tells us that the Angels had a desire to look into certain things of Scripture namely the accomplishment of the predictions of Christ's sufferings and glory where the Original Greek word which he useth to expresse their introspection 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 in the genuine and proper sense signifies a stooping to behold some thing hid which imports that they were ignorant of the full meaning of these prophesies till they were fulfilled and revealed by the Gospel And if to Angels the depth of this divine mystery be inscrutable much more to man who therefore is commanded very oft to read study and search the Scriptures which precepts stand in force to the end of mans life yea to the end of this world and therefore necessarily imply that as there must be no end of searching so neither can there be any end of finding but that a man may find more where he hath found much before and yet leave much unfound still when he hath searched what he can And to this truth the most accomplisht Divines of former times have afforded their suffrage St. Augustine saith In ipsis sanctis Scripturis mulâ—ò nesciâ— plura quam scio (a) August Epist 119. in the holy Scriptures I am ignorant of much more then I know And again he saith Mira profunditas eloquiorum tuorum Deus meus mira profunditas horror est intendere in eam horror honoris tremor amoris (b) Aug. Confess lib. 12. cap. 14. There is a wonderful profoundnesse in thy word O my God a wonderful profoundnesse it makes a man quake to look upon it intentively to quake for reverence and to tremble for the love thereof And a greater Divine then he saith speaking to God himself thereof Thy knowledge is too wonderful for me it is so high that I cannot attain unto it (c) Psal 139.6 And therefore prayeth to God in another place to open his eyes that he might see the wonders of his Law (d) Psal 119 18. Hence then I infer that if neither man nor Angel can wade into the depth of Scripture already invented and set forth then neither man nor Angel could be the inventers and Authors of it but of necessity a superior intelligence to these which can be no other but God himself Neither let any here think that this argument any whit favours the tenet of the Church of Rome which chargeth the Scripture with obscurity for though it be replenished and thereby indeed richly imbellished and beautified with variety of mysticall difficulties so as some things be hard to be understood as St. Peter confesseth (a) 2 Pet. 3.16 yet is it apert and perspicuous also in many places where the necessary way to life eternal is delineated and described and in so many places perspicuous as are sufficient fully to instruct men in all points of absolute necessity to be known and believed unto salvation And agreeable hereto is that speech uttered by wisedome her self (b) Prov. 8.9 All the words of my mouth are plain to him that will understand and straight to them that would find knowledge So that in it is propounded both milk and strong meat that for babes which are unexpert in the word of righteousness and this for them that are at age which through long custome have their wits exercised to discern between good and evil (c) Heb. 5.13 14. And hence have sundry of the fathers compared it to a River where there is a shallow ford for the Lamb to wade in and a profound deep for the Elephant to swim in And least any should suspect our modern Divines to be coiners of this distinction hear what the ancient Orthodox Fathers have taught us about it even from primitive times S. Chrysostome thus speaks Omnia clara sunt ac plana ex Scripturis divinis quaecunque necessaria sunt manifesta sunt (a) Chrysost in 2 Tessal 2. All things are clear and plain out of the holy Scriptures whatsoever things are necessary are manifest S. Augustine thus In his quae aperte posita funt in Scriptura inveniuntur illa omnia quae continent fidem moresque vivendi spem scilicet charitatem (b) Aug. de doctr Christ lib. 2. cap. 9. Amongst those things which are apertly or apparently set down in Scripture are all those things found which contain faith and good manners as namely hope and charity Irenaeus long before them thus as Chemnitius hath it (c) Chem. exa deer Conci Trid. part 1. in loco de Epist Apost prope finem Licet multa sunt obscura parabolica Scripturae loca regula tamen ipsa veritatis in Scripturis sacris in aperto posita est Albeit there be many obscure and parabolical places of Scripture yet the rule of truth it self is clearly set down Nay the Apostle Peter himself laies down the ground of this distinction in the place before cited (a) 2 Pet. 3.16 where he saith of Paul's Epistles that in them some things are hard to be understood for this of necessity implies that some things again be easie I had now done with this Argument but that meeting with Mr. Parson the Jesuite his approbation of it as a most evident declaration that God was the Author of holy Writ I thought I might do well to give notice of it His words are these as they are expressed by one Mr. Bunny who published a Treatise of the said Jesuites about Christian Resolution (b) Parson Resol part 2. cap. 2. sect 3. in 7. proof of Scripture These Doctrines and many other contained in the Bible being things above mans capacity to devise and nothing agreeing with humane reason most evidently do declare that God was the Author and Inditer of the Scriptures for that by him only and by no other those high and secret mysteries could be revealed Where it 's to be noted that he affirms the mysteries of Scripture to declare not only evidently but most evidently that God was the Author of them Which assertion infringeth the doctrine of the present Church of Rome taught by Bellarmine formerly who affirmeth That it cannot be sufficiently known from Scripture alone that there is any divine Scripture (a) Bellar de Verbo Dei lib. 4. cap. 4. arg 4. And of late by one Mr. John Fisher a Jesuite in the frontispiece of his book against Dr. White dedicated to King James where he toils himself to prove That the highest ground and final resolution of faith about this point is the tradition and testimony of the Church which must needs be otherwise if the high and hidden doctrines of the Scripture it self do most evidently declare the same as Mr. Parsons there affirmeth very truly for the most evident declaration of a truth must needs be the highest ground thereof I thought it not impertinent to mention this sentence of Mr. Parsons as speaking for the truth in this controversie between us and the Church of Rome to be defended on our
word by the Churches enunciation and report but afterwards they believe much more firmly and undoubtedly when they come to enjoy the sight and knowledge of the Scriptures themselves So that the most that can be gathered from that speech of S. Augustines is but this That the testimony and tradition of the Church is usually the first inducement to men to give credit to the truth and so consequently to the divinity of the Gospel which is not denied But then this credulity is afterwards corroborated and more fully setled and confirmed by more evident certain and infallible groundsout of Scripture it self discovered especially by the help of divine grace from the spirit of God which of all other saith Amen to this truth and sets the surest seal thereof upon the soul and conscience as our Saviour gives us to understand when he saith If any man will do God's will he shall know of the Doctrine whether it be of (a) Joh. 7.17 God That is he shall know best and most assuredly as having information and attestation thereof from the Spirit of God Yet always God's spirit tells the conscience this out of Scripture for as it suggested and dictated the Scripture at the first so it whispers in the ear of the soul the same note still and hath no discrepant voice or suggestion from it but whatsoever it testifieth it suggests the same not by any secret instinct and spiritual insusurration different from the written word according to the vertiginous fancy and dotage of the Enthusiasts the family of Love as they are phrased and some other of the Anabaptistical sect but by a still voice out of and according to the Scripture Whence is that saying of St. Chrysostome Frustra jactat se Spiritum sanctum habere qui non loquitur ex (b) Chrysost de Popu Antioche Homil 50. Evangelio In vain doth he boast to have the holy Ghost that speaketh not out of the Gospel And therefore we read that when our Saviour enlightened his Apostles understandings it was That they might understand the (a) Luke 24.45 Scriptures And that when he promised to send the Comforter unto them to teach them all things he addeth Whatsoever I have said unto (b) John 14.26 you which intimates that he should teach them no new doctrine So that we are not to believe an Angel from Heaven if he preach any other Gospel then that which the Apostles have (c) Gal. 1.8 preached which we have written in the New Testament And so it was said always of old To the Law and to the Testimony If they speak not according to this word it is because there is no light in (d) Isa 8.20 them Thus then I conclude That the conscience may be verily resolved and a rational man compelled to acknowledge and believe with an acquired historical faith that the Scriptures of the Old and New Testament are divine by convincing arguments and evidences apparent even to reason and that from Scripture it self especially Nor am I single in this opinion for I find in S. Augustine the like conclusion who speaking of the Penmen of Scripture delivers this sentence Verè illos magnos divinos fuisse legem illam Dei jussu voluntate promulgatam esse credo id quamvis perpauca illorum librorum sciam facilè persuadere possum si mihi adhibeatur aequus non pertinax (a) Aug. de Vtilita tecredendi cap. 5. animus Verily saith he I believe that they the penmen of Scripture were great and divine men and that that Law was promulgated by the commandent and will of God and this though I knew but a few of those books I am able easily to perswade if I meet but with an equal-minded man that is not pertinacious But to believe this with a divine faith without which it 's never soundly and perfectly embraced must be a work of God's Spirit only from whom alone all such faith proceedeth And so I end the first part of this Treatise The second part of this Treatise which is an application of the Doctrine proved to certaine special uses HAving now laid a sure foundation of this truth that Scripture is God's own word which cannot be shaken it behoves me to superstruct upon it lest that aspersion be cast upon me which the improvident builder is blemished withal in the Gospel This man began to build but was not able to make an (a) Luke 14.30 end This doctrine then is useful both for theory and practice both for information and for exhortation First For information of the understanding two inferences or conclusions are deducible from it First That no man may presume to dispense with this word because it 's God's for being his none but he hath authority and power to exempt any man from obligation to it or any part of it This is a conclusion undeniable and therefore speaks the practice of some late Popes of Rome to be very culpable and inexcusable who have presumed to grant dispensations for marriages within the degrees forbidden in this word of God and to exempt subjects from obedience to their lawful Soveraign strictly commanded in this word This hath been practised by the Papal power of late years here in this Nation And it 's the more inexcusable in that they undertake to justifie it This I find in Cardinal Bellarmine's works who to prove the Popes Supremacy draws an argument from his power to grant dispensations and then doth instance in a dispensation which Pope Gregory granted to the English about marriages within the degrees (a) Bellar de Romano Pontif. lib. 2. cap. 19. forbidden And I can here produce a credible Author who affirms that divers of the Church of Rome have not blushed to defend openly and that under their hands that the Pope hath power to dispence Contra ius divinum contra Apostolum contra Novum Testamentum against the law of God against an Apostle and against the New (b) Favor Antiquit cap. 6. paulo post medium Testament But I am perswaded that now since the reformation hath detected many of their grosse hallucinations the wise and learned among them do distaft and disclaim all such blaspemous and unsavoury assertions A second consequent or conclusion that I deduce from this truth That Scripture is God's own word is this That therefore it 's of superior and greater authority then the present Church militant And this I prove from hence by two reasons First Because the present Church Militant is holy and divine but only in part and after a sort and in this regard is subject unto error whereas the Scripture is simply and totally divine for All Scripture is given by inspiration of God saith (a) 2 Tim. 3.16 S. Paul and therefore must needs be most authentical A second reason is this That which sanctifieth is greater then that which is sanctified by it so our Saviour himself argued against the Scribes and Pharisees Ye fools
of Jerusalems (d) Isa 66.11 cousolations For these brests of Jerusalem are the two Testaments the Old Testament and the New which are called the brests of her consolation because they yield consolation to all such as suck the knowledge of them by reading and meditation And therefore as people would be comforted in poverty or persecution or in any trouble of this life especially in the hour of death when it is most needful it concerns them to be well versed in Scripture for it 's the only store-house of comfort there is no true and lasting comfort to be found but in this well for here are those wells of salvation out of which it 's said we are to draw the waters of (a) Isa 12.3 joy Great need therefore have all Christians to be well acquainted with that which must be their only comfort when they stand most in need thereof Thirdly Scripture is a Christians best piece of armour to defend him against all the assaults of his spiritual enemies sin and Satan and all his band of Hereticks and other nefarious and wicked men For the Apostle setting down the panoply or compleat armour of a Christian wherewith he had need to be at all times appointed reckons up this as one principal part thereof and calls it the sword of the (b) Ephes 6.17 spirit The wise man also in the Proverbs notably sets forth the usefulnesse of it in this respect saith he When wisedom entreth into thine heart and knowledge is pleasant unto thy soul discretion shall preserve thee understanding shall keep thee to deliver thee from the way of the evill man from the man that speaketh froward things who leaves the paths of righteousnesse to walk in the ways of (c) Prov. 2.10 11 12 13. darknesse Herewith our blessed Saviour foiled Satan sundry (d) Mat. â— 4 c. times And herewith the Prophet David fenced himself against sin so he saith himself By the word of thy lips I have kept me from the paths of the (e) Psal â— 4 destroyer And again Thy word have I hid in mine heart that I might not sin against (a) Psal 19.11 thee We therefore being in continual warfar had not need to have this our principal weapon to seek for what else makes many take the foil so oft but because they are unskilful in the word of righteousnesse Fourthly By this Book we shall all be judged at the last day and therefore it concerns us to be well acquainted with the principal contents of it That we shall be judged by it is affirmed by our Saviour He that rejecteth me and receiveth not my words hath one that judgeth him the word that I have spoken the same shall judge him in the last (b) John 12. day And by the Apostle Paul At the day when God shall judge the secrets of men according to my (c) Rom. 2.16 Gospel Lastly Without some competent knowledge hereof we can never have Christ The day-star and Sun of righteousnesse as he is (d) 2 Pet. 1.19 Mal. 4.2 called arise in our hearts for as before the Sun ariseth it first sends up its bright beams of light as the harbingers of its approach so before Christ Jesus come into our souls he first enlightens them with the glorious beams of the knowledge of his Word according to that speech of Peter We have also a more sure word of prophecy whereunto ye do well that ye take heed as unto a light that shineth in a darke place vntill the day dawn and the day-star arise in your (a) 2 Pet. 1.19 hearts And that also of S. Paul God that commanded the light to shine out of darknesse hath shined in our hearts to give the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus (b) 2 Cor. 4.6 Christ The Scripture is full of proofs for this that Christ's Word must first be in some measure learned of us and entertained by us before he will condiscend to dwell with us It 's therefore a most opacous error of an ungodly assertion to affirm that ignorance is the mother of devotion which in Scripture is so much condemned and is made both the mother of error Ye erre saith our Saviour to the Sadduces not knowing the (c) Math. 22.29 Scriptures and the mother of many other sins For S. Paul affirmeth that his sins of blasphemy and persecution and oppression of Christ's Church before his conversion were the product and brats of his ignorance I was saith he a blasphemer a peâ—secuter and injurious But I obtained mercy because I did it (d) 1 Tim. 1.13 ignorantly And he informs the Ephesians that the Gentiles were alienated from the life of God through the ignorance that was in (e) Ephes 4.18 them And by experience it 's found to be the mother both of will-worship and superstition This Paradox some of the Church of Rome in former ages have not blushed to utter for truth and though now of late they would seem to disclaim this irrational Paradox yet covertly they adhere to it For the Rhemists in their front of their Preface prefixed before their translation of the New Testament affirm it to be an erroneous opinion to hold that the Scriptures were ordained of God to be read indifferently of all And therefore the Councel of Trent took order which was confirmed by supreme authority say the same Doctors in the same place within a few lines after that the holy Scriptures might not be read indifferently of all men nor of any other then such as have expresse license from their lawful Ordinary Whereby it appears that they seek to detain the Scriptures from the vulgar people purposely to keep them in ignorance And to put a little glosse and colour upon this their in justifiable opinion and practice the said Doctors afterwards yield this reason for it Because presumptuous Hereticks mistaking or depraving in many places the true sense of Scripture draw from thence many pernicious errours and many other that are unlearned and unstable pervert the same to their own destruction as S. Peter (a) 2 Pet. 3.16 teacheth And how weak a ground this is for them to presume from hence to restrain the common reading of Scripture I declare these two ways First This Argument takes for granted that the abuse of a good thing by some nulls and takes away the lawful common use of it from others But this is nothing so for the word preached as well as read is abused by many through their corruption and so becomes the savour of death unto death unto (a) 2 Cor. 2.16 them and an occasion of their greater sin as our Saviour saith (b) John 15.22 If I had not come and spoken unto them they had not had sin but now they have no cloak for their sin And yet this hinders not but that it must be preached unto all as our Saviour hath commanded Go ye saith he
