good No man can make satisfaction to God for any one sinne The people ought not to embrace the doctrine of their teachers without tryall The faithfull are saued by their owne faith not by the faith works of any other God did praedestinate before all worlds some to aeternall saluation in Christ Iesus and others to aeternall damnation through their owne sinnes Frō things that be vnlike No image ought to be made to represent the Diuine Maiesty All the workes of Infidels are sinnes Frō things that bee like The true seruants of God doe know themselues to be the true seruants of God God giueth saluation in Christ and not in any other Vngodly Hypocrites are no true members of the Church of Christ The testimony of God deliuered in the Canonicall Scripture and not receiued by bare tradition is the sure euidence ground of truth The doctrine of the Romish Church is a provocation to sinne and not the doctrine of the Churches that professe the Gospell Popish pennance and Purgatory are contrary to the Article of the Creed I beleeue the remission of sinnes Frō such things as be coniugates Iury is not to be esteemed an holy land The will of man is not by nature free in things concerning God All the faithfull are Saints The Bishop of Rome is not the vniuersall pastour of the whole Church The Lawes of God only bind the conscience From the etymology or interpretation of the name True Religion bindeth only to the obseruation of such things as are commanded by God Whereas superstition bindeth to the obseruation of such things as are beside and aboue the former The Laity ought to haue liberty daily to read the holy Scriptures The faithfull themselues and also their Churches ought to be dedicated only to God The faithfull know their own Faith repentance and loue and their saluation in Christ Iesus An implicite that is a blinded and a folded vp Faith is not the true Christian Faith The breaking of a Popish vow is no sinne The Monkes as they now demeane themselues are not true Monkes All the faithfull are saued by the meere mercy of God in Christ. From the definition or description of a thing The faithfull haue assurance both of the Lord 's good will and loue towards themselues and also of their own sincere faith and true loue towards God The bare testimony of the Church cannot make sufficiently knowne any doctrine of Faith A Bishop may be a ciuill Magistrate From the diuision of a thing The signe of the Crosse is not a thing absolutely euill but may lawfully bee vsed at the administration of Baptisme From the whole to the parts or frō the generll to the speciall Matrimony is lawfull for the Clergy euen after the vow of single life All Ecclesiasticall persons aswell as secular ought to be subiect to the ciuill Magistrate It doth belong to the ciuill Magistrate in his owne dominions to command all such things to be obserued of all his subiects as concerne the diuine worship and seruice of God and therein he hath the highest authority The naturall man hath no free will to that which is religiously good From the parts to the whole or from the speciall to the general The Church of Rome giueth diuine honour to Angels and Saints There are no persons appointed by God for Popish Purgatory Frō diuine humane testimonies The miracles and doctrine of the Church of Rome are fabulous and false euen by the testimonies of her own vulgar people Learned Writers the ancient Fathers Canonicall Scriptures THEOLOGICALL LOGICKE CHAP. I. QVAEST 1. 1 The Gospell is the only proper and immediate instrumentall cause of our conversion to God and of our faith and loue and of all other spirituall graces and not miracles nor the holy liues and comfortable deathes of the dearest seruants of God nor temporall blessings or corrections nor the authority of the Magistrate nor the wisdome of the Law of God and therefore much lesse the reason of the naturall man THe Gospell is the proper and immediate Acts 26. 18. Ioh. 8. 32. 1 Pet. 2. 23. 2 Cor. 3. 18. Rom. 10. 17. 1 Ioh. 4. 19. instrument whereby God doth open our eyes and turne vs from darknes to light and from the power of Satan to God and doth free vs from the bondage of sinne and doth beget vs againe and renew vs into his owne Image from glory to glory as by the Spirit of God Faith commeth by the Gospell For what can giue vs a faithfull assurance of Gods loue but such a pledge thereof as is giuen vs in the Gospell Loue is wrought by the Gospell displaying Gods loue For if we loue them that loue Matth. 5. 47 vs what singular thing doe we Doe not the Publicanes euen the same So repentance is wrought by the Gospell and a godly sorrow Mar 1. 15. for our diuelish sinnes For what can make vs truely sorrowfull for offending so good so gracious a God and carefull from the very heart to cease from sinne and to follow righteousnes if the grieuous agony and dreadfull death of our blessed Sauiour endured for our sinnes being reuealed in the 1. Pet. 4. 1. Ioh. 12. 32. Gospell cannot effect the same Verily Iohn the Baptist giuing the knowledge of saluation vnto the people for the remission of their sinnes through the tender mercy of God whereby the day spring from an high Luc. 1. 16. hath visited vs did turne many of the children of Israel vnto the Lord their God So the Apostles going out into the whole world and preaching the Gospell to euery creature did cast down holdes and imaglnations and euery high thing that was exalted against the knowledge of God and brought into captiuity 2 Cor. 10. 4. Isa 2. 2. euery thought to the obedience of Christ and so converted the whole world vnto God But as for miracles the holy liues and comfortable deathes of the dearest seruants of God the Lord 's temporall blessings and corrections the wisdome of the Law of God and the best reason of the naturall man all and euery of these may bee as good preparatiues to cause vs more readily to receiue the Physicke of our soules but the instructions of the wholesome doctrines of the Gospell of Christ are the only right Physicke and the most soueraigne confections that are able to recouer our spirituall health and life For if we liue an holy and an heauenly Ier. 46. 1. Gal. 2. 20. life we liue so by the faith of the sonne of God who hath loued vs and hath giuen himselfe for vs the which faith is wrought by the Gospell The former may be some impellent occasions to induce such as are not yet effectually called to giue an attentiue eare to the most wholesome doctrines of the Gospell of Christ and to moue such as are effectually called already to hearken more readily and reuerently then before they haue done But they are no helpes to the
any thing that is good For man is become saith Chrysostome totallie sinne Chrysost in Gen. Hom. 1. Esay 1. 6. and therefore in his whole vnderstanding and will And this he learned of the Prophet Esay The whole head is sicke and the heart is heauy from the sole of the foote to the crowne of the head there is nothing whole therein What good habilitie or freedome then is in the will to that which is truelie good QVEST. XCII The Church of Rome giueth to the Saints diuine honour Religious faith prayer and deuotion are principall parts of Arguments drawen from the parts to the whole or from the speciall to the generall Ioh 6. Psal 50. 15. that diuine seruice and honour which is due vnto God and is giuen vnto him by all his true and faithfull seruants But these religious duties are by the Church of Rome communicated to the Saints vnto whom they make their prayers in their wants and necessities and trust to be releeued by their meanes and for that purpose deuote themselues to their seruice and therefore they giue vnto them diuine honour QVEST. XCIII There are no persons appointed by God for Popish Purgatory All persons are either beleeuers or Insidels and vnbeleeuers Now neither of these when they receiue from GOD their discharge to depart out of this world haue by his appointment any passe for Purgatory Concerning the beleeuer be he weake or strong in faith so hee be sound and sincere our blessed Sauiour testifieth and that by a solemne and a doubled asseueration that he hath euerlasting life and shall not come into Ioh. 5. 24. condemnation but is passed from death not to the paines of Popish Purgatory but to life that is to the vnspeakeable ioyes of heauen And as for all vnbeleeuers they are condemned already viz. Ioh. 3. 18. in Gods decree and in his holy word the vndoubted record thereof and hell is their place being the prison appointed for all condemned persons and there they are to be reserued against the iudgement of the great day And therefore none at all are appointed by God for Popish Purgatory And verily there is no way detected in the holy Scripture that leadeth thither For there wee finde but two wayes whereof the one is Matth. 7. 13. narrow and leadeth to life that is to heauen and the other broad and leadeth to destruction that is to hell And therefore if our Popish paenitents would needes passe along to Purgatory there to make full satisfaction to God for their sinnes which they haue not throughly satisfied for by their workes of paenance they shall be able to finde no way that leadeth thither QVEST. XCIIII The miracles and doctrine of the Romish Church are fabulous and false by the testimonies of her owne vulgar people learned Writers the ancient Fathers Canonicall Scriptures It is an approued saying that the voice of the people is the Arguments drawen from humane and diuine testimonies 1 Cor. 14. 