those to whom the spirit hath suggested them how wicked and detestable soever otherwise they may bee So that the question is brought to matter of fact to witte who proposeth that which is contained in the Scripture which question is cleared in examining the Doctrine proposed by the Scripture as the proportion of a building is knowne by applying of the square and levell For example the Iewes of Boerea did not directly and à priori inquire whether Saint Paul when hee preached vnto them was inspired of the holy spirit or no it had beene an impossible thing for them seeing it is the property of God alone to bee the searcher of hearts But they made inquirie for all that whether Saint Paul did speake according to the Scriptures and hauing by conferring of Saint Pauls doctrine with the Scriptures discovered the conformity and how they answered the one to the other they judged truly as indeed it was to wit that Saint Paul spake not of himselfe but by the holy spirit Yea the Ancients themselues hauing to do with heretickes who made shew to hold the Scripture for their rule haue not refused to dispute before a Pagan Iudge who although by reason of his vnbeliefe hee was not capable to judge whether of two parties maintained the truth pronounced neverthelesse and very happily which of the two concluded most conformably to the Scripture which both the one and the other alleaged for their purpose but the same sufficeth vs at this day in our controversies for if it be apparant who speake according to the Scriptures no man who maketh profession of Christianity doubting of the Scripture the conclusion will bee plaine and evident that whosoever hee be speakes according to truth and by the spirit of truth There is much difference betweene beleeuing the Principles of Christian Religion and judging who teach most conformably to those principles To the first faith and the illumination of the holy spirit are absolutely necessary for the second common sense is sufficient To beleeue that the Scripture is true when it teacheth vs that there is but one God that the Father is God the Sonne God and the holy Ghost also that the Father is not the Sonne nor the holy Ghost neither the one nor the other for this faith onely is required But to inferre from thence that the nature of God is one in number that the persons of the Trinity are distinct yet not divided that they communicate in one and the same nature for this I say common sense alone sufficeth which cannot deny the consequent the truth of the antecedent once granted which without all doubt cannot bee comprehended but by faith It is then in vaine to aske who shall judge of the consequences as if a man hauing learned in a historie how many companies and how many souldiers in every company were in an army how many troopes of horse and how many horsemen in every troope one should demand who shall judge whether the number of the souldiers of which the army did consist be rightly collected frō thence In like manner if we can proue by the Scripture that that which Christ gaue to his disciples was bread broken and if wee proue by the same Scripture that the body of Christ is not broken in the Eucharist and that yet much lesse the bread brokē is Christs body to demād here who shall judge whether a man may inferre from hence that the Lord gaue not vs externally his own body in the Eucharist is all one as to aske who hath common sense Likewise when the Apostle sayth that wee are saued by grace through faith and that not of our selues it is the gift of God not of workes least any man should Boast If it bee asked here who shall judge whether it can be gathered from hence that wee are not saved by the merit of our workes but by faith wholly relying vpon this grace without hauing merited it our selues by any workes of ours is not this to aske how a man might know that hee is in his senses But if the consequence bee so obscure that it is harde to judge of it this is an argument that there is no consequence at all the nature of which is such that in a manner it forceth our vnderstanding to yeeld vnto it and to allow of it albeit we had studied in no other logicke then that of nature CHAP. 16. The verifying of the second meanes of Nullity against the eight allegation by declaring the vntrueth thereof BVT if wee proceede so farre as to demand how we may know whether the Scripture bee the coppy of the declared will of God since a man cannot know neither who hath nor whether hee himselfe hath the spirit of God or no the answere is very easie hee who knoweth not whether he hath the spirit or no belongs not to Christ and therefore it is not strange if he knowes not the voyce of Christ but all those who belong to Christ are made partakers of his spirit If any man hath not the spirit of Christ hee is none of his As many as are led by the spirit of God they are the sonnes of God they haue not receiued the spirit of bondage againe to feare but the spirit of adoption which cryeth Abba Father in their hearts The spirit it selfe beareth