serued and glorified and our selues beautefied thereby Ioh. 6. 29. but also that so we may stop the mouthes of our adversaries For among al the most slanderous imputations that they lay to our charge this is not the least that they avouch that wee teach a bare and naked faith without the fruit of all good workes in that wee affirme that faith is alone in the worke of our iustification The which is as true as if they should say that wee hold that the eye is alone in the body without the residue of the other senses seeing that wee avouch that the eie is alone in the apprehension of all such things as are subiect vnto sight And yet for this cause we must be called Solâ—fidians as if wee reiected all other fruits of the spirit with the practise exercise of all good works Nay let vs make no lesse vse hereof then Philip did of those slanders the which the Athenians had raised vp against him I am much said he beholding to the Athenians for that by their slanderous reports I am made the more careful to look to my waies that I may hold a right course that so I may confute them both by my words and workes So likewise whereas our doctrine is that the true Christian saith is accompanied with all manner of divine and heauenly graces and is fruitfull in all good workes let vs giue all diligence to confirme the same by an holy life and conversation that so we may confute them by our deeds also And so we may bee bold to retort vpon them iustly and truly that which they vntruely charge vs withall For in that they avouch that the true Christian faith may not only be in the reprobate but even in the very divels themselues thereby they teach that it may be alone without the company of any vertue without the practise of any good worke And therefore they may be truely tearmed not onely Solifidians but Implijfidians ' Diabolifidians also Vndoubtedly hereby they make it manifest to the whole world that they hold not the true Catholike faith seeing thereby in the iudgement of S. Austine the iust are discerned from the vniust Aug. ad Bomf l. 3. c. 5. Whereas by that faith which themselues hold to be Catholike they cannot be discerned from the very Divels themselues Now if they bee not severed from the Divels in their faith neither can they bee seuered from them in their workes seeing faith is the root works are the fruits and such a root such a fruit Now if they bee severed from the Divell neither in their faith nor workes how can they bee severed from him in their punishments Wherefore let them disgrace this gracious gift of faith which haue no part nor portion in the reward thereof But as for vs which acknowledge it to be a principall part of true sanctitie and holinesse let vs most carefully obserue the meanes whereby it is coliated by God set downe in these words of our text Sanctifie them with thy truth thy word is truth Wherein we are to obserue these two points First that God doth sanctifie his by the truth secondly that this truth is contained in Gods word even in that word of God which is delivered vnto vs by the Prophets and Apostles Concerning the first which is that truth is the true meanes whereby we attaine to an holy faith and to all the residue of the graces of sanctification it is manifest in this that truth doth rectifie our vnderstanding will affections in the vprightnesse of the which our whole and totall sanctification doth consist And therefore by S. Austine truth is tearmed The virginitie of the soule and the chastitie of the mind As falsehood and vntruth is the adulterous pollution of them all insomuch that all such as in Gods service embrace lyes either taken by tradition from their ancestors or sucken out of their owne heads are iustly charged by the spirit of God to goe a whoring after humane inventions Num. 15. 39. Here of it is that men of al professions lay claime to the truth and for proofe thereof make a shew to deriue the pedegree of their doctrine from God the author of truth and from his word the authenticall and vndeniable evidences thereof As it may appeare by Celsus 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Who as Origen reporteth entituled his bookes The word of truth which yet hee wrot against the truth Wherefore as the Apostle exhorteth we are not to beleeue every spirit but to trie the spirits whether they are of God or no and wisely to examine the grounds of all doctrines before that we make them Articles of our Creed that so we may imbrace the knowledge of the truth whereby we may bee saved and reiect the strong delusion of Satans lies which are the venome and poison of our soules 2. Thess 2. 10. Now the word of God which our blessed Saviour the wisdome of God Prov. 8. revealed by his spirit to the Prophets and Apostles is this word of sanctifying and sauing truth For if we continue in the same We shall knowe the truth the truth shall make vs free Ioh. 8. 