22. voyce of God the which in Gods matters is true of Gods people and in matters subiect to sense and naturall reason is true in all such persons as haue in them sense and reason sound Wherfore seeing miracles may be discerned by sense and naturall reason and therefore are appointed for Infidels which haue no other meanes to apprehend the truth of them the iudgement of â—…quity and that in euery controuersie that is betweene them Camp Rat. 2. Possevin Biblioâ—hes Select l. 7. c. 18. vs is wholy for them and directly against vs. The which if it were true why was their Index Expurgatorius made therein order taken to put out diuerse things one of the bookes not only of diverse writers of their owne side but also out of the monuments of the ancient Fathers What Doe any that trust to the goodnesse of their owne cause and to the fulnesse of the witnesses produced by themselues maime and mangle and curtall and abridge their testimonies giuen vnder their owne hands and set downe in record by themselues and so suffer them not to tel out to the end fully and wholy their owne mindes Verily hereby it is plaine and manifest that all antiquity is not fully and wholy for them and therefore that such of them at least that make boast thereof are of the number of such haereticks as sinne being condemned by Tit. 3. 11. their owne consciences Yea whereas they Father vpon diuerse of the greatest lights of the Church diuerse Treatises that neuer came from them as the Liturgies of S. Iames S. Marke S. Denis and the like and as the Decretall Epistles fathered vpon divers ancient Bishops of Rome and produce out of them diverse testimonies for the iustifying of diuerse points of their Idolatry and superstition hereby it is manifest that their cause is very bad in that it cannot bee maintained but by such counterfeit and forged evidences Lastly to conclude if that the gouernours of the Church of Rome were not well witting to themselues in their owne consciences that the testimonie of God himselfe deliuered in the bookes of the Canonicall Scriptures was not directly against them why doe they refuse them as authenticall as supreame iudges in those tongues wherein they were first penned by the speciall and immediate revelation of the spirit of God allow them that dignitie onely in the language of the vulgar Interpreter who was a man subiect to errour And why doe they charge them being thus translated to be obscure ambiguous and doubtfull and therevpon refuse the Text it selfe to bee the supreame Iudge vnlesse it be taken in that sense as it is expounded by the Churches glosse so making the glosse better then the text and seating it in the place thereof Yea why doe they yet charge the Text it selfe being thus expouÌ„ded by their Churches glosse to be an vnsufficient Iudge vnlesse there be ioyned vnto it as fellow Benchers and Peeres equall with it in authority the bookes Apochrypha vnwritten verities and traditions Vndoubtedly as it is a very strong presumption that hee which disgraceth the Lawes of his Prince is guilty of trespasse committed against them and so liable by them to condigne punishment so is it an euident argument that many of the doctrines of the Church of Rome are condemned by the Canonicall Scriptures because they are so disgraced by her deare children with diuerse reproachfull imputations For it is the fashion of Hereticks as Irenaeus saith when they are reproued by the Scriptures to reproach and disgrace Jren. l. 3. cap. 2. them as if they were not right and as if they were vttered ambiguously and as if the truth could not be learned out of them by such as knowe not traditions And therefore Tertullian calleth them fugitiues from the light of the Scriptures and further Lucifugae scripturarum Tertull de carnis resurr testifieth that if that were taken from them which they haue common with the Ethnickes and if they were brought to determine all their controuersies by the Scriptures only they could not prevaile And so I beseech God that our Romanists the defenders of all Antichristian heresies may no longer prevaile but that their madnesse may be made manifest to all men Amen FINIS
is bold to avouch that both it is impossible Cam sent quaest 1. art 2. to assent without a reason to perswade thereto ot to giue any other manner of assent then the force of the reasons are that procure the same And therfore whereas we ought to giue the fullest assent to all doctrines of piety and godlines which are deliuered in the Word of God we ought most diligently to search out the strongest reasons that may throughly induce perswade thereunto For as S. Ierome testifieth the Gospell Hier. in c. 5. ep ad Gal. doth not consist in the leaues of the Words but in the root of reason And vndoubtedly by arguments and reasons all truths are not only lightned and cleared but also iustified and confirmed For when is any proposition true but when one part Vera est propositio quando pradicatum convenit subiecto In omni legittima pred catione pred catum est genus species proprium an t accidens Basil serm 8. in Psal 108. there of agreeth with the other but when one is a reason and an argument of the other Seeing then reasons and arguments are the causes of truth we are to seek out the right reasons of all things if that we will come to the knowledge of the truth There is much obscurity saith S. Basil in the diuine books but if with the hand of the minde thou dost knocke at the gate of the Scripture and dost diligently sift those places that are hidden by litle and litle thou shalt beginne to vnderstand the reason of the things that are spoken and it shal be opened vnto thee not by any other but by the word it selfe vnto the censure whereof we ought all to stand For all things are cleare euldent in the Scriptures to such as with an holy discourse according to reason will heare the Word of God For as the eye of the body doth discerne the differences of all visible things by the light of the sunne so the eye of the minde doth discerne the differences of all intelligible things by the streaming beams of true reason proceeding from Christ the Sunne of all true wisdome and vnderstanding And therefore in all Vniuersities and Schooles of good learning where wisdome and the knowledge of the truth is sought for after the best manner in all Lectures disputations and conferences not only errours are confuted and doubtfull things opened but confessed truths also are further cleered and confirmed by arguments and reasons And verily there is no man that maketh profession of learning and wisedome and trusteth to the goodnes of his cause D. Morton de â—quiâ—oc fol. 83. that doth not willingly submit the same to this manner kind of tryall Logicke saith a most learned and iudicious Author and now a most reuerend Bishop in our Church being the Art of discoursing and reasoning is the Art of Arts and high tribunal of reason and truth it selfe which no man in any matter whether it be case of humanity or diuinity can iustly refuse And as another wisely admonisheth the faithfull Christian must remember that he seeke the truth without partiality and that the place to seeke it is the Scripture and the meanes to finde it out is the right vse of true reason Yea saith he it is not vnknowne to any of our English Romanists that Doctour Fulke long since desired to haue all questions controversed betweene Papist and Protestant to be brought to this issue and and to be tried by syllogismes the very iudgment-seat of true reason And no marâ—aile seeing God himselfe who is all wisedome reason and truth and needeth not to come to any manner of tryall For the only opening the eyes of his greatest enemies Wisd 5. 6. to behold the aequity of all his words and workes wiâ—l cause themselues will they nill they to cleare him and to condemne themselues yet offereth this plea euen to the idolatrous Heathen standing in defence of their Heathenish gods saying Stand to your cause bring forth your strong reasons saith the King of Iacob let them tell vs what shall come hereafter that Isa 41. 21 we may know that they are gods As if hee had concluded against them with this syllogisme The true God knoweth what shal come to passe hereafter yea world without end but your Heathenish gods do not know nor can foretell what shal come to passe in time to come therefore they beno true gods And verely as Wisedome so Truth seeketh no corners to Pro. 1. 20. hide her selfe in but cryeth without in the open streetes and setteth vp her questions vpon the gates of the greatest Schooles yea they settle such a certainty of all Divine and humane knowledge in the hearts of their followers friends that they refuse not triall nor iudgement no not in the midst of all their enemies Hee that doth euill maintayning errors either in faith or Ioh. 3. 20. manners hateh the Light neither commeth to the Light least his deeds should be reprooued but he that doth the truth commeth to the Light that his deedes may be made manifest that they are wrought according to God For what doth make things manifest but light And what is light but truth Eph. 5. 13. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 2 Cor 4. 2. Psal 43. 3. the bright beames whereof will not suffer it selfe to be hidde And what is truth but the agreement of the reasons with the things themselues whereby they are made manifest and knowne This euidence of true reason is that which enableth the professors of euery humane art and science to stand in the iust defence of their seuerall professions and therefore doth it much more inable euery faithfull wise Christian to stand to the iustifying of his most holy Religion Is it not saith Chrysostome a great absurdity that the Physitian Tanner Clothier all manner of Crafts-men generally shal be able to contend for the worthines of their Sciences that a Christian shall not be able to giue a reason of his saith Whereas these Trades being Chrys in Ioh. hom 16. neglected bring but daÌ„mage to our wealth the other being despised doe hurt the soule And yet saith he so madde are we that we bestow vpon the one all our cogitations and cares nothing regarding the most necessary and firme munitions of saluation Albeit it be commanded vs that we should be prepared to giue answere to euery one that asketh vs a reason of that faith that is in vs. For albeit Novices and young beginners in euery mystery Oportet discentem credere cannot at the first sufficiently vnderstand the first principles thereof and therefore must admit them for truthes vpon the bare credit and authority of their Teachers yet in processe of time they must conceiue the reason of euery rule it that they desire to attaine to any sufficient skill therein so in our Christian profession they that be as children must be contented to be fed
