Spirit is clear from the prayer of our Lord Joh. 17.17 Joh. 17.17 Sanctifie them with thy truth thy Word is truth The Word of God is the Word of truth for our illumination and the Word of grace for our sanctification and this prayer of our Lord was granted saith Lyra in behalf of his Apostles when the holy Spirit descended on them at the feast of Pentecost Regeneration which is the same with sanctification and to be born of God and to be born of the Spirit is ascribed to the Word of God as the conveyance of the Spirit in this respect or as the means of our new birth Jam. 1.18 Of his own will begat he us Jam. 1.18 Joh. 1.17 by the Word of truth And Joh. 1.17 The Law was given by Moses but grace and truth came by Jesus Christ Now what else are the gifts of the Spirit or at least whereunto do they tend but to the clear understanding of the truth of God revealed by Jesus Christ which revelations are the sum of his Gospel and what else are the graces of Gods Spirit but accumulative an obedience to this truth even an obedience to the Gospel of Christ 1 Cor â—â—4 Hence it is termed the power of God and the wisdome of God And his Gospel the law of the Spirit of life Rom. 8.2 2 Cor. 3.6 Rom. 8.2 2 Cor. 3.6 So that the preaching reading hearing or in a word the clearing of this Gospel unto the mindes of men is the conveyance of the Spirit thereinto An example whereof see Act 18.44 Whilest Peter yet spake these words Act. 10.14 the words of the Gospel the holy Ghost fell on them all that heard the Word 3. The Holy Sacraments both Baptism and the Supper of the Lord are effectual means also for the conveyance of the holy Spirit 'T is promised upon our Baptism with repentance Act. 2.38 Act. 2.38 Repent and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins and ye shall receive the gift of the holy Ghost And this is also verified from the example of Christ our head upon whose Baptism in Jordan the heavens were opened and the holy Ghost descended in shape of a dove and lighted on him Mat. 3.16 denoting unto us Mat. 3.16 Remig. that by the virtue and power of Baptism not only the heavens are opened but also the gift of the holy Ghost is received therefore are we said to be born again of water and of the holy Ghost and without that the heavens are shut against us There is no admission into the celestial Kingdome Joh. 3 5. Joh. 3.5 Except a man be born of water and the holy Ghost he cannot enter into the Kingdome of heaven The Apostle St. Paul couples both Sacraments together as the conveyances of the Spirit 1 Cor. 12.13 1 Cor. 12.13 By one Spirit we are all baptized into one body and are all made to drink of one Spirit where we have the Spirit joyned with Baptism and with the Lords Supper also for what else can be meant by drinking of one Spirit but an allusion to the eating and drinking of the holy body and bloud of our Lord whereof himself testifies Joh. 6.55 56. My flesh is meat indeed and my bloud is drink indeed Joh. 6.55 He that eateth my flesh and drinketh my bloud dwelleth in me and I in him that is is make partaker of my Spirit or of my gifts and graces For in such a spiritual sense we must needs understand the words except we admit them in the grosse carnal and corporal sense of the Romanists Hence Christ is termed by the Apostle a spiritual meat and a spiritual drink 1 Cor. 10.3.4 1 Cor. 10. â— And they did all eat the same spiritual meat and did all drink the same spiritual drink for they drank of the same spiritual rock that followed them and that rock was Christ A spiritual meat and and spiritual drink Christ was to the Israelites of old in those Sacramental Symbols of his presence with them the Rock and the Manna and the like but in a more full measure and clear manner he is to us in those consecrated elements of his holy Supper which being rightly administred and rightly received are spiritual food indeed for we eat and drink the very Spirit of Christ therewithal that is are made partakers of his gifts and graces But how comes it to passe then that these blessed means of grace these conveyances of the Spirit are so often ineffectual Many men do daily pray often hear and read the Word of God have been engraffed into the body of Christ by Baptism and many times receive the blessed Eucharist and yet little or no newes do they hear of the Spirit very little stirrings of the heart few good motions do they feel within they are never the better nor a whit the more enricht either with spiritual gifts or graces for the use of these means The cause whereof is the hardnesse of mans heart which receives not the impressions of the Spirit the corruption of mans nature which quenches the sacred fires of Piety and Charity before they be well inkindled in the soul the exorbitant and unruly lusts of the flesh and of the world which resist the good motions lustings and strivings of the Spirit of God Intus existens prohibet alienum when the fruits of the flesh have overgrown the soul there 's no room for the fruits of the Spirit to take rooting there These two kindes of fruits cannot grow both in one heart but the one will choak overgrow and destroy the other To this outward means of grace then and of the Spirit the inward qualifications the infitting of the soul to receive the impressions of the Spirit must be added Actus aclivorum in patiente disposito as the patient is disposed and fitted to be wrought upon accordingly so is the power and efficacy of the Agent so that according as the hearts of men are more or lesse perspirable and plyable to the impressions of the Spirit accordingly so are his workings and inspirations upon the heart The holy Spirit is compared in Scripture to water Joh. 7.38 39. and as the water is of a diffusive nature and knows no bounds but as 't is limited by the channel or vessel that holds it so the Spirit is in himself of a spreading quality and is only straitned by the narrownesse of the hearts whereinto he flowes 2 Cor. 6.12 as 2 Cor. 6.12 Ye are not straitned in us that is in our Ministry we preach abundance of grace unto you but you are straitned in your own bowels through the hardnesse of your hearts being not capable of the graces of the Spirit And the heart is made soft and pliable for the impressions of the Spirit by repentance and mortification the good seed of Gods Spirit will not take root amongst the thornes of impiety Jer. 4.4 therefore
without me ye can do nothing 2. As material fruits are to the body and corporal taste so are the fruits of the Spirit to the soul they are both pleasant and delightsome and also satisfie and feed the soul unto life eternal therefore it is said against such there is no Law there 's no law can condemn such as bring forth these fruits in their lives and conversations as Rom. 8.1 Now then there is no condemnation to them that are in Christ Jesus which walk not after the flesh but after the spirit CHAP. IV. Of the Gifts of the holy Spirit THE second kinde of the holy Spirits impressions on humane souls are his gifts represented by the fire Mat. 3.11 He shall baptize you with the holy Ghost and with fire that is he shall endow and sprinkle the souls of men with such gifts of the holy Ghost as are by fire represented viz. gifts which like unto fire shall be effectual and powerful to enlighten the understandings melt the hearts and enflame the affections and desires of men And as the fire burns not for it self but for the light and warmth of others so the gifts of the Spirit are imparted to the sons of men Mat. 5.15 not to be hidden like a lighted candle under a bushel not to be wrapt up in a retired obscurity Luk. 19.20 with the talent of the unprofitable servant in a napkin but to be imployed to appear to shine forth and manifest themselves for the profit benefit and edification of others Qui remiunt dona spiritus imperiâ—i aliis quae non pro se sed pro aliis acceperâ—â—â— ipsa sibi plerumq dona adimunt â—tunque sua non aliorum lucra cogitant ipsis se quae privata hab re appetunt bonis privant Greg. de cur past p. 1. c. 5. He therefore who hath received the gifts of the Spirit which are given saith the Father not for himself only but for the benefit of others also by refusing to impart them unto others he deprives himself of the use and efficacy of them For whilest he meditates his own private benefit only and not the good of others also it is just with God to rob him of what he covets to enjoy in private since he ought to have communicated the same so the unprogitable servant which laid up his talent in a napkin had the same justly taken from him Luk. 19.24 For it is a manifest sign that there is no true love of God in that heart who imploys not the gifts he hath received from God to the advancement of his service and benefit of his people according to his command therefore said our Lord unto Peter Joh. 21.15 Simon son of Jonas lovest thou me he answered Yea Lord thou knowest that I love thee he saith unto him Feed my lambs Whereupon saith the Father Is Ibid. Si cura passionis est dilectionis testimonium c. If our feeding or teaching the people of Christ be a sign of our love unto Christ then he who is qualified for this office by the gifts of the Spirit and neglects the feeding the flock of Christ himself the chief shepherd of our souls For the love of Christ constraineth us that since Christ dyed for all that they which live should not henceforth live to themselves c. 2 Cor. 5.14 15. These Gifts of the Spirit are therefore called the manifestations of the Spirit as shewing what the end and intent of their donation from the Spirit is viz. to profit withall In ipsa corporis positione accipimus quod in actione servemus nimisitaque turpe est non imitari quod sumus Greg. de cur past p. 3. 1 Cor. 11.7 But the manifestation of the Spirit is given to every man to profit withall As the end and use of the several parts of the body is neither to be idle nor yet to be imployed for it self only as the eye is to see and yet not for it self only but for the direction of the hands feet c. the feet are to walk and yet not for themselves only but also for the eyes hands c. Even so the end and use of the several gifts of Gods Spirit to several members of Christs body severally is both that they should be imploy'd and imployed too not only for private use but for the mutual benefit and edification each of other 1 Cor. 12. as Saint Paul at large in the same chapter the main subject whereof is the gifts of the Spirit a catalogue whereof you have vers 9 10 11. To one is given by the Spirit the word of wisdome to another the word of knowledge by the same Spirit to another faith by the same Spirit c. where by the way observe Note In that Faith is in this place reckoned amongst the gifts of the Spirit and in the former place Gal. 5.22 amongst the fruits or graces of the Spirit that we may not confound the graces of God for sanctification with his gifts for edification we must remember that there is a twofold Faith the one doctrinal speculative and notionary viz. a right understanding and firm belief of the severall Articles of the Christian Faith and so it 's a gift of Gods Spirit and in this place rankt amongst them The other kinde of Faith is practical and obediential viz. the squaring regulating and ordering of our lives and actions according to the principles precepts and commands of the Doctrinal Faith of Christ and so it is a grace of Gods Spirit and rankt amongst them in the former place The gifts of the Spirit being principally and chiefly intended for the benefit and profit of others though every man therefore whether Lay or Clergy Minister or People may and ought to use all means to be in some good measure made partakers of them for his own private direction in the wayes of wisdome and true godliness yet for the publique instruction of others after an especial and peculiar manner they concern the Ministry of the Gospel viz. such persons whom God first extraordinarily and miraculously since ordinarily and in the use of means hath ordianed for the guidance and direction of his people in the wayes of his service and their own salvation and this I suppose is clear from S. Paul Ephes 4.8 Ephes 4.8 Wherefore he saith when he ascended up on high he led captivity captive and gave gifts unto men not unto all men Exod. 4.8 9 10 11 12. but unto some only these words 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 restrain these gifts to some few whom he selected from the rest of mankinde as conveyances of the Gospels light unto others for so it followes immediately only a parenthesis betwixt which breaks not the sense He therefore gave some to be Apostles and some Prophets and some Evangelists and some Pastors and Teachers for the perfecting of the Saints for the work of the Ministry for the edifying of the body of Christ implying
immediately created by God himself but all mankinde since ordinarily by the mediation of parents so the Apostles of Christ who received the first issues of Evangelical Ministry were extraordinarily called but all that have succeeded them have been admitted by an ordinary vocation because the succession is but of ordinary necessity now for any man to pretend an extraordinary calling and immediate from God without the Ministry of man is to pretend also to a new Gospel and new Revelations distinct from what Christ and his Apostles have delivered and such can be no other then the dictates of seducing spirits and doctrines of Devils and indeed such a pretence of immediate and extraordinary power and commission from above can in a fixed and setled Ministry by ordinary means have no other end and issue but to belie the Spirit of Truth and cousen the too credulous souls of the people when ever they have a minde to it nor is it any other but a meer pretence of folly to expect or relie upon an extraordinary calling or abilities by immediate infusion from heaven without the use of means as to the Ministerial Function since by ordinary and common means they may be supplyed for it is all one as if we should expect men to be created and by the hands of God immediately as Adam was at the first or being so formed to be fed and nourished with food from heaven without any care or industry for provision here upon earth CHAP. VI. Of ministerial Gifis ordinary and extraordinary THis call to the Ministerial Office under the Gospel both extraordinary in the Apostles and ordinary in their successors as it is in it self a grand inestimable gift of the Holy Ghost and the prime of them confer'd by our Lord in his triumph over our ghostly foes and victorious ascension into to Heaven for then he gave some to be Apostles some Prophets c. So it hath also other gifts of the Spirit attending Ephes 4.11 as necessary contributaries to the accomplishment thereof that this gift may be compleated and fitted for the edification of the body of Christ Vers 12. through the work of the Ministry which proportionable to the two-fold calling are either extraordinary or ordinary also extraordinary they were even plentifull and miraculous in the persons of the Apostles viz. in such a measure and after such a manner as no mortal men could ever hope for since and very good reason there is that it should be so For the Apostles charge was much greater and their task more difficult then any mans either was or can be since They had all mankinde to instruct and principle in the doctrine of Christ the stiffe obdurate and incredulous Jewes to convert the fulnesse of the Gentiles to bring in both the rude Barbarians and learned Graecians to master and subdue The whole world was their Diocese the world sitting in darknesse and in the shadow of death devoted to the service of sin and Satan the Prince of darknesse Now to master and subdue the whole world and to turn all men from darknesse to light Act. 26.18 and from the power of Satan to the living God required sure gifts and endowments more then ordinarily powerful and effectual even such as were extraordinary and miraculous and whereof none of their successors none that ever followed them since in the Ministerial Office could possibly hope to be partakers for all Ministers since have but an handfull of men in comparison to deal withall and these broken to their hands being born and brought up in the holy Christian Religion As therefore there is no need of any such extraordinary qualifications so neither do we the best of us do not dare not pretend either to such sublime and eminent gifts of the Spirit or to any such immediate and extraordinary infusion of spirituall gifts The spiritual gifts of the Apostles differ from those of their successors in two respects 1. In respect of the measure or extent of them 2. In respect of the manner of acquisition First for the measure the Apostles were filled with the holy Ghost Act. 2.4 filled as full as they could hold 2.4 they were endued with as many eminent gifts for the execution of the Apostolical Function as they were capable of but we even the best and ablest of the Sons of men are not so full but they could hold much more their 's was a Baptism with the holy Ghost ours is at the best Act. 1.5 but a Rantism they were washed washed as it were all all over with the Spirit we but sprinkled with his gifts they had the anointing of the holy One more plentifully we in a smaller scantling they were anointed above far above all their fellowes and successors who received ordinarily but an Hin to their Epha Psal 133.2 Their Unction was like the Ointment poured upon the head that ran down to the beard and all others since but like the thin droppings upon the skirts of the garment And from hence we may observe with S. Hierome Scio me aliter habere Apestolos aliter reliquos tractaâ—orâ—s illos semper vera diâ—â—re istos ut hemines in quibâ—sdam aberrare Hier. ad Theo. That the Apostles excelled all other Ministers in this respect also that they were so guided and directed by the holy Spirit of God that all truths and nothing but truth did at all times flow from them in the execution of their Function but all other Ministers must confesse in all humility that as men they have their failings and mistakes in one respect or other Secondly for the manner the Apostles were endued with their fulnesse of spiritual gifts miraculously their Inspiration did publickly and visibly appear to be by miracle and immediate from Heaven Act. 2. But we as we can pretend unto no such extraordinary gifts so neither do we pretend unto or depend upon any such extraordinary and immediate infusion of spiritual gifts but ordinarily in the use of means even by much study labour and industry in the waies of wisdome learning and knowledge we do acquire our qualifications according to the command of the Apostle to Timothy we study for them 2 Tim. 2.15 Study to shew thy self approved 2. Tim. 2.15 a workman that needeth not to be ashamed rightly dividing the Word of Truth and yet Timothy sure had less need to study for his gifts then any of us as having more of immediate Inspiration then the best of men can hope for since And yet though we study to be qualified for the work of the Ministry our qualifications are full the gifts of the Spirit all our wisdome and knowledge is from above even as of Daniel and the three children it is recorded that God gave them knowledge and understanding in all learning and wisdome Dan. 1.17.4 Dan. 1.17 And yet it is said before vers the 4. that they were brought up and instructed in knowledge and that by and among
A DISCOURSE OF THE HOLY SPIRIT His Workings and Impressions ON THE SOVLS of MEN. With large Additionals 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Rectum est Index sui obliqui London Printed by E. Cotes for R. Royston at the Angel in Ivie-Lane 1656. To the truly vertuous The Lady Rebecca Bindlosse Madam THis following Discourse of the Holy Ghost his impressions and workings on the soul of man was first intended only for private satisfaction to your Ladiships pious desires That being well grounded in the Orthodox Doctrine and having a right understanding of the true Spirit of God it might be as an impregnable bulwark against so many suggestions and temptations of the false and deceitful spirit For the minde of man being either devoid of the Spirit of Grace and Holinesse or else of a right understanding of the things of Gods Spirit who is the Fountain both of Grace and Truth is too apt and prone to close with the suggestions of the evil spirit who is the author and promoter of sinfulnesse and error Never Age produc't so many spiritual Monsters as this wherein we live And I think few parts of England be so much infected with them as these Northern parts be They were very impudent and daring when they adventured to tempt your vertuous minde and by inticing words to allure your good opinion of them as full well knowing if they could but have effected thus much to have made you not an enemy to their proceedings though you did not close with them it would have given much lustre and credit to their erroneous Sect But God be praised that you are better grounded then to be proselyted by such Ignoramo's better resolved then to be taken with such shallow delusions which a good Christian with half an eye unprejudic'd may easily see through It is your goodnesse for Bonum quo melius eo communius to desire the publique communication of this short Discourse of the Spirit as a Doctrine both seasonable in respect of the many spreading infectious Errors so much prevailing amongst us and also necessary as an antidote against that contagion which issuing out of the mouth of Hell presumes most impudently and impiously to hide its venome under the name and title of the Holy Spirit I could wish the Doctrine were for this end more fully and satisfactorily cleared to the mindes of men by the Pen of some more Judicious Writer This mean Tract the Author in all humility acknowledges to be guilty of many defects and impertinencies and himself one of the meanest of the faithful and obedient sons of the Church The small acceptance it shall finde in the world will be derived from your white Name and Vertue in which Sanctuary it may escape the black-mouth'd Detractions of the Censorious and rest secure of the good acceptance if not benefit of others May you be every day more happy in the increase of all Christian vertues growing up in the knowledge of God and persevering in the constant Profession of his holy Truth and conscientious practise of the same till you arrive at the Haven of true Happinesse This Madam shall be the constant endevour and is the daily prayer Of your most faithful and affectionate Servant in Christ R. Sherlock ERRATA'S Pag. Lin. Read 1 9 what 7 9 substance 21 20 pastionis 58 9 conservation 74 5 a voice  9 the winde  10 His wil into their hearts 88 2 15 ch 91 17 to be offered 95 13 unlawful 96 17 to become 98 31 world 101 3 when 102 25 reciteth 104 5 our 106 4 unlearned  8 learning  14 who were honoured 107 5 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 124 14 watchings 124 35 enmity 127 18 acts 128 11 conscious 145 8 Maximilla 148 5 no need of teaching 156 11 these 158 3 to 171 9 I  8 Levit. 173 22 not necessary 179 19 thus 193 1 to be contentious  30 sick 201 32 Photinus 212 13 by our  18 our 213 5 even 225 34 these 231 15 from 234 18 your The Introduction and general Heads of the ensuing Discourse NO Age hath ever brought forth more pretenders to the Spirit of God then this wherein we live And amongst this Generation there be many so ignorant that they know not what they mean by that Spirit whereunto they so much pretend but blindfolded suffer themselves to be led by they know not whom and with the hoodwinckt Samaritans they worship they know not whom Joh. 4.32 Whose ignorance accompanied with excessive pride of heart which makes their ignorance the greater that through pride they will not know or acknowledge it upon this ground the Devill hath sown his crop and reapt his Harvest even the cursed tares of many and strong delusions for that subtil Serpent full well knows how both easily and powerfully to insinuate his Lyes and Errors into mindes unsetled and not grounded in the knowledge of the Truth So that most truly is that complaint of the Lord by his Prophet Hosea verified of this people Hos 4.6 Hos 4.6 My people are destroyed for lack of knowledge even for lack of what they so much boast of That grand Enemy the Prince of Lyes hath taken them in the very Net themselves have made even in the snare of self-conceited knowledge and holiness whilest supposing themselves wise they became fools Rom. 1.22 And pretending to the Spirit of God whom they rightly know not they are intrapt by the Spirit of Error and miserably seduced to the ruine of their souls Hence it is chiefly though not only hence through ignorance intermixt with pride that the Devill hath made so great a harvest of tares overgrowing and choaking the pure wheat of Truth Mat. 13.25 No Age of the Church having ever been so fruitful in Heresies and Errors whilest the ever blessed Name of the Spirit of God is abused by persons most impudently pretending to him that yet remain ignorant of him for had they known this Lord of life it had not been possible the spirit of Delusion could have prevailed so far with them as to infix so many Lyes Impostures and Blasphemies upon his score as therefore Saint Paul directed the Athenians to the knowledge of the true God Act. 17.23 whom they ignorantly worshipped and so their pious intentions through ignorance degenerated into grosse Idolatries so it cannot but be an office both seasonable and charitable as also of great benefit and present necessity plainly to set down and deliver the true Orthodoxal Doctrine of the Holy Ghost his Impressions and Workings on the souls of man that so men may have a right understanding of this ever Blessed Person of the the God-head so much mistaken and his Sacred Name to the high offence of his Majesty so much profaned by impudent and false pretences The Doctrine of the Holy Ghost in respect both of his Person and Office is by the Nicene Creed thus clearly and fully set down I beleeve in the Holy Ghost
the Lord and giver of life who proceedeth both from the Father and the Son who together with the Father and the Son is worshipped and glorified who spake by the Prophets To give you my Comment upon this Text were but to hold a candle to the Sun the Doctrine delivered is so clear and perspicuous All that can be said upon this Article of our Christian Faith is reducible to four heads 1. Of the Person of the Holy Ghost in himselfe 2. Of his Office or Workings on the mindes of men 3. Of the trial of the true from false spirits 4. Of the means to be made partakers of the Spirit of Truth The two first are doctrinal and speculative points for the rectifying and fitting the understanding rightly to conceive and beleeve aright this Article of Christian Faith The two last are practical and applicatory for the guidance of our actions and Christian performances according to this belief And may this ever blessed Spirit of God inspire and direct me to write and all that read to understand the divine and celestial Doctrine both of his Person and Office to the illumination and sanctification of our souls here as the way to eternall salvation hereafter A DISCOURSE OF THE Holy Spirit CHAP. I. Of the Person of the Holy Ghost in himself THE more clearly to understand the Doctrine of the Spirit of God it will be necessary to use the light of some distinctions for so the naked and plain truth of any thing is most clearly and distinctly seen when namely 't is divided and distinguisht from its conjunction with other things of the same or the like name and nature which is the ground of that old Maxime Qui bene distinguit bene docet The way to teach well or clearly to deliver any truth is rightly to distinguish that truth from other truths that are of near affinity thereunto either in name or nature or in the words of the Apostle which is the language of the Spirit of Truth Rightly to divide the word of Truth 2 Tim. 2.15 2 Tim. 2.15 which was one of those many qualifications of the Apostles of Christ wherewithall they were immediately inspired by this Spirit of Truth for the propagation of the Gospel intimated in that he descended from heaven upon them in cloven or divided Tongues And first that we mistake not the creature for the Creator 1. Distinct God over all blessed for ever we must remember that a Spirit is either Create or Increate or more plainly sometimes the word Spirit is in holy Scripture applyed to the creature sometimes to the Creator There are several kindes of created spirits as 1. Those glorious Inhabitants of the highest Heavens the holy and blessed Angels Heb. 1.14 Are they not all ministring spirits c. Heb. 1.14 2. Those cursed inhabitants of the nether Hell the chained Devils 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 the Apostle styles them Ephes 6.12 Ephes 6.12 Spiritual wickednesses or wicked spirits 3. The souls of men which quicken and enliven these our frail and mortal bodies every man being composed of two natures a body and a soul Gen. 2.7 or flesh and spirit Gen. 2.7 And the Lord God formed man of the dust of the earth meaning his body and breathed into his Nosthrils the breath of life meaning his soul and so man became a living soul or living by his soul or spirit created or infused by God into his earthly body 4. The life and animation of each sensitive creature therefore we read Psal 150.6 Let every thing that hath breath Psal 150.6 or spirit praise the Lord All these are several kindes of created spirits some more some lesse pure fine and spiritual But there is an increated Spirit also who being neither made nor created in himself is the great Maker and Creator of all spirits and of all things who being the prime Fountain and Original of all beeings is so eminent and transcendent a Beeing that as he is in himself he only knows himself nor is it possible for us or any creatures who derive their beeing from him to attain the perfect knowledge of him and therefore is he pleased in his holy Word wherein he reveals himself unto us to describe himself by the names and properties of his excellent and most eminent kinde of creatures which are spirits so that God is termed a Spirit Analogically because Angels or Spirits are the purest finest quickest and most active and intelligent beeings But that we may not rank God with Angels or Spirits for he hath no match or equal we must learn this one general rule in Divinity Whatsoever is spoken of God in the Scriptures and withall is applyable to any creature must be understood of God eminenter by way of eminency and transcendency as the Prototype and grand Exemplar of that perfection which is applyed to the creature As here Angels are Spirits and the souls of men are spirits but God is not a Spirit as they are spirits for he is the Fountain the Original and all perfect pattern of the Perfection and Purity of all created spirits therefore termed the God of the spirits of all flesh Numb 22 16. Heb. 12.9 Numb 22.16 and the Father of spirits Heb. 12.9 That we may according to the Catholick Faith worship one God in Trinity and the Trinity in Vnity 2. Distinct neither confounding the Persons nor dividing the Substance we must rightly distinguish betwixt the Subsistence and the Persons or betwixt the Essence and Substance of God which is necessarily to be remembred and observed in relation to the Article of Faith in hand for sometimes God is termed a Spirit Essentially in respect of his essence nature or Godhead Sometimes Personally the tearm being applyed to this or that particular person of the Godhead 1. Joh. 4.24 Essentially Joh. 4.24 God is a Spirit that is he is such a God whose essence nature or being is eminently and transcendently pure and spiritual 2. Personally Mat. 3.16 Mat. 4.1 Ephes 4.30 so here and in many other places the term is peculiarly appropriated and applyed to the third Person of the Trinity who is tearmed 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 the Holy Spirit or the Holy Ghost for Ghost and Spirit is the same the one an old English word the other a Latine This Name and Attribute the Holy Spirit as it is particularly applyed to the third Person of the Trinity expresseth and sets forth unto us his Person and Office his Personal subsistence in himself and his Office or working in relation to us 1. His Person in the term Spirit 2. His Office in the Attribute Holy Sanctus dicitur quiae sanctificat Spiritus quia spiratus He is called the Holy Ghost from his Office which is to sanctifie or make holy and the Spirit from his Person which is spired or proceeding First the Holy not holy only in respect of his Person as is also the Father and the Son which is
