of Men nor by the holy Scriptures is best to leave among the secrets of God till he be pleased further to reveal it seeing it is confessed generally on all hands that the Spirit of God was sufficient to work the true Faith in them without an Outward Ministry who worketh when where and how he pleaseth who can and doth no doubt preach to them born deaf and dumb whose ways are above our ways and his thoughts above ours as the Heavens are above the Earth The 2d question is this What is the true Divine Philosophy how distinguished from the Worldly Philosophy which the Apostle Paul bid the believing Colossians beware of saying Beware lest any spoil you thro' Philosophy and vain Deceit Col. 2. Ans The true Divine Philosophy is a measure of the Divine Wisdom and Knowledg whether of things Divine or Natural which the Mind of Man receiveth by Divine Illumination Revelation and Inspiration that cometh from the Spirit of Christ Jesus the which Spirit of Christ Jesus as it is a sanctifying Spirit sealing to Men their Adoption and is therefore called the Spirit of Adoption all true and sincere believers receive from the Man Christ Jesus through true Faith in him and from God the Father through Christ and this was that Spirit in the Prophets and Apostles that taught them their knowledge of God and of things both Divine and Natural and which not only revealed to them and in them the glorious Attributes and Perfections of the Great Creator and the great mysteries of his Divine Wisdom Counsel and Will but also shewed and taught them many things of the Creation and opened unto them the book of the Creatures as is largely to be seen by such as are spiritually minded in the holy Scriptures how excellently the Prophets as Moses David Isaiah and many others were taught in the knowledge of the Creation as well as of the Creator by his Divine Spirit and Light in them And this Divine Philosophy and Wisdom is distinguished from the worldly Philosophy which Paul bid the Colossians beware of chiefly and principally in this that the Divine Philosophy is after Christ that is to say the Spirit of Christ doth teach it to all the sincere Lovers and Professors thereof But the worldly Philosophy excepting some Fragments of Truth that some of these called Heathen Philosophers had from the common Divine Illumination which was in them and in all men but which they little heeded or regarded did proceed from the spirit of the world which is a spirit of error and leadeth its followers into all error as the spirit of Truth leadeth into all Truth and therefore the worldly Philosophy or Wisdom is called in Scripture the fleshly Wisdom that is enmity to God And as Paul called the Doctrines of some false Teachers that professed Christianity in his Day the Doctrines of Devils so well may the false Doctrines of them called Heathen Philosophers be called the Doctrines of Devils being so directly opposite to the true Christian Doctrine and Faith taught by Christ and the holy Prophets Evangelists and Apostles recorded in the holy Scriptures for indeed most or rather all the Heresies and gross Errors of the false Teachers pretending to Christianity since the days of the Apostles had their Rise and Original from the Errors of the Heathen Philosophers that went before them as the Heresies of the Arians Nestorians Eutychians Sabellians Macedonians Pelagians the Manichees and Gnosticks and many others as might be at large demonstrated if it were necessary And as the Divine Philosophy or Wisdom differeth from the worldly Philosophy in their Rise and Original as is above said so in their greatly differing effects The Divine Wisdom and Philosophy teacheth the pure Truth without any mixture of Error or Falshood the Worldly Philosophy or Wisdom teacheth nothing but Error Untruth and Falshood for what things were or are true that are found in the Sayings or Writings of the Heathen Philosophers do not properly belong to the worldly Philosophy but to that little Seed of Truth and Light which did at times shine in them but very obscurely or glimmeringly because of the great Darkness that did for most part prevail in them the which Truth they did generally hold in unrighteousness as Paul hath declared Again the Divine Philosophy or Wisdom maketh her Lovers pure peaceable meek and humble and full of good fruits but the worldly Philosophy being of an Opposite Nature hath the contrary effects maketh her followers impure wrathful contentious and proud and notwithstanding that many of the Heathen Philosophers pretended to great humility and purity and other Vertues and I cannot be so uncharitable as to conclude universally That none of them had not some real Vertues yet for most part as the History of their Lives do sufficiently prove they had more a shew of these Vertues than any real possession of them for such as their Wisdom was such were their Vertues but their Wisdom as Paul hath defined it was a shew or talk of Wisdom 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Col. 2 23. and so were their Vertues for most part And in their feigned humility they would not call themselves 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 i. e. wise men as some of their Ancestors were called but 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 i. e. Lovers of Wisdom Pythagoras being the first that so called himself 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 a Philosopher i. e. a Lover of Wisdom But the Apostle Paul being taught by the Divine Wisdom telleth us what their Wisdom and Profession of it amounted unto professing themselves to be wise they became fools Rom. 1. 