errour 2. And as he abuseth fear so doth he that tendernesse of spirit It would be strange to tell you how Satan doth take occasion to enslave a soule by his very tendernesse if the chaine of sin be broken he labours to make a chaine of our graces if he cannot keep us in bondage by our sins he labours to bring us into bondage by our graces You will think this strange but there is nothing more evident in men of tender spirits at their first bringing in when they are tender of every thing they are tender of such things which indeed is their bondage to be tender of they are tender not only of things indifferent which are of a temporall nature but of things lawfull and commendable A thousand cases there are wherewith Satan doth perplex their soules they can doe nothing now without a temptation and most of temptations are raised upon this ground and helped on by this advantage their tendernesse Though a tender spirit be a blâ—ssed thing the greatest mercy on this side Heaven a true tendernesse to sin and for sin yet this disposition may be a distemper as well as a grace there may be an excesse in it it may fall into nothing but scrupulosities and meere questionings without actings As there is a sin in defect the want of it when men will rush upon actions without warrant so may there be a sin in excesse when men will doe nothing for scruple Satan makes use of this disposition 1. Sometimes to fence out truth they dare not entertaine such a thing for fear it is an errour 2. Sometimes he makes use of it to let in errour they dare not reject such a thing for fear it should be a truth 3. Sometimes he makes use of it to overdoe actions 4. Sometimes to underdoe them 5. Sometimes to scruple the doing of them 6. Nay to neglect the doing of them he will prevaile it may be with a man not to pray because he sins in praying there is so much deadnesse coldnesse c. that he will tell you it is better not pray at all then so to pray or prevaile with a man not to preach because he sins in preaching because there is much pride ostentation hypocrisie in his preaching So not to give almes not to converse with men not to serve God with his talents because so much pride in the exercise of his guifts so much ostentation in his almes c. thus he will labour and sometimes prevailes to bury up a mans talents and make men unserviceable to God or to their brethren You had need to know the wiles of Satan that you may avoid them In vain is the net spread in the sight of any bird saith Solomon so in vain will he attempt this way when you once know his wiles This I insist the longer on knowing it of great use in these times lest otherwise Satan make use either of your tendernesse and fear to fence out truth or to let in errour I see many precious dispositions in many Christians you have had it pressed on you to stand ready for the entertainment of every truth to close with every truth of God it hath taken good eff ct in you many there are of you who are wrought up to a preparednesse to follow Christ in any way And I see this disposition in you and our next care must be to preserve this disposition that this readinesse to follow Christ be not abused to this to follow a stranger instead of Christ Indeed you shall not follow the voice of a stranger in destroying errours in undoing wayes so Christ saith but you may follow the voice of a stranger in sinfull in corrupting errours for a time Gods children are free from damning errours but none are free from defiling errours possibly the best may be misled and the tendernesse of the most tender is in danger of being abused especially when errour comes not only under the notion of truth but under great appearance of truth when it is held forth Loe here is Christ this is Christs mind and Christs will this is a truth of God And therefore you had need to beware take heed that no man deceive you you have good dispositions in you but you had need to get knowledge lest those good dispositions be abused either to the rejecting of truth or to the entertainment of errour either to keep you in the conditions you are without desire to enquire further or to hinder you from embracing any more of Gods mind if it be revealed for feare of being led away with errour or to make you to embrace errour for feare of rejecting a truth It is good to be as soft wax if there were no stamp no impression to be received but Gods and truth but soft wax is dangerous when so many false stamps and corrupt impressions are abroad Oh that God would make us wax to receive every impression of truth but rocks of flint against any impression of errour Oh that he would open our eyes broad to receive and let in any light of God in these knowing times and shut our eyes against any errour or false light Oh that he would give us a preparednesse of spirit to embrace any thing of him and a heart lockt up against any thing which is not of God Oh that he would make us tender of rejecting truth but harden us more against any way of errour that he would make us fearfull to reject truth but valiant also to resist errour in our generation 4. A fourth ground of abounding errour hath been the want of holy discipline and a regular way for the suppressing of errour Certainly such a blessing goes along with the right administration of the government of Christ as to suppresse errours and reforme the erronious Indeed a bad discipline as it doth restrain and suppresse many glorious truths for certainly truth hath but little shadow little shelter from a corrupt discipline I say as it doth suppresse and restraine many a truth so it may be a restraint unto some errours it may restraine some upon pollitick grounds but it can reforme none We have had a bad a corrupt discipline such an one as hath been a mother a nurse to many corrupt and sinfull opinions both in dâ—ctrine and in worship 1. In doctrine witnesse those grosse points of Arminianisme vented with license nay of Popery too as was evidenced in the Ministers Remonstrance and that out of many books put out by publike license viz Auricuâ—ar confession Authoritative absolution Prayers for the dead c. 2. In worship too witnesse all their Altars Crucifixes Adoration toward the East Pictures Images the Table was an Altar the Minister was a Priest the Sacrament was a Sacrifice and there wanted nothing to be added to it but the name of Masse and to call it the Sacrifice of the Masse It hath been a fence indeed against truth but a gap to let in errour a naturall mother to corrupt opinions but
259. 2 ExcommunicatioÌ„ 2 Synodicall Some Objections upon Matth. 28.17 answered 261. to 265 The Synodicall means 265 This branched into four particulars 1 What a Synod is where many cases are resolved 266. to 273 2 That God hath set up such an Ordinance as this is and in what cases needfull 273 3 That this means hath been blessed and succesfull 276 4 What power God hath endued and enabled a Synod withall 279 Divers opinions laid down 280 Our agreements in the negative laid down in six particulars 281 284 The power of a Synod as relating to the Question laid down in these three particulars 285 1 The power they have as relating to erroneous Doctrines laid forth in three particulars and an Objection answered 285-287 2 Their power as relating to erroneous persons laid forth in 4. branches 287-190 3 Their power as relating to erring Churches laid down in six branches 290-295 Object concerning the difference betwixt our Synods and that in Act. 15. answered 295-302 The Quest is concluded in a discourse upon the divers opinions concerning Excommunication of a whole Church and of delivering up to Satan 302-30â— The grants of the Brethren laid out in six particulars concerning the nature and power of Synods 308-311 2 The civil and Magisteriall means 311 This summed up in five particulars q. 1. What power the Magistrate is said not to have this is said forth under four particulars 312-319 q. 2. What the power of the Magistrate is asserted to be as relating to this Quest Severall opinions concerning this whereof two of them extremes one middle 31â—-321 q 3. Whether there be any such power warranted and ordained of God as is asserted ibid. The Query resolved and Objections answered 321-325 q. 4. Whether such a power be needfull to the Church This is answered in four Conclusions 326-329 q. 5. How this power is to be dispenced where six necessary Rules or cautionary advices are laid down in answer to this Question Rule 1. This power is to be dispenced rightly 329 Rule 2. This power is to be dispenced knowingly 331 Rule 3. This power is to be dispenced wisely and prudentially 334 Set down in three things viz. It must be dispenced with distinction of Errours Persons Penalties 1 It is to be dispenced with distinction of errours VVhere are four kindes of errours laid down unsufferable 334-336 2 This power is to be dispenced with distinction of persons 336 VVhere seven rules are laid down serving to discover a man truly conscientious in an errour from one pretending conscience for his errour 337 342 3. This power is to be dispenced with distinction of penalties 342 Some errours are to be healed with patience 343 Rule 4. This power is to be dispenced orderly 344 It is not the only means the first means nor the means to be used alone 346 Ru. 5. This power is to be dispenced piously and religiously upon religious grounds in a religious manner for religious ends 347 Ru. 6. This power is to be dispenced mercifully and châ—ritably 348 The Discourse concluded with some desires motives and waies of Accommodation 349 First It is shewed that this accommodation is possible in respect of God in respect of our differences and in respect of the persons differing 349 2 It is exceeding desirable 1 To Christ 2 In it self 3 To us 4 To all the Churches of Christ Unto these motives some waies are laid down subservient to this Accommodation 355 1 That all would get their hearts in love with peace and union 355 2 Silent all characterizing names ibid. 3 Bury up and forget all bitter and distastefull passages 356 4 Retract unjust charges inconsequentiall and strained deductions fastened upon either 357 5 That there be a truce and cestation from all matters of strife and contention agreed on 358 6 Set up a brotherly and amicable conference where four things are suggested requisite to the well managing thereof ibid. Three main things to be endeavoured by the undertakers of this conference 360 1 All unnecessary controversies are to be avoided ibid. 2 To conclude and establish our agreements 36â— 3 To accommodate our differences 362 And with the earnest desires of a happy Accommodation the work is concluded THE ARRAIGNMENT OF ERROVRS MATTH 24.4 5. And Iesus answered and said unto them Take heede that no man deceive you For many shall come in my Name saying I am Christ and shall deceive many THe multitude of opinions which are in our dayes every one of them stamped with the name of Christ and claiming his authority and the great danger of them hath been the only inducement to me to make choice of this text at this time which God willing shall be the examination of many opinions now on foote Indeed there have many glorious truths been discovered to us which before were hid in the darke but when God is communicating truth then is the time for the Devill to bring forth his ware and vent his errours also And therefore great care there ought to be what we entertaine and how we entertaine opinions Take heed that no man deceive you For many shall come in my name saying I am Christ and shall deceive many The text which I have read to you it is the beginning of Christs propheticall Sermon to his Disciples Where take notice of these two things 1. The Occasion of it 2. The Sermon it selfe 1. The occasion is 1. More remote and that was the Disciples admiration of the building of the Temple vers 1. 2. More neare and that was the Disciples questions which they put forth ver 2. The Questions were three 1. When these things should happen which Christ had spoke off in the 2d verse 2. What should be the signe of his comming 3. When should be the end of the world as you see verse 3d. 2. We have the Sermon it selfe which was upon a double subject 1. Of the destruction of Jerusalem and the Temple 2. Of his coming to judgement and the end of the world Both which are so interwoven that it is hard to separate them Christ doth not here answer them directly determining the time and yeare when these things should be But he tells them of some foregoing signes of these things 1. There shall be false prophets impostors seducers who shall come and deceive many 2. There shall be warres famines earthquakes pestilences c. And he doth admonish them to beware of the one and not to be troubled at the other My text is a branch of the first of these Take heed that no man deceive you In the former words you shall observe a curious inquisition here in the text we have 1. A necessary admonition Take heed that no man deceive you 2. The ground and reason of it which is three-fold 1. Multi erunt seductores there shall be many seducers 2. Multos seducent they shall deceive many Here was ground to take heed but yet there is a further ground 3. Seductionis periculum the danger
revealed Indeed Satan hath many other ends as I have shew'd you and besides them divers other might be named Satan is busie when God is sowing wheate to sowe his tares when God is discovering of truth to be communicating of errours he hopes in the heate of the market to vent his own wares he hopes in the throng to put off one with another and that men will not so carefully observe it at least if men be shie to entertaine the one he hopes by this to lessen the authority and to prejudice the entertainment of the other And indeed the multitude of errours abroad they are great disadvantages to the entertainment of the truth they are a great prejudice to the receiving of it Men that heare of false reports abroad though they have not been abused with them will be shie to entertaine truth so men that heare of a multitude of erronious opinions abroad in the world though they have not been seduced or led aside with them yet will be shie and afraid to own the truths which God in that generation doth hold forth to them And by this meanes Satan hath a great advantage he perswades and prevailes with men to adhere to their former principles without any inquiry after more And this is dangerous As it is dangerous to stint and bound our selves in practise thus much we will doe and no more as it is the spirit of many men So it is dangerous to stint and bound our selves in principles or things to be knowne thus much I know and I will search into the revelation of no more 2 Pet. 1.9 1 Pet. 3.18 Heb. 6.1 As we are not perfect in grace and therfore we are to adde to faith virtue to our virtue patience c. to grow in grace to be led forward to perfection and he that sits down with any measure is yet to begin So we are not perfect in knowledge the Apostle tells you we know but in part and therefore we are still to study and search not only after clearer revelation of things known but fuller revelation of Gods mind to us and he that contents himselfe with the measure of revelation he hath is yet to begin in the knowledge of Christ And therefore this is a dangerous errour when Satan shall perswade and prevaile with us to adhere in those things we doe know and sleight any further revelation to be content with those measures of revelations we have and to seeke to know no more of Gods mind and will to us And this is another wile which Satan hath in the multitude of errours that thereby he might prejudice the further search and inquiry into the mind of God disadvantage the entertainment of truth and perswade with us to stick and adhere only in those which are already revealed to us It is good to adhere to those that are revealed but bad to adhere in them and seeke no further revelation because we are not perfect in knowledge therefore must grow As we say of grace so of truth It is good to have a heart stablished in grace but stinted in grace is nought stablishing doth keepe the heart from going backward and that is good but stinting doth keepe a man from going forward and that is nought You are to aspire to grow in knowledge as well as in grace But you will say what needs any more Object our Fathers held out these truths and sought no further and we hope they are saved and so shall we too if we doe but adhere in the truths of our fore-fathers and seeke no further 1. The reasoning is corrupt I say this is corrupt reasoning Answ that our Fathers held out these and these things for truth it is not enough to evidence they are truth that they went in this way is not sufficient to declare it was a good way and a way for us to walk in this is to take up our Religion by tradition not from Scripture the Papists have the same Arguments our Fathers were of this Religion and therefore it is good which you will all say is corrupt reasoning You have a place in Jer. 9.14 they walked after Balaam which their fathers taught them 2. But secondly admit our fathers held forth these things for truths yet they held not forth all truth they knew some but yet they knew not all truths It is said we know but in part And God is therefore said to appoint a Ministery in the Church for the further building us up in knowledge Ephes 4.12 13. for the edifying of the body of Christ till we all come in the unity of the faith and of the knowledge of the sonnes of God to a perfect man 3. Againe though our fathers held out these truths yet we wrong our fathers to say that they sought no further though they knew these and these truths yet they labour'd not only after a clearer revelation of truths known but after further revelation of truths not yet known and discovered to them and this appeares both in their writings and also upon experience every generation growes up in further knowledge of the mysteries of Christ and the Gospel as might be instanced in many points which have been debated between us and Papists and us and Arminians Pelagians all which truths have been the proper revelations to those particular generations And therefore you wrong them to say they knew these and sought no further And the experience of much more revealed in every generation is sufficient confutation of that Did our fathers in King Henry the eights dayes who first rejected the papall tyranny or our fathers in King Edward the sixths dayes who set up that infant reformation that wanting nursing fathers and mothers hath been kept back and held down so long where otherwise it might have come to manhood and perfection the thriving of the child lies much in the goodnesse of the nurse Kings and Queenes are called nursing fathers and nursing mothers to Religion this child this infant Reformation hath not had that nursing whereby it should thrive the breast of nourishment hath been kept from it and drawne out towards children of errour they have thriven the true child hath pin'd away Kings and Queenes are called shadowes as Josiah Lam. 4.20 32. Isa 2. And we speake it with griefe as things have been carried they have indeavoured to make them like trees which the papall faction have clasped about and adhered to as the Ivie to the tree not because they love it but because they have sucked sweet from it but they have been such shades as have hindered the growth of better things But to passe this If you come down to Queene Elizabeths dayes did our fathers in her time know so much had they that full revelation of that which is in our dayes he that reades may easily see And therefore this is a plaine confutation though our fathers did hold out some truths yet they sought after more they did not rest in that they had but
it that worked into her heart and then her heart consents But how farre Satan may deale with one without sin is a question he seduced her to looke seduced her in looking or by looking Satan gets into us but came to Christ and Eve in a bodâ—ly shape he could find no footing in them because there was nothing of his own there was no sin But to returne that is another ground of abounding errours the corruption of the heart A man may be carried away with an errour and yet not have a corrupt heart but errour must needs proceed from the corruption of the heart 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Minimè malus innâ—cens Decipiunt animos innocentum I say he may be led away and yet not have a corrupt heart it may be he hath nothing but honest ends and honest grounds in the entertainment of it The Apostle tels us of such Rom. 16.18 by good words and faire speeches they deceive the hearts of the simple the word signifies errour of them not evill but though the hearts doe not argue a corrupt heart yet it discovers corruption in the heart and that 's the second ground 3. A third ground why there are so many abounding errours is mens readinesse to drink in every opinion to entertaine every thing that comes under the name of truth to them without triall and examination of it Men that have their hands open to take all may receive false coyne as well as true we say all is not gold that glisters so men that are ready to entertaine what is suggested to them under the name of truth may take in errour as well as truth It is good and our duty to have a preparednesse of spirit and a ready disposition of soule to entertaine every truth of God that is discovered to us But Satan doth abuse this good disposition oftentimes deluding us and turning errours on us with a shew and name of truth And there may be many grounds why those who have yet a preparednesse of spirit to entertaine truth and all truth and nothing but truth alone may be carried away with an errour 1. Want of triall we take in all and swallow all as they are represented to us without any debate or any search and examination of them It is an Apostolicall injunction that we should not beleeve every spirit and that we are to prove all things and then to hold fast to that is truth that is hold fast to that which upon triall upon examination is really a truth of God the want of which is the cause why those who have a preparednesse of heart to entertaine truth alone and would not for a world give entertainment to errour are yet led aside with errour I have told you a man may be too quick in rejecting of an errour as well as too slow in receiving of a truth that errour is too soone rejected that is rejected without triall without evidence that it is an errour You think it unreasonable that a man should be condemn'd before his triall though the man may deserve to die yet it is to be made evident otherwise we may condemne the innocent So though an opinion be erronious yet let it have its triall otherwise you may reject a truth for an errour Certainly as truth is not to be entertained and received sleightly so errour is not to be rejected carelessely before you know it errour the choicest truths of the Gospel have been rejected for errour and yet are blessed truths We are to reject errour as we receive truth not passionately but rationally not with passion but reason not carelessely but religiously because otherwise you may receive errour for truth and may reject truth for errour Now I say many for want of triall and examination of things may give entertainment to an errour though they have a preparednesse of spirit to embrace nothing but the truth 2. Another ground why those who have a preparednesse to entertaine truth may yet be carried away with errour is they want knowledge to try and prove and also want judgement to determine what is errour and what is truth upon their triall Some errours that are very obvious to be discerned but some are very subtile and intricate yea and carry very specious shewes hold out glorious pretences For the first sort of errours these Gods people are seldome intangled withall but now for the other which are more subtile and carry high pretexts these few have knowledge to try them or upon their triall judgement to determine The best of us we know but in part here and as for the most they are but children and babes in knowledge we are not children in humility in innocencie but we are like them in knowledge we know but little and therefore may be over-reached with the sophistry of Satan with the wiles of men 3. Besides this good disposition which is in the hearts of Saints to receive all truths that God shall discover it may be abused yea and which is a wonder be made serviceable to let in an errour that it is abused there is nothing more plaine Rom. 16.18 Satan comes and works on that corrupt men they come and work on that good principle too they aske you have you not a preparation of heart to receive every truth of God how dare you then reject this how dare you shut your eyes against such an evident light how dare you turne your back against such a cleare manifestation of God thus it is often abused Nay and sometimes this disposition is made serviceable for the introducing and letting in an errour This preparednesse of heart to receive all truth works a fearfullnesse of rejecting truth if it be discovered to us It may be there is such and such a thing held out to us and it is well managed strongly carried on insomuch that it carries great appearance of truth now the soule who is prepared to receive all truth and fearfull to reject it he stands hovering he knowes not what to doe he cannot close with it he dare not reject it but at last upon that appearance of truth it hath and that feare in him to reject truth he gives entertainment to it though it be an errour and not a truth Thus the feare of rejecting of a truth may be a help to bring in an errour It is wonderfull to see how Satan abuseth these two dispositions fear and tendernesse of spirit 1. Fear it should be a fence to preserve us from errour but Satan often makes it a means to keep out truth fear is oftentimes a cause to keep us in errour as well as a fence to preserve us from errour Many are afraid of new opinions not because they are errours but because they are new I say fear is a means in many to keep out truth as well as to fence out errour It should only be the guard of the soule to keep out errour but Satan makes use of it to keep out truth and to let in
you And therefore as you are not to give too little so beware of giving too much make not Gods of men set not man in Gods stead you know who hath said call no man Rabbi no man Master upon earth you have one who is your Lord and Master in heaven which you know is meant of subjection of our judgements and consciences to men in spirituall things for touching the outward man we have Masters but touching the inward man our faith and conscience this should not nay this cannot be subjected to any power below God And thus much shall serve for the answer of this sixth Question We have now done with the false marks besides which I am now to shew you that there are yet closer agreements which errour hath with truth I say there are nearer touches which have deceived many there are certain strange mysterious workings of errour which carry great resemblance with truth it self We read of an energie of errour a certain energeticall power an active efficacious working power which error hath in which it carries much resemblance with truth it self You read in the 2 Thess 2.11 of an efficacy of errour the energie of errour as the word imports which shews us that errour may be very energeticall very operative and active as well as truth This energeticall power or efficacie and mysterious strong working of errour I will set down in these seven generall heads 1. It will work it self into the heart and affections of the receiver upon as high pretexts and specious pretences as truth it self can doe I say it will convey it self to the understanding and insinuate it self into the heart and affections of a man and procure its reception and purchase its entertainment upon as noble terms and high pretexts as the truth it self And this is implied in the Text Many shall come in my Name and shall say I am Christ and shall deceive many that this was a deceit a seduction Christ speaks plain and that this errour or deceit did procure it's reception upon high pretexts the Text shews plain They shall come in my Name that is they shall pretend my authority my mission and commission that 's high but yet higher They shall say I am Christ that is Christ doctrinall not Christ personall they shall stamp their opinions with the name of Christ and deliver their opinions in the name under pretence of the authority of Christ and how can there be a higher way to purchase entertainment for an errour how can truth convey it self to our understanding and consciences upon higher pretexts and more noble terms I know nothing that truth can say to procure room in your hearts to purchase entertainment in your affections but errour may use the same language doth truth say This is the minde of Christ errour may say the same doth truth say This is for the glory of God for the advancement of holinesse why errour will hold forth the same things The Apostle puts this out of controversie in the 2 Cor. 11.13 14 15. where he tells us of false Apostles deceitfull workers transforming themselves into the Apostles of Christ And no marvell for Satan himself is transformed into an Angel of light therefore it is no great thing if his Ministers also be transformed as Ministers of righteousnesse whose end shall be according to their works Where the Apostle shews plain that the Prince of darknesse may convey himself into the hearts and affections of men as an Angel of light that is he may procure his entertainment not under the notion of a Prince of darknesse so every one would tremble at him but he conveys himself to mens affections and purchaseth his acceptance under the pretext and representation of an Angel of light so the false Apostles they did transform themselves into true Apostles and there is nothing which the true Apostles may hold forth but the false may hold forth the one will hold forth errour upon as high terms and specious pretexts as the other can doe truth it self So that I say errour may convey it self into the heart and conscience and purchase its entertainment upon as high terms as truth it self And these are the most dangerous errours that claim the patronage of Christ and hold forth as specious pretexts as truth it self this is the Devils countermining and by this he would blow up truth Christ himself in his own mine by this he would drive on his own design with Christs strength and further errour with Christs weapons and tools I say not that all that come thus handed to us are errours but this I say these if errours are the most dangerous of all and that upon these four grounds 1. Because they are the most ensnaring and seductive errours most are taken with them under this notion most men they are not able to judge of truth and falshood they are taken with fair pretexts and specious colours such a pretext as this doth strongly force it self into the heart of those who are weak in understanding either by love or by fear if they will not receive it as under this notion for love yet they dare not reject it comming under that notion out of fear lest perhaps they should be found to reject Christ and fight against Christ himself and therefore are they the most ensnaring and seductive opinions if errours and therefore most dangerous 2. Dangerous they are because such opinions if not truth they are a great injury to Christ himself they wrong Christ it must needs be a wrong to Christ to stamp his image upon mens own adulterate and false coyn As men who doe stamp the Kings picture upon their false coyn and to procure the more easie and undoubted reception of it doe in this doe a great injury to the King it is crimen laesae Majestatis they wound Majesty in it and make the King so farre as they can to serve to advance their deceit So men to procure the more facile and free reception of errour they may stamp their opinions with the image and authority of Christ but yet this is a great wrong to Christ for herein they make him who is truth it self the Patron of an errour they draw in Christ as farre as they can to side with or if not yet his name and authority to set off an errour It must needs be a great wrong to him who is the King of light and glory to make him serviceable to the advancement of the design of the Prince of darknesse And a man had need to be full and clear in his opinions and thoughts which he stamps with the Name of Christ lest we prove to be such as stamp his image upon our own false and adulterous coyn 3. They are dangerous because they are the most separating and dividing opinions that can be Christ or not Christ is indeed and justly too the great parting stone Religion is the foundation of all unions it is the great band and difference in
empersecutionem subcamus parati s uâ—nus om neâ—in martyrâ—um non in obâ—e â—uium Atha in epist ad solitar vitaÌ„ agentes 1. Principâ—s deâ—et â—ogere subditos ad illam religionem quam ipsi in conscrentiis sais â—ud caâ—t esse veraÌ„â—â— Subdeti non debent profiterâ— reâ—giâ—nem à â—rincipe inperatam nâ—si ipsi simul judi caveâ—int illam esse sanam â—â—thoâ—oxaÌ„ Of which more in the next particular This is certain there is no power against God and his truth if therefore the Kings of the earth either out of pride or negligence or ignorance should establish errour in stead of truth we are to say with the Apostles It is better to obey God then you as Athanasius said If the Kings of the earth should command that we should undergo persecution for the profession of the truth we are prepared for martyâ—dom rather then other obedience Brentius hath two propositions which by many are said to be asystata inconsistent 1. That Princes ought to compell their Subjects to that Religion which they in their consciences doe judge to be true 2. That the people ought not to professe that Religion which is commanded of the Prince unlesse they doe also judge it to be sound and orthodox Indeed these two seem repugnant one to another But certainly he doth not mean by the first proposition that the Prince is to compell his people to the practice of that which he doth simply judge to be truth but what God in his word doth assert for truth if the Prince be in an errour he is not to enforce his erroneous judgement upon his people but to lay down his errour and search out the truth yet this perplexity he stands in if he doe enforce his people to errour he sins directly against the law of God and if he doe not doe it he sins against his conscience because he neglecteth to advance that which his conscience tells him is a truth And upon this ground I conceive he saith that a Prince is bound to enforce his people to that religion which he in his conscience doth thinke to be truth because unlesse another medium which I thinke may be given he sins if he do not do it either against the law of God if he be in the truth or against his conscience though he be deceived 2. The second Proposition is more clear That the people are not bound to professe that Religion which is commanded unlesse they doe also judge it to be according to truth The power of the Magistrate doth not binde to obedience unlesse his commands be consistent with the will of God It his commands be contrary to Gods will Quando re ges pro erâ—ore contra veritatem constituâ—nt maâ—as leges probantur benè â—relentes coroâ—aÌ„tur perseverâ—ntes Aug. de correct Don. â— c. 13. Patiendum potius quod Rex minatur quam faciendum quod ab illo jubetur It is better to suffer what he threatens then to doe what he commandeth Hence Augustine hath this passage When Kings doe make laws for errour against the truth beleevers are tried and perseverers are crown'd So much for the first 2. This power is to be dispenced knowingly not only rightly but knowingly We have no Altar to the unknown God blinde worship and ignorant service is a sinfull service though you doe not sin in the matter done you may doe rightly yet you sinne in the manner of doing if you doe not do it knowingly that word that hath put power into the hand of the Magistrate must be his light and guide in the managing of it It is a high abuse of this power to exercise it rashly and inconsiderately with what reason or religion can others be commanded to the obedience of that which we our selves have not the clear and undoubted demonstration is of God If it be required that we are to be fully perswaded in our own minde before we doe much more is it requisite that there should be a full perswasion a clear evidence from the Word before we doe command others to doe lest we be partakers of others sins and in this run the hazard of opposing God Those things which we do not knowingly we can never do surely a man may strike his friend as well as his enemy in the dark and not to do surely here is to do sinfully In matters of fact the Magistrate hath done his duty and is clear in the doing of it though the witnesse prove false Deut. 17 6. At the mouth of two or three witnesses shall he that is worthy of death be put to death And the Magistrates going according to this evidence in matters of fact is clear though the witnesse be false But I cannot thinke it so in matters of faith he is to goe by another rule and by surer demonstrations It is not here what this man saith or that man saith but what God saith He must enquire and know fully before he require any thing of his people It is his duty to study what is Gods will to read Scripture to compare Scripture with Scripture to conferre and labour to be resolved of difficulties he must pray and he had need to assemble godly humble unbyassed uninteressed men to enquire and finde out the minde of God there cannot be too much done before actions of such a high nature are attempted If notwithstanding the best and fullest means upon earth used a Magistrate may be mistaken then how fearfull a thing is it to attempt actions of this nature without any considerations at all Upon what dangerous rocks and precipices do the powers of the earth run themselves under Popery who never enquire into the truth but blindely lend their utmost power to establish and maintain by fire and sword Par in Ro. 13. prop. 3. what ever the Pope commands Indeed they had need to beleeve him to be infallible and that he cannot erre who are to execute his commands because he requires them Those who act such things because any man or men on earth say it had need of such a belief Certainly a Magistrate in the execution of this power had need of better security then either man or men can give him Former times do tell us how miserably the powers of the earth have been abused even when they have been desirous to establish the truth and suppresse errour yet they have been deceived with a shadow of truth and in stead of truth have established errour Fefellerunt Aâ—iâ—niâ— ignorantem regem ac persua seruÌ„t ut falsam credendi formulaÌ„ eâ—clesijs impoâ—eret Hâ—lar de Synod advers Ar à . It was so in the dayes of some of the Emperours when Arianisme raigned and many ages have made it good since by wofull experience And therefore certainly there had need to be good security before such a power be exercised It hath been usually said that a Synod is to goe before disquirendo dirigendo docendo in enquâ—ring directing teaching and
