by a divine illumination working upon their rational understandings as men For tho there is nothing that is supernatural in all these Arts and Sciences commonly taught in Schools or which surpasseth the common capacity of mens reason to understand them yet the invention or first discovery of them might have had a more immediately divine original as when Christ opened the natural eyes of the blind to see their seeing was natural after their eyes were open'd but the opening of them was supernatural and miraculous It being therefore the gross and hurtful Errors that did abound in the Gentile Philosophy that made Paul give such caution against it And the same Errors continuing among many called Christians at this day that spoil them by hurting yea destroying the Faith of some and hindering the Faith of others which were among the Gentiles in that day I have found a Zeal raised in my heart and a weighty concern upon me to point at divers gross Errors held professed and taught in this day by some called Christians as Doctrines and Principles of true Philosophy most of which were the very Errors of the old Heathen Philosophers and they are such as follow particularly the Platonists and Stoicks taught 1. That the Body is no part of a Man but a Prison and Grave to the Soul Hence they could not but deny the Resurrection of the Body after Death for no man after he is set free out of Prison has any desire to return to it again and also from this Error no doubt came that neglecting of the Body that Paul mentions Col. 2. 23. which makes me the more think strange of some at this day who tho they plainly profess they believe nothing of the Resurrection of this body or any part or parts of it yet they are but overmuch addicted highly to nourish and cloath it and that in a very high degree and have an extraordinary love to it and care of it as if it were their only immortal part But such who are of this Opinion that the Body is as a Prison and Grave to the Soul and consequently expects no Resurrection to it more than to the body of a beast do not understand how the body by sin is changed to be liker to a Prison or Grave than to a Palace such as it was before the Fall even as a most fair and stately Palace and such it will become again at the Resurrection of the Dead Again many of old taught and now teach 2. That Matter or Body has no life or perception sense or feeling of pleasure or pain even when the Soul is in it and united to it but that the Soul or Spirit of a man is the alone subject of all sensation and perception And because some late Philosophers so called do not own Beasts Fishes and Fowls to have any principle in 'em but meer body or matter they deny that they have any sense or perception but say they are moved by springs and Mechanick motions like to Watches or Clocks Hence such cannot but consequentially deny the Resurrection of the body for if the body be wholly without all sense or perception either of pleasure or pain to what purpose should it be raised seeing its insensibility makes it uncapable either of future felicity or misery or any capable subject of reward or punishment But this is plain contrary to Christs Doctrine who said Fear not them that can kill the Body but fear him that can cast both Soul and Body into Hell-Fire Where note these 2 things 1. If the Body can be killed that has a Life 2. That it is capable of future punishment as well as the Soul and consequently the body of a Saint is capable of a future reward together with the Soul and the Scripture teacheth us that not only the Soul of a true believer but the Body is for the Lord and the Lord for it to wit that it may be a Temple for the Lord to dwell in in the future state and world to come and therefore he who raised up Jesus from the dead will also raise us up by Jesus 1 Cor. 6. 13 14. Rom. 8. 11. And it is great ignorance in such and a sinful excuse of their great error and unbelief who so frequently say Let us not be concerned about the manner of the Resurrection of the Body since it is not discovered nor told us in Scripture what manner of body it shall be but let us live well and we need not take thought about the Resurrection of the body For the Scripture doth plainly tell us what manner of body it shall be when raised as well as what manner of body it is that is sown or buried It is sown natural it is raised spiritual c. 1 Cor. 15. 42 43. And men cannot live well unless they have the true Faith of the Resurrection of the body for the unbelief of it leads us to all looseness and Epicurism by the plain testimony of the Scripture in the foremention'd Chap. 1 Cor. 15. 32. If the dead rise not the Greek hath it in the Plural Number if dead men rise not let us eat and drink for to morrow we die And here the Apostle is not discoursing of the New Birth or rising of the soul out of the death of sin as some most grosly and perversly think but of the Resurrection of the body also the Apostle doth most excellently argue That not to believe the Resurrection of the dead is not to believe the Resurrection of Christ and not to believe the Resurrection of Christ maketh faith vain and preaching vain and if faith be vain they arë yet in their sins who profess faith and therefore they cannot live well Lo how the Apostle inseparably linketh all these things together so that to break one Link is to break the whole Chain See v. 13 14. 