the Church of England is agreeable to the coÌ„mon grounds and principles of our Christian Profession contained in the Articles of our Creede the Law of God the Lord's Prayer the doctrine of the Sacraments and in those other generall rules of holy Scripture wherein are set down all such circumstances as are requisite to euery good worke Now in this third part I endeauour to make it euident that the same doctrine is agreeable to all the rules of right reasoning therefore also is orthodoxe sound For the declaration and demonstration of the truth of euery thing is nothing els but a declaration and demonstration of a true definition and diuision thereof and of the causes and effects and of all other arguments that agree thereunto as I haue already proued in a little Treatise entituled The reasonablenesse of wise and holy Truth and The absurdity of wicked and foolish errour being the fore-runner of this large Volume Faith in holy Scripture is taken either for the quality and habit of Faith or for the doctrine of Faith The holy Scripture deciphereth the quality and habit of our Christian Faith by arguments taken out of all Logicake places as followeth The principall efficient cause of the quality or habit of Faith is God Phil. 1. 29. The instrumentall cause is the word of God Rom. 10. 17. The materiall cause is an assent vpon knowledge Iohn 6. 69. The formall cause is a sure and settled assent grounded vpon a sure settled kgowledge Iohn 17. 8. Col. 1. 6. The finall cause is the excluding of all glorying in our selues and the ascribing of all glory vnto God Eph. 2. 8. Rom. 3. 27. The effects of Faith are as all other diuine graces and fruits of the spirit Acts 26. 18. so an holy confidence and an assurance of God's loue and a comfortable boldnesse to come vnto God as vnto a gracious and louing Father Eph. 3. 12. 2 Pet. 1. 10. The subiect wherein it is seated is the mind For the mind is the eye of the soule and Faith is the true sight thereof Ioh. 8. 56. Acts. 26. 18. the obiect thereof is all diuine truths Rom. 15. 4. especially the Couenant of grace founded vpon Christ Ioh. 20. 31. 1 Pet. 1. 21. the attributes are that it is sound orthodoxe and Catholicke that is one and the same in all the true seruants of God which haue bin are or shal be to the end of the world Heb. 11. 2. Eph. 4. 5. Things diuers are a sleight opinion Acts 26. 28. and a temporary Faith Mat. 13. 20. Things contrary are presumption fleshly security either bred by confidence in teÌ„porall prosperity Isay 28. 15. or in the outward pledges of God's loue Ierem. 7. 4. or in the outward shew of good workes Rom. 9. 32. 10. 3. Things priuatiuely opposite are ignorance Eph. 4. 18. a blind Faith Mat. 13. 19. and sophisticall infidelity 1 Cor. 1. 2â— That which is plaine contradictory is flat Atheisme Sap. 2. 1. Act. 23. 8 things like are a bodily eye Ioh. 9. 39. a bodily hand â— Tim. 6 12. a bodily mouth Ioh. 6. 53. a bodily foot 2 Cor. 5. 7. bodily wings Luke 17. 37. Things vnlike are vnstable childishnesse Eph. 4. 14 and wauering doubtfulnes Iac. 1. 6. The coniugates are to beleeue in God and in Christ Ioh. 14. 1 and to be one of the houshold of Faith Gal. 6. 10 the notation or interpretation of the name is a sure and Fides quia fiet quod dictum est certaine accomplishment of that which Faith beleeueth Math. 8. 8. The definition or description thereof is this Sauiâ—g Faith is diuine wisdome or a certain knowledge and a settled assent and adhaerence to all diuine verities necessary to saluatioÌ„ especially to the couenant of grace as to the meanes of the chiefest good and highest happines 2 Tim. 3. 15. the diuision thereof is into a weake and strong Faith Rom. 14. 2. The testimonies are the confessions of the Martyrs and Confessors that haue liued doe and shall liue to the end of the world Apocal. 7. 10. This is the delineation of the whole body of Faith as it is drawne out by the pensill of the Prophets and Apostles the parts members whereof which are most controuersed are further lightned and cleared in the first part of this Treatise As in the second part thereof the reasons and arguments produced to open and iustifie the seueral doctrines of Faith are referred to all the Topick places as being the rich mines out of which they are digged The doctrines of Faith set down in the bookes of the Prophets and Apostles are Logicall reasonable wise and the very first principles and grounds thereof are 1 Pet. 2. 2 without any mixture of sophisticall deceit The high Priests pectorall wherein the Vrim and Thummim was put and by the which God gaue answer vnto his people was called by the Hebrewes Hosen and by the Greekes See Alsted Praecog Theolog. fol. 230. Logeïon and by the Latines Rationale for that the Lord's doctrines had in them the most pure holines of most exact Logick or reason The Logick places which I follow in this Treatise are deliuered by Petrus Ramus who concerning the vse of Logick hath very much cleared the rules of Aristotle our grand Master The exemplifying of Logick places by the Theologicall positions I haue taken from Amandus Polanus but with this difference in that he setteth downe his arguments declaratiue and demonstratiue in bare sentences and propositions without further discourse whereas in this Treatise they are further opened by other arguments and reasons For as learned and iudicious Doctour Feild auouncheth in his Dedicatory Epistle to his first Booke of the Church the doctrines wherein we differ from the Church of Rome are grounded not only vpon the greatest authority that is but also vpon the most preuailing reasons that euer perswaded men And verily if that most famous Oratours iudgment be sound there is no reason to giue credit to that reason whereof there cannot bee yeelded a sufficient reason Cic. lib. 4. ad Herennium The great Antichrist of these last times as testifieth 2 Thess 2. 8. the Apostle which hath brought in a great Apostacy froÌ„ the Faith shal be consumed with the Spirit of the Lord's mouth and shal be abolished with the brightnesse of his comming and so shall his Armies also which as Chrysostome Chrys bom 49. in Mat. saith are impious Heresies For whereas the time of miracles is now long since expired whereby the Apostles and their successours in the Primitiue Church got credit to the diuine doctrine of the Gospel of Christ and Heb. 2. 4. â— Cor. 10. 4. made it most powerfull to the ouerthrowing of all Heathenish Idolatries and impious Heresies it remaineth now that the Professours of the Gospel by the glorious light of powerfull arguments taken out of God's booke and iustifiable by the exact rules of sound reason make Truth
victorious against Antichrist and all his impious Heresies For where Truth is clearely demonstrated and rightly apprehended it cannot otherwise be but that it 1 Esd 3 12. will mightily preuaile Our most wise and learned Solomon hath already by his penne begun this regall and Princely worke and hath iustified by cleare and demonstratiue arguments that the supreme authority to command aswell in Ecclesiasticall as in ciuill causes resteth in the ciuill Magistrate in his own Dominions and Countries and hath sent his Booke to all Christian Princes the which no doubt shall preuail at that time when he that hath the hearts of all Kings in his own hand shall know it to be most fit And why should it not then highly please especially the Ecclesiastick Peeres of his Kingdomes to follow so worthy supereminent an example in causing all Theologicall doctrines in this our renowned Church to be confirmed by cleare and demonstratiue arguments iustificable by all the rules of sound reason and the sophismes opposed against them reduced to the elenches as in part they haue bin already by that famous late publike Professor in Cambridge Doctor Whitaker And if worthy ensamples of famous men of their own ranke be not to be neglected herein haue they not to be their Precedents the singular Patrons of the Christian Faith that liued in the Primitiue Church that penned their learned Apologies and deliuered them vp into the hands euen of the Heathenish persecuting Emperours And albeit that reprobate Iulian did say of these Apologies I haue read them vnderstood them and despised them yet the learned Bishops were not dismaide therewith but gaue him this answere thou hast read thē Zozom l. 5. c 18. perhaps but thou hast not vnderstood them for if thou hast vnderstood them thou wouldst not haue despised them And verily whereas the vpholders of the Kingdome of Antichrist come with strong delusion and with all deceiuablenes of vnrighteousnesse why should not all such as are set in the defence of the Gospell of Christ striue earnestly as the Apostle St Iude exhorteth for the maintenance Iude 4. of the Faith which was once giuen to the Saints yea why should they not striue for truth euen vnto death and defend Iustice for life seeing if they doe so they shall Eccl 4. 28. haue God to fight for them against their enemies Meroz hath a double curse for omitting this duty and Iael hath a double blessing for performing the same pronounced by an Angell of God from Heauen Curse yee Meroz Iud. ◠22. said the Angell of the Lord curse the inhabitants thereof because they came not out to helpe the Lord to helpe the Lord against the mighty Iael the wife of Heber the Kenite shal be blessed aboue other women dwelling in tents for she put her hand to the naile her right hand to the workemans hammer with the hammer smote she Sisera yea she smote off his head after that she had woūded and pierced his temples So let the words of the wise which are like goads and Eccl. 12. 