years A very absurd thing it is to say we shall never be able to confute any Religion with the objection of fore-conceived opinions For this may be objected to them that are in the right way as well as to them that are in a wrong way and undoubtedly the true way may be imbrac'd in a wrong manner For they are not all Israel that are of Israel Rom. 9. God threatens sometimes to visit the circumcised with the uncircumcised and the reason why the Lord gave the Christian world over to illusions to believe lies was because they received not the love of the truth As for civill learning surely there wanted not both civill and naturall knowledge among the Gentiles more than enough for this made them esteem the Cross of Christ foolishness which yet to them that are saved is the power of God For it is written I will destroy the wisdom of the wise and will cast away the understanding of the prudent Where is the Wise Where is the Scribe Where is the Disputer of this world Hath not God made the wisdom of this world foolishness For seeing the world by wisdom knew not God in the wisdom of God it pleased God by the foolishness of preaching to save them that believe 1 Cor. 1.18 18 19 20 21. And shall we now think that civill learning and naturall ingenuity prefers men to the grace of God or makes them the more fit to receive the Gospell Of Princes who more famous for naturall parts learning wisdom ingenuity than Trajan and Mareus Antonius of inferiour condition than Plinie the second the Officer of Trajan who speaks in commendations of the innocency of Christians yet neither of these became a Christian nay both these Princes were persecutors of the Church of God and at Athens for all their learning which made them renowned throughout the world who were converted by Pauls preaching there but Dionysius and Damaris and some other Act. 17. last Papists are great Scholars undoubtedly not in Logick and Philosophie onely and that in all kindes but in Divinity also and that in the most learned way Aquinas a great Divine his Sums I have heard Doctor Reynolds call it that absolute Body of Divinitie but his wit served him to serve that Churches turn in those days and in maintaining Idolatry he is the most shamefull Writer that ever was for he will have the Image worshipped with the same honour that is due to the thing represented by it and that by an Argument drawn out of Aristoile Dememoria reminiscentia opposed herein by Durand and Picus Mirandula and others I remember what Cicero said of the Grecians Do illis eruditionem do Doctrinam filem Religionem nunquam Coluerunt yet I will not say so of the Church of Rome though one sometimes did I know it was renowned for faith all the world over in the dayes of S. Paul but a degenerate time came and as at the first preaching of the Gospell men turned from Idolls to to serve the living God so in after Ages even Christians and Roman Christians as much as any if not more turned from the living God to serve Idolls and the Whore of Babylon who made all Nations drunken with the blood of Gods Saints is clearly the Church of Rome as it is at this day and hath been for many generations whatsoever their learning be the greater advantage they have for the countenancing of their Errors Heresies Superstitions and Idolatries which yet we nothing fear The Apostle hath taught us to esteem no knowledge but this even of Christ and him crucified Si Christum descis nihil est si caetera nescis si Christum nescis nihil est si caetera discis And if we fear not their learning much less have we cause to fear their wit or wisdom either or whatsoever projects of theirs likewise none of these should in common reason commend their Religion God usually infatuating the wisdom of the wise They have all furtherance I confess beyond us yet God hath not tied himself to annex his truth to these furtherances least of all if they be imployed not indifferently to the investigation of truth but prejudicately to support their own cause the madness whereof hath been in these later dayes made known to the world more than ever The triall whereof we make by the Touch-stone of Gods Word according to the counsel of God himself To the Law and to the Testimonies if they speak not according to this it is because there is no light in them Esai 8. Yet we study Scriptures and Fathers too as well as they and we have them amongst us that yeeld to them not a jot nay do we not study their writings too much more than our own I willingly profess I have done so all along that I might come acquainted with their best strength and fastness in all which I find nothing but illusions in the maintenance of those Tenets wherein we differ from them As for interpreting of Scriptures it is well known they have been brought unto it per force so was Cajetan in his old years after he had tasted of Luthers course who would admit of no other Authority in dispute but the Word of God And their Commentaries for the most part are but a Mass of Collections out of others yet I despise them not I am content to use them as soon as any of our own not so much to learn by them as to observe how they strain their wits to quench that light of truth which in most places breaks forth to the discovering of their Errors Well they may talk of bringing no sense to the Scriptures but their practice is nothing answerable Discourse But perhaps God hath not granted them his Spirit and his grace I answer God being sought unto and solicited to by prayers denies to no man his Grace and Spirit of Truth Now men of other Religions crave of God the enlightning of their minde and direction in a right way no less than our selves nay as far as we can discern perhaps with a greater fervency and zeal neither are we to think that they ask it out of hypocrisie and with dissimulation and that so they would mock God therefore it is to be taken for granted that the Spirit is where the fruits of the Spirit are found of which none ought to boast above others Nay more the knowledge of understanding the Scriptures is a peculiar gift of the Spirit which is granted no less to others than to us It is true indeed that he onely understands the Scriptures which hath the Spirit that dictated them and as it is in worldly laws no Doctors interpretation or deciding doth justifie till the Law-giver approve that deciding Yet he that boasteth of such approbation of the Spirit is bound to shew it unless he will be counted but an ordinary Doctor Consid We are bid to try the spirits whether they be of God Now we have no other triall of the Spirit of