32. And how doth truth make vs free but by sanctifying vs with al divlne and heavenly vertues For a true vertuous man is the only free man Let vs then come to the second point and take a true view of such proofes as may be produced to make manifest that the word of Christ revealed by his spirit to the Prophets and Apostles is only the rich treasury of that pretious truth whereby all the elect of God are brought to a sanctifying and sauing faith The which thing that we may effect let vs first search and enquire where and what truth is that so truth may speake and manifest it selfe Truth is either in things or words Truth in things is the fit and apt agreement of the causes with their effects and the effects with their causes of the accidents with their subiects and subiects with their accidents and so of all other arguments and reasons with the things whereof they are argumeÌ„ts reasons Vera est propositio quaÌ„do praedicatum convenit subiecto Tum praedicatuÌ„ coÌ„venit subiecto cum est genus c. So truth in words is when true reasons which agree with the things whereof they are reasons are accordingly set downe in the words which are deliuered to expresse the same Hence then we thus conclude that if all true reasons whereby the true God and true Godlinesse may be knowne and embraced are rightly set downe in the doctrine revealed by Christ to the Tum veritas est in verbis quando ita est in rebus quemadmodum verbâ— significant Prophets and Apostles and by them registred and enrolled in the Canonicall Scriptures of the old and new Testament then this word is the word of God and the word of truth But in these bookes are set downe all manner of most forcible and
Moizare that is deliver many doctrines set downe by Moses for that hee had taken them out of him So these Sybille did Prophetizare because they had receaued these prophesies either out of their books or by tradition from the old Patriarks For as Sampson said vnto his guests that were at his wedding when they gaue him the right sense of his riddle which lie had proposed vnto them If yee had not plowed with my heifer yee could not haue found out my riddle Iud. 14. 18. So may wee as truely say that if the heathenish Prophets and Prophetesses had not consulted with our Prophets they could not haue delivered these Oracles The which is evident by this that when they were consulted by their greatest friends concerning events that were presently to come to passe they deliuered their Oracles in doubtfull sentences which might be expounded divers waies for that they were not able to deliver any certaintie thereof As Aio te Aeacides Romanos vincere posse And Craesus halim penetrans magnam pervertet opum vim Whereas our Prophets not only delivered the certaintie of the events of divers battles when they were ready to bee vndertaken as Iud. 4. 9. and 7. 9. 1. Sam. 30. 8. 1. Reg. 20 13. But also many other events many hundred yeares before they fell out As namely the deliverance of the Iewes out of the captivitie of Babylon and the particular king by whom it should bee accomplished even Cyrus king of the Medes Persians Isa 44. 45. The which prophesie as Iosephus reporteth Antiq. Iudaic. l. 11. c. 1. Cyrus reading and perceauing himselfe to be named therein some 200 yeares before he was borne and appointed to such a worke gaue liberty to the Iewes to returne to their-owne country and to build their temple and he gaue them backe the vessels thereof which had beene carried away by the king of Babylon For he vnderstood that the God of the Iewes was the true God because he had foretold such an event a long time before it was to come to passe As it may appeare by his owne words Ez. 1. 2. Thus saith Cyrus King of Persia the Lord God of heauen hath given me all the kingdomes of the earth and hath commanded mee to build him an house in Ierusalem which is in Iudah Who is among you of all his people with whom his God is Let him goe vp to Ierusalem which is in Iudah and build the house of the Lord God of Israell he is the God which is in Ierusalem Here then wee may perceaue by evident reason set downe in the Scriptures that the heathen haue and therefore still may be convinced to acknowledge him to be the true God who hath revealed himselfe in those bookes of the Prophets and Apostles and that those bookes are the authenticall word of the true all seeing and well working God And verily even the most profoundest mysteries of those bookes may bee iustified by evident reason to the heathen themselues to be the doctrines of truth proceeding from the true God as it may appeare by the bookes of these notable lights in the Church of Christ ' D. de Plessis de veritate Christianae religionis Zeged in locis com Keckerm in Syntagm Theolog. Neither must the doctrines of our Christian religion bee by reason evicted against the Gentiles but also against all Schismatiks Heretiks For albeit all these or at the least the most of them acknowledge the holy Scriptures to proceed from God yet seeing this word of God consisteth not in the letters but in the sence