11. like nailes fastned by the masters of the assemblies which are giuen by one Pastour bee as it were driuen into the heads of all spirituall Siseraes that all Heresie and Idolatry may be pierced and wounded and in the end vtterly destroyed And so now also let all thine enemies perish O Lotd and let all that loue thee and thy Truth be as the Sun when he riseth in his might And let all true Christian hearted Englishmen continually pray that the Sunne of righteousnesse would neuer goe down vnder the Horizon of this our Church of great Brittaine but that he would alwayes shine ouer it by the bright beames of his glorious Gospell and blesse it with the heauenly influence of his holy Spirit holding still the starres thereof in his right hand and preseruing the Candle of his Word in the Candlesticke thereof vnto the world's end Thine in the Lord IOHN TERRY THE QVAESTIONS THAT are handled in the first part of this Treatise 1 The Gospell is the onely proper and immediate cause of true faith and loue and of all other spirituall graces and not miracles nor temporall blessings or corrections nor the holy liues and comfortable deaths of the dearest seruants of God nor the authority of the Magistrate nor the wisdome of the Law of God therefore much lesse the reason of the naturall man 2 The Word and Sacraments doe not profit vnlesse the sense and vse of either be rightly conceiued and vnderstood 3 The meanes whereby wee are to come to the right vnderstanding of the word of God is the light of true reason For the opening of the truth whereof these positions following are explained 1 All quaestions humane and diuine are to be determined by the rules of right reason 2 The testimony of no author humane or diuine is further to bee approued then as it agreeth with the grounds of true reason 3 The holy Scriptures doe teach and demonstrate the greatest mysteries of godlinesse by arguments and reasons 4 The Law and the Gospell are founded vpon most forcible reasons yea the permission of the fall of Adam by transgressing the Law of God being the occasion of mans recouery which is openened in the Gospell is grounded vpon most forcible reasons 5 The Professors of euery Religion alleage reasons for the iustifying of their seuerall devotions 6 The soundnes and substance and as it were the very quintessence of all diuine reason is most plentifully to be found in the canonicall Scriptures 7 No truth in Philosophy is contrary to any truth in Diuinity 8 Testimonies may be taken out of Philosoyhy to giue witnesse vnto truths in Diuinity and reasons may be produced out of the booke of Nature to open and cleare the doctrines of the booke of Grace 9 Where there is no reason apprehended that may perswade to Faith there ordinarily is no Faith 10 Where there is a clearer apprehension of the reasons that perswade to Faith there is the more setled assent and the stronger Faith 11 The doctrines of Faith and Godlines are often repeated and the reasons and motions that perswade thereunto are inculcated and vrged again again in the Bookes of the Old and New Testament that we may thereby vnderstand that the clearer fuller apprehension of them doe beget a clearer and fuller Faith 12 Wee may by supernaturall reason ascend aboue the reach of naturall reason 13 That Faith is not the best and strongest that hath the lesse number of reasons and the lesse perspicuous arguments to stay it vp but rather that which hath the greater number and the more perspicuous 4 Sauing Faith is diuine wisdome or a certaine knowledge and a setled assent adhaerence to all diuine verities necessary to saluation especially to the Couenant of grace as to the meanes of the highest happines and the chiefest good 5 A sauing Faith is alwaies accompanied with all other sanctifying
Gospell it selfe for the working out of the conversion of any Because this word of Christ is not rightly receiued nor doth worke in any one effectually but where it 1 Thess 2. 13 is receiued for it's own sake And verily concerning the power of miracles and of the Church which is a multitude of such as professe the truth they are not able to convert an Infidell but to prepare him make him ready to embrace the Gospell which is the power of God Rom. 1. 16 Aug. de utilitntâ— credendi c. 16 to saluation to all that belieue Men saith S. Austin that are not yet able to discerne the heauenly truth that they may bee lifted vp to it and suffer themselues to be purged from their impurity hindring them from it haue the benefit of direction of authority which standeth vpon two things whereof the one is the greatnes of miracles and wondrous workes done the other is the multitude of such as beleeue Verily God would haue all men saued and come thereto by the knowledge of the truth But this knowledge of the truth is learned out of the 1 Tim. 2. 4 Ioh. 8. 32 Col. 1. 5 Gospel the word of truth And therefore did the Lord cause so many strange signes and wonders to be done by the first publishers and preachers thereof that the doctrine of the same Marc. 16. 20. Hab. 2. 4. might bee embraced as diuine and heauenly whereunto the Lord himselfe did giue such testimony For the which purpose also the Lord caused so many diuine graces to shine in the liues and such admirable courage and comfort in the deathes of such as were the first Martyrs and Confessors in the Primitiue Church that that doctrine might be receiued as diuine heauenly which wrought such diuine and heauenly effects The which were so euident and apparent that the very enemy was forced to giue testimony thereto with these or the like words These be they which speake as they liue and liue as they speake this is assuredly an holy profession which bringeth forth such an holy conversation this is a ioyfull comfortable faith which breedeth such ioy and comfort amidst the very terrours of death O vndonbtedly great is the God of the Christians Their light did so shine before men that they seeing their Mat. 5. 16. good workes did glorifie God the Author thereof So likewise why doth the Lord sometimes cause the sweet dewes of his temporall blessings to distill downe vpon his beloued Vineyard and sometimes againe smite it with the sharpe stormes of his coâ—rections but that thereby he might prepare it to yeeld a fruitfull and a plentifull Vintage And why doth he suffer the Field of his Church sometimes to lye ley and vnbroken vp and to be at rest and againe at another time doth breake it vp and fallow it but that he might make it fitter to receiue and nourish the Lord's seed and in the end yeeld a better haruest Yea as a wise and prudent Schoolemaster dealeth with his young and tender Scholler sometimes speaking him faire and giuing him an apple or a fig that so he may winne him vnto his will and sometimes not only threatneth him but vseth also the rod that so he may force and compell him thereunto so dealeth Christ our heauenly Master and Teacher with vs his dull disciples and Schollers sometimes seeking to allure vs with a liberall largesse of his temporall blessings carefully to hearken to the holy instructions of his Word and sometimes seeking to compell vs thereto by his sharpe corrections the which yet Psal 106. 45 Luc. 14. 23 are neither our Schoole nor our Schoolemaster but the rod rather in our Schoolemasters hand The Church is our Schoole-house and Christ himselfe is our Schoolmaster and the Bible is the Booke whereby we be taught corrections are the rod in Christs hands whereby we are forced to giue an attentiue eare to the instructions of his word by the which we are made wise and learned Christians Prosperity ordinarily breedeth security and choaketh the Mat. 13. 22. Exod. 6 9. Eccle. 7. 9 Iob. 3. 3. Ier. 15. 10. good seed and maketh it vnfruitfull So aduersity maketh many to murmure against God and to stop their eares against all good admonitions yea it maketh a wise man mad as it may appeare by holy Iob and Ieremie who were thereby occasioned euen to curse the day of their nativity And therefore it is a speciall blessing of God when by prosperity we are stirred vp to thankfulnes and by aduersity to repentance and to take better heed to the wholesome instructions of God's most holy word Blessed is the man said Dauid whom thou chastnest O Lord and teachest in thy Law that thou maist giue him patience in Psal 94. 12. time of adversity vntill the pit be digged for the vngodly And verily when in our aduersity the Lord doth teach vs out of his Word the vse and end of afflictions and maketh vs seriously to lay it to our hearts then is our adversity made profitable vnto vs by the blessing of God I heard Ephraim saith the Prophet lamenting thus Thou hast corrected me and I was chastised as an vntamed Calfe convert thou me and I shal be converted for thou art the Lord my God Surely after I converted I repented and after I was instructed I smote vpon Ier. 31. 18. my thigh In which words we may perceiue that corrections of themselues cause the professed seruants of God to kicke with the heele and that vntill God by his word instruct them they are not effectually moued by their corrections vnto repentance and amendment of life Wherefore when the Lord openeth the eares of any of his Seruants by their corrections it is by sending vnto them a Messenger one of a thousand to declare vnto them the Lord 's most exact righteousnes and seuerity euen against the sinne of his Elect which cannot be satisfied for the same but by the precious Bloud of their Sauior Christ that thereby they might be brought to Faith and Repentance For then will the Lord haue mercy vpon them and say Deliuer them that they goe not downe into the pit for I haue receiued a reconciliation Iob 33. 24. So then it is still the power of the Gospell of Christ sounding in the mouthes of his faithfull Ministers that is able to worke the conversion of a sinner afflictions may cause vs more carefully to giue attendance to the Word as in like manner may paines penalties inflicted by the Magistrates which are the Lord's Lieutenants ordained to this purpose that they should by their penall statutes euen force their subiects to harken diligently to the commandements of God Not that any can be forced to faith and repentance by any manner of penalty or paine whatsoeuer but by inforcements they may be driuen to come to the Assemblies of the Saints where the Fishers of men cast out the net of the Gospell that at
