Undivided Nature belong This Reason boggles at and Socinians call a Contradiction but it is such a Contradiction as Sense would judge the Union of Spirit and Matter to be At most it is an imaginary Contradiction in the Subsistence of the Divine Nature which Reason knows nothing about and therefore can make no judgment of and such appearing-Contradictions are no Objections because they may be no Contradictions as we are sure they are none when the Doctrines charged with these Contradictions are taught in Scripture There is one distinction which seems to me to set this matter in a clear light and to answer all the Pretences of Contradictions and that is The distinction between Contradictions in Logick and Philosophy A Contradiction in Logick is when two Propositions in express terms contradict each other and all men grant that both parts of such Contradictions cannot be true as that there are Three Gods and but One God which is to say that there are and that there are not Three Gods that there is and that there is not but One only God A Contradiction in Philosophy is when any thing is affirmed concerning the Nature or Essential Properties of any Being which seems to contradict all the Notions and Ideas we have of Nature in other Beings and such Contradictions as these may be both true for the Natures of things may be contrary to and contradict each other and yet both of them be true and real Beings There are infinite Instances of this in all Nature the Ideas of Hot and Cold of White and Black of Light and Darkness of solid and fluid Bodies of Matter and Spirit are direct Contradictions in this notion of a Contradiction to each other And had we known but one of these Opposites by our Natural Ideas and the other had been revealed to us we might as justly have cried out of Contradictions as the Socinians now do when you mention a Trinity of Persons in the Unity of the Divine Nature For Heat contradicts the Idea of Cold and Fluid of Solid as much as Three Persons in the Unity of Nature contradicts the Unity of Nature in the Unity of a Person This latter indeed is the natural notion we have That there is but One Person in One Subsisting Intelligent Nature for we have no example of any thing else and therefore can have no natural Idea of any other Unity but this does not prove that it cannot be otherwise for there may be Oppositions and Contrarieties in Nature and did we but consider what an infinite distance and unlikeness there is between God and Creatures we should not think it reasonable to judge of the Divine Nature by the Ideas of Created Nature This is a very real and sensible distinction between Contradictions in Logick and in Nature and Philosophy and there is a certain way to know them Logical Contradictions are always immediately reducible to is and is not for they affirm and deny the same thing in the same sence The Contradictions in Nature and Philosophy are only the opposition and contrariety there is between the Ideas of several Beings which can never be reduced to a Contradiction in Logick but through Ignorance or Mistake by changing the sense and use of words Let any Socinian try the Experiment in the Doctrine of the Trinity in Unity and reduce it to such a Contradiction if he can A Trinity of Persons in the Unity of the Divine Nature is a Contradiction to that Idea we have of the Unity of Person and Nature in created Beings but this is no Contradiction in Logick for it is not a Contradiction in the same Nature and Being as all Contradictions in Logick must be but it is a Contrariety or Contradiction if we will so call it between the Unity and Personalities of two very different Natures the Divine and the Created Nature and all the Contradiction that can be made of it is no more than this That the Unity of the Divine Nature which is perfect and undivided in Three distinct Persons contradicts the Notion of Unity in a Created Nature which admits but of One Person in One Individual Nature But there are a thousand such Contradictions in Nature that is different Natures whose Ideas are opposite and contrary to each other and yet all of them real Beings But could they make a Trinity in Unity contradict it self that the Trinity should in express terms destroy the Unity and the Unity the Trinity this would be somewhat to the purpose for it would prove a Contradiction in Logick when the Terms destroy each other but then the Trinity and Unity must be the same a Trinity of Persons and but One Person or a Trinity of Natures and but one Nature But a Trinity of Persons true proper subsisting Persons in the Unity of Nature which is the Catholick Faith is not a Contradiction in Logick though it contradicts the Notion of Human Personalities which it may do and yet be very true This is abundantly enough to shew the Weakness and Folly of this Socinian Cant about Transubstantiation the Impiety Prophaneness and mischievous Consequences of it let others consider His Third Charge is That I say That as we are Christians and unless we will be understood to reject the Supreme Authority