Scriptures as well as an Elect this being no grace of Sanctification but of Edification but to know the Scriptures to be the Word of God the Wisdom of God and the Power of God that I take to bee peculiar to a regenerate spirit in whom the Spirit of God dwells as the fountain of the life of grace of which in-dwelling of the Spirit a child of God may be conscious in a comfortable manner without boasting I count it an absurd course for any to justisie his interpretation of Scripture to be sound because he hath the Spirit we are ready to dispute the meaning we give of Scripture and to prove it against all opposites made against it and we look not that any interpretation of Scripture we give should be received any further than we make it appear to be the truth of God to the consciences of them we deal with Obj. If any should here object that the Scriptures themselves bear witness of their own cleerness according to that Thy Word is a Lanthorn to my feet and a light unto my paths I answer All the Commands of God are his Word and so are all his Works which are through his Word for it is confessed by all that God sets forth his Word by Nature the Creature Signs Wonders beneath above and by infinite wayes also the Scriptures witness that many things neither are nor can be written Therefore the VVord of his Voice is taken diversly in the Scriptures and so by consequence all that is called Gods Word is not necessarily to be understood of the Scriptures Hereunto add that at that time many parts of Scripture were not yet written wherefore the evidence of the thing manifestly proveth that this is not spoken of the whole Argument and Letter of the Scripture for as much as the Figures of the Prophecy of the Apocalyps and infinite other things belonging to the fulfilling of those Prophecies were hidden from the Prophets themselves and the Fathers much more then from others and are yet hidden Christ himself speaks in parables to the end that men may hear with their ears and not understand The Scripture it self in very many places witnesseth that the Word of God is secret obscure hidden and discovered onely to the Spirit or to the Godly onely to whom God reveals it so that in the Scriptures there are more testimonies of their obscuritie than of their clearness yet is not the Scripture hereby either rejected or slighted For even before the Law was given and written men had a certain light by the help whereof they might if they would have found out the truth more clearly than we and although in the New Testament a great light be risen yet must we not think that in the Old Testament there was a meer blindness whence we may reason that God thought it not usefull for us to reveal all things to us but though all things perhaps be not necessary to be known yet nevertheless there may be had a certain and infallible way of interpreting by the help whereof the most and most necessary Controversies may be decided of which if triall be made a cleer light and meer harmony may be shewn in such Scriptures as according to the opinion of many are obscure it is possible also that there should be not a few other wayes of illustrating that which is obscure although this ill-tried way be not used alone for they may bee both admitted and used agreements comming from the same spirit and word where there is no demonsiration Consid The further I wade in this business the worse I like my imployment and hereupon I resolve I will no more be imployed in any such business unless I am fairly dealt withall that I may know who is the Author I am to deal with at least of what profession he is in Religion for upon the perusing of this Section some doubts arise within me concerning the intention of the Author carrying himself in a covert manner that he may be unknown which doth much move me Henry the seventh of England was wont to say hee desired nothing more than that he might know his Adversary that encountred him we do not use to buy a pig in a poke nor will I hereafter encounter with I know not whom nor of what profession he is Here the Author returns to oppose the cleerness of Scripture considering it hand over head and so opposing it whereas our Saviour requires that we should search the Scriptures that is study them wel and inquire after the true meaning of them No man searcheth after that which is before his eyes yea we are commanded to search for wisdom as we search after gold and silver and a man will be content to search deep for treasure It was wont to be said that in profundo latet veritas Truth lies deep how much more should we be content to search diligently and dig deep for the treasures of that truth which is according unto godliness after the treasures of that wisdom which makes us wise unto salvation Then again we distinguish between things necessary to salvation and other things Things necessary to salvation we say are plainly contained in Scripture many other things are not so Here we have a wilde answer at the first All the Commandments of God are his Word and so are all his Works which are through his Word 1. To say so are all his Works is to say all his Works are his Word which yet forthwith is corrected by saying they are through his Word Yet of old I have read in Chrysostome of a double Book of God the Book of his Word and the Book of his Creatures and that God at the first did teach his Creatures 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 by his Works afterwards 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 by his written VVord It is most true The heavens declare the glory of God and the firmament sheweth his handy works Psal 19. And the invisible things of God even his eternall Power and Godhead are seen from the Creation being considered in his works Rom. 1.20 So by the administration of his providence in governing the world He leaves not himself without witness giving us rain and fruitfull seasons filling our hearts with food and gladness Act. 14.17 Yet the knowledge of God hereby being gathered onely by discourse of naturall reason men may fail of finding God though they grope after him Act. 17.27 and the wisest of Philosophers hath denied the Creation and maintained God to be a necessary Agent And they who granted and acknowledged the beginning of the world as all they who were before yet utterly denied that the world was made originally out of nothing and therefore the Apostle tells us that by faith we believe the world was made Not only Gods Commands are his VVord but the revelations of the mystery of Godliness and these are the things most remote from our capacities As for the Law as a rule of life that is more or less written in
If it be objected unto them that they wilfully and against their consciences doe condemn the Lutheran Tenents and confirm their own They will answer That this were a very grievous sin and that men ought not to presume that they would salsifie and corrupt the Letters and Commands of their Lord to his sons and subjects much less that they do maliciously erre and lead themselves and others into the danger of their salvation and to say the truth it is not likely that so many hundred thousands of men would come to that pitch of malice though one should especially seeing they dare confirm their honest meaning with an Oath wherefore unless they be convinced of maliciously-wilfull error we shall seem injuriously to slander them 3. It may be objected Perhaps they be fore-stalled with preconceived opinions I answer How You will say they accustom themselves from their cradles to their own Religion forsaking the Bible and other Books I answer This is true in Popery but not in Calvinists and others which urge the Bible more than we do These have more freedom than we have to the other Religions Do not the children of the Lutherans also inure themselves to their Religion from their childhood