with milke and to be taught the first principles of Religion and grounds of the Catechisme and yet they that will become men must be able to take stronger meate and to vnderstand the reasons of all Divine Doctrines for the further strengthening and confirming of their faith And verely by all Doctrines deliuered by men it is a truth Non quis sed quid spectandum generally confessed by all that not so much the party that speaketh but that which is spoken ought to be respected and not the bare and taked authority of any but the sufficiency of the testimony it selfe ought to sway altogether and the waight Salmeron Jesuitâ— in c 5. ep ad Rom. of reason whereon it is grounded For the efficacy of reason is better then all authorities And of this iudgement are all wise men as well Heathen as Christians I am thus resolued saith Plato not now but alwayes that I am not to enthrall Plato in Critone my iudgement to any of my friends but to reason yea to that reason which by discourse appeareth to be best Whose opinion was seconded by the chiefest of all his Schollers that is by Aristotle Plato said he is my friend but truth that is Aristonoral l. 1. c. 3. made knowne by reason is more my friend So our wise and Christian Philosophers What wilt thou Lact de vero Dei simulachro c. 20. doe quoth Lactantius wilt thou follow thine Ancestors or reason rather So St. Cyprian we are not to prescribe by custome but to conuince by reason yea let there bee gathered together in a generall councell the chiefest of the Bishops and Doctors and of all other learned men of the whole Christian world and let them also be such as rightly embrace the true Catholique and Apostolique Faith and giue a iust censure also in matters of neuer so great waight and moment yet are we not of necessity bound to stand to their verdict Or else Saint Austin was out of the way when he stood vpon this plea Aug Cont. Maxim l. 3. c. 14. with Maximinius the Arrian I will not saith he alledge the Councell of Nice to prejudice thee neither shalt thou produce the Councell of Ariminum to prejudice me I will not be bound to yeeld to the authority of the one nor thou to the authority of the other but by the authority of the Scrâ—ptures as by most indifferent witnesses not proper to either of vs but common to both let matter with matter cause with cause reason with reason be compared together and so let tryall be made of the truth For he had learned to yeeld that honor to those onely books of the holy Scripture that are called Canonicall Aug ep 19. ad Hieronymum that he did assuredly beleeue that none of the Authors of them did erre any whit at all But as for all other albeit they did excell in learning and holinesse yet he would not rest vpon their iudgements vnlesse they did confirme the same by the authority of Canonicall Scripture or by some reason agreeable vnto truth And verely faith is not to be iudged by the persons but the persons by the faith For as Tertullian saith faith is not therefore sound and Catholique because it is professed by such and such persons but such and such persons are to be deemed sound and Catholique for that they professe the sound and Catholique faith Ramus and Scribonius men of no small iudgement and learning haue taught that all manner of testimonies be they Divine or humane are of themselues iâ—artificiall arguments and that the doctrines proued thereby haue their credit and authority rather from the qualification of the persons whose testimonies they are then from the bare and naked testimonies themselues So the Emperour Adrian in his rescript credit is to be giuen to him that giueth the testimony and not to the bare testimony And verely we doe not embrace the testimony of God set downe in the bookes of the Scriptures with that reuerent manner as we ought to doe vnlesse when wee giue assent thereunto we d ee it not so much for the bare testimony it selfe as for that it is the testimony of the most wise and holy God which cannot deceiue or be deceiued For then we rightly honour him and his truth Hereof it was that Christ receiued not the witnesse of Iohn as it was the testimony proceeding from a meere man but he receiued it as the testimony Ioh. 5. 33. of such a man as was indued with the Spirit of Eliah and sent before himselfe to prepare his way Nay he saith of his owne bare and naked testimony considered by it selfe If I should beare witnesse of my selfe my witnesse were not true Ioh 5. 31. And yet concerning the same as it is the testimony of the Son of God the very essentiall wisedome of his heauenly Father he saith though I beare record of my selfe my record is true Ioh. 8. 14. for I know whence I came and whither I goe And hereof it is that both God and Christ are so often mentioned in the holy Scripture with their honourable Titles that so the credibility of their persons may yeeld the more and greater credit to their Doctrine Andy et as if this were not sufficient inough the very doctrine it selfe that proceedeth from God and is set downe in the holy Scripture is cleared and iustified by many arguments and reasons And verily how otherwise could the holy Scripture inable the wise and learned professors of the Christian Faith to confute all Heathenish and haereticall errours and to iustifie all Divine and Heauenly Truthes not onely to the Gentiles and Haeretickes but also to the faithfull themselues vnlesse it did minister plenty of all sound and evident arguments for the effecting of the same The Gentiles refuse the very words of the Canonicall Scriptures and the Haeretickes reiect the right and orthodoxall sense of them and therefore neither of them can be convicted but by the euidence of reason yea how can the faithfull themselues giue a sure assent vnto the Doctrines of the holy Scriptures vnlesse they apprehend such arguments and reasons as are sufficient motiues to induce them thereunto And hereof it is that in all sound and Orthodoxe Sermons made either to breed or to encrease and strengthen Faith vnto the doctrines obserued in the words of the Text there are annexed sound and sufficient reasons for the opening and confirming of the same doctrines And this is the cause why preaching is preferred before reading and Catechising as being the more ordinary meanes both to beget and strengthen Faith for that in preaching many reasons are produced as many lights for the better clearing and iustifying of all Truthes and for the fuller convincing of all errours and haeresies the which thing is not done either in reading or in Catechizing There is I confesse no efficient cause of Gods will but his will it selfe for there is nothing without
my Calling and to leaue the discussing of quaestions of learning to the learned I am ready to come to Church and to doe my duty to God and to liue iustly and peaceably with my neighbours Why the learned themselues cannot agree about the points of Faith and how then shall such an one as I am be able to discerne it and to finde it out The truth is that God wrote his Law in the heart of Adam and thereby set in his minde such a light of reason that he had a right iudgement in all things But Adam was not contented with this treasure of wisdome and this measure of knowledge extending it selfe to all that was good but he would needes know euill also that he might by experience try what would be the event thereof And thereupon he forsooke God the Father of light and betooke himselfe to be instructed by the Prince of darkenesse Whereby it came to passe that he fell from truth to falshood from faith to fancy from the knowledge of good to the knowledge of euill from the light of Diuine logicke and reason to divellish sophistry Yea hereby the wily and crafty Serpent stored him and his posterity with all manner of captious and deceiuable sophismes and so enabled him not onely to know but also colourably to defend all falshood and vntruth Against the which so desperate a mischiefe the Lord prouided a soueraigne remedy by causing all Diuine verities necessary to saluation lightned fortified with all manner of sound arguments and reasons to be deliuered to his Church first by word of mouth and afterward by writing in the bookes of the Canonicall Scripture that so when the enemy should come ready furnished and prepared with strong delusion and with all deceiueablenesse of vnrighteousnesse the desender of the Truth on the contrary side might also be armed with all manner of weapons offensiue and defensiue that so he might be enabled to stand fast and firme against all the assaults of the enemy and to get ouer him a glorious victory And hereof it is that the booke of the holy Scripture is called the Bible that is the booke of bookes or the onely booke for that all manner of Divine wisdome is contayned therein The reasons and argument set downe in this booke for the clearing and fortifying of all Diuine verities are of such validity and strength that therefore this booke is called by Saint Hierome a reasonable mountaine where wee may Hieron in Hag. cut downe choice and sit timber for the building vp of the house of Wisedome Yea the first rudiments and principles thereof are of such soundnesse and solidity that Saint Peter 1 Pet. 2. 2. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 2 Pet. 1. 16. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 2 Thes 3. 2. Chrysost hom 9. in ep ad Col. calleth them reasonable and vndeceiueable milke In which words he opposeth them to the principles of all erronious professions which the same Apostle tearmeth sophisticall fables For the which cause the maintayners of those sophisticall positions are called by the Apostle Saint Paul absurd or vnreasonable men as the sincere imbracers of the Doctrines of the Scriptures are tearmed by Saint Chrysostome reasonable sheepe for that they are able to discerne the voyce of their shepheard from the voyce of a stranger And hereof also it is that the Apostle Saint Paul calleth the seruice of God prescribed in this booke a reasonable seruice For that as Tertullian 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Non exigebat Deus quae siebant sed propter quod fiebant Tert. l. 3. cont Marc. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Heb. 11. 19. teacheth God doth require therein not so much the worke wrought as the doing it vpon those grounds and reasons for the which it should be done One most singular worke of this seruice of God being done by one of the most singular seruants of God that euer liued euen the offering vp of Isaac by his father Abraham was as the Apostle saith performed by him as a Logiâ—ian by the helpe of Metaphysicall and supernaturall reason And no maruell seeing as in the same place the Apostle teacheth 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 D. Downam l. 2. c. 7. Of Christian Warfare the true Christian faith is grounded vpon such a demonstratiue syllogisme that is able as Austin expoundeth the words to convince the iudgement and after a sort to force the minde to yeeld therevnto a most setled assent whoÌ„ one of our learned and religious Doctors followeth saying that faith is called 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 that is a manifest demonstratioÌ„ for that it doth not onely shew a thing probably but doth convince it with strong arguments and maketh that cleare and manifest which was otherwise obscure and secret and therefore is called a demonstration of things not seene And if it be not reason that doth season our seruice done vnto God and make it sauory and well tasting vnto him why Leu. 12. 13. Mar. 9. 50. Coloss 4. 6. was salt to be added to euery sacrifice and why are all the faithfull commanded to haue salt in themselues Yea and that their very words should be poudred with salt And was it not for this cause that one Eccholius in the Primitiue Church when he had fallen away againe and againe from the true faith and reasonable seruice of God vnto absurd and impious Idolatry at his last returne cast himselfe downe flat vpon the ground before the Congregation saying trample vpon me vnsauery salt That reason should be our guide not onely in such things as concerne the Divine seruice of God but also in all our actions whatsoeuer Iesus the sonne of Siracke teacheth saying Eccl. 37. 16. Let reason goe before euery enterprise and counsell before euery action Yea Aristotle saw thus much by the light of naturall reason that is that euery vertuous action must be done vpon knowledge and vpon good advise had with right reason Scienter consultò constanter and vpon a setled purpose to be constant therein Wherefore there was great reason that the great and wise G O D should enrich his owne booke with all manner of divine and heauenly reason that so it might be able rightly to guide all his sincere and faithfull seruants in the performing of all manner of vertuous and Religious actions And verily it is in that aboundant manner so filled and furnished with this heauenly treasure that as Luther saith it were no great matter if all other bookes contayning the doctrines of faith and an holy life were on a light fire if this one booke were rightly vnderstood For there is more Diuine learning wisedome and reason in this little booke then in all the large volumnes that euer were written Witnesse not only the explications of the divine doctrines hereof made by our blessed that â—low most plenteously out of the full fountaines of the Isa 12. 3. wels of life we ought to drinke our full draught and euer to haue them
ready at hand to satisfie our spirituall thirst Vpon Psal 1. 2. Iosh 1. 8. Deut. 6. 7. the one we may looke once and againe and then set them aside vntill some fit opportunity but we must be continually looking vpon the other and neuer let them vpon any occasion goe from vs for any long time or to depart out of our sight It is recorded of Themantes a Painter that herein consisted the excellency of his skill in that out of his draughts many more things were to be collected then were therein fully expressed euen so is it to be seene in the bookes of the Prophets and Apostles which draw out vnto vs the most liuely image of the most gracious and glorious God and of his most goodly and beautifull workes wherein albeit at the first view and in their outward shew there be nothing offered to our sight worthy of any great admiration yet when they are throughly viewed and looked into it is strange and almost incredible what great delight will be raised vp by the due view of that profound wisdome which doth lie hid vnder a bare as it seemeth and a naked narration For as it is reported of a Countrey called Eleusinia that it doth offer still some new matter to such Trauellers as come againe again to review to revise it so is it most true of the Divine Bookes of the sacred Scriptures that hath the learnedst Doctor of the Church of God looked into them neuer so often and so attentiuely and Nnnquam ad te accedo quin recedo doctior profited also therein neuer so much yet if he come to reuise them yea if he still diligently looke into them he may still see and learne more and more And therefore it is not without cause that Chrysostome giueth this garland vnto the most fruitfull Vine of the Divine Scripture aboue all other Cedars of the wood that it is so full of fruit that all the grapes thereof can neuer be gathered and that it is so rich a corne-field that all the eares therof can neuer be cleane gleaned nor contayned within the barnes of our narrow streight hearts So that albeit the most learned and wise be daily occupied in the study thereof yet there will somewhat remaine to be learned further out of it Yea they shall plainâ—ly find thereby that most of the thingâ— that they haue already learned therein may be yet againe learned better and better Wherefore it was not without cause that Gregory Nazianzen 1 Cor. 8. 2. and Basil as Ruffinus testifieth did lay aside for thirteene yeares all bookes of sEcular learning that they might giue themselues wholly vnto the study of the Diuine Scripture As Ierome likewise testifieth of himselfe that there were full fifteene yeares past since any prophane Author came into his hands and if happily saith he as we speake to the people any of their sayings come into my minde we remember it as an olde dreame comming vpon vs when we are asleepe Yet let vs not here mistake this learned Father as if he deemed all the wise sayings of the Philosophers to be meer dotages and dreames seeing all truthes in Philosophy came from the same Author from whom doe proceed all truthes in Theology Veâ—o nil verius and are all of the like verity albeit they are not of the same authority Wherefore the depositions of prophane Authors are not lightly to be reiected and set at naught when they beare witnesse to the truthes in Diuinity seeing our blessed Sauiour would not haue such inhibited to cast out diuels Mar. 9. 39. in his Name which yet did not follow him as his owne disciples did For as in matters of Controversie where truth is to be determined by mens oathes if there be such a number of deponents as the Law requireth it is sufficient albeit it be not amisse if there be more euen so in the decision of questions that are diuine it is sufficient if the truth be confirmed by euident testimonies and reasons taken out of the vn-erring booke of God yet if testimonies also and reasons taken out of prophane Authors bearing witnesse to the same truthes be added to the former it is not preiudiciall but beneficiall to the cause For it is no disgrace to the Diuine truth in Theology the soueraigne Lady and Queene of all Sciences to haue the truthes of all humane arts to attend vpon her Nay rather it is an euident demonstration of her true Nobility seeing she is waited vpon with such a Princely traine Nay her certaine truths cannot be fully opened neither all the truthes of any other Science without some measure of knowledge in them all For there is among 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 them an 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 and such a strong linke of assinity the principles and grounds of the one lightning and strengthening the rules of the other that no perfection of knowledge can be had in any one of them without some measure of knowledge in all Wherefore it is not to be seared that the principles and precepts of humane arts will thwart the principles and precepts of sacred Theology seeing they are in no wise contrary the one to the other no not in those very positions which yet seem to carry a shew of contrariety As for example Of nothing nothing Ex nihilo nohil fit Mundus sactus est eâ—nihilo A priuatione ad habâ—tum non sit regressio Mortui resurgent can be made viz. by any limited and finite power is not contrary to this The world was made of nothing viz. by the infinite illimited power of God So there is no recouery froÌ„ death to life viz. by any naturall or ordinary meanes is not contrary to this the dead shall all rise viz. by the supernaturall power of God And so in diuers other of the like kind For doth not all reason euen in Philosophy acknowledge the vndoubted truth of this principall in Diuinity viz. that which is impossible with man is possible with God vnto whoÌ„ nothing is impossible and therefore that which cannot be brought to passe by any naturall power may be effected by a supernatural And doth not also all reason teach that euery truth agreeth Verum vero consonaâ— with euery truth is contrary onely to falshood and vntruth And therefore seeing euery true argument and reason doth agree with that whereof it is an argument and reason and ioyned with it maketh a true proposition no true reason in any wise can be contrary vnto truth Why doth not reason experience and Scripture also teach that one fountaine cannot Iac. 3. 11. send forth sweet water and bitter And therefore seeing all naturall reason as well as Scripture from God the Creator of nature and the reuealer of the Scripture they cannot be contrary one to the other vnlesse that God may be contrary to himselfe Scripture indeed is contrary to the iudgement of corrupted nature and may
