Court of his own Conscience and in reference to his own faith and practice he should so examine and judge of the things that relate thereunto as to be fully perswaded in his own mind Rom. 14.5 He should so prove all things as to hold fast that which is good 1 Thes 5.21 Thus Christ in his infinite wisdome goodness and faithfulness hath given two sorts of judgment to his Church and people One publick belonging to an Assembly of Godly Pastors and Elders for of that which the Prophets teach let the Prophets judge and the Spirits of the Prophets are subject to the Prophets The other is a more private personal judgment which concerns all the faithful who are to judge of what is taught and to try the Spirits in both these judgments we should remember that Christ hath committed nothing to the Church but the ministry of giving judgment for as touching the Soveraignty of Judgment and Authority it belongs only to him Councels may expound and declare the doctrine of the Scriptures but they have no power from Christ to make any new Doctrines or Articles of faith And every Christian ought in a rational way to judge of their determinations according to the word of God and not yeild blind obedience thereunto for this were to unchristian yea to unman himself Of this opinion are all the Protestant Churches in general and particularly the Church of England (k.) See Rogers on 39. Articles P. 103. who maintains that every sound member of the Church hath Authority from Christ to judge in controversies of faith and so to imbrace truth and avoid error The Church as a faithful witness should give Testimony of the Doctrine of Christ but ought not to judge the word nor to judge otherwise then Gods word judgeth General Councels consisting of men that are not infallible may err The things therefore that are ordained by general Councels do so far bind as they are Consonant to the word of God and no further for we are not to ground our faith upon them but only upon the Authority of Gods word Now that such a rational judgment or a judgment in foro interno as hath been asserted belongs to every Christian so as he may and ought to make use of his Reason in judging of the Doctrines of Religion and of Ecclesiastical Laws and determinations is thus proved and demonstrated First From those plain Texts of Scripture Take heed that no man deceive you Mat. 24.4 Prove all things and hold that which is good 1 Thes 5.21 Beloved believe not every Spirit but try the Spirits whether they are of God 1 Joh. 4.1 He that is Spiritual judgeth all things yet he himself is judged of no man 1 Cor. 2.15 Which Texts together with many other that might be alledged do not only concern publick Ministers but also private Christians yea chiefly them as being most in danger to be seduced Secondly This hath been also the approved practice of the faithful thus to search the Scriptures and try the Spirits and exercise their Spiritual Senses that they might discern things that differ Heb. 5.14 The Bereans are counted more noble then others because they searched the Scriptures and tryed Pauls Doctrine by the Scriptures though he spake from an infallible Spirit Acts 17.11 The Church at Ephesus is commended for trying them that said they were Apostles and were not and finding them lyers and deceivers after tryal Rev. 2.2 And Christ tells us that his true Sheep will follow him for they know his voice but a stranger they will not follow but will flee from him Joh. 10.4 5. Now this they could not do unless they did exercise a rational judgment in matters of faith Thirdly Every Christian is to give an account of his faith and practice to God yea he should be alwayes ready to give an Answer to every man that asketh him a Reason of the hope which is in him 1 Pet. 3.15 But how can he do this rationally and understandingly without tryal and examination If he be found to embrace whatever his superiors shall impose upon him truly then the blind implicite faith of the Collier will serve well enough Is this according to the Scripture which tells us that we cannot truly believe unless we have knowledge That every man should be perswaded in his own mind concerning the things which he doth believe and practice and that whatsoever is not of faith is sin Fourthly How shall a Christian cleanse his heart and wayes but by taking heed thereto according to the word of God Psal 119.9 How shall he walk as a Child of light unless the word be a Lamp to his feet and a light to his paths Psal 119.105 How can he walk wisely and Circumspectly as he ought to do understanding what the will of God is as the Apostle speaks Ephes 5.17 if we do not allow him a judgment of discretion and discerning in matters of this nature that so he may try Spirits and Doctrines Fifthly were it the duty of a private Christian to receive all Doctrines that are proposed to him by his Superiors without tryal and examination then could not he be justly charged with sin and guilt who receiveth error in stead of truth from those that are above him in dignity and Authority but we find that this will not excuse him If the Blind lead the Blind both shall fall into the pit Luk. 6.39 and we are to fly from Strangers and not hearken to the words of those Prophets that speak the visions of their own hearts and not out of the mouth of the Lord Jer. 23.16 We must not believe every Spirit but beware of false Prophets and Seducers which no Christian can avoid upon good grounds unless he pass a rational judgment upon them and their Doctrines Why was Ephraim oppressed and broken in judgment but because he willingly walked after the Commandment of his Ruler and Governor corrupting the worship of God and did not impartially examine and judge of the same by the rule of Gods word Hos 5.11 Sixthly God hath furnished a Christian with abilities for this end with Reason as man he hath a reflexive faculty which Beasts have not he hath a rational understanding Soul which is the Candle of the Lord that enableth him to compare one thing with another and to deduce genuine inferences and conclusions from such premises as are laid down and propounded And then further God hath not only given his people the light of humane Reason and understanding as rational men but hath also infus'd into them a principle of divine light and knowledge as Christians to search and try the Doctrines of Religion whether they be true or false God hath given them a Spiritual unction or understanding as the Apostle speaks 1 John 2.27 Chap. 5.20 that they may know him who is truth it self and they need not that any man teach them but as this anointing teacheth them which is truth and is no lye If any man
sensible of great defects in Nature and Reason THough the Heathen Philosophers and Moralists generally did ascribe too much to the Light of Nature and Reason yet the wisest of them after long experience were sadly sensible that this Candle at the best after all their snuffing did burn but dim Socrates than whom there was not a more prudent virtuous man amongst the Heathens doth so far complain of the weakness of his Candle-light i. e. his Intellectuals as that he tells us his lamp would shew him nothing but his own darkness and ignorance This only he knew that he was ignorant and knew nothing Other Philosophers besides him were deeply sensible of and groaned under these great decays and imperfections of natural light and reason You may hear them often complaining of a defluvium pennarum that the wings of the Soul flag and many of the feathers drop away One will tell you that his head his understanding akes another that his eye his reason is dimm'd a third that his Soul trembles with doubts and uncertainties As you heard Socrates the Master and the wisest man in Greece complaining of the languishings and faintings of natural light and reason so you may see Plato his Scholar sitting down by the waters of Lethe and weeping because he could not remember his former notions You may likewise hear Aristotle another of his Scholars bewailing his condition that his Abrasa tabula hath so few and such imperfect impressions upon it and that his Intellectuals are at so low an ebb that the motions of Euripus will pose and nonplus him And as for Zeno Epictetus and other famous Philosophers they confess ingeniously that they had not the right apprehension of things and that they were intangled with a spurious and adulterate kind of reason instead of that which is called right reason If you cast your Eye upon the most Eagle eyed Naturalist you will see him puzzled with an occult quality if you take a view of the exactest Moralist you will find him bewildred and at a great loss in his Morals not being able to attain to true peace and rest in his Soul by all these Virtues Shall these moral Heathens complain of their great defects and behindments and shall Christians pride themselves in their natural or moral improvements and set up the light and power of Nature and Reason as much or more than the light and power of Grace and Divine Revelation How unbecoming how unsutable is this to the glorious Gospel of Christ which clearly sets forth the corruption of Nature the natural man's subjection to Sin and Satan and the Curse of the Law and an absolute necessity of the new birth and regeneration Let not this Candle therefore which burns but dim aspire so high as to make it self equal with the Sun Salomon himself who had made many discoveries with this Candle of the Lord and had thereby search'd into the several veins of Knowledge into the hid Treasures of Wisdom into the depths of State Affairs and into the bowels and mysteries of Nature yet after much searching and a diligent improvement of his intellectual lamp he could not find the chiefest good in any of these or in all of them put together but as a man sufficiently wearied and tired out you may hear him complain that all is vanity and vexation of spirit and that there is no true rest in any thing under the Sun CHAP. V. Of them that give too little to the light of Reason SOme are so strangely prejudic'd against reason without reason that they would have no use at all made of it in Religious Concerns but utterly exclude it out of the Church of God Now this is an extreme which we should avoid and pray to be delivered from such unreasonable absurd men as will not in the least hearken to reason but fill our ears with noise and clamour to no purpose 2 Thess 3.2 First Those are to be blamed that cannot endure the name of reason in Discourses of Religion If you offer to make a Syllogism or a rational Discourse they will presently fall fowl upon you and cry it down as carnal reasoning If one man speak or write more reason than another if it cross some mens humours and interests he shall be term'd a Prudentialist if not a Conjurer or Magician He must needs be a dangerous man if he have better Intellectuals and more wisdom and understanding than others in matters Civil and Religious Secondly Such as wholly relye upon dreams and enthusiasms are Enemies to Reason and renounce their Intellectuals and Understandings Do they pretend to the Spirit of God! let them know that this Spirit is a sober wise and serious Spirit and doth not destroy the use of Reason but elevateth and raiseth up the rational faculties to a higher pitch than meer Nature can mount up to in His service It hath been truly observed both by the Ancient Fathers and our Modern Writers as a characteristical difference between the true prophetical Spirit and the false and counterfeit that the one leaves men in the free use and exercise of their reason and faculties but the other fills and distracts them with pannick fears tremblings and consternations both of body and mind Epiphanius and others discovering the folly and madness of Montanus and his followers gives this reason why they could be no true Prophets because in those that are so there is a great consistency of sense reason and discourse The true Prophet say they had always the free use of his reason and faculties and spake from the Spirit of God with consistency and coherence of discourse whereas it was quite otherwise with the Monatanists they were always trembling both in body and mind and used no consequence of reason in discourse their words had no proper sense but were all dark intricate and obscure Thirdly Those also are upon this extreme that hold an Annihilation or destruction of the Faculties of the Soul in the new spiritual Birth and Regeneration as if there were a new will and understanding not only for quality but for substance infused into us which is to take away our reason and unman us If there be any so absurd and irrational as would perswade us wholly to lay aside our reasons judgments and understandings in matters of Religion and not to make use of or ingage any of these in our Inquiries after things of a spiritual and supernatural concernment This is in effect to render us Bruitish and to extinguish that Candle which the Lord hath set up in our Souls wherewith we ought to search and try Spirits and Doctrines being enabled thereunto by the Spirit of God which reneweth strengthneth and raiseth the Rational faculties of Man's Soul but doth not destroy them Fourthly When Christians are members of a particular Society and will not be regulated by Reason in thing that are not contrary to the Word of God but are led more by humour and faction or by a worldly Interest than