22. and therefore in order to mens attaining the true Wisdom he taught That men must first become fools That is to deny the Wisdom of this World even as Christ taught That for Judgment he came into this World that they that see might be made blind and they that are blind might see And now for a Conclusion I give this Warning and Caution That as the Errors of them called Philosophers whether Ancient or Late led men to oppugn the True Faith of Christ so have the ignorant vain false and foolish Reasonings of some men which they borrow from none of them called Philosophers but supposing Themselves to be able enough to find out Reasons to prove or disprove things they either like or dislike without any true Cause or Ground They are oft bold to bring forth their crooked and perverse Reasonings and make use of them against the holy Doctrines and Principles of the Christian Faith and Religion And none I find more ready by corrupt and false Reasons to contend against the Truth than such who in words cry out against Reason like whorish women that cry out against chaste women and most unjustly charge them with the Vice whereof they themselves are most guilty Therefore let all be warned from giving way to false and corrupt Reason or from making use of it to fight against any Doctrine or Principle of the Christian Faith or from medling to interpret any part of holy Scripture by their bare carnal human Reason as too many presume to do who instead of truly interpreting it do pervert it to their own Destruction But let their Human Reason be subjested unto the Obedience of Faith and let the spiritual Weapons be made use of which are mighty to pull down strong Holds casting down Imaginations the Greek hath it 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 i. e. Reasonings and every High Thing that exalteth itself against the knowledg of God and bringeth into Captivity every Thought to the Obedience of Christ 2 Cor. 10. 45. THE END
and seeing also according to Scripture the Father the Son and the Holy Ghost are this One only most High and Supream Infinite Being or Godhead It must needs be confessed That this Divine Spirit in the Saints that hath its measures higher and lower is not the Godhead of either the Father the Son or the Holy Spirit but the Mediatory Spirit of the Son as above-mentioned in which the Father the Son and the Holy Spirit dwelleth as in a most glorious Temple or place of Habitation called in Hebrew Schechina i. e. Tabernacle And because the Godhead of Christ and the Holy Ghost dwelleth in the same whose Godhead is the same with the Godhead of the Father most immediately therefore it is that it receiveth and beareth frequently the Name of the Son and also of Holy Ghost and is called the Spirit of the Father and also the Spirit of the Son But it is not to be supposed or thought that this Middle Being is more immediately near to us than the Godhead as with respect to God's Essence or Being for that doth most intimately or immediately penetrate all things and is most immediately present in all things but with respect of Manifestation and Revelation that infinite Being of the Godhead is such that no created understanding or mind of Men or Angels can see or behold his glory therefore He is said to be such in Scripture whom no eye hath seen or can see and dwelling in the Light which none can approach unto for no man hath seen God at any time to wit as He is in Himself but the only begotten Son of God who dwelleth in his bosome hath declared him who is the Image of the invisible God the brightness of his glory and the express Image or Character of his Substance And seeing both the Scriptures Testimony and the Saints experience doth prove that somewhat really divine by way of influence and emanation doth come into the Souls and Hearts of the Saints from above even from the glorified Man Christ Jesus that is glorified in Heaven called in Scripture Grace Life Light Spirit Power Vertue and is compared to Rain Dew Water Wine Oyl Milk Honey and is called Metaphorically by these Names It is certain this Divine Being and Substance that doth so descend from Christ in Heaven into the souls of men here on earth must needs be some Middle Nature betwixt God and us for the Godhead of Christ and of the Holy Ghost which is one and the same Godhead with the Father filleth all places and is in all places and so cannot ascend or descend or move from one place to another therefore that divine vertue and influence of Light Life and Grace that descendeth and floweth down from above out of the fullness that dwelleth in the glorified Man Christ Jesus is not the Godhead but some Middle Being called by some Vehiculum Dei i. e. the Vehicle or Chariot of God that is a real substance and no accident or bare quality seeing according to the best and truest Rules of Philosophy Accidens non migrat de subjecto in subjectum Accidents do not move from one subject to another And if