Selected quad for the lemma: spirit_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
spirit_n	father_n	truth_n	worship_v	16,055	5	9.8540	4	true

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ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A76988	The arraignment of errour: or, A discourse serving as a curb to restrain the wantonnesse of mens spirits in the entertainment of opinions; and as a compasse, whereby we may sail in the search and finding of truth; distributed into six main questions. Quest. 1. How it may stand with Gods, with Satans, with a mans own ends, that there should be erroneous opinions? Quest. 2. What are the grounds of abounding errours? Quest. 3. Why so many are carried away with errour? Quest. 4. Who those are that are in danger? Quest. 5. What are the examens, or the trials of opinions, and characters of truth? Quest. 6. What waies God hath left in his Word for the suppressing of errour, and reducing of erroneous persons? Under which generall questions, many other necessary and profitable queries are comprized, discussed, and resolved. And in conclusion of all; some motives, and means, conducing to an happy accommodation of our present differences, are subjoyned. / By Samuel Bolton minister of the Word of God at Saviours-Southwark.	Bolton, Samuel, 1606-1654.	1646 (1646)	Wing B3517; Thomason E318_1; ESTC R200547	325,527	388

end of the discourse as it is my end in the undertaking of this discourse both you and I shall have cause to blesse God I that I undertooke it and you that you heard it We will therefore begin with the first thing propounded viz. 1. How this may stand with Gods ends to suffer many abounding errours and opinions in the Churches And 1. I shall shew you how it may stand with Gods ends to the good 2. How it may stand with Gods ends to the bad 1. It may stand with Gods mercifull ends to the good 1. To them brought in 2. To them in his purpose to call 1. To them brought in God suffers errours 1. To sift and try his own people these times are sifting times As times of calamity when misery abounds so times of division when errours abounds they are times of sifting times wherein God will try what mettle you be made of whether you be corne or chaffe whether drosse or gold whether wheate or tares He is said in Amos 9.9 to sift the Nations I will sift the house of Israel as corne is sifted in a sieve yet shall not the least graine fall upon the earth There is your comfort not a graine shall be lost who ever is true graine who ever is sound and sincere they shall never be lost God will preserve them none shall be lost Every man hath his houre of sifting one way or other he hath his houre of temptations and blessed are they which indure temptation blessed are they who hold out the triall James 1.12 A Souldiers valour and courage is not so well known in the Garrison as in the field there he is discovered So a Christian is not known till an houre of temptation comes and then he is discovered Now there are foure things which God puts us on to sift by permitting erronious opinions abroad 1. To sift our Conditions 2. Our Graces 3. Our Grounds 4. Our Ends. I shall speake only to the two first and shall take liberty to speake more largely to t● 1. God puts us on hereby to si●● our conditions whether we are in such a condition as may fence us from seduction as may comfortably evidence to us and we may build upon it that we shall not be led away Indeed we cannot be in such a condition here but we may be led aside with some errours we are not perfect in grace nor are we perfect in knowledge here the Apostle tells us we know but in part but we may be and Gods people are in such a condition that they shall never be led away with destroying errours God will preserve them from them he hath promised that his elect shall not be deceived that is in destroying undoing errours this they shall not be Joh. 10.4.5 they shall not heare the voice of a stranger And this now puts us upon the search whether we are in such a condition as thereby we may be perswaded we shall be fenced from undoing errours that such errours shall never prevaile over us Now there are 6. Conditions to which God hath promised direction in truth and preservation from undoing errours and the soule is put on to search whether he be in those conditions 1. Whether we are in covenant with God he promiseth to teach all such Jer. 31.34 He will teach all such 2. Whether we be the children of God there is a promise to that Isa 54.13 And all thy children shall be taught of God So Joh. 6.45 3. Whether we are the friends of God Joh. 15.15 there is a promise to that henceforth I call you no more servants but friends for whatever I have heard of the Father I have made knowne unto you And the secrets of the Lord are with them that feare him as the Psalmist saith 4. Whether we have the Spirit of Christ there is a promise to that Joh. 16.13 He shall leade you into all truth And you have an unction whereby ye know all things by which is meant the Spirit 1 Joh. 2.20 5. Whether we walke humbly and obediently to every truth revealed whether we doe answer Gods ends in truths already made known Psal 25.9 The humble he will teach the meeke he will guide in judgement And Phil. 3.15 16. As many as be perfect let them be thus minded and if any be any otherwise minded God shall reveale it in his due time Neverthelesse whereto we have already attained let us walke by the same rule let us mind the same thing 6. Whether we have received the truth with love of it 2 Thess 2.10 11. Because they received not the truth with love of the truth therefore will God give them up to strong