have not the Spirit of Christ dwelling in him he is none of his The secret of the Lord is with them that fear him and to them it is given by the father to know the mysteries of the kingdome of God Mat. 13.11 Hereby saith the Apostle we know the things that are freely given us of God even by his Spirit which searcheth all things yea the deep things of God 1 Cor. 2.10 For a man professing the knowledge of Christ to swallow down without tryal or consideration all that he reads and hears if it comes from a person that he admires which yet is the practice not only of the blind Papists but of many seeming zealous Protestants that are too much addicted to a party Non est opus virilis intelligentiae sed puerilis inscitiae this rather becomes the simplicity and ignorance of a Child then the wisdome and understanding of a serious Christian Luther speaking of the blind implicite faith and obedience too of the Church of Rome tells us that 't is such an opinion and practice as renders a man Brutist and deprives him of Reason and man-hood and for this wicked opinion and practice of theirs namely for exercising an absolute dominion over the Faith and Consciences of men the Roman Prelates deserve to be driven out of the number of the faithful as Wolves and Tyrants But what shall every private Spirit will you say take this upon him Is not this to judge his Judges and to pass Sentence upon his Superior To which we answer that those persons be they never so great and learned judge of divine things by a private Spirit who depend upon their own corrupt Reason and Fancy and accordingly judge and determine and not he though but a private Christian that is taught of God and judgeth of the points of Religion by and according to the word of God Nor do we say that every private man is to judge by way of Authority in foro publico a publick Authoritative disquisition and tryal in matters of Religion is one thing and a private rational Christian examination is another 't is one thing judicare to judge of mine own acts and another thing judicem agere to act as a Judge Indeed the Spiritual man judgeth all things but how not in a juridical Authoritative way but only so far as concerns his calling and capacity if he be a private Christian Rational judgment belongs to him but Magistratica and Ministerial judgment belongs to others that are in a more publick capacity and office And therefore in this case he is to try and judge with much modesty and humility not rashly and headily as being self-conceited and leaning too much to his own understanding Let him walk orderly and keep his place and station giving due respect and reverence to Christian Magistrates and godly Pastors and submitting to them in the Lord Heb. 13.7 17. And this will be a means to preserve the Church of Christ from Anarchy and Confusion Thus we have shewed how the Scriptures may be proved by the light of Reason to be the word of God and that every Christian ought to exercise himself in searching the Scriptures and judging of Doctrines but yet we must distinguish between those external rational Arguments which are brought to prove the divine Authority of the Scriptures and the internal Testimony of the Spirit of God in the Scripture which is the most clear certain infallible publick Testimony and of it self worthy to be believed for it is the Testimony of God himself Hereof we shall treat more particularly in the following Chapter CHAP. XIV Of the Internal Testimony of the Spirit of God witnessing the divine Authority of the Scripture ALthough there are rational arguments which have been already mentioned to prove the Scriptures to be the word of God yet the inward Testimony of the holy Ghost himself is necessary to assure us of the divine Authority thereof which Testimony is better and more certain then all our Reason for as God is a sufficient witness of himself in his own word so the hearts and Consciences of men will never be fully satisfied that the Scriptures are by divine inspiration till the same be sealed and confirmed to them by the inward Testimony of the Holy Ghost till then they will be much in the dark often doubting and wavering notwithstanding all other reasons and proofs (l.) Calv. Instit Lib. 1. Chap. 7. S. 5. We should so believe the Scripture for it self and in regard of the Testimony of the Spirit of God witnessing the same as not to subject the divine Authority thereof to our Reasons and demonstrations When our understandings are once powerfully convinced and enlightned by the Spirit of God which endited the holy Scriptures then do we not believe by our own judgment or Reason or other mens that the Scripture is from God and by divine inspiration but above all humane Reason and Judgment we hold it most certain even as if we beheld the majesty of God himself there present John 4.42 And having attained this we seek not after humane Arguments to rest our faith upon but as a thing that admits of no doubt or dispute we take it for granted and do fully captivate and submit our Judgment and Reason to it such therefore is the perswasion of a true Spiritual Christian of the Authority of God in the Scriptures far different from other mens as requireth no humane Reason such is his knowledge and certainty as hath the best Reason for it even that wherein the mind more assuredly and stedfastly resteth then upon any humane Testimonies or Reasons whatsoever Such is the inward Spiritual experience of the power and wisdome and goodness of God in the holy Scriptures that if all the World should oppose the same yet he is fully resolved to give credit and adhere thereunto By nature every man is blind in Spiritual things and ignorant of the mind and mysteries of God and therefore though the Scripture be a shining light in it self yet unless our understandings be opened and enlightned we cannot behold it no more then a blind man can see the Sun when it shineth The Spirit of God is the Author of supernatural light and faith by the inspiration thereof were the Scriptures first written the secrets and mysteries of God are fully known unto and effectually revealed by this Spirit The same law and word which is written in the Scriptures this Spirit doth also write and impress upon the hearts of them that are endued therewith and therefore the Testimony of this Spirit where it comes in power must needs fully perswade and assure the heart and Conscience of a Christian that the Scripture is the infallible word of God As in other Sciences there are alwayes some principles per se nota indemonstrabilia whence other things are proved and demonstrated so it is in Divinity which is the most excellent Science all conclusions in point of faith and practice
are proved by the Scriptures but as for the Scriptures they prove and evidence themselves sufficiently to the judgment of every true Christian by their own light manifesting their divine Original They are primum visibile not like colour that cannot be seen till light make it apparent but like light it self which maketh all other things manifest and it self too by its own proper quality Now then if a true believer should be ask'd why he believes the Articles of the Christian Religion he may truly answer thus because they are revealed in the holy Scriptures If it be further demanded how he can assure himself that the Scriptures are the word of God he may answer that he knows it by the Scriptures themselves the Spirit of God enlightning his understanding to see those lively characters of divine truth which are imprinted upon those sacred Volumes If yet it be further demanded how he knows whether that is the right meaning of such or such a place of Scripture he may likewise truly say that he knows it by the Scriptures which being diligently examined and compared together do plainly discover to the humble teachable Soul their own true sense and meaning in the things which concern everlasting Salvation And thus the faith of a Christian is finally and ultimately resolved into the infallible word of God or a divine Testimony and into nothing less As for the Authority and Testimony of the Church and the judgments and writings of the Godly learned they are good helps to make us see the Truth but no causes why we believe it this we do for its own sake not for their sayings or determinations which if they do not accord with the Scriptures we ought not to assent thereunto Though we should give due Reverence to the Assemblies of Godly judicious men and thoroughly examine and weigh with humility and self-denyal the grounds of our dissent from them yet the bare Authority of men though never so eminent for learning and piety should not command our assent to any Article of Religion that shall be proposed to us For our faith should not stand in the wisdome of men as the Apostle speaks but in the power of God and the Testimony and demonstration of his Spirit 1 Cor. 2.4 5. The first and chiefest ground whereon is built the certainty of faith's assent is the infallible truth and Authority of divine Revelation because God hath said it we are to believe it and assent to it for whatsoever God saith is true now this is a principle of Nature and Reason which is deeply ingraven into the heart and Conscience of every Rational man that God himself is so infinitely wise that he can be ignorant of nothing nor can any Creature circumvent and over-reach him and withal he is so infinitely good holy and just that no lye or untruth can proceed from him wisdome it self cannot be deceived truth it self cannot deceive and God is both And therefore wheresoever any Revelation is certainly known or believed to be of God there the reasonable Creature doth fully assent to the truth of things revealed But now the great question will be how we know infallibly that God is the Author of the Scriptures and that what we find written therein is of divine inspiration the very Oracles of God Here lyes the great yea the irreconcileable difference between the Church of Rome and us for whereas we maintain according to the truth that the Scriptures are known to be of God by themselves and by their own light and power they hold that we cannot be certain of their divine Authority but by the Testimony of the Church which as they say doth infalliby propose unto us what is to be believed and what is not to be believed And so by this means our faith shall be resolved either into nothing at all for they differ exceedingly about the Church representative and the supreme Judge of controversies here on Earth or at the furthest it shall be resolved but only into humane Authority and so shall be but a humane faith That Circle which they falsly charge upon us (m.) Mr. W. Pemble nature and properties of grace and faith P. 210 211. they themselves are guilty of and can never be dis-intangled therefrom by their Principles For ask a Romanist why do you believe that the Pope cannot err he will tell you because the Scripture saith so thou art Peter and upon this Rock will I build my Church and I have prayed that thy faith may not fail and the like Texts of Scripture But how know you that this is the infallible word of God and that your interpretation is the right sence and meaning of these places To this he answers because the Pope and the Councel of Trent say so or as some of them hold because the Pope only saith so or as others of them because a general Councel saith so If we further urge him yea but how know you infallibly that the Pope and Councel do not err in saying so he will answer you because the Scripture affirms they cannot err for thou art Peter and upon this Rock will I build my Church c. And thus they run round in a Circle (n.) The Popish Circle described and are so intangled that the wisest and most learned of them know not how to deliver themselves Indeed they accuse us with open mouth as if we were intangled in a Circle running round from the Scriptures to the Spirit and again from the Spirit to the Scriptures as thus how know you the Scriptures to be the word of God by the Spirit revealing the same to my heart and Conscience but how know you this Revelation of the Spirit to be true By the Scriptures which testifie that the secret of the Lord is revealed to them that fear him But then further how know you this and the like places of Scripture to be the word of God we know it by the Spirit which reveals to us the things that are freely given us of God And thus they pretend that they have caught us in a Circle but they greatly mistake us though we do not mistake their Doctrine we teach indeed that we know the Scriptures infallibly to be the word of God by the Spirit of God inwardly revealing and testifying the truth of them to our Consciences But what kind of Revelation or Testimony is this It is not any inward suggestion or immediate inspiration different from those Revelations of Divine truth that are in the Scriptures themselves as if the Spirit of God did by a second private immediate Revelation assure me of the truth of those former Revelations contained in the Scriptures we have no warrant for this in an ordinary way but the Spirit of God reveals and testifies to our Consciences the divine Authority and truth of the Scriptures by removing those impediments that hindred as namely our ignorance and unbelief and by bestowing upon us those graces that make us capable of
