded in Church story to this very purpose but Socrates instances in one for all for when Elucius Bishop of Cyzicum was threatned by the Emperor Valence with banishment and confiscation if he did not subscribe to the Decree of Ariminum at last he yeelded to the Arian Opinion and prosently fell into great torment of conscience openly at Cyzicum recanted the Error asked God and the Church forgiveness and complained of the Emperors injustice and that was all the good the Arian party got by offering violence to his conscience and so many families in Spain which are as they call them new Christians and of a suspected Faith into which they were forced by the Tyranny of the Inquisition and yet are secret Moors is evidence enough of the inconvenience of preaching a Doctrine more gladly Ceventandi for it either punishes a man for keeping a good conscience or forces him into a bad it either punishes sincerity or perswades hypocrisie it persecutes a truth or drives into an error and it teaches a man to dissemble and to be safe but never to be honest Thus far he Notwithstanding all which where can we see it otherwise with any Nation or people in any form of religious Worship but that they have drank so deep of that Whores cup as to thirst for the blood of their opposites especially if they shall but in the least discover to the world the unsoundness of the foundation on which their Babel is built All which the aforesaid Mr. G. well knowing and by experience finding that a little Light will much offend the tender sights of many who therefore like Owls in the dark will both skreech and strick at the meer shine of a Candle yet nevertheless in this Divine Authority of Scripture pag 10. he tells us If no Translation whatsoever nor any any either written or printed Copy whatsoever be the Word of God or foundation of Religion certainly our English Translations cannot challenge this honor And in pag. 18. of the same he saith Questionless no writing whatsoever whether Translations or Originals are the foundation of Christian Religion And in his Youngling Elder pag. 35. he saith It is very possible that either through negligence ignorance want of memory or the like in Scribes and Correctors of the Press some such Error may be found in every Copy of the Scriptures now extant in the world which will render this Copy contradictious to it self yea it is possible that many such errors as this may be found in the best and truest Copies that are And in the 36. page of the same Book he saith The true and proper foundation of Religion is intrinsecally essentially and in the nature of it unchangeable unalterable in the least by the wills pleasures or attempts of men But there is no Book or Books whatsoever Bible or other but in the contents of them may be altered or changed by men Ergo The major he proveth thus If the proper Foundation of Religion were intrinsecally and in the nature of it changeable and alterable by men then can it not be any matter of truth because the nature of truth is like the nature of God himself unchangeable unalterable by men Angels Devils or any creature whatsoever yea God himself cannot alter it any whit more then deny himself or change his own nature or being And for the minor saith he That also is no less evident experience teacheth us that Books or Bibles themselves are de facto changed and altered by men from time to time every new Edition or Impression almost commending it self for somewhat corrected or amended in it which was delinquent or defective in the former Yet this learned Author notwithstanding all the aforesaid passages of his in his Divine Authority of Scripture pag. 13. doth affirm If by Scripture be meant the matter and substance of things contained and held forth in the Books of the Old and New Testament commonly known amongst Protestants by the Name of Canonical he fully with all his heart and all his soul believes them to be of Divine Authority and none other then the Word of God And in the 26. page of his Youngling Elder he doth distinguish and lay down a double sense and acceptation of the word Scripture and in the one sense clearly acknowledgeth them to be of Divine Authority and so the foundation of Christian Religion onely denying them to be such in the other sense And in that sense here denyed by this Author his learned Oponent Mr. William jenkin doth affirm them to be both of Divine Authority and the Word of God disallowing that distinction made by our Author demanding How any can believe the matter and substance of the Scripture to be the Word of God when he must be uncertain whether the written Word or Scriptures wherein the matter is contained are the Word of God or no. Now although both these learned men do affirm the Scripture to be of Divine Authority the Word of God yet it is so that the one affirms it to be such in one sense and the other in another sense neither of them allowing it to be such in the others sense nor yet producing any competent proof to evidence it to be such in his own sense The truth of it in either sense must still therefore remain much the more to be doubted and that from these grounds and reasons following First Because the Scripture as it came from the Original Pen-men was then if at all of Divine authority the word of God to the world but it was not so then being in an unknown Tongue to the generality of man-kind and therefore according to St. Pauls Doctrine was both in form matter and substance so far from being
such that it was meer Barbarism to them 1 Cor. 14.11 And if any urge That it was afterward made of Divine Authority and the Word of God to all by its being translated into all Languages here I demand What humane Power could confer upon Translations that Prerogative which the Authograph never had especially since all Translations have many such Errors Mistakes and Contradictions in them as the Authographs had not and as the Word of God cannot have for to affirm any thing not perfectly true and infallible to be the Word of God implyes a flat contradiction Besides herein also is a great failer namely in that the most learned are at great variance not certainly knowing but much disagreeing about the right sense and meaning of words in Scripture this is evident by their often changing altering amending and new making of the Bible and by the palpable material differences and contradictions which still remain among Traaslations when all is done and the many exceptions taken by some or other of the learned against every Translation Nay if the original Language were the Mother-Tongue of some amongst us yet the Scripture would not be much the easier to them and a natural Greek or Jew can with no more reason or authority obtrude any Translation upon other mens consciences then any other man of any other Nation can do Consider further the infinite variety of Translations of the Bible that were in the primitive Ages of the Church as St. Hierome observes and never a one like another And can any man think but that the most learned of these later ages have differed erred and be mistaken as much in Translations as the other were ☞ and that the medium is as uncertain to these as it was to them which is evidently seen by the great variety of late Translations Commentaries which are too pregnant an Argument that the most learned neither agree in the understanding of the words nor of the sense and therefore Translations can