the Old Testament or the gospels of Mark and Luke to be canonical Scriptures yea that there be any divine Scriptures is not altogether necessary unto salvation How dissonant this is from the voice of Christ and his Apostle in the Gospel is to be discerned in many Texts whereof I will recite but three First our Saviour commands to search the Scriptures because in them or by them men think to have eternal (a) John 5.39 life This he spake in approbation of mens esteem of the Scriptures as the means to bring them to everlrsting life And S. John saith These are written that ye might believe that Jesus is the Christ the Son of God and that believing ye might have life through his (b) John 20.31 name And S. Paul saith I am not ashamed of the Gospell of Christ for it is the power of God to salvation to every one that (c) Rom. 1.16 believeth From those Texts I reason thus against the former affirmations of Bellarmine The means ordained and designed by God to any end are altogether necessary in respect of us to the attaining of that end But the Scriptures are the means ordained and designed by God of faith and salvation as the former Texts declare and therefore are altogether necessary in respect of us unto faith and salvation and so consequently necessary so to be believed of us which refels the foresaid affirmations of Bellarmine and declares them to be very contumelious to the blessed Bible of God Now in and for all these forenamed respects divers great and esteemed Champions and propugners of the Romane faith have not refrained to blemish the Bible with sundy inglorious and ignominious titles Eckius calls it a black Gospel and an incky (a) Eck. Enchir. cap. 4. Divinity Pighius calls it a nose of (b) Pigh Hier. lib. 3. cap. 3. wax others a Lesbian or leaden rule an abbreviated word the weak and false castle of holy (c) Brislow Motive 48. Scripture with other such like indecent epithetes Theâ—e the modern writers amongst them seek to varnish over as knowing it must needs blemish the purity of their profession and verity of their Religion thus to vilifie God's most holy Word but the colour and complexion which they daub them withal is so thin and transparent that it cannot hide the indecency and unseemlinesse of them from a weak sight Now if the truth of Christian Religion may be judged by the honourable respect yielded by the professors thereof to the rule of Christian Religion which is the Scripture as the Romanists confesse after a sort as hath been already declared then doth it appear by what hath been said and proved that the Reformed Protestant Religion is the truest Religion as which ascribes most honour thereunto For as when two women claimed the motherhood of one child wise Solomon quickly sifted out the truth which was the true mother of it by the tender love and affection which the one shewed unto it more then the (a) 1 Kin. 3.27 other So in like manner may any wise man find forth by the same rule which is the true daughter of holy Scripture whether the Romane or Reformed Religion seeing both of them claim it as their mother namely by the tender respect and due observance wherewith it is followed by the one more then the other In the next place as the Reformed Religion is owned by the Scripture as the genuine daughter thereof by the due reverence and honour which it exhibiteth unto it so also and more especially because it holdeth forth such doctrine as is most consonant and agreeable thereunto For to omit the disquisition of particular controversies between the said several professors which would require vast volumes to lay open the Reformed Churches refuse not to be tryed by the splendent light of the written word in any point of Religion whatsoever And this our blessed Saviour makes a signal demonstration of the professors of the truth for saith he He that doth truth cometh to the light that his deeds might be made manifest that they are wrought in (b) John 3.21 God And that by light here our Saviour means the Scripture many other Texts make it unquestionable where this epithete is given unto it David saith of it Thy word is a lamp unto my feet and a light unto my (a) Psal 119.105 path Solomon saith The commandment is a lamp and the law is (b) Prov. 6.23 light S. Peter saith We have a more sure word of prophesie whereunto ye do well that ye take heed as unto a light that shineth in a dark (c) 2 Pet. 1.19 place Now on the other side the Romanists decline the decision and determination of many points of Religion that are controverted between us and them by Scripture and flie to Tradition And some of their writers in plain terms confesse that some of their Tenets are such as cannot be defended by Scripture So saith (d) Canis Catechis cap. 5. de praecept Eccles Canisius and of this sort he reckons up these the worship of Images set Fasts Lent the Masse and Prayers and Offerings for the dead with others more which yet he doth not nominate But some other of them and by name Petrus a Soto a famous Author of their party in his book against Brentius reheaseth sundry other as the invocation of Saints the primacy of the Bishop of of Rome the seven Sacraments communion under one kind indulgencies and Purgatory the beginning author and original of which he confesseth cannot be found in the sacred Scripture as witnesseth the learned Doctor (a) Whittak de Script perfect cap. 5. Whittaker Now though they alledge Scripture for some of these lest they should seem too much to slight it yet their chief ground for them is Tradition Whereas therefore they decline the tryal of some points of Religion which they hold by the written word which yet they confesse to be a most safe rule of faith as before hath been declared it proclaims to the world that they are not such fast friends to it as they preâ—end nor hold such correspondence with it as all true and right Churches ever have done and so consequently that they are neither the only true Church of God as they vainly and most untruly boast nor yet such a Church wherewith it 's safe to have communion And as it 's not safe to joyn hands with these so neither with the newly upstart Sectaries the Anabaptists for I will undertake to demonstrate if my genuis fail me not that both these sorts of Christian professors are express contradictors of Scripture affirmations in divers particulars And I le begin first with the Papists as the elder house First Our Saviour saith When ye shall have done all those things which are commanded you say We are unprofitable servants we have done that which was our duty to (b) Luke 17.10 do They say that a man may supererogate and do more then
Jesus and he is in heaven and his spirit must descend to and into us which is the Aquaeduct the ventiduct the Luciduct which way doth Christ in his spirit and graces convey this holy water this gentle air this blessed light to our spirits Why look back to the Creation How came light at first First the spirit moves and broods o're that which was a depth and darknesse and then his mighty Word Fiat Lux. He spake and it was Light then when all was dark he made material light and Christ Jesus is the word 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 for as speech is the image of the mind so he the brightnesse of his Father's glory and the expresse image of his person Heb. 1.3 The immaterial and eternal light of light that was never made And the Divine spirit goes that way still by the Word His word is and makes light This world is God's great book wherein as in a glasse of wonders we discern him But his word is the true myrror of his mind And as God engrav'd his form on his Son before all worlds so what that Son is and what the father is to us in him the spirit proceeding from both delivers in the book of his word The Sun guilds and enamels clouds and streams and hill tops with his rays but thrusts his own pure light his own living fires through the bodies of the stars so other authors can but yield a faint reflexion of that beam which here is native and direct The very Law God styles a flaming light the Prophesies a more sure word to which we do well to attend as to a light shining in a dark place till the day dawn and the day-star arise in our hearts But the Gospel is called his marvellous light He brought life and immortality to light through the Gospel 2 Tim. 1.10 And in Acts 26.16 I have appeared to thee saith our Saviour to that choice vessel of his grace and name to make thee a Minister and a witnesse c. And now I will send thee to the Gentiles To what end for a glorious end To open their eyes and to turn them from darknesse to light from the power of Satan unto God And acordingly speaks that Apostle If our Gospel be hid 2 Cor. 4.3 4. verses 't is hid in them that perish in whom the god of this world hath blinded their unfaithful minds that the light of the Gospel of the glory of Christ who is the image of God should not shine unto them And in the 6. verse he shews the walk and circuit of this light God who commanded light to shine out of darknesse hath shined in our hearts there first and then the casting of the beam to give the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Christ Jesus Doth not S. Paul say It is both the wisedome and power of God to salvation to every one that believeth and is not that enough to give all men full satisfaction and acquiescense what a large field lies open for the further clearing this truth in those assertions in the fathers Saint Chrysostome calls the holy Scriptures Lamps of Verity before our eyes Hom. 23. in mad Serm de Temp. 237. And S. Austin ad Lucernam Scripturae ambulaing Gregorie of Valentia a Jesuit consesseth as much and diverse Pontificians in plain terms as Holcoth and Bellarmine himself cries up the Scripture with a nihil notius nihil certius Bell. de verbo dei lib. 1. c. 2. and cries him down for the veriest fool who believes not their testimony and in the 2 cap of the same book is in his superlatives with Scriptura certissima Tutissima Regula credendi He trouble you but with one more but one instar omnium 'T is he that in a traiterous itch of wit took on him purposely the wresting and prophaning of Scripture that so he might lewdly abuse our Princes and our Church Yet mark as God compelled the Divel to testifie of Christ what he is forced to say and sure 't is worth our observation The book is Latine called the Queries If I diminish him not in my English There is in Scripture saith he an Invisible Majesty an hidden splendor a glory unperishable a wisedome inexhaustible the solace of humane and the beginning of a divine life made by the holy spirit and making our spirits holy compared with which the Egyptian Sages will look pale and poor the Chaldee impure the Grecians blockish Plato no body and Philosophy it self a fool 't is the print of Heaven on Earth and if any where the joy of Paradise or at least a brave resemblance of divine light be shewed it is in Scripture containing all that is severed from the actual vision of God himself Again The paper burns me not yet am I all enflamed in reading it 't is no composure no artificial tread the Scripture uses yet am I drawn and wrapt to follow her and she lifts me up beyond my nature so that I am no more mine own but with a sacred violence and new fire I am consumed and compelled to acknowledge the voice of God that speaks therein Thus far that Papist and finally both Fathers Schoolmen and later Pontificitians freely confesse a double means to know the authors of divine Scripture one ecclesiastick i.e. perpetual Church story Hal. 3.978 m. 2. which introduces Faith saith all Hales as the Seta doth the thrid and the other totally divine which * lib. 2. d. pt divine leg Junilius and * Institu l. 1. c. 16. Cassiodor reckon ipsius Scripturae veritas ordo rerum consonantia preceptorum modus locutionis c. And Scotus of 10. arguments takes divers from the internal matter and majesty of the Books But Sir I intended but a letter and I find my style wandred into a little Homile It is time to end with my apprecation for a blessing on your labours and to let you find it under my hand That I am Your Obliged Friend and fellow-Servant in the Gospel of Christ THO. PESTEL From Leicester Nov. 1. 1656. Errata PAge 24. Line 20. for inseparable read insuperable p. 94. l. 7. for bluts r. blunts p. 102. l. 1. for of r. and p. 104. l. 4. for and r. But p. 113. l. 13. for religionis r. religioni p. 126 l. 2. for quod r. quam p. 129. in the margent for these r. Jesus In the Title of the second Treatise for decission r. decision In the Preface to the Reader before the same Treatise a little after the middle of it for falcyes r. fallacies An Index or Table representing the Contents of this Treatise the parts whereof are two 1. A doctrine propounded and proved which is this That Scripture is God's own Word 2. The application of it to certain special Uses 1. Part. Scripture is proved Gods Word by arguments drawn 1 From without it selfe which are 4. 1 By testimony out of the Church page
how they were gathered from all parts of the world where they were heard of by the Romans with great care and diligence and were laid up in their Capitol as writings most precious and momental Secondly the famous Orator Cicero who lived in the time of Marcus Antonius which was above forty years before Christ mentioneth these Sibylls writings in divers places of his works (a) Cicero lib. 2. de divina lib. 1. Epist ad Lent Epist 7. Yea Constantine affirmeth that the former Acrostick verses were by Cicero translated into the Roman Dialect and at that time to be seen in his works when he made this Oration Thirdly the renowned Poet Virgil who lived immediately after Cicero in the beginning of the reign of Augustus Caesar rehearseth divers verses out of Sibylla Cumaea and records her very name (a) Virgil Eglog 4. To these I will add but one record more which is out of the learned Aristotle who lived many years before any of these yet named namely under the great Alexander of Macedony who writes thus of one of the Sibylls Cumae in Italia ostenditur quoddam ut videtur conclave subterraneum Sibyllae vatis quam diutissimè vixisse virginem permansisse perhibent quae esset Erythraea sed a quibusdam Melanchraena vocaretur (a) Aristot de mirabil Narrat At Cuma saith he in Italy is shewed a certain subterraneous conclave or cave in the earth as it should seem of a Sibyll Prophetesse which men say lived very long and continued a Virgin which should be Erythraea but of some she was called Melanchraena Plato also who was Aristotle's Master makes mention of this Sibyll (b) Plato in Phaedro And Justin Martyr that ancient father before mentioned reports that he was at this Cuma and saw the Temple where this Sibyll uttered her predictions arithmetical and therein as a special monument of her a brazen vessel wherein were kept certain of her reliques (a) Justin Martyr in Admonitor Gentium libro in fine So that hence it s cleared from all doubt that the Sibylls verses at least some of them which spake of Christ which is sufficient for the present purpose were no forgeries but prophetical Poems for certain written long before the Gospell if any humane testimonies may be credited and so are potent proofs of Christ and consequently of the Divinity of the Gospell It follows now to speak something of the Oracles likewise which were nothing else but deluding Divels speaking out of Heathen Images and these also gave many attestations of Christ especially that notorious one of Apollo at Delphos in Greece And for proof hereof I will alledge only one speech of Porphyrius a great worshipper of these Oracles and an arch enemy of Christians Constantine called him The sworn adversary and deadly foe of divine service (b) Socrat Histor Eccle. lib. 1. cap. 6. who upon meditation of divers speeches uttered by the Oracles concerning Christ Jesus breaketh forth into this confession It is exceeding wonderful what testimony the gods so he styl'd the Oracles do give of the singular piety and sanctity of Jesus for which they avouch him to be honoured with immortality (a) Porphyr in Libr. de Laud Philosoph So that the Scripture we see hath implicite testimony and by consequence to be divine from the most livid and professed enemies of it according as we read also in the Gospell where the divels themselves were oft enforced to confesse Christ to be the holy one of God Lastly For the testimony of the Jews which were no Christians concerning Christ I will produce only two but those Classical writers and most famous of all other of them for their learning namely Josephus before mentioned who was born if not before our Saviours passion yet within a few years after and one Philo who was a Coaetan with our Saviour and was sent Embassador to Rome in behalf of the Jews the same year that our Saviour was baptised by John Both these in sundry places of their Histories make mention of our Saviour Christ in such sort as giveth proof sufficient that what is written of him in the Scripture is no feigned story but a known and confessed and undoubted truth for brevities sake I will reherse but one of their testimonies but it is so punctual and illustrious that it may stand in stead of many Thus Josephus (a) Joseph Antiq Jud. Lib. 18. cap. 4. writeth of him At that time was Jesus a wise man if it be lawful to call him a man for he was the performer of divers admirable works and the instructer of those who willingly entertain the truth And he drew unto him divers Greeks and Jews to be his followers This was Christ who being accused of the Princes of our Nation before Pilate and afterwards condemned to the Crosse by him yet did not those who followed him from the beginning forbear to love him for the ignominy of his death for he appeared unto them alive the third day after according as the divine Prophets had before testified the same and divers other wonderful things of him And from this time forward the race of the Christians who have derived their name from him hath never ceased This spontaneous perspicuous and ample confession of Christ proceeding out of the mouth of an adversary for he that is not with Christ is against him (b) Luk. 11.23 speaks so peremptorily for the truth of the History and so consequently for the divinity of the Gospel that it admits no exception Thus much for the first argument to prove the sacred authority of Scripture which is the testimony that hath been yielded by many out of the Church either explicitely or implicitely of the divinity of it which is not a contemptible argument but very prevalent to sway the conscience of any intelligent man to a credence of this truth Now follow those arguments which are drawn from within the Church but from without the Scripture which are three First Argu ∣ ment 2 This truth is proved by the miracles wrought by our Saviour Christ and the Pen-men of Scripture for the confirmation of the divinity thereof which miracles being acknowledged by the confession of adversaries is an argument of great validity to convince the most incredulous person in this point if he will but hear reason Now confessions hereof we find exceeding many from our professed adversaries in Religion And first to begin with the miracles which Moses wrought in Egypt before Pharaoh they are reported by divers Heathen Authors as namely by one Demetrius and Eupolemus two Greek Historiographers and by one Artabanus who writ a History of the Jews wherein he speaks thus of Moses as witnesseth the noble French Author in the Margent (a) Morn de Verita Christ Relig. cap. 26. This Moses saith he was occupied in continual prayer to God for the deliverance of the people and one day as he was earnest in praying there issued a
