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A78422 The depths of Satan discovered: or, the Jesuits last design to ruine religion. Being, some observations upon a pamphlet, called, The swords abuse asserted: by John Vernon. Presented to the consideration of the Armie. Citie. Kingdome. / By Philopatrius Philalethes. Cawdrey, Daniel, 1588-1664. 1649 (1649) Wing C1625; Thomason E539_1; ESTC R205694 19,373 34

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Lord of their Faith to coine new Articles of Faith without command from Christ Say the same of the prescribed Worship Nor is this to consent to the dethroning of Jesus Christ nor to take upon them to Sway the Conscience For wee suppose the Rule of Worship prescribed and the Magistrate to have power only upon the externall man to preserve from the violation of that worship not to Compell or Sway Consciences or Hearts to worship God aright with internall worship Therefore this Disputer whether ignorantly or fallaciously I know not deceives his disciples with a double false supposition First That there is no certaine * He cannot expect a concurrence of any partie considerable in the Nation in Principles of Christianitie pag. 8. determin'd cleare Rule of Faith or Worship in the Scriptures but all is doubtfull and uncertaine without Revelation Secondly That the Magistrate by this Restriction intends Compulsion and that of Conscience to beleeve or practise what it doth not beleeve to be the Rule of Faith or Worship And withall that those that grant him this power of Restraint give him a Power to Sway Conscience so to beleeve or practise which wee disclaime as much as himselfe Nor doth the Magistrate by this Restraint of Seducers or Idolaters take upon him to convert Soules the worke of Jesus Christ alone but to keepe them from infecting others by false Doctrine or false Worship and in the end to reduce the E●roneous to the right wayes of God 3. The instance of Pauls Restrictive Power on Mars-hill in quite beside the question He was a Minister not a Magistrate and the worke being Conversion of Heathens to the Faith for the Constitution of a Church not in a Church Constituted For I demand If after Paul had setled a Church and given them the Rule of Faith and Worship any Professour thereof should have Apostated from both or either whether he would not by his Apostolicall power have restrained him by Church censures If so his Texts and proofes falls as heavily upon the Ecclesiasticall power as upon the Civill and all his absurdities pretended here fall upon S. Paul He makes himselfe a Judge of Christianitie and consents to the dethroning of Christ takes upon him to Sway the Conscience and convert hearts which is peculiar to the Scepter of Christ c. But this Doctrine tends evidently to nothing but Skepticisme and Prophanesse that every man may not onely beleeve but publish and practise Errours and Idolatry without controle either of Magistrate or Minister And thither wee see it inclines apace and there wee feare it will end if not betimes prevented But further He gives a caution That if Christ send a Servant saying What I have revealed to you in secret preach you on the house tops Goe to the publique Synagoge in this Season of their assembling which otherwise you cannot procure Goe I say and reason with them for they are in all things too Superstitious Doe not you runne the hazard of restraining in this case under pretence of disturbance If their publique way be according to the way of Christ the priviledge of Disputing is according to the Directory of Christ 1 Cor. 14 22. It not c. To this wee say First This man seemes to be a meere Skeptick and as was said afore to suppose there is no Rule of Truth or Worship prescribed and the times to be as in the Apostles dayes before the New Testament was written And withall he seemes to be a Familist expecting Revelations which he insinuates in those words What I have revealed to you in secert And yet afore he calls the Armie to direct themselves by Christs proclaimed Law as their Line at least for the worke of his owne worsh●p and Temple pag. 3. and to measure their proceedings herein by the pattern of his Scriptures But it is no new thing for Errours to intersere and contradict themselves For if there be any certaine Rule of Truth or Wo●ship what reason is there that any man under pretence of New Light should have libertie to dispute it Is not this a plaine disturbance of the Church Suppose the publique way be the Way of Christ why should any man dispute it over and over againe What need he goe and reason with them who are in nothing Erroneous or Superstitious but observant