affirm things contrary to propâ—sitions so evident and certain as it is impossible any man shâ—uld not understand them to be true to wit those maximes out of which the said things are demonstrated But therefore it is that those maximes to some men are evident and firm who wil not believe such things as follow from them by necessary consâ—quence because they are not aware of that streight tie and fiâ—m connexion which is between the said maximes and such things as follow therefrom otherwise since no man is ignorant of the truth of those principles from whence the Demonstrations are raised every body would know the truth of such things as might be demonstrated and so we should have all men Geometricians Arithmeticians all men Musitians and Astrologers And because it may fall out that what follows from some other thing may not be discerned by some man to follow the same and he may therefore believe the former and not the latter doubtless it is no proof that because a man denyes a necessary Consequence he must therefore deny the Antecedent being a point which ought of necessity to be known especially if he shal be so strongly perswaded of the truth of the Antecedent that rather then he wil deny the same he wil allow of the Consâ—quent for Truth But in case he would rather deny the Antecedent then allow of the Consequent the case is dâ—fferent So to do were at least not fiâ—mly to believe the Antecedent It is manifâ—st therefore that such Testimonies of Scripture as prove a point ought necessarily to be known do not prove that such things as necessarily follow are of like necessiâ—y to be known This part of our discourse is subtile and acute requiring that the reader give great heed to the end he may understand the same howbeit it is very necessary to be known for the taking away of rash judgments by means whereof the Church is torn in pieces into Sects These things being thus cleared we are in the next place to enquire what those points be which are propounded unto us in the Scripture as so necessary to be known and believed that he which shal not know and throughly understand them ought not to be accounted one of Gods servants or a member of his Church and whosoever shal believe them all may be judged capable of Salvation though he very much err in all other points Concerning which question I would much rather hear the judgments of other men then propound mine own to the rash and haply irreligious censures of many howbeit the hope of procuring the Tranquillity and peace of the Churches of Christ hath more prevailed with me then any private respect of mine own We do not prescribe any thing to any man as a decree from which he may not dissent but look what the Lord hath vouchsafed to discover unto us we thought good in such wise to propound as to be ready with a very good wil to give credit and place to him that shal propound matters of greater certainty Our endeavour truly is not by all means possible to obtrude our own judgment upon men and to make that it may be of authority but rather that Truth it self may be brought to Light For look as it often comes to pass that a musician that could not be intreated by any means to play a lesson if some unskilful person shal be his untoward fingering of some in-it-self excellent instrument grate and vex his ears with his rude scraping wil take the instruments in hand and begin to play even so our hope is that in case we shal seem to have said little to the purpose in a matter which without all Controversie is of the greatest moment that can be we shal at the least provoke some man of greater spirit and wisdom to accomplish with good success what we had unhappily undertaken In the mean time we do again again beseech all pious and good men that what ever they shal think of our judgment here delivered they wil notwithstanding take in good part our care to preserve peace and concord and that not of any kind but such as may become Christians and that they wil joyn with me by fervent prayers to beg of him who is the only Author as of all other good things so likewise of peace that he would at the length bestow the same upon his Churches to the praise and glory of his own name Let us weigh then and examine such places of Scripture wherein Salvation is either promised or denyed because of believing or not believing Our Lord says Be ye sure of this he that hears my words John 5. and believes in him that sent me he shal enjoy eternal life and shal not come into Judgment but is passed from death to life Again John 6. This is the wil of him that sent me that whosoever hath seen the son and hath believed on him shal obtain eternal life And again Go ye through the whole world preaching the Gospel unto all be that shal believe and be baptized shal he saved he that believes not shal be condemned Which places and their like it may be questioned how they ought to be understood For some man wil a k what it is to believe in the Son of God or his Apostles for even he doubtless believes who is perswaded that the person speaking ought to be credited as one that speaks only the Truth although he undeâ—stand not what it is he says In which sense there is no Christian not one but so far believes the word of God as not to doubâ— but whatsoever is conteined therein is true there is not in the mean time one perhaps there never was who understands the true sence of every place Much more may that man be said to believe who being peâ—swaded of the Truth of the speaker doth likewise understand that which he speaks Now I conceive it is out of Controversie that every man ought to hold for Truth whatsoever the Son of God hath taughâ— either by himself or by his Apostles For these things cannot stand together that any man should believe that Jesus is the Sonn of God and nor pâ—rswade himself that what ever he says is true and that he is adorned with all kinds of vertue But whether or no it be likewise necessary to Salvation to know what ever our Lord commanded as wel in person as by his Apostles and rightly to understand the same so as to imbrace the same not only with a confused that is to say a general but with a distinct and particular faith this is that which may be questioned Now it is altogether necessary that either whatsoever things are set down in Scripture are all necessary to be known so that a man may not be ignorant of or mis-understand any of them under pain of damnation or that such things are of a different nature so that some of them are altogether necessary to be known and highly to be accounted
himself hath seduced others shal not have his Error clearly demonstrated unto him he which takes upon him to oppose shal not understand what the seducer affirms and so shal not refute it but what himself by a false suspition hath imagined and shal defend the doctrine received not with such reasons as he ought to do but with such silly ones as rashness and a mind madded with anger could collect which may be easily refelled and the erroneous person shal have cause to think himself not vanquished but with many and grievous injuries after an insolent manner abused such disputes however they may seem intended to resist the Devil yet are they so far from frustrating any of his plots as that nothing could be invented more expedient to promote his designs For they do not fight against Errors but make them invincible they do not pluck them up but spread them abroad they do not destroy but propagate them and that in a wonderful manner They render Errors invincible because when the person erring finds it easie to avoyd the dint of such arguments as are brought to oppose him it gives him great occasion to think that there cannot any thing more strong be objected against him and when he shal see confuted not his own reasons but I know not what other arguments such as he never so much as once thought of he may very wel think the cause to be that not having any thing they could oppose against his arguments and yet desirous to seem to have answered them they have cavilled at and mis-interpreted his words Hereupon he is altogether compelled to conclude with himself that not he but his opposites are in the Error And if there be joyned sharp insolent and injurious language yea and it may be threats too and such like what can he do other but strongly perswade himself that his adversaries being unable to defend their cause by dint of Argument have guarded and fortified themselves meerly with force and insolence And since hatred is bred of injuries what is there that can settle Errors with greater pertinacy And when a man shal leave his posterity heirs both of his Errors and his Hate it comes to pass that they can never be rooted up out of the minds of men Thus is the people divided into Sects which hate one another with deadly feud abstaining from no kind of injuries and taking the more liberty unto themselves in this kind in that men do not observe how in so doing they obey their own passions but think they very much please God whereas in the mean time by this means they incur the wrath of God daily more and more and become enveloped with thicker clouds of darkness Such disputes do spread Errors abroad because the clamours there made the brawls thence arising afford much occasion of discourse to many people and according to the diversity of mens minds and Judgements matters are very variously both reported and resented And it is wont to fall out that if many dislike the Error yet some wil approve of it yea and some wil as much disapprove of the means used to resist the Error viz. insolence reproaches and the like as of the Error it self and wil thereupon begin less to like of those that set themselves to oppose the Error whence it may come to pass that they may the more easily admit some other Error afterwards He that likes the Error can hardly refrain in his narrations to favour that part he approves so as to add leave out change many passages at his pleasure and thus by a kind of Contagion the evil is spread far and near In a word by controversies ill-managed errors are propagated and bred divers ways For first he that opposes himself against an Error can hardly avoid but that he himself shal fall into some Error either because as the Proverb speaks while he shuns Charybdis he slips into Scylla ignorant to keep the mean as that man should do who in opposing those that attribute all to the Word of God and the reading thereof not marking the necessity of the Spirit of God to be their guide and interpreter to the right understanding should endeavour to reduce the minds of such men to the meer inspirations of the holy Ghost whereas the spirit is so far to be looked at as that the written word be not contemned and lose its dignity as if it were a matter of humane invention and not of divine tradition or because he wil grant somewhat to the Adversary not to be granted which some of the ancient Fathers peradventure did who in such a manner resisted the Philosophers as that they defiled the purity of Christian tenets with Philosophical ratiocinations Likewise it may fall out that whiles thou thinkest to express that Doctrine which thou holdest for truth with more significant and clear expressions then it is in Scripture expressed and better to shun occasion of cavil for the wit of man wil ever be more wary and wiser then God thou wilt use such words or forms of expression as from whence another less true and godly tenet may sometimes be collected Furthermore whereas on both sides they are wont to produce many allegations each for his own judgment as the case requires if it fall out that striving shal sharpen and inflame their minds you shal soon see on both sides many matters affirmed and denied which in a calm mood they would never have affirmed or denied as the Poet spake Furor arma ministrat Rage weapons doth afford Every dart accidentally offered is caught hold on fury suffers not a man to mark what an one it is and what ever hath rashly scap't a man especially in the interim of the dispute Pride wil have it ratified and firm and thereupon new controversies arise and new errors in like manner without end Yea it is seen that by disputes both the matters themselves and mens wits are confounded truth is lost and many are brought to that pass as to perswade themselves that nothing can be certainly concluded and so to cast away all care of Religion Yea and it seems impossible to fall out but that whiles men are perpetually wrangling about some one point of Religion they wil slight and forget many others and they perhaps of the chiefest note and it wil grow to a custome that a godly man shal be distinguished from an ungodly by this one thing be his life what it wil in that he seems to abhor and exceedingly loath that Doctrine which in some one or two points is accounted heretical O that we could but see at one view how many and how great overthrows Sathan hath given to the Kingdom of Christ what desolations he hath made by this one weapon of Controversies he must be a man of iron that could chuse to weep Nor do I now complain of those fanatical spirits the emissaries of Sathan who never cease sowing curious vaine and impious controversies for from them what other could a