of Divine Revelation we must believe those Doctrines which are thought to be most mysterious and inconceivable notwithstanding any Objection from Reason or from Philosophy against ' em He that believes no farther than Natural Reason approves believes his Reason not the Revelation he is a Natural Philosopher not a Believer He believes the Scriptures as he would believe Plato or Tully not as Inspired Writings but as agreeable to Reason and as the result of wise and deep Thoughts p. 14. Here he has taken some of my Words and so put them together as to conceal the whole Force of the Argument which he always takes care to do My business P. 10 11 c. was to prove That we ought to believe those Doctrines which are thought the most mysterious and inconceivable notwithstanding any Objections from Natural Reason and Philosophy against them And this I proved from the Nature Use and Authority of Revelation That Revelation as to such matters as are knowable only by Revelation must serve instead of Sense Natural Ideas and Natural Reason That if we believe upon God's Authority which is the strict Notion of a Divine Faith we must believe without any Natural Evidence merely because God has revealed it and then we must believe such things as are not evident to Sense and Reason That to believe no farther than Natural Reason can conceive and comprehend is to reject the Divine Authority of Revelation and to destroy the distinction between Reason and Faith He that will believe no farther than his Reason approves believes his Reason not the Revelation and is in truth a Natural Philosopher not a Believer Here any man may perceive that our Socinian was plainly baffled for he has
it and endeavours to impose upon his Readers as if Reasoning and Arguing about the Sense of Scripture and resolving our Faith into meer natural Reason and Philosophy were the same thing He was aware what Answer would be given to this and therefore in the very next Paragraph he confutes his own Reasoning from Scripture and proves that the Text does not confute Transubstantiation But if our Preacher says he believes it was only Bread because the Text it self calls it Bread which was his own Argument let him consider that seeing what was called Bread before Christ blessed it after the blessing he calls it his Body we cannot know by Sense or by the Text but by Reason and Philosophy only that it was not changed by the blessing into what now he calls it namely his Body But if This signifies Bread then This is my Body signifies This Bread is my Body and if Bread be his Body then his Sacramental Body is not Flesh But I do not intend to dispute this Point with him but only observe That to set up his Reason and Philosophy to be absolute Judges in Matters of Faith he will not allow either Sense or Scripture to confute Transubstantiation It cannot but give all sober Christians a just Indignation to see the most Sacred and Venerable Mysteries perpetually ridicul'd at this Prophane rate In the Reign of King James there was a Pamphlet published to reconcile men to Transubstantiation by representing the Doctrine of the Trinity to the full as absurd and chargeable with as many Contradictions as Transubstantiation it self This was then charged on the Papists and they were sufficiently expos'd for it but a Great Man has lately informed us That it was writ by a Socinian to make men Papists or Socinians as it should happen which was a Glorious Design at that time of day for men who take it ill if you will not allow them to be Protestants and to enjoy the Liberty of Protestants For they could not but see that Popery was then grown very Fashionable and Tempting by the Favour and Frowns of a Popish Prince and that the generality of Christians did so firmly believe the Doctrine of the Trinity that could they have persuaded them as they endeavoured That Transubstantiation was as reasonable a Doctrine as the Trinity it was much more likely that they would turn Papists than Socinians Instead of Popery men are now running into the other Extremes of Atheism Deism and a Contempt of all Reveal'd Religion and that upon a pretence of making mere Natural Reason and Philosophy their sole Guide and Judge and now our Socinians have a new Game to play and if they dare not absolutely deny the Authority of Revelation which in many Instances they have shewn a good Inclination to yet they give a superior Authority to Reason which will serve as well and make less noise than to reject all Revelation And if you shew them how absurd this is to pretend to own a Divine Revelation and to make Revelation submit to mere Natural Reason and Philosophy they presently take sanctuary in Transubstantiation and defend it against the Evidence of Sense and the Authority of Scripture to make Reason and Philosophy the Supreme Judge in Matters of Faith and in the mean time matter not what becomes of Religion what advantage they give either to Popery or Deism so they can but expose the Faith of the Trinity He has given us a little Specimen of it here but the same Author as far as I can