bind no man to believe them to be of Divine Authority or the Word of God for an unknown or uncertain sense binds men as little to the belief thereof as an unknown tongue doth this also St. Paul plainly sets forth 1 Cor. 14.7 8. in these words Even things saith he without life giving sound whether Pipe or Harp except it give a certain distinction in the sound how shall it be known what is piped or harped for if the trumpet give an uncertain sound who shall prepare himself to Battaile Secondly Because the Word of God or Gospel of Christ which was of Divine Authority and which universally concern'd and bound all men to believe it so to be came not in any unknown Tongue nor upon any such uncertainties to any nor only in plainness of speech to be rightly understood of the meanest vulgar rational capacity but with divine and evident demonstration to attest the certain truth thereof as may be seen in St. Pauls expression to the Corinths besides many other places of like import 1 Cor. 2.4.5 where he tells them That his speech and his preaching came not to them with perswasible words of mans wisdom only intelligible to them all but with evidence and demonstration of the Spirit and Power of God that there faith might not stand in the wisdom of men but in the Power of God evidently implying That if it had come to them only in never so great plainness and wisdom of speech and they had thereupon believed it that then their Faith had stood meerly in the wisdom of men and not in the Word and Power of God Now let it be considered whether St. Pauls meer preaching so as aforesaid be not of as much Divine Authority and the Word of God as any of his own or other mens writings in Scripture are or ever were Thirdly Because the Word of God is powerful Heb. 4.12 Jer. 23.29 for God did but say Let there be light and there was light Gen 1.3 Christ did say Lazarus come forth and the dead came forth bound hand and foot Joh. 11.44 These words actions were afterwards recorded and so became Scripture The words and acts of the Kings of Israel were afterwards recorded so became Scripture The words and acts of the Devil in his tempting of Christ in the Wilderness were afterwards recorded and so became Scripture But as the record of the words and acts of the Devil are not the words and acts of the Devil and as the record of the words and acts of the Kings of Israel are not the words and acts of the Kings of Israel so the writing or recording of Gods Words is not Gods Word but only a Declaration what was Gods Word whereby he created the Light not that it is Gods VVord so written or so read or so spoken by us for if it continue truly and indeed Gods VVord in our mouths it must then still powerfully produce Light when spoken by us as then it did when it was spoken by God himself And the like evident difference was in the Power that followed the Faith that was built upon the very VVord of God above any faith that is built upon the Scripture in any sense These signs followed the first namely The stopping the mouths of Lyons quenching the violence of fire casting out of Devils speaking with new Tongues healing of the sick by meer laying on of hands c. Heb. 11.33 34. Mark 16.17 18. But no such signs follow the Faith built upon the Scripture or on the matter and substance contained therein nor on the Doctrines drawn from them by any men who usually borrow or steal the words of God of Christ of the Prophets of the Apostles or any other which they there find recorded and then by the help of some Commentor whereof there are divers and many devise some Doctrines c. which they afterwards deliver as from God to the people But such would appear to deal more ingenuously if they did follow the Prophets advice He that had onely a dream should tell it but as a dream and not as the Word of God for what is the chaff to the wheat Jer. 23.28 29 30 31 32. And especially I conceive it would be much more pleasing to God beneficial to men comfortable to themselves not to trouble the world with any sublime and mysterious Doctrine as that of Trinity Election Predestination Reprobation the Nature or Essence of God the order or number of his Decrees the nature or extent of Christ his death Justification or any other matters in Divinity so much controverted among School-men and other of the learned and are but doubtfully and uncertainly known to the wisest of them all as is evident in that each opposite among them with great confidence maintains the verity of their several contradictory Propositions in these Points which is no marvel since we see them likewise at no small variance even about the very Principles of the Doctrine of Christ which
Fides Divina The Ground of TRUE FAITH Asserted OR A useful and brief Discourse shewing the insufficiency of humane and the necessity of Divine Evidence for divine or saving Faith and Christian Religion to be built upon Being a Transcript out of several Authors extant Joh. 10.37 If I do not the works of my Father believe me not Joh. 15.24 If I had not done among them the works that none other man did they had not had sin but now have they both seen and hated both me and my Father 1 Cor. 2.4 5. My speech and my preaching was not with perswasible words of mans wisdom but in demonstration of the Spirit and of Power That your faith should not stand in the wisdom of men but in the power of God LONDON Printed for the Author 1657. A Just and necessary Vindication of all such as endeavour to be satisfied concerning the anthentickness and demonstrative authority and perfection of Copies or Translations of Scripture or any Expositions Doctrines or Conclusions drawn from them to be a ground sufficient for Divine and saving Faith scruples herein unavoidably arising from the Tongues and Pens even of the learned themselves who both in publike and private will ofâ—en tell us That this or that is not rightly translated but should be read out of the Hebrew or Greek word for word thus or thus much different from the Translation or that this or that word or sentence is not in some or most of their Greek Copies or here or there should be a Parenthesis or that the Comma is not rightly placed or the like something or other is usually amiss especially when from some Text of Scripture the unreasonable or doubtfulness of their Opinions or Doctrines are questioned In further prosecution hereof I shall not need to cite any of the learned Papists who urge many shrewd Arguments and Reasons to prove the corruption of our Scriptures and the insufficiency of any Scripture for the purposes aforementioned Nor need I insist on our learned Countreyman Mr. Hugh Broughton though a Protestant who being a great Linguist charged the Bishops with perverting the Text in the Old Testament in the English Translations in 848. places Nor on the Charge delivered to King JAMES by the Ministers of Lincoln Diocess telling him in the Abridgement of their grievances That the English Translation of the Bible was such as takes away from the Text and addes to the Text and that to the changing or obscuring of the meaning of the Holy Ghost Nor yet on the palpable differences and contradictions in Translations wherein some Texts are rendred with much suspition of Nonsense untruth or both observed by private men Nor will I at present descant Whether it was through negligence ignorance or design in the Translators or otherwise that all this was done