Adversary and what not thou must be very wel acquainted with what he says and thinks as also beside the Controversie in hand what other opinions he holds what those things be whereof he is most certainly perswaded and what his judgmnet is Now there is nothing so usual in disputes as for to cavil at one anothers words and to collect absurdities Whence for the most part it comes to pass that opposition is made no so much against what is affirmed but against what thou by a false interpretation hast feigned to thy self Which kind of practise whereunto can it tend but as we have said to provoke thine adversary to choler to confirm his confidence and peremptoryness and to open to thy self a window whereout to cast a thousand follies not a jot to the matter in hand Thus to do is to imitate unskilful physitians who little examine the nature of the disease appoint remydies nothing to the purpose and in stead of curing kil their Patients Yet some men are exceedingly conceited of themselves if mis-interpreting their adversaries words they can infer some great absurdity therefrom Howbeit this custom ought to be left to vain Sophisters In matters of this nature of such weight and concernment let it not be thy aime that thou mayst seem to have confuted the error by hook or by crook on any fashion but let thy endeavour be to confute it indeed and in truth so as thine adversary may not have a word to say for himself which thou shalt never accomplish unless thou give diligent heed rightly to understand thine opposites words And if so be he seem to utter somewhat that is very absurd thou oughtest to be the more fearful least thou mis-understand him and rather to desire him to explain his meaning then to fall upon the bones of the absurdity when thou art not yet certain that it is thine adversaries meaning And when the controversie is managed face to face herein commonly is the grand miscarriage that a man perswades himself he can at the first word divine what his adversary would say before he hear him out and would be presently at the Answer whence it comes to pass that clamours are raised choler is moved and all the labour is lost Away then with this rash forecasting and let us stay til our time come to Answer Others when they have produced an Argument wil needs triumph before the Victory not able to stay til the other reply Because they can see no way to avoid the dint of their Argument they think surely no body else can Out upon such lightness we cannot every man know all things For supposing thou knowest more then I in all other matters what wonder is it if I haply know more then thou in this one point What shalt thou get by this thine eagerness saving to lay naked like a fool thine own Arrogance Insolence and crabbed condition If in worldly matters Experience hath taught this proverbial Lesson Et quandoquè bonus dormitat Homerus Ev'n honest Homer's sometimes napping took And this Saepe etiam est stultus valdè oportuna locutus A fool oft times to purpose speaks what shal we think in matters divine of which the truth it self thus speaks That it hath pleased his heavenly father to hide his secrets from the wise and to reveal them to babes and sucking Children Now we find by experience that if thine adversary observe that thou understandest his meaning what he holds and by what reasons he is induced so to think and shal see thee notwithstanding ready to contradict and oppose him it wil be almost impossible but he wil abate much of his confidence He was formerly perswaded that in case his fancies were rightly understood every one would assent unto them but now when he sees him that understands them refusing to give his assent he cannot chuse but wonder Which what else is it but to make some kind of doubt least his Tenets be not so sound as they ought to be Hereupon likewise he is inflamed with a desire to know what it is thou hast to object which desire hath made him fit to understand thee and being come so far the business is wel-near accomplished My judgment therefore is in overthrowing an Error that the chief labour ought to be rightly to understand what is affirmed according to the meaning of him that spake the words not how thou by a crafty cavill mayst interpret the speech yea rather if any violence should be offered to the words I would much rather they should be drawn to serve the purpose of the speaker then to any other intent Among other faults committed by mis-understanding our adversaries words this is a frequent one when we thus reason with our selves if it were as that man affirms this and that would thereof follow and then look what inferences we make in our own understandings we attribute them unto our Adversaries and waste away the time in confuting such things as they peradventure never once so much as thought of whereby we do both provoke them and render our selves ridiculous which the better to understand this example may be of use Because the Papists say that sins committed after baptism must either be expiated with good works by us wrought or after death by the fire of Purgatory if we shal thus infer If it be necessary that any sins be expiated either by our doings or sufferings then Christ hath not taken them away and then he hath not performed what he came into the world for viz. to abolish the works of the Divel and therefore shal say that the Papists deny that Christ did that he came into the world to do we shal so far say true inasmuch as they do in some sort deny that Christ hath done what he came into the world for because it follows from what they hold yet shal not our saying be punctually true inasmuch as they do not expresly say so and it may be think not so neither So that if we shal proceed with many words to blame them for such collections as if they were their positions they wil say that we are mad What shal we do then in this Case Report what they say without addition diminution or alteration And if so be absurdities shal follow from their words they are to be collected only to this end that it may appear that what they hold is false Such ingenuity is amiable what ever thing be controverted as for the Disciples of Christ reasoning about matters Divine no ornament in the world can more become them Furthermore Desire of Conquest ought to be banished from all Christian disputes let all thy care be that truth may overcome neither let it concern thee whether she be discovered by thee or some other man perswade thy self that thy reputation shal be sufficiently provided for in case God may have that honour which is due to him which is much advanced when Truth is rescued and vindicated from Imposture Wherefore
men should rend themselves one from another vex disgrace and account one another as enemies Howbeit it is not necessary that I should in this place discover my self of what side I am only I shal so far profess my self to be of both parts inasmuch as I make no question but that both belong to the true Church of God Now I shal deal with each side by it self apart and though I may grant that both parties do otherwise say right and truly interpret the words of Christ yet I shal shew that neither party ought to condemn the other or account it guilty of an Heresie Come on then to begin with you who admit of no Trope in our Lords words but judg they ought to be understood according to their plain natural meaning you do not only say that such as account our Lords words tropical do mis-interpret the same but you seem to judg of them as of persons the most erronious in point of Religion that can be you think you cannot find words bad enough to express your hatred against them according to their deserts Put the case that with this their so great Error they may notwithstanding obtain Salvation and belong to the Church of God How can they wil you say who account the Son of God himself either to be a lyar or a vain speaker foolishly uttering contradictions and such things as are quite contrary to all sense and reason Alas miserable men that we are how far doth hatred springing from our differences transport us If men question the interpretation of some words must they needs make Christ a lyar Which of those men whom you account Adversaries in this point did ever deny that either in these or any other words Christ should be believed Did such a conceit ever enter into any of their minds as once to suspect such a thing Could they fear that he should be a lyar for whose name they would suffer the most greivous torments which Tyrants could inflict Away with such a peevish and altogether unjust interpretation the Controversie is concerning the meaning not the truth of the words then which they willingly confess nothing is more true But you wil say the words are so clear so plain and manifest that it is impossible for a man not to understand their meaning To you that understand them they are plain and clear to him that otherwise understands them they are not so clear or if they be it is in that sense in which he takes them Wherefore of necessity thus much must be granted that the difference is only about the meaning and not about the Truth of the words Thou therefore that sayest that such as deny the corporal presence of Christ in the Lords Supper are Hereticks and cannot be saved by what Testimonies of Scripture canst thou prove what thou sayest Our Lord himself promises eternal life to all that call upon his name who believe that he is the Sonne of God who place the hope of their salvation in him alone not in the works of the Law or any other thing This faith this hope those constantly profess whom thou callest Hereticks by what Testimonies of Gods Word art thou induced by thy judgment to deny them salvation Produce one word out of the holy Scriptures which says that such persons shal not enjoy eternal life Thou mayst not pronounce so from thine own head dost thou think haply that it is impossible for that man to call upon the name of the Lord and to put all his confidence in him who cannot understand nor consequently believe that his body really present is distributed in the Sacrament What should hinder him But if thou wilt contend that he that believes not the latter cannot believe the former I would very fain hear how thou canst prove what thou sayest But in case that faith unto which our Lord doth promise salvation may stand without the confession of his bodies presence in the Sacrament and yet thou ceasest not to account persons so believing to be no members of the true Church of God consider with thy self again and again if thou dost not really pollute thy self with that same crime of making Christ a lyar which thou art accustomed falsly to charge upon others I come now to those who say the words are tropical who because it is affirmed that the body of Christ is present in the bread at the same time in very many places do gather many very great absurdities but especially this That such a position denies the humanity of Christ Wherefore inasmuch as this point concerning the Son of God his being made man and raised from the dead is necessarily to be known and believed they deny that such as affirm such a presence of Christs body can be saved unless they shal repent Such absurdities as they gather from the affirmation of Christs body whether they err or not in so doing experience doth manifest that they can by no means be induced but to think that they really follow from the said position Let us grant therefore that such absurdities do all of them undoubtedly follow the foresaid presence But supposing all this must they therefore that hold the real presence needs be Aliens from Christ They must needs sayst thou for that condition which they attribute to the body of Christ that it can be in many places at one and the same time overthrows the humanity of Christ so that he which says Christs body may be in divers places at the same time doth as good as say that Christs body is no body and if Christ hath not a true body he is not true man and if he be not now true man either he was never made man or if he were he arose not from the dead both which Doctrines we before shewed are necessarily to be believed Wherefore since no man can believe contradictories they not believing the Humanity and Resurrection being necessary points cannot be saved Those men truly press the matter vehemently howbeit let us make tryal if we cannot make it appear that hope of Salvation may stand with such gross Errors Whereas therefore they say that it is impossible for men to believe things that contradict one the other that is then true as we shewed before when they see the contradiction between them For I confess that a man cannot believe both that Christ hath a true humane body and that he hath not Howbeit such things as are truly opposite one to the other may notwithstanding seem unto many men void of any such opposition And in case they are not discerned to be contradictory the one to the other nothing lets but that men may believe them to be both true so that though it be granted that these Tenets oppose one the other and cannot stand together that there should be a true body which notwithstanding may be in divers places at one and the same instant yet may they seem not to be opposite so that men may believe that our
