Amongst all the ordinary pot-herbs which grow in Gardens none more wholesom than sage especially at some times of the year whose Latine name Salvia carrieth much of health therein Whereupon it is that the envious Toad commonly nesleth it self under the roots thereof Spitefully to impoison that which otherwise is so usefull for mankinde Satan being sensible of the great good which generally may redound to men by the charitable receaving of the Lords Supper hath imbittered it with discords and dissention betwixt Papists and Protestants about Transubstantiation Lutherans and Calvinists about Consubstantiation Calvinists and Calvinists about the gesture of genuslection and Persons to be admitted to the Sacrament And thus mens dissenting in judgments being too plainly proved arising from their proness to err come we now to the gracious promise of their information in the truth God will reveal even this unto you 13. See here S. Pauls charity He sayeth not let him be Anathema Maranatha or let him be cast out of the Synagogne or let him be to you as a heathen or a Publican but onely God will reveal even this unto him Here take notice of S. Pauls different proceedings with three sorts of people First with thee otherwise minded in my Text such who though not Orthodox are peaceable in Israel and err onely in the lesser and ligher points of Religion For these no punishment capital or corporal no penalty of pain or shame in purse or person but onely a patient expectation of their amendment with a comfortable promise of the same 14. Secondly with such as make shipwrack of faith and a good conscience understand it onely in relation to their own adventure therein maintaining Doctrine destructive to Salvation Of these were Hymeneus and Alexander 1 Tim. 1. 20. Whom he delivered unto Satan that is as it is generally expounded by Church Censures cut off from God in the visible Church and then being cut off from him we know to whose share they do fall 15. Thirdly to such as not content to confine their damnable errours to their own bosom are active to infect others therewith of these he speaketh Gal. 5. 12. I would they were even cut off that trouble you In which phrase surely more is imported than a bare Excommunication For that spiritual Artillery S. Paul ever carried about him why then should he wish what he could work desire what he could do if so pleased It is probable therefore that he could have wisht them cut off with temporal death 16. Here we say nothing of such Doctrines as bear Heresie and treason impaledtogether pregnant with Sedition to raise tumults in a State These we leave to the cognizance and censure of the civil Authority and shall proceed on the promise of the Revelation of truth to the first sort of dissenting brethren 17. Quest. What more Revelation still When shall Christians come to an end When shall we say It is finished When shall they certainly know the full measure of all which they are to believe and practice as necessary to salvation Answ Here be it premised that the Philippians at this time wherein S. Paul wrote unto them might expect extraordinary Revelations and those additional to the Scripture then in being on an account more probable to receive them than any now adays can expect the same For when S. Paul wrote this Epistle some of the Gospels and particularly that of S. Johns were not yet penned which though placed before the Epistles as containing the History of our Saviours life which was first in time yet were written afterwards But seeing long since the Canon of the Scripture is compleated yea signed and sealed by God and delivered to mankinde it is not onely vain but wicked for men to look for more Revelations of such things which men ought to know and believe to their salvation But to answer the question more particularly 18. There are two sorts of Revelations One doth revelare credenda reveal those things which we are to believe The other doth make us credere revelatis more quickly and firmly assent to what hath formerly been delivered in the Scripture The first sort of Revelations are ceased in this Age. As for the second sort we may look for them pray for them and labour them as which God hath promised to bestow and which the godly dayly receive Such Revelations our Saviour gave to the two Disciples travelling to Emaus Luke 24. 27. When he expounded unto them all the Scriptures And in the same Chapter v. 45. to the rest of the Disciples When he opened their understanding that they might understand the Scriptures He made not the Scriptures more but more plain unto them not larger but clearer unto them Such a Revelation is intended in the text to make erroneous persons more clearly to apprehend and more firmly to adhere to the truth in Gods word 19. But quando when and quousque how long Lord holy and true how long shall thy servants go on in their errours and ignorance When shall they without fail receive this promised Revelation to have the truth manifested unto them I answer my text beloved hath not told the time and therefore I cannot tell it you You will say If the text had told the time you could have told it me Be it so and now both you and I must contentedly be ignorant thereof Yet not to satisfie the curious but the consciencious so far as I may I will more than conjecture that the punctual time when this Revelation shall be made 20. Of all the years of thy life in that year moneth week day hour minute and if any will be so hypocritical as to subdivide minutes in that moment wherein the hid providence of Heaven shall discover to be most for Gods glory and for thy good Thou canst not wisely wish it to be any whit before that time and I do confidently assure thee it shall not be any whit after it 21. And yet I dare not be over confident to promise thee that such Revelation of the truth shall certainly happen to thee in this life Many of Gods good servants have gone to the grave with grievous errours which they have maintained Yea it is no absurdity to maintain that the blessed in Heaven are as yet ignorant of many truths and that there shall be an accession unto them as of glory so of knowledg in the Day of Judgment Yea many things of Gods proceedings shall not be revealed unto them untill Rom. 2. 5. the day of the Revelation of the righteous judgment of God 22. Quest But suppose it be never at all revealed unto a man what is to be conceived of his final condition who liveth and dieth a stiff defender of a damnable doctrine Answ Give me leave in the first place to distinguish of damnable doctrines a phrase acceptive of two senses If damnable be taken passively for that which ought to be damned or condemned then every errour is in it self a damnable errour