delusions to beleeve lies These are the conditions in the persons whom God will preserve from undoing errours And now this puts us upon the sifting of our selvs and of our conditions Ah saith the soule there are many errours abroad in the world if the Lord fence not my heart against them if I should receive them I am undone but what assurance have I that I shall not be led aside I see others who are men of greater parts of greater appearing graces led aside and what assurance have I that I shall not be carried away Am I in Covenant with God am I one of his children one of his friends have I the Spirit of Christ doe I walk humbly and obediently to every truth revealed have I received former truths with love of them if it be not so I have no assurance to be preserved from seducing errours And thus it puts the soule upon search of his condition And that is the first God suffers errours to sift his people first to put them upon search of their conditions 2. God permits it to sift our graces and this will try you to the back There are 5. Graces God doth now sift in his people 1. Their Knowledge here God tries y●●r knowledge how you have thriven under meanes what knowledge you have to discerne betweene errour and truth light and darknesse God expects after all the meanes you have had 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Col. 2. ● that you should not still be children but men in knowledge and that you should be able to discerne betweene light and darknesse As we reade of a full assurance of faith so we reade of a full assurance of knowledge some that are weake in knowledge some stronger God doth by these try what your knowledge is under all the light you haue injoyed 2. God doth now try your Love whether or no you will adhere to his truth whether you will hold close to him and not suffer your selves to be rent away and carried away with every wind of doctrine God expects that we should be rooted and grounded in love Ephes 3. And now he would try your love your love to God your love to Christ your love to truth men that have not received the truth with the love of it that have entertained it into their

first mercifull end which God hath to his people in permitting errours in the Church to sift his people 2. A second mercifull end which God hath to his own people in the permitting errours viz. to exercise and quicken our graces As God suffers corruptions in our persons to exercise and quicken us he could as easily destroy them as subdue them unbe● them as conquer them so he suffers errours in his Churches on purpose to exercise and quicken his own people We had need of quickning rather then God would suffer his people to be dead he suffers the Canaanites to be as thornes in their sides and rather then dead he suffers errours in the Church and if there be any life in you this will quicken this will raise it God hath on purpose permitted in all ages some errour or other on foote to exercise the graces of that generation the Fathers were famous in their times for contending against the errours of their dayes Augustine was famous in his Contests against Pelagius Athanasius in his against Arius Cyrill in his against Nestorius Gregory Nazianzen in his against Macedonius Leo in his against Eutyches Hierom in his against Jovinianus Ruffinus c. Every age hath had its poison and its antidote There was never any generation but as there were some suffering truths in it some truth that perverse generations would not close withall so there were some infecting and poisoning errours in former times the abounding errours were the errours on the left hand and God grant that the spreading errours now be not errours on the right hand The Devill hath been so long beaten at the other that now like a wily serpent he will goe and change weapons he hath long been a prince of darknesse who hath ruled in the children of disobedience and now he would become an Angel of light if possible to seduce the children of the light You have something of that insinuated in the text Deceivers shall come in Christs name and say of your opinions loc here is Christ and this is high deceit It may be God will exercise this generation with more of this kind then others because they have learn'd Christ better they have more knowledge he hath done more for this generation then any other and therefore God may exercise us more then others And this is another end God hath in permitting errours to quicken and to exercise the graces of his people And there are foure graces or gratious dispositions that God chiefely aimes at to exercise in his people by this suffering errours abroad 1. He would exercise their knowledge or rather their conscientious study and search to know the mind of God more fully God would put them on to reade more studie more converse more to search the Scriptures more to examine what is truth and that diligently Many that are too much of Gallios temper now of whom you reade when he heard of those things which Paul preached it is said he cared not for those things This is a prophane temper of spirit and is naught A man may as well reject truth as errour if a man doe not try and examine for ought he knowes he hath rejected a truth instead of errour if he doe not sit down to examine what is truth and search whether it be an errour or a truth how should he be able to close with the one or reject the other There are many that reject the opinions of these dayes for errours because they will not be troubled to search and examine them whether they be truths or no. We are commanded to try all things 2 Thess 5.21 and how should we be grounded and established in the truth or know truth