not to Pastors alone but to every one that intends to be saved The restoring of that ancient custom prophesying one by one in the Congregation would be an exceâ—â—â— means to discover corruption of Doctrine Objections agaiâ—â—t the use of prophesying answered If prophesying were restored there would be less need of such mercenary Teachers as make a trade of the Ministery This practice of prophesying was used in the Jewish Church Our Lord at twelve yeers of Age was suffered to teach among the Doctors having no Office and unknown by the priviledg of prophesying The use of prophesying was continued in Christian societies till the time of Constantine at the least How prophesying ought to be regulated Every one ought to submit to the judgment of the Congregation and how far Whether Councils are to be called and what Authority they have They may not make new Laws nor institute new Worships Men are not bound to submit to their determinations in matters under dispute Yet there is use of them An Objection answered The difference between the Councils of the Apostles and of those that pretend to succeed them The determination of a Council must not rashly be rejected Who ought to sit in Councils LIB IV. WHen the Doctrine of Religion shall be depraved that yet no change be discernable there are many causes of which some are in the doctrine it self others in the manner of the mutation Some respect those which teach others those which are taught In the doctrine it self there seem to be these First that it is an heap as it were of many things very unlike one to the other like so many grains so that a change may be made by the smallest parts For look as if out of some great heap thou shalt daily take certain grains and put others in their rooms the heap will seem to continue as it was though by little and little it be changed and begin to be another kinde of heap from what it was even so forasmuch as the doctrine of Religion consists of many sentences and doctrines very unlike one to the other though conspiring together and tending to the same end Whiles now this doctrine now that shall be changed and corrupted the body of doctrine it self that I may so speak seems to retain the same figure though it be not indeed the same but in part altered Yea verily one onely sentence may be of such weight that it being depraved and altered though no such thing appear the whole doctrine of Religion may notwithstanding be by that means corrupted Forasmuch as without that sentence all the rest of the doctrine may become unprofitable and of no value Such an one is that sentence that By the blood of Christ alone shed for us and his sacrifice offered for our salvation upon the Cross all our sins are expiated which sentence if thou shalt so change as to say That our sins are done away by the merits of our good works or the intercession of Saints of a Christian doctrine thou wilt make one altogether Antichristian Neither is the doctrine of Religion in regard that it consists of divers unlike parts subject to secret mutation onely by changing and depraving the sentences as we have said but also by adding some sentences and taking away others I do not say that this depravation can be made secretly in such maner as to corrupt the Scriptures For if that were done the deceit would be manifest But that in speaking and writing false sentences may be uttered instead of true and depraved sentences instead of such as are incorrupt Now by how much the heap shall be greater by so much the harder it will be in case there shall be a change to observe the same In which respect the inlargement of the doctrine helps much to hide any mutation in the same Now the doctrine of Religion is inlarged whiles it is variously handled whiles it is drawn forth into many different questions which sprout one out of another and are propagated infinitely The cause of which mischief is the over-great curiosity of men their rashness arrogance and ambition with which diseases of the minde being madded we must print and publish whatever we dream of Yea verily if we want matter to write we unrip other mens discourses and sew them together after a new fashion and had rather do that which is done to our hand then be thought to do nothing Now this is a thing which tends much to the hiding of corruption of doctrine when as those false sentences which shall be put into the place of the true shall have the appearance and shew of truth though indeed they are far from any acquaintance therewith Which is occasioned divers ways The first is when some true sentence in Scripture shall be expressed in such words as admit divers interpretations which cannot all be true and another sentence shall be composed agreeable to those words misunderstood for by this means while a very different thing is spoken the same thing which is in the Text seems to be said without any change In like maner when a Text is figurative so that one thing is meant indeed another thing seems to be meant and a man shall take it in the seeming sense without any regard to the figure As if a man should say That in case any mans sight be an occasion of sining he ought to pluck out his eyes and wholly blâ—nde himself because it is written If thine eye shall offend thee pluck it out and cast it from thee For these words do at the first sight seem to say as much whereas their sense is very different viz. Whatsoever may slacken or stop a mans progress in the way of the Gospel he ought to abandon that thing forthwith for that it is better to be without that thing then being thereby hindered in such a course to lose the Kingdom of Heaven and to be adjudged to eternal tortures In like manner if when the meaning of a Text shall be according to the letter the words are so expounded as if they meant otherwise As is practised upon these words Go and shew thy self unto the Priest from which this sentence is drawn Every man must confess his sins to a Priest Another means whereby a false sentence seems to be true is when in the true sentence there is somewhat contained either expresly or implici ely and the false sentence shall be expressed in such terms as exclude that thing so contained The thing we speak of so contained is either an exception or a condition or a circumstance or some explanatâ—on Or some condition or exposition suiting not with the Text shall be added Those words of the Apostle have questionless an exception or a condition Be not deceived neither whoremongers nor idolaters shall attain the Kingdom of Heaven for we must understand that condi ion unless they repent Now if any man should say That the sin of uncleanness could not be pardoned he should speak that
destruction I would only say thus much to them that when they have sufficiently lamented their own maladies I wil give them free leave to recreate themselves with laughing at ours Let them turn over the ancient histories and see if the Church of God were ever in so good an estate but that there were therein many things which might deserve the grief of every good man and finding the condition of the Church to have been always such what cause is there for them to wonder if we are not in every part sound But let them laugh that list Our endeavor should be by removing all just cause of reprehension not so much to suppress their laughter as by all excellency of examples to invite them together with us to come unto Christ And that thou maist not fear any sharpness of language in this Discourse know that we endeavor no other thing so much in all this work of ours as to reduce all those which handle any points in the Church whether by word or writing to the greatest mildeness and gentleness that may be How unseemly therefore and how unjust a thing would it have been if I had refused to be subject to that Law which I had set to others How justly might that proverb be laid in my dish Physician heal thy self But to come to the paine In this Treatise Reader we present thee with those Stratagems whereby Satan lies in wait to overthrow the Kingdom of Christ and in such sort to root it up as it were out of the world that it might never be again repaired and to set up a Kingdom of his own and to maintain the same if not all of them for that were an impossible thing yet I am perswaded the most principal And that thou maist wonder shal I say or rejoyce the more thou shalt find them marshalled in such order and method that thou shalt find them to make a certain kind of Art We have added cautions for the avoyding of them and they are such as if I am not mistaken whosoever shal not slight them may have good ground to hope that though Satan plot never so much yet he shal but lose his labor In some cases peradventure when the caution seemed manifest enough of it self by the rule of contraries we have forborn to put our selves to unnecessary labor Some things indeed there are which for want of examples may seem somewhat obscure which exam les were therefore omitted because such as we found ready to our hand could not as we conceived be alledged without the offence of some men Which thing lest our labor might be fruitless to them ward we were carefully to shun in some cases we could not conveniently feign examples in others though we might have done it yet we feared lest they might occasion new contentions which I wish we have not too much occasioned notwithstanding all our care to the contrary But if thou shalt read the Discourse frequently and attentively there wil be nothing which thou shalt not at length understand even without examples Some wil wish that this Argument had been handled more largely and that not without just cause to such all that I shal answer is this that I have done what the time would permit me if I would have deferred the impression the work might have appeared to the world at least more polished and exact but forasmuch as I conceived that it greatly concerned the common good of all Christians that these Stratagems should see the light with all possible speed I was wiling rather to set at nought mine own reputation then to defer the Edition the least moment If the Lord shal afford me any leasure I shal endeavor that they may hereafter come forth more compleat and better adorned In the mean time gentle Reader take in good part this abortive birth and joyn thy godly prayers to mine that the Lord would be pleased to furnish me with somewhat beter and more profitable then what for the present I am able to present Satans Stratagems The first Book The Argument THe end Satan aimes at in all his Stratagems The Nature of Man since the fall how fit for Satan to work upon The ways and means Satan uses to attain his end How true opinions concerning religion come to be changed into false Deceitful and invalid Arguments Passions and Affections of the mind A good opinion of those that are erronious An evil opinion of those that hold the truth lying signs and wonders what force they have to change mens Judgments from truth to Error Satans devices to make disputes and debates intended for the clearing of truth to serve his own ends in the advancement of Error Many prime persons Pillars of the Church whiles they Zealously as they think maintain the cause of Christ do drive on and advance Satans designs A passionate indiscreet opposition a great encreaser of Sects No unnecessary Controversy ought to be raised An opinion ought not to be condemned for appearing new but must be examined by the word A very hard thing to embrace Truth when it hath the appearance of an Error To reject what ever savours of Novelty wil cause that remaining errors shal never be purged out of the Church How erronious persons are to be prepared to receive a sight of their errors What caution is to be used that we oppose not truth under the name of error What ought to be accounted knowledg what opinion What Man is most like to find the Truth Most men suppose they are led by the word and spirit to think as they do in matters of Religion whiles their Judgments are biased by Antiquity estimation of mens learning Multitudes of those that judg so or so c. He that would have his Judgment swayed by Gods spirit must pray earnestly for the spirit and cast out of his consideration whatsoever is not of God nor his word as if there were no such thing in the world He that hath attained to a clear and perfect knowledg cannot suspect himself of error in that point Before a man oppose a tenet as erronious and impious he ought seriously to consider what assurance he hath of the error and impiety of the said point A man may pray long for the knowledg of the Truth before the wisedom of God may think fit to discover the same unto him God is free to discover the truth to a man when and by whom he pleases yea by him whom he opposes as a seducer In controversies of religion Sathan can play the part both of opponent and defendant in respect of one and the same tenet We must first hear and examine a point before we condemn it and never say it is an old Error and hath bin oft confuted for it may have bin an old truth ill defended Controversies soon raised hardly laid Before we oppose an error we must consider of what moment it is Vain questions and tenets not to be confuted but avoided Satan labours to perswade