Do they learn a Popish or Calvinisticall Catechism before they have learned a Lutheran one Is not that a mans Religion to which he accustoms himself How doth a child or a Lay-man that hath been taught no Religion know what is Lutheranism or Calvinism Doth he not take that Religion which is first offered to him Besides no fore-conceited Opinion is so fast rooted but that it will give place to clear demonstrations which is confessed among all Therefore we shall never be able to confute any Religion with the Objection of fore-conceived opinions What shall I say more Doe other Religions want civill learning There are found amongst them sufficiently learned and ingenious men and oftentimes they have much better and fitter means for the advancement of Learning than the Lutherans have especially the Papists who make choice of the best wits whom they imploy in a manner from their cradles to their full age in nothing else but study meditation and continuall exercises and do abundantly supply them with all things which serve or seem to serve for their furthering and forwarding and with all care and diligence do remove and take away whatsoever causeth or seems to cause any hindrance of their course They study the Scriptures and Fathers night and day and refuse no labour in learning the foundation of their own Religion and in knowing and understanding the Errors of others Nay the method and manner of learning of comparing the Scriptures of interpreting according to the 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 of Faith of bringing no sense to the Scriptures and such other rules cannot be unknown to them Obj. But perhaps God hath not granted them his Spirit and this grace I answer God being sought unto and solicited by prayers denies to no man his grace and Spirit of Truth Now men of other Religions crave of God the inlightning of their minde and direction in a right way no less than our selves nay as far as we can discern perhaps with a greater fervency and zeal neither are we to think that they ask it out of hypocrisie and with dissimulation and that so they would mock God Therefore it is to be taken for granted that the Spirit is where the fruits of the Spirit are found of which none ought to boast above others Nay more the knowlege of understanding the Scriptures is a peculiar gift of the Spirit which is granted no less to others than to us It is true indeed that he onely understands the Scriptures which hath the Spirit that dictated them and as it is in worldly Laws no Doctors interpretation or deciding doth justifie till the Law-giver approve that deciding Yet he that boasteth of such approbation of the Spirit is bound to shew it unless he will be counted but an ordinary Doctor Obj. If any should here object that the Scriptures themselves bear witness of their own cleerness according to that Thy Word is a Lanthorn to my feet c. and you have a more sure Word c. I answer All the Commands of God are his Word and so are all his Works which are through his Word for it is confessed by all that God sets forth his Word by Nature the Creature Signs Wonders beneath above and by infinite wayes also the Scriptures witness that many things neither are nor can be written Therefore the VVord of his Voice is taken diversly in the Scriptures and so by consequence all that is called Gods Word is not necessarily to be understood of the Scriptures Hereunto add that at that time many parts of Scripture were not yet written wherefore the evidence of the thing manifestly proveth that this is not spoken of the whole Argument and Letter of the Scripture for as much as the Figures of the Prophecy of the Apocalyps and infinite other things belonging to the fulfilling of those Prophecies were hidden from the Prophets themselves and the Fathers much more then from others and are yet hidden Christ himself speaks in parables to the end that men may hear with their ears and not understand The Scripture it self in very many places witnesseth that the Word of God is secret obscure hidden and discovered onely to the Spirit or to the Godly onely to whom God reveals it so that in the Scriptures there are more testimonies of their obscuritie than of their clearness yet is not the Scripture hereby either rejected or slighted For even before the Law was given and written men had a certain light by the help whereof they might if they would have found out the truth more clearly than we and although in the New Testament a great light be risen yet must we not think that in the Old Testament there was a meer blindness Whence we may reason that God thought it not usefull for us to reveal all things to us but though all things perhaps be not necessary to be known yet nevertheless there may be had a certain and infallible way of interpreting by the help whereof the most and most necessary Controversies may be decided of which if triall be made a cleer light and meer harmony may be shown in such Scriptures as according to the opinion of many are obscure It is possible also that there should be not a few other wayes of illustrating that which is obscure although this ill tried way be not used alone for there may both be admitted and used agreements coming from the same Spirit and word sometimes where there is no demonstration Nor am I moved with that Objection that it is enough for the Lutherans that they are assured of the truth of Lutheranism though others cannot see and believe it For this is not that which I would have I enquire how a man may be sure not of his own opinion but of the truth
Truth speaking in any but by the Word of God so the Bereans tried the Doctrine of Saint Paul Act. 17. and the Apostles professed to preach nothing but what they confirmed by the Word of God And our Saviour referred the Jewes hereunto for the triall of himself Search the Scriptures for in them you think to have eternall life they are they that tâ—stifie of me Now we have a more compleat rule of triall the Books both of the Old Testament and of the New Saint Paul delivered the whole counsell of God to the Ephesians Act. 20. and doe we think that the whole Scripture doth fail in some necessary part thereof But I would Popery did not plainly contradict that Scripture which is generally received by us both if so I would bear with them for the rest though in two things we cannot indure that ought should be imposed upon us besides the written Word namely Articles of Faith and parts of Gods Worship Now by this course of triall wee finde that not the spirit of Truth but the spirit of Error hath possessed them in all points of difference between us Prayers I grant are the ordinary means to obtain any grace at the hands of God save one and that is the Spirit of Prayer and that is the Spirit of Faith of all the rest it is true fides impetrat lex imperat but with a limitation or two 1. All knowledge necessary to salvation according to that 1 Joh. 2.27 and Nider though a Papist his interpretation thereof in his Consolatory of an affrighted Conscience 2. Other graces also and that in such a measure also as shall be found fit for each mans calling And I think every Christian should rest contented with such an Indulgence If the whole body