3. Tho both Platonists and Stoicks taught many true things of God and some did profess to own Gods inbeing in them and his divine teachings comforts and refreshments yet as they taught nothing of that great mystery of our salvation Viz. the Son of God our Lord Jesus Christ his coming in the flesh his dying for our sins to reconcile us unto God being that great propitiatory sacrifice for all mankind so much of their Doctrine did contradict it Hence many of the ancient Philosophers not understanding the spiritual signification of the Jews Sacrifices as they were Types of Christ that was to be offered up for the sins of the world in his body of flesh upon the Tree of the Cross as accordingly was fulfilled did deride the Jews for their Sacrifices according to that ancient Latin Distick of Cato Cum tu sis nocens cur moritur Victima prote Stultitia est morte alterius sperare salutem When thou hast sinn'd why should for thee a Sacrifice be slain By another's Death Life to expect it foolish is and vain And therefore it was that Paul said That Christ crucified was
can extend their Vertue as by Rays and Beams to the Saints upon Earth and no doubt but his Mediatory Spirit and Life doth extend it self into our souls But this is no proof that Christ's Body is every where where God is for so to affirm is a grosser error than that of the Popish Transubstantiation for the Popish Doctrine only teacheth a Transubstantiation of one body into another viz. of the body and substance of bread into Christ's Body but this teacheth the Transubstantiation of Christ's body into the Godhead which is most unreasonable as well as most contrary to Scripture and is a reviving of the Old Eutychian Heresie condemned and that most justly by ancient Christians many Hundred Years ago V. A 5th gross error held in common both by Papists and many call'd Protestants is That in the daily generation and corruption of bodies as when flesh or wood is consumed with fire the body of flesh or wood is substantially changed the former substantial form so called by them ceasing to be that was formerly in the flesh or wood and a new substantial form in the Fire or smoak and ashes being newly produced And accordingly they most falsly teach That the elements of fire air water and earth differ substantially in their substantial and essential forms and that a gross body cannot be changed into a spiritual and subtile body but that there must be a change of the substance Whence it is that Papists generally and too many call'd Protestants have such gross and carnal conceptions of the Resurrection-bodies of the Saints that shall be raised at the last day imagining they must be raised with gross flesh blood and bones as they now have otherwise they should not be the same bodies in substance as now they are Whereas the plain truth is that bodies can undergo great changes even the greatest that are possible from gross to be exceeding spiritual and subtile without any substantial change being only changed in accidental forms and modes but remaining the same in substance as when the Water was miraculously changed by Christ into Wine here was no Transubstantiation or change of the bodily substance but only a Transformation or change of the accidental forms and modes of the Water into new accidental forms and modes of Wine VI. A 6th gross error common generally both to Papists and many called Protestants in that called by them Philosophy is that many things which are real substances they hold them to be but accidents or accidental qualities as the light or influence of the Sun or of common fire they hold to be nothing but accidental qualities also the Emanations that commonly flow from Stones Minerals Metals Herbs and Animals causing sympathy and antipathy some whereof are more manifest that affect our gross senses of smelling tasting and feeling others more hidden and occult as that of the Loadstone that draweth Iron to it they hold them to be accidental qualities having no real substance Whereas the more true and sincere Philosophy teacheth that these things are real substances being either the Emission or Outflowings commonly called effluvia of the more subtile and spiritual parts of these bodies whence they come forth and proceed from or the Rays and Beams of some Spirits that may be lodged in them And on this error they build divers absurd errors in that called their Divinity both in relation to the bodies and souls of men as first in relation to the body The vertue that went forth from our blessed Lord's Person that healed the woman of her bloody Issue they hold not to be any substance but only an accident or quality And next in relation to the souls of men that divine vertue of grace light and life that cometh from Christ into the souls of men the Schoolmen commonly both among Papists and Protestants some excepted of Protestants who