he be drawn to forbear such practises as are declared offensive to him 8 Each mans sight failes him when he should see these faults in himself but he needs no spectacles to spie them in another Other mens doings he is apt to misconstrue being exceeding suspitious yet if a man once begin to think highly of and attribute much to another man especially in matters of religion therein he wil over-shoot all bounds of reason and make that man a kind of a God Other ways he wishes wel to none but himself and would have no body else excel in glory Whereupon if any profit or praise accrue to another he becomes envious and hinders what he can the increase thereof He diminishes the praises and augments the failings of another using calumniation 9 If in any matter he be never so little opposed he is exceeding prone to wrath and hatred neither can he easily remit his stomach but rather whets himself more and more to blood slaughter and all kinds of cruel revenge Thus is man of his own nature above measure arrogant high-conceited intemperate coveteous unsatiable desirous of what is another mans a supplanter lyer contentious envious revengeful murderous blind rash obstinate ungodly and born to all mischeif In a word the nature of man such as now it is is not much unlike the Nature of the unclean Spirits True it is notwithstanding that such vices as we have or might have named do not all alike appear in all men but some shew themselves more in some men then in others and some are not at all seen in some men by reason they want means or opportunity to practise them Constitution of body education custome study and such like are of great moment both to render a man prone unto and to withdraw him from vices yet is there not any man in whom the seeds of all vices are not found Howbeit there are yet remaining in man some foot-steps and prints of his first nature as a kind of obscure knowledg of what is just and unjust honest and dishonest that good deeds deserve praise and ill deeds punishment He seems to have a natural desire of knowledg and understanding He has in him a certain kind of ability from things perceived by the sense to arrive to the knowledg of insensible things and so to raise himself to a certain kind of knowledg of the divine Nature it self He hath some suspition that there shal be a life after this which shal ever last attended with happines to the good with misery and torments to the wicked This is manifest by the Poets fables whose discourses being accommodated to the opinions of the People make frequent mention of such things With this slight opinion of another life goes hand in hand some little desire of Salvation wherewith provoked he enquires after the means of worshipping and procuring the favour of God But the truth is these remainders of mans pristine goodness are kept under by so great and manifold oppositions of depraved nature that in most men they wholy vanish and come to nought and though in some they strongly resist the corruption of nature as may be seen in Socrates Seneca and others yet in their strength never so great as without the assistance of God to be of any moment to procure Salvation Rather by the event it appears Man is thereby led into greater darkness Now this is that which vexes Sathan that God of his infinite goodness bearing an extraordinary affection to mankind chuses himself out of Mankind servants ever and anon on whom he bestows the knowledg of his Law and whom he sends to instruct the Nations of the world Mans Nature then being such as we have shewn and the End of all Sathans consultations discovered the next thing we have to consider is by what way he seeks to attain unto this end Two conditions there are in the one of which the people are always found in the Light of truth or in the Dark of errors and Ignorance Neither is there ever so much light but that some mists of ignorance remain which we thought necessary to give warning of least in speaking of that lightful condition of men and making mention of error we might be thought to handle things out of their place Now when the people enjoy the Light of Truth Sathan endeavours to overwhelm them with darkness if they be already in the darkness of Error his scope is that that darkness may for ever remain Now a man may walk in the darkness of ignorance either exercising no Religion or a corrupt and false one Again a man may be without Religion either having never heard of such a thing as we call Religion and never having once thought of such a thing or understanding the notion but denying that there is any such matter as do those monsters of men who either deny that there is a God or that he cares for the affairs of Mankind Yet that there should be any Nation so bruitish as not to think of God seems incredible but that there is never wanting a parcel of desperate fellows that perswade themselves it is a vain and silly thing to think of God is more manifest then to need any proof these are the Divels drudges he makes use of for the accomplishment of any the most abominable wickednesses After that the true Religion hath been extant in a Nation to the end that Nation fall therefrom into Errors it is necessary their judgments alter Now this change is either observed by the people or not observed If they observe it there must needs be some cause why they should leave that Doctrine they had approved to embrace some other false and impious Now the causes that true opinions in matter of Religion are changed for false are false arguments passions and affections of mind such as are desire wrath hatred a good opinion of such as err a bad opinion of such as teach the truth and lying signs or wonders False arguments we account such from which untruth is any way inferred which may come to pass divers ways For either all that is alledged is false as in this inference the Mass ought to be retained because the Church of Rome hath used it ever since the times of the Apostles and what ever hath bin of ancient use in the Church of Rome ought to be retained or that which is alledged is in part true and partly false as in this inference because the Apostles ordinances are to be practised which is true and confession of a mans sins in the ears of a Preist is an ordinance of the Apostles institution which is false therefore this custom of confessing sinns in the Priests eare ought to be retained Again all that is brought for proof may be true and yet nothing to the purpose as if a man should say we are bound to observe difference of meats according to the prescriptions of the Church of Rome because fishes herbs Roots and the like do nourish
less then flesh and eggs Or lastly the arguments may be such as may seem to prove much when indeed they prove just nothing such as the Arguments of Sophisters use to be As if a man should thus reason No Christian man ought to marry a Christian woman because every Christian woman is his sister and for a man to marry his sister is utterly unlawful Now the motions of mens minds which give occasion to change true opinions into false are divers whereof some are referred to the teachers of truth some to the teachers of error and the rest to the Doctrine it self whether true or false The doctrine of truth is apt to be hated because it accuses a man forbids him such things as he is delighted with and commands such things as he must do against his wil. Now that doctrine which a man hates he wil easily forsake Contrarily men are apt to love false doctrine because it gives reyns to their sinful pleasures It begets an ill opinion of the professors of the truth when they appear to give little credit to what themselves teach which comes to pass when their life opposes their Doctrine and they seem to be acted rather by their own commodity and false interests then any love to Religion it self Likewise the teachers of truth loose their credit when God seems not to like of their doctrine by loading them with calamities and afflictions but this is only with such as estimate things rather by their own natural judgment then the rule of Gods Word The Contrary to these beget a good opinion of erronious teachers As for false signs they are such as are either reported falsly or being the contrivances and jugglings of men or divels are thought to be wrought by God himself Furthermore such considerations as make men alter their opinions must either come into mens minds of their own accord or there must be some few seducers which propound them to the rest as it usually falls out otherwise impossible it is any notable change should happen Now seducers do either teach openly against the doctrine received or privately with or without any opposition But that any should be able publiquely to contradict the doctrine received without any resistance it is requisite that there be no difference of wits among the people which is impossible And if so be that those which oppose such a teacher prove more potent then the favourers they wil be an hinderance to the seducer Neither is it to be doubted but that when as the true worship of God is amongst a People if any one shal spread false tenets there wil be more opposers then favourers unless haply the whole multitude be very ill-affected and the seducer use much cunning to that effect as if he shal first gain a great opinion of his own wisedom or holiness or shal abuse the Authority of such as are so accounted of which was the practise of those of old who brought unto the Churches letters pretended to be sent by the Apostles or thrust upon them other writings with lying titles and by such impostures seduced the simple Of this sort was the Gospel of Nicodemus the Travels of S. Peter and the like Nor were whole books alone fathered upon those that had no hand in them but many were occasioned to complain that their own proper writings were depraved So among the writings of Augustine and many famous men besides many bastard tracts are foisted in and many places of their own works are corrupted Yea such was the impudence of some that even whilst the Authors were living they inserted into their works such tenents as themselves would have to be beleived which was Origens Lot as himself complains Otherwise it appears not how errors can be spread abroad at first save among a few and that privately And though some seducer may privily turn away a few from the Doctrine received yet can he not so do by many without being discovered whence it comes to pass that a sensible mutation cannot be made without Controversies Now they that oppose a seducer do it either by Reason or by Authority by Reason when a man by word of mouth or writing maintains the doctrine received and resists the new using to that end either arguments or testimonies by Authority when those that are the overseers of the Churches or the Churches themselves do by common vote condemn that same new doctrine as impious and repugnant to the word of God and when the Magistrate shal under penalty forbid the same to be taught or maintained Now look as if seducers be in a right way resisted all the Councels of Sathan are frustrate so most like it is that hereabout Sathan imploies all his crafts and makes use of his utmost subtilty to cause that whatsoever shal be done by way of opposition shal not only not hinder his designs but help forward and promote them exceedingly Wherefore it wil be labour wel bestowed to understand by what stratagems he endeavours to bring this to pass First therefore in regard of Reason which uses to be opposed to seducers by way of disputation either face to face or by writing certain it is that such reasoning is then of force to resist the false doctrine when it doth aptly lay open both the weakness of those foundations upon which it is built and the strength of the grounds which uphold the Doctrine received as also when those who are dealt with shal with a quiet mind and uncorrupted judgment diligently weigh the same Unless therefore the Reasons be such as we have said and the speech of the Arguers shal have power to reduce the adversaries to that same tranquillity of mind and soundness that I may so speak of judgment aforesaid if it be such as shal rather work the contrary effects so far shal such reasoning prove from resisting that it wil in a wonderful manner favour the designs of Sathan Now to weigh and measure out what kind of reasoning is suitable to the adversaries genius and judgment and what not no man is able unless he himself have his mind composed and serene remembring withal that he is bound and that withal diligence to make such enquiry Since therefore it is requisite to this purpose that the opponent be calm and composed in his spirit we must not omit to shew what things they be that use to trouble the mind of such an one And for the most part he wil be in a passion if it stand with his private interest that there be no change made in the doctrine received which is true concerning all that execute the office of Teachers For a change of Doctrine cannot be effected but their dignity and estimation must suffer an eclipse as though they had taught falsities yea and their profit wil be much impaired Again his love to his own doctrine wil make him scarce of ability patiently to endure a contradictor and look how likeness of manners studies opinions prevail much to beget love
disease he that shal cast into a mans mind a suspition of error by instancing in so many men that while they dream'd of nothing less did yet walk in greatest darkness to the end he may shew him the way to attain to a sure and stedfast knowledg we ought to judg this man not to give pernicious but healthful and very necessary counsel To the end therefore that thou mayst not oppose at any time and trouble a man that would teach the Truth either thou must of necessity attain unto a certain firm knowledg of what ever may at any come time into Controversie in the Church which what a piece of work it wil be any man may judg or certainly if at any time thou shalt hear any matter which sounds new in thine ear before thou condemnest it thou must pause a while and think with thy self what kind of knowledg thou hast of that thing And lest thou be deceived taking a vehement perswasion for certain science let us consider what we are to account science and what opinion and this it becomes us to do not as Philosophers but as the Disciples of Christ There is nothing more certain then that we in point of Religion can hold nothing for certain but from the testimony of Gods Word This many texts of Scripture witness let these few serve in stead of many David himself King of Israel and a famous Prophet when he had resolved to build a Temple to the Lord yet could he not divine the mind of God in that point Neither did Nathan a great Prophet likewise come neerer the mind of God in his exhorting David to perform his purpose for by him God forbad David to build any Temple which is a considerable instance Now of Joshua the successor of Moses it is written that he was indued with the spirit of wisdom and that God promised to be with him perpetually yet is he commanded to have regard to fulfil the Law which he had received from Moses and not to turn from it to the right hand or to the left and the reason why is added that thou mayst know saith the Lord what thou oughtest to do Whence we may understand that then we are sure of thing if we have a Word of God for it But how plainly have we this in another place My