implyed in that celestial Trisagion perpetually sung by the Quire of Heaven to the glory of this ever blessed Trinity Esai 6.3 Holy holy holy Lord God of hosts c. Holy three times to denote the holiness of all the three Persons of the God-head Holy Father Holy Son Holy Ghost But the Holy particularly and peculiarly in respect of his Office which is to sanctifie and hallow most especially the hearts of men as to God the Father is appropriate the Work of Creation who is therefore called the Almighty the Omnipotence or Almightiness of God being most apparent in the Creation of all things And as to God the Son is appropriate the work of Redemption who is therefore called the word of God Joh. 1.1 and the wisdome of the Father 1 Cor. 1.24 Gods manifold Wisdome being made apparent in the Redemption of mankinde for it is a mysterie which the very Angels themselves desire to look into 1 Pet. 1.12 Even so the work of Sanctification is appropriated to the Holy Ghost who is therefore called the Holy One Gods holinesse being most apparent in purifying and sanctifying the unhallowed souls of men Isai 10.17 And the light of Israel shall be for a fire and his Holy One for a flame Spiritus Sanctus est lumen illuminans sanctus sanctificans â—onav flammáque inflammans The holy Ghost is that Divine light which illuminates our darkened understandings that Holy One who sanctifies our souls and polluted hearts that sacred and celestial fire which inflames our cold earthly affections even as of old he enlightned sanctified and enflamed the minds of the Apostles of Christ which was signified by his Descension not only with a rushing winde which purifies and cleanses but also in Tongues of fire which warms and enlightens Act. 2.23 The Spirit not only 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 of a spiritual Nature but 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 the Spirit expressing his Personal Essence received from the Father and from the Son by spiration and procession Even as the second Person of the Trinity receives his personal Essence from the Father only 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 by Generation and is therefore called the Son of God The Son is of the Father alone not made nor created but begotten So the Holy Ghost receives his Personal Essence from the Father and from the Son 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 by procession or spiration and is therefore termed the Spirit of God The Holy Ghost is from the Father and from the Son not made nor created nor begotten but proceeding proceeding from the Father Joh. 15.26 Gal. 2.6 Rom. 8.14 and therefore often termed the Spirit of the Father proceeding from the Son and therefore often termed the Spirit of the Son proceeding both from the Father and the Son and therefore termed the Spirit of God And yet further in either of these terms the Holy and the Spirit both the Personal Essence and also the Office of the Holy Ghost is implyed For 1. he is therefore called the Holy not only in respect of his Office as before Lib. 2. cap. 3. but also in respect of his Personal Essence for therefore saith Isidore in his Originals is he called the Holy because he is the Coessential and Consubstantial holiness of the Father and the Son 2. He is therefore termed the Spirit not only in respect of his personal Essence as before but also in respect of his Office which is to inspire and infuse his divine and celestial blessings into the souls of men And from the name also of this divine Person the Spirit we are to take notice and firmly believe That the Holy Ghost is of the same essence and consubstantial with the Father and the Son and in all respects coaequal and coaeternal so that as the Father is God and the Son is God so the Holy Ghost is God and as the Father is Almighty and the Son Almighty so is the Holy Ghost Almighty and so of all the other Attributes of the God-head whereupon all acts of divine worship also are aequally due to the Holy Ghost as to the Father and the Son Who together with the Father and the Son is worshipped and glorified The difference betwixt this Holy Spirit and the other sacred Persons of the God-head consists in 3 particulars 1. That he is the third or last person of the God-head the third not in dignity but in order only not in diversity of essence or inaequality of majesty but in order of subsisting which against Arrians Socinians c. is firmly to be believed according to that Decree of the third Toletan Councel Quicunque Spiritum sanctum non credit aut non crediderit à Patre Filio procedere eumque non dixerit Patri Filio coaeternum esse coessentialem anathema sit that is whosoever doth not beleeve the Holy Ghost viz. to be a real true subsisting person and doth not believe him also to proceed from the Father and the Son and to be with the Father and the Son coaeternal and consubstantial Let him be accursed 2. The second Difference is the way of this holy Persons subsisting viz. By spiration from the Father and the Son Touching the manner whereof we must say as the Prophet Isaiah doth of the Sons generation from the Father Isai 53.8 Who shall declare his generation 'T is not only ineffable not to be declared but unconceivable also The heart of man conceives it not neither can the tongue of men or Angels express it Inter illam generationem hanc processionem distinguere nescio non valeo Aug. non sufficio quia illa ista est ineffabilis that is to distinguish betwixt the Generation of God the Son and the Procession of God the Holy Ghost is impossible because both the one and other be for the manner thereof unspeakable 3. But thirdly Isid ibid. Hoc autem interest saith Isidore inter nascentem filium c. betwixt the Son of Gods generation and the Spirit of Gods procession there is this difference indeed That the Son is from the Father alone but the Holy Ghost is both from the Father and the Son prooedens non genitus c. proceeding not begotten to distinguish him from the Son proceeding not unbegotten to distinguish him from the Father the which we are to observe lest contrary to the true Catholick Faith we should admit either of two Sons or two Fathers in the ever blessed Trinity or any way confound the several Persons therein as if they were not distinct each from other really but nominally only and in relation to us which was the error of the Patripassians and others struck at by that clause of the Athanasian Creed so there is one Father not three Fathers one Son not three Sons one Holy Ghâ—st not three Holy Ghosts Thirdly 3. Distinct that we may not confound the Person and the Office of this ever blessed Spirit of God but rightly understand what is meant by receiving
the holy Ghost being filled with the Holy Ghost Act. 9.2 Psal 2.4 Heb. 6.4 and made partakers of the Holy Ghost and all Scriptures which speak of having the Spirit being endued with the Spirit and the like we must in the third place rightly distinguish betwixt the Personal Essence of the Spirit and the impressions or workings of this Spirit upon the mindes of men Rac. catec It was the error of the Macedonians Samosatenians of old and of Socinians of late that by the Spirit of God is meant no other but virtus seu efficacia quâ homines fideles sanctificantur divinis usibus consecrantur i. e. That vertue or efficacy whereby faithfull men are sanctified and consecrate to divine offices And opposite to this extreme many now a dayes run into the other mistaking and misterming the efficacies and vertues of the Spirit for the person of the Spirit himself the holy orthodox truth lies coucht up betwixt these two extremes whilest neither on the one hand we presume to annihilate the personal being of the Spirit as if he were no more but a vertue or influence upon the creature nor yet on the other hand mistake the influences of the Spirit for his essential subsisting person And when you read in holy Scriptures of being filled with the Holy Ghost or made partakers of the Spirit of God Act. 8.17 Eph. 5.18 Wisd 1. Psal 139. is not to be understood of the Spirit in respect of his Personal Essence for thus he filleth the world and contains all things being really existent and present in and with all things and creatures giving unto all their life and breath and all things In whom we live and move Act. 17. and have our being viz. by his inexisting presence and this in respect of his Personal Essence If we should say then that the Spirit of God is in his Saints and servants here upon earth in a greater measure then in other men Personally and in respect of his Essence we should so divide and consequently define and limit the Essence of God which is undivided infinite and unlimited see Jer. 23.23 Am I a God at hand and not a God a far off Can any hide himself in secret places that I should not see him for do not I fill Heaven and Earth saith the Lord Thus then those Scripture phrases of receiviag the Holy Ghost c. are not to be understood of the Spirit in respect of his Personal Essence which is undivided unlimited and filleth all things and so not one man more then another But 2. In respect of his impressions and workings on the souls of men in respect of his gifts and graces which are various and divers and carry their name from the cause or Author of them There are diversity of gifts but the same Spirit 1 Cor. 12.4 where the Spirit is plainly distinguished from his gifts as the cause from the effect the workman from the work of his hands or as the body of the Sun is distinguished from the light and heat which is darted and displayed from it And whereas it is said the Spirit is but one but his gifts are divers we may hence observe that if we should confound the Spirit of God with the gifts and qualifications dispensed from him we should be so far from acknowledging and worshipping the true God which is but one that we should fall into that grosse Idolatry of the Heathens of old making as many Spirits of God as they made gods who deified the moral vertues and worshipped their several vertuous qualifications as gods The unwary neglect of this distinction betwixt the person and qualifications of Gods Spirit is that very rock whereupon many a misguided and unstable soul hath suffered the shipwrack of the true Christian Faith for being by the cunning suggestion of the spirit of Lyes once perswaded in their hearts that they have the Spirit of God and that personally abiding in them they are hereupon puft up with such an excessive spiritual pride and self-conceited eminence as not only to exalt themselves above and despise their Christian brethren who are better qualified then themselves but even to extol themselves above the heavens and most blasphemously to professe and boast of an equality with God a blasphemy however 't is salved and minc't that cannot be paralleld but with that originall pride of the Devil He said in his heart Gen. 3. I will be like the most High and to this he tempted our first Parents perswading them to rebel against their Maker and become as Gods themselves knowing good and evil this was the very sin that hurled Lucifer like Lightning from Heaven his pride and presumption to be like the most High and therefore with all his Apostate crew he is now reserved in everlasting chains under darknesse Jude 6. to the judgement of the Great day And for our new Sect of Enthusiasts had they the Spirit of God as they pretend abiding in them and speaking in them Personally and Essentially this blasphemy must necessarily follow that they are equal with God in respect of the Spirit in them as themselves affirm it though not as George Robert c. To avoid which blasphemy and many other absurd and wicked opinions of the like nature which would follow thereupon and wherwith too many unstable souls are now infected we must remember that to have the Spirit in the language of the Scripture is not to be understood of his personal Essence but of his qualifications And because this distinction is very material as to the many present delusions under pretence of the Spirit 't will be necessary therefore to clear it by some Scripture expressions in this kinde 't is an ordinary piece of Rhetorick and an usual figure in the dialect of the Scripture to call the gifts and qualifications of Gods holy Spirit by the name of the Spirit as Exod. 31.2 3. Behold I have called by name Bezaleel the son of Uri Exod. 31.2 3. c. whom I have filled with the Spirit of God that is with the gifts of the Spirit for it followes in all wisdome and understanding and knowledg and in all workmanship so Numb 11.17 I will come down and talk with thee and take of the Spirit which is upon thee and put upon them Numb 11.17 and they shall bear the burthen with thee where what else can possibly be meant by the Spirit which was upon Moses to be put upon the Elders but that they should partake of the same spiritual gifts with Moses enfitting them to bear the burthen with him as to the administration of justice amongst the people even the gifts of wisdom understanding and knowledg impartially and without respect of persons to execute justice and judgement so the Spirit of the Lord shall rest upon him Isai 11.2 the gifts of the Spirit for so it followes The spirit of wisdome and understanding the spirit of counsell and strength the
spirit of knowledge and of the fear of the Lord. He then that is a wise man may be said in the language of the Spirit which is the Scripture to have the Spirit of the Lord upon him or to have the Spirit of God because the wisdome he hath is from Gods Spirit it comes down from above and the means to fetch it thence is holy prayer If any man lacks wisdome let him aske of God who giveth c. Jam. 1.5 So the wisest of men obtained wisdome 1 King 3.9 His prayer which brought her down from Heaven is recorded Wisd 9. And the same may be said of counsel godlinesse c. therefore these graces are termed from the cause and Author of them The spirit of wisdome the spirit of godlinesse c. So Zach. 12.10 I will pour upon the house of David and inhabitants of Hierusalem the spirit of grace and supplication that is by my Spirit I will enrich their souls with the grace of piety and devotion to be frequent and fervent in prayers and supplications according to the Apostles admonition Ephes 6.18 Praying with all manner of prayer and supplication in the spirit that is not only in the fervency and godly zeal of our own souls or spirits but also praying thus in or from the powerful influence of Gods Spirit who inflames our own cold frosty devotions and assists our frailties in prayer we pray in the spirit when both our prayers are the voice of our spirits and our spirits are also taught and sanctified by Gods Spirit as Rom. 8.15 For ye have not received the spirit of bondage unto fear but ye have received the Spirit of Adoption whereby we cry Abba Father Clamamus nos saith Augustine we cry not the Spirit Aug. lib. de cor grat but Gal. 4.6 't is said the Spirit within us And because ye are Sons God hath sent forth the Spirit of his Son into your hearts which cryeth Abba Father Nos clamamus sed in spiritu ipso scil diffundente charitatem in cordibus nostris sine quâ quicunque clamat inaniter clamat Aug. de verbis Dom. sec Matt ser 11. Non hic ait c. saith the Father he saith not here as in the former place by whom we cry but the Spirit himself cryeth quo efficitur ut clamemus nos for what else is clamans spiritus in nobis but clamantes nos faciens The Spirit crying in our hearts is no other but that he makes us by the vertue of his grace to cry unto God the Father and pour forth our souls before him in prayer which is also the meaning of that misapplyed text against forms of prayer Rom. 8.26 The Spirit likewise helpeth our infirmities for we know not what we should pray for as we ought but the Spirit it self maketh intercession for us with groanings which cannot be expressed We know not what we ought to pray he could not be ignorant saith the Father of the Lords Prayer Aug. neither could they be ignorant of it to whom he said thus but such and so pressing are our infirmities that first many times we know not what to aske for in relation to our bodies and outward estates sometimes even praying for what is harmful or at least not at all profitable for us and this infirmity of ours the Holy Ghost helps by the precepts and promises and forms of Prayer recorded in the word of God which are the dictates of the Spirit And many times 2. We know not How to ask for what is needfull by reason of the dulness and deadness and frosty coldness of our hearts and this infirmity the Spirit helps by quickning our devotion as it followes The Spirit maketh request for us Aug. epist ad Sixt. presb Quid est enim interpellat nisi interpellare nos facit what else can be the meaning of this The Spirit makes intercession for us but that he makes us to intercede for our selves by his grace secretly and unspeakably enlivening our devotions so that even with penitent and fervent sighs and holy breathings after God we pour forth our prayers before him so Mat. 10.20 It is not you that speaks but the Spirit of your Father which speaketh in you Where the assistance of Gods holy Spirit with us is so exprest saith Augustine Vt ipse facere dicitur quod ut faciamus facit He is said to do that himself in us which by his grace he stirs us up to do As therefore no man can be wise without the spirit of wisdome nor knowing without the Spirit of knowledge nor godly without the spirit of goldiness nor charitable without the spirit of love so no man can pray as he ought without the spirit of prayer and supplication not that there are so many kindes of spirits as these but all these worketh one and the same spirit dividing to every man severally as he will 1 Cor. 12.11 From the meaning of all which places and many more which might be alledged 't is manifest that by the Spirit in us is not meant the Spirit of God in himself but in his graces for how can the Spirit of God who is saith the Father one perfect and eternal beatitude with the Father and the Son Aug. be said in himself or according to himself personally to speak to sigh to cry to pray in us no otherwise surely but as by his gifts and graces we are enabled to speak the truth to sigh and breath after God to cry unto him in the fervency of our souls and devoutly to pour forth our prayers before him CHAP. II. Of the workings of the holy Spirit upon the mindes of men THE impressions or workings of the Spirit of God upon the souls of men 2 General are various and divers Every thought motion and desire every aptitude pronenesse and inclination every faculty power and ability conducing either to the good of our selves or others is from the Spirit of God who distributes his several qualifications to several persons and that severally even in several waies and kindes to some in one kinde to others in another to some more to some lesse Vnto every one of us is given grace according to the measure of the gift of Christ Ephes 4.7 or according to the measure of the Spirit Per hoc tollitur error attribuentium diversitatem donorum Fato vel constellationibus vel humano merito non divinae voluntati sicut primae causae Lyr. in Loc. who is the gift of Christ And this measure whereby he distributes his gifts is no other but the counsel of his own will for men are not wise vertuous charitable c. by necessity of Fate or by the influence of stars nor yet for any their merits or deserts but of Gods good pleasure by the influence of his holy Spirit who divideth to every man severally as he wil 1 Cor. 12.11 As he will under this 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 4 particulars are implied
〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 To whom what when and where he will in all these respects the influences of Gods Spirit are free The winde bloweth where it listeth so is every one that is born of the Sporit Joh. 3.8 But yet as the winde though it blow upon all places alike within its circuit yet are not all places alike aired and filled with the winde because all places are not alike capable of it so the holy Spirit distributes to every one his measure of gifts but yet not to all alike but to some more plentifully to others with a smaller scantling and this according as he findes the hearts of men more or less soft and plyable capable and enfitted to receive his impressions In quo quis animum intendit Ambr. in eo accipit donum according to the intention and pliableness of the minde to this or that study or imployment whether divine or moral accordingly so doth the holy Ghost communicate his gifts and blessings thereupon All these several workings of the Spirit though they be so numerous as that they cannot be easily reckoned up there being more points of this heavenly winde then there is in the Compass which is set and ordered by the winde which bloweth in the air yet unto two general heads they are all reducible 1. Graces 2. Gifts 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 There are two principal faculties of the reasonable soul the Vnderstanding and the Will Both which are naturally maimed by the fall of Adam ignorance and error invading the understanding disobedience and rebellion the will To rectifie this twofold disorder by nature the supernatural assistance of the holy Ghost is required who by his celestial Gifts illuminates and clears the understanding and by his holy Graces subdues the rebellion of the will and purifies the uncleanness of the affections The one more immediately relates to the service of God the other to the benefit of man For 1. By the Graces of Gods Spirit we are sanctified and enabled rightly to serve God And 2. By his Gifts we are qualified and enabled to edifie one another By the first we are made good Christians by the second we are made good and profitable Ministers Both of these are called Habits either because they make us habile and fit to discern and taste things divine and heavenly or 2. Because as Habits clothe and adorn the body so these divine Gifts and Graces do polish adorn and enrich the soul And these two kindes of the holy Spirits qualifications are represented unto us by those two types or figures of the Spirits descension upon the Apostles of Christ the one of the winde Act. 2.2 and the other of the fire vers 3. By the winde were represented those divine and celestial graces wherewithal the Apostles were endued and whereby the souls of men are air'd cleans'd and purified and so sanctified to the sacred service of God and by the fire was represented the gifts they were enriched withall for the enlightning of the mindes and enflaming the affections of others CHAP. III. Of the Graces of the holy Spirit THE first kinde of the holy Spirits impressions are his graces represented by the winde Joh. 3.8 The winde bloweth where it listeth and thou knowest not whence it comes nor whither it goeth so is every one that is born of the spirit As the winde being a pure fine thin subtil nature is invisible we perceive it not neither can we conceive whence it comes or whither it goes all the perception we have of the winde is by its effects and operations when it moves the air tosses the clouds shakes the trees raises the dust of the earth c. nay so active and subtil a thing is the winde that if it act not we say it is not when nothing is moved or stirred by the winde we say there is no winde so is every one that is born of the Spirit that is every one whose soul is animated and actuated by the graces of Gods Spirit For 1. the workings of the Spirit of grace within us are quick and insensible 't is unconceivable how and in what manner he works upon our hearts Only 2. we know him by his effects and workings as when he moves and enclines the soul to what is holy just and good or when he shakes the heart into contrition compunction and godly sorrow for sin or when he raiseth the minde out of the dust and rubbish of earthly vanities and mounts it upon the wings of heavenly desires and meditations c. And 3. as when we see no stirring no moving of the air but all is calm and still we say there is no winde so when there is no good motions or desires within us no inclinations to piety or charity no godly contrition for sin no rising of the minde towards heaven nor breathing after things divine and heavenly we may well say that soul is becalmed the Spirit of God is not there neither hath the heavenly winde of the Almighty breathed therein These graces of Gods Spirit represented by the winde are the very essentials the very life and being the very spirit and soul of true Christianity and are as necessary to the being of a good Christian in the life of grace as is the natural winde or breath of his Nosthrils to his being and living the life of nature therefore we are termed the Body of Christ the soul that animates us being the grace of his Spirit Rom. 12.5 and every man therefore that hath the name of Christ called upon him is but nominis Christiani extrinsecus superficies an empty outside superficial christian that is not in some measure endued with his graces To all persons it necessarily belongs to be partakers of them whether Pastor or people Lay or Clergy gifted or ungifted men whether we have the gifts of the Spirit or no we must not be destitute of his graces but upon all hearts this heavenly winde must blow to purifie and cleanse to air and dry up the superfluous naughtinesse of our natures that so our souls and bodies may be the temples of the holy Ghost 2 Cor. 6.16 even by the grace of Gods Spirit devoted and consecrated to the sacred service of his heavenly Majesty A Catalogue of these spiritual graces we have recorded Gal. 5.22 for they are the same which are there termed the fruits of the Spirit The fruit of the Spirit is love joy peace long-suffering gentlenesse goodnesse faith meeknesse temperance against such there is no Law These are called the fruits of the Spirit for two reasons 1. Because as material fruits grow not but upon trees neither do these graces grow in the soul but upon the tree of life Joh. 14.4 5. As the branch cannot bear fruit of it self except it abide in the vine no more can ye except ye abide in me I am the vine ye are the branches he that abideth in me and I in him the same bringeth forth much fruit for
the Heathen too and were taught the learning and tongue of the Caldaeans So our humane learning tongues and languages so much declaimed against by the ignorant are the Handmaids to spiritual and Divine wisdome and knowledge and both the one and other though acquired by instruction and study in the Schools of the Prophets are yet of Gods mercifull donation they are still the gifts of the Spirit And that first because from the Spirit of God it is that we have mindes capable and mindes inclinable to use the means for the attainment of such gifts for even our natural endowments and moral qualifications are gifts of the Spirit perspicacity quickness of wit ripeness of judgement together with a studious diligent and industrious minde in the search and dexterity in the discovery of the several waies of learning and knowledge even all of them are the gifts of God for every good and perfect gift whether natural moral or divine Jam. 1.17 Joh. 3.27 cometh down from above Jam. 1.17 for a man can receive nothing except it be given from above Joh. 3.27 The very speaking of an ordinary revealed Truth is called a speaking by the Spirit for no man can say that Jesus is the Christ but by the Spirit of God because the revelation of this as of every truth is from the Spirit originally and from him also is both the power and the act of this confession Secondly our qualifications though acquired by study are yet the gifts of the Spirit because it is by Gods blessing and the influence of his good Spirit upon our studies and endevours that we do acquire these qualifications and it is generally and for the most part that God distributes his gifts and blessings according to mens inclinations aptness and endevours for the reception of his gifts Habitus infusi infunduntur per modum acquisitorum All infused or inspired gifts are infused after the manner of gifts acquired i.e. as we are more or lesse industrious to acquire the gifts of the Spirit accordingly so they are more or lesse given and communicated to us by the Spirit which is signified unto us by the parable of the hidden Treasure Mat. 13.4 The Kingdome of heaven is like unto a treasure hid in a field the which when a man hath found he hideth and for joy thereof goeth and selleth all that he hath and buyeth that field The treasure found without search denoteth Gods free and gratuitous revelation of himself unto us and the selling of all to buy that field signifies a mans utmost endevours and labours to be made partaker of these divine Revelations Thirdly because the qualifications acquired by study are by the Spirit of God himself directed to the ends of the Spirit which are to profit withall and then is Gods blessing the greater and the influence of his Spirit upon our studies the more effectual and powerful when we have in them no other aim or intention but to be thereby enfitted and enabled to become usefull instruments of Gods service and his peoples edification And both in that we do direct our studies to this end and also imploy our gifts acquired by study to this end also it is from the Spirit of God who works in us to will and to do of his own God pleasure Phil. 2.15 And lastly all this is acknowledged Phil. 2.15 that our gifts in all these respects are from the Spirit of God though studied for In that together with those means that are outward and moral we use the Divine means also viz. prayer and devotion commanded Jam. 1.15 If any man lacks wisdome let him ask it of God Jam. 1.5 who giveth to all men liberally and upbraideth not and it shall be given him That the Ministers of the Gospell notwithstanding their gifts are from the Spirit are yet bound to use all means both Moral and Divine for the acquiring thereof is manifest even from Gods own example in the use of their Ministry In that God himself who is not tyed to means neither hath need of any is yet pleased to use the means and Ministry of some men for the instruction and conversion of others There is no question but he who at the first created man after his own Image could without the Ministry of man have again repaired the decayes of his blessed Image in man But yet in all ages it hath seemed good to his infinite wisdome to use the mediation and Ministry of men herein And this he doth out of his tender respect to mens infirmities considering the vast distance betwixt God and man which moved the Israelites to Petition for a Minister betwixt God and them Exod. â—0 19 Deut. 5.27 18.16 Heb. 12 19. Exod. 20.19 Talk thou with us and we will hear but let not God talk with us lest we die As therefore no Minister of God may think that God useth his Ministry because he needs it so neither may the people think there is no need of Ministers because God useth them and he uses them as subordinate fellow-labourers in the whole course of mans salvation Gal. 4.19 2 Cor. 3.2 Mat. 16.19 1 Tim. 4.16 the Ministers are said to beget men unto Christ to nourish them in Christ to binde and loose their souls to open and shut heaven and in a word to save because all these things Christ doth by them they are causa conjuncta 2 Cor. 3.2 3. co-operating with and under Christ so Paul compares his Corinthians to a written Epistle the Authors whereof were himself and the Spirit the external writing was his the internal seal upon their hearts was the Spirits These two then may not be severed Neither 1. may we look for Inspirations from heaven without the Ministry of man upon earth Nor yet 2. may we imagine that the Ministry of man upon earth can be effectual without inspiration from Heaven CHAP. VII Of those operations and impressions that are opposite to the Spirit of Truth ANd because it is not enough for us to know the truth but also by that right and straight line to observe and discover what is repugnant and contrary thereunto Let us remember what by sad and lamentable experience we daily see and hear that as there is a holy and a good Spirit of God by his gifts and graces working on the mindes of men so there is also an evill and a bad spirit even the spirit of error and uncleanness the Devil who hath his secret workings and continual countermines opposing hereunto which evil spirit working also by the frail and deceivable spirit of man doth by many subtile wayes obscure corrupt poyson and belye the sacred qualifications of the Spirit of Truth nor doth the Devil that grand enemy of mans salvation in any kinde of way so much cousen and cheat the souls of men into ruine as by putting false glosses and counterfeit vizars on vices errors and distempers that so they may be mistaken for holy vertues and divine
