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
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
spiritual things that none can be saved by the meer improvement of natural Light and Reason and yet notwithstanding the rational intellectual delights of Philosophers and Scholars do far excel all earthly and sensitive pleasures yea the Light of Reason but especially the Light of Faith enables a man to bear affliction and arms him against the excessive fear of death And lastly That Mans Reason and the due exercise of it is a great mercy which should be thankfully acknowledged by us Having gone thus far we shall now by the Lords assistance briefly sum up and comprehend in these two last Chapters the substance of what we intended to say concerning Faith and humane Reason CHAP. XXI Shewing distinctly in some particulars the use of humane Reason and Knowledge in reference to the Christian Religion FOr the better opening and clearing of this great Point to the satisfaction of the Christian Reader we shall first premise a few Considerations and then afterward shew particularly what good use may be made of humane Reason and Knowledge in divine matters I. Consider That the Light of Nature and Reason is not near so clear and bright in us since the Fall as it was in Adam before the Fall but is much darkned Eclipsed and depraved even in those that are most rational and moral whereas it was perfectly implanted in Adam's heart and nature we have but only some fragments of it remaining in us This is so evident in Scripture and Experience that it is generally acknowledged by all Christians When Sense is deceived (Å¿) Weems Portrait of the Image of God Reason corrects Sense but when Reason errs as she often doth in divine and religious matters she cannot cure her self but her Mistriss Divinity must come in and teach her Sarah being old God promised her a Son this she laughed at as being contrary to her Reason in which respect she thought it impossible that a Woman so stricken in years should have a Child but Faith corrected her corrupt Reason she believed by Faith that which her Reason could not take up and comprehend Thus also Nicodemus failed in his reasoning against the mystery of Spiritual regeneration II. Consider That the Light of Nature or natural Reason the Light of Faith or Grace and the light of Glory should be carefully distinguished by us and put in their several places and spheres Reason is but as the light of a Candle a glimmering diminutive derivative light Faith is as the light of a Star which is a far clearer and brighter light but the light of Glory is most perfect as the light of the Sun wherein we shall see God as he is and behold him face to face Lumen naturae (t) Vid. Rob. Baron excercitat de triplici Lumine est quo ea cognoscimus quae solis naturae viribus sine auxilio Dei speciali intelligi a nobis dijudicari possunt lumen fidei est quo ea cognoscimus intelligimus quae Deus in verbo suo nobis patefecit lumen gloriae est quo beati spiritus in Coelis clare perspicue vident gloriosissimam Dei essentiam III. Consider That although some Truths and Mysteries do far transcend the Light of Nature and Reason yet there is nothing true in Divinity that crosseth the truth of Reason as it is the remnant of Gods Image in us Indeed when by Reason we take up a Truth and by Faith we believe the same Truth if in this case Reason claim the first place she is to be blamed as being not a dutiful Handmaid to Faith As for the Doctrine of the Trinity the Incarnation and hypostatical Union in Christ the great mystery of Predestination c. though these may be said to be above the Light of Reason yet they are not contrary or contradictory thereunto 't is the greatest Reason in the World that the Creature should believe and rest in the divine infallible testimony and revelation of his Creator There are some things in Divinity mixtly divine other things are meerly divine In those things that are mixtly divine Reason may be of use yet only in the second place Primo creduntur postea intelliguntur as a man first believes the Souls immortality and then he begins to take up the same by Reason here Reason must not go before but follow Faith for that which I believe I believe it ex authoritate dicentis relying upon the truth of him that saith it and all the evidence I get by Reason is nothing to this certitude If Reason should go before as an Usher to make way to Faith we should never believe and hereupon the Schoolmen say well Rationes praecedentes minuunt fidem sed rationes subsequentes augent fidem Reason going before Faith weakens Faith but coming after it strengthens Faith Reason makes not the matter more sure Ex parte veritatis dictantis sed ex parte inlectus assentientis In respect of God the Speaker but in respect of the weakness of our understanding for by this access of further knowledge it is more confirmed But now in things that are meerly and purely divine and supernatural Quae cadunt directe sub fide which fall directly under Faith as those high mysteries of the Trinity and Incarnation of Christ what can Reason or Philosophy do here but admire these depths which she can never reach unto Hence it is that God is pleased sometimes to work effectually upon some learned Infidels not by the eloquence and subtil reasonings of learned Divines but by the plain downright discourses of Christians of meaner Parts To this purpose that Story is remarkable which we read of Divers Learned men having long endeavoured by strength of Reason and Argument to perswade an Infidel to be baptized into the Faith of Christ he being learned also did evade all their Arguments at length a grave pious Man amongst them of no repute for Philosophical learning stands up and bespeaks him with some downright affectionate expressions which wrought so effectually upon him that he presently submitted to the Truth in these words (v) Donec audiebam rationes humanas humanis rationibus repugnabam caeterum simul atque audivi Spiritum loquentem cessi Spiritui Whilst I heard only humane Reasons I opposed the same with humane Reasons but when I heard the voice of the Spirit of God speaking powerfully I presently yielded to that powerful voice 'T is also reported of learned Junius that before his Conversion whilst as yet he was no better then an Atheist meeting a plain Countryman and discoursing with him about Religion he observed him to speak so experimentally and with so much affection as made him conclude that certainly there was something more in the Christian Religion then his humane Learning and Reason had yet discovered and this was a special means of his Conversion IV. Consider That the same Object may be and is known both by the Light of Nature and Reason and also by the Light