thoughts are not like your thoughts Isaiah saith the Lord neither are my reasons like your reasons but look how much the Heaven is higher then the Earth so much are my thoughts above your thoughts and my reasons above your reasons Neither is it sufficient in any sort to build upon the divine Scriptures on any fashion but it is needful that we attain the knowledg of them by the interpretation of the holy spirit for as much as we see so many differing judgments in matter of Religion even amongst the most learned and most exercised in the reading of holy Scriptures For Paul testifies that only the Spirit of God knows the things of God 1 Cor. 2. neither doth mans sense understand the things of the Spirit neither can he understand them for they seem to be foolishness unto him but the spiritual man judgeth all things Whereupon James exhorts him that wants wisdom to ask it of God From all which it is gathered that he hath the knowledg of divine things who both depends only on the Word of God and hath attained the true understanding thereof by help of no other interpreter but the Spirit of God himself And all this wil they willingly grant to whom we now address our speech But here is coucht a great difficulty For many perswade themselves that they can prove what they hold from testimony of Gods Word that the spirit of God is their guide and teacher to furnish them with the understanding thereof who notwithstanding err monstrously They suppose they begged of God for his Spirit and that they have placed all their confidence in his assistance who are not aware in the mean while that their trust hath been in any thing rather then in him But before thou canst conclude of a surety that thou hast obtained his Spirit and learned any thing by the guidance thereof what ever thing there is which might move thee to think so or so or confirm a perswasion taken up such as is an opinion of thine own or anothers knowledg judgment spirit holiness likewise the multitude of those that think as thou thinkest or of those which praise thee admire thee depend upon thy judgment also the long while that the opinion opposed hath been in repute finally whatsoever is not God or his Word from it thou oughtest to withdraw thine eyes thy mind and all thy thoughts no less then if there were no such thing in the world and then all other hope and confidence being cast away to fix thine eyes and mind on God alone to depend only upon him and thus affected in this posture to ask his Spirit Thus if thou shalt do if frequently if seriously if believingly thou shalt do it then mayst thou with good reason conclude that thou art not possessed with any pernicious Error or in case thou art possessed with any that it shal be made known to thee But these things are such as we can with much more facility express them in words then in deeds so liable is the disposition of man to Error yea so apt naturally is he to put trust in any thing rather then God In a word so sly so industrious so wel furnished is Sathan with divers Arts to deceive that when thou hast done all thou canst it wil be an hard matter in some point or other not to be overseen Which I would not have any man think I therefore speak as supposing there can be no certainty in divine matters which conceit I am as far from as he that is farthest But this is that which I would by no means suffer that he which as yet is arrived unto no certainty and is peradventure plunged as yet in false opinions should arrogate unto himself knowledg but I would have him endeavor to get it indeed and endeavor as he ought to do He that hath once attained clear and certain knowledg exhort him as long as you wil and let him endeavor as much as he can to suspect himself of Error yet shal he never be able to entertain any such suspition of himself Such kind of exhortations then can move suspitiō only in them who either err or have not yet attained firm and constant knowledg but may attain the same as yet to whom whiles the right way of attaining thereto is shewn and they are admonished of what blocks and trapps in their way they ought to take heed truly I cannot see but that the counsel we give them is very safe and profitable Wherefore that a man may not any ways offend by opposing the Truth either in publick or private by word of mouth or by writing I would perswade him by
he forthwith shal abstain what think you his meaning is Wil he not seem openly to confess himself guilty of those crimes which thou hast charged him with Is it possible thou should'st promise thy self so much moderation so much relenting in a man void of the fear of God Mayst thou not with much more reason expect that he wil endeavor to clear himself of all crimes objected against him and lay many more to thy charge Wil he not beat his brains night and day to invent calumnies wherewith to defame thee And what is there so far from Truth which a craftily-composed discourse cannot make to appear probable And when as Anger 's and Hatreds shal encrease here and there when as daily vehement accusations shal be heard on both sides the people shal be divided into contrary factions what shalt thou gain thereby which a man of a sound judgment would not much repent him of If then there be any hope which is very smal to withdraw such a person from his enterprize it doth not herein consist in discovering and laying to his charge his malice but herein rather if forbearing to speak of his fraud and malice thou shalt in the first place so defend the truth and render it so clear that it may be almost felt if thou shalt do this with the greatest dexterity and gentleness that may be for as it is hard to procure from a wicked nefarious person a willingness to appear vanquished by argument and to have bin in an Error so shouldest thou foolishly hope that he would be content to have it thought that wittingly and willingly he hath through excess of wickedness cheated the people In like manner towards the reducing of such as have bin seduced I cannot see what good can be wrought by reproaching the Author For it is commonly seen that he which assents to any mans tenets doth reverence that man and count him worthy of honor and praise so that if you shal go about to disgrace him with reproaches he wil say thou dost him great wrong and wil be displeased with thee therefore Now who knows not that good wil and hatred and other passions of the mind have great power to sway the judgment this way or that way Nor can I understand of what greater use it wil be towards the preservation of those that are as yet untainted For it s almost impossible that a speech ful of revilings and accusations should not flow from Anger or some vehement motion of mind now where such motions are it s a wonder if all things be said with due circumspection and not rather frequent oversights be committed either by not rightly repeating the Seducers words or not fitly answering his Arguments whereby as we have shewed many inconveniences arise And many men there are who are offended with all bad language be there just cause or be there not for so speaking and they wil think ill of and disaffect that man in whom they see a propensity to revile Which what else is it but to be the readier to assent unto those whom thou laborest with all thy might to disparage with reproaches Especially if they shal have the Art slily and craftily to counterfeit some kind of modesty and patience I confess indeed with some Criminations are of that force that they cannot hear so much as the name of those that are reproached without trembling so far wil they be from suffering themselves to be by such persons seduced but this falls out only then for the most part when the persons criminating are in high repute for their uprightness holyness and innocency so that it may seem impossible that they should be drawn by any means to do injuriously towards any which opinion setled in the minds of the people concerning thee thou maist with much more ease falsly ascribe and arrogate then procure unto thy self For even we our selvs oftentimes do not sufficiently know by what spirit we are led and be a man never so innocent he shal never be able to hinder but that many things designed with all possible sanctity shal be mis-interpreted by the common people And those persons themselves who by means of crimes alledged have withdrawn all credit from the parties accused would in all likelyhood have done the like when they had heard their tenets related and without crimination by sure and certain arguments and testimonies candidly and civilly refuted Hitherto I conceive we have cleared how that from bad language very many and great evils arise and that the profit from thence arising is either none at all or very little and that it may more certainly by other ways be attained It remains only that we speak of that same reason which is alleadged why such language should be used viz. because by such kind of censures the Authors of new tenets are curbed And in the first place I desire it may be noted that we do not in this place treat of the office of the Magistrate it is the duty of private men which we handle in this place and of such to whose care the instruction of the people in piety is committed Concerning the Magistrate we shal speak hereafter Now then forasmuch as it is not in the power of any one save the Magistrate to censure or punish malefactors other men must take heed they put not their sickle into that field which belongs not to them There is to this purpose an excellent passage of Cicero in his fourth book of Common-wealths Our twelve tables quoth he contrariwise enacting very few faults punishable by Death made this for one if by any practising or libelling a man should defame any one or charge him with any heynous offence A gallant law forasmuch as the lives and conversations of men ought to be subject to the Law and the legal decisions and inquisition of Magistrates not to the wits of Poets and pamphleters neither ought any thing to be reproachfully charged upon any one save with condition that he may have liberty to answer and make his defence in open Court. Is a mans reputation so slight a matter that it should he open to every bodies lust If the supreme Magistrate of the Common wealth should set himself to disgrace and defame whomsoever he pleased though there might be reason enough so to do without process of law who would not say he plaid the part of a Tyrant rather then a King That therefore which the chief Magistrate cannot do but by manifest tyranny shal any private man be suffered to do the same shal it be permitted to him to do it whose office it is not so much by words as his own example to train the people in all Honesty and Moderation of mind It is indeed the part of a Pastor to reprehend to chide to rebuke but he ought to do it not as an enemy but as a father so far forth as may be necessary and profitable for the amendment of those he hath to deal with And he
ought to remember that it is not his but the Magistrates office to censure or punish any one And in case he shal plead that it belongs to him let us consider with what success he shal use such a power in respect of the end proposed I shal not deny but that many men terrified by the example of such persons as they see by such dealing brought into great disgrace and hatred may become thereby less daring to vent such things as curious studies frequently suggest howbeit unless the lives of such who are the Censurers be void not only of vice but suspition too and unless their holyness and innocency be in all things apparent so that they shal rather shew themselves to be certain divine creatures then of Mankind I conceive they shal advance very little by such a course For it wil just so fall out as when a man shal stop the passage of a river with damms the waters wil seem for a while to be restrained of their course yet wil they seek a passage on all sides and to be sure swelling higher and higher they wil overflow the bay and at length having eate through and throwndown the damms with mighty violence wil they break forth and make by many degrees greater waste then if their course had never bin restrained for the man whose liberty is curbed by such a bridle for a time indeed he keeps himself quiet but it is much against his wil and he collects poyson by little and little wherewith being filled he must of necessity pour it forth and it proves so much the more deadly by how much the longer he kept it in forasmuch as hatred against such as he conceives tyrannically to rule over him is the cause that he is averse unto and abhorrs their opinions Hereupon he endeavors by all the cunning ways possible first to draw away now one then another to his side and so the evil grows by little and little and gathers strength til at length the sect fears not to discover it self and to disquiet the Common-wealth which is plainly seen among many other instances in the so late sedition at Munster And a wonderful thing it is with what arts Satan furnishes these kind of men and with what success he furthers their designs which if those men would more advisedly weigh who judg reproaches to be of such force to preserve the purity of doctrine they would haply be less delighted with them then they are In a word as I deny not but that sometime sharp reproofs ought to take place so I Avouch that all those conditions do very seldom concurr which are requisite that they may be in the least measure beneficial And to pass over the consideration of their profit a great and wonderful is that which Jude in his Epistle mentions that Michael the Archangel contending about the body of Moses durst not rail upon Satan himself but desired God to rebuke him What hare-braind men are we how much greater things dare we not only