yet that de facto it is so done may be seen and must be confest by all intelligent men not blinded with superstition like the Ephesians Acts 19.17 18. nor pindiced with worldly interest like the chief Rulers Joh. 12.42 43. But for the present among many other that might be cited I shall produce some few modern English Protestant Authors of most eminent learning whose concurrent Testimony herein together with the precedent and subsequent considerations may be more then sufficient to our purpose it being also back't with such Arguments and Reasons as are evident to our own understanding and experience THe Translators of King JAMES his Bible in their Epistle to the Reader do set forth how they wtre charged and upbraided by some of their Brethren as well as by the Papist in that they so often altered and changed the Bible by their new translating it thus viz. Many mens mouths have been open a good while and yet are not stopped vvith speeches about the translation so long in hand or rather perusals of Translations made before and ask vvhat may be the reason vvhat the necessity of the Employment hath the Church been deceived say they all this vvhile Hath her svveet bread been mingled vvith leaven her silver vvith dross her Wine vvith Water her Milk vvith Lime Lactè Gypsum malè incestur saith Jeremy We hoped that vve had been in the right vvay that vve had had the Oracles of God delivered unto us and that though all the vvorld had cause to be offended and to complain yet vve had none Hath the Nurse holden out the Breast and nothing but vvind in it Hath the bread been delivered by the Fathers of the Church and the same proved to be Lapidosus as Seneca speaketh What is to handle the Word of God deceitfully if this be not Thus certain Brethren Also the Adversaries of Judah and Hierusalem like Samballat in Nehemiah mock as vve hear both at the vvork and vvorkmen saying What do these vveak Jews c Will they make the stones vvhole again out of the heaps of dust vvhich are burnt Although they build yet if a Fox go up he shall even break dovvn their stony Wall Was their Translation good before Why do they novv mend it Was it not good Why then vvas it obtruded to the people Yea VVhy did the Catholicks meaning Popish Romanists alvvayes go in Jeopardy for refusing to go to hear it Nay if it must be translated into English Catholicks are fittest to do it They have learning and they knovv vvhen a thing is vvell they can manum de tabula VVe vvill ansvver them both briefly The former being Brethren thus c. And after their ansvvering these they ansvver the Papists and retort as many or more faults of the same kind upon them in these vvords follovving viz. Yet before vve end vve must ansvver a cavil and objection of theirs against us for altering and amending our Translations so oft vvherein they deal hardly and strangely vvith us for to vvhom ever vvas it imputed for a fault by such as vvere vvise to go over that vvhich he had done and to amend it vvhere he savv cause Saint Augustine vvas not afraid to exhort St. Hierome to a Palmodia or Recantation The same St. Augustine vvas not ashamed to retractate vve might say revoke many things that had passed him and doth even glory that he seeth his infirmities If vve vvill be sons of the Truth vve must consider vvhat it speaketh and trample upon our ovvn credit yea and upon other mens too if either be any vvay an hinderance to it This to the cause Then to the persons vve say That of all men they ought to be most silent in this case for what variety have they what alterations have they made not only of their Service-Books Portesses and Breviaries but also of their Latine Translation The Service-Book supposed to be made by St. Ambrose Officium Ambrosianum was a great while in special use and request but Pope Hadrian called a Councel with the aid of Charls the Emperor abolished it yea burnt it and commanded the Service-Book of St. Gregory universally to be used Well
as the devils instruments they unjustly hold their Fellow-brethren as captives in oppression slavery It is therefore to be lamented when at any time we see him thrive in any such devillish project The Lord in mercy deliver every honest man from being overcome by any such temptation Amen But to find the word answer of God in the way aforementioned may apear to be very uncertain by this viz. If four pious men should each of them seek by prayer for an answer from God in one and the same thing be it of publicke concernment or otherwise wherein their interests judgements and perswasions are different and various each from other you will find the propencity and bent of their hearts and desires after prayer for the most part will vary as much as before which will manifest this to be no sound or sure way to find out or know the word or answer of God nor is this intended to discourage any from seeking to the Lord in any occasion but from trusting to the bent of their own hearts to be any sure Rule to know the answer of God by because that may be the effect of some pride or vain desire of wordly glory or of some other lust secretly lurking in the heart of man undiscerned for the heart of man being deceitful above all things who then can know his own heart or the secret turnings thereof Jer. 17.9.10.11 or who can say his heart is so pure and clean as to be quite purged from all kind of vain carnal and eatthly affection and lust he must then be no longer a man having flesh blood or any other infirmity like other men on earth but be equal to the purest Angel in heaven And now having proposed left these things to consideration we will proceed to the next Fourthly Mr. R Baxter a man of Eminency both for exquisite learning parts in his Saints Rest Part. 2. pag. 201. of the sixth Edition tells us thus viz. R.B. That Divine Faith hath ever a Divine Fvidence And in page 205. thus We must know it to be a Divine Testimony before we can believe Fide Divina And in page 211. he saith As Translations are no further Scripture then they agree with the Copies in the Original Tongues so neither are these Copies further then they agree with the Authographs or original Copies or with some Copies perused and approved by the Apostles Obj. But it is a thing worth the knowing of this Author Whether he or any man else can infallibly produce the Authographs or any such original Copies of the Bible as have been so perused and approved of by the Apostles and if none can do this how can they then prove any Copie or Translation to be true or Scripture as he phraseth it And if any can do this how shall it be known to be such without Divine Evidence undoubtedly to prove it Answ But to this he gives us a general answer in his Preface to his Book of Infidelity where he tells us R.B. That the Holy Ghost by special inspiration was the Author of the Scriptures and by extraordinary Endowments was the Author of the miracles which were wrought for its confirmation Obj. But here it is necessary that he tells us where when by whom those miracles were wrought which so confirmed the scriptures And in the second place he should tell us where which are those Scriptures that were so confirmed withal to produce some Divine Evidence to prove what he therein sayes before any wise man believe him for he himself in his Rest Pag. 201. before cited informs us R. B. That to believe implicitely That the Testimony is Divine or the Scripture is the Word of God this is not to believe God but to resolve our faith into some humane Testimony even to lay our foundation upon the Sand where all will fall at the next assault And yet notwithstanding in Pag 238. 