and not cover it he was to pay the owner for the losse of those his cattel which fell into it Parents having opened a pit of original corruption by the sinfulnesse of their nature if they labour not to cover it again as much as in them lies by using the ordinance God hath appointed for the same shall not the souls of their children if finally falling into that pit be heavily required at their hands Yea shall man be carelesse and cruel where God hath been so kind and careful in his instituting of Baptism Rom. 6. 3. That we may be Baptized into Jesus Christ his death as it followeth vers 6. that the body of sin may be destroyed To conclude Infants having the body of sin as well as adult persons and Baptism being appointed for the destruction thereof such parents are wanting to their own duty undervalue Gods ordinance and are cruel to the souls of the flesh of their body that deny Baptism unto Infants CHAP. XIV The Sixth Reason drawn from the constant Practice of Christian Churches in all Ages what credit is to be given to a Primitive Custome I Shall now be challenged by such who herein dissent in judgement from me for breach of promise starting from my own principles that having promised Reasons out of Scripture I flie now to Church-Practice and Ancient Tradition Wherefore to vindicate my self which is far more considerable the Truth herein I will first prove by Gods assistance by Reason out of Scripture that the Practice of the Catholique Church in all Places and at all Times especially in such matters wherein nothing appears contrary in Gods Word obligeth all conscientious Christians to the observation thereof And in the next Chapter we wil shew that the Baptizing of Infants hath been the uninterrupted Custome of the Church Be it premised that if we look on Customes simply in themselves we shall find them generally like the men of Sodom not ten good ones amongst the many thousands of them For what is Custome but the practice of most men time out of mind Now seeing most men yea all men by Nature Gen. 6. 5. have the imaginations of their hearts evil and that not for a day week or year but as the Text saith continually no wonder if Customes be commonly wicked Yea such errours and vices which at the first are soft and supple pliable to Reproof and sensible of Refutation contract an hardnesse by custome in continuance of time yea get an incrustation and such scales over them that they become impenetrable to Scripture and Reason brought against them And as Lahan deceived plain-dealing Jacob in his Marriage Gen. 29. 26. by pleading the custome of the Country so it is confessed that too many in all Ages in matters both of faith and fact have alledged Custome to Patronize their erroneous opinions and injurious practises But all this ought not to beget in us a neglect of such Customes which like Melchisedec are Heb. 7. 3. without father without mother without discent whose first original cannot be found out as practised in the Church time out of mind no remembrance or record extant to the contrary Now as Melchisedec in the same place is said to have neither beginning of dayes and what necessarily followeth thence nor end of life so it is but just and equal that such Ancient Customes in the Church which never had memorable Rise should never have Fall therein but that such which probably began at the first should constantly be continued till the last coming of our Saviour Here I plead not for such mis-shapen Customes which either run up all in length narrow and slender which though long in use never extended to any wideness in the Christian World or else so low and thick they only spread in bredth as many Popish Customes generally but not anciently used but never shot up to the just stature of Primitive Antiquity We only defend such wel-grown Customes which I call square ones the form of firmness and stability whose height and bredth are well proportioned put in ure by Christians at all times and in all places conceiving we can demonstrate it by reason from Scripture that such Customes must be presumed grounded on the word and will of God For proof whereof we produce Gods promise and Lo I am with you always unto the end of the world Amen Mat. 28. 20. Every operative word herein deserves our serious consideration I am with you unto the end I am A verb of the present joyned with words of the future tense to shew Gods Instantaneous assistance in every moment of extremity Psal 46. 1. God is our strength and refuge a very present help in trouble With you This cannot be meant only of the Disciples personally none of them living to the end of the world seeing John himself the surviver of the whole Jury died about the year of our Lord 102. It is therefore meant extensively of the Disciples as they were an immortal corporation With you Selves and successours persons and posterity As Christ John 17. 