any appearance of the face of Religion and may it not be feared that even the Turks and Heathens many of which do exceedingly reverence and honour those that administer their religious Rites and Service will rise up in judgment against many forward Professors of the Gospel who do on the other side as much contemn and despise their Ministers affording them neither countenance nor maintenance which is quite contrary to the Light of Nature and Reason whilst they pretend to the Light of the Gospel and supernatural Revelation The Apostle plainly shews even by Arguments taken from the Light of Nature 1 Cor. 9.7 that the Ministers of the Gospel who labour in the Lord's Vineyard should have due maintenance and encouragement As Tyranny in Church Officers is dangerous and destructive on the one hand swallowing up the liberties of Christian Societies so a Contemptible mendicant Ministry such a Ministry as is enslaved to the dictates and humours of the People is as dangerous and destructive if not more dangerous and destructive to Religion on the other hand as our own reason and daily experience will tell us Fourthly Societies for the solemn Worship of God being agreeable to the Light of Nature and Reason as well as to the Holy Scriptures we may hence gather that every Christian is under an Obligation to joyn himself to one Church-society or other where he may solemnly worship God according to his Judgment and Conscience and not walk at random without rule and order for as he should worship God in secret so being a member or part of the Church of God which is a Body politick he ought to manifest it by being visibly united to other parts of the Body And although Churches are much divided and corrupted at this day yet seeing there are many true Churches of Christ and some of them purer and more agreeable to his own Judgment than others he is bound by the Ordinance of God and this the very light of Nature and Reason will also suggest unto him to joyn and adhere to that Society which he judgeth to be most pure and most agreeable to the Rule of Scripture and his own professed Principles All Nations throughout the World that acknowledge a Deity are convinc'd even by the light of Nature that it is their duty to associate themselves with others for the participation of those Religious Rites and Ordinances that belong to the Worship of that Deity which they acknowledge Fifthly It is an irrational absurd thing and argues an Imposing spirit as any rational impartial man may easily judge to make that to be a ground and condition of Church Communion which the most holy wise God hath not required in His Word What will men be wiser than God will they lay Burthens on the Consciences of their Fellow-Christians where God hath left them free As this practice of theirs opposeth the Word of God and the Christian moderation of the purest Primitive Church so it riseth up with a high hand against the Light of Reason which would have us do no more to others in things of this nature than we would have them do unto us What reason can be given why Christians now should not stand upon the same terms and grounds of Church Communion which they did in the times of Christ and His Apostles Or that they should be bound up to more than Christ hath obliged them unto Or that any should be excluded from Church Communion who have Communion with Christ and shall be admitted into His heavenly Kingdom Surely this is unreasonable The question is not whether the things commanded and required be lawful or no nor whether Indifferencies may be determin'd by the Church or the Magistrate But Whether those persons do in a rational way consult the Advancement of the Protestant Cause the Churches Peace and Unity and the benefit of Brotherly Communion who suspend it upon such things as God hath not made the Ground of Church-Communion and is contrary to the Example and Practice of Christ and His Apostles for they would lay no other Burthen upon the Churches besides the things that were necessary Acts 15.29 Doubtless the main Inlet of those Divisions and Confusions that have been and are yet in the Christian World was and is by adding other Conditions of Christian Communion than Christ hath appointed Hereof none are more guilty though none more apt to accuse and condem others than the Schismatical Church of Rome who by adding to the Rule of Faith and to the true Grounds of Church Communion hath caused no small Trouble to the Churches of Christ which come to be establish'd in Peace not by rigorous Impositions but by mutual forbearance and condescention in such Indifferencies as are not determined in Scripture And this our own reason will tell us that the Unity and Peace of the Church lies not so much in a bare Uniformity in Opinion and Practice touching these things as in an unity of Love and Affection and a prudent forbearance and moderation for which Christian moderation the Primitive Church is much commended and herein we should imitate her She judged it saith the Ecclesiastical Historian (g) Sozom. Hist Eccles l. 7. cap. 19. and that very justly a foolish and frivolous thing for those that agree in the weighty matters of Religion to separate from one anothers Communion for the sake of some petty Customs and Observations For Churches agreeing in the same Faith often differ in their Rites and Customs And withall he tells us of many Cities and Villages in Egypt not only differing from the Customs of the famous Church of Alexandria but from all other Churches besides in their publick Assemblies on the Evenings of the Sabbath and receiving the Eucharist after Dinner And thus they freely allowed liberty unto and did not rigorously Impose upon dissenters in matters of this nature carrying themselves towards them with much moderation and sweetness of deportment without making such observances in Worship as were disputable and not clearly determined in Scripture the Indispensable Conditions of Communion with a particular Church And what reason can be alledged for such Injunctions Is not the Rule of Church Communion plainly laid down and fix'd by Christ himself to the things which he hath Commanded Matth. 28.19 20. After this when some persons would have impos'd the Mosaical Rites and Ceremonies for which there was yet more Ground than for our Impositions the Apostle bids the Churches stand fast in their liberty so as not to be the servants of men in these things yea and after the Apostles days when Victor Bishop of Rome would have imposed on other Churches in the point of observing Easter he was worthily condemned by Irenaeus and others If it be lawful for any persons or Churches to assign unscriptural conditions of their Communion will it not hence follow That Christ hath fixed no certain Rule of Communion among Christians which doubtless he hath done as appears plainly in the Scriptures And if
most wicked Superstition CHAP. XII The divine Authority of the Holy Scriptures proved by Reason THe Laws of God as we have heard differ much from the Laws of men these command only the outward man but the divine Laws reach the Spirit and command the inward man which Laws are Recorded in the Sacred Scriptures now that these Holy Writings are the word of God and do contain the Laws of God and the Rule of our Faith and practice may be proved by Reason so far as may convince a Heathen or Infidel that there is such a divine Authority and Efficacy in these Writings as are not to be found in any other First then let it be granted as it hath been clearly demonstrated that there is one living and true God and that this God is to be honoured and adored by his reasonable Creatures with that service and worship which becomes him Then it will undeniably follow That there must be some Revelation made by God himself touching that way of worship wherein he will have us obey him this is practic'd by all wise Princes and States who govern their Subjects in a way of Reason and of Prudence for who can know what pleaseth God but he himself and they to whom he makes known his will and pleasure Now then supposing some Revelation of Gods will in order to that service which he will accept if the Scripture be not this Revelation where then shall we find it Let any man if he can shew some other or better manifestation concerning the will and worship of the great and Holy God then what he hath made known in his Written word Nothing can be the standing unerring Rule of our Faith but what God himself hath made so That which is the Rule must be the law of our Beleif and who can make a Law of this nature but God himself 'T is unreasonable to imagine that any men or Creatures can prescribe to us what we are to beleive concerning God unless God himself make known his will and publish his Laws Secondly As for the Scriptures of the Old Testament which are received and imbraced as the word of God both by Jews and Christians let us rationally consider how the Church of the Jews who were the peculiar People of God to whom were committed the Oracles of God Rom. 3.2 have witnessed these Books to be divine and Supernatural Have they not from time to time for many Ages together in their greatest misery and affliction constantly acknowledged and contended for the divine Authority thereof whenas by only denying the same they might have had not only liberty but great preferments in the World And is it not very observable that though the Princes high Preists and others amongst the Jewes persecuted the Prophets and despised their words whilst they lived yet they received their Writings as Prophetical and Divine when they where dead and since blindness and obstinacy came upon the Jewes notwithstanding their great enmity and hatred to the Christian Religion and the Professors thereof yet the Scriptures of the Old Testament yea those very Texts that do evidently confirm the truth of the Christian Religion are kept pure and uncorrupt amongst them Thirdly The Christian Church which embraceth both the Books of the Old and New Testament have witnessed and do still witness to the divine Authority thereof even to the Death the whole Vniversal Church of God even from the first Penning of the Scriptures till this very day have all along professed that these Books are divine and Thousands of them have Sealed the same with their blood this Testimony is of great weight and force though it be not so infallible and effectual to perswade and satisfie the Conscience as the Testimony of the Holy Ghost himself Of all humane Testimonies whereby the Author of any Book that hath is or ever shall be extant can be proved or evinced so as to satisfie mans Reason the Testimony of the Universal Church of God concerning this Book is the greatest and most satisfactory both in respect of the multitude wisdom honesty and faithfulness of the witnesses and the likelyhood constancy and uninterrupted continuance of the Testimony it self Is it probable in a way of Reason that so good and wise a God should suffer so many honest well meaning People to be so long abused and deceived by a false or feigned Book fathered upon himself such a horrid Imposture the God of truth will not endure to lye hid and undiscovered for so many hundred years Christians of all sorts and conditions Noble and Ignoble Rich and Poor Learned and unlearned Married and unmarried Old and Young throughout the World for a long time together have endured the most grievous and exquisite torments that the Devils could invent or the malice of men find out for the defence of this truth and that with great constancy and alacrity with an undaunted heart and merry countenance And can any sober man think that so many thousand persons and some of them of great quality learning and prudence that might have lived bravely and carried a great part in this World should suffer so many and so great things out of meer weakness pride vaine glory discontent or that they should suffer for a fable that hath no Truth nor reality in it This Testimony which is taken from the great sufferings Christian patience joy and courage of the Martyrs is not meerly humane for that courage and cheerfulness which they shewed in the midst of their Torments was not from the strength of humane Nature and reason but it was from above and supernatural Fourthly God hath confirmed the divine Authority of the Scriptures in the view of the World by many great wonders and Miracles from Heaven such as Satan himself cannot imitate such as exceed the power of any yea of all the Creatures in the World such as the most malitious subtil Enemies of God's truth could not deny to be divine These Miracles hath the Lord openly wrought by the hands of Moses the Prophets and Apostles which as they were sufficient to confirm the divine Authority of the Scriptures to them who were eye-witnesses thereof so the undoubted and clear Narration of them is to us an invincible Argument that the Word and Gospel of Christ is from Heaven and not from men the Lord witnessing thereunto both by Signs and wonders and with divers Miracles and gifts of the Holy Ghost according to his own will Heb. 2.4 What shall I say of the Antiquity of the Scriptures and the Doctrine contain'd therein which of all Writings and Doctrines that have been taught and published is the most Ancient In all other Writings and Records the Doctrine of the Creation and fall of man is omitted which yet is particularly and plainly set down in the Scriptures And truly it is admirable to Consider how the power and wisdom and goodness of God have appeared in preserving his written Word and Laws to this day notwithstanding the rage and
lay aside his Reason and understanding and to be wholly concluded by humane Authority and the names of men in matters of faith As in other points the Church of Rome which is made up of lyes and contradictions would impose upon us as if we had neither Sense nor Reason in us so more especially in the point of Transubstantiation and the corporal carnal presence of Christ in the Sacrament which is against Sense against Reason and against Faith First It is against Sense now of all demonstrations amongst men whereby we prove things of this kind nothing is more firm then that which is taken from Sense 'T is an undoubted truth in Divinity that in all matters of Sense Sense is a compleat Judge understanding it of objects proper and peculiar to Sense otherwise we say the Eye is not able to judge of Sounds nor the Ear of Colours Thus Christ when he would prove that he had a true and real Body he sends his Disciples to their Senses a Spirit hath not flesh and blood as you see me have Reach hither thy hand and thrust it into my Side In turning water into wine Sense might easily judge of the change you would think it a strange and incredible thing if Christ should have come to to the Master of the Feast requiring him to believe it was wine though he saw and tasted nothing but water or if God should have said thus to Moses well thou seest nothing but a Rod yet thou must believe notwithstanding that it is changed and is really a Serpent so in this case of the Sacrament when all the Senses tell us it is Bread which we see and touch and taste why should any man be so foolish and vain as to say with the Papists that the Bread ceaseth to be truly Bread and is Transubstantiated into the very Body of Christ Again Secondly As this Doctrine is against Sense so it is against Reason namely that Christ should be in Heaven and have but one Body and yet at the same have Ten Thousand Bodies on Earth that his Body should be a true Body as ours is and yet without Circumscription and other inseparable properties of a true Body that the substance of Bread should be abolished so as it shall remain no longer Bread and yet