239. of his Saints Rest before mentioned he tells us R.B. That something must be taken upon trust from man whether we will or no yet no uncertainty in our faith neither For 1. saith he The meer illitterate man must take it upon trust that the Book is a Bible which he hears read for else he knows not but it may be some other Book Obj. What! may he not take it so upon trust that the Book is a Bible and yet never the more know but it may be some other Book or doth not a mans simple taking a thing especially of such high concernment so groundlesly upon trust argue some diminution of his knowledg and wisdom too rather then any augmentation of either R. B. 2. That these words are in it which the Reader pronounceth 3. That it is translated truly out of the Original Languages Obj. How can it be translated truly and imperfectly or imperfectly and truly for in pag. 211. of the same Book he positively asserts That there is an impossibility that any Translation should perfectly express the sense of the Original R. B. 4. That the Hebrew and Greek Copies out of which it was translated are true authentick Copies 5. That it was originally written in these Languages 6. Yea and the meaning of divers Scripture-passages which cannot be understood without the knowledge of Jewish ustoms of Cronology Geography c. though the words were never â—o exactly translated all these with many more the vulgar must take upon the word of their Teachers Obj. Alas poor Vulgars what miserable hard tasks are here imposed upon you and almost all men with a must much like those put upon the children of Israel to make their full tale of brick without any allowance of straw whereby they were put to take up any stubble where-ever they could find it But can any wise man take these Doctrines to be divine or come from God they being so irrational and absurd and so contrary to him and his wayes who oppointed his Gospel to be dispensed not in an unknown Tongue or upon any such uncertainties to any but to all people in their own language himself also evidently and powerfully attesting the same otherwise he obligeth no man to take it for truth nor blameth any man for taking it otherwise And whereas he positively asserts in pag. 211. of his Saints Rest as before is noted R. B. That there is an impossibility that any Translation should perfectly express the sense of the Original Obj. It 's now incumbent on him to tell us whether it was the expressable imperfect sense in Translations or the unexpressable perfect sense of the Original that was so confirmed by miracles or whether it was all or any of those many books which are mentioned in Scripture and whereof we have neither original nor Copy that were so confirmed plain dealing herein would be very satisfactory and is even more then necessary In his book of Infidelity Part 1. Pag. 11. he tells us That R. B. Besides the sanctifying Spirit of Christ proper
that the very true originals might be both produced and known For Resolution in the Premises conference being had with divers Schollars of eminent esteem for piety learning and ability in Divinity one whereof with womanish frowardness used altogether authoritative admonitions and censures instead of Argument and Reason which was expected and onely could satisfie But the other no less learned but much more ingenuous acknowledging the charge in the general to be just answered That notwithstanding the variations or contradictions either in Copies or in Translations yet they were all true in the substance whereas the truth in the substance was not the doubt nor question but this How the said Copies or Translations so qualified as aforesaid could or can with any Justice or Reason be imposed in each several Language on each several Nation people as the undoubted Word of God And how the various Expositions Doctrines and Conclusions drawn from these by their several and respective Ministers can be proposed to the people in each several Nation as the preaching of the true Gospel of Christ and Word of God to be believed in for salvation especially considering how that their preaching is altogether fallible seldom probable often contradicting and condemning one the other for erronious persons and Hereticks and one the others Doctrine for Error and Heresie c. Whereas it is evident by these Scriptures we have that the true onely Gospel Gal. 1.8 9. or Word of God being a great Mystery was hid in God Eph. 3.9 and first delivered to Christ Joh. 12.49 50. who gave it to his Disciples Joh. 17.8 14. Whom he deligated as his Witnesses and Embassadors Acts 10.41 2 Cor. 5.20 Authorizing them to publish the same unto the world as Gospel to every creature Mar. 16.15 Act. 10.42 Yet this their deligation or Authority was not compleat until they were endued with power from on high by coming down of the holy Spirit upon them Lu. 24.49 Act. 1.4 And when they were thus baptized with the holy Spirit themselves Acts 1.5 they then preached this Word of God 1 Pet. 1.25 or this Gospel by the holy Spirit sent down from heaven 1 Pet 1.12 i.e. God confirming the Word Mar. 16.20 and bearing witness thereto with signs and wonders and divers miracles and gifts of the holy Spirit Heb 2.4 Upon which infallible Testimony and evident Divine demonstration of the Spirit and Power of God was the Christian faith and Churches then founded by the Apostles and true Ministers 1 Cor 2.4 5. Heb. 6.1 2. and no other then the same Foundation can any man now lay more lawfully then he may now preach any other Gospel then the same that was then preached by the Apostles and true Ministers 1 Cor. 3.11 Gal. 1.8 9. Nor did these only publish this Gospel or Word of God thus witnessed but did also in their Ministry propose the gifts of the Spirit to be promised to all believing the Gospel or called thereby both near and afar off Acts 2 38 39. And they being made able Ministers of the Spirit 2 Cor. 3.6 did accordingly administer the same by laying on of hands upon them Acts 8.17 18. Acts 19.6 Gal. 3.5 making good the promise of Christ to all believers that these signes should follow them that believe Mar. 16.17 18. Thus were they all baptized into one body by one spirit and were all made to drink into one spirit 1 Cor. 12.13 i.e. every one of this body had some manifest gift of the Spirit whereby they became Members of that body to profit the body withal 1 Cor. 12.7.12 Rom. 12.4 5 6. so as if any one had not some such gift of the spirit the same was none of Christs i.e. none of that his body or Church Rom. 8.9 The consideration of all which puts me thus further to query 1. Whether the said Copyes or Translations of the Bible or any Doctrines or Conclusions drawn from thence by men fallible and subject to error and mistake as other men are be any other or more then humane Testimony or so great as that of John Baptist mentioned Joh. 1.27 28 29 31 36 2. Whether all humane Testimony even that of John Baptist among the rest was not rejected by Christ as an insufficient ground for divine and saving faith to be built upon Joh. 5.32 33. 