were an eye where were the hearing If the whole were hearing where were the smelling But now hath God disposed the members every one of them in the body at his own pleasure For if they were all one member where were the body but now are there many members yet but one body 1 Cor. 12.17 18 19. But men may draw neer to God with their lips when their hearts are estranged far from him and how their hearts stand affected we know not God alone beholdeth their heart nay we are not so much as privy to their prayers but we examine their Doctrines by Gods Word according to that Sunt certi libri dominici and it was a worthy saying of Martin Luther mentioned by Scultetus in his Story of the first ten years of Reformation Solis Canonicis debemus fidem caeteris omnibus judicium I do not deny but all the Regenerate who have the Spirit of God according to that Because ye are sons God hath sent the Spirit of his Son into your hearts whereby ye cry Abba Father Gal. 4.6 do seek unto God to inlighten their mindes and God hears them and grants their requests in his good time according to the limitations formerly mentioned but who they are we know not and we are bid to try the spirits nor what their fervency and zeal is are we acquainted with yet surely it is not for their fervency sake that God hears them but for Christs sake And are not they as far bound in charity to think of us as this Author would shape us to be obliged to think of them we acknowledge no Spirit of Faith but that which is the Spirit of Truth at least in all fundamentalls necessarily required unto salvation and to Gods holy Worship without Idolatry As for the Prayers of Papists they are well known to be shamefully foul they were wont more frequently to run to Saints than to God and the Bishop of Boss was to seek whether he should run to God in the name of Christs blood or in the name of the Virgins Milk for he was made to profess in the wall in certain verses that he knew not well which of the two he should prefer nay if of any prayers God saith though he make many prayers I will not hear Esa 1. surely he should say as much of these in my judgement Have not Turks their prayers as well as Papists and may they not be performed with great fervency and zeal and may they not be as expert in tricks of gesture as the Papists as I have heard once of a child trained up to it by her mother even unto admiration the countenance composed unto a sad and solemn disposition and the hands lift up first to an equall height with the breasts after a while to an equall height with the head and lastly above the head and all this in dumb shewes without one word of ejaculation As for hypocrisie here mentioned I doubt it is delivered hand over head For first Hypocrisie is most considerable in a right way and not in a wrong way the reason whereof is because naturall men are naturally apt to imbrace false wayes and lewd wayes too too truly and as apt they may be to imbrace the way of truth hypocritically and not only to profess Christ but to preach him in pretence that is not chastly even to add afflictions to the bonds of so holy an Apostle even as Paul was so we nothing doubt but Papists are true Papists without hypocrisie but I much doubt that the greatest part of them by far are too far off from being true Christians and this I willingly confess they pretend but very hypocritically this runs with them in a blood they have it from their Mother even the Mother of Whoredomes and her Arms are Babylon in a mystery And the second beast though he had two horns like the Lamb yet he spake like the Dragon we know all their proceedings in pretence are In Nomine Domini incipit omne malum neither is it necessary that by hypocrisie a man should think to mock God if God could be mocked for there is a secret hypocrisie which a mans own heart is not conscious of untill God be pleased in mercy to discover it and as for gross hypocrisie it makes a man a plain Atheist This Author seems to be taken with the beauty of the Whore of Babylon he is so much in love with Papists as to obtrude upon us an acknowledgement that they have the fruits of the Spirit and consequently without any deniall that they have the Spirit To proceed one degree further were to profess Antichrist to be Christ and Christ Antichrist To understand the Scriptures is but to acknowledge the true meaning of them and this we deny that Papists have as touching all the points of difference between us which they pretend to ground upon Scripture yea and in many other particulars they are wide of the right understanding of them so may our Divines be also and like enough that as M. Hooker saith there are some depths of Scripture the searching out whereof will hold us as long as the world lasts Yet I deny not but a Reprobate may have the knowledge of the
Lord of glory 1 Cor. 2.8 but this wisdom of God in a mystery was hid from them 1 Cor. 2.7 and because they knew him not nor the words of the Prophets which were read every Sabbath day they fulfilled them in condemning him Acts 13.27 But if all things necessary to salvation are plainly set down in holy Scripture as both Chrysostom a Greek Father and Austin a Latine Father have concurrently delivered what are we the worse for the obscurity of the same 2. But suppose all were obscure yet are there not degrees of obscurity Amongst Writers in all Languages there is this difference some write more obscurely some more clearly as amongst the Greeks what difference between Chrysostome and Epiphanius this way among the Latines between Tertullian and Cyprian yet who doubts but even Tertullian may be understood and that by Cyprian who was wont to call for him in these terms Da mihi Magistrum so amongst School-Divines Aquinas and Durand are perspicuous and clear not so with Scot or Cajetan so Alvares fair and clear Navarrettus à Dominicanto but all along labours of obscurity as a man doth of the Gout whether he understood himself or no I know not sure I am he torments his Reader yet by pains and intention of study the difficulty may be overcome as I have found in part but I do not think any knowledge in him worthy to be redeemed with the like labour never any thing tormented me more unless it were the construing of Dr. Jacksons English yet no where els that I know save in treating of the Divine Essence Prov. 14.16 Now the Word of God hath taught us that knowledge is easie to him that will understand If thou callest after knowledge and criest for understanding If thou seekest her as silver and searchest for her as for hid treasures Then shalt thou understand the fear of the Lord and finde the knowledge of God Prov. 2.3 4 5. especially as touching all things necessary unto salvation 2. But suppose it were very obscure throughout is not God the Author able to instruct us in his own meaning and make us assured of it And hath not our Saviour assured us that if earthly Fathers know how to give good things to their children much more shall the heavenly Father give the holy Spirit to them that ask him The holy Apostle teacheth us this saying 1 Joh. 2.27 That annoynting which ye received of him dwelleth in you and ye need not that any man teach you but as the same annoynting