Grace were a spiritual Accident or Quality it could not be taken from one and given to another as the slothful Servant's Talent was taken from him and given to him that had ten Talents VII There is another great error held by many called Professors of Philosophy both among Papists and Protestants viz. That the Souls of pious and holy men have no higher Faculties or Powers but such as are Rational or discursive whereby the Reason or rational Faculty of man's Soul draweth conclusions from certain Premisses the which Premisses are either the conclusions of other Premisses hanging together like the Links of a Chain or some Maxims or first Principles of the Humane Understanding But many such Maxims called first Principles are false and unsound Notions from which must needs proceed false and unsound Conclusions and with such that called Natural Philosophy doth abound But some of the Antient Philosophers as the Platonists and particularly Plotinus did hold That there was in the soul of man a power or faculty above that which is discursive whereby being assisted by the Divine Light it could erect or elevate it self into God and be joyned to him he appearing to the Soul having neither Form nor any Idea or similitude as Porphirius relateth of Plotinus that so it happened frequently to him and once so to Porphirius himself the which high attainment and experience they declared came to be witnessed by the Souls passing through certain degrees of purification illumination and abstraction from all worldly things and fleshly desires and affections yea and by the Souls being raised above all its natural powers and faculties of Imagination or Ratiocination and the actings thereof to contemplate God alone and be joyned to him by this one higher power of the Soul which Plotinus the Platonick Philosopher doth so distinguish from Reason that he calleth it 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 i. e. greater than Reason and before Reason Ennead 6. lib 9. cap. 10. The which divine enjoyment he calleth a silent touch of the Soul whereby it toucheth God cap 9. and whereby the Soul retiring it self from all multiplicity as if a large circle did contract its Rays and Circumference to a small Point or center into unity becometh one and joyneth Center to Center viz. the Soul's Center to God its Center and this he calleth the fleet or flight of the one to the one cap. 11. By which it appeareth how much more dark and ignorant the late Schoolmen and Professors of Philosophy are than these ancient Plaronick Philosophers were who professed such a divine attainment fruition and enjoyment of God not only without all Words and external Objects but even without all internal Form Idea or Image of any worldly thing which so high attainment of divine knowledge must needs be granted by all intelligent men to have proceeded from some real degree of internal divine revelation and inspiration a thing so much generally now opposed and by none more than by them that are reputed great Scholars and Philosophers But whether these above mentioned Platonick Philosophers who did soar more aloft in an High Profession of divine knowledge than all other Sects of them called Philosophers did really experience and enjoy what they did profess I think it not propor in this place much to dispute I shall only at present freely declare my Judgment That I think it is very probable that at times when it was best with them they might have had some divine touch taste and relish of a real divine enjoyment But it was not permanent nor abiding with them for had it been so it would no doubt have brought them further than they arrived and would have cleared and freed their Minds of those gross errors that generally they were clouded and entangled with even the best of them for the best of them
can extend their Vertue as by Rays and Beams to the Saints upon Earth and no doubt but his Mediatory Spirit and Life doth extend it self into our souls But this is no proof that Christ's Body is every where where God is for so to affirm is a grosser error than that of the Popish Transubstantiation for the Popish Doctrine only teacheth a Transubstantiation of one body into another viz. of the body and substance of bread into Christ's Body but this teacheth the Transubstantiation of Christ's body into the Godhead which is most unreasonable as well as most contrary to Scripture and is a reviving of the Old Eutychian Heresie condemned and that most justly by ancient Christians many Hundred Years ago V. A 5th gross error held in common both by Papists and many call'd Protestants is That in the daily generation and corruption of bodies as when flesh or wood is consumed with fire the body of flesh or wood is substantially changed the former substantial form so called by them ceasing to be that was formerly in the flesh or wood and a new substantial form in the Fire or smoak and ashes being newly produced And accordingly they most falsly teach That the elements of fire air water and earth differ substantially in their substantial and essential forms and that a gross body cannot be changed into a spiritual and subtile body but that there must be a change of the substance Whence it is that Papists generally and too many call'd Protestants have such gross and