against Satan which yet were a great arrogance to take more liberty then the Archangel thought fit to use but against men it may be no less dear to God then we our selves are Would we but weigh this one example and then consider what liberty we use in mutual reproaches verily that man must be very blind that sees not how that this same custom of evil-speaking comes from no other spirit but that of the Divel But forasmuch as we have declared that what ever we do upon the report of some Error spread abroad we ought to consider the end we ought to aime at in every thing and that we ought among other things to endeavor that the party erring may be drawn from his Error to which purpose bad language and insultations profit not but rather do very much hurt let us now make enquiry what is most fit to be done in such a case Now there are two things requisite to reduce a person erring from his Error first such demonstrations as may be of force with one of his judgment to discover his error unto him secondly that he may weigh such demonstrations with a perfect and sound judgment But if so be the demonstrations shal not be suited to a mans understanding or he shal not weigh them or in case he do it shal be with a prejudiced and corrupted judgment we shal miss of our intended scope Further his judgment shal then become sound and uncorrupt when God shal have healed it with his spirit and have rendred it capable of the truth as also when it is not vexed with any jealousies or passions Here therefore nothing is more to be avoided then that we speak or do any thing which may wound his mind and estrange his affections such are all words that may imply our bearing any ill-wil towards him such as may gall and accuse him of deceit ignorance impudence or in a word any ways blast his reputation We ought rather by all kind of humanity and respects invite him to gentleness moderation and goodwil whereunto charity wil best instruct us provided it be sincere void of ostentation which vertue whosoever is not assured that he is furnished with let him not once meddle in this design til he have attained it And if so be thou canst see nothing in the party that may deserve thy love consider what there is in God and his only begotten son whose workmanship he is that may command thy affection Were it not the pleasure of God that this man should live either he should never have bin born or presently expired upon his birth or at least never have lived til this time whereas now thou seest how God nourishes him how he causes his sun to shine upon him as much as upon thy self and how thousands of ways he makes him partaker of his liberallity and goodness Shal it then become thee who art the servant of this God to be otherwise affected towards such an one How knowest thou as we said before but this man may be a sheep of the Lords fold which how ever at present he wanders from the flock as one distracted shal at length be found by that best of the shepherds healed brought back to the flock And if the case be such doest thou not discern our Lord himself in the person of such an one coming to the weak and sick to make tryal of thy love which he intends to commemorate at the last day And forasmuch as thou art not able to judg whether it be thus or no it is enough for thee that possibly he may be such an one so that what ever kindness thou shalt shew him the Lord may reckon it as done unto himself Thou oughtest not therefore to look upon his person but upon the person of Christ whom he represents and to remember how great his love hath bin to thee insomuch as he refused not being himself just and innocent to dye for thee an unjust person and the
in case it fall out that by means of the dispute thou come to know that thou wast ignorant of before beware thou shame not to acknowledg it never care who it is thou must give way unto Know thou that it is a most honourable thing to be taught of God be it by what instrument soever Let them be ashamed that wil not learn If thou art ashamed of him whom God shal use as his instrument assure thy self it is not man but God whom thou contemnest whose severe vengeance thou shalt not escape unless with a reverent mind thou embrace his proffered favour And to the end thou mayst do this the more easily when oâ—casion shal require it wil be much to the purpose if thou shalt avoid such things as encrease the difficulty to practise the same such as these to averr any thing with great confidence so as often to protest that thou wilt account it a great offence an heinous crime yea meer madness for any man to contradict thee to call him a block that cannot understand it and the like For it wil afterward seem very grievous to appear to have shot so wide of the mark so that it is far better to speak warily at all times not so as to seem always to doubt for that were not commendable but barely to affirm what thou conceivest to be the truth and in like manner to deny such things as thou conceivest to be false and to alleadg Arguments and Testimonies on the one side or on the other only abstain from such expressions as these what an impious thing is this What rashness What impudence to affirm so or so and the like The Mathematitians use most sure demonstrations and infallible yet shal you never hear them utter such a word for such speeches add nothing to the certainty and clearness of the demonstrations If it may be free for us to assent unto the Truth when ever it shal be made known unto us and to imbrace a more true opinion then what for the present we hold why should we by means of such rash speeches bind our selves as it were by a Law with great obstinacy to adhere unto a false one Pertinent hereunto seems that advice of Solomon Take heed thou intangle not thy self in contention least proving over weak thou be ashamed and at a non-plus And forasmuch as we cannot know what things those are wherein we err that in speaking of them our discourse may be circumspect as it ought to be in such matters we shal never use this caution when there is need unless we shal accustom our selves what ever matter we reason about to avoid such kind of expressions as most dangerous rocks Again the aforesaid difficulty is much increased if we shal greatly despise our Adversary so that it wil be much more civil and discreet with whomsoever we have to deal to contain our selves within the bounds of modesty and to abstain from all signification of contempt And forasmuch as do what we can we shal hardly obtain the power to seem vanquished without great reluctation we ought to arm our minds against this assault as firmly as we can with some prevalent reason by frequent meditation deeply imprinted in our mind nor do I know any more forcible then this to call to mind that this whole life of ours lasts but for a moment being like a stage-play where Princes Kings Serving-men Ladies Waiting-women are brought upon the stage when the play is done the players casting aside those persons they acted are either all equals or he peradventure which was King of the play is now of a more base condition then he that plaid the part of a servant Now in case some one of the players should find himself much agrieved to act that part which seems dishonourable and had rather offend him by whose favour he shal be raised out of the dust and by whose displeasure he shal become miserable all his life time wil not all men account him out of his wits who shal prize more the vain ostentation of an houre then so many commodities of life And is there not here the same or far greater madness Be thou the Conqueror or Conquered how long wil the glory or the disgrace endure And in case thou shalt wittingly oppose the Truth and by so doing shalt make God thine Enemy what wil become of thee wretched man that thou art By thy obstinacy it may fall out that the Truth shal remain oppressed and an innumerable company of people by this means perish which wil be so many accusers against thee at the last day Who would not tremble every joynt to think of this Away then with all such kind of peremptoriness and let every man resolve with himself to make no account of his own reputation in this case but to make it his whole desire that in all disputes Christ may have the better neither let him care to become the off-scouring of the world so that in all things the name of God may be honoured Thou art netled perhaps that he should get the victory whom peradventure thou didst ere while lightly esteem in comparison of thy self And is it so indeed Hast not thou another much greater combat with Satan He hath singled thee out as it were a certain Fort which by all engines and endeavours he wil endeavour to Conquer and thou standest upon thy guard Now if so be thou shalt oppose the Truth known through the pride of thy mind Shalt thou not dishonourably surrender thy self unto thine enemy to such an enemy Shalt thou not betray thy Fort And this in the sight of thy general from whom nothing is hid Is there nothing in this case that may vex and afflict thy mind Consider again and again the choyce thou art put unto There is a double fight in which thou art ingaged thou canst not in both be Conqueror If thou art resolved to become victor on that side by the oppression of Truth most sure it is thou shalt be overcome in this other duel with Satan But if so be thou canst not be content to be vanquished here of necessity thou must strike sail and submit thy self in the former Which that thou mayst do with a more contented mind consider with thy self that thy giving way wil not seem so shameful to others as it doth unto thy self for who knows not that nothing is more proper to mankind then to err And that in every Controversy it is expected that the one side wil be vanquished So that it wil not be much wondered at if thou shalt be overcome rather then thy adversary and though it be a disgrace to be vanquished yet is it a thing very praise-worthy and that which is apt to procure great good wil from all good persons if thou shalt be so ingenious as willingly to give place to the Truth being once manifested So that in case any loss be sustained in respect of thy fame and reputation in point of learning it
more fitly who affirme that they are to be understood of the universall purging of the Church which our Lord would have deferred till the day of Judgment not forbidding in the mean time the purging of particular Churches Neither do I think it requisite we make any long enquiry how truly the servants of the Housholder are said to mean the Angels let us rather with attentive minds consider what â—t is which is forbidden Hence we shall soon see who they are that are forbidden Clear it is that the Wheat is the godly the tares the ungodly but whether all kind of ungodly persons or some one sort of them we shall see hereafter And the field is the world To take therefore the tares out of the field is to kill the ungodly to pat them out of the number of those that live in this world But our Lord forbids that and would have them grow with the Wheat untill the time of harvest and not separated till then But thou wilt say he forbids the purging and clensing of the whole field but not of particular Churches Suppose then that men shall be so diligent in clensing particular Churches that none shall remain uncleansed will not the whole become by that couâ—se cleansed But thou denyest that that can be done yet suppose it may thou must of necessity grant that when every particular Church shall be clensed the whole Church will be likewise pure which being done before Harvest time would crosse the wiâ—l of the Lord forasmuch as look what he would not have done before Harvest he wils as little that it should be done by men as by Angels Now if so be any Magistrate shall go about to clense not the whole Church which is not in his power but that which he can what other thing shall he do but as much as in him lyes resist the will of the Lord And truly how small soever the part clensed shall be it will be a part of the whole so that he that shall do herein what he shal be able it may well be said that if he might have had his will the whole should have been purged By all which it appears that this exposition cannot be allowed Others would have it that it is only forbidden to pluck up the tares by war But forasmuch as the words do as well expresse that way of plucking up the tares when a particular person is censured and put to death as that of plucking them up by war he that would have the words of the Householder to be understood only of the former bringing no sure reason why he so interprets ought to be accounted a guesser rather then an expounder For the words are to be taken according to their evident sense unlesse some sufficient reason do disswade so as if they be generall we must understand the speech to be generall if the Law distinguish not we ought not to distinguish How then shall we expound this Parable Those words saist thou Let both grow untill the Harvest cannot be understood according to the letter that the wicked should be suffered to grow as much as the godly So far you and I are agreed For I see what absurdities would follow if all the Magistrates authority and all discipline were removed Howbeit plain it is that a certain kind of ungodly persons are here intended who though they may seem such as ought to be cut off yet it is forbidden them to whom that work should belong to cut them off Now this cannot be understood of adulterers theeves and other flagitious persons since its manifest that Magistrates are ordained by God and are his Ministers for the punishment of evill doers neither do they bear the sword in vain yea though it should appear that he which hath committed adultery murther or other crime were of the Wheat by his notable