patience humility and comfort that their blood in this manner shed in the Gospels cause seals unto us their successors the infallible certainty of the Divinity of it It 's not denied but that Hereticks have dared to die for defence of their erroneous opinions but never did any of them suffer with those apparent characters and impressions of God's divine Spirit upon them that were now before mentioned nor in that infinite number that the Martyrs of the Gospel have done for they so shined throughout the world in their afflictions saith Eusebius (a) Euseb Histo Eccles lib. 8. cap. 12. in fine that the beholders wondred at their patience and noble courage and that not without cause for they expressed and shewed forth unto the world special and manifest signs of the divine and unspeakable power of our Saviour working by them I might here illustrate and amplifie this point by innumerous instances of Martyrs both out of all the forenamed Historians and out of Mr. Fox his book of our own late English Martyrs in the days of Queen Mary who by the vertue and splendency of their divine graces in suffering namely innocence alacrity courage patience and humility so blanked and amated their persecutors that they converted many of them to the Christians faith yea so far forth they prevailed with some of them that they induced them to suffer Martyrdom with them as Eusebius testifies (b) Euseb Hist Eccl. lib. 2. cap. 9. lib. 8. cap. 9. But I will spare this labour as hoping it may be an allurement unto the Reader to peruse some of the now named Authors for further satisfaction in this point I come now to the last external Argument Argu ∣ ment 4 which is the miraculous preservation of Scripture against the iniquity and enmity of all times which have been so malevolent and violent against it that it could never have been preserved hitherto but by the hand of Heaven for all the impetuous power and policy of man and the precipitant stream and strength yea and fury of the whole world hath invaded it to extinguish and suppresse it sundry times Antiochus a cruell Tyrant and successor of great Alexander getting domination over the Jews cut in pieces and burnt all the books of the Law which he could find and followed his intended mischief so malevolently and violently that all those with whom any such books were found were put to a most cruel death (a) Machab 1.59 Joseph Autiq. lib. 12. cap. 7. Dioclesian also Emperor of Rome a savage and belluine persecutor of the Christians sought by all means possible to obliterate and abolish the holy Scriptures and for that end caused his Edicts to be published everywhere throughout his Dominions in which it was commanded That all the Christian Churches should be demolished and made even with the ground yea and the very foundations thereof to be digged up and that the holy Scriptures should be all burned and so be utterly extinguished (a) Euseb Hist Eccl. lib. 8. cap. 2. 3. Which mischief hath been intended and attempted also by many other nefarious and wicked instruments of Satan often times yet hath it ever been preserved whole and entire and continued in the Church unto this day yea even in the original Tongues wherein it was first written which is verily a miracle And therefore we may fitly apply unto this miraculous preservation of it that acclamation of the people Great is the truth and prevaileth (b) 1 Esdras 4.41 And the words of the Psalmist This is the Lords doing and it is marvellous in our eyes (c) Psat 118.23 I have done with the Arguments from without the Scripture which may move any mans mind very prevalently to entertain a belief of the Divinity of this book and yet they have shewed him but as it were the out side of it Let me now lead the Reader a little higher and nearer to it as namely to open it and look within it and then he shall see as the Jew saith very truly God's own hand God's own characters yea God's own sign and seal and subscription upon the paper For as corporal light reveals to the bodily eye both other things and it self too so doth Scripture as a true spiritual and heavenly light both reveal the way to Heaven and make ostension also of it self to be a light of Heaven Particularly there be to be discerned in it these eight sparks or beams of divine authority First Argu ∣ ment 5 There is such an incomparable sublimity and majesty of style herein expressed as doth so highly advance and exalt it above all humane writings and makes it so transcendently glorious above them all that as was said of Christ That never man spake like him (a) Joh. 7.46 Nor with that authority (b) Luk. 4.32 So may be said of this Book of Christ never book spake like it that is in such a superlative and high strain of authority there is such an august majestical and venerable state in the words and such steps and prints of divine excellency displayed in it as neither man nor Angel could or durst expresse and such as never was nor will be found in any other writing for it breathes divinely in every part and page Let any man parallel this Book among humane Authors for heavenly majesty in the sayings and sentences thereof and I will sample him the Sun amongst lucid bodies for radiant lustre in the light and shine thereof for the Sun is not more gloriously lightsome above all other Stars then this Scripture is divinely majestical and glorious above all other writings To which purpose St. Augustine speaks thus (a) August de Civitat Dei lib. 11. cap. 1. Scriptura summae dispositione providentiae super omnes omnium gentium literas omnia sibi genera ingeniorum humanorum divinis excellens authoritate subjecit The Scripture saith he being by the disposition of the highest providence above all the literature of all Nations excelling in divine authority hath stooped all kinds of humane wits unto it self And as in many other Texts so in Deut. 32.39 40 41 42. verses there be such sublime and majesticall expressions as neither man nor Angel durst utter For there we have these sayings uttered from the mouth of God I even I am he and there is no god with me I kill and I make alive I wound and I heal neither is there any that can deliver cut of my hand For I lift up my hand to Heaven and say I live for ever c. Thus no man nor Angel ever did speak or dare speak There have been indeed some men in former Ages so advanced and exalted in their own thoughts and transported with vain glory having been mounted to the highest stair of honour and authority here upon Earth that they have ambitiously affected to be called gods and to be reputed to descend from more then humane race and parentage yet never durst
with this word speaks it to be his own ordinance for else God would give no such blessing to it Fourthly and lastly It ministers comfort above the power of nature to a depressed and distressed conscience in the greatest extremities and pressures of afflictions that are incident to this present life yea and in the very hour of death against the fear both of death and hell and condemnation when all humane comforts shake hands with us and forsake us And therefore extending it self beyond the power of nature also in this particular it 's apparently divine That it doth minister comfort to wounded and distressed consciences needs no proof it 's confessed of all without contradiction as having been proved by examples without number in all Ages And that nothing else can either heal or comfort a wounded and perplexed conscience is as true too Mirth and passime with such like avooations and the society of friends may allay the smart of this wound for a time but cannot possibly heal it It 's this balm of Gilead this rod and this staffe of God which comforted (a) Psal 23.4 David and but for which he had perished in his (b) Psal 119.92 affliction which alone and nothing else comforteth all that make a right use of it in their deepest misery And this is one and a principal end for which this word was written namely that it might minister comfort to us in this present life by breeding in us a stedfast hope of a better Iâ—fâ— to come This S. Paul teacheth where he saith that Whasoever things were written aforetime were written for our instruction that we through patience and comfort of the Scriptures might have (c) Rom. 15.4 hope And now that I have led up the Reader to this highest stair of this gradation whence he may contemplate the glorious beams of divine lustre bespread throughout the whole region of Scripture I shall beseech him to stay here his thoughts and to demur and pause a while upon this last reason or Argument drawn from the power of Scripture to prove the divinity of it for it 's a very valid and powerful argument indeed a most evident eviction of the point in hand making it conspicuous to the eye of reason it self for here he may see God himself bearing witnesse of this Scripture to be his by four visible seals which he affixeth unto it which are these four supernatural effects now mentioned Having therefore so many broad seals of Heaven appensed unto it it must needs hold forth from it self the highest and surest ground of credibility that it is of God and not of man I confesse this hath sealed to my own conscience both that the Scripture is God's true word and that the Church of England is God's true Church I mean one member and branch of it for in it I see and so may all that are in it if their eyes be not holden with prejudice these wonderful and divine effects now mentioned wrought ordinarily by the ministry of this Word in deed and in truth and that without number which could not possibly be so if either the Word or the Church were not God's For if the Church were his and not the Word the Church should receive a blessing from him but not by the Word And if the Word were his and not the Church the Word should be glorified but the Church should not be blessed or bettered by it If all such as now separate themselves from this Church as if it were none of God's whether Papists or Anabaptists would mindfully consider this and lay aside their prejudice I cannot see what should withhold them from a speedy and joyful return to it again And now I am in good hope the promises being well considered that the Readers who before took the Scriptures for God's word upon the credit of the Churches testimony will now looking more inquisitively into them themselves then heretofore say to the Church as the Samaritans said to the woman that told them of Christ Now we believe not because of thy saying for we have seen it our selves (a) Joh. 4.42 and know that this is indeed God's own Word Yet I would not here be mistaken as if I meant that every one that looks into Scripture might presently espy this at the first sight for I confesse that the sight and certain knowledge thereof which is to be attained by this introspection into it is not obvious to every eye that looks upon it but my meaning is that this truth is evident in Scripture in it self and to the humble intelligent and inquisitive Reader whose mind is also prepared by the knowledge of the grounds principles of the Christian faith and in some measure inlightened from above Neither do I here slight or undervalue the Churches testimony for I acknowledge it to be very important and useful for this purpose as being a prime inducer and as it were a paedagogue to usher in and conduct us to the principal teacher of this truth which next after the spirit of God himself is the heavenly light of Scripture it self but it 's neither last nor best nor highest nor surest ground and proof thereof And therefore I desire the Reader to take notice that though I have not alledged the Churches testimony by it self as a particular argument to prove this truth because the drift of this Treatise is to shew the Scripture it self best to do it yet is it involved and lapped up amongst the external and lesse principal proofs namely in the second and third arguments And whereas Papists glory much in that saying of S. Augustines which is oft set down in his works Ego verò non crederem Evangelio nisi me Catholicae Ecclesiae commoveret authoritas That is I would not believe the Gospel but that the authority of the Catholique Church moved me As if this saying of his favoured their Tenet in this controversie between us and them It appears clearly to the contrary from another saying that he hath in his Tractate upon the Gospell of S. John where he speaks thus upon those words before mentioned of the Samaritans to the woman Now we believe not because of thy saying for we have seen it our selves Primò saith he per faeminam posteà per praejentiam sic agitur hodiè cum eis qui foris sunt nondùm sunt (a) Aug. in Joh. 4. Tract 15. Christiani That is first by the woman then by his presence so fareth it now with them that are without and are not yet Christians And the words following in the same place shew plainly his meaning to be this That as the Samaritans believed in some measure that Jesus was the Christ by the report of the woman but afterwards more undoubtedly when they came to enjoy his presence to have the sight of him and conference with him So the unbelievers which are out of the Church are first induced to believe in some measure that Scripture is God's
Ptolomy King of Egypt enquired once of the Roman Embassadors that came to his Court about the estate and government of the great and famous City of Rome he received this answer from them That at Rome the gods were honoured Magistrates reverenced the good rewarded and the bad punished This they spake to magnifie the glory and flourishing estate of their City And indeed when the Chariot of a Christian Common-wealth is moved upon these four wheels and they also turn upon the axle-tree of holy writ we may fitly apply unto it that laudatory congratulation wherewith the Psalmist salutes the Church Ride prosperously because of truth and meeknesse and righteousnesse and thy right hand shall teach thee terrible things thine arrows shall be sharp in the heart of the Kings (a) Psal 45.4 enemies For this verily comes to passe when superiour Powers make God's written word the rule and levell of their Government and the honour and observance of it the aim and end of the same Whereas on the contrary when such higher Powers slight God's word so far forth as to omit to execute justice by the right rules of it and in room thereof dare substitute their own private thoughts and affections as the ballance by which to measure it forth then are they the very bane and blame and shame of a Common-wealth and like a canker in a tree which both disgraceth the beauty of it and also corrodeth to the utter mortification and destruction of the whole body of it except it be pared away I have read that ever in the first and best Councels as in the Councels of Chalcedon Nice and Ephesus the holy Orthodox Fathers and Bishops were wont to have the Bible placed on a desk or such like convenient supporter in the midst of the room before them that by the sight thereof they might be put in mind to conclude and determine nothing against the honour and contents thereof It were to be wished that all in place of Magistracy and Judicature would be pleased so far forth to follow the example of these grave and reverend Fathers as to have this Book of God if not in their hands or before their eyes yet at least in their mindes and memories at all times when they are imployed about the administration of justice and judgement that it might be a remembrance unto them to do nothing against the contents of it as they desire to escape the curses that are denounced in it against such as violate the sacred laws and rules of it Secondly As Princes and Rulers should protect so Ministers should preach this word because it 's God's yea Be instant in season and out of season reprove rebuke exhort with all long-suffering and (a) 2 Tim. 4.2 doctrine For If the Lord God have spoken who can but (b) Amos 3.8 prophesie When the chief Priests and Rulers of the Jews forbad Peter and John to teach any more the Gospel of Christ they answered We cannot but speak the things which we have seen and (c) Acts 4.20 heard The reason is premised in the precedent verse namely because they were so commanded of God For Apostles and Ministers their successors are Embassadors for (d) 2 Cor. 5.20 Christ And therefore may not unfaithfully conceal their embassy but A necessity is laid upon them and woe is unto them if they preach not the (e) 1 Cor. 9.16 Gospell And they are disposers of the mysteries of God and it is required of the disposers saith S. Paul that a man be found (f) 1 Cor. 4.1 2. faithful And great necessity there is of the faithful dispensation of this Word by the Ministers thereof as in regard of their duty to God who sends them so in respect of the good of men to whom they are sent For it is the food and physick of their souls by which the spiritual life of grace is first inspired and ever after conserved in them Hence is that speech of Moses to the Israelites Set your hearts unto all the words which I testifie among you this day which ye shall command your children to observe to do all the words of this law For it is not a vain thing for you because it is your (a) Deut. 32.46 47. life So that there is the same necessity of it to the conservation of the life spiritual as there is of food and physick to the maintenance of the life natural For though the words of men be but wind and so can feed neither the body nor the soul yet God's words are both spirit and (b) Joh. 6.63 life and so have an occult and hidden power in them above all other words enabling them to feed not the soul only but even the body also and that to life eternal and therefore are compared both to (c) 1 Pet. 2.2 milk and strong (d) Heb. 5.12 13 14. meat fit food both for young and old Whence also is that sentence of the wise man The lips of the righteous feed (e) Prov. 10.21 many that is with God's word And that saying in the Prophet Jeremiah I will give you Pastors according to mine heart which shall feed you with knowledge and (f) Jer. 3.15 understanding And for this cause both our Saviour charged Peter very strictly to feed his (g) John 21.15 16 17. sheep meaning with God's word and S. Paul to the Elders of the Church of Ephesus Take heed saith he unto your selves and to all the flock over the which the holy Ghost hath made you overseers to feed the Church of God which he hath purchased with his own (a) Acts 20.28 bloud And S. Peter also those Elders to whom he writ Feed the flock of God which is among (b) 1 Pet. 5.2 you And again though the words of men cannot heal yet God's word can and doth so saith the Psalmist He sendeth forth his word and healeth (c) Psal 107.20 them Yea The word of the Lord healeth all things saith the wise (d) Wisd 16.12 man Which the Centurion believing said therefore to Christ But speak the word only and my servant shall be (e) Matth. 8.8 whole I aim not here to prescribe one manner and measure of preaching to all for some are endued with more ample and excellent gifts for the performance of this work then others and therefore have a greater task enjoyned them then others For unto whom much is given of him shall be much (f) Luke 12.48 required But this I urge with the Apostle Peter Let every man as he hath received the gift minister the same one to another as good disposers of the manifold grace of (g) 1 Pet. 4.10 God For Cursed is he that doth the work of the Lord (h) Jer. 48.10 negligently And the unprofitable servant who hides his Lord's talent shall be cast into utter darknesse where shall be weeping and gnashing of (i) Mat. 25.30 teeth I confesse there be some such now