from errour if we doe not search into the mind of God and learne what is his mind and will 1 Joh. 4 1. Beleeve not every spirit but try the spirits whether they be of God anno Many a truth is rejected in these dayes because many an errour is entertained You doe by opinions as you doe by Pamphlets because there be many lies abroad therefore you will not beleeve truth Certainly this is that which God preacheth to you in these times by the multitude of opinions to search what is truth to take more paines to examine and search out the mind of God It is not enough with Pilate to say what is truth and then sit still as many doe aske questions rather for discourse sake then out of desire to be satisfied but you must search the mind of God inquire diligently 2. God would now exercise your zeale of love if you have any love in you shew it to the Lord love is a zealous affection We say the fire burnes the hotter for the cold weather the colder the weather the hotter and more scorching is the fire it is per Antiperistasin so the more errours abroad the hotter will your love and zeale burne to the truth and in the truth As the bellowes blow the fire and intend it so doth this opposition intend our affections the more or love to God to truth to others 3. God doth it to exercise a dependentiall faith upon God that he would not suffer us to be carried away with errour If you have any faith you will now exercise it faith to beleeve promises he hath said we shall be taught of God he hath said he will leade us into the way of all truth c. here is faith exercised to close with promises to sue out promises and to depend on God for the performance of them Oh now the soule gets to a promise finds sweet there and some stay it the midst of his unsetlednesse now he esteemes a promise above a world 4. A fourth grace God would exercise is the grace of prayer Now will the soule goe and improve all his interest in Heaven that God would leade him into the way of all truth that he would not leave them to be carried away in any way of errour Now doth the soule ply the throne of grace indeed tells God of his pliablenesse to entertaine any truth of God truth with penury truth with prison truth with any affliction now he goes and tells him how willing he is to let in any light of God his eyes shall be broad open to receive what God shall reveale now he goes and beggs for the Fathers teaching the Spirits leading into the way of all truth professing the universall willingnesse of his spirit to close with naked truth upon any termes Such dispositions are now drawne forth which perhaps had no occasion to appeare all thy life before and there is comfort in exercise of them the soule is comforted in their actings although he cannot yet find what is the will and mind of God And this is the second mercifull end God hath to his people in the permitting and suffering errours as to sift them so to exercise them 3. A third mercifull end which God hath to his people in suffering errours and that is to

studied to know more of Gods mind 4. Though this were true that our fathers held out some truths and that they did not seeke and enquire after more which yet I cannot grant and hold their condition good yet they did not reject further discoveries if revealed to them this is certaine where any truth is received with love there is a readinesse of spirit to embrace all truths that shall be discovered and revealed For this is an undeceiveable evidence of a man that hath received the truth as he is willing to receive all truths he opens his eyes broad for any communication of God so againe he will not reject any truth which is revealed to him Indeed he may reject a truth held forth to him because as yet he doth not apprehend it to be a truth but he cannot reject a truth discovered to him no bye ends wordly respects shall prevaile with him to reject it if God have discovered it 5. But fifthly thou sayest againe our fathers held out these and sought no further which I have disproved And yet thou sayest they were saved and so shalt thou if thou adhere in those which they have left thee well for this I say thus much Admit that they were saved I will grant that yet it will not be enough to cleere this to thee that thou shalt be saved if thou goe on no further they held out these truths but were willing to receive more sure they rejected none that God revealed Thou holdst out these truths and sayest thou adherest to them but dost not adhere to them thou holdst them forth in thy understanding but they are not wrought into thy heart nor held forth in thy life never a truth which thou sayest thou adherest unto which thou livest answer●ble to in thy conversation Againe thou adherest rather in them then to them thou seekest to know no more but they did nay thou rejectest those di●coveries of God which are made to thee which they did not They might be saved by that little light if true light when they were true to it when they walked answerable to it when they were willing to receive more when they rejected not that which was discovered But you cannot when you walke not answerable to what you have received when you are not willing to receive more when you reject what is discovered to you c. Men may be saved with many errours if not fuundamentall errours and by a little light if true light when no more is revealed But if those errours be discovered to be errours though not fundamentall errours and more truths be revealed to be truths though not foundation truths if you doe reject the one and embrace the other you cannot then looke for salvation Grace embraceth all truths rejects all errour God would have all