are more understanding hold That it is no substance but an accident or quality which otherways they call Habit and they commonly define the Grace of God in the souls of the Saints to be no substance but an infused supernatural habit and the vertues and fruits of the Spirit as Faith Hope Love c. they call supernatural and infused habits and qualities that are in themselves of a perishing Nature And the seed of God in the Saints they do not hold to be any substance but a quality or infused habit And the great occasion of this their Error That Grace is no substance but an accident viz. habit or quality which Aristotle placeth among the Predicaments of Accidents proceedeth from this That whereas they observe the Scripture distinguisheth betwixt Christ and the Grace of Christ as also betwixt God and the Grace of God and betwixt the Holy Ghost and that Divine influence that cometh from him into mens souls from thence they infer That seeing that seed or influence of God's Grace is not the Godhead it must be some accident habit or quality infused in the soul by God there being as they suppose no middle being of a middle Nature betwixt God and the souls of men but in this they are greatly mistaken for there is a middle being betwixt the Godhead and the souls of men which is that Mediatory Spirit and Divine Nature of Christ as he was the Heavenly Man Mediator Head and High Priest and Husband of his Church from the beginning of the World the which Mediatory Spirit of Christ dwells in all fulness in the Person of our blessed Lord that was born of the Virgin Mary who suffered death for our sins and rose again and is ascended into Heaven and still dwelleth in him and of his fulness we all receive our several measures as John hath declared John 1. and as Paul likewise hath said Eph. 4. 7. To every one of us is given grace according to the measure of the gift of Christ And tho the various measures of this Mediatory Spirit of Christ are not dividable nor separable one from another but most inseparably united yet a real distinction may and ought to be allowed as betwixt the Rays and beams of the Sun that are inseparably united one with another and all with the Body of the Sun yet one Ray is not another but have a real distinction so the particular measure of the Gift of Christ called by several Names and Denominations as Grace Truth Light and Life c. that is in one of the Saints is not the same particular and numerical measure that is in another And as we are taught not only by express words of Scripture but by the Saints experience that there are greater and lesser higher and lower measures of this Divine Mediatory Spirit Life and Nature and Divine Light this doth sufficiently prove that it is not the Godhead or Supream Infinite Being called in Hebrew Ensoph for there is nothing in the Supreme Being that can be called greater or lesser higher or lower seeing every thing in God is most infinitely and supreamly High and Great
drinking in bad Principles from his childish years which are not easily drove out after they have once got entrance will no doubt be more easily and readily inclined to embrace Error than Truth tho no mans mind or understanding embraceth any Error as Error but under a notion or supposition that it is Truth even as the VVill embraceth no evil as evil but as having some seeming appearance of good beside that the mind of man unless it be govern'd by the divine principle of Truth within it self is but too fruitful to bring forth the like Errors as others have formerly done as the Earth it self that is not well and carefully cultivated bp the Husbandman will be fruitful enough to bring forth Bryars and Thorns and hurtful Weeds And notwithstanding that some have objected against me That the Human Learning I received at the University in Arts and Sciences and Languages and that called Philosophy hath enabled me to dispute and contend for and otherways to hold forth both by word of mouth and by writing certain principles of Christian Doctrine as so believed by me and as if I gloried in my Abilities and furnishing of human Learning of such Arts Sciences Languages and that all d Philosophy as I had acquir'd in my younger years and trusted greatly or chiefly to that seeking to get a Name or Applause thereby among men I can and do with great freedom and clearness of mind declare That such who so judge of me do greatly judg amiss my Trust is in the Lord alone and my dependance is wholly and only upon him and hath been to receive of his Divine Wisdom and Power from day to day to strengthen and enable me in that work and service he hath called me unto even to bear Testimony to the great Truths of the Christian Faith and Doctrine and my knowledg and understanding I have in Christian Doctrine and Principles I have received from the spirit of Truth that hath opened my understanding to understand them and not from Natural Arts and Sciences and Languages and that called Philosophy which since ever I knew the Truth as it is in Jesus I never have magnified or highly esteemed nor valued my self upon that sort of Learning for I have abundantly seen to