satisfaction in matters of Religion as any thing of man can be or doe For the Truths of God once taught the world by Christ and his Apostles being unchangeable for ever and our Bibles which are the onely Rule to measure Religion by continuing one and the same for ever that which was an Errour in those times must needs be Errour still and that which was a Truth in those days must needs be a Truth still And if we cannot think of any more proper means for the right understanding of Scripture and the discovery of Truth and Errours then the deliberate and unanimous Judgment of so many hundred pious learned and unbiassed men assembled together then certainly the Determinations of those Ancient Councils are very considerable Evidences for Truth and against Errour and the rather because they consisted of such persons who besides their eminent Piety and Learning had the great Advantage of living nearer the Apostles Age and thereby were the better able to inform themselves and us too what was certainly believed and done in the very Infancy of the Church 3. The Writings of the Ancient Fathers those especially that lived within the first Six Centuries where-ever they agree and are not since corrupted or maimed by the fraud and forgeries of the Roman Church are of singular use in this matter too That Ignatius Clemens Origen Athanasius Cyril Nazianzene Basil Chrysostom Hierom Augustine and some others were indeed Persons of great Devotion and excellent Parts cannot be denied And although some of these great Names in some particular matters had their peculiar Mistakes and shew'd themselves to be but men yet in all Points where we find an unanimous Consent amongst them we are to have so much veneration for their Authority as not easily to suspect or contradict it True it is if we take these Fathers singly man by man where we find any of them alone in their Opinions as Origen in reference to the Punishments of Hell and Saint Augustine in reference to Infants that die unbaptized we are not in this case much more obliged to accept their Judgment then the Judgment of some person yet alive who perhaps may be as Pious and Learned as some of them But if we take all the Fathers that lived within six hundred years after Christ together and in the lump where we find them one in Judgment they are enough to make a wiser Council then any one Age could probably afford a Council certainly of more Value and far greater Credit then that Conventicle of Trent wherein there sate sometimes at least little more then 40 Bishops and some of those but meerly Titular and suborned too And upon this score the Church of Rome must needs excuse us that we do rather adhere to the united Judgment of so many Ancient Fathers then to those late Decrees and Canons of Trent which contradict them 'T is well known to our Adversaries of Rome that in the great Controversies betwixt us and them we appeal to the most Ancient Councils and Fathers whom we look upon as the most impartial and able Judges the whole matter in question we offer to their Decision and are willing to stand or fall as they determine But alas there 's no Tribunal like Saint Peter's Chair one Pope is of more value with them then ten Saint Augustines Nor indeed can we blame them for where the Cause is notoriously bad it were strange Imprudence to refer it to any other Vmpires and Arbitratours save onely such who are prepossest with the strongest Prejudice and obliged by the greatest Interests to defend and own it And thus stands the case with the Roman Church But as for us where matters are doubtful and Scriptures are not clear we dare not run to uncertain Traditions and the pretended Infallibility of Popes but rather to Ancient Councils and Fathers from whom we do rationally expect more satisfactory Resolutions and far better Comments But 4. There are several Systems of Divinity Confessions of Faith short Abridgments of Christian Religion that are especially to unlearned persons great helps in this matter too And here methinks those Ancient Creeds of the Apostles Nice and Athanasius which are so generally received by the Church of God are of great Authority to settle our Judgment in the main and most necessary Points of Faith Whatever contradicts any one Article delivered and contained therein may be justly suspected of Heresie Errour and Innovation And as for other Doctrines Practices and matters of Discipline we may have recourse and that with good satisfaction to the known Articles of the Church of England the Book of Homilies and that excellent Liturgy of ours which that of Saint Chrysostom or Basil doth not transcend and perhaps not match Besides these there are many choice and excellent Catechisms composed by men that were Pious Learned and Judicious acquainted with Scriptures well versed in the Primitive Councils and Fathers These short Catechisms compiled by persons of singular Endowments and approved by the Church are little less then so many contracted Bibles containing in them whatever man is obliged to know and delivering enough