witnesse to their spirit that they are the children of God They are sealed vntill the redemption of the purchased possession hee is vnto them a spirit of wisdome and reuelation They are the sheepe of Christ they heare and know the voyce of their sheepheard They follow him and the voice of a stranger they will not follow but will flie from him for they know not his voyce The Father driues them to Christ they are taught of God they haue learned of the Father they are spirituall and therefore comprehend the things that are of God because the spirit hath revealed thē vnto them they are spiritually discerned They haue receiued the anoynting by the holy spirit and know all things God hath written his lawes in their hearts Christ dwels there by faith Their bodies are the temples of the holy Ghost And those who are adorned and enriched so sumptuously can they bee ignorant of the excellencie of the diamond and the magnificencie of the riches which they possesse Those who are enlightened with such a light vpon whom the Lord causeth the day to spring from on high to shine and the light of his countenance to airse to whom he is the sun and buckler the sunne of righteousnesse bearing health vnder his wings whose eyes hee hath enlightened can they doubt whether they walke in his light Shall the naturall man by his reason comprehend that he discourseth and the spirituall man shall not hee discerne by the spirit that hee hath the spirit And here some man may say vnto vs But how many may bee found who boast nay who thinke verily they haue the spirit
it oblige vs to judge better of a multitude what then the Lord shall not hee keepe his promise and shall not hee bee justified when hee speakes nay let every man be declared a lyer that the Lord may be acknowledged faithfull and true for hee hath promised not to a multitude only but also to two or three the assistance of his spirit in their consultations to wit if they be gathered together in his name if they seeke him in trueth But who canne discerne who are they if not by the holinesse of their constitutions which if it be not found in them wee are not bound to beleeue that they were assembled in the name of Christ nor consequently that they haue beene made pertakers of the benefit of such an excellent promise Saint Augustine well knew this truth when hee affirmed that the Councells even those which are generall may be corrected and reformed To what good then serue the Councels truly oftentimes they are so farre from beeing good that they are pernicious for if the number of those which are good bee the lesse without doubt the multitude will carry it and it will bee as the Councell of the foure hundred Prophets and one holden in the presence of Iehosaphat and Ahab where the 400 evill prophets crushed the one good and carried it notwithstanding all the resistance he could make For which cause the Religious wisdome of holy Athanasius cannot sufficiently be praised opposing himselfe against them who required Synodes vnder pretence of reforming the faith in alleadging vnto them that wee haue the Scripture more proper for this purpose then any other meanes whatsoeuer yea that because hee doubted least the multitude of the worser part might sway the ballance In the time of Gregorie Nazianzen things were come to such a height of corruption that being summoned by Procopius in the Emperours name to come to a Synode hee excused himselfe saying that hee never saw any good issue of a synode But when a Councell may bee held composed of men well red in the Scripture zealous of the glory of God louers of the peace of the Church there is no doubt but such an assembly may bring forth much good because it might cleare that which is difficult not by it's owne authority but by it's sufficiencie Even as when a window is opened by a strong dextrous hand which was shut vp before the more weake and vnable who could not open it do see the sun perceiue the opening not because of any authority of him that opened it but by reason of his strength dexterity manifesting it selfe by a visible and sensible effect But such Councels we may rather wish then looke for The deluge of vices which hath overflowed Christendome having drawne vpon vs this horrible judgement Such was that first Councell of Nice that tooke the Scripture onely for the rule and square of it's judgement and refused not to submit it selfe to the touchstone and triall as S◠Athanasius witnesseth proposing to other Councels or rather conventicles the example of this Councels modesty to make them blush with shame and confound their pride And indeed it was a remarkable thing that the Fathers protested that they would not vse the authority of the Councell of Nice against the Arrians but of the scripture vpon which the Councell of Nice is founded what shall wee then conclude but that wee ought to approue of the good Councells receiue their ordinances with reverence not because they could not erre but if so they haue not erred and argue in this manner against Heretickes when