of the way of Christ Will Christ send men to disturbe his Setled Truths and Worship And yet if every man that will pretend a new Revelation may have liberty to dispute the old wayes of Christ and by a subtile wrangling Jesuiticall wit puzzle weake Christians with new Skepticismes nothing will more disturbe the Peace of the Church as was evident once in the Church of Galatia and is in Ours at this day I would they were cut off that thus Trouble it The priviledge of Disputing which he pleads from 1 Cor. 14. was before the Rule was written when there was an extraordinarie gift of Prophesying and new Revelations were discovered concerning the Truths of the Gospell But the same Apostle censures this libertie after the Truth and Rule thereof was clearly delivered 1 Tim. 6.3 4 5. If any man teach otherwise and consent not to the wholesome words even the words of our Lord Jesus Christ and to the Doctrine which is according to Godlinesse He is proud knowing nothing doting about questions and strifes of words whereof commeth Envie Strife Raylings evill Surmisings and mark that perverse Disputings of men of corrupt minds and destitute of the Truth from such withdraw thy selfe Where the Apostle meets just with the practises of our Times Supposing that when once the Forme of sound words as i● a called 2 Tim. 1.13 is delivered to the Church and the Doctrine according 〈◊〉 Godlinesse is once Setled no man may have the libertie to Dispute them And if he doe he is proud doting or sick and disturbes the Peace of the Church He that thus troubles the Church shall beare his judgement who ever be he Gal. 5.9 But wee proceed Thirdly The conviction of the understanding being the foundation of Conversion and that a facultie that cannot be forced nor satisfied without an over-comming Reason A powerfull Argument would soone subdue that noble part when civill Restraint would encrease prejudice and confirme obscuritie Therefore the way of God is rather Come let us reason together c. But this man dreames of such a Restraint as never came into any rationall mans head Was ever Restraint used as an argument to convince or convert men to make a man beleeve this or that without reason No The man shall be informed by the strength of Scripture-Reason and Light held forth to him if he be able or willing to receive it And if after all the best information he cannot or will not see that Light he shall not be forced to beleeve or practise what he understands not to be the way of Christ Onely if he be in an Errour in Doctrine or Worship as wee
Soules belongs primarily to Christ by the operation of his Spirit instrumentally to the Ministers of Christ But when men are converted to the faith and profession of the Gospell and have embraced the Truths and worship of it if then they shall blaspheme or corrupt those Truths or prophane that worship the Magistrate wee thinke hath power to restraine yea and to punish them for that violation 3. Conversion it selfe is two wayes considerable either with respect to the Conscience which wee may call the internall reall Conversion to the Faith 's being made thereby tru● beleevers and this is the worke of Christs Propheticall and Kingly Office or else with respect to the outward Profession of the Faith This latter is the object of the Magistrates power in regard of regulation of it according to the Rules of the word for he is made the Keeper of both Tables in regard of the externall acts and exercises thereof 4. It s one thing for the Magistrate to prescribe a Rule of Faith as the Pope presumes or a forme of worship of God another to look to the preservation of both prescribed by Christ from the corruption of Seducers and False Teachers or the violation of prophane men As he pag. 4. The ordering of the visible worship of God as he speaks and the ordaining of the Rule of Faith whereunto all are alike subject c. belonge entirely and solely to Jesus Christ 5. Wee note one notable fallacie all along this Dispute●● Pamphlet that is Petitio principii that he seemes to insinuate it as granted which many others of his way doe That there is no Rule of Faith or Worship determined or held forth in the word but all is now Skepticall Sure wee are there is scarcely one Truth but it is questioned in this Age. For if there be any one Fundamentall Principle of Truth or Rule of Worship held forth clearely in the Scripture the Blaspheming of that Truth and teaching men so the Prophaning of that Worship and practising so may be restrained by the Magistrate yea and punished too as wee think And yet this very Restraint or punishment is deceyed and beaten downe by the force of this mans