carnal conceptions of the Resurrection-bodies of the Saints that shall be raised at the last day imagining they must be raised with gross flesh blood and bones as they now have otherwise they should not be the same bodies in substance as now they are Whereas the plain truth is that bodies can undergo great changes even the greatest that are possible from gross to be exceeding spiritual and subtile without any substantial change being only changed in accidental forms and modes but remaining the same in substance as when the Water was miraculously changed by Christ into Wine here was no Transubstantiation or change of the bodily substance but only a Transformation or change of the accidental forms and modes of the Water into new accidental forms and modes of Wine VI. A 6th gross error common generally both to Papists and many called Protestants in that called by them Philosophy is that many things which are real substances they hold them to be but accidents or accidental qualities as the light or influence of the Sun or of common fire they hold to be nothing but accidental qualities also the Emanations that commonly flow from Stones Minerals Metals Herbs and Animals causing sympathy and antipathy some whereof are more manifest that affect our gross senses of smelling tasting and feeling others more hidden and occult as that of the Loadstone that draweth Iron to it they hold them to be accidental qualities having no real substance Whereas the more true and sincere Philosophy teacheth that these things are real substances being either the Emission or Outflowings commonly called effluvia of the more subtile and spiritual parts of these bodies whence they come forth and proceed from or the Rays and Beams of some Spirits that may be lodged in them And on this error they build divers absurd errors in that called their Divinity both in relation to the bodies and souls of men as first in relation to the body The vertue that went forth from our blessed Lord's Person that healed the woman of her bloody Issue they hold not to be any substance but only an accident or quality And next in relation to the souls of men that divine vertue of grace light and life that cometh from Christ into the souls of men the Schoolmen commonly both among Papists and Protestants some excepted of Protestants who are more understanding hold That it is no substance but an accident or quality which otherways they call Habit and they commonly define the Grace of God in the souls of the Saints to be no substance but an infused supernatural habit and the vertues and fruits of the Spirit as Faith Hope Love c. they call supernatural and infused habits and qualities that are in themselves of a perishing Nature And the seed of God in the Saints they do not hold to be any substance but a quality or infused habit And the great occasion of this their Error That Grace is no substance but an accident viz. habit or quality which Aristotle placeth among the Predicaments of Accidents proceedeth from this That whereas they observe the Scripture distinguisheth betwixt Christ and the Grace of Christ as also betwixt God and the Grace of God and betwixt the Holy Ghost and that Divine influence that cometh from him into mens souls from thence they infer That seeing that seed or influence of God's Grace is not the Godhead it must be some accident habit or quality infused in the soul by God there being as they suppose no middle being of a middle Nature betwixt God and the souls of men but in this they are greatly mistaken for there is a middle being betwixt the Godhead and the souls of men which is that Mediatory Spirit and Divine Nature of Christ as he was the Heavenly Man Mediator Head and High Priest and Husband of his Church from the beginning of the World the which Mediatory Spirit of Christ dwells in all fulness in the Person of our blessed Lord that was born of the Virgin Mary who suffered death for our sins and rose again and is ascended into Heaven and still dwelleth in him and of his fulness we all receive our several measures as John hath declared John 1. and as Paul likewise hath said Eph. 4. 7. To every one of us is given grace according to the measure of the gift of Christ And tho the various measures of this Mediatory Spirit of Christ are not dividable nor separable one from another but most inseparably united yet a real distinction may and ought to be allowed as betwixt the Rays and beams of the Sun that are inseparably united one with another and all with the Body of the Sun yet one Ray is not another but have a real distinction so the particular measure of the Gift of Christ called by several Names and Denominations as Grace Truth Light and Life c. that is in one of the Saints is not the same particular and numerical measure that is in another And as we are taught not only by express words of Scripture but by the Saints experience that there are greater and lesser higher and lower measures of this Divine Mediatory Spirit Life and Nature and Divine Light this doth sufficiently prove that it is not the Godhead or Supream Infinite Being called in Hebrew Ensoph for there is nothing in the Supreme Being that can be called greater or lesser higher or lower seeing every thing in God is most infinitely and supreamly High and Great