matter of right is called in question The Councell hath so concluded according to the Scripture therefore it is true and not after this manner The Councell hath so concluded therefore it is so But in matter of fact and touching history to judge what is that which is vniversally beleeued and receiued and by the greater part wee may wel conclude from the determination of an Oecumenicall Councell that it is beleeued and receiued generally And therefore the Councells also are good for this purpose to stoppe the mouth of Hereticks who might pretend the consent of the Church and by such a protestation giue some scandall to the weaker which by this meanes may easily be taken away Truly if the Councels had thought that their consultatiōs should be approued because of their authority simply not much more rather for the truth of them and their conformity with the Scriptures they had never inserted in their acts the places of Scripture the reasons on which they grounded themselues they had never framed vs a man may say a verball processe of all that had passed but they would haue contented themselues to haue inserted the Canons only without any further declaration but not proceeding after this manner they would giue vs a reason of their deliberation and recommend themselues famous not by the vsurpation of a soveraigne authority but by a declaration and exposition of the trueth that so our faith might not bee grounded vpon humane authority but vpon that of the living God And truly to what end is the ceremony of laying the bible vpon the table in a Councell is it not to declare that it's authority is ruled by a Law and as a Iudge in a politicke estate who hath the Princes Law for his rule ought to judge according to that law and is accountable for his judgement so are the Councels to determine according to the Scripture and are bound to make apparant vnto the conscience as much as lyes in them that they haue judged according vnto it but some may say Councels at lest are subordinate Iudges Bee it so but wee seeke a Soveraigne Iudge a Iudge from whom it is not lawfull to appeale an infallible Iudge This authority this priviledge cannot bee giuen to Councels Wee seeke a Iudge that is alwaies on bench giving audience a Iudge to whom wee may at all times haue recourse and such Councels cannot bee CHAP. 15. The verifying of the second meanes of Nullity against the eight allegation by declaring the impertinasy thereof THe last point remaineth to be cleared to wit whether the vncertainty of humane iudgement canne cause that God speaking in the Scripture should not bee fit to be our Iudge since a man cannot know neither who hath nor whether he himselfe hath the holy spirit or not And here first of all could wee answere that touching the matter in hand the question is not whether wee canne know immediately or as the Schoole speaketh à priori who hath the holy Ghost but onely who speaketh according to the Scriptures which being resolued by conferring the Scriptures with that which is proposed wee may easily conclude if passion and malice darken not the vnderstanding who proposeth the words of the holy Ghost and by this meanes discerne à posteriori as they say who hath the spirit seeing that in regard of Pastors and Doctors none preach the word of the spirit but
and yet are grossely deceiued how many haue the spirit and yet erre oftentimes in their iudgements and indeede it is so but is it not either a strange perversity or indiscretiō to inferre from thence that none can know that none can judge and discerne assuredly to salvation the spirituall things which God hath revealed outwardly to his by his word inwardly by his spirit For do we not see amōgst men how many there are who glory and deceiue themselues with a false opinion of wisdome being indeed imprudent foolish yet whosoever would conclude from thence that hee who is truly wise cannot know that hee is so should bring into the world not that of the Academiques but even the Pyrronian suspence of judgment If then the boasting and vanity of a foole cannot prejudice the assured knowledge which hee who is wise can and ought to haue of wisdome no more can the false perswasions of hypocrites which proceede from the illusiō of Satan shake the certainty of that assurāce which proceedeth from the sense and feeling of the spirit dwelling in the heart of the spirituall man and giuing as wee haue said testimony to his spirit Yea the conformity of his motions with the word of the Scripture assures and strengthens him and putteth a difference betweene the sence and feeling he hath and that which ariseth from the false illusion of Satan which hath no other rule then it selfe From the same fountaine either of malice or vnadvisednesse it proceedes that vnder pretence that those who haue receiued the spirit do erre sometimes they would conclude that in that which is necessary to salvation they cannot passe any certaine judgement for the wisest in the knowledge of worldly businesses may offend against the rules of wisdome