erroneous opinions in Religion is not a heat cast forth from the fire of Gods Spirit but it ariseth rather from the fire of hell it comes from our adversary the Devil who also continually goeth about like a roaring Lion seeking whom he may devour 1 Pet. 5.8 And his Disciples they be and consequently in the same wofull state and condition with him who take pains to proselyte persons unto the waies of error and perdition Mat. 23.15 Wo unto you Scribes Pharisees and hypocrites for ye compasse Sea and land to make one Proselyte and when he is made ye make him twofold more the childe of hell then your selves 5. 'T is an impression of Gods Spirit on the minde of man to be apt and ready active and forward to counsel advise admonish Mat. 18.15 and in some cases and at some times to reprove one another Prov. 12.1 and tell men of their faults and He that hateth reproof is a fool but to rail and revile censure and judge and condemn our brethren and say it 's only a telling them of their faults and telling them what they are or to meddle with other mens matters that concern us not or to reprove other mens faults whilest our selves are guilty of greater these are no true parts of Christian fraternal admonition but false glosses that the Devil puts hereupon 1. To allure men to overlook and neglect themselves and the amendment of their own faults and amisses And 2. To dissolve the sacred bonds of amity peace and unity with others which are those ligaments and sinews of the body of the Church whereby good Christians are coupled and united and joyn together in the sacred service of God which is the way of their own salvation And as into erroneous opinions on the one hand so into sinful actions on the other are we allured and inveigled by the same subtil wile of Satan obtruding his false counterfeit coin of wickedness under the shew and semblance of the impressions of the Spirit of holiness gilding painting and setting out sinfulness and vice with the title shew and flourish of godliness and vertue thus covetousness on the one hand wears the painted mask and flourish of providence and good husbandry and prodigal profuseness on the other hand of noblenesse and generosity Thus riot and excess drunkenness and gluttony carry the fair flourishing titles of bountifulness good fellowship and freedome of spirit Thus wantonness and uncleanness are painted over with the specious terms of amorous kindness and Courtship and pride and haughtiness of magnanimity greatness of spirit superiority of rank I might instance in most of sins and vices how men are inveigled and consened into them by the Devil under the shews and false glosses of pretended vertues For full well that subtil Serpent knows that there is nothing so beautiful and comely nothing that hath so much power to win upon the hearts and affections of men as vertue and holiness and therefore in their habits and attire doth he dress his deformed strumpet vices puts them in their colours and sends them forth under their names and titles and hence it comes to pass that the silly souls of men are so often cheated with the baneful poyson of sinfulness whilest vicious dispositions undiscernibly insinuate themselves into our affections under the attire and dress of vertuous qualifications But thus the Devil transforms himself into an Angel of light 2 Cor. 11.24 whilest baiting his suggestions either with counterfeit revelations on the one hand or with false glosses of spiritual graces on the other he entraps the souls of men in the snares of sinfulness and error and leads them captivity captive to his pit destruction CHAP. VIII Of the Spirit of Man and the Spirit of the World THere are two Familiars whereby the Devil doth ordinarily work and lay his secret and subtil snares to catch cousen and delude our souls thus into sinfulness and error and these are either 1. the spirit of man or 2. the spirit of the world The dictates and workings of both which kinde of spirits being stirr'd and quickned by the evil spirit diametrally oppose the impressions and workings of the Spirit of truth First that the dictates of mans spirit the conceptions of natural sense and carnall reason with private resolutions thereupon do oppose the working of Gods Spirit our Saviour himself teacheth Mat. 16.17 Mat. 16.17 Flesh and bloud hath not revealed this unto thee but my Father which is in Heaven So that flesh and bloud hath their Revelations that is private men have their opinions and conceits which oppose the truth that is revealed from heaven The same opposition of private resolution to holy inspiration doth St. Peter observe 2 Pet. 1. ult For prophesies of old time came not by the will of Man 2 Pet. 1. ult but holy men of God spake as they were moved by the holy Ghost not as they were moved by their own private will wit judgement reason and resolution but as they were moved by the holy Ghost Et haec ideo dicuntur c. These things are therefore said by the Apostle Clos oâ—d that no man should presume to interpret the holy Scripture after his own private minde or fancy as too often opposing and thwarting perverting and wresting the same and the meaning of the holy Ghost therein There were many such persons in S. Chrysostomes daies which saith he boast of the holy Spirit Chrys reference Juello in Apolog eccl Anglic but whilest they speak of their own they falsly boast to have the Spirit of God For saith he as Christ did deny that he spoke of himself when he spoke cut of the Law and the Prophets even even so now if any thing besides the Gospel and this rightly understood be obtruded under the name of the Spirit 't is not to be believed For as Christ is the fulfilling of the Law and the Prophets so the holy Spirit is the fulfilling of the Gospel The Church of Christ hath in all ages been infested and in these last times more then ever with such kinde of persons who pretending to be holy men of God to have the Gift of prophesie and interpretation of Scripture even to speak by the holy Ghost and yet are led by their own ghost only following their own private will and desires imaginations and opinions as their only guide and dictator who pretend to the Spirt of God and yet will not admit at any hand of other spirit then their own of other truth then the vision of their own heads or of other directions then the motions of their own hearts rejecting renouncing and crying down all but what themselves call holy with the Donatists of old Quod volumus sanctum est that they will have to be holy right and true shall be so and nothing else 't is the very ground whereupon this last upstart crew of Quakers build all their resolutions and strange fanatick opinions and
heresies even that which they call the light within us This say they is the only Judge we must follow the Pilot we must steer by the voice whereunto we must give ear the only Sanctuary to which we must flie for resolution never remembring how this sanctuary is profan'd by continual acts of spiritual fornication or idolatry therein committed whilest in stead and even in opposition to God and Spirit of all truth they enshrine and idolize their own fond vain and lying imaginations which the Lord by his Prophet cals the vanity and deceitfulnesse of their own heart Jer. 14.4 Jer 14.14 The Lord said unto me The Prophets prophesie lies in my Name I have not sent them neither did I command them neither spake I unto them but they prophesie unto you a false vision and divination and vanity and the deceitfulnesse of their own heart 'T is undoubtedly necessary for every man to be perswaded in his own conscience both of the truth of what he believes and of the justice and equity of what he undertakes but yet this perswasion of the conscience or the following the light within us or the dictates of our own spirit is not the first ground and prime rule either of our faith or of our works For the conscience it self must be regulated or else it will often prove a false witness and most especially in the things of God for as conscience is is set betwixt God and us so it must speak from God unto us And our spirit or the light within us must be guided by the light of Gods Spirit shining in his word S. Paul thought verily he ought to do many things against the name of Jesus This perswasion arose from the light within him Act. 16.9 11. and hereupon he made havock of the Church which no man that is not infatuate will say was either fit or lawful to be done 'T was first in the heart of Judas to betray his Master Joh. 13.2 Such was the light within him and according to this light he walked till at last he hanged himself And this delusion of mans own spirit following the deceitfull dictates of his own heart is seldome mentioned in holy Scripture without heavie threats denounced both against such deluders and all that suffer themselves to be deluded by them as you may read Jer. 14.15 16. And again Ezek. 13.3 Wo unto the foolish Prophets Ezek. 13.3 which follow their own spirit and have seen nothing Nothing but what their own foolish spirit dictates to them Such are noted by the Apostle also Col. 2.18 Who intrude into those things which they have not seen Col. 2.18 or which they understand not being vainly puft up by their fleshly minde Closs Sensualitatis non rationis following the dictates of sense rather then of right reason and in this place the word 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 is remarkable for even by that 't is easie to distinguish betwixt the dictates of a mans own carnal and sensual spirit and the impressions of Gods holy Spirit for the guidance of the minde The dictate of the fleshly spirit is 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 inflatio a puffing up but the impression of the holy Spirit is 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 afflatio an inspiration indeed but without inflation or puffing up The heavenly winde of Gods Spirit may fill but it never puffs up or swels the heart but rather humbles and abaseth the Spirit of man which is most conformable to the Spirit of Christ according to his own command Mat. 11.29 Learn of me for I am meek and lowly in heart Mat. 11.29 the minde that is either puft up with pride vain-glory and false conceited excellency in it self or that swels with malice hatred or envie towards others is not inspired with the celestial Breath or Spirit of the holy Jesus but follows its own carnal and corrupt dictates and conceits being thereunto raised and moved by that grand Impostor the spirit of Delusion Besides mans own carnal spirit there is also A spirit of the World opposing and poysoning the truths of Gods Spirit The Apostle distinguisheth and opposeth these each to other 1 Cor. 2.12 1 Cor. 2.12 Now we have not received the spirit which is of the world but the Spirit which is of God which spirit of the world he cals a little before the wisdome of the world and of the Princes thereof vers 6. and opposeth the same to the wisdome of God vers 7. And what else can be this wisdome of the world but those humane policies so frequent in the world whereby men steer their actions to their worldly ends and interests with this spirit of the world are all such possest who having set up and enshrined the world in their hearts do thereupon ground their Religion and thence deduce all their reasons arguments and religious conclusions so that they can finde in their hearts to be thus far religious and to close with this or that sect society and opinion in Religion as it stands with their worldly profit pleasure credit preferment or the like It was from the dictates of this spirit that Jeroboam the Son of Nebat made Israel to sin pulling down the holy and true Religion established amongst the people by the Lawes of God and erecting two golden Calves at Dan and Bethel which became a snare unto the people who were thereby inveigled into idolatry the cause of their utter ruine and extirpation in the end And what other Spirit was it that moved this wicked Usurper thereunto 1 King 12.28 29. but that of his own worldly respects and interests there was no other way as this worldly spirit dictated to him to uphold his present estate and new gotten Monarchy so we read 1 King 12.26 1 King 12.26 c. And Jeroboam said in his heart Now shall the kingdome return to the house of David c. Rather then the people should return to their obedience to their liege Lord and Soveraign religion must down and the true worship of God be laid in the dust to make way for superstition and idolatry to be set up the Priests of the Lord shall be discarded and the lowest of the people exaltted to that dignity and to make the office more contemptible every one that list may take up the trade and consecrate himself to be a Priest of the high places 2 King 13.33 1 King 13.33 It was this very spirit also that stirred up the High-priests and Pharisees to take counsell against our Saviour to put him to death for say they If we let him alone all men will believe on him 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 The Romans will come and take away our place and Nation Joh. 11.48 It was this spirit also that stirred up Demetrius the Silver-smith with the rest of the Crafts-men of the like occupation against St. Paul and his companions and the holy Christian Religion preached by them his Pretence was Religion such a kinde
Religion as it was viz. Lest the Temple of the great goddesse Diana should be nothing esteemed and her magnificence whom Asia and all the world worshipt should be destroyed but this Religion was blown by the winde of his own worldly ends his profit his gain which he got by making silver shrines for Diana was in danger to be lost and therefore it was now time for to stir not so much for the maintenance of her honour Act. 19.27 as his own profit Act. 19.27 And 't is this spirit of the world that possesses the greatest part of the world generally and for the most part men measure and square out their Religion by the rule of their profit or pleasure or preferment or credit and esteem amongst men or indeed at the best by the rule of self-preservation so far perhaps they will sail by the winde of Gods Spirit as the Sea of this world is calm peaceable pleasant and the navigation gainful or at least not chargeable but if any tempest arise any gusts of trouble or opposition against the truth blow in the face of its professors if any dammages or dangers pursue them in their course they presently tack about and will sail no longer by the heavenly winde of God but by the earthly winde of their own worldly ends and interests not by the winde which blows from heaven but by that which ariseth out of the caves and hollows of an earthly minde Jam. 1.6 suffering themselves by this wind to be tossed to and fro and driven to be of this or that 2 Sam. 24.24 or any Religion that shall cost them nothing nothing of charge trouble or danger ebbing and flowing in this worlds vast sea as the tide either of prosperity or adversity danger or security makes for or against them But this surely is such a spirit as blows quite crosse and contrary to the spirit which guided and directed the Apostles for they finished their course over the troublous sea of this world to the celestial Canaan by sayling in all weathers encountring all oppositions and passing through all storms that met and opposed them In afflictions in necessities in distresses in stripes in prisons in tumults in labours by watchings by fastings c. 1 Cor. 6.4 5 6. And yet in all these difficulties still saith the father The yoke of Christ is easie and his burthen light 1 Cor. 6 4 5 6. Aug. nay there is ease peace and comfort to the soul in the midst of all the troubles dangers wants or necessities that can in this life encounter us whilest the holy Ghost secretly by his comforts both cheers our spirits and fils the sails of our desires with the hopes of arriving safe in the end at the harbour of eternal peace and felicity CHAP. IX Of the Tryal of Spirits SInce then that grand malignant Spirit the enemy of our salvation 3. Gen. working by these two Familiars mans own deceivable spirit and the spirit of the world doth thus many waies counterfeit poyson pervert and consequently obstruct impede and overthrow the workings of the Spirit of grace as an Antidote against this poyson of the serpent and that his countermines prevail not to the subversion of our souls we must make use of that friendly admonition of the Apostle never so necessary to be observed and practised as now 1 Joh. 4.1 Dearly beloved beleeve not every Spirit but try the spirits whether they be of God or no for many false Prophets are gone out into the world The admonition is twofold First negative Beleeve not every spirit Secondly positive Try the spirits and there is one general reason given for both because many false prophets are gone out into the world He then that shall be so credulous as to give heed to every one that pretends to the Spirit of truth and under that pretence treats of holy and spiritual things and shall not first by the rule of truth examine and try such things and persons shall be sure to have lies and errors obtruded upon him under the dresse and attire of Truth because there ever was and ever shall be by Gods permission and the Devils suggestion false Prophets or false Teachers in the world and yet as fair and great pretenders to the truth as the very true patrons and promoters thereof such there were ever in the Church of God both under the Law of old 2 Pet. 2.1 and under the Gospel anew 2 Pet. 2.1 But there were false Prophets also among the people even as there shall be false Teachers among you which privily shall bring in damnable heresies even denying the Lord that bought them and shall bring upon themselves swift destruction And 't were well if the poyson spread no further so that others were not infected therewith also but so nauseous is Truth to the mindes of men for its age and antiquity and so acceptable are Lies and Errors for their novelty that these false Teachers never fail of many disciples and followers 2 Pet. 2.2 so it followes vers 2. And many shall follow their destructions by whom the way of truth shall be evil spoken of First then beleeve them not follow them not be not cousen'd by their fair pretences so as to be infected with their false doctrines 'T is our Saviours own command Mat. â—4 23 Mat. 24.23 If any man shall say unto you Lee here is Christ or Loe there beleeve it not for there shall arise false Christs and false Prophets and shall shew great signs and wonders so that if it were possible they should deceive the very elect But that being forewarn'd ye may be arm'd against their delusions Behold I have told you before Wherefore if they shall say unto you Behold he is in the desert go not forth Behold he is in the secret places beleeve it not The same care and caution was commanded by God to his people under the Law Deut. 13 1. If there arise among you a Prophet or a Dreamer of dreams and give thee a sign or a wonder and the sign and the wonder which he hath told thee come to passe saying Vers 2 Let us go after other Gods which thou hast not known and let us serve them Thou shalt not hearken unto the words of the Prophet or unto that Dreamer of dreams Vers 3 For the Lord your God proveth you to know whether you love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul From whence it is also further observable The reason why God suffers false Prophets to arise viz. for the probation and trial of our proficiency and integrity in the love and service of God for so saith the Father upon those words Aug. for the Lord your God proveth you to know whether ye love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul Tentat nos Dominus non ut sciat ipse quem nihil latet sed ut scire nos faciat
quantum in ejus dilectione profecerimus God suffers us to be tempted tryed and proved by the lying wonders of false Peophets arising amongst us not that he himself may know what is in us to whom the hearts of all men are naked and bare but that we may thereby know our selves and our own proficiency and constancy to the principles of truth and integrity The very same reason is given by the Apostle for the necessity of heresies 1 Cor 11.19 1 Cor. 11.19 For there must be heresies among you Aug. de civ Dei lib. 18. that they which are approved among you may be known Quolibet errore caecentur c. With what error soever our enemies are blinded or with what wickedness soever they are deprav'd 't is for the proof trial and exercise of the graces of Gods Spirit within us Have they received power to afflict persecute imprison c. 'T is for the trial of our patience in suffering and charity in loving our enemies and praying for our persecutors as becomes the Disciples of Christ Mat. 5.44 Mat. 5.44 Do they only by fair words and cunning speeches distil their false and poysonous Doctrines 'T is for the trial of our wisdome in resisting Gal. 6.1 and beneficence in perswading and endevouring to restore them with the spirit of meeknesse proving whether God will give them repentance to the acknowledgement of the truth that they may escape the snare of the Devil of whom they are taken captive at his will 2 Tim. 2.25 26. 2 Tim. 2.25 26. Secondly Try the spirits whether they be of God or no Try them how but by the revelations of the Spirit which is of God who being the Spirit of truth must necessarily therefore in all his qualifications and impressions be consentaneous and agreeable to himself Aug. Veritas veritati congrua one truth ever holds proportion with another nay all truths are as it were the images and resemblances one of another they are all links of the same golden chain which affixt to the throne of heaven displayes ' its radiant lustre unto the mindes of men upon earth They are all but streams flowing from one and the same fountain the God of truth There is nothing then that we are to receive for truth but what is consonant and agrees with the Spirit of truth which ever blessed Spirit speaking in the Word hath thereby prescribed and given us a sure and infallible rule of truth What the Apostle cals a being filled with the Spirit Eph. 5.18 19. he also cals the dwelling of the word of Christ in us richly which any one that will compare the places may perceive whence it is easie to observe that the Apostle means no other by being filled with the Spirit then to be full of the Word of Christ or to be mighty in the Scriptures and the reason is because the holy Spirit is not only the great Dictator of the Scriptures unto us but also our guide in several respects as to the right understanding of them The first rule of trial then is the holy Word of God in general that 's the grand general rule that 's the great square or level according to which we are to try and examine the rectitude truth and integrity both of the doctrines and opinions of others without and also the impressions and workings of the Spirit within Gal. 1.8 Though we Gal. 1. â— or an Angel from Heaven should preach unto you another Gospel besides that you have received let him be accursed Though we preferring authority of the Gospel they had preached before their own authority the Preachers thereof nay before the authority of celestial spirits Though an Angel from Heaven c. He saw saith the Father Aug. that it might so come to passe that Satan transforming himself into an angel of light and working by his mediators and instruments those deceitful workers who transform themselves into the Apostles of Christ 2 Cor. 11 13 14. might so cousen and deceive them if they did not keep close to the Gospel received which is the true rule of faith therefore he saith another Gospel besides c. praeter any thing that is besides that holds not square and is not level to that rule Qui praetergreditur fidâ—i regulam non procedit in via sed recedit à via he that goes besides and not according to the rule of faith goes not forward in the way but backward from the way of truth so 1 Joh. 4.8 We are of God speaking of himself and the rest of his fellow Apostles He that knoweth God heareth us acquiescendo doctrinae nostrae cleaves to our doctrine and he that is not of God heareth us not Lyra. neither is obedient to our word And hereby know we the Spirit of truth and the spirit of error q. d. He that cleaves to our doctrine is guided by the Spirit of truth and he that doth not so by the spirit of error But the spirit of error will come with his scriptum est likewise as he did against our Lord himself Mat. 4. And all hereticks and schismaticks do generally alledge Scriptures and wrest the very sayings of the Spirit of truth against himself to insinuate thereby their lies and errors For as Tertullian observes of the writings of Ovid Virgil Homer both the matter of them hath been transferr'd unto other uses and the verses applyed to other matter Even so do hereticks deal with the holy writings of inspired men De Praeser adv Haer. cap. 39. Nec periclitor dicere c. I fear not to say that the Scriptures were so disposed by the wisdome of God that they might accidentaliter and by the by even administer matter to Heresies since I read that heresies must come and without the Scriptures they cannot come For 't is in the production of heresies as of natural things Corruptio unius est generatio alterius the corruption of truth is the generation of heresie all heretical opinions being generally grounded upon and flowing from the fountain of truth the Scripture not as they are in themselves rightly interpreted and understood but as they are wrested and perverted either in the words or in the sense either by additions or diminutions or by not considering them together but divided into parts and taken up by shreds and pieces for the avoiding whereof these following rules must be observed in the trial of spirits by the Scriptures First try and oxamine by the coherence whether that be the very intent and aim of the holy Ghost in the text for the which it is urg'd and alleged For the same words of the Spirit may be misapplyed both to other things and other persons then the Spirit ever meant or intended therein Secondly distinguish betwixt times ages persons when wherein and to whom this or that word was spoken For there are many things both said and recorded to be done in the Word which are only agreeable