in plain and easie terms to inform us in matters of Practice to secure us from Errours and confirm our Judgments in all the great Points of Faith So then the Summe of all is this We are obliged to examine the matters of our Religion by the written Word of God but because this Word in some material cases according to the different Fansies or Interests of men hath different Interpretations given concerning its true sense and meaning 't is our onely way for our better satisfaction to betake our selves to the most able faithful and unbiassed Judges and they are the most Ancient Councils the Primitive Fathers publick Confessions of Faith and Orthodox Catechisms set forth or approved by the Church of God Vses I. Consider how much to blame those persons are who without any Examination whatsoever take up their Religion barely upon Trust We are thus commanded in the Text Prove all things but alas we are so far from this that we will prove nothing and although perhaps we pretend to abhorr the Religion of Rome yet so far do we act like Papists that an Implicit Faith serves our turn 'T is the great Imprudence and Crime of many persons who are so supine and careless that they will not examine their Religion but withall 't is the sad Calamity of some others who are so sottish and ignorant that indeed they cannot That we are required to prove our Faith and of what concern it is so to doe we have already seen and that all matters of this nature must be judged by the Word of God and that in doubtful cases to be expounded by Ancient Councils and Fathers hath been already shewed Yea but what 's all this to the man that 's utterly unlearned and ignorant Can that man prove his Religion by the Word of God who knows it not can that man help himself in
THE TRIALL OF RELIGIONS WITH CAUTIONS To the Members of the REFORMED CHVRCH AGAINST Defection to the ROMAN By FRAN. GREGORY D. D. Rectour of Hambleton in the County of Bucks and one of his Majestie 's Chaplains in Ordinary LONDON Printed by E. Flesher for R. Royston Bookseller to His most Sacred Majesty Anno 1674. To the Right Reverend Father in God WALTER Lord Bishop of Worcester and Dean of his Majestie 's Chappel c. MY LORD 'T IS well known to every man that hath the least Acquaintance with our late and modern Historians or Divines that the Adversaries of our Faith have been very Industrious and Active ever since the happy Reformation of our Religion to reduce the Superstitions of the Roman Church once more into Ours That such Attempts may not onely be still continued but prosecuted with greater Vigour the Emissaries of Rome taking occasion from our late Confusions and present Indulgence have encouraged themselves to come amongst us as all men believe in unusual numbers though not without their wonted Disguise and Vizards What their Business is no man is ignorant and that they want no Arts to carry on their Designs who doth not know If Flattery and Courtship can prevail with Persons of Quality if external Pomp and Pageantry can prevail with our Ladies of Honour if Ostentation and shews of Devotion can prevail with Religious and Pious Souls if Indulgence and Liberty can move the man of Pleasure if Gold and Silver can tempt the Poor if Promises of Pardon can work upon and win over the Guilty if Sophistry and Fallacies can perswade the Weak and Ignorant they want them not But certainly that which gives our Enemies the greater Advantage against us is the gross Ignorance and desperate Debauchery of this unhappy Age wherein we live the Ignorant Person doth not know the Debauched Person doth not care what Religion is best 'T is no difficult Task for some subtle Priest or Jesuit to reason an Ignorant man out of his Faith nor is it an hard matter to perswade a Vicious Person that hath no Religion indeed to pretend any even the Roman if some secular Advantage doth so require These Confiderations might well give me just occasion to compose these Sermons wherein my present Design was to confirm my own Parishioners in their present Faith and to warn them against all Temptations to the Roman That I have now made them publick 't is not as if I thought that the Church of England wants them no whosoever is acquainted with the Works of our Learned and Reverend Divines already extant Hooker Whitaker Reynolds Jewel Laud Morton Davenant Featly and many other deceased or yet alive must needs acknowledge that as there is no Church so capable of a sound Defence as ours so there is none better provided with it But yet notwithstanding as the very little Finger may afford some Help even to the strongest Arm so perhaps the weakest of God's Servants may lend some small Assistance towards the establishment of that Religion which is already so well maintained with the strongest Arguments and those managed by better Heads and Hands My former experiences of your Lordship's Favour have emboldned me to dedicate this Discourse to your Lordship's Name not that I think it worth your View but that I know it wants so great a Protection No man can blame me for