saved by comming to the knowledge of the truth The Patriarchs lived in the sin of poligamy marrying many wives and esteemed it no sinne to take to themselves as many wives as they pleased so that they were not the wives of another And notwithstanding this great errour the Patriarchs were saved they knew no better and times of ignorance may plead some indulgence But now we cannot looke for life and yet practise such a sin because God hath revealed the truth in this which was more concealed before as Christ said from the beginning it was not so And if any had cause of two wives then the first man to populate the world but God made them male and female And this shall suffice for answer to that objection Object But is not the same truth saving and the same errour damning in any age and therefore that which saved them will save me Answ The truth which is saving now is saving hereafter but the reason why that truth which saves others will not us it doth not arise from any defect in the object truth but in the subject man if the subject receive some truths but not all if willing to entertaine some but to reject others and so to reject some errours but yet to retaine others though convinced of them then there is no salvation 2. The same truth which saved them will save us if received but if received of them and not of us it cannot save now there is no greater evidence that truth is not received then that you are not willing to entertaine more Truth where it comes where it is received into the heart it holds open the doore to let all its kindred in bids all truth welcome and therefore if thou say thou receivest some truth as truth and thy heart is shut up against other truths revealed thou deceivest thy own soule there is no surer character of received truth then willingnesse and universall willingnesse to embrace all Indeed men that receive truth into the head only doe not embrace all truth they pick and choose but if it be received into the heart then the doores are open to all truth and every truth comes with authority and carnall respects shall not hinder the embracing of them And thus we have done with the first how it may stand with Satans ends to the good we come to the second how it may stand with Satans ends to the bad 2. It may stand with Satans ends to the bad and that both to the 1. Receivers and 2. Promoters 1. It may stand with Satans ends to the receivers or to the bad in generall which we will shew you in five particulars 1. To lessen the credit or if you will beliefe of those things which they doe know Men who are yet of unregenerate life may know many truths of God and though they have not much faith of them yet some credit they give to them which begets awfull thoughts of the truth of God and this generall beliefe of these things doth restraine many from many sinnes and puts them upon many generall duties Now Satan cannot endure this light in them he knowes not what in time it may come too and therefore he sets many errours on foote that if possible he might lessen the beliefe of those things which are reall truths and render all you know which keepes you in some awe by virtue of that power the generall beliefe of them hath upon your spirit I say to render them all but notiones secundae chymeraes meere fancies or pollicies the better to keepe men in awe and under rule and some government And in the time of aboundiug errours he will thus deale with a man you thought that this and that was a truth but you see now it comes to be debated it proves but a shadow and so are other things you beleeve if once they were sifted and debated if understanding men would but deale faithfully and would apply themselves to dispute other things you give credit to they would be discovered to be of the same stamp and as little bottome in them as in these which you have built so much upon And here a poore man he is gone

and corrupt ends these are in danger to be led aside with errour Vix queritur Iesus propter Iesum There are many corrupt ends for which most men either embrace or adhere to truth few seeke Christ for Christ so few there are that doe embrace truth for truth Now this is certaine * Qui hoc desiderat propter aliud non hoc desiderat sed aliud he that desires any thing for another thing doth not desire this but the other thing and therefore can as well close with an errour as a truth if it may be serviceable to that end which he desires It would be an endlesse worke to tell you all the corrupt ends which men of corrupt principles have in the embracing of truth Indeed who can do it one man perhaps sees it a way of gaine of honour of preferment and advancement though this hath been very seldome that greatnesse did lie in the way of goodnesse and advancement in the way of truth yet such a time may come and therefore a corrupt heart sides with it or perhaps he sees such and such whom he knows and values this way and therefore he goes the same way with them Men that doe not believe truth nor love truth may side with it for corrupt ends Leo the tenth that monster of men though he had meane thoughts of the Gospell Quantas nobis divitias comparavit haec ●abula Evangelij yet he could side with the Gospell because it brought treasure into his coffers Most men doe entertain truths as you doe servants as I have told you and will examine and know what they can doe for them before they do entertain them or they adhere to truth as the Ivy to the tree which is not because it loves it but because it sucks from it berries and leaves because it nourisheth and succours it By this craft we have our gaine saith Diana's crafts-men As they said of an errour so many say of