not in the reading but in the vnderstanding not in the leaues of the speech wherein it is delivered but in the root of the reason whereon it is grounded and seeing all Schismatikes and Heretikes be the words that are produced against them never so plaine and pregnant yet peruert and corrupt the right sense and meaning of them how can the right sense be iustified against all such persons but by cleere and evident reasons For if one testimonie bee produced to cleere another they will pervert the sense of the one as well as of the other And if the testimonies of the ancient Fathers yea of generall Councels bee alleaged against them either they will pervert the meaning of them aswell as they did the meaning of the Scriptures or else they will flatly refuse to subscribe to their autoritie The truth hereof was fully knowne vnto S. Austin who for his learned confuting of many heretikes was called the Hammer wherewith heretikes were knocked Malleus haereâ—â—corum in the head For hee writing against Maximinus the Arrian l. 3. 1. 14. saith I will not alleage the Councell of Nice to preiudice thee neither shalt thou produce the Councell of Ariminum to preiudice me I will not be bound to yeeld to the autority of the one nor thou to the authority of the other but by the autoritie of the Scriptures as by most indifferent witnesses not proper to either of vs but common to both Let matter with matter cause with cause reason with reason bee compared together let that prevaile which is the stronger and weigh most wherein there is the most weight And verily there is no other meanes to cleere the meaning of all testimonies humane and divine then by the light of cleere arguments and reasons Wherefore seeing that the power of the word of God consisteth in the right sense and meaning thereof which cannot be cleered without the light of reason without the sure apprehension thereof the people of God themselues cannot be edified therefore cleere arguments and reasons must bee produced for the cleering of all doctrines of faith and an holy life by all such teachers as seeke after the edification of the people of God The truth whereof is plainely confirmed by the vsuall practise of all preachers of the word of God Among whoÌ„ it is most ordinary after the doctrines deduced out of their texts to cleere the same with varietie of reasons and then to drawe out the vses there of which are nothing else but particular doctrines by evidence of reason collected and gathered out of the generall And verily the true Christian faith is not an ignorant credulitie but an vnderstanding assent grounded vpon a sure knowledge even such a faith as was in the Apostles themselues the which they were to preach through out the whole world Luk. 1. 77. For of this their faith our Sauiour himselfe testifieth in this very chapter saying I haue giuen them the words which thou gauest mee and they haue receaued them haue knowne surely that I came out from thee and haue beleeued that thou hast sent me v. 8. The truth where of is plainly confirmed by 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 the words of S. Peter Ioh. 6. 69. Thou hast the wordes of eternall life we beleeue knowe that thou art the very Christ the sonne of the liuing God Neither is this vnderstanding faith proper
THE REASONABLENESSE OF WISE AND holy truth and the absurditie of foolish and wicked Errour ECCL 7. 27. I haue compassed about both I and mine heart to knowe and to enquire and to search wisdome and reason and to knowe the wickednesse of folly and the foolishnesse of madnesse MATTH 11. 19. But wisdome is iustified of all her children AC OX AT OXFORD Printed by Iohn Lichfield and William Wrench Printers to the famous Vniversitie 161â— TO THE RIGHT REVErend Father in God ARTHVR Lord Bishop of BATH and WELLES Vice chancellour of the Vniversitie of Oxford and Warden of New Colledge IOHN TERRY wisheth all increase of that Glory and Vertue wherevnto you are called by our most glorious holy Lord. 2. Pet. 1. 2. MY duety bindeth me right Reuerend and my very Good Lord to offer vp to God for you the sacrifices of thankesgiuing and prayer Some of the Heathen offred sacrifice to the sunne rising for benefits to come and other to the Sunne setting for such as were already receaued VVherefore it being a great shame for a Christian to be out gone in any good dutie by an Heathen I cannot but offer vp to our most blessed Sauiour Christ the true Sonne of righteousnesse the sacrifice of thanksgiuing first for causing such a bright starre as your Lordship is to appeare aboue our Horizon in the west and secondly for causing you to set with leauing much good to that Colledge whereof my selfe was once a member And how can I also but offer vp prayer to God first that the fresh memorie of your renowned learning and religious life may instill such a sweet influence of celestiall grace into the hearts of all the members of that societie that they may bee effectually stirred vp to walke in your waies and to devote themselues by your example to the publike good as secondly I am to beseech him that walketh in the midst of the seauen golden Candlesticks and holdeth the starres in his right hand that he would hold vphold you long to his owne glory and to the edification and comfort of his people among whom hee hath now placed you to hold out the word of life And thus commending you to God the Father of light and to the word of his grace the most worthie instrument thereof with all humble thanks vnto your Lordship for your louing acceptance of this small paper present I rest Your Lordships in all Christian loue and dutie JOHN TERRY IOHN 17. 