chusing such a Guardian whom the world knows to be so willing to encourage the Friends of True Religion and so able to confute its Adversaries And the Truth is I am not in the least Capacity by any other means to testifie that cordial Respect and Veneration which my self and every man else that loves our Church must needs have for your Lordship 's inward Worth and Personal Excellencies nor could I think of any other way to make a Gratefull and Publick Acknowledgement of those various Obligations which your Lordship hath laid upon the meanest of God's Servants and our Churche's Sons FRAN. GREGORY THE TRIALL OF RELIGIONS WITH CAUTIONS to the Members of the Reformed Church against Defection to the Roman 1 THESS 5.21 Prove all things hold fast that which is good WE reade in Sacred Writ and Ecclesiastical History that the Christian Church in its infancy as well as the Jewish in its elder years had in it several persons that were really endued by God with the spirit of Prophecy and others who did but pretend it Where-ever God had his Church the Devil endeavoured to have his Synagogue too To that end it was the great design and policy of Hell to send its Residentiaries and Legates amongst those persons where Heaven had its commissioned and faithfull Embassadours If Christ send forth his Simon Peter the Devil will send forth his Simon Magus too if Christ send forth a Saint John a Saint Paul and other Apostles the Devil will not fail to send forth a Cerinthus a Marcion and other Hereticks too The true Prophets of those times did reveal nothing else but what was certainly the mind of God but the false Prophets and counterfeit Apostles delivered the Suggestions of Satan or at best the Dreams and Fancies of their own fantastick brain And yet so politick was the Devil that he veiled his Errours with a disguise of Truth and that with so much artifice that it was no easie matter for the young Novices of that Age who were but lately become Proselytes to Christ to distinguish betwixt false Doctrines and true betwixt tares and wheat betwixt the Devil's counterfeit and God's real Pearls In this conjuncture of time when Hereticks pretended to be Evangelists when wild Enthusiasts acted by the Devil pretended to be inspired of God when at the same season and in the self-same places Divine Truths were preached by some and devillish Errours broached by others the Servants of God and Apostles of Christ who were entrusted with the Concerns of his Church and the care of his Souls could not but think themselves obliged to do whatever in them lay that their late Converts to the Christian Faith might not either unworily admit what was indeed an Errour nor yet unadvisedly reject what was indeed a Truth To prevent this double Hazzard Saint John 1 John 4.1 doth thus command them Try the spirits whether they are of God There was it seems even thus early in the Church a great variety of spirits 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 saith Theophylact 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 saith Oecumenius Prophets true and prophets false and yet even these Impostours too pretended to be from God Well what must the Christians doe in such a case as this Must they receive all Doctrines because some were certainly true or must they reject all because some were certainly false No such matter the Apostle gives them and us another Rule to walk by and that 's this 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Try the spirits Be not rash in receiving be not rash in rejecting neither Perhaps the Doctrines that are delivered by such and such
settle and confirm it For when once a man hath duly measured the Grounds Principles and Practices of his Religion by that Rule which cannot fail him and there finds it straight and right all his Jealousies and Doubts are over What Doctrine soever he finds warranted by the written Word that he may most safely embrace and for ever conclude it to be from God 'T is in this case as it is with him that suspects some piece of money that is offered him as current Coin if he brings it to the Touchstone Scales or Standard and there finds it right Metall and full weight he receives it without farther scruple and layeth it up as a part of his Treasure So here suppose some Novice in Christianity such as these in the Text that is not yet well grounded in his Religion is not sufficiently assured whether such and such a Doctrine or Practice that is commended to him or required from him be right or wrong if he bring it to the Scripture which is the great and onely Standard in this case and there find a sufficient warrant for it from some Prophet Evangelist or Apostle with what confidence may he then receive it and for ever most justly count it one part of his Faith Well such ignorant Novices in Christianity we all are or have been and upon that score if we have not already examined the Principles of our Faith and grounds of our Religion we are obliged now to doe it See why in some Particulars 1. We are obliged to examine the nature and