heads but not into their hearts into their understandings and not into their affections will now certainly in this time of temptation foregoe the truth even truths professed truths preached truths contended for formerly The head is no safe casket to hide and lay up truth in it is easily stolen away if lodged in no safer a place But now if you have entertained it with love you will maintaine it too you may as well take away their hearts as take away their truth it is lodged there nay this love hath changed the heart into the nature of it truth doth so where it is received with love And hence it is that Gods people they have a rising of heart against errour when they want an argument against it and they have a love to truth when they cannot maintaine and dispute it As you see the Martyrs in Q Maries dayes they could say they could burne for Christ though they could not dispute they were notable to maintaine the truth with their heads but they could with their lives they could not give them reasons against their errours but they could lay down their blouds As a godly man said once he would desire no other confutation of Arminius but the work of regeneration 〈◊〉 any holy heart there was in every disposition of a gratious heart a reall confutation of all his tenents 3. God would hereby sift your Zealâ— whether or no you will contend for the truth as you have it exprest it Jude 3. Eâ—arnestly contend for the faith which was onâ—â— delivered to the Saints God will now try whether you will contend for the truth Rev. 1.3 or whether you will beare with them that are evill Thus God tried the Church of Pergamus Rev. 2.14 15. and he blames them for their lukewarmenesse that they had no more zeale to oppose those errours which were vented in their times Gods people though they be little when they be to deale with God dust and ashes as deale for God and they will not brooke with errour You see the hot contention between Paul and Barnabas Paul and Peter what zeale and affection Paul did shew for God and all was because they did not walk according to truth as you reade Gal. 2.10 11 12 13 14. As Moses would not yeeld to Pharaoh not in a hoofe the Orthodoxall Christians to the Arrians not in * 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 a letter an Iota a title nor Paul to the Jewes no not for an houre so the soule who is zealous for God he cannot brooke with errour nor can he yeeld to any thing contrary to the truth of God 4. The fourth grace God would sift is our Stabisity whether or no we are bottom'd and grounded in the truth whether we have that full assurance of understanding Col. â— 2 whether we are established in the truth or whether so unfixed and unstable that we are carried away with every wind of doctrine of such the Apostle speakes of Ephes 4.14 Many Christians that are as 't was said of Râ—uben Gen. 9.4 as unstable as water that are found according to the vessell which doth containe them poore Christians that are up and downe not only weake in knowledge but they are fickle in their understanding like soft wax now receive this impression this stamp but are ready to receive another when ever it is impressed And this doth arise not only from weakenesse of the understanding but want of firmenesse of understanding from inconstancy of spirit Now opinions will try your stedfastnesse see how you are setled how you are bottom'd when a streame comes you know it takes away what ever lies loose upon the banks but those things which are setled trees and such things that are rooted it cannot stirre men that are not rooted in the truth are in danger to be carried away with errours they are like loose things upon the banks but such as are rooted and grounded they abide nothing shall move them from their stedfastnesse But are all those that abide rooted Object No. There are many who are rooted in sin and errour Answ that are not moved men may be fixed in errour as well as firme in the truth their fixednesse as the others unsetlednesse is their sin 5. The fifth grace God would fift and that is your Sincerity your grounds your ends upon what grounds you have entertained truth and for what ends Oh there are many in the world that doe adhere to truth upon easie grounds upon poore reasons low considerations Some that have entertained truth only by tradition they were borne in these places where Religion is established and therefore are of this Religion and if they had been borne in Turkie had they no better principle they would have been of that too Some that have entertained truth meâ—rely for gaine and doe adhere to truth as the Ivie to the tree not because it loves it but because it is nourished by it Others upon other grounds because their Fathers their friends were thus of this mind Others because such Learned men and great ones are of this mind they pâ—â—ne their fâ—â—le 〈◊〉 their sleeves the Jews but this argument which of the â—â—â—lers beleeve in him Others because of other grounds 〈◊〉 John said to the elect Lady whom I love for the truths sake They often love the truth so the Ladiâ—â— sake 〈…〉 other respects Now at such a time as this when errour have been a bread if there be any grounds upon which you have entertained truth but meere love to the truth you will never hold out If you have entertained it upon other grounds or doe close with it upon other ends then such as are sincere you will never hold to it God will try your ends what ends you have in adhering to truth if it hath been for the world it may be as much of the world shall be propounded to you in a way of errour and then you are gone He that will serve God for the world will serve the Devill for the world he that will for bye respects close with truth will for the same respects if they weigh down the other close with errour if they doe but outballance them if more weight be cast in he is gone He that serves God for a little will serve the Devill for more where he can mend his wages he will give his service Errours are great trials of our sincerity what our grounds and what our ends are if you have entertained truth meerely for corrupt grounds its possible you may mend your selves by entertaining of an errour and then you are gone And therefore to discover sincerity God permits errours in the Church as you see it 1 Cor. 11.19 I heare there are divisions among you and I beleeve it for there must be heresies among you that they which are approved may be made manifest and as they try so they doe discover our sincerity to our selves to God to others by which meanes we are approved And this is the
make his people keepe more close to him and more close to his word these we put together though they are two things 1. To keepe more close to him for counsell instruction direction who is the Prophet of his Church who hath undertaken to leade and guide his people into the wayes of truth to guide us with his counsells and this makes a soule to keepe close to God to lie at his feet for instruction and direction it brings a man to immediate dependance upon God 2. To keepe us close to the word the written word of God that our faith may not be built and founded on man but God In pictures the further you goe from the originall the moâ—e unlike they grow if you draw a picture by the originall by the person himselfe it may be something like but draw another picture from that picture though it may be like the picture yet it is lesse like the person and the further you goe from the originall the more unlike it is that if at last you come to compare the picture with the person though one picture might resemble another yet the last picture was nothing like the person now there is no way to rectifie this but bring this picture to the person to the originall and there upon comparison with it to mend it We have had too much of this divinity in our times first we have drawne plat formes out of the word then built upon them and drawn deductions and consequences from them and then consequences from those consequences till at last they be nothing agreeable to the originall the word of God Now God suffers errours to arise most of which will be found to be bottom'd upon false deductions and consequences drawne out of the word many opinions built and fastned on them And God suffers this to bring us back to the originall the word of God that there we might rectifie all We have taken up too many things on trust and our faith hath been too much built upon man the judgements writings and opinions of men which are but sandy foundations God whips us from it now by suffering so many errours to arise and all this to bring his people to the word to live upon the word that our faith might be resolved into God and not man Isa 8.20 To the Law and to the testimonies if they speake not according to this word it is because there is no light in them 4. A fourth mercifull end God suffers it to commend his love to them in preserving them from the poison and infection of errour to give you a tast and experience of his goodnesse in keeping of you that you are not carried aside with the wayes of errour And this doth exceedingly take the heart and raise it up to praise him Oh saith the soule Lord others of greater parts and greater abilities thou hast suffered to be led away and carried away with errour how comes it that thou hast preserved me This sets off and commends Gods love and raiseth up the heart in praises 5. A fifth mercifull end to discover to us that it is not by our own strength we stand but by the strength of Christ As we are kept in grace so we are preserv'd in truth and the Apostle tells us We are kept by the mighty power of God through faith When you see errours to abound and see them prevaile with so many others men of greater parts and abilities when you reade that they shall prevaile with them that shall perish oh this makes the soule keep close to Christ and herein doth God discover it is not our strength but his whereby we are preserved in a way of truth and kept from errour 6. A sixth mercifull end to make us prize truth more while we live nothing doth so much inhâ—nch and raise the esteeme of truth then errour It may be before you had low esteemes of the truths of God you did not value them and priâ—e them as you ought you cast them aside but now you take them lay them up hide them in your hearts you value of a truth as your best riches your honour your treasure the comfort in life and support in death When there are many false pearles false stones abroad it will make men gather up the true ones and if he have such to value of them When there is much counterfeit and light gold abroad it will make men to value of good gold you shall see good gold such as hath abidden the touchstone it is all gathered up and preserved at such a time as this is So when errours are abroad truth is then of value oh then every truth is entertained Before truth was looked upon but found little entertainment if it got any it was in our houses in bookes or in our heads only but now it finds welcome and entertainment in the heart Naked truth suffering truth persecuted truth it is now entertained truth is welcome any way And it is now own'd in the authority of it in the Majesty of it as a King to rule and governe us we will not rule it no more but it shall rule us It is own'd in the latitude of it in the extensivenesse of it extend it as farre as you will its welcome in its largenesse it is own'd in the universality of it all truth such as makes against you as well as such as makes for you they make for you in that they make against you for your soules though against your sins If ever truth be valued if ever it appeare worth something it is at those times when errours abound You see how the many false relations abroad doth make men value of a true relation if they can meete with a friend or a booke that speakes true and impartially they value much of it and what 's the reason because of the false relations abroad this heightneth the esteeme of truth So here the many errours abroad is a great meanes to heighten and advance truth and to make that great And therefore God doth permit errour to advance truth that truth may be more glorious in it selfe and more glorious to us 7. A seventh mercifull end which God hath in suffering errours and erronious opinions to abound is to make his people watchfull and wary of what they doe receive There are many glorious truths to be revealed towards the end of the world great things are spoken of the latter dayes for glorious revelations of the truths of God And there is many dangerous and fearfull errours that shall come abroad at that time too as Christ doth here foretell And it is a greater mercy there should be many then if there were but few if there were but few we should take them in with truth but being many divers of all kinds it makes the people of God watchfull and carefull what they entertaine There are so many truths now to be made known at the end of all things that if there should not be many
errours and those dangerous errours also we should be in danger to receive all under the notion of truth to close with all and swallow all that comes under that pretext Where now by the aboundance of errours we are made more wary more watchfull If it be given out that there is a great deale of false Coyne of light gold abroad it will make men carefull of what they receive which if it were not so we should receive all that comes So here certainly God would by this permissive providence of his have us take heed as well what we heare as how we heare he would have us to take heed what we receive God seemes to speake he would have us to entertaine truth not traditionally but knowingly not because it is the mind of such and such men but because it is the mind of God not because discovered by such and such men but because revealed of God In our dayes in regard of the multitude of errours God seemes to speake to you to be more then ordinarily wary in the receiving of truth to receive it knowingly weightily humbly to receive it after sound debates not suddenly least you be deceived with an errour Let it passe through all debates before it be received under the notion of truth We have some things that are meerely divine and there is no debate to be in them if a toole come on this Altar it defiles it Some things which are mixtly divine and those admit of debate The Apostle tells us of two sorts of truths 1. Foundation truths 2. Building truths 1 Cor. 3.10 11 c. There are some truths that are to be entertained without debates of reason they are to be beleeved as soone as revealed faith is required to the entertainment of them As God in the Trinity of Persons and Vnity of Essence Christ in his Person hypostaticall Union of Natures the work of Creation the Resurrection a Rationes precedentes fidem minuunt fidem subsequentes augent here faith must goe before reason beleeve and know It is an unsound opinion b Vbi definit ratio incipit fides where reason ends faith must begin here reason must not begin at all reason pollutes its corrupt and will corrupt these these are supra above though not contra rationem against reason There are some truths againe and that is most of those which are in dispute and debate now adayes and they are not to be entertained without long debate dispute holy reasoning You are to use all your knowledge and Christian wisdome and all your skill in the word of God all your prayer and seeking A man may entertaine a truth as well as an errour too quickly that is when he entertaines it upon trust or without debate or because others say it or practise it or because at first view it seemes like a truth this is to entertaine it too quickly the Church of Ephesus is commended for her patience Rev. 2.2 And this may be one part of it one branch of her patience that she had tried them which said they are Apostles and found them liars and this was not done suddenly as the third verse implies So let this be your commendation that you have tried those opinions that carry the highest pretext that you have not been apt to beleeve every spirit but you have tried the spirits and the doctrines c. before you have owned them You would not take a man into your house that you knew not and will you entertaine any thing into your heart you would have tried servants such servants as are known such husbands and wives of whose goodnesse you have heard and will you let in a truth and not try it What ever you entertaine as truth you are to be subject to it and will you be subject to errour You are to maintaine truth to part with goods to endure friends to become enemies to part with liberty life for truth And shall I not try it shall I doe all this for an errour Indeed if you were to doe with truth as some others can that can take them up for their occasions and lay them down againe at pleasure that can embrace them and renounce them when they please then you did not need so much curiosity in search but when you are to entertaine truth as you doe your husbands and wives till death separate nay to take it not only till death but to all eternity this should make a man consider and not be too light of his beleefe and entertainment of truth Again if thou were to entertaine truth as a servant only that should only serve thy uses and be serviceable to thee as many doe with truth they aske what it can doe for them before they entertaine it if it were to be so entertained then there need no such great triall that truth that would be most serviceable to thy estate and advantage thee most in the world thou mightst embrace Religion were then nothing but a policie But being to entertaine it as thy King not to subject it to thee but thy selfe to it not to have it to moove according to thy mind but thou according to its motions this should make thee consider before we entertaine Againe if that we might entertaine a truth as we doe only our goods into our houses that would not endamage us any way though they bring in nothing yet they would not endamage us then the matter were not so much But when we are to entertaine truth as that which must live on us that for which I am to part with relations with comforts with riches with estate with liberty with life Beleeve it it would make a man in earnest and try throughly before he doe entertaine a thing for truth and to be sure that God saith it But adde to this your soule may depend on it and that to eternity and not only thine but thy posterities too how many families in this Kingdome that are Papists upon no other ground then their ancestors were and doth the soule of me my child husband wife c. depend much on me and shall not I be wary what I entertaine surely no honest heart but will Well this is another ground or end God suffers errours that we might entertaine opinions warily drop by drop is the best receiving of opinions We are commanded to buy the truth and surely the errours that are abroad tell us it is to be bought by retaile in parcels not by whole sale in the grosse for feare of receiving errour as well as truth there are many cheating chapmen abroad false lights I name none I aime at none in particular There are such who huosterize the word adulterate sophisticate the word And what 's that they mingle truth and errour linsey woolsey And if you take up all in the grosse you may be deceived therefore beware try before you trust examine search Take heed that no man deceive you And thus I have shewed you the first how
it may stand with Gods mercifull ends to those who are brought in that there should be many errours II. We are now come to the second how it may stand with Gods mercifull ends to those who are not yet called but in his purpose to call And it may stand with Gods mercifull ends to those yet in his purpose to call or those who are not yet called and brought in 1. To be a meanes to awaken them and put them upon the study and enquiry after truth the aboundance of errours abroad may put men to search and find out what is truth when you see men up in armes as it were in hot contentions to find out what is truth who save only Atheists but will think themselves concern'd in it every one will think surely it is their businesse also and so will fall upon inquisition and search of it If there be any thoughts of eternity in you if you be not Atheists if you doe conceive there is a Heaven and a hell and that errour leades one way and truth the other it cannot be but that aboundance of errours abroad must awaken you and put you on to enquire to heare to reade to confer to endeavour to find out truth It was the multitude of errours which put Luther to search out what was truth if there had not been so many errours it might be he had not enquired and sought out truth the like I may say of Calvin and others and the errours and corruptions in worship imposed did put on us to the triall of the whole and made us more strict to examine the bottomes whereon we stood 2. God suffers it to beate them off their sandy foundations whereon they build As it is a meanes to put you on to search what your foundation is whereon you build the bottome whereon you stand so it is a meanes to beat you off your sandy foundations When a man sees aboundance of opinions abroad one saith this another that sure it will make a man to put the question to himselfe upon what foundation doe I stand what is my bottome And how can he have any rest till he have gotten a better foundation to build on a foundation which none of these opinions can shake and unsettle when he sees so many faire buildings specious structures to fall down and not able to stand out the blast of triall and temptation because they are houses built on the sands It will make a man to enquire after the rock and endeavour to build there that when the wind blowes yet the house may stand firme This is the different working which opinions have upon the good and bad upon such whom God hath a purpose of good unto and upon such that he will not own That the one the multitude of opinions doth draw him away or else Atheist him that he will be nothing The other it doth un-atheist him put him upon the search and examination what is the truth of God One he is now more formall and minds no more but meere formality to goe to Church and say over a prayer and if God will save him with that well and good he will doe no more The other these things doe fire him out of his formality and he can have no rest till he come to some bottome to stand on And that is another end God hath he would awaken and beate us off our sandy foundations 3. God suffers multitude of opinions and out of mercy to them who are not yet brought in to clear the way unto those who are not yet brought into the ways of grace that when they are brought in they may be able to see their way more clearely As we our selves doe receive a great deale of light and benefit by the sufrings and clashings of others If there had not been such clashing and disputing in former ages our way had not been so cleare to us in many glorious truths So here God suffers it that posterities may inherit the benefit that after ages might be able to see more clearely what to doe and what is truth It is a great favour for a man that must goe a way dark and knotty to have one goe before him not only with a light to discover the way but with a weapon too to cut down those cumbrances which are in the way that there may be nothing to hinder the passage oh how sweetly how evenly and quietly a man may goe Such gracious ends hath God to after generations by suffering these multitude of opinions and errours to arise in our age and generation Seldome was any truth discovered and cleared but some errour or other was the occasion to draw it out The point of Free grace in opposition to mans free will in the work of conversion had not been so fully discovered if that Pelagius had not broached that errour that man might be saved if he would that he himselfe might beleeve repent if he would which occasioned Augustines so full debates and cleare setling of the truth The freenesse of Gods grace in the work of justification that it is of meere grace had not been so fully cleered to us if it had not been for the errour of the Papists that it was of works and not of grace So the doctrine of predestination that it is of grace and not of faith and works foreseen the contrary errour brought out this truth and helpt the full birth of it So the doctrine of the Sacraments the stability of Gods Covenant with his people perseverance of the elect All these and many thousand more whose birth hath been helped by the publishing of errours the publishing of errours have been a meanes to the cleering of the most precious truths we have which had not been so cleere to us now if that there had not been a cloud of errours over them before Nay I say since the defection of the Church and the universall corruption by Antichrist and popery there hath scarce any glorious truth been cleared or discovered but by opposite errour Errour hath been a meanes to help on to sift and to find out truth As we bring fire out of flint by striking it so out of these clashings truth Nay you see in Scripture that the publishing of errour was a good meanes or help or gave occasion to the publication of many glorious truths of God Acts 15. you see there the errour which was then broached to the disturbance of the Churches of Antioch was the occasion of the setling and clearer revealing of the opposite truth The Jews errour of being justified by the Law and looking for righteousnesse thereby was an occasion of the publication of the use of the Law the impotencie of it to justifie and save together with those glorious discoveries where and in whom mans righteousnesse did lie Againe The errour that men needed not to looke to their walking and obedience seeing we are justified by faith only gave occasion to the discovery of many precious truths
touching works and obedience to be annexed to faith not to justifie our persons but to justifie our faith the obedience of faith justifies our persons the obedience from faith justifies our faith which you see it is the great scope of St James to cleare in the second chapter throughout The doctrine of Christian liberty by Christ gave occasion to some to publish that they were set at freedome from obedience to Magistrates in the Lord and for the Lord and others used it as an occasion of scandall to them that were weake and thought that they had liberty to eate of meate offered to Idols though the weake were thereby scandalled and offended yet why should not they use their liberty I say these two errours which were strong in those times and seemed to be founded on the doctrine of Christian liberty which they were to maintaine gave occasion to the publication of many precious truths concerning the due bounds limits restraints and extents of Christian liberty by two great Apostles Paul and Peter Paul dealing with Christian liberty in points of scandall 1 Cor. 8.9 10 11. Take heed least by any meanes this liberty of yours become a stumbling block to them that are weake And Peter dealing with it in point of disobedience as you may reade it at large 1 Pet. 2.13 14 15 16. Submit your selves to every ordinance of man as free yet not using your liberty as a cloake of maliciousnesse but as the servants of God So that I say God hath mercifull ends towards them who are brought in to suffer errours to abound to cleare the way to those who shall be called and he hath ends in respect of truth it selfe not only to give occasion for the publication but the sifting and finding out of truth as you see I have shewed And thus much of Gods mercifull ends to them called and to them in purpose to call we come now to Gods judiciall ends which is the second particular 2. As God hath mercifull ends to the godly so he hath judiciall ends to the wicked in permitting errours abroad and that 1. To the seducers 2. To the seduced 1. To the promoters 2. To the receivers of opinions We will joyne these two together for brevities sake God may then suffer men to be led aside with errours and delusions 1. For the punishment of some former way of sin As a corrupt head will breed a corrupt life so a corrupt life will breed a corrupt judgement Sin in conversation is often punished with corruption in judgement with darknesse in the understanding God often suffers a corrupt judgement to be the punishment of a corrupt life You walke it may be in some way of sin and as yet though your affections and conversations are corrupted yet your understandings they are not corrupted you still retaine the truth But sure it cannot be long before the understanding be tainted before that light which glowes therein is obscured and put out It is a hard thing to keepe a sparke of fire alive in the midst of a sea of water to keepe a beame of light in the understanding under such darknesse in the heart and affection and such works of darknesse in your conversation This is sure either the truth will make you leave sin or your sin will make you leave the truth Either that light in you will overcome your darknesse or your darknesse will overcome your light Men that hold up affection to sin though not practise in sin they will betray the light they have they will smother it put it out at last When men are willing to sleepe they will put out the candle nay and draw the curtaines that no light may come in to trouble them So men that are willing to sleepe in sinne they will not only draw the curtaines that is labour to keepe out the receiving of more light but they put out the candle obscure that light they have that they may more quietly sleepe in sinne sinne without disturbance Sometimes indeed errour is the cause of sinne sometimes sinne is the cause of errour we will exemplifie this It may be that a man hath walked in some way of sinne and will not be reclaimed of it he hath some light within which gives in testimony to his conscience of the evill of his way this disturbs him now in a way of sinne but this will not reclaime him of his sinne he will sinne still but the light within him disturbs him he cannot sinne with that quiet and peace as others doe and therefore now his corrupt heart begins to undermine the light he hath the strength of sin in the affection begins to darken and blow up or blow out the power of light in the understanding that he may the better sinne with peace And therefore first he begins to find out some shifts for his sinnes he will have some excuses and this is a sowing of figge-leaves to cover his nakednesse If excuses and pretexts will not doe then he begins to dispute against the light why may I not doe this is this so much to doe If this will not doe then he falls to deny the light and say it is a needlesse scruple tush it s nothing And at last he comes to take in such an opinion as he may be quiet in his sinne as he may sinne without trouble And as many errours are bred and begotten out of this they are but opinions that a sinfull but troubled heart have taken up that he may be quiet in his sinne So many errours are received too because they do correspond and comply with their sinfull and corrupt hearts Christians it may be there be some of you that have many truths in you you understand more then others doe and it may be yea you walke in some way of sinne that light you have stares in your face gives evidence beares witnesse against you yet for all this you will not heare the counsels of truth you will not take notice of it yea but doe you take heed least God in punishment of your sinne doe give you up to a way of errour There are five sins which God doth often punish with errour some are intellectuall some are sensuall 1. A wilfull shutting out the light when God is comming in with light from Heaven when he is revealing himselfe and mind to us and yet we will shut our eyes we will not see we will not open our eyes nor owne the truth out of corrupt grounds feare love of the world c. I say this man is in danger to be given up to a way of error if you will be blind you shall be blind if you will not see you shall not see as Christ told the Pharisees he preached to them in Parables that * Quia cum loquebatur perspicuè noluerunt intelligere in poeâ—aâ— jam loquitur obscurè Muscul seeing they might not see Math. 13.13 This is that Christ said to the Jews Oh Jerusalem Jerusalem how often would
harden his owne heart 5. Efficiendo actually hardening or induring I doe not say I agree to all these these are the severall wayes which are laid downe by Divines against the Papists to cleare our selves of that charge of sinne in saying God hardeneth But in this discourse of Gods hardening the heart It will not fall here in controversie whether God doth effectively and actually harden that which I say here is permissive and in this all agree I say God permits a man to fall into errour for the further hardning of his heart Errour hardens Isa 63.17 Why hast thou made us to erre from thy wayes and hardened our hearts from thy feare first erre and then harden And God permits errours for this end namely for the further hardening of the hearts of the wicked Object There is an objection against this If it be so It will be said then God punisheth one sinne with another he punisheth sinne with errour that is one sinne with another and he punisheth errour with hardnesse of heart there is the same Answ Though this be a doctrine much opposed by Papists and Arminians and upon this ground because say they hereby we make God the authour of sinne c. yet as God sometimes makes one sinne the cure of another in a godly man so he makes one sinne the punishment of another in a wicked man You see it plaine in Psal 81.12 13. My people would not obey there was one sinne and therefore I gave them up to their own hearts lusts there is another and the punishment of the former And this shall suffice to have spoken of the first great head how it may stand with Gods ends to suffer men to be les◠aside with a way of errour 2. How errour may stād with Satans ends we now come to the second 2. As it may stand with Gods ends so it may stand with Satans ends too 1. His ends to the good 2. His ends to the bad 1. It may stand with Satans ends to the good Satan hath these foure ends in the setting on foot errours 1. To seduce the godly to draw them into errour He attempted this upon Christ as you see in his temptation Matth. 4. and much more will he attempt it on us having farre more hope to prevaile Christ was all pure all cleare all light and no darknesse and therefore could be no more prevailed upon then to make Heaven hell but he knowes we are poore compound creatures have light and darknesse in us errour and truth a dark side and light as there is something within us which is an enemy to him so there is something within us which is his friend too something that holds correspondency with him and that is ready to give entertainment and set open the gates to let him in when he comes with a temptation And if he would attempt it on Christ nay if he were too hard for Adam in his innocency who had reason at will and wit at command and grace too righteousnesse at least and no errour in him nothing of his side but only this that he was mutably good that it was possible for him to be seduced and drawne away how much more will he attempt it on us It s true God hath said that the elect shall not be deceived they shall deceive if it were possible the elect saith Christ by which is evident the elect shall not be deceived And he knowes that if they be elect he shall not prevaile because God hath said it But he knowes not whether they be such or no though he have some guesses at it yet he hath not the infallible knowledge of it neither hath he entred into Gods eternall decrees nor can he know the heart for that is proper to God alone but though he should know it yet he would be tampering he would endeavour to seduce the elect He knew Christ was the Son of God and had heard God so declare from Heaven and yet he durst venture to attempt to seduce Christ or rather to use the words of Scripture tempt Christ therefore much more will he endeavour the same with you though he should not be able to seduce you nay and though he knew that too yet he hath other ends as I shall shew anon which may put him on to attempt it But besides though he should not seduce them to damnable yet he may seduce them to dangerous errours the Saints may be led aside with sinfull though not with damnable errours and if he can but prevaile in that to draw them aside with sinfull errours he counts it worth the while The Devill will take a great deale of paines to bring a Saint to one sinfull errour It s true it may be and I easily grant that a godly mans ends are honest in the entertainement of it otherwise he could not be godly and I doe not queston but he entertaines it for truth but though he doe yet Satan cares not much for that if he can bring him to entertaine an errour he matters not much under what notion they receive it and entertaine it so the thing be entertained He is glad if he can make him to receive an errour for a truth if he can foyst in eggs of his own laying if he can shuffle in errour for truth and can have himselfe who is the Prince of darknesse to be entertained under the notion of an Angel of light he is proud of that this is unknowingly unwittingly to set the Devill in Gods steede As one saith he that doth a good action to a bad end makes God serve the Devill but he that doth a bad action to a good end makes the Devill serve God So we may say here he that entertaines a truth for an errour sets God in the Devils place and he that entertaines errour for truth sets the Devill in Gods steede And the Devill must needs looke upon this as a gratefull service and that is the first It stands with his ends 1. To seduce 2. A second end he aimes at in the godly it is to unsettle them if he cannot seduce them and draw them away yet he labours if he can to unsettle them in the truth if he can bring us to an unsetlednesse whether we are in the truth or no if he can unsettle us in those things we are established in he hath his desire and what he aimes at And multitudes of errours and opinions abroad they have too great an influence into the unsetling of the hearts of the godly in the truths that they have received and been established in If it be given out that there is aboundance of false gold abroad it will put men to the triall of what they have received as well as to the care of what they are to receive So when there are many errours and false opinions abroad it puts not men only to the care of what they are to receive but to the triall of what they have received and by this to