the Insufficiency of it to qualifie any man to be a true Preacher or Teacher of Divine Things or to be a true Minister of Christ Jesus whatever subservient use the True and Genuine part of human Learning may have to a Minister of Christ in subordination to the divine grace and gift of God the spurious and adulterate part of it having long since been rejected by me so far as it hath beeh discovered unto me And for such who through a prejudice in them against the many precious Things of the Truth of Christ that his divine light and spirit hath opened unto me and continueth still more and more to open unto me and enable me to bring forth either by word or writing are realy in their Ignorance to say as some have said These things are but the effects and product of Arts and Sciences human Learning and Philosophy They but too much manifest their want of a True savour and spiritual discerning whatever high pretences they make of it who thus unjustly and unchristianly judg of me and are of the Number of them Isa 5. that call light darkness good evil and sweet bitter while they are but too ready to call that which is darkness in themselves light and evil good and bitter sweet and so they have need to fear the woe that is pronounc'd against such as so do yet many have a better sense and savour of my Christian Testimony But to convince such if there be any room left for their conviction That the manner of Doctrine and Principles held forth by me is not from nor after the worldly Philosophy which is but worldly Rudimentss and human Traditions but from and after Christ as his holy spirit hath taught me and enlightned me and hath opened the holy Scriptures unto me is the design of this small Treatise whereby they may perceive that I am so far from deriving my Ability from that called the Philosophy of either Platonists Stoicks or Peripateticks or any others Ancient or modern of worldly minded Professors and Students that I have very plainly contradicted them and showed wherein many of their great Principles and Conclusions in that called their Philosophy do contradict the holy Christian Faith and Doctrine and upon a due examination they who seek to brand me with dangerous and hurtful Opinions of Philosophy will rather be found guilty themselves in that particular THE Arraignment of Worldly Philosophy c. Colos 2. 8. Beware lest any man spoil you through Philosophy and vain deceit after the Tradition of Men after the Rudiments of the World and not after Christ IT is very evident out of these Words of the Apostle Paul what that Philosophy is that he cautioneth the Colossians against to wit that which is after the Tradition of Men after the Rudiments and Elements of the World and not after Christ and which in the following words of this same Chapter he calleth the Commandments and Doctrines of Men and having a shew of Wisdom in will-worship and voluntary humility and worshipping of Angels v. 18. 23. and in v. 20. he calleth it a dogmatising the words in our English Translation why are ye subject to Ordinances are more duly translated why dogmatize ye or why are ye dogmatized That is subjected to mens Opinions and Doctrines that tend to overthrow and destroy your Faith such as many of the Opinions and Doctrines of them were that professed themselves to be Philosophers at that time Some of the particular Errors and hurtful Doctrines of these Philosophers he doth particularly mention as 1. the worshipping of Angels 2. a self-will'd Humility 3. the neglecting the body 4. abstaining from meats so as neither to touch taste nor handle them for some of the Philosophers of that time did forbid the use of certain meats and particularly of flesh as being hurtful to the study of Philosophy But the true Christian Faith and Doctrine taught by Christ and the Apostles alloweth the sober and moderate use of all meats that are not in themselves unwholesome to the body as some are Also he describeth the Effects of this vain and hurtful Philosophy of the Gentiles 1. It made them intrude into things not seen 2. It made them vain and puffed up the fleshly mind 3. It led from the Head Christ and from Faith in him But as Paul here cautioneth and giveth warning against the worldly Philosophy or wisdom of the Gentile Philosophers so he exalteth and commandeth the true Wisdom that is after Christ and setteth the one in opposition to the other the one being after the Traditions of Men and Rudiments or Elements of the World the other being after Christ in whom are hid all the Treasures of Wisdom and Knowledge v.