and variance therefore is he so well known amongst the vulgar by his cloven foot the embleme of division Now our love to God above all is manifested and expressed by our love to our neighbour 1 Joh. 4.20 If any man say I love God 1. Joh. 4.20 and hateth his Brother he is a lyar for he that loveth not his Brother whom he hath seen how can he love God whom he hath not seen Joh 14 23 24. For if any man love me saith the Lord he will keep my words and my Father will love him and we will come unto him and make our abode with him And he that loveth me not keepeth not my Words and the Word which you hear is not mine but the Fathers which sent me And what is the Word he means and so often particularly commands but to love one another This is my commandement that ye love one another as I have loved you Joh. 15.12 And this is the fruit he giveth us in charge to bring forth vers 16 17. even to love one another So that then where there is malice hatred strife variance bitter envyings railings revilings c. for such kinde of persons to lay claim to the Spirit of unity is a piece of impudent vanity and a false suggestion either from their own corrupt erring spirit or from the spirit of error himself the Devil who is a hater a reviler and the accuser of the brethren And on the other side where there is peace Rev. 12.10 love unity amity c. they are unquestionable marks and tokens of the Spirit of truth and unity Therefore St. John in the forecited place having told us that hereby know we the Spirit of truth from the spirit of error adds immediately 1 Joh. 4.6 7 8. Beloved let us love one another for love cometh of God and every one that loveth is born of God and knoweth God and he that loveth not knoweth not God for God is love It would be needlesse to instance in the rest of the fruits of the Spirit because love is not only the first and chiefest of them even the Mistresse or rather the Queen of graces and by the Apostle extoll'd above them all 1 Cor. 13. but also because 't is the sum brief abridgement and epitome of all grace All the fruits of the Spirits are contained in and derived from this one as streams from the fountain head Aug. Vnde caetera tanquám ex capite exorta religata contexuit saith the Father of the fruits of the Spirit as they are reckoned by the Apostle They all arise from and are summ'd up in this one therefore 't is call'd the bond of perfection Col. 3.14 because saith Lyra Sicut viâ—tutes polâ—ticae connectuntur in prudentia sic insusae in charitate Lyr. in Loc. as all Philosophical vertues are bound up in that one of Prudence so all infused vertues or the graces of the Spirit are bound up in this one of Charity and therefore also is love the fulfilling of the Law Rom. 13.10 'T is the fulfilling of the Law in three respects 1. Reductivè in that the whole Law is reducible to this one command of Love and like Homer's Iliads in a nutshel the whole volume of the Law is contained in this short precept Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart Mat. 22.37 39 40. with all thy soul and with all thy minde and thy neighbour as thy selfe 2 Formaliter the very essential form of our obedience to the Lawes of God being our love to God That 's the very form life soul spirit of a truly holy and acceptable obedience both in piety towards God and charity towards man when it proceeds from the love we owe to God himself and to our neighbour for Gods sake and therefore is Love also styl'd the end of the Commandement 1 Tim. 1.5 For 1 Tim. 1.5 finis in moralibus habet rationem formae the end why we do this or that moral action is the very essential form of the action done 3. Effectivè obedience is the effect the issue the product of our love to God flowing from it as an effect from the cause therefore 't is said as before Joh. 1â— 23 If ye love me keep my Commandements Love then is and needs must be an exact true and infallible touch-stone or tryal of the truth of Spirits since 't is the chief the fountain the abridgement of all the fruits thereof And by the same rule may every man try and examine himself whether he be adopted and reconciled unto God through Christ or not For the Spirit beareth witnesse with our spirits that we are the Sons of God Rom. 8.16 beareth witness how but by the scale of sanctification upon our hearts And this seale is Love Set me as a seale upon thine heart for Love is strong as death Cant. 8.6 Whosoever sindes his self enricht with this precious jewel the love of God above all and of his neighbour as himself may thence assure himself of his regeneration and adoption that he is the childe of God for love is of God and every one that loveth is born of God and knoweth God and he that loveth not knoweth not God for God is Love 1 Joh. 4.7 8. And this love betwixt God and every true faithful soul is mutual no man can love God but he that is beloved of God for our love to God is but the reflexion of Gods love upon our hearts whereby our desires are inflamed towards him and our endevours quickned to serve him in righteousness and true holiness Quis justus nisi qui dilectus à Deo Bern. ep 107. Deum redamat quod in nobis spiritus Dei efficit who is or can be a righteous man but only he who being beloved of God loves God again and expresses this love of his heart by the righteousness of his life which love and obedience the holy Spirit of God worketh in us A third rule for the trial of the Spirits is by the properties of the Spirit of truth which are observable in the manner of his descension upon the Apostles of Christ Act. 2.2 recorded Act. 2.2 And suddenly there came a sound from heaven as of a mighty rushing winde and it filled all the house where they were sitting This heavenly winde or breath of the Almighty wherewith all the Apostles were filled is exprest here to have four properties 1. 'T was Sudden 2. Vehement 3. From heaven 4. It filled the place where they were sitting All these are the properties of Gods Spirit whose motions and inspirations are First sudden and unexpected neither admitting of any delayes nor put-offs Ambr. For nescit tarda molimina Spiritus sancti gratia Secondly vehement for the conversion and quite turning over of the soul he blowes upon 2 Cor. 10.4 casting down of strong holds the fortifications of sin and Satan and bringing into subjection every thought that
exalts it self Thirdly from heaven as being the Spirit of God who dwelleth in the heavens and to heaven-ward wings and raises the soul which he inspires Fourthly it filled the house where they were sitting ever tends to the good of the Church 1 Pet. 2 5. which is the houshold of faith This heavenly winde never blowes but for the good of Gods houshold therefore are his people called a spiritual house By the two first of these qualities 't will be a hard matter to distinguish a false spirit from the Spirit of truth For as it is ordinary and common to every winde to be both sudden and vehement so 't is common to every spirit also both true and false nay commonly false and faigned spirits are more violent and vehement and make a greater noise and stir in the world then the true Spirit doth and there is good reason for it for the false spirit wanting the native strength and genuine efficacy of the truth to support it flies therefore to force and violence earnest zeal and forwardness to bear up in the mindes and good opinions of the world For the tryal of spirits then according to this rule we must look upon the two other properties of this divine winde which are not ordinary and common and not natural to that winde which blowes in the air First it came from heaven Windes do not naturally come from heaven but out of the caves and hollowes of the earth or out of the middle region of the air neither do they blow desursum downwards as this winde did but laterally from one coast or climate to another but this winde came directly downwards and de coelo from heaven it self Secondly it filled the house where they were sitting and no house but that The winde naturally blowes upon all places alike within its circuit but this winde blew electively as it were and by discretion making choice of one place only to blow upon and no other so that in both these respects it is manifest it was a winde extraordinary and supernatural And by these two properties we may try and examine both the truth of our own and of the spirits of others If first those desires opinions and actions which relate to Religion be from above if the ground thereof be fetcht de coelo from heaven so that they tend to make us heavenly minded to wean our hearts from the world to elevate and raise up our affections to things above to form and frame our conversations towards heaven Col. 3.2 If secondly they keep us within the pale and limits of the Church if they tend to the general benefit edification profit and good of the houshold of faith and to the conversation of peace and love and unity amongst Christians we may then be confident it is the heavenly winde the divine breath of the Almighty the holy Spirit of God that inspires them But if otherwise these motions and opinions that seem religious be either first grounded upon earthly and worldly respects have their private aims and intentions either of ambition vain-glory and popular applause as in some or of worldly profit benefit and preferment as in others or of hatred malice revenge as in a third sort of men or if secondly they tend to divisions schisme separation debate variance malice hatred envie c. If either they smell rank of the world or taste of any fruits of the flesh recorded Gal. 5.19 Now the works of the flesh are manifest which are these adultery fornication c. Then this winde comes surely not from heaven there is nothing in it but what is either natural or worse suggested by the spirit of error 'T is either a revelation of flesh and bloud arising out of the caves and hollowes of an earthly minde or else it is inspired and blown from those regions of the air which are the habitation of unclean spirits 'T is not defluxus coeli a divine breath inspired from heaven but either exhalatio terrae a terrene exhalation drawn from the hollows of a corrupt heart or a blast from the spiritual powers of the air a suggestion of Satan And by this rule also every man may try himself whether he be truly sanctified by the Spirit of God or not He that shall find his soul possest with motions and desires weaned from all the pomps and vanities profits pleasures and cares of the world hungring and thirsting and breathing after heaven whose soul dwels more in heaven then on earth whose affections are set on things above and not on things below may be well assured of the Spirit of God dwelling in him For all such motions and desires are but sparks of that heavenly fire the flame whereof is mindful of its own original ever mounts the soul aloft works towards its own center and tends to the place from whence it comes To denote which ascending quality of the Spirit of Grace is one reason more why the holy Ghost is represented by fire Mat. 3.11 Because 't is the property of fire both flame and smoke to mount upward so 't is the property of every heavenly inspired soul to ascend both in contemplation and desires neither the more pure nor yet the more drossie part of the soul cleaves unto the dust and continually dwels below that is endued with power from above or with the Spirit of God And for the same reason amongst others also the holy Ghost is represented by water Joh. 7.38 39. because as 't is the property of water even against its own nature to ascend as high as is the place from whence it descends so even against the stream of natural corruption the soul is mounted to heaven by the influence of Gods spirit who cometh down from heaven And the wings which the holy Spirit hath for this ascension and slight are devout and fervent prayers divine and celestial meditations and desires CHAP. X. Of the means to obtain the true Spirit of God THE holy Spirit of God which in the shape of a dove 4. Gen. the embleme of the Spirit of love descended upon Christ our Lord Mat. 3.16 and which afterward both visibly and publickly also came down from heaven and filled the Apostles of Christ extraordinarily and miraculously with his heavenly Act. 2. gifts and graces doth daily descend still upon the members of Christs mystical body though not in such a plentiful measure nor yet after such a visible miraculous manner yet ordinarily and invisibly in the use of means he comes still and by his secret celestial influence visits enlightens and sanctifies the souls of men In every good thought in every good motion and pious desire of the soul in every devout sigh and sorrowful groan under the weight and burthen of sin in every striving and raising of the soul from under that weight in every elevation of the soul from the dust and rubbish of worldly vanities and aspiring towards heaven in every beam of holy truth and
divine grace whether relating to piety or charity the holy Ghost descends from heaven Thus he daily comes unto us and thus he will ever come and be with his Church and people unto the end of the world according to that promise of our Lord Mat. 28.20 Mat. 28.20 And lo I am with you alway unto the end of the world He will be with us if we will be with him and not neglect the means he hath ordained to be made partakers of his ever blessed presence with us The means to fetch down this holy Spirit from heaven to sanctifie our souls by his grace here that he may exalt us to his glory in the heavens hereafter besides those natural and moral means for the attainment of spiritual gifts before remembred which are also dispensed from the Spirit of God the divine means or conveyances of the Spirit are either 1. Outward 2. Inward The outward means are no other but those three essential parts of divine worship 1. Holy Prayer 2. The holy Word 3. The holy Sacraments The most holy God commanding us nothing but what are the means and waies of our own happiness viz. the means of grace and sanctification here Quod homini proficit Deo servit Tert. de â—oâ—n c. 2. as the way to our glorification hereafter For there is nothing that we poor frail mortal dust and ashes can perform that may any way add really add to the glory or happiness of the most high most glorious and ever blessed God And in that he lays his commands upon us and enjoyns us several waies of acknowledging our obedience to him 't is of his tender care and respect to us-ward even for our guidance and direction in the waies of our own felicity The Laws of God are no other then the rules of mans perfection even the sacred paths we must tread to attain that pitch of perfection whereunto we are created being instampt after the blessed image of our Maker So that the parts of Gods service commanded are to us the means of grace and salvation sincerely obeyed 1. Holy prayer in all the parts and species thereof is a means to fetch down the holy Spirit of God in his gifts and grace So saith our Lord positively and clearly Luk. 11.13 Luk. 11.13 If ye being evill know how to give good gifts unto your children how much more shall your heavenly Father give his holy Spirit to them that ask him And that we might know what is here meant by the Spirit St. Matthew records the words of our Lord thus Mat. 7.11 How much more shall your heavenly Father give good things to them that ask him All good things being comprised under the name of the Spirit as the fountain from whence they flow And Joh. 14.14 Joh. 14 14. If ye shall ask any thing in my name I will do it and presently after he promiseth as the sum of all that they could ask for I will pray the Father and he shall give you another Comforter even the Spirit of truth c. God is in himself the fountain of all perfection every good and every perfect gift every divine celestial soul-sanctifying grace is in God as the original prototype and grand examplar as the root from whence the sap of every grace as the Sun from whence the beam of every gift for illumination is derived unto us Jam. 1.17 from the holy heavens they must come for there is their proper seat and habitation as the Wise man confesseth Wisd 9. when he petitioned the God of heaven for the wisdome of the Spirit And the same means must we use to fetch down both wisdome and the rest of the graces of the Spirit even by prayer commanded Jam. 1.5 Prayer is the blessed mean that unites God and man brings heaven and earth together 'T is that golden chain saith Basil that ties the gracious ears of God to the hearts and tongues of men 'T is the hand which reaches from earth to heaven and takes forth every good thing out of the Lords treasury Mat. 7.7 Therefore 't is said Mat. 7.7 Ask and ye shall receive seek and ye shall finde knock and it shall be opened unto you so that 't is also the ring or hammer wherewithal we knock at the gates of heaven and beg a blessing from the great Lord that dwelleth there Nay it is the key of heaven saith Aug. which opens unto us those everlasting doors of glory 'T is the blessed engine wherewithal we storm the heavenly Jerusalem and as it were by force and violence make our entrance into the holy City which is full of wealth and never fading treasures Mat. 11.12 The Kingdome of heaven saith our Lord suffers violence and the violent take it by force fervent importunate prayers being the scaling ladders Gen. 28. represented by Jacobs ladder which being set upon the earth the top thereof reacheth to the heavens our several prayers upon all occasions wants and opportunities are as it were the several rounds of this celestial ladder whereupon the desires and affections of our souls ascend from earth to heaven and leaving these frail earthy tabernacles of clay make their way unto the most high God which sits in the heavens Or it may be represented by that fiery chariot of Elijah 2 King 2.11 wherein he was wrapt from earth to heaven for so by fervent prayers and devotions are the souls of holy and religious men they are thereby enwrapt and mount from the earth to have their conversation in heaven with God on high whence they again descend enricht with celestial blessings or with the Spirit of God This is also further proved by the example of the Apostles who after they had prayed the holy Ghost descended on them Act. 4.31 And when they had prayed the place was shaken where they assembled together and they were all filled with the holy Ghost and the spake the Word of God with boldnesse 2. The holy Word of God in general but the Gospel of Christ in special in the preaching or reading hearing and understanding thereof is an effectual means for the obtaining of the Spirit 2 Tim. 3 16. for all Scripture is given by inspiration they are the very dictates the breathings of the Spirit upon the souls of men and are therefore profitable for doctrine or to teach the truth for reproof to convince what is false and erroneous for correction of the negligent and delinquent and for instruction in righteousnesse to the proficient That the man of God Gloss Lyra. he who is ordained to divine offices as Timothy was may be to that end perfected and thoroughly furnished to every good work 2 Tim. 3.16 And of the Scriptures in the verse before 't is said they are sufficient to make us wise to salvation viz. being spiritually understood saith the Inter. Gloss That they are the means both of our illumination and sanctification which are the ends of the
saith the Lord Jer. 4.4 Break up the fallow ground of your hearts and sow not amongst thornes be circumcised to the Lord and take away the foreskin of your hearts that is hardnesse of your hearts Deut. 10.16 cald also the circumcision of the Spirit Deut. 10.16 Col. 2.11 Act. 2.29 because it makes way for the Spirit and Col. 2.11 A circumcision made without hands even the putting off the sinful body of the flesh meaning the sinful crop of fleshly lusts which infest and infect the soul of these the soul must be disarayed and devested by repentance and mortification Rom. 8.13 14. Rom. 8.13 14. If ye live after the flesh c. The coherence of which verses imply before we can be led by the Spirit of God we must mortifie the deeds of the flesh the sordid rags of the old man must be put off before the soul can be clothed with the splendid garments of the Spirit of grace In vain is it to pray unto God for any spiritual grace or mercy while we continue in our sins for God heareth not sinners Joh. 9.31 In vain to hear or read the Gospel of grace Eph. 6.15 except our feet be shod with the preparation of repentance whereby we forsake our sins Therefore before the Gospel it self was published this was first proclaimed both by Christ and his forerunner Repent Mat. 3.2 4.17 1 Cor. 11.28 for the kingdome of God is at hand In vain to participate of those mysteries of our salvation the body and bloud of our Lord till first by self-examination we have cast out the venome of our sinful doings by repentance and stedfast purposes of amendment In a word Deus gratiam pollicius qui in extremitaâ—jbus temporum per spiritum suum universo orbi illuminaturus esset praeâ—re intinctionem poenitentiae jusslâ— ut quos per gratiam vocaret ad promissionem per poenitentiae subsignationem ante compoueret Tert. de poen c. 2. it is our sins unrepented that make void and ineffectual all the blessed means of Grace and of the Spirit by those it is we quench the Spirit we grieve the Spirit 1 Thess 5.19 Ephes 4.30 we resist the Spirit we provoke the Spirit and poyson the blessed waters of life so that all the conveyances of the Spirit are barren and unfruitful whilest they reflect upon hardened and impenitent hearts See therefore repentance enjoyned as to the receiving of the holy Ghost Act. 2.38 8.19 And I would to God that all who pretend to the holy Spirit of God or to any the fruits and graces of the Spirit would first learn before they make their boast of the Spirit truly to repent them of their sins and to root out of the ground of their hearts all the fruits of the flesh which are adultery fornication uncleannesse lasciviousnesse Gal. 5.19 20 21. idolatry witchcraft hatred variance emulation wrath strife seditions heresies envyings murthers drunkennesse revellings c. When these all of these sinful fruits are extirpated out of the ground of the heart there may be then some hopes that our prayers and other divine acts and offices performed in the sincerity of our souls may prevail with God for the direction and comfort of his Spirit of grace and truth God which hast taught the hearts of thy faithfull people by the sending to them the light of thy holy Spirit grant us by the same Spirit to have a right judgement in all things and evermore to rejoyce in his holy comfort through the merits of Jesus Christ our Saviour who liveth and reigneth with thee in the unity of the same Spirit one God world without end Amen The Introduction and general Heads GOD as he is in himself only knowes himself and consequently those waies of his worship Coeli mystarium me doceat Deus qui condidit non homo quisâ—ipsum ignoravit Amb. which are holy and acceptable to himself Man who knowes not himself aright cannot of himself know God nor those divine and celestial mysteries which are the waies of Gods service and mans salvation For what man is he that can know the counsel of God Or who can think what the will of the Lord is Wisd 9.13 Veritas Lactant. lib. 1. c. 1. i. e. arcanum summi Dei qui fecit omnia ingenio ac propriis sensibus non potest comprehendi Alioqui c. Truth which is the secret of the most high God who hath formed all things cannot by our own wit and proper senses be comprehended for otherwise there would be little distance betwixt God and man if mans cogitations could dive into the counsels and dispositions of Gods eâ—ernal Majesty Canst thou by searching finde out God canst thou finde out the Almighty unto perfection it is as high as heaven what canst thou do deeper then hell what canst thou know the measure thereof is longer then the earth and broader then the sea Job 11.7 c. 2. This therefore must be granted as the ground of all divine truth that nothing either of God or of his sacred service is to be believed and received by us but what from God is revealed or by revelation from heaven derived to us Secret things belong to the Lord our God but those things which are revealed belong unto us and to our children for ever that we may do all the words of this Law Hilar. de Trin. lib. 5. Deut. 29.29 Non potest Deus nisi per Deum intelligi sicut nec honorem à nobis Deus nisi per Deum accipit A Deo discendum est quid de Deo intelligendum sit quia non nisi se authore cognoscitur Id. namque honorandus c. God cannot be known but by himself neither doth he receive honour from us but by himself For that he is to be honour'd we understand not but that himself hath taught and commanded himself to be honoured The honour of God we are taught by God nor may we entertain any such thoughts of God as our own frail humane judgements suggest unto us our nature is not so sublime and piercing as by its own innate force and vertue to be raised up and enrapt with celestial knowledge Wisd 9 15. For the corruptible body presseth down the soul and the earthly tabernacle weigheth down the minde that museth upon many things and hardly do we ghesse aright at things that are upon earth and with labour do we finde the things that are before us but the things that are in heaven who hath searched out and thy counsel who hath known except thou give wisdome and send thy holy Spirit from above For so the waies of them that lived upon earth were reformed and men were taught the things that are pleasing unto thee and were saved through wisdome 3. The first and fundamental act of faith then which is to believe this or that Article of holy Religion to be a divine truth and the subject matter of
apt to receive the impression of divine revelation being no way then hindred by the working of the exterior senses upon outward sensible objects Thus the Lord revealed himself to Jacob Gen. 28.12 To Daniel Chap. 7.1 To Joseph Mat. 2.13 19. 3. By external representations and appearances when awake as Jer. 1.11 12 13. Ezek. 1.4 c. and this was accompanied sometime with the extasie and entrancing of the person who received such visions as Dan. 10.8 9. St. Paul was in an extasie when he was caught up into the third heaven so that he knew not for that time whether his soul was cloathed with humane flesh or separated from it 2 Cor. 12.2 4. By internal inspiration of the holy Ghost without any such extasie or abolition of sense as Job David and many others were inspired and yet we read not that they were extasied or entranced as 2 Pet. 1.21 Holy men of God spake as they were moved by the holy Ghost There is an ordinary moving by the holy Ghost for every good motion every spark of celestial fire whether for illumination or sanctification is from him And there is an extraordinary motion of the Spirit in the Prophets of the Old and Apostles of the New Testament 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 they were acted or carried by the holy Ghost and spake as they were thus incited by God And those under the New Testament were also honoured with this extraordinary manner of divine revelation upon whom 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 the holy Ghost fell Act. 10.44 and they spake with tongues and of whom 't is said by imposition of the Apostles hands they received the holy Ghost Act. 8.17 5. By Vrim and Thummim the one signifying light and the other perfection they were two ornaments in the High-priests breast-plate but how and after what manner they gave their answer is diversly delivered The learned Jewes say that the names of Abraham Isaac and Jacob and the twelve Patriarchs with this addition All these are the Tribes of Israel In which names and words all the letters of the Alphabet are contained And by the prominency and shining of those letters the answers were received and communicated to the people 6. By a voice from heaven called by the Hebrews Bath-col the daughter of a voice or the production of thunder and this was usually conveighed into the ears of the persons that heard it upon the wings of the winde as before is remembred to Adam Gen. 3.8 So also to Elias 1 King 19.11 12. To Christ Mat. 3.17 And his Apostles received the holy Ghost in a mighty rushing winde Act. 2. These were the divers waies of more immediate revelation of old which were not ordinary and common but at sundry times and upon special and extraordinary occasions either upon some great work of Judgement or mercy from God to his people or of repentance and now obedience from the people unto God All which waies of divine revelation are long since ceased in the Church of Christ as being furnished with sufficient means of instruction in righteousness and saving knowledge without any such manners of extraordinary revelation for as the judicious Hocker observes Since God himself hath therefore revealed his will Ece polit l. 1. sect 14. because men could not otherwise have known so much as is necessary his surceasing to speak unto the world since the publishing of the Gospel of Jesus Christ and the delivery of the same in writing is to us a manifest token that the way of salvation is now sufficiently opened and that we need no other means for our full instruction then God hath already furnished us withal There are 3. Reasons amongst others why God was pleased in such divers manners to reveal himself of old but in these last daies to surcease the use of any such revelations 1. Because the people of God had either 1. No Scripture at all as from Adam to Moses Or 2. The written Law only as from Moses to Samuel Or 3. The Lawes and the Prophets only as from Samuel to Christ but we have both Law and Gospel Prophets and Apostles the revelations of God both new and old fully and sufficiently delivering the will of God unto us 2. Gods people of old looked unto Christ for to come and waited for that light which was yet to be revealed but we believe in Christ already come and are made partakers of that true light which displayed from Christ the Sun of righteousness does fully discover unto us the waies of Gods service and of our own salvation so that it is as needless for us now to depend upon new revelations or set up new lights as to hold candles to the sun when it shines in its fulness of splendour 3. The Jewes being curious of knowing things to come and withall prone to Idolatry that therefore they might not have recourse to soothsayers and sorcerers nor run a whoring after Idols God frequently sent them Prophets extraordinary and then they had most such Prophets sent when they were most Idolatrous But now all idol-temples are broken down and their Oracles long since ceased so that there is no such danger among Christians of other Idolatry or Image-worship as that Idolatry which is too usual and common to worship the imaginations of their own hearts whereunto those of all others are most prone who most depend upon new revelations CHAP. III. Of an extasie natural and supernatural and the difference between Divine Extasies of old and Diabolical Entrancings and Inspirations 1. AS God is the fountain of Truth which is derived unto us by revelation from him so the Devil is the father of Falshood and lies which deduce their original from his secret and subtil inspirations And herein the Devil is Gods Ape cunningly following the same waies of seduction and deceit observed by God for the conveyance of his saving Truth So that where God has his Church the Devil hath his Chappel and where God has his true Prophets the Devil hath his false Prophets also And the several waies of Divine Revelation observed by the one are imitated by the other viz. by Dreams and Visions Extasies and Entrancings I will go forth and I will be a lying spirit in the mouthes of his Prophets 1 King 22.22 Thus the heavenly Doctrine and miracles of Christ are confronted by the devillish doctrines and lying wonders of Autichrist 2 Thess 2.9 And a departure from the true saith there ever was and ever will be in the Church whilest militant here upon earth even by giving heed to seducing spirits and doctrines of Devils 2 Tim. 4.1 2. Nor does this evil spirit work his deceits and inspire his damnable doctrines but by Gods permission 1 King 22.22 and therefore the evil spirit is said to be from the Lord. Because 1. He is licenc'd by the Lord. And because 2. His actings upon and by his seduced instruments are like the actings of the Spirit of the Lord upon his servants so we read 1