studied to know more of Gods mind 4. Though this were true that our fathers held out some truths and that they did not seeke and enquire after more which yet I cannot grant and hold their condition good yet they did not reject further discoveries if revealed to them this is certaine where any truth is received with love there is a readinesse of spirit to embrace all truths that shall be discovered and revealed For this is an undeceiveable evidence of a man that hath received the truth as he is willing to receive all truths he opens his eyes broad for any communication of God so againe he will not reject any truth which is revealed to him Indeed he may reject a truth held forth to him because as yet he doth not apprehend it to be a truth but he cannot reject a truth discovered to him no bye ends wordly respects shall prevaile with him to reject it if God have discovered it 5. But fifthly thou sayest againe our fathers held out these and sought no further which I have disproved And yet thou sayest they were saved and so shalt thou if thou adhere in those which they have left thee well for this I say thus much Admit that they were saved I will grant that yet it will not be enough to cleere this to thee that thou shalt be saved if thou goe on no further they held out these truths but were willing to receive more sure they rejected none that God revealed Thou holdst out these truths and sayest thou adherest to them but dost not adhere to them thou holdst them forth in thy understanding but they are not wrought into thy heart nor held forth in thy life never a truth which thou sayest thou adherest unto which thou livest answerâ—ble to in thy conversation Againe thou adherest rather in them then to them thou seekest to know no more but they did nay thou rejectest those diâ—coveries of God which are made to thee which they did not They might be saved by that little light if true light when they were true to it when they walked answerable to it when they were willing to receive more when they rejected not that which was discovered But you cannot when you walke not answerable to what you have received when you are not willing to receive more when you reject what is discovered to you c. Men may be saved with many errours if not fuundamentall errours and by a little light if true light when no more is revealed But if those errours be discovered to be errours though not fundamentall errours and more truths be revealed to be truths though not foundation truths if you doe reject the one and embrace the other you cannot then looke for salvation Grace embraceth all truths rejects all errour God would have all saved by comming to the knowledge of the truth The Patriarchs lived in the sin of poligamy marrying many wives and esteemed it no sinne to take to themselves as many wives as they pleased so that they were not the wives of another And notwithstanding this great errour the Patriarchs were saved they knew no better and times of ignorance may plead some indulgence But now we cannot looke for life and yet practise such a sin because God hath revealed the truth in this which was more concealed before as Christ said from the beginning it was not so And if any had cause of two wives then the first man to populate the world but God made them male and female And this shall suffice for answer to that objection Object But is not the same truth saving and the same errour damning in any age and therefore that which saved them will save me Answ The truth which is saving now is saving hereafter but the reason why that truth which saves others will not us it doth not arise from any defect in the object truth but in the subject man if the subject receive some truths but not all if willing to entertaine some but to reject others and so to reject some errours but yet to retaine others though convinced of them then there is no salvation 2. The same truth which saved them will save us if received but if received of them and not of us it cannot save now there is no greater evidence that truth is not received then that you are not willing to entertaine more Truth where it comes where it is received into the heart it holds open the doore to let all its kindred in bids all truth welcome and therefore if thou say thou receivest some truth as truth and thy heart is shut up against other truths revealed thou deceivest thy own soule there is no surer character of received truth then willingnesse and universall willingnesse to embrace all Indeed men that receive truth into the head only doe not embrace all truth they pick and choose but if it be received into the heart then the doores are open to all truth and every truth comes with authority and carnall respects shall not hinder the embracing of them And thus we have done with the first how it may stand with Satans ends to the good we come to the second how it may stand with Satans ends to the bad 2. It may stand with Satans ends to the bad and that both to the 1. Receivers and 2. Promoters 1. It may stand with Satans ends to the receivers or to the bad in generall which we will shew you in five particulars 1. To lessen the credit or if you will beliefe of those things which they doe know Men who are yet of unregenerate life may know many truths of God and though they have not much faith of them yet some credit they give to them which begets awfull thoughts of the truth of God and this generall beliefe of these things doth restraine many from many sinnes and puts them upon many generall duties Now Satan cannot endure this light in them he knowes not what in time it may come too and therefore he sets many errours on foote that if possible he might lessen the beliefe of those things which are reall truths and render all you know which keepes you in some awe by virtue of that power the generall beliefe of them hath upon your spirit I say to render them all but notiones secundae chymeraes meere fancies or pollicies the better to keepe men in awe and under rule and some government And in the time of aboundiug errours he will thus deale with a man you thought that this and that was a truth but you see now it comes to be debated it proves but a shadow and so are other things you beleeve if once they were sifted and debated if understanding men would but deale faithfully and would apply themselves to dispute other things you give credit to they would be discovered to be of the same stamp and as little bottome in them as in these which you have built so much upon And here a poore man he is gone
2. Some are worldly and covetous 3. Some are profane and luxurious or voluptuous 1. In case a man be a proud and ambitious man it will suite with his temper and his ends to broach erronious opinions to make himselfe a Rabbi one greater in esteeme honour and applause then other men he would be taken notice of for one to see further then others one that hath greater light communicated to him then others have he is a man that desires to be singular and loves no greatnesse but what is gotten by making others little nor no esteeme but what is wrought out of the disesteeme of others he is a man that loves to inrich himselfe by making others poore and to swell himselfe and make himselfe some body by making others no body he cannot be taken notice of in the crowde and therefore he thinks himselfe best seen when he goes alone Of this spirit was Diotrephes who you reade of in Joh. Epist 3. Who because he could not be great enough subordinate to the Apostles for saith the text he loved the preeminence Therefore he endeavoured to blast the Apostles and make himselfe great by making them little among the people he laboured to work up his own esteeme by bringing them into disesteeme Joh. Epist 3. ver 9 10. Diotrephes who loveth to have the preeminence and prated against them with malicious words and not content therwith c. And therefore it is hard for a proud man to find out truth God saith the humble he will teach and Christ saith how can you beleeve when ye seeke honour one of another so how should you discerne of truth when you carry an eye to your own applause and glory and not the glory of God 2. In case a man be worldly and covetous it may stand with his ends too by this meanes to enrich himselfe and fetch maintenance out of the very heart and bowels of truth such men seeke their own not the things of Christ And this is the ground of many errours in the world if you looke into Popery you may râ—solve many of their tenets into this their covetous desires of gaine could they be so simple to hold ouâ— so many childish opinions viz. Purgatory Dirges Prayers for the dead Pennances Pilgrimages Pardons Indulgences c. but that these bring in aboundance of wealth into their coffers all is to be sold at Rome Romae omnia venalia they will sell Christ or any thing for gaine and you see men will pleade for errours they will maintaine these because these maintaine them by this craft saith Demetrius we have all our gaine See 2 Pet. 2.1 2 3. where he speakes of such as make merchandise of mens soules 3. In case a man be profane and voluptuous It will stand with his ends to broach errours that he may more securely sin truth will not prevaile with him to leave his sin and therefore his sinne prevailes with him to leave the truth while he entertain'd the truth it would not suffer him to live quietly in his sins it would be ever checking and reproving of him he could not sin without disturbance and therefore he must either foregoe the truth or his sin but his sin he cannot part withall and he now takes up such an opinion as he may keepe his sin without disturbance he may sin without trouble I have heard of one that went on in a way of sin and would not be reclaimed though conscience held out to him that if he did persist in that way he was sure to perish But for all this he held up sin and therefore he could not long hold up truth it was impossible that these two should stand togther he loved sin and could not leave it and he saw the truth flew in his face which told him that he should perish if he sin'd thereupon he tooke up an opinion which was said to be Origens that after a 1000. yeares torment in hell all men shall be saved and now he sinned with more quiet Others that come to this that none shall be damned God never made his creature to damne his creature These with many others might be named all which are taken up that themselves might sin without check and disturbance And Christians take heed you have some truths some light of God and you walke in wayes of sin notwithstanding all that light If you sin against that light you will sin away that light if the truth will not move you to forsake your sin your sin will prevaile with you to forsake the truth If a man were able to enter into the heart of an old sinner an old worldling he should see what a pack of unsound tenents he hath gotten up what subterfugies and fig-leaves he hath sowed together what a body of base divinity he hath gotten up together and all this that he might sin securely and be secure in sin he that converses with them shall have experience of the truth of all this And as it may stand with the ends of the Contrivers and Actors so with the ends of the Abettors which I might insist upon at large but I choose rather to conclude this first great generall which was propounded viz. how it may stand with Gods ends with Satans with a mans own ends of which I have spoken in each particular for clearer and fuller satisfaction We will now come to the second generall thing propounded viz. The second question Q. 2. What may be the grounds of abounding errours now at the end of the world And indeed the question may well be asked for at the end of the world it is prophesied that there shall be many glorious truths discovered it is said of these times that the knowledge of God shall abound even as the waters that cover the sea And it is prophesied that truths sealed and before hid shall be then manifested and revealed there shall not only be a clearer discovery of things already revealed but a fuller discovery a revelation of those things were not known as in Dan. 12.4 Daniel had prophesied of the latter dayes and he is commanded to shut up the words and to seale the Booke even to the time of the end when many shall run too and fro and knowledge shall be increased And Zechariah tells us that he that is feeble shall be as David Zech 12.8 And to this purpose I have read some that apply that place Rev. 1.13 where Christ is described to walke among the golden Candlesticks Weemes and girt about the paps with a golden girdle In the old Testament they were girt about the middle saith my Authour here about the paps which shewes saith he the Church is growing up nearer and nearer to perfection And without controversie there are glorious things spoken of these latter dayes not only glorious things to be done for God hath reserved most of his visible glory to the end of the world but glorious things to be revealed and made known And
this way and the other this and in both it may be the Scripture is silent or holds out as much for one as the other Now in this case why should there be falling out certainly diversities of opinion may be countenanced and yet without sin provided that it doth not arise either from ficklenesse unsetlednesse and inconstancy in us or from pride that we love to side and differ from others or that it doth not tend to make disturbance of the peace of the Churches of Christ But I am too long on this I will therefore conclude this second generall the ground of abounding errours and come to the third Q. 3. What are the grounds that so many are carried away And because this question doth fall in so much with the former question therefore I shall be short on it In briefe then I shall resolve all into these two generall grounds 1. Weaknesse 2. Wickednesse One incident to the godly the other proper to the wicked The first ground that men are carried away with errour it is weaknesse I will branch this into three particulars 1. Weaknesse of judgement which is the weaknesse of head There are many who though they have grace and good affections in them yet want knowledge they are babes in understanding they want judgement to examine and try opinions the things in controversie are above their fathom their line is too short and they want sufficiency of light to discerne of things that differ to distinguish between truth and errour there is a great deale of sophistry in errour there is the head of the serpent in it who was too subtile for our parents in innocency it may be an errour may be handed out to us by holy men and represented to us under faire specious and high pretexts and we our selves want wisedome or knowledge to see to the bottome of it and therfore embrace a shadow for substance an errour for truth 2. Want of stability though they have some knowledge yet they are not fixed and stablished in the truth there is a kind of lubricity and ficklenesse and inconstancie of spirit in men which the Apostle takes notice of and blames in Ephes 4.14 That we henceforth be no more children tossed too and fro and carried about with every wind of doctrine by the sleight of men and cunning craftinesse wherby they lie in wait to deceive too many who are of this temper like children tossed too and fro and carried about with every wind of doctrine It is a metaphor taken from a weather-cock which is carried about with every wind it stands this way now but it is because another wind blowes not they are not fixed and stablished in the truth There are many who are fixed and grounded in errour and too many who are unstable and unsetled in the truth which doth not meerely arise from want of knowledge but from want of stability They are of uncertaine and unconstant spirits that spirit which many men have in errour would be a precious spirit if it were joyned with the truth but to be stable in errour is a punishment and to be unsetled in truth is our sinne and yet how many who are fixed in the one and will boast of it I thanke God I am no changling when others are unstable in the truth I have sometimes thought what might be the ground of this inconstancy and instabability of spirit in those who yet are full of good affections And to let goe the naturall grounds which arise from the tempers of nature I have thought of these foure spirituall grounds 1. Want of knowledge they are but yet babes and children in knowledge and therfore may be unsetled according to the measure of knowledge such is the measure of setlednesse and stability of spirit if we knew perfectly we should never change but we know but in part and therfore being imperfect in knowledge we are also imperfect in our stability 2. Want of grace I say degrees of grace not truth and essence of grace this the Apostle sets downe Heb. 13.9 Be not carried with divers and strange doctrines for it is a good thing that the heart be established with grace here was inconstancy in them what was the reason they had grace but were not stablished with grace they wanted such a measure as to stablish their hearts Grace will ballace the most unsetled heart it will fix the most unfixed spirit a little grace will so fix the heart as 1. It shall never entertaine any fundamentall errour 2. Nay he shall never make any errour his choice 3. Nay if he give way to any errour it is still under the notion of truth A little grace will doe this but there is required a greater measure of grace to stablish a man in the truth and to preserve a man that he shall not be led aside with any way of errour 3. Want of comfort may be another reason of instability It may be a man hath walked in these wayes and finds no comfort in them his heart is troubled he can get no peace and because they find not comfort in those wayes they expected they look for it in other wayes It is a sad thing for a soule to be without comfort As the body without the soule is dead so is the soule without comfort that which the soule is to the body comfort is to the soule and therefore men in the want of comfort are apt with the Bee to goe from flower to flower from one opinion to another if God keep them not upon this ground many have fallen to Popery because they could not get comfort upon the principles of our Religion which affords no comfort to them who would reserve their sins And upon the same ground men under troubles and wanting comfort they are apt to run from this opinion to that hoping in all to find comfort to their troubled spirits Like men sick of a Fever they think their disease is in their beds when it is in their bodies they think by shifting of beds to be ridd of their distemper when yet they carry the distemper with them yet some refreshment for present may come with change but certainly it is a great mercy and a wonder of mercy when men have long been in trouble and in want of comfort that God hath kept them and not suffered them to seek for comfort out of Gods way that he hath not suffered them to runne into any way of errour to find comfort that he hath given them patience to wait upon God in the wayes of obedience in his own way And rather to charge themselves then the way if they want comfort and surely the fault is at home either you are formall in your walking or you hold compliancie though you give not entertainment to some corruption or you give way to your own unbeliefe the doubtings and misgivings of your own spirit or God is willing to deny thee comfort for thy further exercise to quicken to humble to put
thee on selfe purging but at last he that shall come will come 4. A fourth ground of instability may be the violence and heate of their affections to find out truth which puts them on to an inquisitivâ—nesse a triall a search of all things In which search it may be this appeares a truth and may be another time there seemes a truth in another men are not setled while they are searching they are not fixed while they are inquiring their good affections prompt them on to inquire after truth and during inquiry they are unfixed and unsetled in the truth And so much for the second generall ground why many are carried away viz. want of stability 3. A third ground too much credulity Some men are too slow to beleeve and some are too facile and easie of beliefe to be too slow to beleeve when God speakes is our wickednesse and to be too facile and easie of beliefe what man speakes is weaknesse It is not good to be slow to beleeve a truth and it is evill to be facile to beleeve an errour and yet both these may arise from the same grounds in the spirit A man is slow to beleeve a truth because he doth suspect it an errour and he is facile to beleeve an errour because he doth apprehend it for a truth so that both these may arise from the honesty of a mans spirit in the one he is fearfull to entertaine an errour and therfore slow to beleeve a truth in the other he is fearfull to reject a truth and therfore gives entertainment to an errour Feare is oftentimes made a shooing-horne to draw on an errour and to hold out a truth But this I am not now to deale withall That which I am now upon seemes the contrary to feare viz. too much credulity and easinesse of spirit to beleeve which though it be contrary yet two contrary causes may produce one and the same effect Errour may be the effect of an excessisive feare as well as of an easie faith though indeed it be more properly the effect of too easie faith then of an excessive feare Men that take all upon trust are like to be deceived And it is a maine ground why many are carried away with errour their overmuch credulity their easinesse of beliefe There is too much of this temper even in the godly themselves and I have thought of divers grounds of it 1. This easinesse to beleeve doth arise from the great esteeme of the wisdome and holinesse of those who hold forth an opinion if indeed he were learned and not godly or if he were godly and weake in knowledge it would give some place to jealousie but where these two meete together they have great authority upon the spirits of men and all that proceeds from such men is received as infallible truth men take things upon trust from an honest man but they will examine what a cheater brings if an honest man bring you gold you will scarce try it especially if he say it is weight he hath tried it and he knowes it to be weight but if a dishonest man bring it though he say it is good yet you will try it Men will suspect a truth if a liar tell it and therfore Christ would not own the Devils acknowledgement of him when he said thou art the Sonne of God But they will be ready to beleeve an untruth if an honest faithfull man affirme it When you heare any news of great concernment the first thing you enquire is of what credit is the authour and if he be thus qualified 1. That he be a man of great intelligence one who knowes much of affaires 2. If he be a wise man and an honest man one who is not over credulous that will beleeve all and disperse for truth what ever he heares if he be one who hath seldome failed in his intelligence one that hath often spoken truth you conclude that what ever he brings is truth and yet it is possible for this man to publish a falshood too So if you know one who is a wise learned man a man hath much commerce with Heaven and intelligence thence one who is godly and holy and a man not apt to receive all opinions not overcredulous to take in all nor forward to vent all which he hath heard nay and perhaps hath been one who hath delivered many glorious truths of Christ why such a man you are ready to receive all from him even as Gospell you beleeve all he saith every thing comes with a great deale of authority into your spirits And yet its possible for this man to be mistaken it is possible to erre we know but in part saith the Apostle and who can say he is infallible in his knowledge Indeed there is much to be given to a man thus qualified in points that are of lesse concernment and controverted on all sides and this may be done I conceive without any prejudice to faith I say it may be done and yet not to resolve our faith into the authority of men But when this carries all when opinions are drunke in because they are the judgement of such men or because such men so godly so learned so faithfull doe hold them forth this is to pin our faith upon anothers sleeve this is to resolve our faith into the authority of others and is a shread of that garment whereby Babylon is distinguished it hath much of the Roman doctrine in it I beleeve as the Church beleeves so I beleeve it because such hold it forth And that is the first ground of overmuch credulousnesse in men which we had need to beware of and the more because we are too apt to slide into it and put man in Gods steed to us 2. A second ground of this overmuch credulousnesse is the benigne and faire aspects which an opinion carries It may be you heare of an opinion and it is comely drest it carries such faire and benigne aspects it lookes so lovely that we are ready to receive it and give entertainment to it without any more examination Thus the Devil beguiled Eve at the first the Apostle tells us she was deceived and what deceived her it was the benigne aspects which the fruit carried you reade it Gen. 3.6 And when she saw that the tree was good for food and that it was pleasant to the eyes and a tree to be desired to make one wise here were the benigne aspects the lovely lookes of it and what followes she tooke of the fruit thereof and did eate and did eate her death in it too so here when we looke upon the benigne and faire aspects which an opinion may seeme to carry we are ready to receive it and give entertainment to it without further triall This is to worke upon the understanding by the affections which is a preposterous and a dangerous way because the affections are blinde coecae potentiae and those gain'd they win the understanding to them by
inticement not by demonstration they inveagle they doe not informe the understanding they perswade by inticing and not by evidence and reason A man may well suspect those opinions which are wrought upon the understanding by the affections and not by demonstrations the affections often inveagle the understanding sometime inforce it sometime they bribe somtime they threaten the understanding into an opinion its dangerous for the affections to work upon the understanding The lesse the understanding hath to deale with the affections in judgement of truth or errour and the lesse the affections with the understanding the safer and clearer is the judgement A man may well suspect those opinions which are wrought upon the understanding by perswasions and not by demonstrations The Philosophers used to say that to win the understanding by gaining first into the affections is to woe the Mistris by the maid Affections are to attend and serve the understanding and not to inforce it they are not to tell what is truth but to follow the understanding with love and delight in the embracing of it Suspect that for truth that you are threatned or bribed into And so much for the second ground 3. A third ground of credulousnesse is the similitude and likenesse which errour may carry to a truth of God you must know that though Gods people may entertaine errour yet no damning though defiling errours nor doe they entertaine any errour as an errour but under the notion nay apprehension that it is a truth and there is such similitude which an errour may carry to truth that they may entertaine it without debating and examining of it I told you from the 2 Cor. 11.13 14 15. That Satan might transforme himselfe into an Angel of light and so may represent errour under such a shew of truth that it is not for every one to distinguish between that and truth There was never any errour set on foote but it was indeavour'd to be grounded on the Scripture the word is pleaded on all sides and many places alledged which may seeme to afford strength even to false opinions by which an errour may be represented to them who are not able to discerne as if it were a truth There are but few errours in our dayes but they carry some resemblance of truth with them at least the face and appearance of truth nay but few but have some ingrediency of truth in them and therefore carrying such a resemblance with truth looking upon the first view like a truth the best may be deceived with errour instead of truth if they take things on trust though this deceit shall not be an undoing deceit if it be not an undoing errour and that Gods people shall never be given up unto We say though error fortunae a mistake in the estate doth not cause an anullity in marriage yet error personae the errour of the person doth if you were married to one whom you tooke to be another person this doth cause an anullity in the marriage The entertainment of truth or errour is a kinde of marriage between the soule and it and there is a firme marriage between corrupt hearts and errour but the contract which is between a godly man and errour is a false contract and therefore that claime which errour hath to him is a false title because though it be an errour yet he entertain'd it for a truth and therefore it shall not damne him though it doth for the present defile him 4. A fourth ground of the credulousnesse of the godly their facile and easie beliefe it is the high and specious pretexts which an errour may carry Errour may beare as big a saile and hold up as high pretexts as truth it selfe and this may prevaile much to the entertainment of an errour this is a great advantage which errour hath It may hold forth the same authority beare it selfe up upon the same bottome it may pretend holinesse the glory of God the good of our soules c. and what not Doe not the Papists hold forth the same authority for their errours which we doe for truth doe they not perswade to the entertainment of them by the same arguments will they not tell you that these are for the glory of God for the good of your soules Was it not the usuall argument of the hierarchy for their superstitions and humane inventions for their Altars and Jesu-worship and bowing towards the East with the rest that all this was to declare our reverence humility c. in coming into Gods presence it was for the glory of God c. And are there any errors now that carry not as high as fair pretexts as specious shewes Who doth not say loe here is Christ and here is Christ who doth not challenge patronage from Heaven for their severall opinions who doth not stamp their opinions with the authority and minde of Christ Is it not that which Christ doth here foretell they shall come in his name that is they shall pretend to doe so they shall pretend his authority and commission and they shall say I am Christ they shall pretend that that which is held forth is the minde of Christ which sets out the danger of the temptation such an errour comming with such high and specious pretexts being held forth with such authority may prevaile much towards the entertainment of it In our dayes if we looke upon the present contentions of the times the cause now on foote and acting sadly with the sword doe not our adversaries hold up the same pretences doe they not speake in our own language doe they not say the same things that they fight for the Protestant religion Liberty of the subject Laws of the Land and if we take all on trust how daÌ„gerous to be deceived When the Pirate hangs forth your own colours there is danger of robbing The Crokadile sheds teares when he hath a minde to shed bloud the foulest designes are often masked with the fairest pretences the spiders webb is full of art but she her selfe is full of venome you may truly suspect most venome where you see most art There is not any bad cause nor any errour but is handâ—d to us under faire pretexts and specious colours which wins many and that 's the fourth ground 5. A fift ground why men are apt to take opinions upon trust either because they cannot try them they want knowledge and wisedome to examine and try them or they want judgement to determine upon triall either they cannot or they are unwilling to put themselves to the trouble in the triall of them But I passe this We have done with the first ground why men are carried away with errours and that is weaknesse 1. Weakenesse of understanding 2. Want of stability 3. Too much credulity and I have given you the severall grounds of these also We come now to the second generall ground why men are carried away with errour The second ground and that is wickednesse A
second ground men are carried away with errour the first was incident to the godly this is proper to the wicked only A godly man may entertaine an errour out of weaknesse of head but not out of wickednesse of heart A godly man he entertaines an errour with honest affections and to honest ends and a wicked man entertains a truth with corrupt affections and for corrupt ends He is carried naturally to errour he is nothing else but darknesse and errour but he goes not to truth without a byasse To that which is evil he hath a naturall motion a principle within carries him but to that which is good he is mooved by weights either feares or hopes Naked evil he can close withall but truth must have a baite else he hath no heart to it Godlinesse is no gaine he thinks uâ—lesse he can make a gaine by godlinesse as he will forsake truth to preserve his estate so he will entertaine errour to gaine an estate men will make all serviceable to that which is their God Mammon is his God and therefore all is serviceable to that he will either wave truth or embrace errour upon this ground to advantage himselfe We say all other desires they are serviceable to the great desire Caeterae cupiditates ingenti cupiditati subservient what ever is a mans master-desire all the rest are servants to it as all other lusts they are serviceable to the master-lust c. Now Mammon the world is his master-desire and therefore all other vailes to it and serves it To be short he is a man who mooves not out of himselfe selfe is the spring and principle and selfe is the end of all his motions When he receives a truth he will aske what it can doe for him before he bid it welcome and so when he entertaines an errour here is the difference some truths he will not receive upon any termes and those he doth entertaine they shall bid high and offer largely before they shall be welcome but now errour shall be entertained at low rates even at any hand he will not stick with it it is his friend his flesh and bloud Corrupt men they seldome scruple errours but they scruple entertainment of truth I have heard some to scruple to goe to prayers in their family and they say Where have we a word for it its superstition and will-worship and yet they have never scurpled to drinke to bezzle Some who never scrupled to sweare oathes enough but yet scruple a religious oath The Jews scrupled not to murther Christ but scrupled to have him hang on the crosse because of the preparation to the Sabbath Mens scruples of conscience are oftentimes the punishment of their loosenesse of conscience I shall proceed no farther upon this It would be endlesse to set down the many grounds which corrupt hearts have for the entertainment of errour And because I have spoken already much to this purpose upon a former inquiry I shall therfore shut up this and come to the next question propounded which is the fourth generall laid downe Quest. 4. Who those are that are in danger to be carried away and led aside with errour Before I come to give a full answer to this we will premise three or foure things which may be serviceable to the more cleere and distinct answer 1. There is no man can plead immunity from all kinde of errours there is not a man but is in danger to be led aside with some errour or other as we say of sin â—in atham asher lo jechate there is no man which sins not so we may of errour there is no man who errs not There is no man on earth who hath an unerring priviledge an unerring spirit no not all men on earth together not Fathers Synods Counsells but are subject to errour as is confessed by all and largely proved against the Papists that is the first that no man can pleade an immunity and freedom from any kinde of errour Nemo sine crimine nemo sine errore are alike 2. That even the best men are subject to the worst of errours I say the best men on earth are subject to the worst of errours Subject I say what 's that that is they are incident to them they are liable to them that 's something as our bodies are incident to all sicknesse so our soules to all sin and errour too But that is not all to be subject to errour is not only to be incident to it but be inclinable and that 's more A man may be incident to many sicknesses which yet he is not inclinable unto inclinablenesse doth not only imply a passive capacity in the subject but a prepared disposition As in hard wax there is a passive capacity but in soft wax there is a prepared disposition to receive the impression of the seale And in saying the best of men are in themselves subject to the worst of errours I do not only meane they are incident but inclinable they have not only a passive capacity to be corrupted but they have a prepared disposition as to sin in practice so to errour in judgement yet this inclinablenesse is not alike in all it is capable of degrees not as it is by nature for so all are equally corrupted but as some have improved their corruptions more then other some are more inclinable and some to one errour more then another 3. That though none can pleade immunity from all kinde of errours nay though the best of men may be subject to the worst of errours in themselves yet are the Saints secured from such kinde of errours by the grace of Christ though they are subject to all yet they are secured from some I say by the grace of Christ I have formerly told you from that 1 Cor. 3.10 that there was foundation-truths and building-truths so there are foundation-errours and building-errours damning and defiling errours all errours are defiling but all are not damning all are dangerous but all are not destructive Though the godly are incident to defiling yet Christ hath secured them from damning errours though they may be carried away for a time with sinfull and dangerous errours yet hath Christ fenced them from destructive and undoing errours And this I conceive expressed in these two places Joh. 10.4 5. The sheepe follow him for thâ—y know his voice but a stranger they will not follow for they know not the voice of a stranger This place by all Interpreters is taken for following Christ in doctrinall truths and it must be meant of necessary or fundamentall not of accessary and building-truths It must be meant of such doctrinall points as are essentiall to salvation and the being of godlinesse not to such which are lesse necessary and are only of the welbeing of a Christian for if you looke there even the sheep of Christ have followed the voice of a stranger embraced errour instead of truth as I could instance in all ages which hath arisen