the case of iustification and saluation For it is recorded that after the question had beene debated among them with great disputation and discourse the Apostle Saint Peter determined the same and that not without the allegation Act. 15. 7. of many arguments and reasons As Saint Iames caused some clauses to be added thereto but not without the producing of iust grounds for the same So when the people of God were to be carried into captiuitie among the heathen how did the Lord fore-seeing that they should be intised to Idolatry strengthen them in the Faith and Seruice of the true God and arme them against all contrary perswasions but by deliuering vnto them such reasons as whereby they might be fully perswaded that their owne God was the onely true God Ier. 10. 11. and that the gods of the Heathen were but titularie gods that Isa 41. 21. is gods in name and not in deed It is a truth confessed euen by some of the chiefe pillars of the Church of Rome that all the greatest mysteries of Faith that are necessary to saluation are plainely set down in the Canonicall Scriptures Now I would demand whether these doctrines there deliuered are treated and discoursed of there verbally and in bare words onely or really with sufficient waight of sound reason And verily how can any one reason without reason and discourse without discourse That there is but one true God euen the God of Abraham Isaac and Israel the Prophets Isay and Ieremy proue by most sound and sufficient arguments in the places cited a little before That this one God is distinguished into three persons The Father the Sonne and the Holy Ghost why may it not be both iustified and illustrated and made euident by sound and sufficient arguments and reasons For whereas God is essentially good yea goodnesse it selfe seeing it is the property of that which is good to communicate it selfe to other why Bonum est sui communicativum Pro. 8. 22. Ioh. 5. 26. Ioh 16. 15. Ioh 15. 26. may it not be beleeued as an vndoubted truth that God the Father gaue his aeternall essence to God the Sonne begotten of him before all worlds and that God the Father and the Sonne gaue their aeternall essence to God the Holy Ghost proceeding from them both from all aeternity Hath God giuen to some of his mortall creatures power to beget things of the same essence and substance with themselues And may not the aeternall God beget an aeternall Sonne of the very selfe-same essence and substance with himselfe And hath God giuen to some other of his creatures as to graine of all sorts this power that things of the same essence and substance doe proceed from them And hath not the aeternall Father and the Sonne power that an aeternall Spirit of the same essence and substance should proceed from them both from all aeternity Is not this world with the creatures therein contained a most liuely glasse wherein the most glorious Creator is shadowed out vnto vs And euery good thing that hath a reall and an absolute being in the creature hath it not a reall existence in God For God is most absolutely and fully perfect and therefore the perfection of all good things is in God in the highest degree of absolute and full perfection And therefore seeing that paternitie and siliation and procession are good things in the creature why may they not rightly be said to be in God in whom is the fulnesse of all good things Of all the creatures of this inferiour world the soule of man is most principall as the Sunne is the chiefest of all those goodly lights that are planted aboue in the heauenly spheares and therefore they are the fittest among all the noble creatures in some sort to resemble vnto vs the glorious Trinâ—tie The reasonable soule of man hath a reasonable substance which begetteth a reasonable vnderstanding from which proceedeth a reasonable will and yet this is but one soule So Anima mundi est Deus God the soule of the world and the life of all things being aeternall begate his aeternall vnderstanding and wisedome before all worlds from whom proceedeth from all aeternity the holy Spirit with whom and by whom they will and worke all things and this aeternall soule wisedome and will is but one God So in the Sunne there is a most singular pure substance and a most excellent lustre and brightnesse begotten thereof and residing in the same and glorious beames issuing from both So in the most glorious Deity wee may behold God the Father the Father of Light God the Sonne the Iac. 1. 17. brightnesse of his Fathers glory God the Holy Ghost by whose beames the Light of the Gospell is made manifest Heb 1 3. vnto vs and yet this Father of Light this brightnesse of his Fathers glory and this glorious beame issuing out of both 1 Cor. 2. 10. is but one and the selfe-same God This euen the greatest mystery of our Christian profession was in part knowne vnto very Heathens themselues For they auerred that Minerua the Goddesse of Wisedome was begotten of their great God Iupiter without the helpe of Iuno which came in all likelihood from this vndoubted truth that the second person of the Trinity the essentiall wisedome of God was begotten of the true Iehovah before all worlds Now if any one being of a moâ—e metaphysicall apprehension desireth to see concerning that high mysterie other reasons that are more metaphysicall let him repaire to the Lord of Plessis in his bookes of the truth of Christian Religion Zegedine in his Common places and to Reckerman in his Systema Theologicum But if any one on the contrary side iudge that these few are too many I would request him to pardon me herein seeing if I had produced no reasons for the opening of this truth I had failed in the chiefe point of this Treatiâ—e wherein is auouched that all quaestions humane and diuine may be cleared iustified with arguments and reasons And that the truth of this assertion may yet further appeare let vs proceed to the quaestion concerning the resurrection of the dead which is also supernaturall and take a view how by great variety of arguments and reasons the Spirit of God doth open the same in the Diuine Scriptures The Doctrine of the Resurrection is strange absurde and almost yea altogether incredible in the iudgement of the naturall man but most wise and reasonable vnto the Christian Act. 17. 18. The Apostle Saint Paul in the fifteenth Chapter of the first Epistle to the Corinthians proueth the same by many arguments Fides Christianorum resurrectio mortuorum and reasons As first Christ is rison from the dead therefore there is a Resurrection Now that Christ is risen he prooueth it first for that his Psal 16. 10. Rom. 9. 6. resurrection was fore-tolde in the word of God the which that it should not take effect it
be one of the greatest miracles of our Christian profession And verily if either we looke vpon the prophane worldlings we shall see them scorning at the assurance of the faithfull Sap. 2. 13. which causeth them to glory that God is their Father and hath adopted them for his Sonnes Or if we cast our eyes vpon the faithfull seruant of God himselfe when he is in any great spirituall conflict we shall soone see how ready he is to let loose the sure hold of his hope and to plunge himselfe into the gulfe of despaire because he is guiltie to himselfe of offending so good and so gracious a God by his owne manifold and great iniquities and sinnes Wherefore albeit we haue attained to such a measure of faith as was giuen by Christ to his owne Apostles yet had Luke 17. 5. Marke 9 24. we need continually to pray O Lord increase our faith and to say with the Father of the possessed childe Lord I beleeue helpe mine vnbeleefe Yea as Saint Austine admonisheth Tota opera nostra in hac vita est sanare oculum cordis vnde videtur Deus Aug. de verb. Dom. ser 18. Our whole worke in this life must be continually imploied about the cure of the eye of our heart whereby God is seene that is our faith The which lesson he learned of our Sauiour Christ who when the people demanded of him What they should doe that they might worke the workes of God Answered them saying This is the worke of God that ye beleeue Iohn 6. 26. on him whom he hath sent and so his beloued Disciple hath taught vs also This is the commandement of God 1 Iohn 3. 23. that ye beleeue in the name of the Sonne of God and loue one another as he gaue commandement Wherefore the calumination of the carnall professour and of the Romane Catholike made against the doctrine of the Gospell is vniust and vntrue which is that an easie way is laid open by the professours of the Gospell to life euerlasting and heauen set at a very small rate for that they teach that God so loued the world that he gaue his only begotten Sonne to the end that Ioh. 3. 16. whosoeuer beleeueth in him should not perish but haue life euerlasting Yea our Catholike Romanists may iustly bee challenged for doing great and intollerable wrong to our Christian saith in that they so vilisie and debase the same that they make it common not onely to the reprobate but also to the very Deuils themselues whereas in Tit. 1. 1. Act. 13. 43. very truth it is proper and peculiar to Gods elect yea euen to such as are ordained to life euerlasting THE SECOND PART OF THEOLOGICALL LOGICKE The questions that are handled in this second part concerning the doctrines of faith and are cleered by arguments drawne from all Topicke places Are these QVEST. I. The Church is not alwayes glorious and notorious as a City seated vpon an high hill GOD would haue all men saued and come to the knowledge of the truth Arguments drawne from the efficient cause 1 Tim. 2. 4. 1 Tim. 3. 15. and by the voice of truth vttered by the Church the pillar and ground of truth he doth call to him such as are to be of the truth doth cause thē to hearken vnto the truth and to be led thereby into the euerlasting habitations Psal 43. 