17. Sanctifie them with thy truth thy word is truth THis Chapter containeth a most divine and heavenly prayer of our most blessed Saviour Christ wherein hee requesteth of his Father that hee would by the gracious word of his Gospell make more and more manifest the glorious worke of mans redemption For that hereby he and his father should be most glorified and all such as his father had giuen him should be made partakers of life everlasting For this is everlasting life saith he to know thee the only true God and whom thou hast sent videlicet to accomplish the worke of the redemption of all the elect Iesus Christ For the cleere doctrine of the Gospell laying open the glorious worke of mans redemption doth make manifest the light of Gods countenance shining in Christ and doth giue vnto all that are truely lightned therewith the holy eie of sauing faith whereby they assuredly apprehending and most certainely beleeuing the vnspeakable loue of God towards them that do cleaue vnto Christ and are made one with him and by him haue communion and fellowship with God and so are made partakers of life everlasting And verily the true sauing faith wrought by the Gospell is nothing else but such a sure and certaine knowledge of Gods vnspeakable loue in Christ as is accompanied with all manner of holy and heavenly graces And therefore as v. 8. our Saviour testifieth that he had given his Fathers words to them which he had giuen vnto him and they had receaued them and had surely knowne that hee came from the Father had beleeued that the Father had sent him so in this verse hee prayeth to his Father that the would sanctifie them with the truth that was contained in the same word In the which petition of our Saviour Christ we are to obserue these two points first the thing that our Saviour requesteth at his Fathers hands that hee would bestow vpon all those that he had giuen him which is Sanctification Secondly the meanes whereby it is wrought which is the truth of his owne word Sanctifie them with thy truth thy word is truth Now the sanctification that our Saviour here prayeth for is not maymed wanting any essential part but totall and whole even such a sanctification as doth sanctifie the minde with sauing knowledge faith the will and the affections with all other graces and gifts of the holy Ghost and so doth sanctifie the whole man Neither is this whole and total sanctification bestowed onely vpon some principall persons in the Church of Christ but even vpon the meanest also As the Apostle testifieth 2. Cor. 3. 18. Wee all saith he behold as in a mirrour the glory of God with open face there is the subiection action obiect clerenesse of faith and are changed into the same image from glory to glory as by the spirit of the Lord there is the inseparable effect of sauing and sanctifying faith one and the same in substance though not in circumstance in all the faithfull And verily how can it otherwise bee but that all such as by faith are engraffed into Christ Rom. 11. 17. should immediatly be made good trees so consequently be enabled to beare good fruit Mat. 7.17 How can it otherwise be but that all such as by the linely word of God Heb. 4. 12. are quickned to a liuing faith Gal. 2. 20 should shew themselues to be aliue to God Rom. 6. 11. by the exercise of al holy and godly works For nature is never idle much lesse grace Gal. 5. 6. and therefore as the body without the operatiue spirit is dead so faith without workes is dead also Iac. 3 26. And therefore the same Apostle in the same chapter willeth Natura est nunquam otiosa all such as lay claime to a true faith to make proofe thereof by their good workes after the example of Abraham the father of the faithfull For after that he had shewed himselfe readie at the commandment of God to offer vp in sacrifice his most deare sonne Isaac then he made it manifest that he so firmely apprehended by an assured faith the incomprehensible loue of God in Christ Eph. 3. 19. towards himselfe that he preserred it before his most intire loue towards his own most deare sonne and then was the Scripture fulfilled Abraham beleeued God and it was imputed to him for righteousnes Wherefore it was not without cause that S. Peter writing to such as had obtained like pretious faith with himselfe willeth them to