20. Did not pray for these alone so here he did not promise to these alone but to them also which should believe on him through their word These words To be with you import not only a promise of protecting them from all dangers but also of directing them in all doctrines necessary to be believed and practised for their salvation And this promise being made not so much to the particular persons as to the collective body of the Church is not so effectually performed to every individual Christian as to the Universal Church which amounteth from them all We confesse that notwithstanding the foresaid promise of protection and direction many good men have been guilty of great errours and have also fallen by Gods permission and just punishment of their sins into grievous dangers However Divine goodnesse so doubleth his Files about his Church in general that he will not suffer the same to be universally infected in all Ages with any one dangerous Errour And therefore a Church Custome in all times and places must be presumed conformable to the will of God because were it erroneous it were utterly inconsistent with that solemn promise which God hath passed to his Church to be with them unto the worlds end Such who on the contrary side are highly opinioned of their private Judgements and will not confide in the Universal Customes of the Church I know not whether therein they do shew more want of Charity in condemning so many Christians at once or plenty of pride in over-prizing their own judgements or store of profanenesse in doubting yea denying the performance of Gods promise so solemnly made of his protecting presence in the Church who surely will dispatch and destroy an errour therein before it grow up to be so long liv'd as to become a Custome What a high valuation S. Paul set on Church Customes appears by his expression 1 Cor. 11. 16. But if any man
this unity was too fine ware to have much measure thereof The virginity of it was first lost Acts 6. 1. about a money-matter and money we know parteth the dearest friends many differences arising about the question what should be jure divino and what jure humano but more about meum and tuum the unequal conceived distribution of the collection-money for the Poor The Heathen Philosopher bitterly inveighed against the Schismatical Number of Two which durst make the first defection and departure from the intireness of One But we have too just cause to bemoan this unhappy difference which first brake the Ranks made the first jarring in the musick of the Primitive Church 4. The second sad difference was Acts 15. 1. about the unseasonable and unreasonable pressing of Circumcision by some as absolutely necessary to salvation Except ye be circumcised after the manner of Moses ye cannot be saved 5. The third dolefull falling out we finde in the same Chapter v. 39. being so much the sadder than either of the former because happening not btwixt infirm and ignorant though pious people but those who for grace and knowledg were most eminent and formerly had been familiar and intimate bosom-friends Paul and Barnabas Then the Devil endeavoured to deal with Gods Church as Sampson served the Temple of Dagon Judg. 16. 29. He took hold of the two middle pillars upon which the house stood and on which it was born up and no doubt by shaking and clashing them together had shattered the whole Fabrick had not divine providence prevented it sanctifying their division into the multiplication of the Gospel 6. It is enough to satisfie if not to surfet us to insist onely on this first three these original dissentions in the Primitive Church which ever since have too truly been copied out As lately in the Acts of the Apostles we often met with one accord with one accord with one accord so looking into their Acts who though no Apostles are Christians we more frequently finde with many discords with many discords with many discords such their dissenting in opinions and disagreeing in affections It will therefore be a seasonable subject for us to treat of how we ought to behave our selves to such Brethren as for the present dissent from us in judgment and what hope we may justly conceive of their future agreement with us Hearken herein to my Text out of which we may extract not onely counsel what to do but also comfort what to hope in this kinde And if in any thing ye be otherwise minded God shall reveal even this unto you 7. The words though short in themselves contain the Uuhappiness and the happiness of the Servants of God And know to your comfort the Unhappiness is first and the Happiness comes after to close and conclude all and and all is well that ends well yea the unhappiness is but suppositive what may be the happiness positive what shall be The unhappiness is this a possibility of good men in matters of religion to be otherwise minded one from another The Happiness is a gracious Promise that such who erroniously dissent from their Brethren shall in due time agree when the Truth shall be revealed to them In the supposition the Emphasis of two words must be examined And if in ANY thing YE 8. Ye that is literally ye Philippians in the pale of Gods Church However let us give this Ye the true dimensions thereof Let us not extend it too far as to include Pagans or such pretended Christians as willingly overturn all the foundations of Religion Nor let us contract this Ye too small as to confine it to the Philippians alone which reacheth all Christians though dissenting in the superstructures consenting in the Fundamentalls of Religion If there be a Ye or a Your in all this Epistle to the Philippians as Chap 4. 