3. Whether did not Christ produce greater witness then that of John or any other humane Testimony without which the sons of men were not bound or required to believe Joh. 5.36 Joh. 15.24 Joh. 10.37 4. Whether any ought to be received for true Ministers or Ambassadors of the Gospel of Christ who seek their Ambassie out of Books or Libraries or make the various Commentaries or Expositions of the said Copâ—es or Translations or their own or other mens Doctrines or Conclusions therefrom the matter or ground of their Ministry or Embassie 5. Whether any ought to be received for true Ministers or Ambassadors of the Gospel of Christ who are not witnessed to by evident demonstration of the Spirit and Power of God as aforesaid seeing the reasons thereof both in the Apostles time and since are the same so that if it was not then superfluous it was since and is yet necessary even for the same ends and purposes Rom. 15.18 19. Acts 8.6 9 35 42. 11.21 and if the said witness of God was so absolutely necessary to evidence the Truth of Christs own Ministry as without it his own and other mens Testimony of him was invalid and not to be believed but might be waved without sin then no Ministry of the Gospel since ought to be believed or received as such upon easier or lesser terms for no servant is greater then his Master but the first is true Joh. 5.31.33 34 36. John 15.24 Joh. 10.37 6. Whether any ought to be accounted true Churches or Members of a true Church of Christ who are destitute of the said baptism of the spirit or who make the said fallible matter or Ministry or humane Testimony the ground of their faith and where in Scripture can we find mention of any such Church of Christ it being most consonant both to Scripture and Reason 1. That every member of that body be conformable to its Head in partaking of the Spirit in some measure with manifestation which Christ the Head received above measure whereby it ran down or extended it self to the whole body to each member in particular whereof the Oyle poured on Aarons head and running down to the very skirts of his Garment was a lively type and figure Psal 133.2 2. That the great structure of Christianity whose Principle is That a man at his first entrance therein should be required to deny himself and to forsake all his worldly enjoyments in this life only on the assurance he then receives of the great glory and rewards promised in the life to come should then also have this faith of his established upon Divine and infallible Evidence less
then which cannot be any sufficient ground nor prove better in this case to men then the house mentioned by Christ did to the foolish builder who built the same upon the earth without foundation which suddenly fell the fall whereof was very great Lu. 6.49 When the Premises are duly weighed it will be the less marvel that the Doctriens and Opinions of the most able learned and best men in the world have been and are so various full of cantradictions and opposite one against another as may appear to any that shall but look into the great controversies that in all or most ages that we hear of have been holden and maintained both in Churches and Councils and amongst the most studious Fathers and wisest Pen-men and Preachers in all these points viz. Some have and do hold the Deity to be ubiquitary Some circumscribed of the later Opinion was our late King JAMES renowned for learning and depth of Judgement Some have and do judge the Deity to consist of a threefold personality Others have and do hold Christ and the Holy Chost to be creatures and Gods only by deputation Concerning the Decrees of God some have and do hold the greatest part of mankind and devils to be designed to everlasting damnation Some have and do hold and believe the contrary Some conceive that all mankind may be saved if they will Others have and do believe that not only they but the Devils at the last day shall be saved yet so as by fire Concerning the ordering and governing of the world some will have it performed by God whom they say is present in all places and doth all things as himself will not allowing any thing to be contingent but that all things whatsoever even the most inferiour yea and the most wicked to be wrought by him affirming That wicked men do commit their Wickedness by the just impulse of God That the Devil and wicked men cannot conceive nor contrive nor execute any mischief nor so much as endeavour its execution any further then God himself doth command them and they are compelled to perform obedience to such commands That Adultery or Murther in as much as it is the Work of God the author mover and compellor it is not a crime but in as much as it is of man it is a wickedness and so making God the predeterminer of all events whether holy or unholy clean or unclean good or evil Some ascribe only good actions to God and to his good Angels Others assign all to men because they shall be judged according to their Works which they conceive cannot be reputed theirs if they were not free and voluntary agents in the doing of them Some wil have all evil actions to be done by the Devil Some judge him to have sole command of this world because he is called the God of this world and Prince of the Air. Concerning the person of Christ some have judged it to be constituted of two natures some only of one which some have holden to be Divine only others humane Concerning the death of Christ some have and do restrain it only to the Elect others have and do extend it to all mankind and some to all creatures or the whole Creation Concerning the nature of his death some thought all mens sins to be discharged thereby some the sins of the Elect only and that Faith serves only to reveal this to them and to give them comfort in it Some conceive no mans sins to be pardoned by his death but that it served only to confirm the truth of his Doctrine namely Remission of sins salvation through an endeavour'd conformity to his life and preaching And according to this diversity of Opinions of God and Christ are the diversity of definitions of Faith and the end and use of it which some conceive to be Justification others only Sanctification and some both No less various are they in their Doctrine concerning Faith how it is obtained which some hold to be by infusion others that it is acquired so concerning perseverance in Faith Concerning our Estate by birth whether damnable or not Concerning the Sacraments and wherefore they serve Concerning the persons that are to administer them The persons whom they are to be administred to and when and upon what conditions Concerning the Sabbath-day whether moral divine or humane when it beginneth when it endeth and what works may or may not be done upon it In all these and sundry others even concerning Marriage we find them no less divided then in those before mentioned Moreover there are many of great learning who affirm Remission of sin to be a fruit or consequence only and no part of our Justification Many there are on the other side who make Remission of sin antecedent to Justification and Justification to be its immediate consequent Many take Remission of sin to be the whole of our Justification yea What large disputes and Treatises are written very much to prove this and many famous men for learning there are that maintain it Many there be that take Justification to consist partly in Remission of sin and partly in the imputation of Christs own Righteousness and these with the former say That accepting us as Righteous is a consequent of Justification Sin must