and yet who will deny for all this but they can giue advise and sure counsell Wee say sure according to the rules of wisdome For no man can answere for the event which is oftentimes contrary to the wisedome of Counsell and favoureth rash attempts The learned are ignorant of many things but not of such without which they cannot deserue that name As then the prudent differ not from fooles in this that they never commit any follies but in this that their follies are not grosse are not ordinary and as the difference that is between the learned the ignorāt cōsists in that which is the Principall in the Science which he professeth The ignorāt on the contrary is either ignorant of all or knowes very little and even that little which hee knowes to speake properly hee knowes not So the difference that is betweene the man spiritually wise him that is ignorant according to the spirit it is not in this that the Spirituall man never but in that hee erres not grossely and ordinarily Not in that hee knowes all but in that hee knowes all that which is necessary in his profession whereas hee that is spiritually foolish and ignorant erres almost alwayes erres ordinarily is ignorant of that which is necessary that he should know for the making of himselfe such as hee professeth himselfe to bee And euen as there is a great disproportion betweene fooles and wisemen in the ordinary course and cariage of their liues betweene the learned and ignorant in the knowledge of good arts and yet all the wise in that kind are not equally wise nor all the learned equally learned nay in that very humane and secular wisedome and learning there is no one perfectly wise perfectly learned so great is the difference betweene those whom God hath enlightned with his knowledge and those whom the eyes of their vnderstanding the God of this world hath blinded and yet there is no one amongst them all who hath attained to the highest degree of perfection Wee conclude then that as those that belong not to the Lord cannot assure themselues of his spirit and by consequent cannot discerne his word vnto saluation so all those that are his do feele the efficacie of his spirit in their hearts euen as they feele and finde in themselues by experience the vse of reason and judge by the spirit of spirituall things proposed in the word after the same manner as by reason they judge of things that canne bee comprehended by it It sufficeth vs to haue proued that the faithfull haue an assured and certaine rule in the Scripture CHAP. 17. The verifying of the third meanes of nullity against the allegations And by these reasons wee thinke wee haue made good the two first meanes of Nullity proposed against the eight allegations It remaineth that wee verifie the third to wit that they tend to the subversion of Christian Religion To come then to the point let vt first of all consider that their ayme is to proue that a Christiā can haue no assurance of his Religion of that which he ought to beleeue by the Scripture because it is dumbe obscure ambiguous imperfect which cannot assure those who depend on it and may bee alleaged in favour of heretickes If that detestable opinion bee once engrafted in the heart as it is set forth and maintained by word and writing what will become I pray you of the authority of the Church which is grounded vpon the Scripture if the foundation of it be so falty is it not to bee feared that the building will sinke If a Christian cannot yea ought not to ground himselfe vpon the Scripture by reason of these pretended imperfections with what confidence shall hee ground himselfe vpon the authority of the Church which hath no other foundation then this foundation so imperfect if the foresaid allegations be true But if the one and the other proppe of faith faile this of the scripture and consequently that of the authority of the Church grounded on the Scripture as of necessity when the foundation is vndermined those that leane vpon the wall must fall together with the wall what will become of the authority of the assurance of Christian Religion The right of the Church is called in question and shee either as a daughter produces the scripture the coppy of the Testament of her Father or as a spouse brings forth the Scripture the cōtract of her marriage and this Testament is foūd dumbe obscure ambiguous of a double meaning being not able to cleare the night of the Church nay which may bee imployed against her In this case what shall bee the foundation what the title what the proofes of the right of the Church will they not be found if we beleeue the allegations to be dumbe ambiguous obscure imperfect proofes and consequently shall not the right instead of being confirmed become invalide and of no force And who will not judge that the Church proceeds not fairely attributing to her self so great authority and maintaining it by proofes fo defectiue or who will beleeue that the same is the true Church the true people of God who shew a Testament a couenant of God cōtracted with her which