Sins and Vices attained to a state of blessedness joy and rest with God and did never return to live again in the body Others holding That after some long Tracts of Time Souls might decline from their state of Felicity in the Divine Fruition and so descend into humane bodies again But these Opinions are contrary to the holy Scriptures which plainly inform us That this visible world had a beginning and that mankind had a beginning in Adam and Eve and that the Years of the World from Adam to Christ's coming in the flesh are about 4000 years by Scripiure Chronology And as this visible world had a beginning so it will have an end as the Scripture doth plainly inform us But it is not to be judg'd That the end of this world will be an anmhilation or reducing of it to nothing as some imagin but only a change as the Scripture calleth it Nor can it be proved either from Scripture or Reason That this visible world had its beginning from nothing or of nothing but since about 5000 years and some odd hundreds For it is evident from Scripture that this visible world did not take its rise or beginning from meer nothing but from that which Moses calleth Gen 1. 2. tohu va bohu which the Septuagint Translation rendereth 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 that is Invisible and the Epistle to the Hebrews c. 11. calleth 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 that is things not appearing 8. Divers called ancient Philosophers as well as some now held the Soul or Spirit of man to be a part of God's Essence or that there were but one great soul or spirit acting in the bodies of all men both good and bad And of this gross and vile Error some Ranters and vain Notionists are guilty who yet profess to own the Scriptures but the Scripture is against them in this and all their other gross Errors and Imaginations For the Soul or Spirit of Man is a created being or substance according to Is 57. 16. And it is a most gross and false Opinion contrary both to Scripture and all sound understanding to imagin that the soul of man that sinneth and is defiled with sin can be a part of God For God is holy and perfect Beside it is not proper to say that God hath any Parts it being contrary to the Nature of his infinite Perfection to be compounded of parts or divisible into parts wherefore when the Scripture speaketh of his Face and back parts that is to be understood only by way of Allegory in condescention to the weakness of humane understanding This gross and vile Error viz. That the Soul is a part of God's Essence or that there is but one great Soul or Spirit acting in the bodies of all men both good and bad taketh away all distinction of Vertue and Vice and consequently all future Rewards and Punishments it is lately much revived by them called Hobbists and Deists 9. As many or most of those called Ancient Philosophers held absurd and false Principles and Doctrines both concerning the Body and Soul of Man so many of them did grosly err concerning the glorious Being and Attributes of God some holding him to be Corporeal some denying his Omnipresence and limiting him to some remote place above the visible Heavens and Stars Others denying his Omniscience and universal providence over all his creatures All which gross Errors being so generally condemned by all sound and sincere Christians and being so plainly contradicted by the Testimonies of holy Scripture I shall not at present be at pains to refute it sufficing to my present purpose to have named them as sufficient instances to prove That the Worldly Philosophy is a great hindrance to the Christian Faith and opposite to the Doctrine of the holy Scriptures that have proceeded from the divine Wisdom and Spirit to which the wisdom and spirit of this World is contrary 10. Some of these called Ancient Philosophers did conceit that there were in God passions of grief and anger such as there are in men upon emergent occasions and that God could change his mind or will and purpose concerning men and things as some ignorant Persons do so conceive at this day imagining that not only anger and grief is competible unto God but repentance also too litterally and carnally understanding that Place of Scripture that it repented God that he had made man not well considering that the Scripture speaketh frequently of God in condescension to our weakness by Metaphors Figures and Allegories as when we read of his Eyes Ears Mouth Hands c. And the Scripture saith God is not as man that he can repent and his gifts and calling are without repentance And seeing in God there is no variableness nor shadow of change as both Scripture and good Reason teacheth how can it be conceived that there can be any change of his mind will and purpose concerning either persons or things And as for Anger and Grief they may be said to be in God effectively but not subjectively not as accidents inherent in their subject for no accidents can have place in God who is an infinitely perfect Being God's Anger being his most holy and righteous will to punâ—sh transgressors and his Grief being an utter aversion from sin and hatred of it 11 Some also have imagined as the Manichees and Gnosticks of Old That God could be wounded and bruised or oppressed by mens sins and that his Life or Spirit could be killed and slain in men by their sins misunderstanding and perverting some places of Scripture that if they be understood of God himself cannot be otherwise construed but to be spoken figuratively as when he is said to have repented But if by the Life and Spirit of God be not meant God himself as oft it is but a life and spirit begotten or formed by the living Power of God in the Saints from a Divine Seed