Arguments which what strength they have shall now be considered First he sayes His capacitie cannot discerne the distinction betwixt the Compulsive and Restrictive Power being fully perswaded the former is sufficiently included in the latter And he who hath power for the latter shall by frequent restraining upon every frivolous occasion make mee restlesse till I read his pleasure That I worship as he worships and so I feele his power to the former c. To which I answer First Surely then his capacitie is very narrow and shallow the distinction is so cleare and evident An instance is readie in Nebem 13. concerning the fourth Commadement one of the first Table and a part of worship Nehemiah did not compell the Heathen Merchants to keepe the Sabbath in the prescribed manner yet did he restraine them from polluting of it Secondly It is so farre from Truth that the fromer is included in the latter as that instance and many more demonstrate that it is rather true backward that the latter Restriction is included in the former Compulsion not Compulsion in Restriction Thirdly The Jewish Magistrates did restraine Heathens from the Prophanation of the Sabbath and other Services yet never did nor might compell them to the observation of them till they voluntarily Proselyted And this Restraint was thus farre beneficiall that it prevailed to bring them to Proselyte to the Jewish Religion that they might enjoy the Priviledges of it And if Restraint of Seducers and false-Worshippers have the same effect upon them to bring them to embrace the true Faith and right Worship of God I know no hurt they have by it A Stranger said the Law shall not eat of the Passeover nor enter into the Temple till circumcised And this difference in partaking of many priviledges was a mercie to the Gentiles to win them to come in for the priviledge sake There are many such Lawes of Restraint in all States which yet never come to Compulsion as he cannot but know But Though the Restrictive may be different yet it ever cente●'d in the Compulsive and the most cruell of Tyrants have first appeared in the Restrictive c. But this if it be not a contradiction is contrary to what he said afore There he said Compulsion was included in Restriction Now Restriction centers in Compulsion Secondly That word Ever is false and contrary to manifold experience as afore And marke the Logick of these men they commonly conclude a generall from one or two particulars Tyrants as the Pharisees and Jewes have sometimes appeared in the Restrictive before the Compulsive no Restriction ever centers in Compulsion Thirdly Nor is the Restraint to force them that obey it not to the contrarie practise Nor does Compulsion come as the consequent thereof If any punishment follow it is for disobedience to the Law of Restraint E. G. Nehemiah restraines the Heathens for selling wares on the Sabbath dayes and threatens to lay them in durance if they did transgresse that Prohibition but he never intended by the Restraint or punishment to compell them to observe the Sabbath as the Jewes did in Religious Sanctification of it Lastly To prevent this consequent Compulsion let it be made a Law that no man shall openly Blaspheme the Truth of God or Prophane the worship of God and if he doe not he shall not be compelled to beleeve as the Magistrate beleeves or worship as the Magistrate worships And as this may suffice for his securitie against Compulsion so it clearely puts a difference between Restriction and Compulsion Consider the next Secondly Hereby sayes he I make the Civill Magistrate Judge of Christianitie which as none can assume without sinne 2 Cor. 1.24 So none can consent to without being guiltie of strong endeavours to dethrone the Lord Jesus to whom alone this judgement is committed and whose Scepter onely can sway the Conscience c. 1. Let him apply this to the state of the Jewes and see how in consequent it is The Magistrate then had power to judge of the Rule of Worship without sinne else how could he Restraine men or punish them for transgressing the Rule And if the Rule of Christian Truth and Worship be as clearly prescribed in the new Testament as it is why may not the Christian Magistrate be as competent a Judge of Christianity and Restraine from the violation of it 2. It is equivocall the word Judge and so he deludes us It is one thing to be a Law-maker which is as his Text hath it to have Dominion over their Faith by prescribing a Rule of Faith or Worship Another to be a Judge of the Violation of that prescribed Rule The Apostle Paul himselfe was a competent Judge of the Rule of Faith and so of the Violation of it though he was not the