first be remitted say the former and Christs Righteousness imputed ours say the later before God can accept any man as righteous Likewise are they at variance both how and when Justification is obtained 1. How whether it be by the active or passive obedience of Christ or both some say one way some another some say it is by Faith as it is an act others as it is an habet and some say it is by Works 2. When it is obtained Some say it was from eternity by an eminent act of God and that all the sins of the Elect were actually pardoned the Debt-book crossed the Hand-writing cancelled c. and that this grand Transaction between God and the Mediator Jesus Christ was concluded on and dispatcht long before men had any being in Nature or Grace Some say it was only from the death of Christ and some others say it is not until we actually believe Infinite are the differences even between men of greatest eminency and of most exquisite learning and parts as well about the definition of Faith Repentance and almost all other graces as about the most substantial and highest points in Divinity and of the Gospel as may be further seen in Mr. Blakes Exceptions Mr. G. Kendals Answer to Mr. Joh. Goodwin Mr. Ayre 's Justification of Infidels Mr. Joh. Craudons Anatomy and Mr. R. Baxters Answers and Replyes to all these And from whence can it be imagined that all these variety and contrariant Faiths and Opinions do come but from the variety uncertainty and insufficiency of the Scripture clearly to resolve these Points and vindicate them from all such Exceptions as lie against them on each hand but the Scripture is so far
from doing this that each various and contrary Faith and Doctrine is stifly upheld and maintained from the various Copies and Translations thereof and from the various and contrary readings and meanings which each Opinionist respectively may and doth put upon the Scripture it self insomuch that indeed it is now made capable of any impression which every learned and witty man can invent and pleaseth to put upon it to serve his own turn and occasion though he face about and change never so much never so often And thus each man still makes the Scriptures to be like to Pictures wherein every man in the Room believes they look on him only and that wheresoever he standeth or how often soever he changeth his station Now whether all this doth arise from a natural hidden sense of the Scripture or from the brevity of them or for want of many Books mentioned in Scripture whereof we never had either Original or Copy or from mistakes made by Transcribers Printers or Translators or from the varions acceptation of words and phrases contained in them and in probability understandable only by such persons to whom they were first written who being before-hand grounded in the Faith and Principles of Christianity and instrueted in the things treated upon were thereby enabled aright to understand the mind of the Pen-men in what they did but briefly touch upon in their Writings to them Or whether from all of these or from any other cause or causes I leave to the wise and considerate to determine but certainly were they perspicuous in their sense so many learned studious good men could not possible so much have erred and been divided in their understanding of them And if such as these notwithstanding all their advantages of learning have not been able to resolve the truth of these Doctrines so familiarly mentioned in the Scripture and so necessarily required to true Christianity who shall conceive that they were intended by God for the ground of Faith and Worship for all or any sort of men whatsoever except we shall conceive that the unlearned sort of men are in a better capacity perfectly to resolve the sense of Scripture then the learned which is too gross to imagine or else that all men are bound to know and conform their Faith and Worship to a Doctrine that none of them certainly understand which none will affirm it being inconsistent with that Justice and Goodness which all confesse to be in Almighty God Let us see what to this point is said by learned Dr. Taylor in his forecited Book pag. 13. his words are these viz. It is a demonstration that nothing can be necessary to be believed upon pain of damnation but such propositions of which it is certain that God hath spoken and taught them to us and of which it is certaine that this is their sense and purpose for if the sense be uncertaine we can no more be obliged to believe it in a certaine sense then we are to believe it at all if it were not certaine that God delivered it but if it be only certaine that God spake it and not certaine to what sense our faith of it is to be as indeterminate as its sense nor is it consonant to Gods justice to believe of him that he can or will require more But to go on and bring this neater It is manifest even in those Scriptures we have that Jesus Christ requires no credit to be given to his Doctrine either upon his own bare word or the bare word of any persons whatsoever as before is set forth If I bear witness of my self saith he my witness is not true neither receive I testimony of men the works that I do in my Fathers Name they bear witness of me that the Father hath sent me And when he is blaming the Scribes and Pharisees for their unbelief in him he thus far excuseth them in it That if he had not done among them the Works that none other man did they had not had sin Now who can conceive that Christ should pronounce men guiltless for not believing him upon his own bare testimony and yet not hold men much more guiltless for not believing the Scripture upon its bare testimony Christ though he bare witness of himself his witness was certain and true whereas Copies and Translations as before we have seen are uncertain and erroneous Christ disclaims the Testimony of men yea of John the Baptist as a ground insufficient to engage men to believe in his Doctrine though all that John said of him was true and what he had heard and seen that he testified And shall we imagine that he will binde all the succeeding generations of men to believe the truth of Christ and the Gospel upon any such inferior testimony as the testimony only of such as disclaim infallibility and have neither heard nor seen as John did Shall God and Christ be true and all men lyars and yet shall fallible men be preferred before them in being believed upon lower easier terms then either they or their most infallible servants Or shal God be conceived to require contraries of men as not to believe super-natural truths such the Gospel is judged to be without a sutable evidence and on the other side require men to believe it without any such evidence Shall men be blameless and blamed by him upon one and the same account If this cannot be as surely it cannot then it must necessarily follow That the Scripture was never instituted or intended by Almighty God to be the ground of Christian Faith and Religion or to be believed in and obeyed by mankind to salvation Moreover it is evident if we may take the meaning according to the sense of the words as they are delivered to us in Translations That the Epistles and St. Johns Revelation in the New Testament were all written unto Believers and that both the Acts and Lukes Gospel were written to Theophilus an instructed Disciple Luke 14. And it is most probable that the other three Gospels were written to believers also at least for their sakes especially for such of them as did not see Christ themselves after his resurrection whereby he mightily declared himself to be the Son of God Rom. 1.4 whereof the rest of the Apostles as well as Thomas much doubted whilest he lay dead as may appear by 1 Pet. 1.3 where St. Peter speaking of himself and of the rest saith That God of his abundant mercy had begotten them again to a lively hope by the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead and what may be understood by this but that all their hope was extinct or languished by his death and revived again by his resurrection And that his being risen from death was very hardly believed by any of them may appear from Mark 16.10 11. when Mary Magdalen told the Disciples as they were mourning and weeping that Christ was alive and that she had seen him they believed it not and