Transubstantiated in the Sacrament I might adde to this the Councel of Trent and others And therefore seeing that all Doctrines are not free from dâ—ubts which are established by Councels nay seeing that Councels themselves may erre therefore these commands of Christ Take heed of being deceived and those of the Apostle Prove and try all things are of use and requisite to the examination and tryall of the results of Councels and Synods themselves They that prescribe things are but men and therefore not infallible they may erre and we that receive them we are men too and therefore are to receive them as men that is rationally not precipitantly deliberately not rashly a Omnis homo dimittens rationem propter authoritatem humanam incidit in insipientiam best ialem Dur. That man that puts off reason for humane authority fals into beastly folly b Nullius puri hominis authoritatem rationi praeserrimus We preferre no authority of pure man before reason so that as we are men we are to receive doctrines and that 's rationally but yet more we are not onely men but Christian men and therefore are to receive doctrines as Christians having a light of the Word added to the light of reason whereby we may be able to examine those things which are prescribed And that shall suffice for the first argument Arg. 2. Why Christians are to examine the doctrins and definitions of men Because God hath furnished Christians with abilities for such a work I will name three 1. They have light as men 2. They have light as Christians 3. They have a faculty whereby they are able to reflect and upon reflection to discern of things that differ 1. God hath furrished them with light as men he hath given them a reasonable soul an understanding faculty which was therefore set up and created of God to enquire and finde out saving truth and every mans understanding doth owe this operation to God to take pains in the search and examination of the minde of God And certainly it is a great fault in those who out of sloth and sluggishnes doe adhere to the dictates and opinions of others because they would not be troubled with the pains of a scrutiny and examination whether the things commanded be agreeable to the Word of God yea or no. 2. God hath furnished them with light and abilities as Christians he hath not only given a naturall but a spirituall and supernaturall light whereby we are made able to enquire into the truths of God It is the opinion of our learned Divines against the Popish tenent of implicite faith and blinde obedience * Quod singuli fideles habent adeò tale donum illuminationis quod eos reddit sufficientes idoneos ad examinandum dijudicandum discernendum in dogmatibus fidei quod verum quod salsum quatenus sunt unicuique eorum ad salutem necessariò credenda vel cavenda Daven de jud fidei That all and every believer hath of God such a gift of illumination that renders them sufficient and fit to examine judge and discern of the doctrines of faith what are true and what are false so farre as they are needfull to salvation to be embraced or rejected And there is enough in the Word to prove it Isa 45.13 And all thy children shall be taught of the Lord. Christ speaketh the same Joh. 6.45 Joh. 7.17 If any man will doe my will he shall know my doctrine Psal 25.14 The secrets of the Lord are with them that fear him and he will shew them his Covenant Consul Whitak cont 1. q. 5. c. 8. arg 4. Matth. 13.11 To you it is given to know the mysteries of the Kingdom of God c. Joh. 10.4 5. My sheep hear my voice and know it but they know not the voice of a stranger 1 Cor. 2.14 15. The carnall man discerneth not the things of God c. but he that is spirituall judgeth all things and he himself is judged of no man Ephes 5.8 Ye were once darknesse now light in the Lord. All which doe evidently and clearly prove that God hath given to believers a sufficient light and illumination whereby they are able to discern of things that differ and are able to examine and to try whether doctrines propounded if necessary to salvation are of God yea or no. 3. God hath given them a faculty to reflect and upon reflection to know things that differ And not to use it to examine all things to finde out truth and to discover errours to judge false teachers to know the minde of Christ the voice of our shepherd what is it but to hide our talent in a napkin to bury up those abilities that God hath given us and to be unserviceable by them This is a second reason why we are to examine the doctrines of men because God hath given us abilities for the doing of it we have a naturall light as men and we have a supernaturall light as we are Christians and we have a faculty whereby we may make use of this and by comparing and bringing things to the rule may be able to discern of things that differ If indeed there were no more required then to embrace and receive what ever were tendered without any further tryall or examination of it there were no need of all this there were no need of the understanding of Christians nay indeed of the understanding of men As one saith to this purpose to receive all and swallow all offer'd * NoÌ„ est opus viriliâ— intelligentiae sed pucritis inscitiae there is no need of the understanding of a man but of the simplicitie of a childe Infants doe swallow what ever the Nurse puts into the mouth but men examine whether that which they eat be wholsome yea or no now if you will swallow what ever is offer'd and not examine it what needs the understanding of men the simplicity of children will serve for that And so much in brief for the second reason Arg. 3 Either we are to try and examine what ever Doctrines are prescribed and imposed or we are to receive what ever is imposed or reject what ever is imposed without examination But this we are not to doe 1. Not to reject without examination for so we may reject truth in stead of errour 2. Nor to receive what ever is imposed 1. For if we were to receive what were imposed without tryall then should we make men masters of our faith but that we ought not to doe as I shall shew hereafter Ergo. 2. Again if we are to submit to what is imposed without tryall and examination then would not God charge us with sinne if we believed any errour or heresie provided it were imposed or prescribed by them to whom it was our duty to submit without tryall or examination The ground is this because none ought to be blamed who have done their duty who have obeyed Gods ordination or Gods
order and therefore the Papists say that if their Prelates are deceived the people ought to erre with them Populi vi regiminis und errare posse imo debere rather then dissent from them and they say it upon this ground because that men are bound to receive and embrace for truth what ever is prescribed by them and if so if it be their duty then though they embrace errour yet they cannot be justly charged because they did but their duty So that I say if it were mans duty to receive all without examination or search then would not God charge them with sinne who received errour from them in authority But God doth charge them Luke 6. If the blinde doe lead the blinde they shall both fall into the ditch So Lam. 2.14 The Prophets have seen vain and foolish things for thee and have seen false burthens and causes of banishment And therefore we are exhorted to beware of such Jer. 23.16 Hearken not to the words of the Prophets that prophesie unto you they make you vain they speak a vision of their own heart and not out of the mouth of the Lord. And upon this ground you have it so often in the new Testament Beware of false teachers beware of the concision beware of such who doe come in Lambes clothing but within are ravening wolves Parisiensis hath a strange passage a Si seductor sub praetextu veri doctoris simplici alicui indoctâ— errorem aliquem impietatis praedicet Deus cor ejus avertet ne illi credat nisi hâ—c vel negligentia ejus vel alia culpa impediat Paris de legib cap. 21. If some seducer should come under the pretext of a true and orthodox Preacher and should preach some wicked errour to some simple and unlearned men God saith he would turn the heart of his people from believing his doctrine unlesse their negligence or some other fault of theirs were the obstacle and hinderance of it And Augustine hath a passage like it b NemineÌ„ excusatuÌ„ iri si seducatur per verba homlâ—um quia vocem ipsius Christi in sacris Scripturis audiri debuit August There is no man saith he that is to be excused if he be seduced by man to errour because saith he he ought to have heard the voice of Christ in the Scriptures c Nemo mihi dicat ô quid dixit Donatus quid Pontius c quia nec catholicis episcopis consent endum est sicuti fortè fallantur ut contra canonicas Dei Scripturas aliquid sentiant August de unit ecclesiae cap 20. No man shall say to me What said Donatus or what saith Pontius or Parmenianus or any mortall man there is no believing of the greatest Councels of the world because it is possible they may erre and deviate from the Word of God c. So much for the third Argument Why we are to examine all doctrins and that is in respect of Arg. 4 the facility of being deceived and the danger of seduction in things that concern our souls 1. The facility of being deceived if we doe not examine doctrines most men that are carryed away they are drawne aside for want of examination It may be they examine the quality of the doctors not of the doctrine they looke upon men and see them men of great parts and learning men of holy life and conversation men perhaps that know much of Gods minde and thereupon they swallow all that they offer they embrace all that they tender Consul Misner pag. 657. c. and never examine whether the things they hold forth be conformable to the Word of God Why the learnedst men the most knowing men the most holy men may be deceivers may leade thee away with an errour and therefore seeing such facility of deceit there is great need of examination Ne dum Evangelium sitiant venenum hauriant Lest while they thirst after the Gospell they drinke poyson lest while truth is their thirst errour may be their drinke 2. The danger of seduction what a sad and fearefull thing it is to be carried away with an errour to build hay and stubble upon a good foundation as the Apostle saith 1 Cor. 3.12 13. It is dangerous to thy selfe dangerous to thy family dangerous to thy posterity it may be dangerous to thy soule too and therefore certainly there should be all care had before you doe entertaine or embrace doctrine Christians are not lightly to receive any thing that concernes faith and salvation they had need to try it and examine it over and over we are not to reject an errour ignorantly but rationally nor are you to embrace a truth till you have debated and examined it whether it be a truth or no an opinion perhaps may cost you your liberty your estate your lives and I would be loth to buy an errour so deare A man would be willing that it should be truth that a man should do so much for he had need to be assured of that and therefore there is great necessity now if ever that we should examine what is truth and not to take all is brought to us but to see whether it be agreable to the Word of God yea or no. Isa 8.20 To the law and to the testimonies if they speake not according to this word it is because there is no light in them Arg. 5 If we are to receive all that is presented without examination and search whether the things prescribed are agreeable to the Word of God then have men dominion over our faith then should we make men Lords and Masters of our faith But no man ought to have dominion over our faith 2 Cor. 1.11 It is that you see the Apostle doth abhominate there we have not dominion over your faith And it is that which Christ speakes against Matth. 23.8 call no man father and call no man master upon earth vers 10. Indeed we are commanded to be obedient to man Ephes 6.8 Servants be obedient to your masters according to the flesh and yet we are commanded againe not to be servants unto men 1 Cor. 7.23 The meaning is evident if you consider with me there are two-fold masters 1. Masters according to the flesh and masters according to the spirit We are to be obedient to Masters according to the flesh so farre as appertaines to the outward man in all outward things But of our soules and consciences as we have no Fathers Oportet nos ex ea parte quae ad hanc vitaÌ„ pertinet subditos esse potestatibus ex illa vero parte qua credimus Deo in regnum ejus vocamur non oportet nos esse subditos cuiquam homini Aug. so we have no Masters upon earth onely our Master and Father which is in Heaven And in this sense Christ speakes when he doth say Call no man Master and no man Father upon earth that is acknowledge none your supre me Master neither
doctrine or worship that certainly is the rule But to the Word doth God demit us and with the Word we are to consult in all controversies of faith we I say not only private men but Synods Councels and therefore certainly this is the rule whereby opinions ought to be tried c. I will but adde one Argument more Arg. 5. That which is the supreme Judge of controversies and opinions is sure the rule by which we are to try opinions * Davenâ— de jud nor 65. p. Vid. Whit. cont 1. q 5. cap. 8. per â—otum But the Scripture is the supreme Judge of controversies 1. It is full of wisdome and able to judge It is called the Word of wisdome 2. It is full of truth infallibly true It is called the Word of truth 3. It is full of power it is the authority of heaven thus saith the Lord and this authority Mencâ—â—h all disputes this puts an end to all controversies 4. It is the great Law-giver that which gives out all truths to be believed and all commands to be obeyed It hath alone supreme authority to constitute doctrine of faith and worship and therefore supreme authority of determining interpreting and resolving doubts which arise from them nay and God was infinitely wise to fore-see all errours and all doubts that might arise or that should arise and hath furnished the Scriptures with sufficiency to determine to convince to condemn appearing errours Consul Whitak cont 1 q. 5. c. 8. arg 10 1â— c. Quasi nos manâ—averimus taÌ„tâ— ante Prophetis Apostolis ut in libris suis nullâ— testimonia ponereâ—t quibus pars Donati ecclesia Christi esse doceatur Reynolds Confer c. 8 div 1. p. 461 462. It is one reason why our Divines say that no man nor coetus mortalium no company of men Synods Councels that can be supreme Judges of opinions because they are not able to fore-see what errours and doubts may arise yea and even out of their own determinations they determin of things only pro re natâ those doubts and controversies which doe arise in their time but cannot fore-see what may arise afterward but now God he fore-sees all he knew all that would arise and did furnish the Scriptures with sufficiency to determine of all doubts and to resolve of all truths necessary for our salvation I remember a passage to this purpose which learned Reynolds doth produce out of Augustine in his conference with Hart it is this St Augustine making mention how the Donatists hated him for preaching of the truth and confuting their heresie as though saith he we had commanded the Prophets and Apostles who were so long before us that they in their books should set down no testimonies whereby the Donatists might be proved to be the Church of Christ 5. It is that at which we are to enquire and with which we are to * Vbicunque locus ad disputandum constitutus fuerit saciaâ—â—s codices Canonicos praesto esse si quae proferâ—â— possunt ex utraque parte documentâ— post positis caeteâ—is â—â—mâ—â—â—tâ—â— ad inquisitâ—â—â—â— terminum perducamus Aâ—gust consult in all doctrines of faith and worship and not only we but Councels Synods they are to goe to the Word and to the testimonies and their judgment no further valid then as it is founded upon the sure foundation the Word of God And therefore it must needs be the supreme Judge Au â—â—antur deâ—â—eâ—io chartae nostrae proceâ—a in mediuâ— coâ—ex Dei audi Christum dicentem â—uâ—i veritatem â—oquenteâ— Aâ—g and by consequent the only rule whereat we are to enquire in all points of faith and worship Abundance more might be said of this point It is the great controversie which our great Champions have combated with the Papists in and the great truth which they held out in their generations Whitaker Reynolds Davenant in whom you may see more at large And it was not new to them it hath been the constant tenent of all the learned in all ages of the Church a Nolo argumento credas nostrae disputationi Scripturas interrogemus Apostolos interrogemus Prophetas interrogemus Christum interrogemus Amb. Doe not believe the argument and our dispute but let us search the Scriptures enquire of the Apostles aske of the Prophets enquire of Christ let them determine b Non adeo perdite confidens sum ut aufim aliquid affirmare quod sacrae Scriptura silentio praeterit Ego in sola divina Scriptura acquiesco Theod. Theod. I am not so desperately confident that I dare affirm any thing which the holy Scriptures have passed with silence I rest onely in the Word of God It is a devillish spirit to thinke any thing divine which is out of the authority of Scripture We will now come having setled the truth upon the Scripture to answer some Objections one or two only Object 1. That which doth receive divers senses and interpretations cannot be the rule whereby we should judge of opinions but the Scripture doth receive divers senses yea and it self is not able to tell which is the right and therefore it is not the supreme Rule and judge of opinions Answ * Scriptura non varios incertos sensus recipit Ex conditione rei affirmatae aut ex intentione affirmantis sed ex inscitia aut pertinacia detorquentis Daven The divers senses the Scripture receives is not from the minde of the Inditer but from the ignorance of the enquirers nor from the things affirmed but from the darknesse or perversenesse of the searchers I say it is not because the Spirit of God did give the Word ambiguously and doubtfully nor because the things affirmed are dark and doubtfull Consul Whitak Contr. 1. q. 5 c. 7. but because we are ignorant or slothfull or else perverse and wilfull Because the Rule may be bended the Scriptures wrested shall we therefore deny them to be a Rule to be the Scriptures some pervert the Scriptures saith Peter 2 Pet. 3.16 to their owne destruction and yet we know they are the word of life to Salvation The divers senses of Scripture do arise either from our ignorance or our perversenes or our corrupt affections oâ— our sloth that we doe not enquire and search we doe not compare Scripture with Scripture but it doth not arise from the minde and intention of the spirit nor from the nature of the things that are affirmed in it The ambiguity of Scripture * Non infringit judiciariam Scripturae authoritatem sed ostendit necessitatem spiâ—â—tus ilâ—inâ—ntis Daâ— Dicimus verbuÌ„ Dei non â—â—â—ilâ—ere judiciariaÌ„ authoritateÌ„ quia hoâ—â—â—â—nes ineâ—â—o re demeâ—si non sâ—mper inteâ—â—igâ—nt contrasâ—â— judicatum ess◠〈…〉 NoÌ„ liquidâ— percipiunt 〈◊〉 se daâ—â—â—tos â—â—encsententia verbidivâ—â—ni doâ—â—ec câ—ram Christo judice in novissimore statâ—â—niur aperâ—o libro câ—â—â—â—â—â—ertur Daâ—â—â—â—â— It doth not infringe the authority of the
I may say as another If any of our Predecessours failed out of ignorance or imperfection of knowledge God will pardon that but we that are warned and taught we may suspect that indulgence for us It is that which Jewel hath out of Hillar against the wilfull in his time m Illu in eo quod nesâ—â—unt potest adhuc in tuto esse salus fieredant ribi vero jam omnia aâ—saturem câ—auâ—a suÌ„t que negas quoâ—â—am ignorare non potes Hil. Men may be saved though they hold many errours of ignorance but all waies of life are shut up to thee who denies that which thou cannot be ignorant of unless you will wilfully shut your eyes Chrysostom hath a good expression for it n Qui in luce peccat impudentior est ex suribus enim leges eos gravius puniunt qui interdiu surantur Chrys in â—â—al â— Those are the boldest sinners who will sin in the times of light the Laws doe ever punish those theeves worst that steal in the day and of all sinners those shall have most stripes that sin in the light and oppose the light Certainly those of our Predecessours that have gone before us were learned and holy men in their generation yet as the Apostle saith of himself I may say of any age in the world we know but in part And what Solomon saith of persons I may say of things Prov. 4.18 The path of the just is as the shining light that shineth more and more unto the perfect day There is no age is so excellent but after ages have excelled them o Non ita leviter de Scriptoribus recentioribus â—entiendum quasi Patribus praeponendi non essent Neque adeò de Patribus magnificè censendum quasi Neoâ—ericis post ponendi non vâ—derentur Consul Park de polit eccles lib. 2 cap 14. pag. 233 234 c. We are not to think saith one so lightly of modern and late Writers as if they were not in some things to be preferred before the Fathers nor to think so highly of the Fathers as if they were not short of them that come after them They were all famous in their generations The collection of Weemes upon Rev. 1.13 Consul etiaÌ„ Parker l. 2. c. 14 p. 234. I love not to make comparisons But yet Wickliffe Hus Jerome of Prage Whitaker c. come not short of any I have read an observation of one that Justin Martyr who lived in the second Century had more errours in one Tome then Augustine who lived in the fourth Century had in ten And there seems to be much in the Word to countenance fuller discoveries and clearer revelations of truths to after then former ages Some Divines have gathered it from the Girdle which under the Law was about their loyns now it is about the paps by which they thinke to be shadowed out the greater perfection of the after ages of the Church then the former Some think it to be shadowed forth in * Brightman in locum Quia Pellucidum ab omni humano fermento purum Cons Pâ—rk de polit eccles p. 235 c. Bright in Apoc. 14. c. 14.2 6. c. 15.2 5. c. Park de polit eccle l. 2. c. 14 per totum Revel 14.2 where they say the doctrine of the fathers for the indistinct sound is compared to the noise of many waters which doth strike the ear with an unprofitable sound But the doctrine of the later Writers Revel 14.2 3. to the voice of harps and the harps of God that is the most excellent Rev. 15.2 3. Some again would have it shadowed out by the sea of glasse like crystall Revel 4 6. Revel 15.2 under which say they is shadowed the clearnesse of the worship of God from humane corruptions which shall be in the latter daies for the times wherein the Fathers lived which were in the third and fourth Century chiefly The sea was not then of glasse but it was terrene and bloudy as it is set forth in Revel 8.8 and that by reason of the mountain cast into the sea which was the mountain of Episcopacie and Patriark-ship Much more might be said of it but I shall referre my Reader to the Authours in the margin And thus much shall serve for the first Question and also for the second My admonition to you is this that when you plead antiquitie or ancientnesse of custom take heed of taking mens customs for Gods commands or adhering to mens practices without the prescriptions of God That is not truly ancient which men have long practised but that is true antiquity which God hath prescribed if custom though it be never so ancient be without prescription from God it is but old errour and to be abolished And for the second viz. the Novelty of doctrin my admonition is that you would distinguish between those things which are new in respect of being and such things as are new in respect of observation things may be new to you and yet not new in themselves Take heed of rejecting any doctrine meerly under the notion of new you may so reject truth as well as errour It may be the doctrine is not new in it self though new to you Against this rock many have split themselves wilfully shutting their eyes against the discoveries of their times under the pretence of novelty The most precious truths that are have been in their generations looked upon as new there is nothing which you hold different from Poperie but in their generation when first they were revealed and manifested they have been looked upon and rejected for novelties If your spirits had lived in the times of Luther and Calvin they would have rejected all those things which they discovered under the same notion which you reject truth in these daies though indeed there was nothing which they held was new in respect of being but only new in respect of observation nay there was nothing in which Luther dissented from Popery but it was condemned in all Councels which were before that Antichristian Councel or conventicle of Trent when surely God sealed to the bill of divorce against them But I have done with the first and second Question there are many more which we shall now speak unto in their order The third is this Qu. Whether it be not a sufficient character to evidence an opinion to be erroneous the wickednes of them that maintain it Answ It is with most men that they take up their judgement of an opinion not from the precepts of God but from the practices of those men who are the Authours and receivers the maintainers and entertainers of it if they see a man to walk holily and unblameably in his life and conversation though this a man may doe and yet not be holy in heart and affection they presently conclude that all that comes from such men is truth and hereupon are ready to swallow and entertain as truth without any further debate
what ever comes from them On the contrary if they see mens practices are irregular they presently conclude their judgement is irregular too and that is a false light which carries a man into by-paths certainly say they true light would direct and steer men into paths of holinesse This is still concluded on That men of a bad life are certainly men of as ill a belief and sin in practice is a sure note of errour in judgement And there is great reason for such thoughts because if the things received were truth they would have a great influence into mens lives they would have a great command over mens practices and waies And if the light within them were not directive certainly it would be afflictive if it did not guide them it would scourge them and they could not be able to live in sinfull practices against such eminent convictions of light to the contrary and therefore they conclude such as is the practice such is the principle and that sinfull life is accompanied with as bad doctrine where men doe walk in darknesse and doe works of darknesse surely they are in darknesse there is no light in them It was the Fathers argument of Nero who was a wicked man a monster of men Certainly that is the truth which Nero persecutes And so doe we conclude certainly that is errour which these men countenance and truth which they oppose those are errours in judgement which are accompanied with such sins in life and that judgement cannot but be erroneous where the life is so enormious Thus it is with most men they take up the judgement of things by mans practices not by Gods precepts by mens walking not by Gods rules and indeed the lives and practices of men are great obstacles and stumbling blocks to the entertainment of truth if bad and as great advantages to errour if unblameable And to speak truth these are probable grounds of truth and errour but they are not infallible evidences I say they are probable grounds The end of all truth is to reform our lives to transform our hearts And the power of truth doth enable men to live holily It doth not only teach us to doe so Tit. 2.11 12. The grace of God hath appeared teaching us to deny ungodlinesse and worldly lusts But it doth inable us to doe so it is called a sanctifying truth Joh. 17.17 Sanctifie them with thy truth So that certainly it is a probable signe where men are sinfull in their lives they are erroneous in their judgements too But yet it is not an infallible evidence It 's possible to be erroneous in judgement and yet unblameable in conversation The Pharisees they were unblameable in their conversation who could charge them you may reade how he vaunts himself over the poor Publican Luk. 18.11 But yet you know he was erroneous in his judgement The like I may say of Arius of Arminius they were said to be men unblameable in their lives but yet fearfull erroneous in their judgements one denying the deity of Christ and the other denying the grace of Christ under the pretence of extending it to all they overthrow the nature of it and give it to none And are not many of the Papists also strict and unblameable in their lives as who more strict then they who look for justification and salvation by what they doe you shall have more charitable works from those who look to purchase heaven by them or those who thinke by them to perswade with God and to procure Gods favour to them I speak it not without sorrow then from those who yet have the affection of charity and only look for and are assured of their salvation by Christ alone Men doe not work so freely from ingagement as to ingage not from sense of mercy and thankefulnesse for it as to procure mercy and ingage God to them but this by the way Now to return I say some of the most devout of the Papists are strict and unblameable in their lives yet are they erroneous in their judgements so that you see it is possible to be erroneous in judgement and yet unblameable in life and conversation with men And again I say it is possible to be right in judgement and yet naught in life all convinced men are not converted men all that are sound in judgement in the main things are not holy of life their passions and corrupt and sinfull affections blinde their judgements in this or that particular act or may over-power their judgements and sway and carry them in those waies which their own light and conscience condemns them in And these are those which we call sinners against conscience against light of which sort are most of they who live in the Church of God They are men self-condemned their consciences and light within them tels them they doe wickedly and sinfully but yet their passions and corrupt affections carry them on violently in those waies of sin But now such men are right in judgement only by the power of argument the evidence of reason not by the demonstration of the spirit that light they have of truth it is but a common not a saving not a sanctifying light it is but a generall not a spirituall powerfull transforming and changing light The Toad though the whole body be poyson yet they say it hath a pearl in its head it serves thus farre for our turn it is one of the best pearls ever was found in it though men may have poysonous hearts and are of corrupt lives yet may they be for a time right in judgement in main things I say 1. For a time And 2. In main things with those two restrictions it may hold 1. For a time for it will not be long either the light will overcome sin in life or the sinfull life will darken and obscure the light God saith so 2 Thess 2.10 11. They who receive the truth and not with love of it they shall be given up to strong delusions to believe lies c. And because we know not when God may leave such men and give them up to blindenesse of minde to strong delusions and to their hearts lusts therefore is it not safe to receive knowledge or rather doctrine from their lips 2. The second restriction is in main things for a time they may be right in their judgements in main things that is in generall and common things which are of universall reception and have universall consent of which things either by education or by industry and art and diligence they have gotten and acquired the light and knowledge of God reveals no secrets to them those he reserves to impart to his friends he tels us The secrets of the Lord are with them that fear him Psal 25.14 And Christ tels his Disciples Henceforth I call you not servants but friends And upon this ground Because what ever I have heard of the Father I have made known to you Joh. 15.15 Joh. 15.15 Others have
the minde of God nor doe I reject the minde of God because such reveal it I look not to hear all truth from them The secrets of the Lord are alone with them who fear him nor shall I hear of many sincerely made known and those which are revealed I take them not as theirs but Gods and close with them not because they reveal them but because God hath revealed them I doubt not but men of corrupt hearts and lives may publish many truths though they know few as they ought the truths they publish are generall God doth impart no secrets to them they know nothing of the workings of God and the grounds of publishing them they are for pride and ostentation the end that by this work they might have their gain they walk in this way as you doe in your trade with mercenary spirits not with holy and spirituall hearts And this I thought necessary to premise and now we come to the answer of the Question viz. Whether the loosnesse and wickednesse of the maintainers of an opinion be not a sufficient discovery that the opinion maintained is an errour And I answer though often times it is a probable ground yet it is not alwaies an infallible evidence To the infallible judgement of an errour by the lives and conversations of those that maintain it we are to observe â—â—ese rules Rule 1. See what agreement there is between his judgment Rule 1 and his practice between his opinion and his walking it may be there is a contradiction between his life and his judgement his judgement speaks one thing and his life another now if so you are not able to evidence his opinion to be an errour though his life be wicked But if on the contrary you see an agreement between his practice and principles between his life and opinion between his judgement and conversation then may we conclude it to be an errour that is certainly an errour that agrees with loose and sinfull walking Rule 2. If you would judge of mens doctrino by their sinfull Rule 2 practice see what influence his opinion hath to such practices if his opinion doth necessarily or by way of consequence lead to sinfulnesse of life it is certainly an erroneous opinion for example to take men off the performance of duty to cry down the Law as a rule of obedience it is an opinion that doth necessarily lead to libertinisme and sinfulnesse of life men that will be tyed to no Rule will ere long be under no command men that neglect the practice of holinesse will quickly fall into the practice of sin they who will not doe what they should doe will quickly doe that which they should not doe Rule 3 Rule 3. If you would judge of mens doctrines by their practices then see whether this be a personall failing of one in the way or an universall aberration of all in the way It is possible for men to fail and erre in a way of truth David was in a way of truth and yet had he many grosse failings It was the usuall argument that wicked men have had against the waies of God they have taken occasion by the sins of profession to fall upon profession it self the Apostle complains that men who lived scandalously were enemies to the crosse of Christ and caused the waies of God to be blasphemed Indeed many men have fallen and fallen foully but yet their way hath not countenanced but condemned them for it their judgement had no influence into their sinfull practice the doctrine is pure and holy and good and could have no influence into a sinfull life Nor hath their failings been universall but personall though some have fallen in the way yet God hath preserved others holy and made many of them who have fallen the better for their sins you are not to be led by practice but by precept not example but rule It is possible for some persons that hold such an opinion or doctrine to fail in it but when the corruption cleaves to all that walk in the way it is a dangerous Symptoms of the way to be erroneous Rule 4 Rule 4. If you would judge of an opinion by practice of men or of a doctrine to be erroneous by the loosnesse of the maintainers then see whether that loosnesse doe arise from the errour of their judgement or from the corruption of their affections see whether it doe arise from his opinion or from his corruptions whether from the unsoundnesse of his head or the unsoundnes of his heart There are many errours in life which yet have not their rise from errour in understanding but from corruption in the affection it may be the light within them doth judge and condemn such waies and them for them but yet they are over-powred by the violence and impetuousnesse of their lusts and corruptions which carries them head-long against all the checks of conscience and gain-saying of their understanding To conclude then this Question the wickednesse and loosnesse of those who are the maintainers of an opinion is enough to evidence an opinion to be erroneous 1. If there be an agreement between his judgement and practice between his opinion and walking but not if one contradict the other 2. If his opinion have an influence into such evil practices or by way of necessary consequence carries on to such waies 3. If those practices be universall of all that walk in it not if personall and particular 4. If his sinfull life be the issue of and flow from his corrupt judgement not if it arise from a corrupt heart And in these cases it will be easie to judge that the doctrine is erroneous And this shall satisfie for answer to this Question we come to the next Question Qu. 4. Whether the strictnesse and holinesse of those who are the maintainers and entertainers the publishers and receivers of an opinion be not enough to discover the opinion or doctrine to be a truth Before I come to the Answer I must tell you that this hath been the great Episcopall argument for their Diana a Ego nunquam credam Ambrosium AugustinuÌ„ reliquâ—sque sanctos patres Episcopatum tyrannicum gerere voluisse Sar. I can never believe saith one that Ambrose and Augustine and the rest of the holy Fathers would have taken upon them the office of a Bishop if it had not been lawfull b Absit longè à piis mentibus ut veterem ecclesiae formam ut tot summae pietatis eruditionis episcopos Athanasios Augustinos Chrysostomos Basilios Nazianzaenos accusare audeant tyrannidis cuÌ„ puritanis Scul Hier. Anac l. 10. c. 23 p. 65. Farre be it from me saith another to thinke that the ancient forme of the Church and so many godly and renowned men Bishops should be thought tyrannicall or that such holy and learned men should be in such an errour And it is that is pleaded in many things that now wax old and are wearing away the
holinesse of those who have been the Reformers and Institutours of such things And certainly it is a great advantage to an errour and prejudice to a truth the holinesse and loosnesse of those who are the maintainers and entertainers of it It is that which the Heathens alleadged against Christianity in the first times of the Gospel the sins of those who had received and made profession of it which the Apostle doth so often charge upon them that they caused the crosse of Christ and the Gospel of Christ to be blasphemed by their unworthy walking And it is that which the Turks doe say against the Christians at this day * â—cce quates suâ—t qui ChristuÌ„ colunt si bona discerent boni essent Christum legunt impâ—j sunt Christum oud â—nt inebriaÌ„tur Christum sequuntur iapiunt Sâ—l â—â—â—â— Behold the servants of the crucified God certainly if their way were truth their lives would not be so sinfull Insomuch that we may well say it is a great prejudice to the truth of God the disorderly walking of them that are the professours of it and it is a great advantage to an errour in the mindes of men the sanctity and holinesse of those who walk in it men are more led by practice then by rule by example then by argument by the eye then by the Word and this is their argument See their lives and by that you may judge of their opinions But we will come to the answer of the Question Whether the holinesse of those who are the publishers and receivers of an opinion be not a sufficient discovery that the opinion is a truth Before I answer give me leave in a word to distinguish of errour of truth and of holiness 1. There are fundamentall truths and building truths and so there is fundamentall and damning errours and dangerous and defiling errours all errours are not damning but all are dangerous and defiling 2. There is an appearing holinesse and a reall holinesse and so there is a religious strictnesse and a superstitious strictnesse one commanded of God the other taken up of man Now having laid down these two distinctions we will come to the answer and I will answer the Question in four Conclusions Concl. 1 Conclus 1. The appearing holinesse of those who hold an opinion is not enough to demonstrate it a truth A man may be in a dangerous I had like to have said damning errour and yet to the view of men appearingly holy Many men have put on a form of godlinesse and shew of holinesse till they have gotten strength and power enough to back them in their opinions and then they have discovered the venome of their spirits and let loose their spirits to those corrupt waies which their erroneous understandings did lead them to Arius as they write on him who yet held that damnable opinion against the Deity of Christ that Christ was not God he was a man in all appearance humble and holy insomuch that his holinesse drew many after him and those who received the opinion they were many of them of unblameable life and conversation but yet when they had gotten power on their side they acted their venome The like I might say of Nestorius Maniche c. And Arminius of late who in his time discovered much appearing holinesse and humility yet held dangerous errouâ—s It is the subtilty of Satan and the policy of the first promoters of opinions to difference themselves as much from others in life and conversation as they doe in judgâ—mâ—nt and opinion that so their errours might get more ground and finde better entertainment with others As the Pharisees made long prayers but it was to prey upon and devour widows houses they made the practice of holinesse but the cloak of their hypocrisie and the stalking horse to compasse their own ends So many doe walk in the waies of strictnesse but to set off their own wicked errours and advantage their opinions they know that an ill life will be disadvantagious to the receiving of their opinions and therefore put on a form of godlinesse but deny the power of it that they might the better advantage the reception of their errours But though some I say doe walk in a way of holines to set off those things which they know to be errours they put on a sheeps garment to deceive yet others though they be in an errour may apprehend it for a truth and with honest affections may walk holily to adorn their profession and make their doctrine more receptible in the hearts of others So that I say first the appearing holinesse and strictnesse of the maintainers and entertainers of an opinion is not enough to discover it a truth It is certain a man may be strict in an errour and yet a libertine in a truth though no truth doth make men libertines or countenance them in it yet some errours may make men strict strict I say not a religious strictnesse but a superstitious strictnesse strict not in observing the precepts of God but the traditions and prescriptions of men as the Pharisees were and many of the poor deluded Papists are And therefore no appearing strictnesse or holinesse can evidence an opinion to be truth I say appearing for you can goe no further you cannot difference between false and true between appearing and approved holinesse you know what Christ saith of them who justified themselves before men that is that walked unblameable before men That which is highly esteemed amongst men is an abomination in the sight of God Luk. 16.15 Luk. 16.15 Concl. 2 Conclus 2. That a reall and approved holinesse is a sure note that the errour which they hold is not a damning destroying errour I say though the holines of those men that maintain an opinion be not a sure note that the opinion they maintain is a truth yet it is a certain evidence that it is not an undoing and destructive errour Christ saith That the elect shall not be deceived Mat. 24.24 Mat. 24.24 that is though they may be carried aside with some sinfull yet they shall not be drawn away with undoing errours And we have all the harmony of Scripture for that he tels us That they who doe his will shall know his doctrine Joh. 6.45 Joh. 7.17 Joh. 10.4 5 that we shall all be taught of God that we shall hear his voice and shall not follow the voice of strangers and that we have received an anointing of the holy One wherby we know all things Al which places are to be understood of necessary truths not accessory of truths that are essentiall and fundamentall not circumstantiall and it proves fully to us that God will never give up his holy ones to undoing errours That 's the second answer that holinesse is a sure note that the opinions which they hold though an errour yet it is not a damning and destroying errour Concl. 3 Conclus 3. Reall holinesse in the maintainers and