order and right application to the clearing of any truth they would seem to affirm that as they themselves know not well what they say nor whereof they affirm so is it very unlikely that any man else should rightly understand their meanings 3. The Prophets of the Lord had never any motions from the good Spirit but what tended unto good and not to the least harm either of themselves or others But such as were entranced by the evill spirit had motions to do harm and mischief both to themselves and to others also As Saul would have killed David in his Prophet-like trances 1 Sam. 18.11 And Prisca and Maximilla two heretical Prophetesses and great pretenders to immediate revelation hanged themselves in one of their counterfeit Rovelation Extasies which will further appear in the 16. chapter of this Discourse 4. All that was delivered unto or uttered by the true Prophets of God in any of their Extasies were for the good and edification of the Church and people of God But all the revelations of false Prophets are at the best unprofitable useless and vain if not destructive to the Truth The lies errors and deceits the blasphemies and devilish doctrines which these counterfet extasies and revelations have brought forth are both manifold and notoriously manifest also But that ever any saving truth either not known before or nor understood hath in these last daies been by immediate revelation discovered cannot I believe by the greatest Enthusiast of the Age be made to appear Chrys in Mat. c. 7. Hom. 19. S. Chrysost gives us two rules whereby to know true Miracles and consequently true Revelations also from such as are false and counterfeit 1. If necessary as to the time and occasion of them 2. If usefull and profitable as to the issue and fruits thereof but if neither of these concur in a Miracle or Revelation they are false and illusive and to be ascribed rather to the cunning of Satan then to the power of God 5. The Visions and Prophesyings of the Lords Prophets were at all times and altogether true having not the least mixture of error or falshood therein But those of the false Prophets are sometimes true and sometimes false and sometimes neither true nor false but of such a dubious nature as to be seemingly true not only in several but even in contrary senses Et est evidentis judicii c. 'T is evident enough that those things are not from the true God wherein there is the least mixture of falshood or of a lye in any particular Et in his qui mentiuntur Iren. proem advers Haer. saith Irenaeus Even in lying vanities and doctrines of Devils there is ever some truths enter mixed that under the covert thereof the falshood and deceit may unperceivably pass and be entertain'd Thus though the Diabolical spirit appear in the likeness of holy Samuel and the Extasies and entrancings of false Prophets be like unto those of the Lords Prophets yet 1. By their wilde exotique gestures and vexatious agitations 2. By their loss of the use of their reason and understanding for the time 3. By their harmful motions and mischievous incitements 4. By the uselesnesse and unprofitableness of their revelations And 5. though they may speak much truth yet by the least intermixture of falshood and of a lie therewith they may easily be distinguisht the one from the other But to leave these extraordinary means of divine Revelation so long ceased in the Church of God and not of late pretended unto but by Impostors and seduced persons which will appear yet further by considering in the next place the ordinary means of divine Revelation before Christ and their Schools of the Prophets CHAP. IV. Of the ordinary waies of Divine Revelation before Christ 1. THE ordinary means whereby God revealed and made known his will unto his people were in the firster ages the Tradition or delivery of divine Truths from Patriarch to Patriarch together with the Catechetical instructions of the first born and heads of families in whom the several offices of King Priest and Prophet were pro tempore enstated These divine truths were not at the first committed to writing because the years of the first Patriarchs were so many that their memories might well serve them in stead of books Hook eccl pol. l. 1. ser 13. the imperfections and defects whereof God mercifully relieved by often putting them in minde of what was most necessary to be remembred by them In which respect it is easie to observe how many times one thing hath been iterated even to sundry of the best and wisest amongst them And thus it continued in the Church of God which was governed and instructed by a traditionary and unwritten Law from Adam to Moses 2. When the lives of men upon earth were shortned The written Law of God as a surer and more durable means of divine Revelation was commanded to be the Rule of their actions But yet not so as that 't was permitted to each man to give his own sense and make his own interpretation of this divine Law at will and pleasure but 't was to be expounded to them by the consecrated Priests and lawfully called Prophets of God in all ages Neh. 8.4 5 c. Mal. 1.7 Luk. 4.17 Act. 8.30.37 3. And this way of revealing the will of God in the exposition of his holy Lawes did differ much in the time of the first and of the second Temple For under the second Temple Prophesie by extraordinary Revelation generally ceased and hereupon came in a multitude of other Expositors Scribes and Pharisees Wisemen and Disputers 1 Cor. 1.20 to all whom the people were commanded to give ear and to seek the Law at their mouth Mat. 23.2 3. The Scribes and Pharisees saith our Lord sit in Moses chair whatsoever they say unto you observe and do it 4. God ordinarily revealed himself as by his Word and the interpretations thereof so by his Works in several instances of his providence and acts of his service commanded E.G. The delivery of his people out of Aegypt was a revelation of Christs flight and return thence and of our deliverance by him from the bondage of spiritual Pharaoh the Prince of darknesse and from that worse then Egyptian darkness of sin Mat. 1.15 and ignorance here and blackness of darkness for ever hereafter Gods command to Abraham to offer up his only Son Isaac Gen. 22. was a Revelation of his gracious purpose to offer his only son a sacrifice for the sins of the world in whom all the nations of the earth are blessed The erection of the brazen Serpent in the wilderness Joh 3.19 was a Revelation of the son of mans elevation on the Crosse The Passeover or eating of the Paschal Lamb a Revelation of Christ our Passeover 1 Cor. 9.7 that Lamb of God who taketh away the sins of the word The very place where Adam was created being the same where
Cain and Abel sacrificed Gen. 4. where Noah built an Altar Gen. 8.20 And where Abraham did the like Gen. 22.9 Where David also built an Altar 1 Chron. 21.22 And where Solomon built a Temple unto the Lord 2 Chron. 3.1 was a typical Revelation of Christ to be sacrificed in the same place for our Reconciliation with God Maym. in Misa book 8. Treat of the Temp. which some of the Jewish Rabbies themselves saith Maym have observed saying Our wise men have say that Adam was created out of the place of his atonement The raising up of Jonah from the dead who is conceived by some of the Ancients to be the widows son of Zarephath who was raised by Elijah 1 King 17. Mat. 12.40 And the swallowing of the same Jonah by the Whale with his deliverance out of the belly of that fish after three daies and three nights was a praesignification of Christs Christs Resurrection for us on the third day Heb. 9.9 10 c. All the sacrifices for sin under the Law were as so many ocular Rovelations of great sacrifice of Gods Son offered up on the Altar of the Crosse And so their difference of meats and drinks and divers washings their new Moons and Sabbaths were shadows of things to come the body whereof is Christ Col. 2.16 17. All these were as so many mystical Revelations or shadowes of Christ the Son of righteousness as so many praesignations of Christ who is the truth and in whom all these several waies of divine Revelation both ordinary and extraordinary were compleated CHAP. V. Of their Schooles of the Prophets 1. FOR the better ensitting of persons both in an ordinary way to interpret the Law of God as also to be capable of extraordinary and immediate Revelations upon extraordinary occasions as also for the propagation of learning and encrease of wisdome in order hereunto there were divers Colledges and Schooles of the Prophets in several places of the land of Israel the portion of Gods inheritance erected And although it be not positively in holy writ affirmed that in such or such a place there was a Colledge or School where the gift of Prophesie was studied for which is the objection of the present pretenders to immediate Revelation yet is it clearly enough implied in many places and by the currant of all interpreters of holy Scriptures by many Chorographers and other learned persons who have described unto us the customs and manners of the Hebrewes and this from the Hebrew Doctors themselves who best knew the state of their own Common-wealth 't is sufficiently and fully evidenced unto us To instance in some places and passages of holy Scripture from whence both the being and some orders also of these Colledges are observed We read Josh 15.15 of the city of Kiriath-sepher which being interpreted is civitas literarum the City of Learning for here saith Adrichomius there was an Academy And in Judg. 7.1 of the hill Moreh which is by interpretation the hill of the Teacher receiving its denomination from the School there erected In 1 Sam. 10.5.10 we read of the hill of God so call'd from the Prophets of the Lord who had there their Schoole and the company of Prophets here mentioned as also 1 Sam. 19.20 were Students in those waies of learning which ensitted them for the gift of Prophesie Studiosorum operam Prophetiae dantium Junius in loc And that these Prophets prophesied not by immediate Revelation as our present Enthusiasts affirm is manifest in that Samuel saith the Text was standing as appointed over them Had they been immediately taught by God why was Samuel appointed to be their guide and Teacher And whereas 't is further said The Spirit of God was upon the messengers of Saul and they also Prophesied Prophetabant i.e. prophetico more agebant Jun. The meaning is no other but that God by his holy Spirit so changed their mindes that they did not now so much think of apprehending David who was fled to this colledge as to a Sanctuary and place of refuge as to hear and discourse with the Prophets of the Lord and accordingly they put off their military habit and behaved themselves after the manner of the Prophets quite forgetting to seise upon David which was the errand they came about And thus Saul himself is said to prophesie as well as his messengers vers 24. The sens of the Prophets mentioned to be at Bethel 2 King 2.3 and at Jericho vers 5. at Naioth and many other places do appear to be no other but students of several Colledges in such several places Huldah the Prophetesse is said to dwell in a Colledge in Hierusalem 2 King 22.14 And in this city alone there were no lesse then 200 Colledges and Schooles The Master and the Scholar mentioned Mal. 2.12 And the Schoole of one Tyrannus Act. 19.9 with several more particular intimations are evident testimonies of these Schooles We read Psal 84.7 They go from strength to strength Chald. paraph. interpreted by the Hebrews themselves who best knew their own customes to be a kinde of promotion or degree in removing from their Sanctuary to their School For in their Sanctuary and Synagogues points of Divinity were more plainly delivered their teachings there being ad populum But in their Schools deep points were handled and more exactly and profoundly discussed their teachings there being ad clerum So that 't was a degree to be removed from the Teaching of the Sanctuary to that of the Schoole There were three Degrees in these Schooles 1. Scholars Disciples or Juniors 2. Proficients who were by imposition of hands made Graduates and thereby companions to the Rabbi which ceremony of imposing hands they used in imitation of Moses to Joshua Numb 27.18 3. Rabbies such as were worthy to teach others The name Rabbi being derived from the Heb. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Multiplicatus fuit Goodw. antiq upon the title Rabbi such a one whom the Greeks style 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 A Master or Doctor eminently gifted with variety of knowledge The Scholars sate upon the ground at the feet of their Teachers St. Paul was brought up at the feet of Gamaliel Act. 22.3 Mary sate at Jesus feet and heard his word Luk. 10.39 The Graduates or companions sate upon benches somewhat higher And the Rabbies in elevated reserved chaires which are those chief seats in the Synagogues the Scribes and Pharisees so much affected Mat. 23.6 The chief Prophets or Heads of these Colledges were not only termed Rabbies or Masters but also Fathers and the Scholars or Students the Sons and children of the Prophets whereunto that saying of our Lord alludes Wisdome is justified of her children Mat. 11.19 Elisha cryed to Elijah My Father My Father 2 King 2.12 The Targum upon the place reads Rabbi Rabbi my Master my Master or my teaching Father which by the wise man are styl'd the Masters of the Assemblies Eccl. 12.11 CHAP. VI. Of being
shine into our hearts and guide us in the sacred paths of life eternal But as unto every thing of price and value there is art and skill required rightly to make use thereof and also there are means and instruments fitted for the acquiring of this skill so rightly to use this precious jewel of Gods holy Word for the illumination of our souls there is much art and skill required and this skill must be attained in the use of all those instruments and helps which God hath for this end graciously afforded unto us it being most agreeable to the wisdome and goodnesse of God to work upon humane understanding by humane means and helps And according as we are more or lesse industrious in the use of these means God imparts a more or lesse treasure of understanding unto us Not as if the holy Spirit of God could not without means communicate his gifts of wisdome and open our understanding to understand the Scriptures Luk 24.45 But that ordinarily he doth not do this but commands us not lazily to sit still Prov. 2.4 and wait upon his immediate Revelations but to seck for knowledge and search for wisdome as for hid treasures and how shall we seek for it but in the use of those means he hath sitted for this search And these means are either outward or inward The outward and humane helps are the knowledge and understanding of tongues and sciences The inward or divine means are the purity and holiness of the hearts and life The first are necessary as to the formale externum to understand the outward letter of the word in its proper and genuine sense The second as to the formale internum rightly to apply the word according to the minde of the holy Spirit therein And experimentally to feel those sacred truths accomplished in our selves As to the former whereupon this controversie depends the knowledge of tongues and languages arts and sciences herewithall the holy Scripture doth presuppose those men to be furnished that will dive into the secret and hidden mysteries therein contained for all kindes of knowledge have their certain bounds and limits and each of them presupposes many necessary things learned in other sciences before we can know the secrets of this as the Art of Rhetorick presupposeth the understanding of words as the cabinet must be first opened before the jewel therein can be found out There is a threefold knowledge of things natural moral and divine By the first we are guided to live as men By the second as reasonable men and members of a civil society By the third as Christian men and parts of Christs body the Church And each of these presupposes the other as moral wisdome presupposes that which is natural and divine wisdome presupposes both to this end God hath endued us not only 1. With sense to know the things that concern our present life and being 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Phil. de Mos And 2. with reason to know what concerns our well being in the peace contentment and happiness of the soul But 3. He hath added also the heavenly revelations of his holy Word whereby what sense and reason could never sinde out as conducible to eternal happiness is made known unto us And as reason doth imply and presuppose a man to be endued with sense so Religion and divine Revelation presupposes as to endued with sense and reason 2. Divinity which is the body of divine Revolation is the Art of arts and comprehends with it what ever other Arts do teach And the holy Scriptures the contents whereof are the precepts of this Art both contains all kindes of knowledge und relates to all sorts of truth both natural Eph. 5.20 Civil Rom. 13.4 Historical 2 Tim. 3.8 Forein Tit. 1.12 And consequently to the understanding thereof the knowledge of such Truths are necessarily subservient to the supernatural and divine assistance Humane Arts are the Handmaids of Religion which they serve and wait upon as their Queen and Soveraign And as great Fersons are not approached unto without the mediation of servants and great Houses have their through-fare before you come to rooms of state and great Cities have their suburbs before you come to the high streets So the great and sacred body of Divinity is not approached unto ordinarily 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 she sits in the height and perfection of understanding but by the mediation of her Handmaids or through the several passages of Tongues and Sciences 3. Though many things in holy Scripture be plain and easie to be understood without the help of much learning or art yet there are also many things obscure dark and mysterious which too many men for want of learning and sobriety do misconster pervert and abuse to their own ruine which is expresly affirmed both of St. Pauls Epistles and of other Scriptures also 2 Pet 3.16 As also in all his Epistles speaking in them of those things in which are some things hard to be understood which they that are unlearned and unstable wrest as they do also the other Scriptures unto their own destruction In which meaning St. Pauls Epistles are somethings hard Non temere a Spiritu Sto. Scripturas esse tectas sed eb id meâ—imè ne vâ—leseam exerceant uâ— pascant Aug. And the holy Ghost hath therefore left Gods word in many places veil'd and obscure saith St. August 1. Novileseat that we might not undervalue it 2. Vt exerceat to keep us in the exercise of prayers and meditations studies and labours for all kinde of knowledge the more hardly it is attained the more we esteem it and the more also it doth feed and nourish the soul as making a deeper impression therein 4. Such is the height and sublime perfection of those holy mysteries in sacred Scripture contained that vulgar and learned men have need of an interpreter as Act. 8.31 Learned Guides therefore God hath in all ages raised up both Priests and Prophets under the Law and under the Gospel whom he hath appointed the treasurers of knowledge and unlearning in the sound and sincere Expasition of holy Scripture and instruction of his people 5. The necessity and honour of humane learning as to the reception and right understanding of divine Revelations doth appear from the antiquity for those first Patriarchs of the world who honoured with immediat Revelation and invested with the sacred office of the Priesthood were all of them learned men either so found or so made by the God of wisdome and knowledge when he spake unto them Adam as the first man so the first to whom God revealed himself and first Priest or Prophet of the Lord was not a â—ovice in Philosophy nor ignorant of any part of what we call humane learning he knew undoubtedly the nature properties vertues effects and workings of all creatures and therefore God permitted him to give them names according to their natures Gen. 2.19.20 And out of the ground the
from God is both confirmed by miracles and accompanied also with extraordinary gifts to execute the duties of this calling it being as easie with God when he pleases to make men learned as to finde them so And to descend to particulars 1. Elisha though he was at the first called from the plough yet was he so instructed by the Prophet Elijah and upon his prayers so extraordinarily endued with the spiritual gifts of wisdome and knowledge that he became Master of one of the Schools of the Prophets whose Colledge was so full that the Students desired him to have it enlarged 2 King 6.1 And 't was one of his own Colledge no stranger or illiterate person that he sent upon the Lords message to anoint Jehu King over Israel 2 King 9.1 2. Amos indeed professeth of himself Amos 7.14 I was no Prophet neither was I Prophets son but I was an Herdman and gatherer of Sycomore fruits and the Lord said unto me Go and prophesie to this people But then this is noted withall as a thing singular and rare that such a one should be called a Prophet who was not the Son of a prophet nor bred up in their Schools whereby he might be enfitted for so great a calling And undoubtedly the mouth of this Prophet would soon have been stopt and severe punishment inflicted on him for presuming to prophesie in the name of the Lord had he not by miracles or some infallible signs prov'd his calling to be extraordinary and divine And although no miracle be recorded for the confirmation of this Prophets extraordinary calling yet of Elisha who was called from the plough we read that he made Iron to swim raised the dead revealed the secret counsels of the King of Syria being many miles distant And of the Apostles that they spake diverse languages healed all diseases c. If therefore any of these persons who pretend to immediate Revelation and consequently to be extraordinarily called to preach the Gospel can confirm the same by any such miracle 't would be a very great sin against the good Spirit of God to deny that he were in them of a truth but since this they cannot do they speak not with tongues but against them rather they cure no diseases but increase them the more those especially of melancholy frenzy c. you may know their disciples by their pale complexions lean cheeks wilde distorted looks In a word since they pretend to extraordinary matters and yet can by no extraordinary means or miracle confirm the same 't is too evident that their pretended Revelations are the delusions of their own hearts and not the inspirations of the Spirit of truth 3. For the Apostles of Christ though they were but ignorant and unlearned persons when first called yet through the instructions of Christ himself in person for three years together and the extraordinary inspirations of his holy Spirit they were afterwards endued with the gifts of learning both divine and humane whereof the very appearances of the holy Ghost descending upon them may put us in minde 1. In tongues enabling them to understand and speak all languages 2. In cloven Tongues enduing them with i the Art of Rhetorical elocution and Logical Analyse to divide distinguish and resolve Gods word into its proper parts and portions 3. In fiery Tongues that by the knowledge of things both natural and moral they might illustrate clear and make manifest things divine All which parts of learning evidently appear both in their Sermons and Epistles included in the sacred canon of Scripture and those also that stand upon record in other Ecclesiastical writings Such persons then as from the example of the Apostles pretend to the knowledge of Gods will by immediate Revelation must also be assur'd that they have the gifts of learning by immediate inspiration also For Learning and Religion are two inseparable twins no rude and illiterrate Ignoramo's being capable whilest they so continue of the sublime and celestial mysteries of godliness And undoubtedly it had been a very unfitting thing that the Apostles of Christ at first or any of his Ministers since should be an ignorant and illiterate generation Greg. in 1 Kin. Sinoe our Redeemer himself as a Father observes as he is the Word of the eternal Father is the Master of all Arts and Sciences He professes himself to have received the Tongue of the learned Isa 50.4 And therefore 't is not to be neglected by any of his members much lesse of his Ministers And they to whom learning is offensive wherewithall Christ himself was enriched to them Christ is become a stumbling block and a stone of offence For Christ cannot be against himself neither can any true member of Christ either be against what was eminent in him or against those gifts that were bestowed by him He gave the gifts of Tongues and Sciences and he both will own them and does require them For as under the Law a lame and a blinde sacrifice was hateful unto God so both under Law and Gospel he requires that the Priests and Prophets which are the portion of his inheritance should be sound and seeing persons neither lame through negligence nor blinde through ignorance Mal. 2 7. 1 Tim. 5.17 2 Tim. 2.15 2 Tim. 3.17 but such whose lips preserve knowledge and also labour in the Word and Doctrine Such who study to shew themselves approved and are thoroughly furnished unto every good work Object 2 But do not we hear many unlearned men preach the Word expound Scriptures and the most difficult parts of them even hard Prophesies and the mystical Revelation it self and this to the great liking and almost admiration of the hearers Do not we hear them dispute with their Ministers and write books against all that oppose them and shall we yet doubt of their inspiration and the uselesnesse of humane learning since these persons can do all this without it Answ 'T is most true that such like things as these are performed by unlearned men and make a great noise in the world and bear sway with the vulgar very much but when these Sermons discourses and books come to the scanning of judicious ears and such who have the gift of discerning spirits all their preachments prove but unprofitable prattle if not profanations of Gods holy word Their discourses of Religion unreasonable and endlesse brabbles and their books fraught with impertinencies railings and lies For the sin of their mouth and the words of their lips they shall be taken in their pride for why their preaching is of cursing and lies Ps 59.12 Object 3 But do not we hear many good things come from them and many sweet truths to the great contentment and edification of the hearers There are many sentences and sayings in holy Scripture Answ and other good English books which are so plain and convincing that they cannot be wrested or perverted but when these come to be formed into a Sermon or into a
that the very end of all such breeding is meerly to make a trade of the Ministery that they may get livings and preferments in the world The Scholars study for Benefices and Tithes and Degrees and the Priests teach for hire and the Prophets prophesie for money thus the holy Ghost is bought and sold and the office of the Ministery it self being Simoniacal is thereby unlawfull Answ 'T is confessed That if Livings and preferments were the only end of our studies and endevours either for or in the work of the Ministery it were iniquity in us And although it cannot be denied but that some persons amongst us are too much guilty of this iniquity yet the guilt of some few and their ambitious and covetous desires do's neither first impeach the way of breeding in Colledges and Schooles nor yet secondly any way impugn the use and necessity of the Ministerial office As to the first not only under the Law the Prophets of the Lord both ordinary and extraordinary were generally such as were bred up in the Schools of the Prophets as before but under the Gospel we read of Christ himself that he had recourse unto the Temple where he sate amongst the Doctors hearing them and asking them questions Exâ—mplo ejus nobis estendem ne infirmus docere quis â—udeat si ille puer doceri interrogando voluit qui per divinitatâ— potentiam veâ—bam scientiae ipsis doctoribus mâ—nâ—stravit Lyra. Luk. 2.46 not that he who was the wisdome of the Father had need of any instruction from men but to give us an example by this gracious act of condescension first to hear and learn from them whom God and publique order has plac'tâ— over us before we presume to be the teachers of others As in temporall and civill affairs He to whom all things in heaven and caâ—th do bow and obey was notwithstanding obedient to his parents and to Caesar that he might be unto us a patter most the like obedience so in spiritual and divine things He who is the fountain of wisdome and truth vouchsafe notwithstanding to be taught by learn from the Doctors of the Law that he might be unto us an example to observe the same way of instruction and breeding The example of S. Paul the great Apostle of the Gentiles bred up at the fect of Gamaliel his Divinity Lectures for the space of seven years together Exemplified preached in the School of one Tyrannus hath both warranted and exemplified the joynt use of Philosophy and Divinity Lectures in our Colledges and the useful combination of humane and divine learning of humane Arts and divine Theologie Reason and Religion the one as the Handmaid and the other as the Mistresse or rather the Queen of saving knowledge and wisdome As to the second Those who either study to preach or preach what they have studied and learnt out of ambitious and covetous desires only as their intentions desires are best known unto God the Judge of all so to his just judgement 't is our Christian duty to refer them Bâ—r. in cant Serm. 3â— â—itat pâ—r Th. Aq. Est in 1 Cor. 8.1 And herein 't is to be heartily wished that those pious and prudent directions of S. Bernard might by all students and preachers both be remembred and observ'd Necesse est ut scias c. He that will study aright for knowledge and rightly imploy it when he hath obtained it it is necessary that he consider and observe 1. A right order 2 A right endevour 3. A right end in his studies and spiritual labours And. 1. He observes a right order who studies to know that first which is most conduceable to eternal salvation 2. A right endeavour is observed when that is most earnestly laboured for which most tends to the inflaming of the soul with the celestial fire of holy charity 3. He observes a right end in his studies who studies not either 1. out of curiosity or 2. of vain-glory or 3. for filthy lucre and preferment or in a word for any sordid and worldly ends but only for the edification of himself and others For 1. there are some saith the Father who study to know only that they may know and this is a fantastick and misbecoming curiosity Others 2. study to know that they may be known and taken notice of for learned and knowing men and this is pride and vain-glorious ostentation against whom that satyrical lash of the Poet is directed Scire tuum nihil est nisi te scire hoc sciat alter Others 3. study to know that they may make sale and gain of their knowledge and this is filthy covetousness Others 4. do study for knowledge and widom for their own edification in the most holy Faith and this in prudence And others 5. study for the aedification of others And this is Charity Only the two last saith the Father abuse not their knowledge because for this end only they labour for knowledge that they may know to do good both to themselves and to others The necessity of learning as to the understanding of holy Scriptures will further appear by induction of particulars CHAP. X. The several parts of Learning required to the understanding of the holy Scriptures I. TO the right understanding of the true and genuine sense of Gods holy Word first The knowledge of Tongues and Languages is requisite For tongues are the gates of knowledge or the doors to the house of wisdome and as ordinarily no man enters a house but by the doors thereof so no man how piercing soever his understanding be can enter the cabinet of divine mysteries contained in holy Scriptures but by some insight in those languages wherein they were written For 1. 't is not enough to see these waters of life in their streams except we see them also in their fountain not only as they are severally and variously translated by men but as they are the immediate dictates of the Spirit of God for as waters are more clear in the fountain then in the stream so the holy Scriptures appear more clear and intelligible in the Original and fountain Language then as they are conveighed unto us in the stream of Translations into other languages 2. The holy Scripture is full of Metaphors Multa dicuntur in sac Script 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 omnis metaphora si de-alia in aliam linguam transferatur ad verbum quibusdam quasi sentibus orationis sensus germina suffocantur Hier. in Eph. 4. and as Hier. observes When a Metaphor is transferred out of one Language into another if it be done exactly and to a word it loses its proper emphasis and the sense and fruitfulness thereof is stifled and choakt 3. There is no Translation how accurate soever can in all words and phrases punctually agree with the Original because there are but few words to be found in any language which have not divers significations II. The knowledge of