truth And verily vnlesse the holy Scriptures were furnished with all varietie of arguments and reasons to convince all errors and to confirme all truths how could the professors of the Christian faith be enabled thereby to convert or confound all heathenish persons and all heretickes and schismatikes and to instruct and strengthen the faithfull themselues For if we will deale with Ethnikes we must not produce the bare testimonies of the Prophets and Apostles as of witnesses immediatly instructed sent into the world by God to giue an vndeniable evidence to truth for that were to begge that as granted which is by them not only questioned but also peremptorily denied but they must be dealt withall by arguments and reasons as being a plea allowed by all as are or thinke themselues to be indued with right reason And among the great varietie of arguments and reasons where by all questions are handled and discoursed of wee must not at the least principally vse such of them as most prevaile with the affections and will but rather such as doe instruct the vnderstanding and the minde For as Tertullian saith Truth perswadeth by teaching that veritas dâ—câ—ndâ— suadet is it teacheth the vnderstanding so prevaileth with Falsitas suadendo docet the affections and will Whereas Falsehood doth teach by perswading that is perswadeth the affection will and so moueth the mind to assent vnto error The truth of both which positions is verified by the experience of all ages For what prevaileth most with the affections but the ensamples of our Ancients custome a good intent and an outward peace and plentie of all temporall blessings And haue not these beene vsed as principall arguments by Schismarikes Heretikes Idolaters and Ethnikes Our Fathers said the schismatical Samaritans worshipped in this mount Ioh. 4. 20. I haue so receaued from my Progenitors was the plea of that infamous heretike Eutiches In this faith was I borne and consecrated to God and in this I desire to die Concil Chalced. act 1. So Dioscorus in the same place I doe find the doctrine of the ancient Fathers not cursorily deliuered but handled of set purpose in their bookes I am reiected with them So the Idolatrous Iewes said that they would doe whatsoever went out of their owne mouthes as to burne incense to the Queene of heauen and to powre out drinke offerings to her as they had done both they and their fathers their Kings and Princes in the cities of Iudah in the streets of lerusalem for then said they they had plentie of victuals and were well and felt no evill Ier. 44. 17. So the hereticall and idolatrous Papists cry out both generally for the Fathers the Fathers the Church the Church Antiquitie Vnity Vniversalitie particularly vnto his Maiestie your holy progenitors your deare mother were professours of our Romane religion Lastly so the old Idolatrous Ethnikes That which is more ancient cannot be false Aug. de Civ Dei l. 39. But how did the ancient Fathers themselues reply herevnto What wilt thou doe quoth Lactantius writing in defence of the Christian faith against the Idolatrous Ethnikes wilt thou follow thine Ancestors or reason rather Lact. de vero Dei simulachro cap. 20. So Cyprian ep 7. cent Quint We are not to prescribe by custome but to coÌ„vince with reason So Tertullian We are not to esteeme of faith by the persons but of the persons by the faith Yea this kind of reasoning reason it selfe hath taught even the naturall wise men I am thus resolued said Plato in Nullius addictus iurare in verba magistri Critone not now but alwaies that I am not to enthral my iudgement vnto any of my freinds but to reason yea to that reason which by discord appeareth to bee best Whose opinion was seconded by the chiefest of all his schollers Plato is my friend but truth is more my friend Arist. Mor. l. 1. c. 3. For the efficacy of reason is better then all authorities Zalm in c. 5. ep ad Otherwise why doe all learned men of all professions call for a generall disputation that they may iustifie all their positions by logicall syllogismes Yea why doth God himselfe call the Idolatrous Ethnikes standing in defence of their heathenish Gods to this manner kind of triall as Isa 41. 21. 22. 23. Stand to your cause saith the Lord bring forth your strong reasons saith the God of Iacob Let them bring them forth and let them tell vs what shall come let them shew the former things what they be that wee may consider them and knowe the latter end of them either declare vs things to come Shew the things that are to come hereafter that wee may knowe that yee are Gods Yea doe good or doe evill that we may declare and behold it together In which wordes are set downe two reasons whereby the true God may be discerned whereof the one is the doing good or evill The other the declaring of things past and of things to come And verily the true God is goodnesse it selfe and hath declared himselfe to be so by the creation of the world and by communicating some portion of his owne goodnesse to every creature therein And therefore as Pythagoras said if any besides one God say I am God let them shew a world like to this and say thereof this is mine For the creation of this one world is so sure an evidence to proue that there is but one God that this one God willeth his people to say to the Ethnikes that shall stand in defence of their Idoll Gods The Gods that made not the heavens the earth shall perish from the earth and from vnder the heavens Ier. 10. 