we find the very quantity taste whiteness substance and nourishing vertue of Bread If you ask them after all this whether it doth nourish the Body or no they will tell you with impudence enough if they be true to their own principles that it doth not nourish quite contrary to Reason and experience This monstruous opinion of theirs is so irrational and absurd that the most learned amongst them are puzled and not satisfied therewith but leave it as a miracle I have taken some pains saith a learned judicious man in his late Sermon against Popery to consider other Religions that have been in the world and I must freely declare that I never yet in any of them met with any Article or Proposition imposed upon the belief of men half so unreasonable and hard to be believed as this point of Transubstantiation is Thirdly As it is against Sense and Reason so it is against Faith which though it be beyond Sense or Reason yet it is not contrary thereunto Sense and Reason are Gods works as well as Grace and Faith Now one work of God doth not destroy another for if so this would argue imperfection in the workman faith feeds on Christ spiritually in the Sacrament being the evidence of things not seen now if Christ be corporally present in the Sacrament what need the receiver feed on him spiritually by faith as being absent what need he do this in rememberance of him till he come let us in this and other things shew our selves men and not Beasts let us make a right use of our Senses and of that Reason which God hath bestowed upon us 'T is we that believe and act in matters of Religion whoever requires the same of us these are our Acts if therefore we will shew our selves to be men endued with Reason and understanding we must examine what is propounded and offered to us that so we may assent or dissent upon judicious grounds we are men and should do things as men we are Christians and should do things as Christians Blind faith and blind obedience should be utterly Banished out of Christian Assemblies nor should we pin our faith upon any man or company of men be they never so Godly and learned for this were to wrong God and to set man in his Throne and attribute that to man which is proper to God alone Hereby also we exceedingly prejudice and wrong our own Souls and are in danger of Apostacie when we adhere to an opinion or way of which we are not rationally and knowingly perswaded that it is the way of God what is this else but to comply with a way or party out of faction and partiality not out of Judgment and Conscience which therefore cannot have any true Consistence or constancy in it They rather bring their feet then their hearts into a way of Religion that adhere to it without due tryal and examination Herein we should use our own eyes and judgments and not wholly trust to others Herein we should diligently exercise our own Reason if we will judiciously and profitably receive the truths of God not that we should judge of the highest Gospel mysteries according to natural corrupt Reason but yet we should make use of our own understandings and judgments being enlightned by the Spirit and word of God in comparing one thing with another that so our faith and knowledge may not be fluctuating and uncertain but steady and stable It will perhaps be objected that if every man may judge in matters of Religion according to his Reason then so many men so many minds which will breed endless confusion every man pretends to Reason and one man thinks his Reason to be as good or better than another mans and so according to this opinion there shall be no order no settlement in the Church I confess there is much danger on this hand especially where people are running headlong into confusion and will not submit to Ecclesiastical order and government yet this should not make men throw away their Reason and believe with an Implicite faith only as the Church believes In things of this nature there is a twofold judgment a judgment in foro externo or publico and a judgment in foro interno or privato The former of these is an Authoritative judgment belonging to Christian Synods and Counsels duly and lawfully assembled where the Christian Magistrate presides such Counsels debating and determining matters in difference either as to doctrine or practice have been of excellent use from time to time in the Church of God But besides this there is belonging to every Christian a judgment of discretion or discerning a rational self directive judgment in the
this Divine knowledge and assurance illuminating our understanding renewing our wills and sanctifying our hearts and affections In which sence the Spirit of God in the Scripture is to us a Spirit of Wisdom and Revelation opening the eyes of our understandings that we may see by a spiritual light the excellency of those divine Mysteries that are in the Word of God Ephes 1.17 18. Now this Doctrine of ours is no such Circle as the Papists pretend it to be but a plain and strait way for a sober Christian to walk in Thus How know you that the Scriptures are Gods Word We answer By the Scriptures themselves by that wonderful light and excellency of truth and holiness that shineth in them here we would rest and go no further But yet if we be asked How we come to see this light We answer It is by the only work of the Spirit of God giving us eyes to see and hearts to embrace and love the light If we be further urged for some are thus importunate But how know you that you do indeed perceive such a heavenly light as you speak of Or how can you make it appear to others that you are not deceived Now truly this is but a vain question it being an absurd thing to demand a reason of sense which is as if one should ask him that gazeth on the Sun How know you that you see the light Why he is certain that he sees it and knows that he is not deceived though he cannot convince a blind man of it and if in case he that is blind requires him that sees to prove unto him by sound argument that he beholds such an object he demands an impossible thing of him unless he could give him eyes to see it Some of the most learned Papists after all their disputing and wrangling are driven at last to acknowledge this inward illumination and testimony of the Spirit of God Stapleton himself even in that Book where he defends the Authority of the Church saith That the godly are brought to faith by the voice of the Church but being once brought and enlightened with the light of divine Inspiration then they believe no more for the Churches voice but because of the heavenly light And again in the last Book that ever he wrote against learned Whitaker he tells us plainly That the inward perswasion of the holy Ghost is so necessary and effectual for the believing of every object of faith that without it neither can any thing by any man be believed though the Church testified with it a thousand times and by it alone any matter may be believed though the Church held her peace or were never heard Hereby it appears that we may be infallibly assured of the divine Authority of the Scriptures though the Authority and testimony of the Church be not so regarded by us as the Papists would have it But yet when we have to do with Infidels and Atheists that scoff at this divine light and inward testimony of the Spirit we have more Reason on our side as hath been shewed at large to convince them and to prove that the Christian Religion is the true Religion and that the Scriptures do contain the Word and Laws of the most high God then any other Religion nay then all other Religions in the world As for the inward testimony of the Spirit witnessing the divine authority of the Scripture and how it is to be considered take these following Rules * Rules concerning the Spirits testimony for preventing mistakes First That the Spirit of God doth assuredly perswade the Conscience of a Christian that the Scriptures are the Word of God not by an immediate Vision or Revelation under which pretence Satan transforming himself into an Angel of light hath deluded and ensnared many poor souls but by enlightening the eyes of our understanding to behold the light writing the Law in our hearts and inward parts as God hath promised in the new Covenant sealing up the Promises to our souls and causing us experimentally to feel the powerful effects thereof Secondly This divine supernatural perswasion wrought in Believers by the Spirit of God is more certain and more satisfactory then can be proved by our weak imperfect Reason or expressed in words for things doubtful may be proved but as for things that are in themselves most clear and certain we say they need no rational proof or demonstration as the shining of the Sun which discovers it self by its own light needs not be confirmed by any rational Arguments to him that hath his eyes open to see the light thereof Thirdly It is such a testimony and demonstration of the divine Authority of the Scriptures as is certain and manifest to him that hath the Spirit for it makes it self evident where it comes but this is private and particular not publick and common testifying only to him who is endued therewith but not convincing others nor confirming doctrines to them In this case men must have recourse to the visible standing Rule to the written Law and Testimony if any man speak not according to this let him pretend never so much to the inward testimony and revelation of the Spirit it is because the light and truth of God is not in him Fourthly This testimony of the Spirit therefore is not to be severed from the Word which is the Instrument of the holy Ghost and his publick authentick testimony Nor is it injurious to the Spirit of God to be tried by the Word seeing there is a mutual relation and correspondence between the truth of the party witnessing and the truth of the thing witnessed And this holy Spirit the Author of the Scriptures is every where like unto and doth every where agree with himself as it is in a pair of Indentures there is no difference at all between them but the very same things that are mentioned in the one are also mentioned in the other so it is between the Spirit revealing and the truths of God revealed in the Scriptures Fifthly The testimony of the Spirit doth not teach or assure all and every one of the letters syllables and words of the Scriptures which are only as a vessel to carry and convey the heavenly light unto us but it doth seal in our hearts the saving truth contained in those sacred Writings into what language soever they be translated Hence it is that the Apostle tells the Corinthians that they are the Epistle of Christ written not with Ink but with the Spirit of the living God not in Tables of stone but in the fleshly Tables of the heart 2 Cor. 3.3 Sixthly and lastly The Spirit of God doth not lead them in whom he dwelleth and witnesseth absolutely and at once into every truth of God so as utterly to dispel all ignorance and darkness out of the soul but he leadeth them into all truth necessary to salvation and by degrees John 16.12 13. Being a free voluntary Agent he worketh when and
where and in what measure he pleaseth so that holy men partakers of the same Spirit in several degrees may err and mistake in some things and dissent one from another in matters that are not fundamental And thus we have given you some Rules to prevent mistakes touching the inward testimony and revelation of the Spirit of God It will not be amiss now to reflect a little yet without any rankor or bitterness against the persons of men upon their opinion that derogate from the Spirit of God and divine revelation and set up Reason as a Judge in matters of Religion and so resolve their Faith finally into Reason CHAP. XV. Briefly shewing when Reason is rightly used and when abused to the prejudice of the Spirits Testimony in the Scripture NO discreet rational man will deny the use of Reason in judging matters Civil and Religious in the sence formerly declared and proved If you will shew your self a man and not a beast a judicious understanding Christian and not a Child in knowledge and judgment then you must make use of your Reason in examining those matters that are propounded to you whether Civil or Religious but yet if you admit Reason to be the only Rule or Standard to measure the Mysteries of Faith by and to judge of and comprehend the most divine supernatural Doctrines and Truths of Christ then you ascribe too much to Reason and too little to the Spirit of God and Faith Eye hath not seen nor ear heard saith the Apostle neither have entred into the heart of man the things which God hath prepared for them that love him And as none know the things of a man save the spirit of a man which is in him even so the things of God knoweth no man but the Spirit of God 1 Cor. 2.9 11. The rational Creature is a competent Judge of things meerly rational but the spiritual man only in whom the Spirit of God dwelleth can rightly and spiritually discern and judge of things that are meerly spiritual and supernatural and therefore we must take heed that we confound not the Spirit and Faith of the Gospel with our natural Reason nor prejudice the divine Authority of the Scriptures by ascribing too much to Reason as we ought not to take from Reason that which is due to her in reference to divine matters First Then we acknowledge that Reason is the eye of mans Soul or that Organ which lets into his Soul that divine light and testimony of God which begets Faith and upon which Faith doth rest it self and into which it is finally resolved Reason is not the object on which our Faith resteth but that faculty which being sanctified takes in the light of Faith which leads us to Christ and the things that are heavenly and supernatural The judgment and determination of the Word of God inspired by the Spirit of God is that wherein we finally rest as the rule of our Faith and the light of divine Understanding and Reason sanctified is that whereby a Christian judgeth of spiritual things God in his Word speaks to reasonable Creatures not to brute beasts who by way of discourse weighing what goes before and what follows the Text and