presume to intermeddle with preaching or unfolding the mysteries of the Gospel 'T is recorded of the great St. Basil and Nazianzen that after their long studies in saecular learning Russin Lib. 2. cap. 9. they continued for the space of thirteen yeers together in a monastery giving themselves to the study of holy Scriptures the sense and meaning whereof they fetcht not out of their own heads but out of the writings and authority of the ancients to whom by succession from the Apostles the rule of right understanding the Scriptures was apparently known The order of divine wisdome and providence in the dispensation of holy truths to the world is worth our observation out of 1 Cor. 12.4 5 6. There are diversities of gifts but the same Spirit there are diversities of administrations but the same Lord and there are diversities of operations but the same God that worketh all in all From hence it is easie to observe that there must be gifts before administrations i. e. 1. A man must be qualified with gifts fit for every calling before he receive administration or be ordained to that calling 2. There must be administration before operation i. e. A man must be lawfully ordained to a calling before he work or labour therein So in the great calling of the Ministry the gifts of the Spirit must precede or go before before Letters of administration be taken And 2. a lawful ordination must be taken before operation or working therein And he that either 1. assumes this high and sacred function Bish Andr. serm in 1 Cor. 12.14 c. being not qualified with gifts contemns the Spirit from whom they come Or 2. He that labours in the word and Doctrine though he be gifted being not also lawfully ordained contemns the Lord from whom all administrations come and who hath instituted and commanded ordination thereunto Or 3. He that being both gifted and lawfully ordained is not industrious in this calling contemns God the Father of all operations who worketh all in all He that thinks any of these superfluous may as well question whether some one Person of the Trinity be not superfluous also even that Person from whom comes that part of the division which he slights and contemns As it is therefore in the order of the Trinity as the Father begets the Son and from the Father and the Son proceeds the holy Ghost So in this Division the gifts of the Spirit beget the Lords Administration or calling to the Ministry and both together produce the operation or labour therein which is the work of God and as no man comes to Christ but by the holy Ghost so no man comes lawfully to the calling but by the gifts and as no man comes to the Father but by the Son so no man comes to the work but by the calling CHAP. XIII The internal and divine qualifications of the soul as to the understanding of holy Scriptures 1. T Is confessed that all the external parts of humane learning already remembred though they be the gifts and blessings of Gods Spirit and necessary helps to the opening of the Letter and right understanding of the literal and genuine sense of Gods word yet are not in themselves alone sufficient to attain a true and throughly saving knowledge thereof except our souls be enricht as with the outward gifts so with inward graces of the holy Spirit also Truth and Holiness are the two inseparable constituent parts of spiritual wisdome and to understand the truth or true meaning of the Spirit of Truth in the word the Spirit of holiness must necessarily concur And this is most eloquently expressed Job 28. where after a most high and magnificent expression of the praises great price and value of true wisdome a view is taken of all the parts of the world where it might be found gold and silver iron and brasse all useful metals and precious stones have their places though secret designed them but where shall this rich pearl where shall wisdome be found and what is the place of understandings Vers 12. It is not found in the land of the living the depth saith It is not in me and the sea saith It is not in me Vers 14. It is hid from the eyes of all living and kept close from the fowls of the air vers 21. The most Eagly sighted Philosophers and wisemen of the world who have viewed the natures properties and causes of all things not in the earth alone but in the heavens also even the courses influences and operations of the Sun Moon and Stars have not yet attained true wisdome how then shall we finde it out it followes God knoweth the place thereof and he understandeth the way thereof vers 23. And he hath said Behold the fear of the Lord that is wisdome and to depart from evil is understanding briefly describing both the place of wisdome and the way thereunto even the way of piety and obedience And of that piety which is necessarily requisite to the understanding of holy Truth there are several species or particular parts which from the example of holy Bernard may be thus reckoned up Qui ut legeret intelligendi fecit cupiditas ut intelligeret oratio impetravit ut impetraret quid nisi vitae sanctitas promeruit His earnest desire of knowledge made him studious and industrious in reading his fervent prayers obtained the understanding of what he read and his holy life made his prayers effectual for the enlightning of his understanding and thus he must desire thus study thus pray and thus live who will attain that knowledge which shall make him wise to salvation 1. The first divine qualification of the soul requisite unto knowledge is the desire thereof The beginning of wisdome it the desire of instruction Wisd 6.17 Come unto me all ye that be desirious of me and fill your selves with my fruits Ecclesiasticus 24.19 and what is more authentick If thou seekest wisdome as silver and searchest for her as for hid treasure then shalt thou understand the fear of the Lord and finde the knowledge of God Prov. 2.4 Such desires and studies for wisdome the holy Ghost undoubtedly would never 1. exemplifie 2. exhort unto 3. enkindle in the hearts of men but that they should tend not to vexation and trouble but to satisfaction and accomplishment in the prosecution of them Et hoc modo priùs invenire oportet ut quaeras deinde quaerere ut pleniùs invenias This desire of knowledge must not be only earnest but also sincere Pura erit intentio si in omni actione aut honorem Dei aut militatem proximi aut bonam consciâ—ntiam conscientiam quaeramus Bern. serm par free from partialities prejudices and prepossessions free from pride covetousnesse ambition emulation and all base carnal and worldly ends and interests denoted by the singleness of the eye Mat. 6.22 which is generally interpreted to be purity of intention in all our studies and endevours
1. His written Word 2. Those several means and helps forementioned both divine and humane outward and inward for the right understanding of his Word by the blessing of God and the secret influence of his holy Spirit upon our studies and meditations therein laies himself open to manifold temptations and dangerous seductions of the spirit of error and delusion and as much as in him lies subverts the very foundation of the holy Christian Faith for hereupon these destructive inconveniencies must needs ensue 1. The canon of holy Scripture is transgrest and dissolv'd by the superaddition of new Revelations and the authority of Gods Word is made null and void that must passe for a dead letter when the fictitious dreams and delusions of every idle enthusiastical brain under the mask of Revelations shall be mistaken and miscalled too The quickning Spirit And he that sets up any thing of Religion to the dishonour of holy Scriptures Optaâ— l. 3. 1. saith the Father he doth adificium de ruina construere erect a building upon the ruines of Gods truth and such a building can be no better but an heap of errors and deceits For what will not he dare to affirm and hold who holds any thing besides or above or but equal to the Word of God for the Rule of Faith Hereupon the Resurrection hath been denied and the last judgement and the necessity of all holy just and good works the necessary consequences of these points of our faith for he that believes not the Resurrection and last judgement Quid boni aut veri what holy Truth will he care to believe or what good action will he make conscience to practise 2. He opposes himself to the doctrine of the universal Church of Christ for 1600 years together who with one unanimous and common consent have received the holy Scriptures as the very canon of Faith without addition or diminution without ever hoping or waiting for any new Revelations to be superadded thereunto and very good reason sure if that dismal curse wherewith the canon of holy Scripture is concluded have any influence upon the mindes of men Rev. 22.18.19 If any man adde unto these things God shall adde unto him the plagues that are written in this book c. 3. And more particularly he makes void all those commandements of God to search the Scriptures to hear read meditate and study and delight our selves in the Lawes of God For all immediate Revelation of Gods will presupposes the knowledge of the truth without any search study c. The contempt or neglect of which duty hath sad and heavie judgements threatned thereunto as Jer. 9.13 c. And the Lord saith Because they have forsaken my Law which I set before them And have walked after the imagination of their own heart I will seed them with wormwood and give them water of gall to drink I will scatter them among the heathen c. with manifold texts to the same purpose both in the old and new Testament as Prov. 13.13 28.9 Psal 81.11 12. Zach. 7.12.13 Joh. 5.45 46. 12.48 4. He makes void and unnecessary the sacred function of the Priesthood or Ministery which God hath in all ages ordained and setled in his Church as to mediate with God for the people so to instruct the people from God And this sacred office God hath both confirmed by miracles and by testimony of his blessings ordinary and extraordinary and guarded the same by many direful threatnings denounced and many heavie judgements inflicted upon such as have or shal sacrilegiously violate infringe or usurp this office or neglect refuse or contemn to hear the word of God in the mouthes of his Prophets and faithful Ministers See amongst many other places Jer. 5.12 c. Because the people belied the Lord and said It is not he when he spake by his Prophet And because they said moreover The Prophets shall become â—inde and the word is not in them Therefore thus saith the Lord Because ye speak this word I will make my words in thy mouth fire and this people wood and it shall devour them And to the same purpose Jer. 6.10 11 12. Mat. 10.14 15. Luk. 10.11 12. 5. All pretence to immediate Revelation lords it over the faith of our Christian brethren For an immediate Revelation commands an immediate belief and blinde obedience without any further fearch or trial at all contrary to those expresse commands 1 Joh. 4.1 Beleeve not every spirit but try the spirits 1 Thess 5.21 Prove all things hold fast that which is good or agreeable to the word of God but reject that which is not so and hold for accursed the publishers and promoters thereof Gal. 1.8 Though we or an Angel from heaven should preach unto you another Gospel besides what ye have received let him be accursed 6. The faith of the Enthusiast if it may be called a faith and not rather an illusion of his fancy is not built upon the same grounds with the faith of Christs Church which is the pillar and ground of truth the Church is built upon the foundation of the Prophets and Apostles Jesus Christ himself being the head corner stone Eph. 2.20 i. e. what the Prophets of the Old Testament and the Apostles of the New have revealed to be the doctrine of salvation in Christ is the foundation which the faith of all true Christians is built upon But the Enthusiasts faith is not built upon old but upon new Revelations not upon what is revealed already through the mediation of the Prophets and Apostles and communicated by their successors but upon what shall be immediately revealed from heaven and this groundless ground of faith is opposed to that which is the true ground of faith indeed and made of equal authority therewith so that upon this ground every private mans sayings and affirmations are of as great authority and as much to be regarded as the divinely inspired sayings of the Prophets and Apostles and this must needs be so were there any truth in mens pâ—etended Revelations for undoubtedly we owe as much faith reverence and obedience to every Revelation from heaven how mean soever the person be that receives it as we do to any part of Gods Word already revealed though by the greatest Patriarch or Prophet that ever lived upon earth 7. All dependence upon new Revelations laies a secret stain of dishonour upon God and this in two respects 1. That God notwithstanding his several methods of divine Revelation by the Patriarchs and Prophets of old by his own Son Jesus Christ and his Apostles in these last daies should yet be defective in making known to his people the waies of his service and of their own salvation 2. All pretence to new lights and Revelations makes God the Father of Lights with whom is no variablenesse or shadow of change to vary and change his minde as oft as the fickle and deceitful mindes of men do alter Nay thus God
yet because more zealously then discreetly he maintained private Revelations the Church of that age seeing the many mischiefs that ensued upon that doctrine severely censured him for it which made him desert the communion of the Catholick Church and set up a congregation of his own which were called from him Tertullianists and are reckoned by S. Aug. amongst his Catalogue of Haereticks A story not much unlike this of Tertullian Jos Acost de temp noviss l. 2. c. 11. is remembred by Doctor Casaubon out of Acosta who records of a learned Doctor of Divinity and a very great zealot who was cousened into strange and blasphemous opinions first by the pretended Revelations of an ordinary woman the story is at large set down in English by the said Doctor in his 3. ch of Enthusiasm with many other remarkable stories of deluded persons under pretence of Revelations Those two great pretenders to Revelation Prisca and Priscilla Montanus his minions were so long cousened with Satanical illusions which they took for divine Revelations that at the last it was revealed unto them that they should hang themselves that they might passe from the miseries of this life to the joyes of the other Euseb eccl hist lib. 5. c. 16. And Theodotus a Montanist had a vision that he should be taken up into heaven and beleeving the spirit of error he was lifted up on high and thence let fall down to the earth again and so miserably ended his life And many of Montanus sect which were great pretenders to Revelation and had withdrawn themselves from communion with the Catholick Church at several times ended their lives in an halter being thereinto incited by the Devil that inspired them who was the father of their Revelations There were another ancient sort of Haereticks in the Church cal'd Messalians and from their assiduity in prayers more then ordinary they were also called Euchites Their tenents were that every one brought into the world with him an evil spirit wherewith they were possest until by earnest prayer the evil spirit being driven away the good Spirit of God did take possession of their souls and after this they needed no more no Sacraments no Sermons no Scripture to make them perfect for they could see the holy Trinity visibly and foreted things to come and all by immediate Revelation But by this pretence to perfection and dependence upon Revelation most of them if not all Theod. Hist eccl prov'd to be relly possest by the Devil as is recorded by Theodoret in his Ecclesiastical History I might stuffe this chapter with multitudes of holy persons that have been cousened with illusive and lying Revelations Katharine a holy woman said it was revealed to her that the Virgin Mother of our Lord was conceived in sin And Briget as holy as she Joh. Franc Picus pretended a Revelation quite contrary to that of the other viz. that the holy Virgin was free from original sin venerable Bede remembers a vision saith Bellarm Bell. de purgat l. 2. c. 7. wherein it was shewed to a certain devout person That there was a fourth place besides Heaven Hell and purgatory not unlike the Elizian fields describ'd by the heathen Poets wherein lived those souls which suffered nothing being not as yet made fit for the beatifical vision and this saith the Cardinal is not improbable since like to this Revelation Dionysius Cart. Suarez Jesâ— to 4 in Thom. disp 46.4 Num. 9. and Greg. have many others but contrary hereunto saith Suarez another Jesuite Revelationes Bedae Carthusiani c. The Revelations of Bede and Carthusianus are not to be believ'd but in a metaphorical sense S. Augustine in his Confessions Aug. conf l. 10. acknowledges himself to have been mercifully delivered from the curiosity of visions and miracles For it is both a sin and a judgement to be curious in affecting and depending upon such extraordinary means of divine Revelation since the ordinary is not only sufficient but more certain and infallible which is affirmed by S. Peter preferring the Word of God before immediate Revelation by voice from heaven 2 Pet. 1.18 19. And this voice which came from heaven we heard But we have a more sure word of prophesie c. the meaning is that an immediate voice from heaven revealed Christ to be the son of God but the written word of God is a more sure and infallible way of revealing Christ and what 's the reason but that voices from heaven visions and immediate Revelations may be and often are counterfeited by the devil But the holy Scriptures rightly understood are a sure and infallible guide and an unerring rule of Truth as being the Dictates and inspirarations of the Spirit of Truth himself CHAP. XVI Several texts alledged against humane Learning and against the Ministery and for immediate Revelation explained THE tenor of the new covenant recorded Jer. 31.34 and remembred to be accomplisht Jer. 31.34 Heb. 8.10 11 12. Heb. 8.10 11 12. is the chief place alledged against the necessity of Learning or the teaching of man as containing the promise of an immediate teaching from God himself This is the covenant which I will make with the house of Israel after those daies saith the Lord I will put my Lawes into their minde and write them in their hearts And they shall not teach every man his neighbour and every man his brother saying Know the Lord for all shall know me from the least to the greatest for I will be merciful to their unrighteousness and their sins and iniquities will I remember no more In which Text consisting of three verses there is a threefold difference betwixt the old covenant and the new delivered 1. The old Law was written in Tables of stone but the new in the fleshly tables of mens hearts vers 10. I will put my Lawes into their mindes c. i.e. my Lawes under the new covenant shall be more agreeable to the mindes and more approve themselves to the Spirits of men to be the waies of perfection and felicity and consequently shall have a stronger influence upon their hearts then the Laws of the old covenant for that consisted of many beggerly elements many types and figures rites and ceremonies which considered in themselves had no such efficacy to work upon the soul to obey them as the Lawes of the Gospel have therefore the one are call'd carnal ordinances and the other spiritual 2. There was more need of frequent instructions and teachings of the people to keep them up to the observance of those carnal ordinances under the old Law then there is under the new because the doctrines of the Gospel are more plain clear and convincing so that persons of the meanest capacity may understand the knowledge of God which is the meaning of vers 11. They shall not teach every man his neighbour c. Not that there should be no teaching at all under the Gospel but that lesse teaching
should serve the turn 3. The sacrifices under the Law were weak and insufficient as to the taking away of sins but the offering up of the body of Jesus Christ once for all is a sufficient sacrifice for our sins and not for ours only but for the sins of the whole world 1 Joh. 2.2 and that 's the scope of vers 12. I will be merciful to their unrighteousnesse and their sins and iniquities I will remember no more Cognitio viae cognitio patriae Lyr. in Loc. And for the further clearing of these words They shall not teach c. There is a twofold knowledge of God 1. In this life 2. In the life to come And to both of these the words in their literal sense do relate 1. That in this life the knowledge of God under the Gospel was not at the first taught by man but by the blessed Son of God himself by him the Apostles were instructed at the first and not one of another And to him this prophesie is by himself applied they shall be all taught of God Joh. 6.45 2. That in the life to come all the blessed Saints of God from the least to the greatest shall truly know God without the mediation of humane Teaching For then shall we see God as he is when that which is perfect is come then that which is imperfect shall be done away 1 Cor. 1.3.9 10. But that in this life the people shall have no need of Pastors to teach them the knowledge of God is a false collection from the words For as under the Law Moses taught Gods will unto the people and afterwards they that sate in Moses chair so under the Gospel 1. Christ himself revealed and taught Gods will to his Church and afterwards his Apostles and their successors in all ages since this being one of the promises and priviledges of the Gospel thine eyes shall see thy teachers Isa 30.20 And of the gifts of the Spirit He gave some Apostles some Prophets some Evangelists some Pastors and Teachers for the perfecting of the Saints c. Eph. 4.11 12. For as the same Apostle demands How shall they i.e. any people believe in him of whom they have not heard And how shall they hear without a preacher Rom. 10.14 where preaching and hearing are affirmed to be the necessary mediums of receiving the Gospel and believing in Christ Another place to the same purpose is alledged 1 Joh. 2. â—0 1 Joh. 2.20 Ye have an unction from the holy one and ye know all things And vers 27. The anointing which ye have received from him abideth in you and ye need not that any man teach you but as the same anointing teacheth you of all things and is truth and is no lie and even as he hath taught you remain in him still This Vnction from the holy one teaching and whereby these Disciples were taught all necessary Truths is the holy Spirit sent down from Christ the holy one upon his Apostles who being replenisht with his coelestial gifts were not only themselves led into all Truth but did also teach their disciples the same And the same anointing abideth in you i.e. The same spiritual gifts viz. of prophesie of miracles of tongues c. did still as yet abide in their Churches for the confirmation of those Truths which they had been taught and hereby even by those sacred persons which had these gifts they were held up to the Truth and kept free from the seducements of Heretiques And ye need not that any man teach you So far as they were already taught and knew all things already that were necessary to be known they had no need of any man to teach them namely as ignorant and seduced persons have need of Teachers the ignorant must be taught that they may learn what they knew not before and the seduced and erroneous must be taught that they may return to that faith from which they are faln but these faithful persons to whom the Apostle here writes were it seems neither ignorant nor yet seduced and in neither of these respects had need of teaching But yet in other Respects both these disciples and all others that do both know and persevere also in the Truth have need of Teachers still by whose assistance and direction they may 1. Be confirmed and strengthned to persist in the Truth already received 2. Grow up and increase daily in the knowledge of God and of his Son Jesus Christ 3. Be armed against the fair words and cunning speeches of such as lie in wait to deceive The like place 1 Thess 4.9 1 Thess 4.9 which may help also to the further clearing of this is 1 Thess 4.9 Touching brotherly love ye have no need that I write unto you for ye your selves are taught of God to love one another Taught of God but how not by immediate Revelation but by the Gospel of Christ the Son of God who doth so often ineulcate this lesson of brotherly love Joh. 13.34 35. 15.17 And the like is to be said of all other Gospel Truths all of them we are taught of God From him they descend originally he is the fountain of Truth and Christs is the Conduit through whom the waters of life do flow from God to Christ from Christ to his Apostles from them to their Successors and Disciples Pastors and people in all ages But withal 't is confessed and with all thankfulness of soul to be acknowledged That there is an inward teaching of God as well as an outward viz. the dictate of the Spirit within as well as the doctrine of the Word without These two God hath joyned together and we must not presume to part them by depending upon the one without the other for as all study and meditation reading and hearing the Word are ineffectual if the inward influence of Gods Spirit does not open the wndowes of the soul to receive the light displayed thence so the inward influence and working of Gods Spirit is ordinarily and for the most part silent and stirreth not but by reading hearing meditating of the word and of good instructions thence derived the one being as the body and the other the soul of Religion and when these two meet together viz. the unction without and the anointing within or when the spiritual gifts of the Ministery and graces of the people concur or when then the outward effusions of the Spirit in the word fall upon hearts infused and seasoned with Grace and Obedience then are these several promises accomplished then are a people truly 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 The taught of God indeed or which is all one then are they the true Disciples of Christ The next memorable place misapplyed to patronize extraordinary and immediate Revelations is that prophesie of Joel 2.28 remembred to be accomplisht Joel 2.28 Act. 2.16 c. Act. 2.16 c. It shall come to passe in the last daies saith God I will powre out of my
Spirit upon all flesh And your sons and your daughters shall prophesie c. This text must be understood with several limitations otherwise many dangerous and false consequences will ensue and such as are contrary to what in other places of Scripture is affirmed I will pour out of my Spirit not 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 but 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 not my Spirit himself for no flesh not all flesh can contain the Spirit of God Ad dive sa dona respicit non ad minutionem substantiae Gloss ordin in Loc. who filleth all the world and containeth all things Wisd 1. But of my Spirit i. e. of his gifts and graces even as beams from the light as heat from the fire or aâ— streams from this fountain of Truth 2. I will pour out Denoting indeed the liberal donation of spiritual gifts under the Gospel but yet with restriction to certain times and certain persons for not at all times neither upon all persons is the Spirit of God plentifully poured out when the holy Ghost visibly and miraculously descended upon the Apostles there was a plentiful pouring out so that they were filled with the Spirit vers 4. The gift of Tongues the gift of Prophesie to understand and open all mysteries the gift of healing all diseases the gift of miracles c. these and many other gifts were at this time after such a plentiful manner poured forth that there were some reliques some drops of this full measure remaining in the Church for 400 years after Thus it was then and 't was then necessary because the first publication and planting of the Gospel required extraordinary and more ample gifts and abilities for the effecting thereof But we must not look to see those daies of such extraordinary effusions to return again which is intimated in that they are called the last daies in the text as being the last time we must expect any such miraculous and immediate effusions or Revelations till the last day of all even that great and notable day of the Lord come vers 20. Although therefore this prophesie may in some general respects be extended to all the people of God yet particularly and after an especiall manner 't was fulfilled in the persons of the Apostles themselves and by S. Peter 't is here applyed unto them vers 15 16. And undoubtedly 't is high presumption in any man or sect of men to apply to themselves what was peculiar and proper to the divinely inspired Apostles and their hopes must needs be vain who wait for extraordinary inspirations upon misapplied promises and prophesies long since accomplisht Vpon all flesh Which 1. is not to be understood of all men promiscuously but of all such men of all nations and conditions as give up their names to become my sons and daughters to be called by and to call upon the name of the Lord to the hope of salvation for so the prophesie concludes Whoseever shall call on the name of the Lord shall be saved and so S. Peter concludes his Sermon upon this prophesie Repent and be baptized vers 38. Not all flesh but such only as are capable of the effusions of the Spirit and this limitation cuts off all Turks Jews Infidels Heretiques and Hypecrites for no such flesh have the Spirit of truth and holiness powred on them but are led by the spirit of error and wickednesse 2. All flesh cannot be meant of all Gods people neither as to the gift of prophesie and full understanding of the mysteries of godliness For so all good Christians men and women whether be they young or old children or servants must turn Prophets And all flesh as the reverend Andrewes must be cut out into Tongues which is a monstrous thing to imagine For if all the body of Christ were a Tongue where were the ears c. If all were Preachers where were the Hearers Such were not an orderly Church but a Babylon of confusion where the one heard not another therefore though it be said all flesh 't is not said all your sons and daughters shall prophesie but some shall do it for all some sons and some servants too i. e. some Jewes and some Gentiles some of all nations God gave some Apostles some Prophets c. And these must be of the male not of the female sex they are prohibited 1 Cor. 14.34 Let your women keep silence in the Churches If you demand how is the Spirit then upon all flesh 'T is upon all holy and good Christians but not upon all to prophesie all Gods people have in some measure the Spirit of grace and truth but that does not authorise them presently to turn speakers and teachers of others But doth not the Apostle say ye may all prophesie one by one 1 Cor. 14.31 1 Cor. 14.31 Ye all that is as many as be prophets but to think that all are so the Apostle holds it very absurd demanding with indignation Are all Apostles are all Prophets 1 Cor. 12.29 not so surely the gift must first be had and then letters of Administration taken before the operation or work of Prophesie be lawfully performed 'T is further alledg'd to the same purpose 1 Cor. 12.7 To every man is given the manifestation of the Spirit to profit withall 1 Cor. 12.7 whence 't is infer'd that both liberty of prophesying for the profit of our brethren and immediate Revelations or manifestations of the Spirit to that end are given to every man Answ By every man is not meant every particular person but every man that hath those gifts mentioned in the next words viz. The gifts of wisdome knowledge faith tongues c. hath them for this end given that he may profit and edifie the Church and people of God thereby And they are called The manifestations of the Spirit 1. Because they flow from the Spirit either extraordinarily or immediately as in the firster and primitive times of the Church or ordinarily and in the use of means in all ages since 2. Because by the help of these gifts we are enabled to manifest and clear the truth and true meaning of the Spirit in the word Joh. 1.9 That was the true light which lighteth every man that cometh into the world Joh. 1.9 From whence 't is urged That every man hath a light within him displayed from Christ the true light of the world whereunto if he give heed he shall not need any outward illuminations or instructions from men for this is the work of Christ himself and himself hath sufficiently done it Answ 'T is with all reverence and thankfulness acknowledged that Christ is the fountain of every perfect illumination Non quianullus est hominum qui non illuminatur sed quia nisi ab ipso nullus illuminatur Aug. Siâ—ut nemo à seipso esse sic nemo à seipso sapiens esse potest Beda whether natural spiritual or eternal But yet the words are not so to be understood as if every man