11. And verily the Gods of the heathen are but Idols for it is the Lord that made the heavens Psal 96. 5. Now if the heathenish Gods shall assume to theÌ„selues the glory of this great worke of the creation then saith the Lord in the place before alleaged Let them shew it to be so either by revealing things passed froÌ„ the beginning of the world or things that are to come to passe even to the end For vndoubtedly knowne vnto God are all his owne workes from the beginning of the world Act. 15. 18. and as certainely hee knoweth what shall become of them to the end yea what shall come to passe for ever and ever As it is vndoubtedly true that the heathenish Gods cannot tell what shall come to passe in time to come concerning such things as are to be effected by such causes as are set on worke by their owne wills and therefore are no true Gods For if it be replyed that the Priests and Prophets of their heathenish Gods haue declared such things before hand as namely their Prophetesses called Sybillae haue set down some as distinct particulars concerning our Saviour Christ and the works of redemption wrought by him as were foretold by Moses and the Prophets wee answer that as Plato did
indued with a sanctifying faith albeit they cannot produce the actions thereof no more then it is an absurditie to say that they are indued with a reasonable soule albeit the effects there of appeare not in them But Bellarmine himselfe happily doubting of the absurditie of these former doctrines in the last instance wil be sure to produce an absurd position indeed which is that God is the author of sinne which yet as he affirmeth is taught by Calvin But this is an impudent and a shamelesse slander refused and refuted also by that worthie seruant of God himselfe Wherefore Bellarmine hereby manifestly declareth that the doctrine of the Romish church whereof he is so stiffe a maintainer is absurd false vntrue therefore not taken out of the word of truth seeing it is not neither indeed cannot bee defended but by false slanders and lies For the law of God shall bee fulfilled without lies seeing wisdome is sufficient to a faithfull mouth Eccl. 34. 8. And verily that all the particular doctrines of the Church of Rome are vnreasonable and absurd and therefore vntrue by Bellarmines owne rule vntrue it may be iustified in them all but at this time I will giue instance only in some of their particular doctrines which concerne the word of God the Sacraments Prayer Faith And first concerning the word of God the Church of Rome absurdly teacheth that it is delivered vnto vs partly in the Scriptures and partly by tradition For if it bee an absurd thing for a wise and provident Father to deliuer his last will and testament partly in writing and partly without it is much more absurd to ascribe any such action vnto the most wise and provident God Secondly if it be an absurd thing for a father to interdict any of his childrē to get a coppie of his last will and testament wherein some great legacy is giuen vnto him and some speciall duties are required at his hands then it is more absurd to avouch that God doth interdict all his children of the Laitie the hauing of the bookes of the old new Testament in the which so great legacies are bequeathed vnto them and so many speciall duties are required at their hands Thirdly if it be an absurd thing that a wise and louing father should make his last will and testament in a language vnknown to his children seeing he maketh it to this end even to make knowne to all and every of them what portion and legacie hee bestoweth vpon them and what dutie hee requireth at their hands then much more absurd is it to avouch that our heavenly father making his wil and testament to the same end would haue the vnderstāding thereof kept close from any of his children vnder the locke key of a strange language Fourthly seeing every wise father hath a speciall care to set downe his mind in his will and testament in plaine and cleere words that so he may take away all iust occasion of discord and dissention among his children it is absurd to imagine that the God of peace and loue would set downe his mind in the bookes of the old and new Testament in darke and obscure tearmes and in phrases of such a doubtfull and ambiguous signification that like a nose of wax they may be bowed as wel this way as that way and so minister occasion of discord and strife which he therein so straightly and severely interdicteth And verily as it is an absurd thing to avouch that the light of the sunne is darke because sore eies cannot well behold it blind cannot apprehend it at al so is it more absurd to avouch that the holy Scripture being a light that proceedeth from Christ the sonne of righteousnes Ap. 12. 