truth alas how few men that entertain naked truth and that are willing to embrace truth with singlen●sse of spirit We say men alwaies worship the rising not the declining Sunne So rising truths advancing truths enriching truths they will owne But who will owne a sinking a declining cause who will close with a persecuted truth an impoverishing truth an imprisoning truth Which is a plain evidence that truth is not entertain'd for truths sake Men will see nothing truth that stands not with their advancements their greatnesse their accommodations when truth comes once to live on us we grow quickly weary of truth And such men as these they are in the high way to errour he that will be of truths side shall not ever be of the rising side And when men cannot finde these things in the waies of truth and do see them in a way of errour they will forsake truth and close with errour 5. All such who are not grounded and established in the truth The house built on the sands stood not long sandy foundations can never hold men unbottom'd can never be firme like the weather-cock they stand but this way for want of a stronger winde many who are of this uncertainty of spirit like water that are formed according to the vessell that holds it so they according to company they converse withall like trees without root they are shaken with every winde with every breath of men It may be they reade this or heare this man and they are full in his thoughts another comes and leaves another impression on their spirits This man is a poore man he is nothing his light is in others he is darknesse his principles are in others he himselfe is nothing but what you will make him he is a man to be argued into errour or truth according to the temper of his companion he is upon a darke stormy sea and steers by the light is held out he hath none within him to guide him and he fastens his boat to the next barge moved by anothers motion for he hath none of his owne This is a man a peece of paste fit to be moulded up in what forme and to what temper you please When the streame or flood comes it cannot move trees and houses but it sweeps away what ever lies loose so here when the streame of errour comes though rooted Christians stand firme yet such who sit loose are apt to be carried away And therefore the Apostle bids us not to be ever children carried away with every winde of doctrine this is to be like weather-cocks which are moved with every blast he bids us to labour to get stablished in the truth even as a house upon a foundation that nothing can shake or unsettle us 6. Such who have rejected truths revealed upon corrupt grounds it may be there are such whom God hath made clear convincing discoveries of truth to them and yet because they could not stand with corrupt aimes and selfish ends therefore they have rejected them as the Jews did Christ how just is it with God to give up such to a spirit of errour It is the observation of Pareus upon the Jewes Act. 5.36 where you reade of many of the Jewes that were seduced he tels us * Iusto judicio Dei seducti multi fuerūt ut crederent impostoribus quia Christo fidē habere nolucruat Par. It was just with God that they should believe imposters because they would not give credit to the truth It was just with God that they should be punished with embracing a shadow who had rejected the substance with errour who rejected truth Christians you have had many cleare discoveries of truth to you Let not corrupt ends selfish respects come in take heed of rejecting any truth for corrupt ends if you doe you will be in the high way to be led aside with errour 7. All such who have the world for their god men that have the world for their god must embrace such a religion as the world will dictate to them The Apostle tels us The love of money will cause men to erre from the faith it will make men any thing to get the world and any thing to keepe the world Demas is a sad example of this he had the world in his eye and he embraced the world and forsooke Christ The love of the world will make a man shie to acknowledge truth how shie was Nicodemus to acknowledge Christ and it was for feare of the Jewes It will cause a man to balke and decline truth Men that have Court designes will not owne any the Court frowns on they balke them So if men have worldly designes they will never owne those truths the world frowns on Nay it will make a man deny truth yea truths professed truths preached truths contended for upon this ground many of the Jewes renounced Christ because if they should acknowledge him they said the Romans would come and take away their place and Nation Nay the love of the

revealed Indeed Satan hath many other ends as I have shew'd you and besides them divers other might be named Satan is busie when God is sowing wheate to sowe his tares when God is discovering of truth to be communicating of errours he hopes in the heate of the market to vent his own wares he hopes in the throng to put off one with another and that men will not so carefully observe it at least if men be shie to entertaine the one he hopes by this to lessen the authority and to prejudice the entertainment of the other And indeed the multitude of errours abroad they are great disadvantages to the entertainment of the truth they are a great prejudice to the receiving of it Men that heare of false reports abroad though they have not been abused with them will be shie to entertaine truth so men that heare of a multitude of erronious opinions abroad in the world though they have not been seduced or led aside with them yet will be shie and afraid to own the truths which God in that generation