repentance the Magistrate is not therefore bound to spare him neither truly will any man in his wits deny but that monstrous wickednesses ought to be restrained by the avengement of the sword And if so be the Parable cannot be meant of all ungodly persons it is necessary that those whom it intend sshould be by some note of difference distinguished from al other Now from whence may this difference be rather taken then from that thing wherein godly and ungodly persons do most differ one from another But what is that Is it not in the doctrine of Religion with respect whereunto the one sort is called pious the other impious But there are two kinds of impious persons for some are estranged from the true religion both in name and in truth as the worshippers of Idols and the Turks but especially Atheists others are in name and profession Christians but in deed and in truth they are nothing so their doctrine being corrupted with great and foule errours which kind of persons we call Heretiques The former sort may again be divided into two parts For some of them have never professed the Christian Religion others have Apostatized there-from Since therefore we are to distinguish men according to their religion either we must hold that both these kind of ungodly persons are meant in the Parable or that one is understood that we should say both are understood the words of the Parable give us little encouragement for they speak of such seed as the enemy had sown among the Wheat so that it is manifest they mean such kind of impious persons as converse among the godly that is the true Christians and adorn themselves with the name of Christians of which kind are Heretiques And this truly is very sutable to the nature of tares for they say that these tares are nothing but Wheat or Barly corrupted by the over-moisture of the soile and soaked with frequent rains so that heresie could not have been set forth by a more fit comparison so that this speech is all one as if the servants should have asked their Lord whether or no they should kill Heretiques and take them out of the way That this exposition is neither absurd nor unsutable but rather the necessary interpretation of the place I conceive every one will perceive that weighs the words with no other desire but to find out the truth The Enemy is said to have sown his own seed amongst the good seed among the seed I say which the Lord had sown Now the word Seed is taken sometimes for that out of which any thing grows and this its proper acceptation sometimes but improperly it is taken for that which grows out of the seed The seed which the Lord sowed to speak properly was the Gospel which he preached as it is taken in the Parable next before but in a lesse proper expression the seed are they that believed the Gospell So the Devils seed speaking properly are false doctrines scattered amongst Christians improperly the Devils seed are they who embrace false doctrines Now that the faithfull are called the Lords seed the ungodly the seed of the
may descend into the lists aga nst him armed with such kind of Ammunition as he slights and contemnes Shall we therefore because Satan labours with might and main to this effect and brings into the field the fittest soldiers for such a purpose Shal we I say submit unto his wil and casting away those weapons wherewith alone we may win the field shall we catch hold of such weapons wherwith we shall soon be put to the worse and which will be turned to our own throats Nay but let us hold fast this weapon of the Word of God Let us fight with this alone herewith alone let us do our endevour to slay Satan himself and all his Emissaries Let us endevour to learn all the most convenient ways of striking and warding with this weapon all the Arts of offence and defence Of which matter we have already sufficiently discoursed And as it is a thing not appertaining to the Magistrate to make himself Judge of doctrines and to use violence towards the Teachers much lesse does it belong to him to use such violence at the discretion and upon the judgement of others As in case he should commit the care of Religion to certain persons and be ready himself to draw the sword against whomsoever they shall perswade him or should arme them to the same effect How well he wil be able to justifie his so doing to the King of Kings in that day which will be very terrible to the wicked and joyfull to the godly we may thus judge Suppose thou thy self being a King and to go into a far Country shouldst commit the care of thy Kingdom Houshold and all thy affairs to the fidelity of one of thy servants and he should delegate the administration of all to some other servants such as came next to hand of whose wisdom and faithfulnesse he had no assurance yea or to the fittest that he could chuse himself in the mean season being busied about matters of the smallest concernment and when all were like to miscarry he should suffer the same course to be continued when thou shouldest come home and take knowledg hereof couldst thou possibly allow of the doings of that servant of thine For though thou shouldst find all safe and well wouldest thou not so account of that servant as if all things had fallen out crosse and contrary But what if some very great damage some shameful miscarriage had happened Of how great punishment wouldst thou judg that servant to be worthy And is not the Church of God Gods Kingdom his Inheritance his Delight and Joy Is not all the dignity and comeliness of the Church placed in the purity of her Doctrine and the framing of her Worship according to the Word of God And what is there in the Administration of a Kingdom which in comparison hereunto is not a very light thing and of no account Go to then how canst thou know that any man is of a right judgment in matter of Religion so as that thou mayest safely commit thy sword unto his care and trust unless thou thy self shalt first of all declare what is to be held therein But if thou shalt commit affairs of such moment to their fidelity and discretion whose inner parts thou doest not know yea if thou shalt commit them to whomsoever and thy self minde other matters what account wilt thou give of thine administration Especially if while thou shalt be naping and nothing minding any such matter pious doctrine shall be suppressed as impious and impious doctrine shall be established for pious so that thence will follow the slaughter of many godly persons taken for hereticks and the perdition of an innumerable company of people by false doctrine which people the Son of God made such reckoning of that he stuck not to lay down his life for them how severe thinkest thou shall thy sentence be verily this is my judgment Whatsoever does any way concern the glory of God be it that the liberty of hereticks in spreading false doctrines is to be restrained or any other thing as far as the nature of thy office may require or permit thee to act that cannot be by thee omited without a great fault yet will the fault be a thousand times greater if thou shalt therein make use of another mans knowledg rather then thy self to use all means possible to understand what ought to be done and if thou canst not be satisfied in thine understanding it will be by much the safest way to interpose no authority of thine in such a business either by thy self or by others Now by what more clear example could Magistrates possibly have been admonished to confide in no mans judgment then this in that the Son of God himself by such negligence of the Magistrate was given up to the judgment or lust rather of his most unjust enemies Take ye him says Pilate and according to your law judg him Take heed thou think not thus with thy self We live now in a most clear light of the Gospel now the Pastors are most holy now all is safe What shall we think that Satan snorts and sleeps And to attempt nothing whereby to lay the foundation of some new Kingdom whereby to erect some new tyrannies to hatch some new Monsters Now that is a known saying That a small Error at the begining in the end comes to be of the first magnitude And inasmuch as all things of this nature are of very great moment whatsoever business shall offer it self I would exhort the Magistrate That he would by most fervent prayers ask counsel of him who can never deceive and act nothing unless he were assured that he were in the right And in case after all he shall be of this judgment to think he ought to prescribe what doctrines ought to be taught and what not he must at least be very wary lest Satan do here gain upon him either by making him to put his own opinion at such a distance from the Hereticks that while he shun Charybdis he fall into Scylla or to allow the Heretick somewhat which ought not to be granted or to use such words and phrases as may occasion some new doctrine himself intending no such matter or to establish that doctrine as necessarily to be believed which himself hath by necessary consequence to his thinking drawn from the Scripture there being in the mean time some error in his collection or inference And to the end that he may not incur any of those errors or the like let him examine how far he is assured of the truth of every point by such ways as we formerly delivered Furthermore it seems to me an excellent Caution That whatsoever shall be laid down as agreeable to the Word of God may be expressed with the same words and phrases which the Spirit of God uses in the Scriptures Otherwise it is almost impossible but that the wit of man will intrude some thing of its own which if it do an error is
disputants beyond what was necessary to express the sence of the Hebrew and Greek and all those tenets which men by their own wits do collect and infer from the Scriptures Now of what concernment this will be we may gather by this instance The Papists think it one and the same thing to say The Church cannot erre and to say in the words of our Lord Wheresoever two or three shall be gathered together in my name there will I be in the midst of them Yet is the difference very great which may thus appear forasmuch as in case any one shall conceive the Church to be the Pope Cardinals and Bishops anointed by the Pope he hearing the aforesaid sentence will judg that whatsoever they shall decree ought to be of force But if he shall rather minde the words of our Lord and shall consider that those kinde of men do regard nothing but their own commodity wealth and dominion he will be so far from so understanding them that peradventure not being able to allow the deeds and practises of these men he will come to hope from those words That if himself with some other good men loving God with their whole heart shall come together and unanimously implore the assistance of God shall be better able to determine what it is that ought to be believed and practised for the attainment of salvation then if they should persist to put their confidence in such Pastors Now this rule That the words of the Scripture ought to be used rather then any other is then especially to be observed when any thing is delivered as a certain and tryed truth or as a rule of faith or life or out of which any other thing is to be inferred For in expositions and explanations as there is need haply of greater liberty so is there less danger if it be taken For when as the word of God and the exposition thereof are at one and the same time both together in view as it were there no man can be ignorant that the exposition is the word of man so that he may reject it in case it seem impertinent And look by what means a man may hinder the doctrine of Religion from being changed by the self same he may finde whether it be changed or no. Now every man ought to compare the doctrine of that age wherein he lives with no other doctrine then that which was out of question spotless which is the doctrine of the Apostles Wherefore notwithstanding that in our age the Gospel is as it were revived yet ought not any man thus to think That he ought to examine whether the Gospel hath lost any of that purity wherunto it had at this time arrived he ought rather to look again and again whether some corruption do not yet remain whether it be not in some part as yet not sufficiently restored to its ancient purity and lustre and confidently perswade himself That he cannot be that I may so speak sufficiently superstitious in rejecting every word which is not in the Scriptures Forasmuch as man will ever be more wise and wary then the holy Spirit and can very hardly forbear to mingle somewhat from his own head so that whatever comes from man can never be sufficiently suspected And because a thing will be so much the better preserved by how much the greater is the number of those that keep it the people ought often to be put in minde That both the reading of the Scriptures and the care of Religion belongs not to the Pastors of the Church onely but that every one that would be saved ought to make diligent search whether any corruption be already or is for the future like to be introduced and this to do no less carefully then if he were perswaded that all beside himself were asleep and whatsoever is wont to take the common people off from such studies care must be taken that that thing be wholly taken away Concerning which matter we shall more conveniently discourse anon Now forasmuch as the profit will be small if some private man shall observe that an error is introduced unless he discover the said error and lay it open there must of necessity be some way how this may conveniently be done Now there cannot be a more fiting way then that which Apostle propounds to the Corinthians Let two or three Prophets speak and let the rest judg 1 Cor. 14. and if any thing be revealed to him that sits by let