1. is darke and obscure because the sore eyes of some mens sicke minds are offended with it and the blind mindes of other that are starke dead in their sins cannot apprehend it at all Fiftly seeing it is an absurd thing to thinke that any person in a manuary craft can become a good Artisan vnlesse he vnderstand the particular rules thereof and the reasons of such workes that are to be wrought thereby it is no lesse absurd to determine with the Church of Rome that a blind and a colliar-like faith can make a true faithfull man and a good intent can make a good worke when the party vnderstandeth not the particular doctrines of faith nor the severall reasons whereby a good worke may bee done rightly acceptably vnto God For is it not absurd as Chrysostome saith that a Physitian a Tanner a Cloth-worker and all other craftsinen shall be able to stand in defence of their arts and a Christian shall not be able to giue a reason of his faith Whereas these arts neglected bring losse only to our temporalties the contempt of the other bringeth damage to our soules Yet saith he such is our madnesse that wee imploy all our thoughts vpon the former and little regard the necessary most strong fortifications of our salvation albeit wee bee commanded to bee ready to giue an answer to every one that should aske vs a reason of our faith also to haue the word of God dwelling in vs most plentifully Chryf hom 16. in Ioh. Sixtly if we thinke it absurd to trust another mans telling in the receipt of mony or another mans eie in the feeding of our horse or another mans tast in the food of our owne bodies It is more absurd to receaue from our teachers the heauenly coine of faith hope loue vpon their bare word or to trust his eies and tast in the food of our soules by receauing and approuing all doctrines deliuered by them vnto vs without all examination and triall So S. Chrysostome It is an absurd thing in the receipt of mony not to trust another but to tell it our selues and in matters of farre greater moment to content our selues with another mans bare word especially whereas we haue a most exact ballance squire and rule even the determination of the divine lawes Chryf hom 13. in 2. ep ad Cor. Lastly is it not most absurd that a translation made by some which were not inspired guided therein by the spirit of God should be commanded to be receaued by all as only authenticall to be preferred before the text it selfe set down in the bookes of the Canonicall Scripture penned in the Hebrew Greek tongues by the Prophets Apostles which were immediatly inspired and guided in that very action by the speciall motion of the vnerring spirit of God 2. Pet. 1. 20. 21. Is it not I say absurd that all truth most purely set downe by such notaries as were immediately thereto designed by God should not be so well preserued in their register bookes from all errors and corruptions by divine providence as in the writings of any other which were not immediatly by God designed therevnto For is water more cleere in the streame where it
effectuall arguments and reasons for the rooting vp of all errors and vntruths for the opening confirming of all doctrines of faith and godlinesse and for the edifying of the spirituall Scriptura est â—ons rationalis temple of God Let vs saith S. Hierome ascend into the reasonable mount and seeking of the testimonies of Scripture choice and fit timber for every severall point of doctrine let vs cut it downe and there with build the house of wisdome Hier. in Hagg. Neither doth this word of God minister choice timber onely for the building vp of the Lords Temple but all maner of wholsome food also for the sustenance of all such as are of the Lords houshold For in it there is both milk for children strong meat for such as are men Heb. 5 12. The principles of this word are the childrens milke which is by S. Peter called a doctrine standing 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 vpon so sure and sound reason that hee that rightly apprehendeth the same cannot bee deceaued 1. Pet. 2. 2. whereby he doth distinguish it from the principles of 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 2. Pet. 1. 16. all other religions which being not Logicall but Sophisticall as happely hauing in them a shew but not the substance of sound reason cannot but deceaue and destroy all such as drinke downe the venomous poison thereof Now if the first rudiments of the word of God stand vpon such sound reason that they cannot deceaue then the stronger meat thereof which is all such reasons and arguments which are set downe for the further lightning and strengthning of these principles must needs bee of greater light and strength And so no doubt they are seeing they are of power to make the meÌ„ of God which are long exercised therein able so throughly to discerne betweene good evill errour and truth that they can both purely and zealously performe vnto the Lord that reasonable service 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 which is acceptable vnto him Rom 12. 