THE FORT-ROYAL OF CHRISTIANITY DEFENDED OR A demonstration of the Divinity of Scripture by way of excellency called the Bible WITH A Discussion of some of the great Controversies in Religion about universal Redemption Free-will Original Sin c. For the establishing of Christians in truth in these Atheistical trying times By THOMAS GERY B.D. and Rector of Barwell in Leicestershire All Scripture is given by Inspiration of God c 2 Tim. 3.16 17. Beloved believe not every spirit but try the spirits whether they are of God because many false prophets are gone out into the world 1 John 4.1 London Printed by T.C. for Nathanael Web and William Grantham at the sign of the black Bear in Paul's Church-yard neer the little North-door of Paul's 1657. THE AVTHOR's Preface TO THE READER THis plain and course Treatise that was penned above 30. years since at the motion of a great Earl of this * Francis Earl of Rutland Land who asked of me this question and desired a resolution of it in writing namely which way a mans conscience might acquire best assurance that the Bible is God's own Word is now at last exposed to open view through the encouragement of some persons that are fast friends both to the truth of Religion and the Church of England Who taking the pains to read it and knowing that the very life power of Religion consisteth in the firm belief of that point of Religion which is here demonstrated did entertain some hope that the publishing of it might conduce to the conviction and satisfaction of some mens consciences about this particular Article of Christian belief and thereupon have prevailed with me to adventure this publication of it though there be no worth in it more then this that it 's rational and Orthodoxal If this apology will not excuse my temerity herein the world being now so glutted and ready to nauseate and surfeit with the superfluity of Printed papers I humbly beg that my good intention herein may excuse the rashnesse of the fact who endanger to blemish my self in hope to do others good TO THE REVEREND and his worthy Friend Mr. GERY RECTOR of Barwell in Leicestershire SIR as I am rejoyced to see the late works of your reverend brother in law my honoured Friend Doctor Sanderson So for our mother Cambridge sake I count it among my felicities to find our Country-man Dr. Hall and by much our elder brother in that Arcademy a modern right Reverend Father of the Church still increasing his voluminous sweet and pious writings and like a true celestial plant bringing forth more fruit in his age And that comfort is increased by beholding you also though constantly employed upon a Cure so enabled to afford the world such a testimony as these papers present of solid Theology amongst which after my perusal of the great pains and methodical clearing of that subject concerning our last resolution of faith divine into Divine Scripture and your collection to that end of so many and so convincing arguments I could not refrain my Pen from gratulating to you this work so highly conducible to the glory of God in the exaltation of his holy Word and to the edification of millions of souls who shall enjoy the happinesse of being much confirmed and comforted in their most precious faith by those assistances in your Book for the speedy Edition whereof I do not only hereby solicite but charge you on the behalf of our only Lord and Master Christ Jesus and of his Spouse the Church of God our dear Mother assuring my self that as thereby you shall distribute blessings so many blessings from others shall redound unto your self both in reputation and in their prayers and thanksgivings to God for you We deny not what they of the Romane perswasion say That the tradition of the Church is a great testimony yea take the universal Church in all ages including that of Christ and his Apostles and plain reason and experiment will enforce all men to acknowledge that a Divine testimony To which when that key hath let us in to the Scripture it self we find a light which manifests both it self and other things and so we have a second testimony internal and both Divine The fallacy then is found in making the Churches inducing testimony to be the only or the principal and then in affirming this attestation to the present Church of Rome from whom we must if they may prevail receive these two things on trust That first theirs is the Catholick Church as meer a Bull as that Tiber is all Rivers or a whole Palace is in one room And secondly that he who must be the head of the Church though sometime confessed to be no true member is absolutely infallible Concerning which pretended infallibility so long time contended for though doubtlesse their learned men hold and know it a point ridiculous for in time of three Antipopes at once chairing themselves at Rimini at Bologne and Abignon about 1429. to which head was then this biggen of Infallibility bound it hath now pleased God in this last age to produce amongst us such worthies as have beaten down this Babel of papal pride and levell'd it with the ground I mean this chiefly by that monumental piece The conference of Bishop Laud with Fisher and Mr. Chillingworth's Book against Knot another of the Jesuits On both which one made this Epigram Two little Wills Both understandings great Did fond Infallibility defeat That Supreme Sconce call'd Fisher 's folly won Next Knot their gordian knot was quite undon And for a further manifest of this I refer you to a book of Hugh Paulin de Cressie once a Dean in Ireland and Prebend of Windfor who is gone over to Rome and published the motives of his conversion I read his book newly extant in Essex from the hand of a very worthy Matron Ms. B. a zealous Papist and shewed her therein where he openly confesses That infallibility is a word unfortunate That Mr. Chillingworth hath combated against it with too too great successe He wishes the Word were forgotten or at least laid by That we Prorestants have in very deed very much to say for our selves when we are prest unnecessarily with it and advises his Romists that we may never be invited to combate the authority of their Church under that notion And professes no such word as Infallibility is to be found in any Council c. Magna est veritas c. We and they must of force yield to that of St. Paul Eph. 5.8 We were darknesse in the abstract and all our light in Dom. are now light in the Lord. But how Certainly that Oriens ab Alto that great Bishop of all our souls doth baptize all true believers with the holy Ghost and with the celestial fires of his Grace But since this Arch-prelate and universal Superintendent for properly all cure of souls all Baptism and confirmation is from that our Lord and Saviour Christ
3. 2 By miracles in the Church page 18. 3 By the death of the Martyrs of the Church page 24. 4 By the wonderful preservation of it against all adverse power that did rise up to abolish it page 27. 2 From within it self which are 8. 1 By the majesty of it page 30. 2 By the purity of it page 33. 3 By the profundity of it p. 37. 4 By the harmony of it p. 46. 5 By the prophesie of it p. 48. 6 By the repugnancy of it with man's nature page 56. 7 By the impartiality of the Pen-men of it page 58. 8 By the power of it which is manifested by four effects p. 60. 1 By revealing thoughts p. 60. 2 By terrifying consciences p. 62. 3 By converting souls p. 63 4 By comforting souls and consciences in deepest misery p. 65 2 Part The application consists of 2 parts 1 of consequents deducted for information which are two p. 76 1 That therfore no man may dare to dispence with any of the precepts of Scripture because it 's God's Word page 76. 2 Therefore it s of supreme authority to the present Church-militant p. 78 2 of practicall inferences which are applied to 3 sorts of persons p. 82 1 To all in place of Magistracy to enduce them to defend Scripture p. 82 2 To all in the office of the ministery to induce them to dispense it p. 88 3 To all of all sorts to enduce them to these four duties 1 To learn it p. 94 2 To believe it p. 105 3 To embrace that religion which holds best correspondence with it 110 4 To obey it p 131 THE FORT ROYALL OF CHRISTIANITY DEFENDED IT s a confessed maxim a known and received truth in Theology that the seeds of all sins are transmitted and propagated into the nature of every son and child of Adam who descends from him by the common way of generation amongst which the seeds of Atheism are not the least predominant whence it comes to passe that the heart of man is oft sollicited to doubt whether the books of Scripture be the very Oracles of God or a humane invention to keep in awe such protervious refractory and unruly spirits as without these would no more be awed by the laws of man then Job's Leviathan by the hook and line To affront and discountenance this suggestion and silence these whisperings of incredulity about this particular that all doubting spirits may gain plenary satisfaction in it that will not wilfully shut the eye of their own reason nor damp the light of their own understanding against the Sun-shine of this heavenly truth I have selected or collected partly out of the writings of Orthodox Divines but principally out of Scripture it self these ensuing arguments Some whereof are not only most probable but to a clear apprehension demonstrative and so undeniable reasons to prove the Bible to be Gods own book And the structure of this discourse is framed and fashioned like to Jacob's ladder to lift up the imagination of man from-Earth to Heaven and to this end I have placed in it twelve arguments as so many rounds or stairs whereby the minds of rational men may be raised up by each step and gradation to a clearer speculation and view of that celestial splendour which is diffused throughout the whole region of Scripture till at the length namely by such time as they have ascended to the top of this scale they may be able to discry and discern here in open view such radiant beams of divine light as will readily dispell and drive away all foggy mists of ambiguity and hesitation that ecclipsed and shadowed this light formerly from their sight These twelve staves of this scale or twelve arguments are digested into this order The four lowest which are first sâ—t down are drawn from without the Scripture and the eight highest from within it Those from without the Scripture are of two sorts either from without the Church or from within it First Argu ∣ ment 1 From without the Church I find but one and that is an argument inartificial as Logitians call it but very energetical and valid which is the suffrage and testimony that many of the Heathen who were out of the visible Church have afforded of the divinity of our Scriptures and that both of the Old and New Testament And first for the divinity of the Old Testament I find a notable testification thereof out of Josephus his History of the Antiquities of the Jews and that from divers of the Heathen with which therefore I shall content my self and I hope the Reader also This Author saith (a) Joseph Antiq said lib. 12. cap. 2. in fine cap. That after the translation of the Books of Moses Law into the Greek Tongue by the seventy two Elders of the Jews was finished by the means and at the cost and charges of Ptolomy Philadelph King of Egypt the said King was highly contented therewith and took pleasure in reading the said Law admiring at the deep conceit and wisedom of the Law-maker And thereupon began to question with one Demetrius the Master of his Library and the chief instrument by him used to obtain of the Jews this translation of their Law what might be the reason that neither Poet nor Historiographer had made any mention thereof considering that in it self it was so admirable To whom Demetrius returned this answer That no man was so hardy to touch that work by reason that it was divine and every way venerable assuring him also that certain men who had attempted to set their hands thereto had been punished by God And thereupon acquainted him how one Theopompus an Historian intending to reduce certain contents of that Law into his History had been distracted in mind for more then thirty days and that having some intermission of his fit he appeased God by prayer as having perceived this attempt to be the cause of his malady and thereupon desisted from his foresaid intention He likewise certified him further That one Theodectes a Tragick Poet intending to make mention in some of his Poems of a certain History written in the sacred Scriptures was stricken blind acknowledging the cause thereof to proceed from his audacious presumption in that intent was restored to his sight after that he had appeased Gods displeasure meaning by his repentance and desistence from his said purpose He alledgeth there also to the King in the former part of the forementioned Chapter a saying out of Haecateus Abderita who was a Philosopher brought up with great King Alexander and writ a Book of the Jewish Nation who affirmed these Scriptures to be pure and not to be uttered by impure lips Hence we have clear testimony that the Scriptures of the Old Testament were at this time had in great reverence by the very Heathen as sacred and divine as there also Demetrius is said to have told the King several times Secondly For the Divinity of the Gospel it may be
And omitting many other for brevities sake I will instance in some few best known and confessed of all to be fulfilled First Our Saviour Christ foretold the siege of Jerusalem and the destruction and subversion both of it and the (a) Luk. 19.43 44. Temple and the calamitous and distressed estate of the inhabitants of that City at that time to come to passe before one generation should passe (b) Matth. 