those who have been judged to be unlearn'd have been in the truth and those who were the learned men of that age were in the errour In the times of Christ and his Apostles the Scribes and Pharisees and the learned Doctours of the Law they were in the errour as you know the Apostle asketh us in the 1 Cor. 1.20 1 Cor. 1.20 Where is the wise where is the Scribe where is the disputer of this world hath not God made foolish the wisdome of the world So in the 1 Cor. 6.7 8. 1 Cor 6.7 8. We speak the wisdome of God in a mystery which none of the Princes of this world knew speaking of the great Doctours of the Jews for had they known it they would not have crucified the Lord of glory So that if you look into those times the learned men were in an errour and on the contrary those who were judged unlearned though they were truly learned in the wisdom of God they were in the truth as you know And indeed in all ages of the Church as it hath been a great advantage unto errour the learning of those who have maintained it so it hath been a great obstacle and prejudice to the truth the unlearnednesse of the maintainers You see in the times of the Gospel it was that which they opposed against Christ Which of the Doctours believe in him And it was that which they had against the Apostles it 's said Act. 4.13 when they saw the boldnesse of Peter and John and perceived that they were unlearned they marvelled Nay they objected this against Christ himself who was the wisdom of the Father and whose humane nature was filled with all the wisdom of God For in him dwelt all the fulnesse of knowledge nay Col. 1.19 all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge as the Apostle Col. 2.3 Col. 2.3 Yet they said of him when they heard him to teach Joh. 7.15 Joh. 7.15 How knoweth this man letters having never learned They saw he was not brought up as others were in the Schools of the Prophets it might be he worked at his fathers trade till the time that he began his Ministery which was not till he was baptized about the 30th year of his age and they thought seeing he was never taught by man therefore he knew no letters they were ignorant that he had an invisible Tutour the Spirit of God as the Prophet tels us Isa 61.1 Isa 61.1 Isa 42.1 2 3. Isa 42.1 2 3. Isa 50.4 Isa 50.4 The Lord God hath given me the tongue of the learned that I should know how to speak But ignorant they were that he was the wisdom of God and all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge were hid in him they were in him God hath filled the humane nature with all these treasures but they were hid in him as the Apostle saith they were vailed and their eyes could not behold them as you see by them in this place So that you see as it hath been a great advantage to errour so hath it been a great prejudice to truth the learning or want of learning in the maintainers of it And I conceive the ground is this because most men of the world they are led by an implicit faith and believe as others doe and they are great admirers of learning and therefore give up their faith to those whom they apprehend to be learned men and walk by their light submit to their knowledge believe as they believe and there they rest without troubling of themselves any further Tutum est peccare authoribus istis Sic And one would think this a great deal of wisdom As one said of great persons so they say and in naturall wisdom it seems safe * Errare cum doctoribus istis to erre with such learned men why will men say if they know not what is the truth who should How can such poor men as we be able to judge of things so well as those who are the Doctors and Rabbies of the Church And so I finde most men ready to resolve their faith into the opinion of others and give up their judgements to those whom they doe apprehend to be learned they thinke that such must needs be in the truth but for others they apprehend them weak and illiterate and therefore doubtles they are in an errour Now to answer this Question which is of some weight that we may more distinctly proceed and more clearly come to the resolution of it I will in the first place give you the divers acceptations of learning in Scripture and tell you how it may be taken 1. Sometimes I finde it taken in a good sense sometimes in a bad It is taken for truth The knowledge of him who is truth it self Ephes 5.20 Eph. 5.20 And once we read it is taken for errour or erroneous doctrine Rev. 2.24 Rev. 2.24 where St John speaks of the doctrine of Jezabel who had taught that men might eat things sacrificed to Idols and commit fornication without sin as many as have not this doctrine or this learning 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 as the words may be read As many as have not this learning that is this errour or as many as are not carried away with this erroneous doctrine they are all the same But 2. Sometimes we read that learning is taken Divinely Humanely We begin with the first 1. Sometime learning is taken humanely and so sometimes Strictly Largely 1. Strictly and that 1. Either for the knowledge of tongues and so I conceive it is taken 1 Cor. 14.16 1 Cor. 14.16 where the Apostle speaking of the knowledge of tongues which was a miraculous gift and accompanied the first times of the Gospel first given to the Apostles that the Apostles might be able to speak to all men in their own languages as you see in Act. 2. beg Act. 2. beg yet continued for certain time in the Church as you see it there 1 Cor. 14. this the Apostle cals learning and saith when the Church is met together and all speak with tongues and there come in those that are unlearned or unbelievers will they not say that you are madd Where by unlearned in that place he means such as have not the knowledge of tongues and therefore understood not what they spake which I call humane knowledge though at this time divinely given 2. Sometimes learning is taken for the knowledge of Arts and Sciences Act. 7.22 Act. 7 22. And Moses was learned in all the learning of the Egyptians and was mighty in words and deeds And in this sense it is probable they spake when they said the Disciples were unlearned Act. 4.13 Act. 7.13 that is they are not skild in the knowledge of the Arts and Sciences nor were they brought up in the Schools of the Prophets and so instructed as they were 2. Learning is taken largely for the improvement in all kindes
the Spirit it is an infallible character of truth But there are four other acceptations of learning which we shall speak unto 1. Learning taken for the knowledge of tongues 2. For knowledge in Arts and Sciences 3. As it is taken for that knowledge which is meerly acquisite in divine things 4. As it is taken for knowledge partly acquisite and partly infused Out of these distinctions we shall frame these answers 1. If by learning be meant the knowledge of tongues only as I told you it was taken in my first distinction of humane learning then I say that neither is that learning sufficient to evidence that a man is in the truth nor the want of it conclude a man to be in an errour Indeed that kinde of learning hath but little of man and reason in it even the least of man it is conversant rather about words than about reason it rather helps to judge of words then of matter it is little help to judge of errour or truth it judgeth more of words then things 2. If by learning be meant the knowledge in Arts and Sciences neither is this conclusive those that excelled most in this kinde of learning have been the greatest enemies against the truth all their knowledge hath been but the strengthnings to carnall reason the fortifications of corrupt reason to make it more strong to oppugne and oppose the truth When the Apostle came to Athens which was the eye of the world or the chief Magazine of the earth for this kinde of learning you see what strong opposition he found all their learning did but fortifie them against the truth which he published And when he preached to them of the resurrection they cry out What will this babler say they judged all but babling which gain-sayed their tenents And he tels you what entertainment the Gospel found among them 1 Cor. 1.23 24. 1 Cor. 1.23 24. We preach Christ crucified which to the Jews is a stumbling block and to the Greeks foolishnesse They looked upon this glorious mystery of the Gospel but a silly folly That 's the second 3. If by learning be meant meer acquisite knowledge in divine things or a knowledge gotten up meerly by conversing with Scripture with the writings of holy and learned men then I say again that neither the enjoyment of this will be conclusive that man is in the truth nor will the want of much of this evidence a man is in an errour I have known a man full read in all the writings of men that could better tell you another mans judgement then his own and when out of the abundance of his reading he hath set you down many severall opinions of Fathers and others concerning a point he hath at last concluded with the worst himself Besides there be many errours in the writings of the Fathers and so indeed in all humane writings and he that goes to others to â—ake up his knowledge of truth and wants light within him to distinguish of things that differ may sooner side with an errour then close with a truth Nay if he converse with Scripture and have not a light within him for want of that he may by mistakes run upon errour in steed of truth if the holiest men who have the light of the Spirit out of the imperfection of their light and knowledge may mistake then much more may he who hath no light in him he who though he have a rationall yet wants a spirituall light The Apostle tels us The carnall man is not able to understand the things of the Spirit of God because they are spiritually discerned 1 Cor. 2.14 1 Cor. 2.14 I know they distinguish between animalis homo homo non renatus between a carnall man and an unregerate man and say that though the carnall man is not able to discern of the things of the Spirit of God yet the unregenerate man may he hath common gifts light knowledge which puts a difference between him and a carnal man though they do not declare him a renewed a regenerate man But yet I say that if we respect the kindes of knowledge neither the carnall nor the unregenerate man can understand the things of the Spirit of God and the Apostles ground shall be mine because they are spiritually discerned which is as much as this because he is not spirituall because he wants an eye from above because he hath no light that is adaequate proportionable to the things revealed they doe exceed captum humanum mans reason and apprehension they are depths above his line to fathom there is a sublimity in the object and a debility in the subject he wants an eye as the naturall eye must enable you to discern of naturall things so a spirituall eye must enable you to discern of spirituall things he may talk of them and dispute of them and have rationall apprehensions of them but no spirituall and divine discoveries of them to his soul he sees them but by the light of the Starrs not by the light of the Sun he sees them by a rationall conception as a man but not by the spirituall notion of them as a Christian As the Apostle shews afterward when he tels you That God hath revealed these things to us by his Spirit such things as eye hath not seen c. that is no naturall eye could apprehend nor any eye which is not enlightned by the light of Christ and the reason why they perceived them was because they had a spirituall eye nay the minde of Christ as in the last verse And so much for the third 4. If by learning be meant such knowledge as is in godly men or if you will so put it up to the utmost such knowledge as is not only in the ordinary ranke of godly men but such as is in those who doe excell and have improved their knowledge by industry by reading and have heightened and refined their intellectuals by the best and choicest helps afforded to man Yet I say though this be a probable signe that the opinion which such men hold forth is a truth yet it cannot be a conclusive and infallible evidence the best of men and the most learned of men have their imperfections their blots their failings It may be said of the most knowing man in the world He knows but in part which though the Apostle spake of degrees and measures of the knowledge of good and truth in the Saints yet it may be meant in respect of the degrees of the knowledge of evil and errour in them also We know but in part I have read of a passage in Reynolds * Quanto ingenio Origines Tertullianâ—s quanta doctrina quam singulari eloquentia suerint omnes intelligunt adeo ut alter Graecorum alter Latinorum Princeps est habitus aâ—qui isti in errores multos inciderunt qui vero pertinaciter eorum sententias defenâ—eruÌ„t haeretici habiti suâ— Terâ—â—â—â—anistae Origenistae appellati Censur
Apoc praeâ—ect 4. Origen and Tertullian did greatly excell in learning insomuch that the one was esteemed the chief of the Greeks and the other of the Latines yet they fell into many errours and those who held their opinions were judged Heretikes and called Tertullianists and Origenists c. Yet in this I say thus much that so farre as they have learn'd of the Spirit so farre as their learning is implanted so farre it judgeth truly but that which is ours and the improvement of our knowledge by industry and diligence that improved knowledge is subject to errour and mistake The Father may leave his childe a good stock and well gotten but the childe may fail in his improvement of it his additions to it may be faulty The first stock is Gods and that is light in main things he gives his people an unerring an infallible light in essentiall and fundamentall truths or truths necessary to salvation but now the improvement of this stock is ours the additions and accretions to it in accessory and circumstantiall truths and herein we are subject to fail and erre Thus I have answered this Question Whether it be not enough to discover an opinion to be a truth that it is maintained and upheld by learned men c. But least you may think I have been too abstruse that I may speak plain to all take in these three things Learning then I say cannot be a conclusive evidence of truth 1. Because all learned men are not gracious men 2. Because learning without grace is but the forge of errour such men they are for the most part self-conceited part-proud and the pride of the head is a dangerous engine for errour 3. The most learned and the most gracious men may erre as I shewed before I see this spirit in many men that they are great admirers of learning indeed some give too little to it as well as others too much to it some wildly crie down all learning as if it were a prejudice and utterly disserviceable to the finding out of truth in divine things Indeed learning without grace is a forge for errour and an engine against the truth but if you take learning only as we speak it for the improvement of holy reason by the helps of Arts of Sciences tongues and the writings of men there is no Question to be made of it but that learning viz. holy reason thus improved is a great a mighty advantage to the finding out the minde of God and the want of this is the cause why men run headlong into many errours and for ought I see to the contrary that place of St Peter 2 Pet. 3.16 2 Pet. 3.16 where the Apostle speaks of some things hard and difficult in Pauls Epistles Which unlearned and unstable men doe wrest as they doe other Scriptures to their own perdition I say for ought I see to the contrary unlearned in that place may be taken in this latitude which I speak though it 's true those who have not this learning if they have this inward teaching shall never wrest Scriptures to their perdition they shall never erre and continue to erre damnably yet may they erre dangerously And we see this to be true in every daies experience the knowledge of divine things is exceedingly increased Pâ—â—ker de polâ—t ecclâ—â— 2. c 18 p 244. the hidden things of God are revealed truths revealed and confirmed errours discovered and condemned and the perusall of godly and learned men together with the study meditation and debate of things may much improve mens holy reason and strengthen men in the truths fence men against errour the want of which may render men lesse able to stand against the Sopâ—istries of men and more endanger men to be carried away with the stream of errour So that I would not be apprehended to speak against learning under that notion that is the use of any thing which might improve our holy reason and make us able to convince gain-sayers We have to deal with subtill Sophisters and there is need of the utmost of the improvement of reason in divine things But I speak against those who would give too much to it men are all in extreams Is there no middle between too much admiring of it and contemptuous despising of it though it doe not evidence where it is there is truth yet is it of no use to finde out truth Because gold is not good to eat is it not therefore good to buy meat So because learning is not truth is it not therefore serviceable to finde out truth Julian Indeed there are some give too little to it and there are some again which give too much Some that doe not give the least weight to it to cast the balance and others that are ready to resign up their faith and judgement to the learning of others if they see men of learning though they be not able to judge of it they are ready to resign up themselves and yeeld up look and key to them and let them take possession and have full dominion over their faith and consciences Most men are led by blinde obedience and implicite faith in divine things and seeing they will resigne up their understandings they act their reason thus farre that they will resigne up their judgements to those they apprehend most learned they will be of their opinions and of their judgements though they can say no more for it but that such a man saies so it is the opinion of such a learned man I tell you this is as blinde obedience as implicite faith as any is in Rome To conclude this Question there is both danger and folly in this too much admiration of learning 1. There is danger in it you are endangered to resigne up your judgement and faith to them which you are not to doe you are not to make any men the Masters of your faith you see how the Apostle abominaâ—â—d that when he saith 2 Cor. 7. We are not Masters of your faith but helpers of your joy You are not to give up your faith your conscience to the doctrines or opinions of men though the best the holiest the learnedst of men as I have shewed you at large 2. There is great folly in it 1. You are neither able to judge of learning 2. Nor is learning able to judge of truth If you will aske all the learned men in the world out of the Church they will tell you the Gospel is foolishnesse And if you will aske many of them in the Church there are many precious truths which they judge folly and the rest they receive them by tradition or as the received doctrine of the age they live in their knowledge in divine things it is gotten up by industry even as the knowledge in any Art or Science and it is but the improvement of their reason not the revelation of the Spirit If learning alone were a competent Judge of truth and errour and that
learned men were faithfull to their light and would not be byassed or corrupted for a world then one would thinke it some wisdom to resigne up our judgement to such and be of their opinion but first it is not a competent judge Christ tels us there is a learning from which truths are concealed and hid he blessed his Father Who hid these things from the wise and learned and revealed them to babes And secondly learned men are not uninterested men they have corruptions in them and this doth bias them often times to the maintaining of errour and opposing truth and therefore dangerous Nay though there be grace as well as learning yet they are subject to passions they have corruptions in them and how farre those may work in the delivering of truth or opposing errour how farre their fears and hopes their pride may work you know not And therefore though they were learned and holy men yet you are not to resign up your faith and judgements to their opinions 1 Thess 5.21 1 Joh. 1.4 but are to trie all things and prove the spirits whether they be of God or no. And thus much shall serve for the answer to the fifth Question one more and we will conclude the false marks the sixt Question then is this Qu. 6. Whether this be sufficient to discover an opinion erroneous or declare it to be a truth the multitude or the paucity of them who are the divulgers and maintainers of it It is you know the great Argument the Papists have and therefore they set it down as one note of the true Church the multitude of professours And though it was opposed against the Papists yet was it an Episcopall argument against the reformed Churches * Mos totius orbis omniuÌ„ teraporum ecclesiarum potior esse debet eo qui est exigui populi parvi temporis Sarar Cons Park de polit eccles l. 2 c. 35 p. 297. 298. etiam l 2 c 6 7. That which hath been the custom of the whole world and of all times of the Churches ought to be more desirable then such a discipline which is maintained by a few and is but of late standing Again It is most just and equall that seeing the number of the reformed are but few they should yeeld unto the other who are many yea and many of them in authority and office in Church and Common-wealth Another speaks yet plainer a AbsurduÌ„ est Deum velle inspirare unum potius quaÌ„ multos Sutâ—l It is absurd to thinke that God should inspire one man rather then many by which expressions of theirs it may seem too evident that though they opposed this argument of the Papists and b In rebus fidem concerneÌ„tibus judicium unius private hominis praeferenaum est Papae toti Concilio si ille moveatur meltoribus rationibus authoritatibus N V. Testam D. White citing Panormitan against the Papists held it forth to be of no weight when they were to deal with them because the Papists might glory most in multitude yet they esteemed it of some weight against the reformed Churches they being farr lesse in number then they were It shews a cause to be weak when they have recourse to such poor weapons and that surely there is not much to maintain it when such arguments as are taken from number and multitude are made use of But to come to the answer of the Question which I conceive will not require much pains The Question is Whether this be sufficient to discover an opinion erroneous or to declare it to be a truth the multitude or paucity of them who are the divulgers and maintainers of it I shall answer this in brief 1. If by multitude be meant the greater number of mankinde then it is a certain evidence of errour The greatest number of mankinde lies in darknesse and errour as St John saith 1 Joh. 5.19 1 Joh. 5.19 The whole world lies in wickednes If you divide the world into four parts you will finde above three parts to be Pagans Heathens Mahometans Idolaters Atheists how few will be the residue Alas they are but a few in the North-east passages that doe professe and acknowledge a Christ and of those how few 2. If by multitude be meant the greatest number of men in the Church who doe adhere to an opinion neither will this be sufficient to discover it a truth And that upon these two grounds 1. Because the greatest number they are ignorant and so are not able to judge of truth and errour blinde men cannot discern of colours they want knowledge to discern of things that differ they are not able to try nor upon triall are they able to determine 2. Because the greatest number they are corrupt and vicious they are for the most part either Atheisticall or prophane or proud and ambitious men or worldlings covetous hypocrites formall professours If you look upon the multitude they adhere to doctrines 1. Either out of ignorant grounds 2. Or out of corrupt ends 1. Out of ignorant grounds viz. because this was the way of their Fathers and they doe traditionally adhere to it or because such men whom thâ—y respect and honour are in that way or because it is commended to them by the learned or prescribed and commanded by authority Indeed it is an easie matter to make any thing of the multitude they are soft wax in regard of their religion and can receive any impression they are fit for any stamp their superiours will put upon them they are but a body and authority is their soul which moves them which way they pleâ—sâ— in point of Religion truth and errour are all one to them It is an easie matter to make them any thing who are indeed nothing It was a heavie charge was cast upon us by our right hand adversaries that England was converted from Popery to Protestanisme by the blast of one trumpet In Q. Maries daies they were Papists and upon her death within an hour after as soon as Qu. Elizabeth was proclaimed here was a Kingdom of Protestants a nation was converted at once Though this charge is not true in all for after her Coronation besides Commissioners sent unto all parts to deface all the monuments of Idolatry Vid. The most grave and modest confuâ—aâ—ion puâ—lâ—shed by Mâ—st Rathbone p. 10. there were Ministers sent about to preach the Word of God viz. Knox Leave Gilby Sampson Whitingham Goodman who in Q. Maries daies had exercised their Ministery in the best reformed Churches beyond the seas who were now sent out to gather the people to the Lord to discover the errours of Popery to reduce men to the knowledge of the truth And upon the meeting of a Parliament those acts which were formerly made in Qu. Maries daies were repealed and the doctrine of truth again with Religion established And it were well to avoid this charge if Ministers were sent thorow the Kingdom at
this time with Commission to preach and instruct men in waies of worship to reveal to men the truth and prepare mens hearts that so when things come to be setled we might not if possible have any to yeeld to things with implicit faith and blinde obedience It was the practice of good Hezekiah when he restored the worship of God 2 Chron. 29. beg he sent out Posts like to Evangelists to prepare the people and to humble them for their revoltings and to reduce them to the worship of God And if this be not done 2 Chro 29. beg compared with the 2 Chro. 30.6 7. we may fear either great opposition in men or else blinde submission and implicit obedience 2. Or the multitude adheres to doctrines out of corrupt ends As the Ivy adheres to the tree not because it loves the tree but because the tree feeds it with berries and leaves it adheres to it for its own advantage because out of it it may suck berries So doe most men adhere to Religion and doctrine Or as the winde follows the abundance of exhalations So they go where there is the most advantage to be got indeed innumerable are the corrupt ends that corrupt minded men propound to themselves in the entertaining doctrine some out of fear others out of faction a third for repute the most for profit and advantage all speak this language Who will shew us any good It was the great Argument of the Craftsmen of Diana why they adhered to that Idolatry By this craft we have all our gain And it is a great motive to a carnall heart he that hath no principle of motion and life within he either stands still or is moved with the crowd or if he have any motion of his own something without him is the spring of it The multitude is a great body and a dull body and indeed hath no motions of it 's own it is carried about meerly with weights and the great weights are outward things which taken off there is no motion at all they are like the dead sea and cannot stirre So that you see if we goe about to take up our judgement of truth or errour from the multitude of them who adhere to it how dangerous it is to be mistaken 3. If by multitude be meant the greater number of holy and learned men in the Church of God I say then this is a probable signe though no infallible evidence that the opinion held forth is a truth 1. I say it is a probable signe I have told you God doth never desert his people in necessary essentiall truths He hath promised they shall be taught of God and they have an unction of the holy One whereby they know all things that is all things necessary to salvation And for accessory and circumstantiall truths It is a probable signe that the things which upon impartiall search and debate they hold forth are truths though it be not sufficient for us to conclude them so because they have determined so but we are to examine and search whether they be so or no. I say it is a probable signe but we are not to submit to it as their judgement but are to see the judgement of God in them Cons Park l. 2 c. 11. de authoritate PatruÌ„ not to conclude our selves upon the authority of men unlesse we see the authority of God in them 2. Though it be a probable signe yet it is not an infallible evidence We all know that godly and learned men have yet much darknesse in their understanding they doe but know in part none can plead an unerring spirit none are infallible I have shewed you that Synods and Councels may erre What David confessed he spake in haste we may speak upon best deliberation so farre as men All men are liars As the learnedst men have darknesse in their understanding so they have corruption in their hearts there is self and pride and corrupt aims and ends which may creep into the hearts of the best And how farre God may suffer men to be byassed by these things it is not for man to determine how farre corrupt aims and ends may winde themselves into the heart and bribe a mans understanding or blinde his sight it is not for man to judge they who are most acquainted with their hearts doe finde cause enough to be jealous and suspect them yea and upon known experience And therefore though the multitude of godly and learned men concurring in an opinion to be a truth though it may be a probablâ— signe yet can be no infallible evidence that what they hold forth is a truth I say it is no concluding evidence There may be cases wherein one man may be in the truth and yet many godly and learned men may be in an errour * Vnâ—â— Puphnutius toâ—um Concilium Nicaâ—â—um direxit Niceph. l. 8 c. 19. Eliâ—s nuâ—s erat sed totus mundus non erat dignus qui rependeretur ipsi Chr. One Paphnutius was in the truth when the whole Councel of Nice were in an errour they were learned men and it appears they were godly by their humble submitting of themselves to better reason though but one man brought it they were not so partiall as to adhere to their own votes nor were they so proud as not to recede from their opinions and be concquered by truth nor did they stand upon their number when they saw truth against them One naked truth should conquer them and make them throw down their weapons and one man having truth with him should be too big for that great Assembly they did not plead their number their votes and the multitude which adhered to them but as men that came to search out truth not victory they yeelded up themselves to the power and conquest of it A mighty argument of their humility and sincerity Indeed we are not to measure truth by the number of votes but by the authorities of Scripture a Nos numero sen â—enitam noÌ„ metimur Verâ—tas numero non astimatur vel unuâ— qui veritatem habet sufficienter munitur adversus totum mundum Mat. D. White de eccl l. 30 p. 127. Whit. cont 2. q. 5. c. 5. We doe not judge of truth by the number of men though a man be alone yet if he have the truth with him he is sufficiently armed against the whole world One Micheas having the truth with him was too hard for the 400. Prophets who were in an errour 1 King 22.15 Indeed it is not impossible that one man should be in the truth and many in an errour nor is it absurd to prefer the judgment of one man in the truth before many in an errour It was well spoken of Augustine a Si justus es noli numerare sed appende stateram afferaequaÌ„ non dolesaÌ„ Aug. in Ps 39. If thou would passe right judgment of an opinioÌ„ do not number but weigh weigh not in the false
balance of the multitude but in the balance of truth the Word of God This is certain b Veritas neque à nultis neque à paucis pendet Park l. 2. p. 253. Truth doth neither depend on many nor few And therefore we are not to goe by number of votes and voices in finding out of truth but by the authorities of Scripture we are not here to goe by the pol but by the line the Word of God To the Law and to the testimonies if they speak not according to this the light is not in them most voices are not here to carry it but enquire What saith the answer of God You know if the diall be not set by the Sunne you care not what it saith So if men be not guided by the Word it 's no matter what they say though they be myriads of men that speak it Indeed we may give too little and too much to multitude 1. We give too little when the concurrent opinions and deliberate thoughts of a number of godly learned and holy men is of no weight with us when we will reject their results ignorantly wilfully without an impartiall debate and examination of them an honour that you give to the opinions I may say the errours of men of no name Certainly as you are not to submit to the judgement of any Assembly or company of the learnedst and holiest men with a blinde obedience So neither are you to reject their results and determinations with a perverse will you are to try them and be so farre from unprejudiced thoughts that you are charitably to judge that probably so many holy and learned men are not in an errour probably they are in the truth and if you thinke otherwise before triall and debate you give too little to them and it is your sin 2. We give too much to multitude and number 1. Either when we judge of an opinion to be truth because the promiscuous multitude doth adhere to it 2. Or when we blindly subscribe to an opinion for truth because many learned and holy men are the Patrons and maintainers of it 1. When we judge of an opinion to be truth because the promiscuous multitude abundance in the Church adhere to it And this is indeed the great errour men are carried away with the crowd they are not able to stand against the stream they are carried down with the multitude and the number of them in the way is the great argument that concludes them in it also Christ tells us here in the text That many shall come in his Name and say they are Christ and shall deceive many Here you are told there may be a multitude of seducers and a multitude of seduced they shall deceive many And it is the worst of arguments to prove truth by multitude It is a passage of Chrysostom * In theatris multitudo quaeratur Multitudo nota ecclesiae ac proindè veritatis noÌ„ est quia ecclesia saepe in paucis confistit deinde quia multitudo malorum impiorum major est post reâ—â—ò faâ—sa Religio majora occupavit spatia quaÌ„ vera Chry. ad pop Antioch â—om 26. The multitude can be no true Character of the truth and he gives three reasons 1. Because the Church of God doth consist in a few 2. Because the number of wicked men are the greatest 3. Because errour hath gotten more ground then truth the possessions and territories of errour doe farre exceed the bounds of truth you know there are more tares then wheat in Gods field more Goats then sheep in his fold more chaff then corn in his floor more bad fishes then good in his net if Atheisticall prophane men unbelievers proud ambitious men coverous and worldly persons hypocrites and formall professours were singled out the residue would be but few you would see ground why Christ calls his flock a little flock a small remnant and to take up the complaint of the Prophet that the number was but as the gleanings of grapes after the vintage is over but as the shaking of an Olive-tree after the fruit is gathered even one of a City two of a Tribe and to say with Christ Broad is the gate that leads to death and many there be that enter thereat but narrow and strait is the gate which leads to life and few there be which enter therein So that you see if we take up judgement of truth by the number of men in the Church that adhere to it we may be mistaken we are commanded not to follow a multitude to evil * Quae nam precor utilitas est multuÌ„ esse foenum quaÌ„ paucos lapides praeciosos non in numeri multitudine sed in virtutis probitate multitude consistit There is much drosse little gold much hay and stubble and little precious stones If there be any validity in this argument of number it is not in the weight but in the worth a Non in quantitate molis sed in qualitate virtutis Non salvat Christianum quod pontifex dicit praeceptum suum esse justum sed oâ—o tet illud examinare atque se iuxta regulaÌ„ superius dataÌ„ dirigere Ger. Laicus temerè doctoribus ecclesia credere non debeat sed coriaÌ„ doctrinas examinare praesertiuâ— cum populi aures sacerdotum cordibus sape sanctiores sim Hieronâ— Epist. not in the bulk or quantity but in the worth and quality of the persons that are the maintainers of it And yet therein we may erre also which is the second way whereby we give too much to multitude When we blindely subscribe to an opinion for truth because many learned and holy men are the Patrons and maintainers of it I have clear'd this to you at large that it is the duty of every Christian to examine not only the private opinions of private men but the sentences definitions debates of Synods and Councels and to embrace or reject them as they shall appear consonant and dissonant to the rule of truth the Word of God And the Scriptures are plain for it we are commanded to try all things 1 Thess 5.21 And not to believe every spirit 1 Joh. 4.1 and to search the Scriptures Joh. 5.39 Isa 8.20 And the Bereans were commended for the same notwithstanding the doctrine they examined was the doctrine of the Apostles Act. 17.11 And it will not be sufficient for you to say you followed the doctrines of your leaders Christ tells you If the blinde lead the blinde both shall fall into the ditch And therefore we shall give too much to a number of holy and learned men to drinke in and receive what ever they doe propound to subscribe our judgement to their positions without further debate and examination of them though the things be truths yet we erre in our way of closing with them we give blinde obedience and implicit faith to them we make men the masters of our faith which wrongs God and injureth