guess from the same Words and the same Thoughts has with his usual Civility attack'd my Lord Bishop of Sarum upon this Argument which upon this occasion I shall briefly consider His Lordship in vindication of the Christian Mysteries with great reason rejects Transubstantiation out of the number of Mysteries because it contradicts Sense in the Object of Sense his words are these Transubstantiation must not be a Mystery because there is against it the Evidence of Sense in an Object of Sense For Sense plainly represents to us the Bread and Wine to be still the same that they were before the Consecration Now I cannot think this Author in earnest in the two first Answers he gives to this His first Answer is That it is not pretended by the Papists that the Bread and Wine have received any the least Change in what is an Object of Sense This is a Discovery worthy its Author that the Papists don 't deny that they see and feel and taste and smell the sensible Qualities of Bread and Wine For who ever charged them with such a Contradiction to Sense as this But our Senses judge of the Substances of things by their sensible qualities judge that to be Bread and Wine which has all the qualities of Bread and Wine And therefore to say as the Papists do That what our Sight and Taste and Smell tell us has all the qualities of Bread and Wine is not Bread and Wine does not indeed contradict our Senses as to sensible qualities but contradicts that Judgment our Senses make of the Natures of things from their sensible qualities And this is that Contradiction to Sense which the Bishop justly charges upon Transubstantiation as is evident in his very words In his Second Answer he Disputes against the Infallibility of our Senses as he calls it by such Common Arguments as every Freshman knows how to Answer only I do not remember that the Delusions of our Dreams used to be objected against the Evidence of Sense but suppose our Senses may deceive us in some few instances wherein both Sense and Reason can Correct the mistake must they therefore deceive in the Nature of Bread and Wine Can he prove that they ever deceive us with Qualities and Accidents without a Substance For that is the Cheat of Transubstantiation It is not pretended as he observed in his First Answer That our Senses deceive us in the Colour or Figure or Taste or Smell of Bread and Wine and therefore all his instances of the Deception of our Senses are nothing to the purpose but let him give us any one instance of the other kind if he can and then we will believe Transubstantiation in Contradiction to our Senses But does he consider what the Consequence of this Argument is He will not allow it a good Argument against Transubstantiation That it contradicts Sense because our Senses may deceive us in the Objects of Sense which by the way makes his instance of the Delusions of Dreams which are not the Objects of Sense very impertinent now if contradiction to Sense be not a good Objection because Sense is not Infallible what will become of his great Argument of Contradiction to Reason For all men confess That Reason is not so Infallible as Sense is as is evident from all the Disputes and Clashings of Reason and those Absurdities and Contradictions which contending Parties mutually charge upon each other and if a Contradiction to Fallible Sense
not one word to answer but only says that I contradict this my self in my Vindication of the Doctrine of the Trinity where I assert That suppose the natural Construction of the Words of Scripture import such a Sense as is contrary to some evident Principle of Reason I won't believe it Of this more presently but what is this to the purpose Is there no difference between what Reason can't conceive comprehend approve and what the Reason of all Mankind contradicts No difference between believing what we do not see what we have no natural notion or conception of what is not evident to natural Reason and believing in contradiction to sense and such natural Notions and natural Evidence as all Mankind agree in But he is very much troubled according to his Principle of believing Scripture no farther than Natural Reason and Philosophy approves how to distinguish between believing Plato and Tully and believing a Revelation He says They look upon Plato and Tully as great Men but Fallible p. 15. and therefore may take the liberty to dissent from them and believe them no farther than Reason approves Very right but will he believe the Scripture any farther than Reason can conceive comprehend approve Have a care of that But they will do as well if Reason will not approve of such Scripture Doctrines as it can't conceive and comprehend they will Expound and Torture Scripture till it submits to Reason For it is more congruous to think that an Inspired Writer uses a Figurative or it may be a Catachrestical very Catachrestical Expression or Phrase than that he delivers flat contradictions or downright impossibilities That is to say they must by all means believe or pretend to believe the Scripture but then they must never