comparing Scripture with Scripture do come to a right understanding of the will and mind of God therefore we are commanded as men that have reason in us to search the Scriptures to try the Spirits and to judge what the Apostles say These are acts of Reason and Judgment by the help whereof we are enabled to give a sober rational account of our own Faith and to convince the Adversaries and gain-sayers If you be to deal with an Adversary that hates the Christian Religion how can you think to perswade him to Christianity unless you shew him a reason as indeed the Christian Religion is the wisest and most rational Religion If you say your Church is the true Church you must give a reason for it or else no discreet man will believe you seeing many pretend to the true Church that do not belong to it If you urge a Scripture for your opinion sober men will rationally judge whether it be agreeable to your sence and interpretation or not and accordingly will embrace or reject your opinion It concerns every man as he tenders the peace and salvation of his own soul to be certain of the truth of his Religion And seeing there are so many opinions and such variety of perswasions in the world touching matters of Religion we ought to consider which perswasion hath the best and surest grounds for it that we may with peace and safety venture our souls upon it Now this we cannot well do unless we make use of our Reason in comparing one thing with another that we may embrace the truth and reject error Secondly Though there are mysteries of Faith which Reason cannot comprehend yea in their proper nature they are contrary to the dictates of natural Reason Ex nihilo nihil fit saith Reason and Ex nihilo omnia fiunt saith Faith The dead cannot return again to life saith Reason Thy dead bones shall live again and this mortality shall put on immortality saith Faith yet the rational Soul of man being overpower'd and acted by a higher principle even by the Spirit of God sees the greatest reason in the world to believe these and all other divine supernatural mysteries and truths because the Scripture revealeth them to be of God and from God Is it not meet and reasonable and well becoming us that are rational Creatures to believe the God of Truth speaking to us in his Word though what he speaks seem never so unreasonable never so contrary to flesh and blood Yet Reason will tell us this That all that God speaks for from this pure Fountain can proceed nothing but pure streams is true and good divine and heavenly whatever our corruption saith to the contrary So then our Faith must be resolved into the divine truth and authority of Gods Word and our Reason captivated and subjected unto this higher principle to believe what we find revealed in the Scriptures because it is revealed and comes from the God of truth that cannot lye Thirdly As I have reason to believe all that God speaks in general as being the God of truth so I have reason also to believe in particular that the doctrine of Scripture is Gods revealed Mind and Will Nor is it sufficient to a well-grounded Faith for a man to say he believes all that God reveals to be true but he must also believe that the mysteries contained in the holy Scriptures are the things which God hath revealed for his salvation 'T is true according to the Judgment of our Divines that Faith may rightly be said to be a firm assent without evidence of many things in themselves which we do believe but yet the medium by force whereof we are drawn to believe must be evident unto us As now if I be asked by an enemy
of the Christian Religion Why I believe the Incarnation Death and Resurrection of Christ I answer Because Gods Word testifieth of them as things most certain and true If he ask me further How know you that God hath revealed these things I answer By infallible signs and testimonies from Heaven beyond all humane power as hath been shewed Chap. 12. of this Treatise by which mans reason may be convinced that those writings are of God and so I can prove that a Christian hath more reason for his Religion then any other whether Jew or Turk or Heathen Fourthly Though in these respects that have been mentioned our Reason may be of very good use in reference to spiritual and divine things yet we must not make our Reason the rule and measure of our Faith in matters that are beyond our Reason As for example there is a Trinity of Persons in the Godhead as the Scripture assures us Matth. 28.19 1 John 5.7 Shall I now reject this great Mystery because it corresponds not with the dictates of my Reason and Understanding and say with those self-will'd Socinians that because it is impossible to Reason that three should be one God therefore I will not believe this great Truth But only interpret it thus that these three agree in one and are one by consent of minds and wills for so a thousand men may be one And again If because I cannot conceive or comprehend by my Reason how Christ and his Father can be one in substance and essence therefore I will find out another interpretation which may agree with my Reason though it be contrary to the mind of God in the Scriptures and to the Articles of the Christian Faith Truly this is to set Reason in the Chair or Throne above the Spirit of God in the Scriptures and so the sacred Scripture or Divine testimony shall vail Bonnet to our Sense and Reason and not we to the Authority of God in his Word Now this is the practice of curious proud Wits who will not believe any thing be it never so sublime and mysterious unless forsooth it be made evident to their shallow understandings Hence it is that they consult with the dictates of Reason about the chiefest Articles of Faith and accordingly expound them or rather pervert them denying and rejecting the Person and Offices of Christ the Doctrine of satisfaction and propitiation by Christ the Resurrection of the same Individual body the absolute Decrees of God and other Mysteries of the like nature and so at length God leaving them to their own vain reasonings and the wicked imaginations of their own hearts they become meer Atheists Indeed every Christian as hath been said ought to give a Reason of the Faith and Hope that is in him but we must put a difference between giving a reason of our believing and a reason of the thing believed I believe the Doctrine of the Trinity That Christ is consubstantial and coessential with the Father that he was incarnate and born of a Virgin that Jacob was loved and Esau rejected before they had done either good or evil and the reason and ground of my belief is because the same is written in the infallible Word of God But now to demonstrate and evidence these high Truths and Mysteries to humane Reason from the nature of things or otherwise to disbelieve them this is a course destructive to the Christian Faith and Religion There are some things that are evident in themselves as the Principles of Geometry that every whole and entire thing is bigger then a part of it and the like But then there are other things that are not evident in themselves but are revealed and made known to us both that they are and what they are by a forreign medium without the compass of the things themselves Of this sort are all those things which we are perswaded of by the report of others and this is that certainty of knowledge which we have of things that are believed the truth of which in themselves appeareth not to us nor is seen of us And in this respect Faith is truly said to be an assent without evidence upon the credit of the Revealer In these things our Reason reacheth but the 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 that such things are the Truth of God but the 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 is hid from us we cannot shew a reason how such things should be Thus to tye our Faith to Reason and form our belief by the dictates of reason so as to refuse to believe any thing without evidence from the nature of the thing it self demonstrated and made known to our Reason argues much pride and self-confidence setting up our Reason above the Will of God * Against subjecting the Scripture to Reason revealed and arraigning the sacred Scriptures at the Bar of our Reason Now this is not to be admitted but to be rejected by all Christians and that upon these Grounds and Considerations First Because our Reason and Understandings are but weak and shallow in the knowledge of the Mysteries of Nature and we are much more ignorant and blind in the mysteries of Grace and in things that are divine and supernatural John 1.5 1 Cor. 1.19 20. 1 Cor. 2.11.14 1 Cor. 13.12 When the world by all its wisdom and reason knew not God in Christ It pleased God saith the Apostle 1 Cor. 1.21 by the foolishness of preaching to save them that believe Yea not only in the men of the world but in the most eminent Saints there is still much blindness in their understandings and much perverseness in their wills and in the reasonings of their hearts against the Truths of God Now these vain and carnal and foolish reasonings of ours should be regulated and corrected by the Word of God Mans Reason should not presume to regulate the Word but the Word of God should regulate and correct mans Reason The Word is the rule and not our Reason for that which is to be regulated cannot be the rule to regulate Secondly To bring Scripture to the Bar of our Reason and so make Reason the Judge in divine mysteries is exceeding preposterous for this were to subordinate and make subject that which is much superiour to that which is far inferiour that which is perfect and without error to that which is imperfect and erroneous Now certainly that which is weak and corrupt is not fit to judge that which is holy and perfect nor is that which is subject to errors and mistakes as mans Reason is fit to regulate and judge the Word of God which is all light and all truth and is profitable for doctrine for reproof for correction for instruction in righteousness that the man of God may be perfect throughly furnished unto all good works 2 Tim. 3.16 17. As John the Baptist said to Christ (n) Mr. Lyford on Heb. 5.13 14. cap. 1. pag. 28. I have need to be baptized of thee and comest thou to me that am
Christ they work spiritually Hence he is said to be led by the Spirit and to walk in the Spirit and after the Spirit Gal. 5.18 25. Rom. 8.1 Secondly This divine Principle this new spiritual Birth and Regeneration is more then the improvement of the most excellent natural or rational abilities for it being infused and wrought in the soul of man by the mighty Power of God and the invincible operation of the holy Ghost this argues that man or the reasonable Creature is meerly passive in his first receiving this spiritual supernatural life and thus much the very phrases of Scripture import that as we are passive in our first Creation or Generation so we are passive in our Renovation or regeneration Ephes 2.1 5 10. 1 Pet. 1.3 23. John 3.3 5. Gal. 6.15 Indeed if it were no more but the improving of something which we had in us before or the strengthening only of that which was weak in us then man himself might co-opperate with the Spirit of Christ in producing this new Birth but seeing it is the infusing or planting of a divine Principle which was not at all before in the rational Creature man must needs be passive in the first work of regeneration Nature being corrupted can do nothing unless it be to hinder and oppose this work for it is enmity against God Rom. 8.7 At the best Nature is but the matter which is renewed or new formed and matter as we all know can have no operation at all and therefore it is rightly termed a supernatural work or a work beyond Nature (p) See Mr. White on the Scriptures cap. 7. of the Spiritual Mans Acts. Thirdly Man being thus passive in his spiritual renovation or new Creation 't is impossible for him with all his Reason to discover how and after what manner it is first wrought in him as it is impossible for one to know how he receives his own life though he may discern some terrors of Conscience and consternation of spirit in himself as preparatories thereunto and may also understand the motions and operations that are performed by him after his regeneration for then his spirit or the principle of his reason and understanding being renewed and sanctified works together with the Spirit of Christ yet as to the first act of ingenerating and receiving Grace the same being wrought in him not by him yea and that in an instant and not by degrees it cannot be discerned how and in what manner it is wrought either by natural Reason for that cannot spiritually understand spiritual things or by spiritual sense and experience for that flows from spiritual life already received and therefore cannot discern what was done before it had any being at all The giving of spiritual life and the giving of the sense of it to Christians are two distinct acts of the Spirit of God which seldom or never go together in an ordinary way This heavenly mystery of regeneration is beyond the understanding and capacity of a meer rational man as Christs words to Nicodemus and his words to Christ again do import John 3.3 4 5 6 9 10 11 12. Fourthly The spiritual mans acts and operations do far transcend the acts and operations of the natural or meer rational man both in reference to things natural or the things of this life which the one apprehendeth and useth in a meer natural or rational manner the other after a holy and spiritual manner and for a spiritual end and more especially in reference to things spiritual as the unsearchable Treasures and Riches of Christ and the glorious Mysteries of the Gospel such spiritual things are apprehended and used by the natural man carnally for he knows Christ only after the flesh as on the contrary outward and carnal things are apprehended and used by the spiritual man spiritually but much more those things that are spiritual in their own nature 1 Cor. 2.15 which he may be said to apprehend and receive spiritually in respect of the object or that which is spiritual in the object by a spiritual light and judgment beyond the natural