teacheth you all things Hereupon Nider a Papist in his Consolatorium timoratae Conscientiae acknowledgeth that every childe of God hath the direction of the Spirit to lead him into all truth necessary to salvation And certainly the truth of Gods Word is infallible Cui non potest subesse falsum As for the certainty ex parte Scientis 1. That God can work in such a measure as he pleaseth 2. Yet we know in the best there is the flesh lusting against the Spirit and that swayes to infidelity but the better part masters it 3. And as for doubting that is rather on the part of fiducia than of fides and those doubts are mastered and that is the best faith that masters doubts and overcometh tentations Thus I presume the sober Reader may observe the rotten condition of this Discourse throughout yet we have spoken nothing of the Scripture in comparison to other means of assurance which this Author subdolously or simply conceals because to leave Scripture and to seek forth for assurance elswhere he perceives that this would manifestly appear in the end to be no better than to leave the fountain of living water and to dig unto our selves pits even broken pits that can hold no water Jer. 2. For consider shall we fly to the voyce of the Church consider the voyce of God it is the voyce of the Church and more 1. It is the voyce of the Church yea of the best Church and purest Church namely the voyce of the Propheticall and Apostolicall Church For Deus loquitur per Prophetas Apostolos And this is that Church into whose voyce the last resolution of our Faith ought to be made in the opinion of Durand then it is more than the voyce of the Church for holy men speak 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 as they were moved by the Holy Ghost 2 Pet. 1. ult You will say but all the question is about the meaning of it I answer 1. May there not be as much question about the meaning of the voyce of the Church as about the meaning of Gods Word Where doth the Church speak more authentically than in generall Councills See the Councill of Trent the Pope was unwilling to confirm it Hist of the Councill of Trent till Cardinall Bon Compagio Bishop of Befirice urged him thereunto upon this ground That withall he should publish an EDICT forbidding all men to take upon them the interpretation thereof and commanding them to seek that from him and then saith he let us alone to devise a convenient interpretation of it without prejudices to the advantages of the Court of Rome 2. Again Generall Councills may erre as Austin observes the former have been corrected by the later in some things 3. Such Councills never went about to write Commentaries upon the Scripture if they should Cajetan confesseth an interpretation may be given congruous to the Text yet different from the Torrent of Doctors notwithstanding which we ought to receive it 4. Lastly after what sense soever I interpret Scripture in any Argument if I am not able to make it good by convincing arguments to every sober conscience let my proofs be rejected but withall let him look to it after what manner he resists the evidence brought as he will answer for it at the day of Judgement according to that of our Saviour Joh. 12.48 He that refuseth me and receiveth not my words hath one that judgeth him the word that I have spoken it shall judge him at the last day 5. It were easiy to produce variety of testimonies even of Papists acknowledging the last resolution of our faith ought to be made into the VVord of God and that the true Church and the power which it hath is not known but by the Word of God 2. Or will they say the Pope is to resolve us as touching the meaning of Scripture To this I answer 1. That I care not who interprets Scripture to me so he performs the part of an Interpreter indeed and make it appear to be the meaning of it 2. And if I doe not so I am content to suffer the loss of that Argument whatever it be 3. Then it hath been a very rare thing for Popes to set themselves to interpret Scripture 4. It is well known that Liberius Pope of Rome subscribed to Arianism Honorius was a Monotholite Pope John the 22. denied that the souls of men lived after separation from the body like to
the Socinians of these dayes whose opinion was cried down at Paris and openly proclamed hereticall by the sound of a Trumpet 3. Or shall the Rule of interpretation of Scripture be the congruity of it to naturall reason as the Socinians make it This is most shamefull and unreasonable considering 1. That our naturall reason is much corrupt by the sin of Adam The things of God seem foolishness to the naturall man 1 Cor. 2.14 naturally we are all darkness 2. In the state of innocency do we think that Adam by naturall reason was able to find out or justifie the Trinity of Persons in the Unity of the Deitie We say God may be known by light of Nature Quod attinet ad Vnitatem naturae but not known quod attinet at Trinitatem Personarum God hath set the world in mans heart saith Solomon yet can he not finde out the works that he hath wrought from the beginning to the end Eccl. 3. and if he cannot finde out the works of God is he able to find out the nature of God himself we know he is said to dwell in a dark cloud Disc Obj. Some may object The Sects do not follow the Scriptures onely but they add the Papists their Traditions the Calvinists their Reasons the Anabaptists their Dreams I answer They do so in those things which are not cleerly taught in the holy Scriptures but in the controversies between them and Lutherans they proceed not so but by Scriptures they fight against Lutheran Tenents which are confirmed by the Scriptures and indeavour by the help of the Scriptures to sight for and defend their own which the Lutherans by Scriptures doe condemn Nay more there are some viz. the Anabaptists that urge the Scriptures in the very Letter more than the rest The Calvinists use their reason and out of the Scriptures draw Arguments which thing the Lutherans also doe never suffering any of theirs to reason against the Scriptures Consid This Author will have the making of his own bed and shapes his Reader at the first encounter to yeeld acknowledging the uncontradictable nature of his former one onely Argument which yet I have shewed to be both very weak very ridiculous and very untrue But we keep our ground professing to the world that the Scriptures alone being the Word of God are the rule of our faith and no word of man Papists add Traditions which yet they account the Word of God unwritten we abhor to make any thing the rule of our faith but the written Word of God It is falsly said that Calvinists add their Reason they rather suppose Reason than add it the Word of God being given to none but reasonable creatures Neither doe we make this Reason of ours a rule of faith added to Gods Word but it is that light which God hath given us wherewith to search into the meaning of his Word and by studious inquisition and observation to discover it and make it known to others and by good reason out of the Text to convict others of the truth And doth this Authors reason go to bed and sleep when he comes to read and studiously to consider the Word of God If it doth he will prove no