from Luke 24.21 22. where two of the Disciples after they had with much sadness declared how the chief Priests and Rulers had delivered Christ to be condemned to death and had crucified him said we trusted that it had been he which should have redeemed Israel intimating thereby that he being then dead and gone they were quite hopeless expecting nothing less then his rising again for after when they heard by the women that he was alive they were astonished at it in Mark 16.13 when upon his appearing unto two of them these went and told it to the rest of the Apostles yet they believed it not and hence it was that he appeared and shewed himself to his Disciples 500 at once and familiarly and often to such of them as he intended to make his Apostles and chief witnesses to the world to confirm this their belief in his resurrection insomuch that when he first appeared to them he shewed them his hands and his feet and bad them handle and see Luke 24.39 Jeh 20.20 c. where it is very observable that Thomas not being then present would not believe the report of all the rest of the Apostles that he was risen unless he might see and handle his wounds also as they had done wherein also afterward Christ gave him satisfaction by permitting him to do so likewise and then withal left a blessing in the hands of the Apostles for all such other of his Disciples who had not seen him as they had done yet did believe his resurrection Wherefore most requisite it was That as well for the communicating of this blessing as for the confirmation of the Disciples believers in the belief of Christs resurrection they should write the Narratives of all these things and most probable it is the Apostles did therefore write the three other Gospels for these ends and purposes as may be gathered by comparing John the Apostle with the Apostle John that is Joh. 20.31 with 1 Joh. 5.13 I have been the larger upon this because I finde not only ordinary men but most learned profound Teachers do pervert this place of Scripture to the mis-leading of many whether ignorantly or purposely I will not determine 1 In making the sence of the words as if Christ thereby did intend a blessing on all such as in the future should believe the teachings of men without seeing any divine evidence to attest the truth of their Doctrine whereas Christs words had respect onely to such other of his Disciples or believers who had not seen Christ as Thomas did yet did believe his being risen again which Thomas by no means would do until he had both seen and felt him 2 In making the Apostles words in vers 31. to be intended to all the world as a ground sufficient for true and saving faith whereas if it were so it might serve instead of a true Ministry in all nations when as to the generality of mankinde it was meer barbarism coming from the Apostle but in one language onely which would have been a failer not imaginable in the Apostle having the guift of tongues enabling him purposely to teach all nations people in their respective languages and accordingly no doubt he would have written if he had intended it for any such great and general use but it is most plain that his intention therein was onely to confirm believers of that one language in their belief of that one great article of Christs being the Son of God whereof they could not doubt if they firmly believed his resurrection And if we may have leave to give a like credit to the Scripture in this matter and to make conclusions from plain premisses such as many would have us give and make from none at all or at best from such as are far more dark We may both see and conclude that the Scripture is so far from testifying it self to be any sufficient ground for faith and conviction to the unbelieving world that it testifies the quite contrary 1 In that it testifies that the power of God by signes and miracles accompanying the Ministry and attesting the truth and divine authority of their doctrine was the onely true ground of faith and conviction unto unbelievers as before is set forth and is evident by these texts Ioh. 16.7 8 9. Acts 1.4 8. Luke 24.49 Act. 1.1 2 3. Mark 16.20 1 Cor. 2.4 5. compared with Rom. 15.18 19 20. Act. 8.6 And that thus and upon this foundation of the Apostles and Prophets the true Ministry of the Gospel fitted by gifts Ephesians 4.8 11 12 13. Christ Jesus himself being the chief Corner-stone was Christian belief and Churches founded Ephes 2.20 And that no foundation other then such can any man warrantably lay or plead for 1 Cor. 3.11 2 In that it testifies That whatsoever is delivered in any unknown tongue or but in a doubtful and uncertain sence is as barbarism not obliging any to believe it 1 Cor. 14.7 8 9 10. for no man is bound or can infallibly and convincingly believe any thing which is not infallibly and convincingly revealed to him Notwithstanding all the uncertainties afore specified yet how doth each Sect of Christians assert that they are of the true belief and many therefore challenge the highest priviledges of true believers mentioned in Scripture to belong unto them yea and some such do they assume to have as no true believer ever had in this life I shall give instances They assume to be true believers and to have the Spirit of God yea the same as true believers formerly had and by which the Scripture was given forth To be actually justified to have eternal life and to be already passed from death to life To have Christ and his divine nature within them and that white stone wherein a new is written which no man knoweth saving he that receiveth it c. Wherein if I am not exceedingly mistaken they are first in their conceiving themselves to be true believers yet ground it upon various yea on contrary doctrines and want both the true ground upon which true believers built their faith and the same power whereby true believers were to be known Mark 16.17 18. or that they have the same spirit by which the Scripture was given forth and yet make use of and cite texts amiss rendered in translations even as others do who pretend not to have the Spiâ—it Secondly what can reasonably be imagined or understood by believers being justified by faith I am inclined to think it is no more then their being saved by hope and what is or can be meant by this more then now in this life to hope to be saved hereafter in the life to come as the Apostle reasoneth Rom 8.24 25. where speaking of himself and other believers saith we are saved by hope but hope that is seen is not hope for what a man seeth why doth he yet hope for for if we hope for that we see not then do we