24.34 away and the dissipation of the people of the Jews from thenceforth among all (c) Luk. 21.24 Nations The former of these Josephus a Jew before named and no Christian reports that he saw come to passe with his own eyes in a lamentable History which he hath written of the wars of the (d) Josep de Bella Jud. lib. 7. Jews And every Nation in Europe seeth likewise the fulfilling of the other over all which and many more Countrys also the Jews are all now dispersed and scattered Our blessed Saviour also foretold that the Gospel should be preached to all Nations before the finall (e) Mark 13.10 judgement The accomplishment of which prophesie having had its beginning in some measure in S. Augustine's time is noted by him as a special mark and cognisance of the Divinity of Scripture his words are these Ex uno homine quem primùm Deus condidit genus humanum sumsit exordium secundum sanctae Scripturae fidem quae mirabilem authoritatem non immeritò habet in orbe terrarum atque in omnibus gentibus quas sibi esse credituras inter caetera quae dixit verâ divinitate (a) Aug. de Civit. Dei lib. 12. cap. 9. in fine praedixit From one man whom God first created mankind derived its beginning according to the testimony of the holy Scripture which hath admirable authority in the world and among all Nations and not without cause in that among other things which it hath divinely foretold this is one That all Nations should believe it And we our selves also see it to be dayly fulfilled still more and more for both the Indians from Spain and the Virginians and other barbarous people from England have of late years received the Gospel The Apostle Paul prophesied of some that should teach doctrines of Divels by forbidding to marry and commanding to abstain from (b) 1 Tim. 4.3 meats This prophesie was fulfilled in the next succeeding age about 90 or 100 years after for then arose the Hereâ—icks Marcion Tatianus and Montanus and divers others discipled by them who taught that marriage was to be abhorred and commanded abstinence from living creatures that is from eating (c) Iren. advers Haere lib. 1. cap. 30. Euseb Hist Eccl. lib. 4. cap. 27. flesh Now that the New Testament was written and so these prophesies extant before their accomplishment we have a cloud of witnesses As Clement S. Paul's disciple Justin Marryr of whom Tatianus had sometime been an auditor and disciple who also writ a book against Marcion (d) Euseb Hist Eccl. lib. 4. cap. 11. Aegesippus Papias Polycarpus Ignatius with many others who writ books in their time wherein they quote the Scriptures of the New Testament and were all living in or before the time of the afore-named Hereticks which undeniably demonstrates the Gospel to be written and so these predictions to have had precedence before the event S. Pâ—ul also foretold of the conversion of the Jews to the Christian faith in several (a) Rom. 11.20 2 Cor. 3.16 places now this for ought we know is not yet fulâ—illed but undoubtly shall be in its due time which when it comes to passe shall cry down the incredulity of all such doubting spirits as will not receive the knowledge and love of this truth of the divinity of Scripture that they might be saved I have been long in this argument and yet I have not done with it for now again Mr. Parson's applause of the prevalent force of this argument as irrefragable and above all other for undoubted confirmation of the point in hand comes in my way and may not be omitted Who in the place formerly mentioned not very many lines intervening speaks thus This alone meaning the accomplishment of prophesies in Scripture doth convince most apparently all proofs and reasons and other arguments laid aside that these Scriptures are of God and of his eternal and infallible (a) Pars Resol par 2. cap. 2. sect 3. in 7. proof of Scripture spirit And again afterward he affirmeth That these prophesies being fulfilled are sufficient to establish any mans faith in the (b) Idem eâ—dem ca. 4. Ser. 1. in 4. consid world These sentences of Mr. Parson's do give his fellow Fisher such an affront for teaching the point formerly mentioned in the third internal Argument that I am confidently perswaded the most acute polite refinedwits in al that Fraternity wil never be able to reconcilethem Sixthly Let the whole form and frame of the doctrine of Scripture Ar ∣ gument 10 and the mould of mans natural disposition be compared together and we may observe and discover such a repugnancy between them as may induce us to believe that no man would ever write the same for it futits not at all with mans liking or desire nor accommodates it self in any place to humour man and please his corrupt nature But contrarily laies open the basenesse of his birth and the foulnesse of his sin and shame which every man naturally desires to conceal and cover crosseth his desires frustrates his hopes recordeth accusations indictments and restimonies against him finally denounceth judgment condemnation against him in that way which seems good unto him (a) Prov. 14.12 in that course of life which he best likes and loves Who then can imagine this to be mans devise or composed by him which is so derogatory from his estimation whereof he is so tender so averse from his humor and disposition to which he is so indulgent especially considering with what earnest and vehement asseverations the positions and doctrines of Scripture are a vouched and avoived to be divine truths If indeed this book did seem to be composed but jocose and not in earnest as that doth which Erasmus writ in the praise of folly or to be penned for â—stentation of eloquence and ingenuity like Craneades his second Oration which he made before Cato the Censor in dispraise of justice having made one the day before in the high commendation of it in the same place Then there might be some ground for surmise and suspition that some man might be the Author of it But seeing neither of these can be collected from the context and that the whole scope and drift of the book throughout is truly and verily to abase and humble all men before God it cannot probably be reputed to be any mans work In the seventh place Ar ∣ gument 11 the integrity and impartial fidelity of the writers of several
and blind whether is greater the gold or the Temple that sanctifieth the gold But the word sanctifies the Church so saith our Saviour Sanctifie them with thy truth thy word is (b) Joh. 17.17 truth And again Now are ye clean through the word which I have spoken unto (c) Joh. 15.3 you And saith S. Faul Christ gave himself for his Church that he might sanctifie and cleanse it by the washing of water through the (d) Ephes 5.20 word The word therefore communicating sanctity and so therewith authority unto the Church must needs precede and excel it in both If any ask against whom I take up this weapon seeing the Church of Rome seems to disclaim and disavow this Tenet For the Rhemists in their Annotations on Gal. 2.2 affirm the disputation of this question to be superfluous and the comparison to be altogether unfit to be made I answer in the words of the Apostle So fight I not as one that beateth the (e) 1 Cor. 9.26 air I do not with the foolish Affricans called Psylli as Gellius reports take up Arms against the wind For besides divers others hereafter mentioned the said Doctors who would seem to decline this opinion and this unseemly comparison do in the very same place depresse the Scriptures and make them inferiour to the Church in four respects 1. In respect of Antiquity in that the Church was before them 2. In excellence of nature in that the Church is the Spouse of Christ the Temple of God and the proper subject of God and his graces for which Church the Scriptures were and not the Church for the Scriptures 3. In power of judging the Church having judicial power to determine of doubtful questions touching the sense of the Scriptures and other controversies of Religion of which judicial power the Scriptures are not capable 4. In evidence the definitions of the Church being more clear and evident then those of the Scriptures Now if by the Church they understood the whole Catholique Church and so included all the Patriarks Prophets and Apostles by whom the Scriptures were penned the contestation between us and them would not be so irreconcileable But their drift is to entitle the present Church Militant which is but one small part of the whole Catholique Church to those glorious prerogatives which belong not unto it And that it 's this Church which they so strive to advance above the Scriptures it 's more then manifest outof the writings of many of their Authors of special note amongst them as namely out of Pighius Melchior Canus and Stapleton All which in their writings quoted in the margent (a) Pig de Hierar eccle lib. 2. cap. 2. Can. loc com theolog lib. 2. cap. 8. Stapl. Doctr. princip lib. 9. cap. 12. here attribute authority to the present Church Militant above the Scriptures And Cardinall Bellarmine writes after their Copy affirming That the strength of all ancient Councels and of all opinions in doctrine doth depend upon the authority of the present (b) Bellar de effectu Sacram lib. 2. cap. 25. in fine Church Whereas therefore the fore-named Doctors of Rhemes did one while affirm all comparison between the preheminence and authority of the Church and Scriptures to be unfit to be made and anotherwhile spin out a tedious comparison between them about the very same particular they bewrayed both their personal weaknesse and the weaknesse of the cause which they intended to strengthen by stating and discussing that question which with their tongues or pens they had before disallowed to be disputed of Hitherto of the Theological conclusions inferred from this principle That Scripture is demonstratively divine Now it follows to speak of some duties for practice that may be raised and urged upon all sorts of persons from it and namely both upon Magistrates Ministers and People First This challengeth from all Christian Kings and Princes who are God's Vice-roys upon Earth all honourable respect patronage and possble protection of this holy word of God against all religions and opinions in Religion which are repugnant unto it and against all persons that either in word or deed doctrine or life slight or dishonour it For they sustaining the person of God here on earth for which they are dignified with the title of gods themselves in this (a) Psal 82.6 word do owe this reciprocal respect to him whose Vicegerents and Ministers they are to see as much as in them lies all due observance honour and obedience to be exhibited to this his sacred Word Thus did the good King Josiah for when the Book of the Law which was known to be God's Book was found in the house of the Lord and shewed unto him he presently summoned all the Elders of Judah and Jerusalem to appear before him and then himself rehearsed in their ears all the words of God's Book and made a Covenant both for himself and all the people that they should keep the Commandements and accomplish the Covenant written in it and suppressed all religions which did impunge it and removed all occasions and instruments of Idolatry and whatsoever else was adverse to the contents of (b) 2 Kin. 23. it Yea further it 's said that he caused all that were present in Jerusalem and Beniamin to stand to (c) 2 Chro. 34.32 it And thus have all good and godly Princes ever done both under the Law and the Gospel And it 's great reason they should for the Scepter of Christ's Kingdom which is this word of his is a Scepter of (a) Psal 45.6 righteousnesse And a rod of (b) Psal 110.2 strength And when Kings Scepters uphold it then it defends them like the roof of a building either of wood or stone and the walls or pillars thereof which afford a reciprocal and mutual aid and benefit each to other the pillars or walls support and uphold the roof and the roof doth protect consolidate and corroborate them Thus the Scepter was never taken away from the Kings of Israel and Judah so long as they swayed it for the defence of God's word but while they were observant of it God was propitious to them Nor doth this duty lie solely upon the highest powers but upon all secondary and subordinate Magistrates both Counsellors of State Nobles Judges and Justices whom god hath advanced to such high places of honour and put into their hands the sword of justice for this very end primarily that they might weild it according to his word and for it according to the directions and rules that he hath inscribed in it and for the support of the honour and authority of it by punishing and suppressing all impious scorners prophaners and transgressors thereof And verily when they do thus execute justice by the word of God and for it and without connivence or partiality then are they the very nerves and sinews of the body of the Commonwealth and bring both strength and glory unto it When
to his Apostles into all the world and preach the Gospel to every (c) Mark 16.15 creature If indeed the Church knew who would pervert the Scriptures she might with better reason withhold them from such but this she knoweth not and therefore is tyed to hold them forth indifferently unto all Secondly As all should learn so all should believe this word yea all this word because it 's God's for therefore every tittle of it must be (d) John 17.17 truth and hence is it oft called The word of truth both in the Old Testament and in the (e) Psal 119.43 Prov. 22.21 Eph. 1.13 Col. 1.5 New So that Till Heaven and Earth perish one jot or one tittle shall in no wise passe from the law till all be (f) Mat. 5.18 fulfilled The sons of men indeed are lyers so saith the Psalmist Surely men of low degree are vanity and men of high degree are a lye to be laid in the ballance they are altogether lighter then (a) Psal 62.9 vanity So that there is neither any sure hold of their words nor any certain truth in them that we may securely rely upon But in God's word we may trust as altogether infallible for it is impossible that he should lye or (b) Heb. 6.18 deceive I will here omit the dilatation and enlargement of this point which I might enter into by the quotation of those many Texts of Scripture which yield very copious testimony to it and will only endeavour to fasten this exhortation upon all with these two reasons First we see by experience of the time past that all things are fulfilled and still come to passe dayly according to this word and agreeably to the voice and tenour of it which therefore urgeth upon us a belief of the whole contents of it concerning things yet to come for if the event hath proved it to speak truth in all things that it hath foretold should come to passe then even common reason binds us to believe it to utter the truth in all things also that it foretels are yet to come As we see experience of mans mortality by the extinction of former generations makes all undoubtedly believe the truth thereof for all succeeding ages Now that Scripture predictions have at all times come to passe in their seasons I could produce numerous attestations both out of the Old Testament and the New but because the most of them are well known of all I will rehearse but only two of special note one of Joshua and another of King Solomon Joshua in his time speaks thus to the children of Israel Behold this day I am going the way of all the Earth and ye know in all your hearts and in all your souls that not one thing hath failed of all the good things which the Lord your God spake concerning you all are come to passe unto you and not one thing hath failed (a) Josh 23.14 thereof This Joshua spake purposely to fasten upon them a stable belief of the fulfilling of such Scripture predictions as then were to come as appears from his words following in the next verse where he adds these words Therefore it shall come to passe that as all good things are come upon you which the Lord your God promised you so shall the Lord bring upon you all evill things untill be have destroyed you from off this good Land which the Lord your God hath given you The like attestation here of gave Solomon in his time afterwards Blessed be the Lord said he that hath given rest unto his people Israel according to all that he promised there hath not failed one word of all his good promise which he promised by the hand of Moses his (b) 1 Kin. 8.56 servant Another reason that should urge all men to believe this Word is this because he that believes it not makes God a lyar so much as in him lieth in that hereby he denieth in his heart the truth of that which God hath spoken So saith S. John He that believeth not God hath made him a lyar because he believeth not the record that God gave of his (a) 1 John 5.10 Son And this is a grievous sin by God's own testimony The house of Israel and the house of Judah have dealt very treacherously against me saith the Lord They have belyed the Lord and said it is not (b) Jer. â— 11 12. he Let men therefore take heed how they remain incredulous of this Word or any part of it seeing it 's a sin so dishonourable and offensive to Almighty God How weakly then do those men project for themselves who believe so much of this word as they like so much as is pleasing and plausible to their carnal desires and fleshly wisedom namely all the gracious promises of mercy and forgivenesse of sin but as for the conditions of these promises which are upon condition of repentance and faith in Christ and new obedience and the judgements threatned against impenitent sinners wherein the Scripture is very copious which arride not their fleshly palats these they reject and put out of their belief But I beseech all such to consider that hereby they do by consequence condemn themselves for their apprehension and belief of the promises of mercy are a silent confession of their credence that Scripture is God's word and this confession is a clandestine self condemnation for their incredulity of all the other parts thereof for the Scripture being God's Word must necessarily speak truth in one part as well as another Thirdly Seeing we are sure that Scripture is Gods word it 's wisedom for all persons to joyn themselves to that Society of Christian professors which most honours it and holds best correspondence and agreement with it Now because the main controversie is between the Romane and the reformed Christian professors I will as compendiouslly as I can and as truly as I have read in approved Authors of both sides open and declare which of these ascribes most honour and reverence to the Bible of God and best accordeth and conspireth with it And first For the honour done unto it of both The reformed Churches acknowledge it a most perfect and absolute rule of life both for faith and manners to which nothing may be added and from which nothing may be detracted according to the sentence of the holy Ghost in divers places of the same Book Ye shall not add to the word which I command you neither shall ye diminish ought from (a) Deut. 4.2 it And again Add thou not unto his words lest he reprove thee and thou be found a (b) Prov. 30.6 lyar And again I testifie to every man that heareth the words of the prophesie of this book if any man shall add unto these things God shall add unto him the plagues that are written in this book and if any man shall take away from the words of the book of this prophesie God shall