5. Let your moderation be made known to all men which enjoyneth any precept certainly all Christians as well as the Philippians are obliged and engaged to the performance of it at their own pain and perill of the neglect thereof Wherefore by the same rule of proportion Every Christian may justly claim a right and interest in all promises made to the Philippians and this among the rest the Revelation hereafter of truths unto them hitherto concealed from them 9. And if in any thing Any thing Far be it from us to shrink a larg Text with a narrow comment S. Paul sayeth any thing let not us say somthing Be they otherwise minded in matter of Fact or of Faith or of Doctrine or of Discipline what ever it be for it needs must be nothing which comes not with the reach or compass of any thing God will reveal it unto them Here let us take notice what was the last matter which immediately moved S. Paul to fall on this expression In the foregoing verses S. Paul had propounded a Riddle or seeming contradiction to flesh and bloud for he had said Vers 12. Not as though I were already perfect c. Vers 15. Let us therefore as many as be perfect c. That perfection which first he denyed in himself presently he avoweth both in himself and many others This Riddle it seems it would not sink into the Heads of some of the weaker Philippians how the same Person at the same time should be imperfect in deed execution performance yet perfect in desire intention endeavour But well it is for us that some amongst the Philippians through ignorance were otherwise minded whose error herein gave the happy occasion to S. Paul from Gods mouth to pronounce this comfortable promise both to them and us and all dissenters that if any be otherwise minded God will reveal even this unto them 10. DOCT. Godly men as long as they live in this world will dissent in many matters of religion The reason is because none know either Perfectly or Equally in this life Not perfectly 1 Cor. 13. 12. Now we know in part Not equally for though men understood imperfectly in this life yet if all understood equally imperfectly upon the supposition of equal ingenuousness to their Ingenuity that is that they would readily embrace what appears true unto them all would be of the same judgment But alas as none sees clearly so scarce any two see equally some are thick-sighted some short-sighted some pur-blind some sand-blind some half-blind and the worst of them blessed be God better then stark-blind These different degrees of sight cause the difference of judgment amongst Christians 11. A sad instance hereof we have in the differences about the Sacraments of Baptism and the Lords Supper What by divine goodness was intended and instituted to unite and conjoyn Christians hath by mans frailty and Satans subtilty been abused to make many Rents and divisions About the time when the Parties on whom the manner how Baptism is to be administred But where Baptism hath divided her Thousands the Lords Supper hath divided her Ten Thousands 12.
half-Countrey-men the Jews yet soon after it decently expired leaving Baptism to succeed in the Church to all the essentials thereof amongst which this was one of main importance That as Children were admitted to Circumcision so they should also participate of Baptism Which by reasons out of Scripture God willing shall plainly appear CHAP. VIII What it is to reason out of the Scriptures and what credit is due to deductions from Gods word WE do freely confesse that there is neither expresse Precept nor Precedent in the New Testament for the Baptizing of Infants and yet are confident by necessary and undeniable consequence from Scripture it will be made appear to be founded thereon Let us here premise and explain a practice of the Apostle Paul as much conducible to our purpose He coming to Thessalonica Acts 17. 2. Reasoned with the Jews out of Scripture Three things herein are considerable First being to prove that this Jesus whom he preached was Christ he neither did nor could produce a positive text of Scripture wherein the same was affirmed syllabically or in so many very words Secondly in proof hereof he did not bring bare reason which would be but ineffectual especially to prove that which was meerly an article of Faith Thirdly in his disputing he made a wise composure of both joyning Scripture and reason together Scripture was the Well Reason was the Bucket S. Paul was the Drawer Pauls precedent ought to be followed by our practice herein Scriptura non scribitur otiosis The Scripture was not writ for the idle but the industrious Yea to what intent hath God bestowed reason upon us improved in some with Learning and Education together with the promise of his Spirit to conduct us into all necessary truth but that we should improve the same in the serious searching of the Scripture One main motive which induced Columbus to believe the other side of this Globe to be peopled with reasonable souls and invited him to undertake the discovery thereof was a firm apprehension and belief that God would not create so glorious a creature as the Sun to shine to Sea and Fishes alone but that surely some men did partake of the benefit thereof Is it probable that God would light the threefold lamp of reason learning and grace in mens souls for no other purpose or higher design but meerly that men should make use thereof in perusing of pamphlets and reading the works of humane writers chiefly in examining the word of God with such consequences which naturally may be extracted from the same Some things are in Scripture as grasse on the ground which on the surface thereof is apparent to every beholder other things are in Scripture as mines and minerals in the bowels thereof no lesse the product of the earth then the former though more industry must be used for the eduction thereof Circumcision is of the first sort obvious to a childe that can read the 17 th of Genesis But he must be a man of understanding which we all ought to be to whom Baptism is visible by deduction from Scripture See we here not only the usefulnesse and conveniency but even the absolute necessity of the profession of Ministers not only for the administration of Sacraments but for the clearing those necessary consequences from Scripture which at the first view are not apparent to every ordinary capacity S. Paul saith Rom. 12. 