matters of our Religion by all that respect which we owe to the great frequent and peremptory Commands of God This is that which the Text requires in terms as express as can be Prove all things What all things doth he mean Matters of Religion sure Doctrinas Revelationes c. so Estius whatever Doctrines are recommended to you as Revelations given from God discernite dijudicate examine search and judge them So much doth Saint John require too when he thus commands us 1 John 4.1 Try the spirits And thus Saint Paul 2 Cor. 13.5 Examine your selves whether ye be in the faith Nay our Blessed Saviour himself doth in effect enjoin the same thing too when he gives us this Command Matt. 7.15 Beware of false prophets God Almighty by these Commands hath revealed his pleasure that he would not have us take up such and such Doctrines at a venture lest perhaps they should prove to be none of his nor would he have us unadvisedly close with such and such Religious Practices lest peradventure they should prove such as have no warrant That God who highly deserves and most justly expects whatever service man can doe him will be worshipped in his own way and which that is and where it lieth he bids us goe to his own Book and learn And methinks had we no other Motive in the world to examine the matter of our Religion save onely this yet this should be enough 't is one of those Duties which Man oweth his Maker the strict Examination of our Religion the Commands of God have made a considerable part thereof so that it is impossible for us to take up any Religion upon Trust but we must by so doing disobey our God and thereby shew that in truth we have none Sure it is that we have a certain Rule and Standard to measure all Religions by 't is the signal mercy of Heaven and to make a right use of that Standard it is the great Command of God and therefore the great Obligation of Man too 2. We are obliged to examine our Religion by all that respect which we owe our Neighbour our Friend our Child That we are concerned not onely to profess a Religion but promote it too no man I think that hath one jot thereof will ever deny We are bound by several obligations to instruct and teach our Brother the Principles of that Religion which we own our selves 'T is that which the Scriptures require over and over Thus Saint Paul 1 Thess 5.11 Edifie one another and so again Col. 3.16 Teach and admonish one another We are engaged by the frequent Commands of God and that eternal Law of Charity in our capacities and as occasion is offered to propagate our Religion to plant it where it is not and to water it where it is But then methinks we are deeply concerned to secure our selves and others too that the Religion which we advance in the world be indeed the Religion of God we must be sure that we plant not Weeds in stead of Flowers that we sow not Tares in stead of Wheat for to promote a Religion that possibly may be false were a desperate venture indeed and he that doth it hazards the honour of God and the Soul of man I find that our Blessed Saviour and his Apostles taught no Doctrine but what they were sure of Thus Christ tells Nicodemus John 3.11 We speak that we know and thus Saint John tells the world 1 John 3.19 We know that we are of the truth Certainly whosoever undertakes or is obliged to instruct another in matters of Religion had need very well be informed himself 'T is with us in our present case as with the Physician in his who doubtless stands bound by whatsoever is dear unto him to prescribe no Remedies but such as he throughly understands That Mountebank deserves a Check rather then a Fee who dares administer he knows not what and by so doing is more like to kill then cure The case is ours We are all obliged to prescribe our Children the Rules of life we are all obliged to train up our little ones in the fear and worship of God we are all obliged to direct our Brother in his way to Heaven but if our Directions should chance to prove wrong what then Suppose we instill into the minds of men Errour and Heresie in stead of Truth what would the issue be Should some careless Father strew Ratsbane in stead of Sugar and thereby poison some dear child of his whom probably he designed to feed would not all the world condemn him Well this and worse then this doth that man doe who through a careless Credulity and want of a stricter Enquiry doth scatter abroad where-ever he comes those unsound Opinions and unknown Errours which directly tend to the ruine of that Soul whom probably he designs to save 'T is indeed an act of Charity to instruct the ignorant and lead the blind but withall the man must have eyes in his own head that undertakes it Our Saviour hath told us Matt. 15.14 If the blind lead the blind there is danger in it 't is like enough they may both fall and perish in the ditch And if so since we are all bound to direct and guide one another in the way to Heaven since we are all obliged to promote the Worship of God and the Salvation of men let us most strictly enquire into those matters of