own any thing to be in Scripture which their Reason calls a flat contradiction or downright impossibility which is the very same thing for the reason why they will not allow that the Scripture contains any thing which their Reason does not approve is because they must believe the Scripture but must not believe it beyond their own Reason and Comprehension and the only difference they make between Plato and Tully and the Scripture is That they can safely reject their Authority when they please but must be at the trouble of Expounding away whatever they do not approve in the Scripture This is what I told them in the Vindication and as Impious as this Author thinks it I will venture to Transcribe that whole Paragraph But I have not done with our Author thus but must give him a little more about Expounding Scripture according to Reason For I affirm that Natural Reason is not the Rule and Measure of Expounding Scripture no more than it is of Expounding any other Writing The true and only way to interpret any Writing even the Scriptures themselves is to examine the use and propriety of Words and Phrases the Connexion Scope and Design of the Text its allusion to Ancient Customs and Usages or Disputes c. For there is no other good reason to be given for any Exposition but that the words signify so and the circumstances of the place and apparent Scope of the Writer requires it But our Author as many others do seems to confound the Reasons of believing any Doctrine with the Rules of Expounding a Writing We must believe nothing that contradicts the plain and express Dictate of Natural Reason which all Mankind agree in whatever pretence of Revelation there be for it Well say they then you must Expound Scripture so as to make it agree with the necessary Principles and Dictates of Reason No say I that does not follow I must Expound Scripture according to the use and significations of the Words and must not force my own Sense on it if it will not bear it But suppose then that the Natural Construction of the words import such a sense as is contrary to some evident Principle of Reason Then I wont believe it How Not believe Scripture No no. I will believe no pretended Revelation which contradicts the plain Dictates of Reason which all Mankind agree in and were I persuaded that those Books which we call the Holy Scriptures did so I wou'd not believe them and this is a fairer and honester way than to force them to speak what they never intended and what every impartial man who reads them must think was never intended that we may believe them To put our own Sense on Scripture without respect to the use of words and to the Reason and Scope of the Text is not to believe Scripture but to teach it to speak our Language is not to submit to the Authority of Scripture but to make Scripture submit to our Reason even in such matters as are confessedly above Reason as the Infinite Nature and Essence of God is Though I am never so well assured of the Divine Authority of any Book yet I must Expound it as I do other Writings for when God vouchsafes to speak to us in our own Language we must understand his words just as we do when they are spoke by men Indeed when I am sure that it is an Inspired Writing I lay it down for a Principle That it contains nothing absurd and contradictions or repugnant to the received Principles of Natural Reason but this does not give me Authority to Expound the words of Scripture to any other sense than what they will naturally bear to reconcile them with such Notions as I call reason for if one man has this liberty another may take it and the Scripture will be tuned to every man's private Conceit and therefore in case the plain sense of Scripture contradicts those Notions I have of things if it be possible to be true I submit to the Authority of Scripture if it seems to include a Contradiction and Impossibility if that Contradiction be not plain and notorious and in such matters as I am sure I perfectly understand there I submit again and conclude it is no Contradiction though I cannot comprehend how it is if I can by no means reconcile it I will confess I do not understand it and will not pretend to give any sense of it much less to give such a sense of it as the words will not bear His Fourth Charge is that I say Difficulty of conceiving a thing nay the absolute unconceivableness of it must not hinder our assent to what is contained in Revelation because we do not disbelieve what is made known to us by Sense or by Reason notwithstanding any difficulty or inconceivableness adhering to such things These are neither my Words nor my Argument My Argument is this That since as I had shewn in matters of pure Revelation which can be known no other way Revelation must stand in the place of Sense and Reason we must allow no Objections against revealed Mysteries but what we will allow to be good Objections against Sense and Reason Now no man questions the truth of