haply find him not being far from any of them giving them by these daily blessings opportunity at least to know consider and thankfully to acknowledge some divine goodness be it under what name or notion soever to be the authour and bountiful bestower of these daily mercies whereby as God leaves not himself without witness so he leaves all without excuse or ability to plead that they were destitute of all means to obtain acceptance with God to their salvation Again what means the giving of talents to some more to some less or fewer but to all some one at least to know good and evil so far as to know when another wrongs him in like proportion must he know when he wrongs another and that as he would not have another wrong him in the least so should not he do the least wrong to any other but to do as he would be done unto according to the Golden Rule or Law written in every mans heart What else meaneth the Apostle Paul in Rom. 2 26 27. If the uncircumcision keeps the righteousnesse of the Law shall not his uncircumcision be counted for circumcision and shall not the circumcision which is by nature if it fulfill the law judge thee who by the letter and circumcision dost transgress the Law See further the 11 12 13 14 15 verses of the same Chapter wherein it is said thus When the Gentiles which have not the law do by nature the things contained in the law having not the law are a law unto themselves which shews the work of the law written in their hearts their consciences also bearing witness and their thoughts in the mean while accusing or else excusing one another What may we think of Iob being an upright and just man that feared God and eschewed evil what can be thought of Iobs friends Bildad Zophâ—r Eliphaz and Elihu but that they were sober honest wise and just men fearing God although they were mistaken as who might not in Iobs particular and extraordinary case And what meaneth the story of Cornelius Act 10 being an uncircumcised Gentile destitute of the knowledge of Christ yet had acceptance with God and his prayers heard notwithstanding And what think you of Peters Proclamation thereupon saying Of a truth I perceive that God is no respecter of persons but in every Nation he that feareth him and worketh righteousness is accepted with him Hence I conceive without offence to any otherwise minded may be concluded First That all those who never enjoyed true Ministry of the Gospel of Christ shall never be judged for not believing or not obeying the Gospel of Christ but shall be judged either as in sincerity they have indeavoured to observe the good and eschew the evil known to them or have wilfully swerved from it without repentance and amendment for God accepts men according to that they have and not according to that they have not 2 Cor. 8.12 And to whom much is given of him only much shall be required and little of him to whom little is given Secondly That God never concluded any Nation or person so to condemnation as not to afford them and him sufficient means within his reach and power to escape the same and to procure acceptance with him These J deem with submission to better Judgements may as safely and truly be concluded as to affirm That God is most just good and merciful That his mercy is extended over all the works of his hands who hateth nothing that he hath made but filleth all things with his goodness and heareth the young Ravens that cry to him for meat Ps 104.27 28. Ps 145.16 17. Ps 147.9 Accursed then are the tongues and pens of such evil servants that render this indulgent bountiful and good Master to be hard and austeer to reap where he did not sowe and to propose grace and mercy to far the greatest part of the sons and daughters of Adam when he never intended it to any of them but contrariwise had inevitably absolutely and personally concluded them to exquisite and endless misery of his meer will and power long before they were born and that without respect to any sinful or evil action of theirs FINIS Prov. 27.5 Open rebuke is better then secret love Pro. 12.1 Who so loveth instruction loveth knowledge but he that hateth reproof is bruitish Pro. 28 16. The Prince that wanteth understanding is also a great oppressour but he that hateth covetousness shall prolong his dayes Vers 17 A man that doth violence to the blood of any person shall flee to the pit let no man stay him Pro. 29.1 He that being often reproved hardeneth his neck shall suddenly be destroyed and that without remedy Prov. 27.6 Faithful are the wounds of a friend but the kisses of an enemy are deceitful POSTSCRIPT MR. John Brayne a learned man in his Book intituled The unknown Being published 1654. in page 3. telleth us as a matter of exceeding great note and concernment to all men which is the gross corruptings of the Word of God in the false translating of it the Translators putting down in an hundred places neer life for soul rendring 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 life and sometimes 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 soul which ought not to be the word and sense is destroyed by it and false doctrine taught to the people wherefore in especial there is an extream necessity of another Translation to be published and this called in The Old Testament in this particular is better translated then the New though some such in the Old as that the mind of God is no way expressed but clean contrary things And in page 11. he further telleth us viz. That it s no wonder Austine and others run to Philosophy having lost the knowledge of the Spirit which was immortal to prove the soul immortal against the Scripture upon which Philosophical hinges the Divinity of the now times are hanged in which Untruths Errours and Deceits are told the people to the overthrow of hope and shaking of faith in men and destruction of the truth And in this follow not the Lords Spirit but their own Ezek. 13.3 ☞ After my setting down this learned Authors judgement concurring with the rest of the Authors formerly cited concerning the erroneous Translations of Scripture there came to my hand another small Treatise of his intituled Heavens witness to the worship and worshippers on earth wherein he not onely confirmes what in this Discourse is asserted for the necessity of divine and powerful evidence to attest the truth of doctrine Believers and Churches of the Gospel but also shews how God by some such divine evidence gave witness to true worship both before the law in time of the law and to the worship of the Gospel from Christ to the Apostasie Anno 406. Together with abundant Testimonies of Scripture proving that the Truth and the true Church was not nor when restored shall not be without the same with which as at first God again will restore the Church ERRATA IN page 3. line 16. for incestur saith Ieremie read micetur saith S. Irency pag. 6. lin 17. for pareas minori read pareas insane minori l. 21. r. Erasmus p. 7. l. 7. r. allowable l. 16. r. Isidorus and there and elsewhere for Sextus r. Sixtus p. 12. l. 21. f. untelligable r. unintelligable p. 14. l. 1. r. Brescia p. 20. l. 7. r. in ore gladii Cruentandi p. 23. l. 25. r. Anthographs p. 27. l. 24. r. of the Trinity p. 51. l. ult r. verities p. 55. l. ult r. 1 Cor. 12.7 12. p. 72. l. 3. f. He that hath r. He that believeth hath p. 81. l. 9. f. on r. by l. 10. f. by r. on