better than a drowsie Student and I know no reason but such a one may be in love with dreams as well as Anabaptists 1. In his Answer he carrieth himself most absurdly and ridiculously For 1. Most insipidly he supposeth that the Controversies amongst Protestant Divines are about such things as are clearly taught in Scripture as if they agreed in those things which are not clearly set down in Scripture and differ onely about things which are clearly delivered there 2. He supposeth that Calvinists do not use reason in the controversies between them and the Lutherans but onely in other things which is most untrue and absurd withall for controversies cannot possibly be mannaged without reason both as touching the proof of their own Tenet and touching the disproof of the Tenet oposite And this must needs be the guise of the Lutherans also It is false which he saith of Anabaptists that they urge the very letter of Scriptures more than the rest For both Calvinists and Lutherans insist wholly upon the literall sense of Scripture and more than the Anabaptist in case they as formerly by this Author said did depend in dreams for so doe not Protestants but on Scripture only and that according unto sense literall not at all according to sense mysticall save onely in case the sense mysticall be expounded by some Apostle and thereby made literall 2. But herein this Authors ignorance discovers its self that hee confounds sense literall with the proper sense of the words We acknowledge sense literall to comprehend sense Metaphoricall as well as proper and to stand in contradiction onely to sense mysticall But in case we take that in a metaphoricall sense which our adversaries in any point take in a sense proper if we doe not prove the sense wherein we take it and disprove theirs by convincing Arguments we will allow the liberty to reject our Tenet and follow their own for we desire to make our faith evident to the consciences of all opposites and if they can make their Tenets in like manner evident to us we will renounce our own and imbrace theirs 3. And this Author speaks at random and he knows not what when he would have his Reader believe the Calvinists permit any to reason against the Scriptures for by reason to clear the meaning of Scripture is not I trust to reason against it but for it rather especially considering that by reason of Scripture onely we dispute the meaning of any place Disc Object 2. If it be objected unto them that they wilfully and against their consciences do condemn the Lutheran Tenets and confirm their own they will answer Ans This were a very grievous sin and that men ought not to presume that they would falsifie and corrupt the Letters and Commands of their Lord to his sons and subjects much less that they do maliciously erre and lead themselves and others into the dauger of their salvation and to say the truth it is not likely that so many hundred thousands of men would come to that pitch of malice though one should especially seeing they dare confirm their honest meaning with an Oath wherefore unless they be convicted of maliciously wilfull error we shall seem injuriously to slander them Consid I see no reason why such a censure should be passed upon the Calvinians more than upon the Lutherans more speciously it should be passed by them that are Orthodox upon them that are not though I justifie not this censure whosoever makes it and certainly there is no just cause to pass it upon them who are in the right and charity will forbid us rashly to pass this censure upon them who are in the wrong And as I finde defect of love in them who pass such censures hand over head upon
me or some men but to all and to win a consent from any man as two and three make five A thing controverted and which some understand one way and some another can never make me certain and free from doubt whether I have the truth or no and he that knowes no other than what he determines may be excused of malice and hypocrisie But this reasoning I and my follower are sure of this thing therefore it is true is unreasonable reasoning Consid Surely if I am in a right way it is enough for me to be assured of the truth for me it is for my salvation yet because I am bound to seek for the salvation of others also No man must imitate Cain in saying am I my brothers keeper yet that which is enough for me to be assured of the truth which I maintain may be enough for another also to bring him to be assured of the same truth For if this sufficiency I speak of be in the way of rationall discourse out of the Word of God if it is it self sufficient it is sufficient for the satisfaction of any that is capable thereof and all such light being light naturall and in the way of discourse is of a communicable nature to all rationall creatures by a rationall discourse But true faith is wrought by spirituall illumination which is not in my power to communicate unto any other onely the Spirit of God can do this enlightning whom he will while others are suffered to sit in darkness and in the shadow of death And this is the onely saving way to be sure of Truths Theologicall It is true that which I believe whatsoever it be and in what kinde soever it be believed is not therefore truth because I believe it but if I believe by illumination divine it is therefore truth because I believe it after such a manner though this I cannot communicate to another or make another hereby either bee perswaded of it himself or be perswaded that I am after such a sort perswaded of it Light naturall I may communicate unto another light spirituall I cannot and light naturall either in way of naturall discourse is communicative of it self from commonly-known principles by the light of nature or from principles on both sides agreed as namely that the Scriptures are the Word of God Now when the Spirit of God inlightens me the thing I imbrace is not my opinion but my faith and my perswasion herein is in stedfastness and nothing inferiour to naturall knowledge but superiour rather light spirituall and divine being superiour to light naturall like as knowledge by sense is superiour to knowledge by reason rationall knowledge depending upon knowledge sensitive For generall principles doe arise from experience and enumeration of particulars And as I remember Theologia is said to be non argumentativa to wit as it is supernaturall and compared rather to sensitive knowledge as to the sense of seeing open mine eyes that I may see the wonderfull things of thy Law and to the sense of hearing He that hath an ear let him hear for it is one thing to hear the voice of a man another thing to hear the voice of God one thing to see a work wrought another thing to behold the hand of God in it one thing to discern the meaning of a Scripture-passage another thing to discern the wisdom of God and the power of God in it So it is compared to the sense of smelling 2 Cor. 2.14 We are a sweet savour unto God in Christ in them that are saved and in them that perish and where the body is there will the Eagles bee gathered together Sometimes to the sense of tasting as 1 Pet. 2.1 As new born babes desire the sincere milk of the Word that ye may grow thereby if ye have