loved him not wisely he blamed their ignorance And thus farre it holds men may doe things with honest affections and yet doe them ignorantly And if you grant not this what flesh can be saved There were many of our Fathers that have opposed many things as errours Cons Park de polit eccles l. 2. c. 20. p. 256. which are the received truths of God certainly they opposed them with honesty of heart though not with an understanding heart the fault was not so much in their heart as in their head they did not oppose them out of sinister and corrupt affections but with honesty of heart they walked according to their notion of things and that will serve to demonstrate a man an honest man though not an upright man a good Christian that demonstration must be taken in upon better grounds It was said of Asa That notwithstanding the high places were not removed yet his heart was perfect with the Lord all his daies 1 King 15.14 perfect that is sincere A man may have a perfect heart in this sense that is a sincere heart and yet have many failings in life nay and not only many imperfections in his judgement but some errours too such as are not damnable fundamentall errours but only circumstantiall and lesser but then these errours must a rise from the imperfections of his knowledge not from the corruption of his heart The Apostle seems to imply this Phil. 3.15 16. As many as be perfect let them be thus minded and if any be otherwise minded God shall reveal even that unto them Neverthelesse whereunto you have already at mined let us walk by the same rule let us minde the same things So much for the third 4. Here is another efficacy of errour it will ingage a man to doe much for it a man may doe much service for an errour as well as for a truth a man may preach may write may dispute may be at much pains spare for no cost to advance and promote to an errour I could give you as you all thinke innumerable testimonies and experiences of this It was said of the Pharisees that they would compasse sea and land take much pains to make a Profelyte which when they had done A man was much more the childe of the devil then he was before as Christ saith And what pains will not the Papists take how doe they compasse sea and land What unwearâ—able pains doe they take and all this to Proselyte men to bring them to their Religion Doth it not often fare that a servant of errour will doe much more for it then they who are the children of truth will doe for the truth What drudges are they often to Satan when we are too slack in the service of God and at two times especially the authours and maintainers of errour are active and sedulous viz. either in the rise of it or in the fall of it either when it first appears or when it doth decline then they set themselves with all their strength in the one to advance it in the other to hold it up When the beast was wounded there was great pains to lick him whole again It teacheth us what we are to doe for truth Indeed errour is more beholding to it's servants then truth is to hers Oh that men should doe so much for the devil and so little for God that they should think no pains too much for errour and that we should be at no greater layings out for the truth It is a consideration may humble us all that men should doe more for their sins then others for their graces Micah 6.8 That men should take more pains and be at more cost for errour then we will be at for the truth As men will spend themselves to nothing for a sin to maintain their lusts so will they doe for an errour nay and much more because when men spend themselves for a sin a lust they doe it not without some check of conscience for the doing of it they have inward troubles and stings of conscience in the doing of it they are self-condemned in it and therefore cannot do it without much regreeting but when a man doth any thing for an errour when a deluded man spends himself for his opinion he doth it chearfully he glories in it he looks upon all as set upon Gods score he looks upon what he doth as the evidence of his sincerity and love to God and therefore glories in it triumphs in it and doth it chearfully he is glad he hath been so serviceable to his opinion and looks upon it as being serviceable to God in it as no question many have done and many deluded Papists do and this is a great work of errour 5. As it will engage a man to doe so it will check a mans conscience if he doe not As when a man deals not faithfully with truth if for fear or hope or worldly respects he will either be shie to own it as Nicodemus Christ or if he will suppresse it baulk and decline it if he will detain the truths of God in unrighteousnesse or if he will deny a truth conscience is up in arms against him and flees in his face for it checks him reproves torments him So it may be with an errour if a man have received and entertained an errour and he is perswaded it is a truth though it be an errour if now he have not been faithfull to it if he have for fear favour carnall and worldly respects been either shie to own it in some company if he have baulked it and declined it if he have betrayed it receded from it and denied it conscience is presently up to check to reprove him and torment him for it Indeed a man may close with an errour for base ends and respects and for the same respects may recede from it and yet never be touched for it no checks within him but if a man have closed with an errour with an honest simple heart then if he doe not walk answerable to it if he baulk and decline it he shall hear of conscience If a Papist should be forced from his Religion for fear though his way be an errour yet not forsaking it out of light and conviction that it was an errour but out of fear of punishment his conscience will torment him for it and so in any other opinion if the heart embrace it with honest respects which hath caused some to say that men are neither to be bribed nor threatned out of their opinions but to be convinced and perswaded they are not to be compelled by force nor yet to be seduced allured or bribed by rewards this is to make men sinne against conscience It was Augustines but he retracted it * Fides non est imponenda sed suadenda contra haereticos nihil vi agendum No force is to be used against Heretikes which we shall speak to in the next great Querie Thus you see as errour will
consonant to Gods minde or the main end of God in Scripture though there be not a particular place for it yet doubtlesse it is a truth there are many precious truths which yet would puzzle to finde a particular place upon which they may be fully established which yet agree with the generall drift and main end of God in the Scripture The great end of God in Scripture is to bring us out of our selves and to bring us up to him to render all the world emptinesse and discover fullnesse alone in himself to bring us to believe and close with Christ and give up our selves to him in waies of love and obedience and what ever doctrine doth truly serve for these ends what ever drives on this design is undoubtedly a truth though it be not contain'd in expresse words in Scripture And so much shall serve for the first Character by which many errours are struck down we come now to the second And Chara. 2 2. The second Character of truth is this That which doth really and truly advance all God in Christ is certainly a truth of God All truth as I told you was divine Revelation and it is the end of all divine revelation to advance and set up God in Christ it is the great design the great end which God doth aim at in all his Word-revelation to set up himself to advance the riches of his grace in Jesus Christ And therefore that which doth really and truely advance all God in Christ is certainly a truth of God For our better and clearer conception we must take this Character in pieces and shew you how it contains four conditions or there are four qualifications requisite to evidence any doctrine to be a truth of Christ 1. It must advance God 2. All God 3. All God in Christ. 4. It must doe all this really 1. Divine truth it doth advance God it sets up God and layes man low it raiseth up God upon the ruines of self and sin it makes God great and man little God all and man nothing it empties man of himself and makes him seek his fullnesse in God and that which doth thus hath a good evidence it is a truth of God Errour may advance the creature it may advance a mans self but it doth not advance God nay errour may seek God in the creature but it cannot seek it self in God it may give to the creature that which is Gods but not give to God that which is the creatures it may take from God to give to the creature but it doth not take from the creature to give to God And errour may lessen it self to make the creature great but it cannot make it self nothing to make God great you see this in Colos 2.18 Some in a voluntary humility did worship Angels here man lessens himself to make a creature great but he doth not make himself nothing to make God great Here he takes from himself and from God to give to a creature but he doth not take from the creature from himself to give unto God This is a genuine property of truth it advanceth God it makes God all and it self nothing it empties it self of it's self and seeks alone it's fulnesse in God that can be no truth that draws not up the heart to God and brings the soul to live in him as it 's utmost happinesse and that which doth thus must needs make all things little and God great and be content to lose it self in God and for God that it may finde it self in God Now if you should examine some opinions by this 1. There is an opinion that man hath ability to close with the tenders and offers of grace he hath power in his pure naturals to come over to Christ This opinion advanceth man but doth not advance God it sets up the will of man against the will of God it is an opinion against Word-revelation we are said to be dead in sin and dead men cannot move Christ tels us Without him we can doe nothing Joh. 15.5 2. Divine truth it advanceth all God 1. It doth advance the nature and attributes of God 2. It doth advance the will of God 3. It doth advance the waies of God 1. It doth advance the nature and attributes of God 1. The Wisdome of God 2. The Mercy 3. The Justice 4. The Power 5. The Immutability of God 6. The Holinesse of God There are some opinions which may seem to advance some of God but not all of God Some that may seem to advance his mercy but not his justice some his grace but not his holinesse some his power and his wisdome but not his truth that opinion which doth not advance the justice as well as mercy the holinesse as well as the grace of God certainly it is no truth of God God hath set himself to be wholly advanced in all his attributes and you doe not advance any of God if you doe not advance all of God To instance for illustration in a few particulars 1. Therâ— is an opinion that Christ came to save all here is an oâ—â—nion that doth advance the mercy but not the truth of God You know the Word tells us that he came to save them who shall believe in him now certainly if he came to save all then all believe but the Apostle tells us that all men have not faith therefore surely the death of Christ is no further to be extended then his prayer and his prayer is not for all as you may see Joh. 17.9 Joh. 17.9 I pray not for the world but for them thou hast given me 2. So secondly there is an opinion that Christ merited no love or mercy at his Fathers hands for us God loved us from everlasting and say they How can Christ be said to merit that which we had already Now would you know whether this is a truth or an errour You may examine it by this see doth it advance all God indeed this doth advance the love the mercy of God but not the justice of God it is indeed a wrong to his justice for Gods justice is no way advanced unlesse there be satisfaction made to it all the mercy that God bestows on sinfull men it is in relation to his precedent satisfaction Eph. 4.13 hence Christ is said to bear sinne to satisfie for sin c. and God for Christs sake is said to pardon sinne Ephes 4.32 3. There is an opinion that the Saints may fall from grace and they say this opinion doth much advance Gods justice but how that can be I cannot discern when I see it so evidently contrary to his truth to his promise and covenant he hath made with us as you see Jer. 32.40 certainly though the life of a Christian be a secret life it is hid yet it is a safe life it is hid in Christ Besides these there are many opinions which would seem to advance the grace of Christ and the mercy of
from being a truth which doth not all that is no good cordiall which is not physick and food too here There is nothing doth comfort but it doth nourish and purge the heart also Free grace is the best cordiall to a poor soul and is not to be given to faintings in comfort as men give strong-water to men in a swoon but it is to be given to faintings in duty many have been afraid to preach the doctrine of free grace and many afraid to hear it they think it is only to be used as a cordiall to poor fainting dejected souls But it is not only a Cordiall but it is the best physick too nothing more serviceable to the purging of our hearts 2 Cor. 7.1 Having therefore such precious promises let us cleanse our selves from all filthinesse of flesh and spirit Nay and it is the best food you can feed upon to strengthen and enable you to all duty and obedience It is not onely serviceable to faintings in comfort but faintings in duty Indeed that hath been no good help to your comfort that hath not been serviceable to your obedience also if it have relieved thy faith it hath relieved thy obedience if it have been serviceable to the work of grace in the heart it hath been helpfull to the work of obedience in thy life otherwise thou may well suspect that comfort 4. Truth doth all this really It doth really I say advance the work of grace both in heart and life it doth it not apparently onely but really not in shew onely but in truth Some opinions there are which seem to doe it but doe it not really they seem as if they would hold up grace when they are destructive to grace they cry up grace without them but never minde grace within them they are all for comfort nothing for duty all for cordials but they neglect food Certainly you may suspect that from being a truth which is not as really subservient to the work of God without you as to the work of God within you and to your duties as to your comforts Those are no right conceptione of grace which beget not awe as well as love fear as well as faith and serves obedience as well as comfort Thus having spoken a little to this Character asunder I shall now speak to it entire Truth doth really advance the whole work of grace in the hearts and lives of Saints As there is a great agreement between errour and sin not only as they are both children of the same Father but as one is serviceable and helpfull to the other Sinne in the affection hath much dependance upon errour in the understanding and a corrupt head is greatly serviceable to a corrupt heart There is such an agreement between errour and sinne that wee may safely say what ever doth tend to the advancement of sinne to the fuelling of corruption what ever affords subsidies succours contributions encouragement and strength to sinne that is doubtlesse an errour So there is a great agreement between grace and truth they have also both one Father even the Father of light and they are both serviceable one to another Truth is serviceable to grace as errour is to sinne and we may as safely say what ever it is that serves to advance the work of grace in the hearts and lives of Saints that is certainly a truth of God As we say of false comforts that they will never inable to Gods services So we may say of false notions they will never work Gods motions in us As that cannot be truth which is naturally serviceable to sin so that cannot be errour which is naturally serviceable unto holinesse Indeed the best comforts and so the most precious truths of God may be made serviceable to the advancement of sin but yet they doe not this naturally and directly but occasionally and by accident It is one thing what a truth may doe by accident or occasionally another what it doth naturally and truly The advancement of sinne is not the work of truth but it is the fruit of our own corrupt and sinfull hearts which Spider-like doe suck poyson and venome out of the choisest sweet even the best of truth and the best of comforts in which regard we say truths are more infallibly known by their revelation then by their operations but yet there may be enough in the operations of opinions to discover them truth or errour to a mans self though not to others All truth it works like it self it is holy and it works holily it is pure and it works purely it is spirituall and it works spiritually it came down from the Father of light and it carries the soul to the place whence it came In which regard we may say that the operations and workings of opinions being received and entertain'd into the heart may be good characteristicons of the truth or falshood of them if not to others to whom the workings are not so obvious yet to a mans self to whom they are apparent if we will not wilfully shut our eyes and obscure what is evident And that it may be more evident to all I will here lay down 5 or 6. speciall operations that truth hath upon the soul where it is entertain'd by which you may be able to evidence whether the opinions you have entertain'd be truth or errour 1. The first and great operation which truth hath upon the Oper. 1 soul where it is faithfully entertain'd it is this it humbles the soul Truth where it comes it hath a soul-humbling power discoveries doe humble men truth is a discovery from God to the soul it is a beam of light darted from the Father of light who if he doe but dart one beam of himself into the heart it humbles the soul and laies it in the dust before him the nearer you come to God and God to you the more you see the distance between God and you and hence it is that the greatest soul-abasements doe ever follow the greatest God and Christ-manifestations You see this plain in those three famous examples of Job of Isaiah of Agur I have heard of thee saith one of them by the hearing of the ear but now mine eye seeth thee wherefore I abhorre my self in dust and ashes Job 42.5 6. Another cries out Wee is me for I am a man undone because I am a man of unclean lips for I have seen the Lord of hosts Isa 6.5 A third hee cries out Surely I am more brutish then any man I have not the understanding of a man Prov. 30.1 2. who was yet a man of choice high and excellent revelations but he saw God and looking upon himself in opposition to him hee was humbled hee was laid in the dust before him And this is a naturall and genuine property of truth rightly entertain'd it humbles it empties a man it makes man nothing and God all None are more humble more sweet then those who are the children of the truth
what St. James saith of wisdom which is from above It is pure peaceable gentle full of meeknes Jam. 3.13 17. the same may I say of truth which comes from the same place it is not only pure but peaceable it is gentle full of meeknesse full of humility it is so farre from swelling that it empties a man makes him nothing so farre from exalting that it laies a man low and raiseth up God upon the ruines of pride and self in him Indeed we read of knowledge that puffeth up but surely it is not the knowledge of divine truths but of naturall things which indeed are apt to swell a naturall man or it is not the knowledge of divine truths divinely A man may know heavenly things as a man yet not as a Christian hee may know them rationally yet not spiritually the one begets pride and vain-glory but the other humility and self-deniall A man may have a rational knowledge of spirituall and divine things and yet be puffed up with it but certainly where there is a spirituall conception and understanding of the things of God the soul is much humbled and emptied and none are more humble more little then those who are the right-born children of truth Obj. But you will say you see many who are humble in an errour and others who are proud in the truth and therefore there is no evidencing of truth or errour by this Character Answ For the answer of this which seems to overthrow all J have said you see it is made up of two parts 1. Men may be humble in an errour 2. Again men may be proud in the truth For answer to the first 1. That humility that men may have in a way of errour it is not a grace but a naturall temper a smoothnesse and naturall plausiblenesse of disposition which may render a man gratefull to men though not acceptable to God we see many who are men to men but devils to God they are plausible to men but act their contrariety and opposition to God the greatest spirituall pride may lurk under the most eminent naturall sweetnesse the smoothest waters are oftentimes the deepest and the fairest disposition to men may be the perversest disposition to God You see many of the Heathens who excelled in this sweetnesse of naturall temper that yet were opposite enough to God and the greatest acts of cruelty have been acted by those who have had the most sweetest tempers of nature Sueton. in Tito Titus sonne to Vespasian who was called Deliciae humani generis the darling of mankinde the Paragon of nature Joseph l. 7 bel Iud. cap. 17. yet he acted the greatest cruelties against the people of God which shews the greater wrath poured on them that so milde a temper should act it by fire famine and sword hee put to death eleven hundred thousand of the Jews 2. But secondly That humility men have in errour if not their naturall disposition yet it is but the keeping and improving or the concealing and amending of nature by humane precepts morall rules and industry Socrates was a man of an austeer crabbed wrathfull and wicked disposition by nature as he assents to him who reads his Physiognomy but saith he I have corrected that by Ethicks that is by morall studies rules and principles which I was by nature Many by industry and morality may correct a naturall disposition when yet the temper is not changed they may be mended by this but not new made and so their humility is not a grace but a vertue and such a vertue as is but a tree without a root till they be ingraffed into Christ all grace is from Christ and no grace from Christ till we come to be in Christ the Apostle saith Wee are his workmanship created in Christ to good works 3. Men may be humble in a way of errour because it may be they have not those occasions and provocations which may draw out their pride and selfishnesse the stream may runne still enough if it meet with no stones but then it will swell and roar so many may be humble and calm enough while they meet with no opposition but oppositions and provocations will discover men Natura vexata prodit si ipsam Wee use to say nature being vexed doth discover it self the devil could say of Job that hee was patient because hee had nothing that might occasion or draw forth his impatiency and therefore hee desired God that hee would give him leave but to smite him and then hee should see that he that was now so patient would curse him to the faces there is a great deal of truth in this argument that there could be no judging of Jobs patience so long as there was nothing to provoke and draw forth his impatience and there was a great deal of grace in Job that notwithstanding all these provocations he was yet patient and silent to Jehovah Men are often patient because they are not provoked while Jonah had the gourd he was calm enough but when the gourd was eaten up he grew as hot as the Sunne which shone upon him It is no judging of mens humility of mens meeknesse when they have no provocation to the contrary and there is a great deal of allowance to be afforded to them which have all provocation Oppression makes a wise man mad saith Solomon 4. That humility that men have in a way of errour may be it is but a counterfeit no true and reall humility it is but the visour of it not that in truth there may be smooth language and yet a stormy heart many may have the voice of Jacob but the hands of Esau and a milde countenance yet a proud and perverse spirit this is like Goliahs sword cover'd over with a linen Ephod besides men may put on a smooth garment to deceive as the Prophet saith that is that they may advantage their deceit and seek to procure the more facile reception of their errours by the counterfeit shew of humility and abundance of examples if needfull might be alledged for this he that doth but peruse the Stories of times will see this abundantly true 5. But fiftly we answer If men are truly humble and yet in a way of errour then their humility is not the result of their errours but of their graces all errours are not damning and undoing errours though all are sinfull and defiling errours It is possible many errours may consist with grace and therefore there may be humility and yet men may be led away with errours but then that humility is not the result of their errors but the effect of their graces And that shall suffice to answer the first part of the Objection wee will now come to the second part As there are many humble in errour so many you will say are proud in the truth and therefore wee cannot evidence truth by this operation that it hath an humbling power upon them who entertain it Answ Now for
the answer of this where you say that many are proud in the truth It would be considered 1 Whether you are not mistaken many there are who mistake magnanimity and true noblenesse of spirit for pride as they doe basenesse for humility Gods people are often charged with rashnesse choler pride impatience when it is but their courage zeal and magnanimity of spirit for the truth of God Gods people are nothing when they are to deal with God but they are something when they are to deal for God they are little when they are to deal with men even with the least of men in their own cause but they are great when they are to deal with the greatest of men in the cause of God Luther cals a gracious spirit Spiritus principalis a princely spirit though it be an humble yet it is a Prince-like humility and not a Vassal-like basenesse this is one piece of the royalty of a gracious spirit hee is not too high to stoop to the meanest services and yet too high to stoop to the lest sin he is not too big to stoop to any condition without sin nor so little as to yeeld to the lest sin upon the greatest tenders or terrours look upon the Story of the three children I say hee is nothing when hee is to deal with God but something when he is to deal for God You see John Baptist how little hee was when hee was to deal with God I am not worthy saith hee of Christ to unlose his shoe-lachets yet you see how great when he was to deal for God see how he chargeth the Scribes and Pharisees Mat. 3. O generation of vipers how he reproveth Herod for his incest this was not pride but magnanimity and noblenes of spirit And Moses how little was hee in his own cause and how nothing when hee was to deal with God hee is said to bee the meekest man upon the earth yet in the cause of God hee shews himself there hee stands upon his terms to the utmost and would not yeeld to Pharaoh to leave a hoof behinde the like of Abraham when hee was to deal with God how little was hee I am but dust and ashes yet when to deal with the King of Sodom which had respect to Gods providence and his glory he would take nothing from him not a shoe latchet no saith he It shall not be said that the King of Sodome hath made Abraham rich So Paul though he was humble and nothing when he was to deale with God yet he was something when he was to deal for God he could spare none in Gods cause if Peter walk doubly he will withstand him to the face as you see And it is remarkable what is spoken of the Church of Ephesus in the 2. Revel 2. I know thy patience and how thou canst not beare with them that are evil one would thinke those two to be ill coupled together patience and yet cannot beare wherein doth patience lye but in bearing therefore these are strangely coupled but they agree well in a gracious spirit there is patience in our own cause impatience in Gods patience in our own cause is a vertue but in Gods it is a vice it is not patience but cowardize but pusillanimity to be little in our own cause is commendable but to be little in Gods argues lownes of spirit And therefore you must take heed of mistaking magnanimity for pride That is the first Oper. 2 But secondly It is confessed there is too much pride and self even in the children of truth in the maintaining of it and it is a fault they are to be humbled for how doe men act themselves in all their actings for God expresse their heats more then Gods doe we not see in all undertakings what a deale of pride what a deale of passion how doe men swell one against another set their passion instead of their reason one against another insomuch that that which should be the soader of accord becomes but the bellows of strife and all means of union becomes means of dis-union and all reasons for accord prove but arguments of further distance And this ariseth first either from the crookednes and crabbednes of their naturall tempers Grace though it altâ—r nature yet it doth not abolish nature though it doe much correct and amend naturall tempers yet it doth not altogether either rectifie or free us of them The apple doth retaine the taste of the stock into which it is ingraffed though there be a great alteration yet there may be some taste Grace is ingraffed upon the stock of nature and though it may much alter our tempers though much amend naturall disposition yet there will be a taste of them there will be a relish of them It is a hard task when a man is not onely to deale with a corrupt affection but with a naturall constitution A little humility in some natures may shew more then abundance in another But that is grace indeed which is gotten upon the conquest of contrary tempers and dispositions 2. It ariseth from weaknes of judgement weaknes of judgment is often joyned with strength of will none have more strong passions then they who have the weakest reason Or it may be men may have strong affections to a way and may be ingaged for an opinion which perhaps they want judgement and ability to maintaine against opposition and this causeth them to fall into heats and passions and so much of passion so much of nothing to the purpose there reason as one saith spends upon a false sent and forsakes the question started 3. It ariseth from the heat of opposition which may much irritate and provoke the best of men are but men and have their humana quaedam they have their imperfections they have their corruptions and opposition will tempt and draw forth that corruption we use to say one froward man makes another With the froward thou wilt shew thy selfe froward Psal 18.26 It is spoken of God it is true of man One passion calls in another as deep calls in for deep pride occasions pride and passion passion which make men sometimes sadly think how in most disputes and contendings for the truth men are rather Satans then Saints one to another rather tempters of their sins then helpers of their graces 3. Thou sayest men are proud in the truth Why but though grace doe not expell pride yet it doth humble them for it though it doe not empty them of pride yet it empties and humbles them for it Grace and truth if it be not a bridle it will be a whip if not a curb it will be a scourge if it be not directive it will be afflictive if you doe not learn your duty from it it will chastise you for the neglect of it and so in the issue it humbles men it makes them nothing for their being something the higher the flood hath been the lower is the ebb the more sinfully they exalted
themselves with the more shame and sorrow they humble themselves before God they are as little before God as bigg with men This is the nature of truth where it is entertained either it will inable you to be humble or humble you for your pride it will worke one way either it will empty of pride or empty for pride if you have swelled those swellings are breathed out in sighes the sighes of the closet doe abate the swellings of the chayre and if it work either way notwithstanding this objection this operation may be a good evidence of truth that truth doth humble those who entertaine it and so much for the first eminent operation of truth I shall be briefer in the rest The second great operation of truth is this Secondly Truth hath a heart-changing a heart-transforming power I put them both together because I would draw up all as close as I can It hath I say a heart-changing power Paul had no sooner seen that great truth Jesus was the Christ but he became another man of a wolfe he is now a lambe of a sinner a Saint of a persecutor he becomes a Preacher So the Jaylor what an eminent change did the receiving of the truth make in him he that before was so cruell and inhumane to them how gentle how tender how sweet was he now Truth makes such a change upon the soul that this worke is called a new Creation and the man upon whom it is wrought is a new creature he hath a new judgement and notions of things a new heart and affections to them a new life and conversation in them he is a man who differs as much from himselfe as before he did from another man head and heart and life and all are changed And this change is not a morall a partiall a formall change but a thorow universall and spirituall change they are sanctified by truth Joh. 17.17 And therefore I say it doth not onely change but it transformes it hath a soul-transforming power truth doth transform the soul into the nature of truth it makes the soul holy as it is holy pure as it is pure spirituall as it is spirituall it makes a man like unto it selfe Be but at the paines to peruse two places for this the first is 1 Jam. 21. where the word is called an ingraffed word which indeed changeth the stock into the nature of it selfe As you cut off the boughs and branches of a crab-stock that you may ingraff the better fruit into it so the Apostle he bids us there to lay apart all filthinesse and superfluity of naughtines which are the corrupt branches in which a corrupt stock doth abound and saith he receive with meeknes the ingraffed word which as it is able to save your souls hereafter so now to change the whole stock into its own nature the second place I would present to you is the 2 Cor. 3 18. While looking upon him as in a glasse we are changed into his own image from glory to glory truth hath this transforming power where it is entertayned such as mens notions are such are their spirits ill precepts beget ill principles corrupt doctrines corrupt hearts A mans heart carryes a conformity with his notions and principles there is a great agreement between what is entertained into the understanding and what is wrought in the heart the worke of the heart is but the births of the understanding the issue begotten upon the heart by the power of the notions in the minde never face answered face more exactly in the water then the heart answers the head where truths are of divine reception you may receive truths partially and as men onely and yet be never the better for them there may be truth in the head and a lye in the heart but if you receive truth fully and as Christians as the wax takes the impression of the seale so doth the heart of truth and principles are bred in you suitable to those notions you have truly received truth where it is entertained in truth it hath a heart-changing and a heart-transforming power It makes you like it selfe holy as it is holy pure as it is pure spirituall as it is spirituall And when men are not so one of these two must surely follow 1. Either that is not truth which you have received 2. Or else you have not received it truly either that is not a good word which is ingraffed or that good word was never yet ingraffed into you Certainely where that is ingraffed both stock and fruit are changed And so much for the second Oper. 3 A third operation that truth hath upon the soul where it is entertained It hath a sinne-subduing power truth is of a purging healing purifying and commanding nature Where truth is received in power nothing is in power besides it where it commands in the soul the soul is under no other command but truth where it is truly a Master and it is not there truly where it is not a Master there nothing rules but truth what the Apostle saith of the spirituall man I may say of truth which is a great part of him It judgeth all and is judged of none and it commandeth all and is commanded of none Truth was never there in power where lust hath power nor never had command in that soul where corruptions beare sway Indeed sin may dwell where truth doth dwell but sin doth not command where truth doth reign No man can be under the reign of truth and under the power of lust a servant to truth and a vassall to his corruptions truth hath a sin-subduing power it can pull downe strong holds cast downe high imaginations and bring into captivity every thought to the obedience of Christ 2 Cor. 10.4 5. Are you then under the authoritative power of any corruption are you under the command of any lust lusts of the understanding lusts of the heart or lusts of life Know this either that is not truth which you have entertained or you have not entertayned truth in the power of it Oper. 4 Fourthly A fourth operation that truth hath upon the soul where it is entertayned It hath a heart-quickning power as the main truth did raise us up from death and beget life in us at the first for every truth in its measure and proportion is serviceable to cherish and quicken life begotten in us Truth and life alwayes goe together truth alwayes carries life with it and life is ever the companion of truth Christ is called truth and he is called life too Joh. 14.6 I am the truth and the life hee could not bee the one if hee had not been the other Now as all light is in the body of the Sunne yet every ray every beam carries light with it So all life is in Christ who is the great truth and yet every truth is a beam from this Sunne and great truth it carries life with it it is therefore called the light of life Joh.