take away his part out of the book of life and out of the holy City and from the things which are written in this (a) Rev. 22.18 19. book Again secondly They acknowledge it the supreme judge under the holy Ghost himself to decide and determine all doubts and questions in Religion and give it preheminence above all other sayings writings books or traditions And lastly affirm it to be absolutely necessary in the Church ever since the first writing of it by God himself as being that foundation whereon the Church is built as the Apostle teacheth the (b) Ephes 2.20 Ephesians And in these respects ascribe many glorious and magnificent yet decent and deserved titles to it which they learn and gather out of it some whereof I will mention They call it The Oracle of God the Breath of the holy Ghost the Scepter of Christ's Kingdom the Touch-stone of truth the Lanthorn of Israel the Mystery of Godlinesse and the Lamb's Book with many other such like Now by all this it appears that they give that due and condigne honour veneration and observance to the sacred Scripture which becomes the true and sincere professors and defenders of it See now on the other side what honour the Romanists exhibite to it and in what estimation they have it Sometime they celebrate it with due veneration and call it The true word of God and a most certain and safe rule of faith so Bellarmine speaks of it and affirms it to be the mind of the Catholique Church and the Councel of (a) Bell. de verbo Dei lib. 1. cap. 1. 2. Trent Sometime again they undervalue and depress it and detract from its sublimity and excellence very indignly and namely in these four particulars First They teach that the proper and principal end of Scripture was not to be the rule of faith but to be a useful monitor or remembrancer to conserve and nourish the doctrine received by preaching This is out of Bellarmine word for (b) Bell. de verbo Dei lib. 4. cap. 12. word And Pighius delivers this contumelius speech of Scripture to the same purpose Apostoli quaedam scripserunt non ut scripta illa praeessent fidei religionis nostrae sed potius ut subessent The Apostles saith he have written certain things not that their writings should be over our faith and Religion but rather that they should be under (c) Pigh Hierarch lib. 1. cap. 2. them This is strange new divinity for of old the Scripture was held to be the rule and Religion the thing ruled by it both in the old (d) Isa 8.20 Testament and in the (e) Mat. 22.29 2 Pet. 1.19 New and in the primitive times next after the Apostles as were easie to demonstrate both out of the Fathers and Church-Histories And therefore to make Religion the rule and Scripture to be ruled by it as the Romanists now of late times would have it as appears by the forementioned sayings and many other such like published by divers of them is an uncouth contumely and an indigne disparagement to it and an egregious derogation from the super-excellency and majesty of it and hath indeed been the unhappy means of the suffocation of a great part of God's truth in that Church Secondly They affirm that the whole Christian doctrine which is necessary to be known either for faith or manners is not contained in the Scriptures and that therefore there is required an unwritten word also beside the written word that is to say Divine and Apostolical traditions to be added to the written word to make it a perfect (a) Bellar de verbo Dei lib. 4. cap. 3. 4. rule And so they condemn the sacred Scripture of imperfection and insufficiency This assertion is repugnant to several assertions in Scripture for S. John saith That so much is written in Scripture as is sufficient to work faith in us and to bring us to everlasting life through the name of (b) John 20.31 Christ and then surely there needs no more for everlasting life is the highest degree of perfection that any creature can attain unto And S. Paul saith That the Scriptures are able to make a man wise unto (c) 2 Tim. 3.15 salvation and to make him perfect throughly furnished unto all good (a) 2 Tim. 3.17 works Whence it follows that seeing they make men perfect they must needs be perfect themselves for no imperfect thing can perfect another And our blessed Saviour himself hath denounced a dreadful judgement against any that shall go about to add unto it as if it were not perfect I testifie saith he to every man that heareth the words of the prophesie of this Book If any man shall add unto these things God shall add unto him the plagues that are written in this (b) Rev. 22.18 Book as before was rehearsed Thirdly They equalize Traditions with the holy Scripture and dignifie them with the same authority and reverence so teacheth the Councel of (c) Concil Trid. decr 1. session 4. Trent And Melchior Canus saith That Traditions have greater force to refel Hereticks then the (d) Canus loc commun Theo. lib. 9. cap. 3. Scriptures And Eckius saith simply That they are of greater efficacy without any limitation to that particular (e) Eck. de fide justif cap. 13. effect And yet we find in Scripture that all humane traditions are to be examined and tryed by it as was declared before and are all to be disallowed and rejected which hold not correspondence with the same as is evident from our Saviour's reproof of the Scribes and Pharisees for presuming to dispense in some case with this written commandment Honour thy father and mother for thereupon saith our Saviour unto them Ye have made the commandment of God of none effect by your (a) Mat. 15.6 tradition and again he saith In vain they do worship me teaching for doctrines the commandments of (b) Mat. 15.9 men In both which sentences our Saviour gives the written word preheminence and authority above all traditions Fourthly and lastly Bellarmine denies the Scriptures to have been simply necessary or (c) Bell. de verbo Dei lib. 4. cap. 4. sufficient This if he had spoken in relation only to the time before the Law was written by God himself we should not have contested with him but by his further dispute about it he declares his meaning to extend to the written word since that time which he manifesteth by a saying that he uttereth afterwards which I have truly transcribed to a letter without either addition amputation or alteration of the least sylable thereof Sanè saith he credere historias Testamenti veteris vel evangelia Marci Lucae esse canonica scripta inno ullas esse divinas Scripturas non est omninò necessarium ad (d) Bell. de Eccles militant lib. 3. cap. 14. salutem Surely to believe the hystories of
is commanded I need not quote any particular poof for this for it 's a common tenet among them and how crosse and contradictory this is to our Saviour's speech every ordinary capacity may easily discern Secondly The Author of the Epistle to the Hebrews saith that Marriage is honourable in (a) Heb. 13.4 all And S. Paul saith It 's better to marry then to (b) 1 Cor. 7.9 burn Bellarmine saith Vtrumque est malum nubere uri immo pejus est nubere quicquid reclament adversarii praesertim ei quae habet votum (c) Bell. de Monach lib. 2. cap. 3. sclenne Both are evil saith he both to marry and to burn yea it's worse to marry whatsoever the adversaries say to the contrary especially for the person who hath made a solemn vow That which the Scripture saith is good and honourable in all without exception Bellarmine saith is evill and especially in some persons he condemns it as evil without exception and with an aggravation of the evil of it in some persons Thirdly S. Paul calls concupiscense or lust sin I had not known sin but by the law for I had not known lust if the law had not said Thou shalt not (d) Rom. 7.7 covet and four or fives time more afterwards in the same Chapter he calls it sometime sin and sometime evill and speaks so of it with reference to himself then a regenerate person The Councel of Trent saith Hanc concupiscentiam quod aliquandò Apostlus peccatum appellat sancta Synodus declarat Ecclesiam catholicam nunquam intellexisse peccatum appellari quòd verè propriè in renâ—tis peccatum sit sed quia ex peccato est ad peccatum inclinat Siquis autem contrarium senserit anathema (a) Conc. Trident. de Peccat origin sess 5. cap 10. sit This concup iscense saith the Councel which the Apostle sometime calleth sin the holy Synod declareth that the Catholique Church did never understand to be called sin because it is truly and properly sin in the regenerate but because it cometh from sin and inclineth to sin If any man think the contrary let him be Anathema or accursed By which decree they not only contradict the Apostle but implicitely also gain-say themselves for if concupiscence be the fruit of sin as they acknowledge then it must needs be sin till it be wholly cleansed which cannot be done here on Earth For a corrupt tree cannot bring forth good (b) Mat. 7.18 fruit If these be not insalvable contradictions of holy Scripture I shall ingenuously confesse the shallownesse and deficiency of my understanding and judgement when any shall make it appear to the contrary And as Papists so likewise Anabaptists contradict Scripture in sundry points And I will charge them with no more then what I have heard proceed from their own mouths First Scripture abundantly testifies that all men since Adam's fall are by birth stained with sin Christ only excepted How can he be clean saith Bildad that is born of a (a) Job 25.4 woman The wicked are estranged from the womb saith (b) Psal 58.3 David And the house of Jacob is called a transgressor from the (c) Isa 48.8 womb They impudently deny it and say that children are not born in sin 2. The Scripture saith that faith is the gift of God so saith S. Paul to the Ephesians By grace ye are saved through faith and that not of your selves it is the gift of (d) Eph. 2.8 God And to the Philippians To you it is given in the behalf of Christ not only to believe on him but also to suffer for his (e) Phil. 1.29 sake Where both faith and patience are affirmed to be given of God This some of them cotradict and say Faith is not the gift of God And to evade the contradiction they distinguish between the habit of faith and the act of faith and so say That the habit of faith indeed is the gift of God but not the act But this distinction will not salve the contradiction for the Apostle afterwards affirms both the habit and the act also of all grace to be given of God It is God saith he which worketh in you both to will and to do of his good (a) Phil. 2.13 pleasure And elsewhere he saith There are diversities of operations but it is the same God which worketh all in all 1 Cor. 12.6 Thirdly Scripture saith Who can say I have made my heart clean I am pure from my (b) Prov. 20.9 sin And If we say we have no sin we deceive our selves and the truth is not in (c) 1 John 1.8 us Some of them say that a believer is free from all sin which they affirm not only in respect of the imputation of sin for that is agreeable to Scripture but in respect of the inherency of it which contradicts the former Scriptures and many other And that they speak this of the inherency or stain of sin one Mr. John Eaton hath declared who affirms That he who beliveth that Christ hath taken away his sin is as clean without sin as Christ (d) Hony-comb of free justific by John Eaton cap. 3. himself And also one Mr. Randal who delivered in a Sermon the like blasphemous speech namely that it 's as possible for Christ himself to sin as for a child of God to sin as it 's attested by the whole body of the Ministers of (e) Testimony to the truth of these Chr. page 16. London And my self heard one of that sect fay of himself that he had no sin I will winde up this point with a short advertisment and a short advice The advertisment is this I shall desire all persons â—ence to take notice how signantly and notoriously false that arrogant ostentation is which both these now mentioned Sects blush not to ventilate in calling themselves the only Saints and Church of God upon Earth for it was never heard nor read that God's Church and Saints did gain-say and contradict his holy Word as these do The Divel was the first that did so as we read in the book of (a) Gen. 3.1 2 3 4. verses Genesis and some ungracious wretches in the Prophet Jeremiah's time did the like They belyed the Lord and said it is not (b) Jer. 5.12 he But God's Church and people in all ages and places have evermore assented and submitted unto it The advice is this That seeing Scripture is a most sure and safe rule of faith and that by the confession both of Papists and the greatest number and major part of Anabaptists it 's wisedome for all such as desire to walk by a safe rule to decline and desert all association and communion with either of these Sects as who gain-say and contradict it in divers points of their faith as hath been demonstrated and to adhere to the professors of the reformed Protestant Religion and to hold communion with them as
We read in the Book of Exodus that when God commanded the Israelites to contribute to the building of the Tabernacle Moses was directed to take their offerings that gave them willingly with their (b) Exod. 25.2 hearts This made David give this charge to his son Solomon And thou Solomon my son know thou the God of thy father and serve him with a perfect heart and with a willing (c) 1 Chro. 28.9 mind And himself to promise God to sacrifice freely unto (d) Psal 54.6 him And to professe his delight in his (e) Psal 119.143 commandements This is oft required also elsewhere in the word of God If ye be willing and obedient saith the Lord ye shall eat the good of the (a) Isa 1.19 Land And God loves a cheerful giver saith the (b) 2 Cor. 9.9 Apostle Fourthly and lastly Obedience must be constant continued unto the end without giving over or it 's frustrate and lost so saith our Saviour No man having put his hand to the Plough and looking back is fit for the Kingdom of (c) Luke 9.62 God For the righteous bring forth fruit in old (d) Psal 92.14 age Hence are thâ—se and many such like sentences of Scripture Blessed are they that keep judgement and do righteousnesse at all (e) Psal 106.3 times And He that shall endure to the end the same shall be (f) Mat. 24.13 saved And We are delivered out of the hands of our enemies that we might serve God without fear in holiness and righteousnesse before him all the days of our (g) Luke 1.74 75. life I will close up all with that exhortation of S. Paul to the Corinthians Therefore my beloved brethren be we stedfast unmoveable always abounding in the work of the Lord and so our labour shall not be in vain in the (h) 1 Cor. 15.58 Lord. So be it FINIS A DISCUSSION AND DECISSION OF SOME GREAT CONTROVERSIES IN RELIGION BEING An Antidote against some Erroneous Pamphlets Published of late to the suppression of God's Truth The Contents whereof followeth in the next Page By THO. GERY B.D. and Rector of Barwell in Leicestershire Beloved believe not every spirit but try the spirits whether they are of God because many false Prophets are gone out into the world 1 John 4.1 LONDON Printed for N. Webb and W. Grantham 1657. The Contents 1. Controversie About God's election of men to eternall life and salvation whether or no it be grounded upon the fore-sight of their faith and obedience 2. Controversie About the universality of Christ's Redemption 3. Controversie About the power of Man's free-will 4. Controversie About the Merit of good works 5. Controversie About Original sin 6. Controversie About Tithes A Preface to the Reader HAving a Pamplet accidentally put into my hands twisted of inconsequences incongruities and misapplications and depravations of holy Scripture entituled The order of causes Of God's foreknowledge election and predestination and of mans salvation or damnation I thought I might do a charitable work to detect the impostures of it Especially considering that it had gotten some entertainment with some persons within mine own charge and cure For albeit there be little hope of prevailing with these false teachers in these times especially which have so long connived at their erroneous and seditious courses to renounce their errors though never so fairly and fully confuted as who have resolved to hold the conclusion whether the premises be true or false which every Novice in Logick knows to be an absurdity to be hissed at yet may this detection of their falcies in some measure prevent the further diffusion and spreading of their pernicious errors which is the fole end wherefore these plain ensuing lines were hastily compiled and penned And in this regard the courteous Reader is intreated to vouchsafe a candid and benevolent construction of them as which upon more mature deliberation might either have been kept private or appearing in publique might happily have been clad in a more sightly dresse which is the humble request of A Friend and Servant to all that follow the truth in love THOMAS GERY IT hath ever been the artifice and deceitfull dealing of Hereticks to pick out some such Texts of Scripture wherewith to cloak their errors as by their false interpretation of them in not comparing them with other Texts of Scripture treating of the same subject might afford some colour and countenance unto them Thus the old Serpent the first deviser of this fallacy dealt with our blessed Saviour when he tempted him in the Wildernesse he alledged a piece of Scripture out of Psalm 91.11 where it 's said He shall give his Angels charge over thee to keep thee and skips over the next words in all thy ways and so goeth to the 12. verse as knowing that the words which he left out would quite alter the Text from that purpose for which he alledged the same And thus deal the Heretical Sectaries and Separatists that are of late started up They alledge some sayings of Scripture which considered by themselves without any reference had to other Texts of Scripture which afford light to the right meaning of them seem at the first superficial view of them to speak something for them about some of their erroneous Tenets whereas compared with other sayings of Scripture where the same point is more fully and plainly expressed they make nothing at all for proof of that for which they are alledged as shall be discovered in some particulars in this ensuing Treatise Amongst a Fardle of their palpable and prodigious Errors some whereof are utterly unworthy the refutation being manifest contradictions of holy Scripture As their denial of Faith to be the gift of God which I have heard to proceed out of the mouth of divers of no small esteem amongst them with incredible impudence I have here undertaken the confutation of these six of which some are Popish which I find in the fornamed book and in another which I shall hereafter mention 1. They affirm That God's election of men to salvation is from his fore-sight of their Faith and Obedience Or as some of them phrase it from his fore-sight of their Sanctification and Good Works 2. That Christ's Redemption is universall extending it self to all men in the World indiscriminatim indifferently 3. That men have Free-will to repent and believe and so may be saved if they will 4. That Good Works or Obedience are meritorious causes of salvation 5. That children are not born in sin 6. That the payment of Tithes to the Ministers of the Gospel is not agreeable to Scripture Now that these are false Tenents not justifiable from Scripture but repugnant unto it I shall I hope make manifest to all that are not byassed with prejudice And because I am not to enter the Lists and contest with pertinacious Adversaries who sometime will neither hear right Reason nor yield to Scripture but as they themselves shall expound