6. Let us prophesie according to the proportion of Faith Now I believe it will generally be granted that by Prophesie here is meant the preaching of the word Know then that the proportion of Faith consists not in one or some or many but is the result of all places of Scripture the universal Symmetrie of them all concerning such a point which is treated of Here then is the office of the Minister to present to his people in any matter necessary to be believed or practised the sence of the Old and New Testament This is sometimes not conspicuous in any one place as being the collective and constructive Analogie amounting from many particular places compared together Here I say the Ministers office is called upon in whom Reason is or ought to be cleared and strengthned by his learning to manifest and evidence to the people of his flock the rise and result of such deductions how naturally and necessarily they flow from Scripture This done such of his flock who of themselves could not see will see when shown who of themselves could not go will go when led enabled by Gods blessing on his help will both easily apprehend in themselves and communicate to such in their family such Scipture-consequences which their simplicity could never first have found out by themselves Then will it fare with such people as with the Samaritanes John 4. 42. who came to Christ at the womans invitation but believed on him not because of her saying but because they heard him themselves Unlearned people receive not such consequences for truths on the credit of the Learning and Religion of their Minister though by his direction first acquainted therewith but because that since they have been convinced in their own judgements and consciences of the truth thereof as no doubt the Thessalonians were when S. Paul as is aforesaid reasoned with them out of Scripture But a greater then Paul is here to avouch this practice even our Saviour himself Who being to confute the Sadduces who not only denied the resurrection of the dead but also that there was neither Angel nor Spirit Acts 23. 8. existing separate from the body so that at death the souls of men expired and were utterly extinguished In refutation of which errour our Saviour reasoned out of Scripture Mat. 22. 31. 32. But as touching the resurrection of the dead have ye not read that which was spoken unto you by God saying I am the God of Abraham and the God of Isaac and the God of Jacob God is not the God of the dead but of the living God is not the God of the dead that is he is not God to that which is annihilated and null in nature but that thing must have an absolute being in it self before it can be so related that God becomes a God unto it This text in it self seems at great distance to prove the Resurrection and never likely to meet the matter in controversie unlesse Reason intercede to joyn them both together The argumentation being thus framed and that to which God pronounceth himself a God hath a true real existence But God pronounceth himself God to Abraham Isaac and Jacob some hundreds of years after their death Therfore Abraham Isaac Jacob had stil a true and real existence And thus an argument which formerly was vertually in the text is by the assistance of Reason actually extracted thence and effectually applied to the preset purpose Say not Christ might have chose in the old Testament more pregnant and pertinent places then this by him cited to prove
Church amongst the Jews Now none will deny but that wil-worship or adding to Gods Word and his Service was as utterly unlawful amongst them as amongst us Christians Yet the most religious amongst them used that as their bounden duty and necessary to Gods service which hath no original expresly in the word of God For proof hereof we shall offer three things to the readers consideration 1. Repairing to Synagogues amongst the Jews was a necessary part of Gods service 2. The same was not grounded on any expresse of Scripture 3. But consequentially on several places prudentially joyned together For the first It plainly appeareth by Christs constant practice Luke 4. 16. And as his custome was he went into the synagogue on the sabbath day As sure as a seventh day return'd every week so certainly did our Saviour visit the synagogue It is also evident by the continual custome of all pious Jews Acts 15. 21. For Moses of old time hath in every city them that preach him being read in the synagogues every sabbath day To destroy these synagogues was accounted a wicked work witnesse Gods servants their passionate complaint Psal 74. 8. And again to erect them was an acceptible act alledged by the Pharisees as an argument to endeer the Centurion unto our Saviour Mat. 8. he loveth our nation and hath built us a synagogue Lastly it was esteemed a heavy punishment equivalent to our excommunication John 9. 2â— to be put out of the synagogue Yet repairing to synagogues or the erecting of them was not founded on any positive precept in Gods word Indeed the Tabernacle and afterward the Temple were of Divine institution where all males were commanded to present themselves thrice a year namely at the Passeover the feast of Trumpets and Tabernaclos But these synagogues which I may terme Chappels of ease to the mother-Temple no written law obliged men either to the founding or frequenting of them Yet that the same was grounded on rational deductions from Scripture may infallibly be evinced The text saith Exod. 20. Remember thou keep holy the sabbath day And reason dictated unto them First that peoples presence at publick service was a principal part of sanctifying the sabbath Secondly that it was impossible for them to repair to the Temple and return to their houses such their distance betwixt them Thirdly therefore it was necessary some room of receipt should be provided sequestred from common uses wherein people should meet together Lastly another text affirming That the Priests lips should