an Objection against any thing that it is without Reason or as we apprehend contrary to reason we must first consider whether it be the proper Object of Reason otherwise it is no Objection as it is no Objection against sounds that we cannot see them nor against colours that we cannot hear them because sounds are not the object of sight nor colours of hearing This I think is plain Sense and good Reason too but this he says is no Answer to that Objection Why should reasonable Creatures be obliged to believe things without Reason Nor was it ever intended as an immediate Answer to it the Answer I give is That we are not oblig'd to believe without Reason but when such Men as this Author Object farther That to Believe things whose natures we do not understand and cannot account for by natural Reason is to believe without Reason it is a proper Answer to say That Reason is not judge of the Nature and Philosophy of things and nothing can be said to be without Reason or against Reason which is not the object of Reason as no man pretends that the pure Natures and â—ssences of things or their Essential Reasons Properties Unions Operations are Serm. p. 19. But herein it seems I was mistaken for I have met with a Man at last who makes Reason the judge of all this for if these be not the Objects of Reason Reason has no Object at all for our Reason can be no otherwise employed but either about Substances or their Unions Essential Reasons Operations or Properties p. 20. Very right we may know something of all this but I speak of the Philosophy of Nature Now can this new Philosopher tell us What the pure simple Essence and Substance of any thing is What naked Matter stripp'd of all Accidents and Qualities is How Soul and Body are United which cannot Touch each other How a Spirit should feel Pain or Pleasures from the Impressions on the Body How we Think and Reason Nay How we See and Hear How Thought moves our Bodies and excites our Passions And a Thousand such like Mysteries which could he Unriddle he would infinitely gratify the Inquisitive world But Christianity not Mysterious and the Philosophy of pure simple Nature are too great Discoveries for one Age and yet if ever this happens they must go together For as I observed this is all the incomprehensibility men have to complain of in the Doctrine of the Trinity and Incarnation The first concerns the pure Nature Essence Substance of God and the Essential Distinction and Unity of the Godhead which we neither do nor can know any thing of for all Nature is a Secret and Mystery to us much more the Infinite Nature of God And the second concerns the Union of the Divine and Human Nature in the Person of Christ which is a Mystery but what we ought not to complain of since the Philosophy of all Natural Unions is a Mystery to us These things are not the Objects of Reason and therefore though we believe them upon the Authority of a Revelation without understanding the Mystery of them this is not to believe without or contrary to Reason And what now does this Socinian say to this truly not one word but falls out with Socinus and Crellius and some of his best Friends for talking so much of Mysteries which by the way shews that this is not such a new and unheard of Objection as he would pretend for now he has found out that there is no Mystery at all in the Doctrines of the Trinity and Incarnation and he is in the right if his Socinian Explication of these Doctrines which destroys the Mystery and the Catholick Faith together may pass for the Doctrine of the Church But there has been enough said of that in the distinction between Real and Nominal Trinitarians examined which the Reader may consult and this Author answer at his leisure though I am very sensible he can never want such Answers as this for any thing 2 dly The Second Objection against such a Revelation as contains matters which natural Reason cannot comprehend is to what purpose such a Revelation serves what merit there can be in believing such Doctrines and of what good use such a Faith can be to us Serm. p. 2â— This is another Objection which he thinks no Sect of Religious ever made p. 24. but the Irreligious mâ—y make this Objection and there are more than one Sect of these As to the usefulness of it I observed That though neither Natural nor Revealed Knowledge extends to the Reasons and Causes of Nature and of Essential Properties and Operations yet both Natural and Revealed Knowledge is of as much use to us as if we did perfectly understand all the Secret and Incomprehensible Mysteries of the Nature of God or of the Natures of Creatures Both Natural and Revealed Knowledge are alike upon this account that they only acquaint us what things are and what ends they serve and then we know what use to make of them without understanding the Secret Mysteries of Nature This I shew'd both in the Knowledge of Nature and of God and added We may make all the use that can be made of this World and of every thing in it without understanding the Essential Reasons and Causes or Internal Nature of any thing This last Clause he fixes his Remarks on and that he may have something to remark he changes my Words thus We may use