saith the Father a mixture of his person with ours nor of his substance with our substance for so the blasphemous corceit of being equal with Christ must needs follow but 't is the consociation of our affections and confederation of our wils with the holy desires and blessed will of our Lord And thus Christ abideth in us by our obedience to his doctrine and conformity to his example both in the affections of our hearts and the actions of our life therefore he saith Joh. 15.7 If ye abide in me and my words abide in you c. and vers 10. If ye keep my commandements ye shall abide in my love even as I have kept my Fathers commandements and abide in his love In like manner the being of the holy Spirit in us is not to he understood of his personal being but of the being of his graces in our hearts which render us of such a gracious and holy disposition of Spirit as makes us obedient to the will and conformable to the Spirit of Christ who is not only our Lawgiver but also the exact pattern of perfect obedience to the Lawes he hath given us so Phil. 2.5 Let the same minde be in you which was also in Christ Jesus What to be equal with God as some blasphemous Enthusiasts have perverted the text No but the same gracious temper of minde or spirit even the same humility and obedience to the will of God both in life and death so it followes who being in the form of God thought it no robbery to be equal with God yet made himself of no reputation and humbled himself and became obedient unto death And whosoever by the influence of Gods holy Spirit hath this gracious temper of minde or Spirit wrought in him may be assured that Christ dwelleth in him by his Spirit which he hath given him which makes him conformable to the minde or Spirit of Christ who is as the fountain so the exemplar of all gracious perfections And this is also the meaning of that other perverted text 1 Cor. 6.17 1 Cor. 6.17 He that is joyned to the Lord is one Spirit not that he hath the same essential Spirit with the Lord but being by the mystical bands of holy faith joyned unto him by the influence of his Spirit he becomes to be a man of the same Spirit viz. of love meeknesse gentleness goodness holiness patience humility obedience which were graces of the Spirit most emineat in Christ and must be in us also according to our model and measure of reception if we be truly his Disciples 2 Cor. 13 5. That other text alledged by the same purpose 2 Cor. 13.5 Know you not your selves that Jesus Christ is in you except you be reprobates is more generally misunderstood for the words 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 are not so rightly rendred in English in you as among you and the meaning is that Christ in his holy Gospel was so evidently present amongst these Corinthians by S. Paul's powerful preaching and the miracles he wrought that if they did not acknowledge it and beleeve in him they must be such senseless obdurate persons as were uncapable of a true saving faith From 1 Cor. 13.11 12. When I was a childe 1 Cor. 13.11 12. I spake as a childe I understood as a childe I thought as a childe but when I became a man I put away childish things now we see through a glasse darkly but then face to face 'T is alledged That Scripture and ordinances are useful only in our minority whilest we are babes in Christ but these as childish things must be laid aside when we are grown up to be perfect men and if we will see clearly we must throw away the glasse of the word and ordinances and have our inspection into the things of God more immediately and nearly even by immediate Revelation Answ In these words not the different degrees of Grace in this life but the different condition of the state of grace and of glory are compared together being not here taught who have need of the glasse of holy Scriptures and who not but what the best and most perfect of us are in this life in respect of what we shall be in the life to come here we see the things of God through the glasse of his word works sacraments but hereafter more immediately and fully not by way of species image and representation as through a glasse but in a full view face to face Here that we may be united unto God we must use the mediation of Faith Hope and Charity vers 13. Now abideth Faith but hereafter our faith shall be changed into vision Vers 13. our Hope into fruition and only Charity shall remain which being now but a spark shall increase then into a flame which shall never die but burn for ever In the mean time we must make use of those prospectives God hath graciously lent us through which his goodnesse power wisdome are represented to us and if we throw away this glasse or neglect the waies and means of grace and salvation which God hath ordained we must expect either to see nothing at all or nothing but what are the dreams and fond imaginations of mens hearts or what is worse the delusions and destructive suggestions of Satan the Prince of darkness The like objection is made from 2 Pet. 1.19 We have also a more sure word of prophesie 2 Pet. 1.9 whereunto ye do well that ye take heed as unto a light that shineth in a dark place untill the day dawn and the day-star arise in your hearts From whence 't is alleadged that the Word of God and his Ordinances are only useful until we get possession of Christ into our hearts and then they are of no further use because Christ by immediate Revelation is all in all to them in whom he abideth Answ These words if the context be considered make more against immediate Revelation then any way can be pretended for it for this sure word of prophesie whether it be understood more particularly of the prophesies and coming of Christ to the destruction of his crucifiers and deliverance of his people or whether more specially of the Law and the Prophets of old or whether more generally of all the Scriptures both the old and new Testament in what sense soever this light of prophesie is taken 't is preferred before immediate Revelation by voice from heaven as being a more certain infallible way to direct us to the knowledge of Christ the true light For the further illustration whereof 't will be not impertinent to observe that there is a twofold light whereof Christ after an especiall manner is the fountain and original 1. The light of Grace and truth in this life 2. The light of Glory and peace in that life to come And in both these respects Christ is termed the morning star The day-spring from on high or as in the text The dawning of the
day The holy Scriptures or in the language of the text according to some interpretations the word of prophesie is as 't were those beams which are displayed from Christ the light of the world for our illumination and guidance in the paths of grace and truth unto the mansions of glory and peace eternal Thy word is a light Psal 119. And all they who enjoy this word of prophesie in the right understanding and conscientious practise thereof are therefore termed children of the light and of the day not of the night and of darknesse 1 Thess 5.5 But assuredly what ever seduced persons may falsly gather from this text whosoever shall neglect or contemn the use of this light or obscure the same by false glosses and mis-interpretations must read the Apostles words backwards and become children of the night and of darknesse and not of the light and of the day But yet as the light of a candle is useless when the Sun ariseth so the light of Gods Word for our direction in the way of grace shall cease when the light of glory shall once arise and the day-spring of eternity appear when we shall be united unto Christ not by faith but by vision when we shall no more see him and enjoy him in his word and ordinances through a glasse darkly but face to face plainly and fully be made partakers of him But in the mean time whilest we live in this darksome place of the world darkned by ignorance and error by sinfulness and manifold temptations thereunto he that will not walk in darkness not knowing wither he goes must make use of Gods holy word for a light unto his feet and a lanthorn unto his pathes Against the use of humane learning by the preachers of the Gospel is alledged 1 Cor. 2. 1 c. 1 Cor. 2.1 2 4. And I brethren when I came to you came not with excellency of speech or of wisdome For I determined to know nothing but Christ and him crucified And my speech and my preaching was not with the enticing word of mans wisdome but in demonstration of the Spirit and of power The Apostle in this place takes not away the use of humane learning because himself in other places makes use thereof he had his books and writings which he commanded to be brought unto him 2 Tim. 4.13 he read the Greek Poets which he quotes Act. 17.28 Tit. 1.12 He commands Timothy to give attendance to reading 1 Tim. 4.13 and to study 2 Tim. 2.15 But amongst these Corinthians at the first he declined the use of his humane learning not drawing his arguments from natural reason and probable discourses out of Philosophy guilded with curious quaint and rhetorical expressions which he cals the enticing words of humane wisdome 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 probable arguments or perswasive discourses this was not the way he went to convert these Corinthians but by the demonstration of the Spirit and power i. e. He proved Christ to be the Saviour of the world 1. By the demonstration of the Spirit Shewing that the holy Spirit 1. did speak and foretel in the Law and in the Prophets of Christs coming into the world and of his doings and sufferings for our salvation 2. That he both visibly descended on him and audibly bare witness to him in a voice from heaven saying This is my beloved Son c. 3. That he both visibly and audibly descended upon his Apostles also and endued them with extraordinary gifts and through their ministery also he descended upon others that were converted by them Thus S. Paul preached Christ to these Corinthians by the demonstration of the Spirit And 2. Of Power also viz. The power of miracles curing diseases speaking with tongues these were the topical arguments wherewith he perswaded them to become Christians And the reason hereof he gives vers 5. That your faith might not stand in the wisdome of men but in the power of God i.e. That the grounds of your belief in Christ might not be the perswasions and allurements of men how wise soever but such as God himself made use of In a word his meaning in this place is that he preached unto them plainly and not Rhetorically and the arguments he used were demonstrative and divine not probable and humane only But 1. We may not hence gather that S. Paul did alwaies decline the use of Rhetorical and Philosophical wisdome in his preaching but such was his great wisdome that his preaching was according to the conditions and capacities of his hearers sometimes more plainly sometimes more elegantly and mysteriously using sometimes divine and sometimes humane sometimes demonstrative and sometimes probable arguments and perswasions He fed the babes in Christ with milk as here Vers 2. I determined to know nothing among you but Christ and him crucified but the more perfect and grown up in Christ he fed with stronger and solid meat as vers 6. Howbeit we speak wisdome among them that are perfect And 2. when his preaching was most plain it was not devoid of learning both divine and humane 't was not without order method proper and pertinent expressions like the upstart intruders into the ministerial office now a daies who to avoid as they pretend the enticing words of mans wisdome speak not forth the words of truth and soberness but rove and ramble about many points in Divinity which rightly they understand not heaping together variety of texts and Scripture expressions without either order or right application as if to spend an hour or more in a rude and zealous delivery of religious nothings were to avoid the enticings words of mans wisdome and to preach in the demonstration of the Spirit and of Power 1 Cor. 2.14 But the natural man receiveth not the things of the Spirit of God neither can he know them because they are spiritually discerned Animalis homo est qui babet intellectum affectam depressos ad sensibilia Lyra. but he that is spiritual judgeth all things whence all Enthusiasts and pretenders to the Spirit most presumptuously arrogate to themselves an un-erring judgement in all spiritual and divien things vilifying all other persons besides themselves be they never so learned or pious as blinde and ignorant under the notion of matural men whose presumption in the wresting of this text and the true meaning thereof will appear by considering 1. What is meant by the natural and spiritual man 2. And what by the things of the Spirit of God For the first the natural man is such a one whose understanding and affections soar no higher then outward sensible objects So that there are two kindes of natural men 1. One who is meerly natural in respect of the understanding of his minde And 2. Another who is natural in respect of the manner of his life Of the 1. sort were the heathen Philosophers of old who received not the things of the Spirit of God but accounted them as foolish idle and ridiculous
because they did seemingly contradict the dictates of their natural reason Of the 2. sort are all vicious sinful persons who are so wedded either to their carnal delights or to their worldly ends and interests that holiness humbleness self-denial taking up the crosse and the rest of such commands in the Gospel are altogether disrelished they are foolishnesse unto them For the 2. The things of the Spirit of God are reducible to two heads 1. Pia dogmata 2. Bona opera i. e. either 1. Holy doctrines to be believed Or 2. Good works to be performed The first are contradictory and seemingly foolish to the natural mans reason and judgement and the 2 d. to the natural mans affections and conversation And the reason is given because they are spiritually discerned For 1. The holy doctrines of Christiany many of them are above the reach of natural reason and only by the eye of faith which is a gift of the Spirit to be discerned 2. The good works by Christ in his Gospel enjoyned many of them are cross to the natural mans inclinations It must be a higher principle even the quickning grace of the Spirit that does open our eyes to discern them to be the way of blessednesse and so incline our hearts to yeeld obedience thereunto So that the truth delivered in the first part of this text consists of two branches or The natural man receives not the things of the Spirit of God two waies 1. In that the mysteries of the holy Christian faith are not discernible by the eye of natural reason 2. In that the Christian duties or good works of the Gospel are not relished not obeyed by men of meer natural affections and inclinations But he that is Spiritual judgeth all things The spiritual man is such a one 1. Whose understanding is enriched with the Gifts 2. Whose affections are rectified by the Graces of the Spirit Or 1. Whose natural reason looks into the things of the Spirit viz. the doctrines duties of Christianity with the eye of faith 2. Whose affections and desires are inclined hereunto by love and obedience He judgeth all things viz All those things of Gods Spirit which natural men judge to be foolish and contrarious to their reason and to their felicity he rightly judges to be most wise and most conducible to the attainment of that perfection and blessedness whereunto being after the image of God he is created Yet he himself is judged of no man As being above and out of the reach of the censures and judgements of natural men All whose censures and censorious detractions of him he values not as knowing them to be both rash and idle foolish and false 2 Cor. 4.3 But if our Gospel be hid it is hid to them that are lost Whence 't is alledged that the Gospel of Christ is clear and intelligible enough to the children of Gods election and heirs of the promise without the help or assistance of any humane learning Answ But the Apostle treats not in this place of the understanding but of the preaching of the Gospel affirming only that the word of God was not deceitfully handled but the truth thereof was made so manifest by the sincere preaching of the Apostles vers 2. that it remained dark and obscure to none but such as were in a lost condition men of an obstinate obdurate reprobate sense In whom as it followes vers 4. the God of this world hath blinded the mindes of them that beleeve not lest the light of the glorious Gospel of Christ who is the image of God should shine unto them And the Gospel is hid to them that are lost two waies 1. When they receive it not being plainly preached to them or approved to their conscience in the sight of God as in vers 2. Or else 2. When they do hear and receive it but not aright And men do not rightly receive the Gospel 1. When they do not acquiesce and rest in it as the undoubted way of life 2. When they do not readily obey and put in practise what the Gospel enjoyns and commands 3. When they persevere not are not constant in this faith and obedience To this text many more are urg'd wherein the priviledge of the Saints and servants of God as to the understanding of his will both mediately and immediately Psal 25.14 Mat. 5.8 Joh. 10.4 c. Ps 25.14 The secrâ—t of the Lord is with them that fear him and he will shew them his covenant Mat. 5.8 Blessed are the pure in spirit for they shall see God Christs sheep do know his voice and follow him but a stranger will they not follow neither do they know th' voice of strangers Joh. 10.4 5. with the places before remembred Mat. 11.25 2 Cor. 1.26 27. From which and many other places both of the old and new Testament 't is alledged that the elect the Saints holy and humble men and such as fear God have a secret teaching from God whereby they understand his Word and will without the help of humane learning they are that new Hierusalem which hath no need of the light of Sun Moon or candle but the Lord God is the light thereof Rev. 21. They are the Saints that know all things and need not that any should teach them And though they be illiterate yet do they know more of God then the Learned and great ones of the world whom the god of this world hath blinded that they cannot see Christ through the thicket of profane learning and unprofitable speculations To clear all which Texts from the false glosses which unlearned and unstable men have put upon them to patronize their own want of learning and inconstancy in the way of truth T is confessed 1. That only the pure and holy only such who are sanctified by the Spirit of Grace have the true and saving knowledge of God and of Jesus Christ But withall we must remember that there is a twofold knowledge of God and of Jesus Christ 1. The one doctrinal and speculative which is not ordinarily obtainable but in the use of outward means and the blessing of God thereupon 2. The other practical or the sanctified use of this doctrinal knowledge by the immediate influence of Gods Spirit upon the soul enquickning and perfecting the same in all obedience and holiness of life as the body is enquickned and animated by the soul And the former of these must ever precede and go before the later For all holiness and obedience to the will of God does presuppose the knowledge thereof Prius est Deum nosse posteà colere saith Lactantius no man can do the will of God that knowes it not nor make a sanctified use of that knowledge which he hath not obtained but as in the procreation of the natural man 1. The body is formed and then 2. The soul infused So of the spiritual man also 1. The body of sacred knowledge must be conceived and framed in the minde 2. The
soul of sanctification infused in the obediential and practical use of this knowledge And both of these are the work of Gods Spirit the one the issue of his gifts and the other of his graces but neither without the use of those respective means which God hath thereunto most graciously appointed 2. Whosoever pretend to immediate Revelation and to have a secret teaching from God because they are of the number of his Saints and such as fear God must remember that 't is an act of great presumption misbecoming the humility of Saints and directly opposing the fear of God to neglect the means and depend upon miracle for the knowledge of his will so that by the very act of depending upon immediate Revelation they cut themselves off from all title and interest in those promises that are made to the meek lowly humble and such as fear the Lord for how can they be of the number of those babes to whom the mysteries of heaven are revealed who rank themselves amongst the most wise and perfect All professions and boastings of wisdome and holiness being symptomes of pride and presumption are thereby evident tokens that there is no true sober wisdome or solid soul-saving piety in the hearts of such professors but that they intrude into those things Col. 2.18 which they have not seen being vainly puft up by their fleshly minde And the minde never swels with that fleshly humour of self-conceited knowledge and purity without the secret infusions of that Diabolical spirit who as he was the first original of all pride and presumption so of all sinfulness and error thence derived and infecting the hearts and lives of men For pride is the beginning of sin and error also and he that hath it shall powr out abominations Ecclus. 10.13 What and how great are the benefits of piety and holiness of life as to the right understanding of Gods revealed will hath been already expressed That it is as the very soul and spirit so the top and perfection of true wisdome and knowledge that it is the end of all our studies and endevours and of all learning and knowledge both divine and humane and that without this holiness of life all our learning and knowledge shall be so far from being any way useful as to our own particulars that it shall tend to our greater condemnation at the last day Luk. 12.47 That whilest we study for learning and knowledge with desires and intentions only to be more wisely and knowingly pious and religions and withall do make a sanctified use of our knowledge received not suffering it to continue notionary and speculative in the brain but to be practical in the heart and have its influence upon the actions of our life That thus I say God is invited and according to his promises will undoubtedly multiply and increase our talent and by his holy Spirit open our eyes to see more clearly the waies of his service and our own salvation then such persons who have perhaps a greater portion of learning but less piety and hence undoubtedly many persons of meaner gifts and less learned have outstript others more learned and knowing in the knowledge of holy mysteries God of his great mercy enriching their understanding with more for the holy and pious use they have made of the less portion of knowledge imparted to them But yet notwithstanding the soul must not be advanc'd to the destruction of the body of sacred knowledge nor that which is the end and perfection of true wisdome must not make null and void the means God hath destin'd thereunto nor may we presume upon our good desires pious intentions and fancied relations unto God as this Elect and people further then in all humility to wait upon him for his blesting not without but in the use of those means of grace and truth which he hath ordained for our direction and guidance therein To conclude this discourse in the words of judicious Hooker If license were given to every man Eccl. polit l. 5. sect 10. to follow what himself imagineth that Gods Spirit doth reveal unto him or what he supposeth that God is likely to have revealed to some special person whose vertues deserve to be highly esteemed what other effect would ensue hereupon but utter confusion of his Church under pretence of being taught led and guided by his Spirit The gifts and graces whereof do so naturally all tend unto common peace that where such singularity is they whose hearts it possesseth ought to suspect it the more in as much as if it did come from God and should for that cause prevail with others the same God which revealeth it to them would also give them power of confirming it to others either with miraculous operation or with strong invincible remonstrance of sound reason such as whereby it might appear that God would indeed have all mens judgements give place unto it Whereas now the error and insufficiency of their arguments doth make it on the contrary against them a strong presumption that God hath not moved their hearts to think such things as he hath not enabled them to prove The Prayer O blessed Father of lights and fountain of all holy true divine and celestial Revelations as thou hast been pleased to reveal thy Son unto us to be the way the truth and the life so give us hearts to cleave fast to these divine Revelations both to acquiesce and persevere in the sacred doctrine and saving practise thereof take from us all vanity of mind and deceitfulness of imagination and let not the Author of lies prevail upon our depraved fancies to take us off from an holy humble and constant dependence upon thee in the use of the means of grace and truth ordained by thee Let thy Word be ever a light unto our feet and a lanthorn unto our paths and let thy holy Spirit ever clear this light to our minds and inflame our hearts with the sacred fire of divine love and zealous obedience to thy holy will revealed in thy word that by the guidance of this twofold light thy Word without and thy Spirit within both our outward and inward man may be directed in the waies of thy service and of our own salvation through Jesus Christ our Lord Amen The Ground and general Heads of the ensuing Discourse 1. THere were never any times wherein that admonition of S. Peter was more necessary to be observed by all careful and conscientious Christians Be sober and vigilant for your adversary the Devil as a roaring Lion walketh about seeking whom he may devour 1 Pet. 5.8 2 There are two waies whereby the Devil working upon mens frailties and upon their extravagant lusts and passions doth devour or destroy their souls 1. By blinding their understandings whereby they become apt to be seduced to the entertainment of errors and belief of lies 2. By poysoning their affections with the false paint of worldly vanities whereby they are ininveigled