preserve knowledge It was proper for them and the Levites dispersed in all Israel on the sabbath in the synagogue to read Moses to the people Thus we find the first foundation of synagagues not on the floating sands of humane fancy but firm rock of Gods Word Though not directly yet by consequence collected from the same In a word as chambers and houses were for mens personal family devotions every day or as oft as they pleased as the Temple was for the national service of the Jews thrice every year so Synagogues were interposed in the middle betwixt both for Towns and Cities to serve God on the Sabbath day the whole nation meeting thrice a year every City once a week as private persons every day and as oft as they pleased Suppose now that a Priest amongst the Jews should presse an obstinate Jew to repair to the Synagogue how might he have returned this answer according to the Principles of our Anti-pedo-baptists I will go up to the Temple thrice every year and there I will not appear empty-handed But I will not on the sabbath present my self in the Synagogue which meeting is not JURE DIVINO a meer civil institution groundless on Gods word shew me a place of Scripture injoyning my attendance in a Synagogue and I will become your convert Till which time I will not only my self refrain my appearance there but wil also account it wil-worship in all such as there assemble themselves I believe not one of our Adversaries in our present Controversie which are ingenuous but will condemn such a recusant amongst the Jews for refractory and obstinate Yea they will conceive him if persisting herein to deserve Church-censure for his schismatical singularity Yet give me leave with love grief and anger to say unto him as once Nathan to David thou art the man in denying Infants Baptism which though not in so many words expressed is by necessary consequence infallibly founded on Gods Word Now although I freely confesse no litteral precedent of Pedo-baptism in Scripture yet such an one therein is presented unto us which although it will not confute our opposites it will confirm us in our judgements and though it be not able Titus 1. 9. to convince the gainsayers yet it will strengthen us in the Truth When the principal is known of him self to be sufficient any security with him will be accepted and the following instance may be cast in as over-weight to such minds who already have their full measure of perswasion in this point Namely when it is said Acts 16. 15. Lydia was Baptized and her houshold And again Acts 16. 33. of the Jaylor was baptized he and all his straight way Also 1 Cor. 1. 16. I baptized also the houshold of Stephanas For the Jaylor That Children if he had any were comprised under the expression of all his is sufficiently known by Satans interpretation Job 1. 12. of Gods commission Behold all that he hath is in thy power and Gods consenting thereunto when permitting him by vertue thereof to destroy all Jobs children And whereas in the other two instances the baptizing of whole housholds are exprest we must rationally conceive that some infants were amongst them I must confesse I can tell the time when there were three housholds of young folk in the world and then but three housholds of young folk in the world namely the three sons of Noah and his daughters in law in the Ark and yet not one Infant betwixt them all But this was a rare and mystical accident Again to hold the ballance even I can tell the time when in a large Country every familâ— offered a first-born namely in Egypt Exod. 12. 3. There was not a house where there was not one dead Which S. Austin accounts miraculous God purposely making every family fruitful that it might yield a fit object for his own justice But to wave these instances of extraordinary dispensation take three houses together indifferently numerous such as those of Lydia the Jaylor and Stephanas must be presumed to be considering the garbe of that age wherein most of mens moveable wealth consisted in men and maid servants with the children begotten by them and it is utterly improbable but some infants will be amongst them For a great family is like unto an Orenge tree which at the same time hath buds and blossoms and knobs and green and half ripe and full ripe Orenges on it all together I mean
Discretion adviseth us to refuse not onely poyson but unwholesom food and we ought to condemn a falshood quatenus a falshood though it may be consistent with salvation But if damnable be taken actively in which sense it is used 2 Pet. 2. 1. Who privily shall bring in damnable Heresies even denying the Lord that bought them for that which damneth or condemneth the maintainer thereof then onely fundamental errours in Religion are damnable doctrines This premised we answer to the question Gods goodness so keepeth his servants that he will not suffer them to fall into damnable errours in the last and worst acception thereof As for smaller errours which deserve to be condemned but are not so pestilent as to destroy the maintainers thereof they are pardoned through the mercy of God and merits of Christ on the death-bed of such as defend them 23. All good Christians pray with David if not in the same words to the same sense Psal 19. 12. Cleanse me from my secret sins Whereby is meant not onely such sins as we desire and endeavour to hide and keep secret from men but also such as are hidden and kept secret from us such our ignorance as not to know or self-love as not to acknowledg them to be sins Now all such errours consistent with salvation are remitted unto the maintainers thereof under the mass bulk and heap of secret sins though they be not and indeed cannot be particularly repented of because concealed from him who committeth them 24. Come we now to shew how men ought to prepare their own hearts for the more speedy receiving and sure retaining of such Revelations Say not all such preparations are useless The Dove of the Spirit will not build in a Nest of this making but in one of her own providing For such previous disposing of our selves is acceptable to God and will expedite the coming of Revelations unto us Indeed in the first act of Conversion we are purely passive and can in no degree prepare our selves being dead in trespasses and sins But being once freed by grace we are free and may and must by lawfull means move Gods Spirit to move us according to S. Pauls counsel 2 Tim. 1. 