doth hold forth to them And by this meanes Satan hath a great advantage he perswades and prevailes with men to adhere to their former principles without any inquiry after more And this is dangerous As it is dangerous to stint and bound our selves in practise thus much we will doe and no more as it is the spirit of many men So it is dangerous to stint and bound our selves in principles or things to be knowne thus much I know and I will search into the revelation of no more 2 Pet. 1.9 1 Pet. 3.18 Heb. 6.1 As we are not perfect in grace and therfore we are to adde to faith virtue to our virtue patience c. to grow in grace to be led forward to perfection and he that sits down with any measure is yet to begin So we are not perfect in knowledge the Apostle tells you we know but in part and therefore we are still to study and search not only after clearer revelation of things known but fuller revelation of Gods mind to us and he that contents himselfe with the measure of revelation he hath is yet to begin in the knowledge of Christ And therefore this is a dangerous errour when Satan shall perswade and prevaile with us to adhere in those things we doe know and sleight any further revelation to be content with those measures of revelations we have and to seeke to know no more of Gods mind and will to us And this is another wile which Satan hath in the multitude of errours that thereby he might prejudice the further search and inquiry into the mind of God disadvantage the entertainment of truth and perswade with us to stick and adhere only in those which are already revealed to us It is good to adhere to those that are revealed but bad to adhere in them and seeke no further revelation because we are not perfect in knowledge therefore must grow As we say of grace so of truth It is good to have a heart stablished in grace but stinted in grace is nought stablishing doth keepe the heart from going backward and that is good but stinting doth keepe a man from going forward and that is nought You are to aspire to grow in knowledge as well as in grace But you will say what needs any more Object our Fathers held out these truths and sought no further and we hope they are saved and so shall we too if we doe but adhere in the truths of our fore-fathers and seeke no further 1. The reasoning is corrupt I say this is corrupt reasoning Answ that our Fathers held out these and these things for truth it is not enough to evidence they are truth that they went in this way is not sufficient to declare it was a good way and a way for us to walk in this is to take up our Religion by tradition not from Scripture the Papists have the same Arguments our Fathers were of this Religion and therefore it is good which you will all say is corrupt reasoning You have a place in Jer. 9.14 they walked after Balaam which their fathers taught them 2. But secondly admit our fathers held forth these things for truths yet they held not forth all truth they knew some but yet they knew not all truths It is said we know but in part And God is therefore said to appoint a Ministery in the Church for the further building us up in knowledge Ephes 4.12 13. for the edifying of the body of Christ till we all come in the unity of the faith and of the knowledge of the sonnes of God to a perfect man 3. Againe though our fathers held out these truths yet we wrong our fathers to say that they sought no further though they knew these and these truths yet they labour'd not only after a clearer revelation of truths known but after further revelation of truths not yet known and discovered to them and this appeares both in their writings and also upon experience every generation growes up in further knowledge of the mysteries of Christ and the Gospel as might be instanced in many points which have been debated between us and Papists and us and Arminians Pelagians all which truths have been the proper revelations to those particular generations And therefore you wrong them to say they knew these and sought no further And the experience of much more revealed in every generation is sufficient confutation of that Did our fathers in King Henry the eights dayes who first rejected the papall tyranny or our fathers in King Edward the sixths dayes who set up that infant reformation that wanting nursing fathers and mothers hath been kept back and held down so long where otherwise it might have come to manhood and perfection the thriving of the child lies much in the goodnesse of the nurse Kings and Queenes are called nursing fathers and nursing mothers to Religion this child this infant Reformation hath not had that nursing whereby it should thrive the breast of nourishment hath been kept from it and drawne out towards children of errour they have thriven the true child hath pin'd away Kings and Queenes are called shadowes as Josiah Lam. 4.20 32. Isa 2. And we speake it with griefe as things have been carried they have indeavoured to make them like trees which the papall faction have clasped about and adhered to as the Ivie to the tree not because they love it but because they have sucked sweet from it but they have been such shades as have hindered the growth of better things But to passe this If you come down to Queene Elizabeths dayes did our fathers in her time know so much had they that full revelation of that which is in our dayes he that reades may easily see And therefore this is a plaine confutation though our fathers did hold out some truths yet they sought after more they did not rest in that they had but