the former be silent For ye may all prophecy one by one that all may learn and all may be exhorted If some one person shall always speak in the Church and no man at any time may contradict him it will be a very strange thing if that one man be not puffed up if he do not fall into such a conceit of himself as to think that he is the onely man that he onely hath understanding he alone is wise that all the rest are a company of brute animals as it were who ought to depend onely upon him and to do nothing but learn of him And if any man shall think that himself likewise hath some ability to teach he will account that man an hainous offender But what says the Apostle to this Did the word of God come from you or came it unto you onely If any seem to be a prophet or spiritual let him acknowledg what I write unto you to be the commands of the Lord. But if any one be ignorant let him be ignorant Wherefore brethren labor that ye may prophecy and forbid not to speak with tongues let all things be done decently and in order It is exceedingly to be lamented That this custom and the practice of this command of the Lord is not again restored into the Churches and brought into use But some men may say Such is the rashness of this age of ours such the boldness such the impudence That if it were allowed to every one to speak in the Congregation there will be no end of brawls and contention Why so Is a man another kinde of creature now then what he was of old Thou wilt say he is For mankinde hath continually degenerated grown worse and worse and seems now to have attained the top of corruption Is it so indeed But suppose it to be so Thou that art the Teacher of the people art not thou also thy self made of the same mold Art not thou born in the same age Inasmuch as this ordinance principally was intended to keep Pastors within the bounds of modesty that they may understand That they are not the authors of the Word of God that they have not alone received the Spirit by how much the more mankinde hath degenerated by so much the greater need is there thereof for that there is now more rashness arrogance pride then of old this is true as well of the Pastors and Teachers as of the rest of the people Art thou a Prophet hast thou any
there onely two or three that prophesied according to what the Apostle said but to all was given to speak so that the wish of Moses seems rather to have been fulfilled in them when he said Would God all the people might prophecâ— There was no spleen no envy the gifts of God were dispensed every one according to his ability contributing his assistance for the confirmation of the Church And all was done with love in such sort That they strove mutually to honor each other and every one to prefer another before himself But to the end this common prophesying may be profitable to the Church we must diligently mark what the Apostle advises For a sure thing it is that the pride of man is so great that whatever hath once fallen from him he will by any means have it stand for a Truth neither can he suffer that any man should infringe the same So that if he might be pâ—rmitted to judg that last spake it will be a miracle if a man in his life-time should see any one give way to him that contradicts him What is Pauls advice therefore in this case Let two or three Prophets speak and let the rest judge He will not therefore have the same persons to be parties and judges And he adds a little after And the spirit of the Prophets is subject to the Prophets for God is not the Author of dissention but of peace So that as soon as any man hath spoken his own mind he ought to rest himself satisfied with the judgment of the rest and not obstinately to make no end of contending if this be not done a sure thing it is there will be no end of strife But what if any man will not be content to submit to the judgment of the rest Verily I would avouch that being sharply admonished that he disturb not the Congregation and that he go not against the command of the Apostle or rather of our Lord commanding the spirits of the Prophets to be subject to the Prophets he ought to be cast out of the society though he should hold the prime place in the Congregation The people likewise must frequently be admonished that liberty for any one to speak in the Congregation is not therefore granted by the Apostle to the end every one should speak what comes to his tongues end as if he were in a market but whereas he gives liberty to him to speak to whom any thing is revealed he would have all rashnesse and impudence to be laid aside He that reverences not the Church of God let that man know he despiseth the Spirit of God who is President there and shall be sure not to escape unpunished Before a man propounds any thing to the Church he ought to consider again and again how sure a manifestation he hath of that thing and what ever the matter be let him be sure not to forget a sober modest bashful behavior without which vertues doubtles no good can be effected But here we must attentively consider both how far a man ought to submit to the judgement of the Congregation and who may deservedly be accounted a troubler of the Church Verily I conceive a man ought so far to give way as that after I have alledged what I had to say for my opinion if yet the rest shall not allow of my judgment I ought to give over defending of it and cease to be troublesome to the Congregation concerning the same But I ought not to be compelled to confesse that I have erred or to deprecate any fault whiles I do not yet understand that I have erred for so I should sinne against God He therefore is a troubler of the Church that will not so far as we have expressed submit to the judgment of the Church but goeth on to be troublesome but especially that man who would exact of another that which he ought not to do viz. to recant being not perswaded that he is in an error But those men are commonly reputed troublers of the Church who refuse to ratifie what ever shall any wayes fall out of the Pastors mouths Again in this place it may reasonably be demanded whether when that a matter hath been once or twice debated and some man knowing the judgment of the Congregation would again reduce it into Controversie he ought to be heard or enjoyned silence and take the matter for determined But of this we shall in another place more conveniently dispute That which remains therefore is that we wrastle with God by daily prayers to grant that we may have the use of this so soveraign and saving liberty so profitable to the Church and that thereby we may reap aboundance of fruit And that he would to that end tame and break our spirits with his Spirit and render them milde and gentle and not suffer what he hath ordained for the confirmation and establishment of his Church to be by the stubbornnesse and perversness of our wits and minds turned to the mischief and destruction thereof Now it hath been frequently practised that when some difficult point hath been to be decided not only one particular Church should judge but a Councell of that Province or of the whole Christian world hath been called Which whether it ought to be done or no and what ought to be the Authority of Councels may be by some demanded That the custom of calling Councels ought to be retained seems clearly to me to be taught by the example of the Apostles For if it were requisite for men endued with so great a measure of the Spirit to confer together about matters of Religion in controversie It seems that it ought much more to be practised by those that have not such a portion of the spirit Neither ought we to make light account of our Lords promise who hath engaged himself that where two or three shall be gathered together in his Name there he will be the in midst of them But the question moved concerning the authority of such a Councell is harder And for as much as I have not now to deale with Papists but with such as would have the truth of the Gospel restored I shall not need with many words to demonstrate that no Councel hath authority either to make new Lawes or to ordain new worships But what shall we say concerning controversies of Religion which are raised about interpretation of Scripture Whether or no hath a Councel authority in such cases to determine what ought to be held And if a Councel cannot do thus much at least what other use there can be of Councels beside And whether there be any difference between the Councel of the Apostles and those of their successors If as certain as it is that our Lord will always perform what he hath promised so certain it were that such as meet to consult would evermore refer all their cogitations to the glory of God and place all their hope of discovering the Truth in the promises
when the Congregation justly rejects it does not therefore justly reject because the man will not embrace its tenets or stand to its judgment But because he rejects the doctrine which came from God and that doctrine of such consequence That it ought of necessity to be known to salvation Likewise when a particular Congregation allowes of one tenet disallowes of another it does not impose a law upon any mans belief but onely declares its own faith to the end That he which is not of the same minde at least in the more principal points of doctrine may know that he belongs not to that society for there must of necessity be some kinde of Government that the Congregation may not be forced to communicate in Religious Services with that man of whom she is perswaded that he is not any ways related to the Church of Christ neither hath any right to the priviledges thereof Hence we may easily understand and in one word express what difference there is between the Councel of the Apostles and those who make themselves their successors be they who they will Forasmuch as it was apparent that the Apostles were by name chosen by our Lord himself to the office of Apostleship it was manifest that they were endued with a large measure of the holy Ghost which Spirit would lead them into all truth Now there is no testimony of any such concerning any of their successors We are left onely to conjecture what they are by their words and actions which are subject to counterfeiting and fraud In the Councels of the Apostles men were not to minde so much what was judged and determined as by whom it was so determined So that they needed not with many words to render a reason why they so ordained Contrariwise in the Councels of their successors it matters not so much who they are that decree a thing as what that thing is which they so decree what testimonies they produce from Scripture how clearly and manifestly those testimonies do teach the point determined So that doctrine of Luther That we are saved onely by the merits of Christ is embraced by us yet do not we look upon Luther but upon those testimonies which are by him cited from Scripture which also the holy Ghost that internal Expositor witnesses to our spirits that they teach the same Otherwise be they never so many let them be pious learned holy yea verily let them be angels of heaven unless thou shalt perceive that what they affirm is proved by the Word of God there is no reason for thee to suffer thine eyes to be dazled with the splendor and pomp of a Councel Howbeit fitting it is to attribute so much authority to a Councel unless it be of such as are manifestly enemies to truth as not rashly to reject the judgment thereof but let every man diligently weigh the same desiring earnestly the assistance of God that he may judge aright Hence likewise we may conjecture who ought to be admitted to a Councel For since they do not meet to make any laws of Faith but rather to pray for the holy Ghost by whom they may be led into all truth and in a word to learn It will not be necessary that he that must be admitted should be a Bishop or an Archbishop or a Pope nor yet that he should be famous for learning nay rather no reason there is why any man should be excluded that appears to be possessed of any measure of piety and of the holy Ghost So we see in that same decree of the Apostolical Councel after the Apostles and Elders the whole Church is named For inasmuch as the holy Ghost is not tied to any dignity or to any certain kinde of persons Who knows by whom God will chuse to discover the Truth And forasmuch as we are not to regard any number of voices but onely what that is which is said although some foolish indiscreet person or a man that makes onely a shew of godliness shall be admitted they cannot do much hurt for we must count every man to be such as his speech shall declare him to be And thus we have declared by what means the doctrine of Religion comes to be corrupted and what cautions we are to use when it is pure to keep it so FINIS ERRATA PAge 2. l. 6. is not God p. 3. l. 6. is to take into l. 27. disobeys the command p. 6. l. 32. yet is their strength p. 8. l. 31. self interests p. 18. l. 10. like wise men l. 22. it is no small p. 22. l. 5. any time come into p. 30. l. 8. should contend p. 31. l. 9. the time place p. 36. l. 18. to that end p. 37. l. 1. shal set upon the another way p. 45. l. 15. wonderful example is that p. 46. l. 31. best of shepheards l. 33. to thee weak p. 55. l. 24. be so ingenuous p. 58. l. 1. 2. one whole sentence ere his mouth be wel open l. 23. a benefice p. 65. l. 38. betide others as p. 74. l. 20. shal by his 22. the instrument p. 75. l. 37. accounted of others howbeit p. 78. l. 33. of our Lord. p. 82. l. 24. ingenuously l. 38. a couple p. 83. l. 17. is not to p. 93. l. 7. hereticks in the. p. 99. l. 10. to vanquish an Apostate l. 16. means of them the. p. 102. l. 35. that when he p. 108. l 4. and will attempt p. 135. l. 2. 3. no such testimony concerning any successors