9.5 You can have no communication of truth but there is a conveyance of life with it every notion will beget motion every beam of light will be a stream of life and carry you on with power to the obedience of truth revealed the same spirit which is the spirit of truth is the spirit of life and of power and where hee is a spirit communicating light and truth there he a spirit conveying life and power to the soul also To conclude this then you have entertain'd some opinions for truth but are they soul-quickning truths are they helpfull to the life of God and to the life of grace in you Tell me doe they dead you or doe they quicken you more and doe they quicken your graces or stirre up your corruptions Are they serviceable to grace or are they helpfull to sinne It is the nature of truth to quicken our graces but to dead our corruptions and this is the nature of errour to provoke our lusts but to dead our graces A fifth Operation of truth where it is entertain'd it hath a Opera 5 heart-inflaming power Truth is a beam of that Sun which doth not only enlighten but heat and warm us Claritas in intellectu parit arderem in affectu Light in the understanding begets heat in the heart the understanding is as the medium between the heart and Christ and serves as the burning-glasse to the heart whereby the heart is set on fire with those notions which are carried from Christ by the understanding to the soul hee that is baptized with the holy Ghost the spirit of truth is baptized with fire Fulget cherub intelligentia luce ardet Seraph charitatis igne Pic. Mirand de dig hom his affections are inflam'd with the love of it He that like the Cherub doth shine with light and truth like the Seraph burns with heat and love Truth hath an heart enamouring power could wee but see it in it's beauty as the Philosopher said of vertue I may of truth we could not chuse but be in love with it and that which doth enamour the heart must needs enflame the heart that which takes the heart must needs set the heart on fire either with desire to enjoy it or with love in the enjoyment of it Indeed it is true many are too hot in an errour and others are too cold in the truth and it is the ones sinne and the others shame the one is the fruit of the partiall reception of truth they take it into the head not into the heart Thâ—y receive not truth with the love of it as the Apostle saith 2 Thess 2. and the other is the fruit of the blinde entertainment of errour they have light without heat and thou hast heat without light their light is a false light because it is not joyn'd with heat and thy heat is a false heat because it is not joyn'd with light And yet I confesse many are zealous in a way of errour when the best are too cold in the truth it is our shame as their sinne But here is the comfort a little true heat is worth a great deal of false fire a little zeal acted with grace is worth a great deal spirited with corruption Men in ignorance are like those under the frigid zone they are cold and frozen and have no heats or affections in them Wee may love things we have not seen as the Apostle speaks of Christ 1 Pet. 1.8 Whom having not seen Ignoti nulla cupidâ— Invisa pos summa amare incognita ne quaquam yet you love but wee cannot love things wee have not known and men in errour are like men under the torrid zone who burn with a false heat but men in the truth they are like those who live under the temperate zone whose heat is comfortable and makes them fruitfull or if you will take it in another comparison men in ignorance they are like dead men altogther cold and have no heat in them Men in errour are like men in a fever whose heat is their distemper but men in the truth they are like unto men in health whose heat is their health and enables them to action and resisteth corruption And that is a fifth operation of truth where it is entertain'd it hath a heart-warming a heart-inflaming power We come to the last Oper. 6 Sixthly and lastly Truth hath a heart-raising and spiritualizing property where it comes into the heart with power it doth raise and spiritualize a man indeed the naked knowledge of truth doth no more raise the heart then the sight of the Sunne doth lift a man up to heaven but when truth comes into the heart in it's power it carries the soul thither whence it came All truth as it came from God so it carryes the soule to God it rayseth and spiritualizeth a man it doth spiritualize and rayse his understanding his notions and conceptions of things it doth spiritualize a mans heart a mans affections a mans actions it makes him a spirituall man 1 Cor. 2.15 Men are much according to their notions of things men of low conceptions are men of low spirits men of higher and more spirituall notions are men of finer tempers of more refined spirits so farre as truth is received so farre it doth refine a man if it enter the head a man is part refined but if it be received into the heart the whole man is spiritualized A mans head may be refined and yet he may have a grosse heart as Christ saith Make their hearts grosse that seeing they might not see they did see in the head and that was refined but they did not see in their heart and therefore that was still grosse but if the heart once be spiritualized with truth then the whole man is made spirituall for truth is of a spiritualizing nature And so much shall serve for the operations of truth and this third and last Character viz. Truth doth advance the whole worke of grace in the hearts and lives of Saints Well then you see there are many opinions abroad Vse and it may be some of you have given entertainment to some of them I doe not say that they are all of them erroneous but many are others have much errour mingled with some truth I have given you three touches whereby you may be able to judge of them three Characters whereby you may be inabled to discover truth from errour And doe you try your opinions by them see are they such as are word-revelation doth the word plainly and evidently hold them forth or are they deductions drawne from the word But see is not the place mistaken are the deductions rightly gathered are they consonant to the harmony of Scriptures doe they suite with Gods maine end in Scripture By these you may be able to discover them Again the opinions which are held forth or you have entertained doe they I say advance God doe they advance all God all the Attributes all
nature of Christ who is pure and holy though it say Loe here is Christ yet believe it not it is an errour and no truth of Christ 3. That opinion which suites not with the life of Christ which was exact holy humble c. though it hold forth Loe here is Christ yet it is none of Christs 4. That opinion which obscures and robbs Christ of his glory and gives to man that which is due alone to Christ though it say Loe here is Christ yet it is an errour and no truth of Christ 5. That opinion which breeds a distance and estrangement between Christ and the soul that interrupts the soule in communion with Christ either in believing or obeying that draws the soul either froÌ„ the obedience of faith or the obedience to the command though it say Loe here is Christ yet it is an errour and no truth of Christ By these touches you may discover many opinions to be errours that goe under that name which shews you the danger of drinking in all opinions that language themselves unto you under the name of Christ A third ground why men are so apt to take opinions on trust is because besides all this they may carry some fair and lovely aspects which may render them lovely and desirable as if they were truth it self many men are tempted into an opinion rather then perswaded into it they are led rather by affection then by judgement the benigne and fair aspects which an opinion may carry may much take men and prevail with them for the entertainment of it It was our fall at first the lovely aspects which the fruit did bear and it is many an ones fall still even the fair and lovely aspects which an opinion seems to carry with it I have told you the Prince of darknesse may transform himself into an Angel of light and he may convey errour to you not only under the notion but under the habit of truth it self and render an errour every way as lovely desirable and acceptable as the truth it self And therefore there being so much danger dealing with so subtle an adversary we had need to beware what we entertain and sift it to the bottome before ever wee give it welcome into our hearts And that 's the first Caution I will be brief upon the rest 2. Beware of prejudice look not prejudicially upon an opinion As wee are not to look upon an opinion with affection and so give up our hearts to it before wee have tried it so wee must not look upon it with disaffection and so set our hearts against it before wee have examined it Indeed there are some opinions not worthy tryall Some are to bee lookt upon with abhorrency as such which are destructive to faith and godlinesse when I say you are not to look upon opinions with prejudice I mean not these for those you are to look upon with abhorrencie but I mean such as are controverted among the godly themselves and such as may consist with all holinesse of life and conversation of these I would be understood to speak when I say look not with prejudice against any way men when they receive prejudice against a way either they will not search at all or if they doe they will not know As affâ—ctions to a way doth hasten the understanding to know and the heart to embrace it so disaffection to a way doth hinder the understanding from knowing and hold off the heart from embracing It is a hard thing to perswade that man whose heart is either ingaged to a contrary way or his understanding prejudiced to this way Such a man may bee convinced but it is hard to perswade him his affections and ingagements act against all that light that he will not see he will not know it must be our work if wee will finde out truth to beware of prejudice You know it was that which hindered the Jews from closing with Christ who was the great truth and it will be that will hinder you from embracing of lesser truths Formerly the novelty of a way the paucity of professours the meannes of their condition the weaknesse of their parts and abilities the bad entertainment a truth had in the world were the great stumbling blocks or prejudices to the entertainment of truth It was so in the Gospel as you all know and it is well if the prejudices be not turn'd the other way and that the ancientnesse of an opinion the multitude of professours the quality of them the greatnesse of their learning and parts the favour it may finde in the world be not the great prejudices which may hinder from the closing with it God hath often times in providence smiled upon an errour and discountenanced a truth and he may please to let the truth finde favour and errour bee discountenanced Wee look for those daies when God shall make Kings nursing Fathers and nursing Mothers to his Church when the Kingdoms of the earth shall become the Lords and his Christs this is promised and therefore this should bee no prejudice when God doth bring it about to hinder us from the entertainment of an opinion If you would finde out truth beware of prejudice on any side and look singly upon the opinion without any other respects at all 3. Beware of being byassed with carnall and corrupt affections most men of the world are carried with byasses rather then with principles they are moved rather by affections then judgement by things without them rather then principles within them There are four great Byasses which carry most men in the world 1. The first Byas is the love of the world which is a strong byas There are too many that stand as the people in the Market-place who would not goe into the vineyard till they were hired so they are not willing to entertain an opinion embrace a way till they can see what it can doe for them they must be hired with filthy lucre and will doe nothing till they see what will be most advantagious God keep us from such a spirit He who doth not see truth all riches shall never be the possessour of it such a man will see nothing to be truth or errour but what may stand with his own ends his secular advantages As they used to say of a corrupt Judge he had Bos in lingua he had money in his tongue and being bribed would say any thing So J may say of a worldly man he hath bos in corde the world in his heart and hee will not close with or embrace any thing but what may stand with his advantages where there is the love of the world Caeterae cupiditates ingenti cupiditati subservient there is desire to get the world and fear to lose the world and such a man will make all to serve his main corruption You see the desire of gain it made Judas to sell Christ Demas forsake Christ he forsook Christ and did cleave to this
present world Hence Christ saith Joh. 5.44 Joh. 5.44 How can you believe so long as you seek honour one from another and doe not seek that honour which is from God only And the fear of losing the world made the Jews deny Christ and reject him If wee entertain him say they the Romans will come and take away our place and Nation Men that love the world they will doe any thing to get and any thing rather then hazzard and lose that they love so dearly Hence Jam. 4.4 If you love the world the love of the Father is not in you he that will be a friend to the world is an enemy to God and it is upon this ground because if ever God and the world come in competition he will forsake God and cleave to the present world 2. A second byas is popular applause men naturally love to be some body there is no man that would willingly stand as it were for a Cipher Every man with Simon Magus would be given out to be some great one and when men cannot be taken notice on in a crowd they will be singular As this may be a ground why many doe deliver an opinion to difference themselves from others in esteem by differing themselves from others in judgement So it may be a ground why others entertain and receive an opinion to difference themselves from others by their practice to be thought more singular more holy more conscientious they are men only accounted conscientious which differ from others alas they think that others take all upon trust and are of the State-religion and close with any way and therefore thinke they if J will be accounted singular if J will be esteemed indeed conscientious and religious above others I must difference my self from others and oftentimes where there is least holinesse they will be most forward to goe this way to gain an esteem of holinesse men that cannot get an esteem of holinesse by their practice they may labour to get an esteem by their opinion J doe not say any doe so but certainly men may doe so which is a fearfull spirit these make but Religion serviceable to worldly ends Godlinesse advantagious to their own gain which certainly is the worst of spirits and that is the second A third byas which carries many and of which you had need to beware is 3. Compliancies correspondencies or engagements to friends who are this or that way or of this or that opinion And we know by experience that this hath been a strong byas As disaffection to persons hath wrought a distance and dislike of the opinions they hold and the waies they walk in so affection and love to persons hath too much perswaded with many to the entertainment and embracing of their opinions also A man looks upon such and such friends such to whom he stands thus and thus related it may be a father a sonne a brother a husband a wife c. or such to whom he is so and so engaged or such upon whom he hath such and such dependences and they are of this or that opinion and this comes in either as a great motive to close with the same that so they may be rendered more acceptable and gratefull to them or it stands as an obstacle to hinder their closings with what is contrary to them We should not indeed know either father or mother husband or wife sonne or daughter in the cause of God As we are to sleight all interests and relations if they stand not with God if they walk in a way of errour our engagements to God must drown all other engagements our relations to him must swallow up all other relations to the creature though they are dear yet God is dearer so we are to wave all interests and relations in the finding out and entertainment of truth It was Davids spirit Amicus Plato amicus Socrates magis amica veritas Whom have I in heaven but thee and in earth I desire in comparison of thee We are neither to be frighted into errour nor bribed into truth we should take in our opinions by judgement not by affections by revelation from God not by relation to the creature if our interests or relations or engagements and dependencies doe come in while we are in the disquisition and search of truth we shall finde them great byasses either to carry us to the embracing of errour or rejection of truth or if neither of them yet to the blinde reception of truth the Apostle tels us he did not consult with flesh and bloud but was obedient to the heavenly vision implying that if he had consulted with flesh and bloud he had not been obedient so if you consult with your flesh and bloud with your relations friends ingagements either you will not be obedient or you will yeeld a blinde obedience to the heavenly vision a man may entertain an errour honestly and receive truth corruptly he that entertains an errour singly and simply without being byassed with corrupt affections doth entertain it honestly but he that receives a truth being byassed with interests and engagements c. doth receive it corruptly If you would finde out truth beware of being byassed by friends relations dependencies ingagements in the disquisition and search of it let your relations to truth swallow up all other relations otherwise you will sinfully embrace an errour or blindely and corruptly entertain a truth It will be ten thousand times better for him who is honest in an errour then for thee who art corrupt in the truth 4. A fourth great byas which is all the rest in one is self Self is not only the principle which worketh in most men but it is also a byas in working It is a master wheel to set men on work and it is as oyl to the wheels to keep on working it was the great prayer of Augustine A me ipso me libera Domine Good Lord deliver mee from my self and it may well be ours if self interpose you will never finde out errour nor discover truth Self-aims self-ends self-advantages will blinde our eyes from beholding truth or errour if self reign in any man truth shall never command there because the laws of truth and the ends of self are inconsistent one with another if self keep the door it will admit and let in nothing that may be dâ—structive to it It will doe by opinions as men doe at the gates of a City enquire whether they be friends or enemies before they let them in and if upon enquiry they be found to be such as will not correspond with their selfish ends and principles they will do by them as Elisha did by Ahabs messenger shut the door and hold them fast there because they apprehend the sound of the Masters fâ—et behinde they apprehend that the entertainment of such a truth will be destructive to their selfish aims and ends If ever you would finde out truth you must learn to deny
your selves you must be content to sacrifice all to the obedience of truth you must be content to give up your sinnes as a snare and your selves as a sacrifice for the enjoyment of it he that sees not truth more riches then all riches he that prizeth not truth above riches friends the world he shall never be a true owner of it Indeed he may own it but never be true owner of it he may own it as a servant and make use of it so farre as it may be serviceable but he will never own it as a Master to which he makes all serviceable Many love to command truth but few to be commanded by truth many love to be master of it but they will not be mastered by it they look upon truth as we look upon fire and water to be good servants but bad Masters and therefore as they entertain it when it may serve them so they can disclaim it when they are to serve it I see a deal of self in the world both in the setting on foot and in the entertaining and maintaining of opinions nothing would be so great a check to errour nor open so free a course for truth as the removing of this great obstacle of self out of the way let it be all our prayers we had never more cause Good Lord deliver us from our selves Let not self interpose it self either in the venting the searching the entertainment or rejecting of opinions lest we close with errours and deny the truth And so much shall serve for the third Caution I will be brief in the rest If you would finde out truth Caut. 4. beware of wilfulnesse and perversnesse of spirit we are oftentimes too stubborn in errour and too easie in the truth we are I say too facile in the truth and too tenacious in errour and though there be no reason why we should be so yet there is great reason why we are so errour you know errour hath more agreement with us then truth it is more sutable to our natures and our tempers and therefore we doe more strongly adhere to it besides it may be an errour may be the birth of our own hearts a brat of our own breeding and bringing forth and we love our own It is more easie to deny the births of our body then the births of our souls it is more easie for a man to deny his naturall affections then his sensuall affections sinne is more our selves then our substance is and there is much to heighten the difficulty Certainly it is an act of great self-emptying for a man to recede from and deny what he hath sweat for what he hath brought forth with a great deal of pains and handed to others under the most lovely and receptible notions of truth and hath perhaps gotten a great deal of honour of applause of gain thereby I say it is hard for such a man to deny himself in such opinions There is no man would be accounted either weak or wicked either a deceiver or a fool now he knows he shall run the censure of one of the two either men will look upon him as wicked and a deceiver one that hath been an impostor and seducer or else they will look on him as weak and simple And the present height of esteem which the opinion hath raised him up unto doth heighten the act of his self-deniall and make it more difficult for him to become nothing we have need to beware of such a spirit men have taken too much liberty in our daies to vent themselves and it may be have drawn many disciples after them they have gotten much applause and much honour by being singular none indeed have more esteem amongst many then they whose hearts are the forges of novelties It is a sad thing Oh! but take heed of being perverse in your way learn to deny your selves and judge it your honour to be conquer'd by truth It is greater honour to be the spoil of truth then to carry the trophies of errour a greater honour to be a servant a vassall to truth then to be a King in errour And with that I shall shut up the Cautions We shall now come to the Directions whereby you may be able to finde out truth in these daies wherein errour abounds Direct 1 1. Consult impartially and diligently with the Word of God and God in the Word There is much in this first Direction It is indeed the main of all and therefore we shall speak the more largely to it The Word of God is held by all the touch-stone to try and discover opinions the mine where truth lies the mint of doctrine the orb out of which truth shines the casket wherein this jewel is locked up the Starre by which we must sail if we would be preserved from those rocks and shelves which otherwise we are in danger to split our selves upon 1. But then 1. The Word of God must be consulted withall the Starre will be no guide if we doe not eye it nor will the Word be any direction if we doe not consult with it we must then consult with the Word which hath relation to the understanding for the affections are not to intermeddle in the finding out of truth 2. And secondly we must consult impartially that is without prejudice without prepossession without byassing without sinister affections without corrupt aims and ends consult impartially as men desirous to know and resolved to doe It was the fault of the Israelites they desired Jeremy to enquire what was the minde of God but they were pre-resolved before what to doe Optimus lector est qui dictoruÌ„ intelligentiam expectat ex dictis potius quam imponat retulerit magis quam attulerit Hillar Non enim sensum queÌ„ extrinsecus attuleris alienum extraneum debetis sed ex Scripturis sensâ—m capere veritatis Morton Apol Cath. p. â— l. 5. c. 9. de Scr. jud and therefore when Jeremy brought them a message contrary to their mindes and pre-resolutions they rejected it and said in plain termes they would not obey the Word of the Lord which he had spoken So many they enquire into the Word but not with impartialnesse of spirit they are men pre-resolved and rather enquire to strengthen their own resolutions and pre-possessions and engagements then as naked single inquisitours to know and obey the minde of God revealed this is the doublenesse of spirit in men these doe not enquire Gods minde but enquire to strengthen their own minde they are resolved of their way and rather search to fortifie themselves in their pre-resolutions then to alter their resolutions according to Gods discoveries Take heed of such a spirit Consult but consult impartially as men that doe apprehend it their happines to know the good and acceptable will of God 3. Consult diligently Wisdome is a treasure that must be digged for as the wise-man tells you and so is truth and I may say of one
have yet another which is of great moment also and I have then done with this discourse The sixth and last Quaery is this viz. Quest 6. What waies God hath left us in his Word for the suppressing of errour and reducing of erroneous persons A Question certainly of great concernment among all the contentions of the times I know none of greater concernment then this viz. What are the boundaries of opinions It were a sad thing as our case stands if there were no bounds for errours and as fearfull a thing to goe beyond Gods bounds for the suppressing of them Certainly there are some means warranted and anointed of God for such ends but what those means are and where they are to be bounded there is all the controversie I finde learned and godly men differing each from other in this point and * Augustinus retractavit pristinam sententiam fuam quâ existimavit contra haereticos nâ—hil vi agenâ—um esse Aug. retract l 2. cap. 2.5 Epist 48 50. some also differing from themselves afterwards retracting what formerly they have held forth for truth in this point witnesse Augustines retractations Indeed it is a tender point it concerns the conscience a tender part against which who that hath any thing of God in him but trembles to sinne and who doth not fear to injure and offend It is a point of great subtilty which most cannot discern there are many labyrinths many winding subtilties in it and it is of no lesse intricacy having many other subtile and intricate disputes complicated and folded up in it Two of the main subtilties are founded upon those two places of Scripture one the 2 Cor. 13.12 We know but in part the other Rom. 14.23 What ever is not of faith is sin From both which it is argued We know but in part There will be difference in opinions these opinions have power on the conscience for what ever a man hath received he is bound to walk in it and who ever recedes from what he hath received for truth either for fear or for favour he sinnes against his conscience For what ever is not of faith is sinne Again we know but in part therefore no Councels on earth are infallible if not then may they err if they may err it is certainly our duty to try prove their determinations before we do approve them if our duty to try them then it is our duty to assent or dissent to them as those determinations shall appear to us to be consonant or dissonant to the Word of God and if it be our duty to assent or dissent as those results and determinations shall be evidenced to us to be or not to be of God then how can it be the duty of any to compell us to the contrary or to punish us for the doing of that which is our duty It is a controversie full of subtilties and intricacies and it is diversly asserted and as differently maintained according to the different apprehensions principles interests and ingagements of men Some cry up liberty for all opinions Others and most decry that Some would have a toleration or an allowance for lesser differences only Others doe rather desire an accommodation then a toleration and that differences may rather be healed and composed then allowed and tolerated among us Men are divers in their thoughts their thoughts being for the most part diversified according to the proportions and latitudes of their differences in opinions from generall received truths Men of lesser difference in opinion pleading only for a mercifull allowance of some Those of wider difference contending for a liberty of all opinions To both which we shall speak something in the following discourse For the present let us return to our Question propounded viz. What waies God hath lâ—ft us in his Word for the suppressing of errour and reducing of erroneous persons For the answer to which we shall in brief comprize those waies under two generall heads 1. Ecclesiasticall 2. Civil Both which we shall clear to be warranted and allowed of God to these ends viz. The suppressing of errour and the reducing of erroneous persons We shall begin with the first 1. First then there are some means ecclesiasticall which God hath warranted for these ends And herein we shall finde few to differ from us most concurring in this that God hath warranted some means in his Church for this end though indeed there is some dispute what those means are but there needs nor any among us for we freely concurre with any that those means which God hath appointed in his Church are of a spirituall nature and influence we utterly cast out and abominate all corporall or crumenall mulcts and say the Church hath no power to punish the body or to lay fines upon the estate or to deal with men at all as they stand in any civil or worldly respects The Church of Christ owns no such weapons in her warfare * Gregor de Vâ—lent in m â—ae disp 1. q. 11. punct 3. Azor. instit moral Tom. 1. l. 8. c. 14. It is for the man of sin to propagate his way and suppresse his adversaries with such fleshie weapons The Church of Christ knows not how to use any externall violence or outward force either to advance truth or suppresse errour though the Church be in readinesse to revenge all disobedience as the Apostle saith 2 Cor. 10.6 2 Cor. 10.6 yet not by such carnall weapons in such fleshie waies as these are Christ tells us that his Kingdome is not of this world And the Apostle tells us 2 Cor. 10.3 4 5. 2 Cor. 10.3 4 5. The weapons of our warfare they are not carnall but spirituall and mighty through God for the pulling down of strong-holds and bringing every thought in obedience to Christ So that spirituall means and remedies are onely to be used in the kingdom of Christ the Church of God For all other 1. They are improper not only in respect of the persons that are to uâ—e them but improper in their own nature And that because 1. They are externall means and those are too short for internall maladies 2. Besides they are heterogeneall they are diversi generis of a divers and different kinde the one carnall the other spiritual the object of one the body the estate of the other the soul and conscience 2. And secondly these were never ordained never appointed of God for such ends in his Church We cannot expâ—ct Gods blessing upon any thing further then it hath Gods ordination Now these were never ordained and anointed of Christ as means to be used in his Church and Kingdome for such an end and therefore there can be no blessing expected on them 3. Besides these means are unsutable to the ends to which they are intended fleshie means are unsutable to bring about spirituall ends the end of all Church Ordinances are not ruine but amendment not destruction but edification as the Apostle
to go tell more of it or if he will hear more thou ought not to tell the Church But in case that more private means will not doe we are to make use of that which is more authoritative and publike So here in case one Sister Church cannot prevail with another then may we by the like proportion make use of a consociation of Churches And to this argument of proportion we may give you the instance of a patern by which might be evidenced that this means of a Synod is warranted for such an end the patern you may read in Act. 15. where you see ver 1. There was false Doctrine broached errour and heresie taught Certain came down from Judea and taught the brethren that except they were circumcised after the manner of Moses they could not be saved Now when all means within themselves were found to be insufficient to suppresse this dangerous errour and reduce these erroneous persons they determined to make use of some further means of Gods appointment and thereupon ordered that Paul and Barrabas and others of their Elders should goe up to Jerusalem and there in a Synod or consociation of Churches to determine and conclude this Question so you see it was a meanes ordain'd and a meanes practised yea Fulk deâ—er or ecâ—l go p. 11â— 116 117 118 c. and not onely by the Apostles but continued by their successours 300. years after as Fulk saith before ever there were any Christian Emperours and long time after even as long at any purity continued in Religion untill both Emperours and Synods were both thrust out of all lawfull authority which they ought to have in the Church by the tyranny of Antichrist So that you see this ordinance is appointed of God for this end but yet let me adde It is not an ordinary but an extraordinary means a means to be used in want of skill or want of power in particular Churches I conceive it is not to be used as diet but at physick God hath set up other ordinary means which hath been effectuall but this is a means when ordinary means proves too weak and insufficient * Ruâ—herf due Right p. 306 307 Synodicall Churches are not ordinary but occasionall A Synod is not the prime proximate means which God hath appointed but a secondary remote and ultimate means to be used and in case the other is insufficient You see here in Act. 15.2 that the Church of Antioch did not presently run to a Synod with this controversie but first they laboured to their utmost to take up conclude and determine this controversie among themselves it is said Paul and Barnabas had no small dissension and dispute with them about it And for other means besides disputation viz. censure it is probable they wanted either sufficient light or power in the Church in respect of the adverse party to proceed to censure when therefore they had used what means they could and had found that means used insufficient to settle the brethren and to stop the mouths of the false teachers then they determined to send Paul and Barnabas and others to Jerusalem about this matter So that you see It was not the prime proximate and immediate means but a secondary remote and ultimate means which they used upon the deficiency of other And that caution I shall only annex to it it is a means and a means ordain'd of God but to be used when other means are unavailable M. Cotton p. 23. Some of our brethren lay down three grounds of Synods 1. In case a particular Church wanteth light or peace at home 2. In case any Church lie under scandall through corruption in doctrine and practice and will not be healed by more private means as one brother being offended with another and not able to heal him by the mouth of two or three brethren privately it behoveth him to carry it to the whole Church so by proportion if one Church see matter of offence in another and be not able to heal it in a more private way it will behove them to procure the Assembly of many Churches that the offence may be heard judged removed in a more publike way 3. It may fall out the state of all the Churches in a countrey may be corrupted and beginning to discern their corruption may desire the concourse and counsell of one another for a speedy and safe and generall Reformation Thus farre that learned authour By all which it is granted The use and necessity of Synods as an ordinance of God to suppresse errour and reduce erroneous persons Now we are to shew you Thirdly That this means hath been blessed of God with power and efficacy for these ends And you see the truth of this in that first great Apostolike Synod and Councell Act. 15. There was an errour broached the Question and cause referred and by common consent and decree Reynolds conf with Hart. c 6. d 2 p. 206. saith Reynolds the controversie was ended the truth of doctrine established errour condemned the false teachers branded and the souls of the believers established and peace maintained in the Churches as is evident Act. 16.4.5 And as they went thorow the Cities they delivered them the decrees of the Apostles and Elders and so were the Churches established in the faith and increased in number daily After which example the Churches which succeeded made the like Assemblies upon the like occasions and by this chiefly of judgement as he calls it healed breaches suppressed errours removed scandals and extirpated heresies out of the Churches The Primitive times of the Church were blessed with such conventions and found Gods blessing in them Whit. cont 3 q. 5 p. â—1â— The Arian heresie that strook agianst the Deity of Christ was convinced and condemned by the first great Councell of Nice The heresie of Nestorius that made two persons in Christ was overthrown by the Ephesine Councell The heresie of Macedonius that denied the Divinity of the holy Ghost was suppressed by the Councel of Constantinople The heresie of Eutiches which affirmed but one nature in Christ the Councel of Chalcedon was famous for the extirpation of that And besides these many other might be named Euseb eccl Hâ—st l. 6. c. 42 l. 5. c. â—4 l. 7. c. 26 281 Mâ—g Cent. 3. l. 7. Col. 161. Cent 3. c. 9. de Syn Col. 192 193. Park 3.9 330. Nullum n c melius nec certius remedium Calâ— Eusebius records how the errour of Montanus was judged and condemned by many Synods in Asia l. 6. c. 42. Besides which there are the examples of many others as will be seen if any doe please to peruse the places cited in the margin And indeed it was the ordinary way when any difficulty or any heresies did arise presently the Churches would runne into a Synod as finding there the best strength and remedy to oppose them judging themselves best able in consociation to oppose those rising opinions and heresies