tasted that the Lord is bountifull So Halensis professeth that the things of God are apprehended per modum gustus The sense of feeling doth fairly represent the knowledge of God by his works Act. 17.27 That they should seek the Lord if so be they might have groped after him and found him though doubtless he be not far from every one of us This Author seems to take no notice hereof no more than the Socinians doe in these dayes and that is the foul spot I finde in Master Shillingsworth Book And bee pleased I pray to put a difference between melancholike persons and the children of God who because they are sons God hath sent the Spirit of his Son into their hearts remember that of the Apostle This perswasion is not of God plainly giving to understand that the perswasions of Christian Faith are of God yet I confess this Faith is grounded alwayes upon Gods Word wherein they should beso expert as to be ready thence at all times to render a reason of their faith to any that should demand it But that may an unregenetate person be able to do as well yea and many times better too When he saith the nature of true knowledge is demonstrable this is true of knowledge naturall not of knowledge Christian which is grounded onely on Gods Word and it was never known that to prove a thing out of Scripture was called demonstration Aristotle denies that Morall Philosophie is capable of demonstration it proceeds onely by perswasion but it may bee for the evidence of the Scripture aptly alleged he calls it demonstration 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 yet consider no deduction out of Scripture can be so clear as to be exempted from all cavillings but never was it known that any man cavilled with a truth as clear as this that two and three makes five If we can never be free from doubt if the thing be controverted as for instance a passage of Scripture some understanding it one way and some another what oertainty can I have of any point of Faith I maintain in opposition to Papists to Socinians to any Heretike yet I should not look that the thing controverted should free me from doubt it is enough that I have good evidence for it though all the world run a madding in controverting that which I believe Now no evidence of truths Theologicall and saving truths is comparable to the evidence which proceeds from the illumination of the Spirit giving me new eyes as it were and opening the eyes of my understanding that I may see and discern the things of God and that holy Spirit is able to free me from all doubt yet there is another knowledge which is natural partly derived from naturall principles and partly from a dextrous interpretation of Scriptures which we shall bee able to make good against all Cavillers to their confusion and upon sober consciences to their assent but this is inferiour to the illumination of the Spirit I can hardly think any Christian to be so simple or wilfull to reason thus I and my follower are sure of this thing therefore it is true if they should I see no reason but
the Whore of Babylon should bee the VVhore of Babylon still and no Spouse of Christ and Antichrist a false Prophet still and no true Prophet For the faith and profession of a Papist makes him a Papist whether hee writes Controversies or no the smallest part of them being able to perform the task so the Protestants profession and protestation against the corruptions of the Church of Rome makes him a Protestant tho' he never set pen to paper to contend for the Faith once given to the Saints though this be a duty I confess but no common duty belonging unto all but peculiarly appertaining to the man of God able not only to exhort with wholesome doctrine but also to convince them that say against it For Articles of Faith and their profession of them Lay-men have suffered with great constancy and patience but not for controversies though they have been ready to give a reason of their Faith to all that asked it and witness a good confession of it as our Saviour did before Pilate as the Book of Acts and Monuments recordeth of them and S. Paul of our blessed Saviour Doctor Bergius is acknowledged to say as much confessing the Controversies are not very necessary to salvation which I interpret thus not necessary to the being of the Church but onely to her well-being when the Christian Faith is oppugned by Heretikes Between Lutherans and Calvinists we acknowledge there is no difference in fundamentalls as appeareth sufficiently at the Conference at Leipsich Disc This I am perswaded is very true that had the Holy Ghost judged those Controverted Questions necessary to salvation it would have expressed and propounded them in the holy Scripture clearly and plainly seeing those Epistles were sent to simple and Lay-men especially Nor doth it seem likely to be true that ever there were so many Articles of Faith drawn out of them as are now to be read in the Catechisms Common-places and Compounds of Divines As yet there is no certain number of them determined seeing some Divines have propounded more and some fewer and some Religions have in process of time either added or abated whole Articles and after many miseries indured for the defence of some of them entring a way of moderation they have determined that for tolerable and indifferent which before they thought damnable But howsoever there are so many of them that a man may deservedly call in question the precise necessity of them and this seems the best Solution to disintangle and appease perplexed doubtfull and erring Consciences Consid It is a very uncouth speech proceeding from a wilde conceit to say that God would have expressed and appointed Controverted Questions plainly and clearly if they had been necessary It is not the proposition of Controverted Questions though never so plainly and clearly delivered that sets an end to Controversies but the clear and substantiall solution of them for herein that which hath any shew of being necessary is not the proposing of them but the deciding of them and it were a very preposterous course to talk of deciding Controversies before there were any Controversies moved right as if a Physitians wisdom and goodness shoud move him to heal a man before he is wounded rather hee should take care to preserve a mans health that he might not fall into sickness And so Gods wisdom and goodness hath sufficiently provided for the health of his Church through the integrity of Doctrine delivered in his VVord and that in a manner sufficiently intelligible and plain to them that come with honest hearts and studious desires to seek after truth and to imbrace it But S. Paul tells us of oppositions to the truth made by men of corrupt mindes plainly giving us to understand that they came with corrupt mindes to the reading of Gods Word and so pervert it as Peter speaks and thereby pervert themselves first and afterwards they speak 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 wrested things to the corrupting of others and hinder them from that 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 to be found in the faith Tit. 1.13 S. Peter exhorts us to grow in grace and in the knowledge of the Lord Jesus Christ 2 Pet. 3.18 And