those who have been judged to be unlearn'd have been in the truth and those who were the learned men of that age were in the errour In the times of Christ and his Apostles the Scribes and Pharisees and the learned Doctours of the Law they were in the errour as you know the Apostle asketh us in the 1 Cor. 1.20 1 Cor. 1.20 Where is the wise where is the Scribe where is the disputer of this world hath not God made foolish the wisdome of the world So in the 1 Cor. 6.7 8. 1 Cor 6.7 8. We speak the wisdome of God in a mystery which none of the Princes of this world knew speaking of the great Doctours of the Jews for had they known it they would not have crucified the Lord of glory So that if you look into those times the learned men were in an errour and on the contrary those who were judged unlearned though they were truly learned in the wisdom of God they were in the truth as you know And indeed in all ages of the Church as it hath been a great advantage unto errour the learning of those who have maintained it so it hath been a great obstacle and prejudice to the truth the unlearnednesse of the maintainers You see in the times of the Gospel it was that which they opposed against Christ Which of the Doctours believe in him And it was that which they had against the Apostles it 's said Act. 4.13 when they saw the boldnesse of Peter and John and perceived that they were unlearned they marvelled Nay they objected this against Christ himself who was the wisdom of the Father and whose humane nature was filled with all the wisdom of God For in him dwelt all the fulnesse of knowledge nay Col. 1.19 all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge as the Apostle Col. 2.3 Col. 2.3 Yet they said of him when they heard him to teach Joh. 7.15 Joh. 7.15 How knoweth this man letters having never learned They saw he was not brought up as others were in the Schools of the Prophets it might be he worked at his fathers trade till the time that he began his Ministery which was not till he was baptized about the 30th year of his age and they thought seeing he was never taught by man therefore he knew no letters they were ignorant that he had an invisible Tutour the Spirit of God as the Prophet tels us Isa 61.1 Isa 61.1 Isa 42.1 2 3. Isa 42.1 2 3. Isa 50.4 Isa 50.4 The Lord God hath given me the tongue of the learned that I should know how to speak But ignorant they were that he was the wisdom of God and all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge were hid in him they were in him God hath filled the humane nature with all these treasures but they were hid in him as the Apostle saith they were vailed and their eyes could not behold them as you see by them in this place So that you see as it hath been a great advantage to errour so hath it been a great prejudice to truth the learning or want of learning in the maintainers of it And I conceive the ground is this because most men of the world they are led by an implicit faith and believe as others doe and they are great admirers of learning and therefore give up their faith to those whom they apprehend to be learned men and walk by their light submit to their knowledge believe as they believe and there they rest without troubling of themselves any further Tutum est peccare authoribus istis Sic And one would think this a great deal of wisdom As one said of great persons so they say and in naturall wisdom it seems safe * Errare cum doctoribus istis to erre with such learned men why will men say if they know not what is the truth who should How can such poor men as we be able to judge of things so well as those who are the Doctors and Rabbies of the Church And so I finde most men ready to resolve their faith into the opinion of others and give up their judgements to those whom they doe apprehend to be learned they thinke that such must needs be in the truth but for others they apprehend them weak and illiterate and therefore doubtles they are in an errour Now to answer this Question which is of some weight that we may more distinctly proceed and more clearly come to the resolution of it I will in the first place give you the divers acceptations of learning in Scripture and tell you how it may be taken 1. Sometimes I finde it taken in a good sense sometimes in a bad It is taken for truth The knowledge of him who is truth it self Ephes 5.20 Eph. 5.20 And once we read it is taken for errour or erroneous doctrine Rev. 2.24 Rev. 2.24 where St John speaks of the doctrine of Jezabel who had taught that men might eat things sacrificed to Idols and commit fornication without sin as many as have not this doctrine or this learning 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 as the words may be read As many as have not this learning that is this errour or as many as are not carried away with this erroneous doctrine they are all the same But 2. Sometimes we read that learning is taken Divinely Humanely We begin with the first 1. Sometime learning is taken humanely and so sometimes Strictly Largely 1. Strictly and that 1. Either for the knowledge of tongues and so I conceive it is taken 1 Cor. 14.16 1 Cor. 14.16 where the Apostle speaking of the knowledge of tongues which was a miraculous gift and accompanied the first times of the Gospel first given to the Apostles that the Apostles might be able to speak to all men in their own languages as you see in Act. 2. beg Act. 2. beg yet continued for certain time in the Church as you see it there 1 Cor. 14. this the Apostle cals learning and saith when the Church is met together and all speak with tongues and there come in those that are unlearned or unbelievers will they not say that you are madd Where by unlearned in that place he means such as have not the knowledge of tongues and therefore understood not what they spake which I call humane knowledge though at this time divinely given 2. Sometimes learning is taken for the knowledge of Arts and Sciences Act. 7.22 Act. 7 22. And Moses was learned in all the learning of the Egyptians and was mighty in words and deeds And in this sense it is probable they spake when they said the Disciples were unlearned Act. 4.13 Act. 7.13 that is they are not skild in the knowledge of the Arts and Sciences nor were they brought up in the Schools of the Prophets and so instructed as they were 2. Learning is taken largely for the improvement in all kindes