sown in them called in Scripture the Seed of God it ought to be granted That this formed Life Birth or Plant may and doth suffer in men by their sins and the tender Seed of God is burthened grieved and so to speak wounded in men by their sins But this Seed is not God himself but somewhat that is emanated and that proceeded from him and doth belong to the Mediatory Spirit of Christ and is a measure thereof the fullness of which dwelleth for ever in the Man Christ Jesus and out of whose fullness to every one of us is given grace according to the measure of the gift of Christ as the Scripture declareth 12. The high and mysterious Doctrine of the Election and Predestination of the Saints by the way of grace and holiness to bring them to glory and happiness everlasting and how God hath chosen all the heirs of salvation in Christ Jesus their elect Head Root and Foundation both unto holiness as the means and everlasting happiness and life as the end is a thing that the wisest of the World's
of Men nor by the holy Scriptures is best to leave among the secrets of God till he be pleased further to reveal it seeing it is confessed generally on all hands that the Spirit of God was sufficient to work the true Faith in them without an Outward Ministry who worketh when where and how he pleaseth who can and doth no doubt preach to them born deaf and dumb whose ways are above our ways and his thoughts above ours as the Heavens are above the Earth The 2d question is this What is the true Divine Philosophy how distinguished from the Worldly Philosophy which the Apostle Paul bid the believing Colossians beware of saying Beware lest any spoil you thro' Philosophy and vain Deceit Col. 2. Ans The true Divine Philosophy is a measure of the Divine Wisdom and Knowledg whether of things Divine or Natural which the Mind of Man receiveth by Divine Illumination Revelation and Inspiration that cometh from the Spirit of Christ Jesus the which Spirit of Christ Jesus as it is a sanctifying Spirit sealing to Men their Adoption and is therefore called the Spirit of Adoption all true and sincere believers receive from the Man Christ Jesus through true Faith in him and from God the Father through Christ and this was that Spirit in the Prophets and Apostles that taught them their knowledge of God and of things both Divine and Natural and which not only revealed to them and in them the glorious Attributes and Perfections of the Great Creator and the great mysteries of his Divine Wisdom Counsel and Will but also shewed and taught them many things of the Creation and opened unto them the book of the Creatures as is largely to be seen by such as are spiritually minded in the holy Scriptures how excellently the Prophets as Moses David Isaiah and many others were taught in the knowledge of the Creation as well as of the Creator by his Divine Spirit and Light in them And this Divine Philosophy and Wisdom is distinguished from the worldly Philosophy which Paul bid the Colossians beware of chiefly and principally in this that the Divine Philosophy is after Christ that is to say the Spirit of Christ doth teach it to all the sincere Lovers and Professors thereof But the worldly Philosophy excepting some Fragments of Truth that some of these called Heathen Philosophers had from the common Divine Illumination which was in them and in all men but which they little heeded or regarded did proceed from the spirit of the world which is a spirit of error and leadeth its followers into all error as the spirit of Truth leadeth into all Truth and therefore the worldly Philosophy or Wisdom is called in Scripture the fleshly Wisdom that is enmity to God And as Paul called the Doctrines of some false Teachers that professed Christianity in his Day the Doctrines of Devils so well may the false Doctrines of them called Heathen Philosophers be called the Doctrines of Devils being so directly opposite to the true Christian Doctrine and Faith taught by Christ and the holy Prophets Evangelists and Apostles recorded in the holy Scriptures for indeed most or rather all the Heresies and gross Errors of the false Teachers pretending to Christianity since the days of the Apostles had their Rise and Original from the Errors of the Heathen Philosophers that went before them as the Heresies of the Arians Nestorians Eutychians Sabellians Macedonians Pelagians the Manichees and Gnosticks and many others as might be at large demonstrated if it were necessary And as the Divine Philosophy or Wisdom differeth from the worldly Philosophy in their Rise and Original as is above said so in their greatly differing effects The Divine Wisdom and Philosophy teacheth the pure Truth without any mixture of Error or Falshood the Worldly Philosophy or Wisdom teacheth nothing but Error Untruth and Falshood for what things were or are true that are found in the Sayings or Writings of the Heathen Philosophers do not properly belong to the worldly Philosophy but to that little Seed of Truth and Light which did at times shine in them but very obscurely or glimmeringly because of the great Darkness that did for most part prevail