light of Reason and in a spiritual supernatural way Now this is more then any natural or meer rational man though never so much improved can attain unto by the Principles of Reason Fifthly The meer rational man and the spiritual man both living under the means of Grace and both of them believing differ much in the nature and effects of their Faith as they do in their knowledge of spiritual things The Faith of the spiritual man is a true justifying Faith grounded and built upon a divine testimony but the Faith of the meer rational man is but temporary or historical First They proceed from different causes and principles the one being infused by the Spirit of Christ dwelling and abiding in the spiritual man the other being the effect only of natural Reason further enlightned and improved at the most by some common operations and assistances of the Spirit of God in the Ministry and Ordinances of the Gospel which a Reprobate may partake of Heb. 6.4 5 1. Secondly They are found in divers subjects Ttrue effectual Faith is only found in persons that are truly regenerate born of God and partakers of the divine nature John 5.24 and 3.5 1 John 5.1 But historical or temporary Faith may be in such as have no root no seed of God abiding in them such as are not born of God for these are both one in Scripture Luke 8.13 1 John 3.9 Thirdly There is that spiritual evidence and certainty in the faith of the one which is not in the faith of the other True divine Faith so apprehends spiritual and heavenly things as having a real being in the Promise of God though they have no subsistence as yet in themselves Heb. 11.1 Rom. 4.17 John 8.56 Heb. 11.27 Now this Faith which is the evidence and demonstration of things that are invisible to the outward Senses makes no use in its spiritual sight or apprehension either of Sense or Reason not of Sense for things invisible cannot be the object of Sense nor of Reason which in this case can help but little more then Sense seeing it receives information by Sense from whence it gathers things by way of discourse which indeed may convince a man that things are but can give him no evidence or demonstration of the things themselves what they are in their own nature Hence it is that when a man comprehends things by Reason he may be able by discourse of Reason to inform another man of that which he knows and by that means may cause him to understand it as well as himself but he that apprehends spiritual things themselves as the true Believer or Spiritual man doth cannot by discourse of Reason make another man that is a stranger to what he enjoyes understand what he himself seeth feeleth and tasteth But as for historical Faith or that Faith which is in the meer rational man it
to the Senate and if being there it should be required of him to give his advice he would speak freely that which his Conscience commanded him Being further threatened by the Emperor that if he spake his mind so freely he should dye for it Did I ever tell you said he to the Emperor that I was immortal Do you what you will and I will do what I ought to do It is in your power unjustly to put me to death and in me to dye constantly The noble Lacedemonians being threatened with hard and cruel usage if they did not presently yield themselves and their Country to King Phillip who came against them with a great power one in the name of the rest answered thus What hard dealing can they suffer that fear not to dye And being told that King Phillip would break and hinder all their designs What say they will he likewise hinder us from dying And after this when Antipater cruelly threatened them what he would do unto them if they did not comply with his demands answered If thou threaten us with any thing that is worse then death death shall be welcome to us These were men guided and acted only by the light of Reason and moral Vertues which raised them above the threatnings of their greatest enemies and the fear of death And should not Christianity the best and most excellent Religion as hath been sufficiently proved in this Treatise much more ennoble our spirits and raise our hearts above all slavish fears If we be Christians and Believers we may then argue and reason spiritually from Faith in the Word and Blood of Christ which the most moral Heathens could never attain unto against the slavish fear of death in this manner Two Arguments from Scripture against the fear of death First Did not our blessed Saviour dye and rise again for this end to deliver us not only from the cursed effects of death and from the Devil as the Executioner thereof but also from the fear of death that thereby he might cure us of this fear and raise us above it Heb. 2.14 15. Yea and this was long since foretold and prophesied that Christians applying the victory of Christ over death should be so far from fearing death that they should tread upon this Enemy and insult over him Isai 25.8 Hos 13.14 compared with 1 Cor. 15.54 55. Secondly Hath not God wrought us for the self-same thing that we being made new creatures by the gracious operation of the holy Ghost might aspire unto glory and immortality which we cannot fully enjoy till we dye for we must be absent from the body that we may be present with the Lord 2 Cor. 5.5 8. Thirdly 'T is a condition which our Lord and Master puts us into when he first admits us to be his Disciples That we must deny our own lives for his sake and not only be content to take up the Cross in other respects but our lives should not be dear to us when he calls for them Luke 14.26 We pray that Gods Kingdom may come namely the Kingdom of Glory as well as that of Grace and by death we must enter into this Glory We are born again saith the Apostle to a lively hope of this glorious Inheritance 1 Pet. 1.3 4. Now if we be afraid of the time and means of our translation thither how then do we hope for it after a lively manner Fourthly Have we not the examples of the godly before us even a Cloud of Witnesses who have desired to dye and were above the fear of death Gen. 49.18 Phil. 1.21 23. Luke 2.29 Psal 14.7 2 Cor. 5.2 7. Yea the whole Church of Christ and general Assembly of the Saints love his appearing and earnestly desire that he would come quickly 2 Tim. 4.8 Rev. 22.17 20. How unbecoming is it for a Christian to fear death with a slavish fear For hereby he dishonours God and disgraceth his Religion as if it did not afford sufficient incouragements and supports against this fear Some Heathens as we have heard that had not the true knowledge of Christ have dyed couragiously and undauntedly And shall a Christian whose life is hid with Christ in God and who is risen with Christ and sits together with him in heavenly places be affraid to dye 'T is the property of wicked men to dye unwillingly their death is compell'd and not voluntary And shall ours be so too Shall we be afraid of a shadow we that are passed from death to life and shall live for ever because Christ ever lives The seperation of the Soul from God is death indeed but the seperation of the Soul from the Body to a ttue Believer is but the shadow of death If we be in love with life why do we not effect that life which is eternal and desire to be dissolved that we may be possessed of it Fifthly Shall we in this case be worse then Children or mad Men neither of which fear death Shall not Reason and Religion prevail more with us then Ignorance and Madness with them Do we that are the peculiar People of God rather desire to remain in Egypt or in the doleful irksome Wilderness for this World is no better then to enter into Canaan yea into the heavenly Canaan where we shall be at perfect rest Is not death ordinary and common amongst Christians Do not some of our Friends and Neighbours dye dayly Adam had more reason to fear death then we for he never saw man dye an ordinary death before him but for us to be afraid to dye who see thousands dye before us is the more intollerable The whole Creation groans waiting for the liberty of the Sons of God and earnestly longing for this change Rom. 8.21 22. And shall we be worse then the brute Beasts and other Creatures and afraid of that Porter that opens the door to our own everlasting happiness Hath not this Enemy which seems terrible to us been often foyl'd and vanquished Hath he not been beaten by Christ and thousands of his Saints And shall it be terrible to us to encounter a vanquished disarm'd Enemy whose strength and power is destroyed 'T is in vain if we think to shun that which cannot be avoided for it is appointed unto all men once to dye death is the way of all flesh and there is no discharge from this War What man is he that liveth and shall not see death Heb. 9.27 Psal 89.48 Eccles 8.8 And therefore we must resolve couragiously to meet and encounter this Enemy for we cannot avoid him if we go not to him he will come to us so that we shall be unavoidably ingaged in this conflict sooner or later Sixthly Why should a Christian fear or be troubled considering what a gain and advantage death will be to him For it puts a period to all those tempests and storms those boysterous temptations passions and afflictions with which his life was continually tossed and incumbred and brings him to a
safe harbour it is to him a sweet sleep a bed of rest after all his toyl and labour in a vain and troublesome world Isai 57.2 1 Thes 4.14 Rev. 14.13 There the wicked cease from troubling and there the weary be at rest and hear not the voice of the Oppressor Job 3.17 18. It is the day of a Christians reward and of receiving wages Then is the servant set free and the Heir at full age then shall the banished and strangers from a far Countrey shall enter into their Fathers house and shall be received into everlasting habitations Heb. 11.13 John 14.2 Luke 16.9 Death is the Birth-day of a Christian the funeral of all his vices and corruptions and the resurrection of his Graces Death was the daughter of Sin and in death shall that be fulfilled The Daughter shall destroy the Mother 'T is the dissolution of the Body but the absolution of the Soul Then is the immortal Soul delivered out of a dark prison and then doth she throw off her old ragged clothes and foul garments that she may be deck'd and adorn'd with the glorious Robes of Salvation Isa 52.1 2 Cor. 5.2 3. Then doth a Christian remove from an old rotten house ready to fall about his ears to a sumptuous Pallace Doth that Landlord think you wrong his Tennant or offer him hard measure that would have him remove out of a base Cottage into his own Mansion-house which he hath freely given him Shall the Believer be unwilling to come to the end of his race and receive the prize even an incorruptible Crown of glory 1 Cor. 9.24 This is the day of his Coronation for though now he be an Heir of the heavenly Kingdom yet he shall not be crowned till death with that Glory which is unutterable 2 Tim. 4.8 Seventhly The good man is taken away by death from much evil to come and hath he any cause to quarrel with such a freedom Truly the consideration hereof should make us love this life the less because the Clouds gather thick about us and we know not what fearful alterations may shortly befal us either in our outward estate or in matters of Religion either by domestick broyls or by forreign invasion Should not a Christian rejoyce exceedingly to be delivered from the continual malicious suggestions and stratagems of the evil Angels and from a vile wicked World that hates and persecutes the Image of Christ where-ever it is A World whose seeming felicities as Honours Riches Pleasures Trade Beauty Friends Children Relations and Acquaintance are but vanities full of labour and toyl accompanied with much vexation and affording no true rest or contentment to that man that enjoyes them neither can they help him in the least when death seizeth upon him All these things will be forgotten and there will be no remembrance of them with those that shall come after Eccles 1.11 What a priviledge is it therefore to be delivered from these vanities Yea which is more from that body of sin and corruption which a Christian groans under as his greatest burthen and is the more grievous and intollerable because it infects and spreads over the whole man soul and body and is an inseparable companion of this life causing a troublesome yea an irreconcilable war in the Soul and swarms of evil thoughts affections desires and actions besides innumerable diseases and distempers which attend the Body And should not death be welcome to us to set us free from all these evils and miseries Thus may a Christian reason and argue against the fear of death upon far higher and more spiritual Grounds and Considerations then a moral Heathen can and therefore he should not be afraid to dye Eighthly and Lastly That we may be the better fortified against the fear of death let us call to mind and improve the living speeches of dying Christians some of which shall be here mentioned The famous sayings of some dying Christians Good old Simeon Lord let thy Servant depart in peace for mine eyes have seen thy salvation Stephen the first Martyr Lord Jesus receive my Spirit and lay not this sin to their charge Polycarpus to the Proconsul urging him to deny Christ I have served him eighty-six years saith he and he hath not once hurt me and shall I now deny him Ignatius I am the Wheat or Grain to be ground with the teeth of Beasts that I may be pure bread for my Masters tooth let Fire Racks Pullies yea and all the torments of Hell come on me so I may win Christ Cyprian God Almighty be blessed for this Gaol-delivery Theodosius I thank God more for that I have been a Member of Christ then an Emperor of the World Hillarion Soul get thee out thou hast served Christ these seventy years and art thou now afraid of death and loth to dye Vincentius Rage and do the worst that the spirit of malignity can set thee on work to do Thou shalt see Gods Spirit strengthen the tormented more then the Devil can do the Tormentor Gorgius to the Tyrant offering him promotion Have you any thing equal saith he or more worthy then the Kingdom of Heaven King Edward the Sixth Lord bring me into thy Kingdom free this Kingdom from Antichrist and keep thine Elect in it Bishop Latimer to Bishop Ridley going before him to the Stake Have after as fast as I can follow we shall light such a Candle by Gods Grace in England this day as I trust shall never be put out again Bishop Hooper to one that prayed him to consider that life is sweet and death is bitter True saith he but the death to come is more bitter and the life to come is more sweet Oh Lord Christ I am Hell but thou art Heaven draw me to thy self with the cords of thy mercy Thomas Bilney I know by Sense and Philosophy that fire is hot and burning painful but by Faith I know it shall only waste the stubble of my Body and purge my Spirit of its corruption Glover to his Friend He is come oh he is come meaning the Comforter Gods Spirit John Bradford to his fellow Martyr Be of good comfort Brother for we shall have a merry Supper with the Lord this night If there be any way to Heaven on Horseback or in fiery Chariots this is it Lawrence Sanders I was in prison till I got into prison and now sayes he kissing the Stake welcome the Cross of Christ welcome everlasting life My Saviour began to me in a bitter Cup and shall I not pledge him John Lambert None but Christ none but Christ Baynam I feel no more pain in the fire then if I were on a Bed of Down it is as sweet to me as a Bed of Roses Priest's Wife to one that offered her money I am now going saith she to a Countrey where money bears no mastery And when the Sentence was read Now have I gotten that which many a day I have sought for Doctor Taylor when he came within two