gift of God Not of works lest any man should boast And again Tit. 3.5 Not by works of righteousnesse which we have done but according to his mercy he saved us by the washing of regeneration and renewing of the holy Ghost The Advesaries answer That these and such like Texts are spoken of works before regeneration To which I reply that in Tit. 3.5 the Apostle expresly nominates works of righteousnesse and denies them to be any causes of salvation but there be no works of righteousnesse before regeneration for then an evill tree should bring forth good fruit which our Saviour denies Matth. 7.18 And therefore even good works after regeneration are in Scripture denied to be any causes of salvation Hereof I shall have occasion to speak more largely hereafter and therefore will not insist any longer in the illustration of it Before I proceed to the next Controversie I will display the weak argumentation of Mr. Henry Haggar for defence of election from fore-seen sanctification by his straining Scripture from its proper sense and in not comparing it with other Scripture where the genuine and proper sense is clearly explained He toils himself to prove the said point because it 's said in 2 Thes 2.13 that men are chosen to salvation through sanctification of the Spirit and therefore thence collects that they are not chosen before they are sanctified by the Spirit which is a very inconsequent collection for it doth not follow that because men are choto salvation through sanctification of the Spirit that therefore sanctification of the Spirit is the cause of their election or that therefore it precedes their election but that therefore sanctification is a necessary antecedent way and means through which they must be brought to salvation whereto they are elected as the way to any place is not the cause of a man his coming thither but only a necessary requisite to be observed of him And thus this Text fitly agrees with other Texts of Scripture as that before mentioned Ephes 1.4 where it 's said That we are chosen that we should be holy which Text he hath waved and never mentioned at all but as Satan alledged the words of the Psalmist leaving out a part as knowing it would disclose his wresting and perverting the true sense of the other Text which he alledged And so he neglects the premised rule of expounding Scripture by Scripture which is of necessity to be observed to find out the true sense and meaning of any Text that is ambiguous or may be variously expounded He alledgeth also the 1 Pet. 1.2 where it 's said That men are elected according to the foreknowledge of God the Father through sanctification of the Spirit Whence he collects that God knows men first before he doth elect them To this I answer First That God's prescience or foreknowledge of men and his election of them are in him together and one and the same act for all his attributes are himself and whatsoever is said to be in him is himself as it hath ever been acknowledged by all learned Divines But in humane apprehension of them his decrees precede his prescience for he doth not decree things to come because he foresees them but foresees them because he hath decreed them as is colligible from S. Paul's speech before named Ephes 4.11 where he affirms that God worketh all things according to the Counsell of his own will whence it 's manifest that his own will is the first cause of all his works and not his prescience though his prescience do concur with his will Secondly I answer That the foreknowledge of God there mentioned is a foreknowledged with approbation for the original word which is 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 properly signifies fore knowledgement as all men of learning know which implies a concurence of his election and approbation with his foreknowledge of men and not any precedence of his knowledge before his approbation and election of them And this affords an answer also to that place which is brought by some of the adversaries for defence of election from foreseen faith and holinesse in Rom. 8.29 where it 's said that whom God did foreknow he also did predestinate to be conformed to the image of his Son where the Greek verb which is 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 signifies properly fore-acknowledged which intimates an election either with it or before the foreknowledge and besides the words following lead to this sense in that the Apostle expresseth that the predestination which he mentioneth as a sequell of God's foreknowledge is a predestination to be conformed to the image of his Son that is to be holy as Christ is holy A predestination to holinesse cannot be a predestination for holinesse as was shewed before He alledgeth but one Text of Scripture more about this point which is in the fourth Page of his discourse and which he abuseth very sufficiently as he doth the two former and that is Ephes 1.11 and 12. verses where the Apostle speaketh of himself and others that they were predestinated that they should be to the praise of God's glory who first trusted in Christ Whence he ridiculously collecteth that they did first trust in Christ before they were predestinated Whereas the priority or precedency of their faith there mentioned by the Apostle hath no relation at all to their predestination in Grammatical construction but to the faith of the Ephesians that were Greeks or Gentiles and called to the faith of Christ after Paul and the other Apostles that were Jews as appears evidently by the next verse where the Apostle adds In whom also ye trusted after that ye heard the word of truth As if he should have said In whom we trusted first and then ye afterwards which agrees also with other Scripture as Rom. 1.16 where the Apostle saith that the Gospel is the power of God to salvation to every one that believeth to the Jew first and also to the Greek The second Controversie Of the Vniversality of Christ's Redemption TO decide and determine this controversie I must first state the question aright between us and the adversaries To speak nothing of the word All which sometimes is put for all sorts of men and sometimes for all particular men of all sorts Seeing we acknowledge that Christ died not only for all sorts of men but for all of all sorts that do repent and believe The controversie depends upon these three Quaeries 1. Whether Christ died for unbelievers at all or not 2. Whether he died for them in as full and ample sense as for believers 3. In what sense he died for them and in what sense he died not for them To the first quaery or question I answer affirmatively for my part that Christ died for unbelievers in some sense To the second I answer negatively scil that he died not for unbelievers in as full and ample sense as for believers which I prove from Scripture three ways First Because it 's said sometime in
Scripture that he died for many as well as for all as Isa 53.12 He bare the sins of many Matth. 20.28 He gave his life a ransome for many Heb. 9.28 Christ was once offered to bear the sins of many Which expressions import that he died not for all alike but for many in one sense and for all in another or else the expression of his dying for many were needlesse in that it is so oft expressed that he died for all Secondly Because it 's oft said that he died for his Church as John 10.15 I lay down my life for the sheep Eph. 5.25 Husbands love your Wives even as Christ also loved the Church and gave himself for it Which imports also that he died for all men in one sense and for his Church in another Thirdly because the Scripture hath in terminis in expresse words put a difference between his being a Saviour to all men and his being a Saviour to them that believe as in 1 Tim. 4.10 We trust in the living God who is the Saviour of all men specially of those that believe From whence I argue thus Christ died for all men as he is a Saviour of all men but he is a Saviour of all men in a different sense and sort namely generally of the universality of men and specially of his Church witnesse the distinction made by the Apostle in the fore-cited Text Therefore he died for all men in a different sense and sort namely in one sense and sort for the universality of men and in another sense and sort for the particularity of his Church To the third Quaery I answer That he died for all wicked men and unbelievers in these two senses according to Scripture 1. As suffering a satisfactory punishment for the sins of all the men in the world so as they are not left destitute of the means of remission of sins and of salvation according to the words of the Apostle 1 Tim. 2.6 There is one Mediator between God and men the man Christ Jesus who gave himself a ransome for all a testimony in due time And again Heb. 2.9 the Apostle saith that He tasted death for every man 2. He died for them upon condition of their faith and obedience according to these Scriptures John 3.16 God so loved the World that he gave his only begotten Son that whosoever believeth in him should not perish but have everlasting life And Heb. 5.9 He became the author of eternal salvation unto all them that obey him And so in like manner it 's the affirmation of sundry other Texts of Scripture But then he died not for them with an intention and purpose to give them grace to repent and believe and so to bring them to salvation which appears by Scripture to be a clear truth these two ways 1. Because Scripture hath revealed abundantly God's purpose to the contrary namely to save some men but not all The proofs whereof are so numerous that I need not quote any 2. Because if Christ died for all men with an intention and purpose to save all then either all shall be saved which is contradicted by a hundred places of Scripture or else Christ's purpose may be altered But his purpose cannot be altered or disappointed and therefore he died not for all with a purpose to save all That his purpose cannot be altered I prove both because he can neither alter it himself nor can any other alter it That he cannot alter it himself is oft taught in Scripture Mal. 3.6 I am the Lord I change not Jam. 1.17 With him is no variablenesse neither shadow of turning Neither can any other alter it for his purpose is immutable and his will irresistible Isa 46.10 My counsel shall stand and I will do all my pleasure And 43.13 I will work and who shall let it And Rom. 9.19 Who hath resisted his will Thus then from the premises already sufficiently proved I conclude and determine the controversie thus That Christ died for all the men in the world in these two senses First As paying by his death a sufficient ransome for the sins of them all which the Scripture calls 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 a price of redemption several times Secondly That he died for them all upon condition of their faith and obedience but died not for all men with purpose to bring all actually to salvation And so the old distinction of Christ's dying for all men either sufficientur or efficaciter sufficiently or effectually as it may be understood and applied stands still upon its basis and feet and challengeth all the desertors and rejecters of it to frame a more fit and proper distinction between Christ's dying for all men and his dying for his Church Seeing a distinction between them is to be made as hath been already declared by testimony of Scripture The third Controversie which is of all other the most difficult and knotty WHether an unregenerate man hath power to repent and believe and so be saved if he will Mr. Haggar answers hereto in the affirmative in Page the 25. of his fore-mentioned discourse I answer to it in the negative denying that a natural man hath power to repent and believe by the energy or strength of his own free-will but needs the help of the special preventing grace of God ere he can be converted or he cannot convert himself For the fuller opening and enodation of this controversie and because therein I have more learned adverseries to deal with then Anabaptists I will first speak out what the will of an unregenerate man is able to do towards his conversion without the help of God's special efficacious grace or preventing grace as the learned call it And then secondly How far it cooperates with God's grace in his conversion About the first notice is to be taken of a threefold liberty of Will namely The liberty of Nature the liberty of Grace and the liberty of Glory Of which though these two last we lost by Adam's fall yet the first was not lost but remains still so as by vertue thereof the Will hath liberty to will or nill without compulsion or constraint and that not only in natural and civil actions but also in moral and ecclesiastical In moral actions to practise virtue as Justice Temperance Liberality c. And so to do some things commanded in God's Law as both experience shews and Paul testifies Rom. 2.14 where be saith That the Gentiles did by nature the things contained in the Law In Ecclesiastical actions an unregenerate man hath liberty also namely to perform the duties of God's worship and service for the outward act as to come to Church hear and read the word of God pray partake of the Sacraments do works of charity and confer about Religion and the doctrine of faith as common experience shews all which are good preparatives to and ofttimes efficacious means of regeneration and conversion Yet must this liberty of Will about all these actions either
the will of the flesh nor of the will of man but of God In which words the Spirit of God expressing a perfect distribution of all the powers and forces that are or can be in man excludes them all from this work and ascribes it to the alone will of God for it neither proceedeth from the bloud of man that is from any prerogative of natural propagation or generation which was wont to be the Pharisees vain brag and oftentation We are Abraham's peed for a which they were sharply reproved by John Baptist Matth. 3.9 Nor doth it proceed from the will of the flesh that is from the natural strength of mans corrupt will nor yet from the will of man that is of such a man whose corrupt will is corrected bettered and amended either by the help of the common grace of God or by the acquisition of humane learning or by his own wise observation and experience for this force the Greek word 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 carrieth with it which is here used and so in like manner doth the Latine word uir by which it 's also translated in the Latine from none of these forces in man doth this worke proceed and these are all the forces in man's will but they are all excluded and God alone is made the Author and Procreant cause thereof A second testimony that I shall produce for proof of this Truth is in Ephes 2.8 9 10 verses where the Apostle speaks thus to the Ephesians By grace ye are saâ—ed through faith and that not of your selves it is the gift of God not of works lest any man should boast For we are his workmanship created in Christ Jesus unto good works which God hath before ordained that we should walk in them In which words the Apostle strives to annihilate our selves about this work and to take away all pretences of our cooperation with God therein For first He saith It 's not of our selves and then he saith It 's not of works lest any man should boast but there were matter of boasting if our selves were co-workers with God herein And then he addeth to remove all scruple about it that we are his workmanship created in Christ Jesus unto good works Where note that he doth not say his workmanship renewed or repaired though that be true too but his workmanship created The Apostle as it may seem did pick out this word on purpose which he again also useth speaking of this work in the 4 Chapter following and 24. v. his words are Put on the new man which after God is created in righteousnesse and true holiness that he might altogether exclude all cooperation herein with God on our part for to create is the proper act of God and no creature can have any hand therein There be many other pregnant and punctual proofs of Scripture for this point As Ezek. 36.26 A new heart will I give you and a new spirit will I put within you and I will take away the stony heart out of your flesh and I will give you a heart of flesh If God make all new and take away all the old then is there none of the old left to help to make it self new Philip. 2.13 It 's God that worketh in you both to will and to do of his good pleasure Therefore the Will works not till God first work upon it 2 Cor. 3.5 We are not sufficient of our selves to think any thing as of our selves but our sufficiency is of God If we be not sufficient of our selves to think that which is good then not to will it for Voluntas sequitur intellectum the Will follows the Thought Jam. 1.18 Of his good will begat he us by the word of truth If of his own will then not by help of our will But to avoid prolixity and tediousnesse which I ever disliked I will rest satisfied with the quotation of those few proofs of Scripture which I have already cited pretermitting a number more of like sort as hoping they may satisfie the unprejudiced Reader because they are so clear and convincing I have not yet done with this Controversie but have something more to say about it And that is to invalidate the main Argument or objection which is brought by them of the Adversarie part against this truth for I read of no other of any force which is this It 's said by them That men are called upon in Scripture to turn to God very often which if they have not power of themselves to do the commandment is unjust and needless for Nemo tenetur ad impossibile To this I return a five-fold solution or answer First That though we have no power so to do now as we are fallen in Adam yet did God give us so much grace in our first creation as would have impowred us hereunto if we our selves had not lost it And therefore is it no severity or injustice for God to require that at our hands which he once gave us power to do though now we cannot do it because we our selves have made our selves unable to do it and not God And here I desire the Reader to take notice how unfit a comparison one of our Adversaries in this point hath used though cryed up for a man of learning who chargeth God with as great severity bidding us to turn unto him if we have not of our selves now freedome of will so to do as for a man to cut off another man's legs and then bid him run But by his leave for all his great learning the case is not alike but varies and fails in the main point of all which is this In that God gave man legs to run the ways of his commandments before he bad him run which he hath cut off himself God gave man power to do all that he requires at his hand and man hath bereaved himself thereof And therefore it 's neither injustice nor severity in God to require of man what he once gave him power to do though now he be unable because he hath disabled himself If God had made man unable the comparison might have held but seeing man made himself unable the comparison halteth Secondly I answer that God's commandments do not alway import what we can do but what we should they do not always argue our ability but our duty As for example to instance but in one particular of many We are commanded to love the Lord our God with all the heart and with all the soul and our neighbours as our selves This we cannot do in that fulsse that the Law requires yet it is not severity in God to require it of us because he once impowred us unto it namely in our first creation And the case is the same about our conversion Thirdly I answer that God requires it though we cannot of our selves do it that we may be put in mind to crave his aid who only is able to make us to do it This reason is given by S.