the World as fully and every thing in it to as good purpose as if we understood the Reasons and Internal Natures of things And then adds No Trisler not so fully nor to so good purpose as if we better understood the Natures of things Now this fully and to as good purpose are not my Words but his own nay we can make no use at all of it but only so far forth as we understand the Nature and Reasons of things in it We can use nothing to any purpose till we know or understand something of its nature and no farther can we apply it and use it than we understand its Nature and know its Properties and Powers Now this is not meerly trifling but Knavery He represents me very ridiculously asserting That we may as fully and to as good purpose use every thing in the World without knowing its Nature Vertues and Properties as if we knew them whereas I expresly assert That we must first know what things are and what ends they serve and the better we know this to be sure the better and then we know what use to make of them without understanding the secret Mysteries of Nature That is when by Experience and Observation we know what things are good for we know how to use them without understanding the secret Mysteries and Philosophy of Nature As how God created all things out of nothing how the Corn grows or our Food nourishes us and the like And thus I shew'd it was as to the Doctrine of
and what this is immediately follows Which none of the princes of this world knew for had they known it they would not have crucified the Lord of Glory which can refer only to the Dispensation of Grace by Jesus Christ. This Nature could not teach us as it is written Eye hath not sâ—en neither ear heard neither have entred into the heart of man the things which God hath prepared for them that love him v. 9. That is such things as neither Sense nor Natural Reason could inform us of But God hath revealed them to us by his Spirit for the Spirit searcheth all things even the deep things of God for what man knoweth the things of a man but the Spirit of a man which is in him even so the things of God knoweth no man but the spirit of God Now we have received not the Spirit of the World but the Spirit which is of God that we may know those things which are freely given us of God Which proves that these are properly the things of the Spirit which could never be known but by the Revelation of the Spirit For they are the deep things of God his Secret Counsels and Purposes for the Redemption of Mankind the free Results of his own Wisdom and Goodness the things which are freely given us of God and therefore can be known and can be revealed only by the Spirit and these are the things of the Spirit which the natural Man the vain Pretender to Reason and Philosophy receiveth not Now can any man desire a plainer Proof than this how incompetent a Judge meer natural Reason is of the Mysteries of Faith of the whole Oeconomy of Gospel-Grace For what the natural Man does not receive that meer natural Reason does not receive for the only Reason why the natural Man does not receive it is because natural Reason does not receive it and what is foolishness to the natural Man is foolishness to natural Reason and what the natural Man cannot know because they are spiritually discerned that natural Reason cannot discern Now can there be a plainer Proof than this if we believe St. Paul that there are such Doctrines contained in the Gospel as natural Reason does not receive or approve but rejects with scorn For it is not said That the natural Man cannot by the mere Light of Nature find out or discover these things of the Spirit that he had asserted before but these words give a reason of the Infidelity of the Wise Men the Scribes the Disputers of this World who rejected the Faith when it was preached to them by the Apostles that the natural Man 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 does not receive or approve the Faith and not only so but rejects it as foolishness as absurd contradictious impossible unworthy of a Man of Reason and Philosophy Like the Philosoâ—hers of the Epicureans and the Stoicks who encountred St. Paul when he preached at Athens and some said What will this babler say other some He seemeth to be a setter forth of strange gods because he preached unto them Jesus and the resâ—rrection 17. Acts 18. If then there be such Doctrines as these in the Gospel-Revelation it is certain it can be no Oâ—jection against any Article of the Christian Faith that meer natural Reason does not receive approve comprehend it but accounts it absurd ridiculous foolish for thus the things of the Spirit of God were to the natural Man in St. Paul's days and thus they will always be Nay if the things of the Spirit of God are so far above the comprehension of Human Reason then such Doctrines as meer natural Reason does not receive have this Mark and Character of Divinity if they are contained in the Gospel-Revelation Nay let me add farther That those Doctrines which have been always owned and defended with the warmest Zeal by the Catholick