in them the which Truth they did generally hold in unrighteousness as Paul hath declared Again the Divine Philosophy or Wisdom maketh her Lovers pure peaceable meek and humble and full of good fruits but the worldly Philosophy being of an Opposite Nature hath the contrary effects maketh her followers impure wrathful contentious and proud and notwithstanding that many of the Heathen Philosophers pretended to great humility and purity and other Vertues and I cannot be so uncharitable as to conclude universally That none of them had not some real Vertues yet for most part as the History of their Lives do sufficiently prove they had more a shew of these Vertues than any real possession of them for such as their Wisdom was such were their Vertues but their Wisdom as Paul hath defined it was a shew or talk of Wisdom 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Col. 2 23. and so were their Vertues for most part And in their feigned humility they would not call themselves 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 i. e. wise men as some of their Ancestors were called but 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 i. e. Lovers of Wisdom Pythagoras being the first that so called himself 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 a Philosopher i. e. a Lover of Wisdom But the Apostle Paul being taught by the Divine Wisdom telleth us what their Wisdom and Profession of it amounted unto professing themselves to be wise they became fools Rom. 1. 22. and therefore in order to mens attaining the true Wisdom he taught That men must first become fools That is to deny the Wisdom of this World even as Christ taught That for Judgment he came into this World that they that see might be made blind and they that are blind might see And now for a Conclusion I give this Warning and Caution That as the Errors of them called Philosophers whether Ancient or Late led men to oppugn the True Faith of Christ so have the ignorant vain false and foolish Reasonings of some men which they borrow from none of them called Philosophers but supposing Themselves to be able enough to find out Reasons to prove or disprove things they either like or dislike without any true Cause or Ground They are oft bold to bring forth their crooked and perverse Reasonings and make use of them against the holy Doctrines and Principles of the Christian Faith and Religion And none I find more ready by corrupt and false Reasons to contend against the Truth than such who in words cry out against Reason like whorish women that cry out against chaste women and most unjustly charge them with the Vice whereof they themselves are most guilty Therefore let all be warned from giving way to false and corrupt Reason or from making use of it to fight against any Doctrine or Principle of the Christian Faith or from medling to interpret any part of holy Scripture by their bare carnal human Reason as too many presume to do who instead of truly interpreting it do pervert it to their own Destruction But let their Human Reason be subjested unto the Obedience of Faith and let the spiritual Weapons be made use of which are mighty to pull down strong Holds casting down Imaginations the Greek hath it 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 i. e. Reasonings and every High Thing that exalteth itself against the knowledg of God and bringeth into Captivity every Thought to the Obedience of Christ 2 Cor. 10. 45. THE END
Philosophers understood nothing of for it is a great part of that wisdom that Paul said he spoke among them that were perfect Eph. 1. 4 5 6 7 8. and Eph. 3. 10 11. And there is scarce any Doctrine of the Christian Faith that the carnal and fleshly wisdom of man doth more contradict and oppose and argue and contend against than this high and mysterious and yet most comfortable Doctrine of the Christian Faith plainly and amply testified of in the holy Scriptures 13. And lastly The worldly Philosophy and fleshly Wisdom hath invented many Words Terms and Phrases that do rather darken and obscure the Truth than tend to discover it so that what God said unto Joh might well be said concerning them called Philosophers both ancient and late Who is this that darkneth Counsel with words without knowledge And multitudes of dark and obscure Words hath bred a multitude of dark obscure and fallacious distinctions and these have be got endless disputes and controversies in that called Natural Philosophy and as that called the Natural Philosophy is greatly corrupted with fallacious Terms Phrases Distinctions and Maxims or Axioms so called so the mixing or mingling that called Philosophy with Matters of Religion which is not for the most part true but false this hath done great hurt and hath occasioned a great corruption in the Doctrine relating to the Faith of Christ and the Christian Religion commonly called Divinity and Theology especially that taught in Universities commonly called School Divinity being stuffed with the Words Terms Phrases vain and fallacious distinctions definitions and Maxims of the World's Philosophy which has not a true Foundation in the truth