Augustine in these words Jubet Deus quae non possumus ut noverimus quae ab illo petere debemus God commands us what we cannot do to intimate unto us what we ought to crave of him namely what we cannot do of our selves And hence are those many prayers of several sorts of persons in the Scripture as Psalm 51.10 Create in me a clean heart O Lord and renew a right spirit within me And Jer. 31.18 Convert thou me and I shall be converted And Lament 5.21 Turn thou us unto thee O Lord and we shall be turned Fourthly I answer that God commands us this though we cannot do it of our selves that we may be excited to use such means as are by God's ordinance and appointment conducible and available thereunto and which we have of our selves power to use which are Prayer the Word and the Sacraments for his calling to us to repent and return unto him is a provocation or calling to us to use such means as he hath appointed to produce the same in us Fifthly and lastly I answer That such commands aim not only at our first conversion but at our secondary and subsequent returns to God when after our first conversion we prevaricate and digress from him in which secondary return mans will cooperates with the grace of God as formerly hath beeen said And therefore God's invitation of men to these returns wherein their wills have some ability to cooperate with his grace is not vain or needlesse but very efficacious to allure and induce them thereunto Not to tire the Reader with any further dispute about this controversie I will close it up with the addition of these two reasons to the former Arguments to induce all persons to adhere to this opinion as the safest which I have here asserted First because this opinion makes a clearer reconciliation of those Texts of Scripture which hold forth a seeming contradiction about this point then the other doth for according to the other opinon they are not reconciled without some scruple Secondly because this opinion ascribes most glory to God to whom all glory belongs wherein there is no danger though men detract from themselves For to detract from nature and give to grace is no danger but to detract from grace and give to nature cannot but be dangerous This was the saying of Peter Lumbard and is of all acknowledged and owned for truth The fourth Controversie About the merit of good works THe Papists opinion about this and Mr. Haggar's in affirming good works to be causes of salvation which both they do and he also in the 9. page of his forenamed discourse hath so little appearance of truth that it deserves to be exploded rather then refuted And I have good ground for what I affirm First Because it 's so apparently repugnant to Scripture as to Ephes 2.8.9 where it 's said By grace ye are saved through faith and that not of your selves it is the gift of God not of works lest any should boast And Tit. 3.5 Not by the works of righteousnesse which we have done but according to his mercy he saved us And whereas to salve up the discord between Paul's affirmation and theirs they make a distinction of good works of which some say they go before justification and some follow after it and St. Paul they say speaks of those that go before but they speak of such as follow after and therefore they do not contradict him I have formerly declared namely in my 4th Argument about the first Controversie in page the 20. that the Apostle speaks of the same good works which they speak of namely of good works after justification and regeneration And therefore they are herein contradictors of holy Scripture Another ground for what I affirmed before is this Because I never had conference with any Papist yet and I have conferred with many in my time but they all disclaimed the merit of their own works when upon occasion of discourse I have charged them with this grosse Tenet I have yet a third ground for what I said and that is because I find Bellarmine their Arch champion after his affirmation of the merit of good works and that they are true causes of salvation and that some confidence may be placed in them in his book of Controversies namely Libr. 5. cap. 7. de Justificat to give men counsel within ten lines after to put no confidence in their merits but in the alone mercy and benignity of God as the safest way So that there is no great necessity to confute this opinion of the merit of works seeing themselves do distrust it and after a sort desert it But yet some short confutation of this palpable error I will deliver which I hope shall sufficiently convince it And the first Argument I frame thus Argument 1. IF eternal life or salvation be Gods gfit then it is not merited by man's good works so the Apostle argues Rom. 11.6 If it be of grace it is no more of works But eternal life is God's gift so saith our Saviour Luke 12.32 Fear not little flock for it is your Father's pleasure to give you a Kingdom where note that it 's said to be a gift and from no other motive but from his own good pleasure And John 10.27 My sheep hear my voice and I know them they follow me and I give unto them eternal life And saith S. Paul Rom. 6.23 The gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord. Therefore eternal life is not merited by man's good works Argument 2. IF all the good works which possibly we can do be due debt to Almighty God then can they not merit Heaven at his hand for merit and debt cannot stand together a man cannot be said to merit by paying that which he oweth But they are due debts so our Saviour teacheth Luke 17. â—0 When ye shall have done all those things which are commanded you say We are unprofitable servants we have done that which was our duty to do Therefore they cannot merit Argument 3. IF our good works be not properly our own but proceed from the grace of God which worketh them in us and by us then can they not be said to merit from God though they may merit from others because we return no more to God then what we have received from him we give him but a cluster of grapes out of his own Vineyard and water out of his own Fountain If any man discern not the necessity of this consequent it 's for want of perspicacity in his own understanding and not for want of truth in the consequence And Bellarmine doth acknowledge it in Libr. 5. cap. 15. De Grat. Lib. Arb. Good works are not properly our own but proceed from the grace of God which worketh the same in us and by us so it 's said Isa 26.12 Lord thou wilt ordain peace for us for thou also hast wrought all our works in us
active and passive is the meritorious cause of salvation and of all the means conducting thereunto So Colos 1.14 We have redemption through his bloud even the forgiveness of sins And 1 John 1.7 The bloud of Jesus Christ his Son cleanseth us from all sin And 1 Pet. 1.18 19. Knowing that ye were not redeemed with corruptible things as silver and gold from your vain conversation received by tradition from your fathers but with the precious bloud of Christ as of a lamb without blemish and without spot with many such like Texts Thirdly Faith is the instrumental cause that is to say the instrument whereby we receive Christ and apply his merits to us so John 1.12 As many as received him to them he gave power to become the sons of God even to them that believe on his name And Ephes 3.17 The Apostle saith that Christ dwells in our hearts by faith And hence it is our righteousnesse is called both the righteousness of faith Rom. 10.6 And the righteousnesse which is by faith Heb. 11.7 And the righteousnesse which is of God by faith Phil. 3.9 Fourthly and lastly Vocation and Justification and Sanctification and good works and eternal life and salvation are the joynt fruits and effects of the aforenamed causes successively following one another Vocacion Justification and Sanctification and good works are the first fruits and effects of the foresaid causes brought forth here in this life as numerous Texts of Scripture testifie which I need not recite because they are familiarly known and because I have mentioned divers of them formerly And Eternal Life and Salvation is the last fruit the consummation and ultimate end of all as it 's very often taught and testified Rom. 6.22 Being made free from sin and become servants to God ye have your fruit unto heliness and the end everlasting life And 1 Pet. 1.9 Receiving the end of your faith even the salvation of your souls These are the links of the golden chain of salvation and the order of the causes thereof as they are annexed and held forth to us in the word of God And in Rom. 8.30 they are summed up together though in fewer words Whom he did predestinate saith the Apostle them he also called and whom he called them he also justified and whom he justified them he also glorified And hence is Mr. Haggar's grosse error in his concatenation of the causes of salvation detected and confuted In that he makes sanctification and good works causes of salvation which are but fruits and effects of God's election and the merits of Christ apprehended by faith for they go before salvation only as necessary antecedents and as the appointed way to lead us to salvation and as preparatives for Heaven as hath been already declared but not as causes thereof 1. They are Via regnâ— but not causa regnandi So that as the way to any place is not the cause that brings any man to it though he must needs passe through the way to come to that place but the cause of his coming to it is his own will and motion So sanctification and good works though they be necessary antecedents to salvation so that we cannot passe to Heaven but through them yet they are not the causes which brings us thither but the causes thereof are the mercies of God and the merits of Christ apprehended by Faith And so I end this Controversie If now I have not untied the Gordian knots of these long debated Controversies so fully and openly as to give satisfaction to all whose thoughts have been formerly puzzled about them as I believe I shall not yet my labour will not be wholly lost in these regards First Because I have hereby declared my willingnesse to do the Church service to my power by putting my hand to the supportation of the truth of the gospel which these stormy times have so impetuously and vehemently shaken Secondly Because what I have delivered may happily give satisfaction to some and let them loose out of the briers of their hesitation that were doubtful before what opinion to incline to Thirdly Because this Essay may happily be an occasion to invite and induce some more Logical and Learned pen to publish a more Scholastick and plenary solution of them The fifth Controversie About Original sin THat I may the more fully discover and confute this error I will unfold these four points about the sin of our natures the sin wherein we are conceived and born which therefore all Orthodox Divines have fitly and properly called Original Sin First I will render a reason of the epithete why it is called Original Sin Secondly I will give a definition of the Sin what is Thirdly I will alledge some of the evident proofs of Scripture for the justification of it Fourthly I will frame some irrefragable and convincing arguments drawn out of Scripture to prove it by necessary and undeniable consequence The first Point opened THe sinful corruption or corrupt disposition of man's nature from the womb hath many epithetes or names given unto it in Scripture which denote and declare that it hath its original and beginning with man's conception and birth and therefore is fitly and properly termed Original Sin and so ever hath been for above this thousand years by all sound and learned Divines both ancient and modern For though it be not in terminis in these very words so called in Scripture yet hath it divers other epithetes and names there given it which are consignificant and import and imply the same sense and meaning with these words Original Sin amongst which take notice of these Rom. 6.6 It 's called The old man and the body of sin 1 Cor. 5.7 It 's termed The old leaven Rom. 7.17 The sin that dwelleth in us Rom. 7.23 The law in our members Rom. 7.24 The body of death Gal. 5.16 The lusts of the flesh Jam. 1.14 A man 's own lust In which Text in the next words following it is punctually distinguished from all actual sins as being expresly affirmed to be the procreant cause of all actual sin for the cause and the effects cannot be one and the same The second Point opened what original sin is ORiginal sin is a pravity vitiosity or vitious habit or corrupt disposition of man's nature from his first conception as a just punishment of all mens sin in Adam whereby they are born the children of wrath and become subject to death both of body and soul and also become prone to commit all actual sins Or thus Original sin is a pravity of man's nature from his first conception whereby he seems to be prone to all sin as a just punishment of Adam's sin or transgression whereof all men are guilty and for which all men are exposed and subjected to death both corporal and eternal Both these definitions have one and the same sense And from them ye may observe that there be three things in Original Sin or three parts of it The first
what they would demand for then it's probable some would have too much nor yet that people should give them but what they pleased for then it's more then probable they would give too little It remains therefore that the payment of Tithes to Ministers as the case stands here in England is both equal and just as being justified both by the Law of God and man and by the peoples own assent and Vote in Parliament And that therefore all Opposers of the same are by necessary consequence Opposers both of the Law of God and the lawful Magistrate and their own Vote Argument 4. I come now to a fourth and last argument for proofe of this point of the Clergies just title to Tithes which though it will be most cavilled at by Gainsayers yet to such as are truly religious and not possest with prejudice it will be of very great force to bend and bind their consciences to a free and a full acknowledgement of this truth I find in Scripture by comparing one Text with another that God himself in his first general Grant to Adam and his posterity of a Soveraignty over and a free use of these inferiour creatures mentioned Gen. 1.28 did reserve a Tenth out of the fruits of the land to himself which afterwards namely when he had instituted a Ministerial and Sacerdotal function for the performance of the publique duties of his own worship and service he gave to those that did officiate therein And therefore to that Function they belong still and are not alienable from it by any power on Earth because annexed appended and appropriated to it by a Divine Donation To make good this Argument I have two things to prove First that God reserved to himself a Tenth out of the increase and fruits of the Earth when he conferred upon Adam a power and property over these things below Secondly that he assigned and gave the same Tenth to the Priesthood for the support of his own Worship and Service For proof of the former I bring these three Texts of Scripture The first is in Gen. 28.21 22. Where I find the Patriarch Jacob vowing these two duties to God 1. His faith and affiance in God in these words Then shall the Lord be my God 2. His payment of Tithe to God in these words and I will surely give the tenth unto thee By which latter speech it appears that the Tenth of his increase was due to God For if it be objected that the payment of the Tenth to God might be a voluntary oblation and not a due or duty formerly belonging unto God To this I answer that the former branch of his vow being a necessary duty which he did owe unto God it 's very probable that this latter branch which is coupled with it should be a voluntary oblation but most probably that it was a duty of right appertaining to God as well as the other The second proof of Scripture which I produce is in Levit. 27.30 Where the Lord himself speaks thus to Moses All the Tithe of the land whether of the seed of the land or the fruit of the tree it is the Lord's it is holy unto the Lord. Here we have a special and peculiar appropriation of Tithes to Almighty God signified from his own mouth The third proof is in Mal. 3.8 where God again speaks after this manner Will a man rob God yet ye have robbed me but ye say wherein have we robbed thee in tithes and offerings This appropriation of Tithes to God in both these latter Texts argues undeniably a more special and peculiar right and property in them then appertains to him by his general right of creation which in all probability was a reservation of them to himself when he granted to man a Lordship and property in and over these sublunary and inferiour creatures And these he reserved as appeared by his disposal of them afterward for the maintenance and support of his own solemn worship and service as fore-seeing how penurious tenacious and strait-handed people would be in contributing to the support and furtherance of the same And that this is so may more clearly appear these two ways or by these two considerations First Because this claim was made by God before his institution of the Levitical function to which he gave the Tithes afterwards so that God could not then claim them in any reference to the Levites as otherwise might have been supposed because they were not appointed to their Sacerdotal office till afterwards as is manifested by the story following in the first and third Chapters of the book of Numbers where their first institution is recorded 2. Secondly Because God could not have claimed them as his own in this distinct way and sense from the rest if he had given them before to Adam And therefore this peculiar claim and property which God challengeth to Tithes which is in effect a denial of them to belong to man speaketh his reservation of them to himself when he first passed his original grant of all things here below to Adam 2. Secondly I have yet to prove that God gave these Tithes which he had reserved to himself to the Priests and Levites And this I prove by three Texts of Scripture First I read in Gen. 14.18.19 20. verses That when Melchi-zedek the Priest of the most high God had blessed the Patriarch Abraham he gave him Tithes of all that is Abraham gave Melchi-zedek the Priest the tenth of the spoyls that he had gotten in a battel as it 's expressed Heb. 7.4 This we may not imagine to be done by Abraham without special warrant from God though the Scripture makes no mention thereof as who is so highly commended in Scripture for his faith and upright walking with God And by this fact it appears that God appointed Tithes to be given to his Priests this being the first mention that is made of them in Scripture Secondly It 's clearly proved by a manifest of God's donation of Tithes to the Levites in Numb 18 21 24 25 26. verses where the Lord tells Aaron three several times that he had given the tithe of the children of Israel to the Levites Thirdly It 's affirmed by the Apostle Heb. 7.5 where we find it thus written And verily they that are of the sons of Levi who receive the office of the Priest-hood have a commandment to take tithes of the people according to the Law Now from the premises I collect that Tithes are due to God's Ministers by divine right as who have a just title unto them by a special donation and grant from God himself to whom they primitively belonged as hath been demonstrated And that therefore to alienate them from the Ministry and to put them into the hands of the Laity is apparent and manifest sacriledge I will make a short answer to the ridiculous objections of some irrational unjust and covetous people against the payment of Tithes and so conclude 1. Objection