consult but they also judged and determined those opinions which had been taught to be disturbing destructive and subverting errours v. 24. 3. They have not only power to enquire and judge but they have power to censure and condemn errours All which is but yet a dâ—gmatiâ—all or doctâ—inall power of declaring and determining of truth or of errour which I conceive will be granted on all hands even by those who are most shie and tender in weighing forth â—ny power unto them And indeed Act. 15. doth make all this evident there they examined they judged they censured the errour which was broached among them And after ages they followed the same patern The first great Councel of Nice as I shewed you did censure and condemn the heresie of Arius The Councel of Ephesus did condemn the heresie of Nestorius the Councel of Constantinople did censure and condemn the heresie of Macedonius Euseb eccl hist l. 6. c. 42. The errour of Montanus was judged and condemned by many Synods in Asia So that this is cleer a Synod hath power to examine to judge to censure and condemn errours Obj. But it will be said Councels may erre That famous Councel of Nice it self had yet it's errours one of which was That heretikes should be rebaptized c. And if Councâ—ls may erre Concilium Nic enum primuâ—â— quod suit omnium nobilissi â—um â—eleber â—â—mum tamen erravit Whit. â—oâ—t 2 c 2. q 6 p 6 8 620. then may they censure and condemn truth as well as errour and that is fearfull Answ This is one of the Scepticall Objections of this age we have too many who themsâ—lves being sure in nothing seek to weaken all determinations what ever as if they because they are subject to errour might not be certain in truth but for answer 1. It 's granted Councels may erre and the best of Councels may erre That famous Councâ—l of Nice had it's errours which Whitaker in respect it was so famous is tender of uncovering But though they may erre doth it follow that they do alwaies erre This is a non sequitur 2. Again though they may erre doth this take away their right of judgement of errour and truth weaknesse and subjection to errour in judgement doth not take away right of judgement God hath allowed this way of judgement to determine of doubtfull doctrines and decide controversies and he hath said Let the spirit of the Prophets be subject to the Prophets 1 Cor. 14.32 A place which Junius applies to this and the errour of some must not nullifie the ordinance of God 3. Though they may erre yet they are not so likely to erre as others an Assembly of godly and learned men met together in Gods way they are under a promise to be led into the way of all truth 4. Though they may erre in some particulars of lesser moment yet points of greater moment are clear and evident 5. In what they erre we are not to follow them Ministeriall judgement is theirs private and practicall judgement is yours and you are not to receive and embrace their determinations further then they shall appear to you to be consonant and agreeable to the Word of truth you are not to obey because they say it but because they say it authoritatively from Gods word Officiall authority they have as a Church of Christ but objective authority they have not so that what they say because they say it is therefore to be closed with Thus the Papists say not we We say that Synods have no peremptoâ—y absolute illimited authority to determine as they please but their power is Ministeriall and limited to the Word of God and we may say for our own practice Tantum valet â—ecretum Conâ—tlâ—j quantum vaâ—et ejus ratio Amâ—s The decrees of Councels are no farther binding then the reasons of them are evident to be of God And so much shall serve for the first generall branch of the power of Synods We come to the second 2. As they have power relating to erroneous doctrines so they hâ—ve power as relating to erroneous persons And this we will lay forth in these branches 1. They have power to conveâ—n them and call them before them if by their writings or otherwise their persons are known Indeed in Act. 15. we doe not reade of any summons of those false teachers nor was there any need for they may be conceived to be personally present and rebuked in the face of the Synod as subverters of souls And if they were not present to whom doth Peter speak vers 10. Now therefore why tempt ye God to put a yoke upon the neck of the disciples Certainly it was not to the Apostles and Elders they were not guilty of that fact but those who sought to obtrude the observation of the Mosaick Law upon the Brethren Again who were they that made much disputing in the Synod ver 7. sure it was not the Apostles nor any others besides themselves but had they not been there I thinke there is no question among rationall men but the Apostles and Elders conveened had a power to call them and that it was their duty to come Certainly if we be bound to be ever ready to give to any that asketh us a reason of the hope which is in us much more to such an Assembly as this authorized of God for such ends as these were So that I take the first for granted they have power to call erroneous persons 2. They have power to admonish and rebuke them this is evident also from Act. 15. those disturbers were rebuked in the face of the whole Assembly There is a three-fold rebuke Fraternall Concionall Judiciall the one is done by a brother the second may be done by one single Pastour as is commanded 1 Tim. 4.2 3 4 5. Preach the Word reprove rebuke exhort with all long suffering the last is done by a consociation of Pastours and Elders If one single Pastour hath power to rebuke authoritatively an erring brother how much more a consociation a Synod of Pastours and Elders 3. They have power doctrinally to censure such persons and to condemn them Thus you see in Act. 15. They censured those for lyars troublers subverters of souls And thus may a Synod censure and condemn an erroneous person Thus did the Councel of Nice censure and condemn Arius not only his errour but the person also * Tom. 1. epiâ—t ad ubâ—â—j orthodoxos Act. 1. ult Athanasius desired and vehemently supplicated his fellow-pastours of other Churches to meet together in a Synod to vindicate and redeem the Church from errour and that they would 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 by thâ—ir suffrages condemn and reject the authours of such mischiefs There are usually laid down three wayes of censuring and condemning erroneous persons 1. The first is 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 politically when an erroneous person is censured by civil censures viz. to be imprisoned or to suffer in his
Worthies Champions for God in their generations Shall I take the boldnesse to say That I conceive how ever the Apostles in the penning of Scriptures were assisted and directed with an immediate inspired spirit Yet in this Synodicall Convention they did not proceed by their Apostolicall authority nor had they an extraordinary concurrence or immediate inspiration of the Spirit of God I shall give you these reasons and shall then leave it to your thoughts to judge 1. We read vers 2. That Paul and Barnabas were sent from the Church of Antioch to the Apostles and Elders at Jerusalem about this Question now Paul as an Apostle and a man immediately inspired did need not to goe to Jerusalem for the assistance of the other Apostles for he was able as an Apostle to have determined the Question himself he knew the whole mysterie of the Gospel Gal. 1.16 17. Gal. 1.16 17. Gal. 2.6 and was inferiour to none therefore he went not as an Apostle but as an ordinary Elder One Apostle as an Apostle might have determined the Question without the help of a Synod 2. The persons here assembled together do declare That they were not directed by an immediate inspired Spirit It is said The Apostles and Elders came together to consider of this Question Now if the Apostles were to act as Apostles what light and assistance could the Elders adde to the Apostles as Apostles But you see the Elders as well as the Apostles met together to consider of the matter and in Act. 21.18 25. Act. 21.18 25. All the Elders of Jerusalem with James take upon themselves these acts and decrees as well as the Apostles and in Act. 16.4 they are called the decrees of the Elders as well as the Apostles but now the Elders of ordinary Churches such as these were here conveened in this Synod could not be collaterall actors with the immediately inspired Apostles as in this Synod they were nay the whole Church say our brethren therefore certainly they did not act as Apostles 3. The manner of the Apostles proceeding in this Councel holds forth to us that they did not act as Apostles nor were immediately inspired because they proceeded by way of communication of Counsels It is said They met together to consider that 's one phrase of speech shews it was not acted by an apostolicall spirit where there are inspirations there is no need of considerations 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Act. 15.7 And it is said there was dispute nay much dispute great and earnest disputation vers 7. When there had been much disputing Peter stood up So that there was much debating to finde out the truth a great dispute And every one delivers his thoughts in order first Peter speaks vers 7 8. then Barnabas and Paul ver 12. and after James ver 13. So that you see here was a great dispute now immediate inspirations are not gathered up by disputes what the Apostles doe as Apostles they doe not by conferring and debating and seeking light one of another but they are directly and immediately inspired of God Indeed the immediate inspired spirit it may discourse and inferre a conclusion from such and such premisses as Paul doth Rom. 4.4 5 6. and Rom. 3.28 But the immediately inspired spirit of God in arguing doth not take the help of disputing one with another things immediately inspired are not gathered up by disputations but by revelations There is no concurrence of man to them they are done without the help of our own reason and without the help of others also 4. If they had been guided by an immediate inspired spirit then should every of them have rested in the sentence of another for the immediate inspired spirit is a like perfect in all his determinations and so Paul should have subscribed to Peters or Peter to Pauls and James to them all and not all to James especially when he doth for ought the phrase imports but set down his own judgement 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 vers 19. I judge and the manner and phrase of speech implies as if it were his private opinion with reverence to what Peter and Paul said to which yet all submitted Now I say if every one were guided by an immediate inspired spirit why should any recede from his own sentence And why should they all submit to the sentence of another seeing they were better able to clear the spirit whereby themselves spake was infallible then the spirit by which another spake 5. If here the Apostles speak by the immediate inspired spirit the Churches had been here left in some doubt which to follow for though one Apostle doth not speak contrary yet they speak divers one to another James speaks of abstaining from bloud and things strangled and things offered to idols which the other Apostles did not speak of and therefore if the other did speak as they were immediately inspired the Churches would have been left in doubt whether to follow what James said or what Paul and Peter said If it be said the occasion of doubt which of them to follow was removed because all of them afterwards agreed to what James said I say 1. Though the occasion of the doubt was thereby removed from them who were willing to be satisfied yet here was a great advantage given to them who would except against these results because the other Apostles who were yet directed say you by the immediate inspired spirit laid no such burthens nor imposed no such commandments of abstinence c. upon the Churches in what they had said and therefore they might say either this ultimate determination was not the minde of the spirit or the spirit was divers from himself in the procedure of these determinations 2. In that they all agree to James it is a plain evidence that they had not spoken by the immediate instinct of the spirit neither had been directed by any extraordinary dictate and assistance of him because they decline if not recede from what themselves had spoken and now as it were upon further and second thoughts do wholly concurre with James 6. And indeed which may be a sixth instance of the thing in proof though that which Peter and Paul said was a truth that the Gentiles should not be pressed to the observation of Moses Law upon necessity of salvation yet they did not so fully speak to the resolution of the Question nor would that they said have satisfied the consciences of the Churches in their present practice if James had seen no further or spake no more in the resolving of the Question then they did For notwithstanding what Peter and Paul said They might have eaten things offered to Idols and blood and things strangled which at that time had been a sinne against the law of nature and a great scandall and offence to the Jews and so notwithstanding this determination the divisions would have been greater the rents wider the scandall more dangerous then before the Jews they should
Imperatorum judiciaria authoritas religionem ethnicam mandavit haec tamen conculcata indâ—es suit nostra autem fides caput exeruit Grae. am Philosophâ—aâ— si quivis Magistratus prohibuerit ea statim perit doctrinam ChristianaÌ„ oppugnant reges tamen crescit Clera Alex. Strom. By instance and experience of the Primitive Churches The kingdome of Christ was not only planted but it was propagated and encreased by the industry and labours of a few fisher-men when the Kings of the earth Non modo minime faventes sed frementes were so farre from yeelding their concurrence and assistance that they set all their power and malice against it to suppresse it And till Constantines time which was not till the fourth century some 300 years and upwards after Christ the Gospel never found any assistance from the secular power those former Emperours putting forth all their power to condemn and suppresse Christian religion and to command and advance Heathenish superstition and idolatry yet notwithstanding that it might be evident our faith is not of man but of God the Church increased the Gospel was propagated and Paganisme and superstition notwithstanding all these outward supports and props was dead stroâ—k and died daily All which shews the mighty power of God and of his Goâ—pel â—f any Magistrate saith one had prohibited the Greek Philosophy it had quickly perished but the Kings of the earth oppose Christian Doctrine and yet it increaseth All which as it shews the power of God and of his Gospel So it tels us that there is not an absolute necessity of any secular power for the planting or propagating of Christs Gospel and kingdome 2. This is also demonstrated by the efficacy if not sufficiency of spirituall means wherewith Christ hath furnished his Church for the advancement of these ends though the Kings of the earth should not lend their assistance 1. Christ hath ordained and set up a ministry which is to continue to the end of the world Mat. 20 19 20. and this being strengthned by the Spirit of Christ is of might to carry on his own ends to advance his own kingdom To throw down all strong holds of contrary reasonings and to bring in subjection every thought to the obedience of Christ as the Apostle doth declare 2 Cor. 10.3 4. 2. Besides this Christ hath ordained and appointed censures in his Church which being faithfully and duely administred may be effiâ—acious means to preserve the truth suppresse errour and remove out of his kingdome what ever doth offend And the Primitive Churches in the want of any other assistance though they were indeed infested with many heresies and dangerous errours yet had plentifull experience of the efficacy and blessing of these means whereby the Churches did in a great measure preserve and free themselves from those poysonous errours that did arise among them All which shews that the civil coercive power is not of absolute necessity either to the planting or propagating of Christs Church and kingdome But yet Conclus 4. Although this civil power be not absolutely necessary to the being yet it is very conducefull and apprimely requisite to the well-being and flourishing condition of the Churches of Christ in peace and godlinesse This the Apostle intimates in 1 Tim. 2.2 where he exhorts us To pray for Kings and them in authority that we may lead a quiet and peaceable life in all godlinesse and honesty And this the Primitive Churches in the first Centuries found by experience though in the want and opposition of it they were kept in being for God will have his Church on earth though all the powers of the earth should set themselves against it yet they were miserably infested not only with disturbing but with d structive errours which threatned the very unbeing of the Churches of Christ All which tells us how conducefull and requisite this power is for the preserving of the Churches of Christ in their well-bâ—ing Nay and I say yet further though this power be not absolutely necessary yet is it necessary by Gods ordination God hath ordain'd Magistracy to be the fence of his Churches the protection of his people he hath promised they shall be nursing fathers and nursing mothers to the Churches of Christ under the Gospel Isa 49.23 A great honour as well as duty And it is our speciall duty to pray for such in the want of them and in the enjoyment of such to rejoyce under them and blesse God for them as the highest outward priviledge the Churches of Christ can enjoy on earth And thus much shall serve for the fourth Question We come now to the fift and last propounded viz. Qu. 5. How this power is to be dispenced In answer to which I shall lay down six necessary rules or cautionary advices to which I shall only annex my desires and some wayes for a happy accommodation between the brethren and so conclude this Discourse We shall begin with the Rules necessary to be observed in the dispencing of this power And 1. This power is to be dispenced rightly Magistrates have not an absolute power to establish what they please in point of religion but a power subordinate unto and to be regulated by the will of God He is Gods minister and therefore is not to set his will above or against his Master Reget cuâ— in errore sunt pro ipâ—o leges contra veritatem faciunt cum in veritate sunt coÌ„tra errorem pro ipsa verita e decernunt Aug. cent Cresc l. 3. c. 51. Cum catholici sum reges benè utuntur hac potestaÌ„te cum haeretici abutuntur câdem It were better the Sword should rust in the scabbard then it should be drawn forth against God and truth better to bear the Sword in vain here then to mannage the Sword to the disservice of God It will be farre more easie to render an account of not using then for ill using of this talent of power Certainly this power may be lawfully used and it may as sadly and as dangerously be abused It is lawfull to suppresse some errours but it is fearfull to lend the sword to the suppression or extirpation of any truth It is better not to doe then to doe wickedly How miserably Kings and Emperours have failed nay abused their power in this is known to all When Kings have been in an errour they have established laws for that against the truth when in the truth they have made decrees for the truth against errour which may be a trembling consideration to those who write of this power and an awfull caution to them who are to use it Volumes might be written how miserably the Kings and Potentates of the earth have been abused in lending their Sword to suppresse those for errours which have been the precious truths of God and to advance those things for truths which have been pernicious and destroying errours Sâ— e ictum imperatoâ—is sit ut propter verae fide professâ—o
the Magistrate is to follow jubendo sanciendo cogendo in commanding â—stablishing and compelling I am sure there is more reason that the one go before then there is necessity the other should follow after Yet mistake me not I speak not this to countenance the skepticalnesse of these times as if a man should be afraid to speak write act against any opinion what ever for fear it be a truth I leave that to them who have their God and religion to seek Nor doe I thinke Gamaliels speech to be so good divinity as many make it Act. 5.38 39. to me he seemes no better then a meer Polititian and a nullifidian by his speech doubting whether the Apostles doctrine was from God or men Such Skepticalnesse is better in Philosophy then in divinity Certainly we are not to fluctuate and doubt in a pyrrhonian vacillation and uncertainty As there is such a duty so there is such a sinne to be ever learning and never comming to the knowledge of the truth And it is a greater judgement then men are a ware of to be given up to this Skepticalnesse of spirit certain in nothing how ever men look upon it yet sure it is no better then a diffusive Atheisme Scruples are not ever the arguments of a broken heart but some times of a broken head and how ever men look upon such a spirit yet sure I am such a spirit argues 1. Weaknesse of knowledge of the truth 2. And slendernesse sleightnesse of faith in the assenting to the truth of the Word and 3. In many it is no better then a temptation to divert and turn the stream of their desires affections endeavours from things certain to the search and enquiry into things uncertain that they may spend their money for that which is not bread and their labour for that which will not satisfie Isa 55.2 And I wish that those who are now laying out their money in such wayes would hear God speaking to them in the heat of the market why do you spend your mony for that which is not bread for my own part if I were an assertour of liberty and against all coercive power yet I should abominate this medium to prove and defend it by which overthrows all religion and wounds the soul in the belief and certainty of all known truth Certainly there are errours there are heresies there are strong delusions which carry many away yea and these errours these heresies may be known els truth cannot be known a man may be as certain that this or that is an errour as that this or that is a truth he that saith we cannot be certain of the one doth or would alike say we cannot be certain of the other It is easily granted That we know but in part yet we may know certainly though not fully this is knowledge in part hath respect to the measure and degrees of knowledge not to the nature and certainty of our knowledge in this life fulnes of knowledge is not required to acting but certainty of knowledge though that be capable of improvement also there may be certainty of knowledg though there want fulnes of knowledge it is not required I should know all the will of God but know that this which I do is the will of God And of that I speak when I say the Magistrate is to act knowingly that is he is to act from the certainty of faith though not from fulnesse of knowledge 1. He is to be fully perswaded that what he opposeth is an errour 2. That it is such an errour as is the object of his power to suppresse And 3. That he doth a thing pleasing to God in the suppressing of it And this certainty of knowledge will be sufficient to inable a man to act in this nature though there want fulnesse of knowledge And so much shall serve for the second he is to act knowingly 3. This power must be dispenced wisely and prudentially Not only justly and knowingly but wisely and prudentially And this prudential dispencing of this power lies in these three things viz in the dispensation of it with distinction 1. Of errours 2. Of persons 3. Of penalties 1. It must be dispenced with distinction of errours Certainly it is not every difference in judgement or practice no nor every difference from the truth no nor every errour maintained that is to be the object of the Magistrates power this were to deny a Christian latitude to men this were to kill flies with beetles The remedy may be worse then the evil is It is said of Domition the Roman Emperour that he spent his time in killing of flies it was a work unworthy such a person as he was Certainly the Roman Empire was not so much disturbed with a flie It is unworthy the power of a Magistrate to make every puny difference every dissent from the apprehended truth or common rule the object of his coercive power Without doubt there is a latitude to be afforded to men of different judgements yea and of different practices in smaller matters otherwisâ— this power in being a relief would be a scourge to the Churches of Christ There must be a distinction made of errours I have told you that some were errours in doctrine some in practice And both these either such as were principall or lesse principall either fundamentall or circafundamentall or but circumstantiall I shall not run into the many distinctions thâ—t might be made Certainly there are some errours of which I may as well as of some truths that their suppression is their growth this way of lessening them is the way of increasing them That by which you thinke to be their death doth but give them life And this ariseth 1. Either from the crossenesse of mens spirits Nitimur in vetitum Men love still to taste of forbidden fruit 2. Or from the conscientiousnesse of men they are ready to thinke there is some good in that way that is opposed and suppressed the world lies under prejudice it hath seldome been a friend to truth And that jealousie that is in men concerning earthly powers having so many interests and ingagements to tempt and bias them doth perswade much with men who contemn the world to thinke there is something in that which the world as they look upon it doth oppose 3. Or it may arise from the rigorous and violent causes that may be used against some opinions which hath been ever harsh to men of tender and conscientious spirits Insomuch that often times those opinions which otherwise would expire and breath out of themselves By this means their date is lengthened and their asserters increased and breaches are multiplied And what ever others doe yet God forbid that we who but even now came out from under a cruell tyranny should ever so farre forget as to be oppressours of others even for differences of the like latitude which we complained under and desired relief of but could not enjoy it Yet I speak not
maintaining of an opinion c. But I passe this 2. Conscience in an errour is able to hold forth some evidence some light out of the Word though mistaken he is able to say something for his opinion conscience is not prevailed withall but by some shew of truth some appearing demonstration from the Word such a man he is able to tell you what that is which doth over-power him in the belief of such Doctrines or opinions he is not led by example nor carried away with a faction nor doth he take up this opinion because others doe nor doe interests and relations prevail with him but it is some shew of reason some evidence of Scripture that hath over-powered him If any thing below this hath wrought him into an opinion certainly the opinion hath not power over his conscience and something below this may bring him out again This is a good discriminative discovery of men if conscience be truly in an errour he can say something for it he can tell you what hath prevailed what hath over-powered his conscience No man can say this is an errour or this is a truth because I am so perswaded but because God hath so revealed To the word and to the testimonies if they speak not according to this truth it is because there is no light in them Isa 8.20 And therefore conscience in an errour can give you some grounds out of the Word it can tell you what hath prevailed with his spirit what hath commanded his soul into the belief of that which he holds for a truth 3. Conscience in an errour is willing to receive to let in and submit to further light if it can be held out to him if any can make out by the Word his opinion to be an errour he is willing to submit to it and fall down at your feet blessing God for it and humbly thanking you for the discovery of it which certainly is the genuine disposition of conscience in an errour as light brought it in the appearance of light so light shall drive it out the evidence of light And he thinks it honour enough to be conquer'd by truth as I told you he would rather be the spoyls of truth then carry away the trophies of errour So willing is he to give up himself to truth and to retract his errours which makes me sometimes wonder at Luther who you know held Consubstantiation and did violently maintain it against many learned Divines of his time yet a little before his death talking with Melancthon whom he had often opposed in it doth ingenuously confesse that in the point of the Sacrament he had gone too farre here was something the acknowledgement of the truth but yet taking counsell of men rather then of God for fear lest if he retracted those opinions the people would have suspected his other doctrines also he would not publish it but left it to others who succeeded him to root it out insensibly which hath been the ground of so many divisions D. Reyn. praelect 4. in l. Apoc. p 53. Col. 1 and so much blood between the Calvinists and Lutherans and is such a breach to this day 4. Conscience in an errour bear with my expression fears no storming There is errour in conscience and conscience in errour when errour is in conscience it hath conscience for its buckler it takes conscience for its shelter and defence it gets into conscience as its strong hold being otherwise afraid of stoâ—ming but when conscience is in errour it holds out errour for its buckler and defence which because he apprehends it to be truth for it is conscience in errour therefore he fears no storming no power or opposition what ever He apprehends it to be a truth and therefore is confident of its strength that it is able to hold out all opposition if it will not he is glad to revoke it and will conclude it an errour because it will not hold out opposition and so will no longer make lies his refuge 5. Conscience in an errour is firm in the truth If you see men to yeeld up truth and yet are stiff in their errour if you see one to wave a truâ—h which is received of â—ll and yet is pertinax in an errour peremptory in an opinion which is opposed by all you may suspect that man Try then if such men have the like firmnesse to truths of common reception and agreement as they have to those things wherein they are singular and differ from others if so certainly here is not conscience truly in an errour 6. Conscience in an errour is uniform conscience truly conscience is uniform and regular in all the acts of conscience We say that temper of body is not good which is hot uniform if it be hot in one place and cold in another nor is that temper of conscience neither see then if there be the like conscience in other things whether he be in all his actions under the power of conscience as he professeth to be in this whether he doe not make conscience of tithing mint and anise and none of the great things of the law or as the Priests who made no conscience of murthering Christ and yet they made conscience as they said of suffering his body to hang upon the crosse because it was the preparation for the Sabbath This was devilish hypocrisie Conscience is uniform and he that is truly under the power of conscience in one thing is also under the power of conscience in all things St James saith He that bridles not his tongue that mans religion is in vain 7. Conscience in an errour will not make use of any sinful unlawfull way to uphold his errour He will not make other truths a stalking horse to hold up that he will not stretch a place of Scripture to serve his ends he will not cast dirt upon another truth to give more lustre to his he will not make use of other truths of greater concernment to serve as a threshold to advance his Indeed where errour is maintained out of faction or a spirit of errour there they will make all to serve their own ends they care not to pull down the very pillars of religion nor what they ruine to raise up a structure for errour he cares not to weaken the power of such Scriptures which afford foundations of comfort to a soul if he may make them serviceable and usefull to him he will give up a place for comfort loosen the foundations of comfort and holinesse if by that he may lay the foundation or strengthen his own fabrick and errour which is a high peece of devilishnesse And I say this age is too guilty of it And now by these rules you may be able to know whether conscience be truly in an errour or whether only errour be in conscience whether it be truly conscience or only a pretence of conscience if it be truly conscience and such a conscience as I have spoken of God