S. Paul would not have us stand at a stay but grow forward unto perfection There is a plerophory and fulness of faith that we should strive unto and of knowledge as well as of holiness For this life is our way to heaven and still we must draw neerer thitherwards by knowing all that we can know by the Word Deut. 29.29 It is revealed to that purpose and it is able to make the man of God perfect to every good work 2 Tim. 3. last Add unto vertue knowledge saith Peter 2 Pet. 1.5 and Paul prayes on the behalf of the Colossians that they might be fulfilled with the knowledge of Gods Will in all wisdom and spirituall understanding Col. 19. that they might walk worthy of the Lord unto all pleasing fruitfull in every good work and increasing in the knowledge of God v. 10. Why then should we take offence at the multiplying of Articles In all professions men that delight in knowledge are never satisfied nothing is more congruous to our intelligent natures than light of knowledge while we live here on earth we shall never come to ripeness of age in Christ therefore we must be growing still and edifying our selves and one another in our most holy faith the body of Christ must be edified till we come to fulness of age and as we must increase in knowledge so being obnoxious to error it behoves us to labour for the discovery of it more and more That error in taking the number of the Beast 666. to denote onely 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 hath indured ever since the dayes of Ireneus that is from the next age after the Apostles and it is now lately discovered and the true meaning substituted in the place thereof as never the like before and it is commendable for men to see their former errors much more to confess them Of all Austins works there are none more tending to his honour and renown than his Retractations wherein he retracts the errors of his Faith and his Confestions where hee acknowledgeth the errors of his life and this is most Christian ingenuity and I think never was any man more renowned in this kinde than he It is necessary for every Christian to strive forwards unto perfection necessitate Praecepti by necessitie of Commandment but if he fail through negligence this is a very pardonable sin upon our confession of it As for things necessary to salvation they are but few but the knowledge of God and the things of God is so sweet to a regenerate tast having already tasted how bountifull the Lord is that he will be carried as naturally to desire the sincere milk of the Word that he may grow thereby as new born babes do desire the milk of their mothers breasts 1 Pet. 2.1 As for perplexed and doubting and
the cause of this mans perplexity was it not his own extreme superstition most abominable If the Author of this Discourse had proposed any thing on the other side to the Scripture and pretended ambiguity and perplexity which of them he preferred according whereunto to order his faith that Martialists resolution of the doubt might have been congruous enough But onely concerning the Scripture-doubts are here proposed how a man should ground his faith thereupon what he is I know not and whether this be res gesta or ficta I am to seek for the present world is full of jugling But when wee make such doubts unto our selves do we well consider the goodness and wisdom of God in giving us his holy Word to direct us in the wayes of everlasting life if still there were just cause to complain of a perplexed condition whereinto we were cast not knowing whether we shall take hold of it or run away from it as Moses did from his rod when it was turned into a Serpent But do we finde any the like Metamorphosis here yet when the Lord bid Moses take the Serpent by the tail he was bold to do it surely Gods Word is no Serpent but we rather and his Word alone hath power to charm us and make us vomit all our poyson of erroneous and unholy ways and the Lord Christ hath bid us to take hold of them saying Search the Scriptures yet if any thing in this my Answer seem amiss and not answerable to the Authors expectation but savouring as hee thinks of partiality prejudice or passion I confess prejudice against such discourses as these accompting them most vile and nothing becomming an understanding and godly Christian but as for the rest let him impute it to my ignorance that know not so much as what is the way of his passion for he seems to me to be neither Lutheran nor Calvinist and would not seem to bee a Papist though I am most prone to conceive it to be the trick of some Papist least of all doe I know his person or Countrey But let every sober Christian consider well and inquire whether that since the beginning that Gods Word was committed to writing there were at any time any such questions moved untill this last and worst Age of the world when Cajetan the Cardinall a great School-Divine first encountred with Martin Luther and found that no Authority prevailed with him but Scripturall hereupon hee was moved to study Scripture and wrote Commentaries upon it in his old age But Silvester Prierius of Rome he thought that way too far about and therefore took a shorter course and maintained that the Scriptures contained not all things necessary to salvation and therefore the rule of faith to be made compleat must be pieced up with the unwritten Word added to the written Word which unwritten Word they called Traditions Since that the Papists have strengthned themselves with the Authority of the Church yet confess the true Church cannot bee known to be a true Church nor the Authority thereof known but by the Scriptures and the issue of the resolution of the Church must bee the resolution of the Pope concerning the true interpretation of Scripture shamefully obtruding upon us that we make the resolution of our faith into our own private spirit whereas we to the contrary extend the testimony of the spirit onely to each private mans best satisfaction and teach no other herein than the Papists themselves acknowledge to be most true as touching the resolution physicall of our faith as I am able to prove by variety of pregnant evidences ready at hand without any more adoe than the bare transcribing of them Now this light being not of a nature communicable unto others we meddle not with it in disputing upon any other point of Divinity with Papists or any other But therein walk in all our disputations by way of Resolution Logicall either into some confessed principles as concerning the Attributes Divine or into express passages of holy Scripture the meaning whereof if it be excepted against we are ready to justify it by rationall discourse against any adversary nothing doubting but we shall either convict him of obstinacy in shutting his eyes against the clear evidence of truth and make him condemned in his own conscience or at least in the conscience of all sober Christians being well assured that whosoever resisteth the evidence of Gods Word upon pretence of inevidence that Word shall be found of evidence enough to judge him at the last day ¶ This Jesuiticall Question was sent out of Germany when the Assembly of Divines were sitting at Westminster and was translated out of High-Dutch FINIS