of things but is only grounded on mens imaginations and traditional glosses that have but guess'd at things that hath led the minds of Men into a Labyrinth and Wilderness of Confusion and unprofitable jangling and disputing deservedly called by the Apostle Paul the Opposition of Science falsly so called for well may that be Science falsly so called that is only a sophistical Art of wrangling contending and opposing what another man saith whatever it be and so dispute things endlesly pro and contra insomuch that there is scarce any conclusion or assertion in that called Natural Philosophy but both the Affirmative and Negative by point-blank contradiction is defended by multitudes of Authors and what one builds another destroys what one proveth to be truth another as he thinketh proveth to be error and both pretend to Reason and Philosophy Beside that the Worldly Philosophy for the most part is rather a skill to talk of things with a multitude of words without any true knowledg than a real solid knowledg of them Hence it is that Paul defineth it to be the wisdom of words and the enticing words of man's wisdom also the wisdom of man which God will destroy 1 Cor. 1 and 2 Chapters And as many of them called Old Philosophers held many false and absurd Opinions directly contrary to the Christian Faith so do many of late pretending greatly to Philosophy among those called Christians especially the Masters and Professors so called of Philosophy in Universities and publick Schools of Learning in the Church of Rome tom whom too many Protestant Professors have borrowed some of their corrupt Leaven of false Philosophy which they have mingled with that they call Divinity or Theology but is not pure Divinity or Theology not being the Truth as it is in Jesus which is free from all mixtures of Error and Falshood whatsoever And of such Errors held by Popish Professors of Philosophy I shall first instance some concerning body or bodily substance and matter I. One gross Error held by them is That the quantity and other accidents of a Body can subsist or remain without the substance And on this absurd Error in that called Philosophy they build their false Faith that after the words of Consecration the quantity of the Bread and Wine and other accidents of Colour Smell Taste and Feeling in that called the Eucharist remain in the consecrated Wafer or Cake while the substance of the Bread and Wine is gone and ceaseth any more to be II. A second gross Error in their Philosophy is That there can be a penetration of bodies and bodily parts so that one whole body remaing a body still can be in the same place with another body of the same quantity occupying the same room and space at one and the same time and consequently that the whole substance of a man's body may occupy no more room or space than the least grain or atome of bread and on this absurd Error they build their false Faith That the same Body of Christ that was crucified and raised again and ascended into Heaven is in every grain or atome of the Eucharistical Bread III. A third gross error concerning bodies they teach is That one and the same body in all its parts undivided one from another can be in many places at once And on this absurd error they build their false faith That the visible Body of Christ is in many thousand places at once to wit not only in every consecrated Cake or Wafer but in every grain thereof IV. A fourth gross error they teach is That one body can be transubstantiated into another body which is to say That the substance or essence of the body is changed into another substance or essence And on this absurd error they build their absurd Doctrine of Transubstantiation affirming That the substance of the Bread and Wine in the Eucharist or Supper after Consecration is transubstantiated that is changed into the substance of Christ's Body But as the Popish error of Transubstantiation is exceeding gross and hurtful so is the error of some no less gross but rather much more both gross and hurtful who feign That the glorified Body of Christ is Omnipresent so not only attributing to it above what a Body is capable of in its highest exaltation but what is a proper and peculiar Attribute of God Almighty and essential to him Into which gross error having fallen by their great ignorance they seek to defend it by grosly pervetting that place of Scripture Eph. 4 10. He that descended is the same also that ascended up far above all heavens that he might fill all things But it is not said here nor any where else in Scripture That his Body that was raised from the dead filleth all things but it is expresly said Acts 3. 21. That the heavens must receive him until the time of the restitution of all things which must needs be understood of his Body or bodily presence concerning which Christ said himself The poor you have always with you but me ye have not always viz. bodily though spiritually present But I would not have any to think that I deny that Christ's glorified Body can extend its Vertue to men here on earth as he pleaseth for that I readily grant and believe that both his Soul and Body