of Faith You may know that there is a God and that he made the World by the Light of Nature For the things that are invisible are clearly seen and understood by the things that are made whereby we come to know his eternal Power and Godhead Rom. 1.20 And we must believe this also because God in the Scripture hath revealed it Heb. 11.3 Faith and the Light of Reason go to the knowledge of one and the same thing different wayes Faith doth it because of the divine Testimony Authority and Revelation of God who is Truth and Goodness it self but the Light of Reason doth it because of Arguments drawn from the thing it self by rational discourse However we must hold to this as an undoubted truth that though the Light of Nature and Reason as it is a relict of Gods Image in man be necessary in religious and moral things yet it is not sufficient there being great decayes and languishings in our Reason as the greatest Philosophers themselves have acknowledged V. Consider That if we speak of Nature and Reason as corrupted and depraved by sin as it is in every son of Adam so it is an enemy yea enmity it self against God Rom. 8.7 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 the very wisdom of the flesh i. e. the reasonings and discourses of the natural man his best thoughts desires and affections the best inclinations and motions of his mind are not only enemies but enmity against God An enemy may be reconciled but enmity it self can never be reconciled The Apostle 1 Cor. 1.21 useth a strange expression that the World by wisdom knew not God he doth not say that the World through foolishness was ignorant of God but that by wisdom that is by the right use of Reason and discourse it knew not God as Diodate notes upon the Text They became vain in their imaginations saith the same Apostle Rom. 1.21 The word is 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 which may be better rendred thus they became vain in their reasonings or their practical inferences and discourses such as they made out of the principles they had in their understandings So likewise 1 Cor. 3.20 The Lord knoweth the thoughts of the wise not the simple thoughts but 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 the most prudent reasonings and discourses of the men of the world that they are vain You have the same word 1 Tim. 2.8 which is translated without doubting but it is 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 without reasoning or dispute In the exercise of Faith and Prayer we must not argue against the Promise by our Reason In this sense the more humane Reason Learning and Wisdom men have the more opposition there is in them against God and the great Mysteries of the Gospel 1 Cor. 1.20 26. and Chap. 2.9 10 11. and Ch. 3.18 19. And therefore Augustine wrote thus to a man of great learning and parts Ornari abs te Diabolus quaerit But now if we speak of Nature and Reason as enlightned and rectified by the Spirit and Word of God so it is an excellent help in matters of Religion let the Word of God let the Testimony of the Spirit of God in the holy Scriptures first lay the foundation and then Reason may build upon it Reason should not take the first place or have the preheminence but should be subject and subordinate to Faith as Agar the Bond-woman was to be to her Mistriss Sarah the Free-woman We must not first consult with Reason nor ask a Reason of our believing when we should believe beyond Reason A meer rational considering of means and second causes is a great enemy to Faith If you would believe saith Luther you must crucifie that Question Why God would not have us so full of Wherefores Abraham against hope believed in hope Rom. 4.18 19. Contra spem nempe carnis rationis totius naturae as some of the best Interpreters comment upon it He believed against Sense and natural Reason in hope against hope i. e. in hope supernatural against all the appearances of natural hope nothing doubting saith the Apostle speaking of Abraham's Faith 't is the same word which you find 1 Cor. 11.29 Nothing discerning as when a man looks on things with an eye of Sense and Reason he passeth a judgment of discerning or dijudication upon them as thus some things are easie some things are hard Abraham did not so reason or consider of things when he believed Faith when it is lively and strong will subscribe to a Blank and will rest on the Power and Goodness of God when all things seem contrary in outward appearance and to an eye of Reason Faith can see love in anger light in darkness life in death as we have the Woman of Canaan for an instance besides many others Faith will tell a man that the lower he is cast down and abased the higher he shall be raised and the more he shall be comforted and this is further then Reason can go Faith as a late godly Writer truly observes hath a great and large prospect it can look over all the World yea and into the other World too it beholds God who is invisible and is the evidence of things not seen but now as for Reason it gets upon some little Mole-hill of Creature ability and if it can see over two or three hedges this is much and therefore it is a great trouble to Faith to be tyed to Reason If a man be able to go a journey of two or three hundred miles on foot you will say he is a good Footman yet if you constrain him to carry a little Child with him this will be a great luggage to him for though the Child may run along in his hand half a mile yet he must carry him on his back or in his arms the rest of the way especially when he goes over waters and steep hills which will be no small burthen and trouble Thus it is between Faith and Reason Reason at the best is but a Child to Faith Faith can foot it over Mountains of difficulties and wade through the waters of affliction though great and many but when Reason comes to wade through an affliction or to go over some great difficulty it cryes out and sayes Oh Faith let us go back again and proceed no further No sayes Faith but I le take thee upon my back Reason and so it doth But yet Reason is a great luggage and burden to Faith which never works better then when it works most alone for then it has recourse to Gods Alsufficiency and Omnipotency and finds enough there to quiet and satisfie the Soul But now having premised these five Considerations touching Faith and Reason we shall shew the Christian Reader in some particulars what use he should make of humane Reason and Knowledge in reference to divine and religious matters and that it ought not to be rejected but to have its due respect and commendation First We find that many famous godly men have
Gospel this Well is so deep as the Woman told Christ in another case John 4.11 that unless we have the Bucket of the Spirit of God to draw with we shall never be able by the improvement of our Reason to bring up this living Water unless we have the Spirit of Light and Power to dig with we shall never find this spiritual Treasure Nature indeed will go far and the improved natural man may do much by his Skill and Industry in finding out and discovering the mysteries of Nature things that are excellent in their kind Such a man as Job speaks Chap. 28.7 11 12 13 21 23 can dig out of the Earth Gold Iron Brass Brimstone and all sorts of Metals nay he can see further then the Birds of prey which though they be quick-sighted yet can they not behold these Metals which he by his Skill can discover and dig out of the earth There is a path which no Fowl knoweth and which the Vultures eye hath not seen yet Man traceth it by his Skill yea the thing that is hid bringeth he forth to light but yet he cannot by all his natural Reason and Skill though never so much improved spiritually and savingly discern the excellency of Christ and the mysteries of the Gospel But where shall Wisdom be found namely Christ who is the essential Wisdom of God and who is made of God Wisdom to us And where is the place of understanding Go over the whole Creation and every part of it and it will say It is not in me man knoweth not the price thereof neither is it found in the Land of the living it is not within the reach or sphere of the wisest natural men in the World they cannot dig this Mine or find out this Treasure they cannot comprehend this divine and supernatural mystery for it is hid from the eyes of all that are living and kept close from the Fowls of the Air Whence then cometh this divine Wisdom Where is it to be had and how shall we attain to it He tells you ver 23. that this Wisdom is in the Bosom of God and must be revealed by him or else we shall never savingly apprehend it God understandeth the way and knoweth the place thereof for Wisdom was with him from eternity when he made a decree for the rain and a way for the lightning of the thunder then did he prepare it yea and searched it out Or as it is Prov. 8.29 30. a place parallel with this of Job When he gave to the Sea his decree that the waters thereof should not pass his Command when he appointed the foundations of the earth then was I by him saith Christ as one brought up with him and I was daily his delight rejoycing alwayes before him Secondly The Light of Reason cannot truly discover the sinfulness of mans nature and the deep deceits of his heart which are only made known by Scripture light and revelation Jer. 17.9 darkness cannot discover darkness nor can corruption discover it self Indeed by the Light of Nature improved by education and the knowledge of humane Arts and Sciences men may discover a great languishment and infirmity that is come upon them Divers learned Writers have shewed that many of the ancient Platonists agree in this That mans Soul is now vassalized to the senses and affections and that her wings are cut so that she cannot mount upward by divine Contemplation but as for the nature and kind of original corruption and how it was brought upon us together with the woful concomitants and effects thereof these can only be known by Scripture light And therefore the Apostle saith He had not known lust to be sin had not the Law said Thou shalt not lust The Light of Nature and Reason is altogether insufficient to prescribe or set down the true worship of God Hence it is that God doth so often forbid us to walk after our own imaginations in the matters of his House and Worship and the Apostle calls it will-worship Col. 2.23 when a man 's own will or invention is the framer of it If men be taught only by the Light of Nature (x) Vide Calvin Instit lib. 1. cap. 5. sect 12. they can know nothing certainly and soundly touching the worship of the true God but their thoughts and apprehensions will be confused and carnal and exceeding unsuitable to God who is a holy Spirit and will be worshipped in spirit and truth And though there were a few amongst the Heathens that were not altogether so mad as the common people yet the most excellent of them did exceedingly wander and go astray devising and contriving the worship of God according to their own vain opinion and imagination Socrates the wisest Philosopher in Zenophon praised the Answer of Apollo wherein he willed that every man should worship the Gods after the manner and custom of his Country or City But oh what folly and madness is this How came mortal men by this power that of their own authority they should determine that which far surmounteth the wisdom of the World Natural Reason would have the worship of God sensible and pleasing to the eye and is apt to appoint other Mediators between God and Man besides Christ and to perform all duties of worship in its own strength and by way of compensation and satisfaction to God and therefore in this case Reason comes far short and is no competent Judge how and after what manner God will be worshipped though we deny not but the Light of Reason and moral Prudence when God hath appointed his own worship may be very useful and instrumental in ordering some civil circumstances relating thereunto and in the exercise of Church affairs Nor doth that Text Rom. 12.1 argue that mans reason can devise or find out that worship and service which is acceptable to the most wise and holy God this is more then the greatest Rationalists and Moralists amongst the Heathen Philosophers could ever attain to but whereas the Apostle calls it 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Your reasonable serving of God he understands that service which is not only or chiefly with the body but with the mind and spirit for so will God be worshipped John 4.23 And so Chrysostome and others call this reasonable service Spiritualem cultum spiritual worship or service when the mind and Spirit is offered up to God This interpretation is further confirmed out of 1 Pet. 2.2 where the Apostle Peter calls the Word of God 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 The reasonable that is spiritual milk and ver 5. The service or sacrifice of a Christian is spiritual and so it is acceptable unto God And 't is well observed by divers learned Interpreters on Rom. 12.1 that there is a secret opposition between this reasonable service and 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 or will worship as it is called Col. 2.23 when men invent a religious worship suitable to their own carnal humours and interests whereas that is