Church and opposed and rejected with as great scorn and contempt by Pagans Infidels and Hereticks as a contradiction to the Reason of Mankind and the Philosophy of Nature are most likely to be the true Christian Faith for this proves that the Christian Church always believed them to be Gospel-Doctrines and Infidels and Hereticks rejected them as incomprehensible and inconceiveable and absurd to Human Reason and such the Doctrine of the Trinity and Incarnation and Cross of Christ have always been to such natural Men. Nay farther If there be such Doctrines in the Gospel-Revelation which meer Natural Reason receiveth not but accounts foolishness then it is certain that is not the true Christian Faith which contains none of these Mysteries none of this hidden Wisdom none of these deep things of God Let the Socinian then tell us What things there are in their Faith which the Natural Man receiveth not which are above the comprehension of meer Natural Reason They glory that they have no such incomprehensible Mysteries in their Faith that they have a reasonable Faith that they have stript Christian Religion of Riddles and Mysteries and fitted it to the level and comprehension of Human Reason but this very thing wherein they glory is a demonstration against them that Socinianism is not the true Christian Faith for that contains such Doctrines as the Natural Man and meer Natural Reason receiveth not They commonly laugh at that distinction between things contrary to Reason and above Reason which Human Reason is no judge of We assert That a Divine Revelation can never contradict true Reason for a Divine Revelation must be true and true Reason is true and Truth cannot contradict Truth But we assert that there are many things in the Christian Faith which are above Reason which Reason is not a competent judge of and which Natural Men may call contradictions if every thing must pass for a contradiction to Reason which meer Natural Reason does not receive approve allow But after all they must find something above Natural Reason if they will believe like Christians for such things there are in the Christian Faith and then let them distinguish as they can between contrary to Reason and above it But I must take notice of one thing more in these words the reason why the natural man receiveth not the things of the Spirit of God and cannot know them viz. because they are spiritually discerned 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 they are to be known and judged of only by Spiritual Arguments and Methods and therefore the Natural Man who rejects all means of Knowledge but Natural Reason can never know them The Truth and Certainty of our Faith must be learnt not from the Evidence of Natural Reason and Philosophy which was the Evidence the Philosophers expected The Greeks seek after Wisdom 1 Cor. 1.22 But â—t Paul tells us That Christ sent him to preach the Gospel not with Wisdom of words lest the Cross of Christ should be made of none effect v. 17. c 2.4 5. And my Speech and my Preaching was not with enticing words of man's wisdom but in demonstration of the Spirit and of Power I did not confirm my Doctrine by Natural Reasons and Arguments but by the Evidence of Miracles wrought by the Power of the Holy Spirit That your Faith should not stand in the wisdom of men but in the power of God And the true Interpretation and admirable Wisdom of these Divine Mysteries must be spiritually discerned also Which things also we speak not in the words which man's Wisdom teacheth but which the Holy Ghost teacheth comparing spiritual things with spiritual There is a spiritual Language belongs to spiritual Things and we must learn the true Sense and Interpretation of the Faith not from Natural Ideas or the Words and Notions of Philosophy that is in the Socinian Language by Expounding Scripture by Natural Reason but by studying the Language of Scripture and the meaning of the Holy Ghost in it especially by comparing the Old and the New Testament together Spiritual things with Spiritual This is a way of Learning which Natural Men despise and therefore cannot know the things of the Spirit of God which must be spiritually discerned All this I think abundantly proves that there are such Mysteries in the Christian Faith as meer Natural Reason cannot discover cannot prove cannot receive and comprehend cannot interpret which shews what reason we have to distinguish betwen matters of pure Faith and Philosophy and what danger there is of corrupting the Faith by Philosophy And now I think I may conclude for I suppose no body will expect that I should defend my self against his ridiculous Charge That I am a Socinian which had he believed I should have found better treatment from him But I shall leave him to rave by himself and look upon all these Hurricanes of Fury and Vengeance as a good sign that they feel themselves mortally Wounded THE END The Distinction between Real and Nominal Trinitarians examined c. Considerations on the Explications of the Doctrine of the Trinity p. 21 22. Vindicatition p. 150.