6. Stir up the grace of God that is in thee 25. First divest thy self of Pride What saith Solomon Prov. 13. 10. Onely by pride cometh contention Onely by pride as if such were the pride of pride that it scorneth and disdaineth to admit a partner or fellow-cause with it self to cause contention And although pride sometimes be pleased out of state to accept of other vices in raising of Discords yet still she preserveth her self Paramont making use of all the rest onely as subservient unto her 26. Now proud men create to themselves two needless fears which make them so obstinately embrace their errours The first is that if they alter their opinions they must confess that formerly they have erred which confession stabbeth Pride and Pride is dextrous in stabbing others under the fifth rib For all men by nature desire to be and to be accounted petty Popes having the spirit of infallibility fastened unto their chairs so that their opinions shall pass for oracle of undeniable truth 27. The other is that they shall be branded by men for levity and inconstancy if once they offer to change their judgments This makes many of them to say sullenly and surlily with Pilate John 19. 22. What I have written I have written What I have said I have said what I have done I have done what I have defended I have defended I will not abate an ace remit a tittle recede an hair from my former opinions Whilest others turn as fast as the Weather-cock I will stand as firm as the Steeple the rather because otherwise I shall incur the infamy of inconstancy 28. Whereas let it be but seriously considered and the renouncing of an errour which we formerly maintained argueth not frailness but firmness not levity but constancy in us For this is or ought to be the grand and general resolution of all Christians to imbrace any truth which appeareth unto them out of the Word of God Wherefore when a Christian renounceth a particular errour this is not inconstancy because crossing the late and lesser boughs but it is constancy because concurring with the first and fairest Root of his Resolution namely always to those with the revealed truth 29. This hath been the practise of pious people in all ages The hand of S. Augustine never seemed so fair and so handsom as when he wrot backward I mean when he wrot his Retractations Pale faces which otherwise are well proportioned never look so lovely as when they are casually betrayed to a blush which supplies that colour in their cheeks which was wanting before Good men who once maintained an errour never appear more amiable in the eys of God and the godly as when blushing with shame not to be ashamed for at the remembrance of their former faults which maketh them more thankfull to God more humble in more carefull over themselves and more charitable to others 30. Well in the first place devest thy self of pride and know that David tels us how all those ought to be qualified whom God intendeth to teach Psalm 25. 9. The meek will he guide in judgment and the meek will he teach in his way The proud are improper to be Gods Scholars who conceive themselves able to be his Teacher and wise enough to instruct him 31. Secondly devest thy self of Passion than which nothing more prejudicial to the judgment Fire is accounted an hurtfull object to the eye as water is esteemed an helper thereof to look upon it comforting and uniting as the other scattereth the visive beams What then when the beholder is all fire I mean all passion and choller is it probable that during this temper the spirit will descend upon him Observe the carriage of Elisha 2 K. 3. 15. being in an high rapture of anger with Joram King of Israel for his submissive applications unto him in his distress when he and three Armies were likely to die of thirst and now saith he bring me a Minstrel namely by Musick to pacifie himself and to dispose his soul for the regular reception and solemn entertainment of the spirit which accordingly came to pass when the Minstrel played the hand of the Lord came upon him 32. See we here in the first place that it is lawfull to use all good means to invite the Spirit to descend upon us The Spirit of the Prophets was never so subject to the Prophets as to come at their call and command Secondly though Eshishah in anger for the man was holy anger justly offended with King Joram for making Idolatrous Priests his choise in prosperity and Gods Prophet his refuge in adversity yet he was sensible to himself that he was disturbed and discomposed therewith And though the cause of his anger was just and matter of his anger commendable