1. The which reasonable service what is it else but the puritie of a true saith and of all oather divine vertues with all holy workes that issue from them all Ioh. 6. 29. 1. Tim. 6. 11. Now faith as the Apostle defineth it Heb. 11. 1. is the ground of things hoped for the demonstration of things not seene which principally are the vnspeakable loue and goodnesse of God demonstrated not onely in the worke of the creation Rom. 1. 20. but especially in the worke of the redemption 2. Cor. 3. 12. For this is such a demonstration of Gods vnspeakable goodnesse and loue that as Austine saith it doth convince the iudgement 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 and after a sort force the minde to yeeld her assent thereto Aug. in Ioh. hom 79. 95. So God loued the world saith out blessed Saviour that he gaue his only begotten Sonne that whosoever beleeueth in him should not perish but haue life everlasting Ioh. 3. 16. So Saint Iohn In this appeared the loue of God towards vs in that God sent his only begotten sonne into the world that wee might liue through him Ioh. 4. 9. And againe Herein is loue not that we loued God but that God loued vs gaue his Sonne to be an attonement for our sinnes And againe in the very next verse If God so loued vs c. As if hee would haue vs throughly to vnderstand that such a person giuen for such persons to worke such a worke is such a demonstration of Gods loue that the like is no where to be found no not in all the Bookes of Aristotles Demonstrations When I was here a scholler I heard a most reverend Father namely Mr. Fox preaching on these words of the Apostle If one bee dead for all then we were all dead 2. Cor. 5. 14. say here is such an ergo that all the Schooles cannot shew the like And yet this ergo demonstration whereof we now speake is a more forceable ergo a more compelling demonstration as the same Apostle teacheth in the former part of the same verse For verily if we could attaine to all riches of the full assurance of vnderstanding to knowe the mystery of God even the Father and of Christ Col. 2. 2. Then we should attaine to the full assurance of faith Heb. 10. 22. even to the full assurance of Gods loue If wee were able to comprehend with all Saints what is the breadth length depth and height of the loue of Christ that passeth knowledge then should wee bee filled with all fulnesse of God Eph. 3. 18. In the meane season all such as haue attained to some measure of this faith which is grounded vpon so strong demonstration are called by S. Chrysostome hom 9. in Epist ad Coll. sheepe indued with reason for that they are or should bee able to giue 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 answer to every one that asketh them a reason of the hope that is in them 1. Pet. 3. 15 And verily all such Christians as rightly vnderstand the grounds of their faith are esteemed by the Apostle to bee worthie of the name of reasonable men whereas all that doe not are by him branded with the note of men wicked and vnreasonable Furthermore saith he bretheren pray for vs that the word of the Lord may haue a full current be glorified as it is with you and that we may be delivered from vnreasonable and evill men for all men haue not faith 2. Th. 3. 1. Neither is this first and principall part of Gods seruice only grounded vpon most sure sound reason but also the other part thereof consisting in the exercise of all holy works proceeding from al the divine graces and gifts of the holy spirit of God For if they be not done after that manner and by the inducement of such reasons as God in his word requireth Deus non exigebat quae siebant sed propter quod fiebant Tert. 1 3 cont Marc. them to be performed they are not allowed and approued of Christ Mat. 6. 1. 1. Cor. 13. 1. For that may bee said of all good workes which Tertullian avoucheth of the Iewes sacrifices Viz that God did not in them require the thing done but the reasons for the which they were to be done so God doth not require our bare workes but will haue them done vpon such reasons and motiues as they ought to be done So then the very rudiments and principles of this word of Christ are reasonable milke the service therein prescribed is a reasonable service and the faith therein commanded is grounded vpon a most strong demonstration and the workes therein required are squared by the squier of exact reason and the persons that embrace this faith are only and alone esteemed to be endued with right reason therefore we rightly conclude that this word of Christ set downe in the holy Scriptures of the Prophets Apostles is the only vnerring word of