the reasonable service of God which is spiritual and agreeable to his will This is the true meaning of the Text and yet we acknowledge that the Christian worship under the new Testament administration may be truly said to be a more teasonable service whereof a better reason may be rendered then the sacrifices of unreasonable beasts under the Law and withal that those Christians who by good advice and reason do the things that are agreeable to the will and command of God are they that offer up a reasonable service to God Fourthly Those Principles of Nature and Reason that are left in men do not enable them exactly and perfectly to perform natural and civil actions without the general assistance of God in whom we live and move and have our being And then as for actions spiritually and Evangelically good man by the power of Nature and Reason is wholly unable to perform them for without Faith it is impossible to please God This plainly appears by all those places of Scripture which declare and set forth the sinfulness and corruption of every unregenerate mans nature and estate and also by those Texts which speak of Grace and Conversion and Regeneration as the sole work of Gods Almighty power and the effectual operation of his Spirit which is put forth and manifested in all those that truly believe Ephes 1.19 The natural man saith the Apostle receiveth not the things of the Spirit of God for they are foolishness to him neither can he know them because they are spiritually discerned 1 Cor. 2.14 By the natural man here as Calvin and others truly observe he meaneth not properly a man addicted to gross and sensual lusts but every man that is endued only with the Light of Nature and Reason and hath not the Spirit of Christ dwelling in him yea the most rational improved natural man this is evident because the natural man is opposed to the spiritual man or him that is born of God and acted by the Spirit of God The word 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 signifies properly not such a man as is exceeding carnal and gross in sin and sensuality but souly man an improved rational man or a man made up only of Reason one that doth ex colere animam such as Plato Aristotle and Tully were It is meant of every unregenerate man who is ruled by the Spirit of this World and the meer Principles of Nature and Reason and who cannot spiritually discern and receive the great mysteries of the Gospel but is offended therewith Nay the wiser men are in their own imaginations and reasonings the vainer they are and the more opposite to the grace and simplicity of the Gospel of Christ which stands not in the wisdom of men but in the power of God The other day saith Chrysostome I heard a certain Christian discoursing ridiculously with a Greek each of them in their discourse prejudicing his own Cause for the Greek spake that which the Christian should have said and the Christian spake that which the Greek should have said for the Question between them being about Paul and Plato the Greek endeavoured to prove that Paul was rude and unlearned but the Christian through his simplicity would prove that Paul was far more learned and eloquent then Plato and so the Greek would obtain the victory if the Christian's Reasons should prevail for if Paul were more learned then Plato in humane Arts and Sciences then might men object that he overcame not the World through Grace but through humane Eloquence Therefore saith this Father when the Greeks shall object that the Apostles were rude and unlearned simple obscure persons of no great reason nor parts let us freely acknowledge it as the truth for this is not their reproach but their glory that being such they yet overcame the Learned men the Wise men the Philosophers the Rhetoricians the Orators the Princes and all the World for when any thing is done above the power of Nature this doth exceedingly set forth and magnifie the Grace of God Fifthly A Christian should so far deny his natural Reason and Wisdom in things spiritual that his assent to the Truths and Mysteries of the Gospel may be the assent of Faith as to a divine Testimony and not the assent of meer Reason The immediate ground of this assent should not be the self-evidence of the thing testified in the Scripture to mans reason but the divine authority of God testifying That which is the formal object of Faith as the Schools speak is the first truth or God himself revealing his mind to us Suppose a truth taught in the Scripture be likewise demonstrated to my reason by Philosophical Arguments as namely That God created and governs the World and that the Soul of man is immortal my assent to these Truths is so far the assent of divine Faith as it is grounded and bottom'd upon the authority of a divine Testimony As for that assent which is meerly grounded upon Philosophical reason and demonstration it is not divine Faith but only humane Faith and Reason Sixthly Our Reason is so imperfect so defective so apt to mistake in divine and spiritual matters that we must not make our apprehensions though under pretence of Reason the rule of what we will receive for the Word and revealed Will of God and what we will reject but what the Scripture holds forth must be the rule of our apprehensions though we cannot comprehend the same by our weak depraved reason and understanding otherwise we subject the authority of Gods Truth to our own weak shallow apprehensions and believe him not because he hath said it but because we by our reason can comprehend it and this is dangerous and destructive to the faith of a Christian for the Scriptures do reveal those things that are above our reason What reason of Men or Angels could ever have thought of such a thing as the three Divine Persons of the Godhead the personal union of God and Man in the Mediator the imputation of Adam's sin to his Posterity and the imputation of the glorious Righteousness of Christ to poor Sinners for their justification Without all controversie great is the mystery of godliness 1 Tim. 3.16 But what great mystery is there in it if we by our shallow reason can comprehend it We must pray for Grace saith Mr. Fox (y) In his Preface to Luther on the Galatians the Author of the Book of Martyrs that we may rightly understand the Gospel So strange is this Doctrine to carnal Reason so contrary to the World so many enemies it hath that except the Spirit of God from above do powerfully reveal it Learning cannot reach it Wisdom is offended Nature is astonished Devils and Men do oppose and persecute it briefly as there is no way to life so easie so there is none so hard easie to whom it is given from above hard to carnal Sense and Reason not yet inspired And Luther himself in his Commentary on
the Galatians hath many notable sayings touching Faith and Reason In this case of believing the Gospel saith he we must silence Reason which is an enemy to Faith which also in temptations of sin and death leaneth not to the righteousness of Faith for thereof it is utterly ignorant but to her own righteousness Now as soon as the Law and Reason joyn together Faith loseth her Virginity for nothing fighteth more strongly against Faith then the Law and Reason The Gospel leadeth us beyond and above the light of the Law and Reason into the deep secrets of Faith where the Law and Reason have nothing to do Again If ye will believe Reason Reason will tell you that such things as God hath promised are impossible foolish weak absurd things What more absurd foolish and impossible then that Abraham should have a Son in his old age of the barren and dead Body of Sarah But now Faith killeth Reason and slayeth that Beast which the whole World and all Creatures cannot kill Thus Abraham killed it by Faith in the Word of God which promised him a Son To this word Reason yielded not straitway but fought against Faith in him judging it to be an absurd impossible thing but Faith wrestled with Reason and at length got the victory Abraham killed and sacrificed Reason that most pestilent enemy of God and so must all the godly do There are many things in Scripture that are quite cross and contrary to the apprehensions of corrupt Reason and 't is the great work of the Spirit of God to subdue and captivate our Reason to the authority of the Word of God and the obedience of Faith The weapons of our warfare saith the Apostle 2 Cor. 10.4 5. are mighty through God for the pulling down of strong holds casting down reasonings and every high thing that exalteth it self against the knowledge of God and bringing into captivity every thought to the obedience of Christ Those strong holds that stand out against the Gospel are especially two namely the greatness and power of worldly Princes and Rulers and also the reasonings and argumentations of the learned Orators and Philosophers both these must be subdued and captivated to the obedience of Faith Men must be led away like Captives saith Judicious Calvin on the Text from their own Reason and Will The word 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 reasonings is very emphatical Quo vocabulo (z) Estius in 2 Cor. 10.4 5. significantur non qualescunque cogitationes sed quae fiunt ratiocinando disceptando dum adhibito judicio rationis animus examinat aliquid de eo pronuntiat sit ne verum an falsum bonum an malum Here we may see plainly that our Reason must be conquered and captivated to the obedience of the Gospel or else there can be no true Faith Indeed Reason and Faith may well walk together provided that Reason give Faith the upper-hand We must not say they are the words of a noble Writer who makes great use of Reason to prove the truth of the Christian Religion (a) Morney de veritat Christi Religio That because Reason doth not comprehend this or that point of Religion therefore we we should not believe it for this were a measuring of Faith by Reason whereas we ought to believe the Mysteries of God that are beyond our Reason To believe on God through Christ what is it else but to submit our reason and understanding to God And thus our Reason must be a servant to Faith and must stoop to the power of Faith Faith must not be abased and stoop to the measure of Reason Now when and wherein humane Reason and Knowledge is perverted and abused and so comes to be prejudicial and dangerous shall be here briefly represented in a ew particulars and so we will shut up this discourse of the right use and abuse of Reason * How and wherein humane Reason is abused and perverted First It is then dangerous and destructive to the divine Purity of the Christian Religion when the Opinions and Sentiments of some Learned Philosophers and Rationalists that are contrary to the Doctrine of the Gospel are imposed upon us as true as namely the Worlds Eternity the Stoical Fate Purgatory after this life the denial of the Resurrection of the Body worshipping of Angels and the like having a shew of Reason Wisdom and Humility Col. 2 18 23. Secondly When those Principles of Nature and Philosophy which are true in an ordinary way are perverted and abused to the rejecting of those Gospel-truths that are above Nature These Maxims and Positions of Philosophers That of nothing nothing can be made That of privation to a habit there is no regression That a Virgin cannot conceive though they are naturally and Physically true yet in Divinity and Christianity they ought not to be admitted God created the World of nothing our blessed Saviour without the help of Man was born of a Virgin as the Scripture assures us God calleth the things that are not as if they were Rom. 4.17 These bodies of ours after they are resolved into dust shall be raised up again and made like to the glorious Body of Christ according to the working of God whereby he is able even to subdue all things to himself Phil. 3.21 Here Faith in Gods Omnipotency must be exercised and Reason must give way to Faith Indeed mans Reason as now it stands is so far from taking the just measure of Faith which transcendeth natural Strength and Reason that it cannot so much as take the just and full measure of Nature nor of the least of Gods Creatures in regard of that ignorance and darkness that is in every one of us and therefore it is a great error to believe no further then Reason can measure and comprehend For what a great way doth the truth of spiritual and divine things extend beyond our Reason And even Reason it self will lead us to this Point namely That we should believe beyond Reason I mean those things which no meer natural understanding or capacity can reach or attain to and that when these things are revealed by God to men which Reason could never have comprehended no not even when it was at the best the same Reason which could never have found them out makes us to allow of them it being reasonable and fit for us to believe whatsoever God hath revealed to be true And herein Reason teacheth us that which she her self neither knew nor believed namely by leading us to the most infallible Teacher whom we ought to hear and believe Thirdly It is then dangerous when a Christian boasts of his humane Reason and Knowledge and is elated and puffed up therewith undervaluing and slighting all others as if their Reason and Knowledge were not comparable to his and so it becomes a vain windy thing Knowledge saith the Apostle 1 Cor. 8.1 puffeth up but love edifieth Vain man would be wise as it is in Job 11.12 though he