and counterfeit number of professors and 't is dangerous in that many are thereby seduced and perish The great danger of Heresie and Schism will appear if we consider 1. The infectious nature of them how easily this spiritual plague doth sease and how fast it cleaveth to the depraved soul of man There is no question but if holy truth could be discerned by mortal eyes in its native beauty and lustre there is nothing that would so much attract and ravish the soul whether we respect the cause thereof as being a beam displaid from the divine light of heaven or its effect being the perfection and joy of the highest faculty in man the understanding in both respects there 's nothing so illustrious and lovely in it self as holy Truth that therefore which makes errors and lies so plausible and infectious is not their own natural stamp and quality which is deformed and hateful but the counterfeit dross of seeming Truth wherewithall the Devil doth gild and paint and cover their deformities nor could the devil ever obtrude his lies and errors but that they are gilded over with holy and religious expressions and intermixt also with many wholsome and profitable truths and thus doth this Prince of darkness transform himself into an Angel of light that he may at once both amuse and betray the deceived souls of men through a spiritual to an eternal darkness But as sin is the more sinful and dangerous Ibi vitiorum illecebâ—ae sunt ubi tegmen putabatur viriutum Hier. in Eccl. the more 't is palliated and clothed with the name and attire of vertue because saith Hierome In those veils and covers of vertue the snares of sinfulness and vice do secretly lurk So errors in Religion are the more deceivable and destructive by being arayed in the garments of truth and integrity for thus they appear to the outward view of the unskilful more true saith Irenaeus then truth it self even as a counterfeit jewel made bright and sparkling by Art Si quis aquae mixtum gypsum dans prolacte seducat per similitudinem coloris sic de omnibus qui quolibet modo depravant quae sunt Dei adulterant veritatem Dei. Lacte gypsum male miscetur Irenae l. 3. c. 19. so deceives the eyes of the unskilful Lapidary that he prefers it before the true and genuine Diamond or as poyson secretly mixt with wholsome food passes for good nourishment or as well mixed whitelime by the likeness of its colour passes for milk Sunt quidam vaniloqui mentis seducteres non Christiani sed Christum mercantes cauponantes verbum Evangelii qui venenum erroris commiscentes dulci blandimento sicut oenomeli ut qui biberit illius potus gustabilem sensum dulcedine captus in observanter morti abdicatur Ignat. ep ad Trall so the untempered mortar of false Prophets Ezek. 22.28 for the sincere milk of the Word 1. Pet. 2.2 To this destructive quality of error the holy professions and strict austere outward actions of Heretiques do much conduce no man so pure in their own eyes none so seemingly pure and holy to the outward view of other mens eyes none more zealous in their way none so full of religious phrases and Scripture expressions their crossed armes down-cast eyes neglected gestures garb and attire seemingly bespeak them men altogether weaned from the world and whose conversation is in heaven Sed latet anguis in herba when under all these fair and goodly appearances there lies secretly the serpentine poyson of error falshood and lying vanity of minde they do not only hereby deceive themselves but mightily seduce and deceive others also For there is nothing saith Chrysostome does so much destroy Truth and Holinoss Chry. Hom. 19. in Mat. 7. as counterfeit truth and feigned holiness for the evil which is manifest is shun'd and avoided as evil but evil covered under the shew of Good is not therefore avoided because not known to be evil but is received as good and holy and doth therefore destroy that which is good by being intermixt therewith And thus saith he the servants of the Devil do most wickedly corrupt and deprave the holy Christian Religion whilest they pretend to be themselves good Christians of whom our Lord therefore commands us to beware saying Beware of false Prophets which come unto you in sheeps clothing but inwardly are ravening woolves Mat. 7.15 2. The great danger of Heresie and Schism will further appear if we consider that they are ever productive and fruitful in all licentiousness and sinfulness of heart and life for Heresies being begotten by the Devil of the sinful corruptions of men hearts as is already noted cannot therefore have any other issue but of the same mold and temper whereof they are themselves begotten What ever therefore may be the external garbe and appearance of holiness which Heretiques generally do put on and how ever pure they may seem in their own eyes yet are such who are not washed from their filthiness Prov. 30.12 and however they may justifie themselves with the Pharisee yet are they not therefore just before God but rather the further off from justification Some of them you shall hear to brag much and boast of the Spirit and yet very fruitful in the lusts of the flesh For saith the Apostle whereas there is among you envying and strife and divisions are ye not carnal 1 Cor. 3.3 To talk much against the vanities of the world and to be themselves worldly minded for so saith S. John of false Prophets They are of the world therefore speak they of the world and the world heareth them 1 Joh. 4.5 To profess and make a great shew of humility and obedience and yet as S. Jude observes The despise government and speak evil of dignities vers 8. To be righteous and just persons and contrary to the rule of righteousness they render not to all men their due tribute to whom tribute is due custome to whom custome fear to whom fear belongeth honour to whom honour appertaineth Rom. 13.7 No men ordinarily profess more zeal to Religion then Heretiques and to the pure worship of God in spirit and in truth yet none do more maim corrupt and deprave Religion and undermine Gods holy worship the greatest heat of their zeal being laid out and exercised in crying out against parts and essential branches of Gods service some against Gods Commandements others against the Articles of the most holy Faith others against that all-perfect form and pattern of devotion the Lords Prayer some against publique prayers others against the Sacraments some are against the places others against the times others against the persons devoted to the sacred service of God and others sacrilegiously rob him of the means and maintenance of his service S. James tels us Pure Religion and undefiled before God is to visit the fatherless and widowes and to keep our selves unspotted of the world Jam. 1.27 And yet 't is
soul and body as the tree and its fruits or as the foundation and building of holy Religion And in good-works or the holy actions of obedience he hath coupled both the Tables of the Law together the one containing the sacred offices of piety towards God and the other of justice and charity towards man he then that will not be guilty of Error must not presume upon any pretence how specious soever to divide these or any of these each from other For he that parts faith from good works parte the body from the soul and overthrowes holy Religion from off its proper basis and foundation And he that parts holiness and righteousness or righteousness from holiness who pretends Religion to God to be unjust or uncharitable to man or out of a pretence of justice or kindness to man robs God of any part of his worship uses one table of the Law as an instrument to break the other to the ruine and breach of both 5. To avoid errors 't is necessary that we obey and submit our selves to the directions and guidance of those consecrate persons whom God hath ordained and according to Gods ordinance are lawfully called and rightly instituted to be the Pastors of our souls and the pillars of his Truth This direction God himself giveth to his people as an antidote against idolatry and all false worship Deut. 12.19 Take heed to thy self that thou forsake not the Levite as long as thou livest upon the earth and chap. 17.8 If there ariâ—e a matter too hard for thee in judgement thou shalt arise and come unto the Priests the Levites And the man that wil do presumptuously will not hearken unto the Priest that standeth to minister even that man shall die vers 12. And Mal. 2.7 The Priests lips Haec sunt initia haereticorum ut sibi placiant propositum superbo â—â—mere contemnam Cyp. l. 3. epist 9. c. The same command is given Heb. 13.17 Obey them that have the rule over you submit your selves for they watch for your souls c. But when people contemn their Pastors and despise their directions when they presume to be wiser then their teachers and to set themselves above those who are over them in the Lord when they will controll their Priests and snatch the holy oracles out of their mouths censure their doctrines revile their persons scandalize their profession hence arise Heresies Schisms and factions this opens the gap to all errors seductions and falshoods Thus when the spirit of contradiction reigned and the people were as those that strive with their Priests Hos 4.4 hear what a dreadful ruine attended them vers 5. Therefore shalt thou fall in the day and the Prophet shall fall with thee in the night destruction shall follow upon destruction as the night followeth the day and I will destroy thy mother the Church And what else can be expected but that men should stumble and fall into errors and deceits even when the light of saving knowledge shineth unto them if the directions of those whom God rightly placed to be the lights of his Church Mat. 5.14 are neglected and disobeyed especially if we remember that all such contempt and disobedience reflecteth upon Christ the true Light himself Luk. 10.16 He that heareth you heareth me saith our Lord to his Disciples In discipulâ— magister auditur in filio pater honoratur Bed in loc and in them to all faithful Pastors and he that despiseth you despiseth me and he that despiseth me despiseth him that sent me And here we that are Pastors ought in all humility to acknowledge that there is as well obedience due from us to our Ecclesiastical Fathers the Bishops as there is from the people unto us and when we deny the one it is most just with God to deprive us of the other the miserable effects whereof we are by sad experience too sensible of 6. That we be not ensnared in the labyrinth of error 't is necessary that we suppress all swelling conceits of our own knowledge and wisdome For seest thou a man wise in his own conceit there is more hopes of a fool then of such a one Prov. 26.12 And undoubtedly no men for the most part are so wisc in their own conceits and proud of their knowledge in spiritual things as they that have the least portion of spiritual understanding for the first appearance of spiritual light doth so amaze all weak and ignorant minds that they think presently they are the children of the light when they are not yet out of the confines of the Kingdome of darkness and are confident of knowing all things when as yet they have not so much knowledge as to acquaint them with their own ignorance And as one hath truly observed 'T is ordinary with men whilest they are young and novices in Religion to despise those doctrines and religious offices which upon more maturity and ripeness of judgement they have approved and embraced He then that desires to be endued with the spirit of truth must conform himself to the Spirit of Christ in all meeknesâ— and humility Learn of me for I am meek and lowly Mat. 11.29 And he that will not learn this lesson shall never learn exactly to know the errors of his waies for Humility moulds and prepares the soul to receive the impressions of holy Truth which pride and self-conceitedness resists and opposes so Psal 25.9 The meek will he guide in judgement and the meek will he teach his way but Jam. 4.6 God resisteth the proud and 't is because the proud first resist the impressions of Gods Spirit As the black apple of the eye sees clearly but if there be a white pearle therein it sees nothing even so the eye of humane understanding saith Greg. if sensible of its own ignorance and sinfulness sees more clearly the secrets of Truth but if once it apprehend Greg. de â—ur past c. 11. and gather a self-conceited whiteness and purity of holiness and wisdome 't is excluded from the light of celestial knowledge For so much the lesse doth any man perceive the light of truth by how much he is by pride exalted and puft up with conceit of his own understanding There be too many in these sad times of such universal delusion that think themselves very wise and great proficients in Religion if they can but talk and wrangle and hold discourse to and again of religious matters such discourse is too often also in Scripture phrases either not understood or else wrested and perverted and tends ordinarily to the crying down of some religious practise or ancient custome of the Church though it be not only innocent but useful and edifying expressions and arguments of this nature the devil is ever ready to suggest to the mindes of men and to whet and smooth their tongues to run on readily in such kinde of unprofitable and destructive effusions which puffes them up with fond conceits of their
divine celestial souls by their private fervent prayers holy desires heavenly contemplations zealous hungrings and thirstings pantings and breathings after God have a nearer and more close familiarity with him then in and by the use of external ordinances is attainable yet so to be above ordinances as to live without them is to live besides the rules of the Gospel and not to submit to the Law and government of Christ which is in effect to say with those rebels in the parable We will not have this man to reign over us Whilest our souls do inhabit in these tabernacles of clay God hath appointed us to receive his blessings by means sutable to our condition And to have our blessedness dispensed by Gods immediate hand is not to be hoped for till we have our consummation with the blessed Saints and Angels of heaven In the mean time let us take heed lest whilest we exalt our selves to be equal with the Angels we fall not lower then the state of good men and prove like hollow vessels all sound and no substance all prattle and pretence without the soundness and sincerity of pure and undefiled Religion He that will rise to perfection must fall low in his own estimation 1 Pet. 5.6 Humble your selves If in all humility and obedience we keep within that line of duty which God in his good providence hath drawn about us he will in his due time exalt us to such a measure of gifts and graces as shall best conduce to the advancement of his service and our own salvation 11. Lastly he that will carefully avoid all erroneous opinions in Religion must not dwell so much in disputes and argumentations in the things of God as in the conscientious practise and careful obedience unto his most holy Laws 'T is not true Religion that is only notionary in the brain nor that a godly zeal that only dwels upon the tongue they must be also practical in the heart and have their influence upon the actions and manners of our lives conforming them to that all-perfect rule of righteousness which is the will and command of God There was never more talk and prattle of Religion and yet never less practise all the fire of holy zeal is spent in preaching and hearing disputing and wrangling and the maintenance of sects and factions whilest obedience to Gods Commandements lies a bleeding and the sincere practise of Christianity which is the life thereof is neglected all the sap of grace being wasted in the production of leaves no fruits of truly pious and charitable actions appear which is not the least cause of such universal apostasie from the Truth For whilest Religion is not setled in the heart and thence breaks forth into the actions of a holy life but floats aloft in the fansie and descends no lower then the ear or tongue to hear and talk of it thus it does but render the minde sickle and apt to receive the impression of every new and strange opinion how erroneous soever if it wear but the garments and appear in the colours of the Spirit of grace and truth It is also sad to observe how eagerly men contend for shadowes in the loss of the substance how strict and curious many are in smaller matters and things of indifferency whilest the essential duties of Christianity are slighted A spice of that old hypocrisie of the Scribes and Pharisees who paid tithes of mint cumin and anise but omitted the weightier matters of the Law judgement mercy and â—aith Mat. 23.23 There is no readier way to give stop to the current and stay the violent inundation of Heresies amongst us then that professors of Religion would be more careful of religious practises then studious of opinions more industrious to subdue their carnal and worldly lusts and to cherish all inclinations to pious and charitable actions then to move questions and raise disputes in religious matters undoubtedly more practise of Religion and less dispute about it would much wither the tares of error now in their full growth and make those holy orthodox truths appear in their proper lustre which are now obscur'd in the bustle of unnecessary contentions and lost in the confused heap of variance and vain opinions 12. There are two practical points of holy Christian Religion which are great antidotes and preservatives against the delusions of Satan if carefully and conscientiously performed viz Prayer and Fasting this being as 't were the body and the other the soul of true practical piety And the concurrence of these two together a religious Fast with a pure and fervent Prayer is armour of proof against the most violent temptations of Satan either to sinfulness or error when nothing else will enchain the Devil and quell his temptations he is cast out by prayer and fasting Mar. 9.19 Prayer is that whip which drives the Devil out of the temple of the Heart and Fasting makes this whip more sharp Oratio daemoni flagellum Iejunium orationem reborat Bern. vigorous and piercing Prayer is that chain which ties up the Devil from the infusion of his seductions and deceits and by fasting we strengthen the chain and make it hold 13. But a threefold cord is not easily broken If therefore we shall adde to our Prayers and Fastings Eccl. 4.12 the exercise of Christian Charity avoiding all malice and hatred all uncharitable censures bitter railings and envyings one of another which are too usual with persons of different perswasions and shall with all meekness of wisdome long-suffering and forbearance endevour each others instruction and direction in the waies of truth and holiness against such powerful spiritual weapons undoubtedly the spirit of error shall not have strength to prevail whilest through the mean of a lively faith these holy actions receive their efficacy and value from the meritorious death and sufferings of our dearest Lord and Saviour who by his death hath overcome him who had the power of death the Devil and all the spirits and powers of darkness all whose black and mischievous designs and secret insinuations of error and deceit are annihilate and deaded and from them all we have redemption through faith in the bloud of Christ Blessed Lord who hast built thy Church upon a rock and promised that the gates of hell should never prevail against it Behold O Lord how that infernal spirit of error and delusion hath prospered and prevailed amongst us O God the heathen are come into thine inheritance thy holy Temple have they defiled and made thy Church an heap of confusions and disorder We are become an open shame unto our enemies a very scorn and derision to them that are round about us Lord how long wilt thou be angry shall thy jealousie burn like fire for ever O remember not our old sins but have mercy upon us and that soon for we are come to great misery Help us O God of our salvation for the glory of thy name O deliver us and be
persist in our errors Joh. 8.44 we are then of our father the Devil who as he was a lyar from the beginning and abode not in the truth so doth he obstinately abide for ever in the destructive and damnable errors of his waies Both this infelicity and also this sinfulness of error will more fully appear by considering and rightly understanding the nature of Heresie and Schism the two general heads whereunto all sinful error is reducible CHAP. II. Heresie the nature and ingredients thereof HEresie hath its denomination from the Greek word 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 to chuse or follow by way of division and separation the which being continued and increased by perversness and obstinacy therein gives unto Heresie its perfection and compleatment The former is an error of the understanding the latter an exorbitancy of the will And thus both the Sententiarist and the Schoolman define an Heretique He is an Heretique who both erres in the Articles of holy faith through defect in his understanding and withal pertinaciously cleaves to such errors through the perverseness of his will From this general description of an Heretique and the nature of Heresie the particular ingredients whereof the cup of Heretical poyson is compounded will appear to be these 1. To be an Heretique is to erre in matters of faith not of Fact and in points of Doctrine not of Discipline the former distinguishes Heresie from sinfulness of life The latter opposes Heresie to Schism These points of faith are either 1. Fundamental such as are the grounds pillars and constituent parts of holy Christian Religion Or 2. Superstructive such clear and evident truthes as are built upon and by necessary consequence do flow from those grounds An error in the former is primarily and principally and in the latter secondarily and consequentially Heresie 2. He that in either of these respects erres in the most holy faith through ignorance misunderstanding or misinformation is not presently to be adjudged an Heretique untill this error in his understanding hath so infected his will and affection that he cleaves to this his private erroneous opinion even against the judgement of holy Catholick Church and the doctrine of Christ sufficiently made known unto him so the Father Qui in ecclesia Christi morbidum aliquid pravúmque sapiunt Aug. de civit dil l. 18. c. 51. si correpti ut sanum rectumque sapiant resistunt contumaciter c. They who in the Church of Christ do believe any pernicious doctrines and being instructed and admonisht to receive the sound and saving truth do yet pertinaciously persist in their errors and continue to defend them still without conversion and amendment are hereby become Heretiques of whom S. John 1 Joh. 1.19 They went out from us but they were not of us for if they had been of us they would no doubt have continued with us viz In the society of holy or thodox Christians And being gone out through the obstinate maintaining the delusions of their own heads they become saith the Father of the number of those enemies whom God permits for the trial of our faith and exercise of our charity And this particular ingredient of Heresie the same Father in one of his Epistles more fully cleareth thus Qui sâ—ntentiam suam quanvis falsam mulla peâ—tinacâ— animositate defendiâ— praeserâ—m quam non audacia suae praesumptionis peperit sed à seductis in errorem laâ—sis parentibus accepit Quaerit autem cauâ—â solicitudine veritatem corrigi paratus cum invenerit nequaquam est inter haretices deputandus Aug. Epist 162. He that defends his opinion though it be false with no perversness and animosity especially if it arise not from his own bold and sawcy presumption of mindâ— but from his erroneous and seduced guides and pasiors or parents he hath received it if with all carefulness and diligence he seek to know the Truth being of a ready and prepared heart to imbrace it when he shall sinde it such a person though he does erre in the most holy faith is not to be accounted an Heretique 3. The third ingredient then of Heretical poyson is the obstinate cleaving to an erroneous opinion or tenent in Religion contrary to the judgement of the universal Church So Isidore defines Heretiques to be such persons Isid de verbo Haetes who of their own heads depart from the judgement of the Church hammering out of their own brains false and perverse doctrines whereas saith he it is not lawful for us orthodox Christians to bring in any thing of our own heads nor yet to receive and believe what any others of their own heads have brought into the Church We have the Apostles of Christ for our Authors for even they brought in nothing of their own minde but the doctrine they received from Christ they faithfully published and preached to the world And though we saith the Apostle or an Angel from heaven should preach any other Gospel besides c. Gal. 1.18 From the Apostles the sound and saving Truth is received by the Church so that saith Irenaeus We ought not else where to seek the truth Non oportet adhuc quaerer apud alias veritatem quam facile est ab ecclesia sumere cum Apostoli quasi in depositonum dives plenissimè in ea conâ—ulerint omnia quae sunt veritatis ut omnis quicunq velit sumat ex ea potum vitae Irenae l. 3. c. 4. which in the Church may be easily found since the the Apostles have most fully treasur'd up therein as in a rich store-house all things that are of Truth so that whosoever list may thence take out the waters of life Therefore the Apostle styles the Church The pillar and ground of Truth 1 Tim. 2.15 The pillar Gloss ordin In se bene sustinens veritatem ne corruat licet tribuletur Upholding the Truth that it fall not though daily distressed by the gates or powers of hell whose instruments are Wolves without or Foxes within the one by open persecutions assailing the other by secret infectious opinions undermining the Truth but the Church like a pillar supports it and like the ground which God hath made to stand continually both upholds and holds forth the true faith and like a rock against the raging billowes of the sea stands it out against all the gusts of persecutions heresies and schismes which are as 't were that spiritual ammunition wherewith all the gates of hell are furnisht to fight against the Church of Christ and the most holy faith thereof But whilest we stand with the Church we shall not need to fear either the crafts or assaults of these ghostly enemies For upon a Rock Christ hath grounded his Church and the gates of hell shall never prevail against it Mat. 16.18 When any particular person then opposes his private spirit and judgement against the publique judgement and spirit of that Church whereof he is a member or when any particular
Church opposes the judgement of the Catholick or universal Church in point of holy faith this necessarily makes one ingredient in the sin of Heresie for so he or they do not stand upon the rock whereupon holy faith is grounded nor rest on that pillar which upholds the Truth This saith Irenaeus is the way of life meaning the way of the Church and all the rest are theeves and robbers Whosoever he be that will obstinately persist in his own erroneous opinion Haec est vitae introitus omnes a. reliliqui fures sunt latrones Si quis tam obstinatè in suo errore peâ—sistat ut universam Christi ecclesiam audire nolit talis juxta Christi mandatum pro ethnico publicano nobis habendus est Irenaeus and refuse to hear the Church let him be unto thee according to the command of Christ as a Heathen or Publican As in the natural body he is accounted a monster rather then a perfect man who hath any exuberant member that is disproportionate and not agreeable with the rest of the members of the body so in the mystical body of Christ he is an Heretique Sicut mensura est unius cujusque partis ita totius corporis quod omnibus suis partibus constat Aug. no orthodox Christian whose particular faith is exuberant and agrees not with the whole body of the Church according to that undeniable axiome Turpis est pars omnis toti non congrua That part is disorderly and sinful which agrees not with the whole whereof it is a part As there is but one faith Ephes 4.5 which is therefore called The unity of the faith vers 13. and though there be several articles or parts of holy Truth which constitute this one body of faith August yet saith the Father Veritas est veritati congrua one truth bears such a proportion with another as is agreeable to the whole so that the whole body of the true faith is like it self in all the parts or particular points thereof even so there is but one body Eph. 4.4 i. e. one Church professing this one faith Vna fides non numero sed genete qua similis in omnibus and though there be many members of this one body yet each true member is so proportionate to the whole as that all makes up but one orderly mystical body of Christ which ought to be as without spot or stain of sin so without the exuberant disorder of error 'T is the end and office of the Ministery to bring all Christians to this pitch of perfection even to be all incorporate as members of one mystical body of Christ by the unanimous acknowledgement of one faith Ephes 4.11 c. He gave some Apostles for the perfecting of the Saints for the work of the Ministry for the edifying of the body of Christ till we all come into the unity of the faith and of the knowledge of the Son of God unto a perfect man unto the measure of the stature of the fulness of Christ that we henceforth be no more children tossed to and fro and carried about with every winde of doctrine by the sleight of men and cunning craftiness whereby they lie in wait to deceive but speaking the truth in love may grow up into him in all things from whom the whole body fitly joyned together and compacted by that which every joynt supplyeth according to the effectual working in the measure of every part maketh increase of the body to the edifying of it self in love 4. The 4. ingredient of Heresie is to hold and maintain an error in faith with frowardness and opposition to lawful determinations For though all Christians cannot perhaps in their judgements submit to all lawful determinations of controversies in Religion yet however these are thereby obliged to a passive obedience to possesse their souls in patience not to oppose the authority and disturb the peace of the Church Remembring 1. That the unity peace and authority of the Church in general is more to be valued then any particular mans satisfaction And 2. That the publique resolution of the Church is to be preferred before any private mans perswasion to the contrary That opinion of S. Cyprians concerning Rebaptization was in him but an error because the Church had not determined any thing for or against it but after the Church had defin'd it and adjudged Rebaptization unlawful Euseb eccl hist lib. 7. c. 2. 't was in all persons that maintained it not an error only but an Heresie To sum up all in few words A man becomes guilty of Heresie 1. By disbeleeving any fundamental Article of Faith or necessary part of saving Truth in that sense as it was evermore received by the universal Church of Christ 2. By beleeving any superstitious Errors or Additions which do vertually and by necessary and evident consequence subvert any article of holy faith or overthrow a fundamental Truth 3. By beleeving and maintaining these or lesser errors then these with perversenesse and obstinacy after sufficient conviction 4. By beleeving and obstinately opposing private opinions in points of faith against the publique lawful Determinations of the Church to the contrary CHAP. IV. Of Schisme the nature and kindes thereof 1. SChism is so called from the Greek word 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 to divide or rent the word is used 1 Cor. 1.10 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 That there be no Schisms or divisions amongst you And because Schism and contention are inseparable twins what therefore in this verse are called Schisms in the next vers 11. are cal'd 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 contentions 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 That there are contentions amongst you And the better to conceive what is meant by these schisms and contentions 't is exemplified vers 12. One saith I am of Paul another I am of Apollo another I am of Cephas and another will not depend upon any acknowledging neither Paul nor any mortal man to be his Tutor and instructer and he saith I am of Christ Thus the immaculate body of Christ is divided into parties and sects the partakers and followers of which several sects are therefore called Sectarists and Separatists viz. Such as cleave not to the whole body but follow some one part that is broken off and divided from the whole 2. Heresie and Schism in the mystical body of Christ do differ as an inward sicknesse and outward wound in the natural body of man but yet so that there are several internal aswel as external parts and branches of Schism for by how many waies and means communion is maintain'd amongst Christians by so many waies it may be broken and dissolv'd And every breach of communion is a Schism 3. Now the Communion to be maintained amongst Christians is either Internal External The internal communion hath several branches viz. 1. To beleeve and assent to all those saving truths revealed to us by Christ and his Apostles and in all ages of the