they might no doubt have done more if their own wills had not stood in their way We cannot say the first Daven ad frat com adhort p. 3 4. hitherto our endeavours in this kinde have not been so prosperous and succesfull And it speaks sadly to us if all waies of union shall become means of disunion if all waies of agreement shall beget matter of strife if all reasons for accord shall prove but arguments of further distance and if our very pursuits of peace and accommodation do set us farther from it and render our agreements more difficult more impossible This is a sad omen So that it is our misery we cannot say the first and I am perswaded it were our sin to say the second It cannot but be imagined that all parties know how scandalous how dangerous destructive our divisions are and how sweet how desirable and beneficiall both to our selves and others who love us our union and agreements would be therefore it cannot in charity be imagined that our differences are lengthened because we have no minde to conclude them What worldly thing is it that can compensate or ballance such an evil as this Pax una tryumphis Innumeris potior Agreement in it self alone is more to be valued then the triumphs and trophies of strife but is not here our misery do we not stumble in the threshold do we not in the very entrance or first lancing forth into this mare pacificū cumber our beginings with needles remora●● and split our selves upon the rocks of unnecessary disputes which blast all our hopefull beginings retard us in our way ends in nothing but s●rrow and f●rther divisione 2. A second thing to be looked after is To conclude and establish our agreements We d●ffer in some things but we agree in more what is there asserted by one in point of doctrine but is as zealously maintained by the other and for matter of government though in some things we d●ffer yet in many things we do agree It were a good step towards this desired accommodation to conclude and publi●h our agreements that as men have taken notice of our differences which by too much artifice hath been rendered and so apprehended wider then in truth it is so they might take notice of our agreements also and be comforted in the one as they are troubled for the other And it cannot but be wondered at that we hear so much of the one and no more of the other Indeed it is a work requiring an abler pen but it is well-worthy the best endeavours of the eminentest sons of men it being a better work to unite then to divide to build then to pull down and to heal differences then to inlarge and increase them 3. A third thing to be endeavoured is To acc●mmodate our difference of which we may say as one said of the divisions among the Protestant Churches Europae speculum p. 173. That unlesse God did stirre up some and clothe them with a mighty spirit for this work the end of them may be that our enemies will laugh when we shall weep And indeed 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 who is sufficient for these things It is easier to lay down accommodating motives then accommodating media's We have accommodating motives enough and enough of them And I am confident there is not want of accommodating graces both parties are replenished with love with humility with self denial Here is fire and wood but where is the lamb O that we could say with the same fulnesse of perswasion Deus providebit or God will provide or God will discover mediums of his own to soader us together This we breathe after certainly none but he can and we are now within the ken of it Two things would hid fair for it if not wholly accomplish this desired accommodation 1. To settle the power of particular Congregations 2. To allay the jurisdiction of Synods In the first there was a great agreement and if God would but clear up the second all other differences would fall in with them It is our work to be mighty with God that he would shew the might of his own grace to make all difficulties easie and rough things plain That the glory of the Lord might be revealed And let me breathe out the desires and travels of my soul in the words of the Apostle 1 Cor. 1.10 Now I beseech you brethren by the Name of the Lord Iesus that ye all speak the same thing and that there be no divisions among you and that ye be perfectly joyned together in the same minde and in the same judgement To which let me add what the Apostle saith by way of argument to it Ephes 4.4 5 6 We are one body have one spirit one calling one hope one Lord one faith one baptisme one God and Father of all Oh that we should be one in so much and two for so little I will conclude all with that vehement exhortation of the Apostle Rhetorick above withstanding Phil. 2.1 If there be therefore any consolation in Christ if any comfort of love if any fellowship of the spirit if any bowels and mercies fu●fill you my joy that ye be like minded having the same love being of one accord of one minde And the God of peace direct our hearts into the waies of all truth love and p●a●e FINIS