3. Now truth and falshood are nigh neighbours and dwell neere each to other for where God hath his Church the deuill hath his Chappell and their houses in outward shew differ little sauing that for the most part the fore-front of falshoodes habitation is gloriously set out garnished and trimmed whereas the doore of truth is plaine and homely Whereby it commeth to passe that falsehood in the right way of truth and righteousnesse the testimonies of the Lord are sure and giue wisedome to the simple For doth pure seed breed Tares or pure Corne And doth wholesome food breed noisome or wholesome humours Vndoubtedly light and sight preserue from stumbling and falling it is Ioh 11. 9. Matth. 22. 29. darkenesse and blindnesse that cause both Yee erre saith our blessed Sauiour to the seduced Sadduces not knowing the Scriptures nor the power of God Euen as their seduced Fathers erred in their hearts because they knew not the Lords Psal 95. 10. Chrysost Hom. 3. de Lazaro wayes The ignorance of the Scripture saith Chrysostome brought in haeresies and a corrupt life and made a confusion of all things Wherefore it is a note of an euill person to hate the light Ioh. 3. 20. lest his deeds should be reproued as it is a badge of an haereticke to accuse the Scriptures of ambiguity and obscurity as Irenaeus affirmeth for that in truth they doe without ambiguity Iren. l 3. c. 2. and obscurity giue definitiue sentence against their haeresies From the which badge and cognizance if the Romish Church will be set free let her purge out of the bookes of her deare darlings the slanderous accusations of the Scriptures which are in them and let her giue a generall liberty to the lay people to haue the Scriptures in a knowne tongue that so they may the more easily attaine to knowledge and let her not any longer commend a blinde faith nor teach that faith consisteth rather in ignorance then in knowledge QVEST. IV. Not the sufferings or righteousnesse of any mere Man but onely of our blessed Sauiour both God and Man are of sufficient worthinesse to satisfie for sinne and to merit the inheritance of the Kingdome of Heauen As in Adam was the common nature of all men he being Arguments drawne from the materiall cause the roote all other the branches that so he might be a fit person with whom the legall Couenant might be made which was that if he would stand stedfast in obedience to the Law of God which was written in his heart and the which he was enabled to performe he should conueigh ouer his nature holy and pure to all his posterity and be translated from an earthly to an heauenly Paradise but if by his fall he stayned and polluted it he should conueigh it ouer to them stayned and polluted and make himselfe and all that by ordinary propagation came from him subiect to all miseries and woes So in Christ Iesus the second Adam was the common nature of man he being the roote and the faithfull the branches and vpon him Rom. 11. 17. Ioh. 15. 5. Gal. 3. 17. Act. 3. 26. was grounded the Euangelicall Couenant that the sufferings which he endured and the righteousnesse which he performed in our nature not for himselfe but for vs should be auaileable to all that are vnited vnto him by a true faith both for their deliuerance from that condemnation which was due vnto them in respect of their sinnes and for the purchasing vnto them of the glorious inheritance of the Kingdome of Heauen Vnto all
THEOLOGICALL LOGICKE OR THE THIRD PART OF THE TRYALL OF TRVTH Wherein is declared the excellency and aequity of the Christian Faith and that it is not withstood and resisted but assisted and fortified by all the forces of right reason and by all the aide that artificiall Logicke can yeeld Against the Heathenish Atheist and the Romish Catholic◠whereof the one taketh exception against the Faith 〈◊〉 Christ in generall and the other against the doctrine thereof as it is professed in the Reformed Churches as being in their opinions absurd and contrary to the euident and vndeniable grounds of reason BY IOHN TERRY Minister of the Word of God at Stocton OXFORD Printed by IOHN LICHFIELD and WILLIAM TVRNER Anno Dom. 1625. 2 THESS 3. 1. Furthermore brethren pray for vs that the word of God may haue a free current and be glorified as it is with you and that we may be deliuered from vnreasonable and wicked men for all haue not faith AVG. DE TRIN. l. 4. c. 6. Against reason no sober man that is himselfe in his right wits against Scripture no Christian man that is of a sound and orthodoxe faith against the Church no man of a peaceable spirit that is not a Schismaticke or at the least somewhat schismatically affected will reason or dispute TO THE RIGHT REVEREND FATHER IN GOD ARTHVRE LORD BISHOP OF BATH AND WELLES IOHN TERRY wisheth all increase of grace in this life and of glory in the life to come IT is truly said Right reuerend and my very good Lord that a foolish Iudge doth ouer-hastily giue sentence not rightly apprehending or duely weighing all things belonging thereunto An example whereof we haue both in Iewes and Gentiles vnto whom the Gospel preached was a stumbling-blocke and seemed to be a foolish and an absurd doctrine they being carried away so to iudge by this hasty conceit that a man who came himselfe to shame death could not bring others to life and glory Whereas if they had rightly apprehended and duely weighed and considered that sinne was a most shamefull and deadly euill which could not as Gods decree stood bee done away but either with the shame and death of the offender or of some other party that should vndertake to satisfie the iustice of God for the same they would haue perceiued that the Gospell reuealing Christ Iesus the aeternall Sonne of God assuming humane nature and ioyning it into one person with his diuine and therein performing all things necessary for our full reconciliation to God that so by his humiliation and shamefull death he might bring u◠to life and glory they would I say well haue vnderstood that the Gospell thus reuealing Christ Iesus vnto us is the 1 Cor. 1. 23. power of God and the wisdome of God And verily the Gospell is the most powerfull wisedome that euer was reuealed to man because it maketh men that by the corrupt suggestions of Satan were made mad Luc. 15. 17. Eccl. 7. 27. 2 Tim. 3. 15. put out of their right mind wise to saluation by faith in Christ yea is not the sincere embracer of the Gospell the wisestman that liueth on earth seeing he only embraceth the right meanes whereby he may be made happy and blessed And is not the sound preacher of the Gospell who turneth the hearts of the Fathers to the children and the disobedient to the wisdome of the iust and so maketh a people ready prepared for the Lord the disposer of the chiefest Luc. 1. 17. blessings that the Lord bestoweth vpon his dearest seruants And is not also the carefull and watchfull Bishop that is a guide set ouer the guides of the Lord's flocke and a Superintendent ouer the Lord's watchmen and is to commaund that they teach no other doctrine nor mingle wilde goards 1 Tim. 1. 3. with the wholesome food that is appointed for those that 2 Reg. 4. 39. Tit. 1. 5. are of the Lord's Family and if any such thing be done to redresse the same is not I say such a one a singular yea an honourable instrument vnder God that those so sruitfull labours of all inferiour Ministers may bee made powerfull vnto many for the saluation of their soules Now the labors of Ministers are then powerfull when the wisdome of the word of God is made manifest by them which is when the right sense thereof is explained and iustified by cleare and sound arguments and reasons For he that will vrge the bare and naked words of the Scripture without the true sense and meaning thereof is like to a souldier that will fight with a scabbard without a sword And he that will vrge a sense thereof not iustified cleared by sound and sufficient reasons is like to one that will fight with a sword without an edge For they are the solid reasons whereon the wise and holy doctrines of the diuine word of God are grounded that giue light weight thereto and are after a sort the very life thereof And hereof it is that all manner of learned Professours especially among Christians he they orthodoxe or be they haereticks offer to iustifie their seuerall opinions by sound solid arguments concluded in true syllogismes and to that end require publike disputations Now if all require the truth of their opinions to be thus tried then they may not in any case refuse and shame this manner of tryall Wherefore as Festus said vnto Paul when he had appealed Acts 25. 12. vnto Caesar Hast thou appealed vnto Caesar vnto Caesar thou shalt goe So say I vnto all learned Professours of Christianity haue yee appealed vnto reasons concluded in true syllogismes for the iustifying of your seuerall positions by reason ye shall be tryed and to the censure thereof ye ought to stand And this I haue sufficiently proued in the explication and confirmation of the third proposition of the former part of this Treatise by the approbation thereof giuen vnto me from your LOrdships owne mouth after you had duely perused the same being committed vnto your Lordships iust censure Wherefore according to the old Prouerbe Scitum est Athletam placuisse Herculi as he may bee taken for a sufficient Champion that is approued of Hercules so that Treatise may be esteemed to be furnished with sufficient munition that is approued of a wise Colonell And hereupon I am bold to craue to haue it published vnder your Lordships protection that so it may be the better accepted and that some of the Lords souldiers may bee strengthned and inabled thereby with better courage to fight the Lord's battles And thus commending your Lordship to God and to the word of his grace which is able to build further and to giue you an inheritance among them that are sanctified I rest Your Lordships in all Christian loue dutie IOHN TERRY TO THE CHRISTIAN READER I Haue already Christian Reader in the two former parts of the Tryall of Truth made it manifest that the doctrine of