yet possibly the measure thereof might be faulty Elisha being like Eliah and Eliah a man subject to like passions as we are James 5. 17. And He might see in himself what others saw not in him that he was too much transported with passion and perchance did too much insult on the present perplexity and extremity of King Jehoram Wherefore conceiving that He in the still voice would not come to one in so loud a passion he calls for a Minstrel so to reduce pacate and compose his Soul that it might return to a quiet temper Whence it plainly appears what an enemy Passion is generally to the receiving of Gods Spirit and that all those which desire a Revelation of the truth unto them must labour to devest themselves thereof 33. Thirdly devest thy self of Covetuousness Here take notice how easily men are perswaded to embrace those opinions though never so erroneous which bring in profit unto them for instance One with weak sinnews of Logick worse colours of Rhetorick will quickly perswade a Country-man to be a convert in this point that he is not bound to pay Tithes to his Minister 34. On the other side it is hard to wean men from sucking on those Opinions which are sweetned unto them by commodity For by this craft we get our gain Acts 19. 25. No wonder if the Pope zealously maintaineth Purgatory seeing that Purgatory so plentifully maintaineth the Pope The same may be said of other lucrative errours in their Religion Pilgrimages Pardons Prayers to the Saints Prayers for the dead c. Scylla omnes suos divitiis implevit it was the policy of that cunning Senatour to enrich all of his party tyed by their purse-strings the faster unto him whereas the Antifaction of the Marians being nothing so well monied by their Patron cleaved not so stedfastly unto him Gainfull errors soon gain and long keep such as desire them whereas speculative opinions which terminate onely in the brains having little influence on mens practise and less on their profit are nothing so taking of men and men nothing so tenacious of them 35. As for the errour of such as deny the Baptising of Infants we have cause to conceive the greater hopes of their returning to the truth because that their Opinion can not make them a thred or a shoo-latchet the richer by the maintaining thereof Tully saith of our Brittainy in his time when Caesar rather discovered than conquered it that it had naturally Ne micam auri aut argenti not a crum of gold or silver as within the bowels of the earth thereof So may I say of the Doctrine of Anti-poedo-baptism it is a bare and poor opinion Gold and Silver it hath none and therefore alone of it self is never probable to enrich the patrons and defenders thereof 36. And yet as Tully went a little too far in condemning Brittain as utterly devoid of Silver oar and is disproved by the industry of our Age which some years since hath discovered Silver mines in Wales so possibly this opinion may be more advantagious to the defenders thereof than is obvious to the eye of every common beholder It may be it may make them more capable of preferment and that either they are or conceive themselves to be in a better proximity to advancement by maintaining thereof as more favourably reflected on than others as if this opinion gave the most real testimony of their good affections to the present government whereby they apprehend themselves the next reversions to preferment I believe they mistake themselves therein and that no such partiality is in the present state However let them examine their own souls and devest themselves of covetousness in case they be conscious to themselves that expectation of profit inclines them to this opinion 37. Come we now to Positive counsels what we ought to perform And here I am afraid some will be offended at the simplicity plainness of them There is a book entituled De medecinis facilè parabilibus of medicines which may easily be procured and very good for such w ch take Physick in forma pauperis Yea generally it is conceived nothing so much detracteth from the worth of those medicines as the cheapness and commonness thereof so that if we did but fetch from the East Indies what now groweth in our gardens it would then be accounted a precious Drug which now we esteem a common Potherb In like manner I fear that these our counsels shall be undervalued for the usualness and obviousness of them If a Soul-Mount-abank should prescribe such new fangled means which was never heard of before he should get more patients than all the grave Physicians of the City However we will adventure to prescribe these plain means which God hath prescribed unto us 38. First pray to God that he that openeth and no man shutteth and shutteth and no man openeth would be pleased in his own due time to reveal all necessary truths unto thee Secondly be diligent in reading Gods Word Luther did profess that when he first began to write against the Pope many fancies were put into his head plausible to flesh and bloud but groundless on Scripture which made him daily to pray Domine in verbo Domine in verbo Lord teach me in thy Word 39. Thirdly be carefull in keeping the Lords day not with any superstitious but godly observation thereof On what day did God reveal the Revelation to S. John On the Lords day Rev. 1. 10. Thus Princes use to bestow their Boons and confer their favors chiefly on those days which more properly are called their days as on the Anniversaries of their Births or Coronations Fourthy Repair to the place of Gods Publick Service Fifthly as the Magistrate bears not the Sword in vain the Minister bears not the Word in vain But least we Ministers should seem to plead our own cause herein we leave this to God to plead for us 39. Object But some erroneous persons will be ready to say unto me as the young man did to our Saviour in the Gospel All these things have I done from my youth I have constantly prayed and carefully read and conscienciously kept the Lords day and diligently repaired to the publick Ministery and have endeavoured to devest my self of pride passion and covetousness and yet no errour is revealed to me which I formerly maintained Hereupon I conclude my self to be in the right Our English Proverb as it hath much of rudeness so it hath no less of truth therein One is not bound to see more than he can And I conceive I am in no errour because I follow my present light and all the means of your prescription have made no alteration on my understanding 40. Answ Give